Rollin' Vegas Style...

New Blog

2011-02-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

Candice created a new blog. Check it out:

JC Jensen Blog

Meet Lexi

2010-10-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we ventured to the local animal shelter "just to look" at the dogs. When we found Lexi, we couldn't leave without her!

She is a three-year old boxer - house-trained, crate-trained, and just about the most well-behaved dog we have ever met. We took her to the park on Saturday afternoon. As we were walking down a path, two yappy dogs went nuts when they saw her. They were barking like crazy and even overturned the cooler they were chained to as they tried to get closer to Lexi. Lexi wasn't phased a bit! She simply looked at them as she walked right on by.

She will be a great addition to the family!

Summer o' Fun

2010-09-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

Summer time in Vegas is definitely the time to get out of town, so that is what we did every chance we could! From Memorial Day to Labor Day we used every excuse in the book to get out of the HEAT!! Here is the run down...

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN BOISE

We started off the summer with a trip to Boise to visit family. Events included a summer kick-off BBQ and a tour of Idaho's capital building along with other downtown Boise sites. But the most exciting part of the trip was Jake's 10,000 ft free fall!!

He made the jump with my brother-in-law Mark and thankfully, his chute did open so he could enjoy the rest of the summer.

JILL'S WEDDING DAY

Then, in early June, we headed up to Salt Lake to welcome Cameron as the newest member of the Jensen family. Jill and Cameron's wedding was beautiful!

4TH OF JULY AT THE CABIN

For the 4th of July we headed up to Island Park to spend the holiday with the ENTIRE Williams clan!! With almost 50 of us in one cabin we spent most of our time enjoying the great outdoors.

This trip included the best fireworks west of the Mississippi (Idaho Falls Melaleuca celebration), spelunking in Lewis and Clark Caverns, jet skiing and water skiing, and yet another summer BBQ!

We also spent a day in Old Virginia City.

WEEKEND IN MINNEAPOLIS

In mid-July we spent the weekend in Minneapolis with Bill and lil' Jake. It was a quick trip but we made sure to fit in a visit to The Mall of America and of course a Twin's baseball game in the new Target Field.

What's more American than baseball? And what's baseball without a hot dog and a Coke?! YUM, YUM!!

LABOR DAY IN L.A.

For Labor Day we decided to take advantage of the long weekend and make a trip to L.A. We stayed in Pasadena and enjoyed shopping, a cold day at the beach and of course good food - which included a new favorite find, DOTS CUPCAKES! Honestly, the best cupcakes I've EVER had!

We also took the chance to cross off yet another Major League baseball stadium from Jake's list (see side bar) as we watched the Dodgers play in Dodger Stadium.

Last, but not least...

GARTH BROOKS CONCERT!!

We celebrated my birthday with a night on the town here in Las Vegas. It was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! The security at this concert was unlike anything I have ever seen. Before we could even get our tickets at the gate we had to show our I.D. to make sure it matched our names on the tickets. Then we got a stamp and a wrist band in order to ensure we would not be selling the tickets once received. Inside, the security continued... pictures were NOT allowed and anyone attempting to sneak a pic was immediately escorted from the concert!!

The concert itself was incredible. There was no band, just Garth and his guitar. The venue was small, thus providing a very intimate setting. Let me just say, BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER!!

This summer was SOOO FUN! And I got to spend it all with my best friend!! Now, bring on the "Fall o' Fun"!!

Bed Intruder Song

2010-08-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

I had a friend send this to me a couple weeks ago and I honestly can not get enough of it! You have to watch the original news report and then watch the remix song. It is hilarious. Well, I think it's hilarious, you might just find it annoying.:) Either way, the song will be stuck in your head all day!

My Birthday Surprise!!

2010-08-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday's are always a bit lazy, and with the restlessness of the day Jake decided he couldn't wait any longer and wanted to give me my birthday surprise a day early!! He sent me on a "treasure hunt" around our house with the ending surprise being...

...tickets to go see Garth Brooks at the Wynn!!! This is something I have been talking about probably as long as I've known Jake, but with the cost of the tickets and how quickly his shows get sold out, I thought this would be something I would only be able to dream about.

Lucky for me, I got the best husband in the world, who spoils me rotten, and will be making this dream become a reality!! And the best part is, I get to take my HOT husband as my date!!

I LOVE THIS MAN!

A new wall

2010-08-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Since the first pictures Candice saw of our house (before we even bought the house), she ademately HATED the recessed arches in our living room wall. I promise her that we would fix the wall eventually. Well... I finally kept my promise. Here is the finished product:

Before

After

Before

After

The beadboard/wood paneling covered up the arches nicely! We also painted the walls a darker color - we were not a fan of the pink/beige/peach-colored walls. With the bedrooms, bathroom, and now the main living area painted, we only have the broom closet and laundry room to paint and we will be done with that color!

*Candice gets credit for the decor.

Utah Man Am I.... GO UTES!!!

2010-06-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

That is a great pairing!!!

Do we all realize the significance of this event?! I don't think so.

Instead of shooting for a Mountain West title every year - and a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl... we are now shooting for a trip to the Rose Bowl (The Granddaddy of Them All) in Pasadena, California! If we don't make it there, we have a nice consolation prize with the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.

We will no longer be chastened by our lowly Cougar brethren who tell us, "you HAVE to cheer for BYU for the good of the conference."

We will no longer be watching the Utes blow out the Wyoming Cowboys, New Mexico Lobos, San Diego State Aztecs, or the Colorado State Rams. Instead, we will watch intense competition with the Cal Bears, Stanford Cardinal, USC Trojans, Oregon Ducks, and UCLA Bruins.

Instead of scrambling to find the Utah game on a hidden, grainy, mostly-unknown cable TV station, with homer announcers, we can now watch the utes in HD on national television.

Utah in the PAC 12. Utah athletics will never be the same!

Pics

2010-05-29T15:42:00.007-07:00

Pics

2010-05-28T18:18:00.004-07:00

I am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to Boise. I thought now is a good time to update the blog....

My real motivation for updating is that I am going skydiving tomorrow. This might be my last contact with the world ;)

Candice and I finally received our wedding photos back. It thought I would post the good ones/funny ones that some of you might be interested. Here they are (I may need to do several posts to get them all up):

Pics

2010-05-28T17:57:00.007-07:00

Chowdown

2010-02-12T11:01:00.002-08:00

The Travel Channel recently aired a series counting down the best chowdown joints in America. Since when I travel, my favorite thing to do is eat, this was a perfect series for me. Now I know all the local joints to eat at when I visit a new city.

Here is their list. If you want the complete list with addresses and a quick blurb as to why these places are worth visiting, let me know and I will e-mail you the Excel file.

1 Louis' Lunch (New Haven, CT)
2 Roscoe's House of Chicken' N Waffles (Los Angeles, CA)
3 Primanti Brothers (Pittsburgh, PA)
4 Fenton's Creamery and Restaurant (Oakland, CA)
5 Katz's Deli (New York, NY)
6 Pat's King of Steaks (Philadelphia, PA)
6 Geno's Steaks (Philadelphia, PA)
7 The Salt Lick Barbecue (Driftwood, TX)
8 Albano's Pizzeria (Cicero, IL)
9 Lulu's Bakery and Cafe (San Antonio, TX)
10 Durgin Park (Boston, MA)
11 Al's Beef (Chicago, IL)
12 Gus's (Memphis, TN)
13 Jack-n-Grill (Denver, CO)
14 Arthur Bryant's (Kansas City, MO)
15 Hillbilly Hot Dogs (Lesage, WV)
16 Big Texan Steak Ranch (Amarillo, TX)
17 Anchor Bar (Buffalo, NY)
18 Cotham's Mercantile (Scott, AR)
19 Lambert's Cafe (Sikeston, MO)
20 Voodoo Doughnut (Portland, OR)
21 Eagle's Deli (Brighton, MA)
22 American Coney Island (Detroit, MI)
22 Lafayette Coney Island (Detroit, MI)
23 El Tepeyac Cafe (Los Angeles, CA)
24 Charles Vergo's Rendezvous (Memphis, TN)
25 Acme Oyster House (New Orleans, LA)
26 Beth's Cafe (Seattle, WA)
27 Heart Attack Grill (Chandler, AZ)
28 Ben's Chili Bowl (Washington, DC)
29 Tony's 1-75 (Birch Run, MI)
30 Chipshop (Brooklyn, NY)
31 Helena's Hawaiian Food (Honolulu, HI)
32 RU Hungry (New Brunswick, NJ)
33 Paseo (Seattle, WA)
34 Junior's Restaurant (Brooklyn, NY)
35 The Thurman Cafe (Columbus, OH)
36 Brown's Seabrook Lobster Pound (Seabrook, NH)
36 Markey's Lobster Pool (Seabrook, NH)
37 Ted Drewes (St. Louis, MO)
38 Obrycki's (Baltimore, MD)
39 Grimaldi's Pizzeria (Brooklyn, NY)
40 Slow's Bar-B-Q (Detroit, MI)
41 Chino Bandido (Phoenix, AZ)
42 Sodolak's Original Country Inn (Snook, TX)
43 Big Jud's Country Diner (Boise, ID)
44 Doe's Eat Place (Greenville, MS)
45 Cecilia's Cafe (Albuquerque, NM)
46 Superdawg Drive Inn (Chicago, IL)
47 Matt's Bar (Minneapolis, MN)
48 Pappy's Smokehouse (St. Louis, MO)
49 Country Pancake House (Ridgewood, NJ)
50 DiNic's in the Reading Terminal Market (Philadelphia, PA)
51 Max and Mina's Ice Cream (Flushing, NY)
52 Big Lou's Pizza (San Antonio, TX)
53 Juan in a Million (Austin, TX)
54 Steak and Main (North East, MD)
55 Interstate Bar-BQ Restaurant (Memphis, TN)
56 Big Mama's Kitchen (Omaha, NE)
57 Chick and Ruth's Delly (Annapolis, MD)
58 Taqueria La Cumbre (San Francisco, CA)
59 Munchies 420 Cafe (New York, NY)
60 Sylvia's Restaurant (Sarasota, FL)
61 Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (Syracuse, NY)
62 Goodson's Cafe (Tomball, TX)
63 Chaps Charcoal Restaurant (Baltimore, MD)
64 Round Rock Donuts (Round Rock, TX)
65 Camp Washington Chili (Cincinnati, OH)
66 Talkeetna Roadhouse (Talkeetna, AK)
67 Iguana's (San Jose, CA)
68 Yoder's Restaurant (Sarasota, FL)
69 The Cozy Inn (Salina, KS)
70 El Guero Canelo (Tucson, AZ)
71 The Grill House (Allegan, MI)
72 GCS Ballpark (Sauget, IL)
73 Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana (New Haven, CT)
73 Sally's Apizza (New Haven, CT)
74 Original New York System (Providence, RI)
75 The Buffet at the Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)
76 San Francisco Creamery Co. (Walnut Creek, CA)
77 Lynn's Paradise Cafe (Louisville, KY)
78 Kopp's Frozen Custard (Greenfield, WI)
79 The Cherry Cricket (Denver, CO)
80 The Brick Pit (Mobile, AL)
81 Nick Tahou Hots (Rochester, NY)
82 Willie Mae's Scotch House (New Orleans, LA)
83 Schmidt's Sausage Haus (German Village) (Columbus, OH)
84 Cafe Fleuri at the Langham Hotel (Boston, MA)
85 Daichan Kaiten Sushi (Los Angeles, CA)
86 Cattleman's Steakhouse (Fabens, TX)
87 Hominy Grill (Charleston, SC)
88 Giordano's (Chicago, IL)
89 Doughnut Plant (New York, NY)
90 The Vortex Bar and Grill (Atlanta, GA)
91 Time Out Chicken (Chapel Hill, NC)
92 Black's Barbecue (Lockhart, TX)
93 Smitty's Market (Lockhart, TX)
94 Jimmy's Buff's (East Hanover, NJ)
95 Gaucho's Village (Glendale, CA)
96 Philippe The Original (Los Angeles, CA)
97 Five Islands Lobster Co. (Georgetown, ME)
98 Bassetts Ice Cream (Philadelphia, PA)
99 The Buckhorn Exchange (Denver, CO)
100 Denny's Beer Barrel Pub (Clearfield, PA)
101 Abe's Bar-B-Q (Clarksdale, MS)

Hawaii

2010-01-31T18:07:00.005-08:00

The morning after the wedding we departed for a 12-day getaway to HAWAII!! We wish we could re-live that trip every day.

Here are a few of the highlights...

Complementary champagne upon check-in to our hotel. Too bad we couldn't enjoy it!

First morning... room service enjoyed overlooking the Pacific Ocean!

Candice enjoyed the playground at the hotel.

Lunch at Giovanni's famous shrimp truck.

A Sunday afternoon massage as we listened to the waves crash at our feet!

We ventured from the North Shore to Waikiki for a day.

We found the answer to the ubiquitous question: "Where did I come from?"

Our last night on Oahu - watching the sunset at Sunset Beach

Our favorite beach - Secret Beach on Kauai. We had to tap into our survival skills... and our film-making skills ;)

The Hanalei Valley. If I were to go back to Hawaii, I would be happy if my whole trip was spent here!

Back in the saddle

2010-01-23T12:48:00.006-08:00

Alright. It's been a while since I last posted. There is much to catch up on. But let's just start with the wedding...

November 11th was all we could have hoped for. Both Candice and I look back and can honestly say that we would not have done a single thing different. We were not rushed, and there was not so much going on that we felt stressed or worried about details. Contrarily, we were able to soak in the emotions of the day and enjoy the company of the people who mean most in our lives. Thanks to all who helped plan and coordinate. And thanks to all who came to celebrate with us. It was an unforgettable day.

I do not want this to sound trite or cliche. But, without question, the highlight of the day was the ceremony itself. I cannot adequately communicate the emotions I felt during that short time. It began when Candice and I walked into the sealing room to see our families there. Neither of us like being the center of attention. But it was certainly a special feeling to have our closest friends and family gathered on our behalf to share that moment with us. My emotions continued to swell as the sealer delivered insightful and inspiring words just prior to performing the ceremony. He helped me gain a greater appreciation for the significance of marriage. The ceremony itself was wonderful. Then, to have a brief time afterward to embrace all who were in attendance brought happiness that I have seldom, if ever, felt before.

On another note... I must give awesome props to our photographer. She was easy to work with, had a great eye, and really captured what we wanted. In fact, she was recently featured by a photography website that highlights talented photographers throughout the world. Check out her feature here (they used many of our pictures in her feature).

Also, here are some of my favorite pics (Candice has a differing opinion on some of these):

The latest

2009-11-05T19:27:00.005-08:00

Alright... time for a few updates.

We finally closed on our home. After signing three extensions to the purchase agreement, a wire transfer snafu, and seemingly endless frustration with Wells Fargo, escrow finally closed on 28 October.

We closed just in time so I could get access to all of my personal items before our trip to NYC. Candice and I went back to the Big Apple with Stan and Nancy Williams for the NYC Marathon. I don't know why I thought I should run this race. I am probably in the worst shape I have been in for years. Anyhow, I made the trek to Staten Island on November 1st where the race began to Frank Sinatra's classic song "New York, New York."

