We Gather Together....

That stately old song has been stuck in my head since Sunday. So I looked it up. Turns out the "Thank You Hymn" has nothing to do with Pilgrims. None. Zip. Zilch. It's a 1597 Dutch hymn that finally made its way into American religious hymnals by 1903. For reals.

It was actually written as a hymn of thanks to God for relieving the Hollandese of their Spanish oppressors. Remember that crazy 1576 war where the Spaniards tried to overthrow Holland and make them Catholic and then they exiled all the Protestants, who in turn fought back and then nine years later the Spanish did it again and William the Silent was murdered by a Catholic assassin? Remember that?

Anywho, somehow after that the Dutch finally got some relief and this dude wrote a song of thanks to God for helping them out. Cuz it was about freedom of religion. And that is a beautiful thing I'm thankful for, too.

Soooo, why Thanksgiving? Good question. According to several sources it is a thanking hymn. Yep. Cuz it's about thanks. And giving thanks to God for relief from wicked oppressors.

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing

He chastens and hastens His will to make known;

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:

Sing praises to His name He forgets not His own."

Just remember that the next time you sing this one.

This man is a genius and I want to have his babies...or prepare to have your mind properly blown

You ready for this? Forward to 6.5 minutes in:

Robot Love

Have I mentioned I am in love with my new phone? The only thing is blogging from it sucks. Way faster on an actual keyboard. Still, if I wanted to, there's an app for that.

The phone is a Google My Touch on Android. Basically a rocket in your pocket.

Not only can I get emails from multiple accounts, text messaging, music, videos, keep a schedule of all my meetings, events and appointments (all the same features as my old Blackberry), but also apps for a GPS navigation system, talk to text capabilities, an app called Google Sky where I can literally point my phone toward the night sky and it will tell me as I move it around the sky which constellations and planets I'm looking at. I can stay connected on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, watch Youtube and Howcast videos, there's an app to help me know where I parked my car, I can take pictures and make a video, an app for the Scriptures (all of them, BofM, Bible, etc) so no more lugging them to church when I can just point and click on the verses I want, a magic 8 ball, a metal detector app, a BMI calculator, a calorie counter, an app that you basically tell it the random ingredients you have in your kitchen and it tells you what meal you can make from it, an app that lets you wave it over the ISBN number of any book and then you have that book in the library of your phone and can read it on your phone, an app that will tell you if the thing you are about to purchase is cheaper in any of the stores nearby or online, an app that tracks your car mileage, an app that tells you how far you ran, biked or swam, an app that converts your favorite song into a ringtone, an app that gives you coupons and freebies, an app that reminds you to get up from your desk and stretch and provides office exercises, one that gives you odd facts, an app that tells you movie show times and movie ratings in your area, a tarot card reader, a palm reader, the weather channel, Huffington Post, CNN, a mind mapper, ummm, did I miss anything? Oh and an app that tells you what the additives in any certain food do to your body. There are hundreds more, I just haven't downloaded them yet.

Can you see why I'm in love?

Greatest thing since sliced bread, wait, no, the wheel.

apparently my phone can now blog mobiley. yay Google. android :)

Google android

apparently my phone can now blog mobiley. yay Google. android :)

Google android

Test mobile

The Hide in Dr. Jekyll

Yesterday I attended the funeral of my grandfather. This was a sad event, but not because I'll miss him or had a fondness for him. I hardly knew him. I had not seen him for 25 years, in fact.

He didn't live far away. Just up Emigration in the house my mom grew up in that he built himself. He survived my grandmother by six years and finally passed away (from what I'm told violently in a nursing home because his body didn't want to let go) at the age of 83.

I was not expecting to go to his funeral. More likely to spit on his grave and hoped he'd rot in hell.

The thing is I just can't make sense of his life. To me he was a sad sack of a man. The family secret, the elephant in the room, incarnate. A child molester. The worst thing you could possibly be in life.

I wasn't going to go to the funeral. But I did.

This man I didn't really know and had hated most of my life had the world at his feet once. He was given the honor of the smartest highschooler in America, was mentioned in Time Magazine and was called "the real Superman"

Time Magazine had this to say about him when he was just 17:
"Besides running his father's farm (his father runs a garage), [he] paints, plays the cornet, is light-heavyweight boxing champion of Bridger Valley, captained his high-school (Lyman Seminary) football team. A self-taught scientist, he began to put motors together at six, now has a departmentalized one-man laboratory with separate booths for research in electronics, photography, radio, lens grinding, chemistry, astronomy, biology. He has built a radio-controlled boat, is working on two projects in which he thinks the Army may be interested: 1) a searchlight of invisible infrared or ultraviolet light for seeing and signaling at night, 2) a method of broadcasting waves of the same frequency as ordinary sound."


He had tea once with Eleanor Roosevelt, went to MIT (and his dorm mate there was the future Shaw of Iran), took a physics class from Albert Einstein himself, and rumor has it he is responsible for inventing the plans for the personal computer when he was just a teenager, which IBM (allegedly) stole from him.

He was an inventor, a scholar, always with a project going, always a scientist, always working on improving things. Ken Garff, that same Ken Garff of Honda car sales fame, (allegedly) swindled 5 million dollars out of him on a project they were working on in Kentucky that could detect oil in the ground. They say any book you ever mentioned he'd already read.

Who was this man? How could he have such a great, interesting life and have so much greatness in him yet so many horrible things all wrapped into one body? None of it makes sense.

I am glad I went. I'm not sure why I went, but I'm glad I did. It made me see why others could love him and who he could have been if he had not become the man I knew him as.

Apparently something happened in Kentucky. My mom thinks he did Speed. He didn't sleep, couldn't get himself to sleep, for 8 straight days. He died. He says he visited the spirit world. He says he saw great universities there and people inventing things and planting the ideas of those inventions in the minds of those on Earth.

After he came back to life he was never quite the same. Nothing he did amounted to anything after that. He was the Hyde in Dr. Jekyll. I don't believe anything is truly black and white, except for him. The worst and most evil part seemed to snap from the best of him.

Still, even after he became a child molestor, a bum who didn't love his wife and didn't support his family and made my grandmother work as a school teacher (in the 60's when women were not paid decently), and often my mom's family was on church welfare, they still said he'd give a stranger the shirt off his back. My uncle says he always gave him what little money he could find in his pockets. If he had 5 million dollars and you needed it he would freely give it. He was apparently very gentle, kind, loving and humble.

I can't seem to wrap my head around it. Was he genuinely kind or was that some kind of a cover for what he truly was?

Who was this man? And why did he have so many talents and abilities yet so many dark and horrible things to hide?

I wished I'd known the man he started out as instead of hating the man he became to me. It's such a confusing thing to try and comprehend all of it is the same man. He knew the Shaw of Iran? He is responsible for the PC? He studied under Einstein! The very good and the very bad all in the same person.

I waited for this day. For him to die. And now he's gone and I am left without hate, just confusion.

Men Who Stare at Goats slash Paranormal Activity parody

Wing Girls Can Do Anything | Shmotter

Wing Girls Can Do Anything | Shmotter

Not for the shopping virgin

Remember when you used to play with paper dolls, constantly dressing them in different outfits just to see what it would look like? Probably the dudes that read this didn't do that...or did you? Haha.

Just discovered Shmotter. It's kinda like what you did with those paper dolls, except without the paper dolls. This is truly the ultimate virtual outfit experience and you don't even have to step foot in a mall. Oh, and if you are a guy and want to pick out guy (or girl) outfits, you can do that, too. I won't even judge. But beware everyone. You will possibly spend hours, HOURS, yes hours changing clothes. Have fun - smiley face :)

Shmotter.com

PS - I'm posting one of the outfits I created right after this post so you can see it.

Ghosts in the picture machine

Special Human Project Halloween treat - pictures of ghosts! Real or fake? You decide.


1891 apparition of man sitting on chair

London church ghost. Notice the shoes from another time period.

Ghost in the graveyard. This appears to be a woman not dressed for modern times. It was taken in a graveyard on the edge of the Rubio Woods Forest near the suburb of Midlothian, Illinoise.

Garden ghost. Possible double exposure. Possible apparition.


This is the famous photo of The Brown Lady, taken in 1936 by Captain Provand and Indre Shira, photographers on assignment for Country Life magazine at Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England. The image is thought to be Lady Dorothy Townshend, wife of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount of Raynham, England in the early 1700's.

Brett Meisner first noticed a strange image in the background of a photo taken of him at the gravesite of former Doors’ front man Jim Morrison at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France. After having the photograph and original negative analyzed by dozens of paranormal and photographic experts, there is still little explanation as to how or why the ghostly image appeared in the photo.

Obama and yo mama

How's Obama Doing? With Polls, It Seems To Depend On How You Ask http://su.pr/7M4kdS

Not a joke. Cheerleader gets flu shot and now can only walk backwards

One More Reason We Need Health Care Reform

Florida woman's rape called "pre-existing condition" by SEVERAL health insurance companies, disqualifying her for care.

This is appalling!

Crafty little happy bear

I made this happy little bear out of a sock

Bear was happy in my house. He liked being in the shade of the green, growing plants

Bear liked sunning himself on the porch

Bear liked rocking himself in the rocking chair on the porch

And contemplating life...Oh no! A killer bunny!


That bunny was ferocious

Happy bear had to scare the killer bunny away. Sometimes you have to stand up to bunnies, you know. Even when they look cute and cuddly.


The End

Boston Road Trip Part 3

I didn't have a camera this day, so I took this one of me on Walden Pond from my camera. Walden Pond is really quite beautiful and clear. It's a bit cold now to go swimming, but there were still plenty of folks doing just that. It's also a great place to go canoeing and watch ducks. The water is clear and clean. Thoreau's house isn't up anymore, just a pile of rubble where it used to be, but they do have a replica of it back near the gift shop. When asked why he chose to live in a one room shack a half hour from anyone for over two years Henry David Thoreau said it was because he wanted to live "deliberately" and to not, when he came to die, realize that he "had not lived".

Boston Road Trip Part II

Brandon got mad at me sometimes along the trip. Actually we both got mad at each other a lot of times (four days in a car with just one person, one person you dated on and off for three years and broke up with, ummm ya). This is a picture I took of one of the times Brandon was mad, yet stopped to pose anyway.

But he came around eventually and let me kiss his cheek.

He actually took this picture of me when he was still mad. Look how great it turned out. Weird, huh?

We went on the Freedom trail together and to Salem. Neither time did we think to bring our cameras. But I did take the cam along on my tour of Harvard today. The above pic is of Harvard Yard, the oldest and most well-known part of Harvard University. This part was actually used as a place for professors to graze their cattle until about the 40's. One professor traditionally brings in a cow every year just for fun for graduation week.These were my guides on the Harvard tour. You'd think they'd be brilliant and scholarly. I'm sure they are excellent students. But they really just seemed like typical social and silly college kids there to explore new ideas. The one on the left is from Saudi Arabia, but sounds like he's from southern California. The kid on the right is from Paris, France. He also has a slight American, but also slight Brittish accent. Both of them said the American accent was influenced by a lot of American TV. They both grew up watching Power Rangers.

Boston Road Trip thus far...

This was at Lake Erie, PA. We got really lost that day, saw Amish country, really charming little towns and stopped a few places along the way. I went alond with a friend who will be renovating his sister's colonial house in Boston for the next couple of months. These pictures are from our third day into the trip.
You may recognize B as my ex. Yes, that's the same guy, but apparently he found his heart at Lake Erie. Lol, okay, but we are friends now.




