I want this

A Mac Mini.

Why do I want the mini? It is all about size...

Yeah, I'm all alone. I'm rolling a big doughnut and this snake wearing a vest...

It has been a few weeks... a few very busy weeks.

Sick kids
Sick parents
shopping for gifts
shopping for more gifts
Christmas parties
more parties
Quick flight down to San Diego - GO UTES!
eat some mexican food in San Diego
more Mexican food in San Diego
Fly home to shop some more

Merry Christmas
feeling sick again
Back to work.

I guess that just about says it all!

(by the way, can anyone name where I got the title of this post? - don't use google!)

Foggy Foggy Dew

I started my day this morning by driving to one visit one of my workers at a clinic in beautiful Rose Park. I know what you are thinking - beautiful Rose Park? Well, this morning at 7:20 A.M. it was beautiful.


Sit back a moment and let me explain.


Driving south along Redwood Road from I-215 to about 1000 North there were fields and golf courses that were draped in a wispy fog about 10 feet high. The Fog didn't quite touch the snowy ground and wrapped around trees and followed the terrain. It was beautiful.


Last night I watch an old Christmas favorite with the kids - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

The kids loved it. Ok, I loved it. I haven't seen it for a few years, but it all came back to me - from Yukon Cornelius to Hermey the elf that wants to be a dentist. The costumes from the movie Elf were completely ripped off from Rudolph. Even the snowman from Elf, Leon, looks just like Sam the snowman






Ok, but I still love the movie Elf. I am sure they were just paying homage to the great 1964 stop animation film.


Which brings me to my next thought. Sam the snowman was played by Burl Ives and was modeled to look a little like Ives. So this morning I looked on wikipedia and found out something interesting. Burl Ives was jailed in Mona, Utah for vagrancy and for singing "Foggy Foggy Dew" which the authorities decided was a bawdy song.


When I was a bachelor,
I liv'd all alone
I worked at the weaver's trade
And the only, only thing that I did that was wrong
Was to woo a fair young maid.
I wooed her in the wintertime
Part of the summer, too
And the only, only thing that I did that was wrong
Was to keep her from the foggy, foggy dew.
One night she knelt close by my side
When I was fast asleep.
She threw her arms around my neck
And she began to weep.
She wept, she cried, she tore her hair
Ah, me! What could I do?
So all night long I held her in my arms
Just to keep her from the foggy foggy dew.
Again I am a bachelor, I live with my son
We work at the weaver's trade.
And every single time I look into his eyes
He reminds me of that fair young maid.
He reminds me of the wintertime
Part of the summer, too,
And the many, many times that I held her in my arms
Just to keep her from the foggy, foggy, dew.


Doesn't sound too bad to me.

Then again, I am sure that the little town of Mona was quite a sheltered place in the early 1930's.

This morning, I couldn't get enough of the foggy, foggy dew in beautiful Rose Park

enlightening moment

I had a very long weekend that included:

Wednesday night ham dinner
doing dishes after said dinner
cooking a rosemary spiced turkey
eating Thanksgiving dinner
cleaning up after the dinner
working on Friday
doing some shopping
watching Utah give the game away to The School Down South (I puked a little in my mouth just now)
putting up the Christmas tree
putting up decorations

After doing all of that, I noticed that one of the canned lights in our kitchen was out. No big deal, we already had the ladder out for the Christmas tree.

I grabbed a light bulb from the basement and went up to replace the bulb. Wendy was using the ladder for some re-arranging of the nutcrackers so I decided to use one of our tall bar stools (or as Isaak calls them, barf stools... "Daddy, why do we call them barf stools?").

So I climbed up and reached up as high as I could to get the light bulb out. I removed it and replaced it with a new light bulb. And then I had an epiphany. I was removing a light bulb that was there before we bought our house and this was a light bulb that we purchased for our house.

Why is this such a big deal, right? I mean we have been here for a year and a half.

Well, at this time of year when we all pause to give thanks, a little light bulb made me think of how thankful I am to be in a house. After 8 1/2 years of marriage, losing a job, going back to school, starting a career over, saving, wishing, hoping and praying, we got into our first home last year.

Let's eat turkey in a big brown shoe

This month is going by too fast. Veteran's day has passed. Basketball season has started. Utah Football only have 2 games left. All of the pumpkins have rotted and are in the garbage. People are putting up Christmas lights.

