Mormonism

Ahh the Mormons. I am one and I'm not one. It all depends on how you look at. I almost prefer to look at Mormons as a race of people. I'm certainly not a Mormon in practice. However in a cultural sense, I will always be a part of the race. I've got Mormon blood in me. But like a lot of people who feel conflicted about their relationship with a certain group, I myself have a love-hate relationship with Mormonism.

I don't go to church anymore. I don't want to and I don't feel guilty about it. I'm just way too liberal for such a conservative religion. I think abortion should be legal. I believe gay people should be allowed to tie the knot if they so wish. I don't see a problem with premarital sex. I enjoy my Irish Cream cappucinos and I think a beer or a glass of wine are acceptable beverages. My views don't mesh well with Mormon teachings.

And yet...

I don't want to be known as a former Mormon. I don't want my name removed from membership rolls. There's something comforting about being a part (even if I don't play the part) of such a unique and often mis-understood crowd. There's something rebellious and satisfying about telling new friends that I have polygamy in my family. I can walk into any Mormon church in the world and know that help is waiting for me if I need it. I can still walk the grounds of Temple Square and feel a tremendous sense of peace.

And yet...

I can be critical of "The Church." I can roll my eyes at that whole priesthood revelation of the late 1970's. I can snort when young Mormons refuse to see a movie because it's rated "R." I can cringe with embarassment when I explain the whole "undergarments" thing to Mormonism rookies.

And yet....

I'm the first to defend "The Church" when someone makes fun of it. I get exasperated when the ignorant try and tell me Mormons still practice polygamy. I can get irate when someone tries to tell me that Mormons aren't Christians. I can tell the story of Joe Smith and what he's all about and I get frustrated when the listener's eyebrow raises and they say, "What is this crap?"

I don't particularly understand my relationship with Mormonism. Am I believer? Probably not. I'm at a place now where I feel more personally connected with God than at any other time in my life. I got there by doing my own thing...not following Mormon doctrine. But Mormonism isn't just a faith to me. It's a culture. Sometimes that culture is too conservative and over-bearing. But I know that if I ever turn to it for help...I will be received with open arms; even if I do see things a little differently than they do.

But I suppose my relationship with Mormonism is a bit like my view on religion in general. We're all individuals and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. That's how I see things. That's why I'll understand those who faithfully follow that Mormon lifestyle just the same as those who shun it with ridicule. Believe what you want to believe. I'm in the middle and I'm happy staying there.

Everyone has their day

Just for a moment picture the state you live in. Does your state have a city or town that's become the "butte" of all jokes. Are they the "butte"hole of your state? Does everyone hate that place and make fun of all who live there?

I'm sure you can think of some place.

In Montana, that place is Butte. It's a town of about 35,000 lying in the heart of southwest Montana. It's called the "Mining City." They got that name because mining was, and in some cases still is, the town's economic foundation. In many ways it's your typical American town.

But they get no respect. For some reason, no one has anything nice to say about Butte.

That is except...for today.

For reasons unknown to me, Butte is the location of one of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the country. I never knew that until I moved to Montana. But apparently, it's true. I've heard out-of-staters talk about St. Patrick's Day in Butte like it's some sort of pilgrimage.

This just goes to show you that everyone has their day. Even those cities and towns across America that most people like to make fun of.

No one's laughing at Butte today.

Tomorrow will probably be a different story.

70 percent

They say about 70% of what a television reporter or anchor projects into a camera actually comes across on TV. Watch a news anchor on TV and they're talking normally. Watch the same show, live in the studio, and the anchor seems to be shouting at you. Emotions, voice, and projection are all diminished in the journey through television. After tonight, I've decided that might be a good thing.

I had my first real laughing fit on television tonight. I've had one before but I was never on camera and was only laughing while our sports anchor did his thing. Tonight was different. It's a little scary to know that I can't control my giggling fits even when I know I'm live on television with thousands of people watching at home.

We were in the middle of our show. Our weather guy was showing people the forecast while Melissa and I patiently waited for it to be our turn to talk. Tara, our camera operator for the night, said something funny and set both Melissa and I off. We laughed and laughed and then APPEARED to pull it together before the weather guy tossed it back to us. Then Melissa flubbed a line, and for some reason...we lost it. She couldn't get the rest of her sentence out. I lost it and muttered something incoherent about cigarettes in an upcoming story. And that was that. Melissa decided it was best if she left the desk because we were afraid we wouldn't be able to get through the next segment. It was pretty damn funny.

Probably funnier to us. We watched the tape after the show, and while it was very noticeable and very funny, only about 70% of the idiocy we projected, actually showed up on TV. So I figure that 30% of material left out might be a good thing.

Linco

2 weeks?

Is that really all the vacation I get? Two freakin' weeks. There's one more aspect of the real world that pretty much sucks. That's not nearly enough. I think everyone deserves at least 4 weeks of vacation a year. Possibly more. I'm just used to having so much time off. Not only did I get one to two months off between seasons during the past four years, but I had a lot of time off while I was working as well. As a bellman at the Many Glacier Hotel, I got three days off a week. Three days! And I could have those days back to back with the next week and get 6 days off in a row. It was awesome. But back to reality. Now I get 2 weeks a year. That sucks.