Colt n' Maggie

Reindeer

2010-12-21T07:20:00.000-08:00

It seems that with growing up the magic of Christmas is compressed into a few hours over the course the 24th and 25th of December. When you were a child the entire season was filled with magic every day. Each day seemed to last eons while you waited for the longest night of the year to arrive where you would lie in bed twitching like a heroin addict in withdrawal waiting fort your parents consent for you to rush down the hall and behold the wonder the entire child calender sat upon.

When I was a child my family always went to the Elks Lodge Christmas Party; their Santa was the real Santa (he wore cowboy boots how could he not be the real Santa?), and the party was always fun. One year after the party the family was meeting up at either my Grandma's house or Dick's Cafe*. I was going to ride with my Uncle Russ. Uncle Russ had Toyota pick up and I took every opportunity afforded me to ride in a truck of any kind. While driving to meet up with the family I talked with my Uncle Russ about Santa and the reindeer. Uncle Russ told me that when Santa visited St George for the party he kept the reindeer at the Ence Feed Lot with the horses. My brain was wrinkled. I asked my Uncle Russ, with the most hope filled eyes of the 1980s, if we could go see them. He obliged.

*If you never ate at Dick's Cafe I weep for you, even though now I am working on archiving the mammoth environmental clean up effort that went in to fixing the property it was on.

When we got to the feed lot he parked the truck so that the headlights shown down the hill onto the hooves and legs of the horses giving the illusion of reindeer. Brain wrinkled a second time with the euphoria of true Santa zealot. This was my first brush with real celebrity. I had not only sat on THE Santa's lap, but now witnessed the physical evidence confirming real Santa status.

The magic of this story is not solely in what happened that night, but what happened for the next 20 years. Even during my most nihilistic teenage years I never stopped believing I had seen reindeer that night. When my belief in Santa waned you could still not convince me I had not seen reindeer that crisp, St George, December, evening. Family would try to tell me that all I had seen were "hooves and legs", but I was totally undeterred in my faith in my vision of Prancer and Blitzen.

The story became family legend, there had to be a meaning to it. We asked my Wise Uncle John** what he thought the moral of the story was and he said "It's simple you can see what you want to see in anything. You can choose to see magic and wonder or you can see horse crap and hooves." I think that is true, but I feel like this story represents the broader theme of holding on to the magic of our own youth. The time before we knew how hard and unfilled with wonder the world can be. Christmas is the time where for a few short hours we can recapture that sense of magic and wonder and believe the things we wish were true about society are true. That elves watch over our secret good deeds, that reindeer take flight with speed greater than a 747 and that miracles happen because the world is what we thought it would be when we were 5.

** John was never "officially" called Wise Uncle John, but it is fitting and I like the ring of it so I am calling him that from now on.

Quick Thought

2010-12-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

Just a quick thought on Justin Bieber. People should stop hating him and just start getting excited for the Behind the Music/E: True Hollywood Story/Lifetime Movie train wreck that has got to already be in the works. I personally have my viewing party planned for 2015.

Winter Reads

2010-11-30T08:46:00.000-08:00

I usually wait to closer to the holiday to publish my lists of must watch holiday movies etc. However, since this is a list of books (also short stories) and books are harder to find the time for than a movie. I decided to impart some of my favorite December books to you now.

In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash
by Jean Sheppard

This is not strictly speaking a Christmas book, but it is the birthplace of a universally loved Christmas tradition. The Christmas Story movie about Ralphie Parker's wanton lust for a Red Ryder BB gun are based on the short story found in this book. The classic film is narrated by the author Jean Sheppard who also has a cameo as the guy in line to see Santa who tells Ralph to go the back of the line.

A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens

One Christmas while Maggie and I were long distance I read this book to her each night at bed time. I am terrible on the phone and not much of a communicator in general, so as she went to sleep each night I would reach a section from the most classic of all Christmas tales. Of the many adaptations of this story none have ever captured the language Charles Dickens crafted. The section describing "the chain that each of us forge..that began with a single link of gold of silver" is one of my favorite passages in all of literature.

A Newberry Christmas
by Various Authors

This is a collection of 14 short stories that feature authors who have won the Newberry Medal. E.L. Knongsburg's "Eliot Miles Does Not Wish You a Merry Christmas Because..." is one of the funniest stories I have ever read. "A Full House" by Madeline L'Engle is one of those stories that at any other time of year would seem dipped in sugar to the point vomit, but during December we all seem to be immune from Artistic Diabetes.

The Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry

A classic Christmas tale that has been retold in film and television countless times. It seems to be the story that every English teacher uses to explain irony, but don't let that detour you from reading it.

Hershel and Hanukkah Goblins
by Eric A. Kimmel

Maggie gave me this book one year for Hanukkah and it has become one of my favorite holiday traditions. If you're looking for a way to incorporate other cultural and religious beliefs and traditions into your own this book is an excellent way to do so. Also, good story telling knows no cultural boundary.

Hanukkah Haiku
by Harriet Zeifert

An excellent collection of poetry about Hanukkah done in Haiku form. It teaches about the holiday in short powerful verses that both children and adults can enjoy

A Family Tradition
by Caroline Kennedy
This is an anthology compiled by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President Kennedy, consisting of stories, poems and songs that her family made part of their Christmas tradition. Caroline's mother Jackie worked for several years as a book editor and Caroline discusses her mother strong belief on reading in the home and making favorite stories a part of holiday tradition. A Family Tradition is filled with anecdotes and wonderful treasures that America's first family have used for years. It also contains some wonderful stories that have become part of my family tradition.

52 Things I am Thankful For

2010-11-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

I think there is some unwritten (or written on someone's blog) rule that you most post a list of stuff you are thankful for at the end of November. Here is mine

1. Soup-There are few things more comforting than soup.
2. Skiing-It makes the dreary winter months not only bearable, but rad.
3. The Bayou's Gumbo- This could fall under soup, but its also a nice way to say I love The Bayou.
4. Brooks Brothers- The epitome of men's fashion. I never feel better than when I don my Brooks Brothers camel hair top coat and smart BB suit. Thanks for making me feel timeless.
5. The Beatles- I have waxed poetically about them before, nuff said.
6. Hats-There is a rarer feeling in the world than the one of sophistication that accompanies a well worn hat.
7. Perfect Shaves-When you press the sharp steel of a straight razor to your neck and with the up most skill remove the offending whiskers, that have have been softened by soap applied by a 100% pure badger hair brush, apply Witch Hazel, Pinaud Clubman Bay Rum and talcum powder you have started your morning in the best fashion possible.
8. Bicycles-They get me from point A to point B and let me enjoy the commute to work.
9. Naps-Be they 20 minute "power naps" or a long Sunday afternoon nap in front of a baseball game life would suck with out them.
10. Salt Lake City After a Storm- Salt Lake has an eerie silence fall upon it after a snowstorm that is accompanied by an strange glow from the light caught in limb between the fresh snow and the castover sky. After a rainstorm the city smells fresh and renewed.
11. Sturdy Children- Maggie likes to force me to play with children. I am gripped with fear that I will break them, so when then they are built tough and stout with plenty of baby chub to protect them from my clumsiness it is comforting.
12. Snow Days- Getting sent home from work, eating soup, and watching Netflix Instant Cue is wonderful.
13. Fiber- Picture a world with out. Its not pretty.
14. Yoga- Specifically, that Maggie does it, and that she has given up on getting me to practice it.
15. Hot Dogs- Really, all link sausages could fit here(that's what she said), and do not get Freudian on me.
16. Este Pizza- My ritual of going to Este grabbing a slice and a cold beverage of my choice on Friday's afternoon gives the end of the week a higher purpose.
17. Martin Scorsese- I could watch his films with out dialogue, and be entranced.
18. AMC's Sunday Night- Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Walking Dead make Work Week Eve a little be easier to swallow.
19. Mad Men- It gets it's own because it is just that DAMN good.
20. Cartoons that are Funnier to Adults-This includes Family Guy, South Park and The Simpsons which are cartoons geared towards specifically for adults, but it also includes Phineas and Ferb, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Rocky and Bullwinkle and Underdog cartoons built for kids yet funnier for adults.
20. The Ducks in Fairmont Park- I like walking over and feeding them the heels from my bread loaves.
21. National Parks- One of the greatest acts of our socialist government. The stealing of land from private sector development and redistributing it so everyone could enjoy it; thanks comrad Roosevelt.
22. John Stewart-He gives me hope for humanity.
23. Well Made Boots- I like my boots to be comfortable, warm and sturdy. Rockport you do the job nicely.
24. People Who Make me Glad I am Not Them- Shadenfreude. People who seem vapid and dumb enough that no matter how depressed I get I can read their blog, look at their favorite TV show, or anything else my pretentious self looks down upon and mutter "There, but for the grace of God go I."*
25. Smart Phones- They have changed the way I stand in line, go to the bathroom and stand in line for the bathroom.
26. English Isles-My Anglophile is a source of great joy.
27. St. Patrick's Day- It is my favorite holiday and the accompanying feast is my favorite meal of the entire year. Sorry Thanksgiving.
28. The Oscars- I like award shows and being the movie buff that I am this is my favorite. Also, throwing a party with food to match the Best Picture Nominees is both a feat and a challenge.
29. Cheese- I hated picnics till I found out you were the perfect picnic food.
30. Twilight Concert Series- This has nothing to do with the abominable books. It is a free concert series Salt Lake City puts on every year. It is one of the highlights of my summer.
31. That the 10 Year Reunion is Over- That was a lot of work.
32. BBQs- This needs no explanation.
33. Sports Talk- Talking about sports is one of the best conversations you can have.
34. Cooking- It is not just survival, it is art you eat.
35. My Camera- Other than cooking this is the only art form that does not require me to draw. I like that.
36. The Internet- Wow, my job would be dull with out it.
37. Government- Yeah, what of it? Why don't you go teabag about it?
38. Taxes- Now I'm just provoking.
39. Liberal Mormons- It is not an oxymoron, it is just rare.
40. Ernest Hemingway- Having read him and being able to list him as my favorite author gives me a +1 Pretension Factor.
41. Nalgene Bottles- Good for Earth and good for you (unless you got the ones that cause cancer).
42. Our Apartment- Excellent landlords, nice use of space and plenty of personality.
43. Dogs- I just like 'em.
44. Chuck Klosterman- As a wise Keller once said "Reading him separates us from the animals."
45. Thank You Notes- I am glad I was brought up knowing how to write and when to write an appropriate note.
46. Toys R Us- I still like Legos.
47. Cuff links- They give me a touch of class.
48. Interesting Friends- I can think of nothing worse in life than being surrounded by boring people. Thankfully, I am not.
49. People Who Call Me for Advice- It doesn't matter what it is about. I just like being considered an authority on stuff.
50. NPR- Yeah, I'm as nerdy as it gets.
51. Smells- I love when I find something that maintains it's smell years later and can instantly send me back to where that smell is from. My dad's knife sheath, a coat from my Grandmother's house or butterscotch and Old Spice that can all tie me back to someone I no longer see, but can't forget.
52. Movies I Have to Watch While Maggie is Gone- The Big Lebowski, Superbad and Citizen Kane she is just not a fan.

*I often refer to these people as the "There But For Grace of God Go I Society".

T.V. Role Models

2010-11-17T06:15:00.000-08:00

My father died when I was young so I sought out father figures in many places. I had uncles, family friends and other acquaintances that became father figures me. This allowed me to pick the best attributes from each to emulate. I am also the child of a generation raised on television and had to some extent was a latchkey kid who was babysat by television. In TV Land I found many men whom I wanted to develop their attributes. Upon reading this list I think you will understand why I was not a normal child and am still not a normal adult.*

*This list is about shows that I watched in my more formative years so Don Draper is except from the list.

Fraiser and Niles Crane
Fraiser

For Christmas in fifth grade I really wanted a wool top coat this alone should signify my connection to Frasier and Niles. I mean who didn't want to take their gym clothes to school in a valise?

From the Brothers Crane I learned to have an appreciation for the finer things in life. I learned to listen to classical music and that the awkward teenage years could give way to being an awkward yet successful adult.

Miles Silverberg and Jim Dial
Murphy Brown

Miles was the neurotic produce of FYI who seemed like the ultimate preppy grown up. My love of Brooks Brothers may be traced in part to an episode where Murphy talks Miles out of his office with the promise of a trip to Brooks Brothers.

Jim Dial was the anchor of the fictional television news magazine show. Jim had worked in TV news with Erick Sevareid and Edward R Murrow. He would speak with dedication to journalistic integrity and the role of journalists in a democracy. Jim imparted to me good posture and the reverence and respect someone should have for what they do and the respect for elders who came before you. In large part I think that my beliefs about what the Fourth Estate should be come from this television sit-com.

I never cared for Frank Fontana as a role model and I hate banded collars.

Bryant Gumbel
The Today Show

This one was largely because of my mother. She made me watch The Today every morning for two reasons 1) So that I could get an introduction to current events 2) So that I could watch what Bryant Gumbel was wearing and learn how to dress. This lead to my teenage years where I was always able to dress well when the occasion called for a tie or sports jacket, but I struggled with casual wear. If Today had had casual Fridays my polo shirt tucked into tapered jeans might have been avoided.

Thanksgiving Films

2010-11-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

I was recently reading one of my favorite blogs and the writer lamented the lack of good Thanksgiving movies. She then wrote about how The Road has filled her Thanksgiving film void I have had this same dilemma and over the years found a few films that I enjoy at Thanksgiving.*

*Please note I adhere to a strict Christmas movie watching policy. This is to ensure that Thanksgiving is not totally overrun by Christmas. "No Christmas film may be watched until the night of Thanksgiving when the desserts have been eaten. Christmas films may be watched up to and through New Year's Day, but not beyond. There is an exception for Christmas films to watched on a single day during the month of July if it is in conjunction with a Christmas in July themed celebration."

An American Tale

This is one of my favorite childhood films. It tells the story of an immigrant family coming to America in search of a better life. I have always thought of Thanksgiving as the day we celebrate our own pilgrimage to America. An American Tale captures this spirit, plus leaves you singing about the lack of felines in America for days.

Pieces of April

Pieces of April is a little known indie film about a family's black sheep hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Katie Holms gives such a superb performance you forgive her for what ever she was thinking marrying Tom Cruise. Oliver Platt (who is one of those actors that should be in everything) and Patricia Clarkson both fulfill their life calling of being among THE FINEST SUPPORTING ACTORS IN THE WORLD. If you have not watched it I highly recommend adding it your November festivities.

Trains, Planes and Automobiles

A great road movie with Steve Martin and John Candy. If you have ever endured a terrible Thanksgiving travel mishap (usually involving flying US Airways. I once spent a night in Phoenix for no earthly reason) this movie will resonate. It is not cerebral, but it is a classic.

Nobody's Fool

This is the perfect melding of legendary actor given an excellent story, sharp dialogue and genuine human emotion. Resulting in Newman's final Oscar nomination. In Nobody's Fool Paul Newman's son and grandson will be visiting for Thanksgiving allowing Newman a shot at redemption. If you have not seen this before I highly recommend it.

Hannah and Her Sisters

I am a big Woody Allen fan, so it should be no surprise to see Hannah and Her Sisters listed here. Hannah and Her Sisters is a film bookended with Thanksgiving dinners and spans the entire year between. The film is about family dysfunction, neuroses (Aren't all Woody Allen films?), and the never ending search for happiness. It is one of Allen's stronger movies and would be required watching for anyone wanting to better understand Allen's films.

Alice's Restaurant

The movie is not that great. It is based on an amazing Arlo Guthrie song about people going to Alice's for Thanksgiving dinner, throwing out garbage, getting arrested for littering and thus avoiding Viet Nam. The movie could have been amazing, but it is not. I include it because you should listen to the song on Turkey Day, and maybe watch the film if you have nothing better to do.

Dutch

This movie was written by John Hughes (Breakfast Club, 16 Candles) and stars Ed O'Neil (Married with Children, Modern Family). It, like many Thanksgiving films, is a road story about Ed O'Neil trying to impress his girlfriend's son by picking him up from boarding school and driving him home for Thanksgiving. As you might have guessed they don't get along making up the bulk of the weak story. I liked it as a kid, Ed O'Neil is genuinely fun to watch in most anything and if you are involved with step parents or parents dating this film may resonate more with you than it does with me, but I liked it as a kid so it made the list.

Remember the Titans**

Because Thanksgiving is also about football. Remember the Titans also could be seen as two groups of different people coming together much the same way the Pilgrims and the Native Americans did, but that may be a stretch.

**I had originally written about Rudy, but the the Irish beat the living hell out of my Utes so they get no love on my blog for at least a week.

Mid-Week Mosh or I Gave up Being a Kid, Not Being Rad

2010-11-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

Tuesday nights I usually stay home, watch a little TV, make dinner and go to bed early; it is a work day tomorrow after all. However, when you have the chance to see The Aquabats, Suburban Legends, Koo Koo Kangaroo and Reel Big Fish you alter your plans and suffer the pains of a terrible Wednesday.

Here are the high points broken down by section.

At Work/Pre-Show
-I dress up for work, but needed to dress down for the show. With an hour left at work I ditched my button down and my #$%&en khakis (which I am not) and put on an Underdog T-Shirt, jeans, and red Chuck Taylor All-Stars.
-With one of my fedoras on I started letting my ska Pandora station play.
-Playing ska almost always leads to skanking.
-Having your boss walk by and catch you skanking, alone, in an Underdog t-shirt is not easy to explain, and probably harder to live down.
-Don't tell your boss you're skanking if she doesn't know what that is.
-My dinner consisted of a Monster Energy Drink, Watchamacallit Candy Bar and Oreo Cakesters. I guess I always associate ska with high school I felt like I could eat like I was High School.
-The line to get into show didn't move and it is hot inside The Venue, thus I didn't want a sweater. This resulted in me standing in line for about an hour in 34 degree temperature in a t-shirt.

Koo Koo Kangaroo
-Koo Koo Kangaroo is a duo of white men who rap about dinosaurs and other nostalgic topics.
-They brought one of those large multi-colored parachutes you had in elementary for us to play with, rad.
-They spent a lot of time jumping around in the audience, and teaching us sweet dance moves.
-You should check them out if you have kids, if you don't I am not sure they will be as much fun for you recorded as they were for me live. But, their lyrics and ironic facial hair is something we can all enjoy.

Suburban Legends
-One of my favorite ska bands ever.
-They are what a "boy band" would be like if said "boy band" was not lame. Ergo synchronized dancing while playing instruments.
-They did a ska cover of the "hide yer wives, hide yer kids" guy, was it the greatest thing ever? It is possible.
-Unless you hate fun you should be listening to this band.

Aquabats
-This might be the most tame show I have ever seen the Bats do, but still sweet.
-We learned backfat is an essential element of hand to hand combat with mad scientists whom you wronged in pre-school.
-The Commander can still do back flips off of speaker stacks he is the man that age can not stop.
-The Aquabats are pure fun, there is nothing serious about them at all. They totally reject the post Bob Dylan world and write songs that just make you want to move. The world could use more of this.
-They played The Story of Nothing for the first time in years. It was at this point you could find the true Aquabats fans versus the Yo-Gabba-Gabba late comers.
-Co-Headlining with Reel Big Fish was fun, but they really need the extra time to get all of the stuff out of their back catalog I want to hear.

Reel Big Fish
-I was really worried that anyone following the Aquabats would struggle because of the elaborate stage show the Bats put on, but RBF did an excellent job. They had a lot of funny banter and put on an amazing live show.
-Opening with Sellout was good because it satisfied the posers early.
-They covered Van Morison's Brown Eyed Girl and Metallica's Enter the Sandman, I don't think I need to expand why this awesome.
-Their more well known cover of Take on Me is excellent live, but I blame it for my sounding like a Delta Blues Musician this morning (the EEEEEEEEEEEEE part in the chorus).

The Aftermath
-I am honestly a zombie today.
-I have large mosh related bruises all over my body.
-I have trace amounts of blood in my caffeine stream.
-Sprite is still the perfect post concert beverage.

Miscellaneous Observations
-We made friends with a group of guys who ditched their wives to come to show. We ended up hanging with them for the entire concert. Seriously, random group of dudes to hang out with, but concert friends are fantastic.
-There is an age group that totally missed Mosh Etiquette 101. The 12-13 year olds got it, the older people got it, but there was a certain segment in between the two that totally missed out on what is rad and what is non-sweet pit behavior.
-Maggie and I had a lengthy discussion about how she was cooler when we started dating, but I have since passed her in coolness. She maintains I am cooler than she is when it comes to music only, and she is still cooler than I am in overall coolness. I think only math can solve this, but it sufficeth me to say we are both rad*.

*I am making a concerted effort to bring the world rad back into my daily lexicon.

My Mini-Don Draper Experience

2010-11-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday was my birthday. I got older and I am now old enough that this bothers me. I work 4 days a week 10 hours a day so Thursday is my Friday. I had a ton to do that, but I had dreams of leaving work early enough to go watch a movie by myself. I spent most of the morning working on an article for an Environmental Journal on carbon sequestration (I was also submitting this as a paper for a class), but at around 2:30 I was done. Not with the work I had to do, but with being in my office, so I made my escape.

For those of you who are not Mad Men fans you will likely not understand this, but I pulled a Don Draper. I sneaked out of the office to see an art house film in the middle of the day. I put on my black fedora and walked around downtown SLC for a while. I stopped in one of my favorite stores Misc. and was dismayed that she had no men's clothing that day. I then went to Jitterbug on 3rd South and may have bought a pair or two of vintage cuff links, may have. I then stepped into The Copper Onion and sat and the bar and had a drink(bitters and soda with an orange slice and a muddled cherry...I felt so inclined plus it resembled an Old Fashioned) before my show began.

I then sat in the back of an empty theater and watched Howl. The James Franco biography of Allen Ginsberg. The film itself was excellent, despite it's clumsy editing and disjointed story line, the animated sequences that illustrate Ginsberg's opus work would be compelling cinema on their own. It also had Jon Hamm in it which if you are pulling a "Draper" makes anything better.

There is something I love about seeing movies alone. It frees you from thinking about anything other than yourself and the celluloid. Seeing a movie like Howl that asks much of it's audience's imagination in total silence takes a movie to an even greater cerebral place. You allow yourself to become immersed in both the words written of a poem that shifted a generation and the artistic license that a filmmaker a generation removed attached to that work. There is a moment of magic that occures when the lights dim in a theater and images begin to flash on screen where the anticipation builds as you are about to enter a place you've never been before and will be able to escape your daily confines for 90 minutes (or 3 hours if its Kevin Costner and you may go back to back at work if its The Postman). Feeling that while you should be at work is even better.

That night was followed by dinner with friends at Moki's in Taylorsville and staying up till the wee small hours of the morning finishing my article (I'll let you know if it gets published, but I got a 97 on the paper).

The Good Thing About Ipods

2010-11-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

On Maggie and I's first date one of the most cherished memories I have was her inviting me up to apartment at the end of the first 8 hours of our date (it was a grand total of 12 hours) to look at her CD Collection and talk music. She had a wide range of music from hard core punk to indie and Billie Holiday, this impressed. Sadly, once both of us were removed from the stores that were so formative to our musical taste (Maggie moved away from her Pittsburgh store and mine was shut down by the man...damn the man) our playlists grew stale. I had work harder to find stuff I liked and then introduce it to her. This is a tale of what happened.

I purchased the new Arcade Fire album "The Suburbs" and was enthralled with it. I left it in Maggie's car for her to listen to. When I asked her what she thought she told me "It's kinda boring they all sound the same." I calmly screamed "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" In her car, two weeks later, I put the EELS album Hombre Lobo on. As we moved along I-15 on our way to meet the Schroeders for dinner the first song played twice, the CD player was set to Repeat. Maggie had been listening to the same Arcade Fire song on repeat for two weeks. This explained her apathy.

This story would be funny enough if it ended there, but it didn't. Maggie decided to give more than one song on the Arcade Fire album an ear. At some point during her more in depth listening of "The Suburbs" I borrowed Maggie's car and put in the EELs' album End Times. Maggie had no knowledge of my doing this and could not get over how much Arcade Fire sounded like the EELs. At one point she was convinced they had invited EELs front man Mark "E" Everett in for a compilation song.

This is a strong argument for both Ipods and getting music for yourself, not your husband.

Teen Wolf

2010-10-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

I took a sick day. This may not seem remarkable to you, but this very rarely happens. I have on occasion taken a half day after coming in and getting some work done, but last week it was necessary to take an entire day. We were spending the weekend at a cabin with friends that have a small child, and I wanted to be healthy enough to go and not infect the "wee one" (I know, I'm a saint).

This resulted in my watching Sick Day Movies. I still don't sleep much when I am sick, so I was able to watch a lot of movies. I watched some of my normal sick day "go to films" like Superbad and The Big Lebowski (Apatow and the Coens are a standard), but then I went to my Netflix Instant Cue.