By mile 17 I had hit the wall... and I still had 9 MILES TO GO! Those 9 miles were probably the longest of my running career. I probably could have walked faster than my running pace.

It is interesting to note that just last month Trent set his personal best in the St. George Marathon by finishing with a time of 2 hours and 45 minutes. I was close to his pace... only an hour and 10 minutes behind ;).

Now we are just waiting for the big day on November 11th.

Some more news...

2009-09-13T08:53:00.002-07:00

After just one day of looking I put an offer in on a house here in Las Vegas. The following evening I was informed that my offer was accepted. Unless something goes terribly wrong during the next couple weeks, this house will be my new home:

Some news...

2009-09-09T21:58:00.002-07:00

Reset

2009-09-02T16:53:00.003-07:00

Well I received news today that my offer was not accepted on the final house I was waiting on. Now I am back a square one - I will be hitting the house-hunting trail again next week when I arrive in Vegas. It is a bit unnerving to be moving to a new city where I do not have a place to live. As of Friday, I will officially be homeless...

"Will work for food!" ;)

Rejected!

2009-08-17T18:38:00.002-07:00

Well, I received news today that both house #2 and #3 are out of the running. The banks owning these houses accepted other offers on the properties. I am down to my last offer on house #1... we'll see how things work out.

Opinions?

2009-08-12T22:04:00.035-07:00

I have found three houses here in Vegas that I really like. I welcome any opinions/advice anyone may have:

House 1

I love the rock feature and the cobbled walkway
Enter from front door into living room - kitchen/family room seen beyond
The main living space - kitchen/dining/family room

Hallway leading to bedrooms (master bedroom straight ahead)

Master bed/bath

Not much happening back here

House 2

Covered patio in back

This is the view from the back patio - AWESOME!

This is what is seen when first entering the house; the whole first floor is essentially one big room (kitchen, dining area, and family room) - see following two photos for the complete idea of the space

Just upstairs - walking into master bedroom

Master bed/bath

The view looking out of Master bedroom windows - SWEET!

Master bath

Looking out of the Master bed toward two additional

Back downstairs... leaving the house

House 3

I love this courtyard leading to the front door!

Just entering the house

The room to the right in the previous picture

I love the big windows in the master bedroom

Master bath

Hallway leading from master bedroom to two other rooms - the two bedrooms seen here are connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom in the far corner (a cool design)

Summer time...

2009-07-22T15:39:00.011-07:00

I returned to St. Louis on Monday from Salt Lake City... back to the daily grind.

I really do not have any room to complain. This past weekend was my fourth (yes, #4) visit to SLC since Memorial Day weekend. Here is a little recap of my trips:

Zip Line and Alpine Coaster in Park City

To Bone 'N Back Relay in Idaho Falls

A visit to Island Park and West Yellowstone

A summer staple - hiking the Wasatch!

Cowboy Up at the Oakley Rodeo

Rollin' hick style with George Strait

Chillin' at The Fray concert

Is it any secret why I have frequented the Salt Lake valley so often lately?

Movin' on

2009-06-18T15:17:00.007-07:00

Well, it is time for me to move to my 4th major city in as many years. From Salt Lake City I moved to New York City for graduate school. I moved to St. Louis after graduation for a new job. Just today I finalized the discussions for a work relocation to Las Vegas, NV!

I will continue to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA in Las Vegas is currently building a brand new hospital. I will be primarily responsible to equip the new facility with the appropriate medical equipment. In other words, I will get to spend all of your tax dollars!

I am scheduled to begin work in Vegas on 14 September. I have less than three months left here in the Midwest. If anyone has been dying to visit - you better schedule your trip now!

Winner!

2009-06-05T00:45:00.004-07:00

I received some exciting news today. I won a lottery place in this year's New York City Marathon! I am pumped. I tried to get in last year, but did not draw a spot. The race is November 1st. Hopefully this will pull me out of my slump of indifference regarding maintaining a regular training schedule. I need to get myself back into shape.

Spontaneity

2009-05-31T17:28:00.005-07:00

On Friday a co-worker asked me what my plans were for the weekend. I paused for a moment to realize I did not have a single obligation, commitment, invitation, or appointment for the coming days (yes, I know, I am a loser!).

Anyways, when I awoke Saturday morning with nothing to do, I decided to go on a brief one-day road trip. I headed to Kansas City to see the Royals play at Kauffman Stadium (locally known as "The K").

When I arrived in town, I had some time to kill before the game. I made my way to the original Arthur Bryant's to try their famous Kansas City BBQ. I must admit that I was sorely disappointed. Other than the authenticity of the establishment itself - a decades old building that has likely never been renovated or modified in any way - the experience failed to live up to my expectations. The ribs were dry and tough; the "famous" BBQ sauce was mediocre, and the service was wanting. To date, I believe the best ribs I have tried were at Corky's BBQ in Memphis, TN.

Fortunately, the disappointment experienced at lunch was more than compensated for during my time at the ballpark. I have driven by Kauffman Stadium on a number of occasions. I remember the first time I saw it - I thought it was the ugliest stadium I had ever seen. The grandstands are a very odd shape - sloping gradually upward from the foul poles in outfield up to a cone-like peak immediately behind home plate.

I still cannot identify if it is in spite of or because of this odd architecture that I had such a surprisingly enjoyable time at "The K." Because the grandstands provide adequate seating, the outfield was left very open. Unlike some ballparks (i.e. Yankee Stadium, Citi Field) where the field is entirely surrounded by seating, restaurants, and other stadium ammenities, Kauffman felt very open and airy. Grassy hills and lush trees outside the stadium provided a backdrop very well suited for a ballpark in the heartland of America.

Additionally, the Royals fans know how to have fun! At many of the parks I have been to, the fans take their team VERY seriously. Cardinals fans, Red Sox fans, Yankees fans, Cubs fans know and understand the game of baseball intimately. For many, their devotion to the team is borderline religious. Although these informed and dedicated fans bring a certain intensity to the ballpark on gameday, in Kansas City an evening at the park is a time to relax and enjoy the company of those around you. Despite a losing effort by the Royals on this balmy Saturday afternoon, the overall attitude of the crowd was light and carefree. Many attended the game in straw hats and tank tops. Many enjoyed tailgating before and after the game. And all the Kansas City folk joined in their traditional 6th inning sing along of Garth Brooks "I've Got Friends In Low Places."

Kauffman Stadium "The K" (#12 - 18 to go!)

Baseball anyone?

2009-05-05T19:16:00.006-07:00

The 2009 MLB season is off to a great start. Within the first three weeks of the season I attend a game in four awesome parks:

Busch Stadium (St. Louis)

Yankee Stadium (New York)

Fenway Park (Boston)

Citi Field (New York)

I have four first-time stadiums on my agenda for the rest of the season, as well as a beloved classic:

6 June - Atlanta Braves (Turner Field)
19 June - Kansas City Royals (Kauffman Stadium)
18 July - Chicago White Sox (US Cellular Field)
25 August - Milwaukee Brewers (Miller Park)
28 August - Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field)

By the end of the year I will be over half way toward my goal of attending a game in every Major League ballpark!

Boston

2009-04-20T17:07:00.011-07:00

We arrived here in Boston just after 9:00 p.m. on Saturday. Of course our first stop in BeanTown was b.good!

Mmmm... some el guapos along with fries and a coke!

Following our meal we met up with cousin Shelly who is nice enough to allow us to crash at her place during our time here.

Oh look... more food. I don't think we go more than a couple of hours without finding something to eat. And what can be more authentic than a Dunkin' Donuts in Boston?

Waiting for the commuter train at the West Bedford stop.

After picking up our race packets, we had a bit of time before the Red Sox game began. We made our way to b.good for another succulent burger!

This was a magical moment! Having just arrived at Fenway, we walked out of the portal to see the Green Monster along with the plush, verdant grass. What a beautiful sight!

After finding our seats, both Trent and I found ourselves paying the price for a late night on Saturday. Neither of us could stay awake, despite the fact that we were watching a baseball game in one of the most storied ballparks in America. Some time in the second inning we both dozed off for a bit. We both comment on how funny we must have looked with our heads slumped over and completely oblivious as to what was happening on the field. After a brief power-nap, I ordered myself a Coke so I could more fully enjoy the game. Trent, on the other hand, declined any caffeine. He still wanted to catch up on his sleep a bit - he dozed off a few more times before the game's intensity picked up a bit in the later innings.

Race day! We arrived in Hopkinton at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning. The race began at 10:00. This gave us plenty of time to wait around in the cold - just what I like to do before a leisurly 26.2 mile run.

Just before the starting gun was fired, we were treated to a fly-over of two F-15 fighter jets - they couldn't have been more than a couple hundred feet up. They flew right overtop of the starting corals - it was awesome.

It amazes me how many people are involved in this race - participants, spectators, and volunteers. Over 26,000 runners joined the field this year. We were all cheered on and encouraged by fans lining literally the entire 26 mile course. It is unbelievable! Especially as we get nearer and even into the actual city of Boston. Both sides of the course are packed with spectators - sometimes up to 6 people deep.

Trent smoked the course - clocking in at an impressive 3:03:25! That is a sweet time for a tough Boston course. As for myself... I thought it prudent to honor my performance from 2007 here in Boston by logging nearly the exact same time. This year I crossed the line in 3:37:26; my 2007 time was 3:37:57.

Following the race, we made our way to b.good for our 3rd visit in as many days. Unfortunately I neglected to document our visit. Honestly, I was so tired that I did not want to exert myself any more than I had too - and let's face it, opening the zipper of my camera case is asking a bit much!

Exhausted as we wait for the train back to Medford.

Note: hopefully I will have some pictures to post from the race. Cousin Shelly said her friend who joined her to watch the race captured some good pics of both Trent and me. Stay tuned...

Day 1 1/2

2009-04-18T13:53:00.011-07:00

Meet the uninvited guest of our trip:
On Friday morning, soon after Trent arrived in New York, he mentioned he had developed a recent ailment to add to the smathering of diseases he has been fighting for the past couple weeks - an ingrown toenail! While it was simply uncomfortable that morning, by mid afternoon at the Yankees game Trent did not even want to wear his shoes anymore due to the severe pain. Immediately after the game Trent made some calls and was able to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist for Saturday afternoon.

The doc made quick work of the pesky toenail. The intent of the paper you see in Trent's hands is to shield his view of the procedure. Understandably, he did not want to watch as Dr. Ferguson cut and dig at the invasive corner of the nail.

Just before the doctor's appointment we had some time to hit the streets. Fortunately for us, there was a street fair in the area. Anyone who has not experienced a New York street fair is missing out on some of the best food New York has to offer.

Trent and I each enjoyed a tasty gyro, followed by a fresh-blended fruit smoothie. Mmm...! It was all I could to prevent myself from buying something to eat at each booth I passed. Just a few of the items I had to force myself not to indulge in include: Italian sausage dogs, crepes with fresh fruit, grilled corn on the cob, fresh-squeezed lemonade, funnel cake, chicken cabobs, steak pittas, and authentic tacos and burritos!

If you are ever planning a trip to New York, be sure you give youself time on a Saturday to find and enjoy one of the many street fairs in the city. They are AWESOME!

A bit later in the day we made our way to Waldy's Wood Fired Pizza - excellent pizza! The joke between Trent and I is that we do not necessarily need more time in New York, but we do need more meals! We simply cannot digest our food fast enough. There are so many places we want to eat at - we just cannot fit them all in.

Note the bottle of Advili on the counter... Advil has kept Trent sane on our trip so far. Without it we would probably be stuck in the apartment with his foot elevated.

At 4:45 we boarded the bus bound for Boston. This bus is great! They offer free wireless internet access to all passengers. In fact, I am composing this post as I sit here on the bus.

Trent was out before we even left Manhattan!

The day is certainly not over yet. We have an EXTREMELY important first stop when we arrive in Boston - b.Good!!! They are open until 2 A.M. Perhaps there will be enough time to down two burgers before calling it a night.

NYC

2009-04-17T21:06:00.008-07:00

Livin' it up in the Big Apple!!!

Our day began with a leisurely run in Riverside Park

We then headed off to a game at the new Yankee Stadium. This was only the second game ever played in the stadium (the home opener was just the day before). The game was great. The Yankees came from behind to take the lead in the bottom of the 8th inning, then held on in the top of the 9th to secure a one-run win.

What a great stadium!

Dinner at Tom's Delicious Pizza!!! Awesome New York style pizza

We showed up at the Gershwin Theatre to enter our names into the lottery for front-row tickets to see Wicked. My name was called! Although I tried this three or four times while I lived in NYC, this was the first time I won.

Check out our seats. If you look closely, you can see Trent on the front row looking back at the camera. We were right in the middle of the action - all for only $25 per ticket.

We had a day full of quality entertainment here in the greatest city in the world. Just wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

Stay tuned...

2009-04-17T06:28:00.002-07:00

Some good material is in the works. I just arrived in New York last night. I will be here for 10 days with mixed objectives - playing, running, playing, working, playing.

I will be updating periodically while on the road... keep in touch!

On the Road Again... and Again... and Again

2009-01-18T15:21:00.006-08:00

I like to take advantage of the fact that I have zero responsibilities in life. It sure makes it easy to leave town!

In recent weeks I have been putting together my work travel schedule for 2009. At the same time, I have brainstormed about what recreational trips I can fit in. So far, this is what I have come up with...

If anyone wants to join me for any of my travels, let me know!

Trips already planned:

26 Feb-6 Mar -- St. George and Las Vegas

3-8 Apr -- Chicago

16-27 Apr -- New York and Boston

5-9 Jun -- Baltimore

23-28 Aug -- Milwaukee

Tentative trip ideas:

Sat 2 May - drive to Louisville, KY to attend the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs

Memorial Day weekend - possible road trip to see an MLB game (currently considering Minneapolis or Cleveland)

July? - trip to Salt Lake

Labor Day weekend - road trip to Dallas, TX to see Oklahoma Play BYU in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium; trip also to include a stop in Kansas City for a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium

Fall - a trip to Salt Lake to attend a home Ute football game

Fall - road trip to Fort Worth, TX to see the Utes play TCU

Of course, I always try to incorporate a baseball game into my travels. I plan to make some good progress this year on my goal to see a game in every Major League ballpark. The following are currently on the schedule:

6 April - Chicago White Sox (US Cellular Field)

17 April - New York Yankees (Yankee Stadium)

19 April - Boston Red Sox (Fenway Park)

25 April - New York Mets (Citi Field)

25, 26, or 27 Aug - Milwaukee Brewers (Miller Park)

28 Aug - Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field)

Other possibilities this year:

St. Louis Cardinals (Busch Stadium)

Kansas City Royals (Kauffman Stadium)

Cleveland Indians (Jacobs Field)

Minnesota Twins (Metrodome)

Forget Hawaii... come to St. Louis!

