tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36091145585866024412024-02-19T04:23:53.779+00:00J in the UTNext Chapter PleaseJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.comBlogger1071125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-19649702576911923682012-07-22T01:40:00.001+01:002012-07-22T01:40:28.532+01:00How Long It's BeenSo much has happened since I last posted.
1. I left the company that I've worked for just two weeks shy of 20 years for a new opportunity.
2. I finished - hastily due to work commitments - my screenplay and had a scene read aloud last week at our graduation ceremony.
3. Become the parent of a driver, including a fender bender.
4, Started traveling again due to work and working remote from home when I'm not.
5. Cancelled cable television.
Number five might seem minor but I've never been shy of my love for television. How have we been surviving? Just fine actually but you'd have to pry my Netflix streaming account from my cold, dead hands.
I've been struggling with the new job to find some work/life balance. Working from home is more isolating than I expected, probably because friendships have not really developed to balance the focus of work. Am I responsible for the lack of friends? Yes, I just haven't been interested in devoting the time to seek it out here.
Working for the same company so long and in that process, meeting some of my closest friends, I thought it would be so hard to leave. Maybe its because the new opportunity has been all-encompassing, but I've been surprised by how little I've looked back. Is this a statement on the true importance of work in the grand scheme of things?Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-5524272445079950842011-11-26T04:31:00.000+00:002011-11-26T04:31:56.081+00:00Sundancin' Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBkKyN1YTImh1UHO4M_ylU3YCluOuj9WYYp22ireAqsVYhLSc6g_KPPeH6Aomw-9_KBCogMALD86OGvt78-YCrcXcCqNCqi8tUeqjwRqVWlnAoL1dQ4488dJCX-8fq2YE1enYtFHaq2Uk/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBkKyN1YTImh1UHO4M_ylU3YCluOuj9WYYp22ireAqsVYhLSc6g_KPPeH6Aomw-9_KBCogMALD86OGvt78-YCrcXcCqNCqi8tUeqjwRqVWlnAoL1dQ4488dJCX-8fq2YE1enYtFHaq2Uk/s320/003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Paperwork approved – I am once again a Sundance volunteer, and will be working as requested, with the same theatre team at the same theatre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was such a great group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve completed a few afternoons of volunteer work already for them as they start prepping for the Festival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The offices of the Sundance Institute are nestled in a neighborhood a little ways up a mountain in Park City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a hotel and the base of a ski lift right by the Institute and the first day I went to the office I was early and sat outside with what must have been hotel guests as well as some locals returning <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from a hike sitting outside and enjoying a beverage in the bright afternoon sun among the beautiful fall colors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Literally everyone looked like they’d stepped out of the Eddie Bauer catalog with their rustic but expensive looking clothes. And EVERYONE had a dog, and not mutts, but interesting breeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked into the beautiful office and again, dogs, a very common accessory in the office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know folks who have lived here all their lives are probably over the whole rustic ski lodge interiors, but it’s still fresh and different to me, and the Institute offices are no exception.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few Fridays ago my volunteer job was to walk and time my walk from one theatre location in Park City to many others so this could all be documented in the transportation map for the festival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s definitely feeling like winter here but the sun is usually out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How fun to spend the day walking around that beautiful little ski town listening to one of my favorite movie-themed podcasts and help them prepare for the festival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a bad Friday at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LZNjZI39MOjFBohIpM3TtOIZsZv_f2lW9SlJCO-3FrYxoaVqhC4R_UQ1thUv5h1j27Gdx27o5XDLwyUrovmW_prG3Lt0H_EPT4VBAOu7mYXB5ZAxW-tLbGdrUgJk5C9D1t68q3qFQ3Co/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LZNjZI39MOjFBohIpM3TtOIZsZv_f2lW9SlJCO-3FrYxoaVqhC4R_UQ1thUv5h1j27Gdx27o5XDLwyUrovmW_prG3Lt0H_EPT4VBAOu7mYXB5ZAxW-tLbGdrUgJk5C9D1t68q3qFQ3Co/s320/004.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-65890268715769672582011-11-11T05:05:00.000+00:002011-11-11T05:05:03.396+00:00Me and George Drive the LoopSunday morning and everyone is in church. No need to go there to see the glory of a higher power. I drove the Alpine Loop a few weeks ago, just me and George Harrison. I've been listening to All Things Must Pass since watching the new two-part doc and it was the perfect soundtrack.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FHOIOeWvsWE5GJ-U4nQSirpdQSuDeFCtyq4GyIpJqjD_B8q4hNDAYN41A97LSYXZ3HlKdlSwQ396F2jN69HGT3R1gJus8-3fdcYB1WS4JGGJQtxFoMbPDGo2WR2g3h-_l2ckb1hWsThT/s1600/Alpine4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FHOIOeWvsWE5GJ-U4nQSirpdQSuDeFCtyq4GyIpJqjD_B8q4hNDAYN41A97LSYXZ3HlKdlSwQ396F2jN69HGT3R1gJus8-3fdcYB1WS4JGGJQtxFoMbPDGo2WR2g3h-_l2ckb1hWsThT/s320/Alpine4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnFZw44IoIqTX1nMrOSWSDCL1e3B9YP8ax0a18pS2HyCJ4r_3_okJtJsCHs98zV5W0TNAHmPaHwbRcBGZoIc6NraCKWO55cWPV_Xi16d9vdFj3y__RYl4t_c4udQue0joH8iWLW3aHXwY/s1600/Alpine7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnFZw44IoIqTX1nMrOSWSDCL1e3B9YP8ax0a18pS2HyCJ4r_3_okJtJsCHs98zV5W0TNAHmPaHwbRcBGZoIc6NraCKWO55cWPV_Xi16d9vdFj3y__RYl4t_c4udQue0joH8iWLW3aHXwY/s320/Alpine7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi221tm-0DMbUJYJXI-iVBslYHxFUdND0WBqf_0TuVjml3E0HrTUfFwx-OQc2ES-i6NcJhsINId0jiaLi3yIi3yyl_jMl-utvS6J58JMCfofd14VN1C_YrOeQJajfdD4pOqPJWPlJl7J8Hi/s1600/Alpine8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi221tm-0DMbUJYJXI-iVBslYHxFUdND0WBqf_0TuVjml3E0HrTUfFwx-OQc2ES-i6NcJhsINId0jiaLi3yIi3yyl_jMl-utvS6J58JMCfofd14VN1C_YrOeQJajfdD4pOqPJWPlJl7J8Hi/s320/Alpine8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bk-uMWxaY984vg3-2cpcAR8ktDV1cKEaMPzqNHbSLbLj8Fb71OTo5j-hbaTvXeU-SQCPVkZ-GhwGkmxMQr9Q9-0bu4HQiQR_ut-7b4aldlosQVUTIVStwWeXabC4SXkpc_NNxMQNGQQQ/s1600/Alpine5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bk-uMWxaY984vg3-2cpcAR8ktDV1cKEaMPzqNHbSLbLj8Fb71OTo5j-hbaTvXeU-SQCPVkZ-GhwGkmxMQr9Q9-0bu4HQiQR_ut-7b4aldlosQVUTIVStwWeXabC4SXkpc_NNxMQNGQQQ/s320/Alpine5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-10945727905655500872011-11-11T04:55:00.000+00:002011-11-11T04:55:31.603+00:00Fall Color Part OneEvery weekend in October I would drive somewhere close by to see the color. Here are pics taken this year from my favorite spot last year.