DAY 59 - Tea for Two...or a Tap Dance!

Today was a good day, productive and fun. Always a super combination. Went to breakfast, then came home and worked on Camelot. I finished most of the first act, I think I'll probably finish the whole first act by the end of the weekend... I love it when things run smoothly, it doesn't happy for me too often. After working on the video I went over to Clete and Greg's and watched Ugly Betty...quality entertainment. I am finally all caught up on those. Then we had Julie's "Tea Party" to go to.

I was having a conflict, Julie's party had been planned for weeks, and I was excited to go. But then my mom told me they were going to be celebrating my grandma's birthday today. Originally the classy soiree was planned for 3:00 PM at the Logan Golden Corral. So I would have been able to go, load up on a variety of sneeze guarded foods, and be back in time for the party at 8:00. But apparently some of the more important members of my family weren't able to make it at 3:oo and they changed the time to 6:00. There was no way that was going to work. I felt bad not going, but I will have to make sure to go up and visit grandma some other time, and it will be a more meaningful encounter when not surrounded by the sound of arteries clogging and dignity being shattered at the Golden Corral. None the less, happy 96th birthday Grandma May!!!


Julie's party was a smash! Julie has been a friend of Brandy's since they were teenagers. Ever year Julie hosts a "Tea Party" at her house. It's basically just a get together of all of her friends from various walks of life. But the highlight of the party is her annual tap dance. Every year she choreographs and performs a tap dance for everyone to enjoy. This year it was done to Donna Sommers "On The Radio." I loved it! It was a big hit! After the tap dance, she put on some music and opened up the dance floor for everyone. Nobody really started dancing, so Cassie Pickle and I took to the floor. We had some pretty fancy moves ourselves, thanks to the impeccable choreography of Corky St. Claire.

We left the party at about 11:15. The night still seemed rather young. Clete had heard Breakfast at Tiffany's was playing at Brewvies at midnight for free! So we decided to end our classy upscale night with a classic Audrey Hepburn movie. I had never seen it. It was much different than I had originally thought it would be. But I still liked it. Mikey Rooney as the Chinese neighbor was a little shocking and not so politically correct. But I suppose that's how things were back then. And it seemed a fitting tribute to my grandma on her birthday, since she has proclaimed she is thankful she was not born a Negro or a China man.

DAY 58 - Oh Balderdash!

FRIDAY!!! Yay! Tonight was a good old fashion game night! We ordered greasy nasty Papa John's Pizza and broke out the games. It was a good time. It was the first time I have ever ordered pizza online, this crazy technology. It only took about 20 minutes to figure out the website and decided what to put on it. So much more convenient than a 2 minute phone call.

We played a bunch of games. I was not too good at the "Pop Up Video" game, too much about music, and as yesterdays post shows, I'm not that smart when it comes to music. Then we played Balderdash...I love that game. I'm excited to see the "Special Delivery" about a kindergarten teacher finding the worth of a down syndrome boy, or "Room 17" a tragic story of a deformed woman being locked in a hotel room for 17 years by her billionaire grandfather. And who knew that "BATC" stood for Barren Apes, Together, Copulating. That game is so informative.

Love the game nights! And Love the weekends!

Day 57 - Ken's Infinetly Lame Playlist

So there is this posting going around on Facebook where you are suppose to list your top 15 albums that have "changed your life." I have had no desire to do this, I'm not really a "music" person. I love music and always have some playing at home or at work. But I just kinda listen to what's on the radio. I don't go searching for the hottest indy bands, or even listen to stations that play more obscure music. I'm a top 40 type guy all the way. So when Brandy was talking about her top 15, I felt kinda sad that I didn't have 15 albums that I could say "changed my life." My sister, Mish, has always been really into music and has knack for finding really obscure cool music, and she has had people she has been obsessed with. Before they were really famous she followed the Barenaked Ladies all around the country. My friend Clete is obsessed with anything Annie Lennox does...I have never been obsessed, I have always wanted to be a crazed groupie, but I guess I just haven't found the right one yet. At work they are always talking about all these groups I've never heard of, and one guy even said he stopped listening to this one band because they got too "arena." I don't even comprehend that, that's the best, going to a big arena concert...I'm still bitter I missed Kelly & Reba!

Anyway, I took a little different approach tonight. I was going through my iTunes and just made a playlist for songs that I have a strong association with. I may not even love the song, it may just be something that conjures up a vivid memory. It was kind of fun going through them, I would just put a song in there if it brought a smile to my face, or made me think. I ended up with over 40 songs and 3 hours of music, and I could have done more, I started to only allow one per artist. Granted, the playlist is really lame, I would be the laughing stock of the guys at work, and probably anyone else who would look at this playlist...to give you a idea the list includes, to name a few, Garth Brooks, Whitney Houston, Tiffany, Joan Jet, Pippin, Alanis Morissette, Matchbox 20, Colin Hay, The Goo Goo Dolls, and of course Dolly Parton.

Don't judge, but each one of those songs reminds me of a specific place, or time, and friends or family. So I guess if it's lame, it makes me lame, and I'm OK with being lame.

Day 56 - Phill-er Up

It's Wednesday with Brandy! Part of our Wednesday ritual is to get a pop..or soda (depending on your geographical vernacular). Tonight Brandy took me to a different convenience store near her house...they have 59¢ refills...WHAT!!??! It's a steal. I was super excited, for my midweek diet cola. However I didn't understand why the bright red neon sign above the soda fountain said "Phill-er Up." I'm no grammaritician, and spelling is not a strong suit of mine, but shouldn't it be "Fill-er Up?" I thought maybe the store was named "Phil's," cause that would make sense, but it isn't..it's like the Magical Market, or something like that. So I still am questioning who this Phil fellow is, and I think he should get his hands off "er."

