Hello. I'm DeShawn, and I'm an addict.

It all started when I was very young. At first, it was a drinking problem. I seemed to want nothing but the bottle. I then moved on to soft foods like oatmeal and strained peas. But my troubles were only beginning. These were only gateway foods that led to harder foods like uncooked vegetables, casseroles, and breads. Pretty soon, I was dabbling in more exotic foods like cookies, cakes, candy, and soda. Before I knew it, I was eating steak and lobster and chasing it with cheesecake.

I know that I'm addicted, because if I go without food, I get all of the classic withdrawal symptoms. If I go without food for prolonged periods, I become irritable and anxious. I start to have uncontrollable cravings and can even feel depressed. I get weak and shaky. These symptoms become progressively worse until I finally cave in and sometimes end up binging until I feel that comfortable, full feeling inside.

It gets worse around the holidays. I find that I'm not always satisfied by regular foods and drinks and I find myself indulging in hardcore foods like turkey dinners and Honeybaked hams. I find that I'm surrounded by temptations: Candy canes, chips and dip, chocolate, divinity, nut brittle--I can only hold out for so long before I find myself satisfying my cravings. I find that I spend a good portion of my income on food. I've surrounded myself with people that also seem to not be able to go for more than a few hours without food--more classic signs of addiction.

I've only been off of food since this morning and already I'm starting to feel that telltale emptiness inside that will only continue to grow and grow, gnawing away at me until I eat something. Is there any hope? Is there a 12-step program or a patch or counseling that will rid me of this food problem?

This is my story. I'm DeShawn, and I'm an addict.

The National Mall is Museum Central. Just the Smithsonian alone has the American History Museum, the Natural History Museum, Arts and Industries Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum (with the famous Goose Statue just behind *snicker*), the American Indian Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the Stackler Gallery, the African Arts Museum, the Freer Gallery, the Remwick Gallery, the Postal Museum, and the Reynolds Center American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery, all within a mile of the National Mall. And don't forget the Smithsonian Castle, which is no longer a museum, but an information center.

The first museum I saw in Washington DC was the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I felt like a kid in a candy store. In the entry way alone were various space capsules from the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo eras and the Spirit of St. Louis. Old planes, new planes, neat space stuff... I was amazed.

Among the best things in the Air and Space museum was the Wright Brothers' plane. No, not a replica. THE Wright Brothers' plane. It has been recently re-covered with new canvas, but other than that, it's the actual plane that made history. Wow.

Another section looked like an aircraft carrier. Film loops on large screens made you feel like you were at sea, just without all of the motion sickness.

The American History Museum is closed for renovation, so they brought some things from there to the Air and Space Museum as part of a temporary exhibit called "National Treasures." I was elated to see Kermit the Frog near the beginning of the exhibit. Each thing I looked at made me oooh and aaah as I saw the Eniac, Ray Charles' coat, George Washington's military uniform, Marilyn Monroe's gloves, C3P0 and R2D2, Louis Armstrong's trumpet, a sunstone from the Nauvoo LDS temple, Glen Miller's piano, and the famous signpost from the television show M*A*S*H.

The Air and Space was the one museum I visited twice. I just couldn't get enough of that place. Tonight, they open an exhibit they were working on. The exhibit is all about commercial aviation.

I also visited the Natural History Museum. The mammals exhibit was very cool--LOTS and LOTS of stuffed mammals of all shapes and sizes. The geology area was definitely my favorite part. I can say that I've seen the Hope Diamond, though it was less than I had hoped it would be.

The National Archives was another great place to visit. The reverence and awe I felt as I saw the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights really can't be put into words. Those documents are the foundation of the country I call home. They may not be perfect, but I believe that divine inspiration led to their creation.

Another awe-inspiring museum is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Ever since I served in The Netherlands and Belgium and regularly met people with tattoos on their forearms that had survived the holocaust, I've been fascinated by it. The permanent exhibition at this museum is amazing. It follows the plight of the Jews through the rise and fall of the Nazi party. The artifacts include a path paved with cobblestones from the Warsaw Ghetto, a rail car that carried Jews to one of the many camps, a room full of shoes taken from Jewish prisoners... Each time I really reflect on what happened in the Nazi so-called "Final Solution," I'm staggered by the complete disregard for human life and dignity.

