Maelstrom Du Jour

February Wrap Up

2009-02-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

Top 5 days: 2, 8, 18, 23, 27

Top 5 Things That Must Go:

1. Surpirses

2. My crazy ass neighbors

3. 7 am meetings

4. Sake

5. Winter

Top 5 Things That Make Me Smile:

1. Smart boys

2. The Republican

3. Sushi night

4. Jazz games

5. Sitting at the bar

Top 5 Songs:

1. Lior: I'll Forget You

2. You and I Both: Jason Mraz

3. Jai Ho: Slumdog Millionaire

4. Caring is Creepy: The Shins

5. Barack sings Single Ladies

Ready Freddie

2009-02-17T22:58:00.004-07:00

I'm currently on a Queen binge and I'm obsessed with Freddie Mercury: his hot little body, his moustache, his fancy microphone pole, his tight white pants, his charisma. I know he was gay, but seriously, the man was sexy. Have you ever seen Queen: Live at Wembley Stadium?? Amazing. Your life will not be complete until you watch it in one sitting. I think Chris Williams might look like Brian May if he ever grew his hair out. Some of my favorites, in no particular order.

January Wrap Up

2009-01-31T23:36:00.001-07:00

Top 5 Days in January: 7, 16, 21, 24, 31

Top 5 Things That Must G0:

1. Inversion

2. Nebulousness

3. Vodka on Wednesdays

4. Bars on the west side

5. $12 drinks

Top 5 Things That Make Me Smile:

1. Reuniting with old friends from India

2. President Barack Obama

3. Book Club

4. The Bakery

5. 30 Rock

Top 5 Songs

1. Come Home: Back Door Slam

Um, these kids are only 20?? One word: amazing.

2. Walk Away: Ben Harper

I was really, really into this song in 2003 when I lived in Chicago. I recently rediscovered it and also discovered it still makes me sad.

2. Use Somebody: Kings of Leon

One of my favorite bands is finally breaking through the mainstream. Great song.

3. Blindsighted: Bon Iver

4. Old White Lincoln: The Gaslight Anthem

So the lead singer kind of sounds like stupid Brandon Flowers from The Killers. One difference though, this band actually kicks ass. It's a weird mix of Bruce Springsteen and The Clash, I like it.

5. Heartless: Kanye West

PS: Happy Birthday to Sonny!

Family Ties

2009-01-26T19:21:00.003-07:00

It's been awhile since I've had posted any pictures of my nieces and nephews, so here's a quick review for posterity.

Chaya and Sarah opening presents on Christmas morning

Braden and Macklin

Mack all decked out in his UT outfit

Scarlett can't seem to open her eyes for pictures

Teagan is very anti-camera these days, so this is the best one I've got

Happy Birthday Jed!!

2009-01-25T00:00:00.005-07:00

Happy 30th Birthday to Jeddy! Many of you know, Jed is my cousin, but he is also one of my very best friends. I can't begin to tell you how much he means to me. He's one of the only people I can tell anything to; he knows me inside out. Countless hours and hours of talking, it would probably add up to years. And yet, we still never run out of things to talk about. We were best friends at birth and we are best friends now!

Last year, I wrote about my favorite memories for everyone's birthdays, starting with Jed. This year, I'm going to write about 10 songs that will forever remind me of Jed.

Top 10 Birthday Songs: Jeddy Style

1. I Will Survive: Gloria Gaynor

We actually have a dance to this song that we made up driving to Cedar City in 1997. We've done many a dance to this song throughout the years. And yes, I'm doing the dance right now.

2. Ain't No Mountain High Enough: Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

When Jed was on his mission in Mexico, he and I exchanged many, many letters and tapes. I used to send him all kinds of prohibited music, including this gem. I think we even recorded each of the parts so we could sing it with each other on tape. I preferred Marvin's part, mostly because of the "Wooooo!" at 1:40. Wow, we were dorks.

3. Anything from Sound of Music

I cannot watch this movie without thinking of Jed. He used to be obsessed with the Sound of Music. I remember when he came to Utah for Christmas in 1986, he got the video from Santa. I think we must have watched it about 20 times. Maybe, if you're lucky, Jed will get you a Sound of Music DVD and a rose. But that's a story for another time...ha!

4. Baby Got Back: Sir Mix A Lot

Karaoke. Head's Up. Enough said.

5. Brandy Alexander: Ron Sexsmith

Unfortunately, this song isn't on You Tube, but it's one of my favorite songs ever. Jed introduced me to this song in August and I must have listened to it 5000 times. "She's my Brandy Alexander...always gets me into trouble."

6. We've Only Just Begun: Carpenters

Jed and I used to listen to this song in our 20s and wonder where our lives would end up.

7. You're My Peace of Mind: David Ruffin

Another mission gem. Jed was going through a really hard time and this became one of our songs. Too bad it's not on You Tube, I love this song.

8. Golden Girls Theme Song

Anyone who knows Jed, knows that he loves the Golden Girls. No explanation needed.

9. Shirley Q. Liquor: K-Mark

Ok, so it's not really music but I couldn't leave this out. "Tell your mama I asked how she's durring!"

10. Ready to Take a Chance Again: Barry Manilow

This is the theme song to one of our favorite movies: Foul Play. Classic movie and classic song.

Runner-up: Irish Washerwoman

If you've ever done square dancing with my family on Thanksgiving, you'll know what I'm talking about.

We Shall Overcome

2009-01-19T11:31:00.001-07:00

What an amazing time in our history! Today we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King and tomorrow we will witness the inauguration of our country's first black president. The wisdom of MLK, a follower of my beloved Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, never ceases to amaze me. So much of what he had to say is still applicable in our world today.

"Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary."

"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."

I am excited and hopeful for the change Barack's inauguration will bring for America. However, part of me knows that MLK's dream has not been completely fulfilled. There has been progress, but there is still a long way to go. The fact that we have elected a black president is an important step in the realization of the dream, but it's just one step.

"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today my friends - so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'

I have a dream today.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning 'My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father's died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!'

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true."

I still believe in the dream!

Half Birthdays and Such

2009-01-13T23:07:00.004-07:00

Very bad start to the year. I haven't kept any of my resolutions or even thought about keeping them. Tonight I ate Oreos and Pringles for dinner. I don't think winter is good for me. The cold irritates me, the dark makes me sad and the snow forces me to become a recluse. At least I have a couple of vacations to look forward to: Roatan in February and a long overdue trip to Austin to see Ryan and Scott in March. One day, I will be warm again.

Yesterday was my half birthday, I'm now 30 1/2 years old. It sounds a lot older than 30. Anyway, in honor of my half birthday here's a little glimpse into my psyche based on my birthday:

July 12: You Are a Magician

You're a dynamic, charismatic person who's possibly headed for fame.
You tend to charm strangers easily. And you usually can get what you want from them.
Verbally talented, you tend to persuade people with your speaking and writing.
You are affectionate and loving, but it's hard for you to commit to any one relationship.

Your strength: Your charm

Your weakness: Your extreme manipulation tactics

Your power color: Indigo

Your power symbol: Four leaf clover

Your power month: December

Jed sent this to me and he thinks it's pretty accurate. He's just jealous because his power color is tan. Lame. What does your birth date mean?

Song of the day on repeat: Missed the Boat, Modest Mouse

This is one of my very favorite songs by one of my very favorite bands. The lyrics are brilliant. Hopefully, I haven't missed the boat just yet...I suppose I'll leave that question for when I'm 31.

New Year's Resolution: Keep New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-01T12:25:00.001-07:00

"Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it until it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh."

Henry David Thoreau

The impending new year has gotten me thinking: have I grown this past year, have I learned anything, have I made any progress towards my life goals, do I have any regrets. I've been grappling with the word regret. Its definition is quite negative: a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment, etc. When you regret something you can become unhappy, get shackled to the past, waste your present and become hopelessly pessimistic about your future.

However, I believe regret can also lead to positive outcomes and the realization of important life lessons. Life is not about regretting lost opportunities or lamenting unwise decisions, it's about counting the possibilities. So as I look ahead to 2009, I vow to work on being more positive, to look ahead rather than constantly looking back and to remember that life is more about what I can do than what I have or have not done.

In 2009 I resolve to:

Take more risks, but not be risky

Do the dishes in a timely manner

Finally visit Canada

Experiment more in the kitchen

2008 in Review: Part II

2008-12-31T12:07:00.001-07:00

2008 Continued...

July

3 weddings. LIVESTRONG Summit in Columbus where I had some crazy adventures and saw Vanilla Ice. Very, very sick after Columbus and the doctor tells me I really need to have my tonsils out soon.

I turned 30! Sarah and Jed come to town for the big Dirty Thirty party. Derek told me he wouldn't be able to come from Seattle, but he and Jed cooked up a plan and totally surprised me! Best. Present. Ever.

August

Maberly and Bill get married. Brandy Alexander on repeat. Michael Debacle occurs and I start nipping things in the bud. Sent an impulsive late night Facebook message and made a good friend.

Ryan, Jed and Derek visit!

Phoenix for a work vacation.

Jed and Chris moved to Seattle so up I went.

Monty tries to buy some beer wearing an interesting outfit.

September

Nine Inch Nails concert. Rock Band party at Metra's. Road trip to Wendover with the girls.

Allen and I learned how to make sushi.

October

Tonsillectomy. World Series. College Football. Watched lots of tv and ate a bunch of popsicles.

November

The door to the gun room is re-opened and then quickly closed. Barack wins!! Prop 8 protest at Temple Square. Finally saw the Body Worlds exhibit. Bowling at Bonwood.

New Orleans to see Miss Amy!

Seattle for Thanksgiving. There was lots of food, drinking and dancing, of course.

December

English Beat at The Depot. Discovered Poplar Street Pub. Paige got her tonsils out.

We got a few big snowstorms. My house looked super haunted.

Spencer left for his mission in Uruguay and we had a small cousin reunion.

Decorating cookies, Christmas presents and lots of people came to town!

Soundtrack for 2008

This Modern Love: Bloc Party
Freedom: George Michael
Don't Stop the Music: Rihanna
My Rights Versus Yours: The New Pornographers
Touch My Body: Mariah Carey
Both Sides Now: Joni Mitchell
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels): Arcade Fire
Mercy: Duffy
Brandy Alexander: Ron Sexsmith
Sex on Fire: Kings of Leon

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It): Beyonce

2008 in Review: Part I

2008-12-31T00:48:00.003-07:00

If 2007 was a year of tremendous personal growth, 2008 was a year a experimentation and controlled spontaneity (ha!). I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, I made a few impulsive decisions, I met some great new friends, I traveled a lot and I am a happier person after all of it. Enjoy the highlights of 2008!

January

Had my first drama free New Year's Eve in many, many years. No sleeping for 3 weeks straight, stupid insomnia. Sent several Fatal Attraction-esque 4 am e-mails. Ron Paul became my nemesis. Became obsessed with Daniel Day-Lewis after seeing There Will Be Blood.

Stanley went to dog heaven.

I got my picture taken with Punk Rocker. Hung out at Juniors way too much.

The infamous Mussel Debacle occurred.

February

Chinese New Year at Hong Kong Tea House. Had to get several fillings at the dentist. Road trip to Logan for the Chocolate Festival.

Monty and I took a spontaneous trip to Wendover.

Good times in Seattle with Sarah, Kim, Grumbley, Derek, Jed and Chris! I ended up getting very, very sick once I arrived home.

March

Sick, sick, sick. Is it the flu? Is it mono? Is it the plague? I would feel better for two days, then be sick again for another week. I took lots of pills and lived on popsicles. I felt like dying. Good Friday turns into Bad Saturday.