2009-01-15T15:58:00.002-08:00

As I drove to work this morning, the radio DJ reported that the temperature outside was 0 degrees Fahrenheit - with a "feels like" factor of -15 degrees! Fortunately, it warmed up a bit this afternoon - up to a balmy 12 degrees (feels like -4).

I am just glad that Thursday is my day off of running. It is forcast to be up to a much more comfortable 21 degrees tomorrow. Anyone up for 6 miles?

My college football playoffs...

2009-01-13T16:42:00.002-08:00

I am tired of hearing that a college football playoff system will not work... that it will interrupt finals... that it will extend the season too long... BOGUS!!!

Here is my plan:

Currently there are 119 FBS teams

The FBS will consist of 10 conferences - each with 12 teams (need to add 1 more FBS team)

Each conference will consist of two divisions, each with six teams

Regular season games begin on Labor Day weekend

A season consists of 11 games played over 12 weeds (one bye week)

Each team plays every team in their division (5 games), plus three cross-divisional games within the conference (8 total conference games - 4 at home, 4 on the road)

Each team plays 3 non-conference games (required to play at least one road game)

At the end of the regular season, each conference holds a championship game between the winners of the two divisions

Division winners are determined by the record within the division
1st tie breaker - record within conference
2nd tie breaker - overall record

Conference championships held on the week of Thanksgiving

Each championship winner automatically qualifies for the playoffs (10 teams)

6 at-large teams invited to participate in a 16-team playoff

1st round games played on the 51st Saturday of the year

2nd round games played on the 52nd Saturday of the year

Semifinals played on the 1st Saturday of January

National Championship played on the 2nd Saturday of January

Conference championships will be played on a neutral field

Teams seeded for playoffs by a committee with representatives from each conference

Seeding will be used to determine match-ups; the typical bracket model will be used: 1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, 3 vs. 14, etc.

1st and 2nd round games will be held on the college campuses of participating teams.

Conference champions will host 1st and 2nd round games - even if they are the lower seed;
- if both teams are conference champions, the higher seeded team will host
- if neither team is a conference champion (both at-large teams), a division champion will host
- if both teams are division champions (but not conference champions), the higher seed will host
- if both teams are non-conference champions and non-division champions, the higher seed will host

Example schedules:

What is the argument against this? It does not significantly shorten the season. It gives several weeks off between Thanksgiving and 1st round games for finals. The latest the season will ever extend is 14 January - not much longer than the 8 January National Championship game this year.

What is the wrong with this model? NOTHING!

My suggestion... let's start raising capital. Let's put the bowls out of business by introducing a dynamic, workable, new plan for a college football postseason.

Empower the Student Athlete

2009-01-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

Earlier today I was listening to an interview of Kyle Whittingham on ESPN. Of course he has repeated over and over during the past week his feeling that the Utah Utes are deserving of the National Championship crown this year. Included were the regular points, "we are the only unbeaten team in the

United States

;" "we are the only team that does not need to explain away a loss;" "we believe we can play with anyone in the country;" "someone will have to explain to me why we are not deserving of a National Championship." I am in full concurrence.

He made an additional point which, I believe, is very insightful. The show host asked why he thought the Utes would beat the Florida Gators and thus are deserving of the national title. Whit responded by saying, "well, the current system that's in place isn't about who beats who... it's who has the best season, and I believe we had the best season." HE NAILED IT!!! Whittingham perfectly identified what the BCS is designed to do.

The pageantry of the BCS is designed to crown the team with the best season - not the best team of the season. There is a difference there. A playoff will identify the best team of the season by flat out on-the-field performance. Whoever wins, moves on. Whoever is standing at the end is the champion. However, the BCS system coronates its national champion based on which team had the best season. This goes far beyond wins and losses. The BCS is a beauty pageant of collegiate football teams. The judging criteria includes brand name, conference affiliation, preseason expectations and projections, timing of one's loss during the season, fan following, national media perceptions, strength of schedule, etc. It is all about show. It is all about garnering votes. College football is not a sport, it is a competition. Each program competes for votes. Whoever can piece together the best season - not just based on wins and losses - will win the most votes.

Now, the BCS along with other administrators and commissioners claim they are protecting the student athletes with their system. They say they cannot interfere with the student athletes' final exams in December. They say they cannot take the football season late into January because such a long season will be too hard on the student athlete. They say the bowls are a reward for the student athletes - something they deserve at the end of a long, hard-fought season. Well, if these powers who control the college football postseason are so intent upon empowering and protecting the student athletes, why does their system strip said student athletes of all power to control their own destiny as to where in they finish in the final standings?

Think about it for a moment! Consider all that is taken into consideration to determine who plays in the BCS games and who plays in the National Championship game. What say does the student athlete have in what conference his school plays in? What influence does the student athlete have in who is on the team's schedule? What control does the student athlete have in his team's preseason ranking? What influence does the student athlete have in how his opponents perform in other games during the season? None. None. None. And none!!!

Why don't conference commissioners, university presidents, athletic directors, bowl committees, computer rankings, media polls, and coaches’ polls step aside and return the focus of collegiate football to the student athlete! Let the student athletes determine who the best is. Let the student athletes today determine who the best is. Not has-been athletes who now populate press boxes and fill the air waves with biased opinions and tainted analysis. Not teams of yester-year who established a respected tradition at a particular school. Not bowl committees who are simply looking to increase viewership and incite intrigue for their name.

College football should be about college athletes. The winner, the champion, the #1 team should be determined on the gridiron, athlete versus athlete. Let the athletes answer the question of who is the best team this season.

Trip highlights

2009-01-05T19:42:00.007-08:00

My first stop along the way was Memphis, TN.

I stopped to enjoy some authentic Memphis BBQ ribs...

Then, I visited the King!

I spent the night at a rest stop somewhere in Mississippi

My first day in New Orleans I parked beneath a tree. When I returned to my car I learned that said tree was home to several... er, MANY birds!

Of course I had to enjoy some of the local fare - beignets!

I did not go in this store, but it reminded me of some women in the Jensen family

This guy is a stud!!! I ran into Aaron as we were leaving the game. We went out to dinner and spent some time together to celebrate the victory. He sends his warmest regards to all in the family.

The Gulf of Mexico. It was interesting to drive along the Gulf Coast. On the south side of the road was a seemingly endless, white-sand beach. On the north of the highway was what I would expect to be valuable beachfront property occupied by nice homes and/or hotels. Although this was probably the case not long ago, now the land is desolated! All there was to be seen were empty foundations here and there, as well as parking lots for buildings that no longer existed. This continued for nearly 100 miles. It was easy to see how recent hurricanes have ravaged this part of the country.

My first trip to the South

2009-01-04T14:34:00.009-08:00

By the numbers...

Miles driven: 1,750
Days: 5
Tanks of gas: 5.5
Hours on the road: 25
States driven through: 8
Nights spent in a motel in the ghetto of New Orleans: 2
Drunk people I observed making fools of themselves on Bourbon Street: 287
Beads exchanged on Bourbon St: no comment
Sugar Bowl victories: 1!!!

State-by-state...

This was my lame attempt to get a picture of the Missouri sign. It was on a bridge so I couldn't stop to get my pic. I was a bit upset.

*I failed to get a picture of the Arkansas sign - it was dark outside and I drove right by it.

More still to come...

31-17 !!!

2009-01-03T19:56:00.007-08:00

I have all sorts of things to post from my trip to the deep south. But first, let me address the most important detail...

Utah Utes - 2009 Sugar Bowl Champions!!!

That is beautiful!

What a year it has been! It began with a thrilling victory in the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It included last minute victories at Rice-Eccles over Oregon St. and TCU. The regular season concluded with a most enjoyable drubbing of the hated rivals from the south (wait... Max Hall just threw another interception!). The perfect season was coronated with a man-handling of national powerhouse Alabama in the 75th Annual Sugar Bowl played at the Louisiana Superdome.

What can really be said about the Utes victory over Alabama? It is not so stunning that the Utes won - what is really stunning is how they won. From the opening snap Utah appeared to just outmatch Alabama in every way...
- The Crimson Tide have had great success all season running the footall with their all-american running back Glen Coffee - Utah held the Tide to only 33 yards rushing.
- The Alabama offensive line had given up only 17 sacks all season (an average of just 1.3 per game) - Utah sacked quarterback John Parker Wilson 8 times.
- In 13 games this season, Alabama had allowed only 27 points to be scored in the first quarter (an average of just over 2 points for each game) - Utah scored 21 points on the Tide defense in the 1st quarter.
- Alabama's defense yielded an average of only 257 yards of opposing offense per game - Utah cummulated 349.
- And most importantly... Alabama's average score this year 31 vs. only 13 points for oppontnents - the 2009 Sugar Bowl: Utah 31 - Alabama 17!

Utah fans were outnumbered probably three to one by 'Bama fans at the game. But what we lacked in numbers, we made up for in enthusiasm. The Ute fans were NUTS! From delerious cheering to coordinated chants - the noise was nonstop and loud. Perhaps my favorite chant was just before kickoff. The entire Ute section started doing the Florida Gator 'chomp' with our arms while we chanted in unison "Ur-ban Mey-er... Ur-ban Mey-er...". I got a good laugh from that one.

I am willing to debate anyone who claims that any team other than Utah should be National Champions this year. They are the only unbeaten team in the country. They need not make any excuses. Let us consider common opponents between the Utes and other top teams. Both Utah and USC played Oregon St. Utah won; USC lost. Both Utah and Florida played Alabama. Both won. Utah won 31-17; Florida won 31-20. Utah beat three teams who will be in the top 25 at the end of the season - Oregon St., TCU, BYU, and Alabama. Two of those - TCU and Alabama - will likely be top 10 teams in the final standings. The Utes have the best argument of any team in the country to be #1. The only reason they will not be is because of the BCS system designed to crown only a team with a recognized name. Interestingly, if this same situation occured in the pre-BCS era Utah would be, without question, the national champion this year. Although I hate the fact that the Utes are on the losing end of the failed BCS system, I am glad that they have added another argument toward changing the status quo.

A Utah Man am I... GO UTES!!!

Upgrade!

2008-12-30T18:05:00.005-08:00

So I bought my Sugar Bowl ticket several weeks ago. Because I do not donate a cent of money to the University of Utah, I did not have even the least bit of priority for seats. The ticket I received was in the upper rows of section 614. It is nearly impossible to get much further away.

During my trip to Salt Lake I attended church in my parents' ward. During priesthood I began talking with an old friend about Utah Football and the Sugar Bowl - this guy is as big a Ute fan as I am. My mind quickly shifted focus from the lesson of faith, hope, and charity to enjoy a much more provocative discussion about the thrilling Ute season - especially the final victory of the season over the hated rivals from the south! Sadly, discussing how the Utes would fare against the Crimson Tide interested me much more than Moroni 7. I know, I know... perhaps I need to adjust my priorities.

During the course of our conversation, my friend indicated that he had an extra ticket that no one had claimed. He said I was welcome to come sit by them for the game. When he brought the ticket to the house after church, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that instead of sitting in section 614, I would now enjoy the game on the 20th row in section 116! How about that!? Lower bowl... 20th row... 35 yard line... It will be awesome!

I begin my drive tomorrow after work. I just applied a new sticker to the back window of my car - the beautiful drum and feather U logo. Additionally, I have one of those small flags to attach to my car door - also adorned with the drum and feather (compliments of Chris Eyring).

Tomorrow I will drive to Memphis, Tennessee where I plan to enjoy the New Year celebration on Beale Street. While there, I intend to try some of the famous Memphis barbecue - apparently they cook ribs with a dry rub instead of the more traditional BBQ sauce. I am anxious to try it.

Then on 1 January I am on to New Orleans. GO UTES!!!

Road Trip!

2008-12-10T16:23:00.002-08:00

2 January 2009! The #6 ranked Utah Utes will face the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide!

New Years Day falls on Thursday this year. The following day is my day off. I therefore have a four day weekend. What better way to celebrate than to venture to the Big Easy to watch the Utes play in the storied Sugar Bowl?

I spent quite a bit of time checking flights for the trip. But I have decided to make it a road trip through the deep south. I always enjoy seeing new parts of the country. This will give me the opportunity to see parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

GO UTES!!!

"Is there some sort of similarity there...?"

2008-12-05T21:07:00.004-08:00

I could not resist responding to Jamie's blog post.

Or else she might become large and bumpy and unattractive when she does grow old.

BCS... BCS... BCS...

2008-11-22T21:45:00.003-08:00

How about a few numbers...

Score: 48-24
Interceptions: 5
BJ's TD passes: 4
Record: 12-0
BCS appearances: 2

I taste a bit of sugar in my mouth.

GO UTES!!!

Boston bound... barely!

2008-11-02T11:45:00.007-08:00

Trent has run two Boston-qualifying marathons this year already. Wanting to join him in Bean Town next spring, I was in Indianapolis last weekend for the inaugural Monumental Marathon. I was shooting for the 3 hour 10 minute marathon required to qualify.

I did not have a strong start to the race. By mile 8, I was behind my time by 2 minutes. It took me the next 8 miles to make up the lost time - putting me right on pace at mile 16. Infused with some confidence with making up the time, I pushed a bit harder between mile 16 and 18 - picking up another 45 seconds. However, I paid for this a bit later in the run. At mile 21 I made a turn onto a 4-mile straight away leading back to downtown Indianapolis. This turn took me into a headwind with my feet feeling like 12 pound cider blocks. Somehow I was able to maintain my pace for the final 5 miles of the race. When I came around the final corner of the race to see the finish line only 100 yards away, the timer read exactly 3:09:00. My official chip time: 3:08:50. I cut it close, but I made it nonetheless!

And so I am already looking forward to a trip to Boston:

Fenway park...

The famous el guapo burger...

And the 113th Boston Marathon!

$1.99

2008-10-30T19:29:00.002-07:00

I filled up my car today - 13 gallons of gas. I only paid $1.99 per gallon!!! How long do you think the low prices will last?

Beware of nuclear fallout!

2008-10-02T12:05:00.002-07:00

Yesterday at work we were fitted for respirators. The hospital's policy is that they must have on hand respirators for all employees in case of any type of pandemic. Once a year they fit us to be sure they have enough of each size so that everyone is covered.

To test the fit of the respirators they put this yellow bag on our head. They then pump a gas into the hood. If we pass out, then they know the respirator does not fit properly and they try a different size. I am only joking. The gas they pump into the bag is simply a sugary substance. If the mask does not fit snugly, we are apparently supposed to taste a sweet odor.

My boss, Rick, took this picture. Don't you think I look a bit like Sponge Bob?

From down south

2008-09-27T06:13:00.005-07:00

I must give credit where credit is due. Bronco Mendenhall has had a successful stint as coach of the Cougars. I cannot argue with three and a half years of an impressive win/loss record. However, I think I would go crazy if I played for the guy:

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10575791

At least he stopped using scriptural analogies to describe his team at press conferences .

