State of My Running

We're all in different stages of our running paths.

I remember when I ran in high school, how tough it seemed for the slower kids to run. I specifically remember the thought coming to mind that these were the real tough runners - it's easy to run when you can run fast, always getting faster, pushing it everyday because you had teammates that were counting on you and competitors you wanted to beat; it would be much harder to be a runner who was relatively slow, wasn't near the top of the pack, didn't have the motivation of competition

I think that was a rather insightful thought for a teenager.

Well, now I'm in that second category, although I don't think I even qualify for that. I could have many excuses - landlocked neighborhood makes for boring runs, fairly intensive travel for work -

After I got married, I remember talking to an old high school running buddy of mine who continues to run....I think. He talks the talk, anyway. I told him that my running had gone way down to practically non-existent after being married, and he said that in his relationship, he just made sure that his partner knew that this was a priority to him and he did not want to give it up, and yes that means she will have to find other things to do while he goes out for two hours on Saturday to do a long run. And that's okay, that's his choice to make.

And it's my choice to make. I'd rather spend time with my cute wife, play with my adorable daughters, volunteer for my church - from my perspective, and in the season of my life where I'm in, those things will last longer and are more important than all the many good benefits of running longer and harder.

So this is where I am. I can fit some runs in - I like the social aspect of being able to talk about runs, especially with my family. I like the feeling knowing that I exercised this morning. I think I'm more productive when I run in the morning (although it's a slow week at work...but I'm being productive writing a running blog, right? It's important to keep a record of what you do/think).

I'd imagine most people on the Loop take running a little more seriously than I am right now. At least, if you're actively posting/commenting on a running website, that's what I would assume (I'm normally on here to snoop on my Dad.) But that's cool. I'm confident that we can all learn from each other.

Oh, I ran 2 miles in the neighborhood again today. Same 8 minute pace....I think. It felt easier than yesterday.
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ManList

DNA asked me on my previous blog what is on the ManList?

Well, a google search comes up with several lists of things that all men should know how to do. However, my ManList is different than those.

I don't have an all-inclusive ManList of things I still need to do - it's more of a list of things to back me up when people (usually guys) try to say that my Man Card should be revoked for liking Downton Abbey. (I've always thought the Man Card was a dumb joke, anyway.)

So my ManList includes:
- Climbed a 14,000 foot plus mountain
- Jumped off a a waterfall
- Changed brakes/performed other moderate auto maintenance projects
- Married a cute girl and fathered children
- Killed animals
- Achieved 007 mode on GoldenEye for N64, back when I played video games regularly
- Boston marathon qualifier
- Enjoy eating meat, especially steak and bacon
- Could bench 125% of my own body weight
- The "Bad Boy" member of a Boy Band (I think I was the bad boy, anyway...wait, should this be on this list?)

I just came up with those in five minutes, I'm sure I could thing of others. Anyway, the evidence shows that I am pretty manly in a variety of areas, despite my fondness for period BBC dramas, lack of handyman skills, and the need to come up with a list of things to back me up when people question my manliness.

On a side note, when my daughters are as tall as me by the time they are 12, I am going to use the line "Well, at least I play basketball better than you" for as long as I can.

While in Washington, D.C. for work, I took in a Washington Nationals game. They had clinched the playoffs the day before for the first time since the franchise moved from Montreal....it's the first time a baseball team from Washington has made the playoffs since before World War I, I think. So, anyway, good team, the crowd was in a good mood, but I still managed to nab a great seat a few rows from the field near the right field foul pole. Here's the view from my seats.

That's a picture of Bryce Harper batting. No hits for Brother Harper on the night, but he later gunned down someone trying to score from second base on a bloop single. It was quite the throw. The next batter also singled into shallow center and the guy on second base.....stayed put on third. Hah.

Nationals Park was pretty nice. I'd put it 5th on my list of ballparks I've been to. Here's the full list:

1. Comerica Park (Detroit, and I'm not biased at all)
2. Fenway Park (History, I signed the RF foul poul during a game with my Dad and Brother...pretty cool time.)
3. Safeco Field (Seattle, great view, love the train)
4. Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati...the view of the Ohio River is really nice)
5. Nationals Park
6. Shea Stadium (I was like 16 and filled out a credit card application to get a free New York Mets Visor. Free souvenir! I then got a credit card in the mail, which I'm pretty sure I wasn't allowed to get, because I was under 18...so I called and told them to cancel it because I was too young. It doesn't show up on my credit history, and I'm still kinda confused about what happened. I also don't know where the visor is anymore :( )
7. RFK (Not used for baseball anymore, but a pretty ugly stadium. The only redeeming quality is that it's not where the Raiders play and I got on the big screen multiple times there.)
8. Oakland...Coliseum? (I think that's the name, I remember it being really green and it was where the Hated Raiders play so I didn't like it, although I had a fun time there with some good friends.)


A non-mention is Coors Field in Colorado...it's been too long since I've seen a game there to include it in the rankings. So I've been to games at 9 different baseball fields? Oh, 10 - old Tigers Stadium. Um, I'd probably put it at 6. I didn't appreciate the history as much as your normal Detroiter would.

Anyway, they have the four presidents on Mount Rushmore do a race at every game. (Teddy Roosevelt has never won...which I think is funny) George won tonight, convincingly. (A guy next to me yelled "You suck, George!" which I found hilarious, although I haven't figured out why.) I really enjoyed this portion of the game, the race finished right in front of me and I was alone, so things like that are perhaps more exciting?

Since I was here by myself (did I mention that yet? It's so weird...), I decided to manually score the game. I had never done it correctly for a full game before, so I can cross that off my Man List. Here's the proof:

 

The game was a close pitchers duel, with Washington leading most of the game 2 - 1 until the Brewers (fighting for a playoff spot) score 3 runs off the Nats' closer to win the game. Pretty exciting. It would have been a lot more fun with Torrie there, but it was good to have something to do.

Afterthoughts on the Afterlife

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/why-i-love-mormonism/

Interesting essay, one that I thought was fair. I don't think the democratization of religion ineherent in Mormonism is discussed enough. America was founded on the audacious idea that all men were created equal. Given that foundation, it's logical to me that a religion that preaches the potential for all to become like God, that gives the Priesthood to all worthy members, etc. would result.

