New Family Search

The pieces were coming together on "In Old Holland" by Gustaaf Van Vreeland, a Dee-Gee cork puzzle. It sold new for twenty-five cents in its time. A windmill under cloudy skies stands illuminated in its immediate foreground, workers bustling out of it with work to be done.

We found three more ancestors for ordinance work and traced our line through the Stephens and on back to Adam, today, using the new FamilySearch.org. What nothing! This is taking so long, we aren't getting anything done, and I don't know what I am doing, were my sentiments by the end of the day.

The evening prayer was offered by grandpa. Afterwards, my grandmother expressed her feelings of gratitude for the speed of the modern technology and how much we had accomplished in such a short time.  She spoke of floppy disks that were floppy and long start-up speeds of the past.

I smiled, said Oh Grandma, and hugged her.

We all huddled around it, blocking out the essential light, filling in the last pieces of the middle, eager to know if there would be enough. Our knobby hands fiddled with the last small pieces. Ah-ha, ahhh- strange moans ruminated in mine and Grandpa's throats. Grandpa stood back collected. The last of the pieces came together leaving a beautiful landscape... with one small hole.


One is missing. 


It's a Corker!






New.FamilySearch.org is the LDS church's new website for genealogy work offering many exceptional features. The Church has reformed many new sites this year as part of its apparent reorganization of much church material, including magazines, websites, manuals, and many other programs, that culminated recently at the Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting. The new material displays overall a more modern, user-friendly, simplistic style that is also opening the members to the reality that it is a world church. New.FamilySearch in specific has come together to offer speedy research capabilities for the common man- these are best understood when seen by oneself, go here.

A Camera

Antique cameras, you say? responded my grandfather. We've got one of them. As he limped spryly down the dusty hall.

As we arrived home, we unloaded the gold Prius. Turkey to the freezer. Chocolate covered almonds to the cabinet. Make room for Costco's pumkin pie as well.

Grandpa, have you got an extension cord? I ask, thinking of my recently acquired and repaired macbook charger. Out side he presents a collection of extension cords from which to choose. Boxes of antiques lie near. Needless to express transition-

 As soon as my Grandpaps remembers where he put it, the camera comes descending. Dust dust dust. Its all tidied up in a box. Gently now, carefully now, its really old you know, we really shouldn't play with it. Bang! bang bang bang. Tinker tinker tinker. I'm pulling out the wooden legs for the tripods. He's tweaking on the camera box. Soon we put them both together and presto, pronto, wa-la- there you have it, done deal. A Pony Premo dating back from before 1900. In prime condition, majestic upon its stand. Owned by my great-grandfather, Albert Meyers, at one point in time. They say he bought it to feed his family during the depression. Fine plates to shoot on. A hand pump triggers the shutter.

It's unreal how long I have wanted to note a camera of such nature. We stand in silence, marveling at its magnificence for a time. I draw my own camera, and photograph its elegance. A small dog submits in presentation to a large dog. To help him sell it better on Ebay, I tell my grandfather.  And my heart?

We fold it up. Back into the case. Back into the box. Dust dust dust. On top of its pile. Along with its legs.

My great-grandfather's soul.

The clocks strike one.




Pumpkin pie? he asks.

A Change of Pace

I decided to travel to Ohio, to spend the Thanksgiving with my Grandparents and Uncle’s family. I seldom win my battles against the Lord.

I’ve had dinner with my grandparents about three times, last time in Capone’s, Little Italy, Hartfor, CT. We spoke over a toss caesar. I believe a cannoli was involved.

The Spirit started urging my thoughts to my ancestors about half way through my mission. I spoke much on family history work to my investigators. I enrolled in the Family History course in my ward recently. Shortly after I posted on the ride board, a small group spontaneously formed desiring to voyage to Ohio for Thanksgiving. Plane was to expensive. After minor dificulties, a father out on business volunteered to drive his daughter, two girls, and I as far as Indiana. Thirty hours later he was still driving as we met my grandparents. A long expected embrace. The last three hour leg to Deleware, OH.

Where I now rest.

Bell Choir.
I know my Father lives

1% battery.

Sammy's

A purple haze drifted in the atmosphere.

the girl with the ukulele; two guys two guitars.

