Relief Society Lesson - Generations Linked in Love

I am teaching relief society today. Once again, I thought I would post my lesson outline/visual aids. With the help of my mom and Lisa, I also made a pedigree chart with pictures of my ancestors. It's pretty cool. I also have a few stories to tell about some of my ancestors. Wish me luck!

Generations Linked in Love

Elder Russell M. Nelson
April 2010 General Conference

“The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead.”
-Joseph Smith

You first identify individuals for whom you desire to do temple work.

Then you print out a Family Ordinance Request.

This document provides the information needed at the temple and eliminates the need to take computer discs with you.

From the Family Ordinance Request, ordinance cards are printed at the temple. After an ordinance is performed, it is recorded and entered into new FamilySearch that very day.

The new FamilySearch system changes the dynamics of family history work by facilitating the creation of one common pedigree.

While temple and family history work has the power to bless those beyond the veil, it has an equal power to bless the living. It has a refining influence on those who are engaged in it. They are literally helping to exalt their families.

Happy Father's Day!

Today I would like to honor my father. My father has sacrificed to be there for his children. After working hard at a steel mill all day, and sometimes working a double shift, he would come home and play with us, whether it be backyard football, running, or any number of activities.

My dad also wrote me a letter every single day, for 18 months, while I was on my mission. Consequently, he did the same thing for my brother and sister. Who also served missions. This took a lot of dedication.

My dad is always willing to help a neighbor in need. My dad is a hard worker. And of course, he and my mom, have dedicated their lives to caring for me. Thank you so much.

I love you, Dad!

Happy Father's Day!

Cuss Tooth President

Lisa beat me to it. But I still want to mention how appalled I was this morning, as I watched Good Morning America and saw our so-called president of the United States using profanity.

First of all, I don't know why the news would even air such garbage. And put their little pet, in a bad light. Apparently, they didn't think it did such. Such language should not be allowed over the airwaves. But I've already blogged about this before. So I won't elaborate.

Aren't political leaders, and especially the president of the United States, and vice president, for that matter, supposed to be shining examples of how we should behave? At least, the public face they put forth. Well obviously this is not true anymore. Our president and vice president are both bucket mouths who blatantly use profanity at will. It's completely disgusting.

If you've read my blog before, you know I have absolutely zero respect for Obama. And if it's possible, I lost even more respect for him today. As I said before, using profanity shows a person's lack of intelligence, lack of respect for others, and their inability to communicate.

That's my two cents.

Oil Leak

How is it that we live in the most technologically advanced era in the history of the world, yet no one can figure out how to stop an oil leak?

For almost 2 months now, the top story of all news broadcasts is the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. If we have the technology to drill into the ocean floor to extract oil, why can't we fix a leaky pipe? Especially after almost 2 months of trying. It's absolutely ridiculous.

It's almost becoming comical. It's no wonder the British lost the Revolutionary war. (I don't know if BP is still British Petroleum, but it helps emphasize my point :-)).

Fix the stinking leak already! I'm tired of hearing about it on the news.

That's my two cents.

Stone Olympics Day 2 Official Results

Listed below are the official results for the 2010 Stone Olympics. It will take too much time for me to try to make it look pretty. So I hope you can understand it, as written. That is, if anyone actually tries to read through it. Conditions were not optimal, with rain throughout the day. But hopefully, everybody had fun.

10:00 AM Three Legged Race
Name      Time      Place

AARON and Juliet   Did not participate
Derrinda and Elijah     1:05.18  5
Michael and Chanelle  : 32.23   1
Mercedes and RICHIE : 34.14   2
Cody and Lisa             1:40.09    6
Grandpa and grandma 1:02.18    4
Desi and Dallas           : 53.74    3

10:30 AM Shotput
Name Number one distance Number two distance Number three distance Best distance Place