As requested

2008-09-22T19:21:00.004-07:00

I had some requests for pictures I framed on my wall. Here they are:

During the short time I lived in The City, New York made an indelible impression in my memory. In my final weeks there I decided that I wanted to keep these memories close to the surface even while living in St. Louis. I thought the best way to do this would be to frame a few pictures of the city and hang them on the wall in my living room. For anyone who has visited New York, you well know that on nearly any street corner you can buy famous, well-recognized photographs of city landmarks - the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Flatiron Building, Wall Street, etc. However, as I looked around for pictures I simply could not find the images which captured my experiences the great city of New York. I was looking for a more intimate portrayal of the city. I was not looking for a grand skyline panorama or an impersonal snapshot of an iron and cement building. Rather, I wanted images which highlighted a simple life in the big city. The images I see in my mind when I remember the city are not grandiose views atop large buildings. No, I see and hear street performers on the Subway platform as I wait for my ride home from church. I see a quiet pathway in Central Park during an early morning run. I see quaint restaurants and neighborhood grocers lining the bustling street as I walk home from a long day at school. These images capture the character of New York - a city which remains very close to the heart.

Note: The top picture was taken by my former roommate in New York who happens to be a professional photographer (Mark Hedengren). The bottom two pictures I took myself.

Tailgating

2008-09-19T16:37:00.004-07:00

My Saturdays are officially booked between now and the end of the college football season.

My Saturday ritual begins with a long morning run. I am sure to make it back to my apartment in time to clean up, don my crimson red Utah shirt, and begin making lunch before the main events. Perhaps my biggest meal of the week is Saturday's lunch. I throw my own little tailgating party. Featured at last week's meal: pulled BBQ pork sandwiches, Amy's famous pink salad, Krunchers Potato Chips (the best potato chip ever made), lemonade-flavored Gatorade, all finished off with a root beer float. Highlighting this week's meal are hot bratwurst topped with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard. Chips and salsa will serve as a fitting sidedish. While Heidi's delicious peanut butter squares will round out the tasty meal as dessert.

There are only two matters of interest the remainder of the day: 1) cheer for the Utes and 2) cheer against the Cougars. Living in a television market where demand for these games is low, at times I must settle for radio broadcasts of these events. Fortunately with the internet I can get streaming audio of both KALL 700 to listen to the Utes and KSL 1160 to listen to the Cougars (I just hate listening to Greg Wrubell). I am lucky this week in that Versus has picked up the Utah vs. Air Force game - my cable provider carries Versus (but not The Mtn.). I will just catch snippets of Wrubell's call of the BYU vs. Wyoming game this week because they will be playing at the same time as the Utes.

If anyone happens to be in the area, let me know and I will have a brat waiting for you.

Go Utes!!! Go Cowboys!!!

Free time

2008-09-14T06:08:00.004-07:00

I awoke this morning at 7:00 to prepare for the day. I usually do not listen long to the clock radio when it sounds each morning. Today was no exception. However, it was on long enough for me to hear the D.J.'s mention the severe rain we are receiving. I arose and looked outside to see the remnants of Hurricane Ike pouring down upon us. Of course, it is not a hurricane anymore. In fact, the storm now consists of very little wind - there is just so much moisture still caught up in the depression that it needs to get rid of it somehow.

It is now 8:15 a.m. I just returned into my apartment from my car. Just as I was pulling out of my parking lot I received a phone call from the Elders Quorum President informing me that church is canceled today. The weather service has issued flood warnings for several counties throughout the region. Several of the main roads commonly used to travel to the chapel have been closed by local authorities. It has been raining very hard for quite some time now, and apparently it is to continue for a good while.

Do you ever see those meteorological radar maps displaying the regional precipitation? You know, the severity and degree of rainfall is color coded. Light green patches signify drizzling rain, dark green suggests a steady rainfall, yellow indicates an intense storm with significant rain, orange shows sever precipitation, and red... well red suggests such a heavy rainfall that there is really no way for any more water to fall from the sky. Right now the local radar shows a big red patch passing over the top of St. Louis. Immediately surrounding this storm center is a significant amount of orange - covering several counties. And the yellow and green areas reach from western Missouri all the way over to central Illinois and on up toward Chicago. It is quite a storm.

Anyways, now I need to figure out what I am going to do cooped up in my apartment all day today. In all my life I do not think I have ever had church canceled before. I put a roast in the crock pot when I awoke, looking forward to a good meal this afternoon when I was to return from church. Now I will be teased all morning with the familiar aroma of a pending Sunday meal.

Memory lane anyone?

2008-09-12T17:50:00.010-07:00

Last month, I spent the first two hours of my flight to Las Vegas with my mind wrapped up in a sudoku puzzle (I still struggle with those). Needing to give my brain a rest, I glanced out the window of the airplane. I did so just as as we began crossing the Colorado Plateau. My attention was quickly diverted as I saw mountains for the first time in months. I stared in fascination at the array of geological formations passing beneath us - from the high Rocky Mountains to barren desert mesas to deep red-rock canyons.

My excitement level jumped significantly when I saw the deep navy blue waters of Lake Powell on the horizon. We flew over the souther edge of the lake - providing a great view of the Glen Canyon Dam an Page, AZ.

Memories flooded back of childhood summers spent vacationing with family at this Southern Utah destination. Bear with me as I jaunt down memory lane:
- "Man over board!!!"
- Simon and Garfunkel; Neil Diamond; John Denver
- Carp feeding frenzy at Dangling Rope Marina
- the Cookie Jar in Padre Bay
- San Juan day trip
- Page Boy Motel (do you think they have installed A/C yet?)
- Trent and Bill sleeping in the boat to prevent theft - yet the cooler is still stolen
- Skinny dipping
- "Jake, if you play with that window thing you are going to break it... Jake, please don't play with that... Jake, don't touch that... Jake... Jake... What did I tell you?"
- Dad sets up his daily deli in the boat cabin (pita or regular? ham or turkey? mustard? salt and pepper?)
- Mom forces us kids to eat the air puff cereal Trent and Bill bought while they are out in the boat chowing down on Cocoa Pebbles
- Ice cream at Dangling Rope
- Cliff jumping
- A day trip to Utah Lake turns into a weekend at Lake Powell (I can't believe we did that to Bill's date)
- Trent's infamous F-bomb after being forced out of the boat by Dad and Bill during a man over board
- Mom warming meat using the Suburban heater
- Sitting on the front of the house boat on the way back to Bullfrog Marina during a storm as waves repeatedly splashed up all over us
- How many of Bill's girlfriends did we scare away? (Andrea was never subjected to this harsh initiation - maybe that was for the best)
- Leaving Bill and Trent in the boat on the lake after breaking down while the rest of us were taken back to the marina by a ranger (was this the event that convinced Dad to finally sell the Sea Ray?) - we later learned of their dangerous encounter with man-eating cows
- Endless games of Phase 10 in the cabin of The Love Boat (that was a lame name for a boat)
- Shooting water balloons off of the boat with a slingshot
- Catching lizards
- A sick bat hanging on the front of Trent's swimsuit
- Dad's heinous waves while we rode the water weenie or the tube
- 7-hour road trips in a Suburban with 10 people and gear
- J.B.'s in Richfield, UT

Jamie's additions:

- learning to slalom (sp?) and Dad honking the horn of the boat when I finally earned my new ten speed.
- Singing "The big red letters stand for the Jello family..." while on the water weenie
- Buying sweatshirts and the Polo outlet in Page. (I know, dumb memory)
- Exploring random little canyons
- Seeing the naked man who was sunbathing when we drove up a canyon.
- Brooke almost drowning
- Sun burns
- That forever long hike to "waterfalls" that we never found. I hated that.
- Laying by the speaker so I could hear Simon and Garfunkel on our way to San Juan.
- The bumpy ride up to San Juan.
- Your face plant into the water while cliff jumping.
- Riding on Bill's shoulders while he was skiing.
- Sun burns.
- Falling off the ski and thinking a shark was going to come eat me while the boat was turning back around. (I know, another dumb memory)
- Heidi's stinky sandals (Heidi, don't hate me that I remembered that one).
- Indian poop
- Pretending to sleep in the boat cabin so I wouldn't have to do a Man Over Board.
- Sun burns
- Mom and Dad trying to make us play the Quiet Game on the way home.
- Mountains of laundry in the washroom.
- The boys wearing bandanas on their heads. Didn't we all want to be just like Bill?
- That huge sand hill just past the Wauwep (sp?) marina.
- Waving to all the people on the tour boats.
- Mom's sunglasses she found in the water, then continued to wear them for the next year.
- Glass water at San Juan.

Heidi's additions:

-Skiing and letting go by the shore so we could coast in.
-Being bounced around on the tube with to many of us on.
-Trying to see how long we could get away with out wearing our life jackets.
-The big sand hill in that took all we had to climb up and then run down into the water.
-I have to add Gordon Lightfoot to the list of music. I think it was only one song that really sticks out.
-Thinking it was so odd that dish soap was used to get your foot in the ski.
-Finding the tour boats to follow the massive waves.
-Being totally oblivious to the mass amount of noise and confusion that was us kids.

Trent's additions:

- Air Supply, The Allan Parson Project, and ABBA.
- The smell of dads tool box (It still smells the same. It is at the cabin now).
- Dragging Jill down the rock on her knees.
- Dr. Jensen's First Aid Kit (and the countless injuries is soothed)
- The box of snack food in the cabin (Party Mix, The beef jerkey in the individual wrappers, Hot Tomalies, and taffey cookies.
- Sleeping on top of the houseboat.
- Drunk Indians.
- Changing propellers.
- Hoping hot chicks showed up at the hotel hot tub.

Feel free to add to the list. I am sure there is much I have overlooked. In any case, I wouldn't trade our time on the lake for anything. Maybe we can make it back there some day.

Introspection

2008-09-10T20:21:00.006-07:00

I mentioned in my previous post that two weeks ago Jill visited my stompin' ground here in the midwest. Part of our festivities included a visit to the famed St. Louis arch. Before we made the journey to the top of the arch, we decided to watch a short documentary about the building of the monument. We bought our tickets and made our way to the theater.

Waiting at the door to the theater was a middle-aged man outfitted in his dapper park-ranger uniform with stiff hat and all. He pleasantly greeted us, asking how we were enjoying our morning. I offered the cordial but slightly reticent programed response: "we are well. And you?"

I later made light of his response to this question. He quickly and brightly responded, "I'm livin' the dream!"

Perhaps the fact that I found this response so humorous and even shameful speaks a bit of my own insecurities. My initial thought was, "Wow, you need to dream a bit bigger buddy... here you are in the latter years of your career stamping movie tickets while wearing a goofy outfit and you claim you are 'living [your] dream' ?"

Later in the trip an encounter with another gentleman helped me think a bit differently about this response. In Chicago, we toured the city on a boat - floating out on Lake Michigan, then up the Chicago River. For the duration of the hour and a half tour, the guide (also middle-aged and dressed a bit strangely - although this time it was a skipper's outfit) educated us regarding the history and architecture of this thriving city. The tour was fascinating and enjoyable. At the conclusion of our boat ride, the guide thanked us for joining him and said, "As you can tell, I love my job. I hope you all enjoyed it too."

Lesson learned: Dreams are not some great and imaginary end, rather there is so much immediately and presently surrounding me which can fulfill beyond what I can ever possibly dream.

More travels

2008-09-02T18:10:00.007-07:00

I apologize that my blog has morphed into a shameless travelogue. I can fairly confidently promise that this will be the last post of my travels for quite some time. Unfortunately, I do not have any more trips planned in the near future.

Once again, you will notice what I love to do in life by how I spend my vacation time (family, food, sports...).

Jill flew into St. Louis last Wednesday evening to kick off a Labor Day weekend full of fun! We awoke Thursday morning and visited the trademark of St. Louis - the Gateway Arch.

For lunch, we ventured to Alton, Illinois where we enjoyed a delicious (and cheap) meal at Fast Eddie's. This joint is quite famous around here. It is a biker bar that serves up some delicious food from the grill at an amazing price: 1/4 pound burgers - $0.99, bratwurst or hot dogs - $0.99, basket of fries - $0.99, pork kabob - $1.29, steak kabob - $2.99. They pride themselves on maintaining the original price tag on all their food since they began grilling over 15 years ago.

In the background you can see the line forming. We arrived a half hour before they opened at 1:00 p.m. By the time they opened their doors, there were probably over 60 people in line.

Our next stop was another hallmark of St. Louis - the Anheuser-Busch brewry. They give free tours (I am all about free stuff).

They even give out free drinks at the end of the tour. We opted for Pepsi instead of their featured malt beverages on tap.

Thursday evening my former roommate Chris Eyring flew into St. Louis, and early Friday morning we were on the road headed for Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan.

In Detroit we met up with my good friend Brent Thurgood who had flown in from New York earlier in the day.

Of course, anyone who knows me well can guess where I head first when I visit a new city - the local ballpark. The Royals of Kansas City were in town playing the Tigers at Comerica Park.

Brent, Jill, Me, and Chris at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit. They had a spectacular firework show after the game.

Saturday was the main event of the weekend. We made the pilgrimage to Ann Arbor, MI to see the mighty Utah Utes take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Big House (AKA Michigan Stadium). The Michigan fans were absolutely incredible. They were welcoming and hospitable. They understand the game of football and support their team faithfully. I will cheer for Blue for many years to come.

Fortunately we won, but just barely. Actually, I really do not feel comfortable claiming that we won the game. Rather, it is more accurate to say that we did not lose.

We finished of our Labor Day weekend with a trip to the windy city. Mom flew in to meet us on Sunday - it was sure a treat to spend time with her.

No trip to Chicago is complete without enjoying their authentic stuffed pizza. I cannot visit without a stop at Giordano's

What I love most

2008-08-23T11:44:00.019-07:00

Is it time for a new post? I fully admit that my efforts have been wanting for the past month. I partially blame my indifference on the seeming lack of excitement in my life. However, much of the problem is attributable to laziness on my part. I extend my sincerest apologies to all.

With all the fun I had during the past week, I have little excuse to procrastinate another post.

I had a conference in Las Vegas running from Tuesday to Friday of this past week. I figured since I would be so close to St. George, I would extend my trip a bit and drive up to see Brooke.

I flew in to Vegas last Friday (15 August). I rented a car and made the short drive up I-15 to St. George. Mom, Dad, and Jenny decided to join us from Salt Lake for a weekend of fun.

This was my first chance to check out Mom and Dad's new digs in Washington - very impressive! Hopefully I will have the opportunity to enjoy this purchase with the family often.

We had all sorts of activities planned for the weekend:

We did a bit of shopping

Unfortunately we did not buy any T.V.'s

Dad and I made it out on the golf course twice...

As always, I showed Dad a thing or two about swinging the clubs. I outscored him by 30 strokes.

We ate at In-N-Out Burger

Good, but not as good as b.good!

Brooke and I made our way Zion National Park to hike Angels Landing.

Check out all the switch-backs!

I've always wanted to be Superman

A breathtaking view from the top

Did you know they made red asphalt?

