Tent Mania

A short while ago, I helped my little boy make a tent in the living room with blankets and chairs. He loved it. He got to go in there with a flashlight and have a blast. The cat really liked it too. Now my son asks to make a tent every day (what have I done! Do you ever have that thought? Why did I have to go and teach him that or say that in his presence. Like today my wife was getting some chicken ready to cook and he was curious about the little thing under the frozen chicken. She told him that it was to catch the blood, and then we told him that this meat was once a chicken and they killed it so we can eat it, and my wife said something about chopping of the chicken's head, and of course now we have a three year-old going around talking about chopping off heads, killing and blood. It's funny because when you say stuff, you forget, even though it's already happened a million times, that they are going to be saying it now, and at the most inopportune times. Hey, whoa, I'm still in parentheses and way off track, where was I? here we go) and making a tent every day and cleaning it up isn't exactly my dream come true. So, of course, I did something else I probably shouldn't have done. I set up our little two man tent in the living room. Honestly, It's been pretty fun, but now he cries when I say we need to put it away. Plus he always wants it opened or closed. Anyway. Saturday night, I turned it toward the television and tuned into the Jazz game. We had fun watching the game and tossing a ball back and forth. During halftime, I read him some stories and he went to sleep in the tent. The End.

Destiny

I was thinking this morning (I have some good thinking time on my walk to and from the bus stop) about a dream I had a long time ago. It was very vivid and I remember getting up and trying to write it down so I wouldn't forget it. I think I was in my early teens. Anyway, you know how in dreams you sometimes know something very clearly even though the images and events of the dream don't say it or show it. Well, I remember this dream really giving me the impression that it had something to do with the girl I would marry. And here's something interesting too, I couldn't ever picture the face of the girl in the dream. I remember it being very clear in the dream but then never being able to bring it to mind after I woke up. (Which was weird for me because I'm very good with faces) I even think later on in life I tried to imagine that girls I knew or liked were that girl, but they never fit. This is getting a little of subject now, because the girl isn't the interesting or key point in the story as I look back at it now. In the dream I was chasing the girl when she left a room and I couldn't catch up to her. I wanted to talk to her. I chased and I looked and I finally gave up. But in this building there was a computer kiosk where you could send a song to someone (this is interesting too in that I don't think I even had an email address at this point and this kind of a thing wasn't common or "doable" i guess, back then like it would be today) I sat down and picked a song and tried to send it, but it started playing a song that I wasn't familiar with, that wasn't the song I picked. I was confused and trying to go back, but it just played the song and I couldn't control it anymore.

Q: What was the song?

A: Moon River

Q: Why is that significant?

A: It's only my wife's favorite song from her favorite movie. That's all.

I love you honey! I can't believe it's almost been five years that we've been married. You're wonderful and such a blessing to my life. I love you!

Brian Presents

I must be climbing in the ranks of popularity. My personal blog has been linked to by an old high school friend (who is also a friend from my mission) I think that brings my total to two people outside my family that link to my blog on their blog. Exciting I know.

It takes me back to another time when I felt like my popularity was skyrocketing (I don't have much of this popularity stuff, so small increases can be termed as "skyrocketing") It was when this same friend, Brian, included me in what was called "Brian Presents" A bunch of us went to Brian's house to learn about, watch and then talk about an old film. (I always called them films, Brian thought that was cool) We watched all kinds of great films and it really opened my eyes to how enjoyable an old film can be. We watched 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Gold Rush, The Third Man, Citizen Kane, Vertigo (his favorite), The Bridge on the River Kwai, Casablanca, and probably a couple of others. It was a lot of fun. The experience prompted me to watch It's a Wonderful Life and Lawrence of Arabia for the first time too. Trust me, if you are passing over movies just because they are old, you are missing out.

I guess I should thank Brian, because as I will explain, this experience also had a big affect later in my life. When I was invited to meet my wife for the first time, I felt quite nervous and young (I'm four years younger than her, which I came to think was five years because she had a birthday right after we met) I saw her in that apartment when I went in and just thought my friend (my trainer from my mission) was crazy. (which, if you know him, is very believable) What is this tall, slim, beautiful, older girl going to want with me?

We had a nice dinner and then it was suggested that we watch a movie. They were looking through the choices and pulled one out called Charade. She said she loved the movie, but they all looked at me hesitantly and asked if I would be okay with it. They were I guess worried that it being an old movie, I would not be interested. It was great to be able to tell them about all these old films I had seen, what I knew about them and how much I liked them. I think I scored major points with her. I wasn't just this know nothing kid fresh off my mission, but I was cultured!

Anyway, that was the first film I watched with my wife and we've had a great time watching the classics together. I even like the A&E Pride and Prejudice, so eat your heart out girls. Movies have been a big part of our life together and we are always looking for our next favorite. Old or new.

Bloggin Along

So now I have about a million blogs. And apparently people want you to post something new to all of them rather than just one of them. For anyone who didn't know, I started a new blog with my friends on the bus ride into town. www.fourfiftythreeinbound.blogspot.com So if you have been waiting to see what I would write next, check out the other one where I put up some new posts. If you read the other one, and you are still frustrated that I haven't posted here, well tuff. Wait, I just did it, you must be pleased.

Amamos Arroz or We Love Rice

Over the weekend we made a trip to Costco (one of those big membership wherehouse stores) and bought a few things. As we are loading our car, some random guy walking throught the parking lot says to us, "Wow, you guys must really like rice."

It left us both speechless for a moment. It sounded somewhat sarcastic and demeaning. Who does this guys think he is? All I could say at first was, "We do." (He was probably already out of earshot) What I wish I'd said was, "It's called food storage, ya ever heard of it?" or "Well don't come begging at our door for some rice when the disaster strikes" or "It's Costco ya moron, this is their smallest size" or "Arroz e Fejao pra sempre!" (Rice and Beans forever!)

Anyway, I've decided that this will be my new way to demean things.

Like, "the Denver Nuggets must really like rice" or, well you get the idea I think.

Now for other random stuff.

On Sunday I told my son to go get his church clothes on. When I came upstairs he was still playing and I said, "You don't have your church clothes on yet?" and he said, "It's three minutes!, I don't have a clock."

Lately I've been walking to the bus stop in the morning and then my wife and son meet me when I get off the bus. My son puts up a huge struggle and argument when it's time to get in the car to go get me. He says things like, "Mom, Daddy said we don't have to get him" or "Mom, I told you!" So this morning, he was awake when I was leaving and he said, "Daddy, you drive your car." I recognized that he was refering to this ordeal of picking me up. I said, "I'm going to walk, but you don't have to come get me." That seemed to put him at ease.

Anyone want to give me a ride?

Do You Know How?

So my wife called me this morning and asked me, "Do you know how to shut off the water main?"

That's not a good call to get.

I heard the sound of rushing water in the background.

My pulse quickened.

I think I stayed pretty calm if I do say so my self.

I quickly described the location and workings of the shut off valve.

"Is everything okay?" I asked hesitantly.

Turns out everything was fine at our place.

The rushing water was just the laundry.

She was asking for a neighbor.

They were well...

They're fine too.

Were you scared?

My Report

My first in a series of reports was finally published to the website. It's pretty exciting. In completing the draft of the next report, I have already found some things I would change, but I'm not looking back. Onward and upward.

http://www.water.utah.gov/planning/landuse/publ.htm - Uintah Basin 2006

Check it out! Even just a quick look at the overall layout, Maps and figures and let me know what you think. Especially page 4 of the report, the tenth page in pdf.