Christmas Gifts

A roundup and ranking of Christmas Gifts:

• Ball Pit for Samuel (18 months): I'm a big believer in the "Wow" factor of Christmas morning, meaning when the kids enter the family room, there is that magical "Willy Wonka"-esque feeling of "This is the best day of the year". (I'm also a big believer in presents that are "things you can do/enjoy on Christmas day" - even if they get tossed out afterward.)

So it is with that principle we agreed to let Santa bring a $19.99 ball pit for Sammy, knowing it wouldn't last long. It didn't...the seams popped within a couple of hours. But during those first few hours, it was big, bright, colorful, full of wonder and adventure, so it did its job. Plus....bonus! 20-some odd plastic balls for Sam (who is a ball lover) to still play with.

RANK: 3 Christmas Trees out of 4

• Indoor Trampoline that incorporates electronic game component for Matty (nearly 4): Great idea in theory....still sitting unassembled in the garage in practice. We literally had 5 adults trying to assemble it on Christmas night before we gave up at 1 a.m. in fear that we'd bump into Santa's arrival (or Josh's traditional awaking at 3 a.m....which happened at 3:20 a.m. this year). It actually made me yearn for assembling an IKEA item...or at least to have their instruction booklet. We made it through the first 18 steps, and hope to do the last 12 (for a total of 30....no kidding) before next week. Next time, just get a pre-assembled jogging tramp.

Rank: 1.5 Christmas Trees out of 4 (which should change to 3.5 out of 4 when assembled)

• TV Show Newhart on DVD. This 80s TV show represented our family's family home evening as we'd all gather on Monday night to watch it. While it's not officially out on DVD yet, there are some companies that sell complete copies of TV series for a very reasonable price. Not sure how they pull it off...sort of the military "don't ask, don't tell", I'm guessing. Seemed to be taped off of Canadian TV. (If you want the web site, let me know and then you can check out all the series that are available) At any rate, MAJOR hit for my Dad.

Rank: 4.5 Christmas Trees out of 4.

• Headphones: I thought I'd get some nice but inexpensive headphones for Kathryn for use at the gym. Didn't realize I ordered high tech ones used in studios with fancy equipment. The plug is long and not standard for music players, gym equipment, etc. Can't return it as I ordered online and opened it. (Anyone want them?)

Rank: 0 Christmas Trees out of 4.

• PlayStation Portable with MLB game for Josh (age 8). We relented and allowed Santa to bring one for Josh. It's awesome, but hard to master. In the end, Josh was back online playing the more simple "MiniClip" games by Christmas night. I think he was a tad disappointed that it's harder to play than he imagined. But in the long run, this will be a good gift.

Rank: 3 Christmas Trees out of 4.


• Jam Pack Jam: This is the new Cranium game for the season. I had read about it in a magazine gift guide (as I spend so much time trying to get toys/games into gift guides, it's nice to see from a consumer point of view that it works!). The idea is you have 14 objects and must try to get 4 or 5 of them into the trunk of an SUV AND close the trunk. If you don't, they all pop out like in Perfection. Simple concept, but it has enthralled all of our kids, plus our cousins, and grandparents who were visiting. The sign of a great game: the "game" mechanic doesn't really matter as they're as happy to just play the 'toy' component....meaning, they're just happy to take turns cramming as much into the car as possible. Highly recommend! It's only about $20.

Rank: 4.5 Christmas Trees out of 4.


• Jigsaw puzzle of NYC subway: I bought this as a gift to myself at the Museum of Natural History on Friday. We finished the 500 piece puzzle in two days. It's relatively easy for New Yorkers as you can quickly determine where each piece will fit in the puzzle ("Oh, that's a Queens subway stop"...."that road is in the Bronx"). I've never seen Caroline and Josh work together so well on a project. In the end, we had 7 people ranging from 3 years old to grandparents racing to assemble it. Who knew? This can be ordered online...I can share the website for anyone wanting it. It's $15 online (shipping extra), and $18 in store

Rank: 4 Christmas Trees out of 4.

Christmas Newsletter - Cutting Room Floor

Holiday greetings to the 6 or 7 of you who visit this site (and welcome to any newcomers resulting from the holiday mailing):

When I started the blog, the goal was to provide a place to create a weekly version of my Christmas newsletter -- as well as to have a type of "director's cut" of the newsletter in December since it can't all fit into the two printed pages of the mailed out newsletter.

Below, you'll find some things that didn't make the letter -- either because I just thought of them after mailing out the letter (which always happens) or due to space restrictions. As with most director's cuts, you'll soon realize that what got left out initially wasn't all that great...hence why it got cut! But to remain true to the objective of the blog, I figured I needed to list them:

• When asked how many children we have, Mark likes to apply the same scientific principle that allows weathermen to declare the "Real Feel" temperature is colder than what the mercury reads, so he'll say "We have four children, but as they are all under the age of 9, the "Real Feel" is like having 8 children!"

• We are constantly disarming Sammy of pens, pencils, etc. otherwise known as "Sammy Weapons"

• One of Mark's greatest accomplishments was to learn self-restraint and not look ahead on his daily Dilbert calendar

• Matthew drinks apple juice like it grows on trees

• Kathryn has figured out the next big LDS commercial venture: General Authority trading cards! Collect the whole set! Learn amazing General Conference facts. Get an Apostle's coveted Rookie card from the first year he served as a General Authority

• Samuel is our Kung-Fu Grip baby as he always has to grasp a toy, stick, or something else in his fists at all times

• All Caroline wants for Christmas are her two front teeth

• In the new house, Mark can no longer play his favorite game of "Find the freezing draft coming into the house"

• Mark fears that all the kids will finally sleep through the night about one week before Josh starts going to early morning seminary.

House Notes

Well, we've been in the house for nearly 8 months. And I think we're finally to the point of feeling "we're done" with major renovations, etc. It helps actually having pictures up on most of the walls. Now the last touch is waiting for our new couch to arrive in about a week.

Some random notes:

1. After 8 months, I still can't remember where the silverware drawer is. I continually go to the left of the dishwasher to find silverware, even though it's never been kept there. It seems like the logical place for some reason, but it's really over by the store.

2. After 6 months, I was still trying to turn off the light in Josh's room with the light switch even though the light switch is linked to an electrical plug instead of an overhead light. I finally outsmarted myself by moving Josh's lamp over to the other side of the room so that the switch does, indeed, turn off the light.

3. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get a toilet to stop running? This is the new toilet in our main upstairs bathroom. It didn't run with the old toilet, but has already run since we've had this one installed. The plumber adjusted it once, and last week, we had them install a new 'flapper' as they said that was the problem. But it still runs for about 8 seconds every 15 or 20 minutes. It drives me crazy. I'm open to solutions.

4. Speaking of solutions, my Swiss train watch has an issue now, too. The hour hand has gotten pushed ahead somehow, so that when it's 10 o clock straight up, the little hand is about 1/4 of the way past 10 o clock. It's off just enough to be annoying.

5. Don't ask me if you have turn the key left or right on the front door to unlock and lock it. It continues to be trial and error every day. I should learn that.

6. My favorite touch that was added a week ago was a great sunset picture that my Grandma painted at Laguna that features me and my 3 siblings. It's just the right set of colors to match the gold color of our family room.

7. I'm still learning the art of tip-toeing around the house at night without waking up kids. Haven't mastered all the creaking floor boards.

8. One thing I don't like is the light switch in the play room upstairs. For some odd reason, it's over in the opposite far corner from the entrance. So you have to turn it off and then navigate a completely dark room which can be deadly with toys on the floor.

9. One thing I liked in the old house was that when I heard strange noises, I just thought it was the neighbors in our 'duplex-style' house. So I could just discount it. But now when I hear noises, I have to investigate because it might actually be something!

That's it for now. I have to focus this week on the "YEARLY" Christmas Newsletter, so I probably won't write until I have that finished.

Mark

Cooperstown

Josh and I took a road trip last weekend to Cooperstown, the mecca of baseball fans. He and I have been planning it for several weeks, and he was definitely excited!

When I got home Thursday night with the rental car, he wanted to go outside and 'check it out.' At 2 a.m. on Friday morning, he was too excited to sleep anymore and asked if I'd come lie down with him. He was definitely ready to get up when the alarm clock went off at 4:45 a.m. He said something to the effect that this was going to be the greatest day of his life.

We hit the road around 5:20 a.m. It's a long drive -- about 4 hours straight up to Albany, and then back down along rural roads for the final hour. The fall colors were beautiful....I like to say they were a brillant, subdued hue, a little like the colors you see after it rains on chalk drawings on the sidewalk and they all run together. I really forget how beautiful New York State is....it's much more than Manhattan. I really want to explore more of New York State.

One note about "Never Lost", which is the Hertz GPS system. It's very good and helpful, but sometimes it just doesn't have a common sense feature. After reprogramming it for "Shortest Distance", it took us along the east side of the lake instead of the west side (which makes more sense and are wider roads). Yes, it was shorter as the crow flies, but not what I would have taken.

