18 Jun 2006 #0625.html

EAGE and Halle Nalise Wright

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Dear Family and Friends,

Welcome to this week's "Thoughtlet."

These words are my personal diary and a weekly review of ideas, beliefs, thoughts, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit to you: my children, my family, and my friends.

"As I recall, when I was on my mission, we normally started discussions with potential investigators with a filmstrip and tape recording of "Man's Search For Happiness." Over two years in Southeast England I watched that filmstrip several hundred times. I vividly recall the scene of the clocks ticking and fading into a carnival, where a young couple win a doll, the doll is dropped and breaks, and the visual events are set to the following words:

'Life offers you two precious gifts; one is time, the other freedom of choice. The freedom to buy with your time what you will. You are free to exchange your allotment of time for thrills. You may trade it for base desires. You may invest it in greed. You may purchase with it vanity. You may spend your time in pursuit of material things. Yours is the freedom to choose. But these are no bargains. For in them you find no lasting satisfaction. Every day, every hour, every minute of your span of mortal years must sometime be accounted for; and it is "in this life" that you "walk by faith" and prove yourself able to choose good over evil, right over wrong, enduring happiness over mere amusement; and your eternal award will be according to your choosing. '

When we arrived in Vienna on Sunday afternoon, Rachel took a nap while Andrea and I went down to the park where the large Ferris Wheel was, in order to find the convention center and register for EAGE 2006. Every time I see a Ferris Wheel, or think about DisneyLand or DisneyWorld, and I recall the above scene from 'Man's Search for Happiness.' A few years ago, I saw an updated version of this excellent movie at a Temple Visitor's Center, and as I listened to those words I had heard so many times in England, tears came to my eyes, and the spirit bore witness to me once again the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I know these reminiscences may seem a long ways away from the EAGE 2006 and Halle Nalise Wright, but they are not, as I hope you find while reading this Thoughtlet.

I had blisters on my feet from attempting to keep up with Andrea in Switzerland and Italy (0624.html). So it was a relief to arrive in Vienna on Sunday afternoon, to get registered for the EAGE, to meet the people in the little shop next to our "hotel," to call Sister Skeen and have her bare her testimony to us, and to relax a little bit. I had used Friday, 02 June 2006, as a travel day (0623.html), and Monday through Friday, 05-09 June 2006, as vacation days. So the Monday through Thursday, 12-15 June 2006, were to be dedicated to GDC and supporting the EAGE, and Friday, 16 June 2006, was to be a travel day, as we took a train back to Zurich for our return to Houston. I did my best to work for GDC during these four days at the EAGE.

Monday was spent attending this year's DISC (Distinguished Instructor Short Course), which was on Seismic Attributes by Dr. Kurt Marfurt Director of the University of Houston's Allied Geophysical Laboratory. Dr. Peter Duncan attended as well. I was sorry to hear that our friend Bob Bacon's wife Annie had a serious stroke and her left side is paralyzed. Peter's description so fit the film strip 'Man's Search for Happiness.' He described how Bob has always said he was too selfish to have children, and now his love and life partner has become his child, and he is taking care of her. There were a lot of beautiful data displays in the DISC, and as a summary, the course was scattered. It became very obvious to me there has been a lot of new technology developments since I left Landmark in 1992, and between HyperMedia, Walden Visualization Systems, Continuum Resources, Dynamic Resources, GDC, and now Geokinetics, I have not kept up with all of the new developments. Oh well! My notes say 'Map of the world,' and I have no idea what I intended to remember with this note. Andrea joined me for the ice breaker in the evening, and then we went to dinner at Mickey's with Richard and Claudia Verm, Lee and Susan Bell, Borge and Gayle from Norway, Terry, Peter, John, and Mike from the U.K. office. It was a very nice dinner. Richard Verm sat between Andrea and I and it was a pleasant evening. We sang, told jokes, listened to stories, learned about new people, and enjoyed each other. There is no question about the fact I do not do enough of this type of social engagement. Guess this comes with being a nerd.