There was an activity of which I do not have any pictures. Such an event is fully appreciated only from first-hand experience. It was an early-morning run through the red-rock country of Southern Utah. When I began, the sun had yet to give evidence of its impending rise. Yet, the desert landscape glowed softly beneath a waning full moon. My run took me above old-town St. George on Red Hills Parkway. The rugged cliffs and harsh vegetation served as a calming backdrop on the solitary road. Half way through my run the slowly rising sun enlivened the vibrant auburn colors of the unique desert rock formations. I finished the 16 mile jog feeling refreshed and grateful.

My days in St. George included a bit of everything I love most in life:
- Ample time with family (specifically, family meals accompanied with enjoyable conversation)
- Time in the outdoors hiking to a new peak
- Running
- Good food
- Relaxing time watching a movie

On Monday 18 August I drove back to Las Vegas where I spent the following days in the Las Vegas Hilton. Once again, I received exceptional treatment with my hotel room. I had a small kitchenette by a large sitting area - including a sofa and chair with an ottoman - in front of a 46" flat screen TV. The bedding included soft sheets with a down comforter. It was all topped off with a jacuzzi in a large, ornate bathroom. It is great getting paid to travel.

Brooke decided to visit me in Vegas on Tuesday evening. She brought Ben along and we spent a casual evening on the Strip.

We enjoyed dinner at The Cheesecake Factory

??????

The rest of the week was quite a bit of work. It was good to return home last night.

Red Birds

2008-07-21T19:36:00.004-07:00

My apartment is right in the heart of downtown St. Louis. I am only a short 10-minute walk from Busch Stadium. When I am out and about during the evenings, I nearly always end up passing the Stadium as I return to my place. Each and every night when I see the lights blazing down upon the field, I wish I were at the game. If I had my way, I would attend much more often.

I must credit the St. Louisians for their affection and loyalty to the home-town team. The fans here are dedicated, educated, and unfailingly supportive. They are a fun group to live amongst.

The Family Man... before the 'glimpse'

2008-07-18T21:18:00.003-07:00

Instead of a silver Ferrari, I drive a white Mazda. Instead of a luxury Manhattan penthouse, I reside in a comfortable one-bedroom apartment in a lower-income area of St. Louis. I cannot boast a lavish CEO income of a Fortune 500 company, but I earn enough to pay the bills. I do not wield the power to broker billion-dollar business deals that send waves through the financial community, yet I have a job I enjoy.

Minus the ravish embellishments in the movie The Family Man, I sometimes feel I live the life of Jack Campbell - before his life-altering 'glimpse.' I am well-taken care of. My needs are met. My time, my job, my home, my finances, my diet... so much of my life is very neat, tidy, and organized - in both a literal and figurative sense. The unfortunate detail is that everything is I, my, and mine instead of we, our, and ours.

A visit to D.C.

2008-07-11T10:06:00.006-07:00

Well, I arrived back in St. Louis early this morning. My flight was scheduled to depart Dulles Airport at 10:25 p.m., but we did not get out until after midnight - I am not a United Airlines fan. I have only flown with them a couple of times, but my worst experiences with air travel have been due to their mismanagement.

My time in the nation's capitol was quite enjoyable. I was there for an I.T. conference put on by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

My first stop after arriving and checking into my hotel was Arrlington National Cemetery.

It is a sobering experience to walk these grounds where so many of our honorable veterans are buried. Throughout the cemetery can be found burial plots of soldiers who fought in every major American conflict dating back as far as the Civil War - including WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and even the most recent theaters of battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. I spoke with one security officer on duty at the cemetery. He said that during the worst time of the Iraqi conflict, active duty burials topped 30 per day at Arlington alone.

The Tomb of the Unknowns. Interred in this tomb is a soldier from World War I whose identification is unknown. Also, added later in front of the tomb are three unkonwn soldiers from World War II and The Korean War. The Tomb is guarded by a platoon from the army 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Their watch has continued uninterrupted since 1937 - regardless of weather or any other inconvenience. It is quite a sight to see the honor these men take in their duty.

The Marine Corp War Memorial. This statue meant a bit more to me since I have read the book Flags of Our Fathers which details the lives of each of the men captured in the photograph from which this statue was inspired.

A beautiful view of the sunrise over the Potomac River from my hotel room.

I cannot visit a new city without taking in a game at the local ballpark. This is the first year the Washington Nationals have played in their new stadium - uncreatively named Nationals Park. Unfortunately, this park is wanting on all counts. In a city with such history and tradition, I expected a unique integration of America's capital with our favorite pastime. Regretfully, the ballpark was generic and bland. Great parks must have character. Who fails to recognize Fenway's Green Monster, Wrigley's ivy wall, or Yankee Stadium's upper-deck white arches? Other clever efforts to tie the ballpark into its city's culture include Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati - which sits on the Ohio River - where they built a riverboat replica in the outfield. Whenever a Red hits a home run, fireworks shoot out of the boat's smokestacks. In Denver (the Mile High City) they have a row of purple seats in the upper deck indicating exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. The St. Louis franchise wisely positioned their ballpark such that in straightaway center field the stadium grandstands frame a beautiful skyline of downtown St. Louis - featuring the famous St. Louis arch.

Unfortunately, Nationals Park did not measure up to my high expectations.

This is the problem with traveling alone - I always end up with a lot of self-portraits. The National Mall was my last stop before heading to the airport.

Alexandria, VA

2008-07-07T17:53:00.002-07:00

It is sure nice to travel on someone else's dime! Over the past several months it has been my privilege to visit many new places and see many new things. However, I am a cheap traveler. Where do I stay? Motel 6. Unless I am feeling a bit extravagant, then I will step up to a Super 8 Motel. Or if I am really living it up, maybe a Comfort Inn.

Well, I arrived in Washington DC this morning and checked into my hotel in Alexandria, VA - a small colonial town just south of the metropolitan DC area (hometown of General George Washington). When I walked into my room, I was floored by the niceties of the accommodations. The spacious king bed is dressed in soft, pure white linens accented with a olive-green checkered duvet - and I think I have seven different pillows to choose from tonight. The remainder of the room is furnished with elegant, chestnut furniture - including a desk, armoire, two night stands, and even a little ottoman/bench on which I can sit when to put my shoes on tomorrow morning. I enjoyed a movie this evening on the 36 inch flat screen television. The far wall of the hotel is a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall window looking up the Potomac River with a view of the Capital Building in the distance. To top it all off, when I returned to my room this evening after seeing some sights I found my bed turned down with a little "sleep soundly" packet. Included in the packet are an eye mask, earplugs, lavender linen spray, and a CD with doctor prescribed tips on how to get a better night sleep. How is that for royal treatment?

Stay tuned for pictures of some of my sightseeing...

The New York Experience

2008-07-05T17:31:00.004-07:00

This is just a replica of the sidebar I have had on my blog for the past year. I want to delete it from the sidebar since I no longer live in New York. However, it will be here and available to anyone who may want to use it for a reference in the future.

Done (activities):
- Midnight run in Central Park
- Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
- Empire State Building observation deck
- Rockefeller Center during Christmas
- Run from 125th Street to South Ferry Station along the Hudson River
- Staten Island Ferry
- Broadway shows: Wicked, Les Miserables, Hairspray, Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins
- The Cloisters Museum
- The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall
- Shopping for contraband on Canal St.
- Grand Central Station
- Run across the George Washington Bridge to New Jersey
- Halloween Extravaganza at St. John Cathedral
- Toys'R'Us in Times Square during Christmas (not recommended, but I did it - 3 times!)
- Visit Columbia University's Campus
- Run in Riverside Park
- New York City Public Library
- MACY'S - the world's largest department store (34th Street)
- Roosevelt Island
- South Street Seaport
- Wall Street (really not much to see)

- Run from 120th Street to the Brooklyn Bridge along the East River.
- Charging Bull
- Flatiron building
- Battery Park
- SYMS - my favorite store to buy ties, socks, shirts, etc.
- Gay Street in Greenwich Village
- Hang out with a homeless guy
- See the sunrise while running around The Reservoir in Central Park
- See the Red Sox play the Yankees at Yankee stadium
- Eat Nathan's Hot Dogs while watching a Mets game at Shea Stadium
- Ground Zero - not much here but a construction site
- North Cove Marina - if timed right, you can see some amazing yachts here!!!
- Knicks game at Madison Square Garden
- Road trip to Boston
- Symphony at Carnegie Hall
- Ride the ferry across the East River for fine dining at Waters Edge Restaurant (beautiful views of Manhattan!)
- See the United Nations headquarters
- The Met... if you are into art
- Watch the sunset over the Hudson River from Riverside Park

- Bronx Zoo
- Top of the Rock Observatory
- See an opera at the Metropolitan Opera

Done (food):
- Street vendor food - pretzels, kabobs, hot dogs
- Lunch at Gray's Papaya (72nd Street)
- The Burger Joint (Parker Meridien hotel - 56 Street)
- New York style pizza!!!
- Breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner at a sidewalk cafe
- Street fair food - sausage, kabobs, pitas, crepes, popcorn, etc.
- Lunch at Subs Conscious - the best sandwiches in town (two locations: Amsterdam at 120 St and Broadway at 109 St)
- Brunch at Cafe Fresh (121 St. and Amsterdam)
- Joshua Tree - American grill (366 W. 46 St)
- Patsy's - Italian (61 W. 74 St)
- RUB - Bar-B-Que (208 W. 23rd St)
- Indus Valley - Indian (Broadway at 100 St)
- Capri - Italian (358 W 46 St)
- Tom's Delicious Pizza - best pizza in New York!!! (3161 Broadway)
- Stone Street Tavern - traditional American/Irish (52 Stone St)
- Charm - Tai (Amsterdam and 95 St)
- Max Brenner, chocolate restaurant - everything on the menu is chocolate! I want to go back (841 Broadway).
- Mama Mexico (Broadway at 102 St)
- Grimaldi's Pizzeria (across Brooklyn Bridge)
- Waldy's Wood Fired Pizza (800 6th Ave)

- Experience the various eateries on Restaurant Row (46th St)

To do:
- New York Marathon
- Museums - MOMA, Natural History
- Sample the various pastries at local bakeries
- Visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- Eat on Indian Row (East Village)
- See Coney Island
- Road trips: Washington DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Ivy League campuses (Yale - CT, Princeton - NJ), LDS historical sites (Palmyra, etc.)
- See a taping of The Late Show

Home

2008-06-29T07:56:00.006-07:00

There seems to be considerable interest in my living arrangements. Many have asked for pics of my apartment. Well, this is my pad...

I now have a place to park my butt when I watch sports.

I have some ideas for wall decorations... those will come when the budget allows.

My current bedroom is slightly bigger than my previous one in New York. Actually, my bed alone would not have fit in that room. Now I have space for a good sized bed, dresser, and even a home office in the corner.

For those who visited my New York apartment, you will recognize an appreciable increase in closet space as well.

And, of course, the ever-generic water closet.

Coors, Driving, and Rotten Pizza

2008-06-25T18:08:00.006-07:00

I finally had the cable guy over yesterday evening to get me wired for the basic electronic necessities to survive in the world today. I considered discretely slipping him $50 for a bit of extra service, but when he introduced himself as Chip Douglas, I thought it would be wise to forebear.

Now I must return to last Tuesday to complete my travelogue. There was only one thing of interest to me when I arrived in Denver - a game at Coors Field! It was a beautiful evening for a game. The Rockies handled the visiting Cleveland Indians. The highlight of the game was in the bottom of the third inning when Rockies first baseman Jeff Baker hit an infield-the-park home run.

If you enlarge the picture, you can see a row of purple seats in the upper-deck. That row is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level (mile high). Awesome!

I hit the road early Wednesday morning anticipating a long day traveling from Denver to St. Louis.

I saw a whole lot of this during my drive - flat, empty plains

I made one significant stop along the way. Considering the recent National Championship won by the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team, I thought it would be a good use of time to visit their campus. In Lawrence, Kansas I was able to gain access to KU's two major venues...

The famed Allen Fieldhouse (a classic arena)

And UK Memorial Stadium

To provide the details of this final picture, I must revert back to Friday 30 May (two and a half weeks ago). It was on this date that that Trent and I arrived in St. Louis after our road trip from New York. After four days on the go, we just wanted to rest at my place the last evening of our trip. We ordered some pizza, rented a movie, and just relaxed all evening. Early the next morning - before 5:00 - a taxi picked us up to take us to the airport to catch a flight to Salt Lake. Just before we arrived at the airport, I turned to Trent and asked, "did we throw the leftover pizza away?" We both realized that the remaining pizza was left sitting upon my countertop.

The whole time I was in Utah I worried about what would become of the pizza. Certainly it would not keep for such a duration. Would it mold to the point of attracting every rodent within a one mile radius? Would flies find it and turn it into a maggot breeding paradise? Would I need to hire a fumigating company to return my place to livable conditions?

Fortunately none of this happened. Yes, it did mold. But for the most part, it just dried out - no extremely foul odors to worry about (fortunately).

I am not in Kansas anymore... Thank goodness!!!

2008-06-19T20:30:00.002-07:00

I arrived in St. Louis late last night. It was a rough day of driving from Denver. I would argue that the wrong adjective was chosen when deciding on the name "Great Plains."

I will include a more elaborate post when I have a decent internet connection that allows me to upload pictures. Look for it on Monday evening.

Out west

2008-06-17T11:48:00.013-07:00

Greetings from Denver!

My two-week stint in Utah is now over. I had so much to do, I did not even make time to post my many activities.

I went from one activity to the next...

- Annie's blessing
- Camping with Aiden, Andrew, & Trent
- Wyoming shooting trip with the boys
- Bought a car
- Family picnic at Sugar House Park
- Campfire with some old friends
- Bear Lake race

I do not have pictures for all of the events, but here is what I have:

Shooting trip...

On our way to Wyoming to help some farmers care for their land

Aiden and Andrew liked to see the bloody "squirrels"

Bear Lake race...

It was a beautiful evening when we picked up our race packets

The CHAMPION!!! - winner of the 1st Annual Bear Lake Marathon

Now I am on my way to the Midwest. With all the flooding, I hope I have a home when I arrive in St. Louis.

I departed Salt Lake on Monday morning. I drove for about eight hours and found a campground where I spent the night just outside Rocky Mountain National Park in Northern Colorado.

Chillin' by Shadow Mountain Lake before heading to bed

I had a beautiful morning run around the lake. I then used the lake for a brief bath (brief because the water was ice cold) before heading on my way.

Rocky Mountain National Park would be a great place to spend several days. There are hikes everywhere. Unfortunately, my schedule did not allow me to hang around for too long.

The road through the park climbs to over 12,100 feet above sea level.

Between the park and Denver, I stopped in Boulder to see Colorado University - a beautiful campus. Here is a picture of Folsom Field.

An end

2008-05-31T09:03:00.003-07:00

We pulled into St. Louis yesterday afternoon. We were unpleasantly welcomed by stifling heat and humidity. And to make it worse, we still needed to get in our run for the day. When we finished unloading the truck we were dripping with sweat - I don't think these Utah boys are cut out for the humidity. We took the truck back to Budget, then ran back to my place. I think we were both ready to die by the time we finished the run. I have some serious adjusting to do if I intend to continue running while living in St. Louis.

