.:The Scoville Clan:.

I’m reading 1984 and a line that is the book reads,

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

I was caught a bit alarmed by this philosphy and I wasn’t sure why. Then as I was thinking about the words a song that remember listening to as a kid by Nine Inch Nails called Happiness is Slavery came to mind.

Is happiness slavery?
Is war peace?
Is freedom slavery?
Or is ignorance strength?

I couldn’t help but think about the adversary’s plan and his attempt to have us believe that losing our agency or ability to choose would be better for us than the opportunity to grow and develop by making mistakes.

The ability to choose and not be forced to do things against our will is the ultimate way for us to grow and develop.

This is an excellent book to allow us to see what happens to a world that doesn’t offer choice or encourage differences.

Well since he doesn’t have a name yet, we’re calling him Spencer Jr at our house. We had the opportunity to go to the hospital to see this newest member of the Scoville Family. He was so small; yet he was over 6 pounds. I don’t remember our kids being that small but they were. It is amazing what you remember from  the events that go on in your past; at least for me because I don’t remember the past too well. I think I’m having early onset Dementia.

We were so happy to see this little boy. Spencer and Jonene were happy to have him here. Good luck on the decision making process. I think my vote goes with Eli. We absolutely love Eli Stone. Hopefully some pictures get posted soon. I think Sarah took a camera last night and maybe Spencer will get something up sooner than later.

UPDATE: I’m hoping that they’ve made it home by now. I’ve also heard his name is officially Spencer Luke (or Lucas?)Scoville

Since we own our home now, we decided to get our kids a dog for Christmas because they’ve been asking and so has Marlene. We have been looking for a few months and seen many cute little dogs on KSL for sale, but we finally decided that we’d go to the North Utah Valley Animal Shelter at nuvas.org. We got a little miniature Schnauzer. Her name was Krystal and she answers to it  but we don’t like it.

The jury is out on the new name for her. We are thinking Trixy or now Mazie.

Where does your vote stand? Let us know.

Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas

Originally uploaded by Phil Scoville

Marlene will be pleased to know this; if she didn’t already. Well maybe Senator Clinton will now be the Secretary of State for Obama. We’ll have the Clinton’s in our lives for yet a while longer.

After I returned home from my trip to Little Rock to present the results from a research project I was involved with over the last year at the 70th Annual National Conference on Family Relations (NCFR), I found out that the journal article that had been accepted for publication was finally in print. It was from one of my elective courses but also a really pragmatic and efficient method to work together in a group and complete a journal article ready for publication and also to present the research at a National Conference.

We had a great time presenting in Little Rock. I enjoyed the Clinton Presidential Library; even if I don’t agree with his political or moral views, he did a lot for the country.

The take home message is that companies that allow their employees flexible work arrangments have employees that are generally healthier, happier in life and marriages, and more satisfied and loyal to their jobs. This suggests that the benefits are not only to those that actually use the workplace flexibility, but also all the rest of the employees that don’t use it, just by the perception of their being workplace flexibilty.

Toward the bottom of the linked page you’ll see the journal article. For convenience, I’ve included a PDF of the journal article for your reading pleasure. (Perceived Versus Workplace Flexibility.)

When the film played in Washougal and I was there watching it; I wasn’t sure how interested people were in the film. We had a 10 pm showing after a long drive from Utah to Portland through Roseburg to say hello to Marlene and the kids. Yes, we ran out of gas and thatb made it that much longer. But when we got to the local high school in Washougal and there was a big crowd watching fairly lame bang, bang, shoot em and knife em up flick, I was hopeful that many audience members would stick around. Well no only a few stayed and a few new audience members came. I liked the film and reviewed it earlier on this blog in August.

However it did receive the audience choice award for the festival and that is awesome and I was proud of my good friend Brandon Cahoon, the writer and director of this film about our lives in small town Utah.

I received a phone message last night from Brandon saying to check out the Torino Film Festival website on a few days at the of November schedule.

I then received a more official announcement via email from Brandon about its official acceptance into the Torino Film Festival.

Check it out for yourself at
Torino Film Festival.

Parade will be playing on three dates at the Italian Film Festival: November 22nd, 26th & 27th.

Congrats, Brandon. A much bigger Festival and one that has attracted the Academy Award winning Director, Oliver Stone. He will be showing his new film ‘W’ about George W. Bush. Not that I agree with his political leaning; but this is a huge festival and our little production is playing there. I know I say we but really this is a Brandon and Dayna production. I feel a part since I am a part of the original story.

Now we can hope that the great film will make it to DVD and maybe some extras will be created.

Also the awesome Movie Soundtrack might be a reality. If you haven’t seen the film or heard from Brandon about the music. Keep pushing for soundtrack to come out.

BTW - I like the new home page for the website. Parade - paradethemovie.com. Check it out.

This would be an amazing flight to go over to Europe to see the film at this huge festival. The distance, price, time, and the fact that my passport I think expired last year doesn’t help.

This pictures was taken awhile back but I think it is great. We bought a bike for Oscar from Wal-Mart the week after we moved into our new house. We bought the bike but he wanted to ride his bike as soon as possible. So since we now live only about 4/5 blocks from Wal-Mart, I got to walk home with Oscar as he rode his bike. He loved it. We passed lots and lots of puncture weeds.  They don’t help your tires; but we made it home without a flat and he loved the bike.