We made it to the Hall of Fame around 9:45 a.m. and found parking on the street (there's no parking lot and it's just a really small town.) We spent the first couple of hours looking for answers to the scavenger hunt quiz that they provide for kids -- with the prize being baseball cards, so this was definitely a "Josh activity". Some of the answers were really obscure. Quite honestly, I think it could have been done a little better. It was kind of like taking a test that didn't focus on the real learnings but pulled out very random facts. But Josh liked it. After finishing the first one, we did the second one, so he could get both sets of free cards. Then we did the Scouting one, so he'll get a Scout patch. That one was better....each question tied to a point of the Scout Law. "A Scout is Friendly...speaking of Friendly, Wrigley Field is known as the Friendly confines. Find the exhibit on Wrigley and ...."

We toured the museum exactly how you are NOT to do Disneyland, according to the kid Disneyland books. Specifically, you shouldn't shoot around the park like a ping-pong shot out of a cannon. We'd see something on the 3rd floor, then he wanted to see the art exhibit on the 1st floor, then remembered something on the 3rd floor he wanted to see, then back to the 2nd floor, etc. throughout the whole day. But it was fun and I let him choose to agenda and make the decisions, so I just went along for the ride.


Lots of great things to see, though it wouldn't be too amazing if you weren't a big baseball fan. But Josh is, so it all meant something to him. They had just finished putting up the 2007 World Series exhibit, and he loved seeing that.

We had lunch at a diner-like restaurant up the street -- chicken nuggets, fries and hot chocolate. Then we went back to the museum, but by 2:30 p.m., he was worn out. After the requisite visit to the gift shop, he wanted to go check out the hotel. He walked into the Best Western and said he wanted to stay there for 2 weeks. (Funny, I was thinking how it was below the standards of most hotels I stay at during business trips). We got to room 207 and he wanted to unpack and claim spaces, choose his bed, etc. Then he wanted to swim. I really don't like swimming, but the water wasn't horribly cold, so it wasn't too bad.

We went to the Pizza Hut in the parking lot for dinner, and he was basically falling asleep (he kind of gorged on bread sticks). So he wanted me to get him home quickly and I thought he'd fall asleep. But after 10 minutes, he was OK again, so we rented "Everyone's Hero" (an animated film about Babe Ruth's bat) from the video store in the parking lot and watched it on my computer. He was asleep by 8.

It snowed overnight and it gave the area a quaint little Christmas feel to it. It continued to dust snow for the early morning. After our continental breakfast, he decided against the morning swim (YEA!) and we got to the museum when the doors opened at 9 a.m. There wasn't anything new to see, but he just wanted to see it all again. And once again, we went from floor to floor in no particular order.

Finally, around 11:15, I suggested we head home, and he was very relunctant. He knew there was nothing else to see, but he just didn't want it to end ("Can't we stay another night?"). It was almost like admitting defeat. But he agreed after we said goodbye to the gift shop one more time. The drive home was fine (the snow disappeared and it was a beautiful fall drive). We dropped off the rental car, took the train from there to home, and Kathryn picked us up at the station after being at soccer.

All in all, it was the absolute perfect trip for Josh and me. It's really fortunate we live so close to it and it's such a passion for Josh. I think we'll both have memories for a long time.

Home Repairs

I get a real sense of satisfaction...almost a runners high, if you will...when I get "home to dos" crossed off my list. Partly because I rarely know how to solve them going in, and partly because it seems like there's never a fast fix.

But I'm doing pretty good lately.

When we turned on the furnace, the blower (aka "fan") seemed to be malfunctioning. When the furnace would turn off, the blower would still blow. I kind of put off calling for help, thinking it might be something that could just fix itself on its own -- or that I'd figure out a solution.

It was very gratifying to learn it WAS something...some timer mechanism that was busted. The part was a mere $25 and the total fix job was less than $150. Thrilled to pay it as I now have worry-free heat!

The same day that was fixed, the dishwasher started to leak. But I've learned to not rush to call a repairman on clothes and dishwashers. We've been wrong two or three times before. Alas, waiting was the right call, as the leak seems to have sealed itself and it hasn't been a problem sense. Saved the cost of a house call.

I've struggled with our wireless router ever since we got the Mac updated at my office. So I bought a new Apple router (the other one was Linksys) because the old one had had its issues other times, too. It didn't solve it at first, but after calling Apple, and being told to unplug everything for 2 minutes and restarting, it worked perfectly! Did we need the new router? Maybe, maybe not, but I have worry-free wireless now, and that's worth it!

One of our newly installed toilets "runs" every 15 minutes or so. I bit the bullet and am having the plumber come back to install a new flapper. Having it run is like a Chinese water torture (thinking of wasted money and water), so it's worth my piece of mind as I know I'm not capable of simple plumbing repairs, despite what people say.

Lastly, the tire light came on in the car this weekend. Often, I assume it's probably a mistake and forget about it. But I've learned from experience and arranged for the service station to immediately check it out....only $22 later, we have a screw removed and a tire patched.

Yea! Like I said up front, it's a great feeling to get these off my list!

Matthew, Mark, Luke & John go to Yankees Stadium

I've learned that Josh's obsession with the Yankees can provide a fun backdrop for learning more spiritual things. For example, I've had him memorize some mastery scriptures by using the jersey numbers of players to remember the references. ("Alma A-Rod, Jeter" would be Alma 13:2, as an example).

I came up with another application the other night when tucking him in and he asked about the Gospels in the New Testament. He asked why there are four books that essentially tell the same story.

I explained to him about Matthew, Mark and Luke being the synoptic gospels, meaning those three books contain a lot of very similar material, whereas John has a lot of unique material.

I then said: "Imagine that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John went to Yankees Stadium to see a game. Matthew, Mark and Luke all sat together in the upper deck where we normally sit. Then, they each had to write a report for school."

"For analogy purposes only, pretend that Matthew thinks pitching and defense are the most important elements of the game. And pretend that Mark thinks hits represent all the highlights of the game. And let's say that Luke is a big fan of Jeter and A-Rod. Their reports are all going to say the same thing -- that the Yankees won 6 to 4 -- but they'll focus on different details with the game. Matthew will explain the pitching match-ups, Mark will talk about the home runs and doubles, and Luke will focus on the stats of Jeter and A-Rod. But in the end, their message was the same: The Yankees won."

To explain why some of the three include some elements and others skipped it, I suggested that you imagine each writer went out for a hot dog at different points during the game and each missed a half inning or so.

And what about John, who gives a much better eye-witness account? He was sitting in the dug-out for the game!

The analogies could be taken further, based on real content within the scriptures. For example, Luke covers more early stuff like the birth of Jesus, whereas Mark doesn't. So it could be said that Luke got to the stadium for batting practice whereas Mark didn't arrive until after the National Anthem.

Or, based on stories of the resurrection and such, it could be said that one writer went to the post-game press conferences and locker room interviews, while the others listened to those reports on the car radio on the way home.

This isn't anything earth shattering, but I thought this is kind of clever and fun, and worth passing along. Teaching our kids is all about customizing it to their frame of reference.

Two Ideas for Instructing Kids

1. My daughter's Primary teacher has a great idea for encouraging three slightly rowdy boys to sit still during the class time. It's kind of a new twist on Musical Chairs. He sets his watch alarm to go off in random intervals. Any kid who got his/her seat on their seat and feet on floor when the alarm goes off gets a piece of candy. If it goes off and they aren't sitting down -- no candy. He does it a few times throughout the lesson. If the boys get crazy, he just says "I'd sure hate to see the alarm go off right now." Pure genius!

2. I had a random thought last week at FHE. Would it be such a bad idea to have a "Jr" and "Sr" FHE? The older two kids are at a completely different levels than the younger ones in terms of comprehending lessons. Why not have a break-out class for the younger two so the older two are given a 'deeper' lesson. We could start as a whole family for prayer, song, scripture, etc., then have each parent teach two of the kids. Divide and Conquer!

Don't Buy This Album!

If you ever see "Forever 80s" -- a three-disc set with 10 songs each for an amazing $10 -- in your local music store, resist the urge to purchase.

I rarely splurge and buy something for me...and when I did, I got janked!

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Radio City Music Hall to buy tickets for family members coming to NYC for Christmas. I had a few minutes before I'd have to head to Grand Central to catch my train, so I went to FYE, looking for the new Fresh Aire/Mannheim Christmas Album (which I'm told is out, but haven't been able to find yet).

Unable to buy my desired CD, I was lured into a display with the above-mentioned 80s CD boxed set. I checked out the back and saw several great songs that I have yet to purchase from i-Tunes or have on CD. I thought I'd hit a gold mine.

On the train, when I opened the set, I read something in the insert that surprised me. After describing the songs and their iconic value, a sentence started with the simple phrase: "While these songs are not sung by the original artists..."

Then who are they sung by?

I had failed to see the phrase: "The Countdown Singers" on the cover.