Jed visits!

My first trip to New Orleans! I felt deathly ill, but I still partied hard.

April

Insomnia returns with a vengeance. Still sick. Developed an unhealthy obsession with Arrested Development.

Ryan visits! We go to a wedding and I make him dance.

Aimee, Jack, Macklin and Braden visit!

May

Chris Williams visits for Cinco de Mayo and makes Meximelts. My a-hole neighbor Joe has loud parties. A seagull pooped on my face. Became obsessed with Flight of the Conchords. A late night game of poker ended in an interesting way, let's just say something was broken.

Phoenix to see Sarah!

June

Thirsty Thursdays at the Bee's games. My grandpa turned 80. Arts Festival. Pride Parade.

Brooks turned 21 and I went crazy with the Jameson.

Scarlett got a bike!

44 Things You Probably Don't Want to Know About Me

2008-12-16T10:20:00.003-07:00

1. Do you like blue cheese? I love it!
2. Have you ever smoked? Yes.
3. Do you own a gun? No way.
4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite? Fruit punch.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Not really. But I hate the eye doctor...the eye phobia kind of gets in the way.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? They are delicious.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Vacation or Home Alone.
8. Favorite thing to drink in the morning? Tea or coffee.
9. Can you do push ups? One's all you need!
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My boutique rings from Phoenix.
11. Favorite hobby? Cooking, knitting, watching movies, reading Vanity Fair, texting.
12. Do you have A.D.D.? No, I'm a pretty focused person.
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? I can be moody sometimes.
14. Middle name? I don't have one...but Chris Williams thinks it should be Maybelle.
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. When will it stop snowing? What will I eat for lunch? Can I still remember how to ice skate?
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, tea, beer.
17. Current worry? My nephew's surgery tomorrow.
18. Current hate right now? Snow!
19. Favorite place to be? Hanging out with friends and family.
20. How did you bring in the new year? I really don't like New Year's, it's my least favorite holiday. Last year was low key...hung out with my mom, Paige and Nolan. Watched some football and laughed when my mom thought Dick Clark was dead.
21. Where would you like to go? Anywhere! But recently I've been thinking about Hawaii, Greece or Africa with Paige. Now that I have a new passport I can travel the world until I'm 40. GD, that's old.
22. Name three people who might post this: Probably no one.
23. Do you own slippers? No.
24. What shirt are you wearing? A black sweater.
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No, too slippery.
26. Can you whistle? Yes.
27. Favorite color? Purple.
28. Would you be a pirate? I wouldn't make a very good one, I get sea sick. However, I do like speaking with an accent. It's a toss up.
29. What songs do you sing in the morning? Whatever is on the radio.
30. Favorite Girl's Name: Caroline, Eliza, Ava
31. Favorite boy's name: Liam, Sean, Emerson
32. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing.
33.Last thing that made you laugh? I don't remember. That's sad.
34. What vehicle do you drive? Honda Civic.
35. Worst injury you've ever had? I cut my finger almost completely off once.
36. Do you love where you live ? Yes. But my neighbors annoy me sometimes.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? One.
38. Who is your loudest friend? Jed. Shocking.
39. Do you have any pets? No.
40. Does someone have a crush on you? I highly doubt that.
41. Your favorite book(s): The Power of One, Catcher in the Rye, The Bluest Eye, The Great Gatsby, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Red Tent, Invisible Monsters
42. Do you collect anything? Books!
43. Favorite Sports Team? Utes and Cubbies!
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? "Everything I Own" Bread

Late Thoughts

2008-12-15T02:38:00.001-07:00

I just realized I started this blog about a year ago. Why, you ask? Mostly because I like to write and I needed something to help me cope with my rampant insomnia. I also kind of liked this guy who had a witty, quirky, artsy blog and I guess that in some way his blog encouraged me start writing again. I don't know if he reads my blog now or if he ever read it for that matter. But if you're out there somewhere B, thank you for sending a little inspiration my way. It just may have been fate.

Recently I've been wondering if this blog has become irrelevant. Between facebook, twitter, IM, texting, e-mail and the fact that I am a pretty social person, people generally know what's going on in my life. Do I really need another forum to tell the whole world every little thought that goes through my mind? No, I don't. Luckily for you, dear readers, I do not blog about my every waking thought because that would scare most of you.

Looking back on the past year, I feel like I've grown. I hope I've grown. I have certainly had the challenges, disappointments and inevitable regret to provide sufficient emotional growth. Do I still find myself making bad choices, even when I know it's not the best thing for me? Yes. Do I still turn to self-destructive behavior to escape overwhelming feelings or to not feel anything? Yes. Is the perfectionist in me still rearing her ugly head? Yes. Do I still make decisions with my heart instead of my head? Absolutely. Here's the point: Yeah, I still do stupid shit and will probably do so until the day I die. But I find myself doing stupid shit less often and I suppose that's a small sign of progression.

It's no secret I'm in my head a lot; I'm very insightful and in tune with my emotions. I generally like that about myself, but in some ways it's not healthy for me. I tend to isolate myself when I get in certain moods. I feel like I'm a slave to my feelings and I hate that I am unable to control that part of my life. Today I was listening to Bob Marley and I heard this line in Redemption Song:

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.

I've heard this song 900 times, but I never really got it until today. Suddenly it dawned on me: I need to work on me. This brings me back full circle, back to the relevance of this blog. I enjoy writing. I'm fairly good at it, I like entertaining people and it helps me express myself. Writing allows me to free my thoughts, but there is still work to be done. I will continue writing this blog because it is significant to me and it gives me some sense of control on my path to mental freedom. So I hope you enjoy the ride, it looks like my maelstrom will remain in print for the time being.

Top 10 Christmas Movies

2008-12-04T00:06:00.002-07:00

Most of you know I love Christmas and I love movies! So here's a list of two of my favorite things, in no particular order.

1. Christmas Vacation

2. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

3. It's a Wonderful Life

4. A Christmas Story

5. The Santa Clause

6. Love Actually

7. Scrooged

8. Preacher's Wife

9. Home Alone

10. The Muppet Christmas Carol

Honorable Mentions: Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, White Christmas

PS: Happy Birthday to Matt and Brian!

November Wrap Up

2008-11-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

November was a fabulous month! I was able to visit New Orleans and Seattle to see some of my very best friends. My energy has been renewed and I'm excited for the holidays. December will bring Sarah, Jed, Chris and Derek back to Salt Lake and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone in the same place. Things I love about December: making caramel popcorn, writing Christmas cards, finding the perfect present, drinking hot cider on Christmas Eve, walking in the snow, lots of family time and Christmas music on repeat.

Top 5 days in November: 4, 13, 15, 27, 29

Top 5 Things that Must Go:

1. Negativity

2. Dead computer batteries

3. Leftover Halloween candy

4. Max Hall

5. Port O Call

Top 5 Things That Make Me Smile:

1. Amy

2. Pecan pie

3. Seattle mist

4. Ciroc on the rocks

5. Reading the words "President-Elect Obama"

Top 5 Songs

1. Move On Up: Curtis Mayfield

I hadn't heard this song in forever and then Amy played it for me on the jukebox at Henry's. I love me some Curtis Mayfield! This song will make you dance, guaranteed.

2. Green Light: John Legend

I've been a huge John Legend fan since his first album came out a few years ago. Once again, Amy played this for me in New Orleans and I was hooked. Plus it doesn't hurt that he's HOT.

3. Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It): Beyonce

How can you not dance to this song??

4. Beast of Burden: Rolling Stones

One of my favorite songs ever!

5. Papa Was a Rolling Stone: The Temptations

I heard this song in a bar in Seattle and I was once again reminded of the genius of The Temptations.

Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T00:26:00.001-07:00

Gratitude (grat-i-tood)
–noun
the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful

Today is Thanksgiving! It's always been one of my favorite holidays. And not just for the obvious reasons like massive amounts of food, days off from work, pie or square dancing. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season: a time for generosity, introspection and resolutions.

What are you thankful for? Take the time to think about that. Let people know you are thankful for them and truly appreciate them. No matter how, where or with whom you celebrate it, value the holiday and what it represents. Everyone has something and someone to be grateful for. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Top 5 Things for Which I Am Grateful

1. Family-My family is not just a bunch of people to whom I am biologically linked. I consider many people in my family to also be my best friends. Cousins are more like brothers, sisters are non-judgmental confidants and my mom is indispensable.

2. My country-Our nation just elected a young, smart, hope inspiring man that is going to change this world for the better and that makes me happy.

3. Health-Ok, so I had my tonsils out and I was sick more times this year than I care to count. However, I'm actually pretty healthy considering the way I treat my body. I need to work on that.

4. Friends-Past, present and future. I have some of the best friends in the entire world! Sometimes I get lonely because so many of my friends live far away. Luckily, they are only a phone call away.

5. My Job-I get to go to work and do something I love everyday: helping people, giving back, working towards the greater good. Yes, some days are difficult. I deal with people in crisis on a daily basis and that can be emotionally taxing. But ultimately it's extremely rewarding and I learn so about what is really important in life.

Weekend Update

2008-11-25T22:47:00.005-07:00

It's been awhile since I've done a weekend update; I feel so behind on life sometimes. This weekend was pretty fun, but not out of control. I had a cold and I was in a bad mood so I didn't really do much all week. But I was ready to go out on Friday night, just to see people. We started at one on my favorite restaurants, Mi La Cai, for some Vietnamese food. It was delicious, as always. I was a little taken aback when the girl Jeff brought with him asked me what eggplant was. I tried not to act like she was stupid, but I'm not sure I was very convincing. I admit I sort of judged her at first. But as the night went on I found her to be quite interesting, baring the whole eggplant thing.

After dinner we decided to go bowling at Bonwood Lanes. This place is rough. I think at least half of the convicts from the Utah State Prison hang out there after being released. It was good people watching, for sure. Bill was in charge of entering our names for the games. I'll give you one guess for the name he picked for me. Thanks for that, Bill. It's #2 for those of you who aren't familiar with Peppa or her hands.

Les, Sonny, Bill, Mabe

Sonny, Bill, Jeff

Jeff was hopeful, but not lucky

Mabe and Lesley

Jeff's huge ride; every time I get out I risk death from falling ten feet

Jeff and Bill became very close

Saturday was the Utah/BYU game. The Utes have been playing well and a perfect season was hanging in the balance. Turned out to be a pretty good game. I really, really hate BYU and I was glad to see Max Hall throw 5 interceptions. Looks like the Utes were living right. So much for BYU's pathetic Quest for Perfection. When the Utah score got to be 40 my mom decided to bust out this Olde English 40 she had stashed in the fridge. Paige and Damien had given it to her as a joke, I was surprised she drank it. Here she is polishing it off. Final score: 48-24. Go Utes!

After the game Monty and I met some people at Port O Call. I f-ing hate that place. I hadn't been there in awhile and I decided to give it another chance. Bad idea. It is full of the creepiest guys and the bartenders are a-holes. I didn't even take any pictures, that's how bad it was.

Sunday was pretty low key. I started out the day by visiting my sister, Mercedes, at Odyssey House with my dad and Scarlett. Mercedes is doing well and she graduates from drug court in January. She's making progress with her treatment and will probably be at Odyssey House until early Spring. Here's my niece, Scarlett!

Song of the day on repeat: So Here We Are, Bloc Party

Miss Jess'ca, can I please buy you a bee-uh?

