Glenn Beck reported this morning that a 21 pound lobster was recently caught somewhere. It is being kept alive. It was even given a name. And the owners can't even think about dropping him in a pot of boiling water and eating him. On the other hand, Glenn's side-kick Stu made a classic statement:
"I don't understand that...lobster is just a delivery vehicle for butter".
That got me thinking. There are lots of "delivery vehicles for butter". Snails come to mind. Why would anyone eat snails if it were not for the fact that they come floating in butter? My dear Kathleen likes her Shrimp Scampi floating in butter...and garlic. And Ruths Chris Steakhouse is famous, primarily because their steaks are cooked in, what else...butter. Then of course there are crabs. Most people love crab dipped in butter, but I'm weird; I prefer them straight...or with vinegar.
And Southern cookin' came to mind. People in the South don't mess around. They are serious about their butter. They even avoid the "delivery vehicle for butter" concept completely. They eat Fried Butter. They dip butter balls in batter, drop them in the fryer...blow on them a couple of times... and pop them in the mouth. Oooooh! Makes me sick just thinking about it.
The No 1 "delivery vehicle for butter" in my experience has to be bread. Think about it. How many people do you know who slather their bread with butter? IE...they like a little bread with their butter. On the other hand, as a child in Perth, Western Australia, I hated butter...I preferred my bread plain. OK...I was weird. But my Mother and my Auntie Burl tolerated that idiosyncrasy. I found out how weird I was every time we visited the Knowles family (Wegener relatives) in South Perth. Sitting around the dinner table I got serious stares and comments..."Look...Tony eats his bread plain"..."Why don't you put BUTTA on your bread?"..."Everyone puts BUTTA on their bread"..."Just eat the bloody BUTTA mate"..."You're weird". They could never quite understand how anyone could not like butter.
For the most part, I used to put up with the comments, but one day I had a bright idea. When the cousins started the taunting I said, "Look...it's real simple...I'm used to plain bread...me Mum won't let me eat BUTTA at home...it's too expensive." That was not quite the right thing to say...Mother was horrified...and it became a serious lesson in diplomacy. Now I looooove me BUTTA...and it shows.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Global Positioning Systems
M Russell Ballard is well known for his late-in-life adoption of technology and his encouragement of the application of technology in the Church. He made a great statement during the April 2012 Conference:
"I think I know why Lehi was greatly astonished when he first saw the Liahona, because I remember my reaction when I first saw and witnessed a GPS unit. In my mind it was a modern-day device “of curious workmanship.” Somehow, in some way I can’t even imagine, this little device, right in my phone, can pinpoint exactly where I am and tell me exactly how to get where I want to go."
Elder Ballard continued: "For both my wife, Barbara, and me, the GPS is a blessing. For Barbara it means she doesn’t have to tell me to stop and ask for directions; and for me it means I can be right when I say, “I don’t need to ask anyone. I know exactly where I’m going.”"
I decided that I need one of those things.
Last week I asked my good friend Gerry Wallace if he had a portable GPS unit. He said "Oh yes...and I love it." Then he told me about his conversation with the salesman about the various GPS models available. Not being all that tech savvy, he listened politely without much comprehension and finally asked..."do you have the one in which a lady talks to you and tells you things like ...turn right in 2.1 miles?" The sales clerk assured him that they had verbal command GPS units.
Gerry responded..."That's great... that's what I need. I've always had a lady telling me where to go, so I thought that model would probably make me feel the most comfortable."
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Non-Auspicious Date
Tuesday: April 10, 2012
I’m sitting here looking out at the Atlantic . It’s big. Let’s say…immense. And it is calm today. No wind…no whitecaps…and we are running with the small swells. I was ready for rough weather. During our first night the sea was rough and we rolled and bumped our way north-eastward. The next morning the ship’s motion was smooth, but the swells were the same height. That was strange. It was explained that the Gulf Stream was the problem; it causes all sorts of erratic currents which, when mixed with swells, cause ships to pitch and roll excessively.