When the bearded man and the drummer kicked up those crissed-crossed-apple-sauced in the front row moved back, and the bass came forth. 

I stole some shots and my friends danced around,

free pie shakes for everyone in town.

Ghana. Sweet shirts for Reggae Night.

Raise the Roof.

It’s Sammy’s.

Play-Off Pictures

Again, most of the pictures for the competitive sports play-offs can be located at the facebook page. Hope you like them.

Just a quick thought on Continue in Patience

What would you do with your second mallow?

Hats-Off

I find it kind-of funny. When entering the David O McKay library here, a dedicated building, you are expected to remove your hat out of respect, and I certainly abide by these rules. However, upon closing every night, one will here the  sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd as they count off "1- 2- 3," and commence with the famous tune of Sweet Home Alabama, as the voice over the loud speaker alerts you that the library is closing in many different languages. Sweet Home Alabama is not a bad song. Removing hats in buildings is not a bad tradition. On the contrary, when put together, they are a contradiction in practice.

Here is the link to the Facebook Competitive Sports page. Check it out.

Freeze Wins Championship!

Hurricanes Win to Finish a Perfect Season.

Game Frisbee

The Hurricanes. Ultimate Champions 2010

Play-Off Pictures

hey, folks, just hold tight, the pictures from the Men's Ultimate Frisbee and the Women's Volleyball, will be up in soon. I'm presently processing them.

The Truth Behind the "W"

The "W" is feared. "Are you crazy, don't drop the class now, you'll get the 'W'"! Its as if it were the yellow passport of Jean Valjean. Amidst the confused and anguished cries of students branded by the "W" I declare boldly- Embrace it.

Love the "W".

There is nothing to fear. The W does not calculate into your GPA. The "W" is not frowned upon by other regular schools. The "W" loves. The "W" helps. The "W" cherishes all things good. The "W" is of good report.

I decided to drop my class yesterday on account of absences, incorrectly graded tests and an abundance of indecent commentary. Today is the last day to drop without the "W". If I dropped the class it would make a 3 credit gap in my schedule, revoking my scholarship and my honor. I have scoured the campus and counseling offices for open 2nd Block 3 credit classes all morning.  After one hour in the Language and Let's, we devised a plan that would provide 2.5, possibly 3 credits- catch-line- I would have to enroll in 4 more classes.

I departed the office with stubborn knees and anxious eyes for the future. Stopped by the admissions office to alert them I would be dropping the class. They said it had nothing to do with them. So I swung around to my Financial Aid consolers office on a whim. She was there! I expressed to her my unsettling situation, that my scholarship and my honor, and my grades, time, and life were all on the line. I expressed to her my desire to drop the class today to avoid the "W".

And what did she tell me? Embrace the "W".

The "W" will hold your credit spot, it counts as a grade for those 3 credits. If you drop the class tomorrow, you will keep your scholarship, and qualify for one next semester.


Happy Day.

Embrace the "W".

Hurricanes: Play-Offs this weekend!

The Hurricanes take it to the PLAY-OFFS this weekend. Saturday, 13 of November, Stadium Field, be there or be square. Check out the video, its sweet.


One more thing: looks like they will be playing in the snow. Ooooo.

Be Ultimate

The Hurricanes

The undefeated yet humble Hurricanes will bring their diligent spirit to the battlefield in the Fall 2010 Ultimate Play-Offs on the 13 of November starting at 6:30pm. As the weather steadily gets colder the Hurricanes are still bringing the heat.

They will pit themselves fearlessly against their competitors in the seven team tournament, all teams of the competitive sports league will fight for the rights of the victory dance, duking it out on the upper fields and taking their final game to the BYU-Idaho Stadium under the lights of the big time.

The Hurricanes have gone 4-0 this season becoming the only undefeated team this season, and their skill affirms that they will stay that way with only one more game to play in the regular season.

Their final score boards give the impression that they have only been playing against children this whole season- 13-9; 13-3; 13-11; 13-1. All thirteen’s. The Hurricanes have beaten the timer, ending the game by reaching the score limit of thirteen in all four games this season. Enough said.

Flawless organization and indivisible union on the field has drawn attention and fans this season, and Coach Jeremy Webb attributes much of their success to the H-Stack offense; It is like this, three players sit back in a triangle formation handling the Frisbee amongst themselves, and four stay up field, running vertical cuts until one gets open.

