My Preshuss

As you more than likely don't know, unless you're my Facebook friend, I recently found my lost wedding ring. It'd been missing for almost three months. These past three months, ironically enough, have been some of the most trying. Even having issues within my marriage. Not because my ring was missing, but somewhere, in the back of my mind, I hoped that if I'd find it, that all I was going through would be done and I could be happy again. Gotta be honest, finding my ring was one of the happiest moments I've had.

And to be honest, I kept thinking to myself, I should pray to find it. Well, of course I should have done that. But instead, I told myself two lies: 1) It's already gone, there's no hope in finding it. And 2) Heavenly Father just doesn't care. Good thing I was wrong. I finally decided to pray this Monday and ask for it to be found; I just wanted it back. While cleaning up something, I went to retrieve some items which had fallen between my nightstand and the wall. This wall has a nice hole in it (with a cover that never seems to want to stay put). Well, when I removed the fallen items, I saw in the hole, and lying there was my ring. I was so excited, but my arm was too fat to reach. So I called my wife into the room, told her to look into the hole and she was happy to see what I'd seen.

So, there's the "Mormon" part of the post. Now to geek it up some.

I was trying to think of some places where rings are prevalent to a plot in all of Geekdom. But then I somehow started thinking of an episode of a television show where a necklace had something special about it. So I'm going to go from a ring to a necklace.

One of my favorite TV shows is Eureka. From its humorous look at sci-fi to its point that knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing, Eureka was a very well-rounded show. About halfway through its run, one of its main characters (Nathan Stark) was killed off saving the town, something that redeemed his obnoxious character.

But the day he died was the day he was supposed to get married to Allison Blake.

Shortly after his death, Sheriff Carter gave Allie a present Nathan wanted to give her on their wedding day.

This necklace, though seemingly just a symbol of their love blah blah blah, it was also empowered with a special diamond. When Allie touched the necklace Nathan would appear and speak to her. For her, this was a way to say goodbye (as she was not around when he died).

This necklace was special as it gave Allie a piece of Nathan and a reminder of the love they shared. Yeah, kind of a mushy tale, but you know what, finding my ring again put me in that kind of a mood.

Alien abductions are involuntary, but probings are scheduled.

Why Iron Man 3 is the Best in the Series and Joe is Wrong

You're probably reading this title with some amusement. The reason why I love writing for Mormon Geeks is that all of the authors here are some of my closest friends (one I consider my best friend) and we all have differing opinions on things.  Joe shared his thoughts on the future of the Marvel franchise and briefly talked about his opinion of Iron Man 3.  They were very nice opinions and now I would like to share my thoughts.

Let's talk about Tony Stark

Tony Stark is a normal man.  He's very flawed, arrogant, selfish, and unrestrained.  In Iron Man 1 we see his bubble of living the high life pop when he survives a bomb blast and create the first Iron Man suit.  He decides to cut all costs in manufacturing weapons and chooses to use his knowledge to become a super hero.

In Iron Man 2, Tony is once again living the limelight and no stranger to drawing attention to his super hero identity.  Still flawed, he makes the mistake of thinking that no technology can compete with his and suddenly the government is on his back.  If that isn't enough, he finds himself fighting against poisoning from the shrapnel and electromagnet heart.  He eventually creates a new heart and conquers the villain and once again Iron Man saves the day.  He continues to be steady from this point through the end of the Avengers.

Now it's after the alien attack on New York.  Tony is once again in the spotlight for being a hero and the face of the Avengers.  He went through a wormhole and came back to earth and hasn't been the same since.  He hasn't gotten good sleep and his mind has trouble accepting that there's other life out there.  Before New York, he was the man that knew everything and now he has anxiety attacks knowing that there is still so much he doesn't know.

In Iron Man 3, Tony is probably in his most humbling circumstances.  Though he had challenges before this time his confidence falters when it was something that always kept him going.  The previous movies were always about Tony Stark becoming and being Iron Man.  In Iron Man 3, this is a story about Tony Stark being a hero as much as and even more as his Iron Man alter ego.

