Erin Howarth

My eighth belt test

2011-03-07T23:28:00.000-08:00

On Monday 03/07/2011 I took my eighth belt test at KnK World Champion Taekwondo in Scappoose, Oregon. I advanced from blue belt to brown stripe (a blue belt with a brown stripe). It represents two full years of taekwondo study. This time next year, I will be preparing for my black belt test. This was my first belt test without Master Jason Leitzke. He had been my instructor up until he enrolled in nursing school in January. It was a little sad to test without him. Our new instructor is Mr. HyungMin "Eric" Jun. Our test was scored as usual by Grand Master Byong-Cheol Kim, but Grand Master Je-Kyoung Kim was not in attendance. He has only ever missed one other belt test. I imagine his schedule did not permit him to be in Scappoose that night.

My test began at 7 o'clock and included green belts, blue stripes and blue belts. The white belts had tested at 6 o'clock and the yellow and orange belts had tested at 5 o'clock. Our school doesn't have any brown belts or red belts yet. We do have one black belt (first dan) and one black stripe. He will test for his first dan next month. Sometimes they attend our belt tests as assistant instructors, but they did not attend tonight. There's been a lot of flu going around. I hope they are not ill. Their absence made me high belt, so I lead the bowing ceremony. It's pretty simple and easy enough. I just have to say: "Attention, face the flags, bow. Attention, face the grand master, bow. Attention, face the instructor, bow." But I have to say it all in Korean, and I couldn't' remember the word for grand master, so I just said the word for master. No one corrected me, so I guess I didn't offend anyone.

We started with some jumping jacks and some stretching. Then, the instructor asked the green belts and the blue stripes to sit down. And the blue belts did some pushups, blocks, stances and punches. There were only four of us: me; my friend, Heidi Peck, my eight-year-old daughter, and her six-year-old son. We did our self-defense and one-step sparring (which seemed to me a lot like a self defense move). Our self defense move started with an attacker holding a knife on us. We slapped the attackers wrist from both sides with our hands, causing him to drop the knife. Then we jumped up, spun around and kicked him in the chest with a back kick. Our one-step sparring moved started with a bear hug from behind, we dropped to a bent knee position and trust out our arms to break our attackers grip, then we placed two elbow strikes in his ribs, jumped up and placed a back kick in his chest. We practiced lots of back kicks in preparation for this test.

Our form this time was Tae Guk O Jang. It was a little complicated because it featured lots of back fist strikes and middle blocks which look almost the same, so it was challenging to perform them both precisely enough to tell the difference. I had a little trouble keeping my back foot down during all the front stances, but at least we didn't switch stances constantly like in our last form. The form also features a side kick with a punch. We've never done a kick and a punch at the same time before, but the best part was the hop. After the last kick, we hop forward, land in cross stance, perform a back fist strike and yell. It's a pretty cool finish.

After our form, we lined up to kick a target. We did round house kick and back kick, four each with each leg. Grand Master Kim complemented me on my back kick. He said that I had very good form. I felt seven feet tall. I've been working really hard, but my back injury has made every thing very difficult these past few months. I think maybe all the work I've been doing with my physical therapist to improve my posture has made me a better martial artist. Who would have thought?

Then we sat down, I was a little surprised. It didn't seem like we had done very much. The green belts and the blue stripes took the floor and did their pushups, blocks, punches, forms and kicks. There were eight of them: four green belt and four blue stripes. It seemed like they did more, but maybe it just took them a little longer because there are more of them. I remember Master Kim had a lot of praise for one little boy who showed much improvement. He's a shy little guy that mostly just tries to keep up by copying his brother. They look the same size, they might be twins, but they are very different in temperament.

Their self defense moves included throwing their attacker to the floor. Mr. Eric made a great show of falling very hard as usual, but two students: Mr. Rob and Ms. J.T. move really very fast, so I'm not sure if he was just showing off, or if he really did fall that hard. I tried throwing my partner really fast like that once, and I dropped her right on her head. Since then, I've been very careful about my self-defense routines.

The next thing we did was to read our philosophies and our bad habits. I wrote that my bad habit was eating junk food, but Master Kim remembered that was my bad habit last time. I did not remember that, so I tried to think of what it was last time, and my friend, Mr. Bert reminded me that last time I said that my bad habit was spending too much time playing video games - everyone laughed at that - again.

We all broke our boards without any trouble. Blue belts used an elbow strike to break their boards. My eight-year-old daughter received a trophy and a gold star for having an excellent attitude for the past several weeks. I think all the children earned their trophies this time. At the test, they did NOT have new belts for us. They have been ordered, but they have not arrived. That's always a little sad and frustrating and anti-climatic, but they did have two very exciting announcements. First, they will be having four session of summer camp at our school in Scappoose, so the kids can come and play taekwondo all day long for $150 per week. They are even going to teach them some nunchuk routines. Second, they will be going to Korea and China in June. I wish I could go, but they need the money by the end of the month, and even though it's only $3300, I just can't put it together in time, but I have started a plan to get it together for next year. My eight-year-old daughter is planning to raise her share of the money with a lemonade stand!

My Oscar Reviews 2010

2011-02-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

The Oscar Award nominations were announced on January 25, 2011, and so begins my annual quest to see as many as possible before Oscar Night. Fifty-six (56) films were nominated in 24 categories. On the day of the announcement, I had already seen 12 (23%). By the time the Oscar show aired, I had seen 34 (61%). I could have seen one more on iTunes, but I hate watching films on my computer.

The hardest films to see are always the shorts. There are fifteen: five short films, five short animated films and five short documentaries. Fortunately, the Hollywood Theater in Portland, Oregon shows the five short films and the five short animated films every year for the price of two tickets. This year I took my 8-year-old daughter with me. She had a great time. I don't know why they don’t' show the documentary shorts.

127 Hours: nominated for best picture, best actor, film editing, best score, best song ("If I Rise") and screenplay. This is the true story of how one plucky young man goes hiking in the mountains alone and has to cut off his arm in order to get back home again.
Alice in Wonderland: nominated for art direction, costume design and visual effects. It totally deserves all these nominations. It is a very beautiful film. Anne Hathaway was probably my favorite. Johnny Depp was also wonderful, but I really liked Anne Hathaway as the white queen. Her makeup, costume and acting were such that, at times, I wasn't sure it was her. And, I loved it when Alice appeared in her suit of armor. She looked just like Joan of Arc! (03/05/2010)
Animal Kingdom: nominated for best supporting actress (Jacki Weaver). This is an Australian film about a crime family. It starts with a teenage boy calling his grandmother letting her know that his mother just overdosed and died. He moves in with her and his uncles and tries not to get involved in their crimes, but he really can't escape. Weaver's character reminds me of Nurse Cratchet.
Another Year: nominated for best original screenplay.
Barney's Version: nominated for best makeup.
Biutifulnominated for best actor (Javier Bardem) and best foreign language film (Mexico)
Black Swan nominated for best picture, best actress, cinematography, director and film editing. I wasn't sure at first if I liked this film. The nail breaking scenes are really hard to watch, and the dancing is not filmed very well, but the story of this young ballerina's psychotic break is fascinating. The special effect when Natalie Portman's arms turn into wings was stunning! Mila Kunia and Winona Ryder were just as wonderful as Portman (01/23/11).
Blue Valentine: nominated for best actress (Michelle Williams).
Confession, The: nominated for best live short film. A boy is preparing to make his first confession. Something very bad happens. The boy seeks out his priest early, but he can't bring himself to say what has happened. The priest recognizes his anguish, and grants him absolution, assuming he knows the kind of thing he needs to confess. It was sad because the boy really needed to confess. The priest guessed that he needed absolution, but the boy seemed just as anguished. Confession is good for the soul. Absolution lures us to the confessional, but I might be reading too much into this. (02/20/11)
Country Strong: nominated for best song ("Coming Home").
Crush, The: nominated for best live short film. This is a lovely, light, humorous film about a second grader in love with his teacher. When he discovers that she is engaged to someone who is not good fr her, he challenges him to duel. When he shows up with a real gun, it gets very tense, but it all ends well. If you can find this film, I think you will enjoy it. (02/20/11)
Day & Night: nominated for best animated short. This film plays as a lead into Toy Story 3. It features two characters: Day and Night. When they first meet, they don't like each other, and they quarrel, but as they spend a little time together, they come to appreciate what each has to offer. In the end, they get to switch places (06/18/10)
Dogtooth: nominated for best foreign language film (Greece) . This film is very beautifully shot, but the story is so strange that I do not recommend it. It's about a couple with three adult children who have never been allowed to leave the house. They live in a large house with a large yard and a high fence. They have been taught that it is dangerous outside, and they will not be prepared to leave until they loose a dogtooth. There is no explanation for why the children have been raised this way. It's just weird for weirdness sake (01/31/11).
Exit through the Gift Shop: nominated for best documentary feature. Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant in Los Angeles, is obsessed with film. He films everything. When he becomes interested in graffiti artists, he films them constantly, but he doesn't actually know how to make a film, so he leaves his footage with Bansky, the preeminent graffiti artist, and he makes some art himself. He's not very good, but he is very successful. (01/31/11).
Fighter, Thenominated for best picture, supporting actor (Bale), supporting actress (Adams & Leo), directing, film editing and writing. I didn't expect to like this film, and I didn't. First of all, it was boxing. I don't like boxing films. They always show the fighters all beat to hell. This film was not exception to that standard. The characters in this film were such deeply flawed individuals that it was just hard to watch, sad. The one bright spot was that Mark Wahlberg (who isn't nominated) is really very easy on the eyes, and his character is really quite likable, too. (12/17/10)
Gasland: nominated for best documentary feature. Exploring the wisdom of replacing coal with natural gas. Apparently drilling for natural gas poisons the water table. Hundreds of thousands of wells have been drilled through the rural west. There are plans to drill in Pennsylvania and New York where millions of people receive their water from a single enormous unfiltered aquifer. I had to write my senator after viewing this film. (02/09/11)
God of Love: nominated for best live short film. This is a very nice little film. A talented dart thrower prays to God for the love of a woman. Instead, God sends him a box full of magic darts. He tries to get the girl to fall in love with him, but it turns out he's a lot better at matching up other people. (02/20/11)
Gruffalo, The: nominated for best animated short film. This is a lovely little film that maintains the language of the children's book is based on, narrated by a mother squirrel voiced by Helena Bonham Carter - perfectly charming - a bit slow of pace. (02/20/11)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1: nominated for art direction and visual effects, and deservedly so. This movie looks great! It's probably the best installment of the franchise. I think it struck just right balance between details and pace, and I think Emma Watson steals the screen from her costars. (11/19/10)
Hereafter: nominated for visual effects.
How to Train Your Dragon: nominated for best animated feature and best score. This was truly delightful film. I have small children, so I see a lot of animated films every year. This was truly a bright spot. It's well drawn, but nothing fancy. The dialogue is very witty. My kids quote it constantly. And, it includes some really poignant life-lessons. The lead character is a young Viking who is very clever, but not very strong, so he doesn't really fit in with his friends. The people are deeply prejudiced against dragons based on a tragic misunderstanding. (03/26/2010)
I Am Love: nominated for costume design. This is an Italian film starring Tilda Swinton. The costumes are a beautiful collection of Italian fashion, but the story is completely confusing. A woman with adult children falls in love (inexplicably) with her son's friend. When her son finds out, he freaks out, hits his head and dies, but she still runs away with her lover, abandoning the rest of the family in their grief. I don't get it. (01/25/11)
Illusionist, The: nominated for best animated feature/
In a Better World: nominated for best foreign language film (Denmark).
Incendies: nominated for best foreign language film (Canada).
Inception: nominated for best picture, art direction, cinematography, music, sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects and writing. This was a great film. It's about a spy who travels inside people subconscious while they are dreaming to steal corporate secrets, and just like the Matrix, I left the theater wondering if I was awake or asleep. (07/16/10)
Inside Job: nominated for best documentary feature.
Iron Man 2: nominated for visual effects. This film is a first-rate action film and a first-rate comic book film. It looks great. The story is solid. Robert Downey, Jr. is brilliant. I was disappointed that they had to recast the character of War Machine, and I thought that the villain was far less interesting than the heroes. Scarlette Johansen was delightful surprise. Her fight scene was totally cool. (09/28/10).
Kids Are All Right, The: nominated for best picture, actress (Bening), supporting actor (Ruffalo) and writing. I was very disappointed with this film. It was billed as a film about two children raised by two moms on a quest to find their biological father, but it turned out to be about two middle-aged lesbians who had lost the spark in their marriage. It's nice to have something lighter in the best picture category, but the characters and relationships were not very convincing or interesting. (2/2/10)
Killing in the Name: nominated for best documentary short.
King's Speech, The: nominated for best picture, actor (Firth), supporting actor (Rush), supporting actress (Carter), art direction , cinematography, costume design, directing, film editing, music, sound mixing and editing. This is a beautiful story, beautifully told, well deserving all of its accolades, full of priceless moments. At the end of the story, I was struck by the fact that this man, King George VI, found himself in such terrifying circumstances: at war with fascist Germany, but the thing that frightened him most was the rather ordinary fear of public speaking. (2/5/10)
Let's Pollute: nominated for best animated short film. This is probably the shortest of the short films. It's only 6 minutes long. Of course it is trying to discourage people from polluting by pretending to encourage it. My 8-year-old daughter was thoroughly confused, but the other adults in the audience with me laughed in all the right places. (02/20/11)
Lost Thing, The: nominated for best animated short film. This was really charming - lots of imagination in this film. A boy finds a thing on the beach. It's alive but cannot speak. Its about 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide and very friendly. It looks something like a teapot crossed with an crab. Anyway, over the course of the film, he tries to find the thing a home. (02/20/11)
Madagascar, a Journey Diary: nominated for best animated short film. I did not like this film. It started out interestingly enough: lots of beautiful pictures in lots of different animation styles, but it never stopped switching styles, so when it finally tried to tell a story, I kept getting distracted, but it didn't try very hard. This film comes off as a student showing off how many different ways he knows how to draw a film. (02/20/11)
Na Wewe: nominated for best live short film. This film was terrifying - lots of tension and drama, but ultimately much ado about nothing. It is set in Rwanda. A military patrol stops a van full of people and tries to sort out the Hutu from the Tutsi. (The Tutsi will be executed). The comedy or absurdity of the situation is finally revealed as each person tries to explain their complicated family background. (02/20/11)
Outside the Law: nominated for best foreign language film (Algeria).
Poster Girl: nominated for best documentary short.
Rabbit Hole:nominated for best actress (Nicole Kidman).
Restrepo: nominated for best documentary feature. This film is about an outpost in Afghanistan. As a documentary, it doesn't really tell a story, but as a snap shop of the war in Afghanistan it presents our soldiers as completely incompetent.
Salt: nominated for best sound mixing. This is Angelina Jolie as an action hero and everything that you would expect from that, no disappointments. The story is that Jolie's character, Salt, works for the CIA, and she might be a sleeper spy for Russia. Half the fun of the film is trying to answer that question: who is Salt? And there are several twists to keep that interesting. The film excels with disguises, so it’s a shame is wasn't nominated for makeup, but the action films always seem to show up in the sound categories. (01/30/11)
Social Network, The: nominated for best picture, actor (Eisenberg), cinematography, directing, film editing, music, sound mixing and writing. This is the story of how Mark Zuckerberg invented facebook. It's mostly a character study. It's really, really good - a lot of fun to watch. Highly recommended. Don't miss this one. In the story there is a conflict between two characters about putting advertising on the site. Ultimately they don't put advertising on the site, but they never explain how they make billions of dollars with this website (02/12/11).
Strangers No More:nominated for best documentary short.
Sun Come Up: nominated for best documentary short.
Tangled: nominated for best song ("I See the Light"). This is a completely delightful film. I can't imagine why it was denied a nomination for best animated feature (along with Despicable Me). My favorite thing about this film is that animal companions do not steal the scenes from the human characters, and the prince doesn't upstage the princess. She got to be the hero of her own story, and that is important to me. I credit the addition of John Lasseter to the production teams at Disney Studios to the superior quality of work coming from that studio in recent years (11/24/10).
Tempest, The: nominated for costume design.
Town, The: nominated for best actor in a supporting role (Jeremy Renner). This film is about a bank robber who falls in love with his hostage. Renner turns in a first class performance, and its fun to see films set in Boston. The story and the characters are interesting but not captivating. This is a great film to see, but it is not a must-see film. (02/15/11)
Toy Story 3 : nominated for best picture, best animated feature, best song ("We Belong Together"), sound editing and writing. This was a very sentimental film. The toys' boy, Andy, is going to college, and they worry about being thrown away, put into storage, or donated. The great adventure surrounds their accidental donation to a day care facility and subsequent quest to return to Andy's house. It's the perfect conclusion to the greatest animated trilogy in film (06/18/2010).
Tron: Legacy: nominated for sound editing. This film was visually spectacular, but I did not find the story, characters or even the world particularly compelling or interesting. I did love the way they were able to cast a young (12/17/2010).
True Grit: nominated for best picture, actor (Bridges), supporting actress (Steinfeld), art direction, cinematography, costume design, directing, sound editing, sound mixing and writing. I liked this film very much. This is one of those rare gems in which a very young protagonist is very well written. Steinfeld plays a young girl who hires a Marshal to hunt down her father's killer in the Wild West. She delivers a spectacular performance, at least as good as Anna Paquin in The Piano (1993). I was also impressed with the way in which the west was portrayed as a very rough, no-nonsense place (01/23/11).
Unstoppable: nominated for sound editing.
Warriors of Qiugang: nominated for best documentary short.
Waste Land: nominated for best documentary feature.
Way Back: nominated for best makeup.
Winter's Bone: nominated for best picture, best supporting actor (Hawkes), best actress (Lawrence) and writing. It was really good. The trailer had filled me with dread, but the fate of our heroine was not nearly as bad as I had imagined. This film is about a 17-year-old girl taking care of her 12-year-old brother and 6-year-old sister when she finds out that her father put up the house for his bond, and if he doesn't show for court, they will be evicted. She sets off looking for him, and she finds a lot of trouble, but eventually, she finds the truth, and the solution to her problem. (2/2/10)
Wish 143: best live short film. This is a cute little film about a boy with cancer who makes a wish. It's a British film, so he's not talking to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but a similar organization. What he really wants is to loose his virginity. What follows is hilarious and heart breaking all at the same time. (02/20/11)
Wolfman: nominated for best makeup. This film really does have great makeup, and a great cast, and great sets, but the story is time-worn, and I did not find the characters compelling. I could not bring myself to care one way or the other about their fate. (02/15/11)

Liberal Assassins

2011-01-10T12:47:00.000-08:00

On January 29, 2008, Ann Coulter said the following to Harry Smith on The Early Show (CBS): "… every presidential assassin -- or attempted presidential assassin in the history of the nation has either been a liberal, a communist, an anarchist, someone on the left…" (News Busters.org

I love this kind of historical generalization, and I've been meaning to do my own fact checking. This morning I heard about the attempted assassination of Senator Gifford (D, AZ), and I decided to finally work this out.

I obtained the following list of presidential assassins from Wikipedia. What I found even more interesting than the assassins political motivations was the fact that so many of them were insane. I was also interested to learn that many of them were not executed for their crimes.

Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate Andrew Jackson on January 30, 1835. His politics are unclear. He believed the president owed him money. Lawrence was found not guilty by reason of insanity and confined to a mental institution until his death (26 years).

John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Politically, he opposed the abolition of slavery, so I think that makes him a conservative. He was shot and killed during pursuit. I think he is the one assassin who was not insane. I also think this is the one assassination that actually made a difference politically; although, not the difference Booth intended. Booth believed the death of Lincoln would inspire the south to rise up and keep fighting the war, but instead I believe it inspired the north to be particularly hard during reconstruction.

Charles J. Guiteau assassinated James A. Garfield on July 2, 1881. Politically, Guiteau was a supporter of Garfield and felt cheated that he had not been appointed ambassador to France. Garfield was a Republican when Republicans were fighting to establish suffrage among former slaves, so I think that makes him a liberal. By some travesty of justice, he was denied an insanity defense. He was executed by hanging.

Leon Czolgosz assassinated William McKinley on September 6, 1901. Politically, Czolgosz was an anarchist. There is great debate regarding his mental state. He was executed by electrocution.

John F. Schrank attempted to assassinate Theodore Roosevelt on October 13, 1912: Schrank's politics are murky. He was opposed to the Roosevelt's attempt at a third term in office, so that might make him a conservative. He said that McKinley's ghost had told him to avenge his assassination. Schrank was found legally insane and was institutionalized until his death in 1943 (31 years).

Giuseppe Zangara attempted to assassinate Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 15, 1933. He made several statements against capitalists, so he might be categorized as a communist. It seems clear that he was mentally ill, blaming Roosevelt for his chronic pain. Zangara was executed by electrocution.

Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola attempted to assassinate Harry S. Truman on November 1, 1950. Politically they were dedicated to Puerto Rican independence. I believe this makes them liberals. Torresola was killed in the attempt. Collazo served 30 years in prison.

Richard Paul Pavlick attempted to assassinate John F. Kennedy on December 11, 1960. Pavlick's politics are also murky, but I believe he was a conservative supporter of Nixon. Pavlick served six years in prison and mental institutions

Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Politically, Oswald was a communist. His sanity was never examined thoroughly. He was assassinated in police custody.

Samuel Byck attempted to assassinate Richard Nixon on February 22, 1974. He believed the government was conspiring against the poor. This could be considered a liberal position. He was suffering from mental illness. He was killed in the attempt.

Lynette Fromme attempted to assassinate Gerald Ford on September 5, 1975. She was a member of the Manson family which qualifies her as liberal but mostly insane. She served 34 years in prison.

Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate Gerald Ford on September 22, 1975. Politically, she was radically liberal. Her sanity was not evaluated, but her statements and actions are so inconsistent that she seems insane. She served 32 years in prison.

John Hinckley, Jr. attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981. His politics are immaterial and therefore unknown. Since he attempted to kill a conservative, we might assume he was a liberal, but he also stalked Jimmy Carter. He was trying to impress a girl. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity. As of 2011, he has been incarcerated 30 years, but he is allowed unsupervised visits to his mother for nine days at a time.

Frank Eugene Corder attempted to assassinate Bill Clinton on September 12, 1994. His politics seem immaterial and unknown. Friends claim he bore no ill will toward President Clinton; he was attempting to increase his notoriety which calls his sanity into question. He was killed in the attempt.

Francisco Martin Duran attempted to assassinate Bill Clinton on October 29, 1994. He mounted an insanity defense claiming to try to save the world from aliens. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Robert Pickett attempted to assassinate George W. Bush on February 7, 2001. Pickett was found to have emotional problems and employment grievances. Pickett was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

Tae Guek Oh Jang

2011-01-07T15:04:00.000-08:00

Turn 90* to the left, stepping with the left foot in front stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the right, returning to ready position, look left, and perform a hammer fist strike to the left with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the right, stepping with the right foot in front stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
Turn 90* to the left, returning to ready position, look right, and perform a hammer fist strike to the right with the right hand.
Step forward with the left foot into front stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand followed immediately by an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot, coming down in front stance and perform a back fist strike with the right hand and an outside in middle block with the left hand.
Perform a front kick with the left foot, coming down in front stance and perform a back fist strike with the left hand and an outside in middle block with the right hand.
Step forward with the right foot into front stance and perform a back fist strike to the face. KI HAP! (yell)
Turn 270* to the left (so that you are facing 90* to the right) and step with the left foot in back stance and perform a double knife hand block with the left hand.
Step forward with right foot into front stance and perform an elbow strike with the right hand (left hand holds right fist).
Turn 180* the right and into back stance and perform a double knife hand block with the right hand.
Step forward with left foot into front stance and perform an elbow strike with the left hand (right hand holds left fist).
Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot in front stance and perform a low block with the left hand followed by and outside-in middle block with the right hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot, land in front stance, and perform a low block with the right hand and and ouside-in middle block with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the left without moving the right foot and slide the left foot forward into front stance and perform a high block with the left hand.
Perform a sidekick with the right foot and a face high punch with the right hand, landing in front stance then perform an elbow strike with left hand (right palm holds left elbow).
Turn 180* to the right and step into front stance and perform a high block with the right hand.
Perform a sidekick with the left foot and a face high punch with the left hand, landing in front stance then perform an elbow strike with right hand (left palm holds right elbow).
Turn 90* to the left, stepping with the left foot into front stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot and leap forward into cross stance (left behind right) and perform a face-high back fist strike with the right hand. KI HAP! (yell!)

Farmville Tips: Breeding Cattle & Horses

2011-01-07T12:25:00.001-08:00

Week 37: I finally have a permanent stallion! It wasn't difficult filling my five dairy barns with bulls. It's harder to find lots of females to fill the barns, but I've finally got a permanent stallion for my stable, so I've decided to get serious (sort of) about breeding cattle and horses.

Horses:
I don't have any truly exotic breeds, but I've decided to concentrate on breeding cream draft horses because they are pretty and they seem to me the rarer of the two possible horses I can raise in my nursery barn. Light blue ponies and cream draft mini horses are also interesting, so if come across any of those, I'll put them in the nursery barn, too.

My stable holds 40 horses, 39 mares and 1 stallion. My goal is to fill it with 13 cream draft horses, 13 light blue ponies and 13 cream mini horses. I will get these animals from my Nursery Barn. Because it takes so long to grow a foal into a horse in the nursery barn, I don't want to waste time rearing breeds I don't want, so the only foals I can put in my nursery barn are the breeds that will grow into cream draft horses, light blue ponies or cream mini horses. Those breeds are: cream draft foals (of course), Clydesdale foals, Percheron foals, all ponies and all mini horses.

I don't want to put in any brown foals, black foals, gray foals, white foals or any other foals because they all grow up to be black horses.

Cattle:
All calves will grow up to be Holstein cows or chocolate cows. Holsteins earn 12 coins per day. Chocolate cows earn 80 coins per day. My plan is to only raise the following calves in the nursery barn: fan calf, green calf, Kelley green calf, Neapolitan calf, pink calf, pink patch calf and Simmental calf. Oddly, the chocolate calf does not grow up to be a chocolate cow, but my chocolate cows will breed chocolate calves, so cattle breeding is not as sustaining as horse breeding. In order to produce one of the calves listed above, I need to purchase "special" cows.

Multiple Harvests per day:
I think I finally figured out how to harvest my stable more than once a day and it is simply this: fill up the stable, keep a few extra horses outside the stable. When you arrive on your farm, the stable will be ready to harvest because the stable is ready every 23 hours. Harvest the stable, share the newborn foal with your neighbors. Then, remove one horse from the stable (not the stallion), and place another horse in the stable. The other horse must be at least 34% ready. Horses are 100% ready in three days, so if you play once a day, they should be about 34% ready when you arrive on your farm. When this one horse enters the stable, the entire stable will be ready to harvest again. I haven't actually tried it yet, but I keep reading about it, and think this is what the writers are trying to describe.

This same trick can be duplicated with the dairy barns.

My Oscar Reviews 2009

2010-12-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

I set a goal for myself to watch all the films nominated for an Oscar last year (2009). The year is almost over. The Golden Globe nominations were announced 12/14/2010. The Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced 12/16/2010. The Oscar nominations will be announced 01/25/2011. As of 12/27/10, I have seen 52/58 of the nominated films, that's 90%. I know I can get at least one more of the remaining six (Which Way Home). I might be able to see two others, but it is highly doubtful. Here I've written a brief (100 words or less) review of each film. They are listed in alphabetical order in case you want to find a particular film. The date in parenthesis is the date I saw the film. The most recently written reviews are underlined.

