Mormons and the R Rating

I expect to revisit this issue again, but I wanted to start up a look at this issue (by the way, I am a Mormon for anyone who cares).
Many members of the LDS church insist that there is either an explicit or an implied command within church doctrine that prohibits the viewing of movies that have an R rating. There are others that proclaim that this is not a specific command, but rather a suggestion couched within the ideal that what we view should be uplifting in nature, and that any film, regardless of rating, that uplifts is valuable. Orson Scott Card referenced this issue in connection to The Passion of Christ. I'm currently trying to puzzle out my own position on the issue.
One of my favorite films of all time is Last of the Mohicans with Daniel Day-Lewis. For those who know, this film is rated R. I don't think it deserves the rating, but that's a seperate issue than what I'm looking at here. I maintain that this film is not gratuitous, contains no nudity or sex, has little in the way of foul language (if any). I find this film to be uplifting and positive. I like the statements it makes about humanity, and who we are as a people, as well as how our history informs who we are as a nation. I love the film.
When we first got married, Heidi and I discussed the films that we would have in our house. I have a much more liberal view than she does, but we reached the consensus that we wouldn't have any R rated films in the home, even in edited form (again, another issue entirely). However, the other night I was thinking about Mohicans and realized that I really wanted to own the film. I asked Heidi if she would ever consider an exception. She said no, of course, but then amended her statement by saying that if she ever did let one into the house, it would be Mohicans. So, there is a chance that I can have that one.
But the fact is, I'm not sure how to interpret the doctrine. I'm aware that by the standard of many, I have broken a commandment in even watching that film. I know that I will probably do so again, but the question that I have is how relaxed in this issue should I be. I know quite a few members in my current area who watch R rated films without any qualms. In fact, one of them has become somewhat of an expert on zombies. I'm trying to puzzle out my own position on the subject. I hope that I can some day soon post some sort of a resolution.

A Rambling Sampler

Heidi (my wife) and I have agreed that every time we get money from a tax return that some of it will be spent on fun stuff. It's kind of our way of celebrating temporary wealth within a life of less income. We do put roughly half of it into savings, but you gotta have fun, right?
My biggest purchase this time was an iPod Nano. I just got a case to protect the thing from dings and scratches--I'm currently working a lot of construction style work--and have been enjoying the benefits of having music with me all the time. I've been able to reinforce my taste for soundtracks. This was reiterated by Rae's recent request for song recommendations. I love Last of the Mohicans and Gladiator. Firefly also had an excellent soundtrack, but I must say that I'll have to post specifically about Joss Whedon's glorious show perhaps at a later date.
I also got a lot of books. It's created a little bit of stress because I have things that require my time, including family, work, etc. that takes away from reading time. The backlog of books kind of tugs at my brain, but I'm placating myself fairly well, so far.
The other thing that seems to be adding greatly to my angst is waiting for info from grad schools. I've allied to BYU, UC Boulder, and U of U. The Y said that they would be letting me know by mid March, but that doesn't keep me from worrying now.
I am trying to keep this from being a cathartic, dump my problems on the world at large blog, but some of my concerns deserve to be voiced, especially considering that I started this as a way to keep all informed on my current schooling, especially regarding grad school.
So, this is a touchstone, my way of making sure that I don't forget about this thingie I've started.

To Begin--Sort of

I thought it may be beneficial for those who stumble upon this site to have some background on myself. I'm a graduate in English from Southern Utah University who is in the process of frantically waiting to hear from the graduate programs that I have applied to. My interests lie along the lines of very old texts--the kind that we have to read in translation, even though it's supposed to be english (pre-Chaucer), and fantasy lit. I ahve also recently discovered that I may enjoy narratology and plan on looking into that.
I got married in 2001; had my first child, a boy, two days after our first anniversary; and had a daughter in 2004. There are ups and downs with this, but I wouldn't change my family for anything.
Thus far, I am following the example of Rae, who refers to her family as letters (which creates some interesting sign/signifier issues). Anyway, I have been asked to run an errand, so I must go for now, but I may add some later.

Readers of the World Unite

I just discoverd that my mom has a blog on her website (www.shirleybahlmann.com). In looking over her postings, I discovered one that drove home a point that I think even my mom missed.
She talks about using a piece of toilet paper as a bookmark in one of her many books she has in progress at the time. A person next to her noticed and snickered. After explaining herself, sort of, Mommer comments that the other, in her fashionable clothing, must use a metal clip bookmark designed for that very purpose. The truth is that most likely the other woman doesn't read much.
One of the signs of a true reader is the constant change in what we use as bookmarks. I've used TP, 'cause hey, when you're in the can, it's readily available. I've use important receipts, pieces of envelope, movie ticket stubs, rubber bands, playing cards, etc. The truth is, when you're a reader and you need to take a break, you use what's there. If you can't find the bookmark you just had, find something else. When you read to read, it's not the thing that marks your place, it's the place itself that is important.
In truth, even the cover isn't all encompassing, though I must admit there is something infinitely more appealing to a hard-bound book when compared to its paperback counterpart, but that's something a little different.

For Those Who Want to Know

Why did I call this what I did? And why do I use Orcrist the Black as my handle? Quite honeslty, this is really a test run, and this unfinished quote seemed to fit me very well. Not because I do, but because I appreciate the sentiment expressed by the quote as a whole.
Regarding my name, it isn't any reference to Christ in any way. I don't really want to get into the racial profile of Jesus here, maybe later, but definitely not here and now. The name actually comes from The Hobbit. Gandalf carries the sword Glamdring throughout the series. Its twin, that was found at the same time, was a sword named Orcrist. This blade ends up on a tomb in the end of the book, never to be mentioned again. I like the mystery, and I have a replica of Glamdring with a black grip, so I determined that I have that sword from the tomb and named myself after it, in a way. So there you go.

To begin

By necessity, this will be brief. I have a class I need to go to in a few minutes, but I wanted to start with something. My original goal with this is to give a way to let others track my progress through Grad school (assuming I get in). Ergo, here we go.