In other words: "Songs you know...performed by artists you don't"

Or "All your favorite songs....by a non-familiar group"

Maybe: "You've heard the songs for years....though you've never heard this artist"

What about: "You love the songs...but will hate the singers."


"Jump" by Van Halen is just enough off to be comical. Instead of a guitar doing the riffs, it's a keyboard. "Amanda" just doesn't have that tone of sincerity like Boston. And I don't know if they really spit out all the lyrics in "End of the World" before the music catches up to them.

Then again, I've gotten more than $10 worth of humor and laughter out of this, so I suppose it's worth it. And it's taken me down memory road.

It's kind of like being back at my high school proms when no-name bands performed the hits of the day -- so it's a high school Prom album (sans a Forever Young rendition...a staple of any good Utah HS dance)

So now I have a great 3 CD set of 'cover band' music. I'm not feeling any 'power of love' on this.

Mark

It was a Corolla, not a Ram

October 7, 2007

I've been wanting to write this for a while, but it's been a bit crazy.

As a member of the High Council, I speak in wards and branches throughout our stake. We've adopted a new procedure that results in our giving two talks on one Sunday, but then getting the next month off. (In the long run, we give the same amount of talks, but prepare only 6 instead of 12, and have only 6 Sunday tied up with speaking assignments instead of 12).

For some time this summer, I had worried about my August speaking assignments, down in a building in our stake that isn't overly accessible by public transportation. We only have one car, and we need that to get my family to our home ward. With all the other buildings and units, I could find a way to make it work, but I knew the August assignment would be a challenge. I could easily handle the morning assignment, then drive home and get my family to church, but getting back to that building for the afternoon assignment wouldn't be easy.

I looked at car rentals, Zip Cars, taxis, buses, etc. The best we could think was that my family would sit in our home ward building for an extra 1 hour 15 minutes after church waiting for me to come fetch them.

But I had prayed off and on for a solution, knowing that "when you're on the Lord's errand, you're entitled to the Lord's help" (a paraphrased Monson quote).

The speaking assignment was on the Sunday after our annual family trek out west. We arrived home late on Saturday evening and had basically figured we'd go with "Plan B" (kids waiting at the chapel). But as we pulled into our driveway, there was a Corolla parked there. Kathryn said "Oh, I forgot. I told one of our friends in the ward that they could park their extra car in our driveway while they were out of town as they couldn't keep it in front of their house due to street cleaning rules".

Though it was a Corolla, it was my "Ram" that the Lord provided at the 11th hour.

When we got inside, we found the car keys (the Corolla had been dropped off when a neighbor was picking up the mail, so they left the keys), and a VM saying "feel free to use the car if you need it."

The perfect solution. Now I could get to my assignment without a problem.

Perhaps this all sounds a bit silly, but it was a major deal to me. Yes, it was nice to have a solution. But more importantly, it made me realize -- again -- that the Lord knows me personally and really will help pull solutions out of a hat, if I will put the problem in his hands. I never would have imagined that solution, so it shows that sometimes we just have to put it in his hands.

To end on a bit of a humorous note, I was thinking about the calling of a new apostle this weekend. The real bugaboo about being called as an apostle is that you know you'll either become the prophet someday.....or die trying!

I'm still pushing for "Popcorn Popping" to be sung as an intermediate hymn at Conference....but I'm not holding out hope.

Mark

Don't Give up on me

Hi all:

Just wanted to let you know this is still an active blog. I've got three or four blogs written in my head, but just haven't put keyboard to screen yet. I hope to have at least one original post before the weekend, so please check back.

Thanks!

Mark

Dis and Dat

1. As you all know, our family is very devoted to the Yankees. As late as about 3 days ago, I really felt they'd finish 1 or 2 games out of the wild card race....they just seem so close, yet I felt they would come up short. But I'm changing my tune after tonight....you heard it hear first: they WILL get the wild card.

2. I'm a big fan of a new kids' show: "Mickey's Mouse Clubhouse" on Disney Channel. We found it during our time with Kathryn's family while in Utah. It's really quite the rip-off of Nick's Dora, which is a tad interesting to see Disney, the former king of children's animation, stealing from the new leader. But I don't mind the rip-off (which includes a journey involving three places and a 'backpack'-like item that has solutions for obstacles. It's cute, simple and innocent. And best of all, I enjoy it. Plus, it's nice to see there's now a frame of reference for Mickey and his friends for the new generation...up til now, meeting Mickey at Disneyland didn't mean that much to them.

3. As Sept. is the new January in my book (as Kathryn says), I'm trying to make sure I read a little of the Book of Mormon FOR ME each day. I do read it to the kids each night, and read the NT (or some other church stuff) on the train, but I've decided to read a little of the BOM each day (even weekends). I'm just choosing favorite chapters to read since I'm reading so little.

A phrase I found intriquing: 2 Ne 2:5 -- "Men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil." Is that still true? Yes, we all have the light of Christ, but are today's youth (outside of the church) REALLY being instructed sufficiently on good from evil? I've been thinking lately how it is SO accepted to "live with" or "be with" one another before marriage...it's not just tolerated or not shunned...but expected and considered the new norm. Even "good" people I know outside of church follow that route. That's why I feel that most of the world is NOT being instructed sufficiently on good vs. evil. Someone preaching those values from the rooftops would be considered as out of place today as the hippies of the 60s preaching that traditional values were no longer valid.

See also 2 Nephi 2:8 (first phrase) as to the urgency and need to proclaim the gospel. That would have been a great 'rallying' Scripture when I was on a mission.

4. Does anyone else, when getting their Ensign, race to the back page to see if there are any "Name Withheld" letters to the editors?

5. The new TV season doesn't look too great. I am interested in "Back To You" as I love stories set in newsrooms. And, hate to admit it, but I actually am intriqued with the Caveman show based on Geico commercials. There's been worse places to find a premise.

Mark

Napping

Napping is misunderstood in this country. People who nap are considered old, lazy or party too hard the night before. Yet we offer no such stigma to those who must eat or use the bathroom.

Absurd comparison? Not at all.

Nobody questions the need of workers to have breaks to use the potty, which is a bodily need. Nobody questions the need of workers to have time to eat a meal -- or snack - throughout the day to keep their energy level high.
But everybody questions the employee who says he needs to take a nap in the middle of the day.

Yet all are bodily, human needs. In my mind, a nap can be as necessary and important to productivity as eating or visiting the restroom during the work day.

I'd suggest we create a national nap day, but beyond being afraid of the stigma associated with leading such a charge, I'm afraid that those 'celebrating' the day would simply sleep away the day and hence make such a celebratory day a tad ironic.

But I encourage you to claim your rights as humans and take a nap at your desk this week. Trust me....it does wonders!

Mark

California vs. New York

On our recent trip from the Empire State to the Golden State, I noticed a couple of differences:

• In NY, they beg you not to make a U-turn, and if you do, they force you to take a separate U-turn lane that takes you up and around....and, technically, avoids an actual u-turn. In California, they seem to not only welcome but encourage U-Turns. I saw lots of actual signs showing the various ways a U-turn could be done legally.

• Don't even think of turning right on red in NY. Yes, they are legal, but it seems like very intersection posts a sign that overrules the state law by saying "no right turn at this intersection". You can make all the right turns you want in California.

• California seems to have more state pride...or at least more pride in their state flag. Have no idea what the NY state flag looks like (I think it's navy with a state seal something on it). But in California, the Bear Republic flies everywhere. I think New Yorkers are New York CITY lovers first, and kind of forget that we're associated with a state, too.

• Don't stand on the roadway in California when waiting to cross the street....DANGER! But in New York, it's kind of like taking a lead-off from first base. You get a "jump" on crossing the intersection by going as far into the crosswalk as you can without being picked off by a car. (Be careful of the 'brush back' drivers who send you scurrying back to the safety of the sidewalk.) Nobody stands on the sidewalk in NYC to wait for the light to change, but everyone does in California.

• California = friendlier people

• California = cleaner places, cleaner people

With no intended diss on my home state, I just seem to smile more and like life a lot more when I'm in the Golden State. "California Dreamin'....."


Mark

I've Returned to the Colonies....

Hi all:

Whilest on vacation in San Diego, I was alerted to the need to attend a meeting in London on Tuesday of this week. So I flew home from vacation Sunday (as planned) and headed to London on Monday morning, spending two nights 'across the pond.' Had a jolly good time.

Some comments, impressions, travelogue, etc:

• I often feel the world has become too homogenized....it all looks the same no matter where you are. In fact, at Heathrow, I saw the EXACT same ads I had just seen at JFK. But then you get into London and you realize there are still a few places that are unique and have their own soul. You may be able to shoot a movie in Canada and make it look like a US city, but you could never make another city look like London.

• Spent most of my time in meetings and client dinner, but had a little time to enjoy myself. Absolutely incredible weather! We stayed near Buckingham palace, and walked around a bit to Piccadilly Circus, No. 10 Downing Street, Parliament and my absolute fave: Big Ben (cast against a navy night sky....we stayed to hear 'him' bong out 10 p.m.)