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG7TyiHmLziJX_DRvxPXMR8JNM3GS6HJ-_a-nI9mJbPGSZHFsubqLkKtyOSyf8CRI3JqkbLxcJ_8JlLIGrKKtWi34hq_iQyHlgoWyGJ0bipPyyc4tXkIroRJd1BS0M2FXGdEPUd5rUBi9/s1600/Alta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG7TyiHmLziJX_DRvxPXMR8JNM3GS6HJ-_a-nI9mJbPGSZHFsubqLkKtyOSyf8CRI3JqkbLxcJ_8JlLIGrKKtWi34hq_iQyHlgoWyGJ0bipPyyc4tXkIroRJd1BS0M2FXGdEPUd5rUBi9/s320/Alta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-G1IemNMgQ9B0OcgxU_aferQcMqR8PtpbJtEMY7YzsdR9aLPKtz1XrQ32SSC8BjUcyL9N1vuqbFUwgY4ec3WhpjxqNjHXKno-REV0imtTG9D0ahyo4FreySDb1VMJSm-o8kQa_WyvVW1/s1600/colour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-G1IemNMgQ9B0OcgxU_aferQcMqR8PtpbJtEMY7YzsdR9aLPKtz1XrQ32SSC8BjUcyL9N1vuqbFUwgY4ec3WhpjxqNjHXKno-REV0imtTG9D0ahyo4FreySDb1VMJSm-o8kQa_WyvVW1/s320/colour.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pv1-oMzOrcOZLCRlKXLBZOy0LyG5N3alPLKuaeWlx3Z-qwBp5NNk5AHMleMzSxRxcfruLjIopquThg42nhOAJZAahcIPnmRjxij61zArBkkUGxvW5aeNHJXgNE_RXE2RnxV9lpfIvkIL/s1600/colour2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pv1-oMzOrcOZLCRlKXLBZOy0LyG5N3alPLKuaeWlx3Z-qwBp5NNk5AHMleMzSxRxcfruLjIopquThg42nhOAJZAahcIPnmRjxij61zArBkkUGxvW5aeNHJXgNE_RXE2RnxV9lpfIvkIL/s320/colour2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-42404760912468094182011-10-30T14:58:00.000+00:002011-10-30T14:58:06.883+00:00Some Random October Shots<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yWFU0NDs57otJrhfTf9xc2rd9uH1XOAD-JV1xcYYnkTtn9kkXI4cNj_o-PX6lQrcuhgL_auHxAzmoI1kJDMBQJgE3wH9ZH68mo2sWrlHOphDCkj1KgBstreGrgaFZlQiChSZmhust7V6/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yWFU0NDs57otJrhfTf9xc2rd9uH1XOAD-JV1xcYYnkTtn9kkXI4cNj_o-PX6lQrcuhgL_auHxAzmoI1kJDMBQJgE3wH9ZH68mo2sWrlHOphDCkj1KgBstreGrgaFZlQiChSZmhust7V6/s320/010.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw this downtown and at the time didn't know what it was about.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_m2HZatRot52ks9Q6_UaL22dPMzfHAcqswyXUTfjkD2WKcmTyaBNiHHF0ZfwZCFIn_iaKT-Tet-xHS6lVE0_KgEj7HB9dbNBY8IfGuEIqzOVLtAAfeEOf7XqaLbV3qlTPadkNm0-eQD6/s1600/Rainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_m2HZatRot52ks9Q6_UaL22dPMzfHAcqswyXUTfjkD2WKcmTyaBNiHHF0ZfwZCFIn_iaKT-Tet-xHS6lVE0_KgEj7HB9dbNBY8IfGuEIqzOVLtAAfeEOf7XqaLbV3qlTPadkNm0-eQD6/s320/Rainbow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Rainbow in my Neighborhood</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXcEBaFX04qso6kQ0ybV63VY2pTPXobnD0DvE2pCrhfI4ZN3XYNny-vO1pBsJevLTxNh4ujz3KU3zfq4P9pF47oOkooNHmpKGcKieA6PqGafiHzTE9pCEPTrJsqk4o4KsgoOgETi9oHT8/s1600/firestone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXcEBaFX04qso6kQ0ybV63VY2pTPXobnD0DvE2pCrhfI4ZN3XYNny-vO1pBsJevLTxNh4ujz3KU3zfq4P9pF47oOkooNHmpKGcKieA6PqGafiHzTE9pCEPTrJsqk4o4KsgoOgETi9oHT8/s320/firestone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not promoting Firestone, just loved the shot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-57221019763544388742011-10-30T14:53:00.000+00:002011-10-30T14:53:37.188+00:00KGriff Brings It<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvUIcRgypiGa3J2C3fcGfZq-g_bGdc_T0SPGqpPWE-iz6raXoiKboOI6VuSA-W2tS-1Hlb7ObfdLaomUO3BquJrfDHartSmgFpwsbWDJE86QNCyndkjDQffkJ8v9OlPEJ_VkO_GYA3NCg/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvUIcRgypiGa3J2C3fcGfZq-g_bGdc_T0SPGqpPWE-iz6raXoiKboOI6VuSA-W2tS-1Hlb7ObfdLaomUO3BquJrfDHartSmgFpwsbWDJE86QNCyndkjDQffkJ8v9OlPEJ_VkO_GYA3NCg/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Months ago I got tickets for me and a friend to see Kathy Griffin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the date was approaching it was the only thing that kept me going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out the Kathy Griffin fan base in SLC is small but mighty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The show was on a Friday night and I hadn’t realized until that day that the Church of Latter Day Saints was having their general conference weekend Saturday and Sunday in Salt Lake City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is general conference?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From what I’ve read in the newspaper and heard from folks, it’s a time for the church leaders to preach to the masses, focusing on a few topics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last general conference was kind of controversial because one of the “prophets” (not my word, theirs) gave what was considered a very anti-gay message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now people travel from all over to be HERE for general conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact the person I went with had family friends staying with her from Australia who had travelled here for the conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wondered as the evening approached, would Kathy know she was in town while the Mormon crowds were gathering?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course she did.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As my friend M had told me, if you like her Bravo stand up specials, you’ll love her live because she really dishes and there’s no censorship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Topics of conversation – Michelle Bachman and her husband (especially his clinic), the LDS church, Cher, Kate Winslet, Paula Abdul, Nancy Grace, her autistic dog, and much much more. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a little worried that my friend would be offended by something in the show, but she seemed to enjoy it too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4d0IhDeRquWtsHe5gSsPL6bZqNwoPb8hY79MEorFnufu3-uIu_UXR7I5cXZ8Va8RHZiI8fE7vCFRyvUPf7XleH2j-mEPdyjF38WnIlGIpingiCUYGdRzg1lQu5vLtuR_NxXB_sS3m_Bh/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4d0IhDeRquWtsHe5gSsPL6bZqNwoPb8hY79MEorFnufu3-uIu_UXR7I5cXZ8Va8RHZiI8fE7vCFRyvUPf7XleH2j-mEPdyjF38WnIlGIpingiCUYGdRzg1lQu5vLtuR_NxXB_sS3m_Bh/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the temple in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As we were leaving the hall, it was a little strange to be walking down this beautiful winding staircase with that giant temple in the very close distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which two things don’t belong together?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That building and the contents of the show. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-65285276308531909292011-10-23T18:39:00.000+01:002011-10-23T18:39:40.581+01:00Art and Ice Cream<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWM3PXRWtDRoWr0q0EsEA5YuAQIxRzIPYX71P0Jha0b20ZOdGEmuFwKvGcHBV_lZUWcZ3QbBakEBsYeGFJFifwcAhS2YA1X8W7f84Qzs7hzolN2e5-n5HwAPZVR117ZZNX1g5awPCbpJB/s1600/amatterofwords.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWM3PXRWtDRoWr0q0EsEA5YuAQIxRzIPYX71P0Jha0b20ZOdGEmuFwKvGcHBV_lZUWcZ3QbBakEBsYeGFJFifwcAhS2YA1X8W7f84Qzs7hzolN2e5-n5HwAPZVR117ZZNX1g5awPCbpJB/s320/amatterofwords.