The hall of remembrance in the Holocaust Memorial Museum is a beautiful place with candles lit below the names of the many concentration camps and a flame on a granite block containing earth removed from each concentration camp, taken from where crematory ash was discarded. This was one of my favorite places in all of Washington DC.

Other neat places that deserve mention:

I had to see the US Capitol building. I took pictures of it at night as well as right at sunset one evening. The light was perfect, and I got some postcard-worthy shots. I might even make one picture into a puzzle. Yes, I know! I know! I'm planning on posting the pictures on Flickr eventually!

A less-well-known place on Capitol Hill is The Grotto. It's the only somewhat natural place left in the area. It appears to be a place where natural springs bubble up through the ground, or at least, they did at one time. It's a small green, untamed piece of land in an otherwise meticulously planned and landscaped area.

Union Station was a good place to have dinner. The arched roof seems SO high. I estimated it at about 50 feet. It's actually almost double that at 96 feet tall. The panels in the ceiling are gilt with 70 lbs of gold! It's unbelievable that they created such an amazing building way back in 1908.

The same lady that gave us this wonderful blooper said something else quite funny this morning.

The topic, I know, is not funny. An assistant hockey coach at UVSC apparently was in the wrong place at the wrong time yesterday morning. He was shot in front of the Village Inn at 106th South in Sandy yesterday.

This morning, the lady on the radio, in dramatic fashion, said "The man FATALLY DIED."

I know I say stupid things all the time. Fortunately, those stupid things aren't sent out on the airwaves with 5000 watts of power behind them. That's one of the reasons I'm not on the radio, though I do have a face for radio...

The National Mall is all about monuments and memorials. Oh yeah, and museums. But that's another post.

I visited:

Albert Einstein Memorial - What's not to like about Albert Einstein? What's not to like about a bronze statue of Albert Einstein that is more that 3 times life size? The papers on his lap contain three equations: The photoelectric effect, the theory of general relativity, and the equivalence of energy and matter. One of my very favorite Einstein quotes is inscribed here:

The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial - The massive granite wall inscribed with 58,256 names of those that died or are still listed as missing in Vietnam. Interestingly, the confirmed dead have a diamond next to their name and the missing have a cross. If a missing person is later confirmed dead, a diamond is superimposed on the cross. If the missing return alive, the cross is to be circumscribed by a circle, but this has not yet happened. It's staggering to see so many names. Here, I spoke with two veterans volunteering at the site who know men whose names appear on the wall. I thanked them for their service. I'm also thankful that I never had to live through a time of war where I could be drafted into the military. I pray that my sons will never know such a time, though I fear that they may. I visited two nearby statues, The Three Soldiers and the Women's Memorial are also a part of this memorial.

Lincoln Memorial - It looks a lot smaller on the back of a penny! This incredibly white and very large memorial is best seen at night. Inside the memorial, above the statue of Abraham Lincoln are the words:

IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER

In addition, the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address are found in galleries to the left and right of the Abraham Lincoln statue.

Korean War Veterans Memorial - This one is spooky at night! A set of statues depicts a squad on patrol dressed in full combat gear. The wall next to the statues has pictures of soldiers, equipment, and people involved in the Korean War sandblasted into it. A low wall nearby lists the nations involved in the Korean War and a pool nearby has casualty statistics inscribed in granite blocks. Among the UN nations involved, there were almost 680,000 killed and almost 1.8 million injured in this war, with almost 100,000 captured and nearly a half million missing. This brings home the message in silver on the adjoining black granite wall: Freedom Is Not Free."

National World War II Memorial - This was likely my favorite memorial. I visited it late at night, during the day, and at dusk. It's a newer memorial, having only been dedicated in 2004. The Freedom Wall section of the memorial has 4048 gold stars, each representing about 100 Americans who died in World War II. 56 pillars represent each US State and Territory whose people were involved in the war. On one side, an entrance is dedicated to the Atlantic theater and on the other side, an entrance is dedicated to the Pacific theater of the war. It's a striking memorial, decorated with wreaths, bas relief sculptures, notable quotes from notable World War II figures, and lots and lots of water. Near the Washington Monument, a granite block is inscribed with the words:

HERE IN THE PRESENCE OF WASHINGTON AND LINCOLN. ONE THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY FATHER AND THE OTHER THE NINETEENTH CENTURY PRESERVER OF OUR NATION, WE HONOR THOSE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICANS WHO TOOK UP THE STRUGGLE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND MADE THE SACRIFICES TO PERPETUATE THE GIFT OF OUR FOREFATHERS ENTRUSTED TO US: A NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY AND JUSTICE.

