I CAN HEAR! I CAN HEAR!

You all know that for years I could not hear squat. I would miss at least half of the conversations we had when we were all together. Very frustrating for me and mom and all of you trying to talk to me. I hated it when I would just tune out and let it all happen around me. Mom was about to throw me out the door if I didn't do something and get some devise to aid my hearing. So today I got fitted with two pretty remarkable hearing aids. Not very visual, but they work well. The big part holds the battey, the reciever, amp. and the clear tube goes to the speaker thing in the ear canal. It is all very compfortable. I can't wait to teach my class in Sunday School and be able to hear the questions. I used to come out of Bishopric meetings crying to myself because I could not hear half of what was said and who they were talking about. I now can even understand Bronwyn when she talks. That alone is worth it all....


You can see by this picture that the devise is not very noticeable. Looks never bothered me for I am too old to care what people think. I just like it because they work and they are programable to meet my hearing needs and I can get the sound pickup levels changed anytime I want or need to. Be happy for me, peeps. I can hear the rain falling, the birds singing and B talking.

DUNCAN R.I.P.

Duncan died this morning at the Vets. He has been sick since last Sunday night when he threw-up (sorry Cath & Ems). He would not eat or drink anything on Monday and the rest of the week. I took him to the Vets on Thursday for an X-ray and nothing showed up. The poor thing just was getting sicker and sicker and laying down out side in the rain and cold and getting weaker and weaker. It was so sad watching him die and not being able to do anything about it. I took him back to the Vets on Thursday and they put him on an IV and gave him shots of antibiotics. When I left him at the Docs I pretty much new it would be the last time I would see him and pat his head and say "good dog". She called at 7 this morning and said he passed away early this AM. We don't know what he got but suspect it was a liver tumor. Shirley something intestinal and/or organ related.


Duncan as a pup with me on the construction job for the olympic village in SLC and the U of U. sitting in the big forklift I drove.


Cute pup in the snow.


A little older puppy in the ditch by the Rieker house. Even as a pup, he didn't like to get out of the water. During hot days he would lay down in the ditch and cool his belly.


Handsome head on this dog. Mom and I liked his color and markings a lot. His big brown eyes always got to me and I couldn't resist slipping him food from the table and taking him for rides in my Pickup.


He loved people so much and would always go over to greet people on the street or in the neighborhood. He would follow the school children to the bus stop at the bottom of the hill by Woodfields. He got hit by a car when he was about a year old and I took him to Dr. Davis in Springville. He was out for a day and then I picked him up four days later and he looked like this. In a way we have had him with us on "borrowed time" now for 8 years or so.


The "Bowfinger" shot. He so loved his tummy tickled and scratched. Thats one of the things about him I'll miss the most.


Matt and I dug his grave this afternoon and he is right next to Tiny Elvis. The pile of black rocks are over Tiny E and we are standing by Duncan. We said a prayer on the grave and he is now resting at the Airport. R.I.P. Dunk.

I would like to invite any of you peeps that care to...to take a moment at 10 PM on Wednesday the 7th of Oct to drink from your favorite beverage (I'll have a Martinillies, hope Skippy can get a Chocolate Malt) in a toast to the memory of our good loyal, happy dog, Duncan. Kisses, Dad

Grandpa Chatterton

Mother got a call from MaryAnn yesterday. Don lost his balance walking in a parking lot in Medford, fell and smacked his head and broke his hip in two places. He is in a hospital in Medford awaiting an operation to pin and repair his hip. He, of course, is in a lot of pain and is medicated for that. I am sure we all wish him a speedy recovery and wish the best for MaryAnn.

PROPS TO DAN THE WRITER WITH COURAGE

Hey, Dan, feature article and on the cover no less. Very nice. What's nice and depressing along with it is how smart you are. Depressing because your gift reminds me of my lack of same. I'm sitting here at the Mac Pro, listening to a two set Queen album I got at the library today and I can't string a thought and a sentence together. (Maybe it's Queen...? should I put on a MoTab album for inspiration....? Naahhh! Rock on!) Anyway, your courage to "lay it all out there" and tell everyone your thinking, actions, and mistakes of your life journey is really big. I make mistakes on a regular basis, but would never publish them. You are the man! As far as I can tell you are there or close to being "big" as the sort of person you want to be, using the "Size" metaphor that you quote in your article by Bernard Loomer. Good stuff, Dan.

I recommend all you Peeps to read this article by Dan (linked here). It will make us think and evaluate our lives and devotion.

What the Bip!! At the back of the magazine is a notice that Deseret Book has pulled from their shelves the vampire novels of Stephene Meyer. Reason, "When we find products that are met with mixed review, we typically move them to special order status." What's with that? People complaining about cold lip kissing or sparkeling skin? Come on, Sherry, if everything I read or looked at met LDS standards, I wouldn't be reading or watching much. Kisses (warm). Pops

"THINKING" Movies

Hey, Peeps, I have been thinking about this classification for a couple of days now and want you all to wade in on the subject. What is a "thinking" movie. "Doubt" no doubt qualifies. Maybe it is at the head of the list because it was written that way on purpose. The challenge is: what are your top 5 "thinking" movies. The problem is: What is a "thinking" movie? Does a movie with an unexpected ending that makes you think qualifies? Like "Primal Fear"? Edward Norton was so good and the surprise at the end so shocking that it might be. Another Norton movie, "Score" had some thinking in it and a surprise ending. "Matchstick Men", was like that. "The Prestige" was so complicated that I had to watch it at least three times to figure out how it all worked and so it could go on my list. So here's my list with a little explanation. "Doubt", I suggest we keep off the list as it is in a class by itself. Pops list (no particular order):

1. 2001: A Space odyssey: Here is a movie I still don't have any idea what it is about, but the music is impressive. It must be a "thinking" movie, because it is so weird.