The two issues that I would add my commentary to Mr. Critchley's essay:
One quote from the essay: “If God becomes man, then man can become God. And the word “man” has to be understood literally here. Women cannot be priests or prophets or aspire to an exclusively masculine divinity, which seems petty, a pity and rather silly to me. But there we are. And I don’t even want to get into questions of race and the historical exclusion of blacks from the Mormon priesthood until 1978.”

That’s good you want to get into those questions, because unfortunately, Mr. Critchley, you didn’t get the women part right, either. Man and women have to join together in marriage in order to become like God, hence the focus on family, defense of marriage, and all those pretty temples that we build. It’s a big deal. In fact, it’s THE big deal. I can’t stress enough the codependency involved, and the Lord can't, either. I need my wife just as much as she needs me and we need the Lord.

Which brings me to the other thing I also noted from his essay was the lack of Christ. I even did a search, and not once does he say the word “Christ”. Christian, yes, but not Christ. Yes, Mormons believe that we can become like God, but only through the atonement of Christ. Man can’t do it alone. For some reason I see this often when the doctrine of eternal progression is discussed, whether that forum is outside or inside the church.

One final aside:

I’ve researched a number of faiths, some more than others and it is my humble opinion that Mormonism has the best afterlife. I know, I’m biased, but here me out. I think if you were to pick an afterlife to believe in, Mormonism is definitely the way to go. Most of Christianity seems to focus on not going to hell more than the actual prize of going to heaven, and I would venture that if you asked your average Protestant he/she would tell you that heaven consists of things like playing golf and hanging out. While that sounds nice, wouldn’t it get boring? The translation that I read of the Koran talked about an afterlife with delicious food, big mansions, and virgin companions. Thanks, but I’d rather hang out with my wife. Buddhism – endless cycle of reincarnation, until you can remove all desire, therefore reaching Nirvana… If I remember correctly, Hinduism was pretty similar. Atheism – well, then there’s nothing. Mormonism, to me, seems to have the best afterlife – continuing to learn and grow, working together with your family, becoming a God. That's the one I choose, and the one that I live in my life in a manner to qualify to obtain.

Double Jeopardy!

FIRST OF THE MONTH

Interesting category.

First of the Month - $700

2011 New Student Orientation began at Providence College

Logan – What is September?

Sure glad I got that right.

First of the Month - $800

The Catholic Observance of All Hallows

Jan – What is November?

Makes sense, because Halloween is All Hallows Eve. I knew that one.

First of the Month - $1200

Canada Day

Logan – What is June? Jan – What is July?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Dumb mistake. Of course I know Canada Day is July. This year I was conducting sacrament meeting on July 1^st and I made a big deal about it being Canada Day, partly out of repressed guilt for missing this question.

First of the Month - $1600

Mardi Gras 2022 (get your beads now)

Gillian – What is March?

I can’t remember if I knew this one or not. Not a big Mardi Gras guy, although I knew it was sometime before Easter.

First of the Month - $2000

Official birthday of Point Given & Mine That Bird

Nobody got it – What is January?

I live in Kentucky. I knew that Mine That Bird was a thoroughbred horse. In retrospect, I had heard somewhere that they are considered to be born on January 1^st for classification purposes (The Kentucky Derby is for three-year-olds, for example.) Couldn’t think of it at the time. To my credit, I’m happy I knew that we were talking about horses here. I’m glad Alex didn’t mention that after nobody guessed. I’ve asked a lot of my coworkers and friends here in Kentucky and I honestly haven’t found anybody (that didn’t watch the show) that knew the answer, which makes me feel a little bit better. Of course, the ultimate way to feel better would have been to get it right.

THE JEOPARDY! TIME MACHINE

This should be an interesting category. That’s two for two.

The Jeopardy! Machine - $400

Sure Mr. Gore, Palm Beach, early 2000-guess you want to rework the ballot named for this insect.

Jan – a butterfly

I knew this one.

The Jeopardy! Machine - $800

Dress like a swell for the 1934 opening of this songwriter’s “Anything Goes”, featuring “I Get a Kick Out Of You”

Gillian – Cole Porter

I had absolutely no idea. Still don’t, actually.

The Jeopardy! Machine - $1200

Feel like doing some pillaging? Turn the dial to 1240 & join this “colorful” Tatar group

Jan – the Golden horde

I knew that one.

The Jeopardy! Machine - $1600

Get ready to shout, “Mr. President, look out!” when the setting for this city Sept. 6, 1901

Logan – What is Buffalo?

Funny, I would have hesitated to name the President (William McKinley) or the guy who shot him (some sort of anarchist, I think) but I definitely knew it was Buffalo.

The Jeopardy! Machine - $2000

You’ll learn from Corneille & La Rochefoucauld if you visit Madame de rambouillet’s 17^th century one of these gatherings

Jan – A Salon

Definitely knew that one. Easy.

GEOLOGY

My two connections to Geology – my BIL is a geologist, which is cool. I have the Geology merit badge, on account of Chris English really encouraging me to take it with him because he loved rocks so much. He left on a surprise trip to Ireland or somewhere and didn’t tell anyone he was going, which meant I was stuck in a stupid merit badge class that I didn’t want to go to in the first place all by myself. So that’s what I think about when I think about Geology. Now I also think of Jeopardy.

Geology - $400

Corundum makes up much of this rock used to make an abrasive “board”

Jan – What is emery?

I wasn’t 100% sure on that one.

Geology - $800

The sword of Damocles is a large one of these formations in Carlsbad Caverns

Gillian – A stalactite

Of course you question if it’s a stalactite or a stalagmite, but I would have guessed the same as Gillian

Geology - $1200

Shatter cones, with radiating fracture lines, are only found at the sites of space object impacts & of these tests

Logan – What are nuclear tests?

I’m really glad they gave it to me and didn’t take it away because I didn’t say “nuclear explosion” or something like that. Again, I had no idea that nuclear tests make shatter cones with radiating fracture lines…just something you pick up from understanding how Jeopardy! questions work.

Geology - $1600

This fancy French word refers to a deep fissure in a glacier.

Jan – What is a crevasse?

This one was on the top of my tongue but I couldn’t quite figure it out.

Geology - $2000

A giant ocean called Panthalassa once surrounded this supercontinent, whose name means ‘all earth”

Jan – What is Pangea?

I was very frustrated when I was beaten out with the buzzer on this one. Not getting questions like this really doomed me.