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brigham Young University has an art museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably would have never stepped on the campus except I heard about <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home2/51742275-183/books-art-bateman-says.html.csp">this exhibit</a> and wanted to see it myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A colleague of mine and I decided to plan to take a long lunch one Friday and go see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was familiar with the campus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t go there but grew up in the area and has a family member who works there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides this book art installation, which is composed of 100,000 books and a sight to see, I was very impressed with the rest of the museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had a Picasso, lots of Georgia O’Keefe, some gorgeous western landscapes and a temporary quilt exhibition from Alabama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fully expected to walk in and see nothing but religious-based work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY07yjRElr-Kr2seCNHUwendX49L24XlynVHqTkYML1uERzeJOcu3OIE3YOFKEKkVcvJFHlehvftmtP-FLAHj36gpn_uzIoTC8h8Ndzr-giPZoAI2uE3loAuQuY4iv31G8OVqh3ml9I-s9/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY07yjRElr-Kr2seCNHUwendX49L24XlynVHqTkYML1uERzeJOcu3OIE3YOFKEKkVcvJFHlehvftmtP-FLAHj36gpn_uzIoTC8h8Ndzr-giPZoAI2uE3loAuQuY4iv31G8OVqh3ml9I-s9/s320/015.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After we finished up at the museum, we were looking for a place to eat lunch and my friend suggested the creamery on campus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little did I know that BYU also has its own dairy run by the students in the agriculture program so the ice cream they serve at the creamery is made from BYU cows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used this as an excuse to have ice cream for lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our conversation tended to focus on what it’s like to have grown up a member of the LDS faith only to now not be part of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is something about being a member of the church when you’re close to headquarters that seems to change the experience, make it more a competition between the members on who can outwardly prove they are following more strictly than their neighbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEANHMWJ8tFhscnirLauAnsPk_ptxWHPX8nQapY57PoNdokQ0abm8MGEXm4oGsfa-CJRVEuTRFmzzmQo-KWilVLFzgWTJ5S5eGVInDtFoeO7-9md78YPf0L4Hb0rWWobsoflweU47DTaeb/s1600/ice+cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEANHMWJ8tFhscnirLauAnsPk_ptxWHPX8nQapY57PoNdokQ0abm8MGEXm4oGsfa-CJRVEuTRFmzzmQo-KWilVLFzgWTJ5S5eGVInDtFoeO7-9md78YPf0L4Hb0rWWobsoflweU47DTaeb/s320/ice+cream.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-8136383417596227052011-10-23T18:20:00.000+01:002011-10-23T18:20:12.475+01:00A Year Later...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-_58zJr0vre6SU0j0mMQNqz7B5bo0mto4ySR_kedNJCWXpGBHr9j3bmNp-YtD_3VVXfwj_XfnjVdVUrBAMLT6cPsx2DPoz8TeVAhTpJi_K_mSovLjQD3rxRqgNy0enwOFjtH594TRozH/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-_58zJr0vre6SU0j0mMQNqz7B5bo0mto4ySR_kedNJCWXpGBHr9j3bmNp-YtD_3VVXfwj_XfnjVdVUrBAMLT6cPsx2DPoz8TeVAhTpJi_K_mSovLjQD3rxRqgNy0enwOFjtH594TRozH/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The two most expensive shelter cats seem to have gotten comfortable at our place. Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-58630642375397753182011-10-22T07:19:00.000+01:002011-10-22T07:19:00.695+01:00Oh It's Been AwhileI<span style="font-family: Calibri;">t’s been awhile so I’ll just make a list of the highlights.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A. turned 16, got her permit and so now every time we leave the house she turns to me with an energetic smile and says, “Can I drive?!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t believe the progress she’s made since that first drive around the neighborhood that didn’t hit fifteen miles an hour until the very end.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A. went to her first semi-formal dance and had to sew straps on her strapless dress to match the dress code because we all know that two pieces of ribbon it the fine line between modesty and whatever the opposite of modesty is.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I took the summer off from exercise and now I’m paying, big time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here I go starting over.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve completed my script outline, and have moved on to writing the first fifteen pages of the script.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The actual dialogue writing is hard!<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The fall colors are just amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More on that later.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-31113260937447700942011-08-27T16:09:00.000+01:002011-08-27T16:09:02.771+01:00Adele Finally Arrives<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6M4fTLnatGSL73ZaPqzGrPsOBWCnwxQGgtHx7hVgtKUYnLFRdX-ve4ISJ07ROnN8Fmc3XFZyJ_Op_1VgYU_RQN0M4UbtXkMqzOM7VNtcLhHrblRoQRRZ0k-dd90cmbrmXmNPTO4vaijY/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6M4fTLnatGSL73ZaPqzGrPsOBWCnwxQGgtHx7hVgtKUYnLFRdX-ve4ISJ07ROnN8Fmc3XFZyJ_Op_1VgYU_RQN0M4UbtXkMqzOM7VNtcLhHrblRoQRRZ0k-dd90cmbrmXmNPTO4vaijY/s320/037.JPG" width="320" /></a>Can we talk for a minute about how ridiculous service charges are for concert tickets? Good God, they can be close to 50% of the ticket price at times. Back in February when I was down by the venue The Depot I noticed they actually have a box office so you can buy tickets for their venue service charge free. I bought a ticket for Adele thinking not many folks probably knew who she was here in the U.S. but I hoped she could get a decent crowd, especially on Memorial Day weekend and it was only $25 free and clear! Little did I know her second record would be released and she’d blow up in America.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The day of the gig came. We were in the middle of moving house and I actually thought about not going but then thought it might be just what I needed. So I park in one of the parking decks downtown and start walking to the venue. I’m half-way there and I see tour buses parked outside and a crowd milling about. A homeless guy comes out of nowhere and says, “Are you going to that concert (pause waiting for a response) It’s cancelled!!!” He said that last bit with pure delight. I get up there and sure enough there are signs saying that they have cancelled the gig. We learned from her later that she was in the middle of her sound check and it was obvious that she couldn’t go on. She burst into tears and cancelled the rest of her North American dates. I called A and said, “The gig’s been cancelled. You want to go see Bridesmaids?” So the night was not a total bust.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The next week at work I overhear a work colleague that I know very casually sharing with someone else about the gig being cancelled and I couldn’t help myself, I had to go talk to her about it. This was like finding an oasis among all the people that look at me sideways at work when I mention going to a concert. We agreed when the dates got rescheduled, she (E) and I and our other co-worker who also had a ticket (M) would all go together.</div><br />
