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Thursday, January 7, 2010
Monday, October 6, 2008
Great (Conference) Weekend
The recurring thought I had all weekend was, "How do these men (and women) come up with so many stories, so many examples, so many amazing talks?" Some general authorities are an absolute wellspring of insights, wisdom, and motivation. They are master teachers who shed light on topics I've heard and scriptures I've read thousands of times.
I am especially excited for the newer apostles, and some of the as-yet-to-me-unknown members of the seventy, for their "Fresh" takes on topics such as prayer and faith.
I had three moments this weekend where I was absolutely blown away:
1) When listening to Pres Uchtdorf's masterful sermon on hope. This man is an absolute tour de force. I found myself in awe at his charisma, his eloquence, and the sheer power of his determinism and faith.
2) When listening to Elder Wirthlin's talk on adversity. Elder Wirthlin will always have a special place in my heart and solid standing as a "gentle giant." I've always been captivated by Elder Wirthlin's written words, but this conference he really connected to me through his spoken words. And once again Elder Holland spoke the thoughts of my heart when he bore tribute to Elder Wirthlin "Within the ranks of the General Authorities, there is no man more beloved than Joseph Bitner Wirthlin. We praise him for living the sermons that he preaches."
3) Listening to the choir's magnificent "Faith in Every Footstep." I don't know what it was about that hymn...it was so powerful and poignant. As much as it was the words, it was also the music itself that really caught me.
For me the big theme of the conference was, "As a people we know trial and hardship. We have faced it before, we may very well face it again, but with preparation, faith, and hope we can endure and we will endure. This life is about endurance and challenges -- but we are not alone."
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
What's in my Playlist Now
So contrary to what I've posted lately, I actually still do listen to music. I haven't gone and become Amish or anything (mennonite? zen buddhist?). I just haven't been sharing. So here's what's currently in my Rhapsody playlist. Oh how I love the All-You-Can-Eat music model:
Dr. Dog (Fate)
Big fan of this release. It's fun, catchy, poppy, slightly 60's retro. It's got that great AM radio sound like M. Ward, etc, but much more playful than the brooding genius. Favorite track is "Uncovering the Old", which was in the background during dinner the other day and got the whole family spontaneously dancing in our seats.
Assorted (Ping of Pong)
This is a great mix brought to you by BRR (and friends I believe)...great eclectic upbeat fun mix.
TV on the Radio (Dear Science)
Bluesy, hip-hoppy, electronica. Very smooth and danceable grooves. Catchy enough to be labeled 'Pop', smart enough to never be played on the actual radio.
Land of Talk (Some are Lakes)
Still trying this one out. It's an boy-girl indie-pop outfit (no surprise there)..they have a bit of an edge to themselves (the girl sounds a bit like the lead singer of Evanescence) but so far they prove to have a way with melody and instrumentation and wordplay.
Blind Pilot (3 Rounds and a Sound)
Great Portland band -- a 3-piece I believe that creates beautiful hushed melodies set to strumming guitars. Kind of like if Johnny Marr played with Iron and Wine ... well not as hushed as Iron and Wine but...
Brian Eno and David Byrne (Everything that Happens will Happen Today)
Just loaded this up and love every track that's popped up on random so far. These guys were just absolutely made for each other musically. Neither of them have sounded so strong in years. It's just what you'd expect: atmospheric, literate, both fresh and familiar, with a strong world-influenced rhythm section.
5AM Workout
A couple of months ago I was in my office and overheard one of the developers talking about his schedule:
"So I get to the gym at 5AM, have a good workout, am in my office by 6:30 then put in a standard 12-hour day."
Two things that jarred me with that one: 1) that he was AT the gym at 5:00 (I was still getting over the mental challenge of waking up at 5:45 -- the pre-6:00 hour), and 2) that he was totally ok with putting in a 12-hour day. He's a pretty successful developer (he's a Principal, and about the same age as me...) so it was very good for me to hear about his work ethic in such concrete terms. It reminded me of when I heard the schedule of one of my friends growing up who made partner at his law firm by age 30...he was at the office at 6:30 every day (AFTER going to the gym) and worked until 7pm every night.