2008-11-20T23:56:00.009-07:00

I have been trying to write this blog for 3 days and it has proved difficult. I've been a strange mood since I got back from New Orleans. If you think I was being weird with you this week at some point, I probably was. Sorry about that. My emotions are all over the place. One minute I'm feeling happy, the next I'm angry and pushing people away.

Not really sure what triggered all of this. Could be the pile of old letters I accidentally stumbled upon, could be the binge drinking in NOLA, could be the string of bad decisions I've made recently, could be the winter darkness, could be all of the starving people in Haiti, could be the fact that I haven't spoken to one of my best friends for 2 months, could be the insomnia, could be the Jeff Buckley song on repeat. Who knows. Luckily, I seem to be climbing out of this emotional hole I have dug for myself so hopefully tomorrow will be better. Jeddy, ever the sage, said earlier this week, "Happy endings are stories that haven't finished yet." I'm not sure if that's supposed to be optimistic or just plain sad, but it's something to think about.

I'm really here to write about my adventures in New Orleans, not complain about my sad life. All week, my readers (all 6 of them) have been asking me when my next blog will be published so here you go.

I arrived in NOLA on Thursday afternoon, just in time for rush hour traffic. Amy pulled up to the curb in the Subaru and promptly popped in a little Snoop Dogg for old time's sake. Amy and I do two things well: eat and drink. First stop after the airport was dinner at 13. There was some confusion since Amy told me it was called 7, but it really is 13. Anyway, we had some delicious tater tots and a couple of beers while we discussed Curtis Mayfield, the way one checks a state off his/her list, the awesome jukebox, how I should not make eye contact with people and how the service sucked. As we walked out the door, the drunk gentleman who was sitting next to us said, "Now that they're gone, let's eat the good stuff left on their plates."

I guess I should mention that Amy dropped her BlackBerry into the toilet the night before I arrived. Apparently a cockroach scared the bejesus out of her and down the shitter the Burry went. In order to dry it out she stuck it in a bag of rice for two days...it kind of worked.

We drove home so I could change my clothes and wash the airplane smell off me. Then we were off to try a blueberry mojito, which was delicious, but the bartender was an a-hole.

Next on to Amy's neighborhood bar, Henry's. Amy has been telling me all about the characters she hangs out with at Henry's and I felt like I already knew most of them. Everyone welcomed me with open arms and free drinks!

Steve, the moody owner

Darren, the hot bartender

Joe, the Fire Marshall

Amy and Joe happen to live across the street from Henry's so we decided to take the party to the porch. Mike and Mike II joined us.

The next morning we woke up bleary eyed and hungry. Fortunately, Amy had made reservations at the New Orleans culinary institution, Commander's Palace. Unfortunately, the reservations were at 12:30 and we were starving at 9:30 am. We kept ourselves occupied until 12 with Facebook, random e-mails, crackers and the Food Network.

Commander's Palace is fancy, but they have tacky decor. We were greeted by about 20 people on our way to the table and they had Miss Amy's info on file. She's an important New Orleans institution as well. Lunch is fun at the Palace because martinis are 25 cents all afternoon long! Let's just say we got our money's worth...best buzz I ever got off $1. The food was amazing too. I had turtle soup with extra sherry (yes, real turtle and it was quite tasty), shrimp, grits, bread pudding and chicory coffee. The bread pudding had this whiskey cream sauce that looked a lot like a certain bodily fluid. I ate it anyway.

We returned home full of food and feeling good for 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. Amy turned on some music and took off her pants.

Where do you go in New Orleans when you're ready to dance? Why Henry's, of course. I was fortunate to meet even more local characters and get free beer. I should tell you that I had a hard time deciphering the New Orleans accent. I couldn't understand half of what anyone was saying to me. I did understand one word: beer. But in NOLA the boys say it like "bee-uh" and it's very cute.

Michael, the Silver Fox

Mike, Chuck, Random Guy

Timmy, the bartender who lives behind the bar; the building, not the actual bar

Anonymous Ashley

Lars from DC

Stacy from NC. She's not fond of Mormons or Prop 8, but she liked me and I liked her back.

I gave Amy some love

Amy and I were so tired from drinking in the afternoon we were in bed by midnight. Which is probably a good thing because Saturday turned out to be quite the experience.

Running a Marathon: NOLA style

2008-11-20T23:54:00.002-07:00

Saturday started out in a leisurely manner. We were well rested and as usual, hungry. I'm a big fan of eating breakfast food and drinking alcohol simultaneously so we headed to Bywater BBQ for brunch. While I was sipping on one of the best bloody marys I'd ever had, I thought I saw Mike Ross from Henry's. And wouldn't you know it really was him and his out-of-town posse? We joined them for some more bloody marys, a few rounds of categories and a small Prop 8 protest. Turns out they were just starting on a historical pub crawl...27 bars, 7 miles. Amy and I weren't really sold on it, but we decided to make a few stops for fun. We ended up sticking around for about 14 hours and I'm sorry to tell you it wasn't very historical, but it was historic.

First up: Markey's Bar

On the road...people were already starting to crawl

The Friendly Bar. We had to be buzzed into this bar, ironically, not so friendly

Props to Stacy for taking pictures of the signs...I forgot

This place had the dirtiest bathroom in New Orleans and no toilet paper

I peed here

Hand Grenades in the French Quarter

This place was TINY

Pat O'Brien's for a Hurricane

At this point Amy and I were hungry again, so we hopped in a cab and made our way to Dick and Jenny's. This place is pretty famous and I have no idea how we got right in on a Saturday night. We sat down at the bar to eat some frog legs. Amy ordered us margaritas; I couldn't handle the tequila so she had mine. I vaguely remember eating some flounder and grits.

Next thing I knew, we were back at Henry's. Joe was there!

So was Mike Ross and part of his posse

This is Peppa at the end of the night, not looking so hot. No idea what my hair is doing.

We made it back across the street to Amy's house at some point. How I kept track of my phone, camera and purse all night I'll never know. When I woke up the next morning, I found I had erased all of my texts and phone calls. So I apologize if you received anything inappropriate, but I hope it made you smile, at least.

This is how Amy and I recover from a 14 hour pub crawl through the streets of New Orleans: we buy a whole damn Popeye's store and watch a little Entourage. I never get to eat Popeye's at home and I enjoyed it, throughly. I ate about 2 bites of all of the sides and all of the chicken skin, because really, that's the best part.

Sadly, my trip to New Orleans came to an end and I can't believe how quickly the weekend went by! My flights back home were hideously long and I didn't arrive at my house until 1:30 am. But I must say it was worth all the trouble to spend some much needed quality time with Amy!

Every Picture Tells a Story

2008-11-12T23:03:00.005-07:00

Wow. It's been forever since I've posted anything. First off, yay for Barack winning the election! Second, I'm leaving for New Orleans tomorrow so I don't have very much time to write. Consequently, this blog will have to be mostly pictorial in nature.

I went to a couple of Halloween parties. I'm not really that into Halloween or dressing up at all for that matter. But I decided to play along this year, so I was Annie Hall at Les and Sonny's party.

I didn't dress up for the other Halloween party, but I had several shots of something called acid and had a great time!

Heather's family came up from Moab and my G-ma turned 80!

Mabe and Bill had an Election Night party and we ate some traditional Alaskan fare: moose steaks, salmon and Alaska Amber. Bill shot the 1400 pound moose himself! Unfortunately, my camera battery died so I don't have too many pictures. We ended up celebrating (drinking, laughing, playing Wii) until 5 am. Go Obama!

Last Friday I went to the Prop 8 protest at Temple Square with Metra and Jen. 3000 people showed up to support marriage equality and it was awesome!

Later on we ventured over to book club at Diane's to discuss the Story of O. This book is not for the faint of heart. It was an unusual selection for us, but the discussion was certainly interesting. I wish I could repeat some of the sordid details, but they're just a little bit too risque for the general public.

Monty and I finally resumed our ethnic tour of Salt Lake. It had been way too long...spring sometime? I think it was the Tibetan place. Anyway, we ended up at Vienna Bistro, ate some cheese, delicious food we couldn't pronounce and drank a lot of strong beer. Afterwards we headed over to the Broadway to see Religulous. I'm happy to say I was able to see the entire movie this time without being accosted by a drunk man.

Some other cool stuff I've done lately: got my haircut, Jazz game with Monty, went to the ballet with my mom, saw the Body Worlds exhibit. I'm so, so excited to get to New Orleans tomorrow for my visit with Amy. It has been way too long since I've seen her! I'm looking forward to trying a hand grenade (per Brian's instructions), eating some crawfish and driving aimlessly around the city playing air drums.

Did you vote today??

2008-11-04T10:37:00.006-07:00

Have you fulfilled your civic duty for the day? Go vote, go vote, go vote.

It's no secret who I casted my ballot for. Go Obama!

There is so much at stake in this election and I can hardly wait to see the historic results. I am truly inspired by the energy, passion and hope Obama evokes in people. Barack believes and I believe him. The time for change is NOW!

October Wrap Up

2008-10-31T00:49:00.000-06:00

October is over and unfortunately I spent half of it in bed. However, the last half improved as I finally started to feel human again. I have lots to look forward to in November: trips to New Orleans and Seattle, Thanksgiving and a raise!

Top 5 days in October: 13, 17, 25, 27, 28

Top 5 Things That Must Go:

1. My neighbor's techno dance parties

2. Monty going to Canada

3. People who constantly wear blue tooth headsets

4. Cloris Leachman

5. 12 hour work days

Top 5 Things That Make Me Smile:

1. Sweet potato fries

2. Random texts from long lost friends

3. Baseball

4. Pringles

5. Movies that haunt me for days, specifically Boy A

Top 5 Songs:

1. Love Lockdown: Kanye West

My newest obsession.

2. Superstition: Stevie Wonder

Sweet studio version.

3. I Feel the Earth Move: Carole King

I was kind of in a 70s mood this month and I found this awesome live version. Her hair is kind of out of control, but I like her vest.

4. Where is My Mind: Pixies

5. Nightswimming: REM

I'm all of a sudden back in 9th grade being moody. Not much has changed, I'm still moody. But apparently gas was 89 cents in 1992...

Happy Birthday Heather!

2008-10-29T10:25:00.003-06:00

Happy 38th Birthday to my sister Heather! Hope your day is everything you wish for.

I...

2008-10-27T23:31:00.002-06:00

I am…distracted by my thoughts
I think…way too much
I want…Barack to win
I have…too many books
I miss…all of my friends who live far away
I hear…my new noisy neighbors
I cry…often, but hardly ever over my own troubles
I wish…my uvula would stop dangling down my throat
I care…about the fate of the world
I always…think with my heart instead of my head
I worry…constantly
I am not…happy that winter will be here soon
I remember…birthdays and random trivial facts
I sing…all of the time, but not well
I don’t always…do the dishes in a timely manner
I argue…rarely
I write…well
I win…never, I have terrible luck
I lose…my patience while driving
I listen…to everyone else's drama and I like it
I don’t understand…why it is so difficult for people to pronounce words correctly
I can usually be found…texting
I need…a new mattress
I forget…hardly anything
I am happy…when everyone else is happy

Song of the day on repeat: Drop the Pressure, Mylo

Happy Birthday Chaya!

2008-10-24T01:21:00.001-06:00

Happy 12th Birthday to my niece Chaya!

