My favorite time of the day is...

5:00 in the evening. That means I can clock out and go home.

Fridays are even better. I love just sitting here and knowing I don't have to be anywhere or do anything for the next 48 hours. Oh sure I have a literal mountain of laundry (and dishes) to catch up on, but I can do all that in my PJs and enjoy Rylin playing with her Christmas loots around me (more on that wonderful weekend later).

But for now I am content to sit here and finally write a happy post and enjoy the tempting smells emanating from the kitchen. Todd is making one of our favorite meals. Oooh that reminds me I need to post the recipe for our beef stroganoff. Trust me when I say it's good. I've had people say that they detest stroganoff and then begged us for the recipe. :)

I hope you are all enjoying your Friday evening as much as I am!

Blargh

Today is not a good day.

I am STILL not feeling any better in the evenings.

My house is still a disaster zone.

Todd has finals this next week so he is a giant stress ball. Which makes him sicker than normal.

Rylin has some kind of respiratory infection so she is whiny. And clingy. And whiny. And whiny.

Rylin was up every 45 minutes last night from 8:00-1:30 crying and coughing and whining. I gave her some Tylenol around 1:30 and propped her up with my own pillow. She finally fell asleep around 2:30. I finally fell asleep around 4:00 and was back up again with her promptly at 8:00.

She has been whining ALL. DAY. LONG.

She pooped while in the bathtub this morning (her new favorite thing) and I ran out of hot water cleaning it up before she could get rinsed off so she got cold water for that.

I gave her a spanking (her second ever) when she wouldn't calm down long enough for me to put a diaper on.

As of this moment she has a poopy diaper that I am too sick to change, and a runny nose that needs wiping, and is leaning against the easy chair whining.

I just threatened her with another spanking if she didn't stop pointing and yelling "NO" at me.

She just got put in time out. She is still whining, coughing, and crying.

Nothing sounds good to eat anymore, and I am starving.

I made a big pan of funeral potatoes that smell and look wonderful. I took one big bite and it was heavenly. Then I tasted awful freezer burn from the potatoes. They are ruined. There is no saving them. I have to throw the whole pan away. I HATE throwing food (money) away. 

Those are the only thing I can eat right now, and the store is closed because it's the Sabbath.

We didn't make it to church today, obviously.

Rylin only took a nap for 1.5 hours. I passed out for 1/2 hour of that as soon as I sat down somewhere.

I want to crawl somewhere away from the whining and cry.

But I can't because I need to be here. I haven't even showered yet and it's 5:00 p.m.

I can't survive another night like last night.

I don't know if I will be able to make it to work tomorrow.

We've prepaid for daycare and I doubt they'll take her like this.

Anybody want to come to Rexburg and take over?

Or at least bring me some funeral potatoes?

Please?

Where Did Jena Go?

This pregnancy has been harder on me than all of the others combined. Each time before I would get slightly nauseated in the evenings about 5:00, but it would wear off after an hour or two. I never threw up, and never needed to take anything for it.

This time, the game has changed. I am so tired all of the time, and have no energy despite the fact that I am getting more sleep than I normally do. I am nauseated all. day. every. day. Yup, that means my stomach hurts ALL the time. After lunch (no matter what I eat) I become incapacitated. This lasts until I pass out "later" that night from sheer exhaustion at about 9:00. I can't do anything. I sit at my desk and try not to throw up. I get dizzy, light-headed, and flushed. Once I get home, all I can do is shuffle upstairs to our condo, drop my purse somewhere, and sit on the couch watching Hulu. It's all I can manage. No laundry, no dishes, no cooking. NOTHING. You don't want to see my house right now.... Everything has to wait for the weekend. We run out of dishes constantly. It's bad. So bad. Thank goodness for Todd. He has to do everything without me. He has been such a support. We normally share tasks for Rylin where one of us will feed her and the other will bathe her and get her ready for bed. More often than not lately, he has been doing it all, including cooking/fetching anything my poor stomach decides it must have NOW. When I want something to eat, I want it right then and there, otherwise it is unappetizing later. Leftovers are not options anymore, even if it’s something I was craving earlier.

