Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

All the supervisors were called in to a special meting at work on Monday evening. We were told there that two other supervisors and two additional employees were terminated the day before Thanksgiving and were now under police investigation for defrauding the company on their time cards. We had a big talk about what had happened, how to deal with it if those people (who were among the more popular employees we had) showed up or called, things like that. Lovely.

We also talked about the changes that would take place as a result of the loss of these people. One of the people who got caught and released was one of our three shift managers (people that high up should know better, don'tcha think?), and another was our trainer. That meant these holes had to be filled. I had talked to Jason, the field director, about learning to be a trainer, so I had hopes in that direction. But he said he had already offered the position to one of the newer supervisors, so that was that.

However, since I was now one of the three or four senior supervisors there, he chose me to take up some of the shift manager slack. So now I'm a quality assurance supervisor most of the week, but the shift manager on Tuesday nights.

Tonight was my first night as a manager. I spent most of it with Jason, and he showed me the ins and outs of the job. I already knew a lot of what the shift manager does, but there were still plenty of gaps. I learned about the various reports that have to be run, the end-of-shift procedures, and perhaps most importantly, how to restart the dialer when (not if) it crashes. He left at about 6:30, leaving me in charge for the last two hours or so. (It was kind of funny; Jack is the Q.A. manager and my immediate supervisor, but I was his boss tonight.)

We had a very small shift, but with some unusual jobs, so I was still a little nervous. Nevertheless, I followed the outline Jason provided, and I think I managed to get everything done that I needed to. And if not, hey, there's always next week.

Play the Game Tonight

Oh yeah, here are the answers to The Puckhead Quiz I posted a few days ago.

1. How many players can a team put on the ice at one time?
Six: one center, two wings, two defensemen, and a goalie (usually, but but see #8 and #11, below).

2. How much playing time is there in a hockey game, and how is it divided?
A hockey game is 60 minutes long, divided into three 20-minute periods.

3. How much does a hockey puck weigh (within 1 ounce or 25 grams)?
As Joe used to say at the Weber State games, a hockey puck is "made of six ounces of vulcanized rubber, frozen before the game, and can cause serious bodily harm." So keep your eyes on the ice.

4. Define the following hockey slang terms:
a. Sin bin: The penalty box.
b. Five hole: The area between a goalie's legs, through which one might shoot to score a goal.
c. Twig: A hockey stick.
d. Put the biscuit in the basket: To score a goal.

5. If a player scores three goals in a game, what is this feat called?
A hat trick.

6. How many teams currently make up the National Hockey League?
The NHL curently has thirty teams.
6a. How many of those teams are based in Canada?
Six: the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, the Ottawa Senators, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Montreal Canadiens.

7. Name at least three of the NHL's Original Six teams.
The Original Six are the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

8. What are the three general categories of penalties, and how do they differ?

• Minor penalties are the type most frequently called. A player assessed a minor goes into the penalty box, and his team must play shorthanded for two minutes or until the other team scores, whichever comes first.
  
• Major penalties are assessed for especially serious infractions, such as those causing injury. The offending player goes into the penalty box, and his team must play shorthanded for five minutes, regardless of how many times the other team scores.
  
• Misconduct penalties are most frequently given for fighting. The player in question is ejected, and one of his teammates must sit in the penalty box for ten minutes. His team does not have to play shorthanded, but the player in the box is unavailable for substitutions for the duration of the penalty.
  

9. More than half the players in the NHL come from Canada. What country produces the next highest number of NHL players?
The United States

10. Which of the following is not a penalty in hockey: back checking, fighting, cross checking, or charging?
Back checking is a strategy used to try to prevent attacking players from being able to receive a pass near the goal or to get off a shot.

11. Can a team play without a goalie?
Although it is risky (for reasons one hopes would be obvious), a team is allowed to play without a goaltender. Near the end of a close game, a team that is trailing by only a goal or two will sometimes 'pull the goalie' to get an extra offensive player on the ice.

12. What is the name of the trophy given to the winner of the NHL playoffs? Which team won that trophy for the 2003-2004 season? The trophy, one of the most storied in sports, is called the Stanley Cup. It was won by the Tampa Bay Lightning last season.

Bonus question: What is the name of the minor league hockey team in Macon, Georgia?
The team is called the Macon Whoopee. In their first couple of years of play, the logo on their sweaters was a fig leaf.

