writesong

Here's a very special annual Christmas gift from those generous folks at Walt Disney! ! !
 
Be sure and watch this in "FULL SCREEN" mode.
 

 
Also, you may wish to download this to your computer's hard drive, and then use your media player to loop it, so it will automatically repeat, and play over and over.
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS ! ! !
 

Boo!  Sounds like a first-round Google interview question.
 
And don't forget the ancient Roman who walked into a bar, held up two fingers, and said, "Five beers, please."   (I actually told the Roman joke at a Toastmasters meeting and held up my two fingers in a clear V shape, and even then most of the audience was utterly baffled.  And this was in the high-tech part of San Francisco.)
 
My favorite geek joke is about the college professor whose final exam contains only one problem: "Make up a good question and answer it."  A clever student in the class solves it by simply copying that sentence two more times on his answer sheet and turning it in.
 

@ PALE RIDER:
 
I love that story!
 
Those words, "individual that just did not seem to fit in anywhere", in the final paragraph sounds like a description of ME!
 
In fact, that reminds me of a dream I had.
 
"When I was sleeping, I dreamed I was at church, and folks were all going inside the chapel for the meeting.

However, I wandered away, curious about an adjacent road, following it to a dirt road leading into a deserted, barren wilderness area.
I was wearing my cavalry spurs and my cavalry stetson, with my .357 magnum revolver holstered on my hip.
I turned away from the wilderness and headed back towards the chapel.
As I approached a ranch house, a dog in the yard began barking, and I wondered if I'd have to shoot that dog?
But, a boy came out of the house, and calmed the dog.
I think we may have had a conversation, and I may have petted the dog.
Then, I continued to the chapel, where they were having a Christmas program.
A feeling of peace came over me, as I finally accepted the reality that I was different than all the other Mormons, and would have to live my own life my own way, preferring a life of solitude exploring the wide open spaces of the high desert wilderness."

I was wearing my cavalry spurs and my cavalry stetson, with my .357 magnum revolver holstered on my hip.
I turned away from the wilderness and headed back towards the chapel.
(...)    
...A feeling of peace came over me,  puuh...   and I've already thought...
 
PS   Stetson...you certainly mean one of these ten gallons hats?
 

"Where were you ... when the ban was lifted"
_____________________________________
 
What?
 
Was I banned?
 
Gosh, gee whillikers, I've only been at this web site a couple of days, and they banned me already?
 
Why?
 
What did I do to deserve that?

I was a firefighter on duty in the firehouse at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
 
Realizing what a historic occasion it was, I was very excited, but some of the other LDS firefighters did not appear to be so pleased.

We don't like that term. We prefer "restorer".

Ahhh...so you would be a pagan. 

Smith & Wesson

The Cult of Glock.
 
Waitaminute...nevermind.

I guess I would return back to my childhood faith as it would be most known to me. Maybe even return to the first faith in one God, and be Jewish.

Off topic here a bit.....that cold summer ...the crops were doing great. The right in the month of June it snowed about 5 inches. Killed all the crops in the area and the Smith family lost the farm.

I'm bored.
 
Can I join the Danites and be an Avenging Angel?
 
Where can I get an application form?
 
Where is their recruiting office?
 
Orrin Porter Rockwell is my hero!
 

 
(Unfortunately, the movie, "THE AVENGING ANGEL", is not available on DVD.)
 

Brethren and Sistren:
 
I have a terrible secret I must confess.
 
I AM A SERIAL KILLER ! ! !
 
Yes, whenever I see a steaming bowl of Cream of Wheat, I get this irresistible compulsion to immediately devour and destroy it.
 
Not only that, but if you were to join with me in watching a series of suspenseful Hollywood movie sequels, I'd very probably open my big mouth and ruin the plot for you by prematurely revealing the surprise ending.
 
I'm also a notorious heroine addict.
 
You see, I just ADORE females!
 
I'm also known to regularly use Coke, but only when I can't get a Pepsi-Cola.
 
Nyuk! Nyuk! Nyuk!
 
Hardee har har!
 
Heh! Heh! Heh!
 
Thank you.

When the Willie and Martin handcart companies were rescued, Brigham Young said they were more in need of potatoes and pudding before attending to their spiritual needs.
 
Of course, I'm paraphrasing from memory, as I can't quote his exact words.
 
I saw it in a Church film about the Willie and Martin handcart company rescues.

Good day.
 
I guess you could say I'm non-denominational.  I believe in Jesus, God, et cetera, but also believe in the positive messages contained in many other religions (eg. Buddhism).  Actually I believe or suspect they were all basically the same message delivered with some differences due to the times and cultures in which they arose.  I wouldn't say I know what's what.  I'm just trying to figure it all out.
 
