I came across a fun web site today Science Daily. After reading several of the articles, I came across this hilarious article about a person who found boxes with dead people on her property.
If that happened to me, I would move!
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Dreams
Many of us have dreams that can be so vivid, it burns it's existence onto our memory so the next morning, not only do you remember the dream, but your a bit wigged out by it.
All week I've had dreams like this. Although only 2 have survived in the memory banks. I'd like to share one with you.
Dream: Bad guys are chasing a group of us through Manhattan, including my cat. We try to hail cabs, but for some reason they don't come even close to where we're
located. It's suddenly winter and we're climbing up a steep hill (in Manhattan?) and crawl through a barbed wire fence (which was surprisingly easy) and make it to a car. We're all safely buckled in although it was a bit tough to buckle in the cat. The bad guys are still after us and I yell, "Lets go!". To my utter shock and fright, the entire group all sit back staring at the horizon and say, "Na, lets just sit here and enjoy the moment."
I woke up with the following words at my lips, "Are you kidding me?"
All my dreams have been this exasperating. Shall I check myself in to a funny farm now, or later?
All week I've had dreams like this. Although only 2 have survived in the memory banks. I'd like to share one with you.
Dream: Bad guys are chasing a group of us through Manhattan, including my cat. We try to hail cabs, but for some reason they don't come even close to where we're
located. It's suddenly winter and we're climbing up a steep hill (in Manhattan?) and crawl through a barbed wire fence (which was surprisingly easy) and make it to a car. We're all safely buckled in although it was a bit tough to buckle in the cat. The bad guys are still after us and I yell, "Lets go!". To my utter shock and fright, the entire group all sit back staring at the horizon and say, "Na, lets just sit here and enjoy the moment."
I woke up with the following words at my lips, "Are you kidding me?"
All my dreams have been this exasperating. Shall I check myself in to a funny farm now, or later?
Friday, September 10, 2004
State Fair
It's State Fair time again. I don't know about you, but I love attending fairs. Food everywhere to be tasted, amusement rides, shows, dutch oven cook-offs, giant sized pumpkins on display, animals on display (and if you're lucky, you get to see how a sheep is sheered), and then there are always the stalls advertising things to sell. You can buy cleaning products, sewing machines, jewelry, dolls, art, get your back tested by a chiropractor (at every corner), hats, clothing, expensive cookery, gadgets, tools and many products that can only be found at fairs. Last year my dad and I were hypnotized by a paint and finishing stripper. It worked fast and completely dazzled our imaginations as we thought of all the projects we could work on with this product. Alas, it could only be purchased at the fair and was rather expensive. After long consideration, we decided to pass on it that time. Although I don't know if I can pass on it two years in a row.
Another of these fun "Only find at a fair" products is a water globe that you can put together yourself. You can use fresh flowers, silk flowers, statues, glitter or anything you can create. You carefully position the item and insert it into the water filled globe. As you can imagine, I couldn't pass up on such fun item. I bought two, and yes they work wonderfully.
Besides all the products to buy, there are the animals to be seen. You can pay 2.00 to see a huge horse (I'm not falling for this one) or simply enter the animal houses. About three years ago my dad and I entered the bull house to find a rather large impressive bull. We inched closer to it from the rear and instantly realized that what we were doing might be a mistake. The bull must have been laughing inside when he broke wind with a sneeze like action, complete with substance. It was like being hit by a machine gun filled with cow pucky. Little Brown globs splattered on our clothing, in our hair and on our skin. People all around us were laughing without reserve. As you can imagine, we were pink with humiliation.
For years we've made it a tradition to eat lunch by the miniature manufactured pioneer village. Freshly made Navajo tacos complete with a humorous man and horse show make this a thing to remember.
I don't know about you, but this year I hope the fair once again tickles my imagination and produces even more fun memories.
Another of these fun "Only find at a fair" products is a water globe that you can put together yourself. You can use fresh flowers, silk flowers, statues, glitter or anything you can create. You carefully position the item and insert it into the water filled globe. As you can imagine, I couldn't pass up on such fun item. I bought two, and yes they work wonderfully.