I found a little baby turtle

The things you forget when you overprepare

I am at the airport in Denver, waiting to go to DC today. Just realized I forgot my cell phone on my bed. Erin Thomas is picking me up. I emailed her, but just in case if anyone knows her will you call her for me? I'm flying Frontier and I get in at 4:59 pm to Reagan.

Storm Troopers Remember 9/11

The Anti-tweet campaign

This is for my client, Cowboy Leaders and a video they did for the "Anti-tweet" business retreat.

Horse tries to get on Facebook, Twitter:

Radical Right Doesn't Want Kids to Work Hard and Stay in School

At least not when the current President of the United States says to.

Is it just me or have the right-wingers become increasingly militant crazy in the last five years? To them I'd like to say we live in America, a free and democratic Republic with a freely elected leader, elected by the majority of the people as the best candidate to run our country. We live in this great nation that lets us live free and vote free. We discuss matters civilly, or at least we'd like to, in the halls of our nation's capitol and the president has a duty to us as a nation, to act as our representative. He did not go charging into a war without an exit plan, he never mistook one dictator for another, he didn't give all the favor and jobs to his finance and oil friends, he hasn't cheated on his wife or been found to be in any lewd conduct. Our president now has a message to the children of this great nation "Work hard, stay in school". You really want to boycott that? Think about the message you are sending to your kids. You are basically telling them you don't support a free nation, a freely elected official, clean and decent president, democracy, hard work or education.

Mashups 2009 and RIP

I've been watching Rip, a documentary on the illegal download and use of music and what some say is the future of artistic freedom. A few thoughts. I was hooked on Napster like most any kid back in the day. It was a new world of music I'd never had the chance to check out in its entirety. It was a portal to new bands most of us may have never known without it, too. But even then I knew it was wrong to download. Ya, sure, it's some "evil corporation" making most of the profits. That I'm not really sure of. What I am sure of is that those same music corporations support the very artists I like and listen to. Most any artist that sells a CD these days (at more than the local bar) usually is signed with some type of record label. Without that support most of us wouldn't know about them. In order for them to have incentive to continue making music they need to get paid. It's only a dollar (or less) per song most places. Is that really so hard to give a dollar for good music? Are we just telling ourselves it's about freedom against the tyranny of an evil corporation so that we don't feel so bad for stealing music? Remember it was an artist, Metallica, that sued Napster, not their major label...Or should it even matter to these corporations or music labels or artists what we as small individuals do with their sounds and how we interpret and mix what they've made?

Healthcare Napkins All

View more documents from Dan Roam.

Now that that's over...

The Twilight Concert series is over for the summer. What's next? Healthcare? Ummm, okay.

Three things I'll admit

1. I actually like the new Miley Cyrus song "Party in the USA". It's catchy. I ran to it this morning. Don't judge...and if you wanna hear it here's a fake vid on Youtube with the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihKPKiwK3jA

2. I may be addicted to Farmville. It's a Facebook app game. I swore I'd never get into those. They seem so stupid. Play mafia, pretend you live in the city and form a gang...or worse, pretend you live on a farm (without a house and any roads outta town). But here I sit, playing Farmville, milking cows and earning enough "cash" from my crops to someday buy a big red barn for all my animals. It sucks a lot of my time (even though I should be working) I know. You can judge.

3. Tonight is the last night in the Twilight concert series. I have no idea who the band is, some Joe and the family band something. I don't care. We can't really hear much where we are and last week we were so busy I barely even could recall that Sam Beam was actually there, not 100 yards away. It's supposed to be hot tonight. This is good for the lemonade business. Wish me luck. And if you are in Salt Lake, come by, say hi, sip some lemonade with me.

Don't text and drive. No really, don't!

Warning: Very graphic UK PSA about texting and driving.

Some say this might even go too far (but definitely gets the point across).

Pete Yorn

Last night I went to a Pete Yorn concert. First one. I must say he's even better in person and I actually could sing most of his songs (except the ones from his new album, "Back and Forth"). That guy is so cool, right down to his flowing hair and wheel tattoo on his right wrist. It was a good concert.

These are photos from my phone (so not so good, but you get the idea. I was there).

Homeless Hummingbird

The strange neighbor man across the street brought over an Easter basket around noon today. I thought "of course". But then, looking inside was a tiny hummingbird who couldn't fly. The neighbor said he didn't have time to watch it and thought I could (of course). I am working from home today, which means I could watch it and feed it at least. Another neighbor lady named Rose (complete with old woman fleshy arm rose tattoo) said she did some calling around. No one in the city will take it. There is a wildlife hummingbird rescue up in Ogden that will though (that's about 50 minutes away from me). I have the lemonade stand to attend to this evening so I can't go run it up there. I made it some sugar water and just hope it survives.




Update: Hummingbird flew the coop. Put the little guy in a tree when it started to flap. Went out a couple hours later and the baby bird was gone. I've got the feeder hung up on my porch. Here's hopin' for the best.

Garden of Eatin' Baby

Four different varieties of tomatoes, green beans, spinach, basil, broccoli, carrots all co-habitating in one 4 ft x 4ft space

Spaghetti squash

Butternut Squash

Overview of the garden

Baby watermelon

Google Voice

Got my Google number today so call it cuz it's free for me if you do 801-448-7125.

She-ra, Princess of Power!

Help a sister out?

Dear readers,

I wanted to ask you all for some help. I have just launched a new website http://www.hipathome.com. It has all sorts of great recipes, crafts and DIY projects like how to grow your own peach tree (starting with just the pit) to eco-friendly dishwasher soap recipes. It's a brand new and really great site, but I need your help in spreading the word. You wonderful women, friends and family members all know other people in your network of friends and family that you can tell about this site.

I don't get any money for doing this (yet) and I'm on a shoe string budget to make it go. I could really use your help. If you feel like it, please email this site to people you know who would be interested in DIY projects, crafts, eco-friendly cleaners, great recipes, and more! Word of mouth recommendations and great people can work wonders!

Yours truly,
Sarah Buhr

Hip at Home

Hip at Home

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Blog World Expo

I'm going to the Blog World Expo this October in Vegas. It's my first time. Let me know if you want to go with :)

Grow your own fruit trees absolutely free! From Hip at Home dot com

hipathome

Shared via AddThis

New Fav Wave: Bat for Lashes

I like her cuz her voice is pretty, her music is haunting, her lyrics are diabolic and magical and she's like this imaginative British hippie chick. Now check her music out.

The Human Project gets religious

Hip at Home

I'm not super crafty, more of a homemaker (single gal homemaker) and homesteader (I have a bunny, a huge garden and secretly want a full on farm with cows and chicks). So I created a site where I can talk about my projects, my wishlist projects and let other crafty/homemaker types submit their projects as well. Enter Hip at Home. It's not a for-profit venture, just for fun, kids (though it may have some ad space later). Check the site, latest projects and submit your project, too :)

Giant Flowers Give You Free Power, Wi-Fi, Make You Feel Like Alice In Wonderland

This is a Toyota campaign for Prius. Interesting publicity stunt.

Don't text and drive

I've done it. Several times. You've no doubt done it to, but you know as well as I do how often you narrowly escaped an accident while doing it. It's just so hard to put that phone down and not answer back. But to illustrate just how well (or poorly, actually) you do both activities at the same time there is an interactive driving and texting game at the New York Times that will test your performance.

Texting and driving is increasingly a hazard. Even when legislators ban it, people still do it. It is officially illegal to do in the Salt Lake City limits. But so is driving without a seat belt. Despite all the billboard awareness ads for both, there isn't much of a crackdown. BYU did a study a number of years ago that showed texting while driving is often more dangerous than driving drunk even. Would it be so hard to tell your friend "Hang on, I'm about to drive. I'll text you later" or if they text you right then while you are driving to either pull over or wait until you've arrived at your destination?

Ice Cold, Refreshing Lemonade!

Remember when you were a kid and you tried to sell lemonade on the side of the road? We took that idea to a whole new level and set ourselves up at a concert.

Not the best video but we had a lot of fun...next time I'll try and get all the drunks that come by, haha.

And in case you were wondering about it...the 20 health benefits of real butter.

This is from a bodycology article my mom sent via email:

The origins of butter go back thousands of years to when our ancestors first started domesticating animals. In fact, the first written reference to butter was found on a 4500- year old limestone tablet illustrating how butter was made.¹

In India, ghee (clarified butter) has been used as a staple food, and as a symbol of purity, worthy of offering to the gods in religious ceremonies for more than 3000 years.²

The Bible has references to butter as the product of milk from the cow, and of Abraham setting butter and milk from a calf before three angels who appeared to him on the plains of Mamre.³

For millennia, people around the globe have prized butter for its health benefits.

And why would I be so insistent that you eat butter? Take a look at the long list of the benefits you receive when you include it in your diet:⁸

1. Butter is rich in the most easily absorbable form of Vitamin A necessary for thyroid and adrenal health.
   
2. Contains lauric acid, important in treating fungal infections and candida.
   
3. Contains lecithin, essential for cholesterol metabolism.
   
4. Contains anti-oxidants that protect against free radical damage.
   
5. Has anti-oxidants that protect against weakening arteries.
   
6. Is a great source of Vitamins E and K.
   
7. Is a very rich source of the vital mineral selenium.
   
8. Saturated fats in butter have strong anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties.
   
9. Butter contains conjugated linoleic acid, which is a potent anti-cancer agent, muscle builder, and immunity booster
   
10. Vitamin D found in butter is essential to absorption of calcium.
    
11. Protects against tooth decay.
    
12. Is your only source of an anti-stiffness factor, which protects against calcification of the joints.
    
13. Anti-stiffness factor in butter also prevents hardening of the arteries, cataracts, and calcification of the pineal gland.
    
14. Is a source of Activator X, which helps your body absorb minerals.
    
15. Is a source of iodine in highly absorbable form.
    
16. May promote fertility in women.⁹
17. Is a source of quick energy, and is not stored in our bodies adipose tissue.
    
18. Cholesterol found in butterfat is essential to children's brain and nervous system development.
    
19. Contains Arachidonic Acid (AA) which plays a role in brain function and is a vital component of cell membranes.
    
20. Protects against gastrointestinal infections in the very young or the elderly.

So how did butter become a villain in the quest for good health?

Read more at Bodycology.com

I'm on KUTV with Get Gephardt

I can't put the vid on here, but you can view it on their website. It's the video about Ozwald Balfour not paying people for work he hired them to do:
http://www.kutv.com/content/gephardt/default.aspx

Meet the bunny

My roommate magically fixed my flip cam. Now here's real live footage of Thumbelina for your viewing pleasure.

Homemade Butter Project

Mother Earth News magazine has an article in it this month about making homemade butter. It sounded so wonderfully domestic I bought the mag at the Wholefoods checkout stand and decided to try it out. Tonight I begin the butter making process. You'd think you'd need a churn...and a cow, but no, no my urban friends. Apparently homemade butter is so easy, kindergartners can do it. All it takes is raw milk, or heavy cream from the store that happens to have live cultures and a food processor or mason jar. Then shake, shake, shake till the mix breaks and starts to form into butter. You can even flavor the stuff yourself with rosemary or lemons. Yum!