Ajami was nominated for Best Foreign Film (Israel). It is the story of two brothers in Tel Aviv. The film is divided into five stories. The stories all connect at different points. That was interesting, but the theme of the stories was desperately depressing that I cannot recommend this film unless you are deeply curious about life in Israel. (11/2010)
Avatar was nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Score, Best Picture, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. It's a great show. It lives up to its hype. The animation is extraordinary, but the story is not original. I've seen it at least three times, and I thought the science fiction was a bit weak. The avatars and the ponytails were cool, but I thought the end was bit anticlimactic. (01/10/2010)
The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock was nominated for Best Actress and Best Picture. It's the true story of a woman who adopts a homeless boy who becomes a big shot in the NFL. I love stories like this. The woman was a real hero who made a real difference. I hope I have that kind of bravery. Sandra Bullock is a very popular actress, but this is her first nomination. I love seeing popular celebrities achieve critical and professional acclaim. (c. 11/20/2010)
Bright Star was nominated for Best Costumes. It has great costumes, and a character to point out their greatness. The pace of the story is uneven, but if you like John Keats, you should not miss this film. It's about his love affair with Fanny Braun. If you don't know Keats, you might appreciate knowing that he died young and unappreciated. I love period films. They're like time machines. Still, I remained perplexed by the lives and lifestyle of 19th century English gentry. (02/06/2010)
Burma VJ was nominated for Best Documentary. (It lost to The Cove.) It is about the video journalists who documented the popular uprising against the ruling military regime in Burma in September 2007. They did all of their work with hand held cameras and smuggled their images out of the country at great personal risk. Although the uprising was ultimately unsuccessful, and many of the video journalists were imprisoned, their work has inspired more Burmese to document what is happening in their country. (06/11/2010)
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province was nominated for Best Documentary Short.
Coco Before Chanel was nominated for Best Costumes. It's about the most famous designer of all time. At nine, her father left her in an orphanage. At 18, she worked as a seamstress and a singer. She follows a man to Paris where she meets another man who helps her open a hat shop. Her clothes are stunningly revolutionary. She wears a lot of black and no corsets. It is a beautiful film. I highly recommend it. (03/05/2010)
Coraline was nominated for Best Animated Feature. It's a stop-motion animated film made right here in Oregon. It looks a little like The Nightmare Before Christmas. It's also set in Oregon which is super-fun for me. Coraline is tricked and abducted by some kind of witch, and she must use her wits to escape. It's really creepy, but my kids love it, too. It actually provided an opportunity for some good discussions - highly recommended. (c. 07/21/2009)
The Cove was nominated for Best Documentary Feature. Free Willy and the subsequent mission to actually free Keiko, the whale who performed in that film, made me aware of the evil that is Sea World. This film is about that industry (captive sea mammals as entertainment). It is also about the systematic slaughter of dolphin as vermin which makes no kind of sense whatsoever. The horror is truly heart breaking. It's time to save the whales - again. (02/20/2010)
Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal was nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Song. It's fictional biography of a country singer. Predictably, he neglects his family and abuses drugs. I thought it honestly portrayed his drunkenness as worse some times than other. His rock bottom was interesting: he lost his girlfriend's four-year-old boy. He leaves the area and can't give security much information. They find him anyway. All's well that ends well, but he finally checks into rehab. (03/01/2010)
District 9 was nominated for Best Film Editing, Best Picture, Best Visual Effects and Best Screenplay. I really loved it right up until the South African betrayed the alien, then I disconnected, and I didn't care what happened for awhile. I found the scenes where they are experimenting on the South African to absolutely disturbing. They will stick with me for a long time. (12/31/2009)
Il Divo was nominated for Best Makeup. I don't recommend this film unless you are familiar with the subject: a seven-term president of Italy with connections to the mob. The film seemed to serve as (beautiful) illustrations for a story which its target audience already knows. I am clearly not a member of its target audience. I was pretty bored. (02/07/2010)
The Door was nominated for Best Live Short. It is an Irish film but everyone speaks Russian. The film opens with a man sneaking around, breaking in, and stealing a door. Later we learn that it was his own door he was stealing. He had to abandon his house, but he wanted the door for his daughter's funeral. His daughter died of radiation poisoning following the Chernobyl accident. It's a terribly sad story. (02/25/2010)
An Education starring Carey Mulligan was nominated for Best Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Picture. Mulligan reminded me of Audrey Hepburn. She was enchanting. The story is about a young student in the 1960s trying to get into Oxford when she falls in love with an older man. She has to choose between her man and her education. I think the film did a very sloppy job of answering that question. What do you think? Why do women need a university education? (03/02/2010)
El Secreto de Sus Ojos was nominated for Best Foreign Film (Argentina). This is film is two stories told out of sequence: that sounds like the sort of thing that would normally annoy me, but I think they did it very well, and I liked it very much. The first is the story of a murder and the investigation. The second is the story of the investigator and his infatuation with his boss. It's a great film. I particularly liked the character of the grieving widower. He puts forth a convincing argument for a life sentence over the death penalty. (11/30/2010)
Fantastic Mr. Fox was nominated for Best Animated Feature. It is stop-motion animation (like Coraline), but it never really drew me into the story. The characters are all a bit odd, and I just kept noticing the film-making. The way the animals' fur moved reminded me of the old Rudolf cartoons from the 1970s. (02/07/2010)
Food, Inc was nominated for Best Documentary Feature. It was very enlightening, better than Super-size Me, much better than King Corn. I was very surprised to learn that the USDA has lost the authority to shut down meat packing plants that fail their quality control tests. I was also surprised to learn how many children die from e. coli poisoning in the ground beef that they eat. It's an important film. I hope the Oscar nomination gets it watched by lots and lots of people. (02/03/2010)
French Roast was nominated for Best Animated Short. I saw it on You Tube. I liked it VERY much. The images were interesting and the characters were charming. The filmmaker employed this very clever device where a mirror on the wall behind the main characters allowed us to see what they were looking at without changing the camera angles, but the thing that really made me fall in love with the film was the message was at the end. (02/24/2010)
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty was nominated for Best Animated Short. I saw it on You Tube. It's cute and clever. Granny comes in to tell her granddaughter a bedtime story. She starts telling the story of Sleeping Beauty, but she identifies with the bad fairy. It turns out to be quite a statement about being nice to the elderly. In the end she leaves her granddaughter quite terrified. It's pretty funny. (02/24/2010)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was nominated for Best Cinematography. I was disappointed that the filmmakers didn't tell more of Voldemort's story in this film. I think we needed more dialogue between Dumbledore and Harry following his views of selected memories. I loved the bits about the love triangle. Some people think that was the wrong place to focus, and maybe they are right. The Cinematography nomination is well-served. There are some really great shots in this film. (c. 07/15/2009)
The Hurt Locker starring Jeremy Renner was nominated for Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Screenplay, Best Picture and Best Director. It is the story of a soldier who disarms bombs in Iraq. He is really good at his job, but sometimes he seems very reckless and stupid, and sometimes he seems very brave and noble. The pace of the film is quite uneven, but I really liked the ending. (02/15/2010)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Costumes. It really is a very beautiful film. I didn't find it at all confusing as other reviewers. Dr. P sets himself up as a sideshow and people may enter his imagination for a small fee. Even though the imaginarium is a wondrous place, his business is failing until his troop rescues Heath Ledger who seems a hero before revealing himself a villain. (05/19/2010)
In the Loop was nominated for Best Screenplay. I did not like this film. It a political comedy about how government operatives in the United States and Great Britain try to stop the invasion of Iraq. Of course they fail miserably, and they end up miserable, so how is that funny? It did make me feel a little bit better about the so-called office politics where I work. We are complete amateurs compared to the characters in this film. (03/11/2010)
Inglorious Basterds starring Christopher Walz was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Picture, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Screenplay. The pace is uneven. It begins as an action film with Jewish American soldiers terrorizing the Nazis in France. Then it becomes a French film about a Jewish woman who accidentally catches the favor of a German war hero. When the stories converge the French story ends tragically and the American story ends triumphantly - typical. (c. 08/21/2009)
Instead of Abracadabra was nominated for Best Live Short. It is a Swedish film. This film is about a young twenty-something magician, still living with his parents, trying to impress the new girl next door. It's very funny. The lead actor does awkward super geek to perfection. It's almost painful to watch. It is quite reminiscent of Napoleon Dynamite (02/25/2010)
Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. It is the story of South Africa winning the rugby world cup shortly after Mandela was elected president. It is very much like other sports movies, very exciting and very sentimental. It made me cry. The setting of this film is unique. I came away with a better understanding of who Nelson Mandela was - quite extraordinary. Unless you really hate sports movies, I highly recommend this film. (03/04/2010)
Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress. This film is based on two true stories. It is the story of Julia Child's life in France and how she accidentally became a first class chef. The love story between her and her husband is really very charming. The other story is about a girl named Julie living in New York just after the September 2001 attacks (more historical context). She distracts herself by cooking every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook. (c. 12/08/2009)
Kavi was nominated for Best Live Action Short. It is about a little boy in India who is forced to make bricks all day with his mother and father. His father owes the kiln owner a lot of money, so he has effectively been sold into slavery. It' was hard for me to watch the abuses laid on this sweet boy, but he managed his escape in the end. The closing credits listed the film as part of someone's MFA. (02/25/2010)
The Lady and the Reaper was nominated for Best Animated Short. I saw it on You Tube. It is very cute. I don't think that it was the animator's intention to make any kind of a statement about the right to die, but it did leave questions and worries in my head. I don't believe that doctors really try to revive older people over and over again as depicted in this film. (02/24/2010)
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner was nominated for Best Documentary Short.
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant was nominated for Best Documentary Short. This film was a little hard to find. It was made by HBO films, and I was finally able to buy a copy from Amazon.com. What I found most interesting was that the plant was closed in spite of having one of the highest efficiency ratings in the whole company. It was closed because sales were down of the particular truck they made. I find it incomprehensible that factories are built to make only one thing, and then when we want to build something else, we have to build a whole different factory.
The Last Station starring Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren was nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress. It is about the last year of the life of Leo Tolstoy. The title refers to the last train station on the Russian border. Tolstoy and his wife were obviously in love with each other, but they had grown to want different things. The countess wanted financial stability and security. Tolstoy wanted to improve the lives of all Russians. It seemed so tragic that I just cried and cried. (03/01/2010)
Logorama was nominated for Best Animated Short, and it was preceded by an advisory warning of foul language and violence. There were lots of bad words. The most violent thing I think was when a man kicked a child in the head. The animation seemed really unique to me. Everything was a logo: the people, the landscape, the buildings and vehicles. The story was a car chase. The police were played by Michelin tire men and the villain was Ronald McDonald. (02/25/2010)
The Lovely Bones starring Stanley Tucci was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. It's about a young girl who is gruesomely murdered (off screen). Surprisingly, the message of the film turns out to be how the dead cope with death, which I think is really very interesting. It might have been more interesting if I hadn't been so distracted by the other two stories: how the survivors deal with their loss and how the bad guy gets away with it. (01/31/2010)
A Matter of Loaf and Death was nominated for Best Animated Short. It is a British film starring Wallace and Grommit. They have a new business now as bakers but there is someone in town that is killing bakers. Of course Wallace meets her right away and Grommitt is unsuccessful in his attempts to convince him that she's no good - a very nice little film with some very witty dialogue. (02/25/2010)
The Messenger starring Woody Harrelson was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay. This film is about a wounded soldier assigned to perform notifications to the next of kin following the deaths of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's quite dull, but I'm really very glad I saw this film because my father told me that he was assigned to this same duty when he finished his tour in Vietnam. He says it was the worst or hardest duty he had ever been asked to perform. I wish we had seen the film together. (06/12/2010)
Miracle Fish was nominated for Best Live Short. It is about a boy in Australia with a toy fish that predict your future. After a nap in the nurse's station he wakes up to an empty school. The little actor who plays the boy is super cute and a joy to watch. Eventually we learn why the school is empty and the boy shows enormous resilience in his ability to handle the situation. (02/25/2010)
The Milk of Sorrow was nominated for Best Foreign Film (Peru) The title comes from the belief that mothers under stress transfer their fear to their nursing babies. The main character's mother was raped by Shining Path, and although she is now safely in Lima, she is still afraid of everything. For example, she keeps a potato in her vagina to ward off rapists. Her mother dies in the opening and she spends the rest of the film trying to secure her burial. Along the way she is cruelly cheated by a rich, white woman, but she triumphs in the end. (12/27/2010)
The Most Dangerous Man in America was nominated for Best Documentary. This is my favorite film, so I'm allowing myself more than 350 words for this review. This film is about Daniel Ellsberg who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in an attempt to bring an end to the Vietnam War. I learned a lot; for example, all five presidents lied to the public about American involvement in Vietnam, just because no one wanted to be the guy who lost the war.

A memo from the Defense Department under the Johnson Administration listing the reasons for American persistence: 10% - to permit the people [of South Vietnam] to enjoy a better, freer way of life - 20% - to keep [South Vietnam] (and the adjacent) territory from Chinese hands - 70% - to avoid a humiliating U.S. defeat - ALSO - to emerge from the crisis without unacceptable taint from methods used - NOT - to 'help a friend'. American soldiers are willing to die to preserve another's freedom. They are not willing to die to preserve another's pride.

In the end, the leak of the Pentagon Papers did not contribute to the end of the Vietnam War, but the leak did strengthen our First Amendment right to freedom of the press as the Supreme Court had to make a decision regarding the injunction to stop the New York Times from publishing the Papers. The leak also prompted Nixon to do one more illegal thing that got him caught and impeached - which was a good thing - I think that man hated the Constitution more than anybody since Jackson.

Daniel Ellsberg was arrested for treason, but the government's case was so full of irregularities that the judge declared a mistrial. He was released on his own reconnaissance. He was not acquitted, but the film included clips of him protesting the war in Iraq, and I think that is the happy ending. In spite of the obvious and horrible levels of corruption, they were not limitless. Ellsberg was not imprisoned or tortured or murdered as he might have been in some other country. (09/09/2010)
Music by Prudence was nominated for Best Documentary Short.
The New Tenants was nominated for Best Live Short. Two guys move into an apartment and before they can unpack, their neighbor knocks on the door and asks for some flour. She tells them that the previous tenant was murdered. Another guy shows to collect his heroin. The neighbor returns claiming her granddaughter is sick. The heroin dealer kills her. The grand daughter shows up and kills the heroin dealer. Then she dies. The film had some very clever dialogue. (02/25/2010)
Nine starring Penelope Cruz was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction and Best Song. It is a story about filmmaker trying to make his ninth film. As he struggles with an idea he fantasizes about the various women he has loved throughout his life. Each fantasy was presented as a stage production. The hero is finally exposed as a villain. We are lead to believe that he finds redemption, but we only see his down fall. (03/04/2010)
Paris 36 was nominated for Best Song. It is a French film about a group of out-of-work singers and comics who open up a theater as a co-op during World War II. It's an interesting story which includes a love triangle, a murder, and some really great songs. It got to be a bit dull in the middle, but it had a really great ending, which I don't expect from French films. (02/22/2010)
Precious starring Gabourney Sidibe and Mo'Nique was nominated for six academy awards: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Picture. It is the story of a seventeen-year-old girl who is pregnant for a second time by her father and how she escapes her abusive home. There are lots of heroes in this film including the alt-ed teacher and Precious but I was also impressed by the positive roles that the public school system and the welfare system played in her story. (03/01/2010)
The Princess and the Frog was nominated for Best Animated Feature and twice for Best Song. It is about a young black woman in New Orleans in the 1930s, she has a dream of opening her own restaurant when she kisses a prince and turns into a frog. I thought the way they portrayed the racism and sexism from that era was totally appropriate for children. I loved this film. It was enchanting. I loved that it was 2-D cell-animation. (12/27/2009)
Un Prophète was nominated for Best Foreign Film (France). A well crafted film to be sure, but I never connected well with protagonist, a 19-year-old French Arab convict sentenced to six years in prison. The film traces his transformation from an illiterate, tentative, naïve coward into a bold, brutal, cunning crime boss. I would have liked it better if it were only half as long. It's 2hrs 30min. (09/06/2010)
Rabbit à la Berlin was nominated for Best Documentary Short.
The Secret of Kells was nominated for Best Animated Feature. This is a really beautiful film. The animation is quite unusual. Everything about the story is quite unusual. It is sort of epic in nature. It begins with a boy and doesn't end until he is an old man. It seems to be set in a monetary and there is significant disagreement over how to deal with an impeding invasion, but there is much magic at work as well. I streamed this film from Netflix, and I recommend you take a look. (11/2010)
A Serious Man was nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Picture. I hated it. It's by the Coen Brothers, who I usually like, but it managed to offend me on several levels. This film was supposed to be about a man whose life spirals out of control due to forces beyond his control, but I was not convinced that he was trying. He seemed to me to be allowing people to mistreat him without protest. (02/24/2010)
Sherlock Holmes was nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Score. I don't think I've ever seen the great detective portrayed as a brawler before, but I really liked the way he described the injuries that he was about inflict upon his enemies. I liked the usual scenes of how he analyzes minute details. The chemistry experiments were cool, too. I was less interested in the villain. I thought he was kind of boring, but I will show up for the sequel. (01/10/2010)
A Single Man starring Colin Firth was nominated for Best Actor. It's the story of a man mourning the loss of his partner in 1962. The period elements of the film are wonderful. He has been miserable for 8 months, and he has decided that today he will kill himself. He enjoys every part of his day as he sets his affairs in order. He is especially nice to people, and in the end, a new friend convinces him to live. I wish that were the end, but the very next moment, he dies of a heart attack - lame. (08/08/2010).
Star Trek was nominated for Best Makeup, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. This movie was really beautiful, and I even liked the actors and the characters, but I did not love the premise. I don't want the franchise re-launched by creating a new continuity. If they wanted to create a whole bunch of new situations, why didn't they just come up with new characters, like they did for The Next Generation? How about a Star Trek series with lawyers, like JAG? (c. 12/28/2009)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was nominated for Best Sound Mixing. It was also nominated for the Razzie for Worst Picture. I did not love this film. It was fun to see Shea Beowulf and his costar again, but some of the Autobots were really annoying and the story line was mostly lost on me. I particularly detested the scene in which the mom takes her boy to college and accidentally buys some brownies laced with marijuana and then acts like a fool. (c. 12/28/2009)
Up was nominated for Best Animated Feature, Best Score, Best Picture, Best Sound Editing and Best Screenplay. This is an absolutely charming film. I love the way they tell two short stories before the end of the opening credits and then tell another short story during the closing credits - very craft fully done. I also loved the way that the house floats like a parade balloon: sometimes they are weighing it down, and sometimes it is carrying them along. (c. 05/29/2009)
Up in the Air starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick was nominated for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress twice, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay. I thought it was really good, very unusual, and terribly sad. It is the story of a man who flies a lot for work. He likes this lifestyle because it keeps him disconnected from everyone. He comes to realize this is not a great way to live, and he tries to change his life. (01/16/2010)
Which Way Home was nominated for Best Documentary.
The White Ribbon was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Film (Austria). I did not like this film. It is set in Germany just before WWI. The children in the film are being abused, and they in turn commit horrible crimes against their neighbors. The message seems to be that violence begets violence, but it ending is so unsatisfactory that I cannot recommend it. (09/12/2010)
The Young Victoria was nominated for Best Costumes, Best Set Design and Best Makeup. It is a stunningly beautiful film. It is also a very beautiful story. It begins one year before Queen Victoria's coronation when she is 17 years old. She is being manipulated by her mother and step-father. It tells the story of how she gained independence, power and love. It's really too beautiful to be true. I've got to read a biography of Queen Victoria.(03/02/2010)

My back injury

2010-12-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

I'm not really sure I should refer to my current condition as an injury. There was no incident of injury, but it hurts really badly, and it's different from any previous back pain I've suffered through. Usually when my back hurts it's because I strained it somehow, and the muscles in the lower back are in spasm. A lot of rest usually has me all fixed up, but this has been entirely different. The pain is localized primarily in the back of my hip around my sacroiliac joint, and it occasionally shoots down my leg. I've decided to document my experience here in the event that knowing something of my experience may be of some help to someone else.

Week 1: A sharp pain around my sacroiliac joint had been pestering me on and off for a few weeks. It bothered me mostly when I was running laps at the start of my taekwondo classes. It was only occasionally annoying, so I just ignored it, hoping it would go away. By 10/14/2010, I decided that it wasn't going to go away without help. Assuming that I had pulled a muscle, I asked my taekwondo instructor for a stretch that might help. I took a week off taekwondo.

Week 2: A week of rest didn't help, so I made an appointment to see my primary care physician on 10/19/2010. She prescribed some anti-inflammatory medication, some muscle relaxants and an x-ray.

Week 3: The x-ray came back inconclusive, so my primary care physician ordered an MRI. The anti-inflammatory medication worked great, but the prescribed dosage diminished each day, and the pain came back, so my physician refilled it. I actually competed in a tournament 10/30/2010. I took first in sparring.

Week 4: The MRI was a horrible experience. I had to stay very still in a very uncomfortable position for what seemed like a very long time. I guess it was loud and crowded, too, but I didn't notice. The results came back for a bulging disc, so my physician referred me to a specialist. The specialist turned out to be a surgeon, and he couldn't see me for three weeks, so I went back to my physician. She refilled my prescription for anti-inflammatory mediation and she referred me for some physical therapy.

Week 5: I had my first physical therapy session 11/08/2010. It was pretty intense. The therapist was attempting to determine the nature and extent of my condition, so she ran me through a thorough series of tests which were exhausting and rather painful, but in the end she determined that my bulging disc was not the source of my pain. Instead she determined that the source of my pain was some tension in the nerve running down my leg and some instability in my core causing certain muscles to do jobs they were not really designed for.

Week 6: I had two more physical therapy sessions. In the first (11/15/2010) she tried to bring more mobility to my joints. In the second (1/17/2010) she tried to help me build up some strength in my core. She taped my sacroiliac (SI) joint which helped a lot. It was great.

Week 7: At my physical therapy session, I received an SI belt (11/23/2010) which did very much the same job as the tape. I was also counseled against doing any jumping in my taekwondo classes. I was told that jumping created too much compression on my spine, and I just needed to lay off a bit. I actually decided not to go to any classes this week. I was in too much pain, besides the school was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

I also saw the surgeon this week (11/24/2010). It was mostly a very disappointing experience. He did not seem to consider the possibility that the bulging disc was not the source of my pain. He mentioned physical therapy as a course of treatment only once but not seriously. He really gave me three treatment options: (1) do nothing, it might get better on its own, (2) receive a cortisone shot to deal with the pain while it gets better on its own or (3) let the surgeon trim off the bit of the disc that is bulging. I told him that I wanted to go with the least invasive treatment first, and he agreed that was reasonable. He said he would call me in 30 days to see if I wanted the cortisone shot.

Week 8: I had two more physical therapy sessions this week in which my therapist discovered a lack of mobility in my knee which was effectively making one leg shorter than the other - not good for core stability.

Week 9: I arrived on Monday (12/06/2010) morning a little late and too sore to do very much real work. I was really worried about being able to perform at all during my belt test that evening, but my therapist was able to straighten me out and get me moving smoothly again. I was able to perform very well during my belt test, but I decided that I would take at least two weeks off to focus on my therapy. Later this week I fell which created an upslip in my hip, but my therapist was able to correct this as well.

Week 10: After a full week off taekwondo (and no falls),I arrived for my session much less sore, and we were able to do more work. My therapist discovered that my pain had localized over just one vertebra, my SI joint and my knee. This was a sign of good progress. I also asked if she though I might be able to enter a tournament in February, and she said yes. I'm very excited about that - 54 days away.

My seventh belt test (blue belt)

2010-12-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

My eight-year old daughter and I have been studying taekwondo at World Champion Taekwondo in Scappoose, Oregon for 21 months now. Monday night (12/06/2010), we had our seventh belt test. We leveled up from blue stripes (on green belts) to blue belts. We are looking forward to taking our black belt test in April 2012.

The morning of the test, I woke up really very sore. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to test. I've been battling back pain for about eight weeks, and it was really flared up this Monday morning. Thankfully, I had an appointment scheduled with my physical therapist, and she was able to straighten me out a bit. I was still sore, but a few hours seated in front of my computer at work, a little aspirin and a little ibuprofen had me moving smoothly by late afternoon.

Our test was scheduled for 7:00 pm, but the two previous tests had each gone a bit long, so we got off to a late start. Master Byong-Cheol Kim and Master Je-Kyoung Kim were both in attendance to score our tests. We started with some calisthenics to warm us. He asked us to do ten jumping jacks, but my physical therapist told me not to do any jumping, so I just sort of hopped a little. After 20 pushups and some stretching, Master Jason asked us to sit on the floor with our eyes closed. I don't think he's ever asked us to do that before. One of his substitute teachers (Joon) had us do that in class once, but this was a first for a belt test. While we were sitting quietly, he told us that our test would be short but intense. He encouraged us to do our best and above all, to yell loudly (at the appropriate times).My guess is that even though we were starting late, everyone wanted to get home on time, but he wanted to assure us that our test would be worth taking and we would really be earning our belts.

We started with blocks and punches. I think we did eight of each (four to the left and four to the right), but it was intense. Master Jason kept a quick pace, and we moved from one block to the next in rapid succession. We performed: low block, middle block, high block, and palm block down, palm block side, palm strike, elbow strike, c-strike, chop, reverse chop, single punch, double punch, three punches, four punches, five punches, ten punches and 50 punches. At the end we were getting a little horse, but I think some of us got louder as we noticed others were getting quieter. Good team work.

Then we did stances with our hands behind our backs. We took four steps forward and then four steps backward for each stance: walking stance, front stance, side stance (aka horse stance) and back stance.

Then we did kicks: front kick, axe kick, round house kick, face-high round house kick, circle kick, side kick and back kick. I had a little trouble with back kick. I couldn't quite work out how to get from the finish of the kick back into sparring stance for the next kick, but I was getting pretty tired by then. It was time to kick targets. We kicked the hand-held paddles. Eric held for my group. We did combinations: (1) roundhouse kick + round house kick + face-high round house kick, (2) front-leg roundhouse kick + jumping double roundhouse kick, and (3) ten roundhouse kicks. I probably shouldn't have done the jumping double roundhouse kicks, but I didn't want to be the only one, so I did them, and I was fine.

Next we did self-defense and one-step sparring. The green belts went first. Ms. J.T. took Master Jason down really hard, twice! It was awesome! My group (the blue stripes) went next. I got my self-defense a little mixed up. I yelled before I punched him, but he just smiled at me. Finally, Jared, our only red belt performed his self-defense and one-step sparring with Dominic, our youngest black belt. They did great (as always), but then Master Jason had them do 30 seconds of non-contact sparring. That was new. We don't usually do sparring in our belt tests. Then, Jared had to fight Dominic AND Robert. Then, he had to fight Dominic, Robert and Eric, so he was exhausted when it was time to do his form.

Jared did his form first. He did great. He was breathing heavily the whole time, but he did great. Then we (the blue stripes) did our form. I was so nervous. I hadn't practiced that day, so during the 15 seconds that I'm standing there waiting for him to tell us to begin, I was frantically trying to remember the first step, but I didn't forget anything. I was slow (as usual), but I didn't forget anything. Master Jason called out the stances as we went, which was really nice of him because he knew those had been giving us trouble. Finally, the green belts did their form. There are only five of them: four adults and a preteen. They always do their form so sharp. It's neat to watch.

After forms, we lined up with our boards. We read our philosophies and our bad habits. The green belts broke first with hammer fist. Then we broke with chop. I wish we had practiced more. I knew that I was supposed to hit the board with the edge of my palm and not my fingers, but I failed to execute that move properly and I crushed the tip of my smallest finger. It only turned a little purple - not too bad.

My daughter was the only one to earn ten black stripes this time and receive a trophy and a gold star, and she just barely squeaked by, earning two stripes a week for the past three weeks. There were fewer weeks this quarter than most, and my back pain discouraged me from helping her during most of the quarter.

After the test, Master Byong-Cheol Kim approached me to compliment me on how much my kicks have improved. I felt about eight feet tall . We took a group picture, but we didn't have our new belts. That makes for a rather anti-climatic ending, but they should arrive next week.

World Champion Taekwondo was founded by Grandmaster Byong-Cheol Kim, Olympic gold medalist, 1992. There are five campuses: Portland, Lake Oswego, Saltzman, Murray Hills, and Scappoose. The Lake Oswego campus is owned and operated by Master Je-Kyoung Kim, also a gold medalist at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Students from all five schools attended this test. I counted 25 students testing for the 2nd or 3rd degree (dan) black belts certification; 24 students testing for a junior black belt (less than 13 years old); and 37 students testing for their first dan.

I think that kukkiwon regulations: divide black belts (dan) and junior black belts (poom) at age 15, but our school draws the line at age 13. Technically, Dominic is 12.75 years old, but he tested for a "regular" black belt today. Anyway, there were about 87 students testing today.

We began arriving at Reynolds Middle School in Fairview, Oregon at about 9:00 am. The test was conducted in the gymnasium. I was surprised they did not put down the mats. This is the same location that we use for our friendship tournament twice a year, and they put down mats in this room for that, but today the students tested on a hardwood floor. Friends and family were seated in the balcony. They did not set up the bleachers on the floor. This gave them a lot more floor space, but it made it harder for us to get very good pictures. A zoom and a mono pod would have been handy accessories.

The test began at 10:00 am. Master Andrea led the stretching. Master Andrea received her 4th dan certification last May, at the same time our instructor, Master Jason, received his. At 10:15, they broke up into three groups: (1) those testing for 2nd or 3rd dan, (2) those testing for junior black belts, and (3) those testing for 1st dan. There was some small drama about getting Dominic into the right group. Technically, he was about 12.75 years old on the day of the test. His masters had agreed that he should test for 1st dan, but he divided himself up with junior black belts by mistake, but Master Jason remedied the situation quickly.

From this point, it was really three different tests being conducted in the same room, and I mostly observed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd dan candidates. I couldn't really see the junior black belts from where I was sitting. They started with endurance testing. I had always thought of this portion of my belt tests as the warm up, but it was listed as endurance testing on the program, and it's basically calisthenics: jumping jacks, pushup, squats and crunches. I didn't pay close enough attention to note how many of each exercise they were asked to do, but I did notice one poor guy with sprained or broken wrist. He wasn't able to do the pushups, so he just kept doing more crunches. I'll be he wished they were working on mats.

