Arrival in Mormon country

I rolled in late-ish on Monday evening, spent that night and the next morning getting the little apartment put together, and then spent Tuesday trying to run around and take care of administrative stuff.

'Course, that was all in vain because of my facial hair. I was treated rudely by some of the school employees (mostly young women of roughly my age, perhaps 4 or 5 years younger), encountered at least one person who flat out refused to help me, and had two or three conversations with people who couldn't really look me in the eye (even the guys). Talk about feeling like a second-class citizen...just imagine -- what if I were black? (Mark of Cain and all that...)

Anyway, I had intended to hold onto my facial hair until Anna flew in on Sunday, but I'm sick of being stonewalled at every turn just because I am not perfectly clean shaven. So this morning after my run, the razor came out and the whiskers went down the drain. Here's hoping their attitudes toward me change as well.

In re: the run, it was glorious. The campus of BYU abuts a mountain range on its east, so the sky will light up early, and long before the sun's rays actually touch the town of Provo. This means that it's bright and clear, and still in the low- to mid-60s...perfect jogging weather! The entire town is also sloped slightly upward from West to East and from South to North, which means that I'll be getting even better workouts than I might hope simply because our apartment complex is in the northeastern part of town, and returning home will pretty much always mean coming uphill. Oh, well. At least the grade is fairly gentle most of the way. (The really steep stuff starts about two hundred yards east of our complex, and becomes <20% grade.)

That's about it for now. I'd post pictures of my incredible drive cross-country, 'cept that Anna has had the camera with her in San Diego, so there's nothing to share. But the memories of driving through the Rockies are glorious. I had downloaded a half-dozen of the Big Ideas podcasts (my new favorite), a couple episodes of The Classic Tales (specifically the two Ali Baba stories from 1001 Nights), and an episode or two of The Story with Dick Gordon, all to keep me awake during the 9ish-hour drive from Colorado Springs (new front-runner for future home of the Raleigh Slades) to Provo...and I didn't listen to a single one. The scenery was enough to keep me enthralled--not to mention the effort required to coax enough juice out of the Hyundai's 4 cylinders to actually make it up some of those slopes--and I enjoyed the drive more than any I've made before.

Finally, here's a wonderful little thingy that got published in a recent American Foreign Service Organization journal. You've never met someone truly neurotic and anal until you've followed the Yahoo message board associated with the FS (well, unless you've read many of the postings at StudentDoctor.net), and this pokes fun at the entrance exam all the aspirants need to pass (and over which they twist themselves into knots, develop ulcers, etc.).

From the American FSO Association Journal; I thought I'd post this since not everyone follows links to articles. It is hilarious! This is not to be taken seriously....enjoy.

The State Department has decided to administer a new entrance exam to measure the suitability of prospective Foreign Service officers and to weed out the dummies. We have managed to obtain a copy of the test. Here are some sample questions.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read each question carefully. Answer all questions. Time limit: four hours, begin immediately.

HISTORY: Describe the history of the papacy from its origins to the present day, concentrating especially, but not exclusively, on its social, political, economic and philosophical impact on Europe, Asia, America and Africa. Be brief and specific.

MEDICINE: You have been provided with a razor blade, a piece of gauze and a bottle of Scotch. Remove your appendix. Do not suture until your work has been inspected. You have 15 minutes.

BIOLOGY: Create life. Estimate the difference in subsequent human culture if this form had developed 500 million years earlier, with special attention to its probable effects on the English parliamentary system. Prove your thesis.

MUSIC: Write a piano concerto. Orchestrate and perform it with flute and drum. You will find a piano under your seat.

PHILOSOPHY: Sketch the development of human thought, then estimate its significance. Compare with the development of any other kind of thought.

PSYCHOLOGY: Based on your knowledge of their works, evaluate the emotional stability, degree of adjustment and repressed frustrations of each of the following: Rameses II, Gregory of Nicea, William of Occam, Hammurabi. Support your evaluations with quotes from each man's work, making approximate references. It is not necessary to translate.

SOCIOLOGY: Estimate the sociological problems which might accompany the end of the world. Construct an experiment to test your theory.

ENGINEERING: The disassembled parts of a high-powered rifle have been placed on your desk. You will also find an instruction manual printed in Swahili. In 10 minutes a hungry Bengal tiger will enter the room. Take whatever action you feel to be appropriate. Be prepared to justify your decision.

ECONOMICS: Develop a realistic plan for refinancing the national debt. Trace the possible effects of your plan in the following areas: Cubism, the wave theory of light, the Sonatist controversy. Criticize this method from all possible viewpoints. Point out the deficiencies in your point of view, as demonstrated in the answer to the last question.

POLITICAL SCIENCE: Start World War III. Report its sociopolitical effects, if any.

EPISTEMOLOGY: Take a position for or against truth. Prove the validity of your stand.

PHYSICS: Explain the nature of matter. Include in your answer an evaluation of the impact of the development of mathematics on science.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Describe in detail. Be objective and specific.

The preceding is excerpted from a "test" that has circulated for
years. The author is unknown.