So getting back to the service charges…they announce new dates and much to my disappointment, a different larger outdoor venue. I don’t mind outdoor venues but I think an Adele show is better suited to an indoors small club, but heck I’ve got a ticket and I didn’t pay the now $45 plus service charges at the new venue. As we were talking to others while waiting in the crowd, no one seemed to pay less than $70 for their ticket. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We got there super early and sweat in the sun until the gates opened. When they did M got in first. I got stuck at security behind the woman trying to bring a picnic into the venue. He was about three deep to the front of the stage. The venue kinda sucked. The layout was weird and the stage was really low which puts someone’s height into question and how well they can see the stage. M is 6’6”. Now if I were that tall would I go stand in the front of the stage, probably not, but Adele is his favorite and he was undoubtedly the most excited of us three to see the show. I was standing slightly behind him but had a good view of the stage. Then the three harpies came and stood next to me directly behind them. These were three probably college-age very short girls who were pounding the beers and talking about being so drunk when they went to see Britney Spears that they didn’t even remember the show. Okay, immediately my judgemental flag comes up, not because of the drinking but because they think Britney Spears is truly a good night out not understanding the irony of seeing a “concert” of someone who doesn’t even pretend to sing anymore . They are really loud, really obnoxious and start talking about how they’ll probably puke before the night is up. After knocking into me several times and me just ignoring it they start complaining about M and how he is ruining everything because he’s so tall. He needs to move and it gets much worse than that. He can’t hear any of this probably because of the huge distance between his ears and their filthy mouths. Finally right before the opener (Wanda Jackson), they start tapping him to tell him to move. I can’t take it anymore and explain to them that he paid for a ticket just like they did and if they can’t see they need to move somewhere else. This caused a huge argument and in my mind I was thinking of the headline, “Local Woman, 41 Takes out Rage of Past Bad Concertgoers on Three Short Students”. I calmed down, turned to the side and prepared to enjoy Wanda. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">If you don’t know who Wanda Jackson is, she’s a contemporary of Elvis Presley, and Jack White recently produced a record for her. She is a living legend, and all I could think was wow, I’d skip Adele if I could go back and just listen to Wanda’s stories. She had a great rockabilly band backing her and she sounded fab. Well, of course the three harpies didn’t appreciate seeing an old woman on the stage and was openly mocking her as well as calling me a “tall bitch”. What’s funny about that is these girls didn’t realize they were secretly delighting me, I mean to focus in on the one physical quality I enjoy in myself, ha! I had the last laugh. But nevertheless, their constant shrill chatter was getting the best of me so I decided to relocate which was kind of a bummer because we had a great spot near Adele’s gay contingent who had great signs and provided a celebratory vibe, unlike “the three”. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So I found myself wandering a bit for a good spot. Adele took the stage with just a piano to sing “Hometown Glory” and the crowd went wild. This venue fit about four times the amount of people as the original venue and also had a several floor parking deck that was full of people looking for a free show. She gave a shout out to the “car park” a few times during the show.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When someone sings a break up song and you’re no near a break up but you feel like she just summed up the way you feel, that’s the real deal. She sounded amazing. My favorite point came towards the end of the show after the sun had gone down and she sang a cover of Bob Dylan’s To Make You Feel My Love, which is on her first record. It was difficult to find a good spot without a lot of chatter, a by-product of the outside venue I think, but during that song, I was by myself in a quiet place and I was moved to tears. When it was time for an encore she let the audience know she was supposed to go off the stage and act like she was done and then come back but she didn’t like encores so she was just going to step off for a moment, kick off her shoes, have a drink and be right back and she was. During the encore she played her most popular singles which the crowd was obviously waiting for. My pal E, having a huge grudge against the “johnny come lately” fans talked through the whole thing saying stuff like, “If she would have played this first I bet half the venue would have cleared out. These people aren’t really fans”. I get the point but again, the chatter was ruining the moment. Can’t that wait for the drive home?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">All in all I’m glad I saw her but really wished it would have been back in May in that club setting.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0I7Jb9PhpWJqPGlFxs5zdBfblPy244kIJ_5SRGkGlaWYKSgVkNuaNzv6QUWXLwnGwNyAPloTHcHXQyq3F7ye8v0Y3I9EZIS_97PTFrgMkc177vT2hEXEdl3B2nvv9pAR0r3A8vOvBTcWc/s1600/AdeleFans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0I7Jb9PhpWJqPGlFxs5zdBfblPy244kIJ_5SRGkGlaWYKSgVkNuaNzv6QUWXLwnGwNyAPloTHcHXQyq3F7ye8v0Y3I9EZIS_97PTFrgMkc177vT2hEXEdl3B2nvv9pAR0r3A8vOvBTcWc/s320/AdeleFans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-67741119580304747842011-08-20T15:33:00.000+01:002011-08-20T15:33:30.303+01:00Her Month with J EndsThe part of this trip that A has been on that gave me most worry was A flying home alone. The reason was because she would be dropped off not in Singapore, but in Phuket, Thailand because J’s family were continuing to sail for a few weeks. This meant A would have to take a one-way flight alone on an Asian budget airline to Singapore which got her to the airport at 1am and then her flight from Singapore would leave at 6am. That flight from Singapore by the way was a funny one. It stopped in Tokyo, then on to Atlanta. Then after a lengthy layover she’d have to fly five hours west home. I was worried about her getting her bags in Singapore, being in the airport alone for that length of time, etc. I contacted my work colleagues in Australia and New Zealand who fly through Singapore a lot. They assured me they’d done the same themselves and that the Singapore airport is very populated in the middle of the night and also a very nice airport. One of my colleagues even called me, asked for A’s plans and then emailed me back her cousin’s personal cell phone and work details because he was a senior engineer at the Singapore airport and said if anything came up, he’d be happy to make sure she got where she needed to be. My friends J and M in Atlanta said if she had any troubles with her flight home, they’d be happy to pick her up for the evening. I was so touched but not surprised at all by their generosity.<br />