I was impressed that no one appeared to be doing pushups on their knees, but otherwise, I was not impressed with the quality of the pushups, even among the 2nd & 3rd dan candidates. Somewhere I got the idea in my head that a black belt ought to be able to do 100 pushups, and I've been working on that goal myself on and off for almost two years now. Most of the sit-ups I observed were VERY shallow. If I were ever in a position to suggest an improvement to the curriculum at World Champion Taekwondo (and I don't suspect that I ever will be), I would suggest bringing back the yellow stripe, and having it represent milestones in physical fitness such as pushups, crunches and squats.

A ten-minute break followed endurance testing, and then the students drilled through basic techniques: punches blocks and stances. They finished this portion of the test with three sets of 100 punches. The first set was very impressive, the second set less so, the third set was a little pathetic, everyone was so tired that no one was pulling their punches all the way back to their belt any more. This might be another skill for me to practice as I prepare for my black belt test.

The kicking drills were conducted much the same way as the basic techniques: lots of combinations. Dominic commented later that it was a little hard to hear and understand the directions. They finished this set with 100 front kicks.

Another 10-minute break preceded the sparring portion of the test. We had been sitting in the bleachers for nearly two hours, so we were ready for a break ourselves. We went downstairs and walked out onto the floor and chatted with Dominic as he put on his sparring gear. The master instructed all of the students wearing glasses to remove them, and then they were paired up and instructed to demonstrate their skills without hurting each other (light contact). Master Jason commenting that he always negotiated with his partners in belt tests to go ahead and kick each other full force because light contact is boring. It was quite chaotic with 20 pairs of competitors kicking at each other, so they asked half of them to sit down. Dominic out-classed his partners in a big way. He loves sparring. He's small but quick. There was another 10-minute break after sparring for the students to change out of their gear.

At this point it's about 12:30 pm. I'm glad I packed plenty of snacks because there was no lunch break. The next item on the program was forms. I was surprised that they included the basic forms. I had only expected to see the tae guk forms. I was also surprised to see them performed out of order. I will need a lot of practice to be able to do that, and some of the students testing appeared to be in need of bit more practice. To keep things interesting, they had half the students sit down at one point and watch the other students perform, and then they switched. Then, they had half the students perform one form while the other half of the students performed a different form.

At 1:00, it was time for nun chucks. The poom candidates and the 1st dan candidates sat on the floors to watch because only the 2nd & 3rd dan candidates learn the nun chuck routines. It was something like forms, but they were only just numbered. They didn't have names. They just worked through a series of pre-defined movements. It looked cool. Dominic is looking forward to learning nun chucks. He will pretest for his 2nd dan three times in the next two years. I think he has to learn the first four routines for his first pre test.

At 1:00 pm it was time for speeches. The masters previously asked four people to prepare a few words. The first speech was given by a 30-something woman who was testing today for her 1st dan. She described how she and her husband used to work out at different things until they started practicing taekwondo together. He was testing for his 1st dan today, too. Master Jason commented that he knew them when they first started, so I'm guessing they studied at Master Kim's Portland location on West Union Road.

The second speech was given by a mother of one of the poom candidates. She described her son as "bouncing off the walls." It made me smile. That's how I got started in taekwondo: looking for something for my son. The third speech was given by a father who over came spinal injuries in order to practice taekwondo with his son. His son has been ready to test for some time now, but he's been waiting for his dad to test with him. His dad is currently a brown belt, so he's about a year away from his black belt test, but he convinced his son to go ahead and test today. The final speech was given by a black belt candidate who remarked how much he hates to exercise. I could really appreciate this. I really hate running for example. I used to like weight lifting, but he also commented how motivational he found the frequent rank advancements, and I had to agree with that, too. When my next belt test is only three months away, I'm very unlikely to slow down or take a break. Even the black belts pretest every six months.

Finally, it was time for board breaking. It rather a long time to hand out all the boards. Each student had to receive their boards from their master, presumably because the cost of the boards was paid from the e testing fee which is paid to the head master of each school. This is perhaps an indelicate detail, but it's a detail lots of people need to know, so I will share with you that the belt fee for this particular test was $550.00. I'm glad I discovered that because my daughter and I will hopefully test on the same day, and that is not a sum I can come up with all at once, but a year is more than enough time to save it up.

Anyway, each student received eight boards. The poom candidates received thinner boards than the dan candidates. Students held for each other, and they seemed to choose their own breaking techniques. Dominic broke his eight boards with four kicks, two at a time. Master Jason had gone down to the floor at this point to help hold boards, and he had to make some special effort to hold for Dominic as others, trying to help, kept offering to hold for him.

The closing ceremony began with the distribution of new uniforms. These uniforms featured the familiar school logo on the back, but they also included the words World Champion Taekwondo on the pants in large red letters. To be more specific, the word World appears on the outside of the left leg, the word Champion appears across the back of the jacket, below the belt, and the word Taekwondo appears on the outside of the right leg. This led to some confusion in Dominic's family because from the back the students all appear to be labeled as champions. In addition, the 1st dan uniforms feature a single black line on the shoulder and on the outside of the leg; the 2nd dan uniforms feature two black lines on the shoulder and on the outside of the leg; and the 3rd dan uniforms feature three black lines on the shoulder and on the outside of the leg.

When the students arrived in their new uniforms, the masters called them up one at a time to receive their new belts. The belts were all embroidered with the students name and either the name of the school or the name of their master. I can't remember. There was also some Korean embroidery. The 1st dan belts included a single gold bar embroidered at the end of the belt, the 2nd dan belts included two gold bars embroidered at the end of the belt, and the 3rd dan belts included three gold bars embroidered a the end of the belt. I believe the poom belts included the same embroidery, but they were not entirely black. They were divided in half lengthwise and one half was red and the other half was black. I can't remember if the it was the top half or the bottom half that was red, but I do remember that those little kids sure were happy running around in their new uniforms and belts.

The final element of the closing ceremony was a group picture.

Tae Guek Sa Jang

2010-11-19T22:52:00.000-08:00

Turn 90* to the left, stepping with the left foot in back stance and perform a double knife-hand block with the left hand forward.
Perform a downward palm block with the left hand (from the belt), step forward with the right foot into front stance and perform a middle spear-hand strike with the right hand.
Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in back stance and perform a double knife-hand block with the right hand forward.
Perform a downward palm block with the left hand (from the belt), stepping forward with the left foot into front stance and perform a middle spear-hand strike with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot into front stance (left foot forward) and perform open palm high block with the right hand and a chop with the right hand.
With the right foot, perform a front kick coming down in front stance (right foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
Perform a side kick with the left foot, coming down in horse stance.
Perform a side kick with right foot, coming down in back stance and perform a double knife-hand block. KI HAP! (yell)
Turn 270* to the left (so that you are facing 90* to the right) and step with the left foot in back stance and perform a forearm block with the left hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists at chest), returning to back stance (left foot forward) and an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
Turn 180* to the right and find the right foot forward in back stance and perform a forearm block with the right hand.
Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists at chest), returning to back stance (right foot forward) and an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the left (back to flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a open-palm high block with the left hand and a chop with the right hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists at chest) and land in front stance (right foot forward) and perform a back fist (from the belt) with the right hand.
Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot into walking stance and perform a outside-in middle block with the left hand and a middle punch with the right hand.
Turn 180* to the right and find yourself in walking stance with the right foot forward and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand and a middle punch with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the left and step forward (toward the back) with the left foot into walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand and another middle punch with the left hand.
Step forward with the right foot in front stance and perform outside-in middle block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand and another middle punch with the right hand. KI HAP! (yell)

Wait for the signal, then turn 180* to the left (facing flags) into Joon Be (ready) position.

Tae Guek Sam Jang

2010-09-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

Turn 90* to the left, stepping with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance.
Perform a middle punch with the right hand and another middle punch with the left hand.
Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance
Perform a middle punch with the left hand and another middle punch with the right hand.
Turn 90* to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot into walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a chop with the right hand.
Step forward (facing flags) with the right foot in walking stance and perform a chop with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot forward into back stance and perform a single knife block with the left hand.
Shift into front stance by moving the front foot (left foot) and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot forward into back stance and perform a single knife block with the right hand.
Shift into front stance by moving the front foot (right foot) and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
Turn 90* degrees to the left (facing flags) and slide the left foot forward into walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
Step forward (facing flags) with the right foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
Turn 270* to the left (so that you are facing 90* to the right) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance
Perform a middle punch with the right hand and another middle punch with the left hand.
Turn 180* to the right and find the right foot forward in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance.
Perform a middle punch with the left hand and another middle punch with the right hand.
Turn 90* to the left (back to flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand.
Step forward with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand.
Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists at chest) and land in walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a low block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists at chest) and land in walking stance (right foot forward) and perform a low block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand. KI HAP! (yell)

Turn 180* to the left (facing flags) into Joon Be (ready) position.

FarmVille Tips: Week 14

2010-08-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

I was having a lot of fun the other day buying goods and converting them into fuel and farming my little heart out. Then I noticed that my coin total seemed to falling rather than rising after each round of harvesting, plowing and planting, so I began to wonder just how expensive were these goods compared to the net profit of the crops I was planting.

To answer that question I did some research online. I found a table that explained the cost of each level of crafted good compared to how much fuel it was worth, and I found another table listing the net profit of each crop. I left out the limited edition crops which come and go with each new theme. Those are usually very profitable, but this table is already quite unwieldy.

In order to make the table easier to read, I left out my calculations. My raw data came from Seeds and Sweet Sake at FarmVille.Wikia.com. I divided the cost of the good by the amount of fuel each good could buy, then I multiplied by three (harvest, plow & plant). Level 1 goods cost 33.3 coins per unit of fuel. Level 55 goods cost 21.3 coins per unit of fuel. I then compared those numbers to the net profit of each crop. The net profit of each crop was calculated adding 15 coins to the cost of the seeds (for plowing) and then subtracting that number from the yield.

The crops are listed in descending order of profitability, that is, yellow melons have the highest net profit. I did not divide the profit by the number of hours it takes to grow the crops, that might make another interesting table, but right now I'm most interested in cultivating specific crops in order to craft specific goods, but I still want to make SOME profit, so this table suits my needs at this time. I hope you also find it useful. Crops listed in boldface are those required to craft goods in a 1-Star Crafting Cottage.

Item Level	Cost of Goods	Amount of Fuel	Crops which are still profitable even if you have to buy all your fuel at this price (XP Level)
Level 1	1,000 coins	30 plots	Yellow Melon (33), Broccoli (35), Red Wheat (30), Cabbage (27), Corn (24), Lavender (30), Watermelon (18), Potatoes (21), Peas (32), Sunflowers (25), Grapes (19), Yellow Roses (1), Forget-Me-Not (90), Lilies (35), Cucumber (43), White Roses (80), Ginger (42), Rye (21), Pineapples (15), Asparagus (37), Artichokes (6), Pink Roses (20), Cotton (9), Amaranth (76), Bamboo (60), Chickpea (10), Bell Peppers (11), Coffee (23), Agave (27), and Iris (45)
Level 2	1,100 coins	35 plots	The above listed crops and White Grapes (29)
Level 3	1,200 coins	40 plots	The above listed crops
Level 4	1,300 coins	45 plots	The above listed crops and Onion (34)
Level 5	1,400 coins	50 plots	The above listed crops and Basil (48) and Heirloom Carrot (57)
Level 6	1,500 coins	55 plots	The above listed crops
Level 7	1,600 coins	60 plots	The above listed crops
Level 8	1,700 coins	65 plots	The above listed crops and Pattypan Squash (16)
Level 9	1,800 coins	70 plots	The above listed crops
Level 10	1,900 coins	75 plots	The above listed crops and Peppers (12)
Level 11	2,000 coins	80 plots	The above listed crops
Level 12	2,100 coins	85 plots	The above listed crops and Carrots (22), Posole Corn (54) and Purple Pod Peas (40)
Level 13	2,200 coins	90 plots	The above listed crops
Level 14	2,300 coins	95 plots	The above listed crops
Level 15	2,400 coins	100 plots	The above listed crops
Level 16	2,500 coins	105 plots	The above listed crops
Level 17	2,600 coins	110 plots	The above listed crops andGreen Tea (28)
Level 18	2,700 coins	115 plots	The above listed crops
Level 19	2,800 coins	120 plots	The above listed crops
Level 20	2,900 coins	125 plots	The above listed crops and Oats (53) and Saffron (64)
Level 21	3,000 coins	130 plots	The above listed crops
Level 22	3,100 coins	135 plots	The above listed crops and Red Tulips (15)
Level 23	3,200 coins	140 plots	The above listed crops
Level 24	3,300 coins	145 plots	The above listed crops
Level 25	3,400 coins	150 plots	The above listed crops
Level 26	3,500 coins	155 plots	The above listed crops and Acorn Squash (36)
Level 27	3,600 coins	160 plots	The above listed crops
Level 28	3,700 coins	165 plots	The above listed crops
Level 29	3,800 coins	170 plots	The above listed crops
Level 30	3,900 coins	175 plots	The above listed crops
Level 31	4,000 coins	180 plots	The above listed crops
Level 32	4,100 coins	185 plots	The above listed crops
Level 33	4,200 coins	190 plots	The above listed crops
Level 34	4,300 coins	195 plots	The above listed crops
Level 35	4,400 coins	200 plots	The above listed crops
Level 36	4,500 coins	205 plots	The above listed crops
Level 37	4,600 coins	210 plots	The above listed crops
Level 38	4,700 coins	215 plots	The above listed crops
Level 39	4,800 coins	220 plots	The above listed crops
Level 40	4,900 coins	225 plots	The above listed crops
Level 41	5,000 coins	230 plots	The above listed crops
Level 42	5,100 coins	235 plots	The above listed crops
Level 43	5,200 coins	240 plots	The above listed crops
Level 44	5,300 coins	245 plots	The above listed crops
Level 45	5,400 coins	250 plots	The above listed crops
Level 46	5,500 coins	255 plots	The above listed crops
Level 47	5,600 coins	260 plots	The above listed crops
Level 48	5,700 coins	265 plots	The above listed crops
Level 49	5,800 coins	270 plots	The above listed crops
Level 50	5,900 coins	275 plots	The above listed crops
Level 51	6,000 coins	280 plots	The above listed crops
Level 52	6,100 coins	285 plots	The above listed crops
Level 53	6,200 coins	290 plots	The above listed crops
Level 54	6,300 coins	295 plots	The above listed crops
Level 55	6,400 coins	300 plots	The above listed crops

The following crops are not profitable if you have to buy all your fuel: Daffodils (8), Elderberry (39), Sugar Cane (31), Tomatoes (20), Eggplant (1),Morning Glory (13), Lemon Balm (50), Peanuts (1), Ghost Chili (26), Rice (7), Soybeans (1), Wheat (1), Clover (70), Cranberries (10), Black Berries (29),Blueberries (17), Lilac (4), Pumpkin (5), Purple Poppies (38),Aloe Vera (14), Raspberries (8) and Strawberries (1).

Another thing that surprised me about this list is that it doesn't seem to matter if you make your Level 15 good in a 1-Star Cottage or a 2-Star Cottage, so where's the value of leveling up your cottage. Well here it is: when you craft a good in a 1-Star Cottage, you receive 2 in your inventory, but when you craft a good in a 2-Star Cottage, you receive 2 in your inventory.

The goods in a 1-Star Cottage start out as Level 1 goods, and you have to level them up a certain number of times before you can level up your cottage. The goods in a 2-Star Cottage start out as Level 3 goods, and you have to level them up a certain number of times before you can level up your cottage. My original plan had been to level up my first three recipes as high as I could and then level up my cottage and work on the next set of recipes, but now I think it's best to level up the cottage as soon as possible and start working on the 2-Star recipes right away. The 3-Star recipes are bound be even better.

Farmville Tips: Week 13

2010-07-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

I didn't write any tips for Weeks 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 (so don't waste any time looking for them). I still want to write about ribbons, but I’m currently obsessed with finding a queen bee.

Beehives were introduced on 07/13/2010 (two weeks ago). It took me a few days (maybe a week) to collect all the materials to complete my beehive, now I need to find a queen bee before I can fill the hive with bees. I've been receiving bees as gifts, but I can't put them in the hive until I find a queen bee. Queen bees are a rare item. There is a 6% chance of finding a queen bee whenever you harvest or fertilize flowers, so I've been planting my whole farm in flowers for a few days now, but I haven't found the queen bee yet, so the quest continues.

Last night (07/26/2010) I finally received my crafting cottage. This is going to be a rather complex feature in FarmVille. Inside the cottage, you can use bushels to craft goods. You can sell the goods to your neighbors for coins. Your neighbors can trade the goods for fuel (and other bonuses). By pollinating your crops (with bees), you increase your chances of finding bushels, so the bee hive and the crafting cottage and the farmers market all work together. I think that's what makes this part of the game a little complicated. I think I like complicated.

My personal challenge is going to be collecting bushels from what I call the short-date crops. That is, the crops that must be harvested less than 24 hours after planting. I can really only plant these crops on the weekend because during the week, I can really only play in the evening after work, so here I've decided to create some tables listing the recipes for the goods and the length of time to harvest each crop. Boldface indicates crops which are ready to harvest in less than 12 hours (because they will start to wither in less than 24 hours).

Farmville Bakery Recipes
1-Star Recipes (recipes which can be made in a 1-star bakery) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Pumpkin Bread	4 Pumpkin Bushels	8 hours
Pumpkin Bread	4 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
Strawberry Shortcake	4 Strawberries Bushels	4 hours
Strawberry Shortcake	4 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
Spicy Muffins	3 Carrot Bushels	12 hours
	1 Pepper Bushel	1 day
	3 Ghost Chili Bushels	6 hours
2-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 2-star bakery) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Pattypan Tart	2 Onion Bushels	12 hours
	3 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	3 Pattypan Squash Bushels	16 hours
Triple Berry Pie	3 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Blackberry Bushels	4 hours
	3 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
Peanut Butter Cookies	2 Peanut Bushels	16 hours
	3 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	3 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
3-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 3-star bakery)
Raspberry Blondie	2 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
	3 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	3 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
Vegetable Tart	1 Broccoli Bushel	2 days
	2 Asparagus Bushels	16 hours
	3 Peas Bushels	1 day
Mocha Blackberry Tart	3 Coffee Bushels	16 hours
	2 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	3 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
4-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 4-star bakery)
Oatmeal Cookies	4 Oat Bushels	8 hours
	2 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
	2 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
Baked Cucumber	1 Cucumber Bushel	1 day
	4 Basil Bushels	10 hours
	1 Pepper Bushel	1 day
Pizza Bread	4 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
	2 Tomato Bushels	8 hours
	2 Basil Bushels	10 hours
5-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 5-star bakery)
Ginger Snaps	2 Ginger Bushels	18 hours
	2 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
	2 Oat Bushels	8 hours
	2 Rice Bushels	12 hours
Potato and Onion Bread	1 Potato Bushel	3 days
	2 Onion Bushels	12 hours
	2 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
	1 Posole Corn Bushel	12 hours
Carrot Cake	2 Carrot Bushels	12 hours
	1 Red Wheat Bushel	3 days
	1 Soybean Bushel	1 day
	2 Cranberry Bushels	10 hours

Farmville Winery Recipes
1-Star Recipes (recipes which can be made in a 1-star winery) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Sweet Sake (aka Sweet Energy Drink)	5 Rice Bushels	12 hours
Sweet Sake (aka Sweet Energy Drink)	3 Cranberry Bushels	10 hours
White Sangria (aka White Grape Cooler)	3 White Grape Bushels	12 hours
	2 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
	3 Strawberry Bushels	4 hours
Red Table Wine (Rich Grape Juice)	2 Grape Bushels	1 day
Red Table Wine (Rich Grape Juice)	5 White Grape Bushels	12 hours
2-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 2-star winery) Preparation time: 6 hours Yield: 3 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Fruit Wine (aka Fruit Punch)	3 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
	3 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
Spicy Tomato Juice	3 Tomato Bushels	8 hours
	3 Pepper Bushels	1 day
	3 Carrot Bushels	12 hours
Dry Sake (aka Spiced Lilac Tea)	4 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	2 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
	2 Lilac Bushels	10 hours
3-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 3-star winery)
Blackberry Wine (aka Blackberry Explosion)	3 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
	1 Grape Bushel	1 day
	3 White Grape Bushels	12 hours
Strawberry & Cranberry Juice	3 Strawberry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
	3 Cranberry Bushels	10 hours
Raspberry Wine (aka Raspberry Energy Drink)	3 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
	2 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Grape Bushels	1 day
4-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 4-star winery)
Blueberry Wine (aka Blueberry Delight)	4 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
	2 White Grape Bushels	12 hours
Herbal Elixir	3 Basil Bushels	10 hours
	3 Ginger Bushels	18 hours
	2 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
Pumpkin Vinegar	4 Pumpkin Bushels	8 hours
	2 Acorn Squash Bushels	10 hours
	2 Rice Bushels	12 hours
5-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 5-star winery)
Cucumber Wine (aka Cucumber Cooler)	2 Cucumber Bushels	1 day
	1 Squash Bushel	2 days
	2 Acorn Squash Bushels	10 hours
	1 Rice Bushel	12 hours
Rose Petal Water	1 Pink Rose Bushel	2 days
	1 Lavender Bushel	2 days
	2 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours
	1 Sunflower Bushel	1 day
Melon Juice	1 Yellow Melon Bushel	4 days
	1 Watermelon Bushel	4 days
	2 Carrot Bushels	12 hours
	1 Strawberry Bushel	4 hours

Farmville Spa Recipes
1-Star Recipes recipes which can be made in a 1-star spa Prepartation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Fresh Sachet	3 Pumpkin Bushels	8 hours
	3 Cranberry Bushels	10 hours
	1 Sunflower Bushel	1 day
Floral Perfume	4 Blueberry Bushels	2 hours
Floral Perfume	4 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours
Soothing Herbal Lotion	4 Aloe Vera Bushels	6 hours
Soothing Herbal Lotion	4 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
2-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 2-star spa) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 3 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Relaxation Oil	4 Blackberry Bushels	4 hours
Relaxation Oil	4 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours
Devotion Perfume	3 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	3 Lilac Bushels	10 hours
	2 Basil Bushels	10 hours
Petal Sachet	1 Iris Bushel	1 day
	2 Sunflower Bushels	1 day
	1 Pepper Bushel	1 day
3-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 3-star spa)
Energizing Lotion	1 Red Tulip Bushel	3 days
	3 Aloe Vera Bushels	6 hours
	3 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
Restoring Candle	4 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
	2 Ghost Chili Bushels	6 hours
	1 Sunflower Bushel	1 day
Lily of the Valley Soap	1 Lily Bushel	1 day
	3 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	3 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours
4-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 4-star spa)
Iris Soap	2 Iris Bushels	1 day
	3 Aloe Vera Bushels	6 hours
	1 Sunflower Bushel	1 day
Meditation Candle	3 Lemon Balm Bushels	6 hours
	3 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
	2 Ginger Bushels	18 hours
Pick Me Up Sachet	3 Lemon Balm Bushels	6 hours
	2 Coffee Bushels	16 hours
	3 Basil Bushels	10 hours
5-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 5-star spa)
Iris Soap	2 Ginger Bushels	18 hours
	1 Lavender Bushel	2 days
	2 Lilac Bushels	10 hours
	2 Purple Poppy Bushels	8 hours
Meditation Candle	1 Daffodil Bushel	2 days
	2 Aloe Vera Bushels	6 hours
	2 Strawberry Bushels	4 hours
	1 Lily Bushel	1 day
Pick Me Up Sachet	1 Pink Rose Bushel	2 days
	1 Daffodil Bushel	2 days
	2 Lilac Bushels	10 hours
	2 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours

Of course, you can level up your recipes and you can level up your crafting cottage which unlocks more recipes. The crafting cottage will actually change appearance as it levels up, much like the other buildings change appearance when the expand. I think I'll try to combine co-op farming with my quest for bushels, I know there are carrot, cranberry, grape, pumpkin, and rice co-ops. That should help because not only would I find lots of bushel, but my neighbors would find bushels, too. I'll have to find out which neighbors have the same crafting cottage that I do, and then invite them to be a part of my co-op. Yeah, that's a great idea.

The tables I made before to help me keep track of which trees and animals are most profitable are proving too complicated, so I'm making up some new ones. These group the trees and animals together in groups based on how many coins per day per square each item produces.

Level	Animals (coins per day per square)
Level 1 (1-10 coins per day per square)	cow (1.5); brown, groovy & Holstein cows (3); circus elephant (3.5), pink cow (4.5); silver pony (7); chicken (8); white-tailed buck (8.3); sheep & birthday sheep (9.3); reindeer (10)
Level 2 (11-20 coins per day per square)	male ostrich (11.3); duck, party duck, chinchilla, pig, black pig, Ossabow pig, rabbit, gray rabbit & squirrel (15); brown chicken (16); black sheep (18.7); bull, chocolate cow & foals (20)
Level 3 (21-40 coins per day per square)	horses & ponies (21); party pig (25); goat, Boer goat & Saanes goat (27), Mouflon sheep, llama & poncho llama (28); black cat, Himalayan cat & turlte (28.7); grey tabby & lop-eared bunny & white kitty (30); black chicken (32); brown goose, farm goose, swan & turkies (40)
Level 4 (41-80 coins per day per square)	peacock (45), golden chicken, Cornish Chicken, Rhode Island Red & Scots Grey (64); calves (80)
Level 5 (81-160 coins per day per square)	snow leopards (150)

Level	Trees (coins per day per square)
Level 1 (1-10 coins per day per square)	cherry (9); apple (9.3); orange & plum (10)
Level 2 (11-20 coins per day per square)	~~fig (11)~~; tamarind (11.7); peach (11.8); ~~avocado (12.3)~~; yellow maple (12.5); white apple (13.3); ~~cashew (13.7)~~; lemon (13.7); apricot (14); lime (15); durian & star fruit (16.3); grapefruit & walnut (16.7); guava, gulmohar, almond, breadfruit & wax apple (18.3); passion fruit (18.6); banana (18.7); rainbow apple & mandarin (20)
Level 3 (21-40 coins per day per square)	pomegranate (12.6, available as a mystery gift); date (23, available as a gift at Level 20); olive (28, available as a gift at Level 32); mango (32.5, available as a gift at Level 40)
Level 4 (41-80 coins per day per square)	ginko (43.3); arjuna (46.6); jackfruit & lychee (46.7); acai (79)

Nursery Barn Another thing I've been meaning to pencil out is the profitability of using the nursery barn. Like the chicken coop, dairy barn and stable, the nursery barn makes it easier to harvest coins from calves and foals; however, the nursery barn also transforms them into cows and horses. Generally, cows and horses produce fewer coins per day than calves and foals, so it might not be worth it.

The nursery barn occupies 63 squares on the farm (7x9=63), but it only holds 20 animals. Twenty calves would only occupy 20 squares on the farm, but 20 foals would occupy 80 squares (4x20=80), so from a land use perspective, it is only profitable to fill it with foals.

Foal and calves both produce 80 coins per day, but because foals occupy four squares and calves occupy one square, calves produce 80 coins per square per day and foals produce 20 coins per square per day (80/4=20).

All foals (80 coins per day) transform into a black horse, a cream draft horse or a light blue pony. The horses and pony earn 21 coins per day outside the stable, but they earn 84 coins per day inside the stable, so if you have plenty of room in your stable, it IS profitable to transform your foals to horses. It's also fun to see if you can fill your stable with black horses, cream draft horses or light blue pony because then you can start producing black foals, cream draft foals and blue pony foals for your neighbors.

All calves (80 coins per day) transform into Holstein cows (12 coins per day) or chocolate cows (80 coins per day). Because the Holstein cows earn so very much less than the calves, but chocolate cows earn just as much, I've created the following table to remind me which calves I might transform, and which ones I definitely shouldn't.

These calves will transform into Holstein cows and earn only 12 coins per day. They should not be placed in the Nursery Barn.	These calves will transform into chocolate cows and earn 80 coins per day. They can be placed in the Nursery Barn.
calf brown calf Holstein calf Longhorn calf belted calf groovy calf chocolate calf	pink calf pink patch calf fan calf green calf Kelley green calf Neapolitan calf

Farmville Tips: Week Seven

2010-06-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't write any tips for Weeks 3, 4, 5 or 6 (so don't waste any time looking for them). I had wanted to write about ribbons, but I might wait until I earn a few more of them to start writing about them. I'm still mostly obsessed with the layout of my farm and expansions (06/15/10).

