Julie's Threat

I just want this to be on record. Julie was kind enough to make me some cookies and left it in a little baggie on my car hood on Sunday. She didn't tell me that she left it there so it wasn't until a car wash and about 24 hours later that I found them. I, of course, had to throw out the cookies. Sorry, Jules! Next time let me know when you're leaving me a treat or leave it somewhere where I can see them. :)

Speaking of DUMB commercials ...

This one made me feel really sorry for the actors. I laughed at the strategically placed flags ... Imagine having this on your resume ... YIKES!

ShamWow!

So, there are a lot of annoying commercials on TV and one of the more annoying is the commercial for ShamWow. This weekend, however, this particular one came on TV that made me laugh out loud and I just had to look it up and watch it again online. What did we ever do without internet? I was recently introduced to Rhett and Link (a couple of internetainers) and they are hillarious. Enjoy!

Pet Peeve -- Rude Panhandlers

I was on my way to meet some friends for dinner tonight when I was approached by a panhandler. I don't remember if I just ignored him or waved him away, but he started to taunt me and then dropped a few F-bombs. I was already a few yards away, but when the F-bombs dropped, I turned around and said, "Excuse me? Why don't you get a job?" He continued on with his tirade and added racial slurs to his rendition of F-bombs.

Another instance a couple years ago ... leaving the office on a cold winter evening, a young man stopped me and my co-workers right outside the building and asked if we could spare him a dollar for some ice cream. We said sorry and walked on when he yelled out, "Might as well, you're all kind of fat anyway!" Huh?

Now, why would these able bodied men think that insulting me or hurling obscenities would make me change my mind and make me want to open my wallet for them? They're as able as any to carry a mop or broom or ask, "Would you like fries with that?"

Just a few weeks ago, I was coming back to the office, when I saw a heavy-set man standing in front of Temple Square carrying a cardboard sign indicating that he is hungry and homeless, talking loudly into his cell phone. I'm recalling my memories of the beggars I encountered in the streets of Indonesia, none of them were fat ... or talking into a cell phone (which by the way was fancier than the one I currently own).

I'm all about helping those truly in need. In addition to paying tithes and offerings to my church, I budget a certain amount of money to give to various charities each year. However, I REFUSE to enable these panhandlers by giving them money for nothing! Seldom will they take food or offer for a job. They sit there at street corners and prey on the people visiting Temple Square. UGH! It just bugs me to no end!

Cherries

Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, but it's not always the pits either ... The choice is ours!

Ringo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCyuq-ofnPc

Click on the link above to view the video. My boss, Steve, decided that he'll substitute "Ringo" with "Inge" and sing this to me each time he walks by my desk ... He's done it a couple of times already today. How does he come up with this stuff?

May the Fourth be with you!

Fireworks in Kaysville.

Bon Rico

Tonight we went to one of Edna and Roger's favorite restaurants in Evanston, Wyoming. That's right, we travelled 60 miles away into another state for some meat. Not pictured above are the french onion soup, salad, and homemade wheat/rye/white bread loaves that come with every meal.

Despite the recommended steak, I had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb ...

DDD: 2009 Saints and Sinners Tour

Angel, Tracie, Max and I went to Huntsville today for what Max called our "Saints and Sinners Tour".

We started with lunch at the Shooting Star Saloon. The establishment is famous for their "Star Burger" which is basically a double-patty cheese burger, a split Polish knackwurst, grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and "secret spices" on a toasted bun. I've had this huge burger a couple of summers ago, so I knew better than to order it. Instead, I had the manageable "Mini Star" which is a single-patty cheese burger with a smaller portion of the rest of the stuff listed above ... it was still a big burger and it took me a while to finish it. Other memorable features of the Shooting Star Saloon include:

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  The many stuffed animal heads which include a Saint Bernard, elk, moose, jackalope, and bear.
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  We played Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline songs on the juke box.
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  Dollar bills signed by customers and stapled to the ceiling.
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  The AJAX-like granulated hand soap that was rough enough to exfoliate your hands. Apparently there were some questionable art work on the ceiling of the ladies' room, which I'm grateful not to have seen.

Next stop, David O. McKay's home. Missed the available tours by a day. Oh well, next time ...

Last stop of the Saints and Sinners Tour, the Holy Trinity Monastery. When in Huntsville, I usually visit the monastery and buy some of their creamed honey. The monks sustain themselves by what they make in the bookstore/gift shop, so why not? They had a list of saints and what they are patrons of in the store. Max pointed out that we could probably use a medal with Saint Catherine of Alexandria as she is the patron saint of single women. We looked high and low, but could not find a single one, so I caved and asked the monk tending the store.

Me: Excuse me, Father. I see that you've listed Catherine of Alexandria on that list of saints, but we can't find a single medal with her on it. Do you have any in storage?
Father Pat: I'm sorry, we don't have any of those. What is she the patron saint of?
Me: Single women.
Father Pat: Well, in that case you may be interested in Saint Jude.
Me: What is he the patron saint of?
Father Pat: He's the patron saint of lost causes.
Me: BWAH!!!

New toy!

That's right, I loved having a GPS unit so much during my little getaway, I bought one last night to help me not get lost around town. Set up was a breeze. In fact, I didn't even look at the instruction book. Of course, I had to test it out and managed to get Brenda to come with me. So, we set a route from Centerville to the State Capitol. Then, we disobeyed just about every other direction, so that we can be "corrected" in an American, Australian and British accent, then Cantonese, Italian and German. The Chinese voice sounded mean, but we LOVE Paulo, the Italian voice.

Of course, the addresses I put in the GPS are all of my friends, whose homes I know how to get to ... time for an adventure or two and hit the road less travelled!