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So it’s 3am in Singapore which means her first flight is over and A calls me over Skype (thank goodness for Skype!). She’s sniffling so I immediately get worried and ask her what’s wrong, is she having trouble getting checked in for Delta? She quickly dismisses all that and says she’s in for the next flight but that she’s tired and she misses me and doesn’t want to get on a plane for 20 hours. Unfortunately she’s inherited our inability to sleep on planes. She calmed down and started telling me about the trip. I was at work so I told her to call her dad and they talked for a good hour, and then she was ready to go.<br />
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The flight tracker on the airline websites now is awesome! We were able to keep up with her the whole way. She called from Atlanta in a much better mood having eaten some Krystal burgers. I told her she sounded much better than she did in Singapore and she said that it was because she wasn’t on the verge of an emotional breakdown, lol. She proceeded to tell me about all the fun Japanese candy she bought in the Tokyo Airport and how on the flight she was able to watch her all-time favorite movie from their movie library, Singing in the Rain.<br />
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After we picked her up last night we plugged her camera into the television and looked at her pictures, heard stories about gangs of monkeys, Universal Studios in Singapore, jetskiing, cats sitting in drink refrigerators on Thai islands, bartering in the markets, and the amazing food. Most of all we heard about all the laughs she and J had. They were emotional to part when the time came. I’m so glad they remain such close friends. She thanked us for the trip and then I was off to bed as she and H continued to talk. She’s had an amazing summer. <br />
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Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-22172063401029052892011-08-14T22:31:00.000+01:002011-08-14T22:31:37.565+01:00The Staycation Just Ain't HappeningAfter the road trip and a few days back home, I took A and J to the airport. They weren’t on the same flights but both of them were flying to Singapore to meet J’s mom and boyfriend, and J’s three brothers. A didn’t sleep a wink the night before. After getting J checked in and in the security line, I got A down to where she needed to be and got her checked in. I was trying to make her answer all the questions the airline agent was asking to start preparing her for getting herself to her connections through San Francisco and Tokyo. We got to the security line and she burst into tears from fear. It might have been fear but I also think she was just exhausted. She called me when she was on the flight to Tokyo and since then the cell phone has been turned off. <br />
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After Singapore they will be on to Malaysia and then sailing through some islands to Thailand. I got an email from J’s mom today saying they’ve been jet skiing, parasailing, night diving, and scuba diving and A has been game to do it all. <br />
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Here back at the ranch we were hoping to have a staycation after we dismissed ideas of travelling ourselves because of work schedules. Basically the two of us are working opposite schedules and on top of it we’ve both gone through a round of a very nasty cold so the anticipation of this time to ourselves has turned out to be better than the actual time. Oh well, at least one of us is having fun.<br />
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My friend T did invite me yesterday to take a drive to Mirror Lake while H was at work. It was absolutely gorgeous and at least twenty degrees cooler than back home due to the altitude I suppose. As she and I were driving up there I was getting so light-headed. When we got to the highest peak, we were at 11,000 feet and I truly thought I was going to throw up. I guess it was a mixture of not eating and altitude. I had no idea that could happen. But as you can see the surroundings were stunning.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgMLDC9j8sZoo8DrUWJfCfdW8LdVmA9KcOF5bJKIvAmWX11cMNcV32I85YCI_1GJNpMGssuN8I9UJv0jqreJI1nDIEc8wLADnTLAcqlpwQRmiPXrYnRDu1M7C3oD_O-Hzd0SrMgrLFYR3/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgMLDC9j8sZoo8DrUWJfCfdW8LdVmA9KcOF5bJKIvAmWX11cMNcV32I85YCI_1GJNpMGssuN8I9UJv0jqreJI1nDIEc8wLADnTLAcqlpwQRmiPXrYnRDu1M7C3oD_O-Hzd0SrMgrLFYR3/s320/023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-22354624326446613302011-08-14T22:14:00.000+01:002011-08-14T22:14:41.821+01:00Oh AmyThis post is long overdue but because of all the activity here I hadn’t had a moment to sit down and ponder. Amy Winehouse is so entwined in my English experience that I can’t think about it without thinking about her. She seemed to be the reigning tabloid queen the whole time we were there. My buddy K became a fan when we were both still in St. Louis before I did. But now Amy’s Back to Black record is about the only one that the three of us could put on in the car and not want to kill each other. My fave – Love is a Losing Game, H’s fave – Back to Black, and A’s fave – Tears Dry On Their Own. <br />
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After her divorce she ended up for months and months in St. Lucia and my good friend and work colleague happened to be vacationing in St. Lucia at the same resort as her for a few weeks. My friend’s portrait of Amy was quite different than what you read in The Daily Mail or The Sun. She was just a young woman who loved to laugh and sing. Hearing these stories from St. Lucia made me happy. She seemed to be getting back to herself and I couldn’t wait to hear more music.<br />
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I’m afraid her best came out of suffering so it’s probably right that there will be no more music. I’m attaching here my favorite performance of hers. It was after a swirl of bad media attention that she showed up and performed my favorite at the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl7R4Ir1fKc">Mercury Prize Awards</a>. <br />
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Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-65264942782233853372011-08-09T04:19:00.000+01:002011-08-09T04:19:43.345+01:00Road Trip CompleteWe had always discussed going on a road trip when J visited so she could see more of America. It turned out due to H’s commitments, it was a girl’s road trip, just me and them. We both had our iPods packed with playlists and the night before the trip as I was driving home from work I burst into tears. J will be starting a new school in the fall and A will be 16 in just a few weeks and it all is moving so fast. I sometimes just want to hug A and tell her not to go so fast. Life starts to get more and more complicated from this point on. I guess I’m feeling pretty emotional about it all.<br />
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It was great to see the two of them still having such a strong bond, to see the two of them still skip to the car like babes after 16 hours at Disneyland, to sing along in the car to a song we all liked as we stared out the window at the desert landscape or the traffic depending on where we were. When we were driving through the Mohave Desert and my car struggled to keep us cool, J was asleep in the back and I had my iPod plugged in. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough came on and both A and I sang along. I had to look out the passenger window so she couldn’t see my face. Where has the time gone?<br />