Besides all the products to buy, there are the animals to be seen. You can pay 2.00 to see a huge horse (I'm not falling for this one) or simply enter the animal houses. About three years ago my dad and I entered the bull house to find a rather large impressive bull. We inched closer to it from the rear and instantly realized that what we were doing might be a mistake. The bull must have been laughing inside when he broke wind with a sneeze like action, complete with substance. It was like being hit by a machine gun filled with cow pucky. Little Brown globs splattered on our clothing, in our hair and on our skin. People all around us were laughing without reserve. As you can imagine, we were pink with humiliation.
For years we've made it a tradition to eat lunch by the miniature manufactured pioneer village. Freshly made Navajo tacos complete with a humorous man and horse show make this a thing to remember.
I don't know about you, but this year I hope the fair once again tickles my imagination and produces even more fun memories.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
More Planets?
For the past several days, news of 4 new planets being discovered is being broadcasted. I anxiously watch and wait for some decent information to be announced, but news stations only provide you with a tickler of information that provides very basic infomation. "4 new planets have been discovered, isn't this great. Now onto other news..." What the... where's the rest of the infomation? Well, naturally I turn to our good and trusty NASA web site to get the information that the news won't to give. Maybe they made an agreement with aliens to keep the thing low key. Hmmm... Oh well.
Anyway, it turns out that one of the planets found is about the size of our Neptune. That sucker is HUGE! 10-20 times the size of earth. It's true that they don't know if it's made of rock or gas, but the idea of such a big planet circuling a star called "Gliese 436" is just exciting. (Levi, can we get a high power telescope?) Here are some sketches of what this new planet might look like.
NASA does a good job at tickling our imaginations on this site, as they even discuss the possibility of finding planets like ours that can sustain life. Oooo. possible aliens.
Anyway, it turns out that one of the planets found is about the size of our Neptune. That sucker is HUGE! 10-20 times the size of earth. It's true that they don't know if it's made of rock or gas, but the idea of such a big planet circuling a star called "Gliese 436" is just exciting. (Levi, can we get a high power telescope?) Here are some sketches of what this new planet might look like.
NASA does a good job at tickling our imaginations on this site, as they even discuss the possibility of finding planets like ours that can sustain life. Oooo. possible aliens.
Monday, August 16, 2004
ULCER
This last weekend I participated in my first organized road bike trip called the ULCER It's a century bicycle ride around Utah Lake, although you can ride 24, 56, 74, or 105 miles. We took the 50 mile trail. We started bright and early at 7:30am and finished in the heat of the day at 12:30pm. Now don't be thinking, "Dang, you rode slow. It took you 5 hours to go 50 miles!". That statement is completely untrue and I'll explain why. We took a total of 2 long breaks where we were able to chat with other riders (over 1,000 people participated), and gorge ourselves on delicious foods such as cantaloupe, bananas, candy, watered down poweraid, bagels and cream cheese, oranges, Cliff bars and more candy. So clearly we weren't going only 10mph, we were in fact going almost 14mph. Now, before you say, "That's almost as bad as going 10mph! I bet people were speeding past you at 20mph leaving you in the dust". Unfortunately that thought would be accurate, but Levi is a good man and he stuck with his slow wife the entire way. This has been an incredible accomplishment for this out of shape girl. I started riding my first road bicycle only 5 weeks ago.
Imagine this, the year is 2003 and it's late in December. Levi has been day dreaming of warmer weather and imagining the ultimate bicycle ride with his sweetheart. He's shy at mentioning this, afraid that his sweetheart will laugh and refuse to consider bicycling 100 miles around Utah Lake. He was right in thinking this. So in the most charming voice he can muster, he says, "Mel, do you know what would be so fun?", I reply with, "Yeah, living on the beach somewhere warm and eating hotdogs and snorkeling shipwrecks". This comment catches him off guard and he hesitates for a moment. "Well, yes, but what about a bicycle ride together around Utah Lake, it's only 100 miles. We would have fun together". I look at him with terror written across my face and think to myself, is he kidding? I wonder what he thought of my hotdog idea?
This was my first introduction to the notion of riding such unseemly distances on a bicycle with a hard seat.
