Will This Be My Fate?

Why I Love Winter

When the inversion hits, I have to remember why I love winter. And that reason....skiing. There aren't words to describe how and why I love it, but here are some pictures I managed to get in between all of the fabulous fun I've been having this winter. Before I learned to ski, I hated winter. But now, there isn't much I'd rather be doing.

Best Story of the Week?

I can’t decide which story is my favorite story of the week. And by favorite, I mean the story that just made me laugh because of the sheer out-of-the-ordinariness of it.

A) It was Wednesday morning, 7:50 am and the doorbell rings. There stood my neighbor, and his fiancée hanging around in the background. He told me he locked his keys in his brand new—terrible color of orange—car. The kicker: it was still running! So they asked me if I could “watch” it while his fiancée took him to work and then the locksmith would be coming. So I “watched” the car (that is, peeked out my window to make sure no one stole it whenever I had a spare moment). Soon it was 8:21 and I was set to go to work. But no one to come and watch the car, so I thought: Well, I’ll just call my neighbor’s fiancée to just see if by some chance she stopped by her apartment. When she answered, I was a little taken aback. And then I was just floored when she acted all confused when I told her I had to go to work. She didn’t know what to do! She kept sighing and saying, “I just don’t know what to do.” I kept thinking: He’s your fiancée…this is not my problem. And I really did have to be to work because I had story time ! I couldn’t believe they just thought I was going to sit there and watch his car for and indefinite amount of time. Moral of the story: Clarify expectations.

B) I work with a particularly unique individual. Among other tidbits, he walks his goats often, really wants to have a cattle drive at the Heritage Center, and comes up with lots of great theories (such as: the Qwest building that is really a front for the NSA). Today, he announced that it would be a great day to get a facial and/or pedicure. And after some discussion with another co-worker, thought maybe a scalp treatment would be good too. This was an actual conversation lasting a few minutes—not just a statement. And he was serious. I mean, I agree, but it is hilarious coming from a very heterosexual male. My favorite line: “It’s way better than a movie.”

The Greater Good?

[This is a small post about LOST. Mom, don't read it.]

So I like LOST, it's true. Lately, some people are giving me a bit of hard time because of it. So I watched it on Valentine's Day, I think about it sometimes in my spare time (usually on Friday's)...so what? Despite this, I am going to make a quick post about last night's episode. Mostly I feel like I have to justify my affinity toward Sayid. So, if he turns out to be the bad guy, I guess I was wrong...but I hope not. But I can say this, after last night's episode I am not so sure I like the future of the Lost characters. But I am sticking with this: I still like Sayid. I am quite sure there is a purpose and a reason behind what he's doing. And I have never been more convinced than now that Ben is the one in the coffin at the funeral Jack attends.

Do You Know Where Burkina Faso Is?

So I like geography. I'm a geek, but it was my minor in college after all. And lately I have been trying to pass all the levels of a somewhat entertaining, mostly time wasting addictive little geography game on the computer. All I have to say is that it is a good thing I never played video games. If I get a little obsessive about passing these levels on a geography game, I can't imagine what I would be like with actual computer games.

www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq

If you want to see how sharp your geography skills are, play! It's fun...

What's A Voter To Do?

Well, if you are a declared Republican or Democrat, you vote! However, if you are an Independent, well, you just sit back and let the chaos begin. I am independent because I cannot commit to one party only. I know I am indecisive, but this is not a manifestation of that particular flaw of mine. Being an Independent means that I like some things in the Republican party and some things in the Democratic party. The problem: there isn't a party that represents that! And heaven forbid we ever veer from our oh so successful two party system. Things are not working as they should in our government; I don't think I'm going out on a limb to say that. And I think that one of the problems is that the parties we have do not reflect everyday Americans. Who really falls under the "Republican base" and the "Democratic base?" Well, no one I know. So we continue the insane game. But it sure does make for some good drama. You couldn't make some of the stuff up that happens these days with the primary elections. Reality at its best! Okay, maybe not best, but very fascinating. So, I will sit back and see what happens. I love America. (And I'm not being sarcastic with that statement, by the way; these kinds of things really do remind me why I love America. We argue and debate and tear each other down, but at the end of the day, things manage along pretty much okay.)

