MacArthur Maze Conspiracy

Truck Crash and fire collapses main freeway artery in Oakland.

I think the real news story here is the conspiracy. We all know that jet fuel, ...er gasoline can't burn hot enough to melt steel. There must be an insidious Bush/Rove/Cheney plot to increase their stranglehold on our rights and fatten their wallets with the contracts to rebuild Oakland. I hear that seismic records show an explosion at the time of the accident that couldn't have come from the tanker.

Overcoming PC Color Blinders

We went to the Temple last night along with several people from the ward. As I was walking through the lobby a very pretty black sister came out of the "women's" area and needed to communicate something to her husband who was in the "men's" area. So she asked me if I could try to find him. She described him as medium height with very closely cropped hair and his name was Mike. Now I could just march in there and start asking for "Mike." But, there was a very large 600 pound elephant in the room nobody was acknowledging. After a pregnant pause I asked her, "...and is he black?" She confirmed that he was. Now armed with this information I knew I would have no trouble at all identifying her husband in the midst of largley white-bread Mormon America.

Hello Dahly

We had dinner last Saturday at the Smiths because Rashid and Humera and kids were there visiting the Mughals. Now, I don't automatically go in for Pakistani food. But, it can at least be an adventure. I thought it might clear out my cold. No such luck.

Joan had some tasty brie and wasa-like flatbread to put it on as well as chips and guacamole.

Laney is usually too busy playing with the kids in the cul de sac to get serious about eating until shortly before we want to leave. Lenore was "helping" her with her dinner and gave her a piece of the flatbread. Laney chewed it awhile and then pronounced,"it tastes like I'm eating a decoration." I had no idea she was so well versed in the consumption of ornamental food.

Poltergeist Unveiled

Months ago we borrowed a "Shark Tale" DVD from Joan and Darrell. Lenore placed it in the machine and then got distracted and when she came back to play it for Laney. It was gone. She claimed Poltergeists. I said, "Yes, dear" and secretly arranged for psychiatric counselling. We never found the disc and never returned the empty box. We searched everywhere. Some movie critics might ask, "why?"

Yesterday, Laney watched another DVD borrowed from the Smith Library, Chicken Little. Again critics are asking, "why?" After the viewing, it remained in the machine in its perpetual loop. Finally, Lenore pushed the eject button and the drawer opened and "voila" no DVD.

So, armed with a phillips screwdriver a Haris Scalpel and some 3.0 silk I carefully opened the machine, thereby voiding the warranty on our 5+ year old, $35 DVD player. There is an awful lot of empty space inside those black boxes. Stacked neatly at the back of the device were the two lost DVDs. Laney rejoiced. I said, "why?"

Really Young Women's Conference

We went to the Young Women's Conference Last Saturday. Laney had to go with us because Ailsa was at work and we didn't have any other babysitter. She did pretty well. But near the end she was growing restless and asked Lenore how much more there was. Lenore told her, "after this speaker, President Hinckley will talk and he is the last speaker." Laney replied, "President Hinckley?...is he still alive!?"