• England isn't known for its food. (Glad to get a Big Mac when I returned.) But there were some highlights: my traveling companion and I found a small little Indian restaurant on Monday night that was fantastic. Loved the Worchester-sauce pretzels on the plane. And at the airport yesterday, I had a carbonated Passion Fruit, which was very much like my famed Schwepps Granadilla soda from South Africa. And you can't beat Cadbury chocolates!

• Not trying to be mean, but an observation: there's a lot of Brits with big noses.

• My taxi driver to the airport wore a Yankees cap. He said they get the games occasionally live at 2 a.m. and he watches them before driving his shift.

• What's not to love about Virgin Atlantic? First time on them...I was a Virgin Virgin. Their in-seat entertainment in coach rocks vs. Delta's first class cabin or JetBlue's TVs. About 50 on-demand TV options and at least a couple dozen movie on-demands, too. Crowded flight over but very open on the way home. And they constantly feed you...even ice cream bars!

• I've flown from Heathrow to the US three times prior to yesterday, but this was the first time I've flown from Heathrow to NYC (JFK). (The other times were to Chicago after my mission, LA after my study abroad in South Africa, and Wash/Dulles after Kath and I went there). NY passport control pretty fast....odd that I cleared JFK customs and claimed luggage FASTER on Wed. then when I flew in to JFK/Terminal 3/Delta on Sunday night....Delta/NYC is known for their slow luggage return.

• My room in London was not much bigger than our youngest boys' room at our house. Tiny!

• London TV seems to cover only 3 stories a day. When I was there, it was all about David Beckham coming to the US, and a new proposed law that makes EVERYONE an organ donor UNLESS they opt out (vs. the other way around where you have to proactively state you are a donor).

• Felt a lot like being in South Africa (as South Africa was a British colony, it has a lot of similarities). Road signs use the same font.

• When flying to a foreign country, choose a carrier from that country. From the moment I got on Virgin, I was in the UK (they're just so darn British). I can imagine an American Airline flight would be just like flying from Atlanta to Chicago.

• Thing to do next time: Go on the "Eye" ferris wheel. Wanted to this time, but ran out of time.

Yes, This is Still an Active Blog

Hi all:

Thanks for your patience....June got busy with the launch of the Transformers movie (we handle the marketing of the toys for the movie). I have a lot of pent up things to write about -- including my review of the movie -- but alas, I have been a slaggard.

We leave on vacation to San Diego tomorrow afternoon. But I'm leaving Kathryn and the kids out west and returning to work, so when I do, I'll plan to do a better job of updating my blog site -- including (gasp!) perhaps postings every few days! So please make sure you come back and visit when I return from vacation. And thanks for visiting!

Mark

Baseball

I've decided that baseball is definitely the best sport. That's surprising, because growing up, baseball was my least favorite sport -- it was all about football, and basketball if it involved the Jazz.

So what makes baseball so great? Here are a few reasons.

1. It's perfectly made for TV. There's already built-in time for commercials, so the game isn't unnecessarily stopped for a commercial break, breaking up the flow.

2. The last 60 seconds of the game (in terms of the clock) don't last for 60 minutes. Sure, there are a couple of things that prolong the game at the conclusion, such as bringing in new pitchers, but for the most part, the game can't drag out at the end simply by calling time outs, fouling, or throwing the ball out of bounds.

3. On that same front, my complaint about basketball is that you can be up by 12 with one minute to go, and then it's foul, foul, foul and the whole game is decided by sloppy hitting of opponents and by shooting foul shots.

4. Baseball is smart enough to realize that there are times when it's not nice enough outside to play. Football players must be tough and play in tornadoes. Baseball has the good sense to head inside if it rains.

5. You get souvenirs. If the ball goes into the crowd, it's yours to keep.

6. Even if you're getting creamed, you have to keep playing. In basketball or football, you just run out the clock. In baseball, you still have to get through several more innnings.

7. When a player comes out, he's out for the game. Makes for great strategy.

8. Except for the Pitcher and the DH, you have to play offense and defense.

9. The playoffs are a fair representation of the actual season. You never play a team 7 times in a row in basketball, but in the playoffs, you do. But in baseball, you regularly play a team multiple times right in a row, just like the playoffs.

10. Baseball commentators actually have interesting things to say. I actually ask Josh to be quiet during the broadcasts and miss the commentary when I go to the stadium because it's so fascinating to learn the strategy and hear the rationale behind things.

11. Each game is SO different based on who the pitcher is. It completely changes the complexion of the game.

12. The final score is so interesting. Soccer is always like 1 to 1. Basketball is like 100 to 98. But baseball could be 1-0, 6-3, 10-2, 10-9, etc, and it is so telling. In other words, each game is so fascinating.

I could go on, but we've already written into extra innings. Go Yankees! (They're only 9.5 back now!)

Mark

PS -- Here's the plus one for the night. We got some Monopoly game pieces on the Space Shuttle and two of my team members got to go watch the launch last week. Guess what the area code is for the area in Florida with the Space Center? 3-2-1. Cool!

Dis & Dat

1. This weekend was the Father's & Son's campout. I look forward to camping experiences about as much as I look forward to being shot out of a cannon. But I must guardingly say it was a non-horrible time. In fact, it was kind of OK.

2. I asked Josh ahead of time who he was most excited to spend time with at the campout. He said "you, Daddy." I said, "That nice, but which FRIEND are you most excited about seeing up there." He said "You, daddy."

3. Matthew was playing doctor last week and I was the patient. I let him check me out with the doctor tools. I told him my ear was sore and asked if he could give me some medicine. He said, "No" and then put his hands on my head and gave me a blessing, saying "bless daddy to have a good day at school in the name of Jesus Christ Amen."

4. Josh had a good baseball game experience this weekend. He played 1st at one point, and caught a throw that got the runner out. But then the runner tripped on Josh and he got just a little hurt. He called out to his coach and said (because he'd been hurt) that'd he wanted to be the DH. The other coach responded by saying...."Sorry kid, this is the NL".

5. Josh played a ton of baseball at the father's & son's. I actually left him in a ball-playing area to take Matthew to the lake, and didn't tell Josh. He said he was scared, but said "I started looking for you, and then I said a little prayer, and then you were right there!"

6. While driving to the camp-out, I saw a sign for a weigh station that made me think of the old Johnny Carson routine when he would discern the answer from a sealed envelope, and then read the question. In that spirit, the Great Carnac would have said: "What does an exhibitionist instructor teach his students?" The answer (and the sign): "Open When Flashing"

7. Our sacrament meetings often have all three speakers speaking on the same topic. Today's HC speakers were assigned the topic reverence, and so the other speakers were assigned the same. As she was setting up for her class, the Sunday School teacher said that she was a little disappointed as she had non-member friends, and had hoped it would have been a more "uplifting" or "Christian" talk. It got me thinking...themes and such are fine, but it's probably a smart policy if bishoprics always ensure at least one talk is a "Jesus" talk....something about the atonement, his life, why we love him, etc. Can you imagine a non-member coming on "tithing" Sunday? "Gee, not only are those Mormons non-Christian because they don't talk about Jesus in their meetings, but all they want is for their members to pay money". We should always plan sacrament meetings with an eye to a non-member attending for the first time.

8. I was reminded of the following in HP meeting today. Elder Christiansen, an Area Authority 70 from Boston, taught us that we always think the way to convert is to serve our neighbors. He said it's the opposite. Most people in the world want to serve others. It's part of their DNA. It makes them feel good. But they don't know how, when, or where to serve, and deep down, they're wanting that experience. So rather than dropping off a casserole to the neighbor, it would be better to say: "This neighbor just had a baby. Some of us from church are taking turns bringing in meals for the family. Would you like to have a turn?" What converts, too, is the feelings of the spirit, and having a positive service experience does that.

GO JAZZ!

Mark

Let's Go, Yankees!

Our family are big-time Yankees fans. We're not having the best season this year, but we're having a lot of fun, and it's amazing how much revolves around the Yankees in our household.

I've been meaning to write this for the past two weeks, but two weeks ago, Josh and I went to a game at Yankees Stadium on an absolutely beautiful Saturday afternoon.

I've gone to many Yankees games since moving to NYC and I always love them. But I never really converted to being a Yankees fan until early last year. I think it's my tendency to root for the underdog and hope for a "good story"....along with liking to swim against the current and not appear to be a bandwagon jumper-on-er. After all, I cheered for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for years as a kid when they literally couldn't win a game or two a season. (And I still have what some have called that hideous orange Tampa Bay jersey from high school....which I wear on occasion).

Secretly, I was kind of happy when the Yankees blew a 3-0 lead in the best of 7 with Boston a couple of years ago and Boston went on to win the World Series. It just seemed like such a great story. And did the Yankees really need another championship?