My Netflix Instant Cue is loaded with high brow arty crap that wouldn't play in the sticks. There are German films set in the post war era, Fredrico Fellini surrealism, independent documentaries (there is one there I can't wait to watch on the font Helvitica...no I'm not kidding), independent films that don't have Joseph Gordon Leavitt or Ellen Page in them and other movies that my mind would need to have less congestion surrounding it to be able to enjoy. So, I watched Teen Wolf.

Teen Wolf might be the greatest film ever, if we are judging solely on how a society would react to a strange phenomenon (Werner Herzog should be taking notes from Rob Daniel; the guy who directed Teen Wolf, Beethoven's 2nd and Home Alone 4 ) For those of you born under a rock or after 1988, Teen Wolf is the story of teenager Scott Howard (Michael J. Fox) who is on a terrible high school basketball team (The Beavers), who along with having the normal problems associated with puberty is also a werewolf. What makes this movie so grand is not the plot, but the realism the film casts on this conceit. In nearly every story the werewolf is seen as an outcast loner and is thus shunned by his peers. However, Teen Wolf the werewolf is nearly universally accepted. He has to do little more than score a single basket to be universally loved. This is what would actually happen to high school student if he was suddenly turned into a canine that could dunk. Being a teenager was all about being able to separate yourself from the pack and finding your own identity. Some people could do this easily by being rich, pretty, talented, tall or funny. Others had to struggle to find their niche in the adolescent ecosystem. Being a wolfman automatically makes you unique and special in the way that all teenagers are seeking.

In Teen Wolf Scott Howard is not a nerd who gains uber acceptance through magic; Scott Howard was a perfectly average teenager, readily accepted by most of his peers. His only real snub comes from the stuck up Pamela Wells (Lorie Griffith) and her boyfriend who goes to another school and appears to be 28 years old. It is not the ultimate rise to popularity from the depths of loserdom, but a bump in notoriety. Pamela Wells doesn't fall for him, but she is intrigued enough to play fetch with him in a dressing room. Scott ultimately realizes that he has to find out the time of person he wants to be, and not let one aspect become who he is.

This is what we all have to do. The person we seek out to be at 17 is not likely to be the same person we are at 23. In high school our personalities were still developing and not fully formed. I was known for being political, I still am, but I don't think its the overriding characteristic of my personality. Its why I enjoy some people now more than I enjoyed them in high school. The singular overriding characteristic has given way to a complex web of personality (in most cases, some people are as bland as they ever were/ and bore me even on Facebook). Scott Howard's wolf is still a part of him, but he moves toward becoming a more complete person.

Other Things that Make Teen Wolf Great

-Chubs, that fat guy plays basketball.
-Stiles'(Jerry Levine) t-shirts and his attempt to channel Judd Nelson and Ferris Bueller simultaneously.
-This might be on the short of list of 80's Films Geared Towards Men.
-Spiderman stole the line "with great power comes great responsibility from this movie." Harold Howard says it to Scott.
-It is just nice to see a werewolf that surfs on top of van instead of listening to Dashboard Confessional and being moody.
-The party scene really makes me lament how tame we were in high school.
-Also, this film shows genetics as the cause of Werewolfism and not a contagious disease. This has to be the more likely cause of Werewolfism.
-How much of this was inspired by an excess of cold medication?

Summer 2010

2010-09-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Summer is dying slowly. Its a sad tragic truth that summers end. Summers were once a time of discovery, a time freedom was not an expression but a lifestyle, a time when adventure was born. The older I get the farther those summers seem from me. In response to that gap I have created a list of things that make for a summer to great. These are things that I have done, wanted to do and will endeavor to do every summer for the rest of my life. Please comment on what should be added to the list or tell of experiences doing some of the items on the list.

-Go to a baseball game, eat a hot dog (drink a beer if you're so inclined).
-Drink a Coke from a glass bottle.
-Climb a mountain.
-Go to an outdoor concert.
-Picnic. Take good cheese, crusty bread and olives (and wine, if you're so inclined).
-Go to a beach, swim or surf. Build a sand castle
-Ride a roller coaster
-Go to a festival, carnival, fair or farmer's market.
-Eat Cotton Candy.
-Climb a tree.
-Drink a Slurpee(please make it a real Slurpee, not its pathetic half brother Icee)
-Barbecue, listen to Sublime, Bob Marley, The Beach Boys, Hepcat and The Buena Vista Social Club.
- See at least one person you have not seen in over a year.
-Write something. Put pen to paper and write in long hand; a short story, a poem, a letter just write something not on a computer.
-Walk barefoot on grass.
-Fall in love with a new band.
-Watch a movie that was made before you were born, preferably before your parents were born.
-Ride a horse.
-Swim at night.
-Play a team sport just for fun, softball is preferable.
-Go to a movie, try for a midnight showing.
-Compete in a race.
-See a play.
-Cross something off of your bucket list.
-Add something to your bucket list.
-Road trip.
-Camp.
-Eat at a new restaurant, and try something you have never had before.
-Watch fireworks.
-Do something stupid with your best friend.
-Go to a parade.
-Catch a bug...let it go.
-Go to a snow shack for a Tiger's blood snow cone. Its different than a Slurpee.
-Walk barefoot on grass.
-Go fishing.
-Read something just for fun, something non-fiction, a poem (out loud) and a literary classic.
-Make your own ice cream or sorbet.
-Make a new friend.
-Visit an National Park, Monument or Historic Site.
-Visit a museum.
-Roller skate.
-Build something, anything just make it your own.
-Watch a sunrise and set.
-Ride a bike.
-Remember what its like to be a child.

Trombone Shorty

2010-08-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Maggie and I attended a concert at Red Butte Garden featuring one of my all time favorite musicians. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews is a New Orleans horn player who is masterful on both the trombone, as his name implies, but also the trumpet. He was the opening act for two New Orleans legends The Dirty Dozen Brass and Allen Toussaint. While I am familiar with the two headlining acts, I was there for Trombone Shorty. The guy blew me away, and I recommend all of my friends who like great fusion music to check him out. He blends elements of funk, second line jazz, rock and hip-hop seamlessly.

One of the best parts was that I was able to meet the band after the performance. They were signing copies of their new album Backatown. What was really cool is that I talked to them about their earlier stuff that I knew, and shows that I had watched them on. They all seemed really excited to meet a fan who had been listening to them for a while, and they made sure to shake my hand. It was was a memory making experience to be able to have followed a band for several years, have them get their major label record release and then meet them.

This conversation should illustrate Maggie's new found adoration for the Trombone Shorty.

Maggie: He's hot.
Colt: Is he?
Maggie: (Hold the album close to my face so I can see) Uh...yeah
Colt: laughs a little
Maggie: Yeah he may even go on my list of five
Colt: Really? Wow that is impressive
Maggie: Plus, he's not that famous yet so I might actually have a shot.
Colt: Wait...what?

PS: There will be a reunion blog coming soon. I just want to upload some pictures that I can post along with it, so please stay tuned.

Just a Small Town Girl

2010-06-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

As the song Don't Stop Believing comes on the Ipod...

Maggie: This song is great. Why do people hate Journey?

Cue the next Journey song...

Maggie: Never mind I get it.

Tri-As He Might

2010-06-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on my first Triathlon

*I now have even greater respect for superheros after wearing a wet suit, rubber is hot.

*Mobile bathrooms, become less gross the more you need one.

*Sorry Bobby Boucher Jr., Gatorade is better.

*Salem Springs' pond does not taste great.

*Red Vines are an excellent recovery food, Pay-Days are excellent race fuel.

*Triathlons are addictive.

*Racing around farms and having people bang cowbells at you on your bike, really allows you to pretend you are in the Tour de France. This is of course a very a happy delusion.

*Someone turned a giant piece of farm equipment into a dragon with a sign that says, "Don't Feed the Dragon". Neat.

*Look Llamas.

*Having people chant "BEARD, BEARD, BEARD" and "GO BEARD GO" is awesome.

*Only slightly more awesome is winning the prize of a high quality new bike bag solely because of your ability to grow facial hair like a Norse God.

*DZ Nuts is essential to success.

Musical Rundown
I only used music during the run portion of the race, and then I only started at the half way point. It made an enormous difference. I immediately felt energized, and picked up the pace instantly at the point I decided to turn on my the Ipod.

*Under Pressure-Queen
First song to come on is a perfect way to revive the lost energy. Queen as long been the band best associated with stadium soundtracks.

*NFL Films Soundtrack
The orchestra playing rousing music while John Facenda grizzled voice speaks of blitzing linebackers, Vince Lombardi and the gridiron as the floor of the ancient Roman coliseum even though you are not in anyway resembling football still manages to stir up all of the masculinity stored in your body and push you further.

*Stronger-Kanye West
I'll let all you haters finish in a minute, but I gotta say Kanye recorded one of the best work out songs of all time.

*Iron Man-Black Sabbath
Tommy Iommi's guitar and Ozzy's vocals...nuff said.

*Shipping Up to Boston-Dropkick Murpheys
Finding your wooden leg while being genuinely pissed off seem to echo the feeling during the last minutes of triathlon.

*Black Friday Rule-Flogging Molly
Again, when you are just needing to harness the anger to push yourself nothing beats Irish Punk.

*Blitzkrieg Bop-The Ramones
Fast and furious excellent for when you want to make a move and pass some fools.

*Beautiful Day-U2
The song I like to end all of my runs with with. It captures the zen feeling of seizing the day and experiencing life that running/biking/swimming on a perfect sunny day bring to pass. Beautiful Day encompasses the experience you are in the midst of because the rush of endorphins merged with weeks of training and sense of accomplishment all collide to great a day you don't want to let slip away.

Use a Condom Please!

2010-04-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

By Maggie:

Those of you who read our blog already know that I listen to NPR (National Public Radio) regularly. Well the other day there was some sort of public announcement from Planned Parenthood. I am paraphrasing but this is the gist: Smoking pot and drinking Mountain Dew does not lower sperm count enough to prevent pregnancy. I am so disturbed that there are people in the world thinking that if they get stoned enough or/and drink enough Mountain Dew they don't need a legitimate form of birth control. This is one of the many reasons why I think there should be comprehensive sex education in schools.

It Also Helps You Bang Your Head

2010-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

-Colt

As I am walking across the street to my office's cafateria to purchase a hard boiled egg, an old man rolls down the window of his truck.

Old Man:Hey You!

Colt:What?

Old Man:Why is hair and beard so long?

Colt: Because the 60's happened, The Beatles invaded, and Eric Clapton told me to let it grow.

Old Man: *scowls and rolls up his window.

Fresh Scent

2010-02-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

By: Maggie

Scene: Maggie has just gone running and is now doing yoga when Colt comes into the room. Maggie is in Warrior II.

Colt: What is that? Is that you?

Maggie: What?

Colt: Something smells really good.

Maggie: Well I doubt it is me. I have been sweating like crazy.

Colt: (leans in and smells Maggie) It is you. (smells again) Wow you smell really good.

Maggie: Really that is strange.

Colt: (smells Maggie again) yeah it is you huh you smell...fresh and clean.

Maggie: Ummm.... Thanks

InFlexiable.

2010-01-18T19:53:00.000-08:00

By Maggie:

I try to go to a yoga class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 AM. I have a very black or white mentality when it comes to exercise (among other things). I was training for a race last year missed one week of training and never went back. I have gone running since then but not with the same verve or consistency. Last fall I was going to this yoga class regularly until I got a few early morning appointments that conflicted with it and I had not gone to the class again until last week. It seems like my schedule has worked out in a way that at least for now I can go.

How do I get back in the habit once I break it? Just power through and force myself? Maybe, but I am very stubborn. My mom always said that if I could channeled my stubbornness into positive things that I could do anything and that no one could make me do anything I did not want to do. Well tomorrow is a yoga day so we will see whether my desire for sleep or for stretch is stronger. Wish me luck!

Cause that's how I roll

2010-01-12T15:04:00.000-08:00

By Maggie:

I love listening to NPR (National Public Radio for those of you who are not liberal nerds like me). I also love listening to Salt Lake City crappy Hip Hop radio station. So on any given day I could be listening to either station. I noticed something kind of funny about myself the other day. I had a classmate get in my car one time and I turned the key the hip hop station started blasting. She gave me a funny look and made a snarky comment. I quickly lowered the music and changed it to NPR as nonchalantly as possible. When I drop my car off at the valet when I am interpreting at the hospital I always change to NPR before I give them my car. I never really paid that much attention to it. Then today I was leaving a pay parking lot and changed my radio station to NPR before I rolled down my window. I promptly changed it back and did some awesome car dance moves on my way home.

So today after doing that I tried to figure out why I hide my love of car dancing to the same 5 hip hop songs they play over and over again on the SLC radio station. Perhaps because those who have caught me in the past always tease me. Well world I want you too know that I love me some hip hop/get down music. On some days I need to listen to that more than Diane Rehm and Doug Fabrizio.

Deep Thoughts....By Maggie

2010-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

By Colt

Maggie: Not having ice cream is not as much fun as having ice cream.

This has been a deep thought, by Maggie.

Holidays

2010-01-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

We had a busy holiday season this year. Hanukkah was celebrated with our good friend Sara who occasionally reads our blog so hey Sara. We went to her Hanukkah party and she came to the theater with us to see The Wedding Singer (the musical stage production). Sara was lovely the food at the Dodo after was delicious the show was not so great.

Christmas was in Pittsburgh and it was wonderful to be home. Highlights include holding my beautiful niece as much as I could. Sibling time was great. Getting to spend time with my cousin and her family. We facebook/blog chat but it was wonderful to get some face to face time. I know Colt had fun going on manventures with the brothers/cousin in-law. I loved getting to see my family and my friends. It was Colt's first Christmas with my family and I think he did really well.

Once back in Utah we headed down to St George to spend time with my wonderful mother in law Jodie. We drove after Colt got off work and did pseudo Christmas first thing in the morning. We spent New Years with a good friend of Colt's from high school. It was fun getting to meet some of her friends and seeing how bigs her kids have gotten.

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday season!

Elvis Costello King of Cool

2009-12-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

By Colt

In recent years Chuck Norris has become the image the world things of when in thinks of bad ass. He has received Internet fame that is generally reserved for adult film stars and cats that can dance to a Kelly Clarkson song. Norris Facts include such tid bits of vital information as "Chuck Norris doesn't do push ups, he pushes the Earth down", "Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer, to bad he never cries", and "If you have 5 dollars and Chuck Norris has 5 dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you do". I will not argue with this(because Chuck Norris would kill me with Swiffer Duster), but he is THE bad ass. I submit that Elvis Costello is the Chuck Norris equivalent of cool. Other possible contenders would be George Clooney , but he was in One Fine Day which just barely lands him the silver medal; Frank Sinatra, is dead but lives on; and Don Draper\Roger Sterling who are fictional and therefore lose by default. Listed below are some of the reasons why Elvis Costello wins.

#1 Elvis Costello wrote a song so amazing that only God can hear it.
#2 Elvis Costello is haunted by the ghosts of George Harrison, John Lennon and Buddy Holly just because they want to hang with him.
#3 Elvis Costello's hat was used by Odd Job in Goldfinger.
#4 Elvis Costello's glasses are made from the windows of Superman's crashed space ship.
#5 Elvis Costello wrote the national anthem for every country that ever was.
#6 Elvis Costello won World War II with a saxophone solo.
#7 Elvis Costello wrote an entire three act opera using only one note.
#8 Elvis Costello dreams in HD.
#9 Elvis Costello is a vegetarian who can grow a Sirloin Steak from a tomato seed.
#10 Elvis Costello songs don't get downloaded they get carved in marble on your hard drive.

They Might Be Giants, but I was the one who felt out of place

2009-12-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back Maggie had to go on a weekend training retreat. This left me home alone. I enjoy my alone time and try to make the most of it. I go see movies that Maggie has no desire to see, get take out Maggie would not like, watch whatever I want to on TV, and try to get out and enjoy the city. This particular weekend I read in City Weekly that They Might Be Giants were doing two shows in Salt Lake. One at the Depot on Friday Night and a Matinee Saturday at the Murray Theater. I purchased my ticket for the Saturday matinee at a discount price and was excited to see TMBG.

I arrived at the theater, parked my truck and walked to the end of the very long line that had formed. While I made this sojourn to back of the line I noticed something was strange. There were kids in line for this show...lots....and lots of kids. I figured that well, this is a matinee perhaps parents are just kids along for fun. I have seen kids at late night shows for the Aquabats and Flogging Molly so it makes sense there would be a lot of kids there. As I stood in line longer it became clear that every adult was attached to a child in someway...except of course for me. This was the beginning of my feeling awkward.

I entered the theater and took my place among the general admission audience. The band has released two children's CDs that talk about things like science, colors, and proper nutrition. I had no idea of this I just wanted to hear Build a Little Birdhouse. There were kids going crazy for songs I had never heard of. I have had fun at children's concerts before. One of the most fun times I have ever had was at a DJ Lance Rock ,from YoGabba-Gabba , concert. I jumped my sillies out, and sang along to Its a Party in My Tummy along with my wife and the several hundred other adults and teenagers there. However, being at a children's concert all on your own is an irony of a different color. I tried to make myself appear less strange by texting my Maggie and my cousin Britta. I was fairly sure that parents thought I was a child molester. This made me uncomfortable.

The saving grace of the concert was that they played Particle Man and Istanbul. The streamers were fun, and I will buy their albums when I have kids. The other highlight was the sang a song about evolution called Your Friend the Ape, and there was a mom in a BYU sweatshirt making her kid cover his ears. This alone might have been worth the price of admission.

They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (Tiny Toons)
Uploaded by elmickeyman. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

Aunt Maggie and Uncle Colt

2009-11-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

Mommy and baby

Yesterday my sister Ruth and brother in law Alan had the most beautiful baby girl. I already love her so much and can't wait to meet her over Christmas.

The prettiest little girl

Texts from Silent Weekend

2009-11-07T12:10:00.001-08:00

Maggie is at a silent weekend. This is a weekend where she attends workshops that improve her sign language, and she is not allowed to talk. So she and I texted for the course of the weekend. Here are some of those texts.

1)
Maggie: Sorry, but it was nasty. Anyway the cabin we are at is off the hook! I am in love with the closet in the master bedroom wow it is bigger than our guest bedroom.
Colt: Is it also in 1999, cause that is the last time someone said "off the hook"? Glad you like it.
Maggie: Ouch! I didn't say radical or dope so that makes me a little cooler right?
Maggie: You are up early what are you doing today?
Colt: Eye Doctor. Guitar. Movie. Make fun of people who say "off the hook"
Maggie: Wow you really don't like that.
Colt: I really like being able to make of fun of you for it. BTW this is going on the blog.
Maggie: Fine. Well I guess you will have it word for word. Want to know why I said "off the hook"? It was on Desperate Housewives.
Colt: So, its only 2005 when people still cared about Desperate Housewives.
Maggie: Guess so...2005 it is...YAY! We are young again.

2)
Maggie: How tall is Yao Ming?

3)
Colt: Can I spend next month's rent on a piano?
Maggie: No
Colt: Damn...
Colt: Are you sure?
Maggie: Why don't you clean something if you are bored.
Colt: Who said I was bored I am buying a piano.
Maggie: No no no bear.
(PS I didn't buy the piano)

Halloween

2009-11-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

By Maggie:

Hello blog followers I know Colt has been keeping you call very entertained for the past few months but I thought I would take a turn. I just wanted to fill you in on our fabulous Halloween. I know there are some cynics out there who don't appreciate this holiday but I love it! Candy and costumes what more could you ask for? We started the fun Friday with a last minute movie night. We had delicious snacks. Thank you to everyone for your yummy contributions. Colt prepared a cheese platter of spooky Halloween cheeses. We watched Young Frankenstein. 4 out of the 7 in the group had not seen it before. It was a hit everyone loved the movie and it was a pretty good spider-webbing of friends if I do say so myself.

Saturday we went to Sugarhouse BBQ with Julie and James. Dinner was delicious. Later we popped their Rocky Horror Picture Show cherries. Someone who has never seen the movie before is called a virgin. I am not sure even with the research they had done that Julie and James were quite prepared for the initiations. Julie was a good sport and we saved her from being called on stage and having to participate in more humiliating acts. She was very grateful! The movie was fabulous as always and my friend, Quayle, played Rocky in the stage show and was wonderful. Seeing Rocky Horror has become on of my favorite Halloween traditions.

Maggie as Flo Colt as Caveman

COLT:

I wanted my Spooky Cheese Platter to receive its due recognition so I made Maggie wait till I could write my paragraph describing it.

French Roquefort: That is aged in a limestone cave. Caves are spooky
Spanish Goat's Milk Cheese: The devil is often depicted as being half goat, so I am saying this cheese was milked from the prince of darkness. Spooky and evil.
Irish Cheddar: Ireland is a very mystical place all on its own. But this cheese had a very nice orange hue that made it the perfect Halloween color.
English Sage Derby: This English cheese has bright green veins running through it that make it just look spooky. It also has a black rind that made the perfect Halloween color combination.

I served this with Castelvetrano olives which are bright green and look almost radioactive, and some marinated garlic to keep vampires at bay.

For the Ladies Who Rock...We Salute You

2009-10-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

I have been contemplating this post for quite some time. I wanted to write a post about girls who rock, because it seems like they are far too few. There are some fantastic female singer songwriters, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell others not named Joan, but they are not what you put on when you wanna "Rock Out" in your pad. Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Diana Krall have some of the most amazing voices ever, but not rock by any stretch of the imagination. The other problem that female rockers unfairly face is that they become a sex symbol, and that sexy symbol status overshadows their Rockerness. No one thinks Bruce Springstein(I am sure there is a better example, but "The Boss" is who I came up with) losses rock credibility because millions of women find him attractive. Some female rockers try to capitalize on this *cough...Pussy Cat Dolls....cough*

Some groups like the The Supremes and many of the other Motown groups come off having too much bubble gum in the their sounds for my rock tastes. Also having a guitar is something of a necessity if you wanna rock. So here are my list of awesome Rocker Girls.

Aretha Franklin-I had actually written a line in the introduction about why she wasn't on the list, but then I listened to Respect and Think and thought about the scene in the Blues Brothers movie, and thought that if Ray Charles would go on my guys rock list because of the way I feel when I listen to Ray, then its only fair to put Aretha on my female list. She does with her voice what a great rock guitarist goes with his six string. Plus she was in Tommy ,the greatest rock opera ever, which was written by The Who so she gets instant street cred for that.

The Donnas-The Donnas do what the Pussy Cat Dolls what us to think they do...nough said.

The Runaways-For those of you who have never heard of The Runaways you are missing out. This was an all-female rock group in the 70s that had Lita Ford, Micki Steele(The Bangles) and Joan Jett in it. This was a band that even the most ardent Jock Rocker would be able to ban his head to. It produced three icons of female rock and is well worth a listen.

Bikini Kill- Hard core rockers from Washington state, that may be the closest XX Chromosome band you can compare to Nirvana. While at the same time starting the Riot Girl movement in music. Political lyrics and feminist themes make Bikini Kill the real girl power band.

The Bangals-Almost didn't make the list because when I listen to most of their popular stuff I think its all pop stuff, but songs like In Your Room made me concede that they earn at least as much rock cred as any new wave band. Plus they have a Runaways alum.

Lita Ford-Slashing guitar that could have made her a stand in for Van Halen any time.

Pattie Smith-One of the first punk rock girls. Blondie and Pattie Smith's solo stuff make her truly hardcore.

Alanis Morissette- As much I and almost every other guy in the late 90s hated her, we can't ignore that Jagged Little Pill was landmark album. And we all had the choruses from this album stuck in our heads for 5 years. She was engaged to Ryan Reynolds which almost kept her off the list, not because I hate him, but because he just doesn't seem like the male equivalent of Tawny Kitaen.

Joan Jett-The ultimate rock girl. When Joan sings "I don't give a damn about my bad reputation." We know she means it. When Avril Lavigne sings a similar sentiment we think she is trying to convince herself far more than she is convincing us. A fun thing to try get someone really obsessed with music talking about girls and rock and when they say "there are no good girl rockers." You say "except Joan Jett." The person will almost always reply "Well, yeah of course I didn't mean Joan Jett" Try it. I promise it works.

There are few names that didn't make it on this list. You are probably asking about Janis Joplin. I was just never a huge Janis fan. I will admit she rocks, because drinking Jack Daniels straight from the bottle is pretty rock n' roll, but I was just never impressed. There are others I am sure, feel free to leave glaring omissions in the comment box.