I have the "I Wants"

I want several things and what I want is for my own good. I'm just a bit cash poor right now because of another business venture, a lemonade stand a friend and I are running at the Twilight Concert Series. You'd think it'd be simple, it's just lemonade, but oh, you'd be so wrong. And you'd have to pay the nearly $1000 worth of fees on top of equipment just to run it with the proper licensing and such. So here I am with the "I wants". I want a greenhouse. I want banjo lessons, I want either a sony webbie HD camcorder or a Flip cam (haven't decided). I also want a proper bunny hutch for bunny. There's a really cute one at the pet shop (yes, I could build one, but who are we kidding, me, building, have you seen me try to do that?). I want a private fence in my backyard instead of the chain link one that leads to the back alley and the Mexican grocery store behind my house where everyone can see me do yardwork...and ask if I need help (um, no, but thanks...unless I know you and you aren't a creep, then yes, yes please!). Bigger fantastical picture I want a ranch and lots of horses and a big pretty house and a fast and fancy car. But for now, it's the simple things I want and have to wait for. Waiting sucks. So does red ink on your bank statements. Damn you poverty!

Have you over opined?

Nobody seems to read personal blogs anymore.

The Carrot Situation

Not sure what happened cuz the crown indicated it was ready to pick. :/

The smoke around Obama's new anti-tobacco law

I hear this all the time, "Obama's such a great president. I voted for him and everything, but I don't agree with..." or "well at least he's making a change, except for..." I hear it and I've repeated it. Take his issues with smoking. How can a man who still smokes really work on smoking prevention? It's a feel good, warm fuzzy thing to do in the public eye, to put laws into place that supposedly will discourage lighting up. But I'm not so sure a law put in place by a man who smokes and the tobacco industry is change I really can believe in.

From Slate:

"Today, despite decades of lobbying and advertising by the tobacco industry, we've passed a law to help protect the next generation of Americans," President Obama declared yesterday as he signed a new antismoking bill into law.

It's an uplifting tale of courage against evil. The truth, however, is more complicated. For all his rhetoric, Obama is still apparently a nicotine addict. And the country's biggest tobacco company, Altria, helped write the bill."

tpezm43h6q

To the Man in the Mirror

My first memory of Michael Jackson was in the living room of my neighbors. They were twins. We were all about 4 or 5. They brought out a record (everyone still had record players, it was 1982). They told me all about the great MJ, how the picture on the back with a leopard was his own leopard and that this cool guy wearing the nice white suit had a zoo in the back of his house. Then they put it on and started playing the best, creepiest, most awesome music I'd ever heard. Thriller.

We were all in dance classes at that age. I took ballet and tap from another neighbor who had a studio in her basement, but older girls got to do jazz. We couldn't tap or do ballet to this stuff. That' would be ridiculous. So we made up our own jazz moves to the song. We were 5 and didn't really know what we were doing. I vaguely remember us all falling down, pretending we were dead at the end (you know, when the guy starts maniacally laughing).

I remember every song on the album made me want to move. We acted out "The girl is mine", "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" and listened to it over and over and over again that afternoon.

Not long after that my older brother would introduce me to Weird Al Jankovich's "Just Eat It".

It's not surprising to me that Twitter and Facebook are overloaded with talk about the late, great MJ. The prime social media demographic just so happens to be the age group that would have been Michael's prime audience and would have felt his rock effect the most. Children and teens of the 80's, all aching for something "Bad" and yearning for something different. Michael Jackson transcended all races and barriers and was born with the God-given talents and at the perfect time to do just that. We didn't think of him as a black kid from Motown. We thought of him as the King of Pop and a musician of Epic proportions.

Incidentally, Thriller, my first and favorite album I ever knew from MJ, was preserved by the Library of Congress, as it was deemed "culturally significant" and Rolling Stone said it was one of the top ranked albums of all time in 2003.

Michael, you had your troubles, you were a bit eccentric and we weren't sure what was going on all the time, but you were a musical master and affected an entire generation of children in the 80's with your genius. You will be missed.

Galactica 1980 in three minutes

And this was a real show...thanks Jeff for making me aware of this gem.

My dad

Today is not just a day for me to think about my dad and dads in general. It is also my dad's 61st birthday, the first day of summer (summer solstice) and the longest day of the year, all rolled into one day.

My dear dad was born in 1948, ten years after his only sibling, an older brother, and as a bit of a surprise. He was raised on a farm in a small town in Southern Illinois basically in the middle of nowhere and basically by three adults. He was kind of an adult himself by the time he was three. The story goes he went to his mom, threw down his bottle of milk and said "I don't want this bottle anymore and the name is Bob, not Bobby!"

He went to college in highschool and became an engineer. This is an amazing feat, considering his own father, a poor farmer and steel mill worker from the Great Depression era, was forced to drop out of jr. high to help contribute to the family income. My dad is very smart, very serious...except for his silly sense of humor if you catch him in a certain mood, haha... and I have never, ever known him to lie. He's an honest straight arrow who thinks absolutely like an engineer and is the first to do the right thing when there is ever a question about it. He isn't flowery or a feelings kind of person. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him cry. He was strict...and we did not get along when I was a teenager, but he is a good dad who provided for our family, is good to my mom, and a man I know I can trust. They don't make 'em like him anymore. Happy birthday and Father's Day, dad.

And we broke up again

For the 20th time. Y'all can just guess who I'm talkin' about.

I really like what Jenn Anniston said at the Crystal and Lucy Awards, "If anyone has a movie called Everlasting Love with an Adult, Stable Man, that would be great."


Jenn, I know just how you feel.

311 and Ziggy Marley

We went, we saw, we jammed, it rained...and we jammed on!
And then we kissed...again :)

Slide Show Time

Here are a few pics from the MoabA zen moment

Thumbelina

I am the proud owner of one spoiled baby bunny girl named Thumbelina. She is two months old, a full rex doe in castor color and her mom was a show bunny. She came with a pedigree and a very, very soft coat of fur.

Garden of eatin'

I planted a garden out back this year. The peas are starting to flower, which means the crop is almost ready to produce food, yay! Other crops I am experimenting with (this being the first garden I have ever planted): garden beans, strawberries, loose leaf lettuce, carrots, winter squash, butternut squash, potatoes, watermelon, brocolli...and...drum roll...tomatoes (which there is no picture of because I still need to plant them).

If you like tomatoes, or are growing tomatoes, by the way, you can thank Thomas Jefferson, the first guy to think they might be something to cultivate...They used to be considered poisonous because of their membership in the nightshade family. Also for those of you wondering, they are technically a fruit, even if we do put them in salads. However, back in the late 1800's the Supreme Court actually declared them a vegetable. They seemed a bit bored back then, didn't they?

I also planted a young Jonathan dwarf variety apple tree near the garden and across the path from the older, more established...apple tree (not sure what the other tree actually is because the fruit is sorta shaped like an apple, and crisp like an apple, but tastes sorta like a pear).

The weeding and the getting seeds to actually grow have been the biggest challenges, also knowing how much to water what without drowning them or starving them. I've put on plenty of fertilizer and ironite, burned extra trash wood to make potash, water every day in the morning, weed and hope for the best. It is a lot of work and I'm just one gal, but hopefully it pays off.

Oh, and one more project I'm working on out back on top of the food stuff - an English garden :)

Letter from Africa

This is a letter sent by a good friend of my younger brother, Seth. His name is Sama Nkowane (Ku-wain). He is from Uganda I believe. We used to call him Sam. My brother and Sama were working on some brilliant music before he, my brother, passed away. This was six years ago yesterday. I can't believe it has been that long since he's been gone. This is a beautiful letter from a good young man, a kid from Africa who was in my family ward and who enrolled himself in college at the age of 16 (LDS Business College - where my brother went). I wanted to share it here:

Hello everyone,

Just thought I would let you all know that I am doing alright. Its been a while since I was able to send out a group email, and so I thought I would just fill you all in because its getting harder and harder currently to reach each of you individually.

Firstly I would like to reassure all of you of the love that I have for you. You have all been dear friends and continue to be so. I hope that life is treating you all well with the blessings of the Lord resting upon you.

As I have sought to strengthen my faith I have witnessed time and time again more of the Lords blessings and influence in my life. Recently as I read 1 Peter 5 these verses pierced my heart and I thought I would share them with you.

“Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

I read this verse after singing the hymn “Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd”! At the bottom of the hymn are some scriptural references which I felt impressed to read.

As I read these verses, the spirit of the hymn was still fixed in my mind that I felt overwhelmed by the message being conveyed. I am the one sheep, not one of the ninety and nine! I’ve been out in desert wandering, hungry and helpless and cold. But my shepherd who cares for me shall never forsake me and is bringing me back to His Fathers kingdom.

I know that Heavenly Father cares deeply for you too! I hope you will think of that as you go about your day today!

I gained a stronger testimony of singing hymns in church meetings, family settings and even in private settings before prayer. As I knelt down to pray after that, I really felt myself communing with my Father in Heaven. I am grateful for the friend who sent me an email suggesting that I try to sing a hymn before personal prayer. Truly what greater gift can we know than Christ-like friends?

Well, apart from that, I am doing really well. Still enjoying school and just preparing to close for the semester.

My brother Isaac just got married and so we are trying out best to make his wife feel at home in Johannesburg although they just got robbed a few days ago. What a way to start your marriage hey!

Well, once again, I love you all and hope to hear from you!

Sama

The Love of Money

Dad sent this to me. Some of it might border a bit of paranoia, but there's some truth to it too. Thought it was good enough to share on here:

The following quote is from the Daily Bell, Issue 290, 19 May 2009, http://www.thedailybell.com/index.asp?fl= ; in response to an article by investment guru Marc Faber entitled Capitalism Could Fail, which appeared recently in Money News.

“The West is far from a free-market system at this point. The economic system is over-controlled by governments, and the monetary elites behind them. These monetary elites, in fact, create and market the dominant social themes that most people utilize to interpret their world - and through these themes government derives leverage. They are fairly easy to discern, these memes [ideas conveyed through a culture]. They are actuated by money. The idea is to create scarcity and then to profit from it. If you can convince people, for instance, that carbon dioxide is poisoning the earth, then you are in a position to sell large-scale solutions to a problem that you, and only you, have defined. More wealth for the wealthy, and more control.

The memes marketed by the monetary elite usually deal with disaster … Peak oil, environmental difficulties, terrorist threats, health scares, these all drain optimism and human action and substitute pessimism, inaction and self doubt. Once this state of affairs is achieved people are far more suggestible and malleable. They will tend to do as they are told and will not be inclined to question authority. In fact, many will purchase the solutions that are marketed to them, and will even see such participation as an affirmation of morality.”

Just who are the monetary elites spoken of in the above quotation? They are the Bankers, particularly the central Bankers.

Thus we see the wisdom of Paul, the Apostle, when he said that the love of money is the root of all evil.

1 Timothy 6:10

Angels, Demons, Illumi-naughty

Angels and Demons is next on my movie going list, so still haven't seen it. But for those interested (and into paranoid conspiracies) here's a special step-by-step on how to get yourself accepted into the Illuminati.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/514547/18-Ways-Anyone-Can-Join-TheIlluminati

What Twitter looked like in 1935

The N. Korea Shed Crisis Situation

Great news, the shed, the one my dad was using as an excuse to putter around my backyard for the past two weeks, oh, and also may as well have been built in N. Korea for all the mislabeling and whatnot, is now built. Yay!...well, almost.

Dad now wants to paint it. It's painted, but he wants a second coat...and to paint the inside (so I don't get slivers if I ever for some whatever odd reason want to walk in it with just my bare feet). And he needs to still add more trim...and a skylight...