THE NATIONAL TRACK & FIELD HALL OF FAME

Of course I was super excited to see this category. I ran four years of track in high school. I considered myself a scholar of the sport.

The National Track & Field Hall of Fame - $400

Dave Wottle was known for his cap; after winning 1972’s Olympic 800, he forgot to take it off during this & had to apologize

Gillian – What are the opening ceremonies? Logan  - What is the national anthem?

Bam.

The National Track & Field Hall of Fame - $800

Mike Conley had a personal best of over 27’ in the long jump & over 58’ in this event

Logan – What is the Triple Jump?

Perhaps the highlight of the entire Jeopardy! experience for me. When I saw the Daily Double come up…and it was in a Track category…and it was the $800 question…and I looked over at the scores and saw how far I was behind…there was absolutely no doubt in my mind what I needed to do. I was excited to take the “risk”, because I really had no other option. I smiled. “Alex, let’s make it a true daily double.” At the time my mind is screaming, “IT IS SO COOL THAT I WAS ABLE TO SAY THAT!!!!!!!!!!! Then the question comes up, and I know it from the time I read Mike Conley. He held the world record in the World Book Encyclopedias that we had in our house that I would read the entry on Track & Field. Of course the clue makes it very easy as well to figure out, which I did as Alex was reading it just to make sure I was right.

No matter what anybody says about how funny I looked while at the buzzer, about how I only got second and it was a runaway, about not quite finishing the Final Jeopardy in time…I answered a True Daily Double in the Double Jeopardy! round…and that. Is. Awesome.

The National Track & Field Hall of Fame - $1200

At Oregon, he won seven NCAA track titles and made the cover of Sports Illustrated as a freshman, before his tragic death at 24

Jan – Who is Steve Prefonataine?

So mad that Jan beat me to this one. After all, Steve was one of my heroes in high school. I wanted to run like he did – go out hard, be strong enough to hang on. I’ve seen the movies. I’ve read tons of articles about him. Someday when I’m in Oregon I’ll go to the rock where he died.

The National Track & Field Hall of Fame - $1600

Al Oerter won this event in 4 straight Olympics but due to youth, then injury, then age, was an underdog every time.

Nobody got it – What is the discus throw?

I knew it was a throwing event, but didn’t know if it was shot put, discus, or javelin. After the last question of the first round, I wasn’t going to guess. I was in kind of a shock right now that I was so far behind, too.

The National Track & Field Hall of Fame - $2000

She won the first Olympic women’s marathon in 1984 and run under 2:50 in the New York Marathon in 2009

Nobody got it – Who was Joan Benoit Samuelsson?

I didn’t get this one, and I’ve ran marathons. I should have known this one. I was probably more embarrassed about not knowing this one than any other clue…and I really had no idea. A couple weeks after the show I floated an e-mail to my runner dad, asking if he knew what it was. I phrased the e-mail as a random trivia question, not “hey, I missed this on Jeopardy”. He responded that he didn’t know what it was, either, which made me feel a little better. Anyway, he told his running friends about me being on the show, and one of them asked my Dad if he knew the answer to this one…and he said yes! Yeah, you knew it after I had told you the answer!!! Cheater.

MINER CLASSICS

I think I had very interesting categories. A category about mining?

Miner Classics - $400

He didn’t strike it rich in the 1897 Klondike gold rish, but he did use the experience in works like “Son of the Wolf”

Logan - Who is (Jack) London?

I’m pretty stoked I was able to answer a category with just the last name here. That means you’re cool.

Miner Classics - $800

The son of a coal miner, this author touched on the mining life in his autobiographical 1913 novel “Sons and Lovers”

Gillian - Who was (D.H.) Lawrence?

Yeah, I had no idea. I don’t think any of the boards were especially good for Gillian, who would have perhaps done better if there were more literature questions like these.

Miner Classics - $1200

“Marching Men” by Sherwood Anderson recounts the tribulations of coal miners in this eastern state

Gillian – What is Pennsylvania?

Again, Gillian comes through on a literature question. I didn’t know the answer, probably would have guessed West Virginia or Kentucky before Pennsylvania. Good thing I didn’t guess.

Miner Classics - $1600

This “colorful” Richard Llewellyn novel set in a Welsh mining community was made into a 1941 Oscar-winning film

Gillian – What is How Green Was My Valley?

I knew this one. This was going to be the question that would have paid off all the memorizing of Oscar winning actors, actresses, and films that I did before the show. Turns out this is also one of Alex Trebek’s favorite movies. Bummed that I didn’t get the chance to answer it, especially because if I had, it might not have been a runaway. Instead, Gillian, who was behind me, answered it, losing us any chance of catching Jan. Way to go. Gillian. Not that I blame you, I don’t know if I would have held back either. Although, in retrospect, if she had, I would have gotten it right, and then I would have been able to get the next question, which was a Daily Double, which I would have gotten it right, and it would have been a game….

Miner Classics - $2000

1917’s “King Coal” by this author was to the mining industry what an earlier work had been to the meat-packing industry

Gillian – Who was Sinclair Lewis? (Daily Double)

 I already mentioned that I knew this one. Upton Sinclair. This means I knew all 3 Daily Doubles…only got to answer one. The other two people got theirs wrong.

“MAJOR” CONCERNS”

Major in quotation marks. Glad I got to have one of these categories.

Major Concerns - $400

Wasn’t asked. I will never know.

Major Concerns - $800

In the U.S. Army this commissioned officer wears 2 stars

Logan – What is a major general?

Generals have stars. I wouldn’t have known that two stars was a major general if it weren’t for the category.

Major Concerns - $1200

In the Bible it’s the collective term for Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, & Daniel

Jan – What are the major prophets?

I’m disappointed that the one Bible question we got – and that’s probably one of my strongest points, the Bible questions – I got beat out by the buzzer

Major Concerns - $1600

It’s the line that passes through the 2 foci of an ellipse

Jan – A major axis

I blanked on this one. The pressure was getting to me. Miss Buda would have been upset that I couldn’t remember it.

Major Concerns - $2000

This George Bernard Shaw play tells the tale of a woman who joins the Salvation Army

Gillian – Major Barbara

No idea. Again, Gillian on tap with the literature.

The strategy on this was Jan went for the higher priced questions first. He did that during the first game, too. That sure was frustrating, and it kinda prevented me from getting into a rhythm, which was probably his goal, since he was ahead, and had the experience of playing the game before.