The
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Ya Gotta Love "ZITS"
ZITS has become one of my favorite Sunday comic strips. I love the artwork...it is brilliant...and the detail is amazing...and most often I can understand the messages. Sometimes I can even see one of our children in Jeremy. WHO COULD THAT BE? Let me think. I do accept hints.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Mormon Yankees
I Home-Teach Blaine Worthen. He served a mission in Queensland, Australia in the mid 1950s. Blaine played a lot of basketball on his mission; it was sanctioned by the Church as a missionary tool. The "Mormon Yankees" basketball teams were extremely popular all over Australia. I discovered just recently that the Church actually chose missionaries for Australia, based upon their basketball skills. I never knew that...and apparently neither did the missionaries at the time. But Blaine and I often reminise about our basketball days.
Just recently a sister from Queensland came up to Logan to visit Blaine. Violet Bailey, stayed with us for a week. She was actually born in the Church...at 74 she is a genuine pioneer in the Australian Church. She is in Utah for three months doing Family History research. It turned out that Violet (Vi) remembers the Mormon Yankees well...attended games in which Blaine played...and loved to play basketball herself. So we had a great time talking about days gone by...and basketball in Australia.
Two of my long-time Jaycee friends were missionaries in Queensland and played with the Mormon Yankees. Lanny Gunnell passed away too young. Lanny Nalder lives in Providence, so I took Vi over to see him. Nalder was a star player all his life. We had a great time talking about basketball in Australia.
Then quite remarkably, a few days later, Blaine Worthen called to tell us to watch BYU Channel 21, because there was a special about the Mormon Yankees in Australia. It absolutely blew me away. I played basketball with the Mormon Yankees in Western Australia, but I had no idea of the impact which basketball had on the Church. All I knew was that I played with missionaries who were the best players I had ever seen. It was a privilege just to be on the same team with them. We were never beaten. We played the WA State team and beat them easily. In fact, that was the first televised basketball game in Western Australia, and I scored the first two points on a layup.
The BYU program featured Australian basketball players who uniformly agreed that the Mormons raised the level of basketball in Australia to new heights...and they uniformly expressed great respect for the missionaries as individuals and players. The 1956 Summer Olympics were held in Melbourne and the Mormon Yankees were asked to train and help prepare the Australian Olympic team for their first Olympics. When the international basketball teams started arriving in Australia, they were looking for teams to play practice games. The Olympic Committee invited the Mormon Yankees to play many of the teams. Incredibly they beat every team except the Russians and the US team who won the silver and gold medals respectively. They beat the French and Chinese teams twice.
You can imagine how proud the members of the Church were in Australia. And the positive publicity about the Mormon Yankees opened doors all over the country for missionary work. The missionaries conducted basketball clinics for young people, played local teams and handed out thousands of Books of Mormon. Some of the Mormon Yankees, now old men, were interviewed on the BYU program. They talked about experiences like people rushing the court, after an exhibition game, just to touch them; they were icons...they were as popular as the Globetrotters.
So I had no idea that the two seasons I spent with the Mormon Yankees in Perth were so unique. I was playing basketball with the University of Western Australia when I joined the Church. Since there were no other Universities in Western Australia, we played in the City leagues. I started in the D league and was playing A Reserve when I joined the Church. The year before (1960) I had travelled to the Gold Coast in Queensland (by train) with the WA University team to play in the bi-annual Inter-Varsity Competition. I actually played against some of the Aussie blokes featured in the BYU film. Some of you may recall me telling the story about our first game against the University of South Australia. Our boys were all drunk from a beer drinking competition the night before. We had to dress our best player, but he could not even stand. That was the only basketball game I have ever heard of being lost by 100 points. The score was 128 to 28.
A year later (June 1961) I joined the Church...a life changing event as you can imagine. Elder Bruce R. McConkie became the Mission President a month later. Unknown to me was the fact that missionary basketball had been curtailed by the new Mission President in Sydney. The missionaries in Perth prevailed upon President McConkie to let them play basketball and he agreed. But he had conditions. One condition was that the Mormon Yankees should have two local boys on the team. I was recruited away from the University of WA team. My Aussie team-mates were not happy, and I sat on the bench a lot, but...and I can't emphasize this enough...it was an honor and a privilege...and an incredible education... to play on that Mormon Yankee team.