I've now realized Dad, though retired, just likes to be busy. This shed business has been a slow process, but it's these little things that keep him busy. At least I think that's what's going on...

In other news, I also sold the Snow Shack - and for a slightly better price than what I bought it for :) . Out with the shack, in with the shed!

Patience is a four letter word

Lately I seem to be tested over my patience. I am admittedly not a patient person and waiting is really REALLY hard for me to do. But life always seems to find ways to giveyou opportunities to confront the things that are hard for you. Like lately. I've had to patiently wait for my roommates/tenants to pay me rent...late...again!

I have also had my parents in town. Who see many things the opposite of me. They are good people, great people, but some things we just don't see eye-to-eye on. I'm fine with not going there. You can't reason with the irrational anyway. But they insist. They must endlessly discuss how the whole world is going to hell because Obama is president and other such things that really don't matter in our relationship and I don't agree with. They talk about it over and over (brainwashing method?) who knows. I love them, but talk like that tries my patience. Get over it all ready. I don't agree. We don't need to try to convert me...especially when you are talking crazy...and sending crazy emails....on a daily basis. "Muslims are the anti-Christ" "Aliens are behind 911" "Look at these cute puppies with American flags, if you don't it means you hate America". Spam. Crazy. I don't have the time for this.

My dad is also building me a shed in my backyard. So far the foundation has been built. It's been a week. It's supposed to take 2.5 hours. He comes over every other day, moves some things around (and then I feel guilty that he is old and trying to do this and somehow he ends up recruiting my help and time for this), then after moving things around for no good reason he says it might rain, covers everything over again and says he will get to it later. It's a trial of my patience. We actually fought about the time it is taking just yesterday. I said I could get friends or neighbors to help me, that I could just do it. It apparently hurt his feelings because he is trying to help me (except that it is taking my time up and it's going nowhere and I have no idea why he insists on puttering around my backyard instead of actually building the damn thing)...and then I get to feel like the ungrateful daughter because he is afterall building me a shed. It's frustrating to just wait it out, let my backyard be a mess and have patience.

More patience. Most of my clients this month have also asked if they could pay me later instead of now. I have bills now. I balance between just taking the work and hoping and losing patience and telling them to pay up now. Test of patience.

I get impatient. I get impatient at slow traffic and slow cars that somehow seem to move right in front of me and then slow down and I have to downshift gears or hit the brakes. I get impatient at non-coordinating traffic lights, slow checkout lines, slow cashiers, people who walk slowly in front of me and I can't get by, people who can't seem to find their credit card when they go to pay or try to pay by counting out every nickel and dime in the deep depths of their purse, slow payments, slow responses, slow people, slow, slow, slow. Patience.

It's a test. I want to believe that it's just a test. Why else does stuff like this always seem to come at once? But even if this is all a test to teach me patience and to slow down and just learn to wait and widdle my time away... the thing is, I don't know that I am really learning to be more patient, just annoyed that things, people and circumstances can't see where I am trying to go and what I want and need to do and speed up a little. But I'm supposed to be learning patience.

Worldless Wednesday

Except, a few words...this is from Cinco de Dos, not Mayo...even though that means 5 of 2. Whatever, here's some pictures.

It's the Chronic -what? cles of Narnia

Reverse Filming with Intake Films

This young, talented man-friend of mine (who, btw, used to work for MTV productions) is in a competition on Vimeo for the best reverse video. Watch the vid and then vote if you think it is cool. Hint, it's very, very cool - especially the pool scene.

Reverse Filming (intake films) from Intake Films on Vimeo.

New trend in hippie "milk"

Hemp Milk

Saw this at the Whole Foods last night. It wasn't the only label to make actual hemp milk. It seems to be the latest trend (after soy, rice, almond and various other vegan ways to avoid milk made from animals). It really is made out of hemp. And yes, I bought some. I'll let you know of my "experiences" with it.

Alfalfa sprouts bigger threat than swine flu in US

Media needs to STOP freaking out. There are bigger threats, like the recent salmonella outbreak from alfalfa sprouts. 31 people fell ill, according to the report. There've only been 20 outbreaks for swine flu (okay, some reports are now saying 300, none fatal), but it's like the only news some media outlets seem to be talking about today. Ya, I get why you'd mention it. About 100 people died from the flu in Mexico. Somehow no one has died here. Symptoms sound a whole helluva lot like the regular flu. People, especially in countries with less sanitation, more malnutrition and overloaded hospitals, sometimes die of the flu. Tada! Bigger stories: torture, salmonella poisoning of a lot of foods lately (alfalfa, spinach, peanuts) in THIS country, also, where the f#@$ did all that bailout money (our tax dollars) go after the banks took it?

Happy Etsy Day

Today is Etsy Day. A day created by the Etsy team and miraculously declared through the internet as the day to remember some of the fine crafsters who generate all sorts of adorable, local and handmade and sell it direct to you and me.

I have to admit I've only admired but never purchased from Etsy. Still, I admire many artists there. I've noticed when it comes to paintings, however, I lean toward those who tend to paint abstracts of nature and also very girlie stuff. Check out some of my favs for what I mean:

Sascalia -

Lindsayart -

Nadine Bozek -
Patty Baker (also shown at top) -

If anyone asks me "What's the point of Twitter?" I just send them this:

Top 10 most extraordinary tweets (some have even changed the world) http://bit.ly/v4F52

Bloggers for hire: more people now make a living as bloggers than as bartenders

Where's my money? WSJ article: Blogger Life

The talk

I am having a really hard time with this talk thing...why did they ask me to speak? There used to be a time when I would have jumped at the chance. But when they ask me I honestly only said yes cuz this seems to be an automatic response with me for some reason these days. I have no idea what I'm going to say. I don't know if it will be good. I don't even know if anyone will understand me or if I'm going to be preaching some kind of incorrect doctrine or something. What am I doing? Is it too late to back out?

What?

Someone's confused. They asked me to speak in church this next Sunday (???) Ummm, well, okay, sure...stay tuned.

Easter

This is one of my favorite times of year. Everything is starting to grow and bud and bloom, baby birds are singing, the grass is coming up green, sun is shining. The Earth becomes just beautiful! Today was especially wonderful and I am overjoyed both for the amazing scenery and that it is Easter Sunday.

Some of you friends of mine from further away may not have known that I was not going to church for a while. I didn't talk about it for various reasons, none of which had to do with belief. For a good year and a half I didn't go and then just on and off this last year. But right around Christmas something had started to change in me and it has really started to change in me this last month. I am so glad to have come back and to enjoy the gospel message at this time of year. I love Easter and the message of the resurrection. It is a story of hope for all of us. that Jesus died is part of it, yes, but that he lives, that he has conquered death and has freed us from the chains of hell is the sweetest part of it.

1 Corinthians 15:55 "Oh death where is thy victory, oh grave where is thy sting?"

Jesus died for our sins, but he lives that we might live again! It is the greatest message His gospel can give us. Through Christ death is swallowed up and the grave of both sin and physical death cannot hold us anymore. How appropriate to reflect on this very message just as the Earth herself renews herself and springs forth with the beautiful bounties of this time of year.

Podcast Yourself

The whole podcast "wave" never really hit me when it first was all the rage. You'd think it would, being that I am a radio girl. But it didn't. Until I went to Podcamp SLC 2009. There I was with about a hundred other techy geeks, twittering everything we'd learned in our lectures for the day and learning all about the wonderful world of the pod.

Then I started searching for truly Utah podcasters. Turns out most of the lists of directories, Utah or otherwise, are not very up to date. So this turned into me creating my own list of actually active, current Utah podcasters. Lots of fascinating local stuff, especially on UtahFM, Utah's only online radio station (they split from community radio station KRCL when they changed their formatting, saying they wouldn't work for something that felt so corporate...such rebels).

Anyway, now I've moved on to bigger things on ITunes. This seems to be the ultimate directory, plus it's one of the only things there that's free. Oh, the pleasures I've enjoyed downloading stories from This American Life, Slate, NPR Story of the Day and even darlings the likes of DiggNation, Writers Block and Stop Podcasting Yourself (a show created by two college guys out of Brittish Columbia. They talk about SXSW, Wayne's World, their dog "Grandpa", etc). I can get meditation music, workout beats, psychology, economics, news, politics, and even an EPA tip of the day to help me make the world a better place. All free!

I've been downloading and listening on my daily walk, run or bike ride...or in the car. You can even download General Conference if you wish. I've considered starting my own podcast, but with all this listening who has the time? Anyway, if you or someone you love has a podcast and resides in Utah, please urge them/yourself to check out the podcast directory on the Utah News Source Utah Media Directory and let me know if it is current and if I should add it to the list, too.

Ya I made 'em slash wordless Monday

Classic 80's Rap Scene from Teen Witch

Prepare yourself to be amazed

Teen Witch - "Top That" Rap Scene - watch more funny videos

Festival of Colors pics

It's sort of an odd sight. Out in the middle of nowhere. Farm country. Utah. A background of the Rocky Mtns and sagebrush showcases a big Taj Mahal like palace known as the Spanish Fork Temple. But this is a very different kind of temple than the one the folks around here are used to. A Harry Krishna Temple. And once a year thousands of BYU and UVU students, Provo and Salt Lake residents decend upon this place to participate in the rites of spring known as Holi, Festival of Colors, celebrated by those of the Krishna faith throughout the world.

Everyone throws bags of colored powder on each other. The goal is to pelt everyone around you and get covered in color as much as possible.

Lane and Andrew show their colorful side

Me with Lane and Andrew

Me and my friend, the other Sarah, after Lane pelted me with blue powder

More of me

Of course I got the butt shot

Some girl wore her prom dress

Crowd surfing

The bonfire started to settle down

Aftermath of the color fight

More of me

If you've ever been to the Harry Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, UT, you'd know it wouldn't be a proper visit without the llamas.

I will be going to, observing and participating in the colorful celebration of spring known as Holi tonight at the Spanish Fork Harry Krishna temple. Hopefully my flipcam works this time. If not, there will be pictures.

The kind of thing the Human Project lives and breathes for

This is from Michael Wesch, Kansas State University Social Media Anthropologist. I like it because it is the perfect marriage of everything I love: the study of cultures, human behavior, media, social media, dissemination of information and the encompassing whole of how creative we are as humanity. The machine needs us to create its world. We create it based on the way we react and it in turn uses our reactive behaviors to become what it is.

A guy walks into a bar...

Thought this was a kind of a cool story. I worked with Alex Chadwick and his wife Carolyn on a program he used to host at NPR called Radio Expeditions. He moved on to the Day to Day show and is now a writer for Slate. He's always been a favorite of mine and encouraged me to keep writing, producing and reporting (even if I did choose to go into public relations instead ;)

Art?

I've been searching through Etsy for the last hour and a half for a good piece of art to hang in my living room. There's a lot of great stuff and not so great stuff on there. There's also some very expensive and some actually decently cheap stuff, too. One thing I've come to a conclusion on, though, is like the color of paint for my living room, I can't decide on a good piece of wall art. It'd be hard to explain what I need or have you take a poll if you've never seen my living room. The walls are an off-white and I have orange silk curtains, blue couch covers and purple pillows. I also arranged orchids and have a dark wood theme going on with the furniture. I was thinking a pic of orange orchids to compliment the orchids, but then I also have this vibrant fake quail I've hung on the curtains so I did a search for quail. Then there is just the interesting modern art that captures the colors. I really just don't know and the stuff I've thought would really match nicely seems to be the more expensive stuff. One gal I really do like is Patty Baker, especially her nature stuff and poppies. So check her out

In the meantime here are a few inspirational pics of my living room. One day I'll finally decide the paint color and get some decent wall art. But for now It's all still a work in progress.