I don’t want to think about this game anymore.

Single Jeopardy!

This is more for personal history, but why not? I’ll put it online. In honor of my finally being paid for my Jeopardy! Experience, (90 days after the air date) Here’s every answer on my episode of Jeopardy, if I knew it, and my best attempt to remember what was going on in my head.

It's in order by how it was on the screen, not by how the game went. I actually haven't watched the game since the original showing, although my parents were kind enough to get me a digital copy.

I started this blog in February...yeah it's been six months since I started. That's what having a second kid will do to you.

WEE FOLK
I thought it was pretty funny that I was on a Jeopardy show with the category "wee folk". Surprisingly, nobody has mentioned that to me yet.

Wee Folk $200

In a Grimm tale the Miller’s daughter gave this little man a necklace & a ring for spinning straw into gold for her.

Rumpelstiltskin – Logan

Yes, my wife and I watch Once Upon A Time.

Wee Folk $400

The name of this type of wee supernatural being is from the Latin for “spirit”

A sprite – Logan

 I was almost worried this one was too easy, but I'm glad I didn't second-guess myself.

Wee Folk $600

Treasure seekers can sometimes track down one of these Irish fairies by the sound of his shoemaker’s hammer

A leprechaun – Gillian Yes, I knew this one.

Wee Folk $800

The nixies of German mythology are said to live in this environment, like the naiads of Greek mythology.

River – Gillian I wasn’t 100% sure on this one, but I would have said water, which is what Alex said was the correct answer.

Wee Folk $1000

This ugly guy “with eyes as big as saucers” wanted to eat the 3 billy goats that crossed over his bridge.

“The troll” – Jan. Definitely knew this one. For a $1000, it was very easy

Furniture - $200

This type of low bed has casters so that it can be rolled under another bed for storage.

Logan: “What is a day bed?” Gillian: “What is a cabin bed? Alex: Logan, did you know that? Logan: I did, after I..” Alex:”Afterwards, yes. After your incorrect response. Go again. Three clues left.”

I know it was just $200, but I’m really upset I missed this one. Duh it’s a trundle bed. We have a day bed in Clara’s room and that’s what came out. My favorite response to this question came from my brother: “Logan! Church history! Joseph and Emma Smith would sleep on a trundle bed and let their kids sleep on the real bed!”

I thought I was very expressive on the show. You knew if I was upset with myself. Alex kept mentioning it. Alex comes off kinda rude in the text above, but I didn’t think he was.

Furniture - $400

This French-named style of furniture that was “new” around 1900 was characterized by the graceful whiplash curve.

(Art) Noveau – Jan Definitely knew this one, and I would have loved to play up the French accent when I said it. Oh well.

Furniture - $600

Useful little end tables & coffee tables are also called these “tables”, so they may talk like foreigners.

Accent tables – Gillian

I didn’t know this one. It just didn’t come.

Furniture - $800

Hey Mr. Irving! A chair of the mid-19^th c. with a concave seat & high back shares its name with this town.

Sleepy Hollow – Jan

Never heard of this type of chair, but I would have gotten it right from the clue.

Furniture - $1000

French for “shelf”, it’s an open-sheleved piece of furniture for displaying knickknacks.

“What is a curio cabinet?” – Logan, wrong. Nobody got it, which was étagère.

Obviously in retrospect I shouldn’t have guessed it – it was a longshot but I was behind at this point and really wanted to come back. Instead, I put myself even deeper in a hole. Oh well. I haven’t met a single person yet who knew this question.

Brit Speak - $200

A brolly is one of these – don’t leave home without it on a rainy day.

An umbrella – Jan

Yes, only from the clue, though. I’m not a brolly fan.

Brit Speak - $400

It’s not just a special occasion like Easter or Boxing Day, it’s also a vacation in general.

A Holiday – Logan

Woo Hoo!

Brit Speak - $600

Elasto plast isn’t a cartoon villain, it’s one of these that sometimes stings when you yank it off.

A Band-aid – Jan

I don’t remember if I knew this one. I knew it while reviewing everything…I’m sure if I watch the show you’ll be able to see if I knew it or not by me clicking the buzzer.

Brit Speak - $800

The ironmonger is the gent who runs this type of local store.

Hardware Store – Nobody

I had no idea. Does anyone have a local hardware store anymore?

Brit Speak - $1000

A lido is a public one of these; on a cruise ship you’ll find one on the lido deck.

DAILY DOUBLE Jan – What is a beach?

No, Jan, it was a swimming pool, and I would have gotten that one, having just taken a cruise with my lovely wife for our babymoon a year and a half earlier. At least he bet it all and went back down to zero.

Dance!

Really, a dancing category? Wow. Well, maybe all that time watching Dancing With The Stars will pay off…

Dance! - $200

Time to form this dancing line! Put your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you, & 1,2,3, kick! 1,2,3, kick!

Logan – A conga line

Boo-ya.

Dance! - $400

Seen here in the Kahurangi troupe performing the haka, a traditional dance of the Maori of this nation

Jan – New Zealand

The BYU football team used to perform the haka before every football game. (Maybe they still do, I haven’t been to a home game in a few years.) I was really disappointed that Jan beat me on this one.

Dance! - $600

We’d love to show a clip of this “forbidden dance” from a 1990 film, but we want to keep our G rating.

Gillian – The tango? Jan – The lambada

I sat this one out, as I had no idea.

Dance! - $800

“The Lawrence Welk Show” wasn’t afraid to roll out a wunnerful “beer barrel” version of this dance

Logan – The Polka

I remember when I was 13 years old at a Stake Dance Conference dancing the polka and thinking it was probably the most fun dance ever.

Dance! - $1000

This promenade dance, done by couples to win a certain baked item, is also something easy, as in “winning that game was a…”

Logan – Cakewalk

I did well in this category, 3 out of 5. I remember thinking “man, if I win, I just got a $1000 dollars for answering what is a cakewalk. How cool is that.”

ABOUT THE STATES

I was really excited about this category. A geography category. Excellent.

About the States - $200

It’s the only state that borders Maine.

Logan – New Hampshire

Honestly, I answered this one so quickly I was really nervous as I was saying it that it was actually Vermont. Had I time to think about it, I would have gone back to our family vacation to New England and our drive across New Hampshire from Vermont in order to visit the first exit in Maine, as well as our infamous drive over the best named body of water ever, The Great Bay. Since it was Jeopardy! though, and I had no time, I just went with my instincts New Hampshire. Sure glad it was right.

