Update: Antiquated Electronics

My boss printed this article, "VHS era is winding down", for me from the LA Times. Truly, it's the end to an era. I guess I'll be going out and buying the last of the blank tapes that will hopefully last me for a few more years. Click on the blog title to see the article.

Sub-for-Santa Moment II

Inge: Hi, Santa sent us to deliver a few gifts. Are your parents home?

Howard (13-yrs-old): No, our mom is at work.

Inge: Are you home alone to watch your little sisters? Do you want us to stay with you?

Howard: It's okay. We’ve been through worse.

Antiquated Electronics

I didn't realize how antiquated my electronics are until I attempted to fix or to replace a few things that broke down.

First my desktop computer caught a virus and died after downloading high school reunion pictures from myspace last year. It was so ancient that when I took it to Geek Squad, they no longer have the necessary equipment to run a full diagnosis. STRIKE ONE!

Luckily, my boss gave me her old laptop to use and that worked out great for about a year, until the operating system corrupted the week of Thanksgiving. STRIKE TWO!

One morning about a month ago, I decided to tape a show on TV. When I sat down to watch it later on that evening, I got audio but no video. Apparently, my 11-yr-old VCR has provided me with more than my money's worth (found out later that a VCR's life-span is about 4-5 years). When I went to buy a replacement stand-alone VCR at WalMart, the associate's response was, "HA! ... Oh, you're serious?" I didn't ask for help at Target and Shopko. The kid stocking the shelves at Shopko asked if he could help me, but looked confused when I told him that I was looking for just a VCR. When asked where I may be able buy a replacement stand-alone VCR, the WalMart associate suggested a thrift store. STRIKE THREE!

Thanks a great deal at Costco, I got a netbook and gave up dial-up internet connection and learning about wi-fi. Dave W. looked around at a DI and I now have a back-up stand-alone VCR that is somewhat new for $5. Hopefully, that will be all the mishaps I'll have with electronics for a while. You don't realize how dependent you are on gadgets until it's not there for you to use. I'm listing in my mind the things that may need replacing and what options I should consider in back-ups and replacements and planning on saving up some money for an electronics fund in the new year. There's my PDA, cell phone, mp3 player, TV, DVD player ...

My Kind of Christmas

Q: Wrapping paper or gift bags?
A: Both.

Q: Real tree or Artificial?
A: Pre-lit artificial with fiber optic lights.

Q: When do you put up the tree?
A: Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving), but not at all this year. I don't have the time and won't be home much to enjoy it.

Q: When do you take the tree down?
A: Weekend after Christmas.

Q: Do you like eggnog?
A: No. It tastes like watered down batter.

Q: Favorite gift received as a child?
A: Don't really remember a favorite toy. Grew up in Indonesia (Muslim country), I usually got a set of color pens/pencils and a drawing pad or some small toy. Besides, my family is not big on holidays.

Q: Hardest person to buy for?
A: Everyone. I try to give meaningful and thoughtful gifts within a certain budget and that makes everyone hard to buy for.

Q: Easiest person to buy for?
A: Noone for the same reason above.

Q: Do you have a nativity scene?
A: Yes, it's the only thing coming out to be displayed this year.

Q: Mail or email Christmas cards?
A: Every year I intend to mail cards by Thanksgiving. Although for the past few years, I've ended up emailing my well wishes for the new year instead.

Q: Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A: Angel Snot. I don't know why anyone would think I'd enjoy that gift. I regifted it at a white elephant party.

Q: When do you start shopping for Christmas?
A: Lately, it seems that I shop at the very last minute. Another reason I'm asking for no gift exchanges this year.

Q: Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
A: Yes, like the Angel Snot.

Q: Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
A: Honey baked ham.

Q: Lights on the tree?
A: Umm, yeah. How else would you illuminate it?

Q: Favorite Christmas song?
A: "With Wondering Awe" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

Q: Travel at Christmas or stay home?
A: If I can have my way, it'll always be a pajama day at home. If I have to travel, I'd rather be going on a vacation. Usually I have to travel somewhere for dinner.

Q: Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
A: Not without help. How many are there?

Q: Angel on the tree top or a star?
A: Star. Just a simple silver five-point star, nothing gaudy.

Q: Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
A: When I get it and sleep in on Christmas morning.

Q: Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
A: All the commercialism, the craziness of it all, forgetting what we are really celebrating ... oh, and stupid slap-stick/sappy Christmas TV movies.

Q: Favorite ornament theme or color?
A: Don't have one ... I do love white lights ... all year long.

Q: Favorite for Christmas dinner?
A: Honey baked ham.

Q: What do you want for Christmas this year?
A: Nothing really. I did buy a new computer because my home computers died.

Q: Who is most likely to respond to this?
A: Just replying to Dani and appearing on the blog ... after a few edits, no doubt ... eventually.

O.J. Simpson sentenced to as much as 33 years ...

Sub-for-Santa Moment

“Oh, more than anything else ..." a grandma raising her three grandchildren said to me, "the children need blankets. They’ve been shivering in their beds at night.”

What I want for Christmas ...

This economy is tough on a lot of people and I've been lucky enough to lack nothing. What I want for Christmas this year is quality time with family and friends over lunch, dinner, hot chocolate, a matinee or a killer game of Scrabble. Please consider donating to your local food bank or helping out someone through a Sub-for-Santa program on my behalf. Yes, give that can of SPAM to someone who needs the lovely salted pink morsels of protein. I'll get my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Don't eat too much turkey ... gobble, gobble!

A Grateful Heart

I have been thinking all week about being grateful. I think a grateful person is a happy person. They see how much they are blessed and that gratitude propels them forward. I thought of the people I worked with on my mission in Indonesia. There were families who had very little as far as material wealth, yet they were the happiest people I know. Then there are those who have wealth, but were miserable and lonely. The difference, I observed, is a grateful heart. With that in mind and Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought I'd list the things I am grateful for (not necessarily in the order of importance).

1. My health. Despite being overweight (or as an Indonesian friend called me, "prosperous") and out of shape (I like to think of it as being fit enough to sit for long periods of time without tiring), I'm in pretty good health. I'm grateful that the string of virus that have caused me to cough for almost two months have brought out kind, concerned friends who offer me tips on how to get over it, cough drops, leftover prescription meds, or just calls to check up on me.

