A Sprawling Answer

Hey gang! This blog is in response to another blog posted by a friend of mine. Her blog can be read here, along with a few of her other ramblings which are thoroughly enjoyable to read!

So, the basic question was this: Why are so many Mormons mean? The whole point of the religion is love, understanding, and compassion!

For those of you who don't know me personally, I am (dun dun DUUUUN) a Mormon.

(They're...they're everywhere!!)

I was born into a mostly Mormon family, grew up, went through my questioning phase, and after browsing my personal thoughts and feelings and the beliefs of other churches, I'm still filed under 'LDS.'

Now, I don't know how many of you have ever met a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (ie Mormons), or have lived in Utah, and to a lesser degree Idaho. But it is a true fact, and one I've had shoved in my face often, that those of Mormon faith can be kind of nasty when they're in packs.

In fact, I've encountered both sides of the nasty fence. I've been ruthlessly picked on because I was LDS, and have known people who were ruthlessly picked on because they weren't.

It's a sad fact! Those who claim to have the greatest love of whatever deity they believe in can turn around and be the meanest people!

But, I believe, therein lay the issue. No matter what a church preaches, no matter how wonderful the ideals are or how marvelous the people running the show are, the members are still (tragic music) people.

A person can be understanding, kind, sympathetic, nonjudgmental, giving, and all sorts of wonderful faith/trust/pixie dust kinds of things. But people? That's where fear, irrational anger, and bullying comes from. Whichever group has the bigger pack is generally going to feel every inch of britches that it has. It's a long standing tradition; minorities get picked on, and un-minorities are jerkwads.

Is there a solution to this? Sure. Persons need to prevent themselves from becoming People. Don't be sheep, bleating along with your fellows just because you all have furry butts. Don't be salmon, swimming right into a Grizzly bear's mouth just because all the other salmon are doing it. And don't assume that anyone else is exactly like anyone else, just because they share one trait, be it religion, sexuality, race, or taste in music.

People who come from a different background than oneself are the richest source of that special something that makes ones own world bloom into something new and wonderful. Shutting that out because you disagree on one thing is, for lack of a better word, dumb.

Well, I think that was a poorly constructed answer, but the point got across alright.

Now enjoy this video!

All Better (and Better and Better!)

Hello everyone!

So now, I'm almost completely over my sickiness. I feel way better than I did, and throughout the healing process I uncovered a lot of exciting news, and did some exciting things.

I'm tempted to list these from mundane to most exhilarating, but sorting them thusly would be...difficult. So I'll just shove them off of the diving board in my brain however they happen to line up.

I've finally made some more progress in Ze Book. I was having a bit of trouble for a while there, for reasons that sprouted entirely from my own issues. You know; go a few days without being able to make any progress, initiating a freak-out that maybe you can't do this after all, proceed to a few days of self-loathing for giving up so easily, and finally snap out of it after a cleansing venting session with a friend at work (Thanks, Roberta!)

So, progress is being made. Slowly but surely. Will I reach my goal of having a publishable book before the end of the year? Definitely. Will I reach my goal of "" before I start school in the summer? Eh...we'll see.

In a different creative vein, I've made these:

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is Agatha Helmsley. She is the unbelievably efficient secretary to Counselor Jasper South:

who is a lawyer in a 1940's Southern town. He's very good at what he does, and sees justice and fair play as ways of life rather than just ideals. He often runs into:

Edgar Rhodes, an officer in the Homicide Division, and the long-time off/on/off/on/off/on/off paramour of:

Phillipa 'Phil' Innis, the southern private detective who is hired by Jasper, friends with Agatha, and the lead of 'The Phil Innis Adventures,' an audio drama which will hopefully be coming 'soon.' Meaning, of course, whenever I can get a few shows recorded and mixed, which is not happening with any amount of ease because my actors all have very conflicting schedules :)

The pictures I created with a vector program (my sister says I use the term 'vector' in a weird way, and maybe I do, in which case I apologize but don't really care) to be used as decorations on the eventual hosting website. They're not quite finished yet, but I wanted to show what I've been working on so it doesn't just feel like I've been futzing around on the computer :) I have plans. Oh, how I have plans. But step by step, yes?

So that's the news on my creative front.

In other news, I was driven to squealing like an idiot schoolgirl pig by this news: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, my ultimate of ultimate favorite bands, is going to be playing in my state. The day after my birthday, at the end of this year.

SQUEALZMGEEEK!!!

So, I know where I'll be on December 15th. I've often said I'd give an arm and a leg (maybe not mine, but someone's) to see them live. Problem, is they usually play more in the Southern region (is that irony, considering my earlier southern-related stuff?). But now, here we are. They'll be just a five-to-six hour drive away. And no one need lose their limbs! YAY!

And, finally, the family vacation is coming up. Have I mentioned this? My dad and stepmom decided to round up the entire gang (that's...that's a lot of people, let me tell you) and foot the bill to get us all on a cruise to Mexico.

My jaw hit the floor. Did anybody else's?

I'm really excited about this. We have never, literally never, done anything as an entire unit. That includes: Mom, Dad, Stepmomster (loving nickname she came up with herself, by the way), Big sister, Broinlaw, Big brother, Me, Little brother, Little sister, Little stepbrother, Little sister.2, Little Halfsis, Niecey, Nephewpoo.

That's a lot of Brown/Henderson/Matelich, right there.

And between school, and work, and living very long distances away...this is quite possibly the only shot we'll have to spend this much time together. On a big fancy boat.

Coming this April!

Sick...

So, I haven't kept up on my mad posting output because I've been busy, and, well, sick. Bleh.

I'm behind on my book-writing schedule, and I really need to get back to my friend on this plot summary he sent me. But my head is killing me and I just can't focus!

And thus, I write this incredibly brief blog just to let you all know that I yet live, and to those of you who await responses to things, they are coming! I just don't want to sign my name on anything that's done...lamely.

-J