About the States - $400

Delaware has only 3 of these: New Castle, Kent, & Sussex

Jillian – Counties

Another classic Jeopardy answer – one that nobody really knows unless you live there, but you’re smart enough to figure out that the question is probably counties. I would have guessed that as well.

About the States - $600

The state ship of Connecticut is this early nuclear submarine.

Logan - The Nautilus

I don’t know of any other nuclear submarines, do you?

About the States - $800

Orson Welles’ birthplaces of Kenosha is in this state.

Logan – New Jersey Jan – Wisconsin

I’m really mad I missed this one. I know Kenosha is in WI. My dad was thinking about running a marathon there. I got tripped up with the Orson Welles’ reference, and remembered that his “War of the Worlds” radio show broadcast in New Jersey…which is why I said what I did. I chalk this stupid mistake up to nerves.

About the States - $1000

It’s named for an Indian people also known as the Kaw

Jan – Kansas

I didn’t know this one. In retrospect, should have known it. Kaw. Kansas.

I was really disappointed with how I did in this category. I ended up even on a geography category. Lame.

“IGGY” POP

“Iggy” Pop - $200

Laverne & Shirley’s Neighbor

Gillian – Ziggy? Nobody got it.

The answer was Squiggy. Before any of our time, I guess. Good thing it was only a $200 question.

“Iggy” Pop - $400

A 1998 hit for Will Smith

Jan – Getting Jiggy Wit It

If I had answered before Jan, I would have distinctly pronounced the Wit without the H. I was so looking forward to answering it that way. Frustrating.

“Iggy” Pop - $600

She played first mate to Captain Link Hogthrob

Jan – Twiggy Nobody Got It

I knew from the time I saw the category that one of the answers was going to be Miss Piggy. I also knew there would be a model question about Twiggy, which would come later. I also knew there would be a Ziggy Startdust answer. But I knew this one was Miss Piggy. I froze. Nerves, I guess. But I knew this one and it was obvious on my face and I should have gone for it and I didn’t and I’m still so so so mad about it. The pain from this one has not really gone away.

“Iggy” Pop - $800

Swinging 60’s London was the scene for this woman born Lesley Hornby

Jan – Twiggy

As mentioned before, I knew that Twiggy was going to be one of the answers in this category. To bad Jan beat me.

 “Iggy” Pop - $1000

In a David Bowie song, he played guitar with his band the spiders from Mars.

Gillian – Who is Iggy Stardust Judge – No! Jan – Ziggy Stardust

Time froze during this exchange. I knew the answer was coming from when the category was announced. I knew she said it wrong. I was surprised when the judge came back and corrected her….and then I didn’t answer quick enough. I wish I hadn’t have froze.

Scores at the end of the Jeopardy! Round:

Jan - $6,400

Logan - $1,800

Gillian - $400

Low scores. Jan leading the way, despite losing all of his money once on the Daily Double. I was really feeling the effects of the buzzer, and asked for help. However they didn’t give it to me because Gillian was doing even worse than me. I didn’t have the best round.

Deliberately removing my issues with the buzzer...if I hadn’t missed the ones I shouldn’t have tried, and made the ones I should have…here’s how the scores would have been different:

Jan – $5,600

Logan - $5,000 (and that doesn’t include zoning out during Ziggy Stardust.)

Gillian - $400

So instead of being down by $4,600, I would have been done by $600. A lot different, and I would have gone into Double Jeopardy will a lot more confidence.

My last measurement I'll put here - one score of Jeopardy is called the Coryat score, or the score you would get if you were playing all by yourself and having do Double Jeopardies. It should have been $14,400 through Single Jeopardy had I not made my really stupid mistakes. That's a pretty good board for me, then. I just wasn't ready for the buzzer and the nerves.

I’ll write up Double Jeopardy! some other time!!!

College Jeopardy

So College Jeopardy is on right now. The guy in the middle is from Stanford, and he is killing it. Running away with an easy victory.

Here's the thing, though. He's made a huge strategic mistake.

He's on College Jeopardy.

Your ceiling is limited in College Jeopardy. He had over $33,000 after Double Jeopardy. However, he won't get all that money. He gets $5,000 for being a quarterfinalist. For being a semifinalist, he'll get at least $10,000. If he gets into the finals, he'll get at least $25,000.

So for winning two games in the college tournament, he'll get at least $25,000. Not the $40,000 he would have gotten today. It's not uncommon to win at least that in only one game of real Jeopardy.

Additionally, the questions are a lot easier in College Jeopardy. Making it less than the real man's Jeopardy. A little kid's Jeopardy, really. Barely harder than the questions in the Teen Tournament.

Oh, and if you get in College Jeopardy, you can't get on real Jeopardy. You're done.

So, to conclude, Mr. Stanford Guy....excellent job tonight. You did well and you seem pretty smart. I look forward to seeing you later this week as the tournament continues. However...I'm sorry that you left thousands of dollars on the table by not applying to real Jeopardy.

I found a cool article today.

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2012/01/mormonism-obsessed-with-christ

I love BYU

I'll write some Jeopardy! thoughts in a little bit. However, I wanted to share a story from a speech given by Jeffrey R. Holland, former President of BYU. I'm proud to have attended and now represent an institution that truly stands for something.

"Several years after Brother Maeser's death a proposal was made to construct a memorial building in his name, not downtown on University Avenue but high atop Temple Hill, where a new campus might be built consisting of as many as three or perhaps four buildings someday. The cost would be an astronomical $100,000, but the Maeser Building would be a symbol of the past, a statement of aspiring tradition, an anchor to the university's future.

In spite of a staggering financial crisis clouding the very future of the university at the time, the faculty and student body took heart that in 1912 the Maeser Building was at least partially complete and the university would give diplomas to its first four-year graduating class. But even as graduation plans were being made, equally urgent plans were underway to sell the remainder of Temple Hill for the development of a new Provo suburb. The university simply had to have the money to survive. Eighteen members were graduating in this first four-year class, but even if the student body tripled in the years ahead, surely there would be more than enough room to accommodate them on the space now occupied by the Maeser, Brimhall, and Grant buildings on our present campus. Yes, the rest of the space on the hill should be sold. The graduation services would conclude with a sales pitch to the community leaders in attendance.