The key note for Tuesday was learning about the UN Year of Planet Earth in 2008 (http://www.yearofplanetearth.org). The goal is to demonstrate building a safer, healthier, and wealthier society, with the following 10 themes:

  1. Groundwater;
  2. Hazards;
  3. Earth and Health;
  4. Climate;
  5. Resources
  6. Megacities – going deeper and building safer;
  7. Deep Earth;
  8. Oceans;
  9. Soils; and
  10. Earth and Life – if there is no change there is no evolution
In the evening Andrea, Rachel, and I went to the EAGE social function at the Rathaus, the Town Hall (rat means advice or council). It was a beautiful old building. There was a nice program upstairs, and wonderful food. It was especially nice to see my old friend Alan Kemp, who is still working for Statoil. Andrea and I attempted to dance, I tripped and we left the dance floor. Oh well! There was classical music upstairs and popular music downstairs. Rachel wanted to stay downstairs, until an old guy hit on her and she came running back to be with us. Then we went back downstairs and Rachel danced and I went a long ways away from the music so it wouldn't hurt my ears. When we left we went out front of the Rathaus, and I could not help but draw a comparison in my mind with the Salt Lake Temple (http://www.walden3d.com/photos/Trips/Europe_2006/060611-17_Vienna/DSC05567.JPG), in terms of scale, night lights, and construction timing.

Wednesday was my poster presentation. The poster was about TilesTM and d-TIPS and building geophysical rock property data bases anyplace for anybody. I got there early. The sign for my poster had been put in the wrong place, and that was OK. I moved a table so Mike Dunn and I could put a computer on it and demonstrate how d-TIPSTM can help predict AVO (Amplitude vs. Offset) seismic response. There were quite a few people who came to see the poster. I left it up after the time we were to be in the poster area, got a chair, sat there, and when someone was interested I would go and describe our work to them. While I was watching my poster session at the EAGE, I wrote out a letter to send to each of the 10 of you, and then I transferred this multiply revised letter onto 10 Post Cards. The first draft read:

'This trip I'm writing the exact same note to each of my 10 children. Because of the Nelson reunion I've been thinking about when we get together as a family. Everyone who was able to come at Christmas or to Roice and Sarah's wedding seemed to have a lot of fun. It fills my heart and soul to have everyone together. We missed Heather at both, and Audrey and Joshua at Christmas. Looking forward I'm sure there will often be conflicts on getting everyone together. However, I would like to challenge the 10 of you to take ownership as a group on organizing Roice and Andrea family reunions. If each one of you took a turn once every 3 years, starting in 2007, I will be 87 years old when the cycle is complete, assuming each of you participate. If it were every other year I would be 77. I learned today of a friend who is much younger than me and had a massive stroke last week. There is no guarantee on the length of our time on earth. It would be wonderful to see a family tradition like this start, knowing the 10 of you will continue it until your time passes. Reunions have more chance of success if everyone can plan and budget to attend. They could be tied to the annual Hafen Reunion at Pinto, The sei-regular Nelson reuions, a visit to a ski resort (Brian Head or Brekenridge in the summer or winter), one of the many National Parks, historical sites like Nauvoo or Washington D.C., or even something like Rachel's graduation. One thing nice about this trip is we all learned the difference between Swedish and Swiss, and between Venice and Vienna. When we have money again, I am receptive to helping cover transportation costs. Costs should not limit anyone from participating. Love, Dad'

Then I realized I could not get all of these words on a post card, so I rewrote it as:

'I'm replicating this note 10 times. The Nelson reunion has got me thinking about how much fun it is to get together, considering Christmas, Roice & Sarah's wedding, and looking forward . We miss those who were/are not able to attend. However, I challenge the 10 of you accept there will always be some schedule conflicts, and to still organize Roice & Andrea family reunions as a group. If one of you organized a reunion every 3 years, starting next year, I will be 87 when the first cycle completes. It would be wonderful to see this established as a family tradition. Reunions could be tied to the Hafen's Labor Day reunion, bicycling at a ski resort, visiting a National Park, visiting historical sites, etc. When we have money again, I'm receptive to helping with transportation costs to insure Grandkids know the difference between Swill and Swedish, or between Venice and Vienna, both of which came up on this trip. I look forward to seeing how this baton is picked up. Love, Dad'

Of course this was still too long for a post card, so I rewrote it again as:

'The Nelson Reunion has got me thinking about how nice it is to get together. We miss those who were/are not able to attend. I challenge the 10 of you to (there will always be scheduling conflicts) still organize Roice and Andrea family reunions as a group. If each individual family organized a reunion on 3 year intervals starting in 2007, I would be 87 when the first cycle completes. It would be wonderful to see this become an established family tradition. Reunions could be tied to the Hafen Labor Day Reunion, bicycling at a ski resort, visiting a national park or historical site, etc. When we have money again, I'm receptive to helping with transportation costs, to insure Grandkids know the difference between Swiss and Swedish, or between Venice and Vienna, both of which came up on this trip. I look forward to seeing how this baton is picked up. Love, Dad'

