Here we come a wassailing

I’m stealing this post from Red. Thanks, Red! Especially because yesterday at church we were talking about our favorite Christmas traditions, and I realized I have way too many.

1. Egg nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, especially if I can mix in Hazelnut creamer. Mmmm.
2. Do you wrap presents or bag them? Wrap. I am an expert wrapper. Wickety-wack!
3. Colored Lights or White? I usually prefer color, unless the tree is themed white.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Maybe if the answer to #17 came over, I would.
5. When do you decorate? We usually get our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving and everything else goes up after that.
6. Favorite holiday dish? I love a ham with pineapple and brown sugar. We’ve had them at Christmas parties since I can remember.
7. When & how did you learn about Santa? I think at school. I don’t remember the particular details. I don’t think I was really that disturbed by the news. Which is strange, because everyone else I talk to remembers and was traumatized by it.
8. How do you decorate your tree? Colored lights and then all the crazy ornaments go on haphazardly. Mine are always at eye level and in the front. We have so many ornaments and none of them go together.
9. Snow...love it or dread it? I used to love snow and playing in the snow. Now that I drive 25 miles to and from work every day, I don’t love it as much. Especially because Utah drivers cannot figure out the secret to snow driving. SLOW DOWN!
10. Can you ice skate? I have been once, so I think yes. I spent a lot of time on my bottom.
11. Do you remember your favorite gift? I have a lot of gifts over the years I have loved. I understand from people that I am difficult to shop for because when I want something, I buy it. I’m more excited about the presents I give to people nowadays.
12. What is the most important part of the holidays? Frankie Hejduk.
13. Favorite holiday dessert? I love homemade candies. We made them for the neighbors a couple times. I ate a lot myself. I love caramels, fudge, divinity, and toffee especially. And homemade oreos—if you put red and green frosting in them, they are Christmas cookies.
14. Favorite memory? I don’t know if it was Christmas, but it was winter. My house used to be right by the mountains. There was a trail that motorcycles and 4-wheelers went on up in the mountains. It was a clear path about ten feet wide surrounded by scrub oak. It was a smooth downhill, not too steep or too shallow. We always went sledding and tubing on it. One night, my dad took his generator up and strung lights through the trees and we sledded in the dark and we had hot chocolate. It was so fun. When you are young, the cold doesn’t bother you as much—probably because of all the moving you do.
15. Do you have a special ornament? I have one that is heavy mirror glass that is my school picture on one side and my primary class on the other side. It’s from when I was about five. I’m so cute.
16. What do you do on Christmas Eve? Shop, watch movies, bake, get ready for Christmas. I love to get into the spirit by doing every Christmas-y thing I can think of.
17. If you could have anything for Christmas this year what would it be? Much like Vieve, I would take Dema Kovalenko. Best abs ever. But if any member of RSL decided to show up, I would be okay with that.
18. What do you do for neighbors and friends for Christmas? We make them cookies or candy. Mom used to give them homemade salsa every year. I love Christmas because we get so much food and I eat it all. Which is bad, but delicious.

Go my favorite sports team!

So, It’s rivalry week at 4Life. Basically that means that the day before gameday (today) everyone brings every piece of BYU or U of U paraphernalia they have into the office and displays it. It also means that everyone who went to one of these schools and still cares wears either a piece of clothing from that team, or that teams colors.

I, in my traditional I-don’t-care stance, am wearing yellow. This is in support of Columbus who play New York for the MLS Cup on Sunday. This is one of the few times when I support a different team than Real.

Anyway, back to rivalry week, I’m not really into football, as we know, so whether BYU or U of U wins, I couldn’t care less. But, I like the spirit of rivalry week. I love that people hang their flags and then sabotage the other team’s supporters. I have access to a color printer and so someone asked me to print out the above picture so he could hang it on a U fan’s flag. I just thought it was funny. If you can see the faces of the guys in the crowd, it looks like they are cheering because the U player got hurt. Sports are fun!

I wish everyone here at work got into soccer like this. Then I would be all over it. Until then...Go BYU of U! Beat the opponents soundly. Score a goal-unit-basket…

No Really, I'm Fine

Much to my dismay, soccer season is over. I’m dealing with it just fine. I took a personal day on Sunday to recuperate from Saturday night’s loss. (Actually I have a cold.) It’s fine. As they say, there’s always next year. Besides, the season was so long this year (34 weeks all told); and if they start the same week next year as they did this year, we’ve only 18 weeks until the next game. And don’t think I haven’t already started counting down.

Sadly, those eighteen weeks are winter. Winter me no likee.

Which brings me to the real matter at hand. I have a cold. My first one of the season. Whoo! I actually hate everything about colds. My nose runs or is stuffy. I cough. I get tired just because I’m walking. It throws my running off. AGH!

So, I am totally overdosing on Vitamin C. I drink a lot of Simply Orange and plenty of RioVida. Usually when I’m sick, I’m totally into soup. This time it’s just simple foods. I’m all about fruit (gala apples and bananas and peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

Luckily, and this I attribute to TF, the cold seems to be ebbing. I was able to run last night, though not my usual length. Right now I have to be able to run well because next Thursday is not only Thanksgiving (delicious food), but it’s also a 4-mile race. I intend to do well, not stop half-way through because I can’t breathe anymore. Oh, and I’m totally going to beat Pepper!

I Voted Today!

I sure did. And I waited in line for 25 minutes to do so. I have the sticker to prove it. I'm not going to say who I voted for. Let's just say, I don't think either of the candidates for president in the two main parties are fit to run this country. This election has been incredibly annoying to me. I have hated watching the bickering and slandering and the stupid things they all say. No matter who wins, it doesn't really affect my life.

I do think that America needs to do away with the electoral college. I think it is a large part of why most Americans don't take the opportunity to vote. Especially in states like Utah, where the electoral votes go Republican, a single vote doesn't seem to matter. I think that would be different, were each vote counted. Every person's voice should be heard, individually.

Anyway, off my soapbox. May the best man (or woman) win, or failing that, may the people be ready for the consequences of their actions.

It's Real-ly Frightening

I actually hate the Real puns.

After a decade-long absence, I’m returning to the blogosphere. Okay, it wasn’t even close to that long, but it has been nearly 2 months. I’m sure that no one has even noticed my absence--except for Pepper. Thanks for the support, Pep!

I actually just wanted to share how proud I am of my pumpkin I carved for Halloween. I’m pretty good at carving pumpkins, but I think this one is my best work so far. Beautiful. It worked even better because it went with my “costume” which was a Real fan. It wasn’t so much a costume, as me putting on my going-to-a-game-gear.

Real are in the playoffs for the first time ever. Not only that, they won their first playoff game. Every other playoff game last week ended in a tie. Ha ha! Take that! Even if we don’t advance to the next round, they have put in a solid effort this year and made us all proud to be Real fans.

Time to Go

I don’t think anyone can remember the last time I wrote. It’s been a strange couple months…

Anyway, I’m back, at least for today. I thought I’d again share my MLS predictions. Not like I have a lot of knowledge in this area. Let’s see what happens.

Columbus Crew at Toronto FC
I think when the season started, 24 short weeks ago; no one expected from the Columbus Crew what they have delivered. They are top of the Eastern Conference and show no signs of lagging. Not so for Toronto. They showed some definite promise earlier in the season, but all signs of that have disappeared. Columbus is simply the best squad. And Toronto at home is not as scary as once they were.

Houston Dynamo at San Jose Earthquakes
Both these teams had a rather rough start to the season. San Jose did the usual “we’re a first year expansion team” thing. Houston…well, I don’t know what was going on there. But with their current run of form, you wouldn’t guess they were ever struggling. Houston is #1 in the west and San Jose came from being last place just a few weeks ago, to being fourth place. I’d rather see San Jose win this contest, and chances are they could, but my money is on Houston.

FC Dallas at DC United
Dallas, bless their hearts, have not won in four games. They conceded a victory to Colorado last week, which in my opinion was one of the most boring games I have ever seen. Kenny Cooper is flat and Jeff Cunningham is showing again he’s not worth his salt. DC, while proud winners of the US Open Cup trophy, have not won a league match since August 23rd. Even so, I expect this game to go to them.

RSL at Red Bull New York
I love the boys in red, but for some reason they cannot win road games. Last weekend they were clearly the better team, but only managed to keep one point against LA. The fact is; if they want into the playoffs, they must win road games. And they will have to do it without Fabian Espindola. He is out for at least 4 weeks. New York has not being playing awful soccer, so I expect a Real loss.

LA Galaxy at Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City can’t win. LA can’t win. LA, while able to score a lot of goals, cannot manage to stop their opponents from doing the same. I expect a high scoring tie.

