Daemons

The website for The Golden Compass, soon to be released nationwide, has a section where it devises a daemon that reflects your inner soul based on a questionnaire of 20 personality questions. You answer the questions and it configures one of many daemons based on your answers. Mine is Euthalias the Ocelot--at least for now. You get to visit my page, if you wish, and answer a few questions about my personality and subsequently change the appearance of my daemon for the next few days. It will then harden into whatever you make it, hopefully giving a true picture of my soul for eternity...



Euthalias means I'm solitary, flexible, modest, humble, and spontaneous ... so there! My ocelot's awesome.

A Match Made in Heaven

For those of you who don't know, it is now quite official that I am getting married, and very soon. Therefore, a formal blog post relating to my personal life is in order, I believe.

I will be marrying Claire Larson on December 14, 2007. For more information about how we met, see our wedding site, which contains as well directions to the Springville Art Museum, where our open house will be held this Saturday (tomorrow!), November 24, 2007. Any reader of my blog who gets this message in time is more than welcome to come and crash the party. We will be serving moderate refreshments and you can meet my lovely bride to be, as well as our close families and friends. The event starts at 7pm and goes until 9pm.

Claire and I have begun a together blog where we will post more details that pertain to the both of us together, as a new sort of entity. This will keep me from turning this blog into a personal sort of "Oh my gosh I love Claire so much" sort of blog, which the together blog is sure to become (unless of course, Claire finds a way to manage me).

Thanks for your good wishes and kind words. I hope to see you all at the event.

The Interconnection of Mr. Daily

For all you fans of movies out there, a new one has just popped up on the internet called The Interconnection of Mr. Daily. The remarkable feature in this film, however, is not its potential to become a blockbuster smash despite its never having been released in the theater or on DVD, but the fact that I, yes, your most humble and dashing blog-post-writer, I wrote the screenplay for the film, and I, yes, I the magnificent and benevolent one, I helped produce and make this film.

If you want to know more about it, you can follow the link above by clicking on the name of the film. Another option is to go to the main website of Bombdotcom Productions and read the blog post I wrote there explaining the details of the film, and urging our readership to view the film for a multitude of reasons. Since this blog is all about me, the film is now part of the required viewing catalog for anyone who wishes to continue reading this blog. It is also available on YouTube, so, get at it.

For anyone interested in reading the actual screenplay, it is no longer available on the internet, but I'd be glad to email you a copy. Alternatively, you can wait until I make it available on Celtx, which should be soon. In the meantime, you can read some of my other scripts on there.

For Sale Only

So, I began to watch the film 1408 today, and found the following image looking back at me:


I was confused. "Am I allowed to watch this film?" I thought to myself. "Or must I go out and attempt to sell it?" The message seemed quite clear: in order to get any use out of this film, I would have to sell it. Unfortunately, I had rented this film from Hollywood Video, and would have had to answer to them if I sold it. I thought that perhaps I should take the matter up with them, since they clearly rented the film to me, and did not sell it as they should have. Ultimately, however, I decided to watch it. Who ever took the advice of a screen that appears for only two seconds before the film even begins?

Bill Clinton in Utah

The big event today was taking place up in Salt Lake City, with the visit of former President of the United States Bill Clinton to the University of Utah. He came to support his wife Hillary in her political campaign for president.

I accompanied my brother and mother to this event, which cost us each $50 dollars to attend. In exchange for our money we received red wristbands which gained us entrance to the seats on the floor. We sat about 12 rows back, on the right hand side, looking at the podium. The ballroom sat around 1,500 people, with some in standing room only for $30 dollars. Arriving early (about 2:00 PM, the event started at 3:00 PM, and Clinton didn't begin speaking till well after that), we were able to get good seats, and even shake hands with him afterwards.

