Memorial Day

Here's to the soldiers who have fought for the freedom and liberty this great nation, often giving their lives.

Thank you, and God bless America!

Code Breaking

This title might surprise you, given what the post is about and my affinity for internet technologies.

So, for the past while, our Honda Accord has given me the "c0de" message on its display and prevented me from listening to anything.  Anything.  Okay, maybe an occasional, digital beep.

Thankfully, I found a nifty help video on YouTube, which helped me find the key to cracking the code.

So, where did I find our well-hidden, secret stereo code (and why on earth is there one, in the first place?)?

On the back of the ashtray!!

That's right, kids, McGiver has nothing on me.  Absolutely nothing!!

I will now enjoy my 30 minute commute, feasting on General Conference talks, rather than freeway white noise.

The New LDS Media Library Has Arrived!!

Sort of.

Check out the new LDS Media Library by clicking on the image above or below.

For right now, the Library has a limited selection of videos and a lot of explanations of new social media and what the Church will be rolling out soon.  From feature films to highlightable e-books, I'm getting excited!

The Media Library contains a number of descriptions of how the Church is and will be using online media.

Be sure to visit the site to see how you can better prepare Family Home Evening lessons, share with friends, enjoy a movie together, and more.

Today's Spiritual Message: An Apostle's Introduction to the Book of Mormon

Hope you enjoy it.

Careful Closing the Dumpster: Something Might Leap Out at You

Here I was, lamenting how bored I felt, with my wife shooting a wedding (photography, rather than guns), chrome and other news essentially evaporated (even the rapture failed to materialize and make my desolation more exciting), and my daughter fast asleep.  To assuage my lamentations, I decided to take out the trash, which consisted of two bags of diapers . . .

Over the past day or two, I've felt rather zealous about closing our two dumpsters' doors -- all four of them.  Why?  Well, the other night, I went to throw out some trash when I heard something fall on the ground.  I assumed the worst, yet found only some trash, which looked like it might have fallen from a bag with some tear marks in it.  Failing to see anything living, other than the heaps of trash, I went on my merry way.

The next day, I obtained my evidence:  A bandit-faced creature, skulking near one of our dumpsters and trying to look pitiable.  I starred it down and it tucked it's tail and ran for the hills (which were only a few feet away, anyway).

Now I imagine you can now understand my conviction for securing the dumpster doors (even if someone else left one or more open).

Finally, we end where I began:  Depositing some valuables into the dumpster.

With proactive zeal in my heart and bodily safety on my mind, I approached the far side dumpster, as one of its doors stood already ajar.  After delivering my fragrant treasures, I went to close the dumpster door when, "Yeaaaaaaaahhhh!!" some animal shot out -- thankfully, away from me -- and booked it like a teenage-girl running to procure the latest Twilight installment.  After overcoming heart failure and flashing images of rabid claws sinking into my flesh and long nights in a stiff hospital bed, I caught my breath and slowly walked away, thankful to have my skin and good health intact, ready to take the trash out another day.

Okay, so the title is slightly misleading

Cute and cuddly, eh?

Alphabet Tutor in Action

I'm getting nervous about the day when I see a random credit card purchase for toys neither I nor mom knew about . . .

GERMANY PHOTOS (are finally here)!!

Okay, peeps.  Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting (months) for!  The Germany trip photos.

Enjoy!  (Please click on the Picasa icon in the bottom-right-hand corner of each album viewer if you'd rather see a full album view, rather than a one-picture-at-a-time slideshow.)

If you want me to comment on them, give me a call, and I'll give you the three hour tour.

















I'll probably get more up here from our more "socially acceptable camera," as my wife calls it.

(See my wife's blog for exacting details of our adventures.)

Today's Spiritual Message: WE Are Children of God

I hope you enjoy this video about our heavenly heritage.

Confession: I'm a Parselmouth

"I can speak to snakes.  I found out when we've been to the country on trips — they find me, they whisper to me.  Is that normal for a wizard?"

Thankssss, amigo!

Okay, so V-Mart said that and my character was less narcissistic about his ability.