Chicago Fire at Colorado Rapids
Both of these teams managed to win last week. Colorado’s victory was flat. Chicago’s victory was lucky. I don’t expect a repeat performance from either, but if I have to pick one of these teams, I would go with Chicago.

No RSL game this weekend means I am a little sad. What makes me even more sad is that there is also no RSL game next week. On the plus side, RSL now have a 4 point cushion between them and the two teams in 2nd place in the west. That means when we come back, the max number of points between us and 1st place is 2.

Let’s see what everyone else will be up to this weekend…

Kansas City Wizards @ DC United
Since their lovely 4-1 win over LA at the end of June, DC has only played one league game—which they lost. Add to those woes their losses in the SuperLiga and we’ve got a pretty sad looking team—again. Meanwhile, Kansas City has managed to gain 4 more points. Granted, none of them were from wins, but they have managed to hold several of the high ranking Eastern teams down. I really expect this match to end like the Wizards’ last four: in a tie.

New York Red Bulls @ New England Revolution
This is the Revs first league game since July 4th. They have been winning some games, but it’s been SuperLiga play. I doubt anything has changed between one month ago and now. New England are enjoying this season. Look for that to continue on Saturday when they take 3 points at home.

Chivas USA @ Chicago Fire
Chivas have been so quiet lately, I forgot they were in the league. The biggest news to come out of there lately is the trade of Guzan, their Keeper, to Aston Villa. Luckily for Chivas, Chicago’s form has been slipping of late. They have Brian McBride coming in, but the earliest he will be available is later this month, meanwhile they have already shipped Chad Barrett off to Toronto. I’m looking for a tie in this match as well.

Columbus Crew @ Houston Dynamo
Poor Houston, they are winless in their last five league matches. However, they managed to make it to the finals of SuperLiga so they can have yet another “rematch” of last year’s MLS Cup. (Am I the only person sick of watching New England and Houston play over and over?) Luckily for the Dynamo, Nate Jaqua is back. I don’t know if he’s eligible for this match. Both these teams are missing some key players (suspensions and Olympics), but I expect a Houston victory.

Los Angeles Galaxy @ San Jose Earthquakes
Ah, LA. Recently looking to be in much better form and spawning talk about winning the west’s regular season crown. Now, can’t seem to win a match and just looking plain. San Jose are making trades and improving their roster (hopefully). I’m going to go out on a limb and call this match in San Jose’s favor. Crazier things have happened.

FC Dallas @ Toronto FC
Both of these teams were doing great earlier in the season, but then somehow lost their form. Unfortunately for Toronto, Dallas has been steadily clawing their way out of the gutter for the last month, while Toronto spent that month falling down the table. Add to their misery the fact that Danny Dichio is still out; Maurice Edu is in China; and all they got for Brian McBride was Chad Barrett. Dallas may not win, but Toronto will be hard fought to get a point from this match.

MLS Week 19

My All Star prediction was right. Who would have guessed?

In a strange turn of events, all five league games played in week seventeen were ties. Phenomenon. (Doo doo doo doo)

I don’t think the return to league games from the All Star break has ever been as swift as it is this year. Eight teams return to action on Sunday, with RSL and Toronto playing on Monday. It’s Monday Night Fútbol!

New York Red Bulls @ San Jose Earthquakes
When I learned that San Jose managed to hold Toronto to a tie last weekend, at home, I was dazed. We’ve seen that San Jose can play well, but playing at BMO Field is not a pleasant experience, so I hear. New York also managed to hold scoring giant LA to a tie, but their tie involved goals. In order to win at San Jose, like I expect them to, they will have to continue that.

LA Galaxy @ FC Dallas
Poor FC Dallas. During the All Star game we heard plenty of talk about European Teams pursuing Kenny Cooper and Juan Toja. Unfortunately, Dallas doesn’t have much else going for them. And as much as I make fun of LA, they have a lot of depth in their goal-scoring positions. Dallas, who started out the season so well, are just not doing well right now. I don’t anticipate anything but a Galaxy victory from this game.

Chicago Fire @ Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City are looking better. They managed to score twice in their match with Columbus (their first goal was an own goal). Very nice, Wizards. Chicago had very many chances again RSL, but Chad Barrett, master of hitting the post, was unable to score. So was Blanco, which makes me happy. I think KC just might be able to win this match.

Columbus Crew @ Colorado Rapids
Poor Colorado. It has been a difficult season for them. Columbus, much like RSL, has kind of shocked everyone by maintaining a fairly high standing on the Eastern rankings. They are currently in second place, and of these two, are the better team. They scored three goals for themselves and one for Kansas last Thursday. I fully expect them to leave the pitch with three points.

Toronto FC @ Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, while only managing a draw at Chicago, definitely proved that they were the better team. Toronto proved nothing by their scoreless draw against San Jose. Except that they should not have let Brian McBride go to Chicago (assuming my suspicions are correct). Real is on a role. Still undefeated at home, I don’t anticipate that will change from this game. But it’s usually when I’m sure of a Real victory that they lose. Let’s give this one a tie and both teams will walk away with one point. Then, unless everyone else in the west ties or loses, RSL will no longer be in first place.

Half-way

So, the All Star game is usually the half-way mark on the season. This year is not exception. It's sad. There are only five remaining home games for Real Salt Lake. There are no other games this weekend to post predictions on, so here goes...

West Ham @ All Stars
This year the All Stars will be taking on West Ham from the English Premiere League. West Ham is probably all out of shape because it is the off-season for them. I anticipate an All Star Victory. I also anticipate a fight of some sort, and for Blanco to spend at least 10 minutes complaining.

It's going to be a good one. I believe it starts in about...51 minutes.

I am 24.98 years old

Well, it’s been a long time. I’ve actually been busy and completely unwilling to blog. I try to think of something to write about and then give up. I spend my energy elsewhere.

My birthday is coming up. I actually have less than a week remaining before I am twenty-five years old. It was bothering me for about ten minutes, then I got over it.

I think 25 is the last milestone in the age thing, before you hit 65 and suddenly everything is cheaper. At 25 you can rent a car without paying their extra underage fees. That’s something I’m definitely looking forward to.

Pepper has been telling me that if I don’t give her ideas, she is not going to get me anything for my birthday. She is basically complaining that I never tell her what I want or that I buy everything for myself. I have heard this complaint from my mom before too. When it’s Christmas time, I am not allowed to buy anything for myself.

The thing is, I like surprises. When someone asks me what I want for Christmas or my birthday, I kind of get peeved. I know that it’s a standard question, but come on. I don’t like to make a Christmas list. I usually don’t get half the stuff on it, even though I plan it according to the budget I know I have to work with.

I am the type of person who listens intently to what people say. If someone mentions in passing that they want something, I make a mental note for the next holiday. I also strictly observe the types of clothes that person wears, or what they say they do in their free-time. Then I shop accordingly.

So, I rarely ask anyone what they want. It helps that the person I buy gifts for the most is Pepper, and I know pretty much everything Pepper likes. We have a lot of the same tastes. I know Pepper’s size. I know Pepper’s favorite color. I know most of the movies in Pepper’s collection.

And that's the reason I usually don't have anything planned for what I want for the next holiday. I don't remember, but like I do for you, I expect you to remember. But then again, maybe the gifts I buy aren't any good. Then this whole rant sounds so dumb...

Offside!

Exciting News!

Last night, Pepper and I put down our first payment towards our 2009 Real Salt Lake season tickets! It’s so fun to hand over hundreds of dollars and have nothing to show for it! Even so, I am very excited. We are up one row from where we are now, but the seats at the new stadium are closer to the field. So all in all, it’s a better seat...for half again as much...

Anyway, on to the rest of the league…

Colorado Rapids @ Columbus Crew
Colorado are right in their traditional form of not winning games. Columbus are still trying to hold their place among the East. I don’t know how long it has been since Colorado won. Too long. Columbus, however, managed to tie LA last weekend. Right now, that is an impressive feat. I give this game to Columbus. They are home and Colorado are stinky.

Toronto FC @ New England Revolution
This is the only game of the weekend that involves two teams from the same conference. Toronto were home last weekend with Kansas City visiting. I thought it would be an easy victory for them. New England were visiting RSL. I thought we would be lucky to hold them to a tie. I was so wrong, on both counts. Toronto is nearly unbeatable at home, but New England are good wherever they play. I think New England wins this match. Especially because most of their starters that were out last weekend, should be back this one.

Real Salt Lake @ Kansas City Wizards
KC were impressive to hold Toronto to a tie at home and leave BMO with one point. Real Salt Lake were even more impressive to win league-leading New England at home. I want so badly for Real to win, it could mean first place in the west for them if they do. But I’m afraid that in their usual form they will screw up and I will be furious and we’ll go right back to #13 in the power rankings.

