Does anyone have a TV guardian I can borrow?

I am in desperate need of a tv guardian.  I need something to block the bad words so I can show a movie to my class.  I went to get ours and someone had thrown it away.  Help!!!

You should know...

...About: THE PARTY

Smashing Hit and the ever-popular Mrs. Had

The Grandma Polly Party was a smashing hit!

We made identical scrapbooks of Grandma Polly, made home made chicken noodle soup, and watched "Love Letters," an old film with Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotton. The lightweights didn't make it to the end though. Mom, Meg, and I were the only ones left open-eyed and sleepless after 3 am when the credits started rolling. SO FUN! Any volunteers to be in charge of next year's shin dig? Only 1 rule: No boys allowed :)

THANKSGIVING: (I'm doing this in reverse order)

...was at the cabin. It was great to see everyone together. The only person missing was Q. Let me explain: since our families get together on the same year, we have to pull a 4 year rotation. This was the source of much confusion so, for the record:

2003-Hadley

2004-Metcalf (Stirland)
2005-Metcalf (Metcalf)
2006-Hadley
2007-Hadley (Favero)
2008-Metcalf (Stirland)
2009-Metcalf (Metcalf)
2010-Hadley
2011-Hadley

THEN... We had a Christmas Party with the Hadley Clan.

Q and Matt were the highlight of the talents show. You'll have to ask them to share their songs with you. I laughed tell I cried.

NEXT: FAMILY PICTURES

Yep- I cut my hair again, that IS a Bettie Page, and my rear end is toned (dude- I've lost 3 inches in my waist alone... uh-that was pre-Thanksgiving)

Q posed with these cute DUCKS while we were waiting for the photog...

...Then this guy decided to BITE Q in an attempt to rip his pants off!


THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING, back at ScHoOl---

We had an assembly -pOwDeR PuFf- and as I was taking pictures of the crowd for the end-of-year slide show, I suddenly heard chanting from down below... then in the middle of rhyme, I heard my name ("Mrs. Had") incorporated into the verse. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from, but the students helped me out. They pointed towards the sideline WHERE....

I discovered this group of boys (cheerleaders) who had made up a song to get me to notice them. They didn't stop singing until I recognized their effort in front of the whole school. Naturally, I had to take their picture.

...Oh- and the weather: PERFECT. Week of ThAnKsGiViNg and it was 80+ !!! We were all sweating in our shorts and T-Shirts! I love this place.

(P.S. I love NYC too
so don't get thinking
I wouldn't move
back to the Big Apple
in a second)

...and one more thing: That picture down below-
at the Jubilee, that's the one my parents bought for Christmas.

Building Bridges/...and now for my great bane of inflexibility

I've been thinking about something President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said last month about building bridges (see full article here). It really touched me and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. When I lived in New York, I told my mom one of the best things about Manhattan was that you really could be an island and that Jon Donne didn't know what he was missing. I told her I loved being in a sea of people all while you were isolated in a bubble of self-expression free from repercussion. I loved walking down the streets and not having to say hello to anyone or being judged by anyone. Her response at the time shocked me. She said that it was a selfish desire to be devoid of connections and social responsibility and that isolation was the easy road. After a few years of reflection I think she is right, as usual. It is our connections to each other that bring joy and meaning to life. I really believe that when we focus on our commonalities and allow our differences to fade away, we are left with strengthened bonds of friendship. I believe it is our obligation to find these bridges and make them stronger; to fulfill our obligation of sincerely looking out for each other, finding interest in each other, and serving each other.

I've decided to start building bridges. We must find the traits, views, and feelings we have in common and foster these likenesses until the rest doesn't matter. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying... it sure beats watching TV all night:

Above: Paul visited again. It is so good seeing him. For those who don't remember, Paul was one of our best friends and then, for reasons left ignored and forgotten, he dropped off the face of the earth. It's been about 7 years, but we've been catching up like crazy. Where you might ask? Denny's of course. This was our second trip. It seemed fitting of our high school days, plus it is the only post midnight hangout in town. On the right: No better girls' night out then Twilight and fried food. This is my new friend Sarah, with whom I get along tremendously well. She is my complete opposite from politics to the weather, but it works. Currently awaiting her arrival back to Utah from Thanksgiving break. Below: This is me spending a very late night with Alana, Jenny, and Paul. I'm pretty sure I was delirious.

Meg is a senior... in case you didn't realize it. Yep, she dates, drives, takes the ACT, and goes to Senior Ball. She is the sweetest thing this side of sugar.