Vacation (All I Ever Wanted)

In celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday, I went back to Colorado last week. The experience wasn't exactly the way I'd envisioned it, but it was good.

Part of the experience involved getting a vehicle, a 1989 Chevy Suburban. I haven't had a car since the aforementioned unpredicted event took place. But someone my mom works with (I think) had just purchased a new vehicle with which to tow their boat, and they were willing to sell the old one cheap. So Mom took them up on the offer. She bought it from them, and I will buy it from her once my financial situation allows (i.e., once I graduate and get a real job).

The other part of the experience involved a Thanksgiving Day celebration in the booming metropolis of Pony, Montana. I have an aunt, uncle, and cousin (and his family) who live in Montana, and they frequently host the festivities up there. So the plan, as I understood it, was this: Dad was going to drive up on Monday the 22nd. I was flying in to Denver on Tuesday. Mom and I (and maybe my brother Sam) would drive up on Wednesday. At the end of the weekend, I would drive the Suburban back to Utah and the rest of the family would drive back to Colorado.

As First Wizard Zedd is fond of saying, nothing is ever easy.

As it turns out, that was never actually the plan at all. The folks had decided that the best way to handle the situation would be to pick me up at the airport, then all drive up together on Wednesday. We would then drive back to Colorado on Saturday, and I could drive the Suburban back to Utah on Sunday. Unfortunately, having thought that I could drive back from Montana on Saturday if I needed to, I committed to some things at Church on Sunday. Long story short, I stayed in Colorado and spent Thanksgiving with my brother Aaron and his two girls rather than going to Montana.

Okay, that's the overview. Now here are some of the details (if you're interested).

I got into Denver a bit ahead of schedule, thanks to the fine folks at Frontier Airlines. I made my way to the baggage claim area at DIA, picked up my luggage, and waited. And waited. And waited. After almost an hour, I was beginning to worry. Mom and Sam were supposed to pick me up, and I hadn't seen them. So I made my way to the nearest phone and called Dad at work. (1-800 numbers are really handy, sometimes.) He tried to call Mom but couldn't reach her on her cell phone, so he suggested that I try to have her paged. I did so, and after about ten minutes, I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard a gruff voice saying, “Your money or your life!” I turned around to see Aaron (not Mom) and Sam. They had missed me coming out of the terminal, and the flight board never said that the flight had actually landed. So they were thinking that my flight might have been taken over and rerouted to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, I was thinking that Mom and Sam were in a ditch off to the side of the road someplace. Fortunately, we were all wrong. Mom was just in a meeting at school that she couldn't get out of, so she had asked Aaron to pitch hit.

On the way out of Denver, Aaron told me to call Mom. I did, and she said she had been on the phone with her insurance person at State Farm and was trying to work out the details of insuring the vehicle. She asked me to call and give the agent my information so they could finalize things. I called, and the agent told me that there was no way they could insure the car because it was going to be out of state for most of its use. This was all news to me; I had understood that the registration and insurance was already going to have been resolved when I got to Colorado. (Lesson: assume nothing.) So I called Mom and told her about it. She called the agent back, and by the time we got to Mom's school, she told me that we'd have to look for another way to handle it. Aaron suggested his insurance agent, but that didn't work either, for the same reason. That agent suggested that I call Progressive. I went to their web site instead. I also went to Geico, and their offer was just over $100 less for the same six-month policy. (And their commercials are better, too.) So the vehicle – which I still had never actually seen to this point – was now insured in my name under a Utah policy. Now I just had to get it registered. I went in and picked up a 10-day transit tag on Wednesday so that I could drive it to Utah without getting arrested.

One side note: I often name my vehicles, and I knew that this one would need something special. While driving it to Loveland on Friday, I came up with a great name. I now call my vehicle The Dreadnought. It drives like a boat, and it's approximately the same size as a WWI-era battleship (although I don't think the fuel economy is quite as good). I'll discuss the unique challenges of owning this vehicle in a later post.

Tuesday night was spent with Mom, Dad, Sam, and Sam's sig.ot., Kendra. Mom made a very easy Salisbury steak recipe that I'll have to try, maybe in the Crock Pot. We ate and we talked and we caught up with each other. It was good to meet Kendra, about whom I've heard a great deal. Sam's a fool if he lets her get away. It was also good to be with the family, if only for an evening. They got up at 4:00 the next morning to start the drive to Montana, and I got up to see them off.

