To cruise or not to cruise

It's been a busy year of work for both the stunningly patient and mighty fine SML and me and we're not even out of the first quarter.  The kids are talking about Spring Break, which is right around the corner, and we're looking forward to it too.  We'll head west to see Our Lady of BYU and to give CAL a preview of the college life that awaits her in Idaho.  So it's going to be busy and fun, but not much of a break.

So I've been thinking what can the two of us do for a break?  Our last big trip was Australia and while I don't plan to top that, I'm thinking about doing one of these:

We've never cruised.  I have some significant reservations, not the least of which is the sense that we'll be hostage with some potentially nutty people.  I know we can pick an itinerary that would be appealing and find a ship that would keep us busy.  I'm just worried that being that close to other guests will turn it into this:

That poster title says it well...it won't take a tidal wave to turn a cruise upside down.  What if you get on a cruise that includes a bunch of car salesmen on an incentive trip?  Or a bunch of family reunions?  There's no way out...that's what worries me.

Am I worrying too much?  Is it worth it?  Thoughts?  Suggestions?  I welcome them.

Things I learned on this last trip

I got back last night from a five day trip to Seattle.  I was out there for a conference and I had precious little time to enjoy what is a really cool town.  I did learn a few things.  Here are some highlights:

• If Comic-Con or anything like unto it comes to your town, get as far away as possible.  I learned this the hard way, sadly, this past weekend.  It was Seattle's version of Comic-Con, and it was disturbing.  Lots of "Star Wars" characters walking around the streets as well as "Furries."  Yikes.  And you've never seen so much social awkwardness in your life.  Lots of overweight teenagers who's only interaction with the opposite sex has been online.  
• In the ward I went to on Sunday, apparently it was "Shirk Your Parental Responsibility Day."  I've never been in a louder Church meeting in my life.  Seriously.  I think it was because it was a "Newly Wed/Nearly Dead" ward.  This could be the subject of an entire post.  Also, it is not necessary to dress your four-year old son in an orange bedazzled (yes, I said it, bedazzled) salwar kameez for church.  Especially when you're not Pakistani.  And your kid is a tow-headed blond.
• I also learned that I still love Mee Sum Pastry in Seattle and their curry hombow.
• Finally, I learned the hard way that Mother United should stop serving vegetarian chili in First Class.  Yes, it looked like an improvement over the tepid, watery minestrone that they've been serving for months.  A pressurized cabin.  Lots of beans.  Do I need to paint the picture anymore vividly?

So there you have it.  Some of the things I learned on this last trip.  Yes, it's good to be home.

The BYU Honor Code

My alma mater has landed front and center in the news this week and it's provided a welcome distraction from the Charlie Sheen (who could use an honor code or two) train wreck.  One of BYU's star basketball players was removed from the team this week for violating the Honor Code.  Much has been made of his dismissal in the media as it comes on the heels of BYU being ranked #3 in the national polls.  The team's implosion against New Mexico the day after his removal only added insult to injury.

As I said, much has been made of this dismissal in the media.  Some of the commentary has made me cringe but most of it has been surprisingly supportive of the University's decision to abide by its code and principles, in spite of the team's ranking and the potential crushing monetary impact of the decision.  As Joe Scarborough pointed out this morning on "Morning Joe," (can I just say how much I enjoy watching the Joe/Mika/Willie rumble every morning - if you're not watching it, you should) the NCAA could learn something from BYU's actions.  The University did the right thing.  It followed its principles, making a very unpopular choice, but doing it for the right reasons.

Look, the Honor Code is a surprise to NO ONE who attends or attended BYU.  No one.  No one can say they didn't know and I'm not saying the young man here is claiming that.  He's done the right thing, owning up to his mistakes and working it out.  He's being supported by his teammates and those who love him.  In my years there, years that I loved by the way, I could not abide anyone who complained about the Code.  My response was and still is, "If you don't like it, get out.  You knew what you were signing up for."  By today's standards, the Honor Code is called unrealistic and out of touch and they said the same thing when I first enrolled there close to 27 years ago.  Could people take their interpretation of it to the extreme?  Sure.  On more than one occasion, I was told I could not take a test until I'd gone home and shaved.  And this was not after several days without shaving...it was more like seven or eight hours.  You laugh that stuff off.

But this much I know...that Honor Code helped form me into the person I am today.  It's a part of the ethical compass that guides my business decisions and actions.  Has it always been easy and have I been perfectly obedient?  No and I would never pretend to be perfectly obedient.  But living by any demanding set of precepts is never easy.  I'm just glad for the chance to keep on trying.

It’s Time to Play ‘Sheen, Beck, or Qaddafi?’

It’s Time to Play ‘Sheen, Beck, or Qaddafi?’

Click on that link above as fast as you can and be prepared to be challenged.  The differences between an unhinged Sheen, Qaddafi, and Beck are barely perceptible.  A good friend of mine shared this with me earlier today and it liked to have killed me.

What is wrong with this world when we are completely captivated by the shenanigans of a B-list, drug-addled actor?  Seriously, this is madness.  American media is on the Sheen thing like there's no tomorrow.  How 'bout throwing some of that energy into, oh I don't know, the crisis in our public schools?  No, let's ignore that and wonder what pearl of wisdom will come out of the mouth of this train wreck before he self-immolates...it is crazy, my friends, crazy.