AND NOW FOR MY GREAT BANE OF INFLEXIBILITY:
Some of you may not have believed me when I told you I was the most inflexible person on the planet. Yep, my personal trainer kept telling me, "No, lift the weights up by your ears," assuming my inflexibility was an excuse. He literally made me put down the weights and lift my arms up to prove I wasn't just lazy or completely dim witted. After demonstrating one of my most embarrassing traits, he was left virtually speechless. He later told me he's only seen one other person in his life as inflexible as me and that was a 70 year old man with injuries and some sort of arthritis. (arg) So here I am demonstrating for you: I CANNOT touch my arms to my ears nor can I touch them on the ground while lying down. In this picture I am STRAINING to push them as far down as possible.

I have this re-occurring dream (no joke- since grade school) that I am completely flexible. I spend all night doing the splits and kick lining with the Rockettes. I say to myself. wow, I really can do this now and then offer a pray of thanks to The Lord for finally answering my devoted and countless requests. Then I wake up and discover life... and my muscles, still hate me and my Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader fantasy vanishes into thin air.

Alas: I may never be the gumby of my dreams, but I am making progress: (Above) since I've gone to the gym I've transitioned from a -7 on the toe touch stretch to a -2!!! This is big, even if my personal trainer smirked a little when a beamed like a little girl at Christmas. Oh ye friends of more fortunate skills: Every time you sit comfortably on the floor with legs straight in front and not having to lean on a wall for support, just think of me loathing in jealousy. I'm surprised I can even sit Indian style. I had to stretch and run for over two hours before barely touching my toes in this picture. It was pretty painful waiting for the auto to take the pic.

ABOVE: Take a bite out of this everyone who lives somewhere north of here: St. George at the end of November, me outside my gym in a tank and shorts, perfectly comfortable. Gotta love the desert!


AND FINALLY: Our famed jubilee experience circa 2008. Food: A+, Decor: A+,
Money Raised: 1.3 million, Auction: exhilarating, Unexpected Surprise: running into Eric Young.

Another reason to love Twilight and Celine Dion

My world centers on 3 local events:

1. The St. George Parade of Homes
2. The St. George Arts Festival
3. The Jubilee of Trees Gala Benefit Dinner

To get a better understanding of my love for these 3 joyous occasions, know this: When my mom presented me with my very own Celine Dion tickets for my birthday in April, my first emotion was actual anguish and gnashing of teeth because it was on the same night at my blessed Jubilee Banquet. Instantly I was confronted with a moral dilemma, an ethical debate if you will. Go to Celine, who I missed in Vegas and still haven't quite gotten over it, or relinquish my tickets for a night with tacky Utah evening dresses, craft-crazy trees, and a steak dinner all while rodeo suppliers donate tens of thousand of dollars to help pre-me's. Oh the harshness of the situation. In the end I went with Celine because the Jubilee is every year and I was, after all, familiar with the sacrifice of missing this annual event as I couldn't fly home from Manhattan in '05. Imagine my conflict of emotions then, when you hear that Celine is sick and won't be coming to SLC at all. Do I feel joy? Let down?

Upon receiving this information I jumped off the couch and ran to find dad, excitedly exclaiming to him that, no worries, I could make Jubilee after all. I expected to see utter relief on his part, but was dismayed to discover he had given my seats away to a couple who actually, "planned on buying something," at the silent auction (the jubilee is a fund-raising event). The disappointment. Q practically started crying. Long story short, never give up, never surrender. We have managed to finagle Dad's friend into giving us his seats. Apparently his wife bought tickets to Twilight without realizing that the Jubilee coincided with the premiere. I knew I liked that Stephanie Myer. So all is not lost. We will, without fail, be at the Jubilee banquet dinner this season... and, if you look hard enough, we may actually bid on something completely cheesy and hot glued to boot.

(Jubilee '06-our first appearance after missing '05 for Manhattan)

...and for the rest of my SGU top ten events list:
4. Dickens Festival
5. Scrapbook U.S.A
6. Cinco De Mayo (don't ask)
7. Peach Days
8. SG Marathon at the mortuary
9. Art in the Park
10. Halloween on Sugar Leo

PERSEPOLIS

Yes, I'm still obsessing over this book. I have been since college... the second time through (college, not the book. I've read Persepolis more than 33 times). So obsessed, in fact, that I special ordered the French independent film and watched it with subtitles... the entire thing, from casting to press conferences. I like Marjane Satrapi better than Art Spiegleman (which is saying a lot, especially since I'm not the graphic novel or even comic book type). So here's what I've decided:

1. No, I will not be showing this film to my students... drat. It's PG-13 for a reason. Guess you can't make a film about the Iranian Revolution and Saddam's reign of terror from Iraq without throwing in some violence and drug use.
2. When I'm done teaching, everyone I know... well, at least 34 of you (because some 9th grader stole my 35th copy last year) is going to get your very own thrice-used copy for Christmas.
3. This will be the content of my first lecture series when I get so bored being a stay at home mom that I start throwing literary analysis parties where I'll serve cucumber sandwiches and release my realist agenda in full force because I've been talking baby talk all day.