Ok, so I put up our Christmas lights last Saturday, November 10.

What? why so early?

I learned at a very early age to show respect for the local weatherman. I think there is a hidden shrine somewhere at my parents house for Bob Welty and Mark Eubank where my dad pays homage to the past Meteorologists from KSL. I am pretty sure that dad shed a tear last year when Mark Eubank retired from KSL.

Anyway, when Kevin Eubank said last week on the weather report that it would rain/snow on Sunday and that Saturday would be a good day to get the lights up early, I took heed to his comments and made the arrangements - especially since we never got the outdoor lights up last year on our new house.

Let me just say that hanging out over a roof, 30 feet above the ground was interesting. I think my wife was convinced I would fall. I guess that is why she kept telling the kids to get back away from the house - she didn't want me to squish them when I fell.

Sorry - no falls from the roof. But it was a nice day to be on the roof.

On Sunday we had Stake Conference and when the choir started to sing, I noticed that the same Kevin Eubank was in the choir (he lives in our LDS Stake). I think he had a slight grin on his face knowing that it was raining outside. I almost ran up to tell him that I listened to his advice and put up my Christmas lights.

Ok, so it still hasn't snowed and the weathere has been almost as nice this week as it was last week.

So back to turkey time.

We are doing a Thanksgiving luncheon tomorrow at work and I am bringing a turkey. I rubbed it down with spices last night and I will load it with rosemary and garlic tomorrow morning and put it in the roaster at work. I am sure I will be able to smell turkey all morning long. Luckily there is a great song that you can sing while getting the turkey ready:

Random update

I have been real busy with work, etc. Here are a few updated photos of the family:

Isaak can't figure out what to do with the orange slices during halftime of a soccer game.

But he does know that his team is #1.

Jonah's first birthday cake

Tillie's first Utah Football game. We stayed for the entire game! (ok, so she went to one 3 yrs ago and she got too cold so we left during the kickoff)

Tillie and Samara before dance class.

Zoobie costumes at the trunk or treat - I can't believe that some people thought that we were really cougar fans...

Wendy took some photos of the kids this week while visiting Discovery Gateway (children's museum)

new music -

I know, I know... 2nd post of the day...

I have really been digging Brian's suggestion a few weeks back to log on to Pandora.com to get a taste of new music. Here are a couple of musicians that I have enjoyed lately:



Sara Bareilles

I heard her last week on 101.9 the end. She was live in studio and they played a few songs. As one reviewer put it, she stands out from the plethora of similar artists. (see side bar for cover art)

Lily Allen

I first heard her on another blog. You know the type of blog I am talking about, when you click on a link and music starts playing. Usually it is annoying, especially when you are working in a cubicle city... Her music is edgy, kind of link Gwen Stefani meets English Beat with a cockny accent. Some of the lyrics are a bit crass, but the radio versions work for the sensative ears. (You can check out her single, LDN, on the right)





Maroon 5 - "It won't be soon before long"



They didn't have the "Sophomore slump" with this CD. very good stuff.





Me First & the Gimme Gimmes
They play punk versions of lots of songs including some 60's tunes and country songs. The latest with country songs is great.

it has been a while...

I am tired today. Who knew that a 19 1/2 pound, teething one year old boy could ruin your sleep. Jonah decided that he wanted to be awake last night, or at least keep us awake while he tried to sleep.

Why is this so strange? I mean the kid just turned one, shouldn't I be used to this?

Not really. He has been a good sleeper for about 9 months now, mostly sleeping 8-10 hrs at a time.

I wish I could sleep 8-10 hours at a time.

Then again, I would be a little ticked off if I had received 7 shots on Friday and have 3 or 4 new teeth coming in....

Note to self: Coaching 7 year old girls is easier than coaching 4 year old boys...

Tillie's team had a bye last night so that meant only one soccer game for Isaak that I would get to watch. Well, 10 minutes after the game was to start, the coach still was not there and none of the parents knew what to do so I helped out and coached his team.

3 boys in Maroon and 3 boys in purple uniforms all going after a ball. You can imagine the chaos that ensued. There was tackling (the football type, not soccer type), shoving, pinching, hitting, crying, teasing, etc.

And then the game started...

long weekend... a lot happening...

The long weekend is over. Didn't everyone have a long weekend? I guess that is what happens when you have Friday's off and get Monday off for Columbus Day.