After the beverage stop, we headed back to Brandy's to watch the season finale of "Top Chef." I was rooting for my googlie eyed gal Carla. But the pressure got the best of her, she burned her souffle, and over cooked her meat. Poor gal, but she definitely brought the love and cooked with soul. That tastes better than a blue cheese souffle would anyway. I was glad Hosea won, and not Stefan. Neither were my favorites, but at least Hosea wasn't as cocky as Stefan.

Well now that is over, I guess we are going to have to turn the time over to American Idol. Hopefully it will start getting better. I have kind of lost interest in it the past few weeks. Last I saw was Danny Gokey, and I figure he better win, compared to all the rest of the people I've seen so far. Doesn't even seem like there is any competition for him. But America could surprise me.

DAY 55 - Bad Tranny

My car is like that guy I saw at Smith's downtown a few weeks ago. He was wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt with red Stelleto high heels...I would consider him a bad tranny...well the Rodeo's got a bad tranny...it's transmission is going. I went to get on the freeway at 90th South and it just reved up in the middle of the busy intersection, I wasn't moving at all, it finally slipped into gear after a lot of shaking and sputtering about. Then once on the freeway each time it would shift it would rev up real loud and clunk into gear, all the while the "check trans" light was flashing. So looks like my tax refund won't be going towards a trip to New York to see 9 to 5 on Broadway. Stupid cars!

Tonight after I had laid down to go to bed I heard a lot of talking coming from the apartment below me. It wasn't that big of a deal, but as far as I know the guy who lives below me lives alone. The other voice sounded like a really old guy. It was all whinny and quivery like someone on their death bed, then it would be quiet and I would hear the younger sounding voice. I couldn't understand what was being said, just loud mumbling. It was really weird. I don't normally eaves drop on my neighbors, but it was after midnight and started abruptly. I thought it was just the TV, but I could also hear the TV noise a little quieter. I hope everything is OK. The guy who lives there is really nice, but one of those people you hear about that "always keeps to themselves." That never ends up good. He hardly ever leaves, I think he works out of his house, his kitchen window is right by the door, so when his blinds are open you can see in, it looks like its a portal to 1955. I have visions of him keeping his deformed older brother chained up in his bedroom...In fact one of the only things I think I understood last night was "Rocky Road??"

DAY 54 - Think I'll Go for a Walk Outide, Yeah!

Spring is just out of reach...but I can tell it's coming. It's tapping my shoulder, but when I turn around nobody's there. Spring is such a tease. It was such a nice night tonight, around 50 degrees, I decided to go for a walk. Even though Monday is my "rest" day for my 5K training, I thought a leisurely stroll never hurt anyone. So I walked up to Clete and Greg's, about a mile away. I just hung out and visited with them for a little bit. We discussed our hopes and dreams and Oscar Award winners. Then it was time to put this Monday to an end. As I was leaving I remembered I had walked, that's the worst part about walking somewhere, you have to walk home. But it wasn't bad, like I said it was a nice night. This is a creepy picture of me under a light post. I found my little camera, but apparently being lodged under the car seat for a month took a lot out of it. When I tried to take my picture the battery died. So I had to go with plan B and use my phone. Good thing for technology, 10 years ago I would have had my giant film camera with the remote control, and then I would have to wait a few hours for Walgreens to develop the film, then scan the picture in. Now if one of my cameras doesn't work I have a tiny backup in my pocket. wow, what next?

DAY 53 - And the award goes too....

Oscar night!!  So G-L-A-M-O-R-OUS!!  I have always wanted to dress up all fancy and go to some big time Oscar party...or make personal pizza's and watch it on the tv, that works too.

Brandy, Kirsten and I got together at Brandy's house and made mini pizza's, ate Red Vines and Jelly Beans, and of course I made Peanut Butter Bars, and we watched the Oscars.

It was really fun this year.  I usually only see one or two of the movies nominated, but this year the movies nominated for best picture were:  Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Frost/Nixon, The Reader and Benjamin Button...I have seen all of them but The Reader.  And I enjoyed all of them too, so it was fun to watch and actually have an opinion.  We had ballots that we filled out before the show, and then we switched and the other person graded the paper as the winners were announced.  I did OK.  I lost, of course, but I got 21 points, Brandy got 22 and Kirstin got 23, so we were all about equal.   I was really happy with the winners too.  I haven't seen Doubt yet, but I kinda wanted Meryl Streep to win, but I love Kate Winslet too, so I guess that's cool.  And I was really happy Sean Penn won and not Mikey Rourke, he' a freak.  Sean Penn was really good in "Milk", I didn't see the "Wrestler", so I guess I can't judge, but he just seems like a weirdo, and I didn't want him to win.

I also enjoyed Hugh Jackman hosting, he's awesome!  I loved that there were musical numbers!!!  And I really liked how they previous winners of a category came out and gave a little speech about one of the people nominated for their category.  It made it a little more personal, but it was a little awkward when one of the presenters gave a really nice thought out speech and then the next persons said "uhh..he was real good and should win" or something like that.  But I hope they keep that as a new tradition.  It was tender.

Each year at when the Oscars roll around I have a twinge of guilt.  When I was in 5th grade I used to tell my teacher, Mrs. Lawson, that someday I was going to win an Oscar and I would make sure to thank her.  Well I guess I've still got time, but with my bad knees who knows if I'll ever make it!  