This was only a coupe of lines shorter, so I rewrote it again, and then wrote the following on 10 Post Cards and sent them to you from Vienna:

'The upcoming Nelson Reunion reminds me of how much fun we have when we get together. My card to you and your siblings this trip is a challenge to get together as a group and organize a regular Roice & Andrea Family Reunion. We have/will miss(ed) those not able to attend family events due to scheduling conflicts. They happen. If each individual/family organized a reunion on a 3 year interval starting in 2007, I will be 87 when the first cycle completes. It would be wonderful to see this become an established family tradition. Love, Dad'

The sad thing is that most of you did not get the Post Card, and so I've written out these versions and what was going on in my mind as a way of not letting it be a wasted effort. The other sad thing, at least to me, was that because I cut the words back so much to fit on a Post Card, my intention seemed to get lost when it was read by those of you who received the Post Cards. Oh well! Let me digress from the EAGE 2006 and Halle Nalise Wright, and be specific.

On the Hafen side of my family, I am closer to Diane Cluff than any of my other Hafen cousins. I'm sure this is largely because we are both committed to and active in the church. It is also partly because the two of us organized the extended Hafen Reunion in Pinto together several years ago, and because her husband Chuck and her were both involved in the Thoughtlets, writing several Responselets, back in 1996 and 1997. I don't know if any of the six of my bio-kids remember the Hafen reunion we had at Pinevalley years ago. Grandma Hafen was there, and Uncle Glenn came, and Uncle Tony came, and Mom was there. I did not learn about the cause of underlying tension until years later. It turns out that Chuck and Di arranged for their Mom, who had divorced Uncle Tony and remarried in the temple, to come to St. George and to stay in a Motel so all of Uncle Tony's kids could slip off to see her while they were together for the Hafen Reunion. I guess Grandma Hafen went ballistic when she learned about this snub of her oldest son. Satan can be very much a part of these emotional filled moments. And there has never been another Hafen reunion. I expect largely because of the hurt feelings and underlying anger tied to the attempt to have a relationship with both families at the same reunion. Unintended consequences of independent decisions.

I think it is very hard for kids to realize and to accept when one parent divorces another parent and is saying 'I want nothing to do with that person anymore the rest of my life.' It is natural for kids, who do and who should love both parents, to attempt to bring things back together, to the good times they remember, when the family was a family. I think this is especially true if kids were somehow consciously or unconsciously collusive in pre or post divorce events. It is important for kids to have a relationship with both parents and to do things with both parents, especially after the trauma of a divorce. However, it is imperative kids not attempt to create artificial opportunities to bring the broken family together, nor to set up a reunion where they can escape from one parent to spend time with another parent. The emotions are too strong, Satan is too real, and feelings can unintentionally hurt really bad when these kinds of forced mending attempts are undertaken. It is imperative to sustain the divorcing parent and to spend time with them. Children should have a family reunion with them as regularly as they want to. However, do not attempt to force a reconciliation, nor create a way to escape to the other parent. Focus on one parent at a time. Show that you can love each parent, despite our obvious human frailties and flaws, those things which make you want to escape from one or the other of us. If there is going to be a Roice and Andrea Nelson family reunion, let it be for Roice and Andrea, and for all 10 of our kids, and please don't attempt to rewrite history any more than it has already been rewritten.

Thursday I spent the day in the exhibits and going to technical papers which I though could be of benefit to GDC. The one thing which happened which really caught my attention was the presentation by a young man in the Landmark booth, R. H. Gunther. If I ever need someone to demonstrate something like a Landmark software product, or maybe to sell a Prospect, this young man should get the job. He was very impressive. I felt like I was looking at myself 20 years ago (How's that for an egotistical statement?). Thursday evening Andrea and Rachel and I went to a concert in the same hall that Mozart and other famous musicians played in. It was very formal. They obviously play for American's, or at least the jokes and some of the acting that went with the music seemed to be directed to people from the States. We had a nice dinner in a Chinese restaurant on the way back to our hotel. When we got back to the hotel that evening I called Eldon Schmutz in Cedar City to make sure I was going to be on the agenda for the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District meeting on July 6th (0628.html), which did not happen. Also, just after we went to bed at 9:23 PM there was a call on my cell phone. It was Melanie with news of the birth of Halle Nalise Wright at 6:00 AM on the 15th at 7 pounds 12 ounces and 20 inches in length. And so there was a merger with the close of the EAGE 2006 and Halle Nalise Wright joining our family (http://www.walden3d.com/photos/Family/05_JaredMelanie/03_Halle_Nalise).