Highlights of the long weekend:

Dinner at Bonsai Japanese Steakhouse. We don't usually get out too much for dinner unless they have kids meals, so it was nice to enjoy a dinner with some old friends (with just Jonah in tow). The food was pretty good and our chef was fun and of course I caught both shrimp that he flipped my way. Fried scallops and steak - mmmm good.

Watching Utah get a big win at Louiville - ok, ok, I know. I committed to no posting of Utah football, but this one was unexpected. Luckily Bonsai had a nice big flat screen that I could see the game while eating.

General Conference Without getting too churchy, it was a very good conference weekend with lots of good talks. I loved President Eyrings talk at the Priesthood session.

Sleeping in - No meetings at 7:00 A.M. on Sunday means that I get to sleep in. Enough said.

Discovery Gateway for FHE - We have an annual pass but haven't used it a lot. Wendy and the kids have, but I haven't. We went last night and had a great time and spent a whopping $0.00 for the excursion as we packed sandwiches and ate them on the patio by the helicoptor.

Welcome, one and all, to the Greatest Show on Earth...

Last week we found out that Tillie had won 3rd place in the Davis Clipper coloring contest. Her prize: two tickets to the circus. So we bought two more and went last Saturday morning to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

I haven't been to the circus for at least 20 years and my kids have never been. Rather than describing all of the sights, sounds and smells (the tigers are smelly), I will post a few photos:

No more posting about the Utes...

I know, I know. I must be jinxing the Utah Football team this year since the two times I have posted about the team, they have lost the game.

Vegas was a quick and fun trip, but the game was bad.

Isaak held up pretty well for his first Ute Football game, until the last 10 minutes of the 4th quarter when he decided to go to sleep with his head on my lap, stretched out across the bench.

Too bad the Utes fell asleep 3 quarters earlier than Isaak.

By the way, I remembered why I hate Vegas. I think the best way to sum it all up was when Jim turned to the back seat in the car and asked "ok, who farted?" Nobody would own up to it and then I told Jim that it was just the smell outside from behind Treasure Island. It was just the smell of backed up sewer and smoke.

At least I got a Double-Double, Animal Style from In-N-Out.

Viva Los Utes

So, I am off tomorrow to join the rest of the Neff boys to celebrate my dad's birthday watching the University of Utah play football against UNLV in Las Vegas.

It will be a quick little trip lasting about 36 hours or so. I am taking Isaak with for his first Utah football game. I hope he lasts the entire game, but luckily he will have his cousins at the game as well so that may keep him entertained.

I am driving down with my brother Jim and his two sons, Parker and Connor. So the three kids will watch movies while I get to listen to Jim's extensive collection of music by the great rock band, RUSH. (Sorry, inside joke for my family)

I hope we have time to stop by In-N-Out for a double double, animal style or two...

My kids dancing

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!I was laughing too hard at Travis' disco so I had to add my own.

The Smell of Football in the Air...

I have to give a shout out to the Utes after they beat UCLA 44-6.

Oh, did I mention that they beat the #11 UCLA, the same UCLA team that beat BYU 27-17 the week before? According to the experts (ok, so just some guys at church) BYU deserves a lot of credit for Utah's win since they wore UCLA down the week before.

Alrighty then....

Back to the game this past Saturday.

There is one smell that always reminds me of Football games. Not hot popcorn. Not the smell of hot dogs. Not even the smells of Fall (leaves, crisp air, etc).

It is the smell of a cigar.

Ok, ok. I know. How could I like the smell of a cigar? It isn't that I necessarily like the smell of a cigar, but it is just that the smell of a cigar reminds me of my youth. I probably better clarify that last statement. No, my dad didn't sneak out and smoke a big stogie and the closest thing to smoking a cigar in my immediate family was when Brian would hide behind the bushes in front of our house and make pretend cigars out of dried leaves. You'll have to ask him more about that one some time.

Way back in the seventies and eighties when Utah Football sucked, there were always tickets available and I went as often as I could. Sometimes this meant that I sat in the 2 tickets that my dad had that were on the 30 yrd line instead of with the rest of his tickets. I think it was there where I would smell guys smoking their big Dominican Stogies. I doubt they were Cubans.