When Alfred Kelly was introduced that morning as the student graduation speaker, he rose and stood absolutely silent for several moments. Some in the audience thought he had lost the power of speech. Slowly he began to speak, explaining that he had been much concerned over his remarks, that he had written several versions and discarded every one of them.

Then, early one morning, he said, with a feeling of desperation regarding his approaching assignment, he walked north from his downtown apartment to where the partially completed Maeser Building stood (as Horace Cummings would later describe it) as an "air castle" come to earth on Temple Hill. He wanted to gain inspiration from this hope of a new campus, but he felt only grim disappointment. The sky was starting to glow from the morning light, but the darkly silhouetted Maeser Building seemed only a symbol of gloom.

Kelly then turned his eyes to view the valley below that was also still in shadow. The light from the rising sun was just beginning to illuminate the western hills back of Utah Lake with an unusual golden glow. As morning came, the light gradually worked down from the hilltops, moved across the valley floor, and slowly advanced to the spot where Kelly stood.

He said he partially closed his eyes as the light approached and was startled by what he could still see. He stood as if transfixed. In the advancing sunlight everything he saw took on the appearance of people, young people about his age moving toward Temple Hill. He saw hundreds of them, thousands of young people coming into view. He knew they were students, he said, because they carried books in their arms as they came.

Then Temple Hill was bathed in sunlight, and the whole of the present campus was illuminated not with one partially completed building, nor with homes in a modern subdivision, but rather with what Kelly described to that graduating class as "temples of learning," large buildings, beautiful buildings, hundreds of buildings covering the top of that hill and stretching clear to the mouth of Rock Canyon.

The students then entered these temples of learning with their books in hand. As they came out of them, Kelly said their countenances bore smiles of hope and of faith. He observed that they seemed cheerful and very confident. Their walk was light but firm as they again became a part of the sunlight as it moved to the top of Y Mountain, and then they gradually disappeared from view.

Kelly sat down to what was absolutely stone-deaf silence. Not a word was spoken. What about the sales pitch? No one moved or whispered. Then longtime BYU benefactor Jesse Knight jumped to his feet and shouted, "We won't sell an acre. We won't sell a single lot." And he turned to President George Brimhall and pledged several thousand dollars to the future of the university. Soon others stood up and joined in, some offering only a widow's mite, but all believing in the dream of a Provo schoolboy, all believing in the destiny of a great university which that day had scarcely begun. (See B. F. Larsen, "Fifty Years Ago," speech given at a BYU Alumni meeting, 25 May 1962, B. F. Larsen biographical file, BYU Archives, pp. 45.) [In Holland, "Who We Are," pp. 2426

Some laughter for your day

In honor of Utah's basketball losses to Boise State and Adams State this year:
Without further ado, here are the lyrics to Utah's "fight" song.

"Utah Man"

I am a Utah Man, sir, and I live across the green,
Our gang it is the jolliest that you have ever seen.
Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star,
Our yell, you'll hear it ringing through the mountains near and far!
Who am I, sir,
A Utah Man am I!
A Utah Man, sir,
Will be 'til I die.
Ki-yi!
We're up to snuff, we never bluff, we're game for any fuss.
No other gang of college men dare meet us in a muss.
So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky,
We'll fight for dear old crimson for a Utah Man am I!
Ki-yi!

Keep in mind the song is basically to the tune of the all-time classic, "Mickey Mouse Club".


Is that funny or what? Those Utes certainly are the jolliest! Ki-yi!

Scotcheroos

One of the best parts about having a pregnant wife is that she often decides she wants something yummy, such as the treat above: Scotcheroos.

Very yummy....but wait! It gets even better! As we're slowly working our way through the pan, last night she turns to me and says: "Logan, my stomach is not digesting the scotcheroos very well. I can't eat them anymore. You have to finish the rest of them."

Woohoo!

Guilty Pleasures

I know most of my faithful readers have been losing sleep over this, but I'm sorry to stay that we're not going to the BYU game against Ole Miss on Labor Day weekend. Instead, we're going to see family in Detroit! We'll watch the game up there, cheering on with family. That will be fun.

In the interest of getting to know each other better, I'm going to write out some of my guilty pleasures. Things that I just love to do that make me happy.

Singing in the car at the top of my lungs (I know people in other cars can see me.)
Staying up late and talking with Torrie (I should be sleeping.)
Playing old video games (Either Civilization 3 for the computer or whatever sport is in season for Gamecube. Yes, that means I'm playing with player rosters from 2001.)
Taking naps (I know there's a million other things I should be doing.)
Eating frozen pizza (Especially the Totino's party size pizzas and a Dr. Pepper. Yum.)
Tickling Clara so that she will laugh (Usually I try to make faces or peek-a-boo or something to make her laugh. Tickling is the easy way to get a laugh, hence the guilty pleasure)
Italian Ties (I have too many of them and want more.)
Taking new roads to places (I know it's faster to go the other way, but then I can see a new place AND put a new line on my map!)
Attending Torrie's primary class instead of Elders' Quorum (I love the change of pace, and primary kids are usually a lot more funny than the guys in Elders Quorum.)
Reading Tom Clancy books (I want to read the classics. But there's just something about a Clancy book....)
Watching Jeopardy! (Makes me feel smart. Beware of Pride, boy!)
Eating candy (I know it's not the best food for me.)
Planning Vacations with no constraints that I will not go on (Having a baby sure makes that getting these plans to fruition more difficult.)

Should we stay or should we go?

BYU vs Ole Miss is in 33 days.

It's an 8 hour drive away. With a baby.

BYU's first game as an independent, against an SEC team that I'm optimistic we will defeat.

Expenses: We'd have to buy tickets. (Currently $44 total on stubhub for two people). Hotel would be paid for with hotel points. Gas down there. Food.

I haven't been to a BYU football game since BYU Utah in 2007 (Hall to Collie 4th down miracle, see below)

Just kidding, how could I forget going to BYU v. Washington in 2008? (Thank you, refs....)

It would be another weekend gone. (Remember, we travel a lot during the week). While we're home for the two weeks prior and the week after, we'll be gone each week for a month after that. Time home is really nice. (This really is the difficult point. I treasure my weekends home, especially ones that don't involve travel on either side. They are very nice.)