Here are just some of the random things I have "craved" lately:

Frozen yogurt piled high with a plethora of fresh fruit

Beef jerky

Chili powder chicken taco salad 

War heads

Plain Hershey’s chocolate bars

Roast beef w/horseradish cream cheese and cheddar on croissant sammiches

7-layer dip (freshly made, NOT cold)

Simply Grapefruit juice

Pink jello salad

Chzburgers from Burger King (flame-cooked taste)

Karev’s chzburger and fries (resulted in a midnight McDonald's run)

Bean and cheese burritos (Todd calls these "wimpys")

Tortellini with pasta sauce

Spaghetti with pasta sauce

Pizza with pasta sauce 

Pasta sauce

Grilled cheese sammiches made with American cheese (yuuuuck normally)

Jamba Juice

Any chewy, fruity candy

Wright Family Top Ramen 

Orange sherbet

To combat nausea I have used:

Canada Dry (ONLY) ginger ale

Saltines

Whole wheat Ritz crackers

Junior mints

Jolly Ranchers

Watching TV and letting everything pile up

It is ALL worth it though. I am SO thankful that I have a very good reason why all of this is happening. I am looking forward to the 2nd trimester in 3 or so weeks and hope that I magically feel better and can feel more like Jena again instead of a lump.

Absent

I can't believe I have not posted something in so long. Rylin has been cutting 4 molars, one right after the other for the last three months. Hooray for getting up throughout the night to a screaming toddler. I've been so exhausted and my stomach has been borderline volcanic for some reason lately, so all I want to do when I am home is sit and watch stuff on Hulu. I have no energy today as I seem to be fighting off a cold or something.

But enough excuses!

I have SO many posts to write of delicious recipes and Allison family excursions. I have a whole file of pics I need to upload too.

I just wanted you all to know that I am not gone, just out of commission lately.

He Cooks: Nidia's Brazilian Marinade

Nidia and Tiago are from South Brazil which is a more city area. They are great people and we love to talk 'chop' with them. The other day Nidia made a marinade that ended up being for some chicken wings, but they say that this can be used in rice, with beef, chicken breasts, etc. She makes a three month batch at a time.

However Nidia doesn't speak very good English, so I'm going to have to fine tune the recipe a bit to see if I got it right. So expect some edits. OBVIOUSLY some of the proportions didn't transfer correctly. Right, so as I've gotten it from her:

Ingredients:

1. 2 Bell Peppers Finely Chopped
2. 3/4th cup salt (I think this is more like a teaspoon or tablespoon)
3. 5 cups finely chopped Garlic (Again, not sure about this one)
4. 5 Large Onions
5. Some Cheiro Verde. (Parsley? I think in this case, this means cilantro)

Pictures and results to follow.

I Also Should Have Known...

When I wanted plain Hershey’s chocolate bars (yuck).
When I was nauseated every evening.

When the top of both my boobs started hurting.

When I was thirsty ALL. THE. TIME.

When I wanted the same chicken taco salad for dinner every night.

When the weird dreams prevented me from sleeping well.

Because part of us already did.

YES! I am writing this to announce that we are pregnant and due June 19th!! :D

It feels odd to sit here and compose this knowing I won’t post it for another month. We are waiting to announce it to the world (i.e. Facebook) until we have our first ultrasound on November 12^th.

THANK YOU all for the kind and loving words of friendship and encouragement you have offered. They mean more than you will ever know or than I can ever repay.

In the meantime, stay tuned for more updates on our little bean.

He Cooks: Todd's Taco Salad

I've felt the need for a Taco Salad lately but Jena wasn't up for it until tonight, and hopefully in a way that would help calm her stomach. This is the result and it turned out pretty stinkin good. It has a lot of ingredients, but really you just throw them in and your good.

Time: maybe 20 minutes.
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Base:

• 2 defrosted Chicken Breasts chopped in about inch pieces
• 1 Packet of Taco Seasonings
• 1 cup frozen Corn
• Garlic Salt, Chili Powder.

