Yesterday (March 24, 2004), Utah held party neighborhood caucus meetings (what is the plural of caucus?), and Brad, Ezra, and I participated. For all three of us, it was our first such event. Our caucus was held at the local high school, Mt. View, just down the street.

We are in the 49th Precinct of Orem. This was practically the only thing I knew as we went in. The meeting turned out to be a combination of what I expected and what I never expected. Our precinct met in Mr. Cooper's Spanish classroom--a typical sized room with desks attached to chairs. By the time we arrived, most of the seats were already taken. We managed to get one seat, and Brad sat on the floor. Although there were already 40-50 people there when we arrived, at least 40 more came after us. We were spilling into the hallway, and people were sitting on the floor, file cabinets, bookcases. It was also very hot in that room. (Thank heavens for nice, thick campaign literature! They make marvelous fans.)

The meeting was far more relaxed than I anticipated, despite the "second the motion" and "move to close". Although it took more than two hours, I was never bored. (Of course that may have had more to do with playing with Ezra than anything that was said at the meeting.) The main question to the delegate nominees was about school tuition vouchers, and there was a lot of discussion about that topic. Our precinct gets four county delegates and two state delegates, and three of the county delegates are from our ward.

So what did I learn? Well, I'm really glad we went, because now I understand what a delegate is, how they are chosen, etc. I'm also glad we went to support the political process, especially after the First Presidency asked us to go if possible. I'm not sure I'm more educated for this upcoming election, but I do think I'm more prepared for future elections.

MSNBC - 'Scarborough Country' for March 17 (2/3 down the page)

"RABBI SHMULEY BOTEACH, SPIRITUAL ADVISER: OK, Jennifer, the fact is that The Passion does not follow the Gospels, because without getting too theological, Luke Chapter 3 says that the rabbi saved Jesus' life. That's 3:31. It says that Pontius Pilate, 3:1, was a brutal monster and murderer. "

Is it possible that he is a little mixed up? Luke 3:31 is simply part of the recitation of Christ's lineage, and Luke 3:1 mentions that Pontius Pilot is the governor--no mention of his character.

Either he is mixed up (probable), has a different Bible than the KJV (possible), or is lying (hopefully not). At any rate, I'm trying to withhold judgment until I know.

New York Daily News - Daily Dish & Gossip - What it's really like to work for Trump

Brad and I are hooked on "The Apprentice", the reality TV show that is billed as a "sixteen week job interview". Donald Trump gives tasks to the contestants and then disappears, depending on his viceroys (tm Miss Alli, from Television Without Pity) to watch the performance of the interviewees. One of the viceroys is a man previously known only as George--and Brad and I love George. He's just awesome, doesn't take any fluff from the contestants, and funny.

So imagine my delight when I discovered his last name is Ross. Yes, everyone, he has the same name as my father-in-law. Makes me feel giddy!