2008 Youth Coyote Hunt

So, Every once in a while I get on these ittle kicks. Towards the end of the summer, all I wanted to do was Golf and I tried to go every week on my day off. I watched the Golf Channel every chance I got. I think it all started when I went to the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines this year. Well, Lately, all I want to do is HUNT. I mean, I have always loved to hunt but I just can't get enough right now. I watch the hunting shows on Versus every day, check KSL Classifieds for guns that I want, go to Sportman's on my lunch break just to look around, and check out all the pawn shops. Anyway, last weekend we did this Youth coyote hunt. Me, my Dad, Brother and his two Brother-in-Laws went. You can hunt anywhere you want so we just hunted locally here then drove to the Nephi Fair Grounds to check in. The pictures show what it looked like when you walked in the building. That's alot of camo!

Anyway, they have a dinner and then a huge drawing. They probably gave away 100 guns and 20 Fox Pro coyote calls ($200-$600 ea.) All of the kids were winning 243's, 22-250's, and everything else. Matt's Bro-in-law won a Mossberg 20 Ga. So at least we came away with something because that would have been a long drive for a damn bowl of soup.

Now, I probably know what you are thinking....... "I can't imagine a worse way to spend an ENTIRE Saturday." (I even took a precious vacation day) Or "What a bunch of Redneck Hicks" But, I honestly have to say that I LOVED it! Besides, wouldn't you rather have your kids out doing something like that than sitting home playing video games or whatever the hell they do now. I hope my kids want to get out and do stuff like that. (If not, I'm still going to take them because kids won all the good guns)

I just hope that Obama doesn't do anything drastic with the gun laws. I hate things that are ruined by the 5%. You know, like laws that are created because 5% of the population ruined it for everyone else. Most people with guns are responsible gun owners or hunters. We have gun laws because of the 5%. I Love to hunt or just shoot. It's something I Love to do. Never have or never will buy a gun for any other purpose. I'm going to get them legally, shoot responsibly, and teach my kids the same. If Obama gets his way, he will ban many calibers used for hunting. Like my little Ruger .22 semi-auto would be illegal under Obama. I agree, there do need to be some gun laws. But most of the changes that need to be made are making the penalties for gun crimes stiffer. People who use guns illegally or in a crime should be punished harshly, and NOT the Gun Makers. That's like blaming spoon for Rosie O'Donnel's obesity. People shouldn't be able to create lawsuits against the manufactures for their guns being used in crimes. So, yes, there should be SOME common sense gun legislation. But you know what? If you ban guns or make certain types illegal...... Ihate to say it but the 5% are still gonna get em. My whole arguement isn't over that fact that I NEED guns or I just HAVE to have them or I won't survive. But it's pretty simple really. It is a constitutional right! How can you change that? One of the biggest things I look for in a political candidate is what is their stance on gun control? If they can't get someting simple like that right, how can they run the rest of the country and be the commander in chief of our military?

Anyway, this little post turned into a little more than I had planned but, this is something I feel pretty passionate about. I grew up hunting and shooting and hope my kids have that same chance. It isn't even really about the hunting or killing animals. It's about having a good time with family and friends. Some of my best memories are of hunting trips and I hate to think that somebody who doesn't know a deer rifle from a ham sandwich will be making decisions that could take those same memories away from my kids. (hint...The President)

Dialectic Materialism (What I want for Christmas... the book, not the institution of the theory, what did you think? I was a Democrat? hahahaha...)

If you haven't read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi... first of all, where have you been? and second of all, YOU ARE SO MISSING OUT! It details the Iranian revolution and the events that lead up to it and the aftermath of what happens when the good guys and freedom lose. Incidentaly, the good guys were communists (see me for my views on how communism is a beautiful idea that will never work because there is no such thing as perfection on Earth, least of all in government). It's an excellent take on post-modernism and makes me feel quite squeamish about our policies concerning Iran during the 80's (YIKES!), Carter still scares me even if Reagon did clean up his mess. Did I mention it is a graphic novel which makes it even better? Think Maus or Dialectic Materialism. Which brings me to my point, I am desperate for a copy of this take on marxism/lennonism for beginners.

