Back and Better Than Ever

I don't know why I decided to come back. I can't really explain this sort of thing. Maybe it's a slow day at work. Maybe it's the overwhelming need I feel to write something. But here I am.

In the year that has elapsed since I have written, a great deal has happened in my life. Some of it has been good and some of it has been bad.

In the vein of the bad, my favorite sister, (Annie B. as I call her) moved away. It was actually less devastating at the time than I thought it would be. I of course cried a little, but that's because I cry about everything. Sissy.

Most of the time, I don't think about it. I catch myself occasionally. If I see a car like hers, I wonder if maybe it's hers. Or, when I drive by the place she used to work I think about her. It's just sad thinking that we'll never have lunch together like we used to or hang out on a Sunday and watch Pride & Prejudice. I suppose that's sadness about growing up and moving on both.

The reason I'm thinking about her a lot now, even though she left about six months ago, is that she is coming home tomorrow for the first time since she left, and she will be here for three weeks. I cannot tell you how excited I am.

She insisted we keep this whole thing secret from my parents, which I was only too willing to do. So, tomorrow, Vieve and I will go the airport and pick her up and take her back to my house and surprise my parents. My mom will cry, then I'll cry, then we'll all laugh because we're crying. Awesome!

And like usually happens when something is occupying my mind, I have been dreaming about it. First, I dreamt that mom had found out and knew Annie was coming. I was so disappointed the surprise had been ruined. (I'm actually still worried that somehow mom knows, even though I don't know how she would know.) Next I dreamed that Annie decided she was going to surprise everyone by coming home and didn't bother to tell me not to go to the airport. I went and she wasn't there. I was super ticked. Last I dreamed that she didn't even make it to the airport. I don't know if she missed her flight or what, but she was not there! (I have crazy and annoying dreams.)

So far, everything seems ready. Annie is still planning on coming. The weather is supposed to be fantastic for tomorrow. Vieve and I still have our secret plan. I just can't wait for the whole thing to go down and to see my sister again. It's going to be a terrific three weeks, even though I'll still be at work through most of it.

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.