This is why I like Iron Man 3 the most out of the series.  Although I love the nerd culture and geek storytelling there is a wrong idea picked up from super hero stories.  You get these geeks who drop out of high school and give up on life.  They work full time at a fast food restaurant and play video games on their free time.  They may go to Friday Night Magic and step into the role of a Plainswalker. (Their alter ego, if you will.)  They conquer enemies and feel powerful for once.  They do it again when they play a tabletop RPG, an online MMORPG, or a video game.  Why?  They misguidedly follow the examples they see on screen or on the page of the comic.  They don figurative masks and capes to fight inner demons but never actually become the heroes they idolize or pretend to be.

Is Tony Stark a Hero?

Iron Man 3 gives off a different message.  In some way this movie answers the question Steve Rogers (Captain America) asks Tony in the Avengers, "Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"
Though Tony responds with a cheeky comeback, the real question Steve asks is, "You're a hero on the outside but what are you inside?"  Is Tony Stark a hero without his armor?  Does he amount to anything without Iron Man?

Tony struggles with this question too.  What kind of hero is he when his flaws and imperfections come to bite him in the butt and create villains for him to face?  He's changed so much from when he survived that bomb blast but is now struggling with anxiety attacks, insomnia, his best friend being hospitalized, and difficulty emotionally connecting with his might-as-well-be-his-wife-but-is-his-girlfriend-instead Pepper Potts.  Eventually his new Iron Man suit loses power and his house is destroyed.  Tony is suddenly in a place where he's without his tools and armor.

This is where the movie shines for me.  We see Tony Stark fighting bad guys with homemade devices until his suit has powered back up completely.  Even in the finale of the movie he is in and out of his suit(s) like a model in and out of different outfits.  The message the movie delivers isn't just that Tony Stark is Iron Man but Iron Man is Tony Stark.  As much as they are alter egos of one another they are more like two different sides of the same coin.  Tony isn't a hero because of the armor he wears and his cool gadgets.  He's a hero because of who he is and what he chooses to be.

This is a Shane Black Movie

Iron Man 3 takes place at Christmas and is like a detective story.

Shane Black is known for violent, noir-esque, slightly dark, cleverly written movies that take place during Christmas.  I'm not even joking.  Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang all take place during the holidays.  As bizarre as it sounds it actually kind of works.  There's something honest in a bunch of terrible things happening and a challenge that get's resolved by Christmas morning.  I really like Shane Black's style.  What I wish he did differently was make his movies a little bit cleaner.  The great thing about Iron Man 3 is that it's a Shane Black movie that happens to be PG-13.  It even takes place during Christmas.  I could add this movie to my list of unconventional Christmas movies that feel like a Christmas movie even though they don't have much to do with Christmas. (Future blog post... or podcast episode.  ;))

I like Black's style because it is refreshingly different.  It fits with the rest of the series while standing apart and could even be a conclusion to the Iron Man series. It still makes sense for Tony to be part of the Avengers, it just ends in a way that really rounds out Tony as a character.  I don't know if there's a style that fits Iron Man so perfectly.

The Marvel Franchise

Joe said that Robert Downey Jr. essentially is playing himself when he's Iron Man.  Yep.  I would definitely agree with that.  It also works for the movie beautifully.  Robert Downey Jr. once said he takes the role of Tony Stark as serious as Shakespeare.  We may not be impressed because he's essentially playing himself but, hey, if he does a good job what is there to worry about?  With the shift in Marvel Franchise of bringing these different worlds together I would say that the producers and directors involved have done a great job in making it believable.

Yeah, he's still dumb but a different kind of dumb.

Let's take a look at the other actors involved in the Marvel universe.  Chris Evans used to play the handsome dumb hunk in crappy teen movies and didn't get much better when he was cast as the human torch in The Fantastic Four.  A lot of fans were worried when he was cast to play Captain America.  Before that point, he played Lucas Lee in Scott Pilgrim versus the World and showed us he can handle playing a character very different from the dumb hunk.  (Lucas Lee is still a dumb hunk but still very different from what Evans normally plays.)  Chris Evans as Steve Rogers works great.  As far as I know, he isn't really playing himself but he does a great job with the role.  Steve is supposed to be a clean cut 1940s idealized American man.  Evans pulls it off quite well.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor is pretty much fantastic.  We haven't seen him much in anything else and we really don't need to.  Despite his talent, he tragically could not save Snow White and the Huntsman.  In Star Trek, his chracter stands apart without taking anything from the movie and despite being short lived.