As for the Book Of Mormon, I am reading it now.
 
Oh, I'm from Australia.  I recently visited SLC and was very impressed.  It's a beautiful city, with beautiful scenery surrounding it, and Temple Square is amazing.  I'll attach a picture of the temple that I took while there.

NOTE:  If you watch this video recording at the You Tube web site, you can view it in "FULL SCREEN" mode.
 
 
 
 
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS ! ! !

Been there, Done that.
 
When it is necessary to use deadly force, you aim for center of mass and continue shooting until the subject is down and no longer moving.
 
Only in ridiculous Hollywood movies do heroes deliberately wound their opponent, or shoot the gun out of their hand.
 
When facing a police officer or a soldier, if there's any resemblance of any kind of weapon in your hand, you will immediately be killed, as they shoot first and investigate later.
 
You do NOT fire a warning shot.
 
You NEVER fire your weapon into the air, i.e., what goes up must come down - - - somewhere?
 
A subject who does not have a gun in sight can still be considered a deadly threat, i.e., people can be and have been killed by bare fists, sticks, rocks, and knives.
 
The United States Army taught me how to kill without using a firearm, so I know there's LOTS of veterans out there with that same skill and training.
 
This stuff has nothing to do with race, sex, or ethnicity.
 
It's just plain common sense.
 
You play by the rules or you die.

@ EOWYN, Et Alii:
 
"I trip all the time, and don't especially enjoy it."
__________________________________________
 
Obviously, you're much too young to know about this, but back in the 'Sixties and/or 'Seventies, if you said you were "tripping", "on a trip", or "taking a trip", folks (including law enforcement!) would suspect you'd be referring to a drug induced hallucination or euphoria.
 
In fact, when discussing The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, bystanders would frequently get confused by the term, "LDS", thinking it meant the hallucinogenic drug, "LSD".

I plan to assuage my HUNGARY with TURKEY dripping with GREECE served on plastic plates, as there is no CHINA in the Mess Hall at the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

Brethren and Sistren:
 
Why is turkey the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner?
 
Wouldn't venison be more historically accurate?
 
Also, why don't white American families invite Lamanites to share their meal?
 
After all, were it not for the assistance of the Lamanites, the Pilgrims would have starved to death, and there would be no United States of America today, nor would The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints have been established.
 
Thank you.

Brethren and Sistren:
 
Oh, how FORTUNATE we are that a major Winter storm is arriving just in time for Thanksgiving Day!
 
After all, without snow, how will the horse know the way to carry the sleigh over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house?
 
Thank you.

Brethren and Sistren:
 
My most memorable Thanksgiving Day was in 1971.
 
I was a soldier with the 101st Airborne Division in the old Republic of Viet Nam, and went on a week long Rest and Recuperation leave (i.e., "R&R") to Sydney, Australia.
 
On the chartered Pan American Airlines flight from Da Nang, I mentioned to the soldier sitting next to me that I was looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving Day.
 
He reminded me that Thanksgiving Day is uniquely an AMERICAN holiday, not observed in Australia, nor in almost any other nation on this globe.
 
In Sydney, I contacted representatives of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, telling them that our Church leaders in Viet Nam had advised that, rather than going to a hotel.
 
Thus, I became the house guest of the stake patriarch and his wife, immigrants from England, who lived across the bay in the suburb of Manly, and whose only son was away serving on a submarine in the Royal Australian Navy.
 
They arranged for me, along with two American full time missionaries, to enjoy our Thanksgiving feast at the home of an American Latter-day Saint employed in Sydney, who had a very attractive daughter.
 
Because of that experience, I now wear my military decorations when invited to someone's home for Thanksgiving dinner, as I deem it a patriotic occasion.
 
Thank you.

Will the paper prominently feature our impressive beards, our black broad-brimmed hats, and at least a few of our numerous wives?

Brethren and Sistren:
 
When I was twenty-one years old, as a convert to The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, I was baptized on Saturday 06 May 1967.
 
Today, there have been so many changes in our Church (as in all other churches), that my personal faith is FREQUENTLY shaken to the very core by the pronouncements and/or actions emanating from Salt Lake City, Utah.
 
Indeed, my faith is further challenged by what has become of our beloved "Promised Land", the United States of America.
 
Unlike so many others, I do NOT separate Church and State, as within our unique religion, the miraculous history of the United States of America, along with our divinely inspired Constitution of the United States of America, and even the State of Israel, are inseparably intertwined with The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints.
 
Thus, when there is corruption in one, there becomes corruption in all of those entities.
 
So, what do I do in this situation?
 
I turn to JOHN 6: 66 - 69, and follow the example of Peter.
 
Thank you.