2. My job. It really isn't fair that after 13 years at the same firm, I'm still having a lot fun with my bosses. They treat me well and kindly. I could go and work elsewhere for more money, but they've earned my loyalty.

3. My friends. Too many to name and list their acts of love and kindness towards me. Suffice to say, I am lucky that I have friends I know I can call on if I'm ever in need of the spiritual, emotional, and/or temporal. Despite their snide remarks on my blog or facebook or to my face, I love my friends for making me laugh, feel loved and constantly nourishing my soul and occasionally my body with yummy foods and my mind because most of them are such know-it-alls.

4. Daily tender mercies from God. Whether it be a sunny sky, a beautiful flower I see on the way to work, or dark chocolate left by an anonymous "friend", I'm grateful for the little things that make me happy to be alive.

5. Opportunities to serve. I'm grateful for the families I'm able to help through Sub-for-Santa, they help me realize how blessed I've been throughout the year. I'm grateful for my callings in church as an Employment Specialist and the "Paper Product Coordinator" and I hope I'm doing some good and helping people.

6. My stuff. I really have too much stuff and need to learn to throw things away. My car, Chloe, that I'm constantly scraping. My home, that's overflowing with stuff I need to organize or throw out. My electronic gadgets that keep me occupied and hopefully somewhat organized and in touch with people. My card making stuff that is taking over the dining and living room. Clothes, clothes and more clothes because I'm becoming more and more prosperous and need bigger sizes.

I have much more to be grateful for. I won't bore you with all of them. However, I hope you too will take a quiet moment this week to "Count your blessings/Name them one by one/Count your many blessings/See what God hath done."

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

I apologize in advance should anyone find this offensive ...

After lunch today, I decided to go to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to get a treat. Matt pointed this sign to me. This and comments by the girl behind the counter got our minds in the gutter.

"Whoa! Look at how big this banana is! It's probably too big for the bowl."

"You want that bagged? You know, the nuts might fall off."

Flirting: Part II

My boss, Brian, printed this article for me. It's nice that he's looking out for me. Running your hands through your hair or tapping your foot slowly are not on the list (which my other boss, Steve, is really sad about). We all like that "props" are suggested, although with some people that can get pretty wierd pretty fast.

Expert Flirting Tips
By Fran Greene

Having trouble coming up with something to say when you've met someone you'd like to date? Try these top 10 tips to help you flirt.

Some people are natural flirts, but what if you're not one of those people? We've compiled 10 expert tips on flirting that even the most timid of singles can use.

10. Flirting is an attitude
A good flirt is self-confident and not afraid to take risks. Be enthusiastic and positive—it works!

9. Start a conversation
The best opening line is saying hello. Talk about the surroundings, ask a question, ask for help or state an opinion.

8. Have fun
Be playful, light-hearted and spontaneous. Show your vulnerability.

7. Use props
Never leave home without a prop. Props are natural conversation starters. They encourage conversation and others will be compelled to start talking to you. Great props include dogs, kids, unusual jewelry, a fabulous scent, a sweatshirt with your favorite passion, interesting ties, hats or an interesting book or newspaper.

6. Be the host
Change your behavior from guest to host. You are not a passive person waiting around for romance; instead, you're the welcome committee.

5. Make the first move
Move closer to the person you want to meet. Say hello.

4. Listen
You have two ears and one mouth because you should listen twice as much as you speak. Listening is a true art. Your flirting partner will be drawn to you. Everyone loves to be heard.

3. Eye contact
Please look your partner in the eye gently (no more than a few seconds) and then glance away. Don't stare—it's a turn-off.

2. Compliment
Compliment your flirting partner. The best compliments have the element of surprise. The "flirtee" will know that you really noticed him or her. Remember, your compliments must be honest, sincere and genuine. When you receive a compliment, the best response is a simple "Thank you!"

1. Smile
It's contagious. Smiling makes you so much more approachable. A smile lights up your face and draws people to you. You'll be a people magnet.

Fran Greene is a frequent Match.com contributor and a nationally recognized, sought-after expert on flirting, dating and relationships. Greene has appeared on Dateline NBC, The Today Show, and has been featured in the New York Times, Self, and Cosmopolitan.

Late one foggy Halloween night ...

A man is walking home alone late one foggy Halloween night, when behind him he hears:

BUMP ... BUMP ... BUMP ...

Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.

BUMP ... BUMP ... BUMP ...

Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him.

FASTER ... FASTER ... FASTER ...

BUMP ... BUMP ... BUMP ...

He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him. However, the casket crashes through his door, with the lid of the casket clapping.

Clappity-BUMP ... Clappity-BUMP ... Clappity-BUMP ...

... on his heels, as the terrified man runs. Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, he locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps. With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door. Bumping and clapping toward him. The man screams and reaches for something, anything, but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup! Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket ...

AND THE COFFIN STOPS.

"Vote early ... and often!"

I decided to vote early last night after work. I got to the Bountiful Library and went to the voting area. Right off the bat, a poll worker told me that from the end of the line where I was, it’ll take approximately 90 minutes to the voting booths! OMG! Luckily, I didn’t have anything else planned last night and I didn’t want to show up on Election Day when the other 70% of registered voters will be showing up. I asked for a pamphlet and reviewed the other items I’ll be voting for to kill the time in line. On the bright side, I only stood in line for an hour.

While in line, I started to chat with the man standing behind me who told me of his divorce, travels, etc. By the time we were within sight of the registration tables, he asked me for my phone number and possibly doing lunch. Too bad he cut me off in the parking lot earlier, smelled like cigarettes, and was at least two decades older. Why don’t men my own age ask me out? On the bright side, I only stood in line for an hour.

Autumn is here ...

Against the grey morning sky,

a bed of vibrant orange.

Autumn is here ...