10 Signs I'm Not Yet an Adult

2008-10-23T22:40:00.002-06:00

1. I never make my bed in the morning

2. I listen to music way too loud

3. I stay up too late every single night and I'm never on time to work

4. I speed everywhere

5. I spend more money on alcohol than food

6. I love cotton candy ice cream

7. I revel in gossip

8. I still rent

9. I like to hang out at the kids table at family events

10. I constantly break cameras and phones

And just for fun, 1 sign that I'm getting old: I went into Hollister yesterday and I kept thinking the music was just too damn loud to conduct business. Sad.

Weekend Update

2008-10-20T23:54:00.005-06:00

Music for tonight's blogging: Once Soundtrack. I was obsessed with this music in July 2007 and I listened to this song about 1000 times when I was having some boy trouble. Check out the movie if you haven't seen it.

I had a lot going on this weekend, mostly family stuff. Friday was my mom's birthday so we went out to dinner. Unfortunately Kirsten had to work, so it was just Paige, my mom and me. We ended up at Jasmine because my mom wanted some sushi.

Paige ended up ordering half of the menu.

After dinner we went home and played Scrabble

And Boggle. Don't make fun, we're a family of wordsmiths!

Saturday started off in a sad way. Last week my cousin's baby died of leukemia and the funeral was Saturday morning. I hadn't seen my cousin Brandon or his wife in awhile because he's been going to grad school in Kansas. I didn't even get the chance to meet his sweet baby girl McKensie before she passed away.

She was diagnosed 6 months ago, went through 5 rounds of chemo and they just couldn't get her well enough to have a bone marrow transplant. It just broke my heart and I cried and cried. I can't even imagine having to bury a child or watching a child suffer and feeling so helpless. I know Brandon and Tiffany take comfort in knowing she's not in pain anymore, she's in a better place and that they will see her again.

Guess who's back?? Monty finally returned from Canada after working there for five weeks. I was about to call the Mounties to file a missing persons report but he showed up on Thursday. I missed him!!

Monty has been pretty much apolitical his whole life and I'm always giving him grief about it. Imagine my surprise when he told me he went to register to vote in person! I'm so proud of him. Then he shocked me again by suggesting we go see W, a very political movie. Highly recommended!

Sunday is for church and that's where I was. My cousin Ben has been in Berlin the past two years on a mission and we all got dressed up to go hear him speak. Kirsten even made an appearance!

I know you're not supposed to take secret pictures in church, but I found it slightly ironic that Hitler sat next to Ben on the stand, given that he had just come home from Germany and all. I'm sure this guy is nice, but don't you think someone would tell him to get rid of the moustache??

After church we headed back to Bruce and Marcia's to eat and visit. Here's a better of picture of Ben, but a bad picture of me. I think Ben grew a bit while he was gone and he definitely came home a bit skinnier. Still has those cute dimples and a great sense of humor though.

Typical Mormon fare: little sandwiches and lots of jello salad. Tasty!

Paige dragged Damien along

Spencer, me, Monty, Kathryn

Samson is the only baby who held still long enough for me to hold him.

I had to get one last picture of Monty because he left for stupid Canada again on Sunday night. This way I won't forget what he looks like.

The rest of Sunday was spent watching the Red Sox/Rays game. Sadly, the Red Sox lost and I wasn't very happy about that. I must admit I'm kind of a fair weather baseball fan. I love baseball and I go to a few games every summer; I just never really get into it until the playoffs. I'm still not sure who I'll be rooting for on Wednesday when the World Series starts. I think I'm leaning towards Tampa Bay because Joe Maddon looks like Spencer Tracy. Just kidding. But he really does look like Spencer Tracy and you know how I like guys in glasses. In all seriousness though, TB has the best record and that deserves merit. Tampa Bay it is!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-10-17T00:06:00.000-06:00

My mom turns 55 today! I hope you have a fabulous day, you deserve it. I love you!

Yes, that's my mom up the drag queen's dress

Busting a move with Mack and Braden

Cold at Displace Me

Politics Schmolitics

2008-10-15T21:54:00.002-06:00

Just a little gem I found tonight, "Hey Sarah Palin"

Here's a little song in honor of all the gays in my life who want you to vote NO on Proposition 8 in California, as do I. For lack of better words, Prop 8 is gay! (And you know I never say that, so of course I'm being facetious.)

Meet my new boyfriend

2008-10-15T20:56:00.003-06:00

Joe the Plumber has now replaced George Glass as my official boyfriend. Sorry, George. But now Joe is rich and can buy his own business. He's the sugar daddy I've always wanted. All George does is take me to surprise parties.

Tonsillectomy: Redux

2008-10-15T02:03:00.005-06:00

As most of you know, I had my tonsillectomy on October 1. I thought I would try to recap my tonsillectomy and subsequent recovery for those of you who are interested. I'm glad that the end is in sight; time will tell if the surgery has the intended effect.

PRE-SURGERY

The day before surgery was crazy. I was trying to finish up everything at work because I wouldn't be able to have access to the system during my time off. Once I got home, two hours later than I wanted to, it wasn't much better. I hadn't packed my bag, dishes in the sink, garbage to be taken out, plants to be watered. I decided I would just sleep over at my mom's since the hospital is much closer to her house. I spent most of the evening bothering Paige, who was working on a psychology project with her friend Lloyd.

Then I had a few phone calls wishing me luck the next day. Thanks to everyone who checked in, that meant a lot. At the last minute I remembered I had to take a urine sample with me in the morning. My mom gave me an old salad dressing bottle. I wasn't too keen on that, but it had to be done.

DAY 1: SURGERY

I woke up thirsty at 7:30, I can handle the no eating but no drinking is hard! We arrived at the hospital at 8:45 and soon I was getting weighed, blood drawn, asked lots of questions and eventually the nurse gave me this very flattering hospital gown. I know I look so hot in this sack, with no make up and my glasses on. Apparently it's necessary to be completely naked when surgeons are operating on your throat. They say it's because you have little monitors stuck on you, but I think I might be repressing bad OR memories that will come back to haunt me later in life.

The surgeon was a bit behind so we waited and waited for the OR to open up. Finally an orderly came to transport me. I had to hand off my glasses to my mom, leaving me literally blind. I hate that because I really can't see people's faces when they're talking to me. The orderly dropped me off in the hallway just outside of the OR and I had all these people coming to ask questions. I had to say my name and birthday like 7 times. The anesthesiologist was very nice, I liked him. Last time I had surgery my anesthesiologist was named Dr. Blood. That was his real name! This guy was just Dr. Clayton and he was very chatty while he was putting in my IV. We talked about baseball, movies, intubation, why operating rooms are always so cold. I told him I had trouble with nausea and vomiting in the past so he put some special sauce in with the anesthesia.

I remember telling him it was working really fast and the next thing I knew I was waking up and I kept asking him if I threw up. He reassured me that I did not and said I was doing well. I laid there in post-op for a few minutes and then I started to feel an intense burning in my throat. The nurse gave me some kind of morphine and that shit works well. I still felt a little bit of pain, but it only like a 2 or 3 on a scale of 1-10. Pretty soon I was moved to my recovery room and my mom met me there. I promptly asked for my phone and started conducting business.

I had to drink some grape juice and then nurse made me a popsicle slushie. I was doing really well until they tried to sit me up. Just about fainted and went white as a ghost. They laid me back down and I got some more special sauce in my IV. I tried some applesauce and it went down ok. I even called a few people and I was joking with the nurse.

Soon I was able to sit up without any issues. I got dressed and I was wheeled out to my mom's car. We stopped to get a milkshake on the way home, but I wasn't very interested and it was pretty thick. I watched tv for the rest of the afternoon and dozed on and off. I kept feeling this weird blocked feeling in my throat and I could not figure out what it was. I tired to swallow it to no avail. Turns out it was my freaking uvula and it wasn't going anywhere. It kept getting bigger as the day went on. I also had some nausea and ended up getting sick. The pain still wasn't too bad and I was talking ok.

Allen and Dennis stopped by with some ice cream in the evening so it was nice to visit with them. I was feeling pretty good so I decided to watch Lars and the Real Girl with Paige and Damien. I couldn't make it through the whole movie without falling asleep, so I took a Percocet and some steroids and went to bed.

DAYS 2-4

The pain meds worked fairly well and I felt pretty good during these days. The only time there was severe pain was during the middle of the night or first thing in the morning when it had been a few hours since I had anything to drink. Swallowing hurt SO bad, but the meds kicked in after 10 minutes or so. The pain was fairly manageable and I started to think I might just breeze through this recovery. My two favorite things during this time were Gatorade and pretzels. I know pretzels sound like they would be scratchy, but they didn't hurt and the salt helped a lot. I also ate a lot of popsicle slushies: microwave a twin pop for 15 seconds, mash it up and add a splash of sprite. That's pretty much what I lived on for 2 weeks. I thought I might prefer hot stuff, but the cold things were much more soothing. Although I did have a little chicken noodle soup everyday too.

On day 3 my tongue starting hurting pretty bad and I couldn't open my mouth very wide at all. Yawning and laughing hurt so bad, but I could talk softly. My damn uvula continued to be my nemesis. I had to sleep in an elevated position and I couldn't lay on my back or my uvula would choke me. I finally found a side position that was semi-comfortable where I could still breathe, sleep and stay alive at the same time.

DAYS 5-6

I started to notice my energy going downhill these days. I was really puffy from the steroids and everyone kept telling me how pale I was. Thanks, I know I look like crap. I was really starting to feel like it too. I had to force myself to drink, it was becoming much more difficult to swallow. The pain also spread to my ears and my jaw, I couldn't even chew a popsicle. Food just didn't sound good and my taste was off. I wasn't able to concentrate on anything. I got online a little bit, but it made my head hurt. Reading was out of the question. So I just watched a lot of tv and I was also able to do a little bit of knitting. Now is the time to mention that pain meds kind of bind up your system, to put it nicely. Day 6 finally brought some relief for that! Day 6 was also the day I thought it would be a good idea to drive my sick ass to Starbucks. Bad idea. I really should not have driven. I was way out of it, almost like I was drunk. Somehow I made it there and back in one piece.

DAY 7

Worst. Day. Ever. I woke up feeling really weird, nauseated and in a lot of pain. I tried to get online but I could hardly sit up so I went to watch tv. Every time I moved my head I felt dizzy, even if I was lying down. I made myself get up to use the bathroom and it was instant nausea and the spins. I barely made it to the bathroom before I got sick. Let me tell you, throwing up after a tonsillectomy HURTS. Luckily I had some anti-nausea pills and they helped a little bit. I still couldn't move without getting dizzy. I think having my tonsils removed messed up my balance...that's what causes vertigo right? I'm only kidding. But it was a really miserable day.

DAYS 8-11

One word for these days: PAIN. I was so, so bored because all I could do was watch tv. I think I saw every episode of What Not to Wear and I caught up on some old CSI re-runs. Saturday was a great college football day too! The pain in my ears was excruciating and I felt like someone had scrapped a big brush up and down my throat. At first I was kind of disappointed in myself. I had been doing so well and now I felt like this was a giant set back. But the doctor did tell me that it would get worse before it got better. I'm really not a huge complainer, but it got pretty bad. There wasn't much I could do but get through it one day at a time. By day 11 I was ready to just start feeling better, I felt like I was never going to feel normal again.

DAYS 12-13

I didn't really fall asleep until 6 am so I slept until noon. I woke up and felt pretty good, but I still needed a pain pill to take the edge off. I got online and chatted with a few friends and decided I felt almost normal. I had been thinking about shopping for a week so I jumped in the shower, did my hair, put on some make up and went out. I hadn't been out of the house in a few days and it was so nice to be outside. First good sign: I didn't feel drunk while driving. I was out for about 2 hours and still felt pretty good when I got back. I was finally starting to tell a difference in my breathing, the swelling was starting to go down and I had no sinus congestion for the first time in forever. My voice still sounds a little weird, but not like a few days before when I sounded like a deaf person. No Helen Keller jokes Derek!