The highlight for me is Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner.  (I'm sure he's great in a motion cap suit as the Hulk but it's even better to see him as the quiet reserved scientist.)  What I love about Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Banner is how he basically just plays an introverted and mostly normal scientist.  He's a hero but a very different kind of hero than the other Avengers.  He doesn't draw attention to himself or to his actions.  In many ways, he's the opposite of Tony Stark.  Perhaps this is why it's great to see their budding friendship in the movie because they're complimentary and kindred spirits to one another.

Joe rocks as cynic and as a friend.

Based off all this alone, I would say the future of the Marvel franchise is pretty bright.  It's definitely risky but they already pulled off an excellent Avengers movie and we would have never thought that could happen.  All of this success would be better if Marvel Studios owned the movie rights to their other franchises (such as X-Men, Spiderman, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Blade, etc.) but seeing what they're doing with what they got is great.  I understand Joe's cynicism and fears but I have to disagree in that I'm looking forward to the future of Marvel's movies.

So, if you get the opportunity I would highly recommend Iron Man 3 and Joe... I love you, cynic and all!

-Stephen

Marvel Cinematic Universe-Where are we now?

With Iron Man 3 breaking box office records, I think it’s safe to say that reviewing it would probably be a waste of time. Suffice it to say that the film was full of good ideas, at times to the point where it had a hard time allowing anything really breathe or develop, but the graphics were good, the characters were great, and the big twist was the biggest and twistiest yet. I think now though is a good time to take a second and look at where Marvel is now and where they’re going and how excited we need to be.

Iron Man 3 starts what Marvel is calling their “Phase 2”, the second step in creating their cinematic masterpiece… thing…The thing is nobody has ever tried this before so it’s hard to find a word to call it. Series seems to be the closest fit, but even that doesn't fit exactly. “Phase 1” included (arguably) two Hulk movies, two Iron Man movies, Thor, Captain America and Avengers, most of these becoming box office hits. Avengers alone became the third highest opening weekend hit of all time, making over a billion dollars in its opening weekend. Needless to say, any doubts we had, which were many, have been washed away at this point.

So what makes these films so good? Well the fact is that these films for the most part are just that, they’re good. They’re not really breaking cinematic expectations as far as storytelling, characters or acting, but at the same time they’re not doing anything stupid either. The films are just solid entertaining fil

ms, with likable characters having big expansive adventures in an interesting world. In that sense the films are a lot like the comic books they’re based off of. This is great for comic book fans, since they get the adventures they fell in love with in the first place, and non-fans get an easy introduction into the world.

What about the acting? A lot of people have praised Robert Downy Jr. for being the perfect Tony Stark, but is this good acting or just good casting? If someone was trying to cast an overweight comic book geek with too much time on his hands, I could easily play the role, even though I’m not that great an actor. Don’t get me wrong, Downy Jr. is a really good actor, if you want to really see something great check out the film Chaplin, but it still begs the question: Is he good as Stark because he’s a good actor or because he’s a good Stark? As for the others, the only thing most people know Chris Hemsworth, AKA Thor, from before Thor is briefly being Kirk’s dad in Abram’s Star Trek, and Captain America is formerly known as the Human Torch from the mediocre Fantastic Four movies, so how are they? Well again they both seem to be perfect more because of who they are and not how they act. Thor is essentially Boromir after he joined WWE, and Captain America is pretty much just a BYU student with boxing lessons so there’s not much to do here. On top of that Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner have both worked as Black Widow and Hawkeye, but before the Avengers film they didn't have that many lines. The Whedon touch to the Avengers film is an exception to all of this, however, since Whedon could remake Twilight and make the characters interesting, but again nearly everything these characters do in this franchise is pose in cool super hero poses for the camera, and for that they do a good job.