I tried to be a Mets fan...because that's kind of different and they aren't traditionally all that great (though this year they are). But they're just so flippin' boring! Their games -- even when they win -- are just ho hum. Win, lose or called on account of rain, Yankees games are the greatest.

Josh and I's game together was against Seattle. The game started at 3:55 p.m., and we left home at 3:10 p.m. because he had a baseball game earlier in the afternoon. That's what's great...even on a weekend game, you don't have to leave too early to make it to the game. We just cruise down the Bronx River Parkway, take Exit 6, and there's a lot right there waiting for us. Boom!

Parking is now up to $14, but we still think that's a bargain as parking in Manhattan is easily $25 or more. (Even our cheapo lot we used for the temple has tacked on a $5 surcharge for minivans making that around $13...guess they see an opportunity to "tax" just the Mormons by going after mini vans).

I was the second to last car to get into the lot before it was full. They made me park in a very odd little diagonal spot that required tricky backing in (good thing Kathryn encourages that on our home driveway).

Then it's a short walk through an overpass that has a homeless guy playing tunes on a piccolo or flute or something like that. Josh asked if we could toss in some coins on the way home. Sure, why not?

We found a mostly overlooked entrance, which was great because they still had caps to give away, even though it was now 3:45 p.m. Yea! Free Yankees cap (with a Hess gas company logo on the back).

We ran and made it through the worn down and crumbling stadium and got to our seats before the first pitch. These tickets are courtesy of work, so they're better than what I pay for....which means they are lower, but we're in the right field outfield.

Josh and I of course wore our Yankees jerseys...I have one for Marino Rivera and Josh wore A-Rod. The stands are filled with people wearing their favorite jerseys, including legends like Thurman Munson. When you arrive, you're with family.

Wang was pitching and he's one of Josh's favorite pitchers. He pitched a PERFECT game into the 8th inning (that means no hits, errors or walks) which is super rare. Had he made it a perfect game, it would have been like only the 4th or 5th in the 100 plus year history of the Yankees. So every pitch from the 5th inning on was exciting. Everyone applauded every strike. We all knew we could possibly be viewing history.

Alas, Wang gave up a home run in the 8th. But the Yankees won 8 to 1 so it didn't matter.

Josh was the expert of our area. When fans around us would ask questions to themselves about things they had missed, Josh would turn around and explain why so-and-so was in, or what had led to the person getting on base, etc.

What makes the atmosphere so great?

• they have a "subway race" on the video scoreboard between one of the innings which is worth the price of admission, in my book. Though it's gotten less cool and now Dunkin Donuts sponsors it and it's cheesy. The race has gone commercial. Bah!

• 7th Inning Stretch: They sing God Bless America before Take Me Out to the Ballpark.

• The announcer. Can't remember his name, but his voice is legendary. He feels like Baseball.

• YMCA! When the grounds crew comes out to rake the field in the 6th inning or so, they do it to the tune of the Village People's YMCA. You don't expect that at something as large as the Yankees. But it's tradition! And the grounds crew drop their ranks at the YMCA part to lead the crowd through that. Everyone dances. It's so hokey yet because it's the Yankees, it's not hokey, and it, too, is worth the price of the ticket. Even during the sacred World Series, they still do YMCA.

• Best tradition? When the Yankees win, they cue up "New York New York" by Frank Sinatra. The first few notes chime in about 3 seconds after the final out or game winning run. It's the sound of victory and accompanies you all the way back out to the car. (When they lose, they play "New York New York" by Liza Minelli.) I rank hearing Frank Sinatra at Yankee Stadium as one of the top 10 best things in New York City. It really almost brings tears to the eyes.

Let's hope the Yankees can turn this season around. At 10 games out, they now are underdogs, which makes me even a bigger fan than before! I hope the new stadium -- opening in 2009 -- will keep the same feeling and traditions.

In no particular order....

1. I spent the day up at Hasbro's Games division on Tuesday, which is just over the border from Connecticut in Western Mass. On the drive up, there is a sign for "Margate Prison (Seasonal)". What happens to the prisoners when the season ends? I guess I wouldn't fear a 12 year sentence as it's more like "12 years....or until the first snowfall"

2. Someday I will make a list of what are the greatest 'access perks' that I have enjoyed while working at my PR firm in Manhattan. High on the list would be getting to go on a factory tour of Hasbro games where they make all the great games. It's nothing fancy in terms of presentation, but it's just really cool.

3. I'm all about loyalty....or perhaps misplaced loyalty. I've been going to the same dry cleaners for the past 7 years. I don't know the employees' names, but I feel committed to them. I act as if my small amount of money I spend with them is essential for their survival. If I go away, they'll be short on their earnings.

But by moving, they're just a tad too inconvenient now. Especially because Kathryn drives me to the station, and she lets me off right in front of another dry cleaners. Couldn't be more convenient. I felt "dirty" patronizing them yesterday for the first time. Who knows if it'll continue....they are a whopping $0.35 more per shirt. (But, I don't have to plug a parking meter, so maybe that should be factored in....)

4. Speaking of loyalty without knowing names, next door to the new dry cleaners is our barbershop. I've been going there for 7 years. There are two barbers. Never once have I found out their names. When I went on Saturday, I think I heard someone call them Louie and Tom, but I can't verify that. Lame on my part!

5. While at Hasbro, I asked them to bring back "EMERGENCY!", a great board game from the 70s. My friend Mark and I played it a lot. My mom sent it out to me a while ago and the kids like to play it. It was based on that great 70s TV show of the same name. I don't remember much about it, but I remember we loved the show. Kind of the ER of its day.

6. During my client meetings, we started discussing favorite old-time TV shows, etc. It was a tad embarrassing how many specific details I remember about all these shows. But I realized a fellow participant in the room was cool when SHE brought up a favorite show of mine: "It's Your Move". It starred Jason Bateman after he left Silver Spoons and lasted only 1 season. We taped all the reruns that summer, but I have no idea where they are now. Anyone else remember that show? It was really clever.

7. Turns out my former HT here in New York served in the same mission as I did, under the same president (I at the first of my president's tenure, and my HT at the end). We've known each other for years and never connected that. Even though he came to our house monthly and sat in our living room with a Table Mountain picture, he never connected the dots. Funny.

8. Josh and I watched Field of Dreams together on Monday night. He's so in to baseball that I knew he would love it. Some may say it's hokey, but I honestly think it's one of my favorite films. Such great lessons illustrated in it. Can't believe that I first saw that movie "half my life ago". I was 18 when it came out (or younger, maybe) and now I'm 36. Such an inspiring film.

What's New?

It's been a couple of weeks since I wrote....my apologies. Some top of mind thoughts tonight:

1. Out here in the East, attending a Good Friday service is a big deal. It's funny how I'm considered to be so non-religious because us Mormons don't go to church on that day. A couple of colleagues were a bit taken back that we went to IKEA on that day. But we more than make up for it 52 Sundays a year!

2. Speaking of IKEA, I'm writing on this great little two-seater couch in our playroom. It was around $151 and the best find from IKEA in a while. Very comfortable and just the right touch for this room.

3. Our neighborhood has a little bunny rabbit that hops around the area lawns. For those who know me well, they know that's a huge plus for me as I have always had a thing for baby rabbits. The kids call him Cottontail. (I wanted to call him Carmel after my pet rabbit from when I was in first grade, but I was overruled.) He just sits on our lawn quietly, though we haven't been able to get up close enough to pet him yet.

4. The Yankees need some pitchers in the worst way!!! They're letting all of A-Rod's homers go to waste. And why were we ever crying for A-Rod to be traded? I can't remember....

5. I walked to the train station this morning. I forgot how much I missed that since we moved. It is now a 1.25 mile walk, which is about 1.16 miles further than at our old house. But I left at 5:30 to catch a 5:59 a.m. train. It was very pleasant. I forgot that the walk to the train served as my morning prayer time.

6. I have a new plan for keeping the Sabbath. Too often, I let work hang over me during the full weekend as I plan to "log on" Sunday night and finish my Friday afternoon work that didn't get done or make a jump for the next week. And it really ruins the whole weekend for me. So now I'm attempting to avoid that...and when I do, it makes a huge difference for me.

My solution: I plan to get to work on Mondays super early (hence my 5:30 a.m. walk to the train this morning). Then I have about 1.5 hours to get stuff done before clients get to their offices. It also means I have to go to bed early on Sunday night....which I don't do often enough.

A side benefit: I feel OK leaving work "one train earlier" to come home on Monday night, which lets us start family home evening before all the kids unravel.

One simple thing -- honoring the Sabbath -- with a lot of side benefits. Let's see if I can keep it up.

7. The annual merit badge seminar was this weekend. I always kind of dread it, but I lucked out with a good group of boys. My best teaching idea: they have to teach a technique or skill to the class. I printed up some of the "Worst Case Scenario" items from the internet, and had them teach how to fight off an alligator, jump from a building into a Dumpster, escape from a car submerged in a lake. Bizarre enough that they liked it.

