My sister Mary

I am lucky enough to have six brothers and two sisters.  They’re awesome.  But today I’m just going to write about one of them, my sister Mary.  Recently I’ve been reminded about how especially amazing she is.

Here are eight of the reasons why she tops this week of amazingnessosity:

- Her middle name is Sylvia.

- She’s the only one of my older siblings who never beat up on me (and you can’t say, “that’s because she’s a girl”, because my younger sister beat up on me plenty and as far as I know, she’s a girl too).

- When we were growing up, she used to make chicken enchiladas for our whole family every Sunday (and they even tasted good). 

- She went on a mission before it was trendy for girls to go on a mission.

- She’s possibly the most patient person I’ve ever met.

- Some people say she’s similar to me. 

- She never got too mad at me when I used to leave the milk or cheese out on the kitchen counter (and it happened a lot, believe me).

- But the most amazing thing is that I saw her today and she was still smiling.  Incredible.    

My sister Mary, she’s awesome.  I’m proud to be her brother.

Movies

Hello,

Back in my youngerness, I used to avoid depressing movies at all costs.  I hated them.  I would think to myself, "Why watch a depressing movie when life is already depressing?"

However, now I’m older, I’ve changed.  Somewhere in the sadness of some movies, there is peace.        

These are some of those movies.  Watch them if you want. 

• Shadowlands
• Becoming Jane
• Hereafter
• Finding Neverland
• Driving Miss Daisy
• Steel Magnolias

My Boycotts

According to my students, the Harlem Shake seems pretty popular these days.  Because it’s popular, I refuse to participate in or watch any such “shakeifications”.  I’m difficult like this sometimes.    I don’t know what it is, but when lots of people like or participate in something, I go on strike.  (My mother says it’s my way of rebelling.  The Mrs. just shakes her head and sighs.)

For example, when I was a freshman at the B.Y., all my fellow freshmanites would pray over their food when we were in the Cannon Center.  Because the praying was so prevalent, I, and my roommate Stephen E. Frandsen, refused (and sometimes stole the food of those who were praying).  We refused, not because we didn’t like praying (it’s not a bad practice overall), but rather because we didn’t want to be like everyone else.  Some people want to fit in. some don’t.

Anyway, in addition to my boycott of the Shake, here are some other events/items in my life where I felt it necessary to take a principled stand.  Some I eventually gave up on.  Hopefully that won’t be the case with the Shake.

- Walmart.  It is the Great and Spacious building.  Please do not go there anymore.

- The Titanic.  For 15 years I refused to watch that movie (although I love the soundtrack, especially “My Heart Will Go On” and I love Leo).  But last year the Mrs. forced me at kitchen knife point to watch it with her.  I did.  I regret every second of it.    

- The Utah Jazz in the 1990s.  Everybody loved John and Karl.  I didn’t.  Saved me a lot of heartbreak in ‘97 and ‘98. 

- Voting for Mitt in 2012.  Obviously there were a lot who didn’t vote for him outside of Utah, but there were very few, who along with yours truly and Big Stew, held out here in the cross roads of the West (Editor’s Note:  I should confess however, that I did vote for him in 2008, but that was before he was popular so I feel okay about it).

- The New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the University of Utah.  I will never give in.

- The Harry Potter book series.  I refused to read the books until 2007 (the first was published in 1997).  However, after watching the fifth movie, I gave in to the pressure.  After watching the movie, I had to know what was going to happen the rest of the way. (I know, I know, it doesn’t make sense that I refused to read the books, but still watched the movies).  Since then I’ve read every book at least twice.

- My finding out the gender of the expected child.  I do not know and I do not want to know until its birth day.    

- The Snow Cone craze which hits Payson High School somewhere around the middle of May.  I refuse to give in.  I will not eat a snow cone no matter how many people tell me how good they are (Editor’s Note II: However, when I played little league baseball, I did occasionally accept the proffered free snow cone at the end of a well-played game). 

- Ever After.  When it came out in 1998, I steadfastly refused to watch it.  No way, no how.  However, when I got home from the mission somehow I caved.  I don’t regret it.  I think I cried the first time through.      

And that’s all for now.