Neighbors:
The first obstacle I faced in expanding my farm was the neighbor requirement. I finally got tired of pestering my real friends to add me as a neighbor to the farm they never visit anymore, and I visited one of those FarmVille fan pages on Facebook. Those pages are filled with people asking for more neighbors. I didn't put my name on the page, but I did send friend requests to several of the people I found there. I had my 'celebrity' ribbon (50 neighbors) in less than a week, and I'm getting gifts like crazy.

Expansions:
This week (06/13/2010) I finally put together the 500,000 Coins I needed to purchase the final expansion for my farm. I wasted no time in using the extra space for placing 250 fences and earning my 'fenced in' ribbon. Next on my hit list is the architect ribbon and the bailed out ribbon. These are earned by purchasing building and hay bails. I plan to follow the example of one of my highest ranked neighbors and set aside the northernmost corner of my farm for housing, the eastern most corner of the farm for animals and the southern most corner of the farm for a village (post office, school, stuff like that).

Co-ops:
There are three co-op ribbons to earn. Most of the co-op crops have short harvest times of one day or less, so I try to start a co-op every Friday night, so I can plant on Friday and harvest on Saturday morning. It's a good idea to let your friends know what you're planning a few days in advance, so they can be sure to have all their crops harvested by Friday night.

Trees and animals:
I think I wrote before that it is my goal to have sixteen of each tree. I've decided that I'll match that with sixteen of each animal as well. Trees and animals are not as profitable as crops, but they are less risky. They don't whither, so if you can neglect your farm for a week, come back and still have a nice payday, if you have plenty of trees and animals. I finally leveled up to the olive tree. I think this is the most profitable tree, so after I collect sixteen of each, I might start replacing them all with olive trees, maybe not. I like the variety, too.

I have placed my trees on my farm according to availability. I think this probably corresponds to their profitability. I would like to do the same thing with my animals, but I haven't found an appropriate reference table. I'll probably have to make one myself. the trouble with that of course is that FarmVille is still in beta testing, so any data that I collect is subject to change without notice. Please report any errors you notice.

Tree	Harvest Reward	Days Between Harvests	Harvest Value Per Day	Available
Acai Tree	158 Coins	2 days	79.0 Coins per day	available for cash
Jackfruit Tree	140 Coins	3 days	46.7 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Ginko Tree	130 Coins	3 days	43.3 Coins per day	available as a gift after Level 59
Mango Tree	130 Coins	4 days	32.5 Coins per day	available as a gift after Level 40
Olive Tree	112 Coins	4 days	28.0 Coins per day	available as a gift after Level 20
Date Tree	69 Coins	3 days	23.0 Coins per day	available as a gift
Pomegranate Tree	108 Coins	5 days	21.6 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Mandarin Tree	80 Coins	4 days	20.0 Coins per day
Rainbow Apple Tree	60 Coins	3 days	20.0 Coins per day	available for purchase from the market for 500 Coins when using the iPhone or iPod application.
Banana Tree	56 Coins	3 days	18.7 Coins per day	available as a gift
Passion Fruit Tree	93 Coins	5 days	18.6 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Almond Tree	55 Coins	3 days	18.3 Coins per day
Breadfruit Tree	55 Coins	3 days	18.3 Coins per day
Guava Tree	55 Coins	3 days	18.3 Coins per day
Gulmohar Tree	55 Coins	3 days	18.3 Coins per day	available as a gift
Grapefruit Tree	50 Coins	3 days	16.7 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Walnut Tree	50 Coins	3 days	16.7 Coins per day	available from mystery gift
Durian Tree	65 Coins	4 days	16.3 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Starfruit Tree	65 Coins	4 days	16.3 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Lime Tree	75 Coins	5 days	15.0 Coins per day	available from the market for Coins
Apricot Tree	56 Coins	4 days	14.0 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Cashew Tree	41 Coins	3 days	13.7 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Lemon Tree	41 Coins	3 days	13.7 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
White Apple Tree	40 Coins	3 days	13.3 Coins per day	available as a gift from your friends using the iPhone or iPod application.
Yellow Maple Tree	25 Coins	2 days	12.5 Coins per day	available as a gift
Avocado Tree	37 Coins	3 days	12.3 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Peach Tree	47 Coins	4 days	11.8 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
Tamarind Tree	35 Coins	3 days	11.7 Coins per day	available as a gift
Fig Tree	33 Coins	3 days	11.0 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Orange Tree	40 Coins	4 days	10.0 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
Plum Tree	30 Coins	3 days	10.0 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
Apple Tree	28 Coins	3 days	9.3 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
Cherry Tree	18 Coins	2 days	9.0 Coins per day	available from the market for coins

Chicken Coop:
Now that I have chicken coop, I have learned that it can be expanded with a barn-raising. You just need to get 10 friends to click a link on your profile page within three days. The coop can be expanded twice: from 20 to 40 and then from 40 to 60. There are currently seven different kinds of chickens. My goal is to fill my coop with 15 chickens each of the golden, cornish, scots grey and rhode island red varieties.

Name	Harvest Reward	Days Between Harvests	Harvest Value Per Day	Available
Level 1 Chicken	8 coins	1 day	8 coins per day	available as a gift
Level 2 Brown Chicken	16 coins	1 day	16 coins per day	available from white and brown mystery eggs
Level 3 Black Chicken	32 coins	1 day	32 coins per day	available from brown and black mystery eggs
Level 4 Golden Chicken	64 coins	1 day	64 coins per day	available from black and golden mystery eggs
Level 5 Cornish Chicken	64 coins	1 day	64 coins per day	available from golden and cornish mystery eggs
Level 6 Scots Grey Chicken	64 coins	1 day	64 coins per day	available from golden and sctos grey mystery eggs
Level 7 Rhode Island Red Chicken	64 coins	1 day	64 coins per day	available from golden and rhode island red mystery eggs

Dairy Farm:
Now that I have a dairy farm, I know that in addition to making it easier to harvest milk from several cows it can also produce calves. Like the chickens, the cows produce milk of varying value. I got the values in the following table from web sites on the Internet. I'm not sure that they are correct, but if they are, then its my goal to fill my dairy barn with chocolate cows.

Name	Harvest Reward	Days Between Harvests	Harvest Value Per Day	Available
Cow	6 coins	1 day	6 coins per day	available as a gift
Brown Cow	12 coins	1 day	12 coins per day	available through adoptions
Groovy Cow	12 coins	1 day	12 coins per day	available through adoption
Pink Cow	18 coins	1 day	18 coins per day	available through adoption
Holstein Cow	18 coins	1 day	18 coins per day	available from the nursery barn
Chocolate Cow	80 coins	1 day	80 coins per day	available from the nursery barn

Stable:
Now that I have a stable, I have learned that it can be expanded. I have also learned that the horses in the stable occasionally produce foals. It is my goal to fill my stable with cream colored draft horses in order to produce cream colored draft foals. These are pretty hard to come by, so it will probably take me a long time to realize this goal. I have brown horses, gray horses and black horses. They all produce horse hair at the same rate: 84 coins per day

My fifth belt test

2010-06-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

My seven-year old daughter and I have been studying taekwondo at World Champion Taekwondo in Scappoose, Oregon for fifteen months now. Friday night (06/11/2010), we had our fifth belt test. We leveled up from orange belts to green belts. We have about seven more belt tests before black belt.

The test was at 4:00 pm instead of 6:00 pm. I had to bring my five-year-old son with me. Master Jason was kind enough to provide him with his dry erase board and some marking pens to keep him entertained. My daughter's first grade teacher came to support her. That was very special.

Only Master Byong-Cheol Kim attended to grade our test. Master Je-Kyoung Kim usually attends as well, but he wasn't there. There were eight orange belts in attendance for the test. Jared (brown stripe) and Elsie (blue belt) are two students who usually test with us, but they were not able to test with us tonight. We warmed up with some stretches and calisthenics. Before we began, Master Kim drew attention to our instructor's new rank. Our instructor, Jason Letiski, participated in his fourth dan black belt test last month and now uses the title of master. Most of us had attended this test. Master Kim referred to him as "his favorite student."

We started with blocks and punches. Master Jason called out a lot of interesting combinations again this time. Dominic, a fifteen-year-old black belt candidate, assisted the instructor by demonstrating the combinations. We did our kicks in a slightly new way. We kicked twice towards the flag and then we turned and kicked twice towards the lobby. We didn't have anything new this test to demonstrate. We demonstrated low block, middle block, high block, single knife, double knife, double down, front kick, round house kick and axe kick. I was a little relieved that he didn't call out back kick. My back kick looks weak when I don't have a target to hit.

One of our students had a very bad day at school today, and he was very distracted and disinterested during the test. Master Jason had to pull him aside and speak with him for a moment, and then he was fine and able to finish the test.

The name of our form was tae guk yi jang. It's the second form in the tae guk series. It wasn't really any more complicated than our last form, but it did seem to take us longer to learn. Master Jason had us do it over about six times before he was satisfied.

By the time we were ready to demonstrate our self defense and one step sparring routines, the orange stripes had begun to arrive for their test which would begin at 5:00 pm. Master Jason was able to call on them to enter the mat and work as our partners. Our one step sparring routine included a high block, roundhouse kick, side-kick, hook kick and elbow strike. It was pretty cool, but I forgot the side-kick the first time, so he had me do it again. Our self defense routine started us in a full nelson. We stomped on our attacker's foot, broke his grip, hit him in the teeth with our head, grabbed his foot and kicked him in the face when he fell down. Self defense routines are brutal.

Just before we demonstrated our breaking technique, we read off a bad habit that we wanted to break. My daughter admitted that she bites her nails, and I admitted that I loose my temper. Another student promised to stop interrupting which turned out to be pretty funny a few minutes later when he interrupted Master Jason.

We used a jumping front kick to break the board which is a little tricky because we use the top of our foot in class when we kick targets, but when we break we need to use the ball of our foot. Almost everyone broke their board on their second attempt which was kind of weird. One student broke her board in two places which was very cool because the middle of the board when flying over Master Jason's head.

The final portion of the ceremony was the awarding of trophies and belts. Young students at our school are required to earn at least seven black stripes before they are allowed to take their test. A black stripe is earned by demonstrating a good attitude at home for one week. The stripes are stickers which wrap around the tip of the belt. If a student goes above and beyond the seven stripe requirement and earns ten stripes, then they receive a small trophy and a gold star at the belt test. The gold star is a patch which is worn on the collar of the uniform. At the end of a year, if a student has earned four gold stars, then they receive a large trophy. My daughter was the only student with ten stripes and three gold stars. She felt VERY special as she collected her large trophy. All the other children at the test had also earned their ten stripes, so they also received their stars and trophies.

Finally, we removed our orange belts, and the masters tied on our new green belts. The new belts always look so bright and colorful. After our test, the orange stripes, yellow belts and yellow stripes all tested together. They looked like a big group. Maybe the new orange belts will test with us next time. The next day, we all gathered together for a bar-be-que to celebrate. It was a beautiful day - finally. We've had a lot of rain this spring, but we had lots of sunshine this day.

Tae Guek Yi Jang

2010-06-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Turn 90* to the left, stepping with the left foot in front stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
Step forward with the right foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
Step forward with the left foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
Step forward (facing flags) with the right leg in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists at the belt) and land in front stance (right foot forward) and perform a face-high punch with the right hand.
Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists at belt) and land in front stance (left foot forward) and perform a face-high punch with left hand.
Turn 90* degrees to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a high block with the left hand.
Step forward (facing flags) with the right foot in walking stance and perform a high block with the right hand.
Turn 270* to the left (so that you are facing 90* to the right) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
Turn 90* to the left (back to flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt) and land in walking stance (right foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists on belt) and land in walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt) and land in walking stance (right foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the right hand. KI HAP! (yell)

Turn 180* to the left (facing flags) into Joon Be (ready) position.

My Instructor's Masters Test

2010-05-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 15, 2010, my instructor, Jason Leitzke and six others, tested for their fourth degree black belt in taekwondo. With the fourth dan comes the rank of Master. It represents ten to fifteen years of study. The test was presided over by Grand Master Byong-Cheol Kim. There were several others judging the test including Grand Master Choi, Master Je-Kyoung Kim, Master Lin, and others.

The six others candidates were: Robert Hummel, James Reuterskiold, Ha-Yaun Chung, Cathi Leitzke, Andrea Heikkila and James O'Rourke III. There were two other candidates as well. Jon Cooley was testing for his third dan and William Brown was testing for his second dan. Normally they would present themselves on testing dates designed specifically for their rank, but scheduling conflicts made that impossible for them, so accommodations were made.

The test was administered at World Championship Taekwondo, 18335 NW West Union Road, Suite H, Portland, Oregon 97229. Just like my own taekwondo school in Scappoose, there weren't enough chairs, so I was really glad that I brought my own. I arrived about fifteen minutes early, but there were already lots of people there. It seemed as though about half the crowd was there from Scappoose to support Jason.

They passed out a very nice program with everyone's name, and the schedule worked out in ten minute intervals. First on the list were hand techniques from 10:00 to 10:20. We started a little late, but the masters seemed committed to keeping the schedule, so they kept this bit pretty brief. Grand Master B.C. Kim called out various blocks and strikes, and the master candidates executed all them with power and precision. It really was a joy to watch.

Next on the list were forms from 10:20 to 10:50. This is also the only part during the test where someone made a mistake. An assistant called out the name of a form, and one of the candidates began performing a different form. The candidates performed ten pushups and started again. I don't know precisely how many forms they performed. It might have been as many as fifteen. I don't usually think of forms as being very exhausting because they are not performed with great speed, but the candidates performed all of their forms with great power and precision. They were all sweating and panting by the end of it.

Next on the list was self defense from 10:50 to 11:00. They all partnered up. The assistant called out numbers and the candidates performed the techniques. It was neat. They were just throwing each other to the ground over and over again. I was impressed that they knew this material so well that they could perform the techniques with only a number as promptings. I guess I've only ever had to learn one self defense technique at a time.

Next on the list was kicking from 11:00 to 11:20. They started just kicking the air with some front kicks and some round house kicks - very pedestrian, but then they got some more assistants to hold some targets and things really started picking up. They did all kinds of kicks and combinations. It was very exciting. At the end, the masters called for an endurance test: 100 roundhouse kicks. Jason made some joke about doing a 1,000 kicks. The other candidates did NOT seem to appreciate his enthusiasm, so when it came his turn to do his 100, he actually went ahead and did 200, so then all the other candidates did a second set of 100 round house kicks. They were all clearly exhausted. I've done 100 roundhouse kicks before but not without a break.

After a ten minute break during which the candidates could drink some water, they put on some sparring gear and demonstrated some sparring techniques from 11:30 to 12:00. This was also very exciting. It was hard to keep track of what was going on. Audience members at the front and to be careful not to get stepped on!

Next on the schedule was nun-chucks from 12:00 to 12:30. This was really neat, too. The assistant called out a number sequentially from 1 - 15 and the candidates performed a series of moves with a single nun-chuck while facing the judges. Then they turned around to face the audience and performed all 15 in order. Then they did 15 more with two nun-chucks! A few candidates dropped their nun-chucks a few times, and they didn't all finish at the same time, but it was still a very impressive display.

After a second ten-minute break, the candidates each received ten boards. Breaking was scheduled from 12:30 to 1:00 pm. Breaking is always the coolest part of every test, and this test was no exception. They started with speed breaking techniques in which the held two boards with three fingers of one hand and tried to break it with the other. This gave them considerable trouble but eventually, with some extra coaching from Master Lim, they all got their boards broken.

Then they switched to power breaking. They all seemed really very excited about this. They were instructed to break two boards with any technique of their choice except the back kick. This part was also very exciting and confusing. They didn't really take turns. They fired at will. Boards were flying everywhere. Mr. Jason chose the roundhouse kick, but he broke the boards with his shin rather than his instep or the ball of his foot.

The final breaking technique was to break what ever boards they had left (most of them had four boards left) with the back kick. They all performed very well. I don't think anyone needed two attempts, but when it came to Mr. Jason's turn, Master Lim asked him to use a stepping front kick and the ball of his foot. There was some confusion as to what a stepping front kick is. The kick he wanted Jason to perform is also known as a front-foot front kick or a skipping front kick. He did a great job.

The next item on the schedule was individual speeches from 1:00 to 1:45 pm. Many of the candidates expressed similar sentiments: they never thought they would make it this far; they made some of the best friends of their whole lives while studying taekwondo; and taekwondo has been a character building experience as much as anything else.

The last item on the schedule was the belt ceremony from 1:45 to 2:00 pm. Each candidate received a new uniform. They jumped into the locker room really quick and changed. They looked really sharp when they came out in their new uniforms. Then they were called forward one by one to receive their new belts. There belts were embroidered with their names. Grand Master Byong-Cheol Kim tied each belt and congratulated each candidate with a bow and hand shake and a hug. Master Lim did all the talking during this portion of the schedule. Grand Master Kim seemed a bit overwhelmed. Master Kim led them in performing the "great bow." He explained it as a Korean custom usually reserved for parents and the deceased. It was performed by kneeling on the floor and bowing the forehead to the floor. All the candidates bowed to Master Kim and Master Kim bowed to all the candidates in unison. It was really very touching to witness.

Afterwards, my friend Heidi said to me: "I really want this in my life." I felt the same way, so that settles it. Heidi and I are going to take our Masters test together in about ten to fifteen years. You're all invited.

The Mother's Day Garden Box

2010-05-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

I've been dreaming and scheming about building a raised bed to plant a garden in for at least six years now. One thing or another always seemed to derail my plans. Well, this past weekend, I took a break from playing Farmville, and I planted a real garden.

I think it was when my seven-year-old daughter asked me if we could plant the flowers outside that provided the final catalyst to finally launch this project properly. The flowers that she was referring to are the flowers that she brought home from school for me for Mother's Day. Her brother brought some home, too, and she brought some home from her Girl Scout meeting earlier last week, too. So I had three neat little pots of geraniums on the kitchen counter.

And, so on Friday (05/07/2010) after I picked up my children from their day care provider, I dropped them off at the house with their Dad, and I went to my local discount department store to see if they had what I wanted in their garden department. I had drawn up a plan already, so I knew I needed twelve "cinder" blocks and 7 cubic feet of potting soil. The ground around my house is about 95% clay, nothing grows in it. The grass just sort of grows on top of it until it is totally soaked with rain, and then it drowns and moss moves in.

I had a little trouble hauling everything to the checkout stand and loading it in my truck, but I got it done. I was super extra careful to lift with my legs because I have hurt my back so many times. When I got everything home, I was too tired to unload it so I just left it in the truck.

The next day (05/08/2010), my husband caught sight of my supplies in the back of the truck, and he became very grumpy. He hates it when I start projects like this. He was just sure that it was going to look hideous. He really just wanted me to pull the weeds in the front yard, but there is a space in the front yard which is always just weeds, and I wanted to put something there, and this is what I decided to put there. He made me promise to take it out if he didn't like it. As if...

It was very important to me to get this box level because my last project, the sand box, is not level, and I can tell that it is not level, and it grates like nails on a chalk board every time I look at it. The ground slopes just a bit where I decided to plant this box, so there was little digging involved, but really just a little, just enough to disturb a little mole that made a very brief, squeaky appearance. I was really pleasantly surprised with how nicely the blocks went in - one right after another, level, level, level.

The children were supposed to be pulling weeds in the area adjacent to where I was working, but without a dedicated overseer, they slipped away to more interesting activities (running through the sprinkler). My husband was busying himself with the truck, fixing some thing or another. He took a break to check on my progress. He was very grumpy. "This side is further away," he complained. I had no idea what he meant by that. I was too tired. I explained that it wasn't finished and that it was going to have a back. "Nevermind, it's none of my business," he said, and he returned to his project.

I finished laying the blocks and back filled them a bit. I used a rake to smooth out the bark chips all around the box. Adding the bark chips that the box had displaced to the area in front of the box really evened out the slope quite nicely I thought.

I dug out the center a bit more, and started filling the wheelbarrow with the clay I had removed from the site. In all, it only filled the wheelbarrow once, but I think it was too heavy to have tried to move it all in one trip because when I tried to move the wheelbarrow, I twisted the tire right off its rim. It wasn't damaged exactly, but it was flat, so I emptied the wheelbarrow and took it back to the garage.

We have an air compressor for inflating tires, but this tire was tricky because it had no tube inside the tire. Why tires are designed this way? The tire had to make contact with every point all around the rim in order to create a seal that would hold the air. It required several attempts, but I was finally able to create a seal all the way around by wrapping a bungee cord around the circumference of the tire.

I moved the clay in three trips and dumped in the back yard where we have a bit of a low spot left over from my first attempt to build a sandbox. (There were two attempts at that sand box.) Then I filled the garden box with potting soil. I stepped back to admire my work, and I couldn't believe it. IT WAS CROOKED! I had been so careful to make sure the box was level, but I totally forgot to make sure that it was SQUARE! When my husband complained that one side was farther away, he meant that the right side of the box was farther away from the fence than the left side of the box. I was SO ANGRY! I stormed into the house, slammed the door as hard as I could, and kicked him in the shin.

Not really. I didn't really kick him. I did slam the door really hard, and I really wanted to kick him. It didn't matter that it wasn't his fault. I become irrational when I'm angry. He was still really very grumpy. We had started with three five-gallon buckets that we were going to fill with weeds that we pulled from the flower beds, if we combined our efforts, we probably only filled one bucket. He really wanted those weeds pulled for some reason. I don't really get it. The weeds are just little vine-y things with flowers on them that crawl around under the bushes. Who cares?

That night (05/08/2010), I slept uneasily, worrying all night about the prospect of taking that box apart and rebuilding it, so that I could make it square. I knew that I was too tired to attempt such a thing, but I also knew that if I didn't, then I would hate that box every time I looked at it - just like the sandbox.

The next morning (05/09/2010) was Mother's Day. My husband shooed our children out of our bedroom, so that I could sleep late which was awfully nice of him. When I got up, the children proudly showed me that they had cleaned their rooms. They had done a good job, too. I felt much better. A good night's sleep does wonders for one's outlook. I decided that I would not take the box apart. I decided that I would fill it with flowers, and it would be so beautiful that no one would notice that it was crooked.

I built some dividers for the box from some scrap wood that we had handy, and I took my seven-year-old daughter with me to the store to buy some flower and some herbs. We decided that we needed 24 flowers and ten herbs. We had great fun picking them out. My daughter's favorite was a pink daisy. I talked her into a dahlia even though it didn't look like anything because I think it might be beautiful when it grows up. She picked out a few pansies in different colors and some begonias and a strawberry. I picked out some hens and chicks because my mother used to plant those. For the herb garden we got peppermint, basil, chives, rosemary, purple sage, and some other stuff.

We got home, and we arranged them and planted them. This was by far the most fun - digging in the dirt with my little girl. I told my daughter stories about gardening with my mother. My mother's garden was larger than my whole front yard! It was a vegetable garden, but I remember my mother pouring over seed catalogues and ordering saplings and planting a little orchard when I was young, too.

I was dead tired at the end of the weekend. It didn't seem fair that I had to go to work the next day (05/10/2010). That night the flowers got a little rain, and I took a picture in the morning - hopefully the first of many.

Farmville Tips: Week Two

2010-05-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

This week (05/10/10) I continue to focus on the layout of my farm, and I think I've settled on a basic design. I've also been very interested in expanding my farm. I've been using the ribbons to guide some of my goal setting, and I've been using the crop mastery feature to guide my choices on which crops to plant.

Layout:
As mentioned before, the starting grid is 50 squares by 50 squares. This is enough space to plow 144 plots (12x12) and still have a remainder of 100 squares. If you place all of your plots side by side starting in the southern most corner of the map, then the 100 remaining squares will form a narrow strip along the northeast and northwest edges of your farm. This is the perfect place to plant trees.

Crops:
I finally decided to organize my crops in areas measuring four plots by four plots. I decided this because the plots measure four squares by four squares and that kind of symmetry appeals to me. It turns out that the beginning farm will accommodate exactly nine of these areas. I planted nine different crops, and I was very pleased with the quilted effect this achieved.

Trees:
Trees work best along the northeast and northwest edge of the farm because they are tall, and they will block your view of plots that you might plow behind them. Some Farmville farmers do without trees or they only use them as decoration. It is very true that most trees earn fewer coin per day per square than most crops, but I really like trees in the real world, and I want to earn all my ribbons, and I've got this narrow strip of land, so I decided to fill it with trees. I set a goal for myself to plant sixteen trees of each variety. This was pretty easy to do with the market trees, but most trees are only available as gifts, so those trees are more difficult to collect.

Expansion:
It didn't take long before I started feeling crowded. After I bought all trees available in the market, I found that I was ending my day of play with money in my bank, so what could I spend it on next. My neighbors all had buildings, and I wanted to earn the architect ribbon, but my farm was so small, so I finally noticed that spot in the market with expansions.

Expansions are available for FarmBucks or FarmCoins + neighbors. The first expansion requires 8 neighbors. I had that, so all I needed were the coins. I had that too, so I purchased the expansion. It added and area 8 squares by 58 squares to the south east edge and the south west edge of the farm, so I now had space for 196 plots (14x14). I planted them in such as way as to complement the existing quilted pattern.

Fences:
After harvesting the crops in the center corner of the farm, I deleted the fallow land instead of plowing it. This turned it back into grass. Then, I fenced it in and filled it with the various animals I had collected, and I bought a chicken coop. I placed the chicken coop in the easternmost corner of this new fenced area so as not block my view of the crops around it. (This may or may not turn out to be the best place for this building.)

Fences measure 1 square by 5 squares, but they can be made to overlap one another in which case they will occupy 1 square by 4 squares. To fence in an area previous occupied by 16 plots I needed exactly 12 fences (3x4). I had to be careful that they did not overlap.

I chose to fence in the centermost area of my farm in order to prevent my avatar (the animated version of me) from walking all around the farm every time I planted or plowed something. I noticed other Farmville players achieved a similar result using bales of hay, but I was planning to fence in my animals anyway, so this seemed more efficient. The effect is identical; you can plow and plant a lot faster if you are not waiting for the little farmer to walk to each area.

Final Layout:
This leaves me enough space to plant 11 different kinds of crops in 180 plots as compared to 9 different kinds of crops in 144 plots. I now have space for 228 trees as compared to 196. The future looks bright.

Next Expansion:
I will not be ready for my next expansion until I have 10 neighbors or 20 FarmBucks. At some point I think I will have to buy an expansion. The final expansion requires 30 neighbors. But, FarmBucks are hard to come by. You only earn 1 FarmBuck each time you level up, so I'm going to keep trying to expand with neighbors until I'm just sure that I can't.

The next time I expand, I'm planning to turn over another area to fences, animals and buildings. It will probably be the northernmost corner of the farm and I will probably buy a dairy barn. I plan to do this again each time I expand. I'm planning to buy a horse stable after my third expansion. Those are harder to build because you need a lot of help from your friends.

Reference Table

Name	Size	Cost
Starter Farm	12x12
Homestead	14x14	10,000 FarmCoins and 8 neighbors
Family Farm	16x16	25,000 FarmCoins and 10 neighbors
Big Family Farm	18x18	50,000 FarmCoins and 13 neighbors or 20 FarmBucks
Plantation	20x20	75,000 FarmCoins and 16 neighbors or 20 FarmBucks
Big Ole Plantation	22x22
Mighty Plantation	24x24	500,00 FarmCoins and 30 neighbors or 20 FarmBucks

Farmville Tips: Week One

2010-05-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what inspired me to finally give Farmville a try this week (05/04/10), but I did, and I love it, but my first few days were pretty frustrating. The game doesn't come with much instruction. It guides you through the planting and harvesting of a few crops, visiting a few neighbors and asks you to come back tomorrow for the harvest. I learned a few things this week I wish I had known last week, so I'm offering them up to my fellow farmers.

Layout:
I love grids and graphs and charts, so the first thing I wanted was some guidance on how to lay out my little plow squares and crops. I couldn't find any help anywhere, but with a little trial and error, I decided that the best way that I could have started was to have just gone totally solid from the starting point. This would have made it possible to eventually plant 144 different crops and still have enough space along the top and the right side for gifted trees and animals.

The Grid:
To be more specific, the starting grid is 50 squares by 50 squares. A crop occupies a space 4 squres by 4 squares. 50 divided by 4 is 12 with a remainder of two, so you can get 12 crops across and 12 crops down with a narrow stip of two squares along the back and right edges of your farm if you just keep building out from the starting point. A tree, a chicken, a goat, etc is one square. A horse and a cow are 2 squares by 2 squares.

Trees:
I did read a tips somewhere (I forget where) that it is best to put your trees along the back and right side of your farm, so that they don't block your view of your crops. Fortunately, you can move them around if you don't like where they are.

Whither:
I was totally bummed the first time I came back to my farm and found my crops withered away. I had to snoop around online a little, but I discovered that if it takes your stawberries four hours to ripen, then it also takes them four hours to wither. If you will not be able to check on your farm in the next 8 hours, don't plant strawberries.