San Jose Earthquakes @ Chicago Fire
San Jose’s first home game of the season, they played host to Chicago. At that point, they were looking measly at best, and yet managed to keep Chicago from scoring more than once. Chicago lost to both Chivas and Dallas last week. I would not have thought that possible earlier in the season. Even so, I think Chicago will take this game.

New York Red Bulls @ Chivas USA
New York and Chivas both managed a good week last week. New York tied the Revs in midweek and then won at Dallas on Saturday. Chivas won at home against Chicago. Chivas is still a team to be reckoned with, despite their poor start to the season and their mile-long injury list. I think it will be a good game, but I think Chivas will win it.

Los Angeles Galaxy @ DC United
Sunday’s lone game should be very interesting. DC are not the top team in the East in points, but they are making major strides. LA are sitting at top, but I hope they lose. They only managed a tie last weekend, while DC beat San Jose (which in mind is like a tie). This game is incredibly difficult to call, so I default to the home side.

GOOOOOAAAALLLLLLL!

Kansas City Wizards at Toronto FC
Poor Kansas City. They are winless in their last six games and they have to travel to Toronto this weekend. No one is going to have a good time playing at BMO this year. Kansas will extend their winless streak to seven games. Toronto will extend their winning streak to two.

FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls
I would not have picked Dallas over Chicago last weekend. They haven’t been playing very poorly, but since losing their coach, they haven’t been overly impressive. Now they have a new coach and he certainly has something to prove. New York gave up a late goal to New England Wednesday night. It’s better than I thought they would do. The Red Bulls have only had two days to rest, but at least they are at home. I think they will win.

Houston Dynamo at Colorado Rapids
Houston lost yet again the New England last Thursday while Colorado lost to Toronto. Despite their poor form, Colorado are only two points behind Houston. Both teams will be eager for three points. It’s just a matter of who wants it more. I would say that Houston does.

New England Revolution at Real Salt Lake
Last weekend, I predicted RSL would lose at Chivas. They won. On Wednesday, I was sure they would win at home against San Jose. They tied. I’m thinking that we don’t have a chance against New England—even with Twellman and Joseph missing. I hate to say it. They will be lucky to get a tie, but I expect a loss.

Columbus Crew at Los Angeles Galaxy
The Galaxy are proving over and over again that they are a new team. In their last five games, the only team they have lost to is Toronto. The Crew are coming off a victory over Kansas. I expect a lot of goals from this game, but the Galaxy will have more.

San Jose Earthquakes at DC United
San Jose have a knack for pulling strange victories out of a hat. Unfortunately, DC is climbing toward the top of the East. I don’t expect that this will be one of those games that shock everyone. It will probably end with DC victory.

Fore!

I have been remiss in my blogging duties. My only excuse is that I haven’t really felt like doing it. I know it’s lame, but there it is.

There is actually quite a lot of stuff going on right now. Summer has finally come and slapped us all in the face. It’s so hot! And yet, I love it. It certainly makes running a little more uncomfortable, but that’s about it. The roads are clear. People go on vacation so traffic is rarely as bad as it has been the last 8 months. I can go outside without a jacket. The world, and my skin, has color again. It’s all good!

Anyway, today’s blog is going to be about golf. I personally don’t love golf. I do not think it counts as a sport. Come on, they don’t even carry their own clubs! The only physical activity involved is wandering around and trying to find your ball and then swinging a club at said tiny little ball. Please.

This isn’t to say that golf is not a game of skill. I acknowledge that it’s difficult and pretty much miraculous. I am not denying that fact. I cannot understand how anyone can get a hole in one. I have only been golfing once in my life, but that was all the experience I needed to measure its difficulty.

Today was the Sorenson’s Champions Challenge at Thanksgiving Point. My company is a sponsor for this event. We have free tickets and some of us even get VIP passes. This is the first year I was able to go to this event. I was excited. I rarely get to spend more than a few minutes during the daylight hours outside on weekdays. I was able to see some big golfing names and I got sunburned. Fun for me!

And I must say that watching golf live is slightly less boring than watching it on TV.

Even so, I think I will stick with mini golf. A round takes about an hour, rather than 4 or 5. Getting less than 6 strokes is possible for someone like me. You don’t have to worry about whether the course has a dress code or not. It’s all around better.

But kudos to those of you who love to watch and play golf. I’ll stick with soccer. You can cheer while the actual playing of the game is going on.

I'm going to Disneyland!

Well, we had a successful trip to Disneyland. I wish that I could write about everything that happened. I think that would be boring for everyone. We have safely established a few things, though…

I can break rides by willpower. I have twice broken Indiana Jones by saying out loud that I hope it would break down--once while we were on it. I have also broken down Space Mountain, but not in time for us to stop on the ride and have to walk off. Too bad.

Disneyland is hardest on my feet. I get blisters and more blisters. I can’t put on any shoes by flip-flops. By the end of the day, all I want to do is sit or lie down.

There is too much food in Disneyland. We ate a lot, but it felt like we hardly ate anything. We only got one trip to Bur-r-rbank, one churro, one ice cream sandwich, one frozen banana, one everything. And as the slogan goes, once is never enough.

Disneyland is one of the best places to “people watch”. There are so many freaky people who show up and are dressed to the nines, or who are not dressed enough. There are crazy people who can’t walk around the park, and it’s obvious it’s just because of their size. There are people who cannot keep track of their one child, so they put them on a leash. How can TWO adults not keep track of ONE child? You can sit on a bench for just five minutes and see a fair number of people worth mocking go by.

Driving in California is safer than driving in Utah.

I don’t think you should ever wait in a line that has a posted wait time of longer than 30 minutes. Fast pass the ride or come back another time. The only time we spent longer than 25 minutes in a line was waiting for the Nemo Submarines. And since we had chimichangas to eat and interesting people around us to talk or listen to, it was alright.

Californians have no concept of what Utah is like, unless they have actually visited.

You can eat for cheap in California Adventure. Just take the Mission Tortilla Factory tour and the Boudin Bakery tour. Free tortillas and sourdough bread for all!

The front of Screamin’ is worth the wait. The wind whips at your face and you can see the track the entire time. If you can’t ride in the front, or don’t want to wait for the front, try riding with your eyes closed. The coaster is a different experience when you don’t know what’s coming next.

I can wear a baseball cap on almost any ride and it will not come off.

So, useful tips and fun facts. Anyone want to take a trip? I’m ready for another vacation.

Ole Ole Ole Ole

I have no idea what is going on in this league. I just have to say that it's a good thing the season is so long. Otherwise no one would ever really show what they were capable of. Let's hope this weekend Real does just that.

LA Galaxy @ Toronto FC
Both these teams have completely proved me wrong. I said, repeatedly, that there was no chance for either of them. They both keep winning games. However, I think Toronto, with their home crowd behind them, will win this match.

NY Red Bulls @ Houston Dynamo
The Dynamo were impressive for about two games and then lost to San Jose last weekend. New York has not been consistently anything this season. I honestly don’t know what to expect from this match, so let’s call it a tie.

San Jose Earthquakes @ Real Salt Lake
The Earthquakes have already visited RSL once this season. It was an LHUSOC game, but it was still a victory for Real. They also have a long list of players on their injury list and two more who are away on national duty. I think that RSL takes this one.

Columbus Crew @ Chivas USA
Columbus has been the team to beat so far this year. Chivas has not been up to snuff. Even so, I think that Chivas will take the three points from this match.

FC Dallas @ Colorado RapidsThe Rapids, much to my delight, have returned to their ridiculous ways. They can’t seem to do anything right. I’m going to stick with the Hoops to win this match.

MLS Week 9

No predictions last week. I probably would have gotten everything wrong, anyway. I never would have picked Houston to beat Chicago. Not with the way they are playing. I also would not have guessed that LA would beat Dallas by four goals. What was that? Here are this weeks guesses:

New England Revolution @ Columbus Crew
New England is back with a vengeance. Columbus is, I believe, still #1 in the league, but I think New England is going to put a stop to that this weekend. I would say that they are ready for a victory-and a meaningful one. Let’s go with The Revs.

Toronto FC @ DC United
DC has been so pathetic of late. In their last six games, they have lost five times. That’s not good. Toronto are no longer the team you feel bad for and so you secretly cheer them on. They are now the team you hate because they keep winning and are a bunch of tools. Even so, I bet they get three points this weekend.

Real Salt Lake @ FC Dallas
Dallas fired their coach and I cannot figure out why. Someone must have had a serious grudge against him. Their assistant coach has stepped in, for the time being. Real beat Dallas two weeks ago and really need to win an away game. However, I don’t think that this will be the game they win, much to my chagrin.