Anyway, the smell of a cigar still makes me think of Football, Crisp Autumn days, an Ice-Cold Coca-Cola served in a 20 ounce red and white cup and my childhood. For a couple of minutes when I was walking into Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, I could smell a cigar being smoked in the distance and it reminded me that there was a football game and it was Autumn.

after post thoughts: Now that I think about it, maybe cigars and Utah Football have more in common then we realize. The words to Utah's Fight Song, "Utah Man" were originally: "...we drink our stein of lager and we smoke our big cigars". It was later changed to the current version "Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star."

Hi, my name is Todd. I am the Soccer Coach

Both of my kids are playing soccer this year. Tillie is now 7 and is in her 4th season. She has been a good player but last year her experience wasn't the best, so this year, I am coaching her team.

We lost last night, 4-0.

Of the 8 girls on the team, only 3 have played before. All 8 want to play goalie. Only a couple of them should play goalie.

A couple of things that were funny last night (I have to keep laughing or else I would go crazy):

One girl came into the game with a mouth full of Oreo cookies and a bunch of chocolate wiped across her bright yellow jersey.

The same girl asked me how many more games we have left (this was in our second game)

Our goalie (for half of the 3rd quarter) got her pig tails caught in the net and had to be untangled by her mom.

Our 3'6" girl took out an amazon 7 year old that was at least 5 feet tall on an unintentional slide tackle.

"Hey coach, I found a stick on the field" "Great, let's put the stick down and play soccer!"

I heard one of our girls telling a girl on the other team, "let's talk after she kicks this ball." That was right in the middle of the game.

"I lost a tooth" "really? just now during the game" I asked. "no. it was a long time ago in the summer"

I don't even want to start in on the things I saw and heard during 4 year old Isaak's game.

blatent blog copying ahead...

Burritos and other Mexican favorites
Ok, so I just read my brother Brian's blog where he is talking about Burritos. I started to comment but realized there was just too much to talk about and since I haven't written a new post for a few days, why not blatantly steal his topic. Thank you and sorry Brian. I owe you a Double-Double, animal style when we are in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks...

I am going to do a top 10 of sorts of favorite burritos:


10. Cafe Rio/Costa Vida/Bajio
Some people will put this at the top of the list, but not me. It is good, but nothing to die for. Pork is the only way to go, hot sauce, smothered. Bajio is the best of the three because of the optional grilled onions.

9. Chile Verde burrito from Cafe Pierpont
I don't think they offer this anymore at Cafe Pierpont and I haven't had it in years. A lot of good memories with this one - mostly eating the left overs late at night - but there was that one bad memory where it didn't sit well in my stomach....

8. Lynn Wilson frozen Burritos
Albertson's often sells their brand 3 for $1. These were always in the freezer growing up and made a quick meal. In High School, my friend Danny and I would snarf down a couple of these at lunch - then we realized if you fried them in a pan with a little oil they were even better. A touch of sour cream and salsa and you had a gourmet lunch that only a high school kid would love.

7. Taco Bell. Bean and Cheese burrito.
Forget about all of the newer options, you have to go with the original. They were even better when they were only $.59. For a couple of years they had a Taco Bell inside the U of U student Union and while the burritos were 10 cents more, they were about twice the size. I think I could still eat 14 of these like I did one night in 1989.

6. Home-made burros.
Instead of taco seasoning on the meat, I like to season my own with some chili powder, cumin and cilantro. Add refried beans with black pepper and all the rest of your favorite toppings for a quick and great meal. Leftovers make are perfect for lunch right after church on Sunday.

5. Carne Asada burrito from Alberto's
For a long time, you couldn't get them in a combo with rice and beans - unless of course you asked for it off the menu - speaking Spanish helped in getting them right. Of course the one on 33rd South is now MolcaSalsa but it is still the same. Someone once told me how many fat grams and calories they have, but I chose to delete that from my memory. (As a side note, the Carne Asada tortas are wonderful to try)

4. Del Taco - Macho Combo
I can't believe that I don't remember what it was called before Del Taco... anyone?
Anyway, the only way to go at Del Taco is the Macho Combo. It is like a Burrito Supreme from Taco Bell on Steroids. Add some of the "Del Scorcho" taco sauce. When made right, this burrito dwarfs the big boys at Chipotle.

3. Speaking of Chipotle...
ok, this is a new one for me since it hasn't been in Utah very long. It is the classic San Francisco style burrito. Wrapped in foil this burrito has gone far and wide thanks to the marketing by the parent company, McDonald's.