Salad

• 1 Bag of Spring or European Mix Lettuce
• 1 Sliced Avocado
• 1 cup Mission tortilla Strips
• 1/2 cup black beans (drained)
• 1/2 chopped tomato

Dressing:

•  1/4 cup Sour Cream
•  1/4 cup Salsa

Directions:

1. Take the chicken breast and saute them in olive oil and 1/4th the packet taco seasoning until there is no more pink.
2. Add the Corn, and dust with some more taco seasoning, some Garlic Salt and Chili Powder.

3. To the side mix the Salsa and Sour Cream into a bowl.
4. Put the Lettuce on the bottom of the bowl or plate you'll be eating from, put the chicken/corn mix on top, followed by beans, chips, dressing, and avocado.

Eat!

He Cooks: Spicy Chicken Tacos

I've started experimenting a lot more, and this was one of those that really turned out. While granted we used this for a base for chicken tacos, it would work great in quesadillas, taco salads and quite a few other things.

Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Taco Base:

• 2 chicken breasts, chunked into 1 inch squares
• 1/4th cup flour
• 1/8th cup corn starch
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Homeade Taco Shells:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• tortillas

Taco fixings:

I shouldn't have to tell you what you want in your tacos, but we put:

• Lettuce
• Chopped Tomato
• Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Mix the flour, corn starch, chili powder, pepper together into a cup for sprinkling on the chicken
2. Begin saute the chopped chicken in the olive oil until there is no pink showing on medium. While sauteing sprinkle the mix onto the chicken. (I have to individually turn over the chicken pieces)
3. Finish sauteing the chicken.

In a separate pan,
1. Put the olive oil into the pan and let it heat a bit.
2. Using a pair of tongs, or very carefully with a fork dip the tortillas into the olive oil and let them fry for a bit.
3. Before they get hard and crispy, fold the tortilla with a fork in half.
4. Fry both sides.
5. Take the finished pieces out and let sit on a paper towel to get the excess oil off.

Stuff with Tacoy goodness.

He Cooks: Homemade Chicken Stir Fry

Hello plebs! I thought I'd a few recipes of my own here. I cook! Actually I do most of the day to day cooking but it's only fair, as Jena is very protective of her dishes! *laughs*

As a kid, I started making fried rices and experimenting a bit. A few of them worked out and our family actually ate some of my creations. I love Chinese food, and if it doesn't taste like MSG, so much the better.

As I've grown as a husband and parent, I've decided to refine some of the basic experimentation and actually make something presentable. The result is, I've figured out that Chinese food is ALL about the sauces. This makes making Chinese foodish dishes rather difficult if one is unable to figure out what is IN the sauce!

(Side Note: Our concept of 'Chinese' foods are totally Americanized for salt loving fat people. Namely me. I once lived with a VERY Chinese family I rented a room from and food was included. Fish heads and rice. THAT'S Chinese food. Well... maybe more than that, but rice is sacred and in every meal.)

The Stir Fry:

Ingredient List: 

Meat:

•     2 chicken breasts (cut into 1/2 inch squarish pieces)

Background:

•    1 package of chow mein noodles OR
•    2 cups of jasmine white rice

Veggie Base:

•    4 full carrots (I grate these with a normal cheese grater)
•    3 broccoli crowns (I pull these apart into the smallest parts)
•    1 can of bamboo shoots, drained
•    1 can of water chestnuts, drained
•    1 cup of fresh mushrooms, sliced

Sauces and Spices:

•     2 teaspoons corn starch
•     low sodium (we can't taste the difference) soy sauce, to taste
•     3 fresh garlic cloves (pressed or finely chopped)
•     powered ginger (to taste)
•     1 cup chicken broth
•     2 teaspoons sugar
•     olive oil

First, choose your medium and buy it: rice or noodles.

Second, start defrosting that chicken.

Directions:

1. Maybe a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a nonstick skillet with decent sides, on medium-high heat; add chopped chicken, garlic; stir fry until chicken is at least white and not pinkish on any sides.

In a separate pot, start the noodles, or rice cooker if using rice. Noodles should have some basic directions.

