Blogday PEC 24 Black President Memristor

I made my first post on Jan. 11, 2008, exactly one year ago yesterday.  And now, exactly 1 year, 1 week, and 2 days after my first post, we will be inaugurating our first black president.  Coincidence?  I think not, and here’s why.  For something to be a “coincidence,” there has to be at least some apparent connection.  In this case, there is nothing that even has the least hint of a connection.  So I cannot take (blame/credit) for the election of Barack Obama, or really any other important event of the past year, such as the invention (finally) of the memristor.

And while I’m speaking of random things, am I the only person in North America who isn’t obsessed with 24?  All I’m saying is, Bishop, honest to goodness, you’re the awesomest bishop on the face of the planet, and I’m not criticizing you or anything, but I did have a couple of matters of actual Church-related business to discuss in PEC yesterday morning.  See, one of the counselors asked the Bishop, “Now that your boys are at college/on a mission, do you have anybody to watch 24 with?”  Innocent enough question.  But it turns out that Bishop’s wife, who is the quintessential conservative homemaker, is obsessed with 24, as is his daughter, whom Mrs. Sweet commented was a “really, really conservative dresser” (this from Mrs. Sweet, who just this year decided it wouldn’t be totally scandalous if she skipped wearing pantyhose to church in the summer despite the fact that she HATES wearing pantyhose).  This led to the Bishop discussing how his wife was obsessively checking and double-checking the VCR to make sure they got everything, and then we had a very deep discussion about the relative merits of a VCR vs. Tivo, and how some people present had no means of recording the 24 premier.  The ward mission leader commented that if you miss an episode, you can actually watch it online.  Then the other counselor commented that he watched the first season on DVD, and he and his wife were sleep deprived because they kept compulsively popping in the next episode because they had to see what happened.  The executive secretary said that he watched it on DVD too, but he started fast forwarding parts because the pacing was too slow for him (this is the guy who had a Ph.D. at 22 AFTER serving a mission).   The ward clerk commented that he did have a bit of a problem with the fact that Jack Bauer kills so many people (seems like a reasonable complaint to me).  And somehow Hooters got mixed in (with a couple of advocates of the “they have great wings” theory, and one dissenter who says his family used to get Hooters wings as takeout all the time when he was a kid, and they’re not that great).  Weirdest.  PEC.  Ever.   I did manage to slip in a comment about the less active sister who talked to my wife this week and wanted to know where the chapel was so she could start coming again, and asked if she could have the missionaries teach her and her son in our home because she would like for her son to get baptized.

Then people were buzzing about the big 4 hour 24 premier before Sacrament meeting.

Seriously, have I missed something?  I’ve seen 24 before, twice.   Both times were while I was in law school.  I was hanging out in the Law Review office, which had a TV, and somebody had it on 24.  My options were:
1.  Watch 24.
2.  Study and/or work on Law Review stuff.

Now, maybe I should have taken option 2. Maybe my grades would have been just a little better (but then, who cares—I got a job).  But I went ahead and watched 24.  There was a lot of shouting and shooting, and the son(?) of some lady that Jack Bauer was shackin’ up with(?) somehow got mixed up in it when he shouldn’t have, and there was a helicopter(?), and something about the President(?) on a plane that was going to crash(?) or something.  I just dont’ get it.  It’s a loud melodrama.  What’s’ the big deal? Though I have to admit, if there were an award for “Most Screaming and Firearms,” 24 would win hands down.

Now I know what you Manly Men are thinking.  “You don’t count, girlyboy!  You’re the guy who blogs about wanting to be a woman.  Of course you don’t watch 24!  You wouldn’t understand.  Now go play with a Barbie.”  I counter that (1) The BISHOP’S WIFE is obsessed with this show.  She’s about the most girly person I know, my own very non-butch wife not excepted.  Manliness is clearly orthogonal to the liking of 24.  (2) I don’t shy away from action.  I love Indiana Jones and Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.  24 just doesn’t do it for me.  And (3), no thanks.  I have two daughters, so I’m up to my ears in Barbies.

Maybe I’ll just read a good book.