"Change for the Better" by Journey

Yeah, I'm hooked on this song and can't stop listening to it. I've been playing the CD for a couple of weeks and keep going back to this song and listening to it over and over. Click on the link below to see and hear the final cut of the song on youtube. [Sigh ... I love Arnel Pineda]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNOuqZwUgfM

Down the lowest I can go
With no one left to turn
On the edge, I lose control
Before I crash and burn
Can I turn around
Slow it down, oh

Hold on, we've still got living to do
So far gone
See life for someone like you
In your eyes
You showed me reasons to live
Take time
The time it takes to forgive

It's my life, it'll change for the better
I've faced the light
It's worth the fight
See a new day
Start a new way
Get it straight
Make it change for the better

I was dying, a drowning man
And I wish you well
Pull me from the darkness
And save me from myself

Wake up, shake it off
Let go
What I'm pretending to be
I know
I'm still the man I could be, yeah

It's my life, it'll change for the better
I've faced the light
It's worth the fight
See a new day
Start a new way
Get it straight
Make a change for the better

I'm waking up to find
A different state of mind
There was a new place, I'm okay
I've changed for the better

I've opened up my eyes
I'm glad to be alive
It's never too late
To cheat fate
Changed for the better

And now then there is no hope
Until we are faced without
We can never fall in love
Until we learn to live without
In our love we can't find peace
Without conflict in our lives
And the healing will begin, oh
'Til we open up our eyes

It's my life, it'll change for the better
I've faced the light
It's worth the fights
See a new day
Start a new way
Get it straight
It all comes together

Made my mind up
There's still time enough
I'm all right
Made a change for the better

Change for the better
Change for the better, yeah
Oh, oh, oh
Yeah, I'm all right
Oh

Getting to know me ...

Okay, this is the second time I've gotten this exact email in about a couple of months. I'm not forwarding again to my friends (some who didn't bother to reply back), but I thought that this was one of the funner get-to-know-me emails. So, here it is again with today's answers:

1. What is your occupation right now?
A: Legal Secretary.

2. What color are your socks right now?
A: Still wearing sandals, so not wearing any.

3. What are you listening to right now?
A: Journey's "Revelation" CD ... specifically playing "Change for the Better" over and over again. I can't get enough of this song.

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
A: Chinese/Thai leftovers.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
A: No.

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
A: A client.

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
A: Yes, otherwise she won't have my email address.

8. How old are you today?
A: 39.

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
A: Spelling Bee?

10. What is your favorite drink?
A: Limeaid and Coke ... not together.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
A: Tried to, but didn't take ... I blame the dye. I wanted a red tint to my hair.

12. Favorite food?
A: Depends on the mood, but I can always have pho or chinese brocolli.

13. What is the last movie you watched?
A: I saw "Traitor" a few weeks ago ... geez, has it been that long?

14. Favorite day of the year?
A: Don't really have one ... any day I don't have to do anything.

15. How do you vent anger?
A: Cry, sleep, or stew.

16. What was your favorite toy as a child?
A: A stick? just kidding probably the series of plastic dolls.

17. What is your favorite season?
A: Spring and Fall ... not too hot, not too cold, just right ...

18. What nicknames did you have as a child?
A: Ing, Nge.

19. Cherries or Blueberries?
A: Do I have to chose?

20. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?
A: If they have time.

21. Who is the most likely to respond?
A: Whoever has time to kill.

22. Who is least likely to respond?
A: Whoever is annoyed.

23. Living arrangements?
A: All by myself/Don't wanna be/All by myself ... (Taking roommate applications. Male, temple worthy, must be willing to give a ring, half the mortgage and associated expenses and share last name and bed ... among other qualifications ...).

24. When was the last time you really cried?
A: A couple of days ago and I feel so much better now ... it's a female thing, I hear.

25. What is on the floor of your closet?
A: Shoes.

26. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to?
A: Nobody, going on the blog.

27. What did you do last night?
A: Worked until 8:00, Shopping at Target for wedding and baby gifts.

28. What are you most afraid of?
A: "I've fallen and I can't get up" ... alone and no one can hear me calling for help.

29. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
A: Teriyaki with swiss cheese and mushroom.

30. Favorite dog breed?
A: Cyber/robotic. It won't die if I don't feed it ... or walk it.

31. Favorite day of the week?
A: Saturday.

32. How many states have you lived in?
A: Three -- Hawaii, New York, Utah.

33. Diamonds or pearls?
A: Again, I have to choose?

34. What is your favorite flower?
A: Orchids.

35.Where is your favorite vacation spot?
A: Anywhere warm, with fresh fruits and seafood ... and drinks with the paper umbrellas ... served by a tanned, shirt-less cabana boy ... Hey, I'm allowed to dream, right?

Oh, what joy! Elder Folau's last email from the mission field.

Hard to believe it has been two years. So proud of this kid. Can't wait to see him again.

"It's my last letter to everyone from here. Some of the members decided to give me an early birthday party since I'm not going to be here with them. We baptized these three ... Thank you all for your prayers and you support. See you all on Wednesday. Time flies and the church is growing and growing and growing."

Justice is served!

On my way in to work this morning, I'm going a little above the speed limit on Beck Street, when the truck behind me honked, zoomed by me ... and may have even given me the finger. Flashing lights, motorcycle cop! Sweet justice. It's starting out well ... for me.

How flirting can be enriching ...

09/28/08 Update: Julie reminded me of a few other pointers I had forgotten:

1. Do not linger longer. (Give them a challenge -- don't be too available)

2. Be soft and femine. Men love curves. (What they really want in the ward is a Barbie, but whatever ...)

3. Create a Top 10 list. You need to know what you want and don't compromise. (This somewhat contradicts the bishop's advise to lower your expectation)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So about a couple of weeks ago, Julie convinced me to go with her to an Enrichment Meeting. [GASP! Hell is freezing over -- let's just also blame this on global warming.] I needed to see either the bishop or Brother Knowlton about the Career Development Seminar planned for that weekend, so I went. Of course, neither men I needed to see were there and so I stayed since my ride wasn't going to leave and I needed to support my friends in these callings every once in a while.