Profit margin:
Since I'm just starting out, I'm all about making a lot of money, so that I can plant more crops and plant more trees. I'm less interesteded in earning experience points. I understand that my goals will change soon enough. Anyway, I was harvesting raspberries every two hours all day on Sunday, and it occured to me that it cost money every time I plowed the field after harvest, so I wondered if I was really making as much money as I could be. I set up a little spreadsheet table to divide the cost of the seed by the yield of the crop and I discovered that tomatillos were the most profitable crop I could be planting right now. Tomatillos are a limited time crop to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but they have profit margin of 600% and they ripen in 10 hours, so I can plant them twice a day - once in the morning before I go to work, and once in the evening before I go to bed. They are really a perfect crop for me right now.

Farm bucks v. farm coins:
This was a frustrating thing to realize. When I started, I had a few farm bucks, and I was earning farm coins like crazay, but all the cool stuff in the market place could only be purchased with farm bucks, so how could I earn some farm bucks? The bad news is that there are only two ways to earn farm bucks: (1) you earn one farm buck each time you level up and (2) you can buy them with real money. The good news is that all that cool stuff which appears to only be available for purchase with farm bucks will soon be available for purchase with farm coins as soon as you level up, so you don't really need to purchase farm bucks unless you're in a big hurry to advance through the game.

I did two hundred squats

2010-04-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Today I completed the 200 squat challenge created by Steve Speirs. It was supposed to be a six week program. I started in January, so I figure that it took me about 12 weeks to complete the program, but I don't care. I'm glad to have completed the program. I'm working on the 200 situp challenge and the 100 pushup challenge. I became interested in these challenges because of my taekwondo class. I was one of the first students to join this new school, but I was almost always the last person to finish every drill like running and pushups, so I decided to do something extra in an attempt to keep up with the younger students in class. It's only working a little bit. I'm keeping up better with the 30-somethings, but I'm not keeping up with this teenagers, but that's okay.

My fourth belt test

2010-03-15T23:47:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a year since I joined World Champion Taekwondo in Scappoose, Oregon. Friday night (03/12/2010), my seven-year-old daughter and I had our fourth belt test. We leveled up from yellow belts with orange stripes to orange belts. We have eight more belt tests before we get to black belt.

I was really nervous for this test. I don't know why, maybe because I invited people. My friend Terra came to run my video recorder which was very nice of her. My daughter invited her first-grade teacher, but she wasn't able to make it.

Our test was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on a Friday night. The white belts tested at 4:30 and the yellow stripes and yellow belts tested at 5:30, so we were the evening finale. While the masters readied themselves, our instructor told us to practice our forms, self-defense and one-step sparring one more time. Then we warmed up with some leg lifts and some push-ups. I couldn’t keep up with all the push-ups (again). I've been trying and trying to build up my upper body strength, but I've still got a long way to go.

We started with blocks and punches. Our instructor called out a lot of interesting combinations this time. Dominic, a fifteen-year-old black belt candidate, assisted the instructor by demonstrating the combinations. I did fine with the blocks and punches, but then we demonstrated our kicking techniques. I did okay with the roundhouse kicks, but I thought that my back kick was totally weak. The back kick was our new kick for this test.

When it was time to do forms, self-defense and one-step sparring, our instructor began with the higher belts. Jared was testing for his brown stripe and Elsie was testing for her blue belt. Their forms, self-defense and one-step sparring techniques always look so cool. Jared's form had a hop in it.

The name of our form was tae guk il jung. It's the first form in the tae guk series. It was a little more complicated than our basic forms. It included unusual combinations new turns (slides) and multiple stances. All the orange stripes did our form perfect the first time.

Our self defense move started with a choke hold. We put our hand on the attackers face and pushed them back over our shin until they fell on their back. I think maybe our instructor was tired of letting students throw him to floor. He would have been thrown to the floor SEVERAL times during the earlier belt tests. A couple of the new orange stripes from the earlier class stayed behind to watch our test. He asked them to pair up with us to demonstrate our self defense techniques. They were really good sports.

Our one-step sparring was pretty simple: when our attacker punched at us, we slid back, performed circle kick to the fist and then a hook kick to the ear. The circle kick was pretty easy, but the hook kick was a little tricky to learn.

Just before we demonstrated our breaking technique, we read off a bad habit that we wanted to break. My daughter admitted that she yells at me. She got a lot of attention for that. When another student promised to be nicer to his little brother, and his little brother made a sarcastic remark, our instructor put them both in push-up position. Eventually, he had all the kids in push-up position. He had them do three push-ups before he let them all stand up and we started breaking our boards.

We used the roundhouse kick to break the board which is a little tricky because we practice the roundhouse kick in class with the top of our foot, but when we break we need to use the ball of our foot. Everyone was able to break their board in one try except for one young boy. He must have kicked that board a dozen times before it finally broke. I'm sure it was because he was using the top of his foot, and kicking softly so as not to hurt himself because as soon as he actually kicked it hard enough to break it, he hopped up and down like he had hurt his foot, poor kid.

The next day we celebrated our new belts with a bar-b-que.

My Oscar Picks

2010-03-08T15:46:00.000-08:00

I posted my picks the night before the Oscar show (03/07/2010). Now, I've updated them since the Oscar show with who actually won and a few comments regarding the content and quality of the show itself. I said that I would consider twelve out of 24 to be a good score. I only guessed ten correctly. My favorite moment was when Sandra Bullock won Best Actress. My picks are in boldface, actual winners are underlined.

The red carpet: (5:00 pm - 5:30 pm) Sandra Bullock looked really great, very different from her usual look, very glamorous, old-school Hollywood. Jennifer Lopes also looked really wonderful. Meryl Strep has been nominated 16 times. She is so graceful and gracious.

Opening: 5:30 - 5:45
The ten nominees for best actor and best actress all took the stage together to be introduced to the audience. Then they were escorted to the seats.

Neil Patrick Harris came out and sang a Broadway style number to introduce the hosts. It was well-staged, but Harris isn't enough of a singer for such a stage.

When Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin took the stage, they went around the room making jokes about the various nominees. It wasn’t a terrible idea, and some of the jokes were funny, but every time they picked someone out of the crowd, everyone clapped. It really broke up the rhythm of the comedy. Favorite joke:
Steve Martin: "There's that Damn Helen Mirren."
Alec Baldwin: "Steve, that's Dame Helen Mirren."

Best Supporting Actor - presented by Penelope Cruz at 5:45 p.m. Penelope Cruz won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress last year for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
- Matt Damon in Invictus
- Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
- Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
- Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
- Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds is my pick for Best Supporting Actor. He won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award in this category. He is also the pick for the Hollywood exchange. However, if I were a voting member of the Academy, I would vote for Christopher Plummer. It wouldn't be fair since I haven't seen The Messenger yet, but I really enjoyed Plummer's performance. And, Christopher Waltz wins! (1/1)
Best Animated Feature - presented by Cameron Diaz (Shrek Forever) and Steve Carell (Horton Hears a Who) at 6:00 p.m.
- Coraline
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- The Princess and the Frog
- The Secret of Kells
- Up is my pick for Best Animated Feature; although I really liked Coraline and The Princess and the Frog. I did not love Fantastic Mr. Fox, and I have not yet seen The Secret of Kells, but I think Up is going to win, and I think it deserves it. And, Up wins! (2/2)
Best Song - presented by Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!) and Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) at 6:05 p.m.
- "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog
- "Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog is my pick for best song because I really liked it, but I can see how nice it would be if a movie about music like Crazy Heart or Paris 36 actually won best song. I really liked "Take It All" too, but it's not a nice song, and I would rather vote for a nice song when given the chance. And, Crazy Heart wins! (2/3)
- "Loin de Paname" from Paris 36 Lyric by Frank Thomas
- "Take It All" from Nine
- "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart
Best Original Screenplay presented by Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man and Tina Fey (Date Night) at 6:15 p.m. These two presenters had the cutest bit of banter about what an actor wants from a writer and what a writer wants from an actor. According to Robert Downey Jr., an actor wants lots of dialogue which he can deliver alone (which he had in Iron Man). According to Tina Fey, writers want actors to memorize the dialogue as written making no changes and no mistakes. I don't know if she ever gets that or not.
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglorious Basterds is my pick for best original screenplay because it is leading in the Hollywood exchange, but if I were a voting member of the academy, I would vote for The Hurt Locker. And the Hurt Locker won! (2/4)
- The Messenger
- A Serious Man
- Up
Best Animated Short presented by Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) at 6:30 p.m.
- French Roast is my pick for best animated short because I think its getting more press. And, Logorama wins! (2/5)
- Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty
- The Lady and the Reaper
- Logorama
- A Matter of Loaf and Death
Best Documentary Short presented by Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) at 6:35 p.m.
- China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province is my pick for best documentary short. I haven't seen any of the films in this category. I just find it amusing to choose the short film with the longest title. And Music by Prudence wins! (2/6)
- The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
- The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
- Music by Prudence
- Rabbit à la Berlin
Best Live Action Short presented by Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) at 6:40 p.m. It is a little bit hilarious seeing the actors from Avatar because they aren't blue in real life.
- The Door
- Instead of Abracadabra
- Kavi is my pick for best live action short. I really liked the other films in this category, but I think Kavi had the highest production values. At first I was a little bored with yet another story about how miserable life is in India, but the ending really saved it for me. And The New Tenants wins! (2/7)
- Miracle Fish
- The New Tenants
Best Makeup presented by Ben Stiller (Zoolander) in blue Avatar makeup, even though Avatar was not nominated for make up because the whole thing was done in the computer.
- Il Divo
- Star Trek is my pick for best makeup because it has aliens, and even though the aliens were just humans with facial tattoos, at least that’s something. And, Star Trek wins! (3/8)
- The Young Victoria
Best Adapted Screenplay presented by Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Prince of Persia).
- District 9
- An Education
- In the Loop
- Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
- Up in the Air is my pick for best adapted screenplay. It is leading in the Hollywood exchange, but I really enjoyed this film. I would vote for this film if I were a member of the Academy. And, Precious wins! (3/9)
Best Supporting Actress presented by Robin Williams. This award is usually presented by last year's winner; however, last year's winner was Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (2008), and he is not available. Robin Willimas won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Goodwill Hunting (1997).
- Penélope Cruz in Nine
- Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
- Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
- Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
- Mo'Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire is my pick for Best Supporting Actress. She won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award in this category. She is also the pick on the Hollywood exchange. If I were a voting member of the Academy I would probably vote for Vera Farmiga. I enjoyed her performance very much. And, Mo'Nique wins! (4/10) During her acceptance speech she thanked Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. I like historical references. She also thanked her husband for showing her that "sometimes you have to forego doing what's popular in order to do what's right." Apparently referring to the choice to play such a despicable and difficult character.
Best Art Direction presented by Sigourney Weaver (Gorillas in the Mist) at 7:05 p.m.
- Avatar is my pick for best art direction. The other four films in this category were all very beautiful, but Avatar was so beautiful that the audience was actually depressed to know that their world would never be so beautiful. An Oscar would be a very nice way to honor that achievement. And, Avatar wins! (5/11)
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
- Nine
- Sherlock Holmes
- The Young Victoria
Best Costume Design presented by Somebody and Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City) at 7:10 p.m.
- Bright Star
- Coco before Chanel is my pick for best costumes. I really loved the costumes in Bright Star and The Young Victoria, but it seems to me that this awards ought to go to the film that is actually about a clothing designer. But, The Young Victoria wins! (5/12)
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
- Nine
- The Young Victoria
Best Sound Editing presented by Zac Efron (High School Musical), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) and Morgan Freeman (Invictus) at 7:25 p.m.
- Avatar is my pick for best sound editing. I don't really know how to pick a film in this category, but I like to go with what's most popular. I sure wouldn't mind if Star Trek won in this category. But, The Hurt Locker wins! (5/13).
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglorious Basterds
- Star Trek
- Up
Best Sound Mixing presented by Zac Efron (High School Musical), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) and Morgan Freeman (Invictus) at 7:25 p.m.
- Avatar is my pick for best sound mixing. I don't really know how to pick a film in this category, but I like to go with what's most popular. I sure wouldn't mind if Star Trek won in this category. But, The Hurt Locker wins! (5/14)
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglorious Basterds
- Star Trek
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Best Cinematography presented by Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) at 7:35 p.m.
- Avatar is my pick for best cinematography. It included some very beautiful and spectacular shots, but the other films in this category are also very deserving. And, Avatarwins! (6/15)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglorious Basterds
- The White Ribbon
Best Score presented by Jennifer Lopez (Moster In-Law), Sam Worthington (Avatar) and the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers at 7:45 p.m. The nominees for Best Song are usually performed at the Oscar award ceremony. They are usually performed quite badly; at least they stage the performance quite badly, in my opinion. I'm always hoping that they will please do something more like the Grammy's, but this year they didn't present them at all. Instead they presented the nominees for Best Original Score. While the orchestra played bits of the score, a troupe of dancers performed an interpretation - much the sort of thing that you might see at the Tony's - better I think, grander. If they can't get the songs staged better, they can do this every year. I really liked it.
- Avatar is my pick for best score because it was composed by James Horner and he wins all the time; however, I don't actually recall that any of these films even had music, except for Up which told part of its story over the credits without dialogue. And, Up wins! (6/16)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- The Hurt Locker
- Sherlock Holmes
- Up
Best Visual Effects presented by Gerard Butler (300) and Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) at 7:55 p.m.
- Avatar is my pick for best visual effects. Avatar was a visual effects spectacular. It seems like a shoe-in although, the other films in this category are also very deserving. And, Avatar wins! (7/17)
- District 9
- Star Trek
Best Documentary presented by Matt Damon (Invictus) at 8:00 p.m.
- Burma VJ
- The Cove
- Food, Inc. is my pick for best documentary, but it’s a bit of a shot in the dark. I've only seen two films in this category, but I think this one has the potential for improving our world. The Cove and Which Way Home also have this potential, but the food we eat seems more fundamental than cruelty to sea mammals or racist immigration laws. But, The Cove wins! (7/18)
- The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
- Which Way Home
Best Film Editing presented by Tyler Perry (I Can Do Bad All By Myself) at 8:05 p.m.
- Avatar is my pick for best film editing. I really don't know how to choose a film in this category, so I'm just going with what seems to be the most popular film, and this has been one of the most popular films of all time. But Precious wins! (7/19)
- District 9
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglorious Basterds
- Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Best Foreign Film presented at 8:15 p.m.
- Ajami - Israel
- El Secreto de Sus Ojos - Argentina
- The Milk of Sorrow - Peru
- Un Prophète - France
- The White Ribbon - Germany is my pick for best foreign film even though I haven't seen any of the films in this category either. I did hear a report on the radio about this film, so I think its getting more press, and I'm using that as a gauge that its more popular, but I think the other films in this category are very interesting, and I look forward to seeing them all as soon as they are released on DVD. And, El Secreto de Sus Ojos wins! (7/20)
The nominees for Best Actor were introduced by Michelle Pfeiffer (The Fabulous Baker Boys), who said nice things about Jeff Bridges; Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air), who said nice things about George Clooney; Julian Moore (A Single Man), who said nice things about Colin Firth; Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption), who said nice things about Morgan Freeman; and Colin Farrell (S.W.A.T.), who said nice things about Jeremy Renner.

This is something new they added last year, but I missed it because my satellite provider was battling with my local ABC affiliate. Although I liked hearing the nice things that were said about the nominees, I didn't like how the leading actors were singled out for this honor. There is no shortage of honors bestowed upon leading actors. If they want to keep doing this every year, they ought to rotate it around a bit. Next year they could do directors and producers, and maybe someday writers and designers.

The winner was announced by Kate Winslet at 8:30 p.m. Kate Winslet won the Oscar for Best Actress last year for The Reader.
- Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart is my pick for Best Actor. He won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award in this category. He is also the pick for the Hollywood exchange. However if I were a voting member of the Academy, I would vote for Morgan Freeman. I really enjoyed his performance. And, Jeff Bridges wins! (8/21)
- George Clooney in Up in the Air
- Colin Firth in A Single Man
- Morgan Freeman in Invictus
- Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker
The nominees for Best Actress were introduced by Forest Whitaker (Hope Floats), who said nice things about Sandra Bullock; Somebody from The Queen, who said nice things about Helen Mirren; Peter Sarsgaard (An Education), who said nice things about Carey Mulligan; Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple), who said nice things about Gabourey Sidibe; and Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia), who said nice things about Meryl Strep. The winner was announced by Sean Penn at 8:45 p.m. Sean Penn won the Oscar for Best Actor last year for Milk.
- Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side is my pick for Best Actress. She won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award in this category, and she is the pick on the Hollywood exchange. If I were a voting member of the Academy I would still vote for her even though I really liked Helen Mirren, too. I've been a fan of Sandra Bullock for a long time, and I REALLY liked this movie. I think it's great when a actress like Sandra Bullock who is popular also achieves such a high level of critical and professional acclaim. And, Sandra Bullock wins! (9/22) She received a standing ovation. She gave a very nice speech, very self deprecating and humorous, sending the cameras into the crowd to photograph the woman she portrayed on film. Finally, she thanked the moms who care for children no matter where they come from. Then I think she thanked her own mother - very tearfully. It was a very nice speech.
- Helen Mirren in The Last Station
- Carey Mulligan in An Education
- Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
- Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia
Best Director was presented by Barbara Streisand at 8:55 p.m.
- James Cameron in Avatar
- Kathryn Bigelow in The Hurt Locker is my pick for Best Director. James Cameron won the Golden Globe, but Kathryn Bigelow won the Director's Guild Award. She is also the leading in the Hollywood exchange. James Cameron's achievement with Avatar is extraordinary, but as a director most of his work was done in post production. It really deserves the technical awards, but I agree with another reviewer who said that Bigelow's film is the most important of the films in this category. It deals with a real war that we are fighting right now. Also, Bigelow will be the first woman to win in this category, and she used to be married to Cameron, all of which adds to the drama of the moment. And, Kathryn Bigelow won! (10/23) James Cameron seemed genuinely excited for her achievement.
- Quentin Tarantino in Inglorious Basterds
- Lee Daniels in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
- Jason Reitman in Up in the Air
Best Picture presented by Tom Hanks (Cast Away) at 9:00 p.m.
- Avatar is my pick for best picture. Avatar won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, but Inglorious Basterds won the Screen Actors Guild award, and The Hurt Locker is leading the Hollywood exchange. I think Avatar's popularity will pull it to the top, but it's anyone's guess. The voting method is different for this category. Instead of just picking a winner like in every other category, academy members have been asked to rank their choices in this category, so it's possible if half the members put Avatar at 1 and The Hurt Locker at 2 while the other half do the opposite while everyone puts Inglorious Basterds at 3, then Inglorious Basterds could win. But, The Hurt Locker wins! (10/24). The camera cut away very quickly from James Cameron's reaction. I like to imagine that he was very unhappy at not winning this award.
- The Blind Side
- District 9
- An Education
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglorious Basterds
- Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
- A Serious Man
- Up
- Up in the Air

Tae Guek Il Jang

2010-03-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

There are many sites on the Internet which offer instruction on performing the forms of taekwondo. They vary widely, partly because instructors refer to the same techniques by different names, but mostly because people just write things differently. I am intrigued at the notion that although we are all doing these forms exactly the same way, we are all talking and writing about them very differently. It's really easier to learn forms in class than it is to learn them from written text, but I think this is helpful. I wrote this out to help me study for my test, and I offer it up to anyone who might find it useful. If you note any errors, please let me know. Thanks.

Tae Guek Il (1st) Jang is represented by the symbol keon, meaning heaven. It should be performed with the greatness of heaven. As heaven symbolizes the beginning of the creation of all things in the universe, so this form represents the beginning of taekwondo training. This form is characterized by the easiest techniques: walking stance, front stance, low block, middle block, high block, middle punch and front kick. At my school it is required for advancement to orange belt. (We actually learn three forms that are even easier!)

From the Joon Be (ready) position

1. Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
2. Step forward with the right foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
3. Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
4. Step forward with the left foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
5. Turn 90* to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot in front stance and perform a low block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand.
6. Turn 90* to the right and slide the right foot (back foot) into walking stance (right foot forward) and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
7. Step forward with the left foot in walking stance and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
8. Turn 180* left and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
9. Step forward with the right foot in walking stance and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
10. Turn 90* to the right (facing flags) and step with the left foot in front stance perform and low block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand.
11. Turn 90* to the left and slide the right foot (back foot) up into walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a high block with the left hand.
12. Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt) and land in walking stance (right foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
13. Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a high block with the right hand.
14. Perform a front kick with the left foot and land in walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
15. Turn 90* to the right (back to flags) and step with the LEFT foot in front stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
16. Step forward (back to flags) with the right foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the right hand. KI HAP! (yell)

Turn 180* to the left (facing flags) into Joon Be (ready) position.

My third belt test

2009-12-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

My seven-year-old daughter and I just passed our third belt test yesterday (12/12/09). We are now orange stripes. The test was scheduled for 11:00 AM, but the white belts and yellow stripes were testing at 10:00 AM, and their test went long. There were about 15 yellow stripes and 8 white belts, so that was a pretty big group. Our group used to have 15 in it, too, but a few people have dropped out, and several were out of town for the holidays, so there were only 9 of us testing together yesterday. Anyway, we didn't start until 11:30, but we finished much faster than the previous group.

I was not nearly as nervous for this test as I had been for the previous two, but I did manage to forget our boards for our breaking technique. Fortunately, I remembered just in time to run back home and get them, and then the test was delayed, so we had plenty of time. We only live about a mile from the school.

Before we could begin the test, our instructor had to put something away in the office, so he told us to practice our forms, self defense and one-step sparring for a couple of minutes. It was pretty funny. We kept running into each other. The test began with warm ups, and then we seemed to fly right through our techniques. Master Byong-Cheol Kim commented on how well my daughter executed her punches. Our only new techniques were the front-foot roundhouse kick and the front-foot side kick. I also think that the masters were in a hurry to get back to Lake Oswego to get ready for the holiday party.

We did our form without any trouble. And then we ran through our self-defense and one-step sparring. I tried to do the self defense moves quickly, and I think I surprised my instructor because although he had been dropped to the ground six times already, he seemed surprised when a threw him to the floor.

During our previous tests, our instructor held our boards for us one at a time, while we demonstrated our breaking technique. This time, in order to hurry things along, the masters came out from behind their table and held boards for us as well, so we got to break three at a time. Anyway, Master Byong-Cheol Kim held my board for me. He said I had a really strong side kick which made me feel very proud of myself.

We all received our new belts. My daughter's and mine were yellow belts with orange stripes. It's an intermediate step between yellow belt and orange belt. My daughter also received a small trophy and a gold star (for her uniform) for having an excellent attitude and earning ten black stripes. The black stripes are stickers that our instructor applies to her belt each week that she shows a good attitude at home. After we got our new belts, our instructor (Jason Leitzke) gave each family a Christmas present. We opened ours in the car. It was a taekwondo ornament for the Christmas tree.

At 5:00 PM was the holiday party in Lake Oswego for the students and families from all four of Master Kim's taekwondo schools. It was a potluck, lots of demonstrations, an award ceremony, and a talent show. I liked the demonstrations best. There was a tiny tiger demonstration that was really cute. Tiny tigers are taekwondo students between the ages of 4 and 6. They did punches and kicks and breaking. It was awesome.

Then the demonstration teams did some things, mostly the same things that we saw at the tournament in April. Three of the four schools have demonstration teams. Our school doesn't have a demonstration team because we only have three black belts. We need about a dozen, I think. The talent show featured a violinist in the first act and then four boys break dancing as the second act.

The awards ceremony featured 36-inch trophies. They were handed out in several categories: best focus, most improved student, leadership, family of the year, parent of the year, etc. One student from each school won a trophy in each category. I was very surprised to hear my name called out as the recipient of the parent of the year award from my school. My four-year-old son REALLY liked my trophy, so I decided he could carry it home, and we would display it in his room.

The masters' demonstration was the final event. A master is someone who has achieved the rank of a fourth degree black belt. It takes three years to earn a black belt, another year to earn a second degree, two more years to earn a third degree and the three more years to earn a fourth degree, so a forth degree black belt represents 9-10 years of study. If a black belt is like a high school diploma, then a fourth degree black belt is like a master's degree, maybe. There are also 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th degree black belts.

Anyway, they did a lot of cool stuff. I thought Master Kim was going to hurt somebody when they brought out the boards he was planning to break. We usually break boards that are 12-inches square of varying thicknesses depending on age. My boards are about half an inch thick, while my daughter's boards are about a quarter of an inch thick. I think these boards were at least half an inch thick, but they were 36-inches square. They were holding at least six of them, and it wasn't easy. They wore gloves to keep the boards from cutting their hand, and improve their grip. There was one guy on each side, and then another guy behind each of them, and a fifth guy steadying the lot. I thought Master Kim was going to break their arms if he actually kicked those boards hard enough to break them, but he pulled it off without a hitch. I think he used a back kick, and the boards just crumbled. When they did, children from the sidelines rushed out onto the mats to snatch up the pieces. They took them home like trophies.

Master Kim did another demonstration with a blindfold. His friend Master Je-Kyoung Kim, held an apple on the end of short stick and a bell. He rang the little bell right next to the apple, and Master Kim kicked the apple right off the stick and entirely over the audience.

There was some concern about icy road conditions but we didn't have any trouble getting home.

Forty Pounds Down!

2009-10-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Forty pounds down! I had to get another haircut to break the plateau, but it feels like I'm moving in the right direction again - just 15 more to go! It took me 2.0 months to loses the eighth 5 pounds. I’m competing in the Biggest Loser challenge again at work right now. We just finished Week 4. It's an 8-week contest. So far I've lost 2.6% of my body weight. That ranks me at 21 in a field of 56. My goal was to loose 12% of my body weight, so I should be at 6% at this point. I don't think I can catch up to my goal. I don't know if I could win even if I do catch up to my personal goal. The first prize is $800. Second prize is $400, and third prize is $200.

I'm still carrying my super-cool bento-style lunch box to work. Today it is full of salad. Another strategy I’m trying right now is to each a mid morning snack and a mid afternoon snack. My calorie budget has slipped below 1200 calories per day to 1184 calories per day. It's not hard to meet that budget on the days I go to taekwondo class. 45 minutes of taekwondo burns 615 calories. Finding something else to do on the other days that burn that many calories is really hard. I like to use the WiiFit, but thirty minutes of yoga only burns 70 calories, 30 minutes of aerobics or calisthenics burns 149 calories. I also like to ride my bike. It's getting harder now that it's getting darker earlier, but 30 minutes less than 10 miles per hour only burns 128 calories.

I've given up on the pushup program for now. The program just isn't working for me. I would the pushups, as many as I could, but I didn't feel like I was getting stronger. I wish we did pushups everyday in taekwondo class, but we don't actually do them very often.

I've also pretty much given up geocaching in favor of waymarking. It's less like a treasure hunt and more like a scavenger hunt. Instead of looking for hidden boxes at specific coordinates, you look for interesting places to fit into specific categories. There are more than 900 categories; for example, McDonald's restaurants, Oregon historical markers and gazebos. I've been trying to find as many as I can in Scappoose. There's not so much hiking involved, but lots more photography.

The calorie counter that I have on my iPhone is invaluable. It really makes a difference on the days I actually input my food and exercise. I wish I were better about it. I did a really good job entering everything the last time I did Biggest Loser, but I'm much more sporadic right now - need to do better.

My first six months of taekwondo

2009-09-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

It's been six months now since we enrolled in taekwondo, and we just completed our second belt test. We are wearing yellow belts now. My six-year-old daughter and I are wearing yellow belts. My four-year-old son has decided no to continue with taekwondo. I'm hoping he will change his mind when he gets a little older. I think the rules and structure were just too much for him.

We met Master Byong-Cheol Kim at our first belt test, and he was at our second belt test, too. He and his partner Je-Kyoung Kim are really neat guys, surprisingly soft spoken. Their accents are pretty heavy, and we can't understand them very well, but it's easy to see how much they love their sport and their students.

For our first belt test in June we learned: attention, walking stance, sparring stance, horse stance, high block, middle block, low block, single punch, double punch, triple punch, front kick, jumping front kick, jumping double front kick and axe kick. We demonstrated all of these during our belt test as well as Basic Form Number One.

Basic Form Number One consists of low blocks and middle punches all delivered over walking stance. The tricky part was the turns. Sometimes we performed front foot turns and sometimes we performed back foot turns. It took a long time to memorize the form. My daughter was the first to memorize the form. Then she got distracted during the test and made several mistakes. She had to perform the form three times before she got it right. She was pretty embarrassed.

We also performed a one-step sparring routine and a self-defense move. The one step-sparring routine involved a high block and a face high punch delivered to assailant attempting a face high punch. The self-defense move involved removing an assailants hand from our shoulder and delivering an open-handed chop to the back of the elbow.

The best part of the belt test is the breaking technique. For our first belt test, we broke a board with a front kick. My daughter couldn't hold her toes out of the way, and she hurt her foot on her first attempt. It took her three more tries to break her board, but she didn't give up and got it done. At the end of the test we were given our new belts: they looked like our white belts, but they had a yellow stripe running down the middle, the entire length of the belt.