Later Paige and Damien were going out to eat at Cheesecake Factory and I went with them. As fate would have it, Scott was working so it was fun to see him. Turns out American Idol star David Archuletta was dining there as well. He took some weird walk about the restaurant...so everyone could see him I guess? I dared Scott to trip him when he walked by our table, but he wouldn't do it. Chicken. I ended up drinking 4 cups of coffee at dinner and that wasn't a good idea. I could not wind down when we got home. I watched tv until 2, tried to fall asleep for over an hour but I was wide awake. Got up and did some stuff online until 5 then tried to sleep from 5-7. Nothing but tossing and turning. So I got up, made some oatmeal and chatted online for awhile.

Today is Day 13. I definitely didn't feel as good today as I did on Monday, but I decided to brave the store once again. It was just ok. I was very irritable and as much as I love kids, I wanted to kill a few of them today. I went home to take a nap and I finally slept for awhile. I'm still not quite right today. I don't know if it's because I haven't really been talking to people very much for the past 2 weeks or the lack of sleep, but I think I offended like 9 people today with stupid comments. Making up for lost time, I suppose. Anyway, I feel bad about all that and I'm not in a very good mood tonight.

I'm looking forward to getting back into normal life. I haven't really talked on the phone much at all and it's weird. As much as I love my mom and Paige, I need to talk to some other people! I don't know what I would have done if hadn't been able to text or IM, but it's just not the same as real human interaction. I ended up staying at my mom's house until today. I really wasn't planning on staying that long, but I felt so crappy last week. Plus I couldn't drive anywhere and she has cable.

I'm back home tonight and my mail box had a few cards from friends and I had flowers sitting in front of my door. It was a nice homecoming! However, I left a couple of windows open the whole time and it's been cold the last couple of days so now my house is freezing. I go back to work on Thursday. I really did need the full 2 weeks off to recover, but I'm ready to get back into the swing of things.

Thank you so much to everyone for checking in on me and entertaining me in person, via text, e-mail or online. I don't know what I would have done without all of you. I really do have the best friends and family in the world!

September Wrap Up

2008-09-30T00:56:00.005-06:00

September has come to an end! All the signs point to Fall's arrival: leaves are changing, the morning air is crisp, squirrels are packing away their acorns and pumpkin ale has arrived. In order to celebrate the new season I'm adding two new lists to my monthly Top 5: things that must go and things that make me smile.

Top 5 Days in September: 4, 9, 19, 20, 25

Top 5 Things That Must Go:

That terrible Kid Rock Sweet Home Alabama/Werewolf in London/Bob Seger rip off. Better yet, Kid Rock should just go away and stop ruining classic rock.
My tonsils
Drinking champagne on a school night
Grudges
Jason Mraz. Like 5 years ago.

Top 5 Things That Make Me Smile:

Obama/Biden bumper stickers everywhere I look here in the reddest state in the Union
Beaujolais Nouveaux
Road trips
The new Thievery Corporation album
Choke: read the book first, then see the movie. Beware neither are for the faint of heart. If you enjoy Palahniuk's writing be sure to read Invisible Monsters, my personal favorite.

Top 5 Songs:

1. Zero: Smashing Pumpkins

After the NIN concert I was still feeling a little bit nostalgic and busted out some Smashing Pumpkins. I still love this song and it's great one to listen to while running.

2. Boys Don't Cry: The Cure

Again with the nostalgia...I can't help it, I'm a very sentimental person!

3. Supermassive Black Hole: Muse

I love Muse and this is one of my favorite songs. If you haven't heard them before, check them out ASAP. Absolution is perfection!

4. Waiting in Vain: Bob Marley

I used to listen to this song over and over and over again in Chicago. Then again about 2 years ago when it got me through some tough times.

5. Please Let That Be You: The Rentals

This song makes me happy and sometimes I dance around my house when it's on. Music nerd fact: The Rentals is fronted by the former bassist of Weezer. It's hard to believe this song came out in 1995, they sound very contemporary. Way ahead of their time and like other musical mavericks, unappreciated.

Confessions Du Jour

2008-09-29T23:38:00.007-06:00

I was tagged again. Seriously, I'm not making this up. I promise this is the last one I'll do for awhile. It's kind of exciting because it's all about secrets! Now I've already shared a few secrets here before and it is somewhat liberating. So here's the rule, 5 confessions for 5 people: Leslie, Scott, Becky, Audrey and Jessica.

1. I really hate styrofoam. I hate the sound it makes when two pieces rub together, I hate the way it feels. All of it: plates, cups, coolers, the stupid green craft blocks you stick fake flowers in. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. Plus it's just bad for the environment...get rid of it already!

2. I eat cereal for dinner all of the time. And not the good kind of cereal like Wheat Chex or Grape Nuts or even organic Kashi shit. No. My favorites are: Cocoa Pebbles, Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and for Halloween I include Count Chocula and Frankenberry.

3. I like some really embarrassing music as showcased in my iTunes Hall of Shame. I once wrote about that music in jest, but I really do like Air Supply. Case in point: I even play Making Love Out of Nothing At All on the juke box at Murphy's. How embarrassing for me. Metra recently told me she enjoys a little Air Supply too, so now I don't have to feel alone in my shame.

4. I saw the movie House when I was like 7 and there was this hand that comes out of the toilet to grab someone and it really freaked me out. I think about that movie almost every time I go to the bathroom. It has scarred me for life. I haven't seen the movie since; perhaps I should watch it again and reclaim my toilet.

5. I have no idea what my natural hair color is. I mean, it's obviously some shade of blonde, but I've been coloring it for so long I wonder what it really looks like.

PS: If you enjoy reading about other people's secrets check out the Post Secret blog. If you enjoy reading about other people's neuroses check out I Am Neurotic.

Tagged...Again

2008-09-25T00:29:00.003-06:00

I don't normally do these things, but I don't want to go to bed yet. So you'll just have to suffer through it and maybe you'll learn something new.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes, my great g-pa, g-pa and uncle were all named Jesse, hence Jessica.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Watching Biggest Loser...gets me every damn time!

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, it's quite unique.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Ham

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Not yet, but definitely some day.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I would hope so...

7. GREATEST FEAR? Failure

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Today, yes. A week from now, no. Pre-op appointment tomorrow morning...

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Hell no!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cocoa Pebbles or Cap'n Crunch

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not usually

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically: so-so. Emotionally: most of the time

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? I can't choose! Unfortunately, I like all ice cream.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes. They are the window into the soul after all.

15. RED OR PINK? Red

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU? I seem to be getting more neurotic and intolerant the older I get. I need to be nicer to people.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I'm always missing someone...too many friends live far away. :( I'd like to make it to New Orleans and Austin soon.

18. WHAT IS THE GREATEST THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? I'm loyal

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? No shoes, green pj pants with reindeer (Is reindeer plural?? It must be..you don't say deers)

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Cheese

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Boys Don't Cry: The Cure on repeat

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Cornflower

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Rain, cookies baking, laundry

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Paige

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO TAGGED THIS TO YOU? Of course! I've known her since 3rd grade.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH: Basketball, football, baseball

27. HAIR COLOR? Blonde

28. EYE COLOR? Blue!

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS OR GLASSES? Both. I'm blind, truly.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Sushi or Mexican food

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? There aren't many really scary movies anymore, but I love them. The last movie that made me scream out loud was The Orphanage.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Vicky Cristina Barcelona

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Cubs t-shirt

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer, but the first snowfall is always exciting and beautiful.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? I tend to hug people a lot. Not everyone gets a kiss, however.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? I love dessert...I'll eat pretty much anything with sugar.

37. WHO IS YOUR HERO? My mom, Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer

38. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO? Talk on the phone, read Vanity Fair, gossip, watch movies, travel, drink beer, spend time with family and friends, text.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Just finished On the Road, going to start Tales of the City tonight.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mouse pad...I have a laptop.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Biggest Loser and Law and Order. It wasn't a very productive night for me.

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Laughter

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? If I have to choose, I would say The Beatles. But I do have great appreciation for the Rolling Stones.

44. WHERE IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? India

45. DO YOU HAVE A WEIRD TALENT? Not really. Unless being a predator counts.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Salt Lake City

47. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED? When Paige texted me that there was a mouse in my mom's house and they were freaking out. Apparently Damien caught it and they're safe now.

48. WHAT TIME IS IT NOW? 12:22 am

49. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PRAYED? Been awhile...

50. IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOU WHAT WOULD IT BE? Less impulsive

Musical Odds and Ends

2008-09-24T23:22:00.002-06:00

I don't really feel like writing much. But I was cleaning out my closet tonight and I found a mystery cd with no label. I thought it might be an old relic from Chicago that would remind me of driving around the ghetto in Amy's car. Turns out it was just a mix I made last year, albeit an eclectic mix. Enjoy a few of my musical obsessions from late 2007.

Every Day I Write the Book: Elvis Costello

The First Taste: Fiona Apple

Again and Again: The Bird and the Bee

Guilty: Matthew Ryan

Come to Me: Koop

Banquet: Bloc Party

Nobody Dances Anymore: Brandston

Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros: Flight of the Conchords

More Life in a Tramp's Vest: Stereophonics

Love Will Come Through: Travis

Weekend Update

2008-09-23T01:28:00.004-06:00

When I woke up this morning I was kind of in a bad mood. It was raining really hard and it was cold outside. I had to go to the dentist first thing in the morning and I wasn't really excited about it based on my last visit. But when I got in the car I heard Bill Withers singing Lovely Day and my mood improved dramatically. Turns out rainy days and Mondays don't really get me down when there's good music on. So here's a little Bill Withers for you; I hope it makes you smile. (PS: The video is lame, just listen to the song)

My weekend involved a lot of girl on girl time. No pervs, not that kind of time but you can keep wishing. Friday was book club where we discussed On the Road by Jack Kerouac. It's considered a novel, but it's actually based on Kerouac's actual travels with people like Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. I can't believe I didn't read this book when I was going through my teenage years trying to figure out who I was. I think I read Catcher in the Rye about 10 times in high school. I even had two fish named after the characters: Stratford and Holden. I used to carry a worn copy of the book in my backpack at all times until I found out Mark Chapman carried it around before he shot John Lennon and then I decided I didn't want to seem like a crazy killer. Anyway, I digress. Book club is always fun because we discuss the book for a short time, then we drink wine and talk shit for the rest of the night.

Inspired by Kerouac, a group of book club girls headed out on the open road on Saturday to discover our own version of Beatnik freedom and wild abandon. We set out for Wendover, driving 90 miles west through the desert of Utah, eventually crossing the border into Nevada. Loyal readers will remember my spontaneous trip to Wendover in February, which resulted in a $.39 profit. That's right, 39 cents straight from the penny slots. Obviously I'm not really a gambler. I don't take risks, I don't have any money. So this trip included some new Wendover sights, including an overnight stay at Montego Bay.

I tried to get all of us in the picture, but that didn't really work. Metra and Joshi are in the back and Lesley had taken the wheel. Mabe's behind me.

And there's Maberly

Last time I drove to Wendover, it was the dead of night in winter. So this time I tried to take a few pictures on the way while speeding along the freeway.

The Tree of Life

Bonneville Salt Flats

The State Line cowboy welcomes you

We decided to make a liquor store run to stock up on beer and other provisions. Mabe went straight for the whiskey.