The topic of discussion that evening was "flirting". I guess at this age, a lot of us have lost/forgotten our groove and just can't bat our eyelashes like we used to. The instructor really covered more than just flirting, she discussed the psychology of men/women -- basically what they/we want in a mate, etc., but I remember mostly the flirting part. She is a "lame fat" [my way of remembering the acronym LMFT a.k.a. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist] and had worked a great deal with women in abusive relationships.

I had my head in my hands a lot, and here's what I remember rolling my eyes at:

(1) Don't flick your hair off your face ... instead run your fingers through your hair ever so slowly to move your hair. [My boss, Steve, likes to do this with his eyes closed and biting his lips -- I shouldn't have told him about the meeting.]

(2) Don't shake your foot like you've had too much caffeine or having a spasm ... instead tap your foot ever so slowly -- just like a yoga stretch, but not. [Note that "ever so slowly" is repeated often. Just mimic any one of Charlie's Angels in slow motion and you're basically flirting.]

(3) To get the attention of a man from across the room, tilt your head ever so slightly, make eye contact, smile and look away. If he doesn't get your "come hither" look, try it out on someone else. Remember he's not rejecting you, just your style. [WHATEVER!]

(4) When a man asks for your number, don't give him a business card [Never mind convenience, I'm guessing this makes you look over eager and easy] ... instead write your number down [it's spontaneous and takes longer] and be sure to mention that he needs to leave a message as you do not return calls based on Caller ID notifications.

(5) Make men smile and compliment them when they do something nice, even if it's not for you. Our instructor's example of this was by talking like a valley girl [i.e. "Oh. My. Gosh! That was like so nice of you to not slam the door on that woman's face when you cut her off at the door!" or something like that].

To be fair, I did get quite a bit out of how you can tell if a man is abusive in three dates. Basically, he lacks empathy, personal responsibility and self control. I should write more about that, but what I've got down makes a better/funnier copy.

Yeah. So then my phone rang and I just had to take the call outside and missed the rest of the meeting ...

Facebook

I caved in. Created my facebook profile last night. Still pretty lost and spending a lot of time clicking on different things. Fun part is I'm finding old friends from high school and college, amongst other places. I have a feeling I'll be speding a bit of time on facebook in the next little while ... let's see how long I'll keep this up. Link to my facebook profile by clicking on the blog title (I hope it works).

Paper Products Coordinator

So a few years ago while an Enrichment Counselor in a RS presidency, I noticed how chaotic ward closets can be. I got my friend, Kurt, to help me one night pull everything out and reorganize the closets and we stuck all the paper goods in one closet. The bishop caught us reorganizing and that's when the lobbying for the calling of Paper Products Coordinator ("PPC") started. I got the calling, but I think it was because I had a written proposal submitted. Hey, you don't work for lobbyists and not learn a thing or two about getting what you want ... Anyway, giving the calling up to serve my Inner City Mission was tough, but it was for a greater good.

Fast forward a few years, I came back to the ward and of course the calling belonged to someone else. I've half-heartedly kidded around with the bishopric about getting the PPC calling back, but they won't let me have it. Apparently, they think I'm destined for something greater (ha ha).

Fast forward to Ward Council yesterday. Someone complained that the supply closet is not being maintained. I raised my hand and pointed out that I'm the ideal person for the job since I have memberships at both Costco and Sam's Club and that this would have never happened if I was in charge of the supply closet. Brother Knowlton's reply ... "You're called!"

YES!!! It's mine again! Now reconsolidating and organizing closets again, then some shopping at Costco for paper products. Go ahead, congratulate me for successfully lobbying for a calling ...

New Do

I do love how Tuan styles my hair ... we'll see if I can do it again once I wash it.

Utah's Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff

It's campaign season and candidates are making their rounds. Mark Shurtleff came to our office earlier this week to make a presentation and solicit our votes. I wasn't expecting much from an incumbent ahead in the polls, but he did impress me. A lot of the services they offer are on the web and I've actually signed up for a thing or two. I thought you might want to check it out also.

Amber Alerts:

http://www.wirelessamberalerts.org/

Child Protection Agency:

http://www.utahkidsregistry.com/

Internet Safety:

http://www.netsmartz.org/

http://www.webwisekids.org/

Youth Access to Alcohol:

http://www.parentsempowered.org/

Crime Reports:

http://www.crimereports.com/

ID Theft Reporting:

http://www.idtheft.utah.gov/

Official Website of the AG:

http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/

Shurtleff's Campaign Site:

http://www.shurtleff2008.com/

No "Rebel Yell"

One night only, Hard Rock Cafe, Las Vegas ... Billy Idol! In a few hours fans will be crying, "More, more, more", instead I'm crying "Big River" and remembering Johnny Cash on the anniversary of his death. I guess it was pretty much decided that I wouldn't be going when I scraped my car against that pole the other day. Still, it would've been fun to just jump on a plane, go to the concert and fly back ... totally life of a rock star. Oh well ... not if you don't have the money rock stars have.

Wet Pants

My friend, Anya, sent this yesterday as my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day came to an end. What perfect timing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Come with me to a third grade classroom ... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. "You've done enough, you klutz!"

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.

Note: I'm praying for someone to hit my car on the side I scraped ... and have their insurance cover the cost of repair.

Inge and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I slept through the alarms and woke up at 9:00. I called work and notified the receptionist that I'll be coming in late and she offered to notify my bosses and the office manager. On my way out of the condo complex, I realized that I had left my lunch on the counter at home. I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I went back to get my lunch and in my haste to get in and out the door, I scraped my car against a pole. Now the rear passenger door and the side panel is damaged. One of the lenses popped out of my sunglasses. I want to move to Australia.

I got in to work 45 minutes late. The receptionist told me that she forgot to send out the email notifying my bosses and the office manager that I'm coming in late. My bosses were not happy that I showed up late without "calling in". I was late turning in my timesheet and I'll be working through lunch to make up for coming in late. I'm having a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day and I wish I'm in Australia.

I needed a Dove dark chocolate ... the quote inside my wrapper said "Flirting is mandatory". Yeah, the way this day is going I'll be flirting with danger/disaster. I found Alexander's story online, but my real player won't work, but if I remember right ... terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days happen ... even in Australia.

Note: Link to the online story of Alexander by clicking on the blog title.