DAY 52 - At the Kids Table

I guess I'm destined to be at the kids table, cause really I'm only 12 years old...right?  That's how I feel most of the time.  I keep trying to figure out how to play like I'm a grown up, I don't think I'm very good at the game.

Today was a great Saturday, the 50 plus degree weather and sunny skies caused a case of full blown Spring Fever.  I slept in later than I have for months.  I didn't get out of bed until 10:30.  Even after that it took me a while to get going.  I finished up the Relief Society poster, then went to the park for my run.  There were tons of people there.  It was kinda fun to see everyone out and playing in the park, I can't wait for everyday to be spring!  I had a good run, I did almost  a full two miles of running, then about a half mile cool down walk.  I was running behind some guy for a while, and he was going too slow...I passed someone!!!  Who'd have thunk...All though he may have been on his 30th lap and I on my 1st, but it still felt good to feel like I was advancing.  Gave me some race day adreniline, I could hear the Charriotts of Fire theme song playing in my head, and I began running in slow motion.

After the run, I went home got ready for the day and did a few errands.  Then I met Clete and Greg and the boys for dinner at Wingers.  It was a good time.  Even though I felt like one of the kids sitting on the kids side of the table, the waitress had a different idea, since when she split the check up, she put the kids on my bill, I guess I seemed fatherly to her...kids are expensive!

After dinner I met Brandy and some of her friends at Brewvies to see "Frost / Nixon."  I LOVED the movie, I like movies like that.  It was so interesting to me.  It made me hate Nixon, but also feel so sorry for him, he was so completely insecure and unlikeable, but had some moments of goodness I'm sure.  It's up for some Oscars tomorrow, we'll see how it does..  One more thought about Brewvies...I think it's really cool that you get to eat right there in the movie theater, have your pizza or nachos or whatever, but unfortunately other people get to eat too.  At some points it was more disturbing having loud eaters and clanging dishes and silverware around me than a crying baby or an occasion cell phone at a regular theater.  But it's still a cool place...and you get unlimited Diet Coke refills!!

DAY 51 - At the Cocoa, Cocoa Cabanna

Tonight was a pretty quiet laid back Friday night.  I had a lot to do this weekend, and no real plans.  So I thought it would be good just to stay in and be productive.  I went and did a little grocery shopping, cleaned up the kitchen a bit and started working on projects.  I had to make a poster for my mom's Relief Society activity, I'm pretty sure I have an unofficial calling in my parents ward still.  I have become the official Relief Society poster boy.  They told me back when I was put in as primary chorister that each of my predecessors had ended up in the Relief Society presidency, and they joked about what lied ahead for me.  I guess they weren't too far off.  I don't mind doing it.  It's actually kinda fun, it's nice to do projects for people that you know will love whatever you come up with.  No constructive criticism is ever given.

Anyway I had started working on the poster when Brandy called, she and John were at Cocoa Café just down the street from me a ways.  They were just hanging out, so I gathered up my lap top and went down to hang out with them.  I was able to get a little done on the poster and spend some quality time.  

After I got home I probably should have just gone to bed, but I have this weird thing about going to bed early on the weekend.  I feel like I should be able to stay up late since its not a "school night."  So I forced myself to stay up and watch missed TV shows on the computer and waste time on Facebook.  I stayed up way too late, and am very thankful tomorrow is Saturday and I will hopefully get to sleep in.

DAY 50 - Shorter, Faster, Harder

The week is ALMOST over! Thank goodness! It seems like its been dragging. I'm ready to come down with a bad case of Spring Fever, but the virus hasn't even started to spread yet. Still just cold gray days.

Today was Thursday with the parents. My dad wanted to go to some place different, so they came down and we met at Sweet Tomatoes. It was good, just a big ole salad bar. Food is always very appetizing when placed under a sneeze guard, but it does make me comforted to know its there. It's always nice to spend some quality time with my parents, I love them and all they do for me. They better love me, cause I'll probably end up moving back in with them and living there til I'm 40.

After dinner I went home relaxed a bit and put some finishing touches on the Guys & Dolls poster. Then I decided I had to get out and continue with my "training." So I headed to the park and made my lap around. I was able to do the whole 1.5 miles again. It seemed a little harder tonight. Part of the training is to run a shorter distance on Thursday's but try to go a little faster. I call it the Shorter, Faster, Harder day. I started out going faster, but I didn't really time myself, so I'm not sure if I accomplished the goal. It felt like I was working harder, but maybe it was just all that iceberg lettuce in my stomach.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!! Yay! Although I just realized I have no plans for this weekend. I have a lot of stuff I need to get done, may just be a working weekend...blah!

DAY 49 - My Googlie Eyed Gal!

Today was more of the same. A little work, a little work out, then Wednesday night TV at Brandy O's. I spent most of the time working on the Guys & Dolls poster, and just kind of listened to the shows.... But I'm excited my googlie eyed gal, Carla, is one step closer to winning Top Chef!! She's just getting started as a chef in her 40's. She inspires me, she used to be a model and when she got older she needed something different to do. I know I'm going to have to have something to fall back on when my looks begin to fade.

DAY 48 - The One About The Jogging, and Billboard.

A little work, a little jog, some laundry and a billboard. Pretty much sums it up. It was a Tuesday, not as bad as a Monday, but not as good as a Wednesday, just Tuesday.