8. By moving from our old house, I no longer have to master parallel parking. But now Kathryn is forcing me to do a different parking skill: back in to the driveway. She likes to do it and by default, I kind of have to do it, too. I kind of thing it's rather pretencious (I can't spell tonight) to back in, but I suppose the neighbors won't run us out of town for that.

Mark

Blogging from the New House

1. We've decided to decorate our house in a Scandanavian motif. More specifically, we bought more stuff from IKEA. For those from Utah (which is getting an IKEA soon): Warning! IKEA is a bit like a drug. I think their big catalogue is actually a form of Home Furnishing Porn.

I continue to have a love/hate relationship with IKEA. Nothing is more fun than shopping there. But the do-it-yourself portion isn't always the easiest thing in the world. Fortunately, this latest venture resulted in extremely limited pain in relation to assembly...but that's not often the case.

I wish someone would invent an electric allen wrench, which is the the major source of sore hands.

2. Fuddruckers and Newman women (or soon-to-be Newmans) don't seem to mix well. We always stop there on our way home from IKEA. Once again, Caroline spilled her milk shake creating a chocolate river under the table. Happened last time, too. When Kathryn and I dated, we went to the one in Baltimore and she spilled a couple of water glasses on the table. And yet we keep returning.

3. Is there such a thing as "sick days" anymore? Seems like for me and my clients, rather than taking a sick day where we turn off the phone and computers and rest, we simply say: "I'm not feeling so good today...I'm actually going to stay at home today, but will be on email and am accessible by cell phone." The electronic age has made it harder for us to completely "turn off" work when we are sick, on vacation, etc.

4. It's a mild form of self control, but I'm pleased nonetheless. I have a Dilbert daily calendar on my desk at my office. Most years, I skip ahead at some point when I'm bored to see future cartoons. But this year, I vowed not to look ahead. It's a mild form of self control, but I'm proud to say I've withstood the impulse to 'read ahead' this year.

5. I think someone was taking flash pictures during sacrament meeting today. Seriously. I thought I saw a flash go off once and then heard what sounded like a one-time use camera being wound. Then it happened again, and the winding sound. Can't imagine why anyone would want to record our sacrament meetings...they're barely worth noting in a blog.

6. Things I miss about our old house: disposal, walking to the train, feeling more comfortable in my kitchen, having toilet paper roll holders installed (that's this week's project), my little "mail slot" on the stair well, a fridge with a higher "fridge to freezer" ratio than what we have now, a bigger dishwasher. Also, the old house was an attached home, which is another way of saying it was like a duplex....meaning someone owned the other half of the house. When I heard strange sounds, I just assumed it was the neighbors and didn't investigate. Now, when I hear sounds that scare me (footprints upstairs, pipes hissing, etc.) I can't igmore and most investigate. I liked just assuming it was an easily explained sound vs. thinking there's a monster upstairs.

7. What is nice about the new house: having a doorbell that works, heat that is non-radiator, dimmer switches already installed where we want, a shower that is only a shower and not also a bath, double-paned windows to make the house warmer. a huge walk-in closet for me that fits my dresser and filing cabinet, too.

8. Last week during the move, I didn't shave for more than a week because I couldn't find my razor. I'm pleased to say that it was to the point that the BYU Testing Center would not have let me in. But that was about the extent of it.

9. I'm still not fully feeling like I'm in my routine. I think part of it is that I've been out of my office for 5 of the past 10 business days. (3 when we closed, one for Good Friday, and one for a trip outside the office). Plus, we have General Conference last week, so even the Sunday didn't feel like a Sunday. I'm a routine guy and I'm still feeling a bit discombobulated.

10. "The Office" returned to high form this week. "Why do I have to bring Toby? He's like the worst person on the planet." "Michael, are you wearing a woman's suit....you look like Hillary Clinton." "I am not a real hero. The real hero are those who put on costumes and fly around with capes."

11. Joke of the night from Josh: How do you get a tissue to dance? Just put a little boogie in it.

12. Yankees update: so far, they've played pretty stinky. But Saturday's game was very memorable. Josh had been watching it off and on throughout the day. The Yankees clawed back into the game. In bottom of the 9th, Yankees down by one, 2 outs, bases loaded, 2 strikes, A-Rod at the plate. SLAM!!! Home run! A-Rod gets a lot of grief from NYC fans, but for one moment, he was quite the hero. It was cool to watch it live.

We've Moved!

Well, the move finally took place this past week. What a stressful process. I now hope we never move again....and at that point, it's a move out west. But it all turned out well.

Just some random observations to get me back on track as to posting on my blog...there's so much more to be written about the move, but here's a few nuggets:

1. In most areas, we upgraded. But I do miss having a garbage disposal and an ice maker in our new kitchen. But not deal breakers.

2. I officially begin my first new commute in more than 8 years. Our two houses (one rental, one owned) were three doors apart, so my commute hasn't really changed since moving to the 'burbs of NYC. I'm going to miss having the freedom to walk out the door on my schedule to catch the train rather than having to have Kathryn load up the kids and drive me to the station.

3. We finally have a door bell that works.

4. Thrilled about having forced air (and that means central air, too). I'm thrilled to say adios to radiators and their non "on-demand" approach to delivering heat.

5. You know you're finally comfortable in a new place when you feel safe wandering around the house at night without turning on lights. That hasn't happened yet. I try it...but without success.

6. Why don't our bathrooms in our new place have toilet paper roll holders?

7. Why did the sellers take the mailbox? Odd.

8. Our neighbors have no idea what they're in for!

Church News

So much to write, yet so little time as we move this week to our new house a mile away from our current abode. So I'll save some of my nuggets for next week.

But I wanted to let everyone know that Kathryn had a great article published in this week's Church News about a new branch that was created in our stake. I believe it's page 13, and it's a full page.

On a related note, a couple of thoughts about the Church News:

1. It kind of follows a double standard when it profiles new mission presidents, temple presidents, General Authorities, etc. Why is it the style to publish the age of the priesthood holder, but never the age of his wife? Of course, I'm smart enough to know why that is, but if it's not relevant to know the wife's age, why is it relevant to know the male's age?

2. Of course, I'm glad they publish the male's age. I always look to find the youngest-called mission presidents. And I've noticed a trend. If you don't want to be called as a mission president when you are super young, don't work for the church!!! Seems like all 39 year old presidents are CES, BYU or some other job with the church. Working for the church seems to be like putting a red beacon on your head that says: "Hey coach, send me in as a mission president while I'm young".

3. If all callings are of equal importance, in theory, and the most important callings are HT, father and husband (for males), why do they list all the former callings of a new mission president? Does their past experience need to be listed to show they are qualified? I thought "he that is called is qualified", so shouldn't that be enough? And how relevant is it to their calling at age 65 that they were a Sunday School president at age 25?

Daylight Savings Time

A short post today...I used some of my writing time drafting a letter to "Sue Sue" on her mission instead of blogging:

1. I don't have an issue with the whole Daylight Savings Time in principle. And I really like the earlier start time as NYC is at the start of the Eastern Time Zone which means it can really light really early in the morning, which means kids rise earlier. (Mid to late March was always like "running out the clock" to get to Daylight Savings Time as it would get sunny too soon).

But here's my issue: What idiot decided that 2 a.m. would be the PERFECT time to lose an hour? Sure, it works great in the fall when we gain an hour. Who doesn't love an extra hour of sleep. But seriously...does anyone really desire to give up an hour of sleep? Why don't we lose that hour when we're doing something we hate....or at least gets us to the weekend faster? How cool would it be if we lost that hour at 4 p.m. on Friday....we'd all get to leave work early and have a longer weekend.

For that matter....nearly ANY hour lost during the work week would be preferable to having one less hour on a weekend.

I realize from a practical matter it has to be the nighttime. But at least make it Friday night to Saturday morning so we have a couple of days to adjust to it before having to go to work


2. We've been doing a lot of packing...and purging...this weekend. When I looked in one trash bag, I saw a handful of Christmas toys for the kids from a couple of years ago. Makes you think about the "shelf life" of the things we buy.

I wondered if our purchasing habits would be different if we had to have an "exit strategy" for every item we bought (i.e determining ahead of time when and how we'd discard the item after it had served its usefulness). If we had to commit to keeping -- and using -- something for a full year (under threat of a penalty for not adhering) I think we'd second guess a lot of our purchases. Just think what that money could be used for. Even realizing that some of the things we buy are more disposable than we think (i.e. we'll trash them in a year or so) would provide a sober reality.

And if we were brutally honest, we'd probably admit that 90 percent of the things we buy for our kids for Christmas get tossed aside within three months. Of course....being a marketer of toys, I can't have too many realize that or I'd be out of a job.

Training from an Area Authority 70

Admittedly, last week's posting was lame, but I was tired yet still wanted to keep my promise of a "post a week".

Tonight, here are some thoughts and such from an early morning training we had with Elder Kim Smith, our area authority 70.