CD Chivas USA @ Colorado Rapids
Chivas are making me sad. They were able to beat DC last weekend, but that’s not saying much. Colorado are still in their form of winning a couple, losing a couple. I believe tomorrow’s game is the second of a couple wins. Let’s give them the three points.

Kansas City Wizards @ Los Angeles Galaxy
LA keeps pulling out these crazy victories that no one can explain. 5-1, 5-2; but then they have equally pathetic losses. Kansas City was doing great earlier, but have since fallen a little. I still think KC is the better team and hope they come out with the three points.

Chicago Fire @ New York Red Bulls
Chicago lost last week. At home. To Houston. It made me laugh for a long time. New York will be at home and hungry for three more points. Angel is back to full fitness and Altidore is looking good. However, NY does not have their coach this weekend or Dave van den Bergh. I really want NY to take the three points. I’m hoping that by saying they will, it will make it so.

There's no one here but me

I have a sort of routine. Whenever I buy a new CD, I put it in my car and listen to it as I drive. It usually takes me about two drives home from work before I’ve been through the whole thing. Then I listen to it again and maybe even a third time. Usually by the third listen I have determined what my favorite song is on the CD.

Once I have that figured out, I listen to that song on repeat until I get all the words down. Then I feel guilty that I haven’t given enough attention to all the other songs on the CD, so I go back to listening to the entire CD. Except sometimes, I still repeat my favorite song a second or third time.

I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. I realized it again when I bought the new Augustana CD Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt. For anyone who is wondering, this CD is awesome. I would totally recommend you run out to your local music store or jump on your computer and purchase it. It’s beautiful.

When I bought the CD, I only knew one song: “Sweet and Low”. I had heard it on the radio and bought it from iTunes back in early March, so I already had it memorized. I put the CD in and listened until I caught track 4. It is called “Twenty”. I have listened to it about 60 times. I love it a lot. I’m already back to listening to the whole CD. It’s been in my car CD player for about two weeks. But almost every time I pass track 4, I skip back to it again.

Just another one of those quirky things I do. One day I think I will make a CD of about twenty such songs. It will be easy to determine them. They all have about 30 more listens on iTunes than the rest of the songs.

Go my favorite sports team!

I actually have a couple of things to write about today. Firstly, my older brother is getting married. It’s crazy fast and I honestly can’t believe it, but it’s going to happen. I will be getting August 7th off work.

My mom is super excited. She has waited so long for one of her kids to get married. I’m a tell you now, anyone who says anything to me like “you’re next” or “when are you getting married?” is going to get a punch in the head. You’ve been warned.

Second item, I was going to post a list like Pepper did detailing 101 awesome things about me (because I’m awesome), but as I was writing the list, I figured I had about 101 potential blog entries. Especially because some of my little facts are super long. Here’s the first one:

I don’t like a lot of sports. When I was younger, I liked basketball because I was pretty good at it. Then I liked football because they allow tackling. Now, I prefer soccer.

The thing is, I’m not really good at any one sport. I play a lot of sports just well enough that I don’t embarrass myself. I’m talking basketball, football, baseball, soccer, volleyball, badminton, tennis, etc. The only thing I’m really “good” at is swimming.

And I’m not trying to brag, it’s just fact. Ask Pepper. She excels at soccer and running, but if we play anything else, I’m a give her a run for her money. Just don’t expect me to play by the rules. There should totally be tackling in all sports.

It's only natural

I am so far behind, but I have a great excuse. I was out of town over the weekend. I wish I could write a big long description about my past weekend. I spent Thursday through Sunday at Capitol Reef National Park. It’s one of my favorite places to go. We visit at least once a year. Unfortunately, I don’t want to ramble on forever and a lot of the stuff I found interesting, no one else will care about. I’ll just give a brief summary of some of the things we did.

On Friday we hiked Cassidy Arch. I have hiked Cassidy Arch several times before. The way to the arch is a 1.75 mile hike with a 950 foot climb. It’s a fairly strenuous hike, but the reward is absolutely magnificent. Cassidy Arch is, I think, the most breathtaking arch in Utah. Instead of walking under it or looking up at it, you walk on it and look down through it. The cliffs fall away steeply from the arch and if you fall, you fall to the canyon floor. Standing up there at the top, I kind of freak out, but I love it.




On Saturday, we hiked Sulphur Creek. It starts near Chimney Rock on the west entrance of the park. The hike follows the creek for about 6 miles to the visitor’s center. We had a group of 30 people. We scrambled over rocks, helped each other down cliffs, and watched most of the kids fall into the water and soak their clothes. It was funny and a lot of fun. I would definitely classify it in my top ten hikes. The hike took us nearly 4 hours as we were working with children and trying to walk through water. The creek has three waterfalls that we had to find a way around and that took time. We passed children along and held tightly to their hands. It was a lot of fun. The views were breathtaking. At one point you pass underneath the Goosenecks overlook. Staring up those rock faces is amazing. The cliffs rise so high on either side, it’s crazy.

Otherwise we just did our normal camping thing. We played cards and board games. We pulled out the soccer ball and the football. The kids ran around while the adults sat and talked. There was an infestation of gnats and they all seemed to be grouped around me. I smashed as many as I could. There were also a lot of caterpillars that the kids collected. There were so many, you would just be sitting and you’d find one crawling up your leg. There are going to be a lot of moths in Capitol Reef this summer.

We also did one of my other favorite camping things. The Fremont River runs through the Fruita campground. There is an excellent point right by where we camped where you can just step right into the water. I love to skip rocks and skipping rocks on a river is the best. The flowing water smoothes the rocks down and you can find loads of great skipping rocks. Tip for everyone: skipping rocks works the best when you are closer to the water’s surface. I find the best way to do it is to be in water about to your knees. I am a champion skipper.

I think my favorite part of the camping is the being away from work. I cannot be reached by cell phone or e-mail there. So for four days I had no work. That’s the best.
I hope to visit Capitol Reef again this year, but next time I’m a drag Pepper along.

MLS Predictions

Okay, this may seem completely lame, but I forgot to go home on Friday and post my predictions. I know it's after the fact, but I promise these are the predictions as I wrote them on Friday before any of the games. I've also added whether I was correct or not, since all these games are over. Wow.

Colorado Rapids at Houston Dynamo
Houston are looking worse and worse as the season goes on. Colorado is in their normal form. They win some, they lose some. The same cannot be said of the Dynamo. So far this season, there has not been any “win some” for them. I’m going to stick with Colorado this time around.
Final: Colorado 1, Houston 2

FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake
Dallas started off the season very impressively. They were winning against good teams. I think it took them to week four to lose a game. However, their performance at San Jose was not very impressive last week. San Jose is a scrappy team, but Dallas should not have settled for a tie. The same goes for RSL last weekend. We were at home. We were playing much better than LA. We should have beat them. I think the loss had a lot to do with the poor officiating. Jason Kreis is suspended because he voiced his opinions about that. I think Real can win, but I think they will settle for a tie and I will be furious. Especially if the refereeing goes the way it has been lately. I’m sure my opinion is not at all objective, but there it is. I think the Real victory over Dallas will come the next day when the Reserves play.
Final: Dallas 1, RSL 2

Columbus Crew at San Jose Earthquakes
Columbus are sitting at #1. Congratulations to them. San Jose has been looking better, but I don’t think they have much of a chance against Columbus. The Crew will take the three points.
Final: Columbus 3, San Jose 2

New York Red Bulls at Los Angeles Galaxy
I really badly want New York to win this game. I like most of the guys on their team. I especially like Angel and how feisty he is. He is finally back and played the full match last week at Toronto. I think he is getting more and more eager to get a goal in the books. I hope he will prove that this weekend. The Red Bulls are a better team than LA. Plus, right now, I’m particularly upset at the Galaxy.
Final: New York 2, LA 1

New England Revolution at Chivas USA
Chivas, once the crown jewel of the Western Conference, are not looking good at all right now. They followed an embarrassing defeat by LA with a tie at Houston, who are pretty much pathetic right now. New England are struggling, but I hear that Steve Ralston is coming back to the field. I think that will be the boost they need to take three points from Chivas.
Final: New England 2, Chivas 1

We all fall down

I'm fond of scars. I have several that I am excessively proud of. My favorite is the one I got from kicking my foot against a swimming pool and cut my foot. It's a very neat white line on my left foot. I'm also keen on the one next to my left eye that I got when I fell between the springs of a trampoline. I have many others. I'm an incredibly clumsy person.

Last night we went to a barbecue activity that also included some volleyball. Pepper and I were on a team that included up to ten other people at any given time. That many people on a court, we were bound to have mishaps.