Aaron 30 feet 5/2 inches 32 feet 1½ inches Scratch 32 feet 1 ½ inches 1
derrinda 15’8” 17 foot 10 ½ inches Scratch 17 feet 10 ½ inches 6
Michael 27 foot 10/2 inches 29 foot 9 ½ inches 30’7” 30’7” 2
Dallas 10’11” 9 foot 3 ½ inches 10’10” 10’11” 7
Cody 7 foot 7 ½ inches 7’3” 8’1” 8’1” 9
Noel 21’9” 22 foot 2 ½ inches 22’5” 22’5” 4
Mercedes 18’5” 18 foot 10 ½ inches 19 foot 5 ½ inches 19 feet 5 ½ inches 5
Desi 21’10” 23’2” 20 foot 9/2 inches 23’2” 3
Phil Did not participate
Chanelle 9’6” 10 foot 8 foot 11 ½ inches 10 feet 8

11:15 AM Race to GATE and Back
Name Time Place

Juliet 3:14.46 2
Michael Did not participate
Dallas 4:11.52 5
Richie 3:54.22 3
Aaron 3:07.30 1
Chanelle 4:11.02 4
Cody 4:39.18 6
Noel 4:44.13 7

11:45 AM Sack Race
Name Time Place

Juliet 1:19.01 5
Noel 1:12 3
derrinda 1:53.75 9
Michael : 47 1
Dallas 1:20.05 6
Cody 1:39.02 8
Elijah Did not participate
Chanelle Did not finish
Richie 1:02 .92 2
Mercedes 1:20.44 7
Desi 1:13.18 4
Phil Did not participate

1:15 PM Football Toss
Name First toss Second toss Third toss Total Place

Juliet 10 0 0 10 6
Aaron 0 0 0 zero 8
derrinda 5 0 0 5 7
Michael 10 0 0 10 6
Dallas 0 0 0 zero 8
Cody 0 0 0 zero 8
Noel 15 0 0 15 4
grandpa 5 10 0 15 1
Mercedes 5 10 0 15 2
Richie 15 0 0 15 3
Chanelle 0 0 0 0 8
Lisa 5 0 0 5 7
Desi 5 10 0 15 5
*there was a five way tie for first place. Therefore a toss off ensued. Results of the toss off: grandpa gold, Mercedes silver, Richie Bronze, noel fourth, Desi fifth.

1:45 PM 25 m freestyle swim (three lengths)
Name Time Place

Juliet 1:13.26 7
aaron : 26.26 1
derrinda : 48.36 4
Michael : 37.61 2
grandpa 1:45.10 7
Richie 1:09.01 6
Chanelle : 59.73 5
Mercedes : 43.01 3
Dallas 1:48.05 8

2:15 PM Horseshoes
Name Score Place

aaron 2 5
Lisa 5 4
derrinda 0 7
Michael 12 1
Dallas 6 3
grandpa 7 2
Richie 2 5
Mercedes 1 6
Chanelle 0 7
Desi 1 6
Noel 5 4
Juliet 0 7

3:00 PM Obstacle Course
Name Time Place

Juliet 1:22.66 2
aaron DSQ 0
derrinda 1:29.6 3
Michael 1:12 1
Dallas 1:56.58 7
Cody 3:00.11 8
Elijah Did not participate 0
Richie Did not participate 0
Chanelle 1:41.71 5
Mercedes 1:38.36 4
Desi 1:46.52 6
Noel DSQ 0

3:45 PM 50 M Dash
Name Time Place

aaron False start
Michael Did not participate
Dallas 9.72 4
Cody 10.54 5
Elijah Did not participate
Brandon Did not participate
Richie 7.71 1
Chanelle 8.62 3
Mercedes 8.04 2
Noel False start
Lisa False start

4 x 200 relay
Team one: Juliet, Dallas, Derrinda, Chanelle
3:16

Team two: Michael, Cody, Lisa, Mercedes
3:12

First Annual Stone Olympics Results Part One

Yesterday we had the triathlon portion of the first annual Stone Olympics. I think all would agree it was a lot of fun. And a lot of guts were spilled. Hopefully next year we will have a few more participants. Here are the results:

The Sprint triathlon consisted of a quarter-mile swim, 13 mile bike, 5 km run.

Sprint Triathlon

Name Swim time Bike time RUN time Total time place

Michael 9:15 44:12 18:54 1:12:21 first

Juliet    only completed run: 21:33

The Mini triathlon consisted of an eighth of a mile swim, approximately 4 mile bike, and just under 1 mile run.