Here’s my overall point: while the Avengers films are entertaining and fun they don’t have anything else going for them which does put them in a precarious spot. If we've learned nothing from the Schumacher disasters Batman Forever and Batman and Robin, we learn that it only takes a few bad choices to bring an entire franchise to its knees. We can even tentatively compare the Marvel cinematic universe in its current state to Batman Forever, since despite its flaws that film was still fun with a few things for the adults and longtime fans to enjoy, even if Chris O'Donnell was WAY too old to be adopted by a billionaire. Fans had issue with how awful Batman looked (Though I argue that Robin actually looked pretty cool) and how corny the villains were, the one people really hate is Batman and Robin, where they went all out for the wacky super hero adventure and completely ended the series. Marvel’s second wave includes films that seem to put the heroes into darker situations, so they may sidestep the Schumacher thing by going dark instead of light but that may have the same results. Ask around sometime and see how many people you can find that are actually excited to the new Man of Steel film, and how many will take their kids to it over Thor. Dark isn't

My Lego Avengers :)

 always the way to go either.

In the end, I’m not trying to be an internet troll or cause trouble. I like the Marvel cinematic universe. I loved the Avengers and overall like the rest of the films, my problem though is probably that I’m just cynical. I've had my hopes up before and had them dashed by bad decision making, and I ‘d hate for something that’s doing so well to end up being a geek joke in ten years. So by all means get excited, get ready for a fun time with the new stuff, but keep in mind that not even in the Marvel Universe not every story ends in a happy ending.

-JOE

FIRST PODCAST!!!

TJ and Stephen just finished the official first Mormongeeks Podcast! :D
Check it out!

http://mormongeeks.podomatic.com/entry/2013-05-07T10_26_57-07_00

-JOE

Ten TV shows that need to come back

I was watching one of my favorite internet people yesterday (Click here to check out the video)

and he was talking about ten franchises he’d like to see rebooted. This idea was intriguing to me, considering most of my favorite TV shows are now off the air as well as anything like them. Now I’m not saying these things should be dragged out like the Simpson’s was, I’m just saying that seeing a newer, modern version would probably be better than most of the nonsense flooding the airwaves right now. So I’m going to offer my list (In no particular order) of the top 10 TV shows I’d like to see come back.

10: Star Trek

Yeah yeah I know JJ Abrams is doing a fantastic job with Star Trek in film, but where’s the TV series? Star Trek is more than high-budget graphics and seeing Chris Pine take off his pants, it’s about adventures in space, meeting interesting societies, and boldly going where no one has gone before. Abrams did us a favor in giving us an alternate timeline to work with, so why isn’t anyone working with it?

9: Gargoyles

Does anyone remember this show? It had half the cast of Star Trek: TNG doing voices for it and was Disney’s answer to Batman (We’ll get

to him in a sec.). This cartoon did something most cartoons these days are afraid to do: It gave kids the credit that they could take complex storylines and characters without them needing to be watered down. Gargoyles was a fun, unique show with a great premise with some of my favorite characters growing up. This thing would look so great today!

8: Firefly

Duh.

7: Justice League universe

It started with Batman: The Animated Series, then went into Superman, then Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, with offshoots Static Shock and Batman Beyond to round it off. I know Universe got a bit wonky near the end, especially when it served only to show off obscure DC characte

rs people stopped caring about around the time the Berlin wall fell, but for a minute we had a massive cartoon universe with all the DC characters running around being awesome. What have we got now? DC is releasing YET ANOTHER Batman cartoon. DC, face facts: You’re not going to make anything better than Batman TAS, stop trying to remake him and focus on the rest of your universe.

6: Daria

I have a special place in my heart for Daria. She was kind of the voice of my generation: A disenfranchised youth who just wanted to escape the nonsense of high school and get on with real life.

Daria is one of my first inspirations to become a writer, and her witty sarcasm got me through a lot of hard times in school. I’d love to see her view of the world now, with social media, blogging, and super advanced cell phones… Though I may feel guilty if I end up disappointing my hero.

5: The Andy Griffith Show

Here’s an oldie: A small town cop helping the citizens get out of wacky adventures. If they can’t bring back Andy Griffith, I’d like to see at least SOMETHING come up that’s wholesome for the family to watch. We had Touched By An Angel for a while, but even that got painfully cheesy at times. Right now we have Once Upon A Time, but that thing can make Days of Our Lives look like a simple storyline. What happened to TV you can just watch with your family without a flowchart on hand to understand what’s going on?

4: Ghostbusters

The Ghostbusters cartoon used the movie as a jumping off point to launch into what I feel is the only logical step for the franchise: Having the Ghostbusters go through wacky adventures with ghosts. The show was well written and the dialogue captured the heart of the original four, plus I can’t argue with a show that would shamelessly have someone riding a roller coaster in order to fight Cthuhlu. This cartoon was just beyond awesome and is something else I’d love to see rendered with a touch of the modern.