First, while chasing after a ball, I ran into one kid and he stepped on my foot. My three middle toes on my left foot are in pain. Second, I was hit with the volleyball by a failed serve by one of the kids. Third, the pole fell and just happened to land on my right shoulder. Add to that the tiny bruises from hitting a flat ball on my right forearm and just the general soreness from playing a sport I haven't played for a while, and I'm a bit off today.

But because of my love of scars and bruises and all that, I'm alright. I like to be sore. I like to have "battle wounds". It gives me something to talk about, and in my opinion, toughens me up. And as we all know, I think toughness very important.

Soccer

The useless MLS predictions will be coming a day early this week. That just means I also get to make a prediction about tonight’s game. I, frankly, have no idea what is going on in the league right now. Everyone is so all over the place in wins and losses, I cannot figure it out. Luckily, the season is still young and there are plenty of chances for the odds to even out.

Here it goes!

New York Red Bulls at Toronto FC
Tonight’s game is at Toronto at BMO field. I think everyone who has ever seen an MLS game knows what a nightmare it is to play there. Toronto managed a win in their last two contests at home, and it looks to me like they will keep up the momentum. I’m giving this match to Toronto.

Chicago Fire at New England Revolution
Chicago has only lost one match so far this season. New England can’t seem to decide whether they are winners or losers. I’m hoping that Saturday night they will decide to be winners and put out the Fire. Three points to New England.

Kansas City Wizards at Columbus Crew
Kansas City were doing so well and then they lost to Toronto. Columbus have been kind of shocking everyone so far by not only winning, but winning against good teams. There is a chance this match could end in a tie, but I think because Columbus has a home advantage, they will walk away with the victory.

Chivas USA at Houston Dynamo
What’s with Chivas this season? They lost to LA? They lost to LA 5-2?!?! That being said; what’s with Houston this season? They are the only team who have yet to win a match. I know that Houston are at home, but I’m inclined to think that Chivas, despite the disgusting loss to LA, are still the better bet.

Los Angeles Galaxy at Real Salt Lake
When I saw the score from the LA-Chivas game I was shocked. For anyone who does not know, LA beat Chivas 5-2, Landon Donovan had a hat trick. It’s safe to say that Donovan is on fire right now. I’m worried about our boys in red. They are coming off a win in non-league play at home against San Jose. I’m hoping that victory gives everyone a bit of confidence. The Galaxy are having little trouble scoring goals this season and I think the key to beating them is to score a lot of goals and not allow them to score any. I realize that’s about the most obvious thing to say, but let me explain. LA’s defense has been sorely lacking lately. They have only managed a shut-out against San Jose. In every other game this season, they have allowed multiple goals. Their offense has been forced to do all the work. RSL’s defense has been pretty solid this season, they just can’t seem to finish. We just need to create a chance, follow-through, and then do what we’ve been doing well so far-defend. If we can do that (for the full time) RSL will take all three points. I’m relying on them to do so.

FC Dallas at San Jose Earthquakes
Dallas ended their unbeaten streak last Thursday with a loss at New England. San Jose are going to be very tired for their match this weekend. They only have like 17 men on their roster (how can they play reserves games?) and two of them ran into each other on Wednesday night. I’m picking Dallas.

DC United at Colorado Rapids
DC used a couple of questionable (in my mind) calls for PKs last weekend to beat RSL 4-1. Colorado lost to Chicago. Colorado is about as inconsistent as they come. One week they shock you by beating someone like New England in an away game and the next they lose to San Jose at home. DC looks like they might be ready to start playing soccer again. I think this is going to be a good match because both of these teams are in line for a win. I’m going to go the other way and say that the home team takes the win.

She knew she was right

The word of the day is Vituperate. It is pronounced like so: Vi (as in vitamin) tup (like tube, but with a p) a (like the word a) rate (like the word rate). Vituperate is a synonym of berate. It means to abuse or censure severely or abusively.

I personally hate to be vituperated. It’s what has kept me good over the years. The thought of a scolding from my parents, teachers, or anyone else who might take the chance is something I strongly shy away from.

Of all things, I like to be right the most. I take great pride in my correctness. I’m not often wrong, and that’s not always a good thing. I hate to apologize. I don’t admit defeat. When someone vituperates me because I’ve done something wrong, I don’t often forget it. I try my best to never make the same mistake twice. I’m usually pretty successful.

...Which must make living with me or just plain knowing me a treat. I don’t proclaim myself unless I absolutely know I am right or can find a way out. When I know I have something right, I stick to it to the death. My stubbornness has caused me to get into a lot of arguments. And the solution let’s-agree-to-disagree, doesn’t work for me. I can’t stand that someone will not agree with me when I am trying so hard to convince them.

And yet I am who I am. People who can’t handle me soon move on. I usually only show my true nature to the people I really like. It’s as if I wait for them to vest in me and then I try to drive them away.

Over the past few years I think I’ve become a little better. I’ve been out of school where chances to prove how smart I am are rare and useless. No one cares what my grades or test scores were. I don’t even care about them. No one cares which college I got into. No one cares how many tests I passed. The point of being smart now is to be able to carry on a conversation with the people around me. I’d say I do a tolerable job of that.

But believe me, you cross me on something I know or strongly believe in, you better be the one prepared for vituperation.

I'm a hiker

I love to hike. Ever since I was a little thing, I’ve been hiking. My family spent most summers camping and that meant a lot of hiking.

I don’t even care where I’m hiking. The Bonneville Shoreline Trail runs along the mountains just above my house. I like to get on that and take it north or south. I like to hike in the national parks. I like to blaze my own trail. I like to follow well groomed trails.

But I have a hiking routine. I prefer hiking in shorts and tevas. I always carry my CamelBak. Because I’ve been hiking for so long, I know the way I am most comfortable hiking.

I especially love hikes that involve water. That’s part of the reason I prefer to hike in my Tevas. If I see water, I generally get in it. I slosh through streams, rivers, lakes, tiny springs, I’m all about the water.

So, like Gabby, I’m way excited for the summer and the warmer weather. It can’t come soon enough.

Week 5

I think that every time I do this I am completely wrong. Everyone keeps letting me down. I blame the teams for losing when I said they should win.

Kansas City Wizards at Toronto FC
Toronto has a great home crowd. They are loud and obnoxious and throw streamers at the opposing team to the point where they can’t even take a corner kick. I don’t know why this behavior is allowed. I am really hoping that Kansas, who I believe is in first place right now, hands Toronto a home loss. Maybe that will shut their fans up for a few seconds.

Houston at Columbus
Columbus is kind of looking amazing right now. Houston…not so much. I am going to give this win to Columbus, who have been playing hard this year and have actually won a game. Houston has not.

Real Salt Lake at DC United
I don’t have high hopes for our boys. They looked in very poor form the first half of their game at Toronto. The play was sloppy. And although I would like to think that they would be able to beat DC again, it just doesn’t seem likely. 3 points to DC.

Colorado Rapids at Chicago Fire
Both these teams lost last weekend. Chicago to Kansas and Colorado to San Jose. Of the two, I would say that Colorado’s loss was a bigger surprise. They lost at home. To San Jose. I’m giving this one to Chicago.

Chivas USA at Los Angeles Galaxy
Yeah, LA is technically the home team, but since both of them play at the same field, it’s a home game all around. I don’t think LA will win.

San Jose Earthquakes at New York Red Bulls
San Jose is starting to prove that they are a team. They beat Colorado at home last weekend. Colorado has been up and down this year. New York has been a little confusing so far this season. I think that they had a victory last weekend and then lost it. I still think that they are going to win at home.

Glabrous

So, I’m sitting here trying to think of something to write about. I’m looking in the direction of my word of the day calendar for inspiration. Today’s word is glabrous (the “a” is pronounced like the “o” in “odd” and the “ous” is pronounced like “us”).

Glabrous means smooth; especially having a surface without hairs or projections. It’s generally used medically to refer to skin that has never had hair (like the palms), but it can also be applied to bald areas.

This, strangely enough, got me thinking about comb-overs. Now, I’m not bald, nor does it look like genetically I will ever be bald, so I cannot speak from experience. Personally, I would rather shave my head than have a comb-over. What is it about men that they think they are fooling the world by combing a longer section of their hair over the area that is glabrous? And ladies, what are you doing letting your husband/boyfriend/distant friend walk around with a comb-over? You look just as ridiculous as he does! You are the accessory to a crime!

So, this blog entry, random as it may seem, is a cry to the men and women out there to please, please stop comb-overs for good! Because believe me, none of us are fooled. Just shave off your hair and then everyone will think you are a bad-@$$ (like me!) for having a shaved head. Believe me. Look at the voluntarily bald men out there: Matt Reis (awesome Keeper for New England), Vin Diesel (grrrr!), Jason Statham (Handsome Rob), Bruce Willis (Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mr. Falcon) and more basketball players than I can name.