I am continuing on with my 5K training. All day today I kept hearing reports of snow, and people up north were complaining on Facebook about all the snow they were shoveling, so I didn't know what to expect when I got off work. There was nothing in Sandy...literally, its just Sandy...but today there was no snow. When I got home it was a little damp out, but no falling snow, so I decided I would lace up the running shoes (well my fake running shoes) and hit the pavement. I went to Liberty Park and did a little warm up walk on the sidewalk, when I noticed a little pathway out in the grassy area. It isn't paved, just dirt, mud and I don't want to guess what else may be there. But I thought this maybe a better option for me since it would be less of an impact for my poor knees to bear. I started running on this path and had no knee problems. I was able to run all the way around the park plus about another quarter of the way. So I ran somewhere between 1.75 to 2 miles, without stopping! I'm sure I didn't break any speed records, I'm no Jackie Joyner Kersee. But I was proud of myself. My knee did start to hurt a little towards the end. I had bought a knee brace, but realized when my knee started to hurt, I had put the brace on the wrong knee. I think its part of my dyslexia. Overall it was a good run. It was a little creepy, there weren't as many people at the park as usual, and it was dark the whole time. I never realized how many people just sit in their car in the park parking lot. I would run by a car and happen to look in and there would just be someone sitting there. Kinda creepy park lurkers. I just kept thinking I hope I don't fall victim like that Savannah Smiles.

After the jog I went to my parents house to finish up my laundry I had left over the weekend. But my lovely mother is quite the laundry fairy. I got home and she had done it for me. So sweet! So I ended up eating some of my parents food and worked on the "Guys & Dolls" billboard. I tinkered around with it for a while, then decided to come home. Once I got home I again started working with it. I am feeling very uninspired. Alane wants the show to be very true to the 1940's, they are even recreating the picture of that sailor kissing the lady in Times Square somewhere in the show. But my billboard is staring to look more like an ad for Guys & Dolls starring Marlin McCoo and the Solid Gold Dancers...but I sorta like it in a weird way.

DAY 47 - The Capulets Are Gonna Have Their Way TONIGHT!

What light through yonder window breaks?.... I all ready knew that line going in. Tonight we went to Romeo and Juliet at Pioneer Memorial Theater. Clete was kind enough to share his free tickets with us. It was pretty good. However I had to use my extensive "West Side Story" knowledge to follow along with the story. I got frustrated when I would realize where we were in the play and didn't understand why they weren't singing "tonight, tonight won't be just any night."

It's amazing how that show was written back in the late 1500's, but its still entertaining today. People were still laughing at the jokes, and the whole love story still translates to today. I didn't understand a lot of what was being said, and then when there was a big monologue I wondered why it took ten minutes to basically say. "Oh no! Juliet is dead." I could have saved everyone so much time...but I suppose that's the beauty of it all. I really did enjoy it, but my attention span was tested. I would find myself thinking about what I was going to bake this weekend, and what would happen if I added a little bit of flour and baking soda to a Carmel mixture to make it a like a really gewy cookie. Then after it cooled a little folding in some chocolate chips...anyway, I digress. I had to make sure I didn't fall asleep, we were informed that if we fell asleep during the show we wouldn't be invited back to the next show this season. He is such a mean teacher! I'm always gettin' in trouble.

DAY 46 - Frosting, Friends, and FUN!

You didn't think I'd go a whole weekend and not bake something did ya? Today I made the traditional Valentines Day sugar cookies...a day late. When we were kids my mom would make giant heart sugar cookies, then write each or our names on them. She would also do it for everyone of the families in our neighborhood. I would pig down on all the little frosted heart cookies, but the big one with my name on it was to be savored. I would break tiny pieces off of it and try to make it last as long as I could. Now my mom has resorted to throwing some icing on and a little bit of sugar on and calling it good. The cookies are still great, but I have decided to take up the tradition. So Saturday I made the dough then rolled them out, baked them and frosted them today. It takes a little bit of trial and error to write with frosting, there were some casualties that I had to eat to hide any evidence of imperfection. I was so proud of them when they were done. They looked almost as good as my mom's did from my childhood. I had gone to my parents house to make them, because of my difficult oven situation, and also lack of counter space. But it created a challenge, I had to transport my baked morsels of love back to my place. I had put them on two cookie sheets and stacked them nicely. Everything went well, I got back to Salt Lake with no incident, then as I was getting them out of the car, the top cookie sheet slipped and smooshed Greg's cookie on the bottom cookie sheet. So sorry Greg, it's the thought that counts...right?

Tonight was also the monthly Alphagrahics crew get together. It was my turn to host. I made Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and of course served the festive Valentines Day cookies. It was a good time, we just ate, chatted and played Hit or Miss. Lots 'o laughs, and an exciting announcement from Madison!

Tomorrow's President's Day...oh yes, you may be thinking, yeah! a day off work...but oh no. I will be working, or at least sitting at my desk, all day long. But it's all good, Memorial Day is a short 3 and a half months away...blah!

DAY 45 - A Bad Case of VD

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! Valentines Day is up towards the top of my least favorite holiday's. Not because I'm bitter and alone, just because it's sort of a love elitist holiday. It's a day that only select members of society can celebrate...Sure if you're single you can get a tub of ice cream, and sit in front of the TV as TBS plays a marathon of romantic comedies. But that's pretty much a standard Saturday night for me. However this year I got to go to Granger High's Junior Prom!!! Woot! Woot! Brandy was chaperoning and I joined her. We took tickets and I hung up coats...how romantical. It was fun, but it reminded me of how old I'm getting. When I would go to the dances up at Bonneville, I was in the middle of it all, dancing with the kids, getting invited to the after dance parties...OK, so I guess that's kinda weird that I was in my mid 20's going to high school dances, but I didn't do it when I was actually in high school, so at least I got the experience...don't judge. Anyway, I don't know any of the Granger kids, except for all the stories about them I hear from Clete and Brandy. So she would point out a kid and I would know their entire back story. Some I felt like I did know and I would talk to them, then they would look at me really creepy like and run.