Because of translation issues I'm pretty sure the English title is actually Marx for Beginners; it's been around since 1976. I also REALLY pretty please want the rest of the "for Beginners" series and might not even mind Hegel for Beginners while we're at it. Considering Obama's views on big government, I think we all need to brush up on our Lacan, Derrida, Sartre, and Chomsky. Think Structuralism and Poststructuralism. Anyway, start with Persepolis, buy me Dialectic Materialism for Christmas, and I'll let you borrow it and my Norton Anthology on critical theory by New Years.

Also on my pretty please Christmas list (Q asked me to put a list together):

Gift Certificate please! (more on this amazing find later)

Can't have one without the other. (Yes it's the D90- why would anyone buy the D300 with these reviews?) I really want the "coming soon" version of rad action mixes (see side bar).

So I can still walk around in my under-roos... even though I now have 4 more room mates.

Intolerence in L.A.

When I heard about this showing of intolerance by the very people who accuse Mormons of their own crime, I didn't feel anger or hate, I immediately felt sadness for them. They have become disillusioned by disguising and confusing their hatred and disappointment with rights. While they forcefully demand others to accept them, they in no way consider others' rights to define themselves according to their own values and standards. We must face them with love, for it is the only force with which to combat hatred. Fear and anger only provide justification for their ludicrous and unfounded intolerance. We must learn to allow the voice of the people to stand when elections have been fairly executed. The only way to fight ignorance is with understanding. Thank you Paul, for your stand and your heartfelt reaction.
-N Had

(My reaction to Paul Bishop, 31-year veteran assault director of the L.A. Police force in charge of protecting the L.A. Temple. Read his amazing article HERE.)

I am SO totally thankful...

1. That the students I had last year are NOT the students I have this year.
2. For my 3 college degrees, except I really want to go back in January.
3. For my AMAZING in-laws!!!
4. That I am OH SO PROUD to tell everyone who my parents are.
5. That my Grandma Polly is still tapping strong
6. That we are able to pay off our second mortgage (stupid stupid stupid)
7. My skin, after 28 years, is finally clearing up.
8. I know my way around Manhattan... oh why can't i be there right now?!
9. Q hasn't figured out I'm totally psycho yet.
10. I can do anything I want if I set my mind to it.

Because John Williams is my favorite composer...

...and because this kid is incredible:

Quiz: Do you know who Jordan Baker is? (Hint: think American Lit. 101)

For Halloween I was Jordan Baker, a professional golfer of questionable integrity who represents women of an elite class in the 1920's. She is savvy, shallow in her approach to life, and admired by men wherever she goes. Still hasn't rung a bell? Think Daisy's friend in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I'm keeping the Halloween tradition alive this year by going as a character from a major work of fiction. Last year I was the young girl Heidi, left in the care of her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. The book, Heidi, was written in 1880 by Johanna Spyri but you'll recognize the story from the 1937 motion picture with Shirley Temple as the lead.

Q had to work on Halloween, but the rest of us had a blast. I think S.L. is the busiest street in the city because just down the road, the neighbors were giving away bowls of chili, homemade donuts made right in the street, homemade rolls, and root beer. I also noticed the king sized candy bars in trick-or-treater's bags. There were a couple haunted houses too. Dude? Who is funding this out of free will??? We must have had 1000+ trick-or-treaters. My new teacher friend and C & kids came over for the fun. Yes, we watched the Mummy-Daddy, and it was GREAT! If you missed it, you will just have to remember not to be AWOL next year.

BELOW: Earlier this month we had a Halloween cookie decorating party:

...And last Sat. Quinn FINALLY had the weekend off so he took me out for Breakfast at The Bear Paw and then we went shopping at Costco where we bought a dry fit shirt and potatoes.

P.S. Still NOT going private. View THIS STORY on KSL to make up your own mind.

Here it comes again... I just couldn't help myself:

More political mumbo jumbo from the realist:

I remember feeling nervous before. Remember the Clinton/Bush Sr. election? We couldn't even keep an incumbent in the house. Worse yet was the second run around with Clinton and Dole. I sat on pins and needles, wading through the debates and wondering how on earth people could have supported a lying credit stealer. Of course we all know the reasons: #1) Clinton can sell ice to an Eskimo and knows how to pay a good P.R. staff. When you can incorporate McDonalds into your name brand you know you've got the kind of magic that blinds people's perceptions of reality. #2) America had a repeat of the Nixon Kennedy debates, only it wasn't sweat this time, it was blinking (please tell me you remember- and if you don't know what I'm talking about, it's time for you to brush up on forensics), #3) we all knew it should have been Elizabeth running instead. Do you think if we gave her a call now.....