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Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-29953787561436136082011-08-09T04:18:00.002+01:002011-08-09T04:18:27.973+01:00Portion Control<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having J in America for a few weeks has made me look at us through European eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She commented on the portions at restaurants and how wasteful it seemed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was giving A a hard time for all of ther texting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I asked J if she texted that much she said no because she didn’t have an unlimited plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So does availability drive overindulgence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny though, as wasteful as Las Vegas is when you think about the energy expended for all that is, she was charmed beyond belief.</span></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-53065026263218602872011-08-08T04:41:00.000+01:002011-08-08T04:41:28.775+01:00The Apple Pan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BhXrzWisSWBJJkvERVeF4gpVn5-thQ6JnyxtMBCB4CtN9D5Tzh2pXuy6vtiH_lkcP87hFD2Br3ge3eb96TUj0xDWZicFgSB8-rFeMd01aMm7yU59nOis14eSohaxyn1sUE4_Rh-Y5-hT/s1600/137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BhXrzWisSWBJJkvERVeF4gpVn5-thQ6JnyxtMBCB4CtN9D5Tzh2pXuy6vtiH_lkcP87hFD2Br3ge3eb96TUj0xDWZicFgSB8-rFeMd01aMm7yU59nOis14eSohaxyn1sUE4_Rh-Y5-hT/s320/137.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFKDj4xfKqSoZZwEu6aqJBf884rzRyQs8fDNBFdSUZXqtAlg3bPST4Jxkzjb43UfY2QBOjMM-aOuKW6GoFnUmP4x-T4dhr3Aqe_9fWa_cLjSqZTTN177wUuEmpXLulRoFkHhAi1moOUtO/s1600/136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFKDj4xfKqSoZZwEu6aqJBf884rzRyQs8fDNBFdSUZXqtAlg3bPST4Jxkzjb43UfY2QBOjMM-aOuKW6GoFnUmP4x-T4dhr3Aqe_9fWa_cLjSqZTTN177wUuEmpXLulRoFkHhAi1moOUtO/s320/136.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div>I had a love/hate relationship with the Mildred Pierce miniseries this year. Love the Kate Winslet but her American accent is pretty bad. The storyline is pretty melodramatic but I loved the setting. The Apple Pan reminds me of that Calfornia of old. Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-30693186033574130952011-08-06T19:12:00.000+01:002011-08-06T19:12:14.746+01:00Disneyland for Two, Conan and James Dean for MeThe girls were at Disneyland from 8:20am to midnight. I couldn’t have done it. I was shocked to be driving to Anaheim to pick them up at midnight to be sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. I guess it’s the only time they could do road work.<br />
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So what did I do while they were at Disney? I took a chance and drove over to Warner Brothers studios to see if I could get a standby ticket to watch a taping of Conan. The traffic gods were with me and got me there just in time to pick up a ticket at 10 and to be told to come back at 1pm to see if there were slots. In the interim I went over to Griffith Park Observatory. I’ve had an obsession with James Dean since I was a teenager when I read all the biographies and watched all his films so visiting a location from Rebel without a Cause was a must. I’ve been there once before with one of my high school friends but it was at night. It was a bonus on this visit to listen to a poor high school teacher trying to get a group of teenage boys to appreciate the architecture of the observatory. You can imagine how willing they were.<br />
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At 1 I found out that I had gotten a ticket and was trying to maintain composure when I was squealing inside. There’s a lot of waiting when you’re going to see a recording. They run you through a metal detector and then they make you wait in two different places, one outside the actual Warner Brothers lot and the other in a holding pattern on the lot. When it was time to finally go to the studio it was about a ten minute walk to our building and there were about five different handlers making sure we stayed in line and no one strayed. <br />
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I sat next to a guy in the military stationed in San Diego who was super excited to be there. He told me he’d been trying to see Conan for twelve years. I felt bad telling him I’d walked up and gotten a ticket that day. I asked him who the guests were and he rattled off Jon Favreau, Jayma Mayes, and a musical guest he wasn’t sure about.<br />
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The recording moves very quickly. There are no retakes. The only extension from the show you see on tv is an opening comedian and the band plays longer to pump up the crowd at the beginning. After the show wrapped Conan told the audience that usually this was the point where the taping ended but he needed to record another interview that he thought we’d enjoy so he was going to change his shirt and pretend it was another day. After he returned we found out that James Franco was coming out to be interviewed and the crowd went wild. He was definitely the best interview, very funny.<br />
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The bad part about going to see Conan was that they turned us loose at 5:30pm, and in the middle of rush hour. After getting through the traffic and checking into our Santa Monica hotel, I went to grab some food and took a quick nap before Disneyland pickup. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqp77FZVl3aWAq86TPQT9ivI_HgNfCSDsIWXi1lAZOnelK5UEUmUK1RMmzEv-85OxtiOZYu-SnhBnhJoj2QNvnwbkeA2HisJTAGdWdwoTlPY-b2DnInRW5U_TYBoINus2zXRCMLRpe_jB/s1600/130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqp77FZVl3aWAq86TPQT9ivI_HgNfCSDsIWXi1lAZOnelK5UEUmUK1RMmzEv-85OxtiOZYu-SnhBnhJoj2QNvnwbkeA2HisJTAGdWdwoTlPY-b2DnInRW5U_TYBoINus2zXRCMLRpe_jB/s320/130.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZQC2pA0aSkrzTrnpTvU74Z-e5HV9Fa1hbyu9xeQ0zEpcFhvP0wjI10HIZCzh3KN2Xz_F7s_ype_tYXwF-3xEIiJL0K28WQMuS1obaB429mqtRv3IybGsmxNQsTu8fkuRZC-e4f1hzlKI/s1600/flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZQC2pA0aSkrzTrnpTvU74Z-e5HV9Fa1hbyu9xeQ0zEpcFhvP0wjI10HIZCzh3KN2Xz_F7s_ype_tYXwF-3xEIiJL0K28WQMuS1obaB429mqtRv3IybGsmxNQsTu8fkuRZC-e4f1hzlKI/s320/flowers.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful flowers at a random Burbank gas station</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfcZRpwjlPImp63YFDihxFw249TbARro6TD2xbGLlKjo6Beq9wlxlqT8hFE248oSDyDqkNiBk4brPJSTtQbmzIJgDRNoeJQ2Z967KmOwiXpvX1zpE_qbtD1bG6Dl1kt4ClcOlxWIahg3i/s1600/Hollywood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfcZRpwjlPImp63YFDihxFw249TbARro6TD2xbGLlKjo6Beq9wlxlqT8hFE248oSDyDqkNiBk4brPJSTtQbmzIJgDRNoeJQ2Z967KmOwiXpvX1zpE_qbtD1bG6Dl1kt4ClcOlxWIahg3i/s320/Hollywood.jpg" t$="true" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from Griffith Park Observatory</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOuyMIQTnhmtHstgkQAuyQfrZtG-3Nyu8vg_1CXaDjPZ7UBs_3U_leF-EaY6lVv-fxDGzlwnPDH7TvUpEpaZr4OV4e3PYngdf7xhkf4mfCRnjyQNnS7fiII_w8O9Dv_QOFAjWt8GBMPXQ/s1600/GriffithObservatory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOuyMIQTnhmtHstgkQAuyQfrZtG-3Nyu8vg_1CXaDjPZ7UBs_3U_leF-EaY6lVv-fxDGzlwnPDH7TvUpEpaZr4OV4e3PYngdf7xhkf4mfCRnjyQNnS7fiII_w8O9Dv_QOFAjWt8GBMPXQ/s320/GriffithObservatory.