Mini Triathlon

Name Swim time Bike time Run time Total time Place

Derrinda 5:39 26:09 10:23 42:11 First

Mercedes 5:53 28:32 10:19 44:44 Second

Dallas 9:35 26:47 9:21 45:03 Third

Chanelle 7:14 30:18 13:29 50:21 fourth

Thanks to all who participated. We're looking forward to part two Memorial Day. I think all would agree that this was a very tough triathlon course. Very hilly. Great job all participants!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers. I am not a mother so I can not fully comprehend what a hard job it is. But I know, it is harder than any 9-to-5 job you can think of.

There are not words to express my love and appreciation for my own mother. She has always been a shining example of what a mother should be. I could not have been blessed with a better mother.

For the past 7+ years, she has dedicated her to caring for me. For this I will be eternally grateful. Nobody can ever do things quite as good as my mom. Thank you, Mom! I love you.

Mexico or America?

I read a news article today which was rather disturbing. To sum up the article, it basically said that five boys in a public school in the San Francisco Bay Area wore an American flag T-shirt, and bandannas on their heads to school yesterday.

The disturbing part is that these boys were reprimanded for wearing patriotic attire. The reason? It was Cinco de Mayo yesterday, which is a Mexican holiday. This school is in the United States of America. So, why would five boys be reprimanded for wearing patriotic attire to school in the United States of America?

The idiotic principle or administration of the school thought that because the school has a high percentage of Mexican students, that it was somehow wrong for these American students to wear patriotic attire in an American school. How messed up is that?

One of the Mexican students even said, that she was glad that these boys got sent home for "disrespecting her".  How is wearing an American flag T-shirt in America disrespectful? There are not words to describe how ridiculous this is. It makes my blood boil.

First of all, last time I checked, California was part of the United States of America. Not Mexico. The school administration even said that the boys could wear those T-shirts/bandannas any other day of the year. But not on Cinco de Mayo. Get real.

Now, I know how liberal the bay area it is, but this is going way too far. To threaten suspension and send five boys home from school because they have been patriotic is just plain wrong. As far as I'm concerned, the school/district administration should all be fired. And all the Mexicans who feel so disrespected by Americans being loyal to their country, should all be deported back to Mexico. Where they can enjoy Cinco de Mayo without having patriotic Americans "disrespecting them".

I keep thinking there's nothing else that could happen that would shock me. But I keep being wrong.

That's my two cents.

Families

I figured you guys were tired of looking at the fish soap every time you logged onto my blog, so I figured I would just do a quick update.

Yesterday we had our monthly family home evening with my brother, sisters, and their families. It’s always fun to get together. The kids always have a blast being around each other. I cherish the times we can all get together. I wish we could do it more often.

We had a lovely dinner and lesson and of course lots of visiting. Juliet took the lesson from Pres. Monson’s conference talk from April 2005 entitled “Constant Truth for Changing Times”.  It was a great message and several tears were shed.

May is the busiest birthday month in our family, so we will be having lots of get-togethers this month. Not to mention, Mother’s Day, the race this Saturday, plenty of soap making, of which I’m most excited about, and let’s not forget The Stone Olympics! Did I forget anything?

So this will be an exciting month! I love when we all get together. It’s so nice to have all of my siblings living so close. Perhaps it’s a small glimpse into what the celestial kingdom will be like, with families being together, and sharing joy. After all, being together forever as families, is what we’re all striving to obtain.

Anyway, these are my thoughts today.

That’s my two cents.

Homemade Soap Part Two!

Today Mom helped me to make more soap using clear glycerin soap base. They, once again, turned out awesome. In the first batch, we used ocean breeze scent, two drops of blue colorant, and the fish mold. In the second batch we used the dragonfly mold with clean cotton scent, two drops blue two drops yellow colorant. In the third batch, mom's choice, she used the hat mold with one drop of red colorant and sleigh ride scent. It was fun!

Homemade Soap!