Once we got back to the hotel, we had to create a makeshift cooler for all of the beer. Note: sinks and garbage cans work well.

After thinking outside of the box with the sink cooler, we decided we also needed a cooler to take to the pool. We took a quick inventory and Lesley remembered she had a bag with a plastic liner.

Next we were off to the pool!

This perv kept staring at us for like 10 minutes straight. He came over to the hot tub and wanted to get in because it was "in the sun." No one really acknowledged him and he continued to stare, especially at Mabe. Luckily he got out soon, but the staring continued. He asked for a cigarette from Mabe and choked himself trying to smoke it. He was obviously a non-smoker trying to impress her. He was super creepy and looked like Jeffrey Dahmer's creepier twin.

The ladies ready to hit the casino floor

No idea what Mabe is doing...but the lighting kind of makes it look like amateur porn

I never order sweet drinks, but I was living on the edge in Nevada so I ordered a daiquiri. Les got one too!

Joshi enjoyed the bread

My incredibly healthy meal of steak and eggs, with daiquiri

There was some more drinking involved

We took the shuttle from the Rainbow back to the Nugget. The driver wouldn't let us stand up so we had to sit on each other's laps. So much safer than standing.

Mabe had a thing for the astroturf

Metra knew about a game room in the bottom of the Nugget with shuffleboard! I hadn't played shuffleboard since I lived in Chicago. My team won!

We headed back to our room around 3 am and crashed. At least three of did, Joshi and Mabe decided to go back out until 6:30. We woke up bleary eyed, but happy a few hours later and packed up our stuff. The drive back to Salt Lake was uneventful and we were back to reality. I guess that must have been how Kerouac felt when he had to return to New York after all of his adventures in Denver, San Francisco and Mexico. Ok, maybe our trip wasn't quite as historic or rebellious, but we still made some offbeat memories from our time on the road.

Political Fodder

2008-09-14T23:03:00.005-06:00

I thought my readers might enjoy these little parodies. Especially those of you in Utah, since Les Miserables seems to be a state obsession. I love that McCain makes a little appearance. Thanks to Bob for passing these on.

This made me laugh. A lot.

Happy Birthday Amy!!

2008-09-14T01:29:00.000-06:00

Another one bites the dust. Happy 30th Birthday to one of my very best friends, Ms. Amy L. Hurd!! I met Amy in grad school at the University of Chicago on a warm September day in 2001. We lived in the same building on the crazy South Side for two years and we've had quite a few adventures together.

Some of my favorite memories, in no particular order:

Watching Conan every night and talking on the phone for hours, even though we were only two floors apart
Drinking all night at Jimmy's and eating cheeseburgers
Cubs game Spring 2003: lots of Old Style beer, the red line, shots at Bar Louie, the 55 bus, peeing at Lucky Strike, asking Mr. God is all that and a bag of chips if I was too drunk to go to a student government meeting with Ginny Cooke
Our mutual love for R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent "Girl, would you love me on a bus?" "Ooooh girl, I love you like a fat kid love cake!"
Grocery shopping at the Dominick's on Canal Street and the time I accidentally left my meat and eggs in her trunk for a week in the summer. Took her all week to figure out where that smell was coming from.
The way she says water with her cute Virginia accent. Kind of like "warter."
Driving to Indiana to get some Taco Bell
Our scenic trip to Coeur d'Alene where she almost died parasailing
Pittsburgh: Kelly's, Ray's, our wine tour of the world (fuck South Africa!), air drums in the back of the Subaru, waiting for the pipes to unfreeze, almost flying to NY in a drunken moment, Toby Keith, Intervention
Taking the green line in Chicago: "I'm not here to rob you!"
Riding the alpine slide at Snowbird and picking up the pieces of my broken camera
"I'm on vacation, don't judge me."

Happy Birthday Amy! I love you girl!!

How do you have a luau without a pig?

2008-09-13T19:12:00.002-06:00

I finally got the luau pictures from Allen now that he is feeling better. Somehow he convinced the doctor to say he had strep throat. Don't worry, he's really just a hypochondriac. Here are the pictures I promised from Allen's work luau.

I told Allen I wouldn't need to be his beard at work parties if he would just keep this picture on his desk.

Monty had been in Canada working and came straight from the airport to see us. Well let's be honest, he came for the free beer.

Apparently this is how you say hello in Calgary

After a few drinks we decided to try some ice blocking down the hill

I tried to go down standing up in heels

And then I fell on my face

There was a hula hoop contest and I'm pretty sure I won

But Monty won in the limbo category

Allen just wanted to play with his lei boa

For some reason there was a lot of whipped cream around

I tried to do some whippets but there was too much cream for me to handle (insert pervy joke here)

Weekend Update

2008-09-09T17:27:00.005-06:00

So part of getting back into my routine is starting up with my weekend updates again. I checked and the last one I did was in June. I had a weekend full of pictures, so you're in luck.

Friday night I went to Allen's work party and sipped on a little gin and juice. After a little bit of sipping, Monty and I thought it might be a good idea to ride an ice block down the hill. We fell off, several times. Then I thought it might be a good idea to try to go down the hill standing up. Wearing heels. FYI: Not a good idea. The pictures are all on Allen's camera, but he's sick so I'll have to post them later.

Part of my regular Saturday afternoon routine is seeing a movie at the Broadway. I can't tell you the last time I saw a movie there. But this Saturday I saw Tell No One, a French thriller. Highly recommended!

Later on, Lesley and I made our way over to Metra's for a little Rock Band party. I had never played before, but I definitely rocked that shit. Although I must say I'm a better singer than a drummer. Best to stick with the air drums for now.

Lesley kicked my ass the whole night

Cindy, Diane and me rocking out

Monty decided to try out the guitar and Sonny took over on drums

I ran into this kid, Adam, that I went to high school with

We drank all of Aaron's Jager, so I poured him some whiskey

Adam and Aaron

Metra kicked my ass on the drums too

My sister Mercedes has been in Odyssey House, a residential drug treatment center, since January. It's a pretty intense, controlled program. She can only have visitors for 2 hours on Sundays and has to earn the privilege to leave the facility. On Sunday my step-mom Isi called to let me know Mercedes was going to be able to come home for a few hours to see the family and her kids, Teagan and Scarlett. So we decided to have a little birthday party for Teagan at the park since he turned 4 a few weeks ago. It was great to see her doing so well. She just had her one year anniversary of being sober and I'm so proud of her!

Teagan is obsessed with Scooby Doo so we got him a Scooby cake!

Scarlett ate her cake and ended up looking like the Joker. I kept trying to get her to say, "Why so serious?"

My brother Scottie and his girlfriend Alicia

Scarlett and Mercedes

My dad looks pretty in pink

The Joker again...

Teagan and Manny had fun with the trick handcuffs

Teagan, my sister Jackie, Scarlett

Sushi Master

2008-09-05T17:04:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I was looking for a wine tasting to try for Allen's birthday when I came across a sushi class at Sur La Table that sounded fun. I've been wanting to learn how to make sushi for a long time now and I knew Allen would love it. A little sushi lesson for you: the word sushi technically means pickled fish. Over time the word sushi has evolved into dishes made with rice including nori maki (rolls), nigiri (rice with fish on top), temaki (cones) and sashimi (slices of raw fish, sans rice).

I was a little bit on edge right before class because Allen was late to pick me up and he drives slower than any person I know. But we arrived right on time and the sushi making party began.

Rolling the sushi really wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. We learned some tips on working with the rice and rolling the mat along. I think the hardest part for me was making sure the nori (seaweed) didn't come apart while I rolled it.

Here are our spicy tuna cones that double as a bouquet and boutonniere.

Our finished products: california roll, inside out bagel roll (salmon and cream cheese), spicy tuna cone and lettuce roll. We also got to try miso soup, sashimi and a deep fried eel roll. Everything was delicious, except for the vegan lettuce roll. I would hate to be a vegan, plus they were the hardest to roll up.

Trent Gets Me Closer to God

2008-09-04T21:41:00.006-06:00

This week has been like a wave of 90s nostalgia. I think it's a combination of trying to recall long forgotten memories for Ryan's birthday blog, pictures of high school dances posted on Facebook (thanks a lot Ryan and Scott) and the Nine Inch Nails concert last night.

I have been looking forward to the NIN concert all summer. Monty and I bought tickets way back in May and imagine my disappointment when I got a call from Mont yesterday telling me he was stuck in Canada and wouldn't be home in time for the concert. So I called my favorite concert companion, my sister Paige and off we went.

We arrived at the E Center (which is actually a pretty good venue) and I was surrounded by black, black and more black: over sized black pants with lots of buckles, big black boots (knee high and thigh high), black hair, black fingernails. You get the picture. As I caught the first glimpse of Trent Reznor, dressed all in black, I was instantly transported back in time to 1994, when I was full of teenage angst, anger and depression.

It was a challenging year for me. I was coming to grips with my oppressive white, upper-middle class, Mormon upbringing. I rebelled against this seemingly Fascist regime by refusing to read For Whom the Bell Tolls for Honors English because I didn't like being told what I should or shouldn't read. I really showed that teacher when I was asked to leave Honors English because my work was subpar. I stopped going to Seminary and started skipping Chemistry a lot. I dyed my hair green to piss off one of my aunts. Turns out she didn't really care that my hair was green, but the dye did end up lasting about month instead of a week because my hair is so blonde. I looked like an idiot.

My soundtrack during this dark year was mostly a mixture of NIN and Rage Against the Machine. First I became obsessed with Closer, it is such an awesome video. I remember writing, "I want to fuck you like an animal, I want to feel you from the inside ...you get me closer to God" in Ryan's yearbook that year and then his dad read it and kind of freaked out. Let's just say that Dick didn't really appreciate Trent Reznor's genius like I did.

I quickly discovered Pretty Hate Machine and Head Like a Hole became my theme song of sorts, along with Rage's Killing in the Name. I used to love to drive around with my windows down screaming, "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me!" I didn't like being controlled, I didn't like authority, I didn't like being told what to do. I was questioning everything: parents, teachers, church, God, who I was. Head Like a Hole encompassed all these things for me:

God money I'll do anything for you
God money just tell me what you want me to
God money nail me up against the wall
God money don't want everything he wants it all

No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me

Head like a hole
Black as your soul
I'd rather die than give you control
Head like a hole
Black as your soul
I'd rather die than give you control

Bow down before the one you serve
You're going to get what you deserve
Bow down before the one you serve
You're going to get what you deserve

God money's not looking for the cure
God money's not concerned with the sick amongst the pure
God money let's go dancing on the backs of the bruised
God money's not one to choose

You know who you are

In conclusion, NIN puts on an amazing show and Trent still kicks ass live! Paige got part of Perfect Lie on video...the sound is terrible, but the lights look awesome. Best show I've seen in a long time.

August Wrap Up

2008-09-01T23:56:00.000-06:00

August was quite eventful, hence the lack of blog posts. 3 weddings, house guests, Idaho, Phoenix, Seattle. I can hardly believe it's already September. The crazy fall weather has already arrived in Utah: Saturday it was 100 degrees; this morning there was hail, snow in the mountains and the thermometer read a chilly 48 degrees. Not sure I'm ready for snow yet. I am, however, ready for a calmer month and falling back into my routine. I'm going to try to keep my dishes done, spend more time in the gym, actually write some quality blogs, read more and eat something more substantial than Cocoa Pebbles for dinner.