15 Thought Evoking Movies

2009-10-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

Recently there was a facebook tag rolling around that asked you name 15 movies that meant something to you. You were not supposed to think about it for very long, just type them as fast as you can. I did this, and was really pissed at the list afterward. There where glaring omissions and the inclusions were so weird that the list could have been as bad as the VH1 and Rolling Stone lists(and that pretty bad Rolling Stone left American Pie off of their 500 Greatest Songs list which basically just discounts their entire list). I think what I disliked most about it was the "don't think about it" aspect of the list. That's why so many movies suck, we are not supposed to think about them. I like to think, I like to think about movies. I really enjoy movies that make think about the world differently, or just cause me to become totally immersed in the story. Going to the movies is arguably my favorite thing to do. I love the feeling of the lights going down and the communal experience that is about to take place. I also really enjoy going by myself this ,of course, is one of the things that makes me a total freak. In that vain I am redoing my list of 15 movies, and putting a lot of thought into it.

1-The Lion in Winter: This movie's amazing dialogue, imagine Aaron Sorkin meeting Quentin Tarentino meeting William Shakespeare dialogue. Katherine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole give career performances in the lead roles(O'Toole was robbed of an Oscar by Rex Harrison. Harrison won for My Fair Lady, give me a freaking break). Timothy Dalton and Anthony Hopkins give strong supporting performances. This is a movie that was ahead of its time in terms of theme and pacing.
2-Lawrence of Arabia: Peter O'Toole is far and away my favorite actor and his work will feature prominently in this list. Lawrence is a movie that everyone should see. You will find no better use scenery in storytelling. O'Toole's T.E. Lawrence is one of the finest performances ever caught on celluloid.
3-L.A. Confidential: This movie works on so many levels its hard to describe. The captivating detective story, the complex relationships between people and the imagery of what lurks beneath the surface of all that glimmers. The ensemble cast is simply amazing. The symbolism in this film is nuanced enough that you can re watch it over again and always find something new(pay attention Guy Pearce's glasses when he wears them and when he doesn't).
4-Pulp Fiction: One of the first movies that I watched over and over again, trying to understand what was going on. Its a tapestry whose characters are deep and layered. Its dialogue is crisp and clean. Its soundtrack alone is reason to watch this film. It also two Hollywood icons giving two of their finest performances John Travolta ashit-man Vincent Vega and Bruce Willis as the aged boxer Butch.
5-The Ruling Class: One of the funniest films I have ever seen, and I am one of the very few who have ever seen it. Peter O'Toole plays an English Lord who is convinced he is God, he goes around telling everyone to love one another and preaches peace. This of course means he is a total whack job. This film is an inspired satire of the British class system, and religion. My favorite line is when a women asks O'Toole how he came to know he was God he replies "I realized when I was praying, that I was talking to myself." Highly recommend this film to anyone who loves a smart comedy.
6-The Great Dictator: This showcases the many reasons I love Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin plays Hynkel the dictator of Tomania who bears a striking resemblance to a certain German world leader of the 1930s. Chaplin(who wrote, starred and directed) crafted a magical satire of The Third Reich that infuriated some, scared others and kept thousands in stitches. Its humor as social commentary at its best.
7-The Departed: I love Martin Scorsese. When Maggie and I first moved to Salt Lake I was unemployed, and waiting to start the Police Academy. I watched this movie almost everyday and sometimes twice a day. This made me go a little crazy, but it also made me dissect it(a common symptom of growing crazy is dissecting Mark Wahlberg movies). The themes of identity and fatherhood play heavily in this crime drama. I love the performances and dynamic use of angles and shadows to set the mood of the story.
8-The Godfather(and part II): I really shouldn't even have to list this, its obvious this is one of the most perfect films ever made.
9- Match Point: Woody Allen's comedies are some of my favorite shut in day movies. This drama however had me completely captivated from opening till close. The telling of hard work vs chance make for an intriguing tale that keeps you involved.
10- Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: Not many people saw this noir comedy, and that's the real crime. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer both make this movie one of the funniest send ups of Hollywood I have ever seen.
11-The Sword and the Stone: King Arthur was one of my favorite childhood games, in large part because of this film. The Aurthur legends are filled with rich storytelling, drama, and idealism. The animated classic is perfect to watch when young and realize none of us know if we have a king inside of us. As you grow older it connects you with how heavy life can feel, as young Arthur first w deals with weight and responsibility of being monarch so must we all wear the crown of our adulthood.
12-Ratatouille: I love to cook. This movie about reaching for dreams and finding the art inside yourself made it my favorite Pixar immediately. Ratatouille not only teaches us about reaching beyond our grasp, it highlights the art of food and challenges us to find beauty in strange places. The fact their was no verbal communication between the two principals of the movie only add to the depth of involvement we feel watching this "not just" for kids movie.
13-A Christmas Story: This is the only movie that broke my Christmas Movie Time Line Law(Thanksgiving night through New Years Day). Every child(and me to this day) has something they want for Christmas that at some point the are completely convinced they are never going to have. You begin to ponder what life on the 26th will be like with out that special gift, and its a depressing world. Then the magic of finding that gift early in the dark hours of Christmas morning give you the kind of rush you can only have at Christmas.
14-Bowling for Columbine: This movie is a truly amazing piece of cinema. I feel bad for people who think they know what it is, but have never seen it and thus have no clue. Michael Moore asks the question "what makes us America so violent?" This movie is not anti-gun as Fox Noise would have you believe. In fact Moore makes the point very clearly that guns are not the problem. That lots of countries have guns, but are less violent than America. He delves into everything that was blamed for the Columbine attacks, the music of Marylin Manson, violent video games and movies, to guns themselves. He notes that the morning before the shooting the two students went to their bowling class, and asks if we blame all of these other things why not bowling. To anyone with pre-conceived ideas about what this movie is I say see it first, then think, then judge.
15-Star Wars: I watched this and Indiana Jones almost exclusively for several years of my life, and can still answer most of life's questions be referring to Star Wars
15-Indiana Jones: My list I can have two number 15s if I want. He's the reason I love wearing hats, and that I am terrified of snakes.

There are many more that could be on this list. As soon as I post this 15 more will spring to mind.

Great Books

2009-09-29T13:13:00.001-07:00

I have read a lot this year. This is not an un-abridged list of what I have read this year, just a few of my favorites. There may or may not be more coming. This is an excellent topic for comment, so please...I need validation.

All of My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers
By Larry McMurtry
I have never ready any thing by Larry McMurtry that I have not loved. All of My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers(AMFGBS) is the story of Danny Deck. Danny is a young writer going to school in Texas. He falls in and out love, and meets many eccentric characters along his life's journey.AMFGBS is a very introspective book from one of America's great writers. The young author deals with his increasing fame and fortune, while still trying to figure out who he is. We get to know a lot about Larry through Danny. The things I love about this book are the vivid charactersMcMurtry creates in all of his prose, along with with the simple yet meaningful dialogue woven in the tale. The book may not have a strong plot element that keeps you from putting it down, but the journey and complicated world of Danny Deck will more than keep you entertained.

Fargo Rock City
By Chuck Klosterman
This book is by another of my favorite writers. Klosterman grew up in rural North Dakota and was a dedicated fan of heavy metal. Fargo Rock City is his attempt to put into perspective the heavy metal music of the 80s and its eventual death at the hands of Kurt Cobain. The book takes a serious look at what the actual cultural impact heavy metal head on society. The book uses Klosterman's wit and general "smart ass" tone to keep the reader involved even if they have never banged their head to Motley Crue's Shout at the Devil(which I also highly recommend you try next time you are stressed). The book also culminates with us understanding what it means to grow older, and how the music of our past can become embarrassing with time(I owned The Rembrandts , theme song from Friends, album), but it is still a part of us. I have read this book twice, and return to it often for a good laugh, and when I need to be reminded why Guns n' Roses rocks.

IV
By Chuck Klosterman
Is a collection of essays and interviews from Chuck Klosterman. I at first thought this book would be nothing more than an updated version of Sex, Drugs and Coco Puffs(Can not recommend this book enough), but IV gives some wonderful interviews with unlikely celebrities. His interview with Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) shows an incredible artists who if you met on a bus(which is entirely a possibility with Tweedy) you would never know he was a rock star. His famous interview with Billy Joel ,that caused the "Piano Man" to become enraged with Klosterman, shows a music icon who really needs to be loved. I was impressed with this book, because it showed a growth in Klosterman as a journalist and as pop culture critic.

Let it Blurt:The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, America's Greatest Rock Critic
By Jim Derogatis
For those of you who don't know Lester Bangs was one of America's great voices on music for the better part of two decades. His album review of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks is better than the actual album. He had legendary verbal sparring matches with Lou Reed, and wrote some of the erudite criticism of rock n' roll ever. He is the gold standard by which all other critics should be judged. He was also a fascinating person, addicted to cough syrup he was far from the typical narcotics user of his day. He would often call aspiring writers who wrote to him with a desire to be a rock critic at all hours of the night and discuss music with them and how to prefect their own craft. Bangs was raised a Jehovah's Witness and the strict religious indoctrination created a strange vision of the world, that permeated his writing. Its wonderful look a brilliant and flawed man, as well as one of the finest eras in music history.

Main Lines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste: A Lester Bangs Reader
By John Morthland

If by chance you read Let it Blurt this is a great follow up. It contains a lot of the famous essays as well as few of the short poems and lyrics Lester Bangs wrote over the course of his life. It can be a hard read, and really recommend reading the biography listed above first. It will however give you a great insight into why Bangs was so influential and should still be relevant today. I actually like this better than Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, which was a book that was supposed to be the compilation Bangs never actually wrote himself. Robert Christagua (Bang's self appointed successor as America's great rock voice) did a lot of the compilation here, and left out some of the most meaningful parts of Bangs prose and poetry, that help to show the complete artist that never was.

Wilco:Learning How to Die
By Greg Kot
I initially became interested in this book after reading the Klosterman profile of Jeff Tweedy in IV. I have always been drawn to singer/songwriters, and Tweedy seemed like someone I should know more about. This book was an excellent look at one of the greatest songwriters of my life time. The story of a mid-western band carving out a new sound that mixed Nirvana and Waylon Jennings. The drama of two school yard friends bonded by their exclusive love The Ramones and Sex Pistols in St Louis, and the jealousy induced unraveling of their friendship and first band Uncle Tupelo when on the verge of super-stardom. It shows Tweedy's innovation in using the Internet to reach fans, when his record company refused to release his artistic masterpiece Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The book cemented my already strong fan status of Wilco, and Tweedy. Its a great read for anyone interested in music, or celebrities with a brain.

The Partly Cloudy Patriot
By Sara Vowel
Sara Vowel is best known as the voice of Violet in Pixar's The Incredibles, or as a regular contributor to NPR's long running This American Life. If you have not read her, you are missing out. Especially if you are at the geek level I am at, and stop on the road side to read a plaque placed there to honor where Lewis and Clark stopped to shave and perhaps trap a possum for dinner. Sara is a patriot who loves her country's history in spite of all that she knows is wrong with it. Her essays are humorous and at times heart wrenching for those of us who were utterly pained to be living through the Bush years, but still loved our country with all of our hearts. This books tapped into the zeitgeist of what I was feeling for those 8 long years. She delivers wit and insight on a variety of topics. I don't want this book to come sounding like something only a liberal can enjoy, because its not. Its a book that anyone who loves their country, gets annoyed with its current state or past histories, and just owns up to their own geekiness.

The Omnivore's Dilemma
By Michael Pollan
In the Omnivore's Dilemma investigative journalist Michael Pollan traces four distinct food lines. A modern industrial food line starting at a cattle ranch and ending with a meal at McDonalds; beyond organic farm in Virgina that raises food the way food was raised 50 years ago; the organic food chain with places like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and even Wal -Mart; and a hunter gather meal made from a boar the author shot himself, mushrooms he gathered wild, and food raised in his own garden. The book is a hard look at where the food we eat every day comes from. How corn has become the grain that ultimately feeds us all, even though animals like cows and fish are not designed to eat corn and this creates some very sick animals. The Omnivore's Dilemma is a book that really challenges you to think and re-think about where your food is coming from. The book has inspired small changes at the Smith household, we use the Downtown Farmer's Market more, buy organic when we can, and I am even planning a day trip to a farm in Wyoming that raises food the same way the farmer in Virgina from the book does. Its a challenging book, that's a fine example of what good investigative journalism should be.

Roads
By Larry McMurtry
One of the greatest things I have ever done in my life was a two week road trip with my friend Brad Neve. We made no concrete plans, only to drive east and go "look for America." And America we did find. It showed me parts of the country I had never seen, and was the culmination of a life long love of staring out the window from a car a passing landscape. In Roads Larry McMurtry does much the same thing. He narrates his drives down some of America's great roads, and talks of his life as an author and bookseller. One of my favorite parts of the book comes when McMurtry is looking out the window of his hotel room at the Arkansas River and talks about the death of one of the minor characters in Lonesome Dove(McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize Winning Novel and one of my three favorite books). He writes of the sadness he had when this minor character died, and how often times while writing its the minor characters that you end up connecting with. McMurtry's own love of books is evident as he writes of the great travel books, and authors who dwelled in the places he passes through on his sojourn. I have yet to read a McMurtry book I have not loved, and this is no different.

I don't look a thing like Jesus, but I do look like Sid Vicious: Meditations on The Killers

2009-09-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick post about the second concert of the weekend Maggie and I attended.

-The Killers are an excellent live show, even if the acoustics suck at the E Center.
-Pyrotechnics and stage production are only good when adding to music and not distracting from it. The Killers did this well.
-A Mariachi Band is actually a pretty cool opening act, it does make you want to buy nachos though.
-A crappy Jack White wannabe is not a good opening act. They would have been better in a smaller club, but most likely still sucked.
-Getting out of a parking lot after a concert requires you to become a total jerk to the rest of populace.
-People in Escalades with theatre systems watching Futurama should chill the F out and let those of us struggling to make our Ipod FM Transmitters work, while rushing to meet friends afterward leave first. PS: Having a "Support our Troops Ribbon" on the back of your Escalade is like having a "Save Our Forests Bonfire." Idiot.
-Once again old friends are awesome to go shows with. Proving that Journalism really was the best class I ever took in high school, even I remember nothing it other than the Book of Kauer.
-Sprite is still the perfect post concert beverage.
-The Bayou is a perfect post concert meeting place.
-There is just not a Plothow I don't like.
-Brandon Flowers reminds me of early David Bowie meets Freddie Mercury meets Police era Sting.
-I was mistaken for Sid Vicious. I was wearing my Sid Vicious mugshot T-Shirt, and our server at the Bayou thought I had a picture of myself on my t-shirt. I thought this was awesome, Nancy...err...uh...Maggie thought this was scary.
-You have to be very aware of what the bussers are doing at The Bayou or else they will clear your Gumbo before you are done with it, and not allow you to use the piece of French Bread with which to wipe your bowl; this being good for the body and good for the soul.

Thoughts on Flogging Molly

2009-09-26T06:57:00.001-07:00

Friday night Maggie and I went to see Flogging Molly play at The Venue here in Salt Lake. We got in as guests of the band because one of my very first best friends from Kindergarten works for the band. I have not seen this friend in at least 20 years. I found him on facebook and we started to chat one day. I told him that I noticed in his status recently he saw Nathan Maxwell ,the bass player for Flogging Molly, solo act. I told him that Maggie and I also saw him perform. He then casually mentions "I work for his other band." I went on to tell him that Flogging Molly is easily one of my favorite bands, and is always in place to be my second favorite band of all time(second place being the most coveted, because The Beatles are number one. There is no way to best them). He offered to get me into the show for free...I accepted. Here are some thoughts and favorite moments.

-Story: Never judge a Zoobie by its cover. A Zoobie for all those who don't know is uber Mormon Utah County type. Maggie and I spotted this Zoobie looking couple at the concert, except he was wearing a Bouncing Souls t-shirt (one of Maggie's favorite bands). We figured they were here to chaperon a kid or something, and we had to investigate a Zoobie who was wearing a Bouncing Souls t-shirt. We talked with them before the show discovered they were from Orem, and that she got patches from every show because she was making a quilt. Once Flogging Molly started this couple that had escaped across Point of the Mountain for the evening went nuts. They were both in the most intense part of the mosh pit. He stripped his shirt to reveal a very intricate tattoo set. He was getting in a fight with security, and his wife shoved the guard to rescue him from thrown out. This taught me two things 1)Never assume someone is a Zoobie by their cover 2)You can still party hard after having kids...also if you two happen to stumble across this you are awesome and we want to be friends.

-Observation: If you have any stress a mosh pit is better than anything to get rid of it.

-Moment: Watching the group obviously from BYU looking shocked that someone would drop an "F-Bomb" on stage.

-Observation: DO NOT WEAR THE T-SHIRT OF THE BAND YOU ARE GOING TO SEE...don't be that guy, c'mon.

-Observation: Getting hit in the mouth, face, head, rest of body does not hurt if the music is loud enough

-Moment/Observation: I always love watching someone fall in a mosh pit, and then seeing the group stop to help the person up. Seeing compassion in a sea of seeming rage show to me that mosh pits represent the best in humanity. Its tribal.

-Moment: Maggie getting hit on by the cute 16 year old girl.

-Observation: Being soaked in sweat(yours and others peoples) is a pretty awesome feeling.

-Moment: The really old roadie with oxygen tank partying in the middle of the dance floor...rock on brotha.

-Observation: Sprite is the perfect post concert beverage(and I never drink Sprite other wise)

-Observation: Make a friend with me, you make a friend for life, and bonds formed over G.I. Joes, Ninja Turtles, Bravestar, and the Karate Kid are stronger than you could imagine.

Where Everybody Knew My Name: Part II the Hawk n' Dove

2009-09-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

When I was an intern Washington DC I had a unique experience. I was the first congressional intern to be sent from Dixie State College, and, unlike most interns, was not there as part of a school program. I had to find my own housing and ended up living alone. I had a studio apartment on Capitol Hill on the corner of Independence and Maryland. It was a short walk to my office on the House side of the hill in the Longworth House Office Building. I was however for the first time in my life with out any preexisting social network and totally alone. When I was in the MTC one of my best friends was there at the same time this provided some sense of home. When I went to the mission field I had the district I had just spent three weeks in confinement with. When I was inside the Belt-Way I was alone.

For the first three weeks I explored the city on my own. Maggie came to visit on two weekends, along with friends from California, and a former co-worker of mine who was visiting a girlfriend in Maryland where my only previously known contacts. I did have two friends who were also there for an internship he worked on the floor above me, but he was married and living in Virginia which made casual engagements harder to arrange. For the most part I was alone. I would leave work and explore a Smithsonian museum, walk the great monuments to democracy. I would take sojourns to Arlington National Cemetery stare into the eternal flame that reminded me of the New Frontier and the passing of the torch to a new generation of Americans .I read the words of a little brother who sought to end poverty, and walk the rows of crosses and contemplate sacrifices made by those who came before. It was a great time to find myself and realize what matters most to me. However, in a city that thrives on networking, I wanted human contact beyond my office walls.

This happened at the Hawk n' Dove. I fell in with a group of fellow interns working at various senate and house offices, research groups, lobby groups, and various government agencies. The Hawk n' Dove is the kind of bar I always pictured being in Washington DC. The place where the debate carried over from the cloak rooms, halls and floors of congress to the bar stools, pool tables, and dance floors of DC night life. There was always discussion of the day's events, the latest scandals, and what was happening in "our members" various committees. One of the rules of the Hawk n' Dove was that you never talked about who you worked for by name, per chance the opposition was listening in at the next table. You always used the words "my member" when discussing you day job. It created a wonderful sense of importance.

The bar was long and dark with pictures of politicos past, campaign bumper stickers from across the country (I contributed one from Zion I had, and one with Brain from Pinky and the Brain saying "Put A Brain in The White House" raising his hands in the famous Nixon peace signs) and neon sign informing patrons "Jack Lives Here." The floor was old hard wood that creaked when you walked on it, the walls brick and showing the age of the building. The TVs always had both the Yankees-Red Sox game and CNN (Fox or MSNBC depending on which party gained control of the remote that day). I always felt at home here.

When I was home watching one of my favorite episodes (Dead Irish Writers) of West Wing (which is the fictional world I spent most of the Bush years pretending I lived in). Toby (White House Communications Director) and Lord John Marbury left a White House black tie party to go to a bar and share a bottle of Lagavulin and discuss the president's work with Northern Ireland. They quote Yeats, O'Neil, and Joyce as they battle of policy. It reminded me of my time in DC, and as the camera drew back on the two statesman it clearly revealed the name of the location the two had chosen...Hawk n' Dove.

Broken Nose=Bad Ass

2009-09-16T14:26:00.001-07:00

Maggie: I am worried about our kids' noses.

Colt: We don't have kids, and the kids we don't have don't have noses. Do you mean you are worried because they are going to have hideous noses, because you think we both have hideous noses?

Maggie: No, that is not what meant.

Colt: Thanks for calling my nose hideous.

Maggie: I just can't picture my nose or your nose on a little baby.

Colt: My nose is over 20 years old, our kid will not have a 20 year old nose. Plus my nose got this big and crooked after it was broken a couple of times, same with my dad.

Maggie: So we just need to make our kids where helmets with face masks to protect their noses.

Colt: Naw, a broken nose adds character and several degrees of bad ass.

Maggie:...(blank stare)

Colt: Its true...it is.

It was around 15 Years Ago Today.

2009-09-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Maggie and I went to St George and then on to Las Vegas for a weekend of musicals, shopping (Brooks Brothers is doing well I am happy to report) and excellent restaurants. We got into St George late Thursday night and I was still wired from the energy drink I drove down on, so I stayed awake till 4AM watching VH1 Classic (See my running Facebook commentary for details on that.). VH1 Classic was promoting the new Beatles Rock Band Game with a series of specials about The Beatles. This got me thinking about my personal experience with the Fab Four and what drew me to The Beatles.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a house that really loved music despite the fact that none of us could play a thing or sing at all. I got kicked out of more choirs than I care to admit, and am still annoyed with Mr Lister to this day for pointing out my severe lack of talent. The very first artist that I remember requesting be played was Roy Orbison. I think I knew every lyric to every song of Roy's by the time I was 8 years old. This of course lead me to other artists like the Traveling Wilburys, Elton John (though that one took some time), Johnny Cash, and all the artists on the oldies rock station. This background set me up well to appreciate The Beatles.

The earliest memory I have of The Beatles is watching the Saturday morning cartoon on the Disney Channel and thinking it was hilarious. Second only to that was getting up very early in the morning and to watch the Disney Channel to find this very strange movie about this guy who had a ring on his finger that required him to be painted red and sacrificed. I remember telling my mother about how funny the ending where they dedicated the movie to it. My mother finished the line before the words were out of my mouth, and went to tell me that was one of her favorite movies when she was a kid.

I later remember asking for Beatles cassette tape for Christmas. In my family we were allowed to ask for 2 little presents and 1 big present for Christmas each year. I had grown concerned with my cassette collection not having enough real music and wanted to expand my musical horizons. Every teacher, classmate, family member, and even jolly old Saint Nick himself seemed puzzled beyond belief that a kid my age in the late 80s would be asking for a Beatles cassette to fit in his "My First Sony Walkman," but I did. It was one of my most cherished gifts that year. It was a greatest hits compilation and exposed me to an entire decade of Beatle Mania. I loved the song Paperback Writer and tried to get my peers to enjoy it on the same level. I became fascinated with the back story of each song, and pestered my mom for insight into the meanings of the lyrics. I pointed how the music was "about something" that it was important even though I could hardly articulate why. But to no avail, they remained unimpressed. My cousin was getting into R&B and Country; my friends were obsessed with Poison, or Kris Kross. This time was also important because I learned the music you hate, is almost as important as the music you like in defining yourself.

Years later after I had made the transition to CD from cassette and now had a grown up Sony Discman I began acquiring The Beatles catalog in earnest. I had also discovered artists that were more age appropriate Nirvana, Green Day, U2, Counting Crows, Sonic Youth etc, but I never lost my love for the group that turned me into a "serious music fan." One night my mother was going out with friends and I was bummed I was not included. I was going to have to stay home and amuse myself for a couple of hours. My mom promised that if I was good she would give something I had spent months trying to convince her I needed...Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. When it was time for her to go I raced to the car to get my reward that had been hidden in the glove compartment. She went out with friends and I popped on the head phones. I hardly noticed she was gone. I listened to the album over and over again. It was one of the most incredible experiences up to that point in my life. I raced home from school the next day to put the headphones on again. I again played the missionary trying to convert anyone who would listen that this was what great music should be like, but it was for the most part lost on my friends.