Our two real stars were Elders Schumway and Fotheringham. I realize now that they were probably handpicked to serve as missionaries in Australia. Physically they looked like twins...both 6' 4"...both quick as cats...and both with what looked to me like 36" vertical leaps. I had never seen anything like those two. They were awesome players. I have never forgotten them. I have often wondered where they are.
For many years I kept my Mormon Yankees jacket, # 10 shirt and shorts, but I must have reluctantly given them up during one of my infrequent clean-outs. The only relic I retained from those days is the tongue out of one of my Converse Chuck Taylor gymn shoes, on which I had written:
"A. WEGENER, MORMONS, WA."
Check out Google and Youtube :
"Mormon Yankees: Giants on and off the Court".
Just recently a sister from Queensland came up to Logan to visit Blaine. Violet Bailey, stayed with us for a week. She was actually born in the Church...at 74 she is a genuine pioneer in the Australian Church. She is in Utah for three months doing Family History research. It turned out that Violet (Vi) remembers the Mormon Yankees well...attended games in which Blaine played...and loved to play basketball herself. So we had a great time talking about days gone by...and basketball in Australia.
Two of my long-time Jaycee friends were missionaries in Queensland and played with the Mormon Yankees. Lanny Gunnell passed away too young. Lanny Nalder lives in Providence, so I took Vi over to see him. Nalder was a star player all his life. We had a great time talking about basketball in Australia.
Then quite remarkably, a few days later, Blaine Worthen called to tell us to watch BYU Channel 21, because there was a special about the Mormon Yankees in Australia. It absolutely blew me away. I played basketball with the Mormon Yankees in Western Australia, but I had no idea of the impact which basketball had on the Church. All I knew was that I played with missionaries who were the best players I had ever seen. It was a privilege just to be on the same team with them. We were never beaten. We played the WA State team and beat them easily. In fact, that was the first televised basketball game in Western Australia, and I scored the first two points on a layup.The BYU program featured Australian basketball players who uniformly agreed that the Mormons raised the level of basketball in Australia to new heights...and they uniformly expressed great respect for the missionaries as individuals and players. The 1956 Summer Olympics were held in Melbourne and the Mormon Yankees were asked to train and help prepare the Australian Olympic team for their first Olympics. When the international basketball teams started arriving in Australia, they were looking for teams to play practice games. The Olympic Committee invited the Mormon Yankees to play many of the teams. Incredibly they beat every team except the Russians and the US team who won the silver and gold medals respectively. They beat the French and Chinese teams twice.
You can imagine how proud the members of the Church were in Australia. And the positive publicity about the Mormon Yankees opened doors all over the country for missionary work. The missionaries conducted basketball clinics for young people, played local teams and handed out thousands of Books of Mormon. Some of the Mormon Yankees, now old men, were interviewed on the BYU program. They talked about experiences like people rushing the court, after an exhibition game, just to touch them; they were icons...they were as popular as the Globetrotters.
So I had no idea that the two seasons I spent with the Mormon Yankees in Perth were so unique. I was playing basketball with the University of Western Australia when I joined the Church. Since there were no other Universities in Western Australia, we played in the City leagues. I started in the D league and was playing A Reserve when I joined the Church. The year before (1960) I had travelled to the Gold Coast in Queensland (by train) with the WA University team to play in the bi-annual Inter-Varsity Competition. I actually played against some of the Aussie blokes featured in the BYU film. Some of you may recall me telling the story about our first game against the University of South Australia. Our boys were all drunk from a beer drinking competition the night before. We had to dress our best player, but he could not even stand. That was the only basketball game I have ever heard of being lost by 100 points. The score was 128 to 28.
A year later (June 1961) I joined the Church...a life changing event as you can imagine. Elder Bruce R. McConkie became the Mission President a month later. Unknown to me was the fact that missionary basketball had been curtailed by the new Mission President in Sydney. The missionaries in Perth prevailed upon President McConkie to let them play basketball and he agreed. But he had conditions. One condition was that the Mormon Yankees should have two local boys on the team. I was recruited away from the University of WA team. My Aussie team-mates were not happy, and I sat on the bench a lot, but...and I can't emphasize this enough...it was an honor and a privilege...and an incredible education... to play on that Mormon Yankee team.