Overall it was a nice time, it's always good to spend time with the Brandy O. And we did get out on the dance floor a little bit. I was getting down with my bad self until John Carlisle took a picture of me. I had my hands up in the air, waving them like I just didn't care, and I had some large arm pit sweat stains. The rest of the night the hands didn't go above shoulder height. Which should maybe be a rule of mine anyway.

When I got home, I was getting ready to go to bed when I heard a fire engine drive by. I didn't think much of it, but it was really close and the sirens stopped, then another one came by. So I finally went and looked out my front window. The apartment building up the street was on fire!!! There were 4 fire trucks, an ambulance and big spot lights shining up at the building. I could see billowing white smoke coming out of the windows. All the tenants of the apartment building were out front in the cold and the snow. I felt so bad for them, I thought about taking a blanket over. But I was kind of cold myself, and I had just got the blanket for Christmas ;).

Any of you that know me, know that if I would have had a hose I would have been out spraying down my building in case any stray embers were carried down and lit upon the dry roof of my 90 year old building. But I had to resist, so I put in Hairspray to give me happy thoughts and went to bed.

DAY 44 - A Midwinters Night Dream

It's FRIDAY!!! Tonight to break up the monotony of the winter blahs we decided to go to Logan for a movie that was playing up at Utah State University. It was kind of a Sundance type movie, like an independent movie. It was a musical version of "A Midsummers Night Dream." I'm all about the musicals ya know. The movie was OK, had a very high cheese factor, it was entertaining, and had a sweet ending. But the trip wasn't really about the movie. Was just something different to do. It was a mini road trip really. Brandy and Clete both graduated from Utah State, so they were waxing nostalgic and reliving their wild college days. We even went and became "True Aggies" on the "A"...well not literally, but we huddled around it in the freezing 12 degree weather for a photo op.

After the show we went on a quest for some late night dinning in Logan...a difficult task. I had wanted to go to the Bluebird. But the Bluebird begins dinner at 2:00 PM and they're ready to call it a night by 5. Its kinda of an older crowd establishment...but I love it. Unfortunately all the local eateries with charm and atmosphere were closed. So we ended up at Ruby Tuesdays, it had some nostalgic meaning for Clete, this was were he opened up his mission call, so I'm sure it was nice for him to relive those memories.

They first sat us in a back room all by ourselves. We sort of felt like we were in trouble. Then they came back and moved us up front near some other fellow dinners. However, it probably would have been best to keep us confined to an area of our own. During dinner Greg shared with us the "Inspired by Kittens" video on You Tube. It is mildly entertaining, but it was late and we were in the high altitudes of Logan, and we all found it really amusing, the laughter turned into tears, and I'm sure there was some snorting.

Take a look at it if you'd like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtX8nswnUKU

"I'm her mom...no she's not"

DAY 43 - Fortune Favors the Brave

If today were a fortune cookie it would read "Just for the Halibut." Today was a normal day at work. Then this evening a friend of mine I helped out back in December told me he would buy me dinner to repay me. He asked if I had any requests, I just said nothing with fish...he took me to the Oyster Bar..hmmmm??? Pretty much everything on the menu was fish. I thought maybe he misunderstood and said I want anything WITH fish. But he even said to me, "I know you don't like fish, but they have other things." There were a couple of pasta dishes that without fish, but that was about it. I decided I would go for it and have the Halibut. It was fine, it is one of the only fish dishes I can handle. There was a hint of fish oder in the air, but it wasn't too terrible. After the slightly awkward dinner, I went over to Brandy's for our traditional Wednesday night TV, on Thursday night. We watched Top Chef...I'm so excited that googlie eyed Carla is in the top 4!!! I knew she could do it!!

The picture is of me holding the giant fortune cookie Brandy got from the lady who did her taxes at H & R Block. Hopefully a giant fortune cookie equals a giant refund...and in Brandy's case, it does! She's rich!!!

DAY 42 - A rare case of KOPEFLISHLOGIN

WEDNESDAY! I like Wednesday's. My St. John's Wort must be workin, cause really the only day that bothers me now is Monday. Tonight my buddy Jeff stopped by. He has been cast in Miss Saigon at Pioneer Memorial Theater up at U. He was down here signing his contract and the such, and decided to stop by. We went and got some dinner at Cafe Rio. Jeff is on some cleansing thing right now, so he has a really restricted diet. Basically he spent $10 on a tin full of lettuce, but good for him. I got the full out chicken salad, it was tasty, but I was healthy...I didn't eat the tortilla ;). Then we watched one of our favorite movies....Soapdish! Ya gotta love it. Sally Field, Robert Downey Jr., Kelvin Klien, Whoopie Goldberg, Terri Hatcher, Cathy Moriarti..a literal who's who in fine cinema. I don't know why Sally Field wasn't nominated for an Oscar for this role. Love her...Ms. Nora Walker.

In this photo we are discussing a solution to the current economic crisis...or maybe Jeff is just letting me know about the latest Goldie Hawn news.

DAY 41 - ADRIAN!!!

I totally did it! My first day of training (cue Rocky Theme Song Music). I ran all the way around Liberty Park, then walked half of it for a cool down. I was proud of myself. It had been snowing on and off all day. I didn't think I had it in me to run in a full blizzard, but the skies cleared just as I was getting off work, as if a sign from the running gods. It was still freakishly cold. But the cold felt kind of nice once I started running and heat up, however I didn't wear gloves so my hands went numb, but you don't need hand for running. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I was holding up fine, but my knee started to hurt. I was really frustrated, I haven't had knee or joint problems since I was in junior high and suffered from Oslglich Slaughters disease..it's real, I promise. I had to wear a little blue knee brace thing when I would do any physical activity, so it didn't really get much use. I'm hoping a good pair of running shoes will solve my current discomfort. The shoes I'm using now are just some Sketchers, I don't think they are really designed for any kind of athletics, they're just designed to give the appearance that you're an active person.