2. Carne Asada burrito from Francos

Where is this place, you ask? Here is the story. When I came home from my mission in Spain (and no, they don't eat burritos and tacos there) I was excited to go to the famous Munson's Burger den for the best shakes in Utah. I was 3-4 weeks too late as they had closed down, not for lack of business, but to move to Delta. So the place sat empty on 20th East and 33rd south for a few months before it was re-opened by a Mexican family by the name of Franco. They started out with burgers and such but later offered their home-made chili verde served in a Styrofoam bowl with tortillas. This was quite good. I asked them one day about other Mexican food and soon they had Carne Asada burritos. For a couple of years it was wonderful. Now the place is a coffee lounge.



1. It is a tie - Burrito Baby and Barbacoa

Brian's description of Burrito Baby didn't explain that David Escobedo moved his shop to 300 South and 200 East in SLC in the early 90's and stuck around for a few years (1998 or so?) I used to go in there every couple of weeks or so. For me, this was the original foil-wrapped burrito. All burritos included rice and beans inside the burrito. I miss this place.

Barbacoa comes close to replicating Burrito Baby for me. Yes, it is newer and has the popular line where you tell them what to put on your burrito (see #10) but the food is good. No, great. I find myself going the simple route and order Carnitas pork in the burrito. My nephew Spencer taught me the real key to eating these: order all three salsas on the burrito instead of just one and squeeze lots of fresh lime on them.



mmm... just about lunch time. Too bad I have too much to do or else I would drive up the street to get a Carne Asada burrito at Alberto's since it is so close to my office.





Honorable Mention: El Chamion burrito from the now defunct La Salsa. Hard to argue with a burrito that was so fresh and big. I met my wife while eating one of these too.

Let the season begin!

Tonight at 8:00 P.M. the season begins when Utah plays at Oregon State.

Here is a little video I found to get excited about the start of the season:

Which Baseball teams are the farthest apart?

While watching baseball on Sunday evening, the question was asked, "Which two Major league teams are the farthest apart?"

Those watching the game settled on two different options:

Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres

Seattle Mariners and Florida Marlins.

The winner: Seattle to Miami is 2734 miles. Boston to San Diego was 2nd at 2582 miles.

Yes, I know it is what my brothers would refer to as a UBI (Useless bit of information)

un amigo mio...

So I was listening to FM radio this morning, which I usually don't do any more. I am becoming my dad and keep the dial tuned to KSL - mostly for traffic and weather on the 9's.

Anyway, I was listening to 101.9, the End (which incidentally enough is preset right next to KSL 102.7 FM) when I heard an add for the jamboree music festival on September 8 at Thanksgiving Point. They mentioned that Toad the Wet Sprocket was playing.

I realized how out of touch I am with music when I looked up Toad the Wet Sprocket to find out when they got back together as a band. 2006. Last year. 34 tour dates last year. How did that slip by me?

Well, while looking at the lineup for the Jamboree, I noticed a band called Cub Country listed in the lineup. I had not heard of the band before, but I have heard of the front man, Jeremy Chatelain.
Jeremy has played bass in a few bands like Jets to Brazil, Handsome and Insight but that is not how know who Jeremy is.

I got to know Jeremy at Evergreen Jr. High. Jeremy wore Chuck Taylor high tops and skateboarded. I wore Chuck Taylor high tops tried to skateboard with my Town & Country skateboard that I bought from my brother Brian. Jeremy's family lived on Neff's Lane, just above 2300 East (I think his parents still live there). We had a few classes together, including LDS seminary. I recall learning to draw skulls and crossbones from Jeremy in seminary class and after school listening to punk bands at his house on vinyl albums while he tried to play the guitar. I graduated from Seminary, I don't think Jeremy did. We ran in different groups in High School but still remained friendly. I haven't seen him in years, but hear about him every once in a while as his older sister works with Wendy at OC Tanner.

So I was curious about the music he is playing these days. It sounds like Jeremy has put the hard core punk days behind him in favor of a more Americana-twang sound. You can hear a sample of it here. I downloaded the entire album and it is pretty good.

Newest Quiz...