All this because two people met on Twitter

From Gwen Bell's blog:
"Yesterday, in addition to 45 in person guests and thanks to technology, we had nearly 1,000 unique visitors share in the stream of our wedding day."

Big Love Apology SLTrib Letter to Editor

I really liked the way this letter to the editor said it:

"So HBO apologized to those who may have been offended by the "Big Love" episode that depicted a private LDS temple ceremony. The creators of the show stated: "We therefore took great pains to depict the ceremony with the dignity and reverence it is due" ("HBO apologizes for offense, but will still air 'Big Love' temple scene," Tribune , March 10).

"That is the same as saying: "I apologize for sleeping with your wife last night, but I want you to know I treated her with dignity and respect."

Lana Massey

West Valley City

Exactly!

Twittersphere fail whale goes nuts

Saw this on Facebook today. I am a big fan of Twitter for a lot of things, but this vid is sadly so true! Notice the monster fail whale. If you've ever been on Twitter (or not) don't be drinkin' milk, it'll make you snort it out your nose while watching.
Twouble with Twitters

Pulling the economy up by our own bootstraps

We the people are responsible for our current economic situation. We are responsible for the fall of the stock market, the crash of the housing market, the over-consumption of on-credit purchases. We are. Not some goverment leader or legislature, not Congress, our president (former or present), not our elders or the banks or any such leader. We are.

Sure we trusted the bank, the president, the ad campaign and our government leaders. But that's our fault. Lesson learned?

We got ourselves into this mess with purchases we couldn't really afford, houses bought with far more of a loan than we should have been approved for, and by trying to leave it up to someone else to fix it. We're still hoping someone else bails us all out. Even with massive bail outs, this isn't going to happen. That won't fix it. We fix it.

The current message is "don't be afraid to spend, we need consumers to be confident in spending to help our economy get moving again"....um, spending too much and making too little is what got us all into this mess in the first place. That's the offered solution? Consumers, people, think about it. Saving, not spending, causes businesses to lower prices and offer deals. You can still get the things you need. Maybe not the things you want. But the things you need...at a discount. GIf anyone is going to bail us out it is our power of influence with our own pocket books. Get the store, the bank, the whatever to lower the price to what we can actually afford by holding on and waiting for prices to drop to a reasonable level. Hold on to your savings, pay down your debts and I know this doesn't sound like fun (trust me, this is very hard for me, stay away from the shopping mall). We the people can pull ourselves out of this, and for good, if we take a cue from our grandparents and save our money and only buy what we can afford, no matter how easy it is to use our credit.

I read this in an Ezine article:

"Working too hard makes you unattractive to good men and makes you oh, so attractive to the bad ones."

I'm embarrassed to admit it but I literally typed in "how to find your soul mate" and this came up. It's so true! The jerks love a girl who bends over backwards for them. Makes their life so easy and they know they can just insult all your efforts and you'll come back for more. Run away from these guys. I know, for some sad reason this is easier said than done. It was for me for a certain horrible someone. But distance, time and good friends who can help you rebuild your self-esteem help.

Now...why was I spending time typing this in? I'm not exactly desperate right now. All the articles I read seemed to be aimed at women who got rejected a lot. But finding guys who like me is not the problem...It's just I can't seem to find a guy who I like back. And I don't think I'm being too snobby about what I would prefer.

My other girlfriends seem to be in the same boat. These are cute, educated gals that get asked out plenty...by all the wrong guys. These are men that don't have a job, heavily in debt, significantly less attractive than the other person, have a drinking problem, an attitude problem, an anger management problem, already have a girlfriend, treat women poorly, hate their moms, can't seem to get their crap together (like they are still working on their undergrad and they're 29), play mind games, play D&D...whatever, they are not a single one a good match. So I thought a little helpful advice from the internet might help. But it didn't.

All I can ascertain is that it is better to be single than tied down to a jerk in some miserable relationship...but significantly better to be in a great relationship with a great guy than to be single. Ummm, yep, got that one, thanks.

I'd like to say I'd take some nerdy nice guy over a jerk...but it would be a lie. I've been with a jerk and gone back and back and back an insane amount of times. I guess trying to fix him or trying to figure out why he couldn't just be nice to me...until I couldn't do it anymore. I'm hoping for a nice guy to show up instead. I'm hoping to resist "wounded bird syndrome" where you're drawn to a guy cuz he's totally insane and you hope he just needs someone to care...which actually only escalates his broken crazy and now you are enabling him and he's telling you that you are worthless...But maybe that's the secret to finding your "soul mate" or whatever you wanna call the person that fits you best. You believe there is this good guy out there and you don't have to accept Mr. Broken, or Mr. "inauthentic cheeseball with clammy hands" or Mr. "I don't have a job or a car and will you drive me?" You don't go out with or even think about all the guys you know are wrong, wrong, wrong. Instead you expect Mr. Right. Right?

Really, I don't know. I just wish there weren't so many guys I didn't like and that there were more of an abundance of hot guys that had their life together and respected the women in their lives.

Blackberry Believer Fever

I got a blackberry from my roommate. He won a new one at work so I got his old one. It pretty much solved my latest dilemma of iPhone or Blackberry. When it's free you don't care, you'll take it. At first it was all sorts of confusing and complicated and I felt completely lost, kept accidentally dialing people, left several blank text messages and facebook updates...and then it happened. I got it. I really got it. I don't even know what I did without this thing. I can email, use the GPS system, Facebook, Twitter, browse, use Google maps, order online, keep in touch with friends and clients and whatever, all in just one little wallet-sized phone. Amazing! Now I ask what can't this thing do?

Utah News Source Blog

I'm blogging on my local Utah newswire blog these days, too (on top of the Big Star blog, client blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc, whew!). So check it out, y'all.

Utah News Source, the blog

Facebook Name Twins

Apparently there's another Sarah Buhr on Facebook. Just click the following link for reference: http://www.facebook.com/people/Sarah-Buhr/1344436358

I've also been contacted by another Sarah Buhr in Ohio through email because I took her name for an account. It was all light-hearted in conversation, but still kinda weird that there are others out there with my same exact name. I have a hard enough time sharing the name Sarah...even though my roommate at the moment is also named Sarah.

How to Talk to Girls

One of my old roommates was in City Weekly this last week

Check this little photo artist out: Julia Voye: Never the Real, Never the Bad

He's Just Not That Into You

This is my friend Tyler explaining the entire book/movie in a few short seconds:



My neighbors Anna and Isabel talk to the camera about their dating lives before the movie:

Me and about 30 other women met for dinner and a movie this last Friday night for "He's Just Not That Into You"; a movie that basically makes women out to be totally desperate idiots.

I read the book and got what it was trying to say, but didn't entirely agree with it. Then the movie, though funny, just made things worse. I know it is just a movie, and as such has the duty to exaggerate things, but c'mon, I have never known a dude who spent that much time with a woman who wasn't into her, or any woman in general in these modern days that was that desperate for a man, just any man to like her. I mean, ya, you want them to like you, especially when you like them, but if they don't, there are others out there. The movie basically says if you are trying to get his attention at all, or trying to hang out with a guy you like and think might like you back that you are reading too much into it, that he does not like you unless he is constantly calling and obsessing over you and that if you think otherwise that you are desperate and you are being clingy. What? It's really a recipe to make women paranoid that no one likes them (even when a guy really does) and just sets them up for failure. The movie was some good entertainment with an all star cast, sure, but the messages were confusing and totally horrible.

Went out to karaoke with a neighbor and an old roommate at Piper Down last night. Picture a room full of unabashed American Idol rejects, a Limp Bizkit like rendition of "Milkshake", one old, fat Tongan guy in Santa red pants singing his heart out to Celine Dion and a big group of early twenty-somethings swing dancing in the middle of it for no apparent reason. Best. Night. Ever.

I am beginning to feel restless and stagnant in my life and in need of a change. I've felt this before but don't know what to do about it just yet. Usually I move states or switch jobs when I feel like this. This time I took up belly dancing instead. I didn't go to class tonight. I probably missed some important choreography because of it. But I just felt like that wouldn't do it for me. Not tonight. I am standing still and need to move, or be moved. I just feel like life is just going along, boring. It could be a lack of husband and kids and all this freedom to choose what I want and I don't really know what to do with. I don't know if that is it or that is what I choose to blame. I just know I'm restless for purpose or change or challenge. Something. I can't figure out how to feel fulfilled. Like I'm doing something with my life (even though on the surface it may seem I'm doing a lot) I just feel like there's something more I could learn or do or be and I don't know what that is or where to go to get it or if it will ever happen. It's bugging me.

Slow food and other resolutions

So far I've taught myself to make soups, chili, sourdough bread, a mean double chocolate chip cookie (the secret is more butter, folks), and fried doughnuts. Hmmm, doing really well in the carbohydrates with loads of fat category...and rethinking my healthy eating strategy. lol.

In other great news I do love the belly dancing classes. Really great hip and abs workout.

The new calm, cool and creative class

A new generation in the workforce is yearning for the creativity that the public school system almost sucked out. But as hard as any authority figure has tried and as much as we've been told artists, writers and poets don't make gold...it's a habit that cannot be snuffed out of our humanity. It (creativity) is part of what makes life worth living and part of what we are here on this planet to do and be a part of. According to this book, "The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World," a new generation in the workforce brings this force for creativity with them. It even says the creative class is changing the world with their new ideas about work, our economy and life values in general.

I have only read excerpts, but I like it. There does seem to be a certain section of society drawn to the creative process. This draw, or yearning to create is not driven by monetary gain, but a sense of appreciation for life and beauty and entertainment for those who can still see and hear enough to recognize the good in it.

The roommate is gone!

So yesterday evening around 6:00 my roommate calls and says she can't figure out how to get home from work and would I come get her.

Me: nope, figure it out.
Her: But I'm lost
Me: I drove you there the other day, it's on 400 S, the bus goes up and down 400 S each way. Take 400 S and head west and you'll be home
Her: I'm so confused, come get me?
Me: No, it's not hard, it's 400 S
Her: But I'm lost
Me: You want a ride instead of the bus, but you are an adult and you are not this dumb
Her: But I don't have any money
Me: That is why we made you take that temp job, for money
Her: Well I guess I will just figure it out
Me: Yep

She gets home

Her: Hey, I'm home, I made it
Me:
Her: So I made it home
Me: (I'm silently reading and not looking up in a passive aggressive attempt to let her know I do not care)
Her: Well, I guess I'll just go make some dinner
Me:

Later in the night I ask if she is going again tomorrow. She says probably but that she needs to call about other jobs and "do some stuff". I'm sick of this already and then other roommate, who is friends with her temporary supervisor informs her that our problem roommate is slow and lazy at work and that it is not worth it for them to keep her on, but out of kindness they will just give her odd jobs for the next couple weeks to help her out.

I had already made up my mind to kick her out, but this def added fuel to the flames. So I called her brother said I was sick of telling her to go to work, reminding her of the rent and utility bills she needed to pay, sick of getting asked to give her a ride everywhere, the constant nonsense chatter and mooching and manipulation...he says he'll be right over to get her things that night.