One run down, only 9 weeks and 2 running days until the big race... I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.....

DAY 40 - If I were Moses I would stop wandering around the wilderness today.

Monday, Monday... can't believe another weekend has come and gone. Tonight I took it easy. I decided today I need to have a goal...everyone comes to Salt Lake has a goal...what's your goal? (Random Pretty Woman reference). Anyway I decided I'm going to run the Salt Lake City 5K in April. I was thinking about doing the half marathon, but I don't know about that. I need to ease in to the whole running thing. I work out, but haven't done a lot of long distance running, I'll have to see if I have the stamina...I hear there's a pill for that now.

I did some research and found an 8 week training program for a 5K. Monday is listed as a rest day, so I did as directed and began my training by resting. So far I'm feeling great about the whole thing! It then suggests running 1.5 miles on Tues, Thurs and Saturday. Wednesday do a different type workout, and Sunday take a leisurely walk. This program allows your muscles a rest and recovery day so they will get stronger and not always fatigued. Each week you have to increase the mileage until your up to 3 miles (the distance of a 5K). I drove down to Liberty Park and drove around it to see how big it was. It was almost exactly 1.5 miles around, so I think I'm going to start running around the park on the appointed running days.

After my drive through the park I didn't feel like going home. But I'm trying not to be tempted with food so I didn't want to go wander around the store, and I have no money to buy things, so I didn't want to wander around the mall, so I just drove around. I used to go on little drives all the time, look at big houses and plan my life around living in one. But since its become abundantly clear I will never have a big house, it's just not as fun. But I did enjoy my little drive, I drove up around the capitol, I took a pretty typical Salt Lake photo from the Ensign Peak area. But I thought it turned out pretty good. I really like Salt Lake, not too big, but not too small. I love living right in the middle of it all.


After I got home from my drive, I just worked on the computer. Made a little bookmark for my mom's Relief Society activity, did some blogging, and of course cyber lurked around Facebook, peering into other people's lives that seem so much more interesting than my own. Just your ordinary manic Monday.

DAY 39 - Zipadee-a-and Hidee-ho!! Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday Dad!! Well a day late, yesterday was my dad's birthday, but we decided to celebrate it today. It was a fairly low key affair since I'm the only one in the family around these days. But it was nice all the same. I gave my diabetic father the give of a giant triple chocolate four layer mint cream filled cake. Seemed like the perfect gift for someone on a low sugar, low carb diet. But it was his birthday, it's ok, calories don't count on your birthday. I have also recently learned I almost killed him on Christmas. We were moving the couch back in the living room after the big Christmas dinner and I was pushing it a little too fast which caused him to trip and fall over. He said he was fine at the time, but I just found out that the couch had landed on his toe and it has got infected. He was just at the doctor this week having his toe nail removed. A foot injury on a diabetic is not a good thing... So it looks like my new tradition is to see how I can harm my father on major holidays and special events. Easter's coming, he better stay clear of me to avoid an unfortunate Deviled Egg mishap.

Anyway, back to the cake. It took me most of the day to make, and was really fun. The cake was an easier recipe than I had mad e last year, but it still turned out pretty good. It has sour cream in it, and I like the extra liquid, makes the cake a little more moist, and it also give s a little tangy flavor. I also added chocolate chips to make it a double chocolate cake. My dad loves dark chocolate, so I made a dark chocolate ganache the put between the layers and to frost the top, then the sides I just made regular chocolate frosting, but added some mint extract. I also made a French cream for the filling. It tastes like the stuff inside a ding dong, or twinkie, its soooo good and fatty. I also added some mint extract to that to give the inside of the cake a minty tingle. After I had spent hours whipping, folding, blending and the such, I got out the cake decorating kit I had been so excited to use. I tried one of the tools and it didn't really give me the result I had wanted. I played around with it for a while and finally gave up. I was getting tired, and it was time to eat the freakin thing. So it didn't look as fancy as I had hoped, but it tasted pretty good. However, I was in such sugar overload from tasting frosting's and fillings all day I had a sugar headache and couldn't even finish my piece...That is a huge shocker, coming form someone who doesn't even know what the phrase "too rich" means...It's like a foreign language to me.

So that's the cake experience, I have decided to take a few weeks off from baking. I weighed myself today for the first time since October...not good! I haven't gained weight in almost 2 years, and I'm up higher than I've been in a while. I was kind of upset with myself. But I know how to cure the situation, so its back to working out 6 days a week instead of 3 and no more treats on the weekends for a while.

Day 38 - You say Samoan, I say Samoa!

Saturday morning...ahhhh!! Would have loved to have slept in, but my food dream woke me up. Latoya sent me an evil cookbook with a bunch of "secret" recipes. One of the recipes was for the Samoa Girl Scout Cookies. Before I had gone to bed last night I was looking over the recipe, and it definitely gave me some sweet dreams. Visions of gooey coconut and chocolate drizzle danced in my head. So when I woke up at 7:30 am, I opened up my computer and figured out what I would need from the store. I then walked to Smith's to get the necessary ingredients. I figured if I walked to the store it would burn a few hundred of the THOUSANDS of calories I would soon ingest. The cookie is basically made with sugar done three ways, standard white sugar, Karo syrup, and sweetened condensed milk, boil it together and add some coconut, stir it all up, and there ya have it. Then melt some chocolate chips and drizzle over the top. There was no mention of the cookie center that the coconut concoction usually surrounds, so I experimented and made some with a vanilla wafer on the bottom. I was fine either way, I'm not picky, as long as there is plenty of caramelized goodness anything tastes good. They tasted similar to a Samoa, but those girls scouts have their secrets. Make sure to note they are called "SAMOA" not to be confused with "SAMOAN." When I worked at Franklin Covey I overheard a lady at the cubicle across from me telling a friend she had eaten and entire box of Samoans the night before. That just didn't sound right, and I'm sure that's illegal, or at least not ethical.