3: A GOOD Anime

Is there any good anime on right now? When I do flip through the channels I seem to keep finding the latest version of Yu-Gi-Oh! and some knock-off of the same. Where’s Cowboy Bebop? Where’s Fullmetal Alchemist? Whatever happened to that gal who was always with the guy with cat ears? Sure it’s premise was dumb but at least the animation was above par.

2: MST3K

I know Mystery Science Theater 3000 has found new life online supplying audio commentaries to the

masses, but why don’t these people still have a show? MST3K to me was one of the funniest things on TV, and I know that if they brought it back and put it on a channel you don’t have to pay more than your house for, it would get more laughs than How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory or Two and A Half Men combined. In one night. Compared to each of their entire runs.

1: Muppets

The Muppets got their start on TV, first on Sesame Street then on The Muppet Show for several years, and both were delightful. Youtube some of the old skits from the Muppet Show if you don’t know what I mean and I guarantee you’ll fall in love. The Muppets last movie, The Muppets, is about the Muppets returning to their roots, and I think a return to TV would be the next logical step, and I guarantee a massive fan turnout if the trailers featured “Pigs in Space”. 

A New Kind of Kryptonite

Recently I’ve been juggling a lot with school, personal progress, and extra curricular activities.  I wrote a post for another blog that I contribute to that spoke of some very vulnerable feelings.  I’ve been doing a lot with my life that I am definitely proud of.  My friends old and new tell me that they're proud of me and that I’m amazing or remarkable.  I believe them and I truly feel that confidence within me.

And because I’m human, I’m feeling pressures to be perfect.  I’m feeling pressures to be an unstoppable superhero.  Even in writing this vulnerable post I spoke of I saw how I was striving so hard to be someone I’m not.  Trying to be a better version of me to the point of putting so much energy into it that I’m wearing myself out.

I really wish I was better than I am.

Last night I prayed for and of a lot of things.  I started crying because I wanted impossible things in my life.  I wanted things that are mutually exclusive to the plan of salvation.  I felt shame in the desires of my heart.  I felt shame knowing that even in these contrary desires I can’t help but feel goodness and spirituality.  I can’t even call them evil because it doesn’t feel right to me and yet anything that is unable to coexist with our Heavenly Father must be.  This also troubles me.

I feel like Superman with a new kind of kryptonite.  He still can fly, is invulnerable, and yet he finds himself unsure of this piece of krypton.  This piece of his origin planet doesn’t bring him to his knees.  He feels drawn to and likes this kryptonite.  But it’s far removed from a place that no longer exists and makes Superman miss his origin planet, a planet he never knew.  This kryptonite takes away from the joy he could be experience on his home planet, earth.

I didn’t come away from the prayer with any answers.  I’m still just as clueless as how to fight out of my trial and resist the strange power of this unknown kryptonite.  But I came away from my prayer knowing the I am a son of my Heavenly Father who loves me.  In the dark time of my life He’s just told me, “Stay close to me.”  He loves me despite my weaknesses because I’m His son.  He would want me to enjoy my life even when in trial.

The big step for me to enjoy my life in the storm isn’t to have the acceptance of others, I have plenty of that.  It’s not just remembering how much my Heavenly Father loves me.  The step I’ve been struggling to take is accepting and loving myself despite my weaknesses simply because my Heavenly Father does.

So here I am seeing that, yeah, I got some stuff I don’t understand.  And right now, I don’t need to. That understanding will come in time.  I know that I’m doing everything I possibly can.  My Heavenly Father wouldn’t want me to get down on myself because I’m not meeting some expectations I’ve held myself to.  He would want me to accept me where I am as I am and just keep moving forward and staying close to him.

Photo credits by Rob Johsnon.

It’s then at that point that I stop worrying and start enjoying.  That’s when I start finding joy even in my endurance of whatever it is I’m facing.  Children exemplify this beautifully.  A child could come out from the wreckage of a tornado.  He’s sad because his home is in ruin.  The neighborhood he remembers is gone.  He may even be afraid of the future with it’s uncertainty.  Yet as he walks through the rubble there he sees a slightly dirty bike.  It’s still in good condition and survived the disaster like he did.  With a joyous laugh the child jumps on the bike and he finds joy despite his trial.