Toward the reflecting pool to the south, on either side, an engraving of Kilroy can be found! Kilroy was here!

Washington Monument - It's 555 feet tall, but looks much taller! It's really unbelievable when seen in person. I didn't know that it was started BEFORE the Civil War. It's been there for a long, long time. When it was finished in 1884, it was the tallest structure in the world and remained so until the Eiffel Tower was completed. Just walking around the National Mall, the Washington Monument draws your eyes toward it from any direction. It was also the first part of Washington, DC that I saw...as I flew into Reagan National Airport. Maybe next time, I'll make it up to the observation level.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial - If he weren't already larger than life in my mind, the bronze statue of Jefferson inside this memorial would have made him that way. The best parts of this memorial, to me, were the various inscriptions in the statue chamber of the memorial including two of my favorites:

I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men.

George Mason Memorial - This one is smaller and a little off the beaten path. He withheld his signature from the United States Constitution because it did not abolish slavery.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial - This one goes on and on and on and on. There are four large outdoor areas, one for each of his terms in office. Five water areas depict the crash of the economy that led to the Great Depression, The Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project, World War II, Roosevelt's death, and a retrospective of Roosevelt's presidency. Amazing sculptures and quotes are scattered throughout the memorial.

District of Columbia War Memorial - Another smaller memorial near the reflecting pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial honors the citizens of the District of Columbia that served in The Great War.

Wow... I think that's the list. I didn't have my camera at some of the memorials, so I'm sure I'll remember some better than others. Many of the memorials MUST be seen at night for the best effect, especially the Korean War memorial. It was fun to see many of them at different times of day.

It made me wonder what it would be like to come around a corner and see a huge statue of yourself. Not that it actually happened to any of the people depicted in statues in the memorials, but I'm sure it would be unsettling.

It also made me appreciate the many who died in securing liberty for me.

I can't remember when I last visited a singles ward. All I know is that it's been a long, long time. I was last IN a singles ward back in the spring of 1991. That's 16 years that I've been away from singles wards.

Since I last was a member of a singles ward, I've gone to married student wards, family wards that greatly resembled married student wards, a highly-transient family ward, and most recently, a more stable family ward. Each ward has had its own unique blend of challenges and strengths.

A week ago Sunday, I visited a singles ward in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Maybe my memories have faded. Maybe I was too young and self-absorbed to notice some things. Maybe my current view is tainted by my own life experience. Maybe I've just been married for too long. But this singles ward wasn't like the singles wards I remember. Actually, the movie is a lot LOT more funny to me now that I've recently visited a singles ward.

I'd forgotten how quiet meetings can be. During the time that the sacrament was administered, I sneezed, and I felt like a bomb had gone off. I had interrupted a nearly perfect silence. The noises from outside the building were louder than any noises in that chapel. It was an almost eerie silence. It was absolutely TOO quiet. I started to wish for the sound of a toddler crying or some pre-teens giggling and poking each other.

Yet immediately following the meeting and again after the block of meetings, the noise of the socializing was relatively deafening. Silent hour turned WAY too quickly into social hour. I'm probably exaggerating, but the juxtaposition of the solemn silence and the explosion of highly-charged socialization made it really seem to be deafeningly noisy.

Sad but true: The underlying level of sexual tension in this singles ward was painful. That's probably a good thing, because it probably means that, more often than not, the people in the ward are living the values they SHOULD be living. It just gave me a very different, kind of strange feeling as I watched the ward members interact with each other.

Even the people that stood in front of the congregation to share their feelings--a regular monthly occurrence in LDS wards--seemed to feel pressure to say just the right things in just the right way so that they would appear to be that perfect partner; marriage material.