After stopping by the boys house to drop off the reminder of my knock of Samoa's, I met Alisa at the Gateway and saw "He's Just Not That Into You." It was pretty funny, somewhat insightful, and entertaining. I then ran to Ogden to meet Alane for dinner and to see Peter Pan at Weber. I felt like I was running about 20 minutes behind all day. I was late meeting Alisa for the movie because there was traffic and a defective stop light on South Temple, then the movie got out later than I had anticipated and I didn't leave Salt Lake until almost 6:00 which was when I was suppose to be in O-town. Alane and I ate at Lee's Mongolian Barbecue in Ogden and since I was late getting there, we were running late from dinner getting to the show. But we made it just in time for the curtain to rise.


The show was pretty good... Not my favorite show, but it was well done. Nick did a good job, he can still bounce around the stage just like he did when he was in high school, wish I had that kind of energy, I can only do 3 back handsprings in a row these days...ah to be young again ;).

Take note of the return of my double chin in this picture. I could blame it on the copious amounts of coconut delight I had consumed earlier in the day. But I have figured it was bound to happen eventually, I have not been eating well the last few months. This photo has inspired me to really start watching what I eat. Need to lose 30 lbs by June...bikini season!

Day 37 - Slumdog Millionaire, EVERYBODY DANCE!

It's FRIDAY!!! Today was a good day, pretty much because it was Friday of course. Work went well, we had a "Tamale Party." The marketing department met in the conference room and had authentic Mexican Tamale's from Letherbee's... Who knew Leatherbee's made Tamale's I just thought they made big giant milk shakes...and furthermore, I didn't even know they still existed. So many pleasant surprises. During the lunchtime siore the director of marketing asked us to go around the room and share an embarrassing moment. This is always such a touchy subject, some can be funny, some can be really gross...and for me, most of them involve saying something completely inappropriate that I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing in a work place setting.. I ended up telling the story about the time at Alphagraphics when I was going to scare my co worker Wade. I went and hid in the break room waiting for him to get out of the bathroom, and when I heard the door open I sneaked out and turned the corner to the long hallway ready to tackle him. But when I began to pounce I realized it wasn't Wade at all, but the tech who was there working on one of the machines. So instead of saying "sorry I thought you were someone else" I just tried to play it off and continued to skip / lunge down the hall way, as if it was completely normal. Wade had stopped at the drinking fountain after coming out of the bathroom, and witnessed the entire incident... That was the story I shared, and it got a good chuckle. I'm hoping to make some points with the co-workers. I'm still trying to find my place there, its been a little over a month, I'm getting more comfortable, but I'm definitely still the new kid on the block. (whoa-o-o-o-o! Hangin tough)

After work I met Latoya, Christian and Jess at Cafe Rio then went to Slumdog Millionaire at the Broadway Center. It was a good time. I always enjoy getting together with them. We all share our crazy wacky work-time experiences. Its a good way to decompress after a long hard week. The movie was very, very good! There were times I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I ended up loving it. Some parts are very disturbing and completely shocking. But its a clever way to tell the story of this poor kids life. But I have to say, my favorite part was the random Bollywood style dance number during the closing credits. I think all super dramatic movies should end with some uplifting light hearted choreography!

DAY 36 - I've Got A Golden Diamond

Today was such a momentous day at work! We had a visit from one of our "Golden Diamond" distributors.... I have NO IDEA what that means, but it must be a big deal. They called all of us out of our offices to go to the main entrance and line the red carpet and up the stairs, then when the group arrived we clapped for about ten minutes. I'm hoping I don't work for a cult. I was going to leave if they started chanting. The lady was from Korea and was coming to visit the corporate office for some reason. For those of you who don't know I work for a company that is like Amway, NuSkin, Maleleuca, all those MLM companies... Don't worry, as a corporate employee we are not allowed to participate in the business, so I won't be calling any of you to share a "great opportunity."

The rest of my day was good, it was Thursday, so we all know what that means...dinner with the parents. Tonight we ate at Applebee's in Bountiful. It's always good to catch up with the fam and spend some quality time. Not a lot going on with any of us so no good juicy gossip...my mom has really let me down, guess things have been pretty quiet in the Relief Society. After dinner I went to my parents house and did a quick sweep to see if my camera was around there anywhere and I picked up my laundry. I had left a bunch of clothes up there I was going to come back and do later in the week, but my nice cute sweet mom finished it for me. What would I do without her! I'll always be my mamma's little boy.

After dinner I came home relaxed for a bit, and after much inner conflict I decided to work out! The "professor" who lives beneath me wasn't home, so I went all out this time. I was jumping up and down as hard as I could. My favorite part of the work out is the "fast feet." Its were you just do tiny little steps as fast as you can. I feel like I'm in Flashdance and I always poor a bottle of water over my head duirng that portion of the work out.

Tomorrow's Friday! woo hoo! and it's Tamlale day at work, olé!