After getting a bit settled, we assembled the entertainment center, rented a DVD from RedBox, and ordered Pizza from Dominos. Good times...

Now the trip is at an end. It was a glorious time, but we are both ready to be off the road and return to Salt Lake.

Driving, sight-seeing, and spilled beer

2008-05-29T22:38:00.011-07:00

We began the day with a 6-mile morning run along the Ohio River - beautiful! We cleaned up, packed up and hit the road to drive from Cincinnati to Chicago.

This has become a familiar sight on the trip - many hours have been spent in this truck!

Trent regrets bringing his Garmin GPS! He has to put up with me trying to improve the projected arrival time at our destination. Here you see me racing the Garmin.

After arriving in Chicago we parked the truck near Wrigley Field and rode the subway into downtown Chicago (the public transportation here is terrible!). Here you see me and Trent catching some sights near the Chicago River.

Lunch at Giordano's. This is the affect ESPN has on us - we are captivated.

Have you ever seen self portraits like these...

And finally...
Wrigley Field! The Mecca of baseball stadiums. Perhaps the most exciting event of the night was in the 3rd inning when Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee hit a home run right at us. The ball bounced off several hands before sneaking into the row behind us about eight feet away. Due to a missed opportunity earlier this season at a major league baseball, I was not timid to do what was necessary to come away with the prize. I dove down the bench and began jostling and groping incessantly with about 6 other guys to find and grasp the ball. Within a short moment another fan emerged holding the ball. When I came to my senses and found my way back to my seat I realized the damage that had been done. Beer now soaked my hair and back. And since it was only the third inning, all I could do was let the brew dry while I enjoyed the remainder of the game.

I did not come away with the ball, but we had a great time nonetheless. Cubs win 8-4!

Some pictures

2008-05-28T19:58:00.012-07:00

I left it to Jill, Brooke, and Amy to document the events of the past week and a half of partying in New York. Now that Trent and I are on our own, we need to step up and tell our own stories now...

We departed New York on Tuesday around Noon. We drove two hours south to Philadelphia where we checked into our hotel then quickly made our way to the world-famous South Philly cheesesteak establishments. Pat's and Geno's eateries lie on opposing corners of an intersection. They compete to create the best cheesesteak in town.

Here is a picture taken from Pat's looking back at Geno's. We first ate cheesesteaks at Geno's (along with cheese fries and a Coke). Then we walked across the street to try Pat's version. We later returned to Geno's (after the baseball game) for a one last cheesesteak before calling it a night.

Citizens Bank Park!

Nice Hats!

The rain began to fall late in the game. They delayed the game in the bottom of the 8th when lightning began to flash. Due to the heavy rains, we decided to leave. The Phillies beat the Rockies 7-4.

After spending all day in the truck, we finally arrived at GreatAmerican Ballpark in Cincinnati.

We promptly bought some bratwurst and found our seats to watch the Reds pound the Pirates 9-1.

We each came away with a small souvenir.

New Yorkers

2008-05-15T13:24:00.002-07:00

This afternoon I had my haircut. Have I ever shared that I love having someone cut my hair? It feels great! And to make it better today, the woman cutting my hair spent the last 30 seconds giving me a scalp massage - it was completely unsolicited and unexpected. But boy was it nice!

Anyways, as I sat in the barber's chair I began to think back on my day and the various people I had encountered in one way or another. Suddenly I realized how incredibly diverse this great city is.

At 11:00 this morning I met with my professor and lab colleagues for an end-of-semester lunch. This group includes the individuals I worked most closely with during my time at Columbia. The diversity amongst us is striking. The professor is ethnically Chinese and was raised in Canada. The lab members include a man from Iran, a man from Nepal, a woman from Hong Kong, a woman from Singapore, an African American woman, as well as ethnically Indian and Chinese men raised in America. I think there were twelve in our group at lunch. Only two of us were white males.

Following lunch I stopped at the Columbia bookstore where an African American woman helped me get my cap and gown for graduation.

A bit later this afternoon I took some pants to the tailor downstairs to have them hemmed a bit. The shop is run by an Asian family - I would guess Southeast Asia, maybe Laos, Cambodia, or even Indonesia. I take any clothes here that need to be dry cleaned - they always do a great job.

And then there I was in the barbershop this afternoon. I drop in there about once a month for the regular trim. Two Hispanic women work there. They know me well by now and always fit me right in. Although I sometimes find it difficult to understand everything they say to me as they cut my hair, they always treat me well.

I should also mention my favorite pizza joint just downstairs run by an Italian family. Also, there is the Eastern European family who manages the apartment building.

There is so much diversity in this city... and then I go to church. It is odd because despite the heterogeneous mixture of race and nationalities all around me, when I attend church the group is very predominantly - although not exclusively - white.

I have an announcement!!!

2008-05-13T14:37:00.002-07:00

I just completed my last paper for my final class. As of now I am officially done with all school work. Wow, it feels good! Forever gone is the perpetual pressure of papers, exams, assignments, etc. Of course, this is barring any unforeseen failure in any of my classes this semester... I will keep my fingers crossed.

A quick snapshot...

2008-05-09T19:49:00.005-07:00

Someone tagged me...

What I was doing -
10 years ago: Finishing sophomore year in high school; getting ready to spend my summer, lifting weights, playing football, wasting time at Maga and Papa's, and hiking (Brett and I summited Mt. Olympus, Twin Peaks, and Lone Peak that summer)
5 years ago: In Kiribati with less than a month left on my mission - of course I was working hard avoiding any symptoms of trunkiness ;)
5 months ago: Enjoying Christmas in New York; also ready to slit my wrists due to my partial differential equations course

5 things on my to do list today:
- Run 14 miles (in St. Louis' Forest Park)
- Buy furniture (Sofa and Chair set, dinette set, bed; I spent too much!)
- Clean kitchen
- Clean Bathroom (both rooms feel much better now)
- Shop for miscellaneous housewares (it is amazing how quickly the basics add up - i.e. mop, rags, cleaning agents, toilet brush, plunger, shower curtain, towels, etc.)

5 snacks I enjoy:
- S'mores
- Homemade oreo cookies
- Scotch-a-roos
- Chips and salsa
- Krispy Kreme donuts (original glazed or raspberry jelly filled)

5 things I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
- Buy the house bordering Trent & Amy's backyard; buy the house just east of Trent & Amy; tear down said house; build an underground lair connecting our two homes (heck, why not buy the whole block!)
- Buy a baseball team, relocate them to Utah, and build a new franchise stadium
- Hike Mt. Everest
- Quit my job so I could train to compete in an Ironman Triathlon
- Become a philanthropist; give money to individuals who have positively influenced me as well as organizations with worthy causes

5 of my bad habits:
- I stay up too late
- Thus, I sleep in later than I would like (this will soon change now that I am done with school and have a new job)
- Not talking
- I am stingy. I would like to be more generous with my money, but I often get too caught up in my budget (my apologies to everyone this adversely affects).
- Dating (this is not really a habit; it is just something that I regularly do which I would prefer to replace with an alternative)

5 places I have lived:
- Salt Lake City/Sandy, UT (I have also had second homes in Kaysville and Bountiful)
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- New York, NY
- St. Louis, MO

5 jobs I've had:
- Bus boy (Training Table Restaurants)
- Loan officer (Deseret First Credit Union)
- Construction (Neff & Jensen)
- Research assistant (University of Utah and Columbia University)
- Biomedical Engineer (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs)

5 things people don't know about me:
- I kissed a girl naked in a dog house when I was 5 years old... wait, everyone knows about this because everyone in the neighborhood watched.
- I am incapable of openly getting mad at somebody. Even when people need to be yelled at, chastised, or reprimanded I cannot do it.
- I am a terrible negotiator.
- I hate to talk about myself. I am very protective of my emotions and deeper thoughts. I therefore have difficulty sharing these things with most people.
- I do not have many friends. I often get stuck in my comfort zone and fail to seek out and embrace new friendships.

Sorry for the delay

2008-05-09T18:14:00.002-07:00

I have been getting some pressure from certain individuals that it is time to post again. I even had one e-mail from one unnamed source. She recommended several ideas for a post. Here is what she suggested:

- How much you love you little sister Brooke
- Make a list about the many reasons you love Brooke
- A list of reasons you want to be like Brooke

Great ideas! However, I must pass on writing on such topics because such a post would populate volumes.

I am writing from St. Louis this evening. I arrived Wednesday morning to make housing arrangements before my impending move at the end of the month. It is difficult to know where to begin when showing up in a new place knowing nothing about the city and its neighborhoods. I spent a fair amount of the day on Wednesday driving throughout the greater metropolitan St. Louis area trying to get some feel of where I would like to live.

Fortunately, it did not take me long to find a place I liked. I actually stumbled across the place because I missed my intended exit. I looked at the apartment Wednesday afternoon. I returned Thursday to submit an application. Then returned again today to sign the lease and get the keys. It is amazing how much easier the process was here as compared to what I went through to get an apartment in New York. It is nice to have everything in line before I leave town.

The end is nigh

2008-04-24T15:00:00.004-07:00

I know, I know, it is boring and unexciting to have two consecutive posts about finishing school. But right now school is about all I do. I could get specific and write about current approaches to treating HIV, a novel proposal for a testicular prosthetic, or the cutting edge findings on controlling cell migration in a three-dimensional gel. But what fun is that? It is much more exciting to look forward to the finish.

This week I have delivered two presentations and finished two papers. I am completely done with two of my classes. And I only have one assignment left in each of my remaining four classes.

Maybe when I finally finish everything I will have some more interesting things to write about.

TRUNKY!!!

2008-04-17T11:13:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I has an exam in my Tissue Engineering course. After the exam, I realized it was the last test of my college career. All I have left are two weeks of classes, a three papers to write and three presentations to give - then I am done! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The problem is, as the light gets brighter, I get more and more trunky.

I am so ready to be done with school. Add to this all the fun traveling and activities I have to look forward to this summer and you get a guy who has lost all interest in what the professor is lecturing about. Unfortunately I spend more time thinking and planning about life after graduation than I spend doing school work. I feel like I am just biding my time, waiting for the next few weeks to pass. It will be good to move on to the next phase in life.

"Take me out to the ball game..."

2008-04-11T17:00:00.009-07:00

The ball could have been mine!

I arrived at Shea Stadium, purchased my ticket, bought an overpriced Pepsi to enjoy with my sunflower seeds, and found my seat just as the first batter of the visiting Philadelphia Phillies stepped to the plate.

Before I even had time to get comfortable, I heard the distinctive crack of the bat accompanied by the unusual sight of a baseball seemingly growing larger and larger as it flew through the air. Yes, the ball was headed directly at me. With a sweatshirt, magazine, and drink in my hands, I was unprepared to make a quick grab. I dropped my items to the ground as the ball zipped past my left shoulder. It bounced off the steps and settled between the feet of the fan seated directly behind me.

I hesitated! Why did I not lunge for my first authentic major league baseball? My split-second thought was that because the ball came to rest at the foot of the gentleman behind me, it was rightfully his. However, had I acted quickly, I was in position to reach down and grab the ball before he could squat to pick it up. It was mine for the taking! My slight delay forfeited my chance to claim the coveted prize every baseball fan hopes for each time he makes his way to the ballpark.

And the salt in the wound? I turned around to find my Pepsi overturned at my feet – before I had even taken one sip!

Fortunately, my spirits could not be dampened – I was at my first baseball game of the season. The pleasing sight of the verdant, plush lawn coupled with the aroma of hot dogs, peanuts, and cotton candy wafting through the air overshadowed any disappointment of a lost opportunity.

Mmmm.... Food! (Doo Dee)

2008-04-08T17:26:00.006-07:00

I must join the dialogue underway amongst my fellow bloggers. When it comes to discussing good restaurants, I wield a strong opinion. And so, here are my top 10 listed in random order…

b.good (Boston, MA) – I must exercise discretion here and refrain from burdening you with yet another sermon regarding the superiority of b.good burgers. (see my posts on 20 January 2008 and 12 March 2008)

Subs Conscious (New York, NY) – the best New York deli I have found to date. If the budget allowed, I would eat here every day for lunch and never tire of it. They make killer subs!

Giordano’s (Chicago, IL) – Chicago-style stuffed pizza. You will need to wait at least 45 minutes for your pizza to be made, but it is worth it!

In-N-Out Burger (West coast) - Those who have eaten here will concur that any top ten is incomplete without In-N-Out.

Max Brenner (New York, NY) - Any restaurant whose dessert menu trumps the regular menu in size and selection is a foe to be reckoned with. Max Brenner specializes in chocolate. Every dessert is topped, coated, saturated, drizzled, seasoned, sprinkled, covered, or layered with chocolate. It is like a real-life Willy Wonka.

Ruth’s Diner (Salt Lake City, UT) - Ruth's makes the list not for the food, but for location. Nestled in a small thicket up Emigration Canyon, it is tough to compete with their patio dining on a summer evening.

Molcasalsa or Betos (Salt Lake City, UT) - Nothing beats authentic Mexican heartburn!

Epcot World Showcase (Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL) - Where else can you eat German bratwurst, Japanese stir fry, Norweigan strawberry cheesecake, French elephant ears, Mexican Curros, American funnel cake, and Italian gelato all in one place? (I think I gained 10 pounds for every lap I made around the lake)

A campfire (Wasatch Mountains, UT) - A tinfoil dinner with cubed steak, seasoned potatoes, and chopped vegetables, finished off with delectable s'mores enjoyed in the seclusion of a dense mountain forest is an experience to remember.

The Batcave (Bountiful, UT) - Whether it's a rib eye bar-b-que, pork roast, cheesesteak sandwiches, rhodes rolls, a root beer freeze, or even Little Ceasars take out, there are few places I would rather dine on a Friday evening than my second home in Bountiful. (I miss you guys!)

Travelin'

2008-04-04T20:20:00.002-07:00

I have compiled quite the travel itinerary for 2008. Already this year I have made two trips to Boston, a road trip to DC, and a visit to the hometown of Salt Lake City - and I am only getting started...

May 7-11 I will be making a reconnaissance trip to St. Louis. Hopefully within these few short days I can find a place to live and get all the paper work signed (and maybe leave time to catch a Cards game at Busch Stadium).

May 17-23 is not travel time, but I will essentially be a tourist in New York. Mom, Jill, and Brooke will be visiting for the week. With school officially done (graduation on 21 May) I will have plenty of time to see the sights with the fam. To add to the fun, Trent and Amy will be joining the crew on 22 May. They will be around until moving day - Tuesday 27 May.

Trent and I decided to make an event of my move to St. Louis. We have scheduled a four-day roundabout road trip to the gateway to the west. The first day will include a short drive down the east coast to Philadelphia where we will enjoy original Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Also on the slate is a visit to Citizens Bank Park where the Phillies will host the Colorado Rockies. Maybe we will make time for a run around the city of Philadelphia which will culminate in a momentous scaling of the stairs in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (a.k.a. The Rocky Stairs).