So I'm joining the folks who work out at 5AM. Not because I want to be partner at a law firm or a principal at microsoft, but because I've been running pretty regularly at 5:45 every morning, and I'm not really seeing much in terms of results. And because it's starting to get cold at 5:45 and when I open the door it's completely black outside and especially on the rural roads around our neighborhood it feels pretty crazy to try to go and run in that stuff.
So I was at the gym this morning at 5:25 (hey I got UP at 5:00) and had the best workout I've had for 6 months. Getting up that early also meant I had to skip the Heroes premier last night (it was 2 hours long and we didn't get around to starting it until 10pm so we both decided it was just too late to start...). I'm glad about that. I've actually been dreading the fall TV season starting up again because of how much of a hold it takes on my evening schedules. I really like it so much better when I don't try to cram 2 hrs of tv in every night.
Here's to consistency...
JT
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Here's my new favorite song from the Portland duo Blind Pilot. Let me know if the Rhapsody link below works for you...
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard: "1. The Story I Heard - Blind Pilot"
Type your summary here
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Monday, September 15, 2008
Hulu Me
So we rediscovered Hulu (tried it a while ago when they didn't have enough content) and we're hooked. Mainly because we've started watching Arrested Development. Only two and a half episodes into it, and we're completely hooked. I mean laugh-out-loud, rewind and replay multiple times hooked. Each character is so multi-dimensionally wacky and grounded, and Jason Bateman as the glue that holds them all together is absolutely perfect.
Actually I'm glad we haven't watched this up until now...it's always fun to discover an absolute gem like this. There's nothing quite like curling up late at night with a laptop in the comfort of your own bed with a hilarious show to send you off into the night. Good stuff.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Why I Love Politics
Ok so there are many deeper, philosophical reasons why I love politics and I respect (most) politicians and I think our country actually is in really good hands despite the gloom and doom from both Left and Right, but here's a lighter reason. I love these guys...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Why I Hate Politics
I consider myself relatively informed. Well...maybe 70-80% informed. I think I'd get a solid B- on any quiz of current events or civics. I like to think about the issues, what they mean from a philosophical, religious, and practical perspective. I like to debate ideas and methodologies.
I just don't like dogmatic followers of one ideology or another. I think for me I've chosen which ideology I will be dogmatic about, and that's religion. Even though I have a very strong deep-seated belief in letting others worship "how where and what they may", when it comes to what I believe, I am pretty committed to it.
Which is where politics gets rough for me. In my world politics is something you should be able to talk about, debate about, even CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT. I don't like that politicians have to pick an ideology when they're 12 and never deviate from it for the rest of their lives.
At the same time it does bug me when politicians (and yes I'm talking about you Romney) seem to change their position more out of political expediency than enlightenment.
I really don't like it that I can't have a conversation with either a hard-left atheist or a hard-right conservative because both of them think I'm a wacko because of my religious beliefs.
I don't like that all the pundits make a living from turning our diverse, tapestric (it would be a good word, don't you think) nation into a binary "Red vs Blue" map.
That's enough for now. There are more things that bug me, things that if they weren't in place would make politics more accessible to the masses but also probably erode the base of people on both sides that raise all the money and get the machines going in the first place so they're probably necessary so I shouldn't complain because that's how it works anyway...whew. OK I'm done.
By the way I'm voting for Obama today.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
So Who'll it Be?
It's been a great three weeks of Hollywood-free TV, first with 2 amazing Michael Phelps-powered Olympic weeks, then with a great week of civic showmanship with the Democratic convention.
I find myself jumping back and forth with who I really relate to...(Glen Beck and Bill Maher equally make me fear for the future of the country...let's just hope the actual politicians never get as partisan as either of them) I am not a litmus-test kind of voter, just try to pick a stronger portfolio. So I always look forward to election season as a time to do some window shopping, take ideas for test drives, and see where I end up on election day. I found myself going back and forth until I actually walked into the voting booth in each of the last two elections. Probably will be the same with this one.
I'm intrigued with Palin as VP -- will be interesting to see how that one plays out. If the Republicans can put on a show half as polished, well-orchestrated, or moving as the dems (Ted Kennedy! Hillary! BILL! Al! Biden! Barack!) then it will be a great week of TV.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Summer Where are You?