It's interesting how someone can talk about something so much that it actually begins to sound fun to you. This is what happened to me. My feelings of terror changed to excitement as we daydreamed of this adventure together. Several weeks after we were married I constantly reminded Levi that we were running low on time to get ready for the ULCER ride. At this he was thrilled and we picked out a beautiful blue road bike for me (they didn't have a pink one). It's a very light frame and I can lift it with one hand. Perfect for a beginner like me. We rode 10 miles that first time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I quickly realized that my new expensive road bike is very different from riding a low quality, hybrid, $40. Walmart bicycle (which I had been riding for the last 10 years). The first shock was that my new tires are very slim, and rather intimidating at first. I was constantly afraid the tires would disappear completely as they're so thin. The new handle bars can be held in 20 different places (unlike the previous bikes where hands settle nicely next to the red tassels). If you get tired of one position, just move your hands anywhere. The handle is so accommodating. Of course, the seat isn't cushy or shaped like a banana. Despite all these new changes, I instantly fell in love with my new bike. Suddenly I could climb hills without stopping, zip down roads and hills at 20+mph, take long trips without being too sore to walk the next day. Ride 3 miles to work in only a few minutes (compared to 25 minutes on my old bike because of all the stops I made to catch my breath). The bicycling experience had changed completely.
Now as I look back at the 50 mile accomplishment, I grow excited to see if this lazy boned girl can actually build her muscle strength up to successfully ride 100 miles at the good ol' average speed of 20mph.
Wish me luck!
Imagine this, the year is 2003 and it's late in December. Levi has been day dreaming of warmer weather and imagining the ultimate bicycle ride with his sweetheart. He's shy at mentioning this, afraid that his sweetheart will laugh and refuse to consider bicycling 100 miles around Utah Lake. He was right in thinking this. So in the most charming voice he can muster, he says, "Mel, do you know what would be so fun?", I reply with, "Yeah, living on the beach somewhere warm and eating hotdogs and snorkeling shipwrecks". This comment catches him off guard and he hesitates for a moment. "Well, yes, but what about a bicycle ride together around Utah Lake, it's only 100 miles. We would have fun together". I look at him with terror written across my face and think to myself, is he kidding? I wonder what he thought of my hotdog idea?
This was my first introduction to the notion of riding such unseemly distances on a bicycle with a hard seat.
It's interesting how someone can talk about something so much that it actually begins to sound fun to you. This is what happened to me. My feelings of terror changed to excitement as we daydreamed of this adventure together. Several weeks after we were married I constantly reminded Levi that we were running low on time to get ready for the ULCER ride. At this he was thrilled and we picked out a beautiful blue road bike for me (they didn't have a pink one). It's a very light frame and I can lift it with one hand. Perfect for a beginner like me. We rode 10 miles that first time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I quickly realized that my new expensive road bike is very different from riding a low quality, hybrid, $40. Walmart bicycle (which I had been riding for the last 10 years). The first shock was that my new tires are very slim, and rather intimidating at first. I was constantly afraid the tires would disappear completely as they're so thin. The new handle bars can be held in 20 different places (unlike the previous bikes where hands settle nicely next to the red tassels). If you get tired of one position, just move your hands anywhere. The handle is so accommodating. Of course, the seat isn't cushy or shaped like a banana. Despite all these new changes, I instantly fell in love with my new bike. Suddenly I could climb hills without stopping, zip down roads and hills at 20+mph, take long trips without being too sore to walk the next day. Ride 3 miles to work in only a few minutes (compared to 25 minutes on my old bike because of all the stops I made to catch my breath). The bicycling experience had changed completely.
Now as I look back at the 50 mile accomplishment, I grow excited to see if this lazy boned girl can actually build her muscle strength up to successfully ride 100 miles at the good ol' average speed of 20mph.
Wish me luck!
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Mean Girls
Last night I saw the movie Mean Girls staring Lindsay Lohan. This movie was so fun. It was like reliving high school again. Although the movie exaggerated and dramatized the gossip and cruelty of high school girls, the tactics were quite fun to watch. There was the gossip, girls undermining their friends and enemies, girls stealing boyfriends, girls being submissive because their told, girls following the most ridiculous trends, girls eager to be accepted, girls allowing one person to direct and dictate them, and the list goes on. It's sad that during the high school years, this is such an expected standard for girls to behave. Do guys have to deal with this?