It Wasn’t That I Really Wanted the Giants to Win…

It was just that I really wanted the Patriots to lose. I would have rooted for the Cowboys, Packers, 49ers, Falcons…well you get the picture…anyone but the Patriots. I figured the Patriots were too good. I figured they would go ahead and have a perfect season, ensuring we would have to hear about the golden boy, team, and coach until the end of time. I think my dislike of the Patriots has been mounting over the years, but they finally became my least favorite team. And that’s saying a lot when you beat out the Cowboys in my book. But wow! The Giants actually won, making it one of the most memorable Super Bowls in my lifetime. (Nothing competes with a Steelers fans memories of a Super Bowl win, keep that in mind, no matter what happened in the game.) It’s not that I love the Giants and have now jumped on board the Eli bandwagon. In fact, I always kind of liked the fact that Eli Manning didn’t seem to be living up to that #1 draft pick and Ben Roethlisberger had won a Super Bowl. And let’s just be honest, just because the Patriots lost, that doesn’t make them a bad team. I could easily see the Giants having a fiasco year like the Steelers after their Super Bowl win because it was so unexpected. But the Patriots, well, they’ll probably go undefeated again. That’s kind of how it goes. But I will never, ever get tired of hearing about how the Patriots lost this Super Bowl. 18-1. Awesome.

So, if miracles can happen, can Mitt do it on Super Tuesday? Politics and Football. It doesn’t get any better.

The Land of Wind and Snow

I visited the land of wind and snow (i.e. my dad’s house) this weekend. And it was great! When I say my dad lives in the middle of nowhere, I am not kidding. I have posted pictures to help with the visual. They may not convey much because they are from my phone, not a real camera needless to say. I drove up on Saturday, even though I knew that there would be a good possibility of getting snowed in. And the windy Idaho version of winter did not disappoint. Saturday night the weather was good enough that I tagged along with my dad to a high school basketball game he wanted to go to. I haven’t watched high school sports for quite some time, so it was quite an adventure. I got my hand stamped on the palm instead of on top like normal because, during a momentary brain lapse, I thought because that is the way my dad had the lady stamp his hand, that was the way things are done in Idaho. They don’t do anything different than normal, my dad is just funny—I should have realized.

The wind started as we drove home. Blowing snow is quite mesmerizing when you’re not driving. When you’re driving in blowing snow you just really have to pay attention, so you don’t have the chance to get hypnotized. It’s too bad because it is kind of fun. And as predicted, we were snowed in until Monday. Church was cancelled, so I spent the day listening to the wind (although I have heard it much worse) and watching the wind carve the snow up like rock formations in southern Utah. I don’t love the wind, but there are moments, when I am safe indoors, that I like it because it makes me feel safe. Sometimes I forget that if we didn’t have houses, the elements of nature would get the better of us. We watched the Super Bowl—which also did not disappoint—and made lunch. You can't ask for much more in life.

Today was such a really pretty day; sun and snow. Since the plows had not gone through on Sunday, it wasn’t until today that I could leave. But before I did, I fully enjoyed my Snow Day! I helped my dad shovel snow, I went sledding down the drift in front of our house with a sled we used when we were kids (oh and I made my dad go sledding too!), we trudged out to the windbreak, we watched Psych, I read while my dad filled out his agricultural census that was due that day (so apparently my procrastination is genetic), and I had a good fit of laughs while reading about the Howard Dean campaign moment. Overall, it was perfect.

Snow is comforting. When it blankets the earth, and the sky and snow meet with nothing in between, things seem quieter. The entire world seems to unfold before your eyes and it seems like anything is possible.