I'd probably have to take some valuable vacation time off on Friday in order to get there in time for the fireside. (I don't have a lot of this, and I'm trying to save up for holidays and future real vacations, not just a long weekend).

We don't really know anyone else that's going, besides one other couple from our ward (with whom we are pretty good friends, although they are old enough to be our parents).

So...........should we go?

Whether or not we go, I really really want to go to a BYU game next year, either against Georgia Tech or Notre Dame.

Here's a followup question. Are YOU going? And if no, why not?

To Post or Not to Post

I was talking to my brother-in-law the other day. We hadn't talked in awhile, and it was really fun catching up, hearing about his new job / baby / residence, telling him about our crazy lives. I asked how his new baby was doing, and what he looked like. Torrie then reminded me that there pictures on the internet, on Facebook.


I thanked her for the reminder, then continued: "I'm sorry I haven't seen the pictures, yet. I'll do it tomorrow. However, do you want to tell me what he looks like?"
He had no problem and described the little guy for me. We talked for a little longer and then ended our conversation, hoping to see each other soon. (Which would be real fun.)

However, the incident above brought up something in my mind which I think about fairly often.

The problem with facebook, blogs, etc. is that they take away some of the motivation to talk to people.

Don't get me wrong. I love keeping in contact. I love that I was able to spend five minutes this morning looking of pictures of a youth temple trip of a branch I served in while I lived in Italy. It was really cool to see some of the primary kids going to the temple.

I enjoy seeing updates of my cousins, uncles, old college friends, things like that. It makes me feel connected to them. I like that.

I like putting up a comment about Clara drinking out of a straw and getting tons of likes and comments. That's fun and makes me feel loved.

However, I do not like knowing everything in advance when I do talk to someone. Let me explain. I talked to someone today and I already knew every single thing they were going to update me about. Why? Because I had read their blog. I knew everything they were going to say. I knew the insights they had thought of. I even knew the little jokes they were going to make.  I knew it all.

What an unsatisfying conversation! I didn't feel any extra connection to that person after the conversation. None of the warm glow of friendship that comes after seeing/talking to someone you hadn't in awhile.

Torrie has gone through the same thing - a conversation with someone she hadn't seen in awhile, yet nothing new came about, because it was all on facebook for everyone to see. Perhaps you have, as well.

Contrast that to a conversation I had yesterday with an old friend. Although we are pretty updated on each others lives, he asked deep questions. It wasn't just a pursory question of "How's your work going?" He asked specific questions, follow-up questions, and expressed real interest. I did the same to him as well. We talked about our families, goals, projects, etc. It was very satisfying and afterwards, I felt that I had been able to reconnect with a good friend. While this person is on facebook, and both of us post occasionally, the conversation was of much greater detail and intensely more satisfying.

So rest assured, I will not blog about everything. I will not facebook post about everything. There is more to me than meets the world wide web's eye. I would encourage you all to do the same, and if you're going to have a conversation with someone who you know looks at your facebook and/or your blog, come up with some new material as well.

Note on Joseph Smith

I wanted to put up one of my favorite stories about Joseph Smith on June 27, in honor of his martyrdom in 1844. However, I wasn't online that day. So I'm putting it up today. I wish I had been able to be there.

Elder Parley P. Pratt (1807–57) recorded an occasion when the Prophet’s extraordinary teaching ability influenced thousands in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: “A very large church was opened for him to preach in, and about three thousand people assembled to hear him. Brother Rigdon spoke first, and dwelt on the Gospel, illustrating his doctrine by the Bible. When he was through, Brother Joseph arose like a lion about to roar; and being full of the Holy Ghost, spoke in great power, bearing testimony of the visions he had seen, the ministering of angels which he had enjoyed; and how he had found the plates of the Book of Mormon, and translated them by the gift and power of God. He commenced by saying: ‘If nobody else had the courage to testify of so glorious a message from Heaven, and of the finding of so glorious a record, he felt to do it in justice to the people, and leave the event with God.’

I admire his courage. The more I read and study his life, I am consistently hit by two things:
1. His conviction
He would do what he believed God commanded, no matter what the consequences.

2. His lack of hypocrisy
I look at my life and see many times when I do not fully practice what I profess to believe. I do not see that with Brother Joseph.

A quick note, for context's sake: For me, personally, the most important thing that God accomplished through Joseph Smith is that through his works - such as his teachings and sermons, the restoration of the Priesthood, the translation of the Book of Mormon - he allowed me to know more about Jesus Chris and His atonement.

I have some downtime at work, which means I've maybe watched some YouTube clips of great BYU sports moments. Only 78 days and 2 hours until BYU football starts again!

The best clips are the ones with the radio announcers in the background.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDAj0y3JEJ4&feature=related

I thought about putting up links to all of them, but I don't think that would be appropriate. So I'll just put up one which I thought was kinda funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvqDXDMnnsg

It kinda reminds me of the afternoon where I watched the Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII on YouTube. The whole game.

"Do you have children? If so do you take them along to your "worship" sessions? If they are below the age of 18 do ask them if they want to go?"

I saw this question in the comment section of a pretty negative article in an online UK newspaper about the LDS church. As is wont to happen after an online article about the LDS church, the commenters below are filled with a combination of people that say the church is bad, and then people that say the church is good. I do enough online browsing that I don't usually read any of it, because it's all the same.

This question hit me, however. One commentor had stated that one of the chief tenets of LDS doctrine is that man is free to choose, and this was given in response. On the surface, it brings up a good question. If one is brought up in a faith, is that "indoctrination"? I was raised in the LDS church - was I indoctrinated? Did I ever really have a choice? Was I free? I am going to raise my daughter and any future children in the LDS church. Am I, by doing so, limiting their freedom?

The answer is an unequivocal no! I am not limiting their freedom. The simple fact of the matter is that they are going to be "indoctrinated" by whatever influence comes their way. It's my responsibility as a parent to see that those influences are the ones that are going to make her happy.

I see a simple choice - Do I let the media "indoctrinate" Clara? Do I let her value system be dictated by pop magazines, by television shows, movies? No. That does not bring happiness.

So I sing primary songs to Clara as she falls asleep, we read the scriptures as a family daily, we have family home evening weekly, because I love her and want her to be happy more than anything, and this is the best way that I know of to ensure that she is that way and that she will be that way as she grows and matures.