As much as I love Seattle weather (no, really, I do love it! - it's so nice to be out all day long in July with the kids and not be totally heat-exhausted at 3pm or sweating all over everything you own. And it's so nice not to die of frostbite between the front door and your frozen solid car door...) man it seems like summer comes and goes so quickly here. It's all the way until June when you really feel comfortable wearing shorts 24/7, and it's now still AUGUST and it seems fall has already arrived.
The long long summer days are cool though. It's daylight from 5am until 10pm. Makes it really easy to go running at 5:30am...but this morning I walked out my door at 6am and the sun was still hiding behind the hills. Makes it a little tougher to roll out of bed when it's dark outside. When is daylight savings coming again? I'll gladly fall back to get that additional hour of light in the morning even if it means it gets dark at 4:30pm
Monday, January 28, 2008
Thank You President Hinckley
(Note: this is a work in progress that will be completed over the next week(s) as I remember) Some things President Hinckley taught me that will always stick with me:
• “Forget yourself and go to work.” I recalled this story often on my mission, and at many other times when I feel discouraged, overmatched, or down about myself. I always find that when I make myself busy, especially in productive or service-oriented things, I feel much better.
• “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” I always think of him as a small boy making money stretch and fixing holes in his socks. Especially when I’m throwing out old socks or DI’ing a bunch of my clothes. I wonder how wise of a steward I’m being and if I’m really “wearing it out.”
• The Family Proclamation
• The increase in temple building. Of the 8 temples I’ve attended in my life, 3 were created during President Hinckley’s time as prophet. When you consider that 4 are Utah temples, and 3 of those 4 were built in the 1800’s, it is even more significant how many more temples we have in the world today. I’ll always remember serving as an ordinance worker in the New York Temple, one that he prophesied would be given to us in his lifetime, and leading the prayer circle, always remembering to give thanks and ask for blessings for “our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley.”
• He had such love and admiration for his wife Marjorie. He said that in all the years he’d been married he never remembers going to bed with a quarrel unresolved. He also said they had differences but they learned to live with them and learned to make one another better. The sorrow and loneliness he showed after she passed was deep and moving to observe.
• Indefatiguable work ethic
• Deep personal humility and wonderful sense of humor
• Unbounded optimism and belief in people
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Bus Bus, Magic Bus
So Microsoft started up employee buses about 2 mos ago and they're great. Onboard wifi and power at every seat. The buses travel in the carpool lanes so even with the stop along the way and driving to and from the bus station it only adds about 20 mins commuting time each way, while giving me back about 40 mins each way to work...and BLOG!
Last week or two and the next week or two is the ultra busy season. We're doing prep for "Strategy Day", which is where each of the business groups go in front of the CEO to present a 3-year revenue/expenses plan in order to commit what future revenues are going to be and ask for additional investments from corporate. It's been a ton of work but extremely interesting to see how the entire business comes together. I still have a very long way to go, but already I'm starting to speak Microsoft (it's a language all its own) and by the end of this process I may even be able to explain what the products in my division actually do!
Ok the bus ride was faster than I thought. Here are some parting thoughts:
- the only thing worse than being an indians fan right now is being a Yankees fan. how low-rent is it for Steinbrenner to fire Torre? Anywhere else and Torre has a lifetime pass, like Atlanta or St Louis.
- Loving the Sansa. New this week is The Thrills, The Shout out Louds, Cass McCombs, and Band of Horses. Yes I wrote off Band of Horses as a hair band on Dylan's site, but they're one of those albums that whenever a song comes up on shuffle I like it more and more.
- Haloween is tons of fun. Can't wait for all the parties and to see the kids run around in their costumes. It's just as much for the parents as the kids (I didn't realize that until this year). I had thought that my kids could skip the Microsoft trick or treat fest...but man I want everyone to see them at my work! Cause my kids are the cutest!
- Season 2 of battlestar is awesome action. Not as fun as Season 1 was when everything was new and for a few episodes in a row, every episode had a very distinct flavor to it. Still absolutely top notch though.
- Loved last Gen Conf. Listened to Elder Bednar's talk this morning and really liked it. Need to listen again.