2. Add carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, chestnuts, bamboo shoots, 3/4 of the chicken broth, 1st round of soy sauce, and sugar. Let simmer for a few minutes to boil off concentrate down some of the chicken broth. At this point, chicken should start to brown a tad. Feel free to stir occasionally.

If using noodles, drain the pot, and move into a separate pan. Stir fry the noodles in olive oil and soy sauce until they are dry, sticky, and a tiny bit brown.

3. Mix together the cornstarch and the last of the chicken broth, this should make a thick sauce. Pour into the stir fry. Add the ginger powder on top to taste.

Serve on top of your background.

My Viewpoint on the Book of Mormon Musical

So since this is going to feed into another post about Prop 8 (I know, I know), I figured I might as well give the precursor. Warning, this is a very long post!

This was an actual conversation I had with some friends and family. Some are LDS, most are not. I have edited for grammar and relevance.

This is my original post, followed by the ensuing comments. Feel free to add yours at the end!

*****

After listening to just one song from the Book of Mormon musical, I have heard enough. The only thing I hope is that people don't take the lyrics and dialogue to be our actual doctrine. Consider the source, people! Also, I wonder if a musical entirely dedicated to belittling any other religion would be so widely admired. There's a difference between teasing and mocking.

Megan: Trust me, we don't believe that's your religion. It's just a funny story they made. Just like all the South Park episodes. I saw the musical and in the end it really does have a good message. 

Jena: This is more along the lines of what I was trying to say: "Of course, parody isn't reality, and it's the very distortion that makes it appealing and often funny. The danger is not when people laugh but when they take it seriously." Megan, thank you for that. Though I have a problem with the end message being that the importance of religion is not truth, but whether it helps people. My religion IS about what we believe to be true, and from that truth, people are then helped. I can understand how that has made the masses think it is OK for the creators to mock and twist our doctrine. All of the reviews I have read essentially say, yes it is filthy and sacrilegious, but it's done in admiration and love. Doesn't make it OK to those of us who feel that something very important to us has been given a back-handed compliment.

Christine: Try the DaVinci Code as a pretty good slam of the Catholic Church. You’re right about when people take these movies as true depictions of faith, but unfortunately there are those who seem to get their education from movies and TV.

Kevin: It's satire. But I can see how it could be frustrating and annoying to the believers...

Lynette: Satire is painful for those it mocks. Words do hurt people. I think the media and politicians should understand that.

Kevin: Well I would argue that someone out there will always be hurt... Not a compelling reason to curtail free speech, IMO.

Jena: Kevin, yes, since satire is ridicule. The Church has had plenty of that over the years, but not in this manner. It's easier to deal with outright criticism than in this cloaked form. The mockery is wrapped in humor and a "good" message so that it sits better with the viewer. This is what annoys me. You can wrap garbage up in a beautiful box and tell the recipient it's all in good humor because you don't really believe in giving people presents, but at the end of the day you still gave them garbage.

Christy: Amen Sista! :)

Todd: To be honest, I can see a bit of humor in it and appreciate the attempt at some level of humor. I think that’s something I like about my faith, is we can laugh at ourselves.

However I'm also slightly disappointed at how some things I perceive as being sacred are being distorted and then placed out of context. Don't get me wrong, a lot of what they say in the show is 'close' to the truth, but it's not quite and it's the not quite that I find the most disturbing and misrepresenting. No one wants to be misrepresented with false information.

As for 'in love,' I can punch my sister in the face, but if I do it 'in love' as her older brother, does that make it okay? They might disagree.

Christine, you’re right, the DaVinci Code is a pretty good slam of factions within the Catholic Church and yet I was entertained. I'm reading the Lost Symbol now to see how the author does the same thing with skirting the edge close to areas I believe in too. Maybe it wasn't as okay to slam them or anyone else either. That said, I think Mormons definitely are feeling the increased lime light, especially with the recent comment by an Evangelical Pastor about voting for Mitt Romney is a vote for Satan. yikes! It definitely feels like Mormons are getting a disproportionate share of flat out persecution and bigotry of late though.