Wednesday we will be the longest travel day. We will drive across the entire state of Pennsylvania (a beautiful drive) and most of Ohio to the city of Cincinnati. Wednesday evening we have tickets to see the Reds play the Pittsburgh Pirates at The Great American Ballpark.

Thursday will include a relatively short drive to The Windy City - Chicago, Illinois - for the crowning event of our trip. We will be visiting one of the great sporting venues in the country - an opportunity any true sports fan must experience. Wrigley Field, the ivy wall, the Chicago Cubs... are you excited yet? I am! I am sure we will make some time to enjoy Giordano's famous stuffed Chicago pizza as well.

Friday we will drive the final leg to St. Louis where I hope to get as settled as possible before an early morning Saturday flight to Salt Lake.

I will have two long weeks in Utah. Already planned is a weekend hunting trip to Wyoming with Dad and Trent as well as the Bear Lake Half Marathon. Other than that, I look forward to plenty of chill time with the fam.

Another road trip to St. Louis follows my time in Utah - this time headed east. This trip will include a stop in Denver for a game at Coors field, before continuing on to my new home.

I will not be in St. Louis for long before my first work-related trip. I already have a conference scheduled in DC for the second week of July. I am currently toying with the idea of heading to DC a bit early to allow me to be in the nation's capitol on her birthday.

August is the next vacation. This trip will usher in the 2008 college football season. Jill is flying to St. Louis to join me on a road trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan where we will see the Utes take on Big Blue in the Big House. Of course, since I will be in Detroit I must make time to see a Tigers game in Comerica Park. After the sporting events, we are tacking on a jaunt to Chicago where Mom will meet us for some fun.

How about that for touring the country? Major cities in 2008: Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and St. Louis (I think I also have a conference in Vegas as well). New ballparks in 2008: Busch Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Comerica Park, Coors Field, Great American Ballpark, Nationals Park - not to mention the repeats of Yankee, Shea, and Wrigley.

I always enjoy company in my travels... If you are interested in joining me at any time, let me know.

1:31:50

2008-04-02T08:45:00.006-07:00

In January I signed up to run the National Half Marathon in Washington D.C. Upon registration, I set a goal to run a personal record (PR) and finish in under 1 hour and 30 minutes.

I created a training schedule and identified what my pace should be for every training run. I focused my efforts and hit the road. I rarely missed a scheduled run. And for nearly all of these runs I was right on my goal pace. For nearly three months I prepared for the race on Saturday 29 March.

The night before the race I could hardly sleep. This is par for any race I run. I wake up throughout the night anticipating an early morning and constantly worrying about sleeping too long. Unfortunately, at 5:00 a.m. on the morning of this race I awoke to an unpleasant grumbling in my stomach. Uh oh! I knew I was in trouble.

Between 5:15 and 5:45, when we left our hotel, I had to use the toilet twice due to my upset stomach. We arrived at the starting line around 6:30. Before the race began I had to go again, this time using the portable outhouses to relieve the pain. I hoped that I was sufficiently empty to enable me to run the 13.1 miles without stopping.

To reach my goal of 1:29:59 I needed to maintain a pace of 6:50 per mile. My strategy for the race was a negative split - that is my second half of the race would be faster than the first half. I looked to run around 7:15's for the first two miles, then speed up for the next five miles to a pace between 6:50 and 7:00. The course peaks at mile 7. I wanted to have a 7:00 per mile pace at this point. Then I hoped to run no slower than 6:30's up to mile 11 - during these 4 miles, the course drops 200 feet of elevation. By mile 11 I would have a good idea of whether or not I could reach my goal. I could adjust my pace accordingly and finish strong.

The first five miles were great. The course ran right in front of the Capitol building, then down the Mall, past the Washington Monument, and up by the White House. It was a beautiful morning with the sun bringing the morning chill up to a comfortable running temperature.

At mile 5.5 I lost all track of my pace. My focus shifted to a near emergency situation in the lower regions of the abdomen - I needed a toilet, FAST! The next aid station with outhouses was mile 7 - a mile and a half a way. I started looking for open shops or restaurants where I could use a restroom - at 7:30 in the morning, nothing was open. I then began looking for trees, shrubs, cars, fire hydrants - anything I could somewhat hide behind to care for myself.

Fortunately, I made it to mile 7. When I went in the port-a-John my watch said I was just a few seconds over 49 minutes. Despite my problems, I was still right on pace. However, after my pit-stop I was over 51 minutes - I had lost two minutes! Now, not only did I need to run a negative split, I needed to make up an additional two minutes.

Soon after my stop I hit the downhill portion of the race. Without distracting concerns, I was able to pick up my pace. I ran sub-6:30's for several miles. At 10 miles my watch read nearly 1 hour 13 minutes. I needed to run a sub 18 minute 5K to reach my goal - this after having already ran 10 miles. By 12 miles, the clock was near 1:26. I did not have a 4 minute mile left in me.

Knowing I had not reached my goal, I pushed as hard as I could that last mile. I turned the last corner to see the finish line - the clock was already over 1:30. When I crossed the line the clock read 1:32:03. This gave me a chip time of 1:31:50 - one bathroom stop away from my goal.

On a positive note, I did set a new PR. My previous best 1/2 marathon was 1:50:57. I improved a whole 7 seconds!

My next attempt at the 1:30 mark will be the Bear Lake Half Marathon on 14 June. Let's hope my body cooperates.

In brief...

2008-03-31T07:10:00.019-07:00

I have not made time to update my blog lately. Here are some pics which have accumulated over the past two weeks - with just brief snippets of description

Meeting the newest addition to the family during a trip to Utah over spring break (I think she likes me)

The best part of this picture are the looks on Trent's and my face. Don't I look jealous of Trent and his hoard? Can't you just hear what Trent is saying by the look on his face?

Lunch at Pace's with the crew - fun times!

The Suntrust National Half Marathon in D.C. - a group from the ward made the road trip for the race

Some of the group in front of the White House

It was a fun time to visit D.C. The cherry trees were all in blossom. It was impressive

Speaking of cherry blossoms... this petite cherry blossom got right in the way of our picture

Brent gazes ponderously from the Lincoln Memorial over the national landmarks

Kirsten and I by the Potomac River. George Washington's estate (Mount Vernon) is the hill in the background.

Beantown!

2008-03-12T14:28:00.013-07:00

This past weekend Brent Thurgood (my fellow Ute in New York) and I went on a little road trip. I anticipated this trip for some time due to what was awaiting us at our destination... yes, b.good burgers!!!

Our first stop upon arriving in Boston was the famed burger joint in Harvard Square. Since my last visit to Boston, the b.good founder and owner Jon Olinto had sent me several coupons for free burgers. We redeemed these coupons for two el guapos. With the first bite I was reminded once again of the supremacy of b.good burgers... absolutely incredible!

Brent Thurgood enjoying his first b.good (Brent Thurgood... b.good burgers- is there some connection there?)

As we were enjoying our heavenly meal I asked an employee if Jon was in - I wanted to meet the genius behind the burger. Jon came out from his office and immediately recognized me. It was great to meet him. We talked a bit about his company - how they started and where they are headed. He even gave us a tour of the place and showed us their secrets behind the magic - proprietary info... I feel privileged!

Me and Jon in front of the b.good grill; the rest of the tour was highly classified - no photos allowed (this was my rule, not Jon's)

Jon also treated us to two more complementary burgers, as well as two mango shakes. This gave me an opportunity to try two new burgers - the west side and the adopted luke. I will tell you what - the b.good folk sure do know how to take care of their customers!

When we finished dinner we headed out for our secondary - and of course much less spectacular - activity. We saw the Boston Celtics play the Chicago Bulls in the Garden.

This was the second sporting event I have attended in Boston (Trent and I went to a Red Sox game last April). Both experiences convinced me that Boston is the premier sports town in America. No other city can claim such tradition as the Boston Nation. Their fans are loyal, informed, and die-hard! They hold to their roots and relish the tradition of their sporting franchises.

My fellow New Yorkers may disown me for saying such a thing about their hated rival to the north. New York too is a great sports town. However, it is a city divided. In New York's quest to become bigger and better they created a situation which dilutes the passion of the fans. Yankees/Mets, Jets/Giants, Knicks/Nets... Who is your team? Bostonians are united. They all rally behind the Sox, the Celts, and the Pats. A camaraderie exists amongst the Boston faithful which is strikingly absent in the Big Apple. The multiple New York franchises and their respective fans clamor amongst themselves to be top dog only to look up and realize Beantown is now king.

Me and Brent at the Garden

Saturday morning included an enjoyable run through Cambridge. I explored much of Harvard I had not previously seen. If you are ever in town, be sure to see Harvard Stadium (it feels like a Roman coliseum - awesome!) and Harvard Business School (the most impressive area of Harvard's campus).

Cousin Shelly recommended a quaint restaurant for breakfast - Sound Bites. Great recommendation!!! I had a Belgian waffle with strawberries, mango, apples, blueberries, papaya, kiwi, oranges, and watermelon on top - all covered with whipped cream! Wow!

Check out the waffle!

After breakfast we saw some sights - Faneuil Hall, Quincey Market, Boston Commons, Fenway Park (moment of silence please). We were just biding our time until lunch came around.

We had to make somewhat of an early departure from Boston. But we made sure to make one last stop at b.good before hitting the road. As always, it was memorable!

As I sit here contemplating when I can make time for another road trip to Boston, I realize it will not be soon enough. I look forward to the day.

Thanks Jon for the Burgers!!!

(doesn't this picture make your mouth water?)

My compliments to Brent Thurgood for the photography

Final update

2008-03-09T21:11:00.005-07:00

Last Monday I received a phone call from the VA Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri. They offered me the position I had been interviewing for over the past several weeks. I officially accepted their offer on Thursday.

I am on course to graduate in May. Then, come June, I will be moving to the midwest to begin my career!

The position I will assume is officially a two-year training program. I will spend the first year in St. Louis, then I will relocate for my second year of training. It is anticipated that my location during the second year will become a long-term situation.

St. Louis Cardinals... Busch Stadium... Gateway to the west... it will be a fun year.

6 March

2008-03-09T17:01:00.017-07:00

I usually abstain from blog posts composed of just photographs. Rather, I prefer to fill the web page with my writing rather than my mug. However, I want to break from my regularity a bit.

Last Thursday Kirsten organized a dinner with a group from the ward. We met at a fun restaurant called Mama Mexico. Afterward we went back to her place where we enjoyed ice cream and her homemade chocolate cake. Thanks for the fun times!

Me and Kirsten

Left to right: Leslie S., Jason B., Me, Kirsten D., Michael M.

Left to right: Brent T. (a Utah Man!), Jamee R., Colin W., Oscar O.

Stephanie B. and Leslie S.
Rustin (always a favorite with the ladies!)

Mmm... Chocolate cake

I am a NERD!!!

2008-03-02T06:23:00.009-08:00

Yesterday I had an epiphany of what a nerd I am.

I went into my research lab to do some experiments and compile a presentation of my work for a seminar on Monday. I was watching some time lapse videos I have acquired as part of my research. Each of these videos only lasts approximately 2 seconds. I was trying to find which videos I wanted to include in my presentation. As I watched them, I found myself fascinated with the clips and I even thought to myself, "these are awesome!"

I suddenly realized how incredibly weird I am for finding such pleasure at watching cells move around.

Below are just three of the dozens of videos I have collected. Each shows something slightly different. Two are control groups, and the third is the experimental group. Allow me to give these a bit of context. These are images of cells enclosed a 3-dimensional gel. I have found a way to control the movement of these cells. Specifically, I can keep them balled up in a spherical form for a time (Video1 - the video looks like nothing is happening, which is what I want; see, I really am a geek - I am fascinated by a video in which nothing happens!). I can then apply a chemical which causes the cells to spread out and even migrate through the gel (Video2). If I want, I can then apply a different chemical to 'freeze' cell movement - that is, I can encage the cells to prevent further movement (Video3).

Now, as I mentioned each of the videos lasts only two seconds. But that is hardly indicative of the work and time invested to get these images. Each video is actually a time lapse of a three hour period. And each experiment consists of three of these three hour periods. On top of that, preparation of the gels for the experiment takes another 4-5 hours. So, as you watch the videos below (if you have any desire to) remember that somewhere between 12 and 15 hours is invested in those two second clips.

Video1:

Video2:

Video3:

I love art

2008-02-23T12:09:00.006-08:00

Since moving to New York I have spoken with many people regarding the Metropolitan Museum of Art - often referred to as just 'The Met.' Some are inspired by the fine art housed therein. Others rave about the historical artifacts. Still others express awe at the enormity of the edifice itself. In fact, I have been told on a number of occasions that to see everything The Met has to offer necessitates multiple visits. In other words, one cannot possible see it all in one visit.

Well, I actually found it quite easy to prove everyone wrong. Here is the secret - walk past everything that is unimpressive. Now I suppose I am revealing my uncultured and unsophistacted ways, but when I experienced The Met with this rule in mind, I was enabled to see everything in about two hours. Because, let's be entirely honest, most of the stuff we see in museums is not really that great.

Of course there was the occasional piece which evoked deep and moving emotions within me. I certainly took time to pause and soak in the powerful implications surrounding such masterful expressions of the brush.

Pictured here is my favorite piece. Entitled Naked Man, Back View, the painting is exquisite. Captured in the work is the ever-elusive American dream. It depicts the epitome of what every man aspires to become. It is a beacon of assurance that we can all grow old with dignity. What more could we hope for?

Pseudo-tagged!

2008-02-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

I don’t understand why nobody ‘tagged’ me! I feel so left out. Therefore, I decided to tag myself. Here is my list of answers:

· What is her name? I am not sure, but based upon my track record she will be a teacher who graduated from BYU and her name will start with the letter ‘A.’
· How long did you date? I don’t think I will be setting any records here. It takes me a while to figure out my emotions.
· How old is she? +/- 4 years of me (for now I think that is a good rule)
· Who eats more? As long as she eats more than a glass of water and a crouton, I am good!
· Who said “I love you” first? “I desperately want to make love to a school boy.”
· Who is taller? I am not the biggest guy, but not many girls are taller than 5’10”.
· Who can sing better? Well, after being rejected at my opera try-out I decided to give up my singing career.
· Who is smarter? “I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is.”
· Who does the laundry? As long as she doesn’t mind that I don’t separate lights and darks – all my laundry goes in the same load (it’s cheaper that way).
· Who pays the bills? I will have a hard time deferring this to someone else – hopefully my wife won’t mind.
· Who sleeps on the right side? Does it really matter? Honestly, you married folk, how do you decide who sleeps on what side?
· Who mows the lawn? ME! I can’t wait to have a home and yard of my own – but it is still a ways off.
· Who cooks dinner? If I am in charge of cooking, we will have a limited menu – grilled cheese, spaghetti, omelets, or Campbell’s Chunky Soup.
· Who is more stubborn? I refuse to answer this question!!!
· Who kissed who first? I move a bit slow when it comes to showing physical affection. So if she is eager, she will need to make the first move.
· Who asked who out first? I admire a girl who has the courage to show a guy she is interested. I have had a number of girls ask me out – I respect that. But none of those materialized into anything. Likely that is the case because I am sure to ask out girls I am interested in. If a girl thinks she might not get a date unless she asks me out, she is probably right.
· Who proposed? What kind of question is that? I know we live in an era of feminism and equal opportunity, but does any girl ever get down on a knee and ask a guy to marry her?
· Who has more friends? I don’t have any friends, so it won’t be hard to beat me here.
· Who is more sensitive? Well, I like to dedicate poetry to my girl and serenade her while she stands on her balcony beneath a full moon.
· Who has more siblings? I have six.
· Who wears the pants? I did wear a skirt on my mission…

Blogging

2008-02-09T12:36:00.001-08:00

So I just realized there is an additional perk to getting married which I have never before realized. When I get married, I never need to blog again.