Around middle school ABC ran documentary called The Beatles Anthology that was going to run across several days and feature the first new Beatles songs in two decades. The hype for this was huge. TGIF (ABC's Friday Night line up at the time geared to people my age) switched all of the shows normal theme songs for Beatles songs; the ads ran non-stop. I knew this was important, so did my mom, because she let me stay up past my otherwise strict bed time. The first night coincided with the release of Volume 1 of the Beatles Anthology CDs, and the timing could not have been more perfect. I was flush with cash from my recent birthday, so I raced to the mall after school to purchase the double album. I came home and put on the Discman head phones and listened to the album for most of the night. I was able to do this in part because I had also purchased my first cappuccino and that much caffeine in kid that small and with that low a tolerance could have kept me wired for days.

I still love The Beatles, and I believe they opened my eyes to all of the music I have since come to love. I don't have to try as hard to convince my friends of their greatness, and I don't really care as much any more if they like them or not. I like them. They served as a meter for how well any girl and I would get along on a first date with the simple questions "Who is your favorite Beatle?" "What's your favorite Beatles Album/Song?" I could almost always tell if this relationship had a snowballs chance by the answers.

I danced to My Life at my wedding; I sang Fool on the Hill to myself on my mission when I felt dejected; I have strummed along to Blackbird, and listened to Eleanor Rigby when I was sad. The Beatles did what any great artist strives to do: inspire and trigger self awareness. They brought me out of my shell, aided in shaping my identity, made me think, and just taught me be happy.

Things Learned from Watching a Psych Marathon

2009-08-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

-That Cybil Shepard is still pretty hot
-That Wesley from the Princess Bride got kind of chunky, and plays an excellent master thief
-That kid who played Fulton in the Mighty Ducks turned into a psycho killer
-That I know, you know, I'm not telling the truth
-That Monk is its final season
-That I really miss the West Wing (Dule Hill, will always be Charlie to me)
-That being inside your apartment all day with the lights off, though cave like it may be, does not turn you into Batman...damn
-That I know, you know, they don't have a clue
-That showering is highly overrated, because Degree really does provide protection longer than the leading other brands
-That Monk is its final season
-That Pizza and Coke Zero are all you need to survive
-That Lassiter is the glue that holds the show together
-That maybe I should be a pretend psychic and solve mysteries
-That Corbin Bernson might be my real father
-That your worst inhibitions tend to psych you out in the end
-That Maggie going out of town kind of sucks
-That Monk is its final season

Now if you will excuse me I am going to shower, resurface, and go fight crime...or go to a movie one of the two.

Yoga Man Needs a Steak

2009-07-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Maggie: I did the yoga class today.

Colt: Oh yeah. How was it?

Maggie: It was good, I liked the new teacher. He was really good at helping me with my form.

Colt: It was a man?

Maggie: That's why I said "he." You would have hated him.

Colt: Why?

Maggie: He said things like "Point your heart towards the earth with this pose."

Colt: hmmm

Maggie:You would have ripped up his "Man Card" huh?

Colt: If any girl has drug her boyfriend/husband there before against his will...that "Man Card" is long gone.

*Please note that doing yoga or teaching does not result in automatic suspension of a "Man Card" but saying things like "let your inner self bond with the trees"(for example) will require action by a committee of men.

Literary Genius is

2009-07-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

By Colt

I recently did something that I have never done before on facebook. I requested someone that I have never met, or even have a loose connection to. I added one of my favorite authors. Its his actual facebook page, and not a fan page used to promote an upcoming book tour or article in some magazine I am never going to read. I was a little bit nervous at first that it was going to be a page set up by just another fan that was far from the truth, but after having befriended one of my personal library keystones for a couple of weeks I am convinced its really him.

This is not what this post is about. This recent "friending" got me thinking what would some of my favorite authors use as there status updates if they were alive and/or had a cable modem? Here are some of my musings

Ernest Hemmingway is on a boat

Jules Verene told you so.

Kurt Vonnegut is being monitored by the government through this thing.(He sounds a lot like Brad Plothow)

J.D. Salinger hopes you like this status update as much as the last one

Joseph Conrad is watching Apocalypse Now for the millionth time

Thomas Pynchon is taking his blog private.

Charles Dickens is mad as hell about something he heard on NPR this morning

Jane Austen wants to know who let Mary Shelley get a hold of Pride and Prejudice?

Percy Shelley is attending a rally to support Climate Control, and then off to see "Drag Me to Hell" with Mary.

Shakespeare is emailing Gwyneth Paltrow...again

George Orwell told you so

Harriett Beecher Stowe YES WE CAN!!!

F. Scott Fitzgerald remember when I posted an hour ago I was never drinking again? I may or may not be mixing Tanqueray with a Hi-C Ecto Cooler right now.

James Joyce Bicycle Pump. Gravel Road. Hard Luck Showers.

William Butler-Yeats is listening to the new U2 CD before heading out to dinner with BONO! So, freaking excited!!!

Henry David Thoreau is sitting under a tree (updated via BlackBerry)

Really?

2009-07-13T10:02:00.001-07:00

Maggie:There is a movie I really want to see.

Colt:Oh! That reminds me I just rented one from the library I have wanted to see for a couple of years now. It was a big Sundance hit I never got around to seeing

Maggie:What is it?

Colt:Brick.

Maggie: Never heard of it.

Colt: Yes you have, I told you about it when it came out. It has the kid from 3rd Rock From the Sun in it.

Maggie: Shut up...the movie I want to see has Joseph Gordon-Levitt in it too.

Colt: That's just beyond freaking weird.

Maggie:I know what are the odds we both want to see a movie with him in it.

Colt: What are the odds of someone knowing his name?

Where Everybody Knew My Name Part 1: Eden Music Paradise Lost

2009-07-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

By Colt

There have been many places that influenced the person that I have become today. I think that we all have restaurants, bars, stores, and friends houses that felt like home. Places that not only brought out different parts of our personalities, but helped shape and mold them. I am doing something new with the blog and I am writing a series of posts based around those places. It will be ongoing and in specific timeline. I am going to start with a place that I can never go back because it is gone. It was killed by Target, Best Buy and Itunes. It was Eden Music.

Eden Music was first located in a shopping center on Bluff Street in St George, it later moved to Tabernacle before ultimately becoming another victim of the St George population's love all things corporate. The first album I bought there was a used copy of House of Pain's debut album. This was because I had heard the song a lot on the radio, and watched the video on MTV. This was the main reason behind most the music I bought. I didn't really care where I got, I cared that it was used and therefore cheaper. As I grew older and started to care more about what I listened to Eden became more important.

It was run by someone who became my friend, Adam Mast. Adam took the time to get to know what I liked. He knew I liked movies and would always recommend the best stuff that was being made by independent film makers. He took the time to get know my musical tastes, and over time got to where I would by anything he suggested without listening to it first. He recommended albums that have become my some of my standard rotations on my Ipod. The Magic Numbers, Wilco, Eels, Uncle Tupelo, Super Fury Animals, Blanche, The Shins, and The Vandals are some of my favorite bands that I would never have heard of had I done my shopping at Best Buy. It was at Eden that I bought my first two Elvis Costello records(North and When I Was Cruel). It was at Eden I first heard American Idiot and thus started my belief that Green Day was one of the very very few transcendent bands of my generation. With out Eden Music and Adam I would most likely still be listening to what ever was on the radio, and would never have developed my vast appreciation for all types of music.

Eden was not just a place to buy music though, it was a place to chill and meet new people. You didn't have to buy anything to just hang out and talk music or movies. Who ever was hanging around the counter that day were your new friends. If I had an hour or two to kill before my shift at the Pizza Factory began, I just stopped into Eden till it was time to go.

When I came back to St George from Washington DC one of the first places I went was Eden and that is when Adam told me the store was closing. There was just no longer any room for the small independent music store in the crowded market. He told me that since he had decided to close up shop all of his regulars and stopped in to hear the news. I got in my truck and put the copy of Don McLean's American Pie and listened to those sad lyrics that perfectly fit the soundtrack of my life at that moment:

I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news but she just smiled and turned away I went down to the sacred store where I'd heard the music years before but the man there said the music wouldn't play ...the day the music died.

I have tried to find another place that fits me, and knows what I like. None of them have worked. I can't go to Best Buy and get a recommendation for a new band. I worked corporate retail sales I knew I was going try and sell you a Kenmore the minute you walked into Sears's Appliance section. I don't want to be sold on Katy Perry the moment I set foot in your area just because its whats being promoted this week. There is something just a little to 2001:A Space Odyssey about a Mac computer using Itunes to track my play history and recent downloads and then reading my mind to decide who else I would like. As a result I have had to try hard to find stuff I like. Getting recommendations from friends(who I trust) and listening to KUER(local NPR music station). When Eden closed its doors for the final time was the day the my music died.

Bored on the 4th of July?

2009-07-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

I wrote a list of Christmas movie favorites in 2008, and I think that a list of patriotic films would be a nice thing to post for those of someplace way to hot to spend the entire day BBQing and playing baseball.

Johnny Tremain

This is a classic Walt Disney live action film. It is also based on one of my favorite books, by Esther Forbes. It shows the story or a young silversmith apprentice in Boston during the days leading up to the British Army's march on Lexington and Concord where the "shot heard round the world" was fired that started the American Revolution. This film as a lot of heart and is a great way to get younger kids to understand the reason for the fireworks on the 4th day of July each year.

Ben and Me

This is another Disney film, though is in the vein of the classic animated short that brought Walt his initial success and fame. The story of a mouse, Amos, who lives with an unknown printer in Philadelphia. This mouse helps this humble printer named Ben to write some of his most important work, and invent his most famous inventions. He even takes a ride on a kite during a rather stormy day in eastern Pennsylvania. This cartoon is one of the first things I remember teaching me about Ben Franklin, our founding fathers, and founding rodents for that matter. This yet again another great film for younger kids, and younger hearts.

Saving Private Ryan

The opening scene of this film shows us an elderly grandfather figure walking with his family who obviously do not understand the how hallowed the ground they are walking on during their family vacation is. This is a commentary on how many of us do not understand the history that made us who we are today. The furtherance of the story shows us the sacrifice that one troop made to save one man and his family whom none of them know. This is an apt parallel to the sacrifices that so many men and women make in the armed forces for us who do they have never met.

Born on the 4th of July

Oliver Stone is possibly the only director who could have made a movie that both rips the United States Vietnam policy to shreds, and yet still make me love my country more by the end of it. I like this film because it shows that patriotism is not merely waving a flag, it is in the way we treat our veterans, and the way we challenge ourselves to think

The American President

The American President is your 4th of July love story. It asks what were to happen if our single president were to fall in love? Written by Aaron Sorkin ,who wrote my favorite show The West Wing, and directed by Carl Reiner it also attacks the politics of personal destruction. This film is great if for no other reason than the end speech where fictional President Andrew Sheppard defends his women, his liberal politics, and attacks "swift boat" style politics.

Forrest Gump

This one may seem a stretch for some, but for me this is a quintessential American story. It chronicles the latter half of 20th century through the eyes of a very simple man, who is often unaware of the importance of the events that transpire around him. *WARNING BUSH BASH FOLLOWING* This movie kind of reminds me of what George Bush would have been like if he had been poor and never met Carl Rove, and not Anakin Skywalkering it.

The Fog of War

This is a documentary and I wanted to put at least one on this list, and this is the one that I selected. It is essentially a conversation with Robert McNamara who was the Secretary of Defense for both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. The Vietnam War was often called "McNamara's War," because of his heavy influence in the most controversial military campaign in US history(up till the present). The conversation in this film has McNamara give us 11 life lessons he learned from being one the 1960s most controversial figures. This film is fits with the 4th because it shows us that though we have made many mistakes as a nation, we can forge ahead. It also reminds us that we can always change course.

Mr Smith Goes to Washington

I was done then I had to write this one last recommendation. With the last name Smith and dreams of going to serving in Congress this is one of my favorite movies. It shows the power that one man can have in the system. It is one Frank Capra's finest films, and Jimmy Stewart's best performances. It is hardly possible to have a movie make you feel prouder to be an American.

Clapton is God

2009-07-01T12:13:00.001-07:00

Its been said before, it will be said again...Clapton is God. I have been a Clapton fan for a long time. The first album I bought was a double disc CD of a live concert at the Royal Albert Hall. But, actually seeing the man live was truly a religious experience, and the saying that was first written on a London Underground wall in the mid 1960s was made manifest to me. To watch fingers slide up and down the neck of a black and white Fender-Stratocaster like no man could possibly do was one of the captivating events in my entire concert resume.

However, there were two sure fire signs that I have been reading way to much Chuck Klosterman. that I made two very strange off the wall observations. The first was that I spent a good portion of the night watching the crowd. I was shocked at who was really into this concert. It was not the aging "Baby Boomers" it was the 20 to 30 something "Hipsters" who were standing and cheering. One hipster , who came dressed as Elvis Costello circa the Armed Forces album, was dancing like blues infused Frankenstein most of the show. The hipsters love was not the shocking fact. The shocker was how sedate the Boomers were for most of the show. I would have expected this crowd to react similarly to other 50+ crowds I have seen at other shows, but they were all extremely mellow(and there was not contact high to be found). I think this lends greater credence to my argument that there is void of GREAT rock bands in my generation.

The second odd observation I had was Eric Clapton is still wearing a watch. I don't know many people who still wear a watch. I understand it is more convenient that a cell phone when you are on stage, but I would want as little weight as possible if my hand were sliding up and down the fret bars that fast. I think it lends to his classic stature though, as someone who is from a different time, a time when rock n' roll was relevant, and people knew there was a God on stage not keeping gays from getting married in California.

PS One more Klosterman like observation Eric Clapton looks a lot like House, and vice versa.

Green Day...Are They The Best of What There Is?

2009-06-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

by Colt

I am going to do my best Lester Bangs impression by making an argument that Green Day is the greatest band of my generation. I am not stating that Green Day is my favorite band or even the one I consider the best in any one category. But if we were to create an overall matrix of what makes a band greatest of their time. I feel like Green Day would have to rank on top.

First the criteria by which I judge a band. The standard that every band is judged against is The Beatles, and why is that? The answer is easy "Because they are the FREAKING BEATLES!" For purposes of this article however I will need to break The Beatles down into categories that made them THE FREAKING BEATLES.

-Commercial Success

The Beatles are the most successful rock band of all time. They had sold nearly 300 million units by 1969. They still hold the record for most Number One hits on the British pop charts (15). The Beatles and Elvis are the only two artists in history who have sold more than 1 billion units, this clearly puts them in a class all of their own.

Green Day sold roughly 40 million units as of press time on this article. Their current album 21st Century Breakdown is selling well and debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard Top 100 Chart. Green Day is obviously not in The Beatles league, but no one (besides Elvis) is. This means for my purpose is that a band has to be commercially viable to be in the discussion for greatest of an era. This point must be made in order to stifle the belief that a band must be small and a non-economic powerhouse to be a great band. That musical prowess is lost when a band hits the big time. I love indie/small rock, but greatness is measured in dollars as well influence. Because dollars show broad appeal, that the music has reached a cultural mainstream.

This does not mean that all music that sells is good; it just means that all music that sells does have some pop cultural significance. To deny that Miley Cyrus had no impact is ludicrous, to state her music is good insane.

-Contributions to Musical Culture

The Beatles here again would rank 1^st on contributions to rock and roll. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the single most influential album of all time. This was nothing we had ever heard before. I will further add that The Beatles 'B-Side' music is likewise influential. Songs like Helter Skelter paved the way for early punk rock. The use of feedback on albums like Rubber Soul and Revolver were an obvious influence on such icons as Led Zeplin and Aerosmith which later influenced all heavy metal even if Robert Plant plugs his ears and hums Kashmir every time someone says that. The Beatles influenced nearly every aspect of modern pop music either directly or indirectly.

This is where my Green Day argument becomes hard, not impossible, to prove. They are just now old enough to have younger generations of musicians site them as an influence or for us to hear it in new artists’ music. The problem is that with most new artists what we hear when they site influences is still The Beatles or if you are appealing to hipster audiences Iggy Pop and the Stooges. I have to predict into the future that albums like American Idiot and Insomniac will be influences for future artists.

Personally, Dookie was one of the very first albums I ever bought; the video for Basket Case was one of 3 videos I remember loving in middle school. The other two were both Nirvana and Heart Shaped Box both excited and terrified me.

-Growth

The Beatles continued to grow along with their audience. The same crowd that teenie-bopped to I Wanna Hold Hand and Love me Do later considered the complexities of the ever changing world they were about to inherit to Let it Be and Revolution. This growth showed that the band not only had substance and creativity, but the ability to stay together.

Green Day has also done this with their two latest offerings they have shown that as band they have moved beyond the sounds of Dookie and Nimrod that fit the way I felt at those times. Much the same way Hey Jude and All You Need is Love were the soundtrack for '60s high schoolers, Time of Your Life will forever be played at my high school reunions. Now Green Day's two latest CDs fit the mood of my mid and late 20s. They match the anger felt at the Bush Administration, and a world we did not create, but our now destined to inherit from our Flower Child Parents. These two new anthems echo the voice of my generation the way that Green Day always has from the first time When I Come Around said to the world how I tried to find myself during puberty.

-Breaking New Ground Musically and Socially

The Beatles and Bob Dylan created the “thinking rock song.” Pop songs were no longer just about holding hands with a girl, a fast car, the beach, or summer vacation. Songs became about real issues and the times in which they lived in. The Beatles were also the first rock band to have a profound effect on the political climate as well as the musical scene. In 1967 when they sang "All You Need is Love" which spawned the "Summer of Love" a critical point in the 1960s and the hippie movement.

This is where I believe Green Day has separated from the pack. The album American Idiot was is masterpiece (I will add the 21^st Century Breakdown is almost as good if not better). It merged politics and music in a way not seen in rock during my adult life time. It also served as stirring anthem for the dramatic shift left among the nation's youth today. I am not saying that college and high school kids worked and voted for Obama in 2008 solely because of Green Day, but the fact that best selling album was an obvious attack on the Bush Doctrine, and that it was widely played in both 2004 and 2008’s elections is highly telling of the band’s influence. No other band of my era has had this great an effect on politics.

I know what some of you are thinking "Colt...you are a moron...U2?" So this next part will show how I eliminated the competition.

U2-Too Old, Boy came out the year before I was born, and I was 6 when The Joshua Tree came out. Plus (put down the pitch fork) I don't know how much they have influenced other musicians.

Red Hot Chili Peppers-Have not had enough social impact. Unless wearing nothing but a tube sock is akin to John Lennon's "Bed In."

Foo Fighters-Dave Grohl is a genius, and a member of two bands that are with out a doubt in the top ten of great bands of my lifetime. However, Grohl is the drummer for Nirvana and that will always define him. Plus, how much social impact do we have from the Foo Fighters?

Nirvana-Here is the band that could have been number one. And if I wanted to go the easy route I would have placed them there, but they released 5 albums including the MTV Unplugged Live Concert Appearance. The did destroy Glam Metal and most forms of heavy metal other than Metallica, but their impact is tainted as are all deaths by celebrities who go too young, not unlike how Buddy Holley has gained mythic status 50 years after his death with present day emo kids who claim he invented their glasses wearing whine rock (you are all wrong and need to be stopped. By the way also we are taking Weezer back they were here before you so they are still ours).

Weezer- A lack of Commercial success, broad appeal, and consistency keep Weezer from topping the list (which I did not discuss, but is vitally important to any bands long term impact).

There are many other bands that could enter into this discussion, but this is where I am stating my position for now. I also wonder if this does not show the weakness that modern mega-music companies have created in our once loved hard rocking country. The debate still rages on Beatles v. Stones, Sex Pistols v. Ramones, Zeplin v. Who, but I am left with Green Day v. ????. There is no clear cut rock rivalry, and this may be the greatest telling sign of rock in my generation. I am always open for a debate, so please feel free to comment, concern, and complain.

Movies to Make You Get Off the Couch

2009-04-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

I have been trying hard to get in better shape lately. Its hard because watching TV and eating pure garbage is much more fun, and easier. The way I combat this is by watching movies that make me want to get up off of my ever growing posterior and go the gym. In the spirit of making us all healthier I share these works of film motivation.

Sports Century Montage

Around the turn of the millennium ESPN did a countdown of the greatest sports icons of the 20th century. As part of that countdown the created this montage of the greatest moments of sports. I loved watching and it was one of the first things I ever looked for on YouTube. If you don't love sports this montage shows you why you should. It encapsulates all of the drama and the importance that sport brought to a century. It reminds us of the moments when Jesse Owens and Joe Lewis had two halves of our divided United States cheering together. It shows us Jackie Robinson taking the field even before Rosa Parks took her seat. It shows us the Olympic hockey team creating a miracle on ice, Joe Dimaggio, Muhammed Ali, John McEnroe and Michael Jordan. If you watch only one of my suggested motivational clips this is the one to watch, if does not motivate you to work out it will at a minimum make you cheer.

SportsCentuary -Simply Great.

Rocky IV

I could have easily selected any of the Rocky Series for this article, but Rocky IV has the best training montage in my opinion. I know there is no Mickey, and no raw egg eating, but there is a big Russian and lots of snow. Watching Rocky climb a mountain in knee deep snow, after doing pull ups in a Siberian barn contrasted by Dolph Lundgrin (Ivan Drago) working out in the sterile environment of the Soviet Union's training compound all set to John Cafferty's inspiring anthem "Heats On Fire" just motivates the crap out of me. If you are a man and you watch this and you don't feel like pulling an ox-cart of Russian peasants up a mountain or at a minimum going for a brisk run in the park, check downstairs something might be missing.

ROCKY IV-Training Montage

Hoosiers

This film about a small town Indiana basketball team taking on impossible odds to compete for the state championship, plus Gene Hackman receiving a second chance on life reminds all of us who are former athletes(or just were once in better shape) that we can get a second chance on our own lives. Besides warming your heart this movie should motivate you to go run some ladders on your nearest basketball court.

Hoosiers- Brings a tear to your eye

Any Given Sunday

This is a very complex movie. I think its one of Oliver Stone's better films, and one that gets little recognition. It shows a much more raw unsavory side of pro football, but also humanizes superstars. It shows that football is sport of gladiators who actually do love their team and the game they play.

Everyone who views this film will be able to find a piece of themselves in one of the members of the fictional Miami Sharks football team. It might be the young unknown becoming superstar played by Jamie Fox that reminds those of just starting out that we don't know everything, and that we are building on what those who came before us have already created. It might be LL CoolJ's running back who reminds us of the risks we no longer take, Lawernce Taylor's linebacker who is proving his worth, or Dennis Quaid who just wants take his team down the field.

Al Pacino plays the head coach of this team out of control. He is a drunk that nobody loves, but who has a deep passion for the game of football some where in his messed up life. This is one of my favorite Pacino roles and his speech at the end should awaken all of us to "...fight for those inches around us..." by going to the gym. Warning this is Pacino and Oliver Stone so its a little(a lot) crude.

Any Given Sunday-Pacino's great speech(this section is not super crude, but does have a naughty word or two)

Rudy

For all of us who had to work hard for something we were not meant to have, Rudy is the movie for us. If you have not seen this movie there is a spot in your heart that has been reserved for watching a hobbit trying to play for Notre Dame(of course lately Frodo could may have helped the O-Line or at the least given the QB the ring so he could hide). If watching Rudy does not fire you up to go run under a set of stadium bleachers and relive your own dreams of glory, almost nothing will.

Rudy- A tribute video to movie about Rudy...its okay

Lucky Shirt

2009-04-17T21:45:00.001-07:00

My mother is staying with us this weekend, and I had a load of shirts in the dryer that needed to be put away. The only one I cared about was my Yankee jersey that needed to be hung up in the closet in the room where my mom was sleeping. I hung it up and put it in Maggie's closet.

Colt:I am just going to hang this in your closet tonight, so if anyone looks in there they will think you are sporty.

Maggie: Why would anyone look in my closet? And what they will think is that I no longer care about color coordination, you jersey is with all of my pink shirts. Can you put it with the colors it belongs with?

Colt:Its fine.

Maggie: It feels out of place.

Colt: Its a boys sports jersey among a group of girls pink shirts...its having the time of its life.

Maggie: My shirts aren't like that.

Colt: Yes they are.

Maggie: You don't know.

Colt: I had a sports coat in there for three months, you think I didn't hear stories?

Maggie: You're freaking crazy.

Wii Fit Can Eat my Shorts

2009-04-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to try the Wii Fit the other night. I have put on a little weight, and have been working out and eating better to try and get down to where I was when I came home from my mission. I climbed on the Wii Fit Balance Bored for my initial weigh in , and when the Wii Fit finished it said in a cute mocking little voice "That's Obese" then I swear to everything I heard it laugh. I then be screamed at the top of my lungs "ITS YOUR FAULT YOU ELECTRONIC BASTARD!!!" I was just called fat by a video game, one of the very things that lead to my newly developed big bones. Anyway the moral of the story is my Wii Fit and I not speaking, and the balance board is being used for Shawn White Snowboarding Road Trip.