Too often I forget to seek after this joy like this little boy.  If I want to find joy despite my struggles, I need to take a break.  I need to let myself find joy in the company of family and good friends.  I need to draw, design, be creative, and do something spontaneous.  What I’m discovering about this new kind of kryptonite is that only has the power that I give to it.  It doesn’t need any more attention than what is necessary.

I know that we can find joy even in trial.  I know part of that is accepting ourselves as we are in whatever place we find ourselves in.  We don’t justify unrighteousness but we don’t shame ourselves either.  We love and accept ourselves as the savior does.  Thanks for reading everyone.  I know I talk a lot about trials but hey, nobody is perfect.

-Stephen

Write Away

Have I ever told you that I like to write? I'm sure there are some of you that are here because you know me in a writing community and are interested in seeing me in my geek world. And there are others that are like "Woah, you like to write. Are you published?" To that question let me say this: if I was a published author, I would definitely be shamelessly self-promoting on this blog. Duh!

A lot of people try to tell me how easy it is to be a writer. (I'm sorry, I don't see your book on any shelves.) It really isn't. Writing science-fiction and fantasy, or speculative, in the modern term? Well that's just making stuff up, right? (That person needs a swift kick to the pants.) I really like what my brother-in-law once told me about writing fantasy. He said that's gotta be so difficult to come up with a brand new world with all its own laws, rules, and cultures. I envy his intelligence. (We're talking about my redneck brother-in-law at that.)

Anyway, as a writer, I discovered the awesomeness that are writing conferences. Here is where I hang out with and meet nerds, geeks, and, by all means, dorks. Ever since I attended UVU's Book Academy (it may be UVU's The Book Academy) in 2009 (which was its inaugural event), I was hooked.

Even though I met very few people at that first conference, I still loved going. A few months later I attended LTUE (Life, the Universe, and Everything) in Provo and enjoyed it. I did feel more alone at this conference because I didn't know anyone and had too much introvert energy to get me talking.

But then I went to LDStorymakers in May 2010 and that really changed my perspective of being a future author. I even picked up on some rules on getting your book finished and becoming an author. I'm gonna share with you 5 of my favorite rules I've picked up over the past few years. Pay special attention to rule #1 because that's my absolute favorite. (Also, look at that cool guy holding the Dr. Pepper bottle. Wow, I wish I could be him.)

Rule #1: There Are No Secrets to Being Published

What? You mean Brandon Sanderson and Stephanie Meyer aren't keeping something hidden in a spiral notebook inside a treasure chest buried five under their backyards? Yeah, everything you need to know about being published is basically all over the internet: the good and the bad. I once heard a guy at a signing for Brandon Mull ask "What's your secret?" Brandon Mull replied with "I don't have any. I just wrote and wrote and revised and edited and found a publisher that picked me up." This guy looked disappointed. Now there are things we can learn from other authors to be better at our craft. But there really isn't an underlying secret to landing a big deal with a big house publisher.


Rule #2: Read What You Want to Write

This is actually from Stephen King. He's even scarier because he's right. If you're wanting to write a fantasy novel about a troll, then reading Jane Austen is not gonna help you. Exception: if you're trying to see how to incorporate arrogant pride or smug prejudice into the story. (Oh yeah, these rules aren't absolute.)

Rule #3: Going Fanboy/Fangirl On An Author Will Not Help Your Publishing Path

Okay, maybe it will. But authors are people. These aren't Kardashians. They don't want to be treated like they're better than everyone else, generally speaking. Here are the two thoughts here. If the author doesn't like being treated the same as a rockstar, they will think you're weird and annoying. If the author likes the ego boost, they're gonna take your ranting and raving as that, an ego boost. Nothing more, nothing less.



Rule #4: What Works For One Author Doesn't Always Work For Another

There are authors that say "The only way to write is with an outline." There are others that say, "The only way to write is to sit your butt in front of the computer and let your thoughts/ideas flow." Guess what. They're both right...minus this "the only way" business. No, there isn't an only way. One of my favorite things about LDS author Elana Johnson is how she says "This is what works for me" in her presentations. She knows not everything she does will help someone else. She's just sharing what she does.