I tried to get him to buy a Mongoose bike with pegs but he didn’t want it. He wanted the Huffy that his best friend from Provo had. We got his choice. Underneath it all, the price was better so I didn’t fight it. I said okay and he loves biking around since then. He has been riding and riding around our driveway and up-and-down the sidewalk in front of our house and the neighbors. He is so happy. I love seeing the kids happy. He is beginning to love the neighborhood and it is so great.

Martin Luther King Memorial at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. This is the National Civil Rights Museum.

I went to the museum this afternoon after the conference sessions I was required to go see. No pictures could be taken within the museum; thus my pictures of just of the outside of the museum.

We only had a 30 minute window to go see through the many exhibits of which I was sad to have to rush through but it only opened at 1pm tomorrow afternoon and we need to leave for Nashville tomorrow to catch our flight.

My favorite part of the self-guided tour was to see the bus replica on which Rosa Park’s refused to give up her seat to a white man that eventually had her arrested for disobeying the law (at least for the time). I didn’t know that she and Dr. King were associates. I don’t know if they were before or after her arrest.

I also found it interesting how much distance Dr. Martin Luther King went to publish his message of non-violence and peace throughout the South. He graduated with his PhD from Boston University at age 26 in philosophy and theology. There were sit-ins and protests throughout the South - from Birmingham, AL to Memphis, TN to Washington, DC. I’ve always assumed that he did this much work but I just haven’t studied it. Seeing the jail cells and the hard work, Dr. King’s suffering for an important cause reminds me of the suffering and pain that the LDS Saints experienced when they were in first starting in the 1800’s in Missouri and across the uncivilized territory toward the desert now known as Utah.

A couple of other items that struck me while in the museum. Dr. King was shot in the face by a bullet that went through his right cheek and then his jaw. It then hit his spinal cord and got lodged in his shoulder. Jesse Jackson was near him when he got shot standing on the balcony. He was in room 306 in the Lorraine Motel. Apparently this was a room that he stayed at often when he was in Memphis.

I was also particularly touched by a transcript provided of a conversation between Dr. King and his wife, Coretta King, while Dr. King was in prison. He inquired about the kids. They were courteous and kind to each other. There was much love, care, and appreciation.

Dr. King was an example to all of us about keeping his ideals high and speaking out for those things that need to be addressed. He was open, honest, and non-violent in his efforts to address serious problems such as labor and wages problems.

You can read more about his life on wikipedia.

What the heck is BYU’s problem? Why can’t our football team cremate these teams in the mountain west that just aren’t very good. Yes, they say these teams played good against them. But they haven’t played this good against Utah or other teams. I am getting really scared about the BYU / Utah game. I think that Utah has more of the killer instinct that will be to BYU’s downfall. I’m not predicting a loss by BYU but I am saying I’m pretty worried.

Please BYU. Please start to annihalate the teams you are playing. Defense you need to get going and keep these crummy teams from getting into these games. Remember Washington. We don’t need a thriller every game. If you want to be considered as a national title contender you need to cream teams all year long by huge margins, especially when we are coming from the Mountain West conference. No offense to the MWC but this conference doesn’t have the reputation that SEC or Big 12 or Big 10 conferences have.

We need to come in like warriors and kill San Diego State University next week. Please.

I am saying hello from the blues and rock’n'roll city of Memphis. I’d like to go to the Civil Rights Museum sometime while I’m here. I’d also like to go to the Music Museum here. Graceland is in the area which would be a lot of fun to go see. Maybe tomorrow.
Thus far while I’ve been here we’ve had a good time enjoying the AAMFT Conference. I presented my poster presentation this morning. I came away with a list of people that were interested in receiving more information about my research on anxiety disorders and their associated costs. I guess a lot depends on the people that are interested in the research.

Maybe even though one researcher or journal might not be interested in my research; maybe another would be. Even if Family Relations didn’t accept the article on anxiety disorders; maybe I’ll submit it to Journal of Marriage and Family Therapy and see what they suggest.
With that said, I would like to say that of the presentations I’ve been to so far I have enjoyed a couple of them very much. One by my colleague and friend, Jeff Jackson and Carlo, a Maryland student, was on ethical decision making using a systems-oriented approach was excellent. Jeff, you’re thorough and excellent. It reminded me just how much ethical issues are not easy to figure out and how to handle and address them in an agency setting, such as I am doing in my clinical work at Outback right now.

Another presentation was pleasant on “Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll: The Joys of Working with Teens.” I felt the presenters were good on their topics and were talking more specifically toward an older generation but it was ok to be there.

Yesterday, I went to the presentation on treating Cybersex problems with the family. The presentation was given by Dr. Stephanie Carnes, the daughter of Patrick Carnes, an author of Don’t Call it Love and Out of the Shadows. She was sharp and thorough in her review of the literature and information that she provided and also I was especially struck by the amount she uses Art Therapy and how to use it to provide insight and metaphors into the feelings and situations of many sex addicts lives. I also felt that it could apply to many in the chemical / drug dependency work that I do and also with other addictions.

Happy Halloween. I received a great message from Oscar and Lily wishing me a happy Halloween. They were very excited to be Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.