A common staple among blogs these days is the "fellow bloggers" list, or the "blogger friends" list. I too have one of these lists on my blog. As I was recently visiting the various blogs of my friends and family I noticed that these lists are overwhelmingly populated with the '&' sign. Of course, this means that some cute husband and wife have a blog together, right? Not really. Have a look for yourself. Every one of these sites is the wife's blog which she decided should include her husband. In fact, I am beginning to think that I am the only guy who blogs.

Like I said, when I get married someday I can stop blogging because my wife will do it for me...

Quick update...

2008-02-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

I wrote yesterday about my job interview. Well, today I received an e-mail from them requesting a second interview next week. Good news! I did not expect to hear from them so quickly. We'll see what happens.

Job interview

2008-02-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

Anyone who will take time to read my blog knows me well enough to realize how much I enjoy talking about myself - not at all!!!

This morning I had a phone interview for a job I applied for not long ago. The call lasted just over 30 minutes. And I will tell you, it was the most exhausting half hour of my life! It was only 9:30 a.m. when I hung up the phone, but I felt like I had already put in a full day's work - I was (and am) ready to go loaf for the rest of the day.

The interview was not difficult. The questions were very generic - like those found on "common interview question" handouts. So I feel I was prepared and provided solid answers. So why the exhaustion?

Well, I don't know if I have spoken about myself for a solid 30 minutes ever before in my lifetime. I do not know why, but I have never liked talking about myself. Even when people sincerely ask about my schooling, career goals, relationships, etc. I usually give a short answer and quickly change the subject. I shift the focus to them instead of me. Why do I do that? Why am I so uncomfortable sharing my life with others? I really do not know.

Update...

2008-01-26T12:08:00.001-08:00

It was last Sunday when I posted my comments regarding b.good burgers in Boston, MA. To my surprise, when I returned home from a date on Tuesday evening I had an e-mail waiting from one of the founders and co-owners of the b.good company - Jon Olinto. Jon graciously expressed thanks for my comments on my blog.

Among other things, he said, "I can’t tell you how much it meant to us to read your amazing blog... In fact, your writing was some of the most beautiful customer feedback we’ve gotten in our 4 years of grinding burgers. Truly, it’s hard to explain just how good your entry made us feel over here on Monday. So, thanks a lot. We really appreciate the love."

Not only did he send a kind e-mail, he sent me four coupons for free burgers to be redeemed during my next visit to Boston! So, reluctantly (not really) I am planning another trip to Beantown.

Thank you, Jon.

b.good

2008-01-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

What does a town like Boston have to offer? World class universities, museums, national historical sites, Fenway Park, lobster, clam chowder. Certainly it has all of these. But when I decided to make a weekend trip up the Eastern seaboard to this New England city, none of these attractions are what excited me most. No, it wasn't the prospect of visiting Paul Revere's house, walking the halls of Harvard University, nor enjoying the charm of the brownstone streets that prompted a countdown of the days to my arrival in South Station. Instead, it was a hamburger. Yes, a patty of beef sandwiched between a whole wheat bun which stimulated my excitement.

Now, let me make one thing perfectly clear. To relate to my readers living out west I must communicate my 100% loyalty and satisfaction with In-N-Out Burger. Anyone who has eaten at one of their many establishments will agree with me that their burgers are delicious, fresh, and worth driving several hundred miles from Salt Lake to Vegas to enjoy.

But if In-N-Out Burger is like the prime rib of burgers, then b.good burgers is the filet mignon. If In-N-Out is a Mercedes Benz, then b.good is a Rolls Royce. If In-N-Out is a deluxe ocean-front suite, then b.good is a private beach bungalow. That is how good a burger from b.good tastes.

Located on Dunster Street near Harvard Square, it is only a short walk from the T. Upon arriving in Boston, I immediately found the Red Line and went directly to b.good. My order - an el guapo with fries and a drink. What is an el guapo? Well, b.good uses ground steak for their burgers. The el guapo is a patty of said beef with strips of all-natural bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a unique jalapeno ranch sauce - wow, I want another one as I sit here writing about it!

My 1:00 feeding

Being utterly satisfied with my lunch, I set off to see some of the secondary sights. Although I was satiated and nourished as needed for the remainder of the day, I certainly could find room for another burger a few hours later. At 5:00 I found myself passing through Harvard square again. I stopped a second time to enjoy another succulent el guapo.

el guapo, the 2nd round (5:00)

During the evening hours I attended a reception for a friend who is marrying a girl from Boston. I traveled by bus to Belmont where the reception was held. I stayed until about 8:45, after which I quickly found a bus returning to Cambridge. And where did the bus route terminate? Yep, Harvard Square. With b.good closing at 10:00 I had just enough time to make another order. Now, if my second burger was an indulgence visit, my third was an I-don't-know-when-I-will-ever-be-back-so-I-better-enjoy-it-while-I-can visit.

My 9:30, and final, visit (am I any fatter?)

At my third showing I decided to try a different burger. This time I ordered the maple apple turkey burger. It is ground turkey with a maple glaze topped with a sliced apple, bacon, and grain mustard. Different, yes, but quite good. However, next time I will stick with the fail-safe el guapo!

Notable quote: "I adore things like that... food you can't do without... It comforts you" (Susan, Meet Joe Black).

The self portrait

2008-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

It is an odd phenomenon. When traveling alone I end up with a dozen copies of essentially the same photograph. The only difference among the many pictures is the background.

I made a one-day trip to Boston this weekend. A round-trip ticket on Greyhound buses - only $40! I left New York early Saturday morning and arrived in Boston at Noon.

Aboard the bus - a new way to travel for me (the first of many self portraits)

My first stop upon arriving in Bean Town...? b.good Burgers in Harvard Square of course. (I would expound upon this, but b.good deserves its own posting (see here).

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine certainly was - just standing outside the place!

I made a quick stroll through the campus of Harvard University (Note: it doesn't hold a candle to Columbia's campus. Can I say that or is there a conflict of interest?).

Harvard Yard - a lot of red brick here!

The Harvard Law School library

Now, my visit took place in January - a cold, wintry time. Everyone in town was pumped for the upcoming AFC Championship game pitting their beloved Patriots against the visiting San Diego Chargers. But what was on my mind? FENWAY PARK!

That is Fenway! The best ballpark in the country. I am standing on the famed Yawkey Way. This entire road is closed during games and essentially becomes part of the stadium - you must be a ticketed fan to gain access. Awesome!

From Fenway I decided to make a trip down memory lane. I walked the final mile of the Boston Marathon. I was so emotionally and physically distraught the last time I made my way through these streets that I hardly recognized them this time.

I do remember this short tunnel. There is a small hill on the other side. It probably climbs only 10 feet over a distance of 100 yards, but it almost killed me at the end of the marathon!

The homestretch down Commonwealth Ave. At this point I was ready to punch the next fan who yelled, "you are almost there!"

The finish line!!! I really did not recognize this. I thought I was in the wrong place until I saw the painted yellow finishing line on the pavement. On race day this street was lined with people, bleachers, advertisements, etc. It was a madhouse.

The motivation for my trip to Boston was a good friend's wedding reception. I attended the University 40th Ward in Salt Lake with Dave Moss. He became a close friend as we shared similar experiences. He is engaged to a girl who grew up in Boston. They had an open house on Saturday evening in her childhood home - a nice spread in the hills of Belmont.

Cousin Shelley was kind enough to let me crash at her pad. They live in a quaint apartment. To illustrate how quaint it really is - we tripped the the master circuit for the entire apartment that evening when I was ironing my shirt and Shelly was using the hair dryer. Wow! I guess Boston really is colonial.

My picks

2008-01-20T10:03:00.000-08:00

Go, Pack, Go!!!

Although I am not highly invested in any particular professional football franchise, if I were to pick my team it would be the Green Bay Packers. My inclination to them has slowly increased over the years, with this year being significantly enjoyable. When I was very young I was not too fond of the Pack. I hated the cheese heads and I thought their colors were ugly. However all this changed on Monday 22 December 2003.

In the fall of 2003 my cousin, Brett, and I decided it was time we attend our first professional football game. After looking into various options we decided we would see the Packers play the Oakland Raiders in a Monday Night Football match-up at the Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders were defending AFC Champions, and Green Bay always fielded a decent team - we thought it would be a good game.

Unfortunately, the previous season's success was short-lived for the Raiders. By the time our Monday Night game came around, the Raiders were bottom-dwellers in their division with only 4 wins and no hope of making the playoffs. Nonetheless, we made the road trip from Salt Lake to Oakland excited to see an NFL game as well as one of the all-time great quarterbacks - Brett Favre.

The day before the game we heard the unfortunate news that Brett Favre's father had passed away. There were rumors that Favre would not play in order to be with his family. Now, this may sound very cold-hearted, but although I was saddened to hear of the death of his father, I was now more concerned that I may not get to see Favre play!

Fortunately, when we showed up at the stadium on Monday night, number 4 in the mustard yellow helmet was suited up ready to play. What followed was incredible...!

Favre played like a man possessed. He threw deep pass after deep pass and his receivers reeled in each one of them. In the first half alone, Farve totaled 4 touchdowns and nearly 400 yards passing - numbers rarely seen for an entire game. I was impressed!

It was an historic night. Favre battled through emotional turmoil and turned in one of the best performances of his career. In fact, even wikipedia.com (yes, wikipedia is the source of all truth!) called the the evening, "One of the defining moments of Favre's career and arguably his greatest game ever." And I was there to witness it all!

Anyways, ever since that wondrous night, I have cheered for the Pack.

And thus, my picks for the Super Bowl...

Today the AFC and NFC Championships will be played: Chargers vs. Patriots and Giants vs. Packers respectively.

Who I want to win: I will be cheering for the Packers (of course) and the Chargers (I am a big Eric Weddle fan. Did you see his awesome interception in the Divisional Playoffs against the Colts?).

Who I think will win: I think we will see a Packers vs. Patriots match-up in Super Bowl XLII. This would truly be an awesome Super Bowl. What could be better than watching two of the greatest quarterbacks ever face-off in the biggest game of the year - with the additional intrigue of the possibility of the Patriots completing an undefeated season? It would be great!

Enjoy...

To the races...

2008-01-15T09:27:00.001-08:00

Last night I signed up to run the National Half Marathon in Washington DC. The race in on Saturday 29 March. I am pumped!!! Apparently the race is through the metropolitan DC area - strategically planned so the runners see many of the notable federal buildings/monuments during the race. I have never been to the nation's capitol; this will be a fun way to see the city.

Since moving to New York, my efforts to run regularly have been mediocre at best. There was a two month period when I did fairly well - getting out on the road three times a week. However, at other times I was only getting out once a week. Trent and I have talked before about the psychological influence of goals. Take, for example, the goal I have set before - to run three days a week. Certainly it is motivated by good intentions. But what happens after the first week when I accomplish said goal? I must motivate myself again to tackle the same goal the following week - and again the week after that. The problem is that the goal is very short term. Consider now having a running goal spanning several months - such as a race. I have found that when I sign up for a race and carefully construct a feasible training program, my ability to get out and run on a daily basis is significantly increased. Why? Because running each day and each week is not the end in and of itself. It is a building process. I am working towards a larger end. There is no need to continually re-motivate myself every day or every week to accomplish a new goal. Even though I ran yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, my goal yet remains unfulfilled. I must run again today to keep myself on track to realize the ultimate goal of finishing the race in the desired time.

This provides an interesting lesson in the importance of both long-term and short-term goals. The above paragraph provides sufficient detail as to the necessity of vision (a long-term goal). Essentially, it keeps us focused on a bigger, greater end. However, if we set these long-term goals without making plans and bench-marks (i.e. short-term goals) to reach them, we likely will find ourselves disappointed in the end.

In other words, I am excited to have a tangible long-term goal to help me exercise regularly. Not only do I intend to run in the National Half Marathon, but I am looking to set a personal record - I want to finish in under 1:30:00 (that is a 6:50 minute/mile pace). The last half marathon I ran I finished in 1:31:57. So close!!!

Introverted Red

2008-01-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

Some time ago I was wasting time on the internet when I stumbled across a personality test. There are many tests out there. Each has a different formula and method used to succinctly describe an individual's personality. The one I am most familiar with is the color test - i.e. red, yellow, blue, and white. I have always tested as red. The first time I remember taking such a test was in the seventh grade. I tested red then. I test red now. However, I have always felt that although the red personality describes me better than any of the other colors, it is not a completely accurate assessment of me. That is, until I found the following write-up. Apparently I am not simply a 'red,' but I am an 'introverted red.'

NOTE: I only feel comfortable sharing this description because it addresses both strengths and weaknesses. It is not my intention to boast - only to share what I believe to be an objective critique of my psyche.

"INTROVERTED RED: Introverted Reds are quiet, introspective, serious, matter-of-fact, reserved people who are reliable and steadfast. They are patient and painstakingly systematic in their approach to solving problems. Unlike their extroverted counterparts, introverted Reds will not exert themselves any more than they have to and they do not enter into things impulsively. They do not see bulldozing ahead or butting heads with people as a good usage of either time or energy. They are methodical in their approach to both life and tasks. Life is what you see and nothing more. They live in the present.

"No other type is more thorough, hard-working or patient with facts and details than introverted Reds. Their perseverance and quiet presence tends to act as a stabilizer for others. They will not do anything that does not make sense. They enjoy solitude and prefer working by themselves rather than working with people. For introverted Reds, people are a distraction. They need an environment where they just bury themselves in the tasks at hand. They produce results." (see Red Personality...)

Riddle me this...

2008-01-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

One of my 'Dodee toys' this year is a calendar with a new riddle/mind game for every day. They are fun when I have a spare moment or two. I have decided I will share some of my favorite puzzles on my blog here. But this is my rule... I will only share the puzzles that I figure out on my own (i.e. without someone else's help or peeks at the solution) .

Here is the first:

You have six six-packs of soda. Each can should weigh 30 ounces. However, due to a problem in manufacturing, one of the six-packs was incorrectly filled. Each can in this erroneous six pack contains the same amount of liquid, but they are all either one ounce too full or one ounce short. It is your job to identify which six-pack is incorrectly filled and determine whether the cans are too heavy or too light. You have been provided a scale, but it can only be used for one weighing. How can it be done?