It's a good thing that in Sunday School, we didn't quite get to the scripture in Ephesians 5:25 - "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" I wonder where that conversation might have gone. *crickets*

Interestingly enough, I ended up sitting in front of Laylabean's sister during the first meeting. How crazy is that? I just happen to go to church in a singles ward in Chevy Chase, Maryland and I just happen to sit in front of a very good friend's sister? That IS crazy!

I'll make sure and get it right next time before I post.

In the future, I'll not succumb to pressure to post something quickly.

In the future, I'll try not to write part of a post one day and complete the post another day.

In the mean time, I have a couple of much more interesting topics to post about...

Finally, the basement people seem to have fixed my subwoofer.  It's nice to not have a rattle or a squeak when the bass starts thumping.

But there's still one small problem.

The subwoofer hums.

I've looked online at several things and it appears that I have a ground loop problem.  I tried a ground loop arrestor between the receiver and the amplifier for the subwoofer, but that didn't seem to fix anything at all.  I went through the steps to troubleshoot the problem and I found the source of the problem.   Any time I plug HDMI cables into my receiver (either input or output) I get a hummmmmmmmmm.

I'm kind of at a loss here.  I don't know what to do about it just yet.  I could TRY component video cable instead, but that would be expensive.  It's a 40-foot run from my projector to my receiver.  I'm going to run component video to the front (down by the projector) already, but this longer run would cost around $125 or so.  And there's no guarantee that it would even make the hum go away.

A neighbor builds and installs home theater systems for a living.  I'll have to ask him what to try next.

In the meantime, I'll just have to put up with the humming, but only during the quiet parts of movies.

All told, I had a fun Halloween.

It didn't start so well. This is the first year since... Well... The first year I EVER remember (other than when I was a missionary and had a pretty strict dress code) that I didn't even attempt to dress up for Halloween. Sure, I wore my Jack Skellington glow-in-the-dark hat from Disneyland, but I wear that hat year-round.

My boys came Trick-Or-Treating at my workplace. In about an hour, my younger son's candy was too heavy for him to carry. Because of that, we didn't have to go Trick-Or-Treating door to door. (Which would have been another flashback to my missionary days.)

We spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company. The boys had carved jack-o-lanterns the night before. We had an Oogie Boogie from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, and a Trogdor from homestarrunner.com. I had printed out a pattern of an evil jester that I wanted to carve, but unfortunately it didn't fit the pumpkin that was left, so I resorted to carving The Cheat from homestarrunner.com. I took pictures of them and hopefully, I'll post them here soon.

We made homemade root beer, homemade pizza, and sat around and watched a movie between groups of kids coming to the door. Honestly, it was nice to just be able to be home for the night.

Next year, I'm going to dress up though. They had GOOD prizes for the costumes at work. Several runner-up costumed people got $25 iTunes gift certificates... And to think I could have gotten a cast discount at the Hale Center Theater in Orem! Definately a missed opportunity.

It was a fun day though. Now I have to try to restrain myself from snitching the good candy from my boys' stashes.

I'm planning on mailing my absentee ballot today.  It has to be postmarked by Monday.

On the outside of the envelope provided with my ballot, up near where one would put a stamp, I saw the following logo:

So...  Do I put a stamp on it or do I NOT put a stamp on it?  It is, after  all, Official Election Mail, Authorized by the U.S. Postal Service.   Yet there's nothing that says that postage is prepaid or anything like that.

I decided to call the Elections Office and they told me that I have to put a stamp on it.

It's kind of confusing.  I'll bet a lot of absentee ballots get returned to sender for this very reason.

My boys and I went to a movie last night. Because most of the stuff that Hollywood churns out is mostly crap, the opportunities to take my boys to a movie are few and far between.

Movies are getting EXPENSIVE! It cost $8 for an adult ticket and $5.50 for a child's ticket. Since my older child is no longer a child according to theaters, I had to pay the $8 for him. And since the movie we went to see was in 3-D, we had to pay $2 each for the 3-D glasses. For the three of us to see a movie, without any refreshments, it cost $27.50.

We enjoyed every minute of it! It's fun to do something fun together. It's fun to do something out of the ordinary. It's fun to see their excitement--to feel the anticipation build. It's fun to laugh with them and react together and just enjoy being together. It's a small memory, but is that memory worth $27.50?

It was worth every penny.