Friday, October 19, 2007
The Battle of 2007
So there's this little discussion sparked by a comment somebody very smart made on Big Red Robot about the best albums so far of 2007. I'm reposting the comment I made here, not like it's going to broaden the audience any (my unique readers outside of the BRR audience numbers in the low single digits) but I like the argument posted and it's a follow up to an earlier post, so I'm claiming it for my own. For those of you who already read it, there are some small enhancements, so READ ON...
Let me unleash a little TRUTH on ya:
Before I get to my list, it was interesting as I wrote it discoverings a few undercurrent battles going on:
The battle of Sweden: PBJ, Jens, Shout Out Louds
The battle of the alt country wunderkinds: Wilco, Son Volt, Ryan Adams
The battle of the Bruce's: Arcade Fire, Killers, Bruce Springsteen
And now for the list.
The top 5 albums (so far) of 2007:
1. Andrew Bird: Armchair Apocrypha - too rich and textured to ignore. Sounds like it was recorded in a huge dark cathedral. Every intstrument, every tone, every voice is perfectly placed. And Bird gets extra points for being the only person on this list that literally (mostly) came out of nowhere for this.
2. The New Pornographers: Challengers - Obviously comparing this to Revolver (which is what caused this whole discussion in the first place) is hyperbole meant to incite discussion (or riots, or both...). When I say Revolver I mean this band is at it's peak but has also begun going down a road it can't return from. The voices (musically and lyrically) have never been so strong individually yet depended on one another so much for balance. And Neko as always is a revelation. I'm open to a re-ordering of the list come December, but as of now these guys are very close to the top.
3. Arcade Fire: Neon Bible - was recorded in a huge dark cathedral - and it's the best Bruce Springsteen album since Born to Run.
4. Josh Ritter: Historical Conquests - Carrying the torch for all the singer-songwriters (Bright Eyes, Iron & Wine, even Ryan Adams)
5. Spoon: Gagagagaga - Barely holding on to this spot, really. This album should have been an EP. Then it would have been #4.
Very close honorable mentions
Stage Names (a little mopey and whiney after a while -- are these guys really Rusted Root?), Our Ill Wills (the Cure and Jam references come through shamelessly, but also shamelessly listenable and definitely wins for best of Sweden), The Search (wins my battle of the Alt Country wunderkinds - Son Volt, Wilco, and Ryan Adams), Boxer (I just keep discovering more great tracks from this album as I'm listening to 2007 music on shuffle), Icky Thump (not a weak track on there), Cassadega (Bright Eyes finally converted me), Magic (yes, THAT Magic...but mostly because it makes me think of Neon Bible and Born to Run)
Needless to say, the music of 2007 wouldn't be nearly as awesome as it has been so far without any of the above albums. Looks like I have to look up at least a couple more that made your lists but I haven't even heard yet - Time to go grabem all and throw them on the Sansa. Viva la Rhapsody! Viva la Musica!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
What Color is your CD-Rom?
This story was shared in a meeting today and I thought it was pretty funny. One of those "Microsoft Lore" myths maybe, but it came from a pretty pure source: back in 1994 when Windows Medial Player was new to the market, they were trying to establish how big of a product it would be, and therefore how much investment was warrented. Marketing gave a presentation that included the quote: "by 1995 40% of all consumer PC's will include a CD-ROM drive." The marketing VP, Rich Tong, was intrigued by this comment and asked for the source to be found. After an exhaustive search that wound its way from analyst to analyst to consultant and to another analyst, the source was revealed as none other than...Rich Tong! When word came back to him Rich just laughed and said, "that's funny, I thought that number looked familiar: I totally made it up a few years ago." Turns out the industry noticed, from PC manufacturers to CD-ROM suppliers to industry analysts and consumer magazines, and lo and behold Rich's "prediction" was transformed into reality.
So next time I have the opportunity to make a comment in a marketing meeting, I'm going to say "Jesse Todd will have a million dollars by 2015." Sound good?