His speech felt more like a political discussion with a good friend whom you respect, rather than a pro-Hillary rally. Bill assured us that Hillary would have his vote even if she was not his wife. He had a great understanding of world politics and the important issues that America faces in the future. He argued that Hillary would be the best-suited for dealing with these problems. His points were convincing, and I am now much more a Hillary supporter than I was previously. It will certainly be interesting to see how the race for president turns out this year. I find it very interesting that Bill Clinton said that he liked all of the Democratic nominees, and even a few of the Republican ones.

On the local news channels, my family got plenty of screen time. My brother, Jacob, was interviewed by both KSL channel 5, and Fox News channel 13. He's quoted in the KSL news article as saying that he is Clinton's greatest supporter in Provo (I can be seen in the background in the video feed during his interview clip). In addition, my mother and brother were both interviewed and quoted in the evening news. We taped it, of course, so if you wish to see it, just come on over sometime!

Hooray for Bill. He is a wonderful speaker with great ideas and an amicable personality. It may be worth it to vote for Hillary just to keep him in some official capacity for our country as the first First Man. I'm sure our nation's status would be improved around the world if this were the case. I for one am not at all disappointed in spending $50 dollars on Hillary's campaign for the honor of meeting and listening to this great man.

Pandora -- New Music

I know I was introduced to this a long time ago, but I haven't begun actually using this very cool internet radio until recently. It allows you to name a band (or bands) that you enjoy, and it proceeds to play similar sounding music from various artists, including the one you named. The system they use to determine the validity of a song based on your song choices is quite incredible. I rarely get a song I don't like, and when I do, I simply click on the 'thumbs-down' icon and I never get that song again, nor any songs similar.

I have been introduced to many new artists through this device, and it's also the best free internet radio I have found available. It never cuts out on me and keeps me with the type of music I like. I've set up a few different channels based on what sort of music I may be in the mood for, and I'm able to keep good songs of certain types on their respective channels. I highly recommend this for anyone that's allowed to listen to music at work, or that likes to listen to music while browsing the internet.

P.S.

P.S. - Thanks for reading this whole letter, even though it was really long-winded and not very understandable. I know I have the tendency to divert off-topic sometimes, and in a letter it is more difficult for me to remain laconic. I hope it's not too annoying for you and you get at least a little bit out of it. You are a great person to have read all of the pages without merely skimming through them or skipping them entirely. I'm sure you can assist me in these matters without too much trouble. I really do appreciate your help in these matters, and I eagerly await your response.

P.P.S. - I just realized I forgot to write a letter to go along with this P.S. I hope it makes sense anyways and you're still able to help, because I'm totally done writing.

P.P.P.S. - That letter doesn't make any sense at all. I just read it. There's no way I'm sending this out to you, so don't bother reading it. Thank you.

P.P.P.P.S. - I changed my mind. I've written the body of the letter. It follows:

Dear Sir (or Madam),

Please read the following P.S. remarks and tell me if they would be fit to publish in your magazine P.S.: Snippets from the Ends of Letters. I have worked hard to create P.S.'s that stand alone in their brilliance while also supplementing the letter they go to. Here are a few ideas I've had that I feel would truly help your magazine's readership in their enjoyment of their bimonthly perusal:

[editor's note: 281 paragraphs excised for length]

I have many more P.S. remarks on their way, but I thought I would send a small sample first. You're welcome. I await your reply.

Sincerely,

JS


P.S. - XOXOXO.

A Crude Sexual Remark

I usually get a kick out of the explanations for some of the MPAA ratings for films. There are the incredibly specific ("pervasive strong bloody violence"), oddly classified ("sci-fi destruction," as if the fact that it's sci-fi as opposed to any other destruction changes things), or extremely ambiguous (the catch-all "thematic elements" comes to mind). It just shows the faultiness of the system, and the subjective nature of the rulings. However, when I popped in my rented copy of "Off the Black" today, I found what I believe to be the most absurd rating of all time. I was greeted with the following image:

Now, whether or not the film actually deserves the R rating, the MPAA makes a bold move here in singling out one specific instance of crude sexuality ... not even a whole scene or anything building up to that scene, but rather, a single remark is the sole reason for the R rating. This implies that everything else in the film is hunkydory. It provides little assistance to the potential parent trying to decide if this film is alright for his/her child to view. "Thematic elements" would even have been better here. I can actually see how this film could receive an R rating -- I'm not opposed to that. It's the implication that the R rating comes from a single phrase spoken as an aside that really had little to do with the plot of the film.