So, once again, Dee Dee posted another quiz. This time it is a newest quiz:


1. What is the newest CD you own?
Aqualung - Strange and Beautiful. You may have heard the song, "Brighter than the Sunshine" in the movie, "A Lot like love". Good stuff


2. Newest article of clothing you own?

Camouflage cargo shorts from Target

3. Newest pair of shoes you own?

Retro Adidas - Stan Smiths

4. Who is your newest friend ?

how cool is this... I am friends with Chris Mullen and play basketball with him...

ok, so not the same Chris Mullen that played in the NBA, but he is still pretty cool

5. Newest DVD ?

I bought a DVD collection that shows rides, shows and fireworks from Disneyland

6. Whats is the newest thing you bought?

I bought some Popsicles yesterday

7. What is the newest thing in your refrigerator?

The same Popsicles are in the freezer - does that count?

8. Newest Id card ?

New ID for the Government agency where I work

Question of the day...

Are you really "reading" a book if you listen to it on tape (or CD or ipod)?

I came across a blog that the person talked about his/her love of books and then proceeded to highlight all of the books that he/she has recently listened to and will listen to soon.

Sorry, but I don't think it is keeping a keen reading mind by listening to a book. It is entertaining, yes, but just like watching a TV show or a movie. I wouldn't ever say that I saw a movie if I only read the script, so why do people say that they read a book when they really listened to it?

Oh, and for the record, I have listened to books on tape and it is entertaining - good for long drives, long flights, etc. But for me, nothing is quite like turning the pages of a book

Oldest Quiz

The baby of the family, Dee Dee, posted a quiz about some of the oldest things in our lives...

Here goes...

1. What is the oldest CD you own?

I hate to admit it, but Mister Mister was the first CD I purchased (right after I bought my first CD player at LaBelle's on 33rd) in 1985. I tried to give the CD away a couple of times but it is still in my CD collection.

2. What is the oldest article of clothing you own?

not really an article of clothing, but I wore it once: The Christmas stocking that LDS hospital put me in for the ride home shortly after I was born.

3. What is the oldest article of clothing you wear?

Probably a T shirt from my mission in Spain. It is thin and way too small, but works great under a basketball jersey - kind of like a wifebeater tank top under my jersey

4. Who is your oldest friend that you are still in touch with?

Brett. (I really haven't talked to him in months, but when we do talk, we pick right up where we left off)

5. What is the oldest DVD you own?

I was a little late on getting into DVDs - but I think Reservoir Dogs was the first one I purchased

6. Whats is your oldest childhood possession?

The same Christmas stocking... but I still have my "Ticky" stuffed animal - I think it is a raccoon?

7. What is the oldest thing in your refrigerator?

A bottle of real maple syrup - although nothing stays for very long in the refrigerator at our house since I am constant cleaning it out and throwing out anything old - one of my little quirks

8. What is your oldest Id card ?

I am pretty sure I have my 7th grade ID card from Evergreen Jr. High.

In, but not quite out...

Last Saturday evening we drove down to Pleasant Grove to see TJ and Sarah's new townhouse and to help with some painting.

Tillie and Isaak started fighting 8 miles into the trip. We could tell that they were hungry so we told them we would go to a place that is like In-N-Out burger in American Fork. It got them to quiet down some - enough so that they could hear their Disney songs on the radio.

I have heard about Chadders since they opened in May. A few family members on both sides have been there and said it was close to In-N-Out, but not exactly. Without much of a reason to drive to American Fork, I had not been down there, plus I didn't want to wait an hour for a burger.

We found the place and pulled up to the drive-thru. I felt almost dirty ordering a "Double Chadders burger, Chubby style" instead of my favorite "Double Double, animal style" that In-N-Out offers.

It was a pretty good burger, but wasn't identical to In-N-Out. Maybe about 75% of the way there.

Would I go back? Yes, if I am in the area (like next week to help them move) but I wouldn't make a the long drive to go there just to eat.

Bop Bop Bop, Pulitzer to the top...

So last night I grabbed a new book to read. It isn't a new book and I have read it before. I am going to re-read Wallace Stegner's book, Marking the Sparrow's Fall: The Making of the American West. This is a collection of stories that Stegner wrote that his son, Page, compiled.

The first few stories are about his youth in Saskatchewan, Great Falls and several about Salt Lake City. While I was reading one of the stories about his youth in SLC, I was thinking about Stegner attending East High School.

I started to think that my wife, Wendy, graduated from East High School. So she attended the same school that a Pulitzer prize winning novelist attended (Wallace Stegner) as well as the fictional Troy Bolton (High School Musical, played by Zac Efron).