Rule #5: Being A Published Author Does Not Mean You've Arrived

If your goal is to write one book, and only one, and get it self-published and never write another thing, then this rule isn't for you. There are people out there that believe once you're published everything you write will get published. That has happened for very few actually. Not everyone is John Grisham, Danielle Steel, and a handful of others. Yes, I'm sure you can name about 50 authors that have shelves of books out there and everything they write gets published. Guess what, I can go to the books store and find about 20 authors for each one of those 50 that only has a few books out. There are a LOT of authors competing for publishers' time and booksellers' shelf space.

So there you have my rules. Am I right? Of course I am. But if you don't believe me, go ahead and do it your way. If it works, sweet, you hit the exceptions list. If it doesn't.....well....I told you so. (Yes, I'm immature sometimes.)

Alien abductions are involuntary, but probings are scheduled.

(Your) Voice from the Dust

I write a lot about endurance, trials, and the Atonement.  It seems that is something I'm always coming back to.  My staff seems to shatter again and again.  At times, I feel confident thriving on basic needs like a true warrior and then just as quickly coming to my knees with kryptonite.  Recently, I've been having the most difficult trial I could have ever imagined--taking me to dark places within myself that I thought I had left behind me ages ago.

I've tried to fill my time with as many distractions as I can.  One of them, was blowing the dust off this blog I haven't touched in months.  I started reworking the design, working on the podcast, and reorganizing the posts.  Since reworking the labels system I started relabeling the posts that have been written.  Because of that, I read a few blog posts and realized a purpose in them that I didn't see before.

A lot of counsel is given for us to write in our journals and keep records of sorts.  I add my testimony to this in that I've been blessed by keeping a journal.  I would also like to add something else though.  Don't just write in your journal.  Take time to read your journal as well. 

It was like I started speaking to myself and giving myself the faith and strength I've needed.  This blog has been a journal for me.  Reading the blog posts I have written has been like a letter to me reminding me that everything is going to be okay. It hasn't taken away the trial. I still have to endure but reading has brought me new strength and insight.

There's a reason why our prophets and general authorities counsel us to write in our journals. It's not just for the future generations before us. Our journals are also for us. They help us build a relationship with ourselves. My journal has helped me see my faults and is a record of my growth.

Today, there are many ways to record our thoughts and experiences. Blogging is just one of many different ways to write down what your challenges are, what your fears are, share in laughs, share in tears, and tell your secrets. It doesn’t have to be public either. The sharing part could simply be just with yourself.

My journal has also helped me accept myself.  I remember when I came off my mission I bought a journal with a dark black cover.  I wanted this journal to be authentic and contain all of my authentic thoughts and feelings--even the painful or ugly ones.  Reading through that journal I've seen all of my faults and weaknesses.  I've also seen a lot of the good things about me too.  Seeing me for who I am has helped me accept me.  And having accepted myself allows me to feel the most true joy when I'm accepted by others.

Take time for you and write.  These blog posts aren't all that long and don't have to be.  If you pick up a blog or blow the dust off your journal to write don't feel you have to write a lot.  Just write what you need to.  I know that when and if you do that you'll be glad that you did.  You'll find some release and find strength from your Heavenly Father.

-Stephen

Easter

I have a favor to ask the world this year: This Sunday I want at one point everyone to put the pastel Easter clothes, the bunnies, the candy, the toys, and all the eggs aside and think for just a minute about what this holiday is all about. Yeah, I know it’s not as commercial as Christmas, but it’s certainly receiving it’s fair share of clutter, isn’t it?

As a kid I enjoyed Easter, because it meant in the middle of spring I got a second Christmas, usually full of stuff I can use during the summer. One year, all the plastic eggs were full of fishing gear and we took the boat out soon after. It was a ton of fun, so I don’t want to say that I don’t respect the whole celebration, but I find that with Easter too much emphasis starts being put on all the nonsense that isn’t important. Does it really matter that all the kids wear matching Sunday outfits? Is anyone killing themselves over building the perfect Easter basket? I guess a lot of my comments are directed at parents, and to them I have a question: Do your children really understand what Easter is all about?

It’s not a common practice in LDS homes to keep a lot of images of the crucifixion around in public view, normally walls are adorned with temples or that one picture of the Savior in the red robe looking over your left shoulder, and I’m not a critic of that, but among all the candy and bunnies do they really understand what happened?