Friday morning I got up early and headed out to the Natural History Museum. There was not enough time to see everything. I went straight to the geology exhibits, which a friend had told me were wonderful. I was blown away. They started with the oldest known fossils, and were arranged by time coming forward. I could have spent a couple of days in the museum. I took photos until my camera filled up (http://www.walden3d.com/photos/Trips/Europe_2006/060616_Vienna_Natural_History_Museum). It became obvious to me, this type of exhibit could easily be captured digitally, and made available as a virtual museum. My mind wandered, and I could see this being one of the main economic drivers of Red Cove (http://www.walden3d.com/Red_Cove), and an excellent tie for Southern Utah University. It was exciting to have these thoughts. The key contact is Dr. Mathias Harzhauser, 52177-250, mathias.harzhauser@nhm-wein.ac.at. I place this contact information in the Thoughtlet, with the hope I can find them, when and if the opportunity arises to act on the idea. I had specified the time I would be back to the Hotel, and I was. I had the photos downloaded from the camera, the camera ready to take a bunch more photos, and my bags packed by the time Andrea and Rachel were ready. We put our bags in the lobby of the Hotel and headed off to Schonbrunn. The museums, the rooms, the gardens, the mazes, the whole experience was amazing. It certainly provided a good context for when Andrea and I later went to see the movie Marie Antoniette (0643.html). I think this is getting too long again, and so I'll let the digital photos I took tell the story for me (http://www.walden3d.com/photos/Trips/Europe_2006/060611-17_Vienna. And maybe some day we will have a Roice and Andrea Nelson Family Reunion in Vienna and I can take and show each of you and the grandkids to visit these sites in person.

Friday evening we got on a sleeper train to Zurich. It was noisy, hot, and uncomfortable. We were glad when we got to Zurich Saturday morning. It was nice to get on the plane and to go to sleep in a familiar environment. Phil Bording, from Memorial University in Newfoundland, was on the plane. We ended up talking for a long time on the way back. It was very interesting. He had some interesting comments about producing oil from tar sands, this is somewhat related to Ben's work in Calgary, and they have had several e-mail communications since then, as I learned at the SEG in New Orleans (0641.html). The trip home was a blur, especially looking back five months, as I write these words. I do know that Andrea and I went to church in Vidor that Sunday, in order to meet Halle Nalise Wright, since we had missed her in the hospital. I wrote the following possible stanza for Prime Words, based on a quote of Neal A. Maxwell(a) in Gospel Doctrine (18 June 2006):

'The real competition of life Is with our old self (a) When we face strive It is best to be a selfless elf'

I remember there being a wonderful lunch party at Jared's maternal Grandmother's house, and how well Halle Nalise was doing for just being a few days old. Again I was reminded of the film strip "Man's Search For Happiness." What a wonderful way to end my week with EAGE 2006 and Halle Nalise Wright."

Since the 38th week of 1996 I have written a weekly "Thoughtlet" (little statements of big thoughts which mean a lot to me). Until the 43rd week of 2004 I sent these out as an e-mail. They were intended to be big thoughts which mean a lot to me. Over time the process evolved into a personal diary. These notes were shared with my family because I know how important the written word can be. Concerned about how easy it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of distractions of daily life, I thought this was a good way to reach those I love. It no longer feels right to send out an e-mail and "force" my kids and my family to be aware of my life and struggles.

Everyone has their own life to lead, and their own struggles to work through. I will continue this effort, and will continue to make my notes publicly accessible (unless I learn of misuse by someone who finds out about them, and then will aggressively pursue a legal remedy to copyright infringement and I will put the Thoughtlets behind a password).

The index to download any of these Thoughtlets is at http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets, or you can e-mail me with questions or requests at rnelson@walden3d.com (note if you are not on my e-mail "whitelist" you must send 2 e-mails within 24 hours of each other in order for your e-mail to not be trashed).

With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)

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Copyright © 2006 H. Roice Nelson, Jr.