They do not claim to be innovative in this approach, but instead say they have something more. “We have focused on getting our team to build that trust and friendship so when we go out on the field we play like old pals and we work hard with each other,” says Coach Webb.

“I guess you could say that I started off as a lower end player and that the coach I had then really helped me out and so I grew, and now I feel a need to share that as a coach to the younger players,” says Webb with a humble smile. He plays on the front lines with the players and his good nature has a positive influence on the team this year.

Speaking to the fans in anticipation of the Play-Offs, Coach Webb said, “That final game is one of the biggest games. Both teams are just pumped, at the max, and there’s a ton of action packed plays, and dives, and jumps, and quick sprints, and its just really exciting to watch.”

Closing prophetically, he said, “You’re going to see a lot of action out there on the field.”

The BYU-I Ultimate Frisbee League is a section of Competitive Sports at BYU-I. Competitive Sports had its start in 2002, and the Ultimate League in 2005. The teams change each season and next season will be in spring 2011. BYU-Idaho Competitive Sports is an intercollegiate sports program managed on campus through student leadership and emphasizes the principal of inclusion.

Ultimate is a flying disk sport that found its start in 1967 when Joel Silver and a group of eclectic High School students in Maplewood, New Jersey gathered together to participate in the “ultimate game experience.: They utilized the Frisbee product of Wham-O, 1964m which was developed from the Pluto Platter peddled by Walter Morrison during the UFO craze of the 50’s and 60’s. Morrison came up with the idea back in the 1940’s while allegedly throwing a cake pan back and forth with his wife on the beach. The name comes from the Frisbie Baking Company, which often sold pie to New England college students. It all started with the pie.

“And we are the Hurricanes.”

Welcome to POLSC110

2nd block starts. I add another political science class  onto my 4 classes. The professor's a charming old man full of radical comments, and 20 year-old jokes annotated onto the side of his lectures. His answer key is wrong.

Let me explain.

The test comes. I missed a few days previous, decide to review outside the testing center. I'm ready. I know it all, easy stuff, lets do it. I ascend the stone staircase and am hustled through the lines and computers, receive my test with a number and a stamp, and my dull pencil is ready. My first test in the testing center.

Skim the test, its all easy stuff, yada, yada, yada, I arrive at the last part with five questions I know I dont know, so I guess. 5 guessed out of 63 isnt bad. I leave the mass of students behind to wallow in their interrogations and depart to the outside. I slide my test through the happy little machine, feeling good about myself, its going to be a good class. I walk outside and look at the score screen.

I find my number,  and a 68%.

What? Thats not my score. Yeah, but it is.


Next day- Yo, Professor, can I speak with you after class? I missed the class this morning but I go and speak with him in his office. Ample sunlight fills the room. We greet each other with smiles. I notice relatively empty shelves.

He offers his chair, I review the test with the paper, and my answers and the key's answers on the screen.

Lots of red. Alright, that one really was wrong, yeah that one makes since, bad guess here, so maybe I didn't know as much as I had thought. next question

Who wrote the original transcript of the Declaration of Independence?

• James Maddison
• Thomas Jefferson
• Benjamin Franklin
• Thomas Jeffs
• All of the above

Answer is: Benjamin Franklin.

Strange, I guess Historia lied to me. Some other questionable answer latter, I'm ready to leave and to say nothing of it. I will bow out. On the whim, I ask him about this one here about slavery, pointing to the test. 

-Oh yes, the answer is E- he says

-No, the key says its C- I reply

-But its E-

I stop- Whats going on here?- Yeah, I know its E, thats what I put.

The last thing any of us wants to hear is that their tests are being graded improperly. Whats worse? His apparent indifference.

He slips the test from my shocked hand into the drawer. Closes. Subject change. -What you need to do Brother Simons is worry about being on time...- 

Certainly do, admittedly I have not been attending as I should. . . but what about the faulty answer key! Its my logic that being on time to class that has no participation points, will do me little good if the tests are not being graded properly. To shocked to say anything, and to appalled to do anything about-

I bid my farewell.

This is going up to the big dogs.

P.S. and bytheway- Jefferson wrote the Dec. Ben mades some suggestions.