You’ll be better off…we all will.

Have I got a long way to run?

I’m going to tell you a story. A story about a girl named PJ and her quest to become a runner.

The story begins about a year ago, but if I were to tell you all about that, you would be incredibly bored. Let’s focus on one day in particular – Saturday, 19th April 2008. This is the day that PJ finished a 5k in less than 29 minutes.

PJ was encouraged by her company to participate in the 5k as part of the Corporate Challenge. For four months she trained. She upped her running time. She upped her running distance. She even went three whole weeks without using chocolate.

The morning of the race, PJ was completely refreshed. She had slept excellently the night before in her sleep number bed (40). PJ wanted to be early for the race, in case something happened. She hates being late.

She got up and got dressed, pulled her hair back, brushed her teeth, and made sure she had her bib. It was still dark when she and Gabby left their hotel.

The race started at 7:30am. She ran at a fairly quick pace. She felt really good her first mile. The second mile was a little more difficult, but doable. The third mile did not go as well. Gabby kind of slowed her pace down, so PJ was forced to as well. PJ thought it was better, though. She had been wondering during most of the latter part of mile 2 when it was going to end. She was starting to worry she was not going to make it through mile 3. And to top it all off, she lost her headband.

When they got into the finishing chute with people cheering and holding signs, she felt refreshed. Then she noticed that Gabby, who had been lagging, was ahead of her a little. So she said, “Ready?” and off went Gabby. PJ knows she can’t match Gabby in a sprint, but she was pumping her legs just as quickly as she could. As they drew to the finish line, PJ was about even with Gabby. The results (http://www.racecenter.com/results/2008/slc5k08.htm) proved that she had kept up. They had both finished at 28:51 taking 707th and 710th places. They finished in the top 25th percentile of 3,020 runners/walkers/jugglers/superheroes.

As she has been scouring the results today, PJ notices that she beat most of the people in her company. That gives her a little surge of pride. PJ was also informed that of the companies participating in the Corporate Challenge, 4Life had the most sign-ups.

PJ wants to say congratulations to Gabby for a hard-fought victory. Rematch?

She also wants to congratulate everyone who completed an event on Saturday. Way to go!

Emelless Week 4

I’m kind of shocked about how the season is going so far. There is not one distinct team that is showing they are champions. It’s kind of throwing me off. DC and Columbus played last night, and DC lost. At home. To the Crew. I don’t know what to expect from this weekend’s games…but that won’t stop me from pretending I do…

Real Salt Lake @ Toronto FC
The kick-off for this game is scheduled for 10:30am Mountain Time. Gabby and I will be fresh off the Salt Lake City 5k (which I will win). The watch party is at Baxter’s and we are gonna be having some brunch. Because of that, it’s going to be a great game, even if we lose.

Both RSL and Toronto won their games last weekend. However, I would have to say that Toronto’s victory at LA was not as impressive as Real’s. Toronto managed to score 4 goals, but they also allowed 3 goals. Real scored the same number of goals, but Nick Rimando kept a clean sheet.

Playing Toronto at home for their season home opener is not going to be much fun. Their fans are crazy. Despite that, I still think that Real will manage to win.

New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls
Poor New England. They are looking frazzled right now. They were defeated by Colorado last weekend, but I guess Colorado is looking fairly impressive right now. New York was also upset last weekend. I have yet to see New York play this season, but I have seen New England. I think being at home will be to the Red Bulls’ benefit. I think New York wins.

San Jose Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids
San Jose. Poor guys. They really need a win to get them going. They managed to hold Chicago to only one point last weekend, which I found impressive. I don’t; however, think they have much a chance of beating Colorado at home. Three more points for Colorado.

Houston Dynamo at Los Angeles Galaxy
I’m really disappointed in Houston’s performance so far. They have yet to win a game and they are allowing a lot of goals. That being said, LA has allowed even more. I think this game will be determined not by the team that scores more goals, but by the team that allows more goals. I think LA lets more past. Dynamo victory.

Kansas City Wizards at Chicago Fire
Kansas was playing well at first. They were shocking us all, I think. Chicago has yet to lose this season. Their playing isn’t altogether impressive, but they are going to be at home. I give this one to the home team.

FC Dallas at Chivas USA
When these two teams played three weeks ago at Dallas, they played to a tie. I am going to have to say that the home field will work to the advantage of Chivas. They were nearly unbeatable there last year. I say Chivas will clinch the victory.

Good luck to all those participating in the events of the Salt Lake City Marathon.

I'm old

After our Jimmy Eat World concert last night, I feel incredibly old. My reasons will be listed hereafter:

1. I don’t understand how teenagers dress. What is attractive about skinny jeans? Nothing! Not even on skinny people do they look good. What’s up with converse sneakers? Those shoes make everyone’s feet look like a size 15. It’s not only their clothes, it’s their hair. It’s all crazy colors that don’t make any sense. There were so many oddly dressed people there last night that I wanted to take pictures of. And why do these people dress like it’s 1985? It was not a good decade for style people! Why are you trying to hearken back to it?

2. I don’t think a mosh-pit is fun. It’s uncomfortable for everyone involved. You are pushed, stepped on, and generally sexually-harassed without being about to do anything about it. Why this is considered a good idea is beyond me.

3. After standing for over five hours, I complain. My feet hurt. My back hurts. I just want to sit down or go to bed.

4. I don’t like screaming in my music. I don’t mind loud music. I like to turn up the volume when I am listening to a song I love. I don’t feel the same about loud music I don’t know. Dear and the Headlights, who opened, were not good. When your instruments are so loud they drown out your screaming; your music sucks. Paramore was good, but she yells a lot in their songs, rather than singing. I can only listen to Paramore for a few songs before I get sick of them.

5. Everything teenagers do bugs me. There were a lot of stupid kids at the concert last night. They generally do everything that common sense would prohibit someone with half a brain of doing. I’m convinced that they are just idiots. I’m also glad that I am no longer in that category.

So, there you have it. Isn’t it great when a someone of 24 sounds like they are 40?

MLS Week 3

My second weekend predictions were a little better. I called the NY and DC victories (like they were hard), as well as the Chivas victory over RSL. I guess that one is a given, too.

Chicago Fire at San Jose Earthquakes
I can give you two certainties about this game: 1. Chicago will wipe the floor with San Jose. Sorry, San Jose. 2. Blanco will fall down a lot. Stupid Blanco.

Chivas USA at Columbus Crew
I think that even though Chivas will be at Columbus, they’ll take the three points. Columbus won their first game, but it was against Toronto. They’re back to old form after losing to New York last weekend. They’re good, but not great. Chivas, quite simply, is great.

Colorado Rapids at New England Revolution
I am worried about New England. Twellman and Ralston are going to be out for the greater part of two months. They won their first game against Houston. They lost their second game against Chicago. Then on Wednesday they beat Kansas City (which Gabby said was the sloppiest game ever). It’s all over the place for them right now. I’m hoping they beat Colorado. I think the home field advantage will be beneficial.

Houston Dynamo at Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City was quick to get six points, but then lost to New England. Houston lost to New England and was only able to manage a tie against Dallas. They have both been taken down a few pegs. Houston is a good team, but don’t seem too keen on proving it, lately. I’m having a really hard time calling this one. Let’s give it to the home team.

New York Red Bulls at FC Dallas
Dallas almost beat Houston on Sunday, but lost their lead. It was a pretty amazing game, anyway. New York had a great game against Columbus last weekend. Angel has not scored yet, but I’m sure he’s eager to; and lead New York to victory.

DC United at Real Salt Lake
I guess being mad at RSL is not really justified. I said at the beginning of the season they need time to get going. Not to mention, they aren’t historically a team of victories. Every time I think they will win, they lose. And often, when I think they might lose, they win. I’m expecting a Real loss. (Maybe then they will win.)

Toronto FC at LA Galaxy
I have a feeling this game is going to be very boring. The bulk of the time will be spent commenting on Beckham and all the fans that are out to see Beckham and all the celebrities in LA watching Beckham. (Look, Kobe Bryant!) This will be an LA victory, but like all their playing of late, I’d wager it will be unremarkable.

What's to come

I’m a pretty big failure when it comes to the blogging this week. In my defense, I’ve been really busy at work and at home. I have a huge registration due next week and I, of course, couldn’t get any of it finished until this week. I’m very smart.

Not that there’s anything to report on. It’s business as usual.

I’m very excited for this upcoming weekend/week. We have a lot of stuff going on in the next nine days. First off, we have the excitement of the weekend. I love the weekend. This Saturday we have a soccer game, and that is the last home game we have until the last day of the month. We better make it count.

The following Monday, we are going to the Jimmy Eat World concert! I am so excited. They are one of my top three bands, and the only one of them I have yet to see.