For our second belt test in September we learned: front stance, palm block down, palm block side, palm strike face, four punches, five punches, side kick, roundhouse kick and circle kick. We demonstrated all of these during our belt test as well as Basic Form Number Two.

Basic Form Number Two consists of low blocks and middle punches over front stance. It was very similar to Basic Form Number One, so it wasn't hard to learn. We also performed a one-step sparring routine and two self defense moves. The one-step sparring routine involved a palm block to the side, double punch, round house kick and a circle kick delivered to an assailant attempting to deliver a single punch to the body.

The first self defense move begins when the assailant grabs our shoulder with one hand. We wrap our hand around his arm and then deliver a c-strike to the throat and an elbow strike to the nose. The second self-defense move begins when the assailant grabs both shoulders with both hands. We wrap our arms around his arms and then deliver a knee strike to his groin and a head butt to his nose.

The best part of the belt test is the breaking technique. This time we broke our board with an axe kick. We were a lot less nervous this time. We both got it done on the first attempt. At the end of the test, we received our new belts: bright yellow!

Now that we are yellow belts, we can attend sparring class! My sparring gear will arrive tomorrow. I found some second-hand sparring gear for my daughter. Our first sparring class is Wednesday. Our next belt test is in December, then we will wear orange stripes. So far we are learning: back stance, single knife block, double knife, double down, front side kick and front roundhouse.

Thirty-five Pounds Down!

2009-08-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

Thirty -five pounds down!Wow! That was really fast. It took me 0.8 months to loose the seventh 5 pounds. That biggest loser challenge was very motivating. I didn't win. The winner lost about 11.5% of her body weight. She won $650. The woman in second place lost about 11% of her body weight. She won $200. The woman in third place lost about 10.5% of her body weight. She won $100. I was in fourth place. I lost 10.4% of my body weight (20.5 pounds). We're planning a rematch in September. Until then, I'm getting back to focusing on my push ups goal. I had hope to get to 100 by the time I belt test again on September 25th, but I don't think that's going to happen now. We'll see how far I get. I finally bought myself a pair of pants that fit - Size 18! Whoo-hoo! I threw out all my 22s and 24s. No looking back. Full steam ahead!

Thirty Pounds Down!

2009-07-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

30 pounds down! (25 to go) Wow! that was the hardest five yet. Here's a recap:

It took me 1.4 months to lose the first five pounds.
It took me 2.1 months to lose the second five pounds.
It took me 3.7 months to lose the third five pounds.
It took me 3.4 months to lose the fourth five pounds.
It took me 3.4 months to lose the fifth five pounds.
It took me 4.4 months to lose the sixth five pounds.

My latest scheme is inspired by the film Super Size Me. That film underscored the poor quality of fast food and school lunches, so I ordered a fancy lunch box from Laptop Lunches. I'm practicing some of their recipes, so I'll be ready when Samantha starts going to school for a whole day in September. I'm also reading a book titled The Great American Detox Diet by Alex Jamieson. It's mostly about replacing sugar, meat and additives with organic whole grain and produce.

Biggest Loser, Lose It! & Hundred Pushups

2009-06-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

It's been 17 weeks since my last update. I regret that I am unable to report reaching another 5 pound milestone at this time. I've been up and down quite a bit in the past 17 weeks. However, I am very excited about a few developments. First, I joined the Biggest Loser Challenge here at work. It's a bit like the game show in that contestants try to lose the most weight and it is measured as a percentage of your starting weight, and there is a cash prize at the end. About 50 people joined with an entrance fee of $25.00 that puts the prize money very near $1250. There will be some weekly prizes that nibble away at that just a bit, but it's a great motivator to keep on track.

I also found a new app for my iPhone called Lose It. It helps me track calories from food and exercise, and it helped me set a daily calorie goal for losing 2 pounds per week. It works WAY better than Weight Watcher Online, primarily because the database was part of the download. I don't have to connect to the Internet in order to look up the calorie content of a given food item.

I also found a website called hundredpushups.com. It is a gradual training program much like the Couch to 5k program I was all excited about last April. This program also comes with an iPhone app to help keep track of the sets and rest periods for each day and each week. I'm planning to start this program right after belt testing while we are on our vacation as part of my plan not to turn into a complete wimp while I'm away from my taekwondo class for a week. That first day back from Hawaii was a killer!

I'm planning to combine the 100 pushups program with the 200 sit ups program, the 200 squats program and the Couch to 5K programs. They all come with iPhone apps to help me keep track of my schedule.

There is also a 20 chin-ups training program by another guy, but I don't have a chinning bar, so I don’t I’m going to start that one right away, but I'm putting up the link because it has some great videos of men doing chin-ups in rather interesting ways. Maybe after I reach 100 pushups and 200 sit-ups I'll be strong enough to start on chin-ups. I could go to the playground near my house. I'll let you know how it goes.

My first month of taekwondo

2009-04-24T23:47:00.000-07:00

Last month, I enrolled my four-year-old son, my six-year-old daughter and myself in a taekwondo school (03/24/2009). I thought it would be good for my son: good for his discipline and good for his confidence. It has been great fun. I found a brand new school with a storefront studio just a few blocks from our house. Their introductory promotion included three weeks of lessons and a free uniform. The instructor at this location is very young, about 22. He is a college student studying nursing. He has been studying taekwondo since he was 9. He's been teaching taekwondo since he was 17. He is preparing for his fourth degree black belt examination in April. His instructor is Master Byong-Cheol Kim, a South Korean who immigrated to this country after retiring from competitive taekwondo. He won several international competitions including the final round at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. His partner Je-Kyoung Kim was his teammate at the Olympics, and he also won the final round in his weight class. I haven't met either of them yet. They teach at other campuses in Beaverton and Lake Oswego.

Anyway, after a month we have learned two punches, three blocks and three kicks. We haven't leaned any forms yet. We've been doing a lot of jumping jacks, stretching, pushups and sit-ups (crunches). We have also learned to count to ten in Korean.

Our first belt test will be in June. Right now we all wear white belts. If we pass our belt test we will wear white belts with yellow stripes. Belt tests are every three months. If we stick with it, we can work through the rainbow and earn our black belts in about three years.

Before the children can belt test they have to earn stripes. The stripes are stickers which will wrap around the tip of their belt. They have to earn one red stripe, one blue stripe, one green stripe and seven black stripes. The red strip is for doing well in school. The blue stripe is for reading a book. The green stripe is for taekwondo skills learned in class. And the black stripes are for good behavior at home.

Last week they tried to earn their black stripe for showing respect. They didn't do so well. It's obvious that this is not a virtue we have been teaching in our family. This week they will try to earn a black stripe for showing gratitude. I'm sure they will earn this stripe without any trouble. We've always taught them to say thank you in our family. Next week they will try to earn a black stripe for taking responsibility. They will have to clean their rooms (or do some other chore) without being asked. This will be tough, but my daughter loves to be recognized for her achievements, so I think she'll be able to do it. My son is a good copy-cat. If his sister does it, I think he might do it.

Twenty-five Pounds Down!

2009-02-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Twenty five pounds down! It's been 54 weeks since I started and 16 weeks since I hit my last 5-pound milestone. It's slow going, but slow is better than backwards. The holidays were rough, but spring is just around the corner. I'm thinking about taking up a new hobby: geocaching - ever heard of it? You need a GPS locator, then you go online and get the latitude and longitude for a local cache, enter the coordinates and then hike out to wherever it is. When you find it, it usually contains a log book where you can write your name: I was here. Sometimes there is a collection of worthless tinkets. You can take one as long as you add one. Its a popular hobby among geeks and nerds who like high tech gizmos like GPS locators, but it includes hiking, so I figure it might be good for me too.

Twenty Pounds Down!

2008-10-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

Twenty pounds down! Inspired by the success of my sister-in-saw Susan, I joined Weight Watcher online on October first. It only cost $65 for the first three months. I've also been doing step aerobics with my WiiFit while I watch television at night. I think all the Halloween candy is going to hinder my momentum significantly, but I've no intention of giving up. I hope to lose another ten by the end of the year and that will have me half way to my goal.

Fifteen Pounds Down!

2008-08-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

Finally! Fifteen pounds down! It's taken me 16 weeks to loose that third five pounds. I got really close just before my twelve-week program with Weight Watchers came to an end, then my weight creeped up slowly, and now its finally coming down again. I've been stuck at 14 pounds down for three weeks. I think the thing that finally brought me down one more pound was my haircut! On Saturday I went and cut my hair nice and short. It was my first hair cut in 14 months (so it had gotten pretty long). In never did the couch to 5K program I was thinking about in April. Maybe I'll give it a try during my vacation. I ordered an electronic calorie counter from Amazon.com. I thought it would make it easier to look up foods and count my calories everyday, but the interface was so boring that it was no fun to use. I think I might buy something similar for my iPhone. I might also sign up for Weight Watcher online.

Ten Pounds Down!

2008-04-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

It has now been eight weeks, and I've lost another five pounds, for a total of ten! ha ha I tried adding exercise to my program by joining Curves, but they close at 7PM, so that didn't work out for me. My next scheme is to follow a running schedule I found at Cool Running.com called Couch to 5K in 9 weeks.

Five Pounds Down!

2008-02-28T21:20:00.000-08:00

I joined Weight Watcher three weeks ago, and I've lost my first five pounds!

LDS Cinema

2006-06-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

I like movies, and I like making lists, and I like collecting movies on DVD. So, here's my page celebrating a new genre of film. Latter-day Saints have been making movies for a long time (see www.ldsfilm.com), but only recently have they begun to make movies about Mormons, mostly targeting an LDS audience. Blue text indicate titles in my collection. Films are listed in order of their popularity as defined by Total US Gross box office as reported by the numbers.com.

Latter-day Saint-themed feature films shown theatrically

The Other Side of Heaven (16 Dec 2001) [Rated PG for thematic elements and brief disturbing images.] This film tells the story of John Groberg (Christopher Gorham), a missionary in the Tongan islands during the 1950's. He leaves behind the true love of his life, Jean (Anne Hathaway). Through letters, John shares his humbling and hilarious adventures with "the girl back home," and her letters buoy up his spirits in difficult times. John must struggle to overcome language barriers, physical hardship and deep-rooted suspicion to earn the trust and love of the Tongan people he has come to serve. (Film-makers deny that this is LDS Cinema because it was intended to reach all audiences.) Budget: $7,000,000; Total US Gross: $4,720,371 in 353 days from 14 Dec 2001 to 29 Nov 2002 LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * The Other Side of Heaven.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (C+) * Review by Jeff Vice (***) * Review by Keith Merrill * "Other Side of Heaven to Air on National TV," Meridian Magazine, 22 Nov 2002 DVD Release Date: 01 Apr 2003
The Work and the Glory (24 Nov 2004) [Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and violence.] The Steed family of Palmyra, New York c. 1830 discover that the two yong men they have hired to help clear their land are at the center of a religious controversy. Budget: $7,500,000. Total US Gross $3,343,122 in 166 days from 24 Nov 2004 to 06 May 2005. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Work and the Glory.com * "The Work and The Glory Premiers Wednesday in Utah" by Kathryn Kidd, Meridian Magazine, 24 Nov 2004 * Review by Eric D. Snider (C+) * Review by Jeff Vice (***) * "Shattering Records", Kathryn H. Kidd, Meridian Magazine, 08 Dec 2004 * "Saints and Soldiers and The Work and the Glory: A Study in LDS Cinema Contrasts," Thomas C. Baggaley, Meridian Magazine, 02 Aug 2005 DVD available 03 May 2005!
God's Army (12 Mar 2000) [Rated PG for thematic elements and some language.] Brandon Allen (Matthew Brown) arrives as a new missionary in the California Los Angeles Mission, but he doesn't really know if he wants to stay. His point-of-view changes as he begins to see the struggles and sacrifices that the other missionaries endure. After only a few intense days, Allen finds faith he didn't know he had, and courage he didn't know he lacked. Budget: $300,000; Total US Gross: $2,637,726 in 227 days from 10 Mar 2000 to 20 Oct 2000. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * God's Army.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (B+) * Review by Jonathan Walker DVD Release Date: 21 Nov 2000
American Zion (13 Oct 2005) [Rated PG-13 for some violence] Sequel to The Work and the Glory. Nathan marries Lydia, and Joshua is jealous. He flees New York and settles in Missouri, Ben, Mary-Ann, and their children follow Joseph Smith to Kirtland, Ohio. They are also hoping to find a home in Missouri, but persecution follows them, and Joshua is leading the anti-Mormon forces. Total US Gross $2,025,032 in 171 days from 13 Oct 2005 to 07 Apr 2006. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * American Zion.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (B) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) Review By Rebecca Walker Clarke In theaters 13 Oct 2005!
The Legend of Johnny Lingo (29 Aug 2003) [G] This is a coming-of-age movie about a boy in the South Pacific who escapes his oppressive caretakers and makes his fortune. When he returns to his childhood home, he discovers that the girl he loved has become embittered by the relentless criticisms of her father, and he hatches an ingenious plan to help her find her own self worth. Technically, this is not LDS Cinema because the characters are not LDS, but BYU made a short film in the 1960s which has been shown in so many Sunday school classes, that the story has become a part of our heritage. Total US Gross: $1,673,997 in 150 days from 29 Aug 2003 to 23 Jan 2004. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Johnny Lingo.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (C) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) * Review by Thomas C. Baggaley DVD Release Date: 11 May 2004
The Book of Mormon Movie, Vol. 1: The Journey (12 Sep 2003) [Edited and Re-rated PG for violence and some thematic elements.] [Previously rated PG-13 in 2003.] This film covers 1st Nephi through part of 2nd Nephi. Lehi preaches in Jerusalem. He and his family leave the city. Nephi and his brothers return to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates. Ishmael and his family join them in the wilderness. Nephi breaks his bow. Nephi builds a ship. Lehi dies in the promised land. Nephi and his brother Laman seperate. Budget: $2,000,000; Total US Gross $1,660,865 in 234 days from 12 Sep 2003 to 30 Apr 2004. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * The Book of Mormon Movie.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (C-) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) DVD Release Date: May 2004
Saints and Soldiers (06 Aug 2004) [Edited and re-rated PG-13 for war violence and related images] [Previously rated R in 2003] This film is set in Belgium during World War II. Hitler's army has just charged through the Ardennes Forest, initiating the offensive known as the Battle of the Bulge. The story begins as German soldiers open fire on unarmed, escaping prisoners, in the tragic event known as the Malmedy Massacre. Five American soldiers survive by playing dead. During their escape, they meet a British intelligence officer with critical information and decide to help him on his mission to deliver this information to his commanding officers. Budget $780,000 Total US Gross $1,310,470 in 290 days from 06 Aug 2004 to 20 May 2005. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Saints and Soldiers.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (A-) * Review by Jeff Vice (***) * Review by Thomas Baggaley * "LDS Cinema Gets Better and Gets a Bum Rating" By Thomas Baggaley, Meridian Magazine, 20 Feb 2004 * "Saints and Soldiers and The Work and the Glory: A Study in LDS Cinema Contrasts," Thomas C. Baggaley, Meridian Magazine, 02 Aug 2005 Available on DVD 31 May 2005!
The Singles Ward (03 Feb 2002) [Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language] When Jonathan Jordan gets divorced, he is thrust back into the world of being a single Mormon - a world who's ultimate goal is eternal marriage. Unable to fit in, Jonathan decides to stop going to church only to be pursued by the members of the local singles ward who want to reactivate him. Nothing works until Jonathan falls for Cammie Giles, the ward activities director. Budget: $500,000; Total US Gross: $1,250,798 in 276 days from 01 Feb 2002 to 01 Nov 2002. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * The Singles Ward.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (C-) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) * Review by Jonathan S. Walker DVD Release Date: 01 Sep 2002.
The Best Two Years (20 Feb 2004) [Rated PG for thematic elements.] Two missionaries in Amsterdam, Holland. Elder Rogers (KC Clyde) has only a couple of months to go on his mission, but his testimony and zeal for missionary work has suffered from the hardships he has experienced. He is now only serving out his time with as little effort as possible when he is given a "greenie" from Oklahoma as a junior companion. Elder Calhoun (Kirby Heyborne) has the enthusiasm, innocence and naivete of a new missionary. Total US Gross $1,163,450 in 241 days from 20 Feb 2004 to 15 Oct 2004. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * The Best Two Years.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (B) * Review by Jeff Vice (***) * "More LDS Film: The Best Two Years and other releases" By Thomas Baggaley, Meridian Magazine, 22 oct 2004 DVD Release Date: 12 Oct 2004
The R.M. (31 Jan 2003) [Rated PG for some thematic elements.] When Jared Phelps (Kirby Heyborne) returns home from his mission, he thinks he has it all planned out, including a girlfriend waiting for him and a job all lined up. But, things don't work out the way he imagined, and he's forced to decide all over again if it was really worth it. Budget: $500,000; Total US Gross: $1,111,615 in 241 days from 31 Jan 2003 to 26 Sep 2003. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * The R.M.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (B-) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) * Review by Thomas C. Baggaley (2.5 stars) DVD Release Date: Sep 2003
Brigham City (08 Apr 2001) [Rated PG-13 for violence and thematic material.] Sheriff Wes Clayton (Richard Dutcher) is a compassionate lawman and a Mormon bishop in a quiet Mormon community called Brigham. The tranquil town is shaken to the core when a woman from California is found murdered near her car. As a civil and spiritual leader in the frightened town, the sheriff must serve both justice and mercy to uncover the town's deepest secrets, find the murderer and keep Brigham from ripping itself apart. Budget: $1,000,000; Total US Gross: $852,206 in 129 days from 06 Apr 2001 to 10 Aug 2001. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Brigham City.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (B) * Review by Jeff Vice (***) * Review by Jonathan S. Walker DVD Release Date: 30 Apr 2002
Charly (29 Sep 2002) [Rated PG for thematic elements.] Sam and Charly are thrown together by circumstance and repelled by differences. He's scheduled and idealistic. She's spontaneous and cynical. He's guarded and practical. She's open and mischievous. He's a Mormon. She isn't. Differences spark interest, though, as Charly finds depth in Sam's idealism and Sam seeks the vibrancy of Charly's joie de vivre. Budget: $950,000; Total US Gross: $814,666 in 220 days from 29 Sep 2002 to 02 May 2003. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Charly.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (B-) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) DVD Release Date: 01 Aug 2003
Mobsters and Mormons (09 Sep 2005) [Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some language and violence] Carmin, Gina and Vincent enter the federal witness relocation program and are given a new home and a new identity in the middle of a quiet, straight-laced Mormon community in Utah where Carmine can't even find a decent cup of coffee let alone a horse track. Some locals are afraid of these outsiders, while others go out their way to embrace them. Total US Gross $407,139 in 94 days from 09 Sep 2005 to 09 Dec 2005. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Mobsters and Mormons.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (B-) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) * Review by Thomas Baggaley Available on DVD 13 Dec 2005!
Pride & Prejudice (05 Dec 2003) [Rated PG for mild thematic elements.] Elizabeth Bennet is a hard-working, intelligent college student who won't even think about marriage until she graduates. But when she meets George Wickham, a good-looking playboy, and Darcy, a sensible businessman, Elizabeth's determination is put to the test. Will she see through their exteriors and discover their true intentions? Total US Gross $377,271 in 213 days from 05 Dec 2003 to 02 Jul 2004. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Pride and Prejudice.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (C+) * Review by Jeff Vice (***) * Review by Sarah Culver Available on DVD 27 Jul 2004.
The Home Teachers (09 Jan 2004) [Rated PG for thematic elements and brief mild language.] On the last day of the month, two Latter-day Saints try to get their home teaching done, but everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Total US Gross $202,268 in 94 days from 09 Jan 2004 to 09 Apr 2004. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * The Home Teachers.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (C-) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) DVD Release Date: 01 Jun 2004
Baptists at Our Barbecue (05 Nov 2004) [Rated PG for some thematic elements and mild violence.] The comedic story of the small town of Longwinded, USA, a divided, feuding town of 262 Mormons and 262 Baptists. It's also a love story, about one man who will try anything to end the ridiculous feud, bring the town together, and keep the peace-loving girl of his dreams from leaving town. Total US Gross $173,106 in 143 days from 05 Nov 2004 to 25 Mar 2005. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Baptists at our Barbecue.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (B-) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) DVD available 29 Mar 2005!
Sons of Provo (04 Feb 2005) [Rated PG for mild language and thematic elements.] Will, Kirby, and Danny are the hottest new sensation in Mormon pop music! Will is an aerobics instructor, Danny is a student of eastern philosophy, and Kirby is a scrapbooking specialist. Together, they make up the band "Everclean" and they have taken the Mormon boy band scene by storm. Sons of Provo chronicles the struggles and successes of a group of boys fighting to become the most spiritual Mormon boy band in history. Total US Gross $ 120,488 in 129 days from 04 Feb 2005 to 10 Jun 2005. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (C+) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) DVD Release date: c.22 Feb 2006!
Handcart (11 Oct 2002) [Rated PG for thematic elements and mild language.] The story of one man's journey with the Martin Handcart Company. The Martin Handcart Company met tragedy in the form of deep snow during their westward trek to Utah. Total US Gross: $98,666 in 192 days from 17 Jan 203 to 09 Apr 2004. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (C-) * Review by Thomas C. Baggaley DVD Release Date: 27 Apr 2004.
Suits on the Loose (03 Feb 2006) [Rated PG for some language and brief violence] A pair of rebellios teenage boys disguise themselves as Mormon missionaries in order to escape a desert survival camp. Total US Gross $79,470 in 10 days from 03 Feb 2006 to 28 Apr 2006. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Suits on the Loose.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (C) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) * Review by Thomas Baggaley In theaters 03 Feb 2006!
States of Grace (04 Nov 2005) [PG-13] The lives of a street preacher, an aspiring actress, a Mormon missionary, and a young gang banger intersect in this ensemble drama set in present-day Santa Monica, California. Total US Gross $59,711 in 3 days from 04 Nov 2005 to 07 Nov 2005. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * States of Grace.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (A-) * Review by Jeff Vice (***) * Review by Margaret Blair Young * Mormondom's Independent Voice Fighting to Be Heard Back in theaters 27 Jan 2006!
The Work and the Story (03 Oct 2003) [NR] A documentary-style comedy based on the premise that Richard Dutcher mysteriously disappeared and three amateur Mormon filmmakers individually set out to create their first feature-length films to take Dutcher's place as the next "Mormon Spielberg". Total US Gross $16,137 in 248 days from 03 Oct 2003 to 04 Jun 2004. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * The Work and the Story.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (D+) * Review by Jeff Vice (**) DVD Release Date: 22 Jun 2004
The Return (03 Feb 2006) A returning missionary (Timothy Hall) anxious to reunite with his long time sweetheart-fiancé, awakens from a near fatal accident with the new priority of saving his wayward mother. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * See the Return.com * In theaters 29 Feb 2006!
Church Ball (17 Mar 2006) A team of uncoordinated misfits from the Mud Lake Ward is charged by the bishop to claim the coveted title of regional champions. Estimated budget: $1,000,000. Total US Gross $464,991 in 101 days from 17 Mar 2006 to 23 Jun 2006. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * The Numbers.com * Church Ball.com * In theaters 17 Mar 2006!

The following films are listed in order of their production budgets. Box office data is not available.

Day of Defense (10 Oct 2003) [Rated PG for thematic elements.] Two Mormon Missionaries are arrested for preaching without a permit in a small town in the mid-west that is a God fearing, family oriented, Christian believing utopia. Two attorneys who have been friends all their lives are faced with the task of prosecuting and defending the missionaries. Budget: $500,000 LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * Day of Defense.com * Review by Eric D. Snider (F) * Review by Jeff Vice (*)
Out of Step (15 Feb 2002) [Rated PG for thematic elements and some sensuality.] Jenny Thomas is accepted to a prominent dance program in New York. She leaves Utah and heads to New York in pursuit of her dream. She quickly makes friends with Paul Taylor, a witty Mormon student filmmaker, but she falls in love with David Schrader, a dark and mysterious musician. Her scholarship and her dreams are on the line. Jenny must fight to earn her scholarship and try to find a balance between the man of her faith and the man of her dreams. Budget: $200,000 LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Eric D. Snider (B)
Suddenly Unexpected (07 Aug 2003) [NR] Two missionaries wake up to find themselves evicted. The day goes from bad to worse when their bikes are destroyed. They get a ride with a kind stranger who leads them from one adventure to another. Budget: $100,000. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * Suddenly Unexpected.com * Review by RuthAnn Hogue

I can find neither box office data nor production budget information for the following film.

Brigham Young: Frontiersman (20 Sep 1940) [NR] This film tells the true story of Brigham Young (Dean Jagger) and his battle to transport his people across the Rocky Mountains to settle in Salt Lake City. The plot focuses on two of his people, Jonathan Kent and Zina Webb and the hardships they have to face along the way. Technically, this is not LDS Cinema because it was not made by Latter-day Saints, but it portrayed the Latter-day Saints as heroes in their own story, and the actor who played the title character joined the Church years later. LDS Film.com * Internet Movie DataBase.com * LDS Video Store * Review by Todd Erickson DVD Release Date: 15 Jul 2003

This page uses only one source of data to rank these movies by popularity. It also compares the budget with the ticket sales, but it would be a mistake for readers to use these two numbers to decide if a film was "successful" or "profitable." In reality, movies have a long shelf life, and fans experience them in many ways. For example, The Wizard of Oz, one of the most popular movies of all-time, was not immediately profitable. It grossed $3 million at the box office, making it a commercial "success," but during production and promotion, the budget rose to $4 million. It wasn't until 1956 when MGM struck a deal with CBS to broadcast the film every year that the film finally became "profitable." Likewise, many of these films have video rentals and sales to boost their profit margins, but the webmaster regrettably does not have access to such numbers for inclusion.

Famous Mormons.net
LDS film.com
LDS About.com
MPAA.org
Search ratings database of Motion Picture Association of America
"What's It Gonna Take to Crossover into Mainstream?" By Thomas Baggaley, Meridian Magazine, 08 Oct 2004 Reviewing the latest spate of LDS films to make it to DVD, Baggaley sees possibilities for attracting larger audiences.
"Mitch Davis on Mormon Movies" Meridian Magazine, 15 Oct 2004Meridian recently caught up with writer, director, and executive producer of The Other Side of Heaven to get his take on the future of Mormon movies. He's got a unique perspective and a vision to share.
"Mitch Davis on Mormon Movies" Meridian Magazine, 18 Oct 2004 "as our culture drifts further and further away from the realm of righteousness, it is imperative that Latter-day Saints create an alternative culture."
"Our Duty as Filmmakers to Work from Within" By Ken Harris, Meridian Magazine, 21 Oct 2004 "Any success that we achieve on a massive, global scale will happen within the context of the existing industry. We must be a force for reshaping and refashioning the industry from the inside."
"In Search Of the Patron Saint(s)" By Kieth Merrill, Meridian Magazine, 26 Oct 2004 "In order for LDS arts to blossom, we have need of 'patron saints' who are willing to be sponsors, supporters, benefactors, helpers, backers, angels, and guarantors of LDS artists and artworks."
"Response to Patron Saint(s)" By Ken Harris, Meridian Magazine, 22 Dec 2004 "Film is not an art form. As I write those words I can hear the grinding of axes in preparation for my summary execution, for writing such heresy." The debate about funding films by Latter-day Saints continues.
Latter-day Cinema: Like Everyone Else, Looking for the Next "Napolean Dynamite" by S.T. VanAirsdale, Indie Wire, 18 Feb 2005
"Hollywood Values and You" by Keith Merrill, Meridian Magazine, 24 Feb 2005 "The facts do not support his contention that moviemakers cater to their audience in an effort to turn profits ahead of their own social and political agendas... An executive at Disney told me that they plead with directors to give them G and PG rated films but that in the process the filmmaker's egos, the need for approval among peers, a passion to be 'cutting edge,' and a driving sense of social responsibility to share - or impose - their views and values on the world inevitably taint the products they create."