Don't park here!

Went to dinner with Kay Lynn last night. I noticed the sign and busted out laughing. I hope it's effective.

Oh, my poem, "The Tainted Woman", applied to me again last night ... chocolate cake on my pink sweater.

Update from Elder Folau

I received this update from Elder Folau today. He looks happy (that kid is always smiling) and doing so well. I can't help but be so proud of him. I burst into laughter seeing the picture of him having tea with a group of girls. Classic Lono ...

His lambs hear his voice and follow. It´s a week of miracles. We are seeing more blessings than we ask for. We got some of our investigadors baptized and also ate a lot of corn this week. Time flies and a lot of work to do. Our Stake might get divided soon maybe in March. I won´t be here to see it but I´ll do all that I can to help while I can. Hope the best for everyone. Obedience brings the blessings. Elder Folau

Salt Lake Greek Festival ... OPA!!!

Hand stamp that seem to be semi-permanent. Yummy kalamaria (I got two servings), gyro, spanakopita, and baklavas. Beautiful Greek Orthodox Church. I'm all about supporting the community.

Carwash Blues

Tuesday (09/02 -- After work): Hmmm. The rainy weekend certainly made my car dirty, especially the windows. Go to a brushless carwash and clean it up a bit before heading home.

Wednesday (09/03 -- After work): What is up with the water spots? I hope they're not permanent. The dinner at my boss' house is tomorrow night, better take it to a carwash and see if I can get the spots off and make it look pretty. Spray, spray, spray, brush, brush, brush, spray, spray, spray, squeegee, wipe, squeegee, wipe. Good job. Wouldn't be ashamed of having Chloe seen by the attorneys who'll be at the dinner party tomorrow night.

Thursday (09/04 -- After the dinner party): Should I take I-80 or should I go through town to get home? It's already after 9:00. I wonder what McCaine had to say ... better take the freeway. I hate this luge of a freeway and can't wait for all these repairs and construction to be over. Massive puddle in the middle of I-80? Great, add another hazzard on to the luge, why don't you? Slow down. ARGH! The car next to me zoomed by and splashed through the puddle. Thick muck all over my beautiful clean car! JERK! Wait ... Ewww! What is that smell? Is that sewage? Crap! Alright, kind of late, but I'll take the car through a quick brushless wash. I don't want whatever is on the car to harden or smell that all day tomorrow. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, spray, spray, spray ... I wonder if there's enough pressure to get all that muck off? Whatever! I'm tired. Should be good enough. Too dark outside and no one around at the carwash. Don't know if it's safe. I'll just go home and give it a quick wipe down. Zoom, zoom. What is this? Not sewage, but it's white and powdery ... and smells sulfuric ... that can't be good.

I guess I'll be spending more money tomorrow to get it cleaned up. Do I dare wash it ... again? It'll probably rain on me or it'll be a casualty of a mad sprinkler or another puddle of muck. Why do I bother?

Kissing Rugby [Email Thread]

Sidney: The bishop mentioned this "sport" but did not say how it was played. Does anybody know about this?

Inge: I've heard of the game, but have no idea how it is played. Is it similar to flag football, except you steal a kiss instead of grabbing the flags attached to the players?

Sidney: Hmmmm ... no idea. Thanks for your guess. My first and only thought was that one cold sore could bring down the whole ward!

Inge: No kidding. Also, depending on who else is playing and what kind of a kiss, I may be tempted to not run with the ball and just let certain people catch me to kiss me ... that would make for a really boring football game ...

HOURS LATER …

Inge: Okay, so things slowed down a bit this afternoon at work. I googled "Kissing Rugby" and one of the results yielded this:

"Kissing rugby is an aggressive sport where rug burns are as common as kissing. It's played with a large group of boys and girls. Each boy gets a number assigned to him and the girls are assigned letters. Everyone makes a circle with boys on one side, girls on the other. Someone gets in the middle and calls out a number and a letter (i.e. D--5) and then "D" and "5" enter the circle and attack the member of the opposite sex. If a girl is in the middle to start then the boy "5" attacks her while the girl "D" attacks "5." A point is scored when either "D" or "5" lands a kiss anywhere on the face (ears count) of the other person. Whoever is kissed has to remain in the middle, call out a number and a letter, and avoid getting kissed in the next round."

"Attacks" sounds painful and illegal to me ... and why would you try to "avoid getting kissed"? I thought that was the whole purpose of the game.

Note: Talk about mixed signals! First you're attacking them and then you run away ... people are going to need some serious meds after playing this game ... and possibly a restraining order.

My Own Hallmark Store

I'm guilty of this. I have boxes of cards that I keep at my desk. Unless it is totally spot on for some people, you know it's a last minute card from me if the card is not one I personally made. Ooops ... maybe I shouldn't have disclosed that.

Nightmare Blind Date

09/04/08 Update: Two out of three members of my bishopric justified my attitude based on this blog entry. One of them even called this experience a "date from hell".

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09/02/2008 Update: Okay, I feel a bit guilty about this entry, especially after all the talks in church this past Sunday on courting and relationships. The talks were reprimands to me to give men more of a chance and not too expect too much in the temporal and material of them. I realize that not every woman will marry a doctor, lawyer or Indian chief and there are lots of plain Joes who earn a good honest living sufficient to sustain a family. Still, I think this was a funny entry in my journal, so take it with a grain of salt and keep in mind that this happened ages ago and I'm trying to not be so materialistic ...

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I found this journal entry the other day on a flash drive -- I must've forgotten to transfer it to the home computer and print it out for my journal file. The entry was dated 09-29-2005, but upon reference to my planner the date took place on 04-11-2003 -- I know, I'm so good at recording my entries in a timely manner. I am trying to be better ... While I'm now once again open to set-ups, please make sure that we have more in common other than we're both single and LDS. Thanks!

Note: I will refer to my blind date as "K" to protect the innocent.

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It has been AGES since I’ve been on a blind date, and the last one was more than adequate to make me not ever want to go on another blind date.

I had been emailing a man who is a couple of years older than I for a few weeks when he started pushing for a meeting. I wasn't quite ready to meet him, but agreed to the date. Since I work downtown, we agreed to meet at a mall there after work on a Friday before heading out to dinner.