I don't get too upset when I see these explanations, because it's mainly just funny. However, if I were one to determine my movie watching based on the rating of the film, this sort of explanation would not satisfy my requirements. If I were going to miss out on a film, it would have to be for a better reason than "a crude sexual remark." How the MPAA ratings still hold any sway over people's viewing habits, I just don't understand.

Abortion

An article in the New York Times today, entitled "Legal or Not, Abortion Rates Compare," reported the interesting findings of a survey of various nations of the world with regard to abortion rates and legality of the procedure in those nations. Briefly summarized, it found that abortion rates were higher in those areas where the procedure is illegal. Furthermore, the chance of death from such procedures was much higher in those same areas. This has compelled me to list some of my thoughts on the issue of abortion, which deviate markedly from those of other members of my religion.

I think that women should have full rights over their bodies. When a woman becomes pregnant, she becomes the caretaker for the human embryo housed within her womb. Of course, not all caretakers are as good as others, and some cause considerable, at times unrepairable, damage to the fetus through the imbibing of alcohol and use of other harmful substances. In many states, there are laws against such actions in order to protect the future life of the fetus. Therefore, I think a woman should have the option of cancelling her enrollment in such a course that would require her to give up her rights to certain legal activities. While it is true that abstinence would be the ultimate preventative measure, women can not always maintain that high standard. Should a minor slip-up result in a minimum nine month sentence of pain and misery for a woman who has no wish to be a mother? Should a child be born into a world where he is neither wanted nor cared for properly?

Many equate abortion with murder, saying that death of a human life is the same, regardless of when it takes place. However, it is necessary to examine the differences between life in the womb and life after birth. In the womb, the fetus is dependent on the mother's life-force to stay alive. It is a part of the woman's body, attached and connected, unable to move about freely. It is not an autonomous being at this point, because if it were removed from the woman's body, it would die. Even if science reaches the point where an embryo can be cultivated and nurtured outside of the natural womb, I don't think these would be seen as equal alternatives to a normal pregnancy. If a woman sees another being utilizing her resources as an unwanted partnership, then she should be able to terminate the relationship. The child is not truly born until he is removed from the womb, and until then, he should not have the equal rights of a child. If a child is considered the same life both inside and outside of the womb, then why do we celebrate a child's birthday on the day of their delivery? Shouldn't this be traced to the point of conception, if life has officially begun at that moment?

Of course, there are limits to my overall permission for abortion. I think that a woman should have to make her decision early in the pregnancy. Once she has begun, then she must accept her choice and see it through to the end (except, of course, in cases of medical emergency where her life is in danger, or other extenuating circumstances that I may not be aware of). In other words, I don't think a woman should be able to end the life of a fetus the day prior to her delivery date just because she wants to; at that point there'd need to be a better reason. I think all abortions should be done only after discussion with a competent physician, and only after proper counseling has been completed.

I realize that this puts me in the minority in my religion. I personally feel that this is a matter of free agency; limiting a woman's right to choose in this aspect is not at all in keeping with our Church's doctrine. While I would never want to miss out on the opportunity to raise a child that God has granted to be conceived, it is not up to me to force that upon anyone. Prohibiting abortion causes many more problems than it fixes, and I feel that it is the wrong course to take in making society a better place.

I'd love to hear comments telling me I'm wrong ... I'm always open to altering my perception of important issues. This issue in particular just gets me upset, because it seems like everyone in Utah sees it as a cut-and-dry topic: abortion=murder=bad, and I disagree.