Jim Sr: Jena, have you never watched and enjoyed an episode of South Park?

The series got its start with a fist fight between Jesus and Santa Claus. Matt and Trey have skewered Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and even Dianetics several times. Gays, straights, the military, Republicans, Democrats, Streisand, Canadians, senior citizens, parents (especially parents) ... everything is a fair target on that show. If you've never watched or laughed at an episode, then I can understand any anger and disappointment when the spotlight is turned on your faith.

As for other beliefs getting the same treatment, I offer Monty Python's Holy Grail. Same thing. The film, and then Broadway's "Spamalot" are also sacrilegious, satirical, and funny for all the same reasons.

The higher the pedestal and the more devout the believers, the bigger the target for satire. In Showbiz terms, it was your turn.

Lynette: Does that make it in good taste? Worthwhile? Or trash for a trashy brain? Humor, is supposed to take the harshness of life into something, a little easier to swallow. Not to make it into something disgusting, tasteless and hopeless. As a nurse, I find much medical humor absolutely disgusting, tasteless and hopeless. So I don't use it. It hurts people. I am working at NOT hurting people. The Book of Mormon musical was meant to hurt the LDS people.

Kevin: People use faith for a variety of different things as Todd indicated. I think we should expect, in our capitalistic society, that anything (including and especially faith based satire) is fair game to make $, and make no mistake that is what it's ALL about. I would wager that not one of the writers has anything against Mormonism at all.

Lynette: I understand, just like Monte Python never meant to hurt anyone who lived through war and the UK and the Crusades. But I find his humor, or humour, tasteless. Especially since I have seen so many die, disfigured and commit suicide in the military. It is just that Mormons have been so hard hit for just trying to be good people. Ridiculed and badgered. And I don't consider myself LDS. I am in the middle of it all, and what I see? Hurts everyone in the name of free speech, humor and what else, fun. Just like elementary school. It also reminds me of 7th grade.

Michael: Well one of the wonderful things about our society. If you find something distasteful, don't consume it...

Lynette: True, but sometimes things can go....too far. And things and marriages and relationships end because of the too far. So, be careful to what we say to each other.

Kevin: I say let the constitution decide in the absence of truly impartial and disconnected party

Lynette: What? We are talking about the Book of Mormon musical and satire. Jena was offended, and many other LDS people are also. It is not a picture of the religion at all. And what I have seen, the US constitution says nothing about satire, except freedom of speech. That doesn't mean we are to go around slamming anything sacred to someone else. That causes wars, doesn't create harmony and health or healthy relationships.

Jair: One man's trash is another man's treasure... ;)

But seriously if an organization has the chutzpah to assert it's the supreme source of all essential truth and knowledge, it should expect some scrutiny and criticism to come its way. Besides Mormons have all sorts of scriptures telling them to expect and even welcome persecution (though in the overall scheme of things a comedic musical can barely be categorized as persecution).

If anything we should be far more offended about things that actually cause real significant harm, such as the continuing prevalence of starvation, depredation, and repression throughout the world. Get mad about something that actually matters, you know?

Kevin: So who's to be the judge of when something should be banned due to offense? You? Jena? Me? Of course not. Also, the show is not supposed to be a picture of the religion it's supposed to be a flight of fancy, entertainment. As Michael aptly put it, you can vote your discontent by not paying to see it, and if enough people agree, guess what? It won't be on Broadway any longer.

Jena: Kevin, while I certainly appreciate our freedom of speech, I feel there should be a line drawn when it comes to hate speech. Not that the play is on par with this story, but at what point does it no longer become tolerable? They travel the country seeking out military funerals JUST to spread their "word."

Kevin: Jena, I assure you there is a line, and I could articulate the constitutional law requirements for you. And honestly although I have never seen the Book of Mormon, I seriously doubt it constitutes "hate speech." It might be in bad taste, but if the constitution outlawed everything in bad taste there wouldn't be much speech at all, and society would be something akin to George Orwell's 1984.

Jena: At any rate, I came across a good thought on the free vs. hate speech subject. "The First Amendment must be protected by the courts; the decency of the American people must be protected by the people."

