For a good time....

Ok, so have any of you tried to contact the DMV lately?

I have a vehicle that is slightly expired and in dire need of a new shiny sticker. So being the dutiful citizen I can be at times, I gathered the needed registration information and inspection certificates and ensconced myself in front of my laptop and commenced the process.

My first road block came with step one of the process. My address is outdated. Not to worry! The DMV people were thoughtful enough to include easy to read instructions on what to do in just such an event. The instructions include the appropriate phone number. What they don't tell you is by calling the number you must submit not only your intellectual faculties at the door but you must also give up any desire to live.

At first the "children of the corn" voice seems pleasant enough. She informs you that you have dialed the correct number in a voice sweeter than Amy's mothers from "Everybody loves Raymond". Shortly however, you become aware that you aren't in Kansas anymore.

You would think a change of address would be as simple making a phone call and then getting on with your life. Oh no....Naive little one. We are dealing with the DMV a governmental entity!!!!!

I listened over and over and over and over to the list of options and no option for changing your address exists. I felt like I was wondering around Hogwarts trying to find that room that only appears when you really need it to. Apparently I didn't want the address change option bad enough.

I momentarily clapped like a school child when I happened upon an option entitled "Vehicle registration information" only to curse like a drunken sailor when I was informed "if you recieved a packet in the mail, open it, and follow the directions to renew your registration online... I think I might have shed a tear at this point.

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a Seinfield episode??? In frustration I found myself mocking the voice on the other end of the line. Trust me, it does no good, the voice doesn't even flinch.

So, here I am, crying on any available shoulder (Amber retreated upstairs in disgust, her shoulder is apparently unavailable at the moment. So much for the myth that a crying man indicates sensitivity and is a desirable trait, she just called me a wimp).

Look, I am not about to suggest to anyone that we should boycott the DMV, (in case they are listening). I am however suggestion that if you find yourself in need of an address change with the DMV don't expect sympathy. These boys play for keeps. They will chew you up and spit you out only to kick you in the crotch as a parting gift.

Curse them, curse them all....

RECHARGE!!!!!

Just thought I would take a minute and report on another successful weekend spent at the Gorge.

This weekend my Dad and I took a couple of my friends to show them what "real" fishing is like. We spent three days fighting the sun, wind and rain in pursuit of the elusive thirty pound lake trout.



The first picture is Derek, a friend from Nursing school. He caught a twenty-five pounder the last day. I think he is happy, even though his face looks like he might be passing a stone. Lets just say it was cold, and he learned what it is like to try and pump a huge trout off the bottom of the lake with non-responsive/numb fingers and a touch of gas from the fish fry the night before.



My Dad caught a twenty pounder, and he let Kyle hold it for the picture. I guess he could tell that Kyle wasn't going to pose with one of his own by the end of the trip. Fathers intuition or something. Anyway, Kyle was a good sport and only inquired once as to why he was having his picture taken with a fish he didn't catch. He wasn't the only one wondering the same thing.



We had a great time and I enjoyed getting to know Kyle and Derek a little better. If you are wondering why there isn't a picture of me holding a laker, it is because I didn't catch one, duh! I guess I couldn't take the pressure! {:-)



We had a great fish fry of fresh caught lake trout, corn on the cob, and Crayfish. The crayfish was about the only thing I could actually catch. Props to Kyle for his award winning crispy trout and homemade tartar sauce.

Answer to the quiz

Curt is right, Oliver Cowdry did author section 134, and apparently on the same day, also authored a proclamation on the family. They were presented to the church at a general conference that Joseph didn't attend. Joseph did not initially endorse either but after a time he embraced section 134, as has each president since. The proclimation on the other hand wasn't endorsed.

There you go, interesting stuff!

To Constitute or not to Constitute

Many of you know that last month in Elders Quorum the President was giving a lesson about the direction our economy and the country in general was heading (Down the tubes). As he began his lesson he started pacing back and forth in obvious excitement (Pause) then he turned to me and announced to the class that in a month I was going to follow up with a lesson about the religious freedoms that were included in the original constitution that were now being denied to us [My mouth hangs open] (He then Resumes pacing). Hmmm.

As you can imagine I have spent the last few weeks with a nagging thought in the back of my mind reminding me that soon I would have to stand to present a brief treatsie on the thoughts and intents of our founding fathers regarding religious freedom. Hmmm. Needless to say, I wasn't excited.

Finally yesterday morning arrived and I knew my time was up. I spent a few minutes brushing up and then I reported for duty. To be honest, I had no idea what I was going to say. I was relieved to see I only had twenty minutes to present.

As I stood there, trying to frame my opening remarks, I asked an ice breaker question: "List for me some of the constitutional religious rights that are being denied you and I". (Not a hand is raised or a response shouted out, somewhere in the background a cricket began chirping).

I think to myself: OK, lets try that again. "Can any of you think of examples in your lifetime, where the government has restricted our ablity to practice religion"?
(repeated lack of respons except this time someone coughs).

I take courage and respond: "The reason that none of you can think of an example is that there aren't any. If there were we would all be aware of them. This government was founded upon the rights of religious freedom, and those rights are protected by the constitution." Thus ended my treatsie.

I then spent the remainder of the lesson discussing the 134th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, and finished off with the idea that things in this world are unfolding as they should, that God is in control, and we should spend our time in doing our responsibilities and let God do his. Or as Neal A. Maxwell put it, "Isn't it interesting that we who wear wrist watches seek to counsel he who oversees cosmic clocks and calenders".

P.S. Trivia time: Who wrote the 134th section, and is it a revelation?

P.S.S. On a random side note, here is a shout out to Crunchy Chedder Jalapeno Cheetos. Buy em, Inhale em, Love em.

Out.