Pokes

2009-04-10T10:18:00.001-07:00

This conversation took place on the drive to St George last night as Maggie was playing on her phone, names have been changed to protect the innocent.

C: Mary never became my friend on facebook, so I couldn't poke her.

M:I don't like the way that sounds

C: Its okay you know Mary. We were going to poke each other because we have no idea what that function means.

M: Quaid just poked actually

C: and see thats okay because he's gay.

M: I was just poked by a gay man...and I have no idea what it means.

Connected

2009-04-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of weeks I have been biking the 8 miles from my apartment to work. I have had to get up a little bit earlier and pack the stuff I will need for the next day the night before. I have had to eat wiser during the day because a heavy lunch sits like a stone on the ride home. I have been snowed on, rained on, nearly hit by several kamikaze UTA busses, and I almost run over one homeless man sleeping in the bike lane.

I have gained several things from this new experience. I have more energy at work, and sleep better at night,. I have really enjoyed the smug feeling of being better than other people because I am part of the solution as opposed to those of you who are part of the problem.

More than that I have enjoyed feeling connected to my new home. I have been living in Salt Lake for over a year now, and it has never felt real. When I was in DC for under a year I felt at home. I felt like I was a part of that city. I went to events, met new people there, felt like I belonged there. I never felt “at home” while I was on my mission in Oakland, California, because as much as I strived to, its hard to feel a part of place when you are living with a 9:30 curfew, no dating, no going out, and a having to stand behind the car to back up (what city wants a geek like that anyway?). A mission was a different experience, and not one that can easily compare to living in a new place as part of normal society.

I have done many of the same things in Salt Lake that I did in DC, with out the same results. I have been to museums, attended the Utah Symphony, gone to plays, made new friends, and I have even become an avid skier. All of these did not ever make me feel like I knew Salt Lake or that I was a part of the Wasatch Front Tapestry. I am from St George. I am a Southern Utahan who likes his rocks red, and his homes to be all white stucco. That changed when commuted to bike.

When I started biking I was no longer trapped in my car as just another UDOT stat on I-80 West Bound. I was on the ground level of the city. I rode through the downtown with its high rise office buildings. I biked down South Temple past my future residence, the Governor’s Mansion. I pedal past Temple Square and the Capitol Building. I also see my fellow Salt City residents sleeping on sidewalks, or waiting for a Bus or Trax train to stop. They are no longer moving pictures framed by a car window, they are all real now.

I think one of the reasons I felt so connected to Washington DC in such a short time is I have always wanted to be there, but I also walked to work every morning from my studio on Constitution to my office in the Longworth Building on Independence. I had to bump into my fellow interns, along with reporters, representatives, and various office staff. I had to feel connected because I was. Riding my bike to work has done the same: it has connected me to my home of Salt Lake.

Lamest Blog Ever

2009-02-18T10:14:00.000-08:00

Ok I think we may win the lamest blog ever award. We haven't blogged in way too long. It is not that we haven't been doing anything. We have had lot of fun things to report trips to St George, dinner with friends in fact several different friends trying to see all the movies nominated for best picture. The Superbowl party were Colt and I frightened the baby (no not ours) with our screams of delight as Pittsburgh became Sixburgh (a reference to the fact that we have 6 Superbowl rings for you non-footballers oh and that is more that anyone other team has)! And we haven't been blogging b/c we haven't had any funny or random thoughts that our blog readers would enjoy. I guess we are just in a blog funk. I know I blog less now that my schedule has changed with my new job. It just seems hard to find the time. I don't know what Colt's excuse is. So rest assured that this will pass and I'm sure one of us will come up with something to share with you all in the near future. That being said keep writing on your blogs I hate it when the blogs I love to read don't write anything for a long time!

Gran Torino

2009-01-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

I decided to brush off some of my Pine View High School newspaper skills and write a review of a film we saw last weekend in St George. I am a huge Clint Eastwood fan and so I dragged my wife and mother to see Clint's latest movie Gran Torino.

To fully appreciate Gran Torino one must realize that this may be the third time Clint has saved the western. I know what you are saying, "I thought this was a movie about an old guy not wanting people on his lawn in Michigan." On the surface it is, but deeper this film is really a western set in the current day.

I say that this is the third time we have seen Eastwood revive the western because at its heart Gran Torino is a western. The very name Gran Torino, although referring to a classic car in this case, could easily fall in line with film titles like Rio Bravo. This movie could well have been made as a Sergio Leone western. If you had substituted the Hmong gang for a pack of Mexican Bandits or renegade Apaches, made Walt Kowalski (Eastwood's character) a civil war veteran haunted by his past and having a hard time adapting to the current world he now lives in the story line would make an excellent cowboy movie.

In the 1970’s when the western was lagging in popularity, it was Eastwood who rode to the rescue wi th the film The Outlaw Josie Wales. In the early 90’s when critics had declared the western dead Clint gave us Unforgiven. Recently Brokeback Mountain accomplished what no film had done before. It reshaped what an audience sees when they look at a cinematic cowboy. It deconstructed our classic idea of film cowboys that in large part was shaped by actors and directors like Eastwood.

Gran Torino reminds me of westerns and revives the Hollywood tough guy. Eastwood's Walt Kowalski is Bill Munny (Unforgiven) or Josey Wales (The Outlaw Josey Wales). He is a character pushed beyond his limits in a world he no longer knows. He may not be likable or do the right thing, but he will destory those who cross him or someone he cares about. Justice will be served. Gran Torino reminds us of those western movie heroes.

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

WOOHOO WE ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was thinking it was time for another ring 5 just isn't enough! It's funny I grew up in Pittsburgh but didn't get into the Steelers spirit until I married a Bears fan from Utah. Now I get really excited and I am working on my trash talk. I think trash talking may be my favorite part about being a football fan and rooting for the Steelers makes it easy. When you root for the best team you always have something to say! GO STEELERS!!!!

A Suprise Christmas Guest

2008-12-26T22:49:00.000-08:00

I am really sleepy so I don't want to write too much or it won't make sense when I go back to read it tomorrow. I just wanted to give our Christmas a little shout out, because it was amazing. This is due to my mother in law and husband. When we found out on Christmas eve that my little bro, Scott, was going to be all alone for Christmas Jodie immediately went on the computer and bought him a flight to get here in time for dinner! Then she went with Colt and they ran to the store on Christmas eve to buy stuff for him to open the next day. He was so surprised and excited to be invited to come and then to have a nice pile of gifts waiting for him Christmas morning and Christmas jammies that evening.

I was not able to go on the shopping trip for Scott because I was preparing my family's traditional Swedish Christmas eve dinner. My family has really extensive Christmas eve traditions. This was my first time preparing the meal all by myself. I am so in awe of my Mom that she does this every year! All of the food turned out good. I do have some areas I would like to improve on. My bread didn't rise enough. I was feeling bad about this and then I spoke with my Mom who said that her bread didn't rise well this year either. It is just such a dense bread! A lot of the food we make is rather temperamental. Scott said the food tasted like Mom's and that is the highest praise I could get.

My family flies into Utah tomorrow for a week of skiing and I can't wait to see them! I hope everyone had a Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas. Our was wonderful thank you to everyone who made it so special for me.

Fondue Festivus

2008-12-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

Okay if you are not on my Faceboook account you may not have heard that Festivus is tonight! This has been an annual tradition for a long time. It will have Fondue, Feats of Strength, Airing of Grievances....and MORE!

The Party Begins at 5:30 and runs till when ever I get tired or 11ish which ever occurs first. The location is my Mom's house so call or comment if you need me to email you directions.

A New Year Coming and a New Start!

2008-12-16T09:17:00.001-08:00

Well many of you already know that I am leaving my job at the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Those of you who didn't know you do now. I am looking forward to the new year and a semi-new job. I have been doing freelance interpreting off and on since I certified but now that will be my job. I am so excited to get to use my interpreting skills everyday. I am really hoping this will help my skills and my confidence as an interpreter continue to grow! I was nervous to make this change but Colt has been very supportive and encouraging, so has my family and fellow interpreter friends. Thank you for all of your advice and support in this decision. I know it will be a good one!

The Tim Tam Slam!!!!!!!!

2008-12-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

Delicious Tim Tams

Ah the Tim Tam slam where to begin. This tasty treat was taught to me by my research methods professor. It is an Australian treat that is being sold in America by Pepperidge Farms at Target but only through the Holiday season. The cookie itself is yummy chocolate wafers with a chocolate or caramel center (depending on which you get) and a nice chocolate coating. Yummy right? Well wait till you try the slam. This can be done with hot chocolate of coffee depending on your preference.

1.bite off a small corner of the cookie

2. take a small bite off the kitty corner

3. place one corner of the cookie in you hot beverage

4. drink through the other corner of the cookie (like a straw) for 3 seconds or until you are getting the drink in your mouth

5. pop the cookie in your mouth

6. enjoy the melty chocolatey goodness that is the Tim Tam Slam!

If you would like to learn more about the Tim Tam you can read up here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tam

Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh

2008-12-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

I keep waiting for Colt to write about our great trip to Pittsburgh, but I think he wants me to. It has been a while since I contributed to our blog. We went to my home for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful.

Wednesday was our first day in town. After a red eye we got in and did some movie shopping with Jonny (my awesome lil bro). We found great deals at Hollywood Video! Then Colt and I headed over to see Karen. I was so excited to finally meet her baby! She is beautiful. We went to a great little Italian place by Karen and Tony's house. The food was delicious the company even better.

Madelyn was fascinated with Colt (I can't blame her)

Thursday Colt went to the Turkey Bowl. It has been happening every year in my ward and no one in my family has ever gone. Colt had a great time and he was able to get his football fix in. He was quite muddy and will bring his cleats next time. I got to spend the morning with my dear friend Marion. Colt was playing football with her husband Dave and all the other guys I grew up with. It was fun to see the Chrises reunited too! Oh and there were more doughnuts there than you can imagine so Colt got to get some good cop practice in with eating them.

Mom with the yummy turkey

Back at the house we cleaned up and were so excited at the arrival of my cousin Britta and her family. Her husband Tom and Colt were excited to have someone they could talk football with and they are both Alton Brown fans. Their daughter Ella is so adorable. The table was full that night. With 8 in my family (including spouses/in-laws), Britta and family (3), Amalie, Suzanne, missionaries (2), and family from church (Stephanie, Eric and Hazel). The food was amazing I love my mom's stuffing. Ruth does too I think that is what we pigged out on the most. There was a 26lbs turkey and all of the other favorites too. For dessert we had the most amazing array of pies. Stephanie is an amazing pie maker and many references to The Waitress and to Pushing Daisies were made. After dinner Alan played Christmas carols with the help of 2 year old Ella. We all sang there was also the appearance of a ukulele, guitar, bongos (and other drums), tambourines, and shakers.

Alan and Ella playing together

The rest of the trip flew by too fast. A night with my Schenley High School friends. Going to the Frick mansion and trying to distract Ella from touching anything. Running with my Dad. Movies with Amy and gorgeous earrings along with other assorted gifts, shopping with Ruth and a manventure that consisted of way too many french fries. For you Pittsburghers apparently Jonny did not explain the proportions of french fries at the O in a way that Alan and Colt understood. Colt got a medium!!! To those of you who don't understand they way I explain is the O fries is that a small is bigger than a biggie size fry. After cross country I use to share a medium with 3 friends and be full.

Ella and me with styling hat!

The flight home. The part were it would have turned really ugly. We were suppose to get home at 10:30 pm on Sunday. We got in about 5 pm on Monday. I had 2 presentation that I missed on Monday one of which was worth 10% of my grade. But I was able to make them up. We stayed the night in an amazing hotel in Phoenix with a great breakfast and we got food vouchers for lunch at the airport. Best of all we got to see Tyson who is one of Colt's best friends. They have known each other since 6th grade.

Over all it was a trip to be thankful for. Thankful for an amazing family, wonderful friends, good food, each other (if I haven't said it enough I am so thankful for my husband), the fact that our checked luggage made it to Salt Lake. All in all it was amazing!!!!

Holiday Film Fest!

2008-12-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is Christmas movies. For your contemplation I am going to post some of my favorites. I promise that there is an update coming on all of the many wonderful things Maggie and I have been up to including Cracking Nuts, Aquabats, DJ Lance Rock, and our many other adventures.

Christmas In Connecticut

This is a 1945 classic comedy about a Martha Stewart (Barbara Stanwyck) of the 1940s. It is one my essentials that I do not currently have in my collection. It can be a little difficult to find as I experienced this past weekend, but it is sure worth the effort, or you could just make it easy on yourself and go to Amazon.Com.

Christmas Vacation

This is usually the first film I watch over the holiday season. I am a huge fan of Chevy Chase and think that his classic dry delivery and excellent timing lead to Christmas classic that reminds of how frustrating the holidays can be for all of us, but still reminding us that it could be worse, we could be the Griswolds.

The Ref

A Christmas Movie for those that hate Christmas. I do not hate Christmas in fact I was part of movement to celebrate it twice a month when I was in high school. This movie is about thief, played by Rescue Me's Dennis Leary, who takes a dysfunctional family hostage. Kevin Spacey has some fantastic lines, along with a great supporting cast (Christine Baranksky, and Judy Davis). This film is another one that you have to be in the right cynical mindset to enjoy, and leave the kiddies in their beds when you watch this yule-tide treat.

Its a Wonderful Life

What can I write about a film that not only works as a great Christmas message, one that we should carry with us all the year round. None of us know what impact we have on others, and how much we all depend on one another. This movie isn't as much about George Baily as it is about the rest of Bedford Falls, and our communities that each of us is vital. What would the town have been if there were no Donna Reed or George Baily Sr. or Mr. Potter(well not Mr. Potter)?

A Christmas Story

I still remember my Red Rider BB Gun Christmas, and I still have both of my eyes!

Holiday Inn

This is my Christmas Eve tradition. After dinner I watch Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby try to out sing, dance and woo Marjorie Reynolds the whole year round ending with Bing singing White Christmas for the very first time. I then head for Midnight Mass. This movie did every thing right, and for those of you who are fans of the film White Christmas I recommend Holiday Inn. I am not a huge fan of White Christmas. I feel that White Christmas did little more than add color and Danny Kaye to a maxed out version of Holiday Inn as an excuse to reuse Irving Berlin's classic song.

The Muppet's Christmas Carol

I am a huge Michael Caine fan! I also will argue till the bitter end that he was far and away the best Ebenezer Scrooge ever! He may not have been in the same serious style of Christmas Carol that George C. Scott was or even Albert Finney, but is spot on and the man is playing opposite of elaborate sock puppets! Give the man a Best Actor Oscar already. (Please note that Michael Caine is my second favorite British actor coming behind Peter O'Toole; who would also be an excellent Scrooge given the chance.)

Mickey's Christmas Carol

As good as Michael Caine was, Scrooge McDuck was literally born to play that role. Plus this may be the only Tiny Tim that doesn't annoy me, and then make me feel guilty for being annoyed.

West Wing: In Excelsis Deo

I know this isn't movie, and I really could list every West Wing Christmas episode (the one where Josh can't hear the music*sniff*). This one however takes the fruit cake for superb writing and making me feel the Christmas spirit. The story of Toby and the homeless soldier, and Mrs. Landingham missing her boys at the holidays(I am getting a little fuhklept thinking about it...talk amongst yourselves I will give you a topic a Mistletoe is neither a Missile or a toe...discuss.)

It's Charlie Brown Christmas

I have always loved this movie from the time I was a kid. I now really love the Vince Guaraldi west coast jazz soundtrack. This was a landmark animated feature. Before this time children were never used as actual voice actors in a cartoon. At that time rock and roll was used in most kids productions (picture School House Rock) that tended to turn off adults from watching cartoons. This production used a jazz piano as its main soundtrack, and from the very beginning drew in both children and adults alike, much of which is credited to its innovative soundtrack.

This is not a complete list there are many other films that I consider essential to the holidays Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, The Christmas Toy, that episode of MASH where Radar O'Reiley gets Winchester's toboggan hat sent to him from his mother; Winchester has given all that expensive stuff to the orphanage(fuhklept again), How the Grinch Stole Christmas(Boris Karloff is amazing) Elf, The Weird Claymation Ones, and many many others. If you have suggestions please let me know, and enjoy your egg nogg.

A Funny Thing happened on the Way to the Wood Shop

2008-11-24T05:33:00.000-08:00

I had my practical scenarios on building clearing. Building clearing is when police enter a building to ensure that no one is inside. This could happen because an alarm goes off, or someone notices a broken window and wants the building to be secure before entering. I can not disclose any details of the scenarios for fear that a cadet who has not yet gone through this portion of the academy will read it and have an advantage. I will just tell you some non-specifics of the evenings.

First off you get shot at during these scenarios with something called Simunition. Simunition is a modified 9mm cartridge that is fired out of modified Glock 17. The round recoils and fires much the same as a normal lethal round would. It explodes on its target with a water-soluble detergent(so your clothes don't get messed up by paint) tip. They hurt and leave red welts on your body that make your wife want to mother your wounds, and you to say things like "It ain't nuthin babe, just leave it alone." This type of training has several benefits. It creates stress and allows you to see how your body will react under stress, it creates a painful memory of how you screwed up and not to do that again, it also allows you to experience a gun fight with out a trip to the ER or writing a long report. We did our training at Joel P Jensen Middle School in rooms like the wood shop; that room just sounds scary doesn't it?

Simunition Gun looks real, only blue

Simuntion round. The pink stuff is the soap. Brass stuff is the loud stuff.

Friday I had both work and school off. I finished my Christmas shopping for Maggie and most everyone else on my list. I had to go the Library to return season one of the Sopranos and check if season two had arrived (it had not). I got there before it opened so I went to kill time at Barnes and Noble.

I made several small gift purchases there and as I was leaving noticed three ladies with a table of gift wrap. They were volunteering for a local animal advocacy group to wrap your presents for a donation. I hate wrapping and further more use enough paper to deforest Guam when I attempt conceal holiday gifts, so this was a good deal. One problem, I am extremely picky about the paper that I choose to put under my tree. It needs to shiny (preferably foil) so that the light reflected from the tree lights is maximized to fullest degree. This enhances the holiday spirit for all those observe our wonderful Costco tree that will not be allowed to be erected or lit until after Thanksgiving. I told the ladies I would love to let them do one of my most hated holiday chores, but I thought there paper was ugly, and explained my Yule Tide Light Reflection Theory (Shiny Paper X Tiny Lights squared = Holiday Enjoyment or S(T2)=H). They laughed and thought I was cute and charming as many middle aged charity involved women do. I went about my shopping, but then I got an idea! An awful idea! The Colt got a WONDERFUL AWFUL IDEA! I went to purchase my own shiny paper and then would take all of my gifts to be wrapped for the cost of a donation. The volunteers were extremely helpful and asked many questions about Sparky, why I was giving certain things to certain people etc. I am now done with my shopping and wrapping before Thanksgiving!

That night Maggie and I got SugarHouse BBQ and watched one of my favorite movies that Maggie had never seen the Maltese Falcon. Saturday Maggie worked a few hours and attended some BYU vampire movie with bad lighting (Twilight). I went to class for more scenarios one of which was really funny, but I can't put it in writing so please ask me about sometime. That night we went to see Westminster's production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." I have mentioned before that I am a big Steven Sondheim fan; which is as big a fan as I am of musical theatre...which isn't much. I decided however that Sondheim is more light opera than Broadway musical theatre and therefore more a kin to Gilbert and Sullivan (which somehow makes me like it more). The production was very well done. We both really enjoyed it. The other good news is of course the result of the Holy War. Utah won and is going to a BCS bowl.

Comedy Tonight!

Sunday we went to church I had to stay for Elder's Quorum meetings. I then went home and watched football. The Bears won against one of the worst teams in the NFL so that was good as well. We then headed up to Elton's for Sunday dinner. Which was very entertaining complete with a fashion show and my learning of the existence of Hobbit Town.

In Other News

2008-11-19T05:25:00.000-08:00

This past week was for the most part relatively uneventful. I actually had three nights off from class, but Maggie had to work on two out of those three nights so I finished the final season of Six Feet Under on DVD, and I have to say that its series finale was possibly the best I have ever seen. I also managed to finish season one of the Sopranos on DVD. I am a huge fan of mob movies. The Godfather really can teach you some of the most important lessons of life (my wife and I had our first dance as a married couple to the Godfather Waltz. How freaking cool is my wife? Pretty cool I know.) and Goodfellows? Fa get about it! I started the Sopranos before I went on my mission during the first season's run on HBO, but when I came home it was on its third season and I was too far behind to catch up. This was one sacrifice that I placed on the mission altar that I have now taken back thanks to the miracle of DVD, and the large collection at the Salt Lake City Public Library.

"So there's no frigin ziti."

"Six Feet Under RIP 2001-2005"

Friday night we went to dinner with our friends Liz and Robert at Maggie's former stomping ground the Old Spaghetti Factory. She was really excited to see the changes including new Italian soda glasses, menus in plastic (not just paper ones covered in dried spaghetti sauce...very la ti da), and former specials now as regular entree options. I had crab stuffed ravioli in a creamy pesto sauce. Maggie had mushroom and mizithra. We then tried to go see Quantum of Solace, but would be unable to get in a show until well after ten. Instead we went back to our place to watch a film. It was Robert's birthday so he got to choose (this is a good thing, because it meant I was assured to not have to watch anything where Meg Ryan or Reese Witherspoon falls in love.) He selected Open Range (Kevin Costner should be allowed to make two types of movies westerns and baseball, and that's it). I am a big fan of the western genre so this was more than an acceptable choice. Maggie ,who is not the biggest western fan in the world, even enjoyed the movie. In her defense most of the western I have exposed her to are the Man With No Name series, and other Clint Eastwood or Sergio Leone films that could be considered an acquired taste. She did love Lonesome Dove, but how could you not?

Saturday I went to scenarios in the morning and I am happy to report I did not get shot. I then went to a shotgun familiarization course in the afternoon. This was a lot of fun. I have always liked shooting shotguns more than any other firearm, and after shooting some of the triple-ought buck shot and big slugs I made the decision that I want to find a way to carry my shot gun on my duty belt. That night we went to the Plothow's for dinner. We picked up baked beans from Sugarhouse BBQ and Apple Beer from Costco as our contributions to the last BBQ of the season. Brad cooked up some awesome burgers, and Steph made a fantastic pumpkin pie. We watched Get Smart, which I really liked. I was worried because I loved the old TV show on Nick at Night, and this movie got such terrible reviews. I thought it was funny, and Steve Carell was a great Max Smart.

Sunday we went to church, and came home so I could watch the Bears lose to Green Bay, even with Kyle Orton behind center (it was so much easier when I could overlook poor defensive play and the lack of solid running game and blame everything on Rex Grossman). We had a pizza and watched one of my favorite Mark Wahlberg movies, and went to bed. The upcoming should prove to be exciting with my having courses on building clearing at a middle school with Simmunition this could result in welts and interesting stories. More on that in my posting, or the posting after that depending on if I get inspired to write some more odd ramblings.

Family Isn't It About Distance?

2008-11-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

Family Isn't It About Distance?

This past week I was very excited that my cousin Brady was coming home from his mission in North Carolina. I was going to try and go see him on his layover at the Salt Lake City Airport, but those plans fell through when the mission home would not let me talk(on his last day in the field...give me a break) to him arrange plans. This was still okay because Maggie and I were planning on heading south Saturday after I got out of class around five. We would be there in time for his homecoming Sunday.

I was extremely excited for his homecoming. Brady is the first of my cousins to serve a mission. I have known him his whole life and feel like he and his siblings are the closest things I will ever have to little brothers and sister. I have been really proud of him for the past two years, and enjoyed reliving my glory days in Oakland through his letters and emails.

Maggie picked me up after my scenario training at the academy. We then headed south to St George. The drive was long, but Maggie and I had a good conversation. We listened to a lot Jimmy Buffett, Grateful Dead, and a little AC/DC when I was getting sleepy (Back in Black always wakes me up). We went to see my cousin's now finished and open salon. We then went home and celebrated Judy's birthday. We also learned that somehow Sparky has learned how to work my mother as well as I do, and is now able to sleep inside as long as he stays on his bed. Which he does...most of the time.

Sunday morning Maggie got up and went for her run, while I got up and watched the NFL pre-game show on ESPN (ahhh cable...just hook it to my vein). I was nervous about the day to say the least. My cousin and her boyfriend were coming, and her boyfriend is far from welcome by her mother and other members of my extended family. I was nervous this would erupt in grand show of Sims Family melt down. Once ready Maggie and I left to pick up my cousin Ceira who recently moved home to St George. It was so good to see her again. She has become such a wonderful young woman and I know how proud her late father and grandmother would be of her. After I took us to the wrong church on Snow Canyon Parkway in Ivins (seriously can't we just build bigger churches instead of ones on every street corner?) we arrived at Brady's homecoming.