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why can't those boys appreciate this beauty?</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SeLdy15Fjk7ZyQfNRB8EQ-HEiGWs1qhg6fXNgwDtnNloEG0BcLHA9LU06pPlSIfYLeKuxx8bnRX44hmQmUA4KPraKr3ISEZPqVI0Sm178YqDziHMYgQw4BdgARpHpQMpXAxSfxen3f0s/s1600/JamesDeanB%2526W.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SeLdy15Fjk7ZyQfNRB8EQ-HEiGWs1qhg6fXNgwDtnNloEG0BcLHA9LU06pPlSIfYLeKuxx8bnRX44hmQmUA4KPraKr3ISEZPqVI0Sm178YqDziHMYgQw4BdgARpHpQMpXAxSfxen3f0s/s320/JamesDeanB%2526W.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNVsjF5oFeS-2wNWViHH99NAEkII7rB6D9bQElhCCwS1lhj_9kNetPBGX79TCdYqnMGJEFd33nKVUuO7aOWf61Q1qoh_gZsg5vCWrLECAOG_KTJrYolPdReleqYXCFno1F3Mcdd_PNGp8/s1600/traffic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNVsjF5oFeS-2wNWViHH99NAEkII7rB6D9bQElhCCwS1lhj_9kNetPBGX79TCdYqnMGJEFd33nKVUuO7aOWf61Q1qoh_gZsg5vCWrLECAOG_KTJrYolPdReleqYXCFno1F3Mcdd_PNGp8/s320/traffic.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, traffic!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-51858451046064966902011-08-06T07:11:00.000+01:002011-08-06T07:11:17.818+01:00Lindy Hop in AnaheimBefore driving to California, as the girls slept I went down to the lobby of New York New York to have some coffee and finish Rosemary’s Baby, which I had started to read before the trip. As an aside if you’ve ever thought about reading the book, just see the film. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that was so faithfully brought to screen. It’s not a well-written book so Polanski’s adaptation is definitely better.<br />
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Anyway, they were playing some big band and Frank Sinatra and I thoroughly enjoyed this. While the girls walked around Downtown Disney later that night I headed to the live big band that was hosting a Lindy Hop dance contest. The music was so great. Big band music puts everyone in such a good mood. I was watching young and old approach break out into dance. Beautiful night, and fireworks to boot!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcs1xVaaigpdXlcXCH4qTg05O0wTTBv4nQj_sfkqNKdvSZYfBD2hmFUzmomUzjP-_ngkO3QjplcAOTuBnxjEZGSYSneZKTdY8EDxNh2js_4heolC21M0398-iucGfjokdazjB4nLmpU4m/s1600/Lindy3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcs1xVaaigpdXlcXCH4qTg05O0wTTBv4nQj_sfkqNKdvSZYfBD2hmFUzmomUzjP-_ngkO3QjplcAOTuBnxjEZGSYSneZKTdY8EDxNh2js_4heolC21M0398-iucGfjokdazjB4nLmpU4m/s320/Lindy3.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzVApAfFO_XCnJs57eNSTFoqdOxZl-g2xrxgWCmEjwag9s1AITKZrjrV2KvrDYnrDCasPn1QBOSrh3wxgjXwnnNjdIigT6BGm23We_gfVMHsUvMlWylDwf6f4v1JI7cI5WcF7vEjU6C8X/s1600/Fireworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzVApAfFO_XCnJs57eNSTFoqdOxZl-g2xrxgWCmEjwag9s1AITKZrjrV2KvrDYnrDCasPn1QBOSrh3wxgjXwnnNjdIigT6BGm23We_gfVMHsUvMlWylDwf6f4v1JI7cI5WcF7vEjU6C8X/s320/Fireworks.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-5080928565809390062011-08-04T03:43:00.000+01:002011-08-04T03:43:23.420+01:00A Little Downtown DisneyAfter we checked into the hotel we walked to Downtown Disney. While Vegas was literally like walking around in a clothes dryer with hot breeze blowing in your face, Anaheim had a cool evening breeze and lots of sailors.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jbuMZYlXBxMTZvrWu1-f8S7Xww5d311T-qSkDuIRMbpTKvMy0rdm18_3nzFMDpd8aNsj8CM1QToTeMpoINeaJ2sIxuDPK-tLVD9s4d9d4e5qi8VRkRd_-EJhn0NHgydHB0__j7l-fk0g/s1600/MinnieMouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jbuMZYlXBxMTZvrWu1-f8S7Xww5d311T-qSkDuIRMbpTKvMy0rdm18_3nzFMDpd8aNsj8CM1QToTeMpoINeaJ2sIxuDPK-tLVD9s4d9d4e5qi8VRkRd_-EJhn0NHgydHB0__j7l-fk0g/s320/MinnieMouse.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DdI10a9oKKoWZOlgugHpbxbVKmyjXAi-Qt2odUBPv0I-NMwLAQnOM_7mZQ9M43WjnWE4ZewxIQK52IBQejEeKSRm7KJZS5nnnYVDmFnC9a3yDbWxgM6347JHoxpZ3Y8zeUyaDl4jsagW/s1600/084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DdI10a9oKKoWZOlgugHpbxbVKmyjXAi-Qt2odUBPv0I-NMwLAQnOM_7mZQ9M43WjnWE4ZewxIQK52IBQejEeKSRm7KJZS5nnnYVDmFnC9a3yDbWxgM6347JHoxpZ3Y8zeUyaDl4jsagW/s320/084.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-75569077155620045022011-08-04T03:35:00.001+01:002011-08-04T03:38:01.423+01:00Day 2 - Vegas by DayI really wanted to visit the <a href="http://www.neonmuseum.org/">Neon Boneyard</a> while in Vegas and we could not get a reservation so we did a quick self-guided tour to some of the older signs. In honor of The Killers, a quick visit to Sam's Town waaay off the strip was a must. I really miss the kitschy, cheap steak dinner Vegas of old. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The vintage signs are the best. This was perfect against such a blue sky.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh Brandon, we've seen London, we've seen Sam's Town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original Las Vegas Welcome</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77JAP5BzQ_SjGbhsQWCQGsYC5ZuEomZPpfnCbNZEuEosxjwtMGwYS2tnR2qVroWiD6TzYdr1QnNjYECMhlMVaIk6s7zrw_hBVeDz1tMaOb8ZghNdVBtasaXct_HukpQDLMmKJ_f4tSQ2Q/s1600/Shoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77JAP5BzQ_SjGbhsQWCQGsYC5ZuEomZPpfnCbNZEuEosxjwtMGwYS2tnR2qVroWiD6TzYdr1QnNjYECMhlMVaIk6s7zrw_hBVeDz1tMaOb8ZghNdVBtasaXct_HukpQDLMmKJ_f4tSQ2Q/s320/Shoe.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately I spotted this great vintage shoe sign as we were leaving.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-91143678428188673312011-08-02T04:33:00.000+01:002011-08-02T04:33:26.144+01:00Day 1 - Vegas at Night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FsHpzPoErZOeGEkeWXPn8Owf0T5SJIEI20zY6xLvl7AUXNwpjSSrgCway4FRis7ntFktkTU1ppFcG6twL1JLb3U_Og3ABf3VTiFCJHZZOOl0CJK7PM4TDQnOhyphenhyphencu77jWuJA9DSOXmPZA/s1600/TheStrip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FsHpzPoErZOeGEkeWXPn8Owf0T5SJIEI20zY6xLvl7AUXNwpjSSrgCway4FRis7ntFktkTU1ppFcG6twL1JLb3U_Og3ABf3VTiFCJHZZOOl0CJK7PM4TDQnOhyphenhyphencu77jWuJA9DSOXmPZA/s320/TheStrip.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuyejhEVSj1YAOEFQghDC_zwnxvkSZAp4fTzqOEIPPMghOJI3CktSvrFobnoCvZbKkZKm64nRC8QehInwA-Fg3sKCMmI-6zfyXKL6aUxhHKAmTv2Lj69JmnYYmVAxnoqTiU_6LJGzjUSM/s1600/Eiffel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuyejhEVSj1YAOEFQghDC_zwnxvkSZAp4fTzqOEIPPMghOJI3CktSvrFobnoCvZbKkZKm64nRC8QehInwA-Fg3sKCMmI-6zfyXKL6aUxhHKAmTv2Lj69JmnYYmVAxnoqTiU_6LJGzjUSM/s320/Eiffel.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLgT0-LxHzYA7oauwSnG0WnNi4De0WtsUap7HVHAMAQLJnrb02a1TvuF7ubMUDULQSVAwp5u1q_mxcQ_9lxZnoDOv9SXuFuVZFbP-UV7rsbfxoxCQCHEEkzYuDmHk4wcPryI9jy2D24gl/s1600/Paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLgT0-LxHzYA7oauwSnG0WnNi4De0WtsUap7HVHAMAQLJnrb02a1TvuF7ubMUDULQSVAwp5u1q_mxcQ_9lxZnoDOv9SXuFuVZFbP-UV7rsbfxoxCQCHEEkzYuDmHk4wcPryI9jy2D24gl/s320/Paris.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div>Strolling along the strip. Soundtrack - Friendly Fires' Show Me LightsJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-10101041116180771742011-07-29T19:18:00.000+01:002011-07-29T19:18:26.350+01:00A Post in PicturesWe promised J a Great American Roadtrip during her visit. So here we go, us girls on the road.<br />