Wednesday was spent in more mundane pursuits. I drove to Greeley to pick up the temporary tag for the Dreadnought. I also stopped at Big R (a farm and ranch supply store) and bought a couple of bags of road salt to put in the back. The Dreadnought doesn't have four wheel drive; I wasn't aware that they even made Suburbans without 4WD. So the salt will put a little extra weight over the back wheels, and could also be useful for traction if I ever have to get it unstuck.

I also made a quick visit to Don's Hobbies. I spent a lot of money there growing up; between role playing games and model rockets, it seems I was in that store all the time. They focus mainly on model trains, model airplanes, and remote control vehicles these days, but I did manage to find a couple of old Champions supplements in the back.

From there, I made my way over to the Larimer County Fairgrounds and Events Complex between Greeley and Loveland to pick up a ticket for the evening's hockey game (see previous entry). The Colorado Eagles beat the Odessa Jackalopes 3-0. The goalie, Tyler Weiman, had a great game and made some spectacular saves. I think the man has a bright future in professional hockey ... if the NHL ever starts playing again.

Thursday morning I finished defrosting (or 'unthawing', as they say here in Utah) the turkey. This was going to be a big adventure for me, as I had never baked a turkey (alone) before. But I found - and followed! – some simple cooking directions. The only hiccup was that I had forgotten the temperature selector on the oven was off by about 75° (Fahrenheit, not Celsius), so I turned it down after the bird had started to smoke just a little at the two-hour mark. The skin ended up a bit crisp, but the bird itself turned out moist and tender. By the way, that tip about cooking the turkey breast-side-down really works.

Aaron and the girls, Mikayla and Jordan, showed up about 3:30. There had been talk about going to see a movie together, but that never really materialized. Instead, the four of us pooled our resources and put together a heck of a feast. In addition to the turkey we had mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, home-baked bread, cinnamon yams, cranberry chutney, and cherry pie. It was most impressive, especially for a meal prepared by two single guys and two girls ten and under. After dinner and cleanup, my four-year-old niece Jordan insisted that we teach her to play Sorry. Yes, she ended up beating us all, and no, we weren't letting her win.

I went to Loveland the next day to meet Aaron at his office. He was finishing up some make-up work (from having to leave on Tuesday to get me at the airport) when I arrived. We went into the shop, and over the next few hours, we replaced the factory installed cassette player in the Dreadnought with a CD receiver I'd picked up at Overstock.com. By 'we', I mean that he did most of the work while I tried to keep the girls entertained and offered occasionally helpful suggestions. The installation process involved buying a wire harness and an aftermarket mounting kit, both of which I was able to find within a few blocks of the shop. It took a little longer than anticipated, but in the end we were successful. After that we spent about an hour trying to get an uncooperative garage door closed, but with the help of a twelve-foot ladder, a towing strap, and a few nylon zip fasteners, we were able to get that taken care of as well.

I bid Aaron and the girls goodbye and made my way to Derek's parents' house for a post-Thanksgiving dinner. I got to see a lot of people I knew growing up and their families, plus a couple I'd met at Derek's wedding but didn't remember clearly. It was mostly leftovers, with the noteworthy exception of Derek's creamy potato and leek soup. Derek and Kathleen also presented me with an unusual holiday gift. Apparently there was someone running for office in Denver with the same name as I have. So they got me one of this candidate's yard signs with the slogan, “I Like Mike!” Derek said it would be a good self-esteem booster for me. He took a picture of me with the sign; I'll post it when I get it from him. (And don't forget the recipes, by the way. Thanks!)

My plan for Saturday was to leave the house by 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. for the drive back to Utah. However, I woke up a little before 5:00 and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to make the most of it. I got cleaned up, packed, had a small breakfast of leftovers, and made sure Doc (my brother's/parents' black Labrador retriever) had sufficient food and water, and I was out the door by 6:45. Good thing, too. The weather through Colorado and most of Wyoming was all right, but the forecast had called for snow in the afternoon. Somewhere between Little America and Evanston, the roads got bad. They remained bad for the remainder of the journey to Salt Lake. The final stretch, coming down the canyon from Park City into the Salt Lake valley, was the worst. If you don't think it's possible to experience a white-knuckle ride at 30 miles per hour, then you've never driven Parley's canyon in a snowstorm.

And so the saga of my Thanksgiving sojourn comes to a close. I got to see a lot of the people that I'm thankful for having in my life, and that made all the hassles and the unexpected turns of events worthwhile. I hope the Thanksgiving weekend treated all of you as well as it treated me.