It was so good to see some of my family and friends I have not seen in long time. Uncle John's Family, Steve and Jill, the Madsens and Sprages. It was also great to see my cousins who I have not seen in several months. Of course it was great to see Brady home from to two years of service. I was just a little annoyed that he came home skinny however and I came home heavier even after getting sick. His talk was excellent he has really improved over the two years. His little brother was one of the youth speakers and he also did an excellent job. I still had a few notes for both them(mostly about eye contact or building the emotion...there are so few us who can wow a room like Obama), but I was overall very impressed.

*NOTE* AT THIS POINT DIRTY LAUNDRY MAY BE AIRED, EMOTIONS WILL BE WRITTEN AND I MAY SOUND LESS JOYFUL THAN NORMAL. THIS (AND BUBBLE WRAP) WILL BE MY THERAPY. IF THIS CONCERNS YOU DO NOT READ ON, BUT WHO ARE WE KIDDING WITH AN INTRO LIKE THAT HOW COULD YOU NOT?

I went to say hello to my great aunts and my Aunt Becky only to met with a somewhat icy reception. Becky refused to acknowledge my existence. Her husband was warm and still offered me his hand once again validating my belief that he was a "good guy." This hostility mostly stems from my mother's decision to to allow Sariann's (Becky's daughter) boyfriend Mike back into our lives after he has made several stupid choices. This following in the grand tradition of those who made bad choices in our family, but were still welcome at every holiday or family event with open arms Sariann's companion will not be afforded the same grace.

Once back at the Ences' home I was good. I hung out with my cousins and old family friends. The great aunts however decided to let it out on my mother, and tell her what a terrible daughter she was to my now departed grandmother. This after my mother was trying to get to the bottom of why this year they decided to not exchange gifts with the rest of the family. I was to say the least pissed at this. What really annoyed me however was the way they made Maggie feel. Maggie has totally stayed above the fray with all of my family drama, she stayed neutral and loving to everyone in the family. During the fights after grandma's death she would be the first to leave the room and comfort the crying daughter which ever one the other two were mad at. She only got see the remnants of how close my family once was, and this was the first time she felt pushed her aside and made to feel unwanted. This made me mad. I can handle someone being mad at me, and my mother is more able to cause ire in someone, but Maggie had done nothing wrong.

I am not sure where to go from here. I felt awful that the whole drive home, and I never thought that Salt Lake's freezing cold temperatures could feel warm compared to cold hearts in St George. I didn't feel clean until I was in smoggy air of Salt Lake. Its hard to feel this way about the Aunt who taught me to foxtrot, the one who gave me my first haircut, or shares my love for Sinatra and mob movies, but I do. These were the people who hugged my when my father died, and came to my school plays, and now family almost makes the Corleons look functional ("Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.") I recently read an article that was in The Daily Spectrum years ago written by Mary Phoenix and Clark Hafen that talked about the Pymm family and how close we were, and how we were always there to support one another, my how times have changed. It is truly a testament to how strong my grandmother really was to be able to reign in all of the insanity the boiled under the surface. I am about to enter a dangerous and dirty profession, and feel terrified that if the worst should happen, my family would not be there for my loved ones.

"Don't ever go against the family Fredo."

The only hope I see is that all of the cousins in my generation get along really well. To explain it in Star Wars we would be the Luke and Leia to the Anakin and emperor( I know they weren't really related, but there was family feel to it). We all love each other, we are proud of each other's accomplishments, and enjoy seeing each other, and I believe this will continue in spite of the ice formed between the previous generations.

I Got Just What I Wanted for my Birthday...A NEW President!

2008-11-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

I have been delaying writing my blog because I have not downloaded any pictures. I decided that I better just write the thing and add pictures latter if I can. I will start by writing about the election. November 4th was my birthday. Maggie worked very hard to make the day special for me and truly succeeded. That morning I had an interview with a Salt Lake City Homicide Detective about my background and suitability to become a police officer; the detective came to my home. The interview went really well I think. The fun part for me was that I was watching one of my favorite shows Homicide:Life on the Street while waiting for the "murder police" to arrive at my door.

We then opened my birthday gifts. Maggie gave me a new ski coat, and a movie I wanted starring her favorite actor Mark Wahlberg. My mother gave me the complete Young Indiana Jones on DVD, and copy of Indiana Jones' Lost Journal. Judy gave me Terms of Endearment on DVD (NOTE: This may sound out of character for me, but it is part of my goal to own every Academy Best Picture and it is based off of a book by one of my favorite authors Larry McMurtry). There were also cards from friends and family with cash that allows me to shop for something fun. So thank you to all of you I have not thanked.

Next we went to Gateway Mall to look for something fun for me to spend my birthday money on. Maggie ended up with new running attire (which she totally earned by doing her five miles in pouring rain one day, and falling snow the next). I got a Bobby Flay cookbook. We went to the Broadway and watched the new Oliver Stone movie W. We both felt that it was an appropriate way to say goodbye to the past eight long years. The movie was good with great performances, but it was defiantly directed by Oliver Stone with lots of strange stuff. I would recommend getting the Red Box DVD.

I went to class that night and learned about accident investigation, but was mostly concentrating on my mothers text messages...we got Pennsylvania...OMG AZ too close to call...waiting on Florida, damn Florida. I normally love class, but I flew out of there like Seabiscuit when we were done. I got home in time to watch Ohio called, and the rest of the election.

I can say I have not felt like this in a long time. I was so impressed with John McCain's concession speech. He sounded like the man I have admired for years again. I hope that this speech is how we remember John McCain, and not for some the past two years pandering. When Obama took the stage and began to speak I could not contain my emotions (something that for those of you who know me, know is something I do well). I cried, and I am only a little ashamed of it. I felt hope and excitement. I partially wondered if this speech really was that good or if after having W. for president for eight years the bar was so low on what a president should sound I could not tell the difference. I however am sure it really was that good. My friend Holly came over and ate birthday cake and celebrated change with us.

Over the weekend we went to Park City Saturday night to see some friends of mine and mother's that we have not seen years. We spent most of Saturday night talking with them drinking tea and eating pie. It was good to reconnect with old friends and for Maggie to make some new ones. Sunday we had dinner at the Elton's, I correctly guessed both dinner and dessert this week in Maggie and I's weekly guessing game "What's for Sunday Dinner?" We ended the night playing Mario Kart on the Wii.

On Halloween Maggie and I went to the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Tower Theatre. The Rocky Horror Picture show is yet another event that everyone needs to do at least once in there lifetime. If you don't know what happens the movie is played on the screen while people act out the parts in front of the screen. The audience participates by throwing rice during the wedding scene, yelling lines back at the screen, dancing the Time Warp in the aisles. Our friend Qualye(there is no way I am spelling that correct, but its pronounced qu-a-lee) played Rocky and got us the hook up for some sweet tickets. I didn't do anything spectacular other than put on the Elvis costume, and Maggie revived her costume from last year which was a black slip covered in the words Id, Super Ego, and Ego...do you get it? She was a Freudian Slip. Its very clever. We then went home watched my Halloween tradition Young Frankenstein.

Fruitcakes in Las Vegas or The Year of We're Still Here

2008-10-29T05:24:00.000-07:00

This past week has been we have been anticipating for quite sometime. Maggie, My Mom, her friend Cindy, Brad Neve and his wife Mandy and I went to Vegas and saw Jimmy Buffett. Friday Maggie drove to St. George to go with my mom and Cindy to see the Elton John's Red Piano show at Ceaser's Palace. I was really envious. I have seen Elton before when he was touring with Billy Joel, but I have really wanted to see the Red Piano. I had to stay in Salt Lake because Friday night I had my Defensive Tactics Final Exam(Butt Kicking 101). I did really well scoring 185 out of a possible 188(Walker Texas Ranger's got nothing...just kidding Chuck Norris please don't hurt me.) Saturday Morning I had to shoot so I was flying to Vegas that afternoon and would meet up with the motley crew to go see Jimmy. This is where the story gets interesting. ..

Maggie, Mom and Cindy at Red Piano

Maggie at the pre-Buffett Street Fair

I flew to Las Vegas dressed in my white sequined Elvis jumpsuit. For those of you unfamiliar with what it means to be a true Jimmy Buffett fan this might sound strange. When one attends a Jimmy concert, one goes in costume: be it tropical, pirate or any Jimmy song related attire. I have seen people dressed as tequila bottles, boats, and blenders. Jimmy is a good ole' Mississippi boy as was "The King." Also one of my favorite Jimmy songs was on the album Take the Weather with You and was entitled Elvis Presley Blues. That is what made my choice to go as Elvis all to appropriate(not that appropriate matters at a Jimmy show.) I came home from the firing range showered(I was really paranoid that all of the gun powder residue would set off bomb sniffing dogs.) Dressed as Elvis and waited for Dale to come take me the airport. I was more than a little worried that this would result in my ending up on watch lists that might keep me from ever flying the friendly skies again. However, people loved it. In the terminal people were trying to sneak photos with their camera phones. When I got on the plane one of the flight attendants said "They are already asking if they can take pictures with you." I asked who was. The flight attendant answered "They entire flight crew." I then learned that Vince Vaughn was on my flight and that none of the the crew had asked for his picture, but me they all wanted one with.

When I got off the plane in Las Vegas I had a line of people wanting to get photos with me. I of coursed obliged them all. It was AWESOME. I have come to the conclusion that doing something just a little bit crazy from time to time is the best way of never truly growing up, after that flight I was probably 15 again. Brad and Cindy picked me up at the airport. Brad was in an Elvis costume he had made himself that was pretty sweet if I say so myself. We met up at our favorite Vegas hotel South Point(Affordable Luxury is what they do best). My mom and Cindy were in tropical attire with hats Cindy made featuring Margarita glasses and "lost shakers of salt", Maggie was dressed in her pirate best, and Mandy was dressed as a sailor. Once we got the MGM Grand for the show people started chanting "ELVIS, ELVIS, ELVIS" as we entered the concert area. We again were in about a dozen pictures with people. One inebriated parrot head remarked "whoa two Elvises!" I responded "hey, pal you've been drinking way too much there is only one of me."

Pirate Maggie, King Colt, Sailor Mandy, and Hunka-Hunka Burning Brad

Holy Rock n' Roll Batman...2 Elvi

Two kings with Pirate kicker

Once the show started we did not sit down(We did sit down for the God's Own Drunk, but that's a really long slow song). Jimmy also did an updated version of Fruitcakes that talked about being screwed by oil tycoons. Maggie cheered extra loud ,on behalf of her Deadhead Dad, during Jimmy's cover of Scarlet Begonias. Jimmy also told a great story about wanting to do a show for the US Navy's Pacific fleet. The admiral is a parrot head and wanted Jimmy to show when the USS Harry Truman was docked in Dubai. The problem was that Jimmy had to fly home for his son's soccer game on the day the ship was set to anchored. The admiral then asked "Well Jimmy when do you want the boat to be there?" Jimmy said "Hell, I guess they work for me." Jimmy then showed a video of concert for the sailors while playing the song Son of Sailor.

Parrot Heads waiting for the show

Here we are somewhere southeast of disorder

I was totally struck with why I love this Jimmy's music so much. For those of you only know Margaritaville and 5 o'clock Somewhere you don't really know Jimmy. The songs known to parrot heads are the ones that really give incite as to why this 60 year old can sell out shows in 20 minutes all over the world. It is totally about having adventures, and giving yourself a life well lived.

After the show we went to Johnny Rocket's so I could get apple pie with melted cheese on top...yum the king would be proud.

Us pretending were normal before we all head home

We headed to St George Sunday after breakfast at the Cheesecake Factory, and a little stroll through the forum shops at Cesar's Palace. It was great to be able to spend a little extra time with Brad and Mandy who we just don't get to see enough. Maggie and I got our hair done that night Sariann's new shop Sinful Pleasures. I hung out in the hammock with Sparky for a little while before going to bed. We hit the road at 4am the next morning so Maggie to be to class by 10. She slept in the backseat while I rocked out to Jimmy on my Ipod.

Things I Miss About Cable

2008-10-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

Maggie and I had pretty slow week with little excitement. We did go to dinner with the Plothows Saturday night at Johnny Carinos. The food was good, the wait was awful, the company was excellent. We then watched "The Others." I enjoyed it, and was able to cross another movie off of my "List of Films to See when I Get Home from Mission." I am still working through this list; in large part because a good portion of these films were recommended by sisters, and I have no desire to Kate and Leopold.

I have however been mulling over some of the things I miss most about cable TV. Here in no particular order are my most missed things about cable TV.

Sports Center

It may sound strange, but when ever I was feeling low on those two years of service to God when I was without even broadcast television all I had to do sing "Da-Na-Na-nanana"(guys know how the tune goes) and I felt better. While I miss Sports Center the most, it is really representative of all of the fine programming at ESPN: Baseball Tonight, NFL Live, Monday Night Football, PTI, and even to a lesser extent Around the Horn.

Alton Brown

I am a foodie. I love to cook, and I love to eat. Alton Brown's Food Network show Good Eats taught me how to do both better. I miss being able to know how the denaturing of protein strands in eggs will improve the texture of my next omelet.

The CNN Crawl

I miss being informed on all of the useless crap that is happening somewhere to someone, but more than that I miss reading it at the bottom of the screen while remaining oblivious to the news broadcast with pictures and live video filling the majority of my television. Reading the crawl was like reading the newspaper headlines, only I was watching TV so I looked, and felt, much lazier.

The Daily Show

One of the few newsmen I really trusted is lost to me now that I live in a land of broadcast television. He asked the questions you really wanted asked, and actually held people accountable for what they said. The sole consolation I have is that the Bush Administration is ending, and so are the Daily Show writer's days of being able to phone it in and still produce an amazing show...unless Palin is elected VP then a whole new era of comedy begins.

The History Channel

I still have PBS which is a great source of documentaries and high culture, but during the afternoon when I want to learn about Hitler's obsession with Little Debbi Snack Cakes, or what a true marvel of engineering the battery operated pruning shears are. PBS can only offer me children's programming. I have developed a renewed respect for Sesame Street in my 20s, but alas even Grover can not fulfill my need to watch 10 hours of programming on the men who tamed the island of Guam at 2 o'clock(in the afternoon or the morning).

Sinatra, Lies,and Oinks

2008-10-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

This past week was quite an eventful one for Maggie and I. It started with my mother coming to Salt Lake to attend the Utah Treasure's Academy, at the University of Utah's Sandy Campus which is near where I attend the police academy. She arrived on Sunday and joined us for our weekly Sunday Dinner at the Elton's home. The highlight of that evening was watching Kathy trying to introduce her dog Frito to the Pedi-Paws; a device that resembles a rotor-tiller, and is supposed to make it easier to clip your dogs nails...I am sure the infomercial made it sound like this would work.

The rest of the week was pretty standard we went to dinner with my mother after I got out class a couple of times, and I got to watch Monday Night Football at her hotel. This is exciting for me because we have not had cable ,hence no ESPN, since we moved to Salt Lake. I was not sure I would be able live with out Sports Center, but somehow against all odds I have endured. I also had a class from one of my favorite academy teachers Captain Kenny Payne from the Davis County Sheriff's Department. It was a class in Death Investigations so it had lots of gory autopsy and crime scene photos that would make normal people cringe, but being a cop wannabe; I was captivated. The best story of the night(this might be a little gruesome for some, others will laugh) was the story of a plane crash that scattered body parts across the county, a policeman trying to recover these parts comes across two kids trying to steal a ring they found on a missing arm. Capt. Payne said "I know what your thinking...Armed Robbery." Cheesy? A little. Did I laugh? Uproariously.

Thursday we went to the Hale Street Theatre to see a performance of Into the Woods. I am a big Steven Sondheim fan(as much as a fan of musical theatre I am...which isn't much). The performance was good, and the theatre had great special effects. I must say that Dixie High School did a better job, but they had Justin Hansen as their musical director so you would have expect that.

Friday I went to visit the Psychiatrist. I have to as part of the application process for Salt Lake City's Police Department. I was very disappointed I wore my inkblot tie, and was fully prepared to talk about what animal I would be and why(a platypus, because they are kind of like the X-Men of the animal kingdom). It was just a normal little interview, with boring questions. Oh, well Maggie is in an abnormal psych class maybe she will ask me "What historical figure I most envision my father as?"(Thomas Hart Benton, because the shrink will have no idea who that is...He was a Missouri statesman nicknamed "Old Bullion.")

That Afternoon we went the Red Iguana for lunch. I had puerco pibil; one of my favorite Mexican dishes. Maggie and my mother both had mango enchiladas. I drank my weight in horchata. Maggie had a Jarritos Naranja(orange soda), and Mom had a margarita. I then went to POST where that night instead of our normal PT we ran the South Jordan Race For the Cure. It was a lot of fun to run in race for a change, and I was pretty happy about my time. I had wanted to Race for the Cure with Maggie last spring, but had class that day and was unable to do so. That made being able to run this fall particularly nice.

I have my eyes closed to show the excellence of the food;

Maggie is much more interested than I in the camera at this point

Maggie, Mom, and Jose Cuervo

Saturday I went to the shooting range to qualify for the first time(I did so). I then came home went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory(I had Wasabi Crusted Ahi-Tuna YUM, Maggie had a killer Mac-n-Cheese, Mom had Shepard's Pie.) We then went to a performance of the Rat Pack at Kingsbury Hall. It was great. I am a huge Sinatra fan as almost anyone who knows me well knows. I went clad in my Stetson Fedora, top coat and all. I was debating going in my tux to complete the Rat Pack uniform, but decided it was just a little over the top. We had a few extra tickets so we invited Hillary and Shawn, and Holly. They were seated behind us. I was talking over my shoulder to Holly and was telling her about my upcoming CVSA(Computerized Voice Stress Analyzer) Test(Lie detector). The man sitting next to her leans over and says "I am sorry I didn't mean to over hear, but where are you doing this test?" I answered "Salt Lake City P.D." He then replied "I'll see ya Tuesday." It turns out he is a detective working in the office that will be giving me my truth test.

Me doing my best to look like Frank. Ring-a-Ding-Ding!

Holly, Maggie, Colt/Frank, Shawn and Hillary

Sunday we went to church and then had breakfast before my Mom headed home to see her lonely dog(remember when he was our lonely dog? Not so much anymore). I watched my Bears do everything in their power to loose a game they had won. Then off to beef stew at the Elton's.

Monday Maggie got to come to POST with me for a class in Mental Conditioning for Combat(is that not the freaking sweetest title for class ever?) The class went over some the bad things that can happen to you in the line of duty and what a spouse can do to be supportive. It also talked about how to prepare your mind for what to do when bad stuff goes down. Maggie enjoyed the class,(as much as one can about when hearing of the perils of your loved one's impending job) but after having been in class all day herself at Westminster she was ready to be done listening to people.

Tuesday I went in for my CVSA at 7AM. The guy at I met at the Rat Pack walked into the darkened lobby and greeted me with"What's up buddy, come on I'll take you upstairs." He took me up the detective's division and toured me around a little. I went into the homicide division where he worked and where I would be tested. It was awesome. It looked and felt like I was in one of my favorite cops shows ever "Homicide:Life on the Streets." Cases on a board, discussion about the first 48 hours, talk about who would get the next call, it was great. I felt like Frank Pembleton(Andre Braugher's character from Homicide) would walk around the corner at any moment. The CVSAs were double booked, so I had to come back that afternoon. I went home Maggie went for a run, I folded laundry, and then we went to traffic court.

Frank Pembleton from Homicide:Life on the Streets(Note: He has the same gun I do. Pretty sweet I know)

Maggie was given two parking tickets for having an expired registration on her car even though we she had the temporary one in her rear window. I told her to fight it, and was trying to be supportive. This was hard because she called me and yelled "This is why people HATE cops!" I started to say something when she OINKED at me. It was pretty funny. When we got to court the clerk made us pull the car up to show her where the registration was, and then dropped the tickets.

I then went back to the police station for my CVSA. I must say it is one of the most stressful things I have ever done. The detective did a great job of putting me at ease and trying get me through the interview. It was hard, but I got through it. I joked that having spent most of my previous years in politics it is sometimes hard to tell the truth for that long.

Whiskey for my Men, and Beer for My Bloggers

2008-10-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Maggie, my Mom and I went to the Toby Keith concert at USANA amphitheatre. IT was AWESOME!! During the day Saturday Maggie and my mother went shopping for Maggie to get a new western outfit. She got a great new cowboy hat, and a cowgirl shirt that she looks great in. I went to class where we did scenarios and shooting.

This was Maggie's second country concert (Willie Nelson was her first she went to last year) that she can remember. She has been to a few folk-country shows before not many pure country shows. She got dressed up and was pretty excited. I was stoked because I have not worn my Bailey(cowboy hat) or boots in a long time.

That night we went to concert and really enjoyed all of the opening acts. Trailer Choir which is one of the smaller bands on Toby's label was really good. I would recommend anyone who is a country music fan to check them out. Then Montgomery Gentry performed. I have never been a big Montgomery Gentry fan until I saw them live. They put on a great show. I knew a few of their songs, more than I thought I would, but I just learned the chorus quickly for the ones I didn't.

Montgomery-Gentry Rockin' It

When Toby came out it was awesome. Our seats were five rows from the front of the stage, and the pyrotechnics were awesome. The stage was set up to look like the grill of a Ford 150 pickup truck(Ford was the sponsor for the tour). It was the last night of the tour and the show was just awesome. Maggie said she was surprised at how many Toby songs she knew, and was able to sing a long with. I went nuts during "Beer for My Horses" (with all of COP wannabe spirit). One of the more fun moments of the show was when Toby started giving toasts. He started by toasting the firefighters really loud cheers from everywhere(everybody loves firefighters...darn firefighters), then he toasted "Police, Sheriffs, Highway Patrol, FBI and everybody else keeping us safe." 60% cheers 40% boos....darn firefighters. I have to say that Toby put on one of the best shows I have ever seen, and I have seen some great shows.

Toby wearing his Bailey, playing his patriotic guitar while singing "The Angry American"

Maggie and Me in front of the stage

Mom, Maggie and Me

Maggie showing off her new boots

Die Hard

2008-09-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Yippee-Kay-Yay COLT!!!

This past Saturday I tested with the West Jordan Police Department. West Jordan would be a great place to work they have the highest starting pay of any department in the state, and its a pretty good department to boot. I went to the PT and prepared for the first set of challenges

Part 1: Vehicle Accident

Pick up a 75 lbs. barbell and run 25 feet with it.

Grab a robe attached to a 120 lbs crate and drag it 30 feet.

Push a pick up truck 30 feet. All under 30 seconds.

No Problem!

Part 2: Rescue

Exit the patrol car sprint to vehicle remove 190 lbs. dummy and drag said dummy to safety.

No Problem!

Part 3: Obstacle Course

Run to a six foot fence and climb it

Run to flight of stairs and do 3 times up down to simulate running up 6 flights of stairs(Remember this part for later).

Sprint the next station and run 400 meter sprint(track flash back).

Jump over a ditch

Sprint through a series of cones in a zig-zag pattern

Jump a 4 1/2 ft fence

Wrestle a 190 lbs dummy(same one you just rescued), flip and handcuff.

So as I began my sprint I cleared the 6 foot fence just fine, but when it came to the stairs I slipped 200 pounds of Colt went one way, my arm went the other. This completely dislocated my shoulder. This is where I look good though. I stood up told my proctor I was fine and proceeded to finish the obstacle course. My fellow cadets were in total awe one even remarked "I could barely do the dummy with of my good hands after that thing...that was awesome!" I definitely felt like John McClane after that! One other person applying came to me and said "Your Batman, aren't you?" then I went to ER. Once there they x-rayed me, gave me some wicked pain medication, knocked me out(where once knocked out I apparently was talking a lot about DUI law...weird), and finally put my shoulder back where it belonged. I am still in a sling for this week and will most likely be there at least one more.

That night Maggie and I went the Utah Symphony with Dale and Kathy. It was the opener for Keith Lockheart's final season conducting the Utah Symphony. The Ode to Joy sounded wonderful and we had a great time. I was on a high dose of prescribed Loritab so I was pretty happy anyway.

Hopefully Maggie can help fill the rest of the details on this weekend, and there should be some pictures coming in a couple of days, and maybe even the x-rays!

Want me to interpret that??

2008-09-11T07:38:00.001-07:00

I just got the letter on Saturday and it is official I am a certified American Sign Language interpreter in Utah. I am a novice level certified (sorry for using certified again I just can't stop I'm so excited) interpreter. It makes all that time away from Colt when I was in the program and we were long distance finally worth it. It also means I didn't waste two years of my life Hooray for that!