1. To the older men in the audience who were bishops: Don't think you can't relate to the youth. Pres. Hinckley is 96 or so and can you think of anyone who relates better with the youth than he?

2. Did you know that the only time a President does NOT choose his councilors in the church are when it's a YM president? The new handbook confirms that. The Bishop calls the President of the YM AND the councilors as they oversee a specific group of boys within the AP.

3. We must all ensure the church is keeping true to the Church Handbook. As a councilor, it's OK to point out that something isn't according to handbook. The handbook represents safety, and we should all protect ourselves by doing whatever it takes to adhere to it.

4. YM need to learn how to SERVE, not just be entertained. After all, missions and EQ sure aren't about being entertained!

5. Bishops are too quick to write welfare checks. By doing so, they are preventing a unique teaching opportunity from occurring.

6. When someone seeks welfare assistance, a Bishop should ask how their extended family is helping them out as that's the first line of defense. He shared an example of a brother to whom he wasn't close that needed help. The Bishop told him to ask his family first, and he said he was embarrassed. But now he and that brother are very close. (So, to my family...anyone need help?!)

7. Elder Bednar had said at a training recently that the Devil has increased his intensity so if we are at just the same level of spirituality as in the past, we're actually losing ground. (It's like my company....if we make the same amount of money from year to year, we actually make less profit as salaries have gone up, rent has gone up, etc. and we have less left over as profit). If you are doing LESS than you have normally done, you're losing ground twice as fast. So we need to make an active effort at increasing our level of spirituality.

Mark

Another Sunday night...

1. The worst part about showing a house when trying to sell it is you can't find your stuff anymore. For example, Kathryn straightens up before each visit, and stashes things. I spent 15 minutes the other night trying to figure out where the new tube of toothpaste got tossed, and never did find it. I used the Dora toothpaste instead.

2. I had a 7 a.m. Stake Priesthood Meeting this morning. Josh didn't want me to miss it, so he was "kind enough" to set my alarm clock last night (unbeknownst to me) for 4:20 a.m. It woke up me, Kathryn and Samuel...which meant I had to get up with Sam...which dominoed into the other kids waking up. Thanks Josh! (Kathryn did spot me at 5:30 and let me go back to bed for 30 minutes).

3. I don't know where the nail trimmers are either.

4. I put on my list of things to do this weekend: Eat a lot of chocolate. I made that goal. I think my problem with creating lists is I've ben adding the wrong items to the list!

Don't have much else to talk about tonight...need to go catch up on my sleep!

Mark

I've returned from a one-week hiaitus

My apologies to the legion of readers who wondered why I didn't post last Sunday. I was in Toy Fair mode, and was simply exhausted. But with Toy Fair in my rear view mirror, I'm back on my game.

1. Consumer Alert! Delta no longer allows you to buy a half-price ticket for a child under the age of 2. If you want a child to have a confirmed seat, it's full price. This just went into effect the end of December...even the Delta clerk I spoke with didn't know that.

2. I'm a "run out the clock" kind of guy. Whenever there is something I dread, I think forward to determine the number of hours/days until the unpleasant task will be done. Then, I count backwards and create a comparison by figuring out what I was doing in the same amount of time in the past. Then I'll say: "The bad thing will be all done in the same amount of time it has taken to get from when I went to Church last Sunday to now. That's not so bad! I can make it".

Initially, I played that game as a child to while waiting for Christmas to arrive. As an adult, I started doing that with bad things when I traveled with kids. "In 6 hours the plane will land and I'll be done with this experience of traveling on a plane with kids. 6 hours ago, I was going to bed...that doesn't seem that long ago. I can make it!"

3. You heard it here first: the hot toy for Christmas 2007 will be Squawkers McCaw, a Furreal Friends Parrot for $69 that is very cool and really realistic. (And yes, we rep that toy).

4. It pains me to see jetBlue enduring their PR nightmare. It's such a domino effect...how do you ever even fix the problem once it starts?

5. Sammy looks really good in yellow...it matches his hair well.

6. If you are the last speaker in a church meeting, it is your responsibility to make sure the meeting ends on time. I spoke in a Spanish unit today, and I didn't stand up to speak until 2:35 p.m. (the meeting ended at 2:40 p.m.) In that situation, bare your testimony and sit down. Nobody learns anything...and the spirit leaves....after the scheduled close of the meeting.

7. Miracles happen every day. We are still living in an era of miracles.

8. This whole house-buying and house-selling situation has given me such an increased understanding of faith and being led by the Spirit. More important than what the Spirit has directed me to do is learning better HOW the spirit works and having more trust in it.

9. I saw George Lucas this week. I didn't meet him, but saw him 3 different times as he toured the Hasbro Showroom and checked out the Star Wars toys.

10. Looks like we're going to get the new Monopoly: Here & Now game set on to the next Shuttle mission. I've been invited to watch the Shuttle launch, but don't think I'll be able to make it due to the time commitment involved.

11. I'm fearful that "The Office" has not necessarily jumped the shark, but just lost it's sharpness. The last 3 or 4 episodes have been weak.

12. The NBA All-Star game in Las Vegas is a good idea.

13. Someone routed a list of Ten Good Reasons to Elect a Mormon President. My favorite: At the inauguration, he would swear on the Bible 'as far as it is translated correctly.'

See you next Sunday night!

Mark

Post Super Bowl Musings

Well, the Bears lost. While I went into the game knowing that I'd be happy no matter which team won, I've always been a Bears fan. Why? When I was in kindergarten, my friend (who is also named Mark) and I were playing football in his backyard. He said "I'll be Dallas and you be Chicago". Ever since I was assigned that team, I've been a Bears fan. (Do team affections ever have more rationality to them than that?)

I remember gettinga Bears jersey in kindergarten that I still have -- mainly because Santa brought a XL instead of a Small, so it had to be hemmed, which meant the "60" on the jersey was completely cut in half. I ended up wearing it in high school.

I also got a Bears helmet that year, too. That came too small, so my dad had to cut off the foam padding over the ears so I could get it on.

Needless to say, I was super excited in 1985 when the Bears won their only Super Bowl appearance before tonight.

I've liked the Buccanners (pardon the spelling..it's late) from Tampa, too. I think I was always drawn to them because they were the biggest losers EVER in the NFL. Kind of like how people like the Cubs or Red Sox because they always lose and you like to root for the underdog. When I was young, the Buccs were a new team, and lost every game one season. In a weird way, I can very much relate to the Buccs more so than, say, the "America's Team" Cowboys. Call me a Charlie Brown, but I think all of our lives have more failures than we care to admit, and as such, I could easily relate to the losing of the Buccs.

So you can imagine my excitement a few years ago when the Buccs won the Super Bowl.

In an interesting twist, the coach of the Colts, who won tonight, was the coach of the Buccs until the season before Tampa won it all (he got fired when he couldn't get them to the Super Bowl). So while I'm sad the Bears lost, the Colts victory is kind of a victory for my Buccs, too, and that's OK.

Thoughts I Pondered On During High Priests Meeting

1. We finally got some cold weather in New York City, which meant it was time to trot out the old "real feel" temperature. "It's 18 degrees outside, but with the wind chill, the "real feel" is minus 74!!!

As much as I mock on that as just a way to hype the weather, I think this technique can be applied to kids. "My wife and I are raising 4 kids...but with the "all under the age of 8" factor, the "real feel" is like raising 7 kids!"

2. Favorite orange soda brand: Fanta.

I've always like Sunkist, but the caffeine in it (yes, it has caffeine) knocks it out. Minute Maid orange (not sure if it's still made) is high on the list. And the relatively new Tropicana Twister Orange soda (not the pseudo-juice products) isn't all that bad. But Orange Slice was the worst.

3. Does anyone else have a phobia of eating food in front of others? I realized I have a food phobia when I was asked to choose a sandwich to order for a client lunch. I chose tuna on a croissant because it's soft and easy to chew. Can't stand trying to be like a savage and rip apart a crusty-style bread that is topping meat that must be ripped apart.

But beyond that, I hate to ruin the pleasant experience of eating by worrying about the niceties that you must put on when eating in front of company. Granted, everyone knows from looking at me that I'm not a major eater. But I like to eat. It's enjoyable. But it loses any pleasure if I have to share a meal with someone I don't particularly like.


4. I also have "overhead bin" phobia. That's the fear of delaying the plane because my bag won't fit in the overhead bin. It's shared space, and jockeying for space up there just makes me nervous. I can count on three fingers the number of times I've used overhead space on a flight when I was flying on my own.

5. Oh, we bought a new house this week. GULP!

Random Items

Life has gotten a bit crazy, and will continue for a few weeks, so I may not have the most amazing posts of all time in the next few Sundays, but I resolve to at least write SOMETHING to say hello. So keep visiting!