Gladys Knight 2004-2005

2005-09-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

29 Jun 2004: She appeared on Bridge to Havanna, which chronicles a seven-day get-together in Havana with American, English, and Cuban musicians in 1999. It boasts a broad range of artists. On "Vacilon," Gladys Knight and Edesio Alejandro merge African-American soul and the Afro-Cuban bolero. (Source: Eugene Holley, Jr. @ Amazon.com)

Aug 2004: She sings on on Ray Charles' LP Genius Loves Company. (They are nominated for a Grammy award in February 2005.) (Source: Rock on the Net)

09 Dec 2004: Rolling Stone Magazine listed Midnight Train to Georgia as Number 492 in it's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. (Source: Rolling Stone)

04 Jan 2005: She released a new album titled One Voice. It is her first album with the Saints Unified Voices, a choir she organized in 2002 "to provide an opportunity for people who wouldnâ€™t come otherwise to an LDS meeting, where they will hear a strong Christ-centered message of the restored gospel and feel the spirit that is present." The choir is made up of more than 100 members from several stakes in the greater Las Vegas area. They bring a new level of passion and cultural awareness to the traditionally reserved LDS hymns. (Source: Deseret Book). See also "R&B legend still has passion for music" By Brian Balthazar, NBC News, 18 Jan 2005 and Gladys Knight & Saints Unified Voices @ LDS Music World

13 Feb 2005: She wins her sixth Grammy award for her duet with Ray Charles. She sang "Heaven Help Us All" on Genius Loves Company, a collection of duets with Ray Charles. But, on Grammy night, she was not present to receive her award. "I was doing a fireside in Las Vegas," she said. Her programs are so popular they have to be divided into two sessions, "and my bishop came up to me in between them and said, 'You won! You won!' I was so surprised." (Source: "Knight cherishes last duet with Charles" By Carma Wadley, Deseret Morning News, 15 Feb 2005)

20 Sep 2005: She appears on a second compilation CD from Ray Charles. This second collection of duets is titled Genius and Friends. She sings "You Were There." In August 2004, she appeared on Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company. She sang "Heaven Help Us All," and they won the Grammy for best duet. (Sources: Ray Charles eCard featuring "You Were There" and Listening Party also featuring "You Were There")

Gladys Knight 2005

2005-09-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Gladys Knight was born in Atlanta, Georgia on May 28, 1944. She began singing professionally at the age of four, winning a talent show on television. She is most famous for her work with the Pips including Midnight Train to Georgia and I Heard It Through the Grapevine. She currently makes her home near Las Vegas, Nevada. Gladys Knight loves to cook. She has a large family, which includes 3 children and 11 grandchildren.

News and Gossip

20 Sep 2005: She appears on a second compilation CD from Ray Charles. This second collection of duets is titled Genius and Friends. She sings "You Were There." In August 2004, she appeared on Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company. She sang "Heaven Help Us All," and they won the Grammy for best duet. (Sources: Ray Charles eCard featuring "You Were There" and Listening Party also featuring "You Were There").

13 Feb 2005: She wins her sixth Grammy award for her duet with Ray Charles. She sang "Heaven Help Us All" on Genius Loves Company, a collection of duets with Ray Charles. But, on Grammy night, she was not present to receive her award. "I was doing a fireside in Las Vegas," she said. Her programs are so popular they have to be divided into two sessions, "and my bishop came up to me in between them and said, 'You won! You won!' I was so surprised." (Source: "Knight cherishes last duet with Charles" By Carma Wadley, Deseret Morning News, 15 Feb 2005)

04 Jan 2005: She released a new album titled One Voice. It is her first album with the Saints Unified Voices, a choir she organized in 2002 "to provide an opportunity for people who wouldn't come otherwise to an LDS meeting, where they will hear a strong Christ-centered message of the restored gospel and feel the spirit that is present." The choir is made up of more than 100 members from several stakes in the greater Las Vegas area. They bring a new level of passion and cultural awareness to the traditionally reserved LDS hymns. (Source: Deseret Book). See also "R&B legend still has passion for music" By Brian Balthazar, NBC News, 18 Jan 2005 and Gladys Knight & Saints Unified Voices @ LDS Music World

09 Dec 2004: Rolling Stone Magazine listed Midnight Train to Georgia as Number 492 in it's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. (Source: Rolling Stone)

Old News and Gossip

2004: She sings on on Ray Charles' LP Genius Loves Company. (They are nominated for a Grammy award in February 2005.) (Source: Rock on the Net)

2003: She performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle with her Saints Unified Voices Choir from Las Vegas in celebration of the 25th anniversary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' decision to allow blacks into the priesthood. She sang a number of gospel versions of Mormon hymns. She told the crowd she loves the music of The Church, but added: "I just think that some of it could use a little zip!" She thanked President Hinckley and other church leaders for their encouragement and urged the audience to widen their embrace of the cultures, music and customs of all people. (Source: "Gladys Knight Teams with Tabernacle Choir," Associated Press, Salt Lake City, 09 Jun 2003)

2002: She made a public appearance at a Salt Lake department store to promote and autograph an Olympic commemorative CD titled "Light Up the Land." She contributed to the torch ceremony with her performance of, "This Is Our Time" with a children's choir. She appeared that evening on local television in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas stating how"elated" she was to be there. (Source: "Gladys Knight Promotes Olympic CD" by Carole Mikita, KSL TV, Salt Lake City, 12 Nov 2001)

2001: She married corporate consultant William McDowell. Her son Shanga gave her away in a seaside ceremony attended by 80 relatives and friends. Knight and McDowell met about 10 years ago but did not begin dating until January.(Source: "Music Legend Gladys Knight Weds William McDowell," Excite News, Santa Monica, California, 24 Apr 2001)

1999: She released Many Different Roads. The inspiration to do this album was a burning desire that touched her heart once she became a member of The Church. "In doing this album, I wanted to make sure that it touched people across the board... We all have a responsibility, and since I've been so wonderfully blessed, I really want to share and to make life at least a little better. So every chance I get to share the gospel or uplift people, I will take full advantage of that opportunity."(Source: a)

1998: She received her temple endowment.

1997: She embraced membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by being baptized.

1996: Gladys Knight and the Pips are inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the eleventh annual induction dinner. (Source: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

1995: She married author and motivational speaker Les Brown (divorced, 1997).

More Info

Links

Page created 2001 @ geocities.com, updated 20 Sep 2005, moved to blogger.com 6 Aug 2009.

Announcing my son's birth

2005-03-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

Date: Easter Sunday, March 27, 2005
Time: 4:05 PM
Location: Portland, Oregon
Weight: 9 lbs, 3 oz.
Length: 21 inches

I was six days overdue when I went into labor on Easter Sunday at about 8:30 AM. My son was born 7 1/2 hours later. Everything went very well until his blood sugar levels began fluctuating early Tuesday morning (3/29), so we stayed in the hospital an extra day while they stabilized him with some supplemental feedings. We went home on Wednesday, March 30, and everyone is doing very well.

Decorating my son's nursery

2005-02-18T00:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome! This page is dedicated to telling the story of how I decorated my son's nursery. My son is due to be born on March 21, 2005.

Choosing a theme: My husband and I painted murals on the walls of his sister's room two years ago before she was born. For her, we choose a Winnie-the-Pooh theme. We picked out some images from a book we had. Unfortunately, the pictures in the book were water colors, and her walls were textured. I wouldn't say they were highly textured, but they were textured enough to make the kind of detail in a water color image impossible to reproduce. This time I knew I had to choose images with a resolution similar to a coloring book. At first I wanted to do an under-the-water theme with images of the Great Barrier Reef as seen in the hit movie Finding Nemo because Fisher-Price has some really cute aquarium-themed toys and accessories, but my husband has a collection of Chevron Cars and no other place to store them and display them other than Jason's room, so we decided to decorate the whole room around these collectible toys.

Here are two examples of the Chevron Cars in my husband's collection. He has dozens more. These two happen to be named Frankie 4-Wheeler and Freddy 4-Wheeler. Frankie 4-Wheeler and Freddy 4-Wheeler come in packages that look like this. When you put them next to each other, the images actually line up. This image of a mountain road is the mural I plan to paint in Jason's room. When it is finished, it will wrap around three walls.

02/16/2005: The first thing I did was to create a photocopy of the images show above. I blew up the image about 200%, and then I drew a one-inch grid over the image. I measured the walls and choose a scale of 1:10, and I drew a 10-inch grid on the wall. Then, I began sketching out the image using the grid to keep everything in scale.

02/18/2005: Here you can see the four basic colors of the mural: blue sky and water, green grass, purple mountains and brown roads. I will add dark green trees, white snow, yellow sun and gray stones before I am finished.

Mistake Number One: buying paint. The entire civilized world probably already knows this, but just in case you can learn from my mistakes, here's the first one I made. When I walked in Lowes Home Improvement store, I went straight to the paint section and I started trying to match the colors on my package with the samples displayed on the wall. The colors I was looking at were all beautiful, designer colors, and there was sign clearly indicating that these colors were exclusively mixed in the American Tradition Signature paint. Well, I was actually looking for American Tradition. That's the paint we used two years ago for Samantha's room, but the Signature paint was $26 per gallon while the regular American Tradition was $10 per gallon. How could I get them to mix colors in the regular American Tradition paint? Well, I was looking at about four different palettes and they all said the same thing about being mixed exclusively in the Signature paint, and it was late, and I needed to find these colors. I didn't want to be at this all night, so I just set to work at it, and I finally found four colors that I like very much, and I took them up to the paint guy and he started mixing them for me. While he mixed my paint, I wandered around looking for brushes and things. As soon as I turned around I saw two more displays of color samples! They had been right behind me the whole time! They were much larger displays with lots more colors, it would have been much easier to find colors that I liked, and they would have mixed them in the less expensive paint. Live and learn. I spent $75 on paint hat should have cost me $30, but it's really good paint, and my baby's worth it!

Mistake Number Two: ball point pen. I looked all over the house for a pencil to draw the grid and sketch on the wall, but I couldn't find one. All I could find was a ball point pen, so that's what I used. I should have gone back to the store and bought some pencils because the ink leaked right through my super paint. I went over it several times and that helped, but I will have to try touching up with some sealer-primer to get the ink to disappear entirely.

My Power Wheels Project

2004-06-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

I just finished a great weekend project, and I want to tell everyone all about it. Power Wheels are very cool, ride-on toys by Fisher-Price for children ages one to six. Retail prices range from $70.00 to $269.00. The design is so simple and durable that the children often out grown them before the toy wears out; therefore, used models are often handed down to younger children. My daughter received her first Power Wheel from her day care provider. It is the Barbie Beach Cruiser, Model Number 76821. Because Fisher-Price is constatntly updating their toys to keep them fresh, this exact model is no longer available, and it was subject to a recall in October 1998 because a fault in the wiring that occassionally resulted in fires. The most notable fault with this particular toy is the missing grill. Other parts are also missing or broken, but it runs great!

The first image above is a picture of a Barbie Beach Cruiser in excellent condition that was sold on ebay. The second picture is my daughter sitting in her new car before I got started. I wanted to freshen it up, make it look new again, and I'm not terrbily fond of pink. I rembered seeing a car painted like the American flag after the attackes on September 11, 2001, and I found this photo by Gay Ayers.

I couldn't work out how to manage the stripes on such a small vehicle, so I just painted all the pink parts red, all the white parts white and then added the starfield. I think the finished result is very patriotic, and I hope my daughter can master its operation before the neighborhood, Independence Day parade!

How did I paint plastic?
This was the most interesting part of the project. I found a product by Krylon called Fusion. It claims to chemically bond with hard to paint surfaces like plastic, and it works great!

One thing I wish I had done differently:
I painted the car in my garage with the door up. I thought this would be sufficiently well ventilated. I did not suffer any ill effects from inhalation, but the accelerant in the cans created a lot of dust. The tiniest particles of spray paint dried before they hit the car, and they floated around in the air until they fell on something. Now there is a lot of red dust all over my garage. The next time I tackle a project like this, I will set it up on the patio in the back yard.

Future plans:
I would like to replace some of the missing parts. According to the parts list at Pickering Appliance, the hoodlatch (#74780-9039) and the battery retainer (#74540-4419) are still available. However, the headlight and guard assembly (#80030-0108), the grill (#74560-9809) and the telephone (#73231-9449) are not available. They also list the rear roll bar (#76821-4219) as unavailable. Since the plastic is broken where this piece fits into the body of the car, I don't need this piece. If you need this piece, please contact me.

If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm. -Bruce Barton

Outings are so much more fun when we can savor them through the children's eyes. -Lawana Blackwell, The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter, 1998

Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home. -Phyllis Diller

The soul is healed by being with children. -Fyodor Dostoevsky

Gladys Knight 2002

2002-12-31T19:41:00.000-08:00

January 25, 2002: R&R (Radio & Records) Magazine included a full-page advertisement for Gladys' "This Is Our Time," aimed at adult contemporary radio stations. Also, on page 74 is an interview with Gladys, in which she discusses her inspiration for the tune, "This Is Our Time," and her new show at Flamingo Las Vegas.

February 2002: Gladys Knight appeared in In Style Magazine’s Celebrity Weddings section. She also appeared in Rosie Magazine this month

February 7, 2002: Gladys Knight made a public appearance at a Salt Lake department store to promote and autograph an Olympic commemorative CD titled "Light Up the Land.” The Olympic torch entered Salt Lake City along the same route Mormon pioneers used to settle in the city more than 150 years ago. An actor portraying Brigham Young, the man who led the migration west, rode ahead of the torch in a stagecoach to Washington Square in downtown Salt Lake City where it was welcomed in a special ceremony. Gladys contributed the torch ceremony with her performance of, "This Is Our Time" with a children’s choir. She appeared that evening on local television in both Slat Lake and Las Vegas stating how "elated" she was to be there. Gladys did not participate in the opening ceremonies on February 8, 2002 possibly due to her commitments in Las Vegas. You can listen to “This is Our Time” at r3radio.com. Click on “Commemorative CD” to go straight to Gladys. There is also a brief interview with Gladys talking about the song and the games.

February 7, 2002: Gladys co-hosted "The Today Show" with Katie Couric in Salt Lake City.

February 7, 2002: A&E finally rescheduled their episode of Biography featuring Gladys Knight. Biography.com had a poll where you could vote for your favorite Gladys song: Neither One of Us, Midnight Train, Imagination, and Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me. You can buy the episode on VHS for $14.95.

February 12, 2002: Opening night at the Flamingo. Gladys Knight signed a one-year contract with the Flamingo in Las Vegas. She will perform Tuesday through Saturday. "I am thrilled to be headlining at a property with such a rich entertainment legacy "the Flamingo," she said. "I have lived in Las Vegas for quite sometime now and couldn't be happier to be performing on a steady basis in my hometown. I was looking for the perfect engagement to allow myself the chance to travel less and this couldn't have come at a better time." The Flamingo Las Vegas is renovating their main showroom for Gladys and Gladys also mentioned that she would have a brand new show, a kind of musical.

February 27, 2002: At the pre show ceremony of the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, they announced that Gladys Knight won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Album: "At Last." This is her fifth Grammy

March 20, 2002: the voice talents of Gladys Knight could be heard in Episode #029 of Happily Ever After Fairy Tales for Every Child: The Bremen Town Musicians. Four (4) cast-out barn animals head for Bremen Town to become singers in this animated special. Other voices include George Clinton, Jenifer Lewis and Dionne Warwick. This show airs on HBO. Ends 04/15/2002. Broadcast again May 7, 2002, 8:30 am, HBO. Film makers were awarded a Golden Gate certificate of merit for children’s programs from the San Francisco Film Society.

April 2002: I just heard about a concert on DVD called "THE STARS OF HANDEL" starring Chaka Khan, Jeffrey Osborne, Roger Daltrey and Gladys Knight. This is an 80-minute concert made in Dublin, Ireland. Gladys is fabulous, as usual, and sang more than any of the other performers. Gladys sings in and out of the show without any effort but still giving you her all with her voice. I couldn’t find it listed at amazon.com, but someone on a bulletin board wrote that he found a copy from Brazil on ebay. I plan to keep looking for this one.

April 13, 2002: Gladys Knight has been confirmed as part of the first round of performers for the tenth annual Carnegie Hall benefit for the Rainforest Foundation. The concert is part of the weeklong Rainforest Awareness Week, which also includes Central Park Run for the Rainforest and a benefit at a SoHo art gallery. The Rainforest Foundation was started by Sting, his wife Trudi Styler and Menkragnoti Kayaop Chief Ranoi in 1989 in an effort to protect the world's diminishing rainforests.

May 5, 2002: Gladys Knight appeared in a segment on the CBS Sunday News The interview showed footage of Gladys' new Las Vegas show. The show is doing so well that her contract has been extended for another four years.

July 30, 2002: Motown will release a collection titled "A Cellarful of Motown" featuring 40 tracks from the 1960s. Nearly all were recorded in "The Snakepit," a basement studio at Hitsville U.S.A. Twenty of the tracks are songs that were only ever heard by their creators. Among the songs are ones by The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and The Pips, The Marvelettes, the Isley Brothers and Martha and the Vandellas. The collection has been released in Britain (review) and one of the songs, "Baby A Go-Go" by Barbara McNair, is an underground hit.

Page Created 06-19-2003 at geocities.com; updated 06-19-2003; transferred to blogger.com 08/09/2009

Announcing my daughter's birth

2002-10-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

Date: Thursday, October 3, 2002
Time: 9:30 PM
Location: Portland, Oregon
Weight: 9 lbs, 7.9 oz.
Length: 21 1/4 inches

I was six days overdue when I finally started having real labor contractions at 2 AM on Thursday morning. My daughter was born 19 hours later. Everything went very well except for my rather dramatic tear. We came home on Saturday, October 5, and we were very happy to have so much family come to visit and help out.

Page created 27 Oct 2005.

My Tayva Patch Fan Page

2002-09-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

Tayva Patch is originally from Arizona. She now lives in Provo, Utah with her husband, Brian, and her son, Richard who has returned from serving a mission for The Church and is studying at UVSC. Tayva and Brian have four children and one granddaughter.

Fall 2002: Tayva Patch appears in "Out of Step," the fictional story of "Jenny Thomas," a Mormon girl from a small town in Utah pursuing her dream of becoming a professional dancer. Against her mother's will (Tayva Patch), but with the support of her father (Rick Macy), she leaves home after being accepted to a prestigious dance program and heads to New York. Jenny finds herself alone and overwhelmed. The film combines high-energy dance and cutting edge music with comedy, romance, drama, a traditional quest and very untraditional characters. Tayva Patch and Rick Macy have previously starred together (although never before playing husband and wife) in Blair Treu's "Secret Keeper", Dutcher's "Brigham City)" and Merrill's "Testaments."

September 5, 2002: Tayva opens "Prisoner of Second Avenue" at Provo Theater Company.

August 23, 2002: Blair Treu’s film: “Secret Keeper” (aka “Little Secrets”) opens nationwide. This film debuted at the Heartland Film Festival and won the Crystal Heart Award in October 2001. Tayva Patch appears as Elaine.

July 26, 2002: Tayva became a grandmother again! Congratulations to the whole family!

April 30, 2002: Brigham City is released on DVD. Buy yours now. Brigham City is the story of a sheriff in a small Utah community searching for a serial killer. Tayva Patch appears as Meredith Cole, the FBI agent from Manhattan.

November 29, 2001: Tayva Patch appeared in “4:53” a 17-minute dramatic film by Martin Patch which debuted at the First International Young LDS Film Festival in Provo, Utah. “4:53” is the story of Tom Sorto, a top-notch but work-weary journalist whose overdue leave of absence is threatened by a work obligation. He overcomes independence to meet the obligation and restore passion to his life. April 6, 2001: Richard Dutcher’s Brigham City debuts. Brigham City is the story of a sheriff in a small Utah community searching for a serial killer. Tayva Patch appeared as Meredith Cole, the FBI agent from Manhattan.

January 16, 2001: Tayva Patch’s infant grandson, Jacob Leaver, died in St. Louis, Missouri.

May 2000: Tayva's car was featured as the car of the month in the CR-V Information Exchange

April 14, 2000: Tayva appeared as Susy, the leading role of the Provo Theatre Company's production of Wait Until Dark. Play ended May 13, 2000.

March 24, 2000: Keith Merrill’s The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd debuted in the Legacy Theatre in the at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake City. Tayva Patch appears as Mary Magdelene.

February 27, 2000: Tayva appeared as Detective Jane Fleming in the miniseries "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town." Based on Lawrence Schiller's best seller about the still-unsolved murder of 6-year-old child model JonBenet Ramsey.

2000: Tayva Patch appeared as “Mom” in “Happy Go Lucky.” "Happy Go Lucky" is a short comedy film made by Aaron Ruell while a film student at Brigham Young University. "Happy Go Lucky" can currently be viewed online in QuickTime format. Click here. . January 22, 1999: Tayva appeared as Alice Moore in a production of A Man For All Seasons at Brigham Young University's Margetts Arena Theatre.

1998: Tayva appeared in the made for TV movie Not Before He Wakes about an apparently devouted wife and mother who "accidently" shoots her husband dead one night.

September 28, 1997: Tayva appeared as the head nurse in episode 401 of Touched By an Angel

October 10, 1997: Tayva appeared in the PBS production of Trail of Hope: The Story of the Mormon Trail.

1997: Tayva appeared as Joan in Not in This Town starring Kathy Baker. This movie is the riviting account, based on the true story of one woman's resistance to neo-Nazi forces in Billings, Montana during 1993.

1996: Tayva appeared in the TV movie: Unabomber: A True Story.

1996: Tayva Patch starred in The Touch an LDS Motion Picture Studio student film grant project. The film relates the New Testament story of a woman who is healed when she touches the hem of Christ’s robe. It won nine awards at Final Cut that year. It also won an honorable mention at the Smokey Mountain Nanatahala Film Festival in North Carolina and the Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana and a Golden Eagle at the CINE competition.

This page was created 04-23-2001 All the links were checked 05-17-2002 The page was updated 09-27-2002

Gladys Knight 2001

2001-12-31T19:31:00.000-08:00

February 2001: Knight released her latest album, At Last and is touring with the Broadway revue Smokey Joe's Café.

April 12, 2001: Gladys Knight is a newlywed. MCA Records, her record label, announced that Knight, 56, married corporate consultant William McDowell. Her son Shanga gave her away in a seaside ceremony attended by 80 relatives and friends. Knight and McDowell met about 10 years ago but didn't date until January. Click here for more infor.

June 2001: Gladys Knight is listed at number 18 in VH1's "100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll

June 2001: Gladys Knight speaks at the commencement exercises at the University of San Diego.

August 27, 2001: As fans across the country mourn the loss of rising music and film star Aaliyah, her aunt, Gladys Knight, issued the following statement: "I remember the day Aaliyah was born ... it was a great, beautiful day. I was married to her uncle, Barry Hankerson, and sheimmediately became a special part of my life, and I became Auntie Gladys to that wonderful little girl. I watched her grow up,and, with the rest of the world, saw her achieve success with her very special and unique talents. From an early age, I knew she had enormous talents, an intrinsic gift. When she first performed with me in Las Vegas, she was still quite young, but she already had it -- that spark the world would later see and fall in love with. She had a refreshing outlook for one so young, with true respect for her art and for her elders. She brought joy to my heart, and I felt blessed to encourage and support her professionally and personally as she strove for each new goal. Her star had just begun to shine so brightly. Though she was ours for only a short time, what a time it was. I love Aaliyah, and I will miss her for the rest of my life."

September 10, 2001: Gladys Knight sang during the Saturday night performance of the concert celebrating Michael Jackson's 30th anniversay as a solo artists. The concert coincided with the realease of his new album Invincible. It was held at Madison Square Gardens in New York City on September 7 and 10. More than 30 other artists appeared. The entire event was filmed for a two-hour, prime-time special that will air on CBS. Tickets for both performances went on sale on July 26 through the Madison Square Garden Box Office and Ticketmaster. Ticket prices ranged from $45 to $500 per seat.

September 13, 2001: The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum in Sharon, Pa., announced the 2001 inductees from the 1940s, '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s, many of whom will be on hand for a special concert, which will air as a PBS fundraising special. The groups included Gladys Knight & The Pips who will received the Harmony Award, which stands for outstanding contributions to the world of vocal group music. The ceremony took place at the Hall of Fame on Sept. 13, followed by the concert.

September 20, 2001: The Web Master finally had the opportunity to see Gladys Knight live in concert for the first time. Gladys Knight appeared with a seven-piece band, Bubba Knight and Vince Preister at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. It was a great show. Gladys is a classy performer. The Emerald Queen should get themselves a more experience sound man. Bubba was hilarious. He was haveing so much fun. Vince Preister is an up and coming your saxaphone player. His music was beautiful Read this review of a similar conert in London Ontario.

October 11, 2001: Gladys Knight appeared in episode 5 of Say it Loud: A Celebration of Black Music in America. Episode 5 was titled: "Express Yourself," and it premiered on October 11. "Because of our experiences, we have to be so careful about what we sing, how we perform, what we wear, what we say,'' said Gladys Knight.

October 14, 2001: VH1 presented an episode of Behind the Music profiling Aaliyah and featuring interviews with Gladys Knight and others.

October 16, 2001: Gladys Knight will be featured on a new six-CD boxed set. Most of the biggest names in R&B music from the '70s are featured on Can You Dig It?The '70s Soul Experience, a six-CD boxed set, scheduled to be released October 16 on Rhino Records. Out of the 136 songs in the collection, 65 reached Number One on the R&B and/or pop charts, including picks from Gladys Knight & the Pips. Additionally, the music package has been fashioned after an 8-track cassette case, and includes extensive liner notes addressing the era's musical and political climate, plus an 80-word glossary of '70s slang words. The suggested retail price for the set is $99.98.

Saturday, December 29, 2001: Gladys Knight will appear with special guest star Mark Curry at Bally's in Las Vegas.

Page Created 2001 at geocities.com; updated 12/26/2001; transferred to blogger.com 08/09/2009

Eldridge Greaves

2001-10-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

Brother Elridge Greaves of Cornwall, Ontario was the first African-Canadian to receive the priesthood. Reg, as his friends call him, joined the Church with the knowledge that he would be unable to hold the priesthood, but he was a man of great faith and remains an inspiration to the members of the Cornwall Ward, where he resides.

submitted by Brother B. Cornwall, Ontario, 10/16/2001

My pet ferret Natasha

2001-09-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

Natasha is a ferret

Natasha is a really cute ferret we bought at a pet store. She is lovable and sweet, and she prefers to be running, except when she's asleep. She is named Natahsa, because we thought that well with her littermate, Boris. She has two very dark, round eyes and a cute, furry tail.

Natasha lives in Oregon, in an apartment with us. She is very quiet and likes to scurry about at top speed and hide in the kitchen cabinets. Her active nature keeps us entertained, especially when we look for her.

Natasha likes to hide in the furniture and steal things left on the floor. She doesn't answers to her name, but we love her just the same.

Dislikes:

being cooped up
being closed in
being bathed
being wet

Likes:

to find places to hide
to explore the apartment
to run full speed
to steal guests wallets

2001 World Music Awards

2001-05-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

For the life of me, I don't know why His Serene Highness, Prince Albert doesn't commission somebody to do a web page for his totally cool annual awards ceremony. It is by far my favorite of all the many award shows. Where else can you see anyone sing in Italian? The two-hour show was broadcast on ABC 05/28/2001. The show only has the chance to feature of few of the winners: Here they are.

World's Best Selling Male Latin Artist: Marc Antony, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Luis Miguel
World's Best Selling New Female Pop Artist: Anastasia
World's Best Selling New Rap Artist: Lil Bow Wow, Nelly, Lil Kim
World's Best Selling Pop Group: Back Street Boys, Destiny's Child, N'Sync, Dixie Chicks
Best Selling African Artist: Yannick
Best Selling Italian Artist: Eros Ramuazotti
Best Selling Russian Artist: Alsou
World's Best Selling Female Latin Artist: Gloria Estefan, Christina Aguilera, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez
World's Best Selling Femal Pop Artist: Christan Aguilera, Britney Spears, Faith Hill, Madonna
Best Selling Belgian Artist: Lara Fabian
Best Selling Female British Artist: Sonic Youth
Best Selling British Group: The Beatles
Best Selling Scandinavian Artist: Aqua
World's Best Selling Male Pop Artist: Sting, Ricky Martin, Moby, Enrique Iglesias
World's Best Selling Dance Artist: Ricky Martin
Best Selling Irish Artist: Enya
World's Best Selling New Age Artist: Enya
World's Best Selling R&B Male Artist: R. Kelly, Craig David, Sisqo, Brian McKnight
World's Best Selling Rock Group: Creed, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Santana, U2
World's Best Selling Latin Group: Santana
Best Selling Swiss Artist: Gola
Best Selling German Artist: Peter Maffey
Best Selling French Solo Artist: Helene Segara
Best Selling Arab Artist: Cheb Mami Diamond World Music Award: Rod Stewart
World's Best Selling Rap Artist: Eminem

Page Created 05/29/2001 Updated 07/23/2002

My pet ferret Alex

2001-05-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Alex is a really cute ferret I bought in Provo when I was passing through for my sister's wedding in Manti. Alex is 4 years old and very moody. She is queen of her castle. Alex is a girl, and she prefers to be alone, except when she's with me.

Her name, Alex, is short for Alexandra. She has two very round eyes and a furry tail. Alex lives in Tigard, in an apartment with me. She is very quiet and likes to lurk around in dark shadows. Her mysterious nature keeps us entertained, especially when we look for her.

Alex likes to hide under my bed and follow me around. She does not answers to her name.