Prior to meeting "K", he sent this cute picture of him with several of his nieces and nephews. It was therefore a surprise to me when the face that greeted me didn’t quite match up to the photo I had seen. In the picture, the man with all those cute kids had fuller hair and was at least 30 pounds lighter. But whatever, I’m not that shallow and since we were already here, I had to give him a chance, right? Right off the bat, he wanted to give me a hug ... which I half-heartedly responded to. At the time, I had been experiencing some back problems, so I asked if he wouldn’t mind going with me to a drug store first to get some kind of pain reliever before heading out to dinner – I mention this because this comes in handy as I now have a valid and true excuse to end the date if it ever becomes too painful.

So, we got my drugs and I thought that dinner would be nice as it will allow us to talk and get to know one another. Since he doesn’t come downtown much, he asked for a recommendation for a restaurant. I mentioned a few, but they were apparently out of his price range as he then mentioned that he didn’t "have much money" and asked if we could go to an inexpensive restaurant instead. Hmmm. At least he's honest and upfront about it. He was game to try just about any types of food. So, I recommended Mi La Cai, a dive that offered great Vietnamese food and he agreed to go there.

Since I knew the way and my car was nearby, I drove us to the restaurant. I recommended my favorite items on the menu and he ordered the same things I did. With that out of the way, I started to ask questions to get to know him better. His answers were short for the most part and what followed is why I'm cured of blind dates for the time being.

1. When "K" asked what I did for a living and I told him, he ranted on how much he hated lawyers because "lawyers are liars". I mentioned that not all lawyers are bad and that if you really think about it, Christ is going to be our ultimate defense attorney. He got all huffy and called me blasphemous. Why does he hate lawyers so much? "K" was apparently in a car accident (where I assume that he was at fault and caused some serious damage) and the other party's lawyer took him to the cleaners. That explains a few things ...

2. "K" lived with his brother who just got fired from his job at the DI (Deseret Industries -- a thrift shop). How the heck? The majority of people who work at the DI got the job from the LDS Church to tie them over until they acquire some other skills for better employment. The only way I can think of someone getting fired from such a job is if they stole or did something illegal on the premises. Winner!

3. "K" recently quit his job so he can "focus" on his schooling. Not bad, he's trying to better himself. "What are you studying?" I asked. I'm thinking a different degree, post-graduate work, a thesis that he is finishing up ... No, he gave up a job at Albertsons so he can focus on becoming a Certified Nurses' Assistant. A CNA? Those courses only last a couple of months, right? How hard could it be that you'd have to give up a job to focus on it? Basically, he gave up a minimum wage job stocking shelves so he can clean bed pans for a couple of dollars more. Okay, fine ... I'm being a bit shallow and materialistic here. In my defense, at this stage in my life, if I am to get serious with anyone, I want someone who can afford a family. The biological clock is tickin' and as soon as I'm married, I'm goin' to start poppin' out them babies as fast as I can and he better be able to afford 'em 'cause I ain't workin' no more.

4. At one point during dinner, my napkin slid off my lap. I bent down to pick it up and as I got up, I caught a glance of a patch of white on his khaki pants. What the ... ? He had a hole on the crotch of his pants! What am I supposed to do with this information? Do I tell him, do I not? Argh! ... I ignored it ... the date wasn't going very well anyway and my back is starting to hurt again (probably from the stress this is putting me through). Took out the pain reliever and popped a couple of pills ...

5. The tab arrived and the server handed it to "K". "K" looked at the tab, put in some cash and slid the tab to me. I took a look and he had put in exactly the amount on the menu for the entree -- no tax, no tip, and apparently he did not intend to pay for his drink. Nice. I forked out an extra $8 to cover his shortcomings. This date is definitely over.

6. I told "K" that I needed to call it a night because of the back pain and offered to take him to his vehicle. "Oh, I wasn't planning on our date ending so soon," Special K said, "the next bus doesn't come around until 9 o'clock. Will you take me home?" OMG!!! I took him home (in Holliday and he showed me the Albertsons where he used to work on the way there) and I tried hard not to stare at the hole on his crotch. Date started at 6:00 p.m. I was at a Media Play near his apartment by 7:30 p.m. checking out some DVDs and trying to calm down.

Thanks to caller ID, I was able to ignore his phone calls in the next couple of days. About four/five days later, I thought I better tell him that I'm not interested in another date. I emailed him (since that's how it all started) and told him that I had enjoyed meeting him, but that it doesn't seem like we had a lot in common and wished him luck in finding someone. Multiple responses from "K" containing racial slurs and he called me shallow and materialistic. Blocked him from ever sending me an email again. Nice. Never again!

It's soooo cold in here ...

I swear that I am located next to women who are constantly having hot flashes at the office. They are always hot even in the middle of winter! This morning the thermostat was set to the -4 which is the coldest setting. I'm sitting here typing this wearing a shawl and seriously thinking about making myself some hot chocolate instead of drinking my cold V8 juice. Why do these women come to work wearing jackets if they're always so hot?

Once upon a time, I had a little space heater in my cubicle, but when the outlet that the powerstrip was plugged into caught on fire, they took away my heating privileges and won't let me have another one. Luckily, the incident happened during the day while there were people around. My boss, Brian, was about to dictate something to me when he said, "Is that smoke coming from under your desk?" Smoke, what smoke? We quickly yanked the powerstrip off the outlet and Brian was able to just blow the tiny fire out.

Fire Drills

I hate fire drills! Whenever we have fire drills, I'd listen for sirens and look out the window to see if fire trucks are coming, if there aren't any around ... I keep working, despite of the threats from our "Fire Wardens". I hate that I have to drop everything, walk down nine floors, and then another couple of blocks to our work's rendezvous point. Most of all, I hate the flashing lights throughout the office which is just as annoying as the mechanical voice that orders you to get out. I know, I know, I'll be a Chinese-Indonesian BBQ if I don't get out and I need to be better when it comes to following orders -- especially when it'll save my life. So, I thought if they would play a fun soundtrack, it might just get me up and moving out of the office. So far, I have the following songs:

"Burning Down the House" -- Talking Heads
"The Roof Is On Fire" -- Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three
"We Didn't Start the Fire" -- Billy Joel
"Hearts on Fire" -- Randy Meisner
"Ring of Fire" -- Johnny Cash
"Hot, Hot, Hot" -- Buster Poindexter
"John Law Burned Down the Liquor Sto'"
"The Flame" -- Cheap Trick
"The Safety Dance" -- Men Without Hats

What do you think? I'd get up and dance my way to safety, wouldn't you? Any other suggestions?