Kudos to the LFUCG

Yesterday I had to make a stop downtown for various city & county government-related errands. As I was looking at the board someone stopped me. "Do you need to renew your car registration? It's right there, second door on the left." Oh, well thank you. A few minutes later I was back at that sign. A lady this time stopped me. "What are you looking for?" Oh, I need to get fingerprinted. "You need to go to the police station. It's outside, turn left, first building on your left." Oh, well thank you.

People were so nice! Not only did I recieve personal directions as to where I needed to go, but both visits went very smoothly and quickly.

Good job, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government!

Basketball / 100th Post

A recent work trip found me on the road without my wife and daughter. Some of my coworkers found out that the hotel gave free visits to the local YMCA, so I went along with them to play some ball.

The gym was vintage YMCA. Four games on two courts. Running track on the second floor, surrounding the gym. The really big really sweaty guy. The wiry old guy who would shoot flatfooted 3 pointers from his chest, with it going in more than half the time. Your local big guy with a mohawk who lifts a lot and thinks he's a lot better than he is. Frankly, I was a little intimidated. I've played ball a few times in KY and not to much success. The last time I had played, I ended up with a huge elbow in my face that led to swelling and a black eye.

We wait for our turn and after ten minutes are so, we're on. Of course my team ends up being the smaller team.

So we start, and I get the ball on the first play. I decide to drive it past the guy guarding me. He recovers in time, but almost trips and says "dang, you're fast." Good start. The ball gets passed around a bit and I finally get it in the corner and decide to take a shot. BAM. It's in.

Next play, my guy gets the ball, and he tries to go past me. My arm flicks out, hits the ball away from him, and I go and pick it up, Jackson Emery style. I follow that up with another made shot from the corner. 2-2 with 4 points and a steal. Not a bad start! We followed some hot shooting and beat a team that had a ton of size on us by a couple. All in all, we ended up winning three games, than lost the next two due to going cold at the wrong time. I continued to make shots, play pretty good defense, and had a couple good drives as well. It went pretty much as well as it could have.

Road Rage!

Lexington is surrounded by New Circle Road. Near my work, it is a four-lane (two lanes each way) limited-access road, with on-ramps and off-ramps like your standard interstate freeway. However, near my home, it becomes a normal road with stoplights, businesses, etc. As you can imagine, the transition from freeway to road usually involves a lot of cars waiting at that first stoplight.

Oh, and the speed limit is 55 mph. So yesterday I'm driving home in the freeway section of New Circle, in the left lane, at my standard 58 mph. I'm slowly passing cars that are in the right lane. There is a lady - I'm sorry, that would be too complimentary - there is a woman behind me in a jeep. Well, I should say on top of me - she is probably six inches from the back of my car. I look in the rearview mirror and see her. Normally, I would immediately get over into the right lane. However, I'm a quarter mile from the end of the freeway, and due to an upcoming on-ramp it's much more advantageous for me to stay in the left lane. So I do, sorry Ms. Jeep Woman.

Well, after some waving frantically on her part, she steps on the gas, gets in the left lane, and passes me. That doesn't really bother me too much, but as she passed me, she almost hit me. So I honked ever so slightly (I didn't lay on it or anything. I actually don't know if a honk ever came out.) because it was a rather dangerous driving move. If you're going to pass me, please make sure you're ahead of me. Of course, by now we have both slowed down, as we are in the long line of cars at the light. I did give the car a "what were you thinking?" look with my hands up. (No profanity or obscene gestures or anything, which is more than I can say for her.)

Anyway, this sort of stuff happens. No big deal. The light turns green and slowly the cars begin to move. However, I notice the other lane is moving a lot quicker than mine - which is odd, because the right lane always moves slower. I can't see around the jeep woman, but I imagine that she's going slow to try to make me mad, which was a bad move because it wasn't really making me mad, and if she really was in a hurry, she should be going fast. Anyway she finally picks up speed, and I decide to take advantage of a spot and get in the other lane, because I will be turning right in a couple of lights, and I want to get away from this crazy person. Right as I begin to turn in the next lane, she slams on her brakes. (Plenty of space in front of her, she was literally trying to get me to rear-end her.) Unfortunately for her, I had made sure there was plenty of space between me and her and I had plenty of space to get into the other lane. Meanwhile, the truck that was behind me almost runs into her, but stops just in time.

I had moved on. Crazy people these days. However, it gets better. By the next light she has gotten into my lane, and then into the additional right-hand turn lane. She stops next to my car, and begins pointing and swearing at me. I was at a light, and had nothing else to do, so I rolled down my window and asked if there was a problem. She swore at me again and proceeded to tell me that I had been going 58 mph in the fast lane and should have moved over (Yes, she admitted to breaking the speed limit, which is a traffic violation.). She explained to me that not moving over when I could have was a law and that I had broke that law. This was all interlaced with profanity. Meanwhile, her 12 yr old son is sitting in the passenger seat with his feet up on the dash. I don't mean to judge, but it sure looked like it had been a few days since either of them had taken a shower. Anyway, so I asked the lady what there was to gain by going any faster, because we were coming up to a stoplight and everyone would just be in a line anyway. She didn't seem to understand that, because she brought up the passing lane law thing again. So I asked her again politely and asked her to answer my question, and I didn't understand why she wouldn't answer me. Meanwhile at this moment the couple in the aforementioned truck is in the lane to the left of me and they begin yelling at the jeep woman. They were a little more crude than I was, but they yelled at her and told her that she was a dangerous bad driver and almost caused an accident. The jeep woman responded that her brother was a cop (I know she had just been dying to throw that out there) and she didn't care if she caused any accidents, because she would be just fine. The truck responded that they were going to get her plates and call 911. The jeep woman used some profanity and then told the truck lady to go on weight watchers, which was ironic because I definitely wouldn't be calling the jeep woman a skinny minnie anytime soon.

This was all very entertaining, but by now the light had turned green and so I rolled up my window, waved and gave a thumbs-up to the truck, and continued on my merry way.

Oh, I was rear-ended with Torrie and Clara in the car a few weeks ago and still have a scratched/dented bumper (the parts finally came in today, so I'm glad that I'll finally be getting those fixed). I'm wondering if that somehow played into the jeep woman's crazy tirade? Did she cause her to think that I was a bad driver or I would get angry? It didn't, and if anything I'm glad that I've been in the habit of driving much more defensively than before. The couple minutes you get to someplace quicker is not worth the greater risk of getting into a car accident.