People keep asking me what that means. Well let's start with the obvious it means I can get paid to work as an interpreter (which is AWESOME). It also means I have 3 years to pass the intermediate test. If I don't pass in that time I loose it all (that part is scary). So think happy thoughts as I prepare to test again. I am working with wonderful mentors who I know will be a big help to me.

Most of all I'm just super Super SUPER excited. I can't wait to get involved with more interpreting and learn more. I know this is an amazing opportunity and I am so grateful for it. I am also so grateful to all my friends and family who have been so supportive and encouraging to me through this process!

Finally some pictures!!!

2008-09-01T21:20:00.001-07:00

We have finally posted pictures for July and August so if you want to scroll back you take a look at some of the fun things we have been doing! There are some good ones.

Say goodbye

2008-09-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

I had to say goodbye to a dear friend this past week. My friend Ashley got a new job and left me. It was wonderful having a friend at work. It meant always knowing someone would be happy to see you and be there for you on a bad day. Ashley got an awesome job as an interpreter and her college degree will be paid for! I am so proud of her. I went shopping for her goodbye gift from the office. Normally we get a cake and then a little gift. We decided to get Ashley an awesome gift, because she deserves it and well I know how to shop for her. We still get a little treat for the office to share. The majority of the pooled money was spent on an awesome gift. We got her a cute brown purse, a scarf, lip gloss, sunglasses, snickers (her favorite candy), and hand lotion. I'm sad but I know we are buddies for life no matter where we work. I love you Ashley!

I think she likes it!

Checking out all the goodies

Back to School

2008-08-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

School started again for both of us. Monday for Colt who will have a crazy schedule. Monday- Friday nights and Saturday's from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm. Saturday may finish sooner some weeks. He will also be taking an online math class through the University of Utah.

I started back on Wednesday. I have to take a research methods class. My awesome friend Quayle is in that class and I know he is going to be what keeps me sane this semester! All of my professors seem great. I am really excited about my contemporary issues class. I think it is going to be a lot of fun!

Missing the MAGIC already

2008-08-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

I love Disneyland!!! Colt and I got back a couple weeks ago from an awesome trip with Jodie and my little brother Jonny. It was so fun to share the magic with him! We headed out the day before we were scheduled to arrive and spent the night in Prim, NV. The next morning we headed to Knotts Berry Farm for an awesome chicken dinner and a day of roller coasters. Brad and Mandi met up with us. It was so fun doing all the rides. It was my first trip to KBF. They had the coolest thing where they film you riding the roller coasters and then you can buy it instead of a picture. It was so funny to watch. I mean you could really see the panic on Mandi's face when we rode Ghostrider! I really recommend the front of that ride. The back really beats you hard core!

Water ride at Knotts Berry. Got WET!

The next day was pure MAGIC we went in the main gates so Jonny could experience that. If fact we barely rode the monorail at all this trip. The first ride was Space Mountain and after that Jonny was hooked. He loved Disneyland. He got to be the driver the first time he rode on Indy!!

He stalled on the bridge

He loved the Tikki room (I read this post to Jonny for his approval and he I did not feel I accurately conveyed the love he has for the tikki room)! We all pigged out at the restaurants. Brad and Mandy joined us for a day in the park so Jonny and Mandy could try to make the 1313 bobsled team. It was a close call but they did get admitted to the team in the end. Welcome I am honored to have such fine bobsledders on the team. They both had great enthusiasm I know they will an asset.

Team 1313 minus our awesome Manger (Jodie)

The fireworks were amazing as usual. Even Jonny loved them and he is normally not a fan of fireworks. Disney just does it right! On the last day Jonny and I managed to get our group to be the first in line for Indy it was awesome. We had to take out a couple of little kids but they had it coming I mean lets be honest they were big cheaters. So we won hahaha!

We met a bunch of characters! We had fun at the character breakfast and everyone we met around the park.

Meeting Mickey!

We were made Honorary Citizens of Disneyland (Quite the honor)

We tried to pose like fat humans from Wall-E!

The rest of Jonny's visit was spent being lazy, swimming, and watching West Wing and the Olympics. Jonny flew out of Las Vegas so we all went down for the day. We really chowed down at Margaritaville. The manger didn't think we could handle 3 appetizers and entrees boy was he surprised. I think the stomach stretching in Disneyland helped! We did some shopping but it was just so hot we were ready for a break from the sun. We decided to hit up a movie and on the way got distracted with more shopping. We never did find the movie theater. We went to Johnny Rockets to eat before Jonny flew home. He got a milkshake to drink and apple pie for his dessert (Man I love that kid). The apple pie was awesome Colt got his with cheddar cheese melted on top. Sounds weird but I recommend trying it.

Margaritaville with the manger who doubted us

I was sad to see Jonny go but I was so happy I got to spend so much time with him. It is fun to see a little sibling grow up into really cool people that you love hanging out with! I was also happy I got to share Disneyland with him. It was become something I really love ever since my first trip. It was great to share that with someone in my family!

Birthday Girl

2008-08-28T17:33:00.001-07:00

Lovely isn't it. It was my birthday on the 22nd. As you can see I got all dolled up for the day. My awesome friend Ashley that I worked (sniff sniff) with got me the best crown with gorgeous earrings and a bling-a-ling ring! I only had to work 3 hours and then I was free! When I got home I opened my cards and gifts with Colt and we enjoyed yummy Schmidt's sugar cookies. I then took a nice 2 hour nap. First of all to all of you think that is a lame thing to do on your birthday I was sick and secondly I love naps. Colt and I had a great day! We went to the Broadway which a movie theater that generally shows art house/low budget type movies. We saw the new Woody Allen film. We liked it. We went to the Gateway (outdoor mall) for dinner and some window shopping.

On Saturday we met up with the aforementioned friend Ashley and her husband Peter. They gave me a wonderful purse. It is big and black and has a teal satin lining and I love it! They also got us tickets to go see Indian Bones with them. I thought it sounded like a dirty movie and was a little surprised at the gift, but it was theater parody. It was a dinner theater with the most amazing pizza I think I've had in Utah! The show was so funny we had a great time.

Peter, Ashley, Maggie and Colt at Desert Star

After The theater we went back to Ashley and Peters for some good old chilling. The night ended violently with a nose bleed. Then again it might have just been impromptu and for no good reason you decide what sounds more fun.

GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!

I know there were other fun birthday moments but I am scatter brain and I obviously waited too long to write this blog! We had already celebrated in St George with Jodie. So I got several days of birthday fun which is just as it should be!

Jodie, Mike and Maggie's b-day cake

Fantasy Football

2008-08-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready for football season and would love to play fantasy football with anyone interested. If you have a league and are looking for people to play let me know, I am going to start a league on the ESPN web page and would love to have some folks to play with. Just send me an email or text message and let me know. I will send you the league info.

-Colt

1 O'Glock, 2 O'Glock, 3 O'Glock Rock!

2008-08-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know I am about to start my second module at the police academy. This is the block were we are going to get to do a lot of the hands on stuff, and a lot of shooting. I have been looking for the right firearm for quite some time. I have been told by most people to buy a Glock 22 which is a full sized .40 Caliber(Cal) handgun. The Glock is carried by more than 80% of police departments in the state of Utah, and most of them use the model 22. I have shot one these before and really did not like it. It felt large, and uncomfortable to me. I liked the Sig-Sauer and the HKs much better. I also really liked the 9mm handgun better.

Walther PPS the gun I almost got

On our recent trip to St George my mother agreed to buy my handgun as an early birthday gift; provided I do all of the leg work. While were in St George I took my brother in-law Jonny to shop for my new hand gun. We looked at most of the stores in town. I still had not really made up my mind, and to make matters worse there was a Walther gun that I just loved. I have a Walter PPK that I just love, and I liked the idea of sticking with a manufacturer I knew. When it came time for my mother and I to go shopping we went to place that had all of the models I had looked at seriously and the best prices. While we were there a St George City Police Officer told me to try the Glock model 19 which is a smaller 9mm Glock. It already had the night sites on, was brand new, and came with one extra magazine. It was the one that came home with me. We headed out that evening and tried it out. I was really pleased and think I will do well with it.

The gun I did get the Glock 19

Me shooting the new gun for the first time

Johnny looking like one mean hombre with my double barrel
shot gun, and six shooter strapped on him the wild west

Maggie taking her turn with new gun.

The BUZZ on Days of 47

2008-08-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here in Utah we have a great holiday called Pioneer Day. This commemoration of the Mormon pioneers first entering the Salt Lake Valley on July 24th 1847. The state marks this day with a large rodeo, and an even larger parade.

For me the parade holds a special place in my life in part because my great-grandmother Kate B Carter is responsible for its creation. Kate B Carter was a founding member of the Utah Daughters of the Pioneers and its president for many many years. I have fond memories of going to watch the parade with my parents and the Eltons. We had reserved seats in the shade right in front of the Police Credit Union. I always tried to sit as close to the green line that ran the length of the parade route. The green line was there to remind we children to keep our toes away from the police motorcycles that patrolled the parade as well as performed. It was always fun to hear Dale and my dad talk about the people they knew in the parade and have the governor say hello to us.

Flash forward 20 years and I am living in Salt Lake City with my wife Maggie on the 24th of July. We have made no plans as to what we are going to do. The previous Sunday though I told Dale Elton I wanted to go the parade. Dale then told me I hope to high heaven you do get hired by the Salt Lake City Police Department so you have to work that @#$% parade!" I was then told what a pain in the butt the parade would be to me once I entered law enforcement. On the morning of the 24th I woke up and decided I was going to the parade, it might after all be the last time I enjoy it, if what Dale said was true. I then dragged Maggie to the parade in our 24th of July T-Shirts. We staked out a spot with a blanket(the only thing we brought by way of parade necessities ie no water, extra sunscreen, etc) that was just a few yards from where I watched the parade as a child. I sat with anticipation waiting for the Days of 47 magic to begin.

Maggie and I watched the parade and we both had a great time discussing our favorite floats, our least favorite, and applauding for our elected officials(or keeping our arms crossed and saying nothing for others). My favorite float depicted the Utah state bird(the California Gull) having a BBQ with crickets being the main item on the menu. We also got to cheer really loudly for my high schools marching band. GO PANTHERS!!!

As we were walking back to our car filled with pioneering spirit through Liberty Park I felt a prick on the underside of my right big toe...then it got worse...and worse. In seconds it was really painful and I began to yell OUCH!! We bent to to see that bee had flown under my big toe, between my sandal, and stung me. It still had its stinger lodged in my foot when we pulled it free. I then had to walk back to car with throbbing pain in my foot. I seemed to marvel the rest of the day at the irony of having my pioneer spirit zapped away by the very symbol of the "Beehive State."

We finished out the night by eating Costco pizza and watching a movie with some friends. I tried to get them to watch a western in hopes of renewing my wagon train enthusiasm, but we watched something else instead.

I also wonder if Dale had some how gotten word to the bees that I needed to have my zeal for the parade relaxed?

I can't believe I rode the WICKED!

2008-07-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

July 26th Colt and I went to Lagoon for my work. For my Pittsburgh pals it is like Kennywood (oh how I love the Thunderbolt!). For people with no Utah or Pittsburgh affiliation it is an amusement park. I am the liaison to my from my office to a group called Association for Deaf Children (ADC) and they have a program called SYHO (Signing Youth Hang Out) it is a group for Deaf teens. They were taking the teens to Lagoon and needed help that day. I was glad I was able to bring Colt. I had to check in with the teens regularly but there was plenty of time to play. We spent part of the day with the other volunteers and the director of ADC and his brother-in-law. Some of the highlights of the day include stuffing 6 of us into rides meant for 4. The flume ride. 6 of us got in 4 person log. The worker didn't realize until our log didn't move from the weight. On the Ferris wheel there were 6 "seats" but leg room for about 2 or 3 grown ups. That was cozy with 6 in there. On the bumper cars our group was not to be reckoned with. People really just stayed out of our way. I got a wicked bruise from the steering wheel.

Oh and speaking of wicked they have a roller coaster called Wicked. It is intense you start by going straight up and fast and then you go straight down. It looks like a huge bobby pin. the track also corkscrews around and around. We road that single rider and got to skip the line! This picture is of the orckscrew turns. The whole ride is so fast my head felt stuck to the headrest the whole time!

One of the highlights of the day was when Colt went to the bathroom. I know what a great start to a story you aren't sure if you want to read it or not. Anyway he was in the bathroom and a little boy was in a stall changing and there wasn't anyone with him and he was singing. " I can't believe I rode the WIIICKED! The coolest ride eeever! It goes down the hill really fast actually it goes up fast too!" Then he would pause and start singing it again.

When the day was finally over we were exhausted! We gathered the teens and headed back to the Deaf Center where the parents were picking the kids up. Colt and I were on exit away from the Deaf Center when we got a call telling us to turn around and go back to lagoon. It is about 35 minute drive there from the center. Two kids were unaccounted for. We got back to Lagoon and started looking for them. We finally got a call telling us they had been found and we could come back. By the time we got back to the center we were so beat! I took a four and half hour nap that Sunday!

Playing Catch-up...Again

2008-07-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

We get behind on our blog so quickly! I still haven't loaded pictures from things that happened weeks ago! Well this will be a catch up post. I'm not going to worry about the dates just fun things that we did.

A couple of weeks ago we went hiking on Antelope Island. It is really cool out there. We saw herds of buffalo and antelope! They were so close to the car it was crazy. We did Frary's Peak. It is about 3.5 miles both ways. I figured since I can run 2 or 3 miles that walking/hiking would be no big deal. Then again we were walking up a mountain. We didn't bring enough water at all. It was a hot and sweaty day for the Smith's stuck on the mountain with no water. A nice fellow hiker filled us up. He was like "Oh yeah we won't even drink it" I was jealous of his apparently camel-like ability to horde water and not need it on hikes! The view was beautiful and almost made it worth the dehydration. Once we got off the mountain we drove straight to a gas station where we both got 2 or 3 drinks. We had planned on going to the jazz festival that night and opted for a take out and rented Hellboy. Which was not as bad as I thought it would be and even fun in parts.

Hot and tired from hiking

We were so close to the buffalo

We had a couple of really fun movie nights. Batman with Brad and Steph. Colt hadn't seen it yet. He was a big fan and I was glad to see it again before the new one came out. Ashley and Peter came over and we watched Heat (the boys loved it the girls well let's just say what I didn't sleep through bored me).

We finally reconnected with Liz and Robert who we haven't seen in months. They may be sick of us we have seen them 3 times in the last two weeks now. We had dinner at their place on a Friday night. Liz did a great job the food was super tasty. Then we introduced the boys to grilled chocolate sandwiches. Any of you who have not had the immense pleasure of trying them I pity you. They are exactly like grilled cheese except substitute the cheese for chocolate. We are also experimented and added peanut butter to a couple of them. YUMMY! Even Colt had to agree and recommended them to some other friends of ours recently. That Saturday we went to the drive in movies with Elisha and Jason. Liz and Robert and their kids came too. We saw Mama Mia and Kung-fu Panda. They were both fun. Colt and Robert hated Mama Mia! On the plus side Colt learned about "chacha" Apparently what you do is text chacha any question and you get a response in a few minutes. It is different than texting google. Chacha has real people who look up the answer online and text you back. Colt and Robert had a lot of fun coming up with questions to distract themselves from the movie.

At some point we saw Batman with Holly. It was AWESOME! We all really enjoyed it. Heath Ledger was great and Aaron Eckhart was amazing too.

Add a couple highly amusing Sunday night dinners with the Elton crew and you are all caught up!

CSI:Salt Lake City

2008-07-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

This has been a pretty exciting week for me. All week long at POST we have been studying crime scenes. The classes were taught by Captain Kenny Payne of the Davis County Sheriff's Office. Monday we started by looking at a lot of blood splatter photos and learning to read what the blood splatter could tell us about the crime. We also learned the rules of evidence gathering and how to read a crime scene and what to look for. We went through the OJ Simpson trial and looked at all of the evidence there from the crime scene to see what the story would be. We also saw a lot of photos that you don't get to see on TV. After looking at the all of the evidence...OJ did it, just in case you had any doubts. While this was interesting what was really cool was that during our break I went up to Captain Payne and asked him if he knew my father. (For those of you who do not know my father was a Davis County Sheriff's Deputy for a number of years before he passed away when I five years old.) When I asked Captain Payne he told me that he knew my father very well, that they in fact had started with Sheriff's Office at the same time. He told me a couple of stories about my dad, and it really made my day.

As the rest of the week rolled on we continued to learn more about mangaging a crime scene, gathering evidence, and looking at famous cases(Jonbenet Ramsey...the mother did it.) The class was one of the best ones I have yet had at the academy, and I was bummed out that it was coming to close on Thursday. On the final day of class we learned about fingerprints, and then collected fingerprints. Afterwards we went to a staged crime scene complete with plastic dead guy, gun, drugs and blood splatter. We had to come up with a suspect, theory of the crime, and a motive. I had to just keep asking myself what would Briscoe(Law and Order), Stabler(Law and Order:SVU), Logan(Law and Order), Goren(Law and Order:CI), or even Monk(Monk...duh?) do? This was a lot of fun to get to do a practical exercise of a crime scene. The most interesting thing that happened that night however had nothing to do with our staged murder, but with my dad. Capt. Payne came to class with a photo of the 1973 Davis County Sheriffs Department with my dad in it for me, and I learned that Captain Payne was the photographer at my dad's wedding to his second wife(not my mom), and he still had the wedding album which he also gave me. So I left that night with two pieces of my history about my father. It was a pretty cool experience.

Red Rocks, Blue Skies, White Legs?...4th in St George

2008-07-10T14:17:00.001-07:00

For the Fourth of July Maggie and I made a trip to St George to see my mom, our dog, and some of our friends. We arrived around 10:00pm Thursday night. We were excited to see that both my mother and Sparky were still awake and playing in the backyard. I was also excited to learn that my mother had bought a hammock for herself for Father's Day. So after sitting around and talking Maggie and Mom went inside to go to bed I stayed out to lie in the hammock next to my dog and look at the stars. I find that being able to come home at night and just look up at the stars is one of the the things that I miss most about living in Salt Lake. So when the chance arose to do so in Dixie I took it.

The morning of the fourth Maggie, Sparky and I set off on a nice little 5 to 6 mile run. It felt really good to get up and get moving, but we were all pretty worn out. It is route I used to run a lot in school with Ben Penick, and it seems to have gotten longer somehow. Afterward we had breakfast where I announced "I have nothing red, white or blue to where." My mother deciding to show her patriotism took us to Kohl's to adorn in star spangled colors. I golf shirt with a large "Old Glory" style flag on it that I had to promise Maggie I would only where on Independence day, President's Day, Flag Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and other day where patriotism should be shown on a shirt. I also ended up with several pairs of new shorts, and a couple of new shirts. Maggie came home with a new skirt and cute shirts. After Kohl's we went home to swim and chill until our BBQ guests started showing up. That evening we had a lot of friends show up. We talked with everyone. I talked at length with Ben Lang about his time on the Highway Patrol and got some good advice for POST. Once it was time to go and watch the fireworks we loaded up with our friends Brian and Dani and went Vernon Worthen Park to watch the fireworks. The cool part about this was that Brian's dad works for dispatch with the St George Police Department so we had a spot saved for near the mobile command center, and we were able to sit and relax in the air conditioned command center till traffic died down and we could make a speedy retreat.

The Dial's watching fireworks

Saturday Maggie and I were supposed to go shooting with our friends Brian, Brady and Normandy. Brady ended up having to show a client some houses and could not go until later, so Maggie, Brian and I just went. I need some practice. I am pretty spot on with a 22.cal, but the 9mm is going to take some getting used to. Afterward My Mother, Maggie, and I went to Hurst's and got a painting of the St George Temple (again paper for Anniversary) my mother bought us framed. Afterwards I was craving Tom's Deli...it was closed as it usually is when you are craving it. So we went to TJ Max where Maggie despite my mother telling her "you are not getting a new wardrobe again" got a new wardrobe of skirts mostly. I got nothing, but there was nothing I really wanted there. We then went to Target where Maggie got shirts and something else. I got a swimming suite that was too small, and Coke. Saturday night we BBQ ed salmon on cedar planks and swam.

We also went to Costco where my mother stocked our freezer with Lean Cuisines. We also ended with a lot of other stuff I can't even remember. One of the original reasons we went to Costco was to purchase me a new pair of Ray-Bans. I earned these by staying in the pool 15 minutes longer than I wanted to. Costco did not have any Ray-Bans however. We went to Sunglasses Hut where my mother found four pairs of "Wayfarer" Ray-Bans she wanted. I got a 2 pairs of Ray-Ban aviators, one pair of "wayfarer" Ray-Bans, and one pair of Arnett running sunglasses. Maggie ended up with four pairs as well(their was a great deal for each $100 you spent yougot a free pair), one Ray-Ban, one Arnett, one Dolce & Gabana, and one Anne Klein shades. It was over a $1000 in sunglasses...we had to promise to earn them. We then went to Eddie Bauer where I expanded my wardrobe yet again I added about a dozen polo shirts, and several shorts. Maggie got pj's and shirt. All in all we made out like bandits.

Sunday we swam, ate rib eye steaks for dinner, played with our dog and napped.

Monday morning we got up took Sparky for a walk to see my mom at her office. Sparky was totally surprised to see her someplace other than the back yard. It was a great reaction on his expressive springer face. We ate lunch loaded the car and said our good byes. We had to drive fast to make back to SLC in time fro POST. I got to the academy with just minutes to spare. I did PT came home and fell fast asleep.

Happy 1 Year to Us

2008-07-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

I know it must be hard for you all to believe that it was over a year ago that you attended or sent your gift to our wonderful wedding. On Saturday before our actual anniversary Maggie and I attended a production of the "Drowsy Chaperon" at the Capitol Theatre with tickets(paper to go with the first anniversary being the "paper" anniversary) that were purchased for us by Maggie's parents as our anniversary gift(thank you very much). We both liked the show and thought that it was a fun way to present a musical, but we both felt that the music was lacking and neither of us was singing a song as we left the theatre. It was still a great way to spend an evening at the theatre. Prior to the going to the theatre we went to Salt Lake City Arts Festival once I came home from POST. It was fun and the gyro was good, but it was also hot and I wanted a nap before going to the show that.

On Monday, our actual anniversary, Maggie and I went to see WALL-E. This was nice because we went to see Ratatouille on our honeymoon in Palm Springs. That made it fun to see the new Pixar movie on our one year celebration. We both loved WALL-E I keep waiting for "the Lamp"(Pixar) to disappoint me, but it has not happened yet. It was also more of a love story than some previous movies, so it worked well for our day. I went to POST that night, and came home to Maggie where we ate our one year old cake(what a stupid tradition...YEAR OLD CAKE?!?!). We Exchanged gifts with one another. I gave her David Sedaris' new book, and a copy of Juno on DVD (witha paper sleeve). She gave me the new book Bonk and a cook book on cake baking.

Cutting the cake

Arguably the best story of this day was my total failure. Maggie has been saying for months I would dare say since last July that all she wanted for her anniversary was flowers from Costco (beacuse they were pretty and cost effective). Every time we went to Costco she would look at the flowers and tell me which ones she would want if it were the end of June. So what do you think I did not get? Flowers. Not only did I not get flowers from Costco, I did not get them at all. To all of you readers who may be giving me the death look through the monitor stop it...I can feel your look. I had not realized Maggie was going to take the day off work and was planning on getting them that day. With a little fate POST ended early that night and I was able to sprint to Costco and get a bouquet of flowers. While I was buying the Costco flowers, Maggie went and bought some of the saddest little flowers I had ever seen in an effort to set the mood for our cake eating. So she ended up with two things of flowers, and she only had to pick out one.

Our Anniversary

2008-07-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Colt and I celebrated over the course of the weekend. Our Anniversary was June 30th which fell on a Monday this year. We knew Colt would have POST that night so we used the weekend to play. Saturday was a full day for us. We went to the Utah Arts Festival. It was HOT! We went shortly after noon. It was still fun. We got Greek food. The food at art festivals is just as much fun as the art. I was really disappointed in the lemonade. I love festival lemonade that is made from the lemons, and sugar water while you watch. I swear all they had was Country Time or some tease like that.

There were a few booths we really loved. One of them was collages made from word cut out from Architectural Digest. The words all matched the mood/theme of the pictures the artist created. He had some that would have been great bathroom art with women reading in the tub. He had one I loved of a man and a woman lounging on the couch. I mean really if you don't have an artistic representation of yourself being a couch potato your life is lacking! Colt love a booth that had pop art. They were painted on polycarbonate wood. The artist had done scenes from movies, politics, and music.