Of course my 7 year old daughter, Tillie, could care less about the guy that wrote all of those books on my shelf going to her mom's high school. She does let everyone know that High School Musical was filmed where her mom went to school.

East was also attended by Roseanne Barr (she dropped out), Astronaut James Irwin and Elizabeth Smart (class of 2006)

I then started thinking about my high school, Olympus High. We can claim Karl Rove, Mark Hoffmann and Shawn Nelson (the guy that started Love Sac) as graduates.

Then again Olympus can also claim David Zabriskie. Who is David Zabriskie? He is a professional Bicycle racer and one of only Five Americans to have worn the Yellow jersey in the Tour de France.

Which graduates would you rather claim?

I want a new car...

This is my current car - well, ok, it is the same model and color, but not my car.



It has been a decent car for almost 90,000 miles and 12 years. We have our 10 year anniversary in September so that means this was Wendy's car before we were married.



The car was quite nice when it was new. Leather seats. Sun roof. V6 engine. Nice wheels. Good stereo. But it has had a few problems. Since the car is a V6 engine, it is probably too much car for the suspension, etc. So we have replaced the CV joints and have had a few other small problems. At least it has been paid off for several years.



But I want a new car. I know, drive the car that is paid off and stay away from a payment, but I want a new car and Wendy knows I want a new car.



I have tried the subtle approach. I have strategically placed ads for the car I want in her magazines the way Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" hints at a Red Rider BB gun. I have pointed out the car that I want while driving saying things like "wow, that car looks nice. Do you like that car, Wendy?" or "what color would you get if you were to buy that car?"

I start talking to other people while in Wendy's presence about crossover SUVs and which one would they get if they were buying a new one and pointing out the one I like.



I think I may need to be more straight forward.


by the way, this is what I would like to buy:

On my desktop

This is the photo that has been on my computer desktop for the past 5 weeks or so. It replaced a photo that we took in the same spot in February 2006.

I love how Isaak was straining in the 2006 photo to pull the sword from the stone and I have had a lot of people comment on the photo.

So when Isaak and I took a quick trip to SoCal and ended up at Disneyland for the day, I thought I would take a picture of him at the same spot. But then I thought I wanted to get the castle in the background instead of King Arthur's Carousel... yada yada yada and we ended up with the photo above. No straining to pull the sword out this time, but a good photo of Isaak.

So a couple of days ago I was showing Isaak the photos I took on our quick trip and He asked me which castle was in the photo. I told him that it was the Disneyland Castle. (I mean, duh, the kid has spent a lot of time in Disneyland, he should know where it is) Then he said he knew it was Disneyland, but WHICH castle at Disneyland.

Ok, now I was really confused. Then I realized what he was talking about.

There is the castle that you can see from Fantasyland (like in the photo) and the castle that you can see from Main Street with the water in the front. (He didn't realize that it is the same castle, just different sides of the castle)

I guess that means we need to walk through the castle more often next time we go to Disneyland.

Near miss...

As I read the stories in the papers today, I realize that things could of been much worse...



Let me explain from my point of view:



Around 10:45, I was in our back yard staining the deck and getting the ground under the deck ready to build a rock patio. Isaak, my 4 year old son and Tillie, my 7 year old daughter were in the house watching Hanna Montana or something. Wendy and my 9 month old son, Jonah, were running to Home Depot and Target in Centerville.



Our neighbor, Ashly, came over and told me that Wendy was almost in an car accident and called but couldn't get through to us. The phone was inside and the kids didn't answer the phone.



I called Wendy on her cell phone and she was very shaken up. She and Jonah were alright but she said that she narrowly missed a very serious accident. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6491661


Wendy and Jonah are in this story, but their names do not appear - Wendy was the south-bound driver that had to swerve out of the way as the vehicle that crashed came directly at her at an increasing speed.

Wendy told me that she tried to get out of the way to the right but the car kept coming so she ended up going into the oncoming lane (knowing that nobody else was coming in that direction). The other driver looked slumped over and the passenger appeared to be trying to grab the steering wheel. The silver car then struck a large metal power pole and then struck the man working in his yard.

Nobody knows why the car came into the Southbound lane and then veered all the way back to the other side, but it looks like there may have been a medical condition.

Wendy and Jonah were safe - but it was a near miss, and a frightening experience. Our mini van wasn't touched, but a can of deck stain spilled in the vehicle.

I for one am happy to clean the deck stain out of the carpet in the van when I think of what could have happened.