Okay, it's not totally homemade. We used melt and pour soap base. I have been so excited for my soapmaking materials to arrive. I could hardly wait for things to get rolling. :-) After Dad planted four trees this morning, I convinced him to help me make some soap. I selected the Shea butter soap base and we added Rose oil and pink coloring to the first batch. Lilacs and lilies scent to the second batch with two drops of blue and one drop of red colorant. And to the third batch we added Woodland scented oil and yellow colorant. They turned out awesome! They smell so good. Tomorrow I want to try clear glycerin soap with blue colorant and ocean breeze scent in my fish mold. Hopefully.

My Stake Conference Talk 2004

I recently came across my Stake Conference talk from 2004. I don’t think I’d read it since the day I gave it. It’s hard to believe it’s been over five years, since I wrote this talk.

Since I read it a few days ago, I’ve been debating with myself about whether I should post it on my blog or not. As you can see, I’ve decided to go ahead and post it. Even though, most people reading this blog, actually saw me give this talk in person 5 ½ years ago. I enjoyed rereading it. Hopefully you will also.

Tammy’s Stake Conference Talk
September 12, 2004
“Draw upon the merciful grace of God”

The world we live in is ever-changing. The influences for evil are abundant. Elder M. Russell Ballard states in the July 2004 Ensign that one of the ways we can combat Satan’s evil influence is by drawing upon the merciful grace of God. The prophet Moroni declared in Ether 12:27, “If men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

One of the interesting things about this scripture is that the Lord gives us weaknesses, so that we can learn humility. Humility means being teachable, free from pride and arrogance, being submissive and childlike. King Benjamin in his address proclaimed:

“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” Mosiah 3:19

We need to be humble in order to receive God’s merciful grace. The Bible dictionary defines grace as: “Divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.” It also defines it as an enabling power. Through our humility and God’s grace our weaknesses can become strengths.

The Lord gives us weaknesses to help us learn lessons that will strengthen us. Elder Ballard states : “If we are perfect in every respect, it would be hard to be humble. Even in specific things, humility comes harder to those who are very strong in one area or another. The woman or man who is remarkably beautiful or handsome can easily become proud of her or his appearance. A brilliant scholar may look down in condescension on those less intellectually blessed .” People who are wealthy and have many earthly possessions can also become proud and puffed up because of their riches.

In the August 2004 Ensign, Elder Richard D. May relates the following story: “One principle the learned sometimes struggle with is the Word of Wisdom. A former Bishop recently shared with me part of a conversation he had years ago with a successful physician. This man had been moderately active in the church but attended his meetings only rarely after he began his medical practice. When the Bishop invited him for an interview, the doctor told him, ‘Bishop, I can never be successful in my career and live the Word of Wisdom. I need to drink socially in order to climb the ladder of success.’ As a consequence, none of his family is now active in the gospel. Is this success?”

I have a similar experience I would like to share. A couple years ago, I was working as a resident in a hospital. My residency was structured such that, there were four first year residents, three second year residents, and two third year residents, so each year, one resident would not continue in the program. It was set up to be highly competitive. When I started my residency, we were told that we needed to attend all of the social events that we were invited to, in order to be successful in our careers. One day we were invited to attend a party on one of the attending physicians’ boats, where there would be alcohol and activities not conducive to the Spirit. We all felt pressure to attend. One of my co-residents, who is a Christian, but not of our faith, confided in me that he did not want to attend this party, but felt he needed to in order to further his career. He told me he didn’t want to expose his two young children to that type of environment. I told him not to feel pressured to attend the party because I wasn’t going to attend. As it turned out, only one out of the four first year residents attended the party. The next Monday when we went back to work, the senior residents were surprised at our absence and chided us about not attending. In the end, our careers were not adversely affected by not attending this party, and we didn’t compromise our standards. When we make righteous choices we are blessed.

Life is full of uncertainties. Our plans don’t always work out the way we anticipate. I had my life planned out, so I thought. I had goals set and I had reached most of them. I had gone to college, served a mission, graduated from medical school, had just started my residency as a podiatrist and had recently become engaged to be married. Life couldn’t have been better. Then one day, as my fiancé and I were returning from a day of shopping for our upcoming wedding, my life literally turned upside down. We were involved in a multiple roll-over accident. I was life flighted to the hospital, put on life support, and not expected to live. The doctors told my family that it was medically impossible for me to survive the severe injuries I sustained. After 10 days in the ICU, my fiancé died. I continued to struggle in the ICU for two months and spent 4 months in the hospital. While I was still in a coma my family was told I had broken my neck and would be quadriplegic for the rest of my life, if I lived. Although this isn’t a condition I would choose, I know there is a reason and a purpose for it, that I don’t fully understand. I know there are things that Heavenly Father wants me to learn, for He is omniscient. He knows what trials we need to go through in order to strengthen ourselves in the areas in which we are weak. If we allow ourselves to be humbled and learn from these experiences we will be strengthened.