Slight Retraction
Saw the 3rd Episode of Bionic Woman yesterday...and though it's still not any of the shows mentioned before, well, that's kind of the point: it is moving away from the stock set-up episodes and starting to become its own shown. Can't say it will ever be a must-see, but if the rest of the episodes build on what I saw last night, it's got hope.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Bionic Woman? It's No Alias
This is probably the show I was most excited about in the new TV season...and I think out of the handfull of series premiers I recorded on the DVR, it's the only one I've been interested enough in actually carving out some time to watch. Let me know if there's something HUGe out there I'm missing (Chuck still sounds like it could be fun, as does Reaper), but I'm pretty sure there isn't another Lost or 24 (first few seasons anyway) or Heroes out there, or another Alias, for that matter.
Which brings me to my point: Bionic Woman had so much potential: the team behind Battlestar Gallactica (we're only done with Season 1 but can't wait for Blockbuster to have Season 2 in stock --somebody else is a week ahead of us and they only have one copy of the series-- and the girl from Battlestar (Starbuck) and Isaiah Washington (always my favorite from Grey's Anatomy). But unfortunately the girl from Battlestar isn't the lead (I thought she was Jaime Summers but turns out she's "bad bionic woman" and she's pretty crazy and may not be around much longer), and the person who is playing Jaime Summers just isn't very interesting.
What keeps us watching Battlestar is how strong each of the characters are written and the emotionally-driven story lines. Strange to say, but a space opera played out in another time, another place, with mythically long-lost human relatives has some of the most believable and authentic acting and storylines I've seen on TV. Now it's not perfect, and there are plot holes big enough to drive a Cylon Raider through, but you really feel the characters' fear, frustration, anger, elation, joy, etc. So far Bionica Woman is pretty much a formula-driven action show, without the depth and layers that make Battlestar so enjoyable and relatable.
Another challenging comparison for Bionic Woman is Alias. So much of the first couple of episodes mirror each other: bright young college age girl is recruited/forced into becoming a super agent for a clandestine black ops arm of the US Government. So far JJ Abrahms did that story line SOOOOO much better. I remember holding my breath after the end of just about every one of the first Alias episodes, especially the first few story arcs where you had no idea who to believe or who you could trust or what was reality. That was a really cool show.
So for now, I'll probably still see a few more episodes of Bionic Woman, to see if they can make the Jaime character interesting or not, and to see if they can bring in some of the texturing of Battlestar. If not, well that will be 40 minutes I get back in my life each week! (Let's just hope I don't end up using it watching "Deal or No Deal.")
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A Transcendent Moment
"Charity is the defining quality of Latter-day Saints, just as it was when Paul enjoined the early saints in Corinth to develop the quality. Love for God and love of one's neighbor remain the marks of a Christian."
"Now, for us, the measure of our love is the measure of the greatness of our souls. ... Love is the beginning, the middle and the end of the pathway of discipleship. It comforts, counsels, cures and consoles. It leads us through valleys of darkness and through the veil of death. In the end, love leads us to the glory and grandeur of eternal life.
"Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life. True love lasts forever. It is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father has for us."
" All humans yearn for that kind of love, given in spite of shortcomings. Heavenly Father is the ideal of such love. He sees and loves his children, with all their shortcomings, as the beings they are capable of becoming."
I hope I never forget the feeling I had when I saw Elder Wirthlin struggling at the pulpit. Over the years he's become a favorite of mine. His talks are sometimes difficult to follow as he delivers them, but when listened to closely are so eloquent and powerful and insightful. The talk he was giving this day was a masterpiece on Charity. And then the transcendent happened: Elder Wirthlin, who has had severe back problems for the past 8 years, began to have a back spasm. In the middle of General Conference, in front of millions of people. A man of his determination does not let that stop him, no, not one bit. One of his brothers, close by his side, rushed to his aid to provide a gentle but firm and supportive hand to give him the ability to complete his talk. I don't know what was more touching...the fact that Elder Wirthlin was talking about Charity and brotherly love and kindness, the sight of Elder Nelson's humble and loving demeanor, the sheer willpower evident in Elder Wirthlin's delivery, or the meek (meaning humble but confident) "thank you" Elder Wirthlin gave after the lights went down. It stopped me in my tracks when it occurred, and I hope I never forget it.
Elder Holland was supposedly heard saying as the brethren were retreating from their seats after the meeting, "Elder Wirthlin, if we're ever called to charge up a mountain, I want you to be the one to lead the charge!"
Amen, and Amen.
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