And it's official, I have to get my tonsils removed. I reluctantly agreed to the surgery after the surgeon told me things would only get worse without a tonsillectomy. I think I've spent more of this year ailing with my mysterious illnesses than I have been healthy. So I'm scheduled for surgery on October 1 and I'm anxiously counting down the days. I keep hearing horror stories about how hard the recovery is and the doctor told me I need to take two weeks off from work, maybe three. What the hell? Sounds excessive to me, but I'm all set to take some time off with work so I guess I'll take advantage of that. If you're interested, here's a video of a tonsillectomy. It's kind of graphic so don't watch it if you're not into blood and stuff.

Top 5 days in August: 9, 16, 22, 23, 29

Top 5 songs:

1. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels): Arcade Fire

So there was this boy I kind of liked in December and he loved Arcade Fire. Needless to say, things didn't work out. I was in a bad place for a few weeks and couldn't listen to Arcade Fire for months because it reminded me of said boy. How stupid am I? Apparently, very stupid. I let some guy I liked for like five minutes keep me away from good music? After 8 months of exile, Arcade Fire is now back on my regular play list and won't be going anywhere any time soon.

2. Mercy: Duffy

When Jed was in town a few weeks ago he brought a mix with this song on it (along with my beloved Brandy Alexander) and we listened to it over and over again. It's old school and sexy and I love it.

3. Gamma Ray: Beck

I've loved Beck from the beginning of time. Here's one of my favorite songs from his new album Modern Guilt!

4. Sex on Fire: Kings of Leon

New music is everywhere lately! I am really, really liking this new KOL song and I can't wait to hear the rest of the album (coming out 9-23-08).

5. Halo: Bloc Party

Bloc Party was also off the table for awhile due to aforementioned 5 minute boy and this one song that always made me sad: This Modern Love. But my affection for Bloc Party has been renewed by this song.

Honorable Mentions:

Shake It: Metro Station

I should be really embarrassed to even put this link on my blog, but this song is so damn catchy! Ugh. Can you believe the singer is Miley Cyrus' brother? Go ahead and make fun of me, I give you full permission to mock my lack of musical taste in this instance.

Faggoty Attention: Adam Joseph

This was also on Jed's mix and it makes me laugh.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2008-08-30T22:26:00.009-06:00

Seems like all of my friends are turning 30 lately and I've still got a few to come this year. Next up on the chopping block: Ryan! A long time ago we figured out that his birthday is exactly 7 weeks after mine. Just a little random birthday fact from me to you. Anyway, I added up the years and I've known Ryan for half of my life. It's crazy to think we're so old.

Ryan and I met one fateful day at Olympus High School in October or November 1993 (my memory is failing me). At the time I was in love with a boy named Matt Iba and I had magnet letters spelling out his name in my locker. (Yes, I was a crazy stalker.) My best friend Sarah had told me about this guy in her Health class named Ryan with blue hair and a beanie who looked just like Matt Iba. Turns out this guy happened to have a locker about three lockers down from me. One day while eating lunch by our lockers I said to him, "You look like Matt Iba." He looked at me with a quizzical expression and asked, "Who's Matt Iba?" To which Sarah replied, "Oh just some guy she's in love with." And the rest, as they say, is history. Our first date included watching Say Anything in my basement and innocently holding hands. I'm pretty sure his dad picked him up by 10:30 and he sent me flowers the next day trying to be a real life Lloyd Dobler. Oh to be 15 again. Well, not really. But I have such fond memories of my adventures with Ryan and I'm so glad to call him one of my best friends after all these years!

A little trip down memory road with Ryan:

We listened to A LOT of music. Some bands that will always make me think of Ryan: New Order, Squeeze, Erasure, Morrissey, Yaz, Joy Division, NIN, Alanis Morissette, Oasis, Radiohead, Indigo Girls, Pet Shop Boys, Koop, The Cure, The Smiths, George Michael and the always entertaining Evil Dick
Trying to get his parakeet Flo to speak by playing this phrase over and over again: "When do we eat?" Unfortunately, she died before learning to speak.
Teaching him how to drive a stick
The hideous outfits we wore to school dances. Don't ask to see the pictures, I've already burned them. The mid 90s were not fashionable.
Taking the dip on Gundersen Lane at 50 MPH in my old green bug
He had the same cell phone number for 10 years until he got a super cool iPhone
That one time we missed the Salt Lake exit driving home from Moab in his Rabbit resulting in a 3 hour scenic drive
Yearbook Day 1994: remember how you still had that cast on your wrist??
Hanging out in each other's basements for hours on end
The crazy accident on Highland Drive in 1995. My parents made me go to the emergency room and I was wearing his underwear and my mom saw.
Visiting Austin last year: Chuys, queso, lots of great beer, Indian food, German home movies, 6th Street bars

Happy Birthday Allen!

2008-08-28T00:27:00.007-06:00

Ok, so Allen's birthday was way back on August 19, but I was in Phoenix so I'm just catching up. Happy 30th Birthday to one of my very favorite people: Allen E. Hatch! Allen and I met in August 2004 when I first moved in with Jed and we were instant friends. He helped me build an entertainment center; I introduced him to PBR. Here are some of my favorite memories of Allen throughout the years:

Datenight: playing King's Cup, that one ill fated shot of tequila, taquitos, messing around on the futon, making up names for my punches
Putting things together: most of my current furniture and the infamous beer bong
Making me go to chain restaurants like Chuck-A-Rama and Cracker Barrel
I love that he is so grossed out by boogers and I take advantage of that sometimes
Going to Sundance: Wristcutters (still not that good of a movie Allen), sleeping on the floor of Jed's condo, walking around Park City in the snow hungover
Talking on the phone all night, texting, instant messaging...we're pretty much in constant communication
Our mutual love for R. Kelly's Ignition (Remix)
Sometimes we have ESP and can read each other's minds or finish each other's sentences. Really, it's true.
Going with him to meet his favorite newscaster Mark Kobel. I thought he might have a heart attack at first sight.
Hanging out with my mom...I think he loves her more than me!

First time I hung out with Allen and I made him build furniture

Beer bong!

He got to meet Mark Kobel!

Checking out his match.com profile...or is that manhunt??

Face!

Trying to turn my nephew into a baby wino

BFF!!

Change We Need

2008-08-27T21:17:00.001-06:00

Wow. I didn't expect to react so strongly to the news that Barack Obama is now the official Democratic nominee. I was moved to tears when the historic announcement was made. We have a black man as the Presidential nominee! The whole convention has been filled with strong emotions and I am so proud to say I'm a Democrat. Proud of the progress, humanity and unity that are the core ideals of the party.

If you haven't seen any of the DNC speeches, here are the highlights:

Michelle Obama

"Obama will bring change."

Dennis Kucinich: I love him!!

"Wake up America!"

Ted Kennedy

"New Hope"

Hillary Clinton

"No way, no how, no McCain!"

Bill Clinton

"Obama is ready to be President."

Joe Biden (full speech not online yet)

"That's not change, that's more of the same!"

I can't wait to hear Barack speak tomorrow night. I find it strangely coincidental that he will be accepting the nomination on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. I'm looking forward to November's election with great anticipation and I have faith that America will make the choice for change, for hope, for Obama.

Is August Over Yet??

2008-08-14T00:42:00.007-06:00

I can't believe that August is half over. I swear I have been going non-stop for 2 weeks: people in town, weddings, birthdays. It never stops. I seriously can't keep track of the days. Next up I'm off to Phoenix on Saturday for a few days, then to Seattle the next weekend. Unfortunately I only have time for a short update. One of these days you will once again be enjoying my witty repartee about the state of the world. But until then, here are the highlights from the past few weeks.

Derek came to town!

Jed came to town!

Ryan came to town!

Various parties occurred and wackiness ensued

Monty went into a 7-11 wearing this interesting outfit and tried to buy some beer

Conversation at the counter:

Shopkeep: I don't think you are supposed to come in here like that...
Mont: What?
I have shoes.
I have shirt.
I have service.
Shopkeep: Well, that's arguable...

I took a weekend road trip up to Rupert, Idaho for Maberly and Bill's wedding. I saw lots of hay, horses and roadkill.

Jed, Derek, Monty and I took a drive up to Park City where it poured rain while some band across the street was playing "Have You ever Seen the Rain?" It was eerily prophetic; the rain was indeed coming down on a sunny day.

My nephew Teagan turned 4 on Sunday! Jed and I went and had dinner at my dad's and hung out with Scarlett and Teagan.

Other interesting developments:

I bought some millionaire jeans I can't really afford, but damn they look good
I might be brave enough to wear a bikini in Phoenix
Allen's birthday is next week, but I'm not buying him a damn rabbit
Chaya is back from camp in Maine
I'm obsessed with a song called Brandy Alexander by Ron Smithsmith but I can't find it online anywhere to post here (props to Mark for introducing me to it)
I got this sweet photo in the mail from Barack and Michelle (yeah, we're totally on a first name basis) and now it's on my fridge right next to Gandhi

Deal Breakers

2008-08-07T16:18:00.000-06:00

So I've kind of been hanging out with a few guys here and there lately and sometimes I wonder how people actually get together. How do they stand to be around each other when there are so many things that can quickly become deal breakers? I realize that I am easily irritated and somewhat neurotic (is that an oxymoron?), but there are some things that I just can't let fly. Such as:

1. Long fingernails
2. Having an undisclosed girlfriend
3. Not liking gay people
4. Liking gay people too much (AKA: he's totally gay)
5. Text stalking
6. Leaving the toilet lid up
7. Joining a radical pro-life group on Facebook
8. Chronic tardiness
9. Overuse of emoticons in text/im/email
10. Making weird comments about how small my feet are

July Wrap Up

2008-07-31T23:18:00.002-06:00

So I was a really, really crappy blogger in July. I just had too much stuff going on. People were in town, it was my birthday, there was a wedding and a trip to Columbus. But I suppose I can take the time to write up the good, the bad and the ugly from July. It's August tomorrow. That means summer is more than half over and I think that sucks. But that also means I have trips to Phoenix, Seattle and New Orleans coming up. Yay!

Top 5 Days: 11, 12, 19, 24, 26

Top 5 Songs:

1. Secret: OMD

This song was on my birthday play list and I've had it in my head ever since. Especially the opening line. Sing it with me, "secret..."

2. Evil Urges: My Morning Jacket

Love this band and love the new album!

3. Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow: Wide Awake

Theme song for LIVESTRONG!

4. Electric Feel: MGMT

I love this song because it's so different than anything else that's out right now.

5. Oxford Comma: Vampire Weekend

This album is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Check it out!

PS: My tonsils are hurting again and I'm living on popsicles. I'm off to the doctor in the morning. Cross your fingers she doesn't tell me I need a tonsillectomy.

LIVESTRONG!

2008-07-28T23:52:00.000-06:00

I just returned home from the Lance Armstrong Foundation's LIVESTRONG Summit in Columbus, Ohio. It was awesome!! I actually went for work, but I got so much out of it on a personal level. It was so inspirational to meet survivors and see grassroots efforts in action. I made some great friends, learned a lot about political processes and I have taken upon myself to make cancer a national priority this year. With the upcoming presidential election, it is so important to make cancer an issue that cannot be ignored. Cancer affects everyone. It does not discriminate and it does not have a political party.

One of the most poignant parts of the Summit was watching this video from Jack. Be sure to have your kleenex handy. Later I met Jack's mom, Jennifer, who has done fundraising and advocacy work in Iowa. He's an amazing kid!

No, I didn't get to meet Lance, but I did get a couple of pictures of him.