In the May 1995 Ensign, Elder Richard G. Scott related this story:

“Recently, while traveling on an unfamiliar road, I encountered a large temporary sign declaring Rough Road Ahead, and indeed it was. Had I not been warned, that experience would have been disastrous. Life is like that. It’s full of rough spots. Some are tests to make us stronger. Others result from our own disobedience. Each one of us encounters unique challenges meant for growth. Also, our own bad choices can put more barriers in the path. Yet we have the capacity to smooth out the way, to fill in the depressions, and to beautify our course. You can start over again and change your course from a downward, twisting, disappointing path to a superhighway to peace and happiness.”

Whatever challenges we face, if we do not turn to the Lord and draw upon His merciful grace, we will remain weak and not benefit from the experience. If we are constantly asking “why?” and complaining, we will not be fortified and will suffer in vain.

There are many references in the scriptures of people who start out being humble and as they are blessed, and prosper they become proud and turn away from the Lord. Then through their disobedience they suffer unpleasant consequences, which compels them to humility and to rely on the Lord once again. We can learn from the scriptures and not fall into this vicious cycle.

There are many weaknesses that we must face. Some people struggle financially. Others with events, such as the death of a loved one, unemployment, or divorce. Some of us must struggle with physical handicaps or disabilities, including diseases such as cancer, heart disease and Parkinson’s. Some others struggle with mental and emotional disabilities, including depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. Still others struggle with spiritual weaknesses such as reading scriptures, attending church meetings, paying tithing, keeping the Sabbath day holy, fasting, praying and temple attendance. Or something more controlling such as alcoholism, drug abuse, pornography, same-sex attraction, fornication, adultery or other sexual sins.

Many people who suffer physical and mental trials often look to God for miracles. But in time, all will be resurrected, and receive perfected bodies, suffering no more. So these trials are temporary. However, the spiritual weaknesses or sins that we commit are not overcome without effort on our part to repent. The sins we commit carry with them eternal consequences. Elder Ballard said, “One of the most devastating effects of sin is that it weakens you, binds you, brings you down to slavery. The grace of God and of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the answer to that predicament. If you will but humble yourselves and turn to Them, then Their grace, Their enabling power, can not only help you throw off the chains of sin but actually turn your weaknesses into strengths.”

Just as a parent must let their child stumble and fall when they are learning how to walk, Heavenly Father must let us stumble so we can learn and grow. If a parent never lets a child fall, they will never learn to walk.

The Savior stands with open arms ready for us to make the required changes that will bring peace and success- there will be a glorious end and the miracle of a new beginning, with peace for all who lay their burdens at His feet and trust in Him.

No matter how difficult we feel our obstacles are, or whether we feel there is no hope for us because we have not the will power to turn from sin, if we humble ourselves the grace of God, or His enabling power, is ample enough to change our hearts and turn our lives in the right direction.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell reminds us, “Among the perfect attributes of our living God, one that is and will be a great blessing to us, is His generosity. Important though it is, this quality is one that tends to be less noted. God’s generosity is associated with divine gladness, such as is evoked when His children keep His commandments. He is quick to bless and is delighted to honor the faithful. God’s generosity is expressed also in His long-suffering, His being always ready to respond when His children are inclined to seek Him.”

Brothers and Sisters, our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, love us very much. We can trust in Them. I know if we rely upon the merciful grace of God, our lives will be happier, and we will be blessed beyond comprehension. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Touch of the Master's Hand

When I was in seventh grade I had to memorize a couple of poems and recite them in front of my English class. One of the poems I selected was, “The Touch of the Master's Hand”. Yesterday, I watched the short film produced by the Church, with the same name. I thought I would post the poem today on my blog, for all to read.