The weather is improving, so I’m excited for the warm weekend.

Next week is Spring Break for Alpine School District and my family will be gone. Secretly, I like it when they are away and I have the house to myself (or mostly to myself).

Then next Saturday we will be running in the SLC 5k. Gabby is back to health and I’m sure pounding the pavement (or treadmill because of the bad weather). I think we’re going to kill ourselves trying to beat one another. We’ll probably run at a normal pace for the first 2.9 miles and then get into a crazy sprint for the last 0.2 miles. She will win, if that’s the case. She can run faster than me at an all out sprint.

So, I’m sure you’ll hear all about all that’s coming up. Sorry there isn’t anything that has already happened to talk about.

Run for your life

And I totally did.

Friday night I could not sleep. I was afraid that I would oversleep and then Gabby would be waiting for me at the meeting place and I would not show up. And after I paid $20 to run in the Provo City 5k, I was not about to be late.

So, I woke up at about 5:40 Saturday morning, got myself ready and ate some fruit. We met at the appointed time and headed over to the race area.

The race started at 8:30 so we had a lot of time. The website said that it would start at 8:15 (which kind of made me angry when it did not). Anyway, just after 8:30 the cannon fired and off we went. Gabby and I set a comfortable pace. For some crazy reason I run faster than her outside. Inside, I cannot keep up with her, but outside I have to hold back to run with her.

So we completed the first mile easily. We seemed to be right about the middle area of the runners. I was feeling good. I wasn't breathing too heavily. The second mile, they decided it would be funny to throw a hill in the run. Now I understand that a little challenge is good, but man. So we start up the hill and I notice I'm pulling ahead of Gabby. It was at that point I realized, I had to speed up to make it up the hill or I would end up walking. I quickly burst the rest of the way up the hill and slowed myself down to wait for Gabby to catch up.

She didn't. We had completed the second mile and I was waiting for her to come along, but she did not. I knew that I had less than a mile to go, so I decided to just break off. I ran from that point at my pace. The race ended with a lap around three sides of Tabernacle Park in Provo. When I was on the second side, I challenged myself to pick up the pace and see how many people I could pass. When I came in the finish line, I looked at the clock, but it did not occur to me to look at the clock.

I walked around and tried to get the feeling back into my legs. They felt like Jell-O for a while. Then what seemed like no time at all, Gabby came through the finish line. She actually looked at the clock and said she had made it in thirty minutes. I was shocked.

Never in my life have I been able to run less than a ten minute mile. Even when we were in elementary school, I was not fast. When we were able to see our times a while later I was shocked. I ran the 5k in 29 minutes and 5 seconds. To see our results, click here: http://www.run13.com and go to the results section.

I am exceedingly proud of myself. I am also very excited for the Salt Lake City 5k that we will be participating in on April 19th. I am hoping to be able to beat my time of this weekend. Until then, I am sure I will keep training and hoping for the best.

MLS Week 2

I think it’s kind of official. I cannot pick teams. Both of the teams I gave the win to yesterday lost. How’s that for accuracy? I’m really disappointed in you, New England. San Jose…you probably don’t need me to reprimand you.

My awful stats so far will not stop me. So, I present the weekend games:

Columbus Crew at New York Red Bulls
This is not only the Red Bulls home opener; it’s their first game of the season. I’m sure that they are eager to come out of the gate running. They now have Juan Carlos Osorio as their coach, and we all saw what he did in Chicago last season. Columbus is coming off a victory, but it’s against Toronto (which isn’t saying much). I say NY wins.

Toronto FC at DC United
DC lost last weekend to Kansas City, but they did the same thing last year. They are still the more impressive team of these two. Toronto is going to have to work really hard to get anyone to take them seriously. DC victory.

Colorado Rapids at Kansas City Wizards
Both teams won at home last weekend. Colorado beat the Galaxy 4-0 and Kansas City beat DC 2-0. I’m having a really tough time picking a winner between these two. So, let’s call a tie and give them each a point.

Real Salt Lake at Chivas USA
Our lovely RSL are playing at Chivas. They have never had a victory against Chivas at the Home Depot Center. That being said, they are playing remarkably well (if one game is a determining factor) and Chivas don’t look quite as impressive as they should. They were only able to come from behind and hold Dallas to a tie last weekend. I’m of course voting for a Real victory, but I think Chivas might take it. I really hope we don’t end in another tie.

FC Dallas at Houston Dynamo
Again the lone Sunday game; this time it’s the Lone Star State Rivalry. Dallas lost their edge to Chivas last weekend. Houston will be angry about their New England loss. I think Houston wins.

I am addicted to sugar...

... and in the grand tradition of children who can’t take responsibility for their own actions; I blame my parents. We grew up in a very sugar-saturated household. Our breakfast cereals were never Raisin Bran or Corn Flakes. No, we had Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Froot Loops, etc.

Mom had a candy drawer and there was always candy in it. Every major holiday we celebrated with candy. My friends used to love to come to my house because we had the best cereal and the candy dish always had something in it. We also had a ready supply of soda.

At the beginning of this week, I decided I was going to go the entire week leading up to Saturday’s race without chocolate. That may not sound like much to you people out there, but it is a lot for me. I have chocolate pretty much every single day. We still have a ready supply at home from Easter. I have a bag of M&M’s in my desk drawer. Chocolate is an essential part of my life. I also tried to extend this to sugar. It’s difficult to do.

Last night I could tell my body is going through severe detox. I got home and I felt extremely tired. The last thing I wanted to do was run. And those chocolate chip cookies my sister made the other night; they were looking so delicious.

I am trying so hard to be strong. And now I wonder, should I try and go longer without chocolate? Should I try and make it to the SLC Marathon on April 19th? Should I eat chocolate after this race and then give it up again the week before the SLCM? Am I strong enough to make it to Saturday?
All questions that will be answered Saturday morning, right now all I can tell you is; I would really love a cookie.

MLS Report

I didn’t report at all on the games on Saturday. Gabby’s blog on the subject is more than sufficient. I will satisfy myself with saying that we have excellent seats. Most of the people around us are very vocal and it seems like we’ll be having a good time.

Well, my first weekend predictions weren’t very good. I got the Colorado win and the Columbus win, but I was off on the rest.

That’s alright. Real came out with a tie instead of a loss, which is good. New England beat Houston, not a bad thing.

Thursday night is a double header on ESPN2. I’m hoping to leave work a little early to try and get home and catch some of these games. I love to run while watching the Thursday night games.

New England Revolution at Chicago Fire
The Revs win at home on Saturday was a pleasant surprise. I think that they are a very solid team who definitely worked hard enough last year to win the Cup. Even though Chicago is at home, I think New England is a better looking team right now—even without Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston. I saw Chicago’s play last weekend up close and personal. They were not looking up to form. Blanco spent most of his time whining and the ref ignored him. He’s going to have to learn that in the MLS, dives are very rarely rewarded. I’m giving the win to the Revolution.

San Jose Earthquakes at Los Angeles Galaxy
San Jose is back, but I’m afraid they may not be quite the team they were before they were transferred to Houston. I’m hoping they can overcome the first year curse of expansion teams and not end up in the bottom of their conference. Something tells me a win over the Galaxy would be an easy one. After watching the Galaxy’s humiliating loss on Saturday, I’m feeling that the Quakes may take this game. LA has no depth. Even with only sixteen men on their roster, I have a feeling the Earthquakes can give them a run for their money. Here’s hoping it won’t be the last win they get this season.

Go. Fight. Kill.

No touch-backs!

Gabby, this will die here. You’re my only real bloggity-blog friend.

You're feeling: Good. I just finished breakfast and I’m taking a break from reading my e-mails to do this.

To your left: My plant.

On your mind: Soccer and work.

Last meal included: Breakfast-oatmeal with cinnamon coffee creamer (it’s so good, Gabby!)

You sometimes find it hard to: Apologize.

The weather: It’s really cold out, but I have put my coats away and refuse to wear them anymore.

Something you have a collection of: Snowglobes. Yeah, I’m a nerd.

A smell that cheers you up: Sagebrush.

A smell that can ruin your mood: Stitch’s ears.

How long since you last shaved: I shaved one leg this morning. He he.

Yesterday, The current state of your hair: Down, it’s straight and the ends are curled.

The largest item on your desk/workspace (not computer): Papers. I have stacks of documents that need to be submitted.

Your skill with chopsticks: I’m excellent. We learned how to use them in 9th Grade World Geography.

Which section you head for first in a bookstore: Usually fiction. I don’t like to read much else.

Something you’re craving: I’m so excited for the carb loading and for the meat loading that I will be doing for the race. I am making myself a steak tomorrow and we’re having pasta on Friday.