It was a little sudden, but she took it pretty well. :)

Roommate situation update

I told my lazy roommate that she had to go to the temp job or find work by Jan 20th so that she had the rent money or I had enough time to find a paying roommate by Feb 1...this is the only reason she actually went to work yesterday (did I mention she's been trying to get money from our bishop and I also took her to Welfare Square to fill a food order?)

She got a ride home from her boss last night and then called to tell me she forgot her key. I was already on my way to my belly dancing class so told her too bad but I was not home and wasn't coming back for a while.

She called again and kept talking about how she really needed in. I again said too bad, gotta go and hung up on her while she kept rambling on and on something about how she doesn't understand the key thing cuz her family, something irrelevant, blah blah blah (the girl has diarrhea of the mouth).

Sad thing was she was still out there when I got home. I reminded her the relief society pres lived right next door and why didn't she just knock on the door to see if she was home? "Oh ya," she said. Was she just out there to get my sympathy or did she really not think of that?

This morning she sleeps in. I then asked if she was going to work today. She said yes. Hours pass. She then asked if I would again give her a ride today. I told her to find her own bus route. Finally, at noon (just 27 minutes ago) she left for work.

I have come to the conclusion that I don't have to take care of her and that she will have to move out of my house anyway. I work on my business stuff from home a lot of days and can't handle that in my space. The whole run of the mouth, give me a ride, I lost my key or take me to the grocery story thing has finally just worn on my last nerve. I know she has some psychological development problems and barriers, but I can't deal with that. I am trying to run a business and I'm not her mom.

I felt bad for a while cuz my other roommate was being so saintly about the whole thing, but she also doesn't deal with her most of the time and doesn't rely on her to pay part of the mortgage.

Now it's just telling her to move out

The Roommate Situation

Life with roommates has both pluses and minuses. For me the biggest plus is the help with paying down my mortgage...and the minus is the roommate who thinks she can live here for free.

Here's the situation: Nerdy homely roommate moves in swears up and down she has the funds to pay rent and does pay, in cash, on the spot of day of move in. Great! I think. I don't care who you are, even if you are a bit anti-social, I have a roommate and don't have to keep wading through the kooks on Craigslist. A month and a half goes by, roommate blames economy for not being able to find a job. You'd think that would be a valid argument except...you still have to pay for the place you live in no matter what. This has apparently escaped her understanding.

But this particular roommate has also holed herself up in her room all day and all night playing on the computer and hasn't even looked for a job for an entire month and a half since she has been here. My other roommate, bless her heart, then took it upon her to hook her up with a temporary job. Except she didn't go. She has social anxiety disorder. Uh-huh. So other sweet roommate brings the supervisor of the job to our house to introduce himself and make her feel more comfortable. Jobless roommate then complains that she can't get up that early in the morning...oh, and she can't stay late at night, and has no work clothes to wear...Supervisor guy assures her she can show up whenever she wants, wear whatever she wants, she just has to show up...Next day roommate doesn't go. She says she can't go because she doesn't have money for the bus (did I mention she is also carless? as in she's 27 years old and has never somehow had a drivers license). She would go, but of course the bus costs money...even though she mentioned the other day she has $25. I remind her of the $25 she said she had and she says she needs that to pay for her phone minutes. Hmmm, job that pays or phone minutes?

Call me crazy but the girl just doesn't want to work. In fact, I feel more like her parent. I actually offered to give her a ride to work the first time. And if that wasn't enough, woke her up this morning and told her to go get ready for work. She started making more excuses (oh, but this one is only temporary work and I need a real job...blah blah blah) so I told her to go to work before I threw her out, then I drove her. On the way she started saying she was really more like a kid. I told her she was a big baby and a burden on everyone around her and what she was doing was extremely rude. Then I told her she'd have to find her own way home. :)

I've contemplated just kicking her out but thought if I gave her that jump start that at least I did everything I could to help this girl not wind up homeless. Funny part is she has a brother in town that basically loaded her off on me cuz he didn't want to deal with it. He actually came to the house about a week ago and thanked me for taking care of her for him. I was livid. I don't know why I'm helping her. My other roommate is taking everything so well. But the burden of mortgage payments does not rest on her. I have determined that if she does not figure out how to get herself to work tomorrow without anyone's help she will be out on the street. I don't want to kick someone out, but what else can I do? I've done everything to help someone who seems determined to fail.

24 Hours at Sundance

Who hasn't gone up to Park City during Sundance in hopes of spotting a celebrity or two? Well, a twist on that would be Ashton Kutcher's little project "24 hours at Sundance". Contestants compete by participating in many Sundance activities like bugging snowboarders, mooching lift tickets, posing as the media and of course celeb hunting. Don't know that I'd sign up to do it myself. I've grown up here and am sorta over the whole Sundance celeb thing (they're just people, people...who occassionally make us laugh), but it was a cool idea. How is that Kutcher guy involved in so many projects at once?

You asked for it!

Well, one of you did anyway...Slow food movement in action! Not all the food was necessarily culturally unique to the Salt Lake region at last night's dinner party...although there was a vat of creamy jello and fruit stuff sometimes referred to as "ambrosia". I actually like it. Yes, yes I really do.

The theme: salad. The real food made? Potluck smattering of just about everything from bruchetta with prosciutto, salsa and chips, artisian bread, fruit, mozerella, basil and tomatoes, and of course the aforementioned ambrosia-like Utah 50's housewife tradition.

Now why don't I show you all the beautiful dishes we made? I think pictures of food are actually gross. Sorry guys, you'll just have to believe it looked and tasted good and a good time was had by all...by making the food...and sharing it with each other...and NOT spending a fortune at a restaurant. We didn't even have to tip ourselves.

Belly Dancing through the New Year

Today I began the fulfillment of one of my New Year's resolutions. Belly dancing! Mer and I switched our hips and thrust our thighs in the ancient art of Egyptian belly dancing...in my old jr. high school! Haven't been to Bryant in so many years. They still have one of the murals up that my 8th grade art class painted. That was cool. Fond memories, my first kiss happened just behind the school in the soccer field to a very cute, very tall first boyfriend. I was 14 and not allowed to have a boyfriend. I was so afraid my mom would find out that I made him kiss me where and when no one could see us. We scheduled it. We met after school, in the soccer field, closed our eyes and missed the half of each others mouths. Our dating life consisted of playing hackey-sac before school with his friends and meeting secretly at the downtown mall so I could scream and hold him while we watched scary movies. We were "going out".And now I'm shakin' it like Shakira on the second floor of Bryant every Tuesday.

Stories my Mom told me

My mom grew up in Salt Lake's Emigration Canyon, right around the mountainside from the infamous Ruth's Diner. The canyon was a place that seemed to be full of something magic, chalk-full of fascinating people hidden in its crevices.

Emigration was so sparsely populated in those days Mom's family shared a party (phone) line with Ruth, a woman who wore a sundress 365 days a year and always had a cigarette in her mouth. She swore at my mom when she caught her listening in on her conversations. When the health inspector insisted she comply with restaurant law by adding a non-smoking section, she put a sign over one barstool that read "No smoking, this seat only". My mom's car once got stuck at the diner when she was a teenager. She was almost home, but needed to call her parents about the car. Ruth told her she had to buy something in order to use the phone. She bought a candy bar. Upon opening it she discovered the candy bar was so rotten it had meal worms crawling in it. Ruth also charged her 25 cents for the call on top of the candy bar.

My mom has loads of stories of the interesting people that lived in that canyon in the 50's and 60's. There was the hippy family that kept a goat in the house. The inventor who built a circular home that rotated with the light of the sun, the woman who was a former Catholic nun, but joined the church and married a widower with 10 children, the man who claims the government wanted to experiment with his telepathic abilities, the polygamist family who lived in a compound and wore clothing from the DI but drove a Cadillac. And my mom's own family, particularly her dad.

This was a man who had improved on something called the "seeing eye" (some sort of laser technology I think), built a machine that could detect oil in the ground from up in the air, went to MIT and actually took a class from Albert Einstein himself while he was there. My mom's dad was also on the cover of a 1944 Time magazine as a teenager, being heralded as "The real Superman" for his combination of intelligence and athletic achievements. He also claims to have invented the framework for what is now the modern personal computer. The story goes that IBM stole the plans out from under him while he served an LDS mission. He had given them the plans in exchange for a job after he came home, but instead IBM just took the plans.

The stories sound fantastical. Too fantastic to be true. Yet, some of them can be verified. Even his mission companions talked of his explanations of something that could take all the books in the world and someday fit them all into a little box. I used to be able to Google his name and come up with an actual record of one of his mission companions who related what he'd said...but I can no longer find it for some reason.

That canyon holds a wealth of history and people. Healers, psychics, groupies, hippies, scientists, Church authorities and even the Huntsman's. And my mom knew of them all firsthand.

She has a story about going door to door campaigning for signatures when she was about 20 and knocking on the Huntsman's family door. She told me a little boy, one of the Huntsman children, opened up and said, "Guess what? We're rich!". She doesn't know which kid it was, but it could have been our current governor.

I wish I could remember more. They'll come to me in time. I had to write it all down at least somewhere, at least once in my life. Maybe I'll add more to this later as more comes back to me.

Utah's News Source

It's finally here and up and running! Some of you know I've been working on a secret project deep in the underbelly of Emigration Canyon...okay, not really, actually I've been quite vocal about the creation of a local news wire service for the past few months. It's something I've been thinking about for a while. It's also the answer to a lot of start up Utah company prayers. When you are starting out on a shoestring you don't have gobs of cash to throw at a big ad or pr agency. You just need a way to get your news out there (news like that you actually exist in the market place). It's my answer to the local mom and pop shops just trying to survive. So check Utah News Source out, tell your friends and help me spread the word to everyone you know in Utah that could use a little pr.

http://www.utahnewssource.com

The Backstreet Boys of Baghdad

These guys were slated to become the next big thing in Iraq. They were the kind of clean cut pop teenage girls raved about. And they sang it all in American English. Then the Iraq war broke out. Seven years later they've regrouped and added songs of devastation as well as some of their own language in the mix. Check out UTN1 (Unknown to No One). Or see their vid:

Random downtown wanderings

Was walking downtown today shopping for office space (looking for small...and on the cheap) and of course was distracted first by Esther's Cafe (kinda like Hires Big H or that place in DC near the Black Cat where Bill Cosby goes that I can't remember the name of...but small). It looked and smelled so good and I almost went off my diet for a grilled cheese sandwich. But firmly resolved to step away and go to the Quiznos next door for a low fat turkey sub.

Continuing on my journey, and after phoning several office lease agents about prices (umm, downtown, just so you know, is pricey, which is odd considering there is SO MUCH empty office space available...I mean like a good third of the downtown area seems unoccupied)...anyway, then found myself in an old place I haven't been to in years. Sam Wellers.
My mom loved this place. I remember her taking me and my brothers down to the basement where the kids books were (among various strange books connected to the LDS, I might add) My aunt Dorothy (but not actually my "real" aunt, just a friend of the family who my mom knew and who had an AMAZING collection of Indian art and jewelry) got me an archaic book on Indian legends of the Book of Mormon from the Sam Wellers rare book collections when I was 19 (are they real stories? who knows, but interesting interpretations...lol. I still have it in my bookshelf at home if anyone wants to read it.