Items found while cleaning out my In-laws house

My wife has been spending a lot of time lately at her parents house. Her parents have decided to sell the home where they have lived for the past 31 years. After 31 years in the same place, some people accumulate a lot of things. Not my in-laws, they have accumulated a lot of things times 10.
Wendy has been a good sport in helping them get ready for the move next week. Most of the time has been spent sorting through old papers from 4 deceased grandparents, one deceased great-aunt and about 20 years worth of random papers.

I have helped out a couple of times. Mostly I have carried boxes to the garage, but I also got up the guts to help sort papers.

Here are a couple of things I found this past week:
Dog tags from Wendy's grandpa worn in WWII
Copy of "Stars and Stripes" announcing the end of WWII
An amputation kit from WWII (Grandpa Nelson was a doctor too)
30 zippers still in plastic from around 1920
7000 Yen
75 Canadian dollars
$250 in gift certificates to Gastronomy restaurants
An un-opened birthday card from 1984 with $5 inside

Ok, so some of this stuff was pretty cool - but for all of the good stuff, I found heaps of stuff that went right into the trash or a recycling bin.

Luckily, Wendy hasn't inherited the saving gene, but I think it skips a generation as Tillie saves absolutely everything.

So, I guess I am jumping on the Blog bandwagon.



I have been reading blogs for a couple of years and there are several that I read all the time. Unfortunately, some of them have stopped blogging or have gone on hiatus. Either way, they are no longer posting. Hopefully I will stick around for a while - even while I may be the only one reading this.



Anyway, I just started responding to a few comments that others have made (mostly my siblings that have blogs) and then I got tagged. I am not sure if I would have rather been tagged by Brian on a Sunday afternoon at mom's while standing around waiting for dinner or get tagged online. The former probably is more immediate pain, so I will stick with the online tag:



In much the same way that the Neff Gang changed up the questions, I will change some of them...



Places lived:
Salt Lake City, Utah
Sevilla, Cadiz and Malaga Spain (for a couple of years)
North Salt Lake, Utah
(I know - not much of a variety except the mish)


3 places where I would like to be right now:
beach in El Palo, Spain - with a bonfire and eating roasted fish
On the top of Monte Cristo - several thousand feet about Snowbird
Wandering through Disneyland with my kids



3 guilty pleasures:
cheeseburgers - any kind, anywhere
Vanilla coke
Sunday afternoon naps


A few of Jobs I have worked:
DJ for a little radio station at the U of U
bicycle bag inspector
selling gumball machines on the phone


Places I would like to see sometime in my life:
South America (Tierra del Fuego & the Andes mountains)
Jerusalem
Tahiti (funny how my wife has been to two of these before we met)

Wild foods that I have eaten:
Tripe
Octopus
blood sausage

Most memorable trips:
1. Oahu 1993 with friends, snorkeling gear and a convertible
2. Cross country bus trip for 3 weeks in 1987
3. Spain in 1992 with parents (watching mom & dad get detained for two hours on the Gibraltar - Spain border was priceless)
4. Chicago 1998 - wandering around seeing the architecture and eating deep-dish pizza


Food I love to make:
Grilled tri-tip
Mexican tortas
Risotto
Spanish tortillas


Food I wish I could make (or will learn someday):
Beef wellington
Ratatouille (looks like a fun dish to make)
Creme Brule (anytime you get to use a mini-flame thrower to cook has to be a good thing)


TV shows that I like - but don't admit to liking:
Hell's Kitchen ("That is horrible - Shut it down")
What about Brian? (probably not going to be a 3rd season)
How I met your Mother


Worst movies I have seen in a theater:
Pet Cemetery
Titanic
City of Angels (sorry Wendy)


Dream jobs:
Question (or is it answer) writer for Jeopardy
Own/run a lunch counter in downtown SLC
Historical Fiction writer


Places where I would love to live but never will:
Marbella, Spain (would love to be Sean Connery's neighbor)
Zihuatanejo, Mexico (Are Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman still running a deep-sea fishing company?)
Palermo, Italy (or just about anywhere else in Sicily)


Movies I love - but you may not have seen:
Cinema Paradiso
El Mariachi (Desperado before Antonio Banderas)
Reservoir Dogs (hopefully you haven't seen this one!)


People that should do this:
Julie Knaphus
my mom and dad (wanna help them, Dee Dee)
Jim Neff