This is the exact same picture as the one above, except it was taken by Lance's paparazzi from the other side of the room. You can only see my blonde head on the other side of the room. You can see all the paparazzi pictures on the LIVESTRONG blog.

Here are some the great people I met!

We even saw Vanilla Ice at a bar on Saturday night! Notice the LIVESTRONG bracelet he has on. Life doesn't get any better!

Bills, Bills, Bills

2008-07-16T00:15:00.002-06:00

I got this e-mail today about an automatic payment on one of my student loans. Pay close attention to the payment amount.

The following automatic payment has been scheduled:

Biller: Sallie Mae
Payment Date: 08/14/2008
Payment Amount: $254,385.00

Now, do you think that I would have student loans if I could pay $254,385 at a time?? Obviously, a typo...I need to pay 254.85. It just made me smile.

PS: My birthday was fabulous and I have a TON of pictures to post, but it will have to wait for later. Still too much craziness going on. Thank you for your patience.

I'm a mess

2008-07-10T15:51:00.003-06:00

Yeah, so the title of my last blog should be "I am lame!" What the hell was I writing? Apparently I went back in time because I was writing like a 13 year old. Hot boys? Hot boys writing blogs? Lame. Next thing you know I'll be throwing out words like rad and super psyched. How embarrassing for me. But at least I can laugh at myself right?

Things to do before I turn 30:

Stop drunk texting/e-mailing/blogging (this might take more than 2 days)
Take new camera out of the box
Try not to break new camera before birthday party
Go dancing at Sound on Friday night
Finalize music list for birthday party
Leave the boys alone, they're nothing but trouble
Pick Jed up from the airport

Boys are lame...

2008-07-09T23:36:00.003-06:00

I really hate it when people have better blogs than I do. Seriously lame. I especially hate it when hot boys I used to like have better blogs than I do. Not cool. Right now it seems like all the hot boys I like don't even write blogs. But one from the past does. Why do I let that bother me? I don't even talk to this hot boy anymore, although I would like to. Water under the bridge I suppose? Boys are stupid. I want what I can't have...

Blog schmog

2008-07-07T22:39:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've written anything. July has just been so-so thus far. For some reason I let a tiny stupid thing send me into an emotional tailspin on Wednesday and I was in a bad mood for like 5 days straight. I'm starting to feel better, but I'm not totally recovered. It doesn't help that I broke my camera on July 4 so I don't even have any pictures to post. But here's my most recent photobooth pic I took on Saturday night.

They say that de-cluttering your house can help to de-clutter your mind. So I've spent the evening cleaning up my house, throwing useless old stuff away, defrosting the freezer. It's helped a little bit. It also helps to know that Jed and Sarah will be here on Friday and I can't wait to see them!! Also my favorite holiday is coming up on Saturday: my birthday!! It just so happens that I will be turning 30 this year and I'm having a huge party. It's definitely something worth celebrating.

That's about all that's worth talking about tonight. Except I do want to give a little shout out to Allen because he starts his new job tomorrow morning. Good luck Allen!!

Odds and Ends

2008-06-27T16:36:00.000-06:00

Want to know why I haven't posted recently? It's because I'm obsessed with the new Coldplay album and I can't stop listening to it! Buy it now!! Here's one of my favorite songs, Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love.

Some interesting things that have happened since I last posted:

Allen has been doing some blue collar temp work. Isn't his vest cool?

Lesley and I saw some girl shaving her pubes in the common shower area of the gym. Seriously...there are private showers for that shit.
Maberly and Bill closed on their house!
Amy had to go to the damn hospital in an ambulance
My niece Chaya is off to camp in Maine for 6 weeks!

How many people does it take to hang a picture?

2008-06-19T02:17:00.000-06:00

I've had a few pictures that have needed hanging for quite some time. Luckily I have some handy men in my life: Allen and Brandon. They came over to help with the promise of beer and crab cakes for dinner. I can handle that. Guys are so easy to please.

Here's Brandon before the hanging ever began

Allen's version of helping: checking his e-mail

Meanwhile I am slaving away in the kitchen making crab cakes

Allen bought me this shirt awhile ago...guess it was time to wear it!

Allen pretty much hung this picture by himself

Brandon and Allen doing the math

Then they fixed my table!

I think all of my handyman stuff is done for the time being. :)

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2008-06-18T23:49:00.002-06:00

My Grandpa Ralph turned 80! Here he is with my Grandma Shirley.

We had a little family get together on Sunday. It was nice to see everyone, especially the babies!

Samson and me

Jill and Eden

Abbie, Marcia, Eden

Kevin got stuck

Sisters! Kirsten, Paige, me

Kathryn and Monty

Alexis

Samson

Paige, Kathryn, Monty

Arica and Andy with their kids: Abbie and Eden

Paige and me

(Virtual) Reality Bites

2008-06-14T23:46:00.000-06:00

Recently one of my friends got an e-mail from a guy that basically said something like this:

"I'm sorry. I can't. Don't hate me."

If you're familiar with Sex and the City you know that Berger used this phrase to break up with Carrie, but instead of an e-mail he wrote it on a post-it note. This got me thinking...almost everyone I know (including me) has experienced some form of virtual break up. When did it become acceptable to break up with people via e-mail, text or instant message? When did having an honest face-to-face dialogue become too much for people to handle? How does one begin to draw the proverbial line in virtual communication?

I must admit that I am guilty of using technology instead of face-to-face communication a lot of the time. Jed calls me Quick Draw McGraw because I text back so quickly. I text way more than I talk on the phone. In fact I just changed my text plan to unlimited and decreased my minutes because I just don't talk on the phone like I used to. And it's obviously not just limited to my phone. You're here. You're reading my blog, checking up on my life. When was the last time we chatted in person?? I know there is definitely a time and a place for technology in my life, but at what cost? I find myself becoming irritated with slow texters or people who write back one word answers on chat. Am I forfeiting certain aspects of interpersonal relationships in exchange for instant gratification?

I don't pretend to have any answers, I just like to ask the questions. Moral of the story: when it comes down to having "the talk" perhaps next time you should actually talk.

Very Late Weekend Update

2008-06-11T23:23:00.001-06:00

I just haven't really been in the mood to write about the weekend. Lame, I know. And even though it's almost the weekend again I'll post some pics from last weekend because it was actually pretty fun.

Saturday was Krista's birthday and we checked out the new piano bar in town: Keys on Main. It was fairly typical with the obligatory Elton John, Journey and Billy Joel with a little Snoop Dogg mixed in for fun.

Lesley and me. Why is her drink so much bigger than mine??

Sonny and Monty pre-Patron

And post-Patron

Matty showed up!

Even Monty got in on the singing

Holly and Kelli showing some boobies

You know how I collect butt crack pictures? Well here you almost get the whole butt!

Here's the newest addition to the butt crack collection

We moved on to Murphy's

Monty was supposed to be my ride, but he ended up overindulging in the Patron so I drove his ass home. Just look at the way his eyes are glazed over!

Saturday I did some things around the house and then I took my mom out for dinner for Mother's Day. Yes, Mother's Day was weeks ago, but life got in the way. We ended up at one of my favorite restaurants, Cafe Madrid, for three hours. I ended up having the very politically incorrect, but very tasty veal for dinner. Delicious! After dinner I picked up my sister Paige and she came over to my house for a sleepover because we were off to the Pride Parade on Sunday morning!

Here we are bright and early waiting for the parade

Allen and his gay posse showed up to watch the parade with us

Then my other sister Kirsten came with her friend Sadie

The parade started in the traditional way: Dykes on Bikes!

Kellie and Pouya marched with Equality Utah

Lesley, Metra and Jen were with Planned Parenthood

We walked around the festival for awhile after the parade then grabbed some lunch. It was a lovely afternoon. I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and watching an Ice Road Truckers marathon. Have you seen this show?? It's awesome! My newest guilty pleasure.

Random Weekend Pics

2008-06-09T14:10:00.001-06:00

I don't feel like blogging about last weekend, but here are some pictures to amuse and entertain you.

Thirsty Thursdays at the Bee's game!

Monty really enjoyed the nachos

Brooks turned 21 so I bought him a shot of Jameson

We all had fun that night...

Phun in Phoenix

2008-06-07T17:18:00.003-06:00

I know, I've been home from Phoenix for almost two weeks, but I promise this blog is worth the wait. Well not really, but the pictures are good. I try to get down to Phoenix every few months or so to visit Sarah and I decided to go over Memorial Day since it's also close to her birthday. I was SO excited to go because I hadn't been anywhere since New Orleans in March and I really needed a vacation. Besides, I also missed Sarah.

We started off our vacation with dinner and drinks at Ticoz, one of my favorite restaurants. Victor, my lovely Phoenix co-worker and good friend met us there with his partner Marvin.

Debbie and her new boyfriend, Dan came too

After dinner and few limetinis we were off to Shady's for more libations and to meet up with Jenn and Mike!

Sarah and I had spent half the afternoon trying to get her a new cell phone. She decided on a Blackberry. Welcome to the 21st century my friend!

We all got a little tipsy

This guy told me all about his career in water filtration. Fascinating. He also made me look up his Myspace page on my phone. Lame.

Early the next morning we were regretting the late night before as we dragged our asses out of bed to drive to a library in Black Canyon City for Sarah's job. Road trip!

Turns out this trip was fruitless, but I won't go into the details. Sarah was not amused; I thought it was a nice little side trip. The rest of the day was pretty mellow and we met Mitch to see a movie and then dinner at La Pinata. Normally I would have ordered a prickly pear margarita, but I was still recovering from the night before. One day into owning a Blackberry and Sarah had become obsessed. Of course, Mitch had to pull his phone out too.

The next morning we walked over to Pallatte for breakfast. It's a cute restaurant in an old house and there's always live music going on. I got my badly needed caffeine fix and then the Phoenix mist rolled in.

Sar decided to dress like Rocky for breakfast

After a long day of shopping we went to a fabulous Indian restaurant, Bombay Spice. Weirdly, there wasn't an Indian person in sight so I'm not sure how authentic the food was, but the wine was awesome. Sarah and I each got a flight so we could try some new stuff. My favorite was a sparkling Shiraz made by Paringa. If you can find it, buy it. Highly recommended!

After dinner we decided to go back to Shady's again, even though it was the second time that weekend and it was a Sunday. Justin, the object of Sarah's desire, was tending the bar that night so we definitely had to make an appearance. This is the way I start a Sunday night: an Irish Car Bomb and a Smithwicks. I was on vacation, don't judge me.

Sarah was on the phone again

We met some characters that night...some were a bit unsavory, especially this guy with Sar.

This is just Mitch being hard core!

This guy had quite a bit of flair pinned onto his leather jacket. But he was nice and bought me a drink; he had very, very small hands.

I called this guy a d-bag to his face and then talked shit about him to his friend. Real smooth. His friend Matt is nice though, even though I am not.

We closed the bar that night and headed home to bed. Monday morning we went to breakfast and hung out at the gay Starbucks so I could get an americano. Next up was the new Indiana Jones movie.

I was so, so excited to see this because I LOVE Indiana Jones. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed and Sarah hated it. Shia LaBeouf was hot though, even when he was swinging through the jungle. Lame.

That night we waited for almost an hour to get into Oreganos. Why wait so long to get into a restaurant? No, it's the not the comically over-sized menus...

It's the pizza/cookie aptly named the pizookie that gets me there every time! I want one right now. Sar maybe you can bring a few one these to my birthday party??

After dinner we were off to Target. A trip to target is not complete without a visit to my favorite place: the dollar section!

Sadly, I left town early the next morning so that's all I have to say about my travels to Do-Pho.