It wasn't just bad behavior that made this movie enjoyable, it was the fact that there were lessons to be learned. Everyone falls victim to the rumors and gossip. No matter how good you are, someone will talk bad about you.
It makes me think that even us adults have quite a bit to learn from these lessons.
It wasn't just bad behavior that made this movie enjoyable, it was the fact that there were lessons to be learned. Everyone falls victim to the rumors and gossip. No matter how good you are, someone will talk bad about you.
It makes me think that even us adults have quite a bit to learn from these lessons.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Camping Bug
I have been anxious to go camping all spring, and now that the weather is warm, there just doesn't seem to be any time for it.
Growing up, my parents used to load all of us kids in the car almost every weekend throughout the summer months. We'd head to the same lakes, Deer Creek, East Canyon, Pine View or Mantua (a very dirty lake). We didn't have a boat, or any big sport equipment, but we had fishing poles with tons of bait and sometimes enough hooks and bobbers. We had inflatable mattresses for the lake, rubber rafts, cooked using several Coleman stoves, homemade sleeping bags, enough firewood to keep a blazing inferno for 3 days, and each other. Camping was such fun, we'd eat what we caught. Perch and Bluegill were the catch of choice due to their delicious flavor. If we were stuck with Trout or Catfish, we'd all moan. We had tons of soda pop, usually the Shasta variety. We would stay up late at night to play games in the lamp light such as Skipbo, even if it was windy (hence, the small card deck). If you were dirty, you'd take a swim in the lake. Was it possible to get bored on these trips? No way. There was always so much to do. Nature walks, fishing, bicycling, swimming, chasing the neighboring campers kids, locking each other in the outhouse, catching frogs or other little creatures, running when we spotted a skunk, and snatching food from the cooler when mom wasn't looking.
It seems that this type of camping is near non existence. I recently overheard a conversation where one person was inviting another to go camping with them. It was like overhearing a sales pitch. "Oh, it will be so fun, we are taking the motorhome and the jetskis." It's as though the sure pleasure of being out in nature with friends was a bad thing. Toys had to be the big part of the equation. With the use of motorhomes and campers complete with TVs and bathrooms, fancy boats, jetskis, and 4 wheelers, I fear that my favorite style of camping will be long forgotten by the new generation.
Growing up, my parents used to load all of us kids in the car almost every weekend throughout the summer months. We'd head to the same lakes, Deer Creek, East Canyon, Pine View or Mantua (a very dirty lake). We didn't have a boat, or any big sport equipment, but we had fishing poles with tons of bait and sometimes enough hooks and bobbers. We had inflatable mattresses for the lake, rubber rafts, cooked using several Coleman stoves, homemade sleeping bags, enough firewood to keep a blazing inferno for 3 days, and each other. Camping was such fun, we'd eat what we caught. Perch and Bluegill were the catch of choice due to their delicious flavor. If we were stuck with Trout or Catfish, we'd all moan. We had tons of soda pop, usually the Shasta variety. We would stay up late at night to play games in the lamp light such as Skipbo, even if it was windy (hence, the small card deck). If you were dirty, you'd take a swim in the lake. Was it possible to get bored on these trips? No way. There was always so much to do. Nature walks, fishing, bicycling, swimming, chasing the neighboring campers kids, locking each other in the outhouse, catching frogs or other little creatures, running when we spotted a skunk, and snatching food from the cooler when mom wasn't looking.
It seems that this type of camping is near non existence. I recently overheard a conversation where one person was inviting another to go camping with them. It was like overhearing a sales pitch. "Oh, it will be so fun, we are taking the motorhome and the jetskis." It's as though the sure pleasure of being out in nature with friends was a bad thing. Toys had to be the big part of the equation. With the use of motorhomes and campers complete with TVs and bathrooms, fancy boats, jetskis, and 4 wheelers, I fear that my favorite style of camping will be long forgotten by the new generation.
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