This bites!

So I went for a walk at Bountiful Lake last Wednesday night. By Thursday afternoon, I'm starting to itch and finding bug bites all over my legs and arms and they hurt. Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch! Ugh! The bite marks are so ugly that I'm digging out my long-sleeved tops to cover the ugly welts despite the near triple-digit temperature forecasted for today.

The Tainted Woman

There he sat in the tub ...
His dark skin glistening,
Tempting me with sweetness.

I had to have him!
I gave up all I had
And greedily I devoured.

A drop and I am marked.
Chocolate ice cream ...
on my white blouse.

I wrote the original version of this poem while serving as a missionary in Yogyakarta, Indonesia (circa 1993), based on a cold treat I had one hot afternoon. I've since misplaced the poem and this was an attempt to reconstruct it about a decade later. I thought about it today because, well ... I seem to need a bib when eating a cold treat.

Hari Kemerdekaan Indonesia

Celebrated the Indonesian Independence Day today with a few Indonesian friends. What's not to enjoy? Great Indonesian food and friends. I had forgotten so much of Indonesia's history, but it was good to have a refresher course again as we played games after dinner. We even sang the Indonesian national anthem.

When I was sworn in to be a U.S. citizen in 1997, Judge Sam told us of his Polish immigrant background and reminded us that what makes U.S.A. so great is our diversity. He urged us to remember our culture or traditions as it is what contributes to the richness of America.

To find out more about Indonesia, click on the blog title for a wikipedia entry of the country.

“Indonesia Raya”
Official Lyrics based on PP No. 4 tahun 1958
Used as the official national anthem

Indonesia, tanah airku, tanah tumpah darahku.
Di sanalah aku berdiri, jadi pandu ibuku.
Indonesia, kebangsaanku, bangsa dan tanah airku.
Marilah kita berseru, "Indonesia bersatu!"
Hiduplah tanahku, hiduplah neg'riku,
Bangsaku, rakyatku, semuanya.
Bangunlah jiwanya, bangunlah badannya
Untuk Indonesia Raya!

CHORUS:
Indonesia Raya, merdeka, merdeka
Tanahku, neg'riku yang kucinta.
Indonesia Raya, merdeka, merdeka
Hiduplah Indonesia Raya!

English translation of lyrics:

Indonesia my native land, the land where I shed my blood.
There I stand, being a soldier of my mother.
(Note: "mother" here refers to Ibu Pertiwi which means 'motherland')
Indonesia my nationality, my nation and my country.
Let us exclaim "United Indonesia!"
Live my land, live my state,
My nation, my people, all.
Build its spirit, build its bodies
For Great Indonesia!

CHORUS:
Great Indonesia, independent and free,
My land, my country, which I love.
(probably equivalent to English's Long live my land)
Great Indonesia, independent and free,
Live Great Indonesia!

T-G-I-F

After a long week, a man gets on a bus and sits next to a woman. "T-G-I-F," he said to the woman. "S-H-I-T," the woman replied. A moment of shock ... She must have misheard him or just didn't understand what TGIF meant, so he repeats himself. "Lady, I said T-G-I-F, you know 'thank goodness it's Friday'?" "Oh, I know," she replied, "... and I said S-H-I-T, 'sorry honey, it's Thursday'."

"I can't understand her accent." (circa 1996)

I was once asked to get some refreshment for a service project. So, right after I got off work, I went to the bakery at the basement of the downtown Salt Lake ZCMI. I took a number and stood in line to wait for my turn. When my number was called, a man of Indian/Pakistani descent served me. After I asked him for “two dozen assorted donuts”, he grabbed two wax paper bags and handed me two donuts. Of course, as with every occasion when you are misunderstood, I repeated my request slower and louder. “Two do-zen as-sort-ed do-nuts!” I yelled out. Baffled, he looked at me and again offered me the two donuts, “Yes, yes, here it is. Two donuts.” “No, no, no! Two do-zen as-sort-ed do-nuts!!!” I repeated even slower and louder. The other customers started to stare at the commotion. Confused, my server turned to his co-worker and said, “What is she saying? I can’t understand her accent.” I have an accent! I have an accent! This man is talking like Abu … and I’m the one with the accent? His co-worker turned to him and replied, “She wants 24 different donuts.” Understanding dawned on his face. “Well, why does she not say so in the first place? That, I understand.”

Imagine that … working in a bakery and he doesn’t understand the word “dozen”. I walked away with my two dozen assorted donuts and the new found knowledge that I have an accent some people can’t understand.

Can you say "Psycho"?

Some stories are just so bizzare, they can't be made up. I saw this in the UK's Daily Mail Online. Click on the blog title to link to the actual story. Be warned that there's a picture of her posing in the buff (those in the mother land are so much more liberal than we are on this side of the pond). The reporting isn't the most accurate when it comes to our church practices, but the story is still very entertaining.

The sum of it is that this woman kidnapped a Mormon missionary 30 years ago in England and raped him. Disappeared before trial concluded. Attempted to kidnap the same man again. Cloned her dead pitbull recently. Someone recognized her and this is how the whole business of the "Mormon Sex Slave" is raked up again ...

"Man tries to escape traffic jam ..."

I saw this article in The Salt Lake Tribune this afternoon. Ha ha ha ha ha ... "LOL" and "idiot" came up a lot on the comment board. Ah ... I needed a good laugh.

A 37-year-old driver who relied on Google to find a new way to Bountiful in the midst of Tuesday night's heavy traffic congestion ended up rolling his vehicle on a dirt road.