DAY 35 - Life is Beautiken

Life is Beautiful...right? Not as beautiful as Brandy and I, we're HOT! Or actually I guess the sign is kind of saying Life Is Beautiken, since my head is becoming a signifier when juxtaposed to the preceding text... So my new theme shall be "Life Is Beautiken." I'm getting it embroidered on a pillow.

Today was Wednesday, middle of the week, hump day, miércoles as the Spanish say. All I care about is that we're getting closer to Friday. Today life was just beautiful, for no real reason, just simply another day in the life. It was the traditional Wednesday night TV at Brandy's. We watched Top Chef and The Real World. It takes us about 3 hours to watch two, one hour shows because we have to keep pausing it to tell some story we were reminded about. But that's what makes it a good time. We discuss our hopes, our dreams, our fears our failures, all with the backdrop of reality TV... and who said TV doesn't bring people closer together. I don't really know if anyone has ever said that, but I'm sure they have.

I'm really just rambling because there was no major event or underlying theme for the day. Just that Life is Beautiful, and not in the Italian Nazi movie type way, just tryin to simply enjoy whatever comes my way.

DAY 34 - We're not gonna, we're not gonna pay!

Well I made it through January, now making a dent in February... These few months of the year are my least favorite. Not much is going on, its cold and hazy. The snow has lost its magic and has become crusty gray mounds of broken Christmas dreams.

The bad thing about the beginning of a new month is a whole new set of bills. Today I paid my rent, a day late, but it never seems to be a problem. The check usually doesn't go through until the middle of the month anyway. When I first moved in I couldn't imagine how I was going to make it, I figured I would be destitute in no time and moving back into my parents basement. I'm proud of myself for actual making it on my own. It's been 8 months now and I'm not completely destitute...close, but still keeping my head above water. The safe, secure, heart strings of my parents home are trying to yank me back. But I'm trying to resist. However I'm not ruling the idea out. It is tempting to go home for 6 months to a year and pay off my credit cards, then be able to go out and BUY a house. Oh my gosh, even typing that sends ripples of fear through my body. I still have 5 months left on the lease, so I'll be staying put for a little while. We'll see what the summer brings. I don't think I'll make any moves until fall. I loved being in my place last year. It is so close to downtown and all the happenings. I can't wait to walk to the Gallivan Center for movies and concerts. And walk up to the park to swing on the swings. (You have to be careful at the park in the avenues, those hills are steep and sometimes people fall on you.)


Post Script: I still have not located my camera, I'm starting to think it may have dropped out of my pocket onto the street...It may be long gone. I still have my larger digital camera, but it's not as portable as the other one, which makes the picture a day a little more difficult. But I shall overcome, I will not be discouraged by this set back. I will prevail!

DAY 33 - I Clot You Babe!

My camera is still missing, so sad. So in the mean time I'm using my phone, not the most quality, but it does the job. Tonight I went to dinner with the AG gang, and our favorite customer Ms. Barbara Jones accompanied us. Barbara is a big time quilt maker, when I was the designer for Alpha, Barbara and I spent a lot of quality time getting the covers for her patterns just right. She even taught me a thing or two about quilting. I never even got out a needle and thread, but I became a trim making master in photoshop. I even learned terms like "fat quarter." It was a lot of fun to get together with her, she always cracked me up. In a strange way I miss the old Alphagraphics days... not the job, but definately the people

Other than that the day was status quo. Put in an honest days work, went to dinner, then home for some down time sitting in front of the TV and internet. I watched Dr. G Medical Examiner...it was a good thing I had all ready had my surgery, there was a lady that died 3 days after her operation of a blood clot after having the same surgery I just had last year. They had to tear her open to figure out what casued the her death... Pretty nasty. Even though it was about 8 months ago, I started to feel the symptoms of some remaining blood clots...but I think I'm going to pull through.

DAY 32 - Oh Yo, Oh Yo! Catch This!

So it's the day that sports fans all throughout the country look forward to. Some even place it above Christmas as their favorite "holiday." Well I am always up for a reason to celebrate, especially if there is food involved. So a few of us non sports folk got together for a little "Superbowl" party of our own.

I tried to redeem myself by making some more cupcakes. This time I used Clete and Greg's oven, and they turned out pretty well, I think they were still a little dry, but at least they weren't burned. I put a little Hershey Hug in the middle of each and then had a variety of vanilla and chocolate frosting. They were pretty tasty. We also had pizza from Papa Murphy's and some chips (left over from the "Chips" party the night before.)

But the star of the Superbowl was the viewing of Pretty Woman! We had been talking about it a few weeks ago, and it had been a while since any of had seen it, Clete had never seen it cause it was rated R and his mamma wouldn't let him watch those kind of movies. So we corrupted him and watched it. It's so sad how old and dated it's starting to look. I think I have seen that movie more than any other. When it first came out my sisters and I would go to the Redwood Drive Inn at least once a week or more. It seemed like Pretty Woman was always the second movie with whatever we were going to see. So we would watch the new release movie and end up staying and watching it. I think I saw it about 17 or 18 times. Crazy! I still love it, and can quote almost the entire thing. We watched the directors cut, it had a few scenes that weren't in the original. It was weird to me, I didn't like it, it felt wrong! You don't mess with perfection. In one part Vivian (Julia Roberts) tells Edward (Richard Gere) that your foot is the same size as your elbow to your wrist, and since all four of us have the same size feet we tried to see if the pretty woman's theory was true, so this is our comparion shot.

We took these pics with Greg's camera, I'm still on the lookout for mine. Hopefully it will reapear soon!

I would like to leave with some Pretty Woman wisdom, that I think we all should live by.
I say who..I say when...I say how much!