I am not saying that the play is hate speech, it just dances along the line of moral ambiguity and it's unsettling.

Jair: Come on, that musical isn't hate speech. And funny you mention the Westboro Baptist church, because Mormons have more in common with those extremists than do the south park guys. Remember the church's involvement in California proposition 8. Gays have far more reason to claim persecution at Mormon hands than the Mormons do from a silly musical.

Kevin: Jair has an interesting point. Could the prop 8 commercials or publications be considered hate speech? I would argue 'no' but they weren't satirical either. Still protected speech.

Jena: I didn't say the musical was hate speech at all. I was simply responding to an earlier comment of Kevin's regarding limiting free speech. The Westboro church is an extreme example of bad taste, and I was using it to illustrate when a line SHOULD be drawn.

Jair: Censor any sort of speech and you give it more power and attention than it had already. Give the government the power to curtail "hate speech", and you give it an easy way to silence any sort of dissent.

Jena: The two topics are separate. My feelings on the musical have nothing to do with my thoughts on Prop 8. 

My indignation (which I am absolutely entitled to) came at seeing something that I hold sacred ridiculed. On top of that, the ridicule was rationalized. I do not feel that the musical was intended as hate speech. I DO feel that it was intended to present doctrinal half-truths as too ludicrous to be considered valid (Do the Mormons REALLY believe that?!) but leave just enough doubt in the audience's mind (Maybe they do!).

Jair: is it unfair to ridicule the ridiculous? ;)

I only alluded to prop 8 because I find the Mormon oversensitivity to this musical (which has very little real impact on their day-to-day lives) quite ironic, given their tendency to frequently impose their own opinions and criticism on others with far more harmful and enduring consequences.

Granted, I myself don't like it when something that overall is pretty decent is unfairly portrayed or caricatured, and i can understand where you're coming from to an extent, having formerly felt the need to champion my own beliefs.

Still, it's a blip in a vast universe, and it will soon be forgotten. If the Mormon Church is indeed a repository of something genuinely sacred, shouldn't Mormons tolerate persecution and derision magnanimously, as Christ himself did?

Jena: Can you honestly say that if a group of Christians got together and created a vulgar and sacrilegious representation of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism that the correlating people would not be offended?

Jair: The makers of South Park have already been there and done that. The scientologists certainly weren't happy at how their "sacred" beliefs were treated.

But so it goes in a land of (mostly) free speech. It’s pure entitlement and naivety to think that you should have the right to live free of any sort of criticism or ridicule.

Jena: You are correct that in the grand scheme of things, it is quite insignificant. I agree with the Church's response to the play:

"The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ. Of course, parody isn't reality, and it's the very distortion that makes it appealing and often funny. The danger is not when people laugh but when they take it seriously—if they leave a theater believing that Mormons really do live in some kind of a surreal world of self-deception and illusion."

I never claimed that I expected to have the right to live free of any sort of criticism or ridicule. As I said earlier:

The Church has had plenty of redicule over the years, but not in this manner. It's easier to deal with outright criticism than in this cloaked form. The mockery is wrapped in humor and a "good" message so that it sits better with the viewer. This is what annoys me. You can wrap garbage up in a beautiful box and tell the recipient it's all in good humor because you don't really believe in giving people presents, but at the end of the day you still gave them garbage.

Jair: What are you worrying about? It’s like you don't have faith in your own religion. Aren’t you taught that those who earnestly seek after the truth will eventually find it, regardless of whether they attend a certain musical or not?

And in the off chance that your church is wrong after all, well then I guess all that ridicule was actually deserved, eh?

In either case, whether you're wrong or right about your religious beliefs, there are far more important things to devote your attention to (in my humble opinion, at least). And whatever the truth ends up being, I still love you, so if anything this stupid musical has brought us just a little closer after all. =]

Jena: Also, there is a difference between a cartoon where one of the characters is killed every episode but manages to show up in the next one, and a story that is not unlikely to happen (minus the spontaneous song and dance numbers of course). Clearly, the cartoon is fiction and the many topics (not just religion) are not really given any credence; they are exaggerated and consequently laughed off. In the play, however, just enough true-to-life elements are presented yet twisted. The end result is something seemingly nonsensical, but possible.