2. Speaks for itself. He is such a smart, numbers, and formula guy, yet physoctic and strange. The imaginary people he talks to and all that.

3. Spanglish: Such a good movie and it really made me think about relationships. Mother daughter, father daughter. Paz and her daughter and the sacrifices she makes for her daughter. The sexual attraction between Adam Sandler and Paz and their strength in not giving into the physical attraction. Very good stuff.

4. Cinderella Man: A man striving to save his family. Working hard and all that. The scene where he goes to the mens club and begs for $42 dollars or so to pay his electric bill. Thats one of the all time gripping scenes in film. His fighting powers come back and goes on to be successful. Trying to get day jobs at the dock with a broken hand to feed his family.

5. American History X: Rough movie, but fascinating. Redemption, repentance, violence and brotherly love and all sorts of feelings in the movie.

6. Million Dollar Baby: An extra I put in because of the social topic. As well as how good a movie it is. When is euthanasia okay? What would you do in his shoes in that situation. Something to think about. That is why this is a "thinking" movie.

I could have gone back in time to oldies like, "The Oxbow Incident", "12 Angry Men" and "Inherit the Wind", but decided to keep it modern for you guys. Well, have fun and give this topic some thought. pops

Emily's picks
Hmm, good post dad. What I consider a thinking movie is one that after seeing it, I have trouble sleeping because I can't stop thinking about it. Perhaps that means it is more of a "stays with you movie". I believe the two concepts are well related, so I decided to make two little sub categories and list my thinking movies under each.

Thinking thinking movies:

1. Reservoir Dogs. You can't help but sit and think about this movie during and long after You Put the Lime In the Coconut plays.

Darn. No trailer.

2. School Ties. It never failed, every time Cat and I watched this movie, we would have a three hour discussion about it. So many things to think about during this movie: Antisemitism of course, Loyalty to friends and roommates, the pressures of succeeding in those Ivy League prep schools, all good stuff.

Ultra weird, well here is a link so you can watch it.
3. Dead Man Walking. I think about this movie a lot. I don't want to get too political here, but I have always had a problem with the death penalty. I see it's advantages, but my soul has a big problem with it to where I can't support it. Sean Penn is brilliant as the death row inmate, and I love the way Susan Sarandon talks to him when she visits him (she is a nun if you haven't seen it). It definitely gives you a different perspective, even when the inmate admits to his atrocious acts and is a jerk. He's still human and scared.

Stay with you movies

1. Fargo. What started with something that seemed like an easy, good idea goes incredibly bad. A popular plot for the Coen Brothers, they all stay with me a little and make me think, but none more then Fargo.



2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Nicholson's character (Marty? that doesn't sound quite right) anyway, he thinks going to this nuthouse will be an easy way to spend his prison sentence. He breates life into the people he touches and we find out that was very unwelcome to some people (Nurse Ratched). Again, sort of Coen Brotherish. Brilliant book have you guys read that? It is written in the perspective of "the Chief" to make it even more interesting.


3. Seven. Stays with you because of the despair that it lays over you on humanity and what it could be capable of.


4. The Deer Hunter. Almost any war movie could be classified here. This one even more so with the added Russian roulette stuff. Very powerful. The last few scenes stay burned in your brain a long time.


5. The Green Mile. Prison movies must stay with me too........... This movie made me think about it for so long simply for the evil prison guard. He is one of the most inately evil characters I have ever seen. He's just awful (I chuckle a little seeing him as a hippy on Lost), but think about his role in The Green Mile every time.


6. Awakenings. What a story, makes you think. Makes you sad.

Wright Family Stuff Exchange 2!!!

Christmas and Matt's birthday left us with some interesting Mother-in-law presents that have been collecting dust under our bed as we wait to get invited to a White Elephant gift party or something similar. But if you guys want it, you are more than welcome to any of it!!!!

This is an "Extreme Ironing" calendar that my mom bought for Matt. He thinks it's funny, but we are clueless to the motivation behind it.



There's nothing really wrong with this bad except that it's cheap, purple, I don't need one, and there are 4 more bags that I don't need inside of it.




This is: A fluorescent pink hair extension, fluorescent green nail polish, and earrings that Hannah Montana would probably love.



The magnet on the left says "You say high maintenance like it's a bad thing." The one on the right says " Where jerky comes from."




This is actually in a box, and going to get shipped to Scout. We figured she has a lot more use for it than Matt does. Yes, my mom gave Matt a stuffed animal dog toy.



I specifically told her not to get this for Matt. She did anyway. It now graces just inside our front door because she bought it about 3 months early for him and was SO EXCITED that we would get to use it.



Lucky me. Back in July, I saw this set of utensils sitting on my moms counter and complimented her on them. I was just happy that she was getting a little organized and actually using something to cook (or just cooking period!) that she hadn't gotten as a wedding present 20 + years ago. Little did I know, she loved them so much she bought a second set to give to whoever commented on them first, and I was that lucky person.

And for the Grand Finale...



We are completely stumped. This was one of Matt's birthday presents. Fete de Scout 2009? Oh, and every single one of these gifts came in a gift bag stapled shut, and had the price tags still on it.

Wright Family Stuff Exchange

My mother in law has high tailed it to Costa Rica and left us some stuff. I have zero use for these hair products as I spend much effort trying to de-volumize my thick hair. I didn't think these things really belonged at DI, so I thought perhaps someone in my family would find use? They are good products and mostly full, I just can't use them. Let me know. Hey, this isn't a bad idea, eh? If you have stuff that you think other family members might want, you can post them and see if you get any takers....

I know I have some lurker friends that read about our crazy family antics here, so I am opening up this little market to you too, let me know.