Dislikes:

her new roommates
bathing

Likes:

to find places to hide
climbing in the shower
exploring the apartment
tunneling
chocolate

Page Created May 2001; Updated 03-26-2002

Music Legend Gladys Knight Weds William McDowell

2001-04-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

excite news
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 24 - PRNewswire Interactive News Release

MCA Records recording artist Gladys Knight was wed to Mr. William McDowell on April 12 at 5pm at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California. The intimate ceremony was attended by eighty family members and close friends, all of whom donned white or cream-colored clothing for the seaside nuptials. Gladys' son Shanga gave her away, and the couple recited special vows they had each written. The ceremony was followed by a reception where the menu included Caesar salad, rack of lamb, sea bass, and apple tarts with caramel ice cream, as well as traditional wedding cake and a sparkling cider toast to the bride and groom.

Gladys and William first met about 10 years ago at La Costa, one of Gladys' favorite spa/resorts (located near San Diego, California). They went to a 4th of July party, and became fast friends, keeping in touch over the years. In January of this year, Gladys and several girlfriends met at La Costa to plan a friend's wedding, and Gladys saw William again. William asked Gladys to join him for a movie, and they had a great time. He then asked her on a second date, and they went to a beautiful private beach, where they gazed at the stars and talked about life. Since then, the couple has been inseparable, and they vowed to remain chaste before their marriage.

Because Gladys is touring throughout the summer with the Broadway revue "Smokey Joe's Cafe," the couple decided to get married on April 12, a rare day off for Gladys, rather than waiting until the tour's conclusion in September. This wedding date also allowed the family's many children to attend the ceremony, as they were out of school for spring break and Easter weekend.

Gladys and William haven't yet celebrated with a proper honeymoon. After the ceremony, the family returned to Las Vegas (Gladys' "hometown"), where they celebrated Easter with the family traditions of an egg hunt for Gladys' 11 grandchildren and a big family dinner. Since the wedding, Gladys and William have spent cherished moments together, between Gladys' "Smokey Joe's Cafe" performances.

William McDowell is vice president of the Harris Group, a corporate consulting firm based in San Diego, California. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, McDowell is a graduate of the Geological Institute of America.

"At Last," Gladys Knight's first mainstream pop/R&B album in six years, was released to critical acclaim in February.

Gladys Knight 1994-2003

2001-04-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

On August 29, 1995 Gladys Knight married Les Brown. He encouraged her to speak publically and write a book.

In 1996 Gladys Knight performed again at Madison Square Garden where she had performed a the age of eight and won the Ted Mack championship. It was filled to capacity, and they gave her a standing ovation. She collaborated with Chaka Khan, Brandy and Tamia on the hit "Missing You," taken from the Queen Latifah movie Set It Off. Gladys Knight and The Pips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gladys Knight appeared in an episode of the Jamie Foxx Show.

In 1997, just before the publication of her autobiography, Between Each Line of Pain and Glory, Les Brown was diagnosed with prostate cancer and divorced Gladys Knight.

August 11,1997: Gladys Knight embraced membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by being baptized. She also released her first inspirational album Many Different Roads.

In 1998 Gladys Knight celebrated her fiftieth year as a performer. She appeared in an episode of The Roseanne Show. Gladys' son Shanga graduated from the University of San Diego and opened a restaurant in Atlanta called Gladys Knight and Ron Winan's Chicken and Waffles.

In 1999, Gladys Knight appeared on broadway in Smokey Joe's Cafe. In the spring, she was a presenter at the annual Women's Conference sponsored by Brigham Young University and the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Click here to read her address. June 12, 1999: James "Jimmy" Newman, Gladys Knight's eldest child and manager died at his home in Las Vega, Nevada at the age of 36. He left behind his wife Michelene and four children: Richawn, Nastasia, Sterling and Stephan. Obituary 1, 2. On November 8, 1999, Gladys Knight appeard with Al Green in an episode of Ally McBeal. In 2001, Knight released her first pop album in six years, At Last. She appeared on the television game show: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?! to help raise money for diabetes. She also toured with the Broadway revue Smokey Joe's Cafe. April 12, 2001: Gladys Knight married corporate consultant William McDowell. Her son Shanga gave her away in a seaside ceremony attended by 80 relatives and friends. Knight and McDowell met about 10 years ago but didn't date until January.

Sister Gladys' Testimony Reflects New Acceptance

2001-03-01T23:51:00.000-08:00

by John R. Goodie Special for the
Arizona Republic March 1, 2001

I'm leaving, on a midnight plane to Mesa, leaving on a midnight plane to Mesa, woo, woo. Those were the words of the famous Gladys Knight as she left Las Vegas airport around midnight Saturday on her way to Mesa, Arizona. Yes, you heard me right.

For those of you who need a little schooling, I'm talking about Gladys Knight of Gladys Knight and the Pips, who has more gold records than most of us have dishes. Her song Midnight Train to Georgia still hits radio waves throughout America. I know many of you are wondering, wow, how did we miss her? Was she at AWA, BOB or Desert Sky Pavilion? What were the ticket prices, $25, $30? I will set your mind at ease.

Gladys Knight didn't appear in any fancy arena. And admission was free. Fashion statements didn't call for Jones of New York, Liz Claiborne, Gucci or Georgio Armani; instead shirt and tie for the men and plain Sunday best for the women. You see, Gladys Knight was on a mission call in Mesa for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She became a Mormon on Aug. 11, 1997, and was here giving a moving testimony on how she and her daughter, through her son, converted to the LDS Church.

I can hear many of you now, thinking that the LDS Church plans on using Gladys Knight as a tool to draw African-Americans to the church. Well you're right and you're wrong. Gladys went on record stating that she is blessed to be that tool to reach out to people of all races because she believes the church to be the true church.

Tool or no tool, true church or not, that's neither here nor there in this column. But the Mesa Pueblo Stake Center had more African-Americans under its roof than ever before. I, along with my wife and my mother, who flew in from Houston for the occasion, were moved many times during her testimony.

I kid you not. I consider myself a tough guy, rough around the edges. Tears were trickling from my eyes and at first I felt embarrassed. Then I didn't care as tears flowed. As a Catholic, I've been to Catholic churches on many of Sundays and have never felt the spirit or experienced the fullness of the heart that caused my emotions to overflow in front of my wife and mother.

Gladys spoke about her son, Jimmy, who led her and her daughter to the church. She noted that it wasn't until 1978 that African-American men could receive the honor of priesthood. Jimmy became a priest two years ago.

However, last year she lost Jimmy. She remembers how happy Jimmy was before he died because he was able to baptize his son. She has comfort because she knows she'll see her son again.

Sister Gladys Knight brought many people together on Sunday, and for many it was the first time they've ever set foot in a Mormon church. She sang four beautiful songs, her voice still strong and captivating as ever.

I would like to speak for my family, myself and all the visitors who felt genuinely welcomed and loved and who felt the spirit that was alive at the Pueblo Stake Center for "An Evening with Gladys Night and Family."

Some things will never be forgotten. Thank you.

John R. Goodie is head of security at Mesa High School and the 1998 recipient of the National Education Association's Human and Civil Rights Award. The views expressed are those of the author.

My pet ferret Boris

2001-01-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

Boris is a really cute fellow I found at my local pet store. We brought him home 01/10/2001. He was probably about eight weeks old. He is lovable and sweet and belongs to me and my husband, Mike.

Boris is growing large very quickly. He is named Boris, because he has an underbite which makes him look very menacing. He has two very round, dayk eyes and a furry tail. Boris lives in Tigard, in an apartment with me. He is very quiet and likes to scurry about from one piece of furniture to another. His activity keeps us entertained, especially when we look for him.

He likes to hide under my bed and follow me around. He answers to no name, but will come if I have choolate syrup on my fingers.

Dislikes:

going back into his pent house.
being kept from bullying the other ferrets.

Likes:

to find places to hide
exploring the apartment
bullying the other ferrets

Tribute to my grandmother Betty Ford

2000-12-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

12/03/2000
To: Suzanna, Erin, Anna and Gabrielle

Today, Dec. 3, 2000, at approximately 4:00 PM, Betty Elaine Baumberger Ford, passed away in a nursing home in Atlanta Georgia with Arlene Ford by her side. She had suffered a severe systemic staph infection and spent a month in hospital, finally being released last Monday into a nursing care facility. She had been in great pain during most of that time until 3 days before her death when doctors finally prescribed medication which brought some relief. She knew that Jeff and Arlene were near and helping her as much as they could. She also knew that she was loved. Her wishes that she be cremated will be carried out without any service or viewing at this time. Her ashes will be kept for possible future as yet undetermined memortial service and disbursement. I love her and I am thankful that her suffering is over.

Her second daughter, Dianna

12/04/2000

Jeff,

I got your phone message this evening. Thank you for the call. I knew what it was going to be when I saw your number on the Caller ID. I assume that in the condition that Mother was in, living didn't have much more to offer. Perhaps she is better off now. Even so, I feel terribly alone without parents. I sincerely thank you and Arlene for talking care of Mother for the last 25 years and especially this last year. What were her last wishes?

Brian

12/05/2000

Brian,

Mother had a very difficult last month and it is a blessing at this time that her suffering is now over. Over her last four days she was given morphine to reduce her discomfort and at the time of her passing she did not show any signs of pain. For that I am greatful.

Concerning her wishes, mother never wanted any fuss to be made. She was always frugal in her conduct and never wanted to be a bother or burden to her family.

She explicitly stated that she did not want a religious ceremony. The only time that I was able to get any specific wish related to the handling of her remains was on a visit I made years ago when Arlene and I were still in Chicago. I took her to a restuarant in Santa Barbara, on top of a hill overlooking the bay on a typically beautiful California day. She told me that she would like to have her ashes spread in the Pacific Ocean off the Santa Barbara pier. Our mother loved California and Santa Barbara was a beautiful and majestic place that symbolized that special quality that California represented to her. Years later she said that it really did not matter that much to her what happened to her remains. However, I believe that it did matter to her and my intention is to do exactly what she had requested. It is my way of honoring her and to express my unconditional love for her.

I do not yet have a specific time frame to carry out her wish and I do not feel rushed to make a quick decision in this regard. These details can be worked out over time and anyone that wishes to participate can let me know and I will try to make accommodations. I intend on writing a eulogy for mother which I can read before the spreading of the ashes. Anyone that wishes to write some sentiments they want expressed at that time can either participate directly or I will be happy to read those sentiments on their behalf.

We all owe a great deal of gratitude to Arlene. The care and kindness that she showed mother over the 35 years she has known her has been remarkable. But even that pales in comparison to her recent devotion. Arlene worked extremely hard to help relocate mother to be close to us in Atlanta as her health made it impossible for her to continue to live independently. Once in Atlanta, Arlene spent countless hours four and five days a week to help mother make the adjustment. Once mother became hospitalized on November 2, Arlene was at the hospital almost every day for hours at a time to try and provide comfort to her. In the 30 or so days that followed the hospitalization, Arlene maybe missed 3 or 4 days, and only when I was able to spend time with mother on the weekends. Our mother loved Arlene dearly and rightfully so. Arlene was with mother when she took her last breath and made sure that the last thing that mother heard was that we loved her. Arlene is the one who deserves the thanks. You can thank me for marrying Arlene.

Love,
Jeff

Siblings,

Tomorrow morning Arlene and I fly to LA to meet up with Joel and Corey. On Sunday (07/01/2001) we will have a brief ceremony on a charter boat and spread mother's ashes in the Pacific ocean. I put together a eulogy and we will be reciting a few poems. I will carry your love for mother on the boat with me. (along with some dramamine tablets, because both Corey and I are notorious for needing them) I've attached the eulogy and poems that we will be using. If you are thinking about it around 12:30pm on Sunday PST, you can join in as well.
Love,
Jeff

Betty Baumberger Ford
Born: April 2, 1920
Died: December 3, 2000

Today, July 1st 2001, we have returned to California to commemorate the life of Betty Baumberger Ford, and to spread her ashes off the coast of Santa Barbara. It is always difficult to summarize a life, we each carry different memories and experiences. Today I wish to honor my mother as I remember her. My beloved wife, Arlene, and our two wonderful sons, Joel and Corey, are with me to pay tribute to her and to fulfill my commitment to return her spirit and remains to the place she loved the best.

My mother loved California, the golden sunshine, the cool ocean breezes, a quality of life that begged for independence and freedom. We had lived in California earlier in the late 1950's when I was growing up. It was one of the happier periods in my mother's life with our family still intact. By the early 1960's we had moved away. But in 1984, when she lived near my own young family in Atlanta, I told her I was being transferred to California and that I would move her as well so she could continue to live close to us. It was a joyous day for my mother. ...and now, and forever, she returns again to California.

Born in St. Louis, raised in San Antonio, abandoned by her father, Charlie, before she was 5 years old, and despite being struck by lightning when she was 6, my mother had a happy childhood. She learned to play the piano and was musically talented. She and her younger sister, Sweety, sang and danced together as children, performing at functions all over town.

In high school the two sisters enjoyed the popularity that you might expect two attractive, talented young women might have. It was a happy time, before responsibilities got too heavy, when you could enjoy the vitality and physical joy of youth, when all the parts still worked, when movement was fluid and effortless, when you could almost fly like a bird.

She fell in love with my father right after high school, became a military wife, and during the war years, while my father was serving and defending our country, she began the work of raising the family. Being a military wife meant moving every couple of years, leaving close friends and beginning anew. It meant being separated for long periods of time from the husband you loved. It meant most of the burden of child rearing came to rest on her shoulders. Certainly not an easy time. But my mother was fiercely loyal to her children and protected and nurtured us in the best way that she could.

Unfortunately, she developed a drinking problem during this period that became a major disruptive force within our family. The day before she died, she told me she wished that she could have controlled it, and she tried to express her regret for the pain that she knew she had caused. I told her I understood, that I forgave her, and that I loved her.

I came along on her 30th birthday and we shared a special relationship because of this bond. We were more alike then not. I got my determination to succeed and competitive nature from my mother, I got my high aspirations from my mother, and I also got my temper from my mother. We inherit both the good and the bad. We are linked with our past, and I understood my mother because I am a reflection of her.

She loved sports and encouraged me to excel. She demanded the best from me and supported me with an outward enthusiasm that, at times, was embarrassing to me, as her shouting voice rose above the crowd cheering me on in my athletic endeavors.

Once I left home, being the youngest, my father divorced my mother after years of periodic separations and a new phase of our relationship began. As I started my own family, my mother became a grandmother to my boys when we moved her to Atlanta to be close to us. She was a terrific grandmother and took care of the boys as our permanent baby sitter. She loved our boys and demonstrated a side of her parenting that, although I benefited from it myself as a child, I could not recognize until I had a different vantage point.

Joel and Corey were a source of great pride for my mother. She enjoyed helping to raise them and marveled at the fine young men they became. I am grateful that she got to see both of them one last time over Thanksgiving, one week before she died. It was further proof of her life's contributions. I wish her other grandchildren could have known her on that same level.

When she moved to Atlanta 24 years ago, she also started on the road to conquer her drinking problem and finally succeeded. Her drinking problem masked many of her wonderful traits and blinded those around her to the positive qualities she possessed. When her mother, Muddy, passed away, Hobart, her step-father, established a trust fund for my mother. Because of my mother's drinking problem, Hobart did not trust her to handle money matters. He locked up the trust fund monies so tightly that she never really benefited much from the inheritance. Yet, for the last 30 years of her life, she managed her own finances in such a way that she was able to live on a bare subsistence income. She learned to do without. Her only luxury was a TV.

Besides her declining health, my mother's single most challenging assignment was how to make the money last. She did a remarkable job. Hobart would have been amazed at the job that she did. Before she died, I told her how proud I was of her accomplishment. I think this gave her some relief in her final days of pain as she reflected back on her life. She knew she had done well with her money situation and that she had not become a burden to her children.

When I moved my family from California to Chicago in 1989, I again offered to move her with us. She decided that she would remain in California instead since the climate in Chicago would be too harsh for her arthritis. Plus, she loved California and really never wanted to leave.

She spent 11 years in California, living alone, with no family nearby to care for her. It was her choice. It was her way of saying that she could take care of herself, that she was going to remain independent as long as she could. Her arthritis condition degenerated dramatically over that 11 year period and caused her great pain and discomfort. Her hands became virtually useless and her ability to walk severely limited. She could no longer cook for herself or go to the store on a regular basis. She had to subscribe to a meal service which delivered her almost the exact same meal every day for years. She could not afford a better service. But she did not complain or ask for help. She gritted her teeth, the few she had left, and made the best of her situation.

Always independent and filled with courage and defiance, my mother did not choose to be alone without a companion in her later life, but she adapted to it. Her greatest fear was in becoming a burden to her children. In her last ten years, she complained much too infrequently when she really needed help with her physical ailments.

Arlene and I visited her in early 2000 and I was shocked at her deterioration. We made the decision to move her to Atlanta to be closer to us so that she could receive better care. Although I knew she never wanted to leave California, and that she never wanted to become a burden to us, she also was desperate for assistance and consented to the move. The move itself was difficult. Arlene was magnificent in making this transition as painless as possible. My mother loved and respected Arlene for her kindness and kept claiming that Arlene was "the smartest woman I have ever met." Of course, I kept reminding my mother that being married to the smartest woman has got to qualify me for being the smartest man.

We tried hard to improve her condition and make her as comfortable as possible. We had made good progress and I was hopeful we would have a few more years together and we could bring her some happiness. Arlene saw her almost daily and I spent time with her on the weekends. She jealously watched her tennis, one of her last passions, and disciplined herself everyday to make it through yet another crossword puzzle to keep her mind alert. She registered to vote, determined to once again support the Democratic party and made sure she got her ballot mailed in time.

Then she developed an infection that her body could not fight off and we had to put her into the hospital. Five painful weeks later, she was gone. She was courageous during the whole period, but eventually desperate to stop the suffering.

She lived her life with dignity and courage. She handled her daily pain with true grit and determination. I admire her and respect her for that. And for being my mother, well for that, I love her unconditionally.

She is now free at last, free from the arthritic pain, free from the crippling movement of deformed joints, free from the worry of financial constraints. At the end of her journey with us she knew she was loved, she knew she was forgiven, and she did not die alone.

Today, we release her spirit back to her golden California, where she can bask in the sun and feel that cool ocean breeze, where she can sing and dance once again,

...where she can fly like a bird.

God Saw Her

God saw that she was getting tired,
And a cure was not to be.
So he put His arms around her
And whispered, "Come with me."
With tearful eyes we watched her suffer,
And saw her fade away.
She didn't deserve what she went through,
So we could not make her stay.
And when we saw her sleeping,
At peace and free from pain,
We could not wish her back
For her to suffer that again.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Her twisted hands at rest,
One last sigh she gave us all
She gave to us her best.

On Death

Speak to us now of death.
And he said:
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death,
Open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one,
Even as the river and the sea are one.

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the world and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing,
But to free the breath from its restless tides,
That it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence,
Shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top,
Then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs,
Then shall you truly dance.

Kahil Gibran

Some Time At Eve

Some time at eve when the tide is low,
I shall slip my mooring and sail away,
With no response to the friendly hail
Of kindred craft in the busy bay.
In the silent hush of the twilight pale,
When the night stoops down to embrace the day,
And the voices call in the waters' flow--
Some time at eve when the tide is low
I shall slip my mooring and sail away.

A few who have watched me sail away
Will miss my craft from the busy bay;
Some friendly barks that were anchored near,
Some loving souls that my heart held dear,
In silent sorrow will drop a tear--

But I shall have peacefully furled my sail
In moorings sheltered from storm or gale,
And greeted the friends who have sailed before
O'er the Unknown Sea to the Unseen Shore.

Elizabeth Clarke Hardy

Windward Passage

Beating against mediocrity,
always pointing high.

Sunshine warmth atop golden swells

Loving Breezes passing through

Flowing winds soaring fluid Wings

Flying Floating Dancing Free

Singing sweetly eternally,
memories anchored leeward key.

(in memory of Betty Baumberger Ford
written by her son Jeff)

Page first published by Erin Howarth at geocities.com 21 Oct 2001
Re-published by Erin Howarth @ blogger.com 24 July 2009

Orson Scott Card on blacks and the priesthood

2000-05-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Orson Scott Card is a Latter-day Saint and a science fiction author. I love his books. He maintains a website for his fans. Part of that website offers answers to research questions regarding his work and himself. One person asked If he could describe his experience when he was a missionary for the Mormon Church in Brazil?

Of course this was far too broad a question to answer, but Card promised to try to answer more specific questions, so I asked if he could describe the instructions he received from his mission president regarding the teaching of black people in Brazil because I knew that different missionaries received different instructions at different times.

My father-in-law, for example, received no instruction at all and actively proselyted among Brazilians of African descent.
Here is Orson Scott Card's response

May 12, 2000: Because Mormon congregations are completely staffed by lay members - no hired priesthood - they need to have at least a minimal number of priesthood-holding men in order to function. In Brazil, so many people have African descent that the rule the Church had before 1978, barring the priesthood from them, made it so that out of necessity, the Church had to restrict its missionary activity among people of African ancestry. We were told to put obvious barriers in front of people whose African ancestry was apparent, so they had to be exceptionally motivated in order to join the church.

This was a painful thing, in practice. So many people that were really interested in the Church were, in effect, turned away - not meanly, but nevertheless effectively - that many of us yearned for that restriction to be lifted. Most of us, of course, had grown up in the American west - an area that has very few blacks. So we had not seen the effect of this policy in our own lives, among our friends or acquaintances. Now that we saw first-hand how much more receptive the Brazilians of African descent were to the gospel, it was hard to think they in any way "deserved" to be cut off from it. Naturally, in order to "justify" the Church policy, many people had invented folk doctrines or seized on doctrines invented by others that, in effect, blamed blacks for the restriction. But in fact the policy had been introduced solely to preserve the Church in its early days on the American frontier, when, in Missouri, the local slave-holding culture hated and feared the mostly-Yankee Mormons because they were growing in number and represented potential anti-slavery votes. When it became clear that Mormons were baptizing and giving the priesthood to freed slaves, the anti-Mormon mob went into a frenzy. That was when the policy to no longer give the priesthood to blacks was introduced. And, during the era when blacks were grossly discriminated against throughout all of America, that policy helped the Mormon Church survive in bigoted Bible-belt areas. By 1973, however, the policy already seemed pretty dated to some of us. Though we also knew that change would only come when the leaders of the Church felt that they had the Lord's permission to make a change. Some of them had expressed their personal belief in some of those folk doctrines, making it seem sometimes that they would be highly unlikely ever to change.

And the worst thing was what the policy did to many of the missionaries there. It was like a carte blanche for racism. Some of the disparaging comments I heard, the hostile or mocking attitudes toward blacks, shocked me. I had never heard anything like that from my family. While I grew up hearing some of the fear-centered stereotypes about blacks, there was never anything even approaching hostility toward or mockery of any racial group, and I could not believe that people calling themselves Latter-day Saints could have such attitudes. I was not the only one to get into arguments with some of the most excessive of the racists - but it was hurtful how THEY claimed to have the Church on their side.

Still, I also saw many examples of faithful members of the Church who, having joined the church despite the restrictions, or having done their genealogy, discovered African ancestry, and had their priesthood "suspended," nevertheless remained loyal, faithful, loving Latter-day Saints. They helped dispel much of my own ignorance and racial stereotypes.

And when, five years after I got home from my mission, the announcement came that the restriction was lifted, I was one of many former missionaries to Brazil who longed to go back and find all those people we had to turn away when they were seeking the gospel. Since 1978 the Church has grown by leaps and bounds within Brazil. Why did it take so long? I do not think for a moment that the Lord or the Church were waiting for Africans to be ready - they were ready all along. First the wait was for American culture to be ready to accept fully integrated churches in every region of the country; then the wait was for the Church members themselves to be ready to embrace the change. And embrace it we did. Yes, there were areas where substantial numbers of Church members stopped coming to church and haven't been back. But the vast majority of the Saints were ready and eager to see that restriction lifted from our shoulders - for it burdened us as surely as it burdened any of the African-Americans (and African-Brazilians) who joined the church despite the rule or missed out on it because they could not bear the inherent racism of the policy.

It was a racist policy that had been instituted by a non-racist church for the sake of the survival of the church in a racist region, and, like racism in America in general, it lingered far too long. But I'm proud of the fact that we Mormons don't do things by halves - we are now one of the most rigidly ANTI-racist Churches. Throughout the South where we live now, most churches are segregated, not by rule but by custom - blacks go to mostly-black churches, whites to mostly-white churches. But the Mormon churches are integrated and black members are fully involved in leadership and service.

I hope this answers your question. I'd love to know what prompted you to ask it.

Orson Scott Card

Links:
* The Casting Broad
* Fresco Pictures
* Hatrack River: The Official Website of Orson Scott Card
* Lost Books
* Nauvoo: A Gathering Place for Latter-day Saints
* The Ornery American

I was greateful to receive this reply from Card, and sent him a reply in return. I don't recall all of what I wrote, but he replied again.

May 13, 2000: I truly wish the issue WERE dead. As far as the official church is concerned, it is ... but several issues remain.

1. The previous folk teachings about race continue to be taught despite our best efforts to stamp them out - so many members still hear all that old nonsense about why blacks deserved inferior treatment in this life, etc.

2. Members who think that EVERY action of EVERY authority of the Church must be inspired by God are grossly disillusioned at the discovery that many if not most actions of church leaders from the lowest to the highest offices are merely those leaders best decisions at the time, based on their own understanding and their own preferences and judgments. when you think about it, this shouldn't be a problem - God isn't creating puppets here, he's creating people, and that means we have to have experience making decisions, even harmful ones - and also bearing with and being patient with the mistaken decisions of others. However, the story that everything is inspired, while it has the convenience of getting many people to accept decisions without argument, does the great harm of setting up the members of the church for disillusionment and loss of faith. The decision to restrict blacks from holding the priesthood was one such decision - it may have even been inspired at the time, but all the nonsense set up in support of it certainly was NOT inspired ...

3. The language with which the declaration was made left the implication that there is an unwritten revelation somewhere in someone's memory. Quite the contrary. what there was - all there EVER was - was President Kimball's profound assurance, given by God, that the restriction should be lifted. He spoke of this to the 12 in the temple, and all of them agreed, in a very spiritual meeting in which it was clear to all that this was the will of God. My wife can steer you to where the best account of this has been written down. So what was not given in words cannot be written down in words. Still, there could have and should have been an official account of how this revelation was given ... except that I think part of the reason for not doing so is that to have such an account in the scripture would lock in the fact that the racial restriction ever existed, and there is, I think, a profound wish among the Brethren that the memory of that old policy might just go away.

It won't, of course. But it can be set aside by most members and nonmembers alike, and perhaps, unlike polygamy, it will NOT continue to be one of the first things that people think of when they think of Mormonism <wince>.

Anyway, I'm glad that you're one of those who are not only concerned that the true doctrine be taught and widely understood, but are taking part in that effort. I'm looking forward to reading your paper - the table of contents looks good.

Best,
osc

I also received this kind response from Kristine Card

May 15, 2000: Hi, I'm Scott Card's wife, Kristine. He asked me to send you the reference to the place I think is one of the best accounts of the revelation on the priesthood. But, I'll bet you have already read it. If not -- it is Chapter 11 "The Long Promised Day" in Leonard J. Arrington's biography "Adventures of a Church Historian". The book was published in 1998 by University of Illinois Press. I know you can get it from Deseret Book or Amazon because my bookclub just read it and that's where everyone got their copies. Best wishes, Kristine Card

Erin Howarth

My eighth belt test

My Oscar Reviews 2010

Liberal Assassins

Tae Guek Oh Jang

Farmville Tips: Breeding Cattle & Horses

My Oscar Reviews 2009

My back injury

My seventh belt test (blue belt)

Dominic's black belt test

Tae Guek Sa Jang

Tae Guek Sam Jang

FarmVille Tips: Week 14

Farmville Tips: Week 13

Farmville Tips: Week Seven

My fifth belt test

Tae Guek Yi Jang

My Instructor's Masters Test

The Mother's Day Garden Box

Farmville Tips: Week Two

Farmville Tips: Week One

I did two hundred squats

My fourth belt test

My Oscar Picks

Tae Guek Il Jang

My third belt test

Forty Pounds Down!

My first six months of taekwondo

Thirty-five Pounds Down!

Thirty Pounds Down!

Biggest Loser, Lose It! & Hundred Pushups

My first month of taekwondo

Twenty-five Pounds Down!

Twenty Pounds Down!

Fifteen Pounds Down!

Ten Pounds Down!

Five Pounds Down!

LDS Cinema

Gladys Knight 2004-2005

Gladys Knight 2005

Announcing my son's birth

Decorating my son's nursery

My Power Wheels Project

Gladys Knight 2002

Announcing my daughter's birth

My Tayva Patch Fan Page

Gladys Knight 2001

Eldridge Greaves

My pet ferret Natasha

2001 World Music Awards

My pet ferret Alex

Music Legend Gladys Knight Weds William McDowell

Gladys Knight 1994-2003

Sister Gladys' Testimony Reflects New Acceptance

My pet ferret Boris

Tribute to my grandmother Betty Ford

Orson Scott Card on blacks and the priesthood