Our two real stars were Elders Schumway and Fotheringham. I realize now that they were probably handpicked to serve as missionaries in Australia. Physically they looked like twins...both 6' 4"...both quick as cats...and both with what looked to me like 36" vertical leaps. I had never seen anything like those two. They were awesome players. I have never forgotten them. I have often wondered where they are.
For many years I kept my Mormon Yankees jacket, # 10 shirt and shorts, but I must have reluctantly given them up during one of my infrequent clean-outs. The only relic I retained from those days is the tongue out of one of my Converse Chuck Taylor gymn shoes, on which I had written:
"A. WEGENER, MORMONS, WA."
Check out Google and Youtube :
"Mormon Yankees: Giants on and off the Court".
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Blue Suede Desert Boots
One of my elementary school friends sent me a video of a couple demonstrating Rock'n'Roll dancing...asking...do you remember when? It brought back lots of wonderful memories.
When I was 16, Rock'n'Roll was all the rage...and I was a dancin' fool. I loved it. It was called "Jitterbug" in the US...but we called it "Jive"...and it was wild. Back in my dancin’ days I wore tight jeans and had a pair of blue suede desert boots. I'm not sure why they were called "desert boots", but I was cool…and I used to go dancin’ every weekend at the Floreat Park Tennis Club…and occasionally at the "Snakepit", which was an open-air dance floor at Scarborough Beach. When Andy and I were last in Perth I showed him a plaque in the sidewalk, which commemorated where the infamous "Snakepit" used to be located.
A couple of weeks back I was in the Sportsman shopping for sox.. There was a display of men’s shoes. Right there in front of me was a pair of blue suede desert boots…exact replicas of my 1956 models.
As I stood there staring, a young salesman came up and said “May I help you sir?” I did not respond. He said again “Sir…may I help you”. I came back to reality and said. “I’m not sure…at this very moment I am in Australia…it’s 1956…and I am dancin’ in my blue suede desert boots.” Of course he gave me that strange look that hip young men give not so hip old men. I tried to explain:
“Do you know how special these shoes are?”…
”No”
”Have you ever heard Elvis Presley sing about his Blue Suede Shoes?”…
”No”
“Well son…you missed out...you’ve got a lot of livin' to do”.
I should have bought those shoes…but on the other hand I don’t have any skinny jeans…and I really don’t like blue suede shoes that much any more. But I did love dancin'...and Jivin'.
When I was 16, Rock'n'Roll was all the rage...and I was a dancin' fool. I loved it. It was called "Jitterbug" in the US...but we called it "Jive"...and it was wild. Back in my dancin’ days I wore tight jeans and had a pair of blue suede desert boots. I'm not sure why they were called "desert boots", but I was cool…and I used to go dancin’ every weekend at the Floreat Park Tennis Club…and occasionally at the "Snakepit", which was an open-air dance floor at Scarborough Beach. When Andy and I were last in Perth I showed him a plaque in the sidewalk, which commemorated where the infamous "Snakepit" used to be located.
A couple of weeks back I was in the Sportsman shopping for sox.. There was a display of men’s shoes. Right there in front of me was a pair of blue suede desert boots…exact replicas of my 1956 models.
As I stood there staring, a young salesman came up and said “May I help you sir?” I did not respond. He said again “Sir…may I help you”. I came back to reality and said. “I’m not sure…at this very moment I am in Australia…it’s 1956…and I am dancin’ in my blue suede desert boots.” Of course he gave me that strange look that hip young men give not so hip old men. I tried to explain:
“Do you know how special these shoes are?”…
”No”
”Have you ever heard Elvis Presley sing about his Blue Suede Shoes?”…
”No”
“Well son…you missed out...you’ve got a lot of livin' to do”.
I should have bought those shoes…but on the other hand I don’t have any skinny jeans…and I really don’t like blue suede shoes that much any more. But I did love dancin'...and Jivin'.
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