We headed home after several hours to get ready for the Theater. We went to see The Drowsy Chaperon. When we got to the Rose Wagner there was no one in the lobby. We thought that was strange since the house just opened. We found a woman by the doors. She told us she could get us in after the next number. I was really confused our show didn't start until 8 and we were there at 7:30! I told her that our tickets said the show didn't start until 8 pm. She looked at our ticket and then informed me that we were at the wrong theater. We need to go to The Capital theater around the corner. I was glad it was in walking distance. I would have hated to be late to the show, because we went to the wrong theater! We got to see the whole show. It was a lot of fun. I love going to the theater! My only real complaint would be that you didn't leave the show singing one of the songs. A musical should always have a song that is so catchy you leave humming it!

Sunday was church and dinner at the Elton's. Dinner was fun this week. We got to meet some friends of Dale and Janice that they have known for years. Colt and I ate outside with Dale and the other men. I knew I was hanging out with a different age bracket when they all started comparing cholesterol medications. We also picked up some of Janice's awesome knitted dish clothes for ourselves and for Jodie (my mother in law).

Monday I took the day off work (Colt didn't have to work anyway). We went and saw Wall-e. We loved it! IT was amazing. I just love Pixar movies. Colt still had POST that night but he came home with flowers for me. They were beautiful and looked very Bridal all white and green. We fed each other year old cake and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. We also exchanged paper gifts. Books, we really aren't that creative. Although Colt did do the cutest thing periodically through out the day he would ask me what were we doing right now a year ago. It was a fun way to remember all the different aspects of our wedding day.

Yummy year old cake!

Most of all I just loved having a fun weekend together and getting to celebrate the wonderful choice we made a year ago. I love my husband and I know I couldn't have made a better choice he is an amazing man and I fall more and more in love with him everyday. It was nice to get some time to share those feeling with each other.

Day Camp

2008-07-08T16:06:00.001-07:00

During the last week of June I was the director of a Day Camp for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children ages 8 to 12. We only had eleven kids register for camp. I was really disappointed I have spent months planning this camp. I was going to cancel if we didn't have at least ten. After the first day I was glad we only had 11 kids. I think next year I am going place a limit of 15 kids just to be safe. Camp ran from 8 - 4 Monday - Friday. I got there 30 min early everyday and stayed until 5pm. It was a long week for me. Just as an aside note you should know that the air condition at the Deaf Center was broken all week. We had a big fan to cool the whole gym. I had one intern Heather who was there every day and then several other wonderful volunteers. The theme this year was fish and underwater life. Not a topic I know a lot about but Sandy a neighboring city has an aquarium and to be honest I picked the theme knowing we would have at least one easy field trip.
Monday was our first day. We started off with some getting to know you games. After that I had a big project planned. The gym would be where we would spend most of our time at the center so I thought It would be cool to do a mural on the wall (that could be removed) that was an underwater view. The kids had to make any type of underwater animal they wanted to put on our mural. Several kids make pac-man I never knew he lived underwater but I let them hang it up anyway. most of the kids were bored with this after an hour and wanted to run and play. This distracted the kids still working. I told the kids they could start helping clean up or they could make a second fish. Most of the kids choose the latter option. We had an inflatable slip 'n' slide for that afternoon. But the company delivered it over an hour late. That left me with an empty hour. I was desperately trying to fill water balloons as fast as I could so that we could have a water balloon toss. My fingers hurt so bad from tying all those balloons. Of course it might have hurt worse because my fingers were also burnt from using the hot glue gun. When the slip 'n' slide finally came it was a big hit. We all loved it adult and kids. The first day was exhausting I was asleep before Colt came home from POST that night.

Our underwater mural

Ashley and I racing down the inflatable waterside

Tuesday was a great day we had a field trip almost all day. It kept the kids busy and happy (most of them). We went to Jordanelle water reservoir. It was so beautiful up there. When we first stepped out of the vans we were attacked by mosquitoes. I even go bit right on my cheek. I had to use all of my self control not to scratch my face to pieces. Luckily the nature center saved us they had bug repellent. We learned about fish that live in the Provo river, got to try fishing (no one caught anything), made T-shirts and went hiking. It was a very busy day everyone was tired by the time we got back to the center.

Fishing at Jordanelle

Wednesday was the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. I had a lot of volunteers that day. Each adult was in charge of two kids. Which was a perfect ratio. The hardest thing about camp that I had noticed at this point was getting the kids attention. If they were not looking at you that meant they were not "listening." Having just 2 kids to keep track of was manageable. The kids loved watching the octopus be fed, touching all of the animals at the petting zoo and the sting ray. When we got back to the center We had different activities and games to play. The kids hated doing structured activities at the center. I started to dread Friday ( we were going to be at the center all day). They just wanted to run around a play. I tried to give them time to play and time to do activities. By the end of the day I was ready for the end of the week, but I consoled
myself with the fact that I had at least passed hump day.

Goofing around at the aquarium

Thursday was great were spent very little time at the center. We went to Cabela's in Lehi. Cabela's is a hunting and fishing store. They have a large aquarium and huge displays set up with taxidermy animals. The kids favorite part was an arcade style shooting range with an unlimited number of tokens. They were also giving fudge samples. All of the kids left Cabela's happy. We had a quick lunch at the Deaf Center and then we went swimming. The pool was defiantly the best part of camp. Everyone loved swimming. One little boy in our camp is very small for his size and has some additional delays. He was very afraid of the waterfall part but after a little coaxing he was walking through the waterfall by himself. There was also a water slide. At the beginning of the day he was not willing go on it. I told him I would go with him. He doesn't have the swimming skills to go alone. After some encouragement he agreed by the time we had left he went down 4 times I was so proud of him!

The group at Cabela's

Friday!!! I was almost done! It was so hard to get up that morning my mind and body were so batter bruised and exhausted from the week. Friday was a hard day. The kids just wanted to run around and play they didn't want to do any of the planned activities. Heather (my intern) and I really struggled to get them to do a few activities in the morning. We made pizza for lunch that day. I got stuck in the kitchen rotating the pizzas to get them all cooked in time for lunch. I told Heather to just let them play as long as they were being safe and happy. We ate the pizza and then we had ice cream sundaes. That afternoon was rough We got the kids through several other activities and that for the last hour I just let them play. I figured it was more important for the kids to have a positive feeling about camp than it was for them to finish every activity I had planned. That night when I finally got home Colt and I decided to do nothing. That is exactly what we did and it was wonderful!

Making pizza

Sitting pretty for one last group picture

Still in June

2008-07-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Wow we can't get so behind on blogging ever again! Alright loyal blog readers we are on the weekend of June 20th. My mom came up from Springville, because she was going to be flying to Hawaii to meet my Dad for their vacation. She got a ride up with two of my cousins. We went and picked up my brother Scott and we all went to dinner together. We went to Training Table and there were several complaints that Hires was better. I don't remember being very impressed with Hire's the last time I went. Should I give it another shot?

Mom spent the night with us and we drove her to the airport early early Saturday morning. Then Colt went to POST and I had to work. Once we reconvened at home we met up with our good friends Ashley and Peter. The four of us went to the Bountiful temple. We got a little turned around getting there but finally made it. As we were entering I realized I forgot my temple recommend at home. Shortly there after Colt realized he didn't have his either. Luckily we were still able to go through. It was wonderful to be there and we were really grateful everything worked out! We stopped and got Chinese food and ate at our house. It was fun to get to spend time with them. Ashley and I work together so we see each other almost daily Colt and Peter always complain if it has been to long since we all got to hang out.

On Sunday the 22nd Colt was officially called as the 2nd counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency. He really likes the other men in the presidency and I know it will be a good experience for him. After church we took naps mine was 4 hours no joke. It was lovely. I simply adore a good nap. We went to dinner with the Elton's as usual. Janice made the most amazing peanut butter cup brownies!

Fathers Day Weekend

2008-07-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Still playing catch up but now we are on to Father's Day weekend. My mom flew into town on the 11th. We picked her up from the airport that night and then I drove her to Springville the next day where her dad my Papa-daddy lives. It was great to spend some time with my mom. She was going to be heading to Hawaii for a vacation with my dad directly after her Utah trip. I got to see all of her new clothing purchases. She got some really cute things for the trip. That Friday night my dad flew into town. My mom's 40th high school graduation was that Saturday. We went to my Dad's favorite SLC restaurant that night for dinner, the Red Iguana. My brother Scott and my aunt Lisa and uncle Kevin met us there. Scott had the craziest hoodie I have ever seen. The food was great and so was the company.

Scott's hoodie

Some post-dinner visiting

That Saturday Colt and I picked up my brother Scott and headed back to Spingville. We stopped at Costco on the way down to do shopping for a family party. Normally I love a good Costco trip but this was just plain overwhelming! The were so many people there and Colt and Scott kept throwing food in the cart that I wasn't sure we needed. To make matters worse it was getting later in the afternoon and I still hadn't eaten lunch. Anyone who knows me knows I get cranky when I don't eat. I was doing my best at keeping my temper in check. When we finished the trip we went to pick up some Chinese food for lunch/dinner. We got lost on the way to the restaurant and boy was I a grouch by this point!

That night once I had eaten and my parents had returned from the reunion. I got to spend some time with my dad. Scott, Colt Dad and I went down to the Sringville arts festival/carnival. We rode on some rides that looked pretty unstable. Colt hate riding this sort of ride but he went on one for me anyway. It was fun being whipped through the air at nauseating speeds.

One of the rides we did

We spent the night with our friends Brooke and Steve who live in Provo so we didn't have to drive all the way back to SLC that night. It was so fun to see them. Brooke was a roommate of mine in St George at The Roost. I lived with her when I started dating Colt. We went to a malt shop with them because we were all so hungry. Even though it was a busy Saturday night they had a new girl on the cash register. I felt bad for her, but she was just so incompetent. Colt and I totally ended up over paying for our food. I tried to point out the error but she was just too frustrating to deal with. They also made the wrong food for Brooke and the wrong shake for Colt. All in all not the best dining experience. But it was worth it to see Brooke and Steve. Their apartment is so cute. I have been wanting to see it for some time now. Brooke is an interior designer so I knew it would be adorable and it is.

Sunday was Father's Day. I love my Daddy!!!! He is wonderful. It was great to actually get to see him on Father's Day that hasn't happened in a long time. We had a family party at Papa-daddy's house. It was fun to see cousins and aunts and uncles. All of the food we got at Costco was a big hit. After the party died down we drove back to SLC and Dad spent the night at our apartment before we took him to the airport the next morning.

The begining of June

2008-07-08T11:53:00.001-07:00

We have been neglecting our blog lately. I'm sure it doesn't have that big of an impact on most of your lives but we have gotten a few complaints. Well let me start back a few weekends ago with the weekend of June 6th-8th. At the start of June we had a very busy weekend. Friday night we were not able to do anything fun because I had to work. The 1st and 3rd Friday of the month there is a group called Signing Youth Hang Out (SYHO). That I support as part of my job. Normally I go and just help out the people who run it, but this week they were out of busy with meetings so I ran it. It was one of the teens birthdays. I did have the help of one of my favorite volunteers so that was fun to get to see her. Colt had a well deserved lazy night at home. Saturday morning Colt has POST and I had to work again. This time for another organization that I support called Hands and Voices. Normally I only go if they need me to help out. This is an organization for Deaf children and their parents. I had to run it this week because the woman who normally does was attending a baby shower for her first grandchild. The day went well except only 2 kids showed up. The adults vastly out numbered the children. I helped a little girl build a flower box, a shelf and a pencil holder.

On Saturday night we went over our friends Brad and Steph's house for a BBQ. It is always so much fun to hang out with them. Their daughter is so cute. Colt got to practice holding a baby. Little Monkey (Avery) is at an age where she feels a little more sturdy and Colt didn't get as nervous as he sometimes does with baby holding. We had burgers and brauts. After dinner we played rockband on their X-box 360. It was really fun. I have never been very coordinated with video games and this was no exception. Colt picked up on both the guitar and the drums pretty quickly but Brad and Steph put both of us to shame. They do have the unfair advantage of actually owning the game I think that may have something to do with why they were so good at it. I did best on the karaoke part. Which is a huge deal for me since I never sing in public. My very few Karaoke experiences include singing with all of my roommates at The Roost (a college apartment) and signing the words while Colt sang on the cruise this February.

Brad and Steph rockin' Rockstar

Learning Rockstar

That Sunday we had a BBQ with our neighbors before they moved. Colt baked a cake for the occasion. He made a grapefruit cake. It was delicious but a lot of work! I helped out here and there. It did take my OCD expertise to level the cakes so they could be neatly stacked. Colt prepared steaks for us mine was amazing with an Italian style seasoning on it. Our neighbors that were moving, Lindsay and Tyson were the best neighbor you could have ever hoped for and we are really missing them. Mike and Alicea our apartment managers came too and Chris and Whitney (another couple in our complex) stopped by. I was fun to get to know everyone better. Directly after the BBQ we went to the Elton's for dinner They are always a lively crowd. Dale kept insisting on serving Colt more and more salmon even though we tried to explain that we had just come from a BBQ. We also brought over some of the grapefruit cake for everyone to try it was a big hit there too.

Our awesome neighbors

Colt's beautiful and tasty cake

Favorites

2008-06-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

I don't like picking favorites. Since dating Colt he has always wanted to know what my favorites are. His original argument for needing to know was..." How will we ever win the Newly Wed Game if I don't know your favorites?" This is no longer as issue since we won a newly wed show on the cruise last February. Since marring Colt one of the changes to married life has been being willing to pick favorites. They may not be true but I have to have them just the same. For some reason I hate to do this. Why can't I have several favorites? To make Colt happy I have conceded to have a few all time favorites. My favorite food is macaroni and cheese. This may sound a little juvenile especially to those of you who know what a foodie family I am from and what a foodie family Colt and I are now. What can I say just I love it. I don't mean that stuff from a box with neon orange cheese (powder) I mean good homemade cheesy strings between the noodles (that is the key) mac and cheese. Apparently my favorite color is teal. Really any shade that is a mix between blue and green. Every time I go shopping with my friends anything that is teal invokes a comment like "they have it in your color." Recently I was confronted by Colt and Jodie (his mom for those of you who don't know) for only wearing 4 colors of shirt black, brown, teal and mauve. I have expanded my wardrobe palette somewhat but I still lean on my stable colors. Anyway back to favorites. Colt and I love watching movies and it bothers him I don't have a favorite actor or actress. One day we were watching a movie and he said "You must be really happy your favorite actress is in this." "Oh" I said "who?" " Cate Blanchett I decided that since you don't have favorites I am going to pick for you. Mark Wahlberg is you favorite actor by the way."

Mark Wahlberg my "favorite" actor

Cate Blanchett my "favorite" actress

Having Colt pick my favorites really does make is easier. No more long drawn out battles in my mind desperately trying to weigh the pros and cons in order to pick a favorite. Now all I have to do is ask him. It has become a fun game ( like on car trips) I like to ask obscure questions like who is my favorite dead historical world leader. It is nice to know I can have these choices made for me. I do have one favorite that I always know without a question and as cheesy as it might sound it is Colt. So if it makes my favorite happy to pick favorites for me then I say by all means go ahead.

June is Bustin out All Over..and So is our Chair

2008-06-04T07:40:00.001-07:00

Maggie and I had quite the start to June. Saturday I went to POST at 0730 and did a simulated PT Test which I passed in everything, but we did not do it in consecutive order. For those of you who do not know what the PT Test is here is a run down of the tests in order the evaluation takes place and the minimum standards to pass each test.

Vertical Leap-17 inches

Sit-Ups-29 in one minute

300 Meter Sprint-in under 60 seconds

Push Ups-21 with out stopping

1 1/2 Mile Run-in under 14:30

This test may sound a little weak to those of you in superior shape, but to me, and done consecutively it can take a lot out of you. I did well Saturday, but was still nervous about the upcoming PT test that would count. After PT I had a law class, and then went home to help Maggie clean the apartment, do laundry, and get ready for our dinner guests.

Maggie went to Sex and the City with three of her favorite girlfriends Hillary, Holly and Annette. Whom I owe a big thank you to for making so I would not have to go. THANK YOU. I stayed home and watched season three of Homicide:Life on the Street and ate doughnuts. She told me it lived up to everything she hoped it would be and that it was truely made just for the fans. I must say she was quite a glow when she returned home. I was thrilled she had a fun time.

Sex and the City:from left to right Holly, Maggie Annette, and Hillary

That evening we had our new friends Brian and Kayla over for dinner. I prepared a southern meal with blackened catfish, jambalaya with Andouille sausage, watermelon and Schmidt's Cookies for dessert. Dinner started off with a bang when Brian sat on our chair and shattered it. Not broke...SHATTERED it. The chair was old and had been glued many times, but it bit the dust in grand fashion. We got Brianour sturdy office chair to use for dinner. After dinner we watched CSA:Confederate States of America which is a "mockumentary" that shows an alternate view of history as if the south had one the civil war through the eyes of British documentary film crew. It a film I really enjoy, and would recommend to anyone with a good sense of humor, and basic knowledge of American History. We all had a really good time and stayed up way to late.

Brian standing by our shattered chair

Sunday we went to church where I had a great lesson in Elder's Quorum about agency. And then another interesting testimony meeting. After church we went home I watched whatever sport was on TV and took a nap. Maggie read and took a nap. We then headed to dinner at the Elton's which usually ends up being the highlight of our week. We had dinner with Dale, Janis, Cathy, and Barbara. The pork roast was awesome, and the cake amazing. I talked with Dale about POST, and with Janis about Sparky. After dinner we went to Maggie's friend Hillary's apartment to see her, Shawn(her husband), and meet Twinkies their Husky. We had a good time talking about the election, TV shows, and life in general.

Monday Maggie and I ran errands again, returning books to the Library, and rewarded ourselves for just being awesome by going to Noodle and Company. After a short nap I headed to POST for a class on Drug and Liquor Law. Tuesday Maggie and I again just ran errands. We went to Dick's Sporting Goods to try and find me a water bottle that won't give me cancer, I hate all of the cancer free ones, so my Nalgene may kill me. After our day at the Gateway and a discussion with Maggie about how 3rd South is her favorite street in Salt Lake We went home so I could head to POST; and the real PT Test. Let me just say that I was nervous. To not keep you in suspense, I passed, but I have a long way to go for the Superior Fitness Award that Maggie has set a goal for me to earn.(I have the goal too, but she has more confidence in my ability to improve the number of push ups that I do.)

Me Waiting for my Pad Thai

Here are my PT results:

Vertical Jump-28.5 inches

Sit-Ups-35

300 Meter Sprint-54 seconds

Push ups-22(I really hate push ups

1 1/2 Mile Run-14:20

After PT we had a defensive tactics where we learned how to avoid a shove, punch, or someone walking away from a low profile search. I now know how to take someone to the ground if they try to hit me. It is a lot of fun to be put through a grueling physical test, and then get thrown onto a mat for two and half hours. It is a lot of fun and I am really enjoying it despite the pain and stress. Tonight I have a class on gang awareness, and Saturday Hazardous Materials Response.

Errands

2008-05-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today neither of us had to work. It has turned into a running errands day. We went to pick up the last pieces of Colt's POST uniform (we have only been waiting on them for about 3 weeks now). I was really peeved. The store has the worst customer service! I kept plotting ways to get the man working there fired. He ignored us for the first half an hour we were there. I would have been satisfied with a "I'll be right with you let me just finish up with this customer." Alas, we got completely ignored. I was happy I brought a book with me yet another young adult novel indulgence. We stopped by my school so Colt could give me my first blogging lesson. Next we are on our way to Harmon's. We are going to pick up some groceries for tomorrow night. We are having our new friends Kayle and Brian over to dinner Colt is cooking catfish and jambalaya. I know it will be delicious he is quite the chef! Our plans are to watch the movie C.S.A.: Confederate States of America it is a mockumentary of American history as if the the south had won the civil war. Being the geeks we are we wanted to serve some southern style cooking. Other than errands our plans for the day include a nap (hopefully), perhaps a run in the park, and maybe if we get wild a dollar movie!

Colt victorious with his duty belt and PT shorts after a month long battle with UWI

Sparky!

2008-05-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Henry Jones Sr.-"We named the dog Indiana."

Indiana Jones-"I got a lot of fond memories of that dog."

Maggie and I had quite the weekend. We had been planning on going to St George over the Memorial Day Holiday, and leaving after I was done with POST(Police Academy) Saturday morning. We did however end up not being able to leave until 1 o'clock Saturday due to my radio communications class lasting longer than I had thought. So we left directly from POST for St George. On arrival we visited with my mother and then prepared for a BBQ with some of mine and Maggie's friends. It was so good to see all of those who came, and for those of you who couldn't.

Sunday morning we got up early had breakfast on the patio with my mother Jodie, and then went to visit my Great Aunt Joan in the hospital. Joan had a blood clot in her leg that went through her heart, so she has just been out of the Intensive Care Unit for a couple of days. On our way to Joan we went to Harmon's for flowers and saw a sign advertising

Sparky

2 Year Old Pure Bred Springer Spaniel

Free to a Good Home

I pointed my mother towards it and said ,with the biggest puppy dog eyes I could muster,"He knows he's a good dog." Referencing the Humane Society commercial that always makes both me and mother tear up(I cry at almost nothing unless a dog is involved, Fox and the Hound turns me to sobbing wreak. In fact I am tearing up now thinking about it.) Mom called and set up the appointment to come meet Sparky and see if we clicked.

We the visited with Joan, who looked good was happy to see us. We then headed off to the movie Indiana Jones! FREAKING AWESOME!!! I am such a total "Indy Geek" that I was on the edge my seat the whole time smiling like I did when I first saw "Raiders of Lost Ark" at age 10. My friend Holly said that "I was the only person she would want to have seen this movie with."

After the movie Mom, Maggie and I went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch. We then went to meet Sparky. I was hooked the moment I saw him. He had not been groomed in while, and was in dire need of a shampoo, but he beautiful. The family who was getting rid of him were renting and had four other dogs , and it was just too much to take care of. He had been an inside dog with them and would have to be an outside dog with us, but we took him to see how he would adjust. On the way home with Sparky we went to Petco and Sparky was not happy. He was shaking and so scared that he would not move an inch. I had to pick him to carry him into the store and he had an accident on me. We were told he would be able to be groomed for a week, but they would shampoo him tonight. We left him with one of the best dog people I have ever met. Casandra who works at Petco took great care of him. While we shopped for all of the stuff dog's need she washed him. We left to take all of the new pet stuff home and Casandra told us to be back in an hour. When we did she was not quite done as she had washed him four times, and plucked a lot of fox tails from between his paws. Sparky was still shaking a little bit, but looked a lot better. Casandra then told us she would find a way to get him in and get him groomed on Monday. Sparky really worked his charm on her.

Sparky being nervous, shaky and shaggy at Petco

Me reasoning with Sparky about the need to chill out

Once we took Sparky home and he saw the back yard he was completely at ease. Within a couple of moments he was running and playing with Maggie and I. We even hooked him to a leash ,something of a new experience for Sparky, and walked him to meet some of our neighbors. We saw the Lang's my second family growing up. And there grand baby who could not have been more than nine months old petted Sparky. Sparky was so calm and gentle that he continued to prove he was a good dog.

That night he did have a little anxiety about being left outside in the yard. He howled and I slept by the window so when he did I could tap at it and he would calm down just know I was close.

Monday morning Maggie and I took Sparky on a two mile run. Sparky would look at Maggie ahead of me and then back to me with a quizzical look as to why I was running so slow. I tried to explain that my shin splints hurt really bad, but he was more concerned about Maggie up there alone. After the run we again ate breakfast on the patio near Sparky. He amazed us again by not once begging for even a piece of bacon. Once breakfast was done Sparky shown the pool. He is going to need some time to get used to the pool, but I am sure he will love it with time. Once we were all dried off Sparky was taken back to be groomed. Casandra was so impressed that this time he walked through the doors and was not shaking at all. Sparky was not to excited about having to leave us, which made us feel really good.

While Sparky was at the groomers the three human members of the family went to In n' Out for lunch...and it was good. We picked Sparky up a couple of hours later, and he looked like a new dog. We had his coat cut way back for summer, and you could tell how happy he was to be looking good; and to see us again. Once we got home we played with him for a couple more hours, but all to soon we had to pack up the car and head home to Salt Lake leaving our new dog with Grandma Jodie. We took him for walk and then said a tearful goodbye. He stood by the fence the while we pulled away with confused and worried look on face. I am sure I must have looked the same way.

On the way home we called Maggie's parents, brothers, sisters, and my best friend Brad to tell them that they were grandparents, aunts, and uncles to be. They all kind of freaked out till we told them that it was a springer spaniel. Duane and Christine ,Maggie's parents, had just finished watching "Juno" so they were doubly surprised by the news they were grandparents. I only called twice on the way to Salt Lake to check in on my dog which is pretty good for me.

Maggie and Sparky kissing goodbye

Sparky and Me saying adios

Sparky looking good after his grooming, but wondering where we are going

Sparky relaxing on his bed after a hard day