Day One of our vacation - 5am wake-up, on the road by 5:50<br />
Itinerary - Zion National Park then on to Las Vegas<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYo3wURgfINix2jA_xAY4igBemCLdq2V_EwLOTXBt9mUg98CgdmEoipq6_ho8u50uKgTt58_kezcEuKu7bIsZpaDkPd7EAtYNE4epOlBI-c4pOguuYNawyrpT6WaRi_hquNrTqIerCq_b/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYo3wURgfINix2jA_xAY4igBemCLdq2V_EwLOTXBt9mUg98CgdmEoipq6_ho8u50uKgTt58_kezcEuKu7bIsZpaDkPd7EAtYNE4epOlBI-c4pOguuYNawyrpT6WaRi_hquNrTqIerCq_b/s320/011.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5:50am - must have coffee</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beggar Squirrels at Zion National Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zion National Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDypAoao0wKdXeb50Id6NmG_N4xKxwFvOovUAAibrMVqzpMXznv3i1LoR1JB3gKBI4Me56CBA-JM8OiC_4tWsOzHScNVz10MWm_4ElH2rgP0EMMBkV1DSjoBFJJonqbG4i6lUsIAxtd0P4/s1600/ViewfromHotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDypAoao0wKdXeb50Id6NmG_N4xKxwFvOovUAAibrMVqzpMXznv3i1LoR1JB3gKBI4Me56CBA-JM8OiC_4tWsOzHScNVz10MWm_4ElH2rgP0EMMBkV1DSjoBFJJonqbG4i6lUsIAxtd0P4/s320/ViewfromHotel.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The View from our Room - New York New York Hotel - Vegas</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-47609942205204953662011-07-27T18:45:00.000+01:002011-07-27T18:45:09.284+01:00To AnonymousI took down my post about the documentary Tabloid. I am not a journalist and made a mistake in saying in my review that Ms. McKinney was on parole in England. The documentary led the audience to believe that she was somehow released out of jail in England but awaiting some follow-up legal action and fled the country in disguise. So I guess if they use the same legal jargon I should have said she was out on bail (?) Nevertheless, no matter what I think about the entire situation, from the beginning to the end of the documentary I never thought she harmed that missionary in any way and I am certainly not and never will be a member of the LDS church.<br />
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So anonymous, I was shocked to get this comment on my blog post:<br />
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NOTICE OF INTENT TO SUE: Consider this official notice that your article has been turned over to Ms. McKinney's libel attorneys and that you are going to be sued for the false and defamatory comments you made about her as well as for Reckless Disregard for Truth, a facet of her libel actions toward you and others who contune to spread the Mormon press hoax. First of all, as a Christian girl with high moral standards, SHE WAS NEVER CHARGED AND THUS NOT CONVICTED OF RAPING A 300 pound 6'5 inch Mormon! And since she was never even convicted, she is certainly not "on parole", as you LIED in saying! What a dishonest ignorant person you are! You have commited Criminal Libel and can actually be arrested for what as well as a civil suit lodged against you, which we plan to do. And by the way, are you a member of the Mormon CULT yourself? Hundreds of books and ex-Mormons KNOW they are a cult, are you really that stupid that you think they are a "religion?" <br />
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Since my review is no longer posted, here's a link to what <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110713/REVIEWS/110719989/1001">Roger Ebert</a> had to say as well as what the <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/mobile/52201227-90/mckinney-tabloid-anderson-film.html.csp">Salt Lake Tribune</a> said about the screening that I saw.Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-22900702099705174182011-07-23T16:19:00.000+01:002011-07-23T16:19:16.493+01:00J Arrives<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVm5GIEmJX4CuieVlEGYFslXO7Uspx9Gm9qIwCnb6zrXdG-a1gaHbWEnsfoFy02PM-lCoZ5eAH68Mj4z9NtifCmNS5LGMeinNzKU-60A5-cEA4Rhh7GKZX-vN0B7iqyGjohyMeW5xhsDZ/s1600/IMG_0555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVm5GIEmJX4CuieVlEGYFslXO7Uspx9Gm9qIwCnb6zrXdG-a1gaHbWEnsfoFy02PM-lCoZ5eAH68Mj4z9NtifCmNS5LGMeinNzKU-60A5-cEA4Rhh7GKZX-vN0B7iqyGjohyMeW5xhsDZ/s320/IMG_0555.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Music Never Stopped at Red Butte Garden</td></tr>
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<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A’s best friend from England arrived on Monday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’ll be with us until the first week of August when they both fly to meet J’s family in Singapore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been great to see her again, she’s such a funny kid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week we went to an outdoor screening of a Sundance film at Red Butte Garden which was a beautiful setting although we were freezing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also went to see The Decemberists Thursday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked them better when it was the 80s and they were called R.E.M. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was part of the free summer concert series in SLC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday they went to an amusement/water park all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">J’s only observation when we’ve been riding in the car…”there are a lot of fast food restaurants here”.</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXLJSjNYSeiXPEldVSG4drwQ3kDcEyH9aqPOFWiW4IP3sFTOuK5o1nGAqvTtbtE_yEZqK7rj26jCnzlfB7YMnU-V232yaeECPPqmYt1gnEYs4ZIqbuj0WkB-Eja8LEyjaZDKilrNQeYJT/s1600/IMG_0561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXLJSjNYSeiXPEldVSG4drwQ3kDcEyH9aqPOFWiW4IP3sFTOuK5o1nGAqvTtbtE_yEZqK7rj26jCnzlfB7YMnU-V232yaeECPPqmYt1gnEYs4ZIqbuj0WkB-Eja8LEyjaZDKilrNQeYJT/s320/IMG_0561.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Decemberists</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609114558586602441.post-67232389839859372202011-07-17T18:16:00.000+01:002011-07-17T18:16:52.907+01:00One of the Scariest Experiences EverSo far I am loving the Screenwriter's Project. I've met with my mentor once and she gave me some great tips. It has got to be one of the best feelings in the world when you write something and someone describes what they took away from it and it is EXACTLY what you wanted to convey. <br />
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We had our first peer group meeting. We've been broken up into smaller groups of 10 to meet on a monthly basis and have what we've written so far read aloud to the group. Act One outlines are what we are currently working on. First off, I loved hearing everyone's ideas. There were a few that just by hearing the Act One outline I'd so buy a ticket to see. My outline was the last to be read and I stared at my shoes the whole time. The feedback was so helpful and it inspired me to re-work a few things. One of my peers said they didn't know where the story was going to go and she was excited to hear the rest. Of course because I'm slightly OCD that night I dreamt about that like it was the biggest pressure of my life.<br />
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Can't wait for next month's meeting! Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453137196561517059noreply@blogger.com0