The Touch Of The Master's Hand
Myra B. Welch
Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,

"Who'll start the bidding for me?

A dollar, a dollar, then, two! Only two?

Two dollars, and who'll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three . . ."

But no,

From the room, far back, a grey-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.



The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low, said:

"What am I bid for the old violin?"

And he held it up with the bow.

"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?

"Two thousand! And who'll make it three?

"Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;

And going and gone."said he.



The people cheered, but some of them cried,

"We do not quite understand, what changed its worth?"

Swift came the reply:

"The Touch Of The Master's Hand."



And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A 'mess of potage,' a glass of wine;

A game - and he travels on.

He is 'going' once, and 'going' twice,

He's 'going' and almost 'gone'.

But the Master comes and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought

By the touch of the Master's Hand.

by Myra B. Welch (1877-1959)

Cellular Psychosis

Since when do sane people go around talking to themselves? I see it all the time. Sometimes I even think that perhaps they may be talking to me. Until I see the Bluetooth in their ear.

Just a few years ago if I were to go out in public, the only people I would see talk to themselves, were the crazy people down on the wharf in San Francisco. Or some similar situation.

Now, it seems like every store aisle that I go down, I come across a cellular psychotic. Somebody with a Bluetooth device in their ear speaking loudly to themselves. When I first came across this cellular psychosis phenomenon, I began to wonder if the incidence of mental illness had suddenly skyrocketed. I thought to myself that perhaps closing down mental institutions wasn’t such a great idea.

Does wearing a piece of plastic in your ear suddenly make it okay to act bizarrely and I might add rudely?

Not too many years ago, people who walked around carrying on conversations with themselves, were locked up in mental institutions. Now, it is accepted as normal behavior?

Just because technology advances doesn’t mean we should ignore basic manners.

It really irks me when someone’s in the checkout line and completely ignores the cashier while carrying on a telephone conversation. I find that to be extremely rude. It is common courtesy to say hello and acknowledge the cashier serving you. There is absolutely no need to be carrying on a phone conversation in the checkout aisle.

When I go shopping, or anywhere out in public, I don’t want to listen to people’s telephone conversations. I don’t want to see/hear people talking to themselves. Generally if you are the only other person in the same proximity of someone speaking, you would naturally assume you are being spoken to. Not so anymore. Now it’s more likely that a cellular psychotic is on the loose.

Since when do people need to be talking on the telephone while shopping or running errands around town? It’s absurd. No matter is that urgent. Granted, there have been instances where lives have been saved in emergencies using cell phones. But, the overwhelming majority of cell phone conversations could easily be postponed until a more appropriate time and place.

This whole cell phone phenomenon has gotten completely out of hand. Everybody and their dog, it seems, has a cell phone.

What’s so bad about calling someone’s house and leaving a message? It used to be that people would get out of the house, or go on vacation to relax, de-stress, and become inaccessible - i.e. get away from everything.

Now, everybody takes their cell phone with them everywhere they go. Because heaven forbid, someone might need to call you and ask you what you had for breakfast, or some other nonsense.

Not only are cellular psychotics annoying, but they are dangerous. Studies have proven that having a cellular phone conversation, while driving, impairs the driver just as much as being drunk. Regardless of whether it is a hands-free conversation or not. The point is, you’re talking on the phone while driving, your mind is not focused on the task at hand. Your reaction time is much slower, and many motor vehicle accidents have been caused by cellular psychotics.

Cellular psychotics are just plain rude, selfish, ill mannered, and narcissistic.

That’s my two cents.

The Antelope and the Lion

Here’s a quote I liked from a movie I watched yesterday. I’m going to paraphrase it because I’m just going off memory but it goes something like this:

It is said that when the sun rises in Africa if you are an antelope, you know that you must be faster than the fastest lion, or you may be killed.

When the sun rises in Africa if you are a lion, you must be faster than the antelope, or you may starve to death.

When the sun rises in Africa, It doesn’t matter whether you are an antelope or a lion, you must be running.

UPDATE- I found the proverb online:
"Every morning in Africa, an antelope wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion, or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest antelope, or it will starve. It doesn't matter if you're the lion or the antelope, when the sun comes up you'd better be running."