Scholarship Night

Well just recently (as in June 6) we had a big night for me at school, but I'll start from the beginning. One day at work not too long ago I was sitting on my 15 min. break and the phone rang, so I answered and it was someone from CSUSB telling me I had won a scholarship! I had forgotten by this time that I had even applied for a scholarship. So anyways, they gave all the details and it was a great day (nothing like sitting watching People's Court, ugh, and getting a great pick me upper like that). Which brings us to Friday, the 6th, a few weeks later. We went to the dinner, and although it was three and a half hours long! I was awarded $950 for school!! Isn't that awesome? Plus we (meaning both Amanda and I) got a free dinner to boot. here is my picture with the scholarship letter that I was awarded at the ceremony.

Night

I figured that as long as I average about one book a week (I don't know how with school and everything, but I do) I decided I might as well write something about what I'm reading. Recently I have been trying to expand my reading from the typical Fantasy Fiction that I so love and read all the time. So recently (i.e. over the past few months) I've purchased some new books to expand my library. The first one after finishing the last Drizzt book is a book entitled Night by Elie Wiesel. This one was recommended to me by my brother-in-law Chris Maloy. Basic synopsis is that Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor and this book is about that experience. Elie Wiesel won the Nobel Peace Prize for this novel in 1986. The New York Times said that it is "a slim volume of terrifying power." So here is an excerpt from the novel:
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.
"Never shall I forget that smoke.
"Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
"Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.
"Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live.
"Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.
"Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.
"Never."
It really is a powerful book and I recommend that we all should read from it and learn what he has to teach us about compassion.
Now that I have finished that small volume (just over 100 pages) I've just started Bram Stoker's Dracula and it is pretty good so far.

Dad's Art

Well I've grown up with my Dad being an amazing artist and truly appreciate all that he does. He is an amazing man apart from being an amazing artist. Those who read my sister Nicole and Jodi's blogs may well already know that Dad has an art show coming up this month at Cal Poly and it should be a great event. So at Jodi's suggestion, The Following is a digital inventory of the five lucky pieces that Amanda and I have received of my Dad's art. Enjoy!
This piece is 23"H x 30"W and hangs above our fireplace. It is done in oil medium and once hung in my grandma Hendrickson's house.
These two pieces hang side-by-side above our TV and across from the mountain scene. I believe them both to be watercolor. The first (with red flowers) hangs on the left and is 20 1/2"H x 14 1/2"W. The second hangs on the left and measures 17"H x 11"w. The second one was a wedding gift and is an older painting that had partial damage and was restored by Dad.

This piece is a wonderful little sunset/beach scene. Landscapes are some of my personal favorite types of art, and of landscapes, these types of beach scenes I just love. Just ask my wife. I am always taking pictures of sunsets or commenting about how awesome the cloud formations look that day. Maybe I'll put some sunsets I've taken on here... Anyways, this is a smaller painting that hangs in our hallway and measures 9"H x 7"W and also is one that once hung in G-ma Hendrickson's house. It too is an older painting done in oil paint.
This last painting hangs in our dining room and I couldn't really get a good picture of it because of the lighting but it has amazing color. It is mixed media of Watercolor and ink. It's 19"H x 14"W and very beautiful. This is another work from Dad's more recent college days.

Book tag...

First off, Nicole tagged me with this in a blog entitled "Tagging a Bibliophile? That's Crazy!" this was the very same blog in which she proceeded to tag me (another Bibliophile) for the same activity.

to complete this tag you must:

1. pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages)

2. turn to page 123

3. find the 5th sentence

4. post the 5th sentence on your blog

5. tag 5 people


"He understood that she was heading for the chapel -- of course she would be heading for the chapel! -- so he instructed some of his soldiers to find the matron mother" (R.A. Salvatore, Siege of Darkness)
This part of the book is very interesting. It comes at a time in the Forgotten Realms world of Faerun when the Gods of the land are having a fight in the Pantheon and have been cast out of it (to wander the realms in avatar -- human body -- form), this is called the Time of Troubles. Anyways, the he in the quote refers to Berg'inyon Baenre and the she refers to the first appearance of Lolth (the evil dark-elf deity and spider queen).

Other books I am currently reading:
Book of Mormon: Nicole already did, oh well...

The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene: "Once experimentalists measure some 19 parameters, and theorists input these numbers into the quantum field theories of the matter particles and the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces, the subsequent predictions of the theory regarding the microcosms agree spectacularly with experimental results."

Christ and the New Covenant, by Jeffrey R. Holland: "'For behold, he said: Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son.'" (quoting Alma 33:16)

The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas: "Forward, Planchet, forward!"

Oh yeah, I tag...Nicole, TJ, Jodi, and Heidi, no one else reads my blog that I know of and of these four, three have already done the tag! Sheesh!!

All True Science is God's Science

This is a reply I posted to Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) blog site. He had a recent post entitled "Building blocks of the Universe," and I felt like replying so this is what I wrote. The original of Adams' post can be read at
http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2008/04/building-blocks.html
RE:
All True science is God's science!

While I thoroughly enjoy your blog (most of the time) and am a die hard Dilbert fan, I tend to disagree with you every once in a while (though that's common to all human interaction I believe). Anyways, on to my point: what I gathered from this post is that maybe there is one final component that makes up everything on a microscopic level, and the finding of that would give credence to rules of physics guiding everything, which you stated meant that "that such rules of physics would qualify as God." Now here is where I digress. I agree with your sentiment that there probably is some base particle that composes all things and I would agree that all true science follow laws of science. But one blaring fallacy in the "God v. Science" argument is that the argument exists at all. Why should it be one or the other? God, for me, is a perfect being who is ordered and logical, who follows laws perfectly and is our creator. Not our creator alone, but the creator of all things. So in creating all things, of course God is going to follow a logical order of operations. Of course God is going to follow the very laws that govern His creations. The proof of a particle that makes up all things, the proof that there are such exact and perfect laws to explain all things (though we may not yet comprehend all those laws), the proof that there is order in everything in the multiverse, for me, gives credence to a Creator-type being. Which is the foundation for my first line: All true science is indeed God's science.

New Couch

What up yo? Ok, anyways, Amanda and I have had a futon since we were married but of late it seems to be thinning in the pad so that when we sit on it wrong it makes our butts fall asleep! Definitely not a desirable attribute in living room furniture. So we were just thinking about getting a new pad, but Wickes furniture by the Ontario Mills was closing so Amanda went by with her mom and found a couch that we just love. Anyways, it followed us home and now resides in our living room. Below are the first moments of enjoyment.

New President of the Church

Thomas S. Monson is the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it was announced today at a news conference in the Church Office Building. President Monson, 80, succeeds President Gordon B. Hinckley, who died 27 January.

The new world leader of the Church has called to serve with him in the First Presidency, the top governing body of the 13-million-member faith, President Henry B. Eyring, 74, first counselor, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 67, second counselor.

President Boyd K. Packer, 83, is the new president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will be filled later.

President Hinckley will be sorely missed but is carrying on the work on the other side of the veil with his wife Marjorie. This is such exciting news and such a young/new Apostle came as a surprise to me at least. I know that this is the will of the Lord and that this is his Church. President Monson is the Prophet/President for us and he will lead the work forward.