The difference this time is not nerves, it's foreboding. Let me clarify, it's not that I'm a McCain women, it's just that I'm an anti-Obama enthusiast. Honestly, though, my real problem isn't with the unpatriotic, marxist, athiest. It's with the people who vote for an unpatriotic, marxist, atheist. I've been asking myslef "why, why, why? America, have you become so disillusioned and lost in the rhetoric that you fall for the most un-American candidate of them all?" ...But I have my answer; it's simple, but it's scary. It all comes down to media bias.

Historically speaking the media has always been liberal. The difference now comes in two horrific facts: Now nobody knows the media is naturally liberal and assumes it isn't; it's not common knowledge anymore because people are so used to accepting media construction at face value. Next, now the gatekeepers (yes, this is also a technical term you should have learned in college) are extreme right-winged propagandists as well. That's the scary part. Our media is supposed to work like congress, complete with it's own system of checks and balances. Generally reporters and writers have been liberal while producers and owners have been conservative. I believe the shift has occurred because Americans have been fed propaganda for so long that they've stopped deducting its purpose before accepting its message. This lack of trepidation has allowed the media to sail away with our ethics left floating in the wind behind them, and blown away one more dam on the way to flooding the gates of benchmarks. Put simply, people believe what they are told without utilizing or even realizing their ability to be a skeptic.

I can understand why people have failed to notice the bias in the media and have even gone to the extreme of defending it as otherwise. Many examples illustrate this but I'll stick with the ever popular Commander in chief, George Junior. He makes The Right look bad. Before you get the wrong idea, consider this: 1) He was presented with countless loose/loose situations that no president save Abraham Lincoln (and remember, he was assassinated) could have survived scathe free come re-election time. 2) He is consistently blamed for reprocutions that have been decades in the making and have largely resulted in the mistakes and spending of a democratic congress. 3) He's got to have the worst P.R. team in history. 4) give it a decade and, just like Carter, we'll paint him a shade brighter when the dust has settled.

Even with his flaws, I still believe he blows McCain out of the water when it comes to leadership ability, follow-through, and steadfastness. 8 years ago no one would have thought McCain would be back with a serious bid for office. Is McCain better? Are the democrats to win by default? I respect McCain's experience and survival as a P.O.W. Honestly, anyone who was repeatedly tortured and had their legs broken over and over again deserves my respect and faith in their unwavering devotion to the U.S. of A. ...and McCain has made some good decisions; almost all of them start and end with Sarah Palin. His luck hasn't been bad either. Huckabee and Romney cancelled out his competition and paved the way for his chance, and long climb might I add, to curb the polarization of the Republican Party.

Perhaps it is McCain's B-list status that propells Obama into to office. Maybe not. Maybe Obama will succeed on his own to pull the greatest hood wink in modern day presidency races. Obama, the wild card from left field (literally) has, in a year, spoon fed socialized medicine to a population who never would have tasted it from Hillary or John Kerry, and successfully employed glittering generalities to avoid specifics that even his most avid believers don't understand. My argument against him is mainly his push to take away my independence. I wonder if he has ever stopped to think that some people DON'T want to be handed health care on a platter, government housing with a bow, food stamps mixed in our junk mail. Has no one told him to keep out, stay away, leave alone? Those of us who know anything about the foundation of our country know that independence is the heart of our nation. The more the government meddles into our private affairs, trying to define and add "rights" for us, the more our freedom fades.

Still, I'd rather be an American citizen than any other nationality. Perhaps 4 years in office isn't enough time for Obama to do permanent damage that a republican can't fix. Maybe it will be just enough time to teach people to be skeptics again and allow the media to eat crow. Our biggest fear shouldn't be Obama as president, it's the depletion of our checks and balances. My strongest fear lies in the possibility of a democratic congress paired with a democratic president. That's just enough power to appoint some extremist Supreme Court Justices and turn taxes into every small business owner's worst night mirror. Not only will there be no incentive to work hard, get ahead, win or even play the capitolistic game, we'll all be so downtrodden by the time we realize the American Dream has turned into a communistic paradigm that we'll be forced to stand in line with everyone else, hand out, waiting for free drugs, free housing, free everything. The greatest downfall of progression is when generosity becomes the gravy train.

But then again, if we've survived Nancy Pelosi, we can certainly weather this storm.

Something you should know about Quinn

Click pic to see detailed quality image of Quinn's collection. By the way: This isn't all of it!