It's not so much a worry. It's more akin to what you wrote:

Granted, I myself don't like it when something that overall is pretty decent is unfairly portrayed or caricatured, and I can understand where you're coming from to an extent, having formerly felt the need to champion my own beliefs.

At any rate, I appreciate the points we DO agree on. 

Jim Sr, Correct me if I have this wrong, but I thought Monty Python was written by people of the Christian faith, mocking their own. Also, the irreverence pokes fun at all of Christianity and not one particular denomination as the play does.

I have seen episodes of South Park and was amused by certain things, but I was far more offended by its crude humor and language. Also, any show/comedian/play that references God or Jesus in a disrespectful way makes me uncomfortable, even Monty Python and Eddie Izzard.

Think of it another way. When people disrespect and misrepresent the Mouse, we jump to a defensive stance. It's something important to us, and we want people to get their facts right. :) It bothers us when people pronounce "Pirates of the Caribbean" the same way the islands are or claim that Walt hunted animals for fun and that the stuffed heads are now hanging in Club 33.

Todd: Kevin and Jim Sr, I have only one little step in to make what seems to have be a rather twisted around and well traveled conversation.

I've pretty sure Matt Stone and Trey Parker 'have it out' for the Mormons. Meaning at the very least it's a subject they focus on and reoccurs in more of their work than any other religious group directly. (Kyle is Jewish after all, but Judaism as a whole is left relatively less-touched) I'll just mention two other shows they've done, and keep in mind all the South Park Episodes:

Movies:
Cannibal! The Musical
Orgazmo

Not to mention quite a few South Park Episodes, these with at least direct references, not including the many, many others with indirect ones:
- Probably
- Super Best Friends
- All about Mormons
- 200
- 201

Surprisingly to Non-Mormons, the group that found the most humor from the episodes featuring Mormons are none other than.... Mormons!

Also to clarify a bit more, they focus on the tenants of faith, instead of the individuals. Despite Mormonism itself being an often target of their ridicule, I will say they often seem to appreciate the culture effects of my faith.

Jim: I'm disappointed. I read through this entire thread, making careful notes in a separate document. What an opportunity to chime in with a collection of intelligent, reasonable, passionate and most importantly, opinionated people. So, why am I upset? By the time I reached the end of the thread, Jair said everything I had written in my notes (with assists from Jim Sr, Kevin and Michael).

Todd: ‎"I am no Mormon, but I have witnessed bigotry and ignorance directed against this American community. The LDS Church is placed in the difficult position of seeing their most sacred beliefs mocked in a nation that murdered their prophet in a shameful lynching. Broadway has given aid and comfort to the mob of ignorant folk who know nothing of modern Mormonism outside of their prejudices."
 

"Ugly plays did not by themselves produce the Klan or keep some Americans from voting for African-Americans. Original sin was enough for that, but minstrel shows did give racism an artistic and comedic whitewash. When Americans were hurt by the cruel stereotypes, they were told it was “just a joke” and were painted as petty for not laughing along.

Of course no group has been as cruelly treated as African-Americans, but Mormons have a history of being persecuted. They have been exiled in their own land, but have returned unfailing devotion to our Constitution.

This new play will pander to our prejudices and treat our Mormon neighbors as we would never wish to be treated. Some Americans will allow it to confirm unthinking prejudice, while cowardly Mormons will applaud it hoping for crumbs of respectability.

Meanwhile the actual Mormons in our midst will keep paying taxes, making strong families with children, and dying to protect the rights of a decayed and decadent theater “elite.” "

This is the link for all that above. It was given in an article in the Washington Post.

Jena: Over the years, I have tried to surround myself with a wide spectrum of friends. They come from various walks of life, but I consider them all intelligent, good-humored, and reasonable. So that no matter what differences we have, we can always return to our similarities. I am a better person for knowing every single person that has commented on this thread.

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