Your general thoughts on the presidential race: Why is this still going on? What does it even matter? Our personal votes don’t count and our system of electing a president is completely flawed. Whether I vote or not, doesn’t matter. I still will, though, because I want to get assigned jury duty.

How many times you've been hospitalized this year: Zero.

Favorite place to go for a quiet moment: Usually I go for a walk. I can think and I get a little exercise.

You've always secretly thought you'd be a good: Writer.

Something that freaks you out a little: Open sewer grates.

Something you've eaten too much of lately: Sugar.

You have never: Broken a bone.

You never want to: Go to jail.

I can be an odds-maker

During the soccer season, I will mostly be thinking about soccer. I think my bloggity-blog will largely reflect that. Starting today, I am going to include my predictions for winners of the weekend MLS games. If only I worked in a really cool office where people cared about soccer; I could use my predictions to win a pool.

Toronto FC at Columbus Crew
Word is that even with a new coach, Toronto is playing awful. Gabby says they are the team to beat this year. Columbus also has home field advantage and that one guy who wears his sleeves shorter than everyone else’s. I’m fairly certain we’ll see a Crew victory from this one.

Chicago Fire at Real Salt Lake
As much as I hate to admit it, Chicago is good. Or they were last season. I don’t like Blanco. I think he is a baby. I am also afraid that with another off-season overhaul of RSL, they aren’t playing at their full potential, yet. Of course I am hoping for a RSL win, but I think when we hit 90:00, the Fire will go away with the 3 points.

Houston Dynamo at New England Revolution
Oh boy! Here we have a match-up of the two teams that played in last year’s MLS Cup. If this game goes the way of the cup, Houston will win. I’m thinking it will. The Revs lost Noonan and Dorman. I’m sure their misery over that will slow them down. It certainly did me.

DC United at Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City sans Eddie Johnson? When they were forced to play without him last year, they lost almost every game. I hope they’ve acquired some depth since losing him. I’d say DC takes it, but not by more than a point. The Wizards are at home, and though they don’t start him much, they still have Sasha Victorine!

Los Angeles Galaxy at Colorado Rapids
This game could end in a 0-0 tie, but I think Colorado might pull out a victory. Nothing that happened in the off-season convinced me that LA has made any strides towards becoming a better team. Beckham and Donovan will be jet-lagged and tired from playing earlier in the week. Who else is on the team? I give this match to the Rapids.

Chivas USA at FC Dallas
The only Sunday game this weekend and it’s against the two teams whose shirts involve red and white stripes. I love Kenny Cooper. However, I love Esky a little more. And I think Chivas is probably still the better team. I’m giving the victory to them.

Good luck to all (except Colorado, I hope they lose). One day.

Call me!

I am a cell phone murderer! Since I started working at my current job (a little over 2 years ago) I have owned four different phones. When I got a new phone it was because I was forced to.

First phone I broke by sending it through the washing machine. Yeah, apparently you shouldn’t do that. Who knew?

Next phone was a Sidekick 3. I hated that blasted phone. First problem: whenever I made a call on it, I was told I sounded like I was “underwater”. Second problem: It would not receive some text messages. Ever. I would have them sent to me multiple times and never get them. I called the service provider and they informed me that I would have to wait to get the software update sent to me. Lame. Third problem: When it got cold, it would lose all its battery and die. It would turn off and I could not turn it back on until I charged it. Not good since I owned it mostly in the winter. There were times when it would just freeze up on me and I would have to take out the battery and memory card and then wait for it to turn back on. Sidekicks take a very long time to turn on. I also dropped it one too many times and so it wouldn’t flip correctly. I don’t blame the cell phone maker for that, just me for being clumsy. Finally, I took it on Splash Mountain and go the wettest I have ever gotten on that ride. Unfortunately, my phone also got wet (or kind of fortunately in this case). I dried it out by removing all the parts I could, but then for the last while I owned it, the screen was upside down and backwards. That was interesting when trying to read/write text messages.

Next phone was my favorite phone I have ever owned. It was a Samsung and was a thin little candy bar phone. This one I snapped in half. Yes, I managed to snap a phone in half. When I tried to buy another one of the same model, I was told it was only for new customers. What?!

I am currently on a Motorola SLVR. I like it fine, but it makes me angry a lot of days. I purchased it unlocked from a website and turns out it is a European Phone. It will not learn how to spell “thing” in predictive text. I have taught it that word every day, but it will not learn it. Instead I get vigoi. Also, it likes German words, even though I set it to English. It spells “im” before is spells “in”. It suggests umlauts to me on most words that contain an “o”. When I start to spell early, the first word it comes up with is Darjeeling. It takes me much longer to write a text message than it should.

Sometimes it’s so frustrating I wish it would break. But then, I don’t know what I’d do. T-Mobile has lame phones and I wouldn’t want to purchase another European one.

I am convinced that the cell phone gods are punishing me for mistreating so many of their brethren. But I can’t help being so clumsy!

Soccer is the world's favorite sport

So, last night was the “Kickoff Cup” for Real Salt Lake at Skyline High School. (?) We were a little late due to my idiocy in not thinking of taking the I-215. Sorry about that, Gabby. The weather was alright when we first arrived, but it quickly got chilly and windy. Thankfully, it was not raining. I was not prepared for that. We did have to huddle down through most of the second half. I don’t know how the fans of European soccer deal with the weather through their entire season.

Anyway, the starting lineup was announced and we were still looking for a seat. I did catch that we started Kyle Reynish in goal (though I would have known him anyway). Dema Kovalenko was also on the field as was Alex Nimo. I have not seen either of them play for RSL before. Pretty much the only other person on the field that I recognized was Kenny Cutler. Why is he still around?

We settled on some front row seats near the center of the field only to find Leo standing directly in front of us and obstructing our view. We got up and went to the north end of the bleachers and settled towards the back.

The game was actually kind of boring. Kovalenko scored around the 20th minute. It was a lovely shot. Cheering and then pretty much nothing happened again until he scored again about fifty minutes later. Movsisyan scored the third of the game not too long after. Even more reason to love Movsisyan, not that we need any. The game ended on that score. RSL won 3-0.

I think the low point was when the Lobos Girls (I don’t know if that’s what they are called, but that is what we will call them) got up to dance at half-time. I’m not sure what they were doing, but I, a self-confessed terrible dancer, could have choreographed a better dance than what they subjected us to. Thankfully, their dance was only about one minute long, but then when they decided to throw out T-shirts and do some additional dancing; they played the same Black Eyed Peas song again. I think they only had that one minute clip of the song, so they played it over and over. It was annoying.
So help me if RSL gets “cheerleaders” when we move to the new stadium, I will boycott them. I can figure out when to yell for my team. If I couldn’t I still wouldn’t want some idiots telling me when to do it.

Come on in, the water's fine!

I love water. It is my favorite of the elements. I love to drink water, to listen to it, to watch it, but most of all; I love to swim in it. That was not always the case. When mom took me to my first swimming lesson I was terrified. The way the water moved against me freaked me out. I was sure it was going to push me over.

It only took a little coaxing; however, and assurances that water moved that way, before I was out as deep as they would let me go. I took a couple years of swimming lessons. I learned the basics, jumping off the diving board, the freehand stroke, etc. Most of my swimming comes from my cousin Yevin or from my dad.

Yevin taught me the swimmer’s start and the turn around when they’ve completed a lap (I can’t remember how to turn around anymore). He taught me to dive. He taught me to swim underwater without plugging my nose. Dad taught me to swim using my legs mostly, to float on my back, and to snorkel.

I love to snorkel. I prefer swimming in lakes for this reason. Lakes are not crowded. You don’t have to fight fifty other people for the same cubic foot of water space. You are free to swim as far as you like with only the piranhas to worry about.

I can swim pretty much anywhere, the deeper the better. I’m an excellent treader-of-water. I love to put on my fins, mask and snorkel and swim out as far as I can and then swim back. Then I collapse on the dock/shore/etc. and pant until I am ready for another go.

Unfortunately most of my siblings don’t share my love of swimming. Oh sure, they like to go to the pool, but only if it’s warm. My little brother loves to swim about as much as I do, but he’s not quite up to my level. It was also difficult as a kid. Most of my friends would swim for an hour maybe two and be done. I wanted to swim all day. I didn’t care where; I wanted to be in the water.

And it hasn’t gotten any better as I’ve gotten older. I like to walk in the water. I like to swim in it. I like to canoe. I wear Tevas on purpose when hiking so that if I encounter water, I can get in it. I’m pretty good at skipping rocks (the secret is to be as close to the surface of the water as possible).

So, summer is my favorite season because of that too. The activities that are generally associated with summer are my favorite things to do. I’m ready.