A 210,000-pound big rig had rolled earlier in the day in the northbound lanes of Interstate 15 near Center Street in Davis County. It backed up traffic to the 3300 South area in South Salt Lake, according to reports.

The driver became frustrated with the obstructions, according to a Salt Lake City police report, so he pulled up Google Earth on his cell phone and found what he thought to be a alternate route.

Jeff Bedard, spokesman with Salt Lake City police, said the driver had determined through aerial maps that a dirt road connected Salt Lake and Davis counties in the area of Ensign Peak and the ongoing City Creek fire. But as the man attempted to navigate the track, he tried to turn back and rolled the Jeep off the dirt surface, Bedard said. Police could not recover the vehicle and advised the man to contact watershed officials to get the Jeep back, he said. The driver, who was uninjured, was found not far from the flames of the City Creek Canyon fire. Bedard said the man apparently drove through gates that marked the path as restricted.

Charges have not been filed, but they are pending as police review the accident report and speak with prosecutors, Bedard said. "It's human nature to want to avoid traffic, but common sense should prevail," he said.

Elvis Costello/The Police

A much better crowd around us this time around and we coordinated sufficiently to travel to the amphitheater in two cars, thus enabling us to use the carpool lanes and parking lot. Some thought we were leaving too early, but the few of us who were there last week knew better.

These weren't quite the sing-along bands like the ones we saw last week. Elvis Costello was great, but we really didn't know his songs. We recognized a few of his songs, but not well enough to be able to sing along. Sting came out at one point and sang with him and that was probably the highlight of the set.

The Police was great. Sting looked so good! His band-mates, another story ... they have not aged well. The drummer was pretty toned, but he looked like he was flapping his gums half of the time the camera was on him. Were his dentures loose? The bass player ... Ugh! At one point, the camera was on him and he had a look of pain on his face. Constipated? Crapping a pineapple? One can only guess. Oh, please. Let's just put the camera back on Sting. No straight women and gay men were disappointed that Sting wore a tight fitting black t-shirt and his voice ... better than ever.

No altercation with our group. However, as we walked to the parking lot, we saw one. Some obnoxious idiots in a minivan decided that they won't stand in line to get out of the venue, so they drove down the side of a dirt road to cut in at the head of the line (which by the way is right by our car), screaming and laughing at everyone else in line. A man who had been waiting in line was justifiably upset, so he got out of the car and confronted them. Some chest bumping and shoving, but (of course) no police/security around and friends held them back from killing each other. Got out of there in 30 minutes ... a much better experience. Still, next time I'll pay for seats.

"If you want my love, you've got it!"

I got a group together to go see Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey at the USANA Amphitheater on Friday. Getting in and out of the place was a nightmare and the crowd by us were drunk and stupid, but the bands' performance was AWESOME!

I left work at 4:00 and carpooled with Laura to stand in line and reserve some lawn space for the others who couldn't leave work earlier. Got to the parking lot about 5:15 and the line from the gate was about half a mile long already. Gates were supposed to open at 5:30 and the opened it closer to 5:45. Got pretty decent lawn space and sat there to enjoy the summer day as we wait for the rest of our group and the concert to start at 7:00.

Cheap Trick opened as I sat there by myself (Laura was in a hideous line buying a t-shirt) and screamed out the lyrics to "Dream Police", "I want you to want me" ... fun, but lonely.

By the time Heart came on stage, most people in my group were there. Forget trying to coordinate finding each other over the noise, I lost my voice screaming into the phone and finally resorted to texting.

Everyone was there by the time the main attraction came on stage. If there was ever a doubt that Journey's new lead singer had revived the band, doubt no more. The 40-year-old Filipino, Arnel Pineda, ROCKED!!! So much better than Steve Perry and boy does he know how to rock! As I've purchased their latest CD a couple of months ago, I knew the lyrics to most of their new songs and was able to scream it out with like-minded fans. Four hours of rockin' and a rollin' -- WHAT A BLAST!

There were a few things that made the night's experience unsavory aside from the parking:

1. The group of people a few yards behind us were drinking quite heavily and by the time Journey came on, they were sloshed. They were so obnoxious that people around them started moving away during the concert. A woman in the group got on a man's shoulder then pulled down the top of her strapless dress ... of course, she had nothing on underneath. If she wanted to act like a slut, that's her problem. She covered her boobs with one arm while waving the other, but why the heck would you pull down your top if you're going to cover them with your arm? Twice during the concert she did this. What got me so mad was that about five yards in front of us were a group of 12-year-old boys. Since the crowd around them dispersed, my group was the only thing standing between them and these boys. I was not about to have this woman go anywhere near the boys and I was ready to slug her if she ever got anywhere near us.

2. At one point the drunken group did get a bit too close and Darci turned around to tell them to back off. Since Darci had her hands up to indicate for them to back off, the woman who kept pulling her top down thought that she said something complimentary about her boobs. Darci straightened her fingers and motioned once again and yelled for them to back off. The woman was so drunk that she didn't understand what Darci was saying, but her friend did. She told Darci to F-off and loosen up. So unnecessary.

3. That same woman who swore at Darci, got her hands in a man's pants and was playing with his junk.

4. To top the night off ... we glanced over and saw this fat chick pull down her pants, squatted and peed. All this while balancing her full cup of beer in one hand on the grass right by our blankets. So disgusting! Apparently, she had done this earlier in the evening, but we had no idea what it was she was doing.

Where were the police and security during all this? No where near us.

An hour and a half getting out of the parking lot that night. Well, at least Laura and I had a chance to talk and listen to some really good music in the car.

I told my co-workers about my experience and being in a law office, we determined that we could've filed charges for indecent exposure, lewdity and urinating in public. We should've take pictures so we might have some evidence when we file a complaint, but who wants to? It was all just too gross.

We've got tickets to see The Police in concert next Saturday. I just hope the crowd is better. I don't think I want to ever get lawn seats at this amphitheater again.

Friends with Superman

"I forgot to tell you guys that I'm friends with Superman out here." ~ Elder Folau

Update from Elder Folau

I just have to share theis picture. Elder Folau is always smiling in his photos, but this one with these ninos is just too cute to keep to myself.