Sunday Mash-up

Sunday is winding down. How this is a day of rest is beyond me...well, at least it's a respite from work and all the temporal stuff. But, let's not fool anyone, this is no day of rest. It has been a good day though. Plenty of good religion and fellowship with a lot of really good people at church today. I like days like that.

It's been a good couple of days as well. After work on Thursday, I drove north up into Wisconsin, through a charming thunderstorm, on my way to meet the Boy at Scout Camp. By the time I got there, the storm had passed and I set up my tent, inflated my air mattress and made my own little "Four Seasons" in the woods. OK, that's a bit delusional, but it's what I had to keep telling myself so as not to go insane. It was really good to see the Boy as he'd been gone for five days at this point. He and buddies had had a really good time and for that I was glad. He's a much better camper at 13 than I was (I hated, HATED, HATED Scout Camp). He's just a much different kid than I was and that's good. Have to admit I slept surprisingly well and the boys were off early Friday to clinics. The Boy's Scoutmaster and I decided to go out for a run. This was not a wise pairing. He's an amazing athlete and I am a train-wreck runner. But off we went anyway. I kept up with him for our first mile and then, as I told him, we went our own directions. Well, we went the same direction, I just went a lot slower. Anyway, it was a hilly run through the Wisconsin cornfields. I did about 6.5 miles and found that I really dug a good long run. It was slow, but it was good. The weather was just about perfect. Warm, but not hot, and no stifling humidity. I found running by the farms to be very centering and calming.

I also liked the challenge of getting through a long run. I did a lot of talking to myself. The cows must have thought I was a maniac. My one mistake was not bringing my new "Fuel Belt" with me. I brought no water and that was kind of stupid. It was really stupid. I need to call a spade a spade here. Anyway, after the run, a shower, even a scout camp one, was in order. I have to give props to whoever designed these showers though - hot water instantly and open to the sky. It was very cool. The afternoon was quiet as the boys wrapped up the last of their classes. Closed the night at the agonizing closing event, which included the usual array of lamer than anything skits and songs. Again, it all reminded me why I could never get behind the whole Scout thing as a kid. At this point, the boys were ready to go home so it wasn't too tough to convince them to get some rest so we could leave early Saturday. Which is precisely what we did.

We got home by noon on Saturday. The stunningly patient SML had been in the City for the day in the Mexican area called Little Village. She bought a lot of outstanding pork and chorizo and corn tortillas. We had a veritable feast when she got home. Sadly, I nearly lost it all when she and I and the Boy went to see the "Transformers" sequel. It was hideous. 30 minutes in, I was begging to leave. I spent the last two hours of the film crafting a class action lawsuit against Michael Bay, the director, in my head. I want justice.

And now, it's Sunday night. I get to fill out school registration forms now. What a way to close the weekend. Nice.

The TAR Countdown Begins

It's a red letter day. Why? I just discovered that the best reality show on television, The Amazing Race, returns on Sunday, 27 September. Suffice to say I cannot wait. So for those of you who are counting, and I am one of them, 60 days to go. Those 60 days can't pass quickly enough.

Bring on the Race!

The Dentist and Deseret

After a long, long work week, Friday was a most welcome relief. Got an early start in the home office, knowing that I'd need to use my lunch for a dream date with the dentist. Mercifully it was just a six-month checkup, no big thing. Why is that whenever you go to the dentist you envision nothing but pain? Or awkward results, like this:

Now unlike Lisa Simpson, who wound up with this hideous contraption as a result of being without dental insurance due to Homer's latest fight with his employer, C. Montgomery Burns, I did not come out of the office worse for wear. It was an effortless check up, with almost no lecturing about flossing. That's always a bonus. So another six months until I return to the dental chair. Fine with me.

Today, it should be noted, is the 24th of July. So what's the big deal with that? Well, to most, it's just another day. To members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it is a day rich in history and significance. On this day, 162 years ago, the first team of pioneers, (refugees, really, since they were hightailing it out of the States to escape persecution) arrived in what is today known as Salt Lake City. Brigham Young declared, famously, "This is the place." And the building of a home, a city, and a way of life began immediately. If you've been to Salt Lake City, you know it's become a beautiful place, but imagine arriving there 162 years ago...desolate is a better description, not Deseret as it came to be known. I can't help but worry had I been there with Brother Brigham when he declared that this was the place, that I wouldn't have said, "Really? Can we rethink that? Seriously." The fact of the matter is had I been along for that ride, I think I'd have been an early casualty. But I digress. Yet thousands upon thousands had the faith to stay and to build up what was to them, Zion. I am very grateful for their sacrifice. I cannot imagine being in their shoes, or in some cases, in their bare feet. What they did was an incredible testament and lesson in faith. Around the time of the 150th anniversary of their arrival, a book was published. It was a compendium of journals of many Saints who crossed the Plains over the course of many years. It brought me a sense of their incredible sacrifice and it was an amazing history lesson. It's called "Journey To Zion" by Carol Cornwall Madsen.

Every page was a revelation. Whether you are a member of my Church or not, it's worth the read.

I'm off on my own little adventure tomorrow - a four-plus one-way drive to Wisconsin to drop the Boy off at camp. So eight, nearly nine hours of driving tomorrow. I've got about five hours of "This American Life" podcasts to catch up on, so it'll be good. And two more days until the stunningly patient SML returns. Woo and Hoo!

One of those days

It's not like today was horrible at the office. It wasn't. It wasn't great either. Not that I believe every day in the office has to be a walk in the park. It really was just one of those days. Got some things done but not all that I would have liked to have done. An important discussion didn't go exactly the way I had hoped. That only added to the sense that it was one of those days. And it was.

I was glad to get home. The Boy went on my run with me. He rode his bike. Word to the wise - don't go out for a run ten minutes after finishing a homemade chicken enchilada. Suffice to say, it made for an uncomfortable run, albeit faster at the end. I shouldn't have to draw a picture as to why...

The stunningly patient SML is packing up for a few days away. She's off to see her sister and her new baby, our new nephew, Jack Ryan. Boss, boss name. I'm glad she is able to do this. I'm even happier that Mother United had mileage seats open for this trip. Frankly, scoring award seats has been a snap. I booked four more last night for a Labor Day trip last night. Good us, bad for Mother United's revenue bottom line.

Let's see what tomorrow brings. Hoping it's a bit better than today.