The other day, my wife, daughter, and I were at a local park, when we walked past an old school bathroom (like something from a reptile house -- or Hogwarts).  Long story short, turns out we saw what we think was a Black Rat Snake, hanging on the windowsill, its long tail tucked into the corner of an old, grated window.  I'd say it was as short as three feet or as long as four or five.

We called the police (hey, the thing could have been a Basilisk, for all we knew!), and they showed up like two days later.  Okay, after about 30-40 minutes.  We wanted to avoid creating a panic, so I sat by the bathroom and, uh, kept watch, until they arrived.

Two little girls came skipping down to the reptile house, err, bathroom, and were perplexed, when I told them to go and ask their parents for permission.  "Our parents already said we could," the girls insisted.  "Did they know there was a snake in the bathroom?" I asked.  Both girls apparently failed to distinguish the snake from the brick and one started walking into the bathroom . . .  I sternly told her to come back, and, once the girls had it click in their minds what I was talking about, they ran away, screaming, "Snaaaaake!"

Is the Chamber of Secrets located underneath a wash closet in a Cincinnati park?

"Oh, great," I thought.  Some dad's going to come down, looking to punch me in the face because he thinks I'm a weirdo, hanging out by the girl's bathroom.  Actually, their father just stood in the door, with his back to the snake and commanded the girls to go to the bathroom because, darn it, they said they had to go!  (I think both girls felt differently, at that point.)

Once the folks in white showed up, one of them wanted to get out some kind of extendable stick and put the snake in the trees.  "No, Bill!  What if it's somebody's pet or it's poisonous or something!?"  Ah, yes, the calm-headed reasoning of the female officer won out, and we presume they waited until animal control (or someone similar) turned up.

Good times, eh?

I'd give you two non-stock photos from my "1.3 Mage Pixels Mobile Camera" (it literally says "Mage"), except they're pretty low resolution, and I lack a way to transfer them, anyway.  Just pretend like this is Hairless and use your imagination.  Savvy?  Awesome.

(See my wife's blog for more.)

Breakfast Blinis

YUM.

I made some buckwheat blini pancakes for my wife and daughter, out of a fancy cook book, and we loved them.

I highly recommend it.  Let me know if you want the recipe.  The only bummer is that part of the preparation is letting the batter rise for 2-3 hours . . .

Yep, Poppers, this stuff goes well with a nice sip cup!

That's a spatula, rather than Harry's head, "floating in mid air!"

I highly recommend getting real maple syrup:  I tip my hat to my wife for this judgment call

Proper fork use recommended

I'm detecting something . . .

. . . I'm getting it . . .

. . . almost . . .

. . . yes, truly amazing!

Take your blinis with you, wherever you need to go!

Breakfast blinis:  The ultimate rock-out breakfast food

Happy Mothers' Day!!

"Who can probe a mother’s love? Who can comprehend in its entirety the lofty role of a mother? With perfect trust in God, she walks, her hand in His, into the valley of the shadow of death, that you and I might come forth into light."  Thomas S. Monson.

The holiest words my tongue can frame,
The noblest thoughts my soul can claim,
Unworthy are to praise the name
More precious than all other.

An infant, when her love first came,
A man, I find it still the same,
Reverently I breathe her name,
The blessed name of mother.

George Griffith Fether, “The Name of Mother,” in Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People, edited by Jack M. Lyon and others (1996), 218.

On this Mothers' Day, I want to give thanks to the three mothers I am closest to:  my wife, my mother, and my mother-in-law. I have received unique and special gifts from each and am eternally grateful for their love and devotion.

Above all, I want to give thanks to my sweet and darling wife.  She is the apple of my eye (my daughter's a close second), the mother of my child, and the wellspring of my hopes and dreams.  Sweetheart, I love you -- Happy Mothers' Day!!

In celebration of this special day, here are some pictures of the children my wife takes care of, on a daily basis.  I hope you enjoy them.

We love you, mom!!

(Germany pictures are on their way, I promise!)

Harry Potter 7, Part 1 Reviewed

Google Chrome for Dads

This one tugs at my heart strings:



Hope you enjoyed it.