So there I was in front of the book store and the sign read "Resolve to read more books". I will, I thought, I really will! I love books! I need to start reading a new book anyway. So on the line of resolutions, I resolve to read more books. I stepped in to browse, but realized I had just distracted myself from my real objective which was to look for office space and hussled myself out.

The real lesson here is that I don't walk around downtown enough and I really love the downtown, main street atmosphere. It has a feel to it that makes you fall in love with Salt Lake again. It is the heart of what makes Salt Lake actually cool. Don't know if I actually will find good, cheap office space or even really need an office, but today I thought it wouldn't hurt to look. Glad I did.

Go Utes!

Resolutions:

I don't really believe in making once a year resolutions. You pile them all on and then they overwhelm you. I figure if you are going to do something, just do it...but then there are a few things I've been meaning to do. So maybe this resolution thing could help me out. Here are my resolutions:

1) Adopt the slow food movement - make more food at home instead of dining out. Also helps to learn to cook more dishes.

2) Belly dancing. I keep saying I'm going to take belly dancing classes one of these days. I resolve this year to do that.

3) Sing more. I can carry a tune, but don't often do anything about it. And I actually like to sing. I sing in my car. I sing while I'm doing laundry. I sing while I cook or shower or hear a familiar song. By myself. But seldom sing in public. I resolve to join some sort of a choral group.

Happy 2009!

back in the SLC!

Perfect Guy List

I am pretty much convinced the perfect guy for me does not exist. I have thrown in the towel and am even tempted to just give up dating altogether. Sure, you say...and what's this about that "in a relationship...it's complicated" status on Facebook? Well never mind that. That one is complicated and we both know it. But in my real quest for my forever someone there are a few things I would really, really like them to have and there are other things that would just make them a much better fit with me.

1. Must like funny movies. Most guys are much more into action movies. I like those fine and some I love. But if you really wanna win me over it's not romance that will do. No, you'll be the kind of guy that likes busting up on comedy flicks.

2. Along comedy lines, it also helps if you are a fan of 30 Rock and It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia. If you've never heard of them you may want to do some research before we hang out. If you do not care for these hilarious shows...well, um, you may want to figure out what happened to your sense of humor.

2. Helps if you like to eat healthy. I know, most guys like their meat and potatoes. And I don't eat like an angel all the time (this holiday forget it) but it would be nice if you didn't nosh on pizza all the time. It'd be doubly nice if you liked lots of vegetables, were concerned for your health and would enjoy cooking and/or being active with me.

3. Not too critical. Most of the men I have ever known in my life have tended to be critical. Something is always wrong (with the service, with the other drivers, with the way I drive, write, workout, whatever). I started thinking this was just a male thing to just be a grump at something all the time till I started meeting guys who weren't so much like this. I would really like a stable guy without his head in the clouds who also happens to not be too critical of me or others (although if you ask guys who are critical if they think they are critical they will tell you they aren't, they just know better. So actually getting a guy who realizes he needs to stop being so critical may be asking the impossible).

4. Someone who likes all kinds of music, especially indie rock...But (and this is the clincher) is not SO OBSESSED with music that he consumes his life with it. Music is great. For the background to your actual life.

5. Frugal. I cannot tell you how sexy this is. Debt free, even better! I do like to go to a nice restaurant once in a while or see the movie opening weekend. But coupon clipping and dollar movies with my mate are actually much more of a turn on.

6. Opens the door. Yes, I know, you don't do this because some girls get mad when guys do this. Who are those girls? I'd really like to talk to them because MOST girls I know actually like it when guys do nice, chivalrous things like opening the door. Yes, we can get the door ourselves. You can also sew your own buttons. That's not the point. It's just nice to know you are thinking of nice things to do when we go out.

7. Okay, so here's where I get a bit paradoxical (and may be asking the impossible again). I would really like it if I could find a guy who could deeply discuss church doctrine with me, uses his intellect and has a testimony but also doesn't mind watching rated R movies and the fact that while I am a spiritual person, it's actually very hard for me to follow all the religious dogma and sit through 3 hours of church.

8. Good in bed. We won't know this till later if you are what I'm REALLY looking for. But in short this involves a little creative initiative and an interest in making me happy.

9. Educated. This is not a deal breaker if you have never been to college, but you and I will be a much better fit if you are interested in educating yourself about the world either through college or listening to news, NPR, reading the paper, books, history channel, etc.

10. Be a practical man. Here's where I get a bit hypocritical, but for good reason. I'm a dreamer. I'm not always practical. I need my partner to be my balance. Two dreamers don't work very well in the real world. I want to support you in your dreams, but we'll work a lot better together if your dreams are practical, down to earth "I am doing this to support our future family" kinds of dreams.

11. Politically in the middle. Far left is too militantly liberal for me, far right is too paranoid and over zealoous. If you are interested in politics that's great, so am I. But I also hate fighting about them. I have opinions that will probably differ from yours. But my perfect fit will probably see things close to the way I do and probably won't be a political zealot for any party.

12. Physically attractive. There are lots of definitions to what people find physically attractive. And some argue this doesn't really matter because we get old and you have to love the person inside. But we are talking about my perfect guy list here and I would prefer (like pretty much this has to be) a guy who is physically attractive to me. The perfect guy for me physically is tall, dark and handsome. Sigh, such a cliche, I know. But that doesn't mean a shorter guy doesn't have a chance. I wouldn't mind a guy anywhere from 5'8" to 6'2". In shape. He doesn't have to be hunky, but 50 lbs over or under weight is a deal breaker. Oh, and a full head of hair (but not a chia pet chest).

Well, that's the list. The impossible, perfect guy for me list. I doubt such a guy exists, but if I could have all of it, this would be my perfect match.

Reading Pew Research Center report...40% now get news from internet, up from 24% a year ago http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1066/internet-overtakes-newspapers-as-news-source

Christmas Eve at Tortilla Flats

Christmas Eve 2008 with Chloey our family dog

Most impressive 27 yr old you've never heard of - Barack Obama's speech writer

Washington Post article

America's weirdest Christmas lights

Is that the manger display or a bowl of fruit salad? Slate.com posted some of the weirdest Christmas light displays around the country. Click for a look

White Oprah Book Club slash Sex and the City Good Book Moment

I am reading a book I swore I'd never read. I mean really was determined never, ever to read it. Ever. My mom actually bought it for me a couple years ago and I tossed it out with the trash that very day. Mom sends me things and I have a habit of rolling my eyes - she still asks "Have you read that book" and I just try to switch subjects. But this book in particular I was determined never to read. I am never reading that stupid book that makes women think most men don't like them, I said. I am not going to be a party to yet another self-help, battle of the sexes, men and women are from different universes, I said. I will not read a book that spews the philosophy that you must basically only love yourself , put yourself first, I said. Garbage! Stupid! Part of what is wrong with this world and why men and women can't seem to get along these days because they read these stupid books.

And yet, here I sit, reading "He's Just Not That Into You".

"People are inspired to do remarkable things to find and be with the one they love. Big movies are made about it, and every relationship you admire bursts with a greatness that you hope for in your own life." -intro excerpt by auther Greg Behrendt

I do love the idea of a movie star-like love...but is this really love? It's more to me a fantasy than a reality. And I feel qualified to say this is an imagined ideal more than reality because I have really, truly, madly, deeply been in love and it was not like the movies.

But, then, it was probably because I was in love with a man who seems to this day incapable of loving the way I wanted and needed him to. He loved me in his own way, I'm absolutely sure of it. He loved what I could do for him or be for him. And he learned to care about me and show concern when he thought I was in danger. He was into me. But he was not romantic. He would not open my doors, he would not help me take care of things I needed him to, he rarely said he loved me, he didn't like to go do the things I wanted to do, only what he wanted to do, he complained and criticized, a lot. He was thinking of marrying me, we discussed it, but he never proposed. But he really was into me. He was irate when I could not be there by his side all the time, or when he thought I was doing something that wouldn't be good for me. He asked why I didn't call him all the time (though he wouldn't call me). It was a selfish love. But he was into me. He wanted me. And in his own way he loved me. And I loved him like crack cocaine.

I now read this book and can only take it in, compare it to my own experiences and try to find the balance between the description of ideal movie star, magic love and the kind of love I had that was definitely not ideal and try to meet somewhere in the middle to create a picture of what real love looks like. Something like both unidealistic and unselfish.

In the meantime I present a few learned truths:

Love, real love, is not like the movies. It is a lot of work, sometimes without reward. It is accepting the other, flaws and all. It is thinking of them more than yourself.

Real love is not about what they do for you or ignoring them and practicing secret rules and making them ask you out five days in advance and testing them and comparing them to your self-centered check list. Love is love and has nothing to do with what they do for you.

However, if a guy doesn't call or text you, he's not that into you

If he doesn't ask you out...well it is possible he is shy. Okay, but you'll probably get a sense he likes you anyway if he tries to find excuses to sit next to you or hang around while you are talking or doing things. If not, he's not into you...and if you give him a wide open chance by saying something like "gosh, I'm so hungry and it'd be so great if only I had someone to go with me to dinner right now..." and he doesn't take the opportunity, well chances are he's just not that into you. Or really, really dumb.

If a guy is married already or already in a relationship with someone else...he's just not that into you - even if he talks with you a lot or says he likes you. Do not be that girl.

If a guy has a discussion with you about how he doesn't want you to get your hopes up and that he wants you to know he is seeing other people but will continue to date you to see how things go. He's just not that into you. This guy, ugh, do we even need to talk about how insulting that is to you?

Anyway, so I'm going to continue reading the book...with a grain of salt. And see the movie when it comes out next fall.

From last night's event at Master Lu's

This is Tai Lu, Master Lu's son, jumping over a high stick

Ode to Joy

My man Bryan Schott from Utah Pulse posted this on Facebook. Beaker from the Muppets sings Ode to Joy:

Cute Christmas crafts

From the Best of DIY

So cute from Kelly of Trans-craft-inental

Looking for more so share some of yours!

A Koo on H&H

What did I do with my afternoon while driving around and looking for the perfect office space? Got sidetracked and went shopping. Of course.



I found myself at two different local shops I'd heard about from others, but had never actually gone to. Koo-de-ker and Hip and Humble. Both darling! Local! And... Expensive! One (Koo-de-ker) for clothing, the other (Hip and Humble) for linens, rugs, aprons, clothes, household items (like grass smelling laundry fragrance and $200 jeans). Clearly catering to bored rich housewives and single, childless women with nothing better to do than spend their extra wads of cash normally kept for family bills. Women, ummm, like me.

Except most of my income goes to bills and the biz right now...so I was just looking (sigh) with thoughts in the back of my head that said "someday".

However, there was a major difference in the way the two shops handled sales. Koo-de-ker was laid back. The shop girl let me wander while she stayed at the counter. She was polite and only said "Let me know if I can help you find anything". I tried on several adorable outfits and even really considered one. I would have bought it if I thought about it too long, actually (which is pretty much what the sales gal was letting me do). Someday, right?