1. For those of you who may be trying to teach the New Testament to your kids this year in FHE, here's a topic guide that we used over the course of 7 weeks last year that worked nicely:

week 1: Jesus' baptism, 40 day fast, calling Apostles
week 2: Sermon on Mount
week 3: Miracles (spotlighted 3 or 4)
week 4: Parables (spotlighted 3 or 4)
week 5: Raising from the dead (2 stories)
week 6 : Last Supper and Sacrament
week 7: Crucifixion and Resurrection

2. In reference to my posting last week about shows I want on DVD, it turns out my friend Mark in Salt Lake City works at a company that will be putting Hawaii Five-O onto DVD this spring. Get your credit card out and BOOK IT DANO.

3. How long must the flags be at half staff for President Ford's funeral? Doesn't it seem like that was forever ago?

4. Why does New Jersey (and Oregon) require you to utilize full-service gas stations? It's the law...you can't pump your own gas in those states. I was out in NJ this Friday and had to refuel a rental car, but decided to forget it as it's so much slower to have to use an attendent. I can refuel in 38 seconds...so what benefit is there for me to wait for slow-poke attendent to do it for me? Stupid! Like it's unsafe to pump your own gas. 48 states can't be wrong!

5. Many of you have heard me say it before, but my definition of an optimist is a parent of young children who still sets his alarm clock at night. This week has proven that, with a couple of 3 a.m. and 4:15 a.m. child awakenings.

See you next Sunday.

Mark

Product Review: Baseball Game for Dad & Son

Harry's Grand Slam Baseball is a home run! I found it in a catalog featuring classic games and ordered it for Josh for Christmas from Out of the Box Games. It's about $15 and can be ordered online (see link).

http://www.otb-games.com/grandslam/index.html

It's a great, simple replication of a real baseball game that can be played in 15 to 20 minutes. It's easy to grasp and has just enough "managerial" elements to make it more than just about chance and luck. Most fun twist: you can opt to take a chance and play a special card that represents either a pinch hitter or relief pitcher...but there's no guarantee or improved odds that the card will deliver what you need. But in a pinch, it's a worthwhile gamble.

Josh and I play it literally every night before bedtime. It's the perfect Dad/Son game to end the evening. I'd say it's great for boys who already have an interest in baseball and grasp most of the rules and little nuances of the game ... probably ages 1st to 3rd grade is the sweet spot.

In No Particular Order...

Thoughts from the past week...

1. Very good football weekend...my preferred teams won 3 of the 4 games (San Diego losing was the one dark spot). The four potential Super Bowl match-ups are: a) "The Midwest Bowl" (Chicago vs. Indy) b) "Super Bowl 20 -- the sequel" (Chicago vs. New England) c) "The First Timers' Bowl" (New Orleans vs. Indy), or d) "The New Bowl" (New Orleans vs. New England). My preference: A (go Bears) or C (go Saints)

2. I did a quick overnight trip to San Francisco this week. I was reminded that San Francisco homeless are MUCH more agressive than New York City homeless. Overall, NYC may not be known for our friendliness, but New York City homeless are definitely friendlier than those in SF (and Washington, for that matter).

3. Why do pilots feel obligated to share the temperature of your destination in Celsius? What's more, they often seem to say "Centigrade" instead of "Celsius". Are there that many metric nuts who fly and demand it? Seems like metric fanatics probably automatically convert from F to C in their heads anyway, so this feels unnecessary.

4. I want the new i-Phone from Apple that was announced this week.

5. I saw something the other day that DVDs have officially surpassed videotape in terms of number of households of something, something (don't remember the specific). But as a fellow Dad of young kids pointed out to me, videotapes actually rock vs. DVDs when young kids are in the homes. How many times do I try to run a kids' DVD only to find one of the kids has ruined it by placing their syrup-laced fingers all over it. (I even saw Matty licking a Thomas DVD once, which didn't help its playability). And the scratches they collect... But stick in an old-fashioned videotape and you've got 30 minutes of no worries. If you have (or will have) young kids, keep the videotapes.

6. Perhaps it's a sad commentary on my work/life balance (the theme of the movie), but I found Adam Sandler's "Click" to be very motivational. (Kathryn and I watched it last night). I'd heard bad reviews, but I'd give it a solid 3 out of 4 stars. A tad too many "S" words, but Click is a quality flick.

7. TV shows that I wish were on DVD: Hawaii Five-O, Family Ties, Wonder Years, Night Court, WKRP in Cincinnati, and Alice. I have the Dukes of Hazzard (season 1) if anyone wants to borrow.

8. If the Beastie Boys decided to do kids' songs in their later years, I know what their first big hit would be: "You've Got to Fight....For Your Right....to POTT-Y!"

See you next week.

Mark

Soothing "Soul Music"

When Samuel, our youngest, was only a few months old, I would sometimes struggle to get him to fall asleep when Mommy was out for the evening. But I found a trick that worked. I found if I just hold him at the piano and play some church hymns with one hand (while holding him in the other), he would often be soothed to sleep.

We were fortunate enough to inherit Kathryn's grandma's piano when she died a few years ago, so I kind of feel like the piano is a way for Sammy's great grandmother to sing him a lullaby from beyond the grave.

Doors

What is the proper etiquette for holding doors for people who are a few steps behind you? If they're one or two steps behind, then it's certainly appropriate to hold the door for them. But what about those who are three to ten steps behind?

When I go to the train each morning, I have to cross a bridge over the train tracks that has two sets of doors. Commuters who are 10 to 15 steps ahead of me feel obligated to hold the door for me, so then I feel like I need to hasten my pace as they're just standing there waiting for me to pass through the door. It happens in my office, too, when I go to our East End that has its own set of doors. (For the record, I'm not much of a door holder...if they're not right behind me, I don't feel the need to hold the door...call me rude; I prefer to call me a time-saver).

In the morning, when I get to the elevator bank at my office building, I'm not overly anxious to "hold the door" for someone running to catch a ride on my elevator. It's not like there won't be another elevator in 13 seconds. So as to not appear rude, I most often make a move toward the elevator key pad, but instead of pushing the "open door", I push the "close door" button. If I ever get caught, I simply that I panicked and hit the wrong button.

Lest you think I'm completely rude, I do allow others to enter the revolving door at my building before I do. Of course, that's not as gallant as you may think: I like someone else to be the 'lead horse' so I don't have to push as hard on the door and I can simply "draft" on their effort. While allowing others to enter a revolving door first does cost me time, it saves me strength, which is a valuable trade off.

I'm interested in your protocol for holding doors for folks who are a few paces behind you.

Say Farewell to the Best "Calendar" til 2017

2006 was a great year. Sadly, it won't be repeated until 2017.

There are seven "calendar templates": one where the year starts on a Sun., one where it starts on a Mon., etc. And last year's was the best of the bunch.

What's the criteria? The layout of the holidays that are not pre-assigned to Mondays -- which, specifically means July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

In 2006, we had July 4th on a Tuesday, ensuring it was a 4-day weekend instead of a 3-day holiday. (That works great for our annual July 4th vacation to San Diego). Thanksgiving landed on the second-to-earliest date possible for that holiday, which means a longer Christmas season (I like having a week before Dec. 1 to get ready for the holidays so that all is in order when the calendar flips to the last month of the year). And Christmas was on a Monday, which is simply the best day for Christmas as you get a spiritual Christmas Eve by attending Church on Sunday, and then since I get two days off for Christmas, you have the day after Christmas to recover before going back to work.

Christmas is on Tuesday in 2007, which is pretty good, but July 4th is a Wednesday, which is just a lousy day for a holiday, so that impacts the year's overall rating.

Fortunately, leap year means we skip having Christmas on a Wednesday in 2008 (which would have occurred sans leap year). That's good as Wednesday Christmases don't work well. But leap year means we have another Sunday Christmas in 2011 and then skip to a Tuesday Christmas in 2012.

So when we bid adieu to 2006, we bid adieu to Monday Christmases for 11 years. Bah Humbug!

Family Christmas Newsletter Becomes a Blog!

One resolution down, 149 to go.

It's only Jan. 2, and I've completed my goal to start a blog this year.

For the past 12 years, I've thought of all these funny things to say, but have had to limit them to my annual two-page Family Christmas Newsletter. The result is some content gets cut due to size restrictions, while other funny witicisms get forgotten throughout the course of the year. And as I've gone from writing a newsletter that represents just my adventures in NYC to one that must highlight my wife and the four kids, some of the content gets edited (and occasionally censored) to match the growing audience of readers.

In writing the 2006 newsletter, I frankly felt like I didn't "leave it all on the field" in terms of reaching my full humor potential. (Apparently some felt the same way as two folks -- who have now been removed from my Christmas card mailing list -- made a point of telling me that "it wasn't as funny as last year's." Didn't realize my letters were ranked each year.) But I feel I can improve on this year's effort...and this is the forum to capture all those quips that I thought about just after sticking the 125 or so cards into the mailbox.

I can't promise that I'll write as often as I want to -- but I do promise that readers who check back once a week will find fresh material posted each Sunday night.

And I welcome comments and feedback...just be kind as I don't want to pare down my Christmas card mailing list any further. Merry Christmas!!!