Let me give you some context as to why we have an Easter bunny: Once upon a time the Christians were moving en masse north into Europe where they encountered what is today called Pagan. This included Druids, Wiccans (witches) and people believing in the Norse mythology. In an effort to try and combine cultures the Christians combined many of their holidays with the Pagans, including Easter and Christmas, figuring that peace was a better alternative to war. They eventually did declare war and burned anyone who tried to keep their non-Christian beliefs, but that’s a different story. What we ended up with though was Easter, Christmas, Halloween and a few smaller holidays woven in for the fun of it. Now no, I’m not saying that if your kid believes in the Easter Bunny that it’s somehow evil and needs to stop, for heaven’s sake it’s fun for everyone involved. What I am saying is to remember the reason for the season. Make sure that Easter is more about Christ than bunnies and candy, because if not it’s just another day with candy and toys.

For the adults I ask the same thing: Remember what Easter is really about. For me it’s a good time to remember things like the temple, and what the rituals performed inside mean to me, or the sacrament, our way to renew our covenants in a way that symbolizes a dinner that started the first Easter. There’s a time to have fun and a time for quiet reverence, and Easter can have both as long as the reverence is shown with a higher level than watching Peeps melt in the microwave.

-JOE

XCOM: Enemy Unknown (aka XCOM: Plot Unknown)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown (released in October of 2012) is a re-imaging of a 1994 game called UFO: Enemy Unknown.  I would describe the game as a turn based tactical game with some RPG elements.

This post will contain some minor spoilers, you have been warned!

The setting is in the near future.  Many of the world's nations have banded together (called the Council of Nations collectively) to create an organization called XCOM: the best of their military, engineering, and scientific research.  The player takes on the roll of the Commander of XCOM.  At one point, aliens begin to land UFOs and abduct humans.  XCOM is activated to fend off the threat.

Plot wise, the game starts out incredibly awesome.  The people don't know what's going on.  The enemy has way more powerful weaponry.  The lead scientist is continually fascinated by the alien's behavior and technology.  At one point, the game starts to put in a plot that supposedly explains what is driving the aliens to attack and kidnap humans.  Sadly, the voice that explains most of it is so garbled, I probably missed most of the plot.  Also, the plot felt a bit 'thrown together'.  The last scene did make me cry.

Difficulty: Even on the 'regular' or Normal difficulty, the game was dangerous.  The tutorial mission starts out by not pulling any punches.  I had several squad mates that died over the course of the game (I did a lot of 'save scumming' to avoid losing key people).  Part of the difficulty was training up the soldiers.  In a true RPG sense, they had to score a kill to get XP (I'm not entirely certain on that point).  I found it frustrating because some soldiers would do other useful things like weaken the enemy or heal their comrades.  Shouldn't they get XP for that too?  The other is balancing resources like money and alien technology.  I tended to run out of money very rapidly.  However, at the end of the game, I had more money than I knew what to do with, and not enough of the alien technology.  I felt like at one point, the difficulty tended to drop off.  Sure, there were super powerful opponents that could still obliterate my squad if I wasn't careful, but most of the other enemies would die rather quickly from awesome shots by my snipers.

Customizability: The soldiers names and features can be customized.  I gave one of my soldiers the last name of 'Panic' after she panicked on her first mission (I don't blame her, the soldier next to her died in one hit).  Turns out, she became my best sniper, got the code name of 'Echo', and was with me till the very end.

I was rather sad that the customization was limited.  All of the soldier's bodies looked exactly the same.  I wondered if how XCOM got more soldiers was to activate some kind of bizarre copier that could create people.

Replayability: Honestly, I don't think I would replay this game.  I could replay it on a higher difficulty, or add a number of 'options' that make the game more difficult.  I felt like the game was way too short.  I got the highest level of technology and kept waiting for another 'tier' to use.  It never came.  I was disappointed.

Overall: XCOM was a very well made game.  I was satisfied with the visuals, the sound, and the music. The voice acting was cool, and at times quite eerie.  However, the game was so short, I don't think it was worth the price tag that I paid for it.  I probably would have paid about $20 to $30 for the game.

If you're into tactical turn based games that are light on the RPG elements, then I would recommend this game.