On to Hip and Humble. Totally different experience. Upon stepping in the sales gal came up to me, asked to take my coat. Okay, nice. Asked if I wanted a Coke or coffee or tea or something. Umm, no, but that is nice. Then at the first item I picked up (a runner rug) I was immediately acosted by another sales girl. "Oh my gosh have you ever had those kinds of rugs?" she gushed. Me: "Umm, no, just looking". Her: Oh, you MUST have one of them! They are the best ever. (practically picking up another one and trying to thrust it in my hands). I was putting the other down, along with the one she tried to hand me. Her: Aren't they great, ooo, and look at the colors, amazing, amazing. Me: Um, ya (trying to walk away). She followed me. I then strategically lost her in the next room...only to make the mistake of picking up a particularly darling shirt on sale. Once again, acosted by ANOTHER sales person. "Oh my gosh, those are the best shirts, EVER! You should get it while you can because they are now on sale. On Sale!". Me: Just looking, thanks (putting shirt back and really annoyed now). I then walked away from gushing Gail only to start looking at (not even touching) the grass smelling laundry perfume. Guess what then happened? Another sales girl!

I stopped her this time. Me: I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude and I know it seems to be part of your job but I've been accosted by three sales people already and I just want to look around in peace. I really am JUST LOOKING! Her: (shocked expression) Oh, well, ummm, okay I just wanted to let you know how great that laundry perfume really is. I mean smell them (as she picked one up for me - yes, really) Me: okay (walking away). I went to the counter to get my coat and left the store without looking at anything shortly after.

I didn't want to be rude but it was really annoying. If you ever own a store or you are the owner of Hip and Humble and DON'T want to lose customers just let them browse and just be there if and when they actually need you.

Things I shouldn't see but do

It's not that I shouldn't see movies like this, really. It's that they make me sooo sad. It's facing the darkest parts of our humanity. It's a horrible thing to dwell on. Some may say this sort of movie (Nazis, Jews, World War II) has been done to death, but it's movies like this I hope they keep making. I hope they keep them in the public's mind so that we remember them and are prepared and able recognize something arising like this, should something like this ever try to happen again (it does happen in other parts of the world, which is why we need to keep educating and keep thinking about this). This is a movie that was very well done, beautfully scripted and actually surprised me with an ending that I thought I saw coming but didn't want to think about till it happened. It left me shocked and disturbed and glad I saw it.

Photo Friday: Casa Grande

...Or the Big House.








Ancient Native American ruins of the Hohokoam civilization from around 500 to 1500 AD. No one knows how they built these structures, why they built them the way they did, what they were used for or why the civilization fell into decline.

By the way ladies that handsome nerd with the curly hair is my brother ;)

"Sanku fah comeen, hoppy sanksgibbing."

This was not the scene at my family's Thanksgiving dinner.

We somehow threw out tradition this year and found ourselves at China Buffet Diner in Phoenix, AZ instead.

Think warm weather, blooming desert, loads of cacti placed haphazardly down the freeway system, an Arizona thunder storm like only Arizona can deliver and Americanized Chinese food. Pleasant synthesized keyboard music played over the loud speakers as we loaded up on general tso's chicken and fried wontons. Mmmmm.

The rest of the day was spent trying to get my family to do something other than watch Fox News on my brothers big screen TV...or discussing what's wrong with everyone other than those who faithfully watched Fox News. I admit to stuffing my feelings with a second helping of pumpkin pie :/.

Somehow they were convinced (begged to by yours truly) to go see Four Christmases at a local theater later that evening. Not the best choice but something we could all agree on (with a few minor grumbles). It would have been a fine movie back home with friends, but I was with my family. I love them and it's nice to see them... but the movie soon reminded me that Fox News content was not the only thing we differed on. The show was deemed "raunchy". They said they'd wished they had not been subjected to such filth. Yes subjected. It seemed just fine to me. Whoops!

Tomorrow we are possibly going to do something safe and non pg-13... but potentially cool. They tell me it involves old Indian ruins. I'll take pictures and show the ones I look good in on here later. Hoppy sanksgibbing!

Genome Hacking Could Reverse-Engineer Extinct Woolly Mammoths

This, according to Wired Science

but...why?

Support for Prop 8 Not the Same as Bigotry

Slate writer, Richard Thompson Ford,wrote a very good article for Slate.com which attempts to help those who do not understand how Obama could win but gay marriage could not in this last election.

The issue is the definition of marriage itself. It is not an issue of hatred or bigotry. An overwhelming amount of voters are in favor of gay rights in the workplace and in same-sex unions. However, it is what marriage is currently defined as. That is at issue here. Marriage, should gays legally marry, would no longer be an historic recognition of gender roles, husband and wife. Marriage would be simply the joining of two people, regardless of gender, regardless of traditional roles held sacred by a majority of the people. It would bring the meaning of marriage as we now know it to ambiguity.

I have to agree with Ford, it is not the same as racism or the Civil Rights movement as so many people seem to see it. Segregation or employment or lifestyle are not at issue here. It is what marriage means to us as a nation. The majority (over 70% of Americans) would like to keep the traditional meaning of what it is to be married. A union between a man and a woman.

This is not to say gay couples won't feel slighted or that some people may have voted because they don't agree with the gay lifestyle. This, I'm sure, was a factor in some voter's decisions. And it is a shame that some may have understood the vote to be that on either side of the fence. It is a hope of many gay couples for recognition by society of same gender preferences. I can understand the pain of wanting that recognition and acceptance. Prop 8 is, however, not a vote against the gay lifestyle or rights to live, work or do as they choose in their private life as any straight couple. The issue is the way we define the word marriage. To give up that tradition, something that many feel very strongly about protecting, was at the heart of Prop 8, not prejudice against a minority population.

Discovered Docs

Cool site docstoc.com full of doc templates like cash flow and the start your own venture test...if you ever feel a need to use that sort of stuff...oh and if you have a cool doc you'd like to share it seems you could share it with the world there as well. Neat-o, bandito!

Yoga time!

I've been feeling transcendental today. I own a copy of the I-Ching (ancient Chinese divining book). Had it since my freshmen year in college and have loved it. But I haven't visited its sage wisdom in many years. So this morning I cast my coins and read my hexagram. It told me it is foolish to rush, that the patient and wise gain prosperity and become as the sage. Ommmm. Haha. It sounds silly to some but I really like stuff like that anyway. And there is something to learn from it. For example I have been starting up yoga again. I was working on a project this morning and needed to take a break so I whipped out one of my Lulu Lemon yoga pose cards and decided to practice balancing on one foot. I noticed that if I rushed into the pose I had a really hard time balancing and got wobbly, but if I was patient and moved into the pose slowly I was able to recognize my center of gravity and better balance myself. I think that applies to other aspects of life as well. Not everything happens right when you want it to or think you need it to, but if you are patient and keep working at it you'll start to see how to make it work and then things you want to happen will start happening naturally.

How Mr. Bush and Crew Get "Crazy"

Palin and McCain get it on

Facebook | Erin-Marie Schefer Faler's Photos - Halloween

KJZZ n' Me

For the six of you that actually read this blog...and the two of you out of that group that actually live in Salt Lake, I will be on KJZZ's Home Team show tomorrow morning at 9 am. Ya, they have a new women's morning talk show. Woot!

For a free Starbucks

Unlike the 30 million of you who went ahead and voted before me, I voted today...and there were no lines :). Thanks y'all.

The Pics!

Julia, Me, Meredith, Bernadean

Julia as "sexy Darth"

Bern

The Fab Four again

Me

You know you are truly a nerd when, instead of going out with a perfectly good invitation for fun and mischief, you choose to stay at home on a saturday night to try and figure out php code. What is that exactly? Exactly! ...Ya.

I am not so much a true nerd because I have no idea what I am even doing. I am simply hitting walls and realizing there's a reason we pay experts to design websites for us. However, I am poor at the moment and so here I am.

Smitty was at my house earlier in the afternoon, rolling his eyes at my stupidity and helping feeble little me on my way. But even he went on a date tonight.

At least last night I let loose on the town with a little magic and mayhem. Sort of.

Our group of "sexy costume somethings" hit the town, at first, with gusto.

Side thought: Ever notice how you can make any Halloween outfit a "sexy something" outfit? My roommate took this to the very limits with her "sexy" Darth Vader uniform just to prove it.

Back to the original: Bern and I first split from our other friends in an attempt to visit a party with a mass congregate filled with people of the main dominant religion around here.

My face began to burn upon arrival. One good look at the massive amounts of costume wholesomeness helped us realize that to them we may have looked like whores. My left butt cheek almost showing under my witch skirt and her sexy cat halter most definitely would have gained us a lot of negative attention. After some discussion about whether we cared or not what others thought or if we'd be fine we realized they most likely would give us dirty looks and we left. Only to go to the clubs. Where we felt overdressed.

The clubs were expensive ($30 a pop at almost every one, Bliss was $20), so we just hung outside for a little trying to get in free (Bern knows people who know people...at least that was the theory at the time) but that was a bust. Bern was still hit on of course. So we waited for her...and waited. And finally went to another party.

This is where Bern jokingly told a guy there that she was more ghetto than him because she is from the ghetto slums of Africa (true story, she's from Namibia). Then he threatened to beat her up. I have no idea how things progressed to that but it was weird.

We got scared and left...and went to another party. Sort of. There was maybe an hour there spent driving and lost. Picked some other people up. Went to a huge party out in the middle of nowhere. That "would have" been fun. We went because a guy with us (picked him up at the previous party) said it would be free. Far from it at $15 each. Several of us, frustrated and in the middle of nowhere, had to pee. It was then a group pee in the fields in the middle of nowhere party. Fun. No, no, we didn't all pee together at the same time, sheesh.

After that we ended up just going home. But we were sexy.

(pics to follow when roommate uploads them to facebook)

Ten reasons to vote for McCain

This is from a post on the Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President message board on nick.com (targeting users age 6 to 14):

"10 Reasons Why Macain Should be President!!!
1. He's going to lower gas prices
2. He wants to give each family $5000 for insurance
3. He has great reasons to be president
4. He's awesome!!
5. He doesn't want war
6. He wants to help the poor
7. He wants to help ALL of us
8. He wants to make the world a better place
9. He wants to stop drugs
10. The whole point is he's AWESOME!!!!!"
-Macain113

Another one from koalagurl8:

"Don't vote for Obama his is breaking the rules of the Constitution by running for president. Look that up!! Seriously!!!"

Thought you'd enjoy these funny answers.

Digest this as you dine out

The New York Times had a story today about a new law in the big apple that makes restaurants report just how many calories are in each dessert, drink and meal. This is stuff like 1500 calorie salads, 850 calorie slices of chocolate cake or 600 for a muffin. But would you really want to know? Do you go out to simply enjoy yourself "calories, shmalories"? Or are you really trying to cut back and think having this information available at the restaurants in your city would really help you think twice about the tastes upon your tongue?

Campaign o'lanterns

Looking for a project to do with your pumpkin that promises to be "super fun"? Thanks to a post from blogger, thehiphomemaker.blogspot.com for posting these patriotic patterns, this morning.

Courtesy o'the Associated Press

Temporary roommate syndrome

I seem to suffer from temporary roommate syndrome (TRS). Here's how it's been since July. One roommate moved out with her boyfriend (and cuz she wanted a dog, which I was quite opposed to), another got engaged and found a sweet deal on an apartment real quick after that (only to be kicked out of there shortly after - turns out crazy old land lady made it not such a sweet deal afterall). She moved out so fast, though, that I accepted an intern on a two month stay, who was married, and missed her husband, and missed him so much she left her internship one month early and went home...she told me she was leaving three days before moving out this weekend. Sooo I found a new roommate last night, also temporary (I was just saying yes to the first person to bite at that point in my panic). However, she may be cool. Turns out she'll be working for the Sundance Film Fest (hookups, please?). And now my other roommate will be leaving me for a ski job at Alta in three weeks.

Is it me?

Foto Friday