Thursday's Feast

Appetizer
How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season?
Only about $20-30; I've already done the vast majority of my Christmas shopping.

Soup
What was the last television show you watched, and was it good?
Technically, it was about two minutes of today's football game between Dallas and Chicago; I don't know if it was good or not. I assume that the team with the orange jerseys was the Bears...or maybe the Texas Department of Corrections.

Salad
If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what color would you choose?
Probably off-white or something similarly subdued. The last people who painted it chose military olive drab.

Main Course
Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn't yet.
As far as I know, nobody has successfully invented (and marketed) flouride-enhanced chewing gum.

Dessert
List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this holiday season.
1. The Beatles 1962-1966 (the red album)
2. A new backpack
3. A team USA replica hockey jersey

{Friday's Feast; Thursday, 25 November 2004}

Puckheads!

I went to a Colorado Eagles hockey game last night, and something very interesting happened:

Not one player from either team climbed into the stands and started beating up paying customers.

Not only that, but they didn't beat each other up, either. There were no fights, no hard fouls, no cheap shots when the referees weren't looking. It was just a game where both teams played hard and played fair. Remarkable, isn't it?

Well, no, not really. It was pretty much a typical hockey game.

So, in light of the recent Pacers/Pistons, South Carolina/Clemson, and Steelers/Browns incidents, I don't want to hear anybody quacking about how violent hockey is. In fact, before anybody starts talking trash about hockey, they'd better prove to me that they even know anything about the game. (We'll get to that presently.)

How does hockey compare to the other major sports in terms of violence? Pretty well, actually. Consider the following.

Football: I consider football to be the most violent of the four major North American sports, simply because almost everyone ends up getting hit and/or knocked to the ground on almost every play. That's why so many players - professional athletes, mind you, who go through a monstrous training regimen - end up on the injured list. It's not inexplicable that the Carolina Panthers are using their fifth starting running back of the season. (George Will suggested that football combines the two worst aspects of life in America: violence and committee meetings.)

Baseball: Baseball is inherently the least violent of the four major sports, simply because there's not much contact between players from opposite teams. But if you go to the ballpark and see a collision at home plate, a pitcher intentionally hitting a batter, or a runner sliding spikes up into second to break up a double play, you're looking at individual acts that rival anything you'll see at most hockey games.

Basketball: Flying elbows, charges, hard picks, and takedowns from behind as a player drives to the basket are pretty common fare in an NBA game. Fortunately, you don't see that quite so much of all that at lower levels of competition. But anyone who says basketball is a noncontact sport has never played the low post, I'll tell you that right now. And church basketball? Don't even get me started.

Yes, hockey involves a lot of checking and physical contact, and a hockey rink has been fairly described as a place where grown men in short pants spend sixty minutes hitting each other with their sticks. Does that make the game more violent than other sports? No, I don't think so. Feel free to disagree with me if you wish. If you know as much about the game as I do, that is.

And that brings us to what I was talking about earlier. For your edification and/or enlightenment, I present the following quiz. Take it, and see how much you really know about hockey. A pasing grade is around 50%.

--

The Puckhead Quiz

1. How many players can a team put on the ice at one time?

2. How much playing time is there in a hockey game, and how is it divided?

3. How much does a hockey puck weigh (within 1 ounce or 25 grams)?

4. Define the following hockey slang terms:
  a. Sin bin
  b. Five hole
  c. Twig
  d. Put the biscuit in the basket

5. If a player scores three goals in a game, what is this feat called?

6. How many teams currently make up the National Hockey League?
  6a. How many of those teams are based in Canada?

7. Name at least three of the NHL's Original Six teams.

8. What are the three general categories of penalties, and how do they differ?

9. More than half the players in the NHL come from Canada. What country produces the next highest number of NHL players?

10. Which of the following is not a penalty in hockey: back checking, fighting, cross checking, or charging?

11. Can a team play without a goalie?

12. What is the name of the trophy given to the winner of the NHL playoffs? Which team won that trophy for the 2003-2004 season?

Bonus question: What is the name of the minor league hockey team in Macon, Georgia?

--

I'll post the answers in a day or two. If you still have questions after that, please contact me. I'd be happy to take you to a game and educate you personally.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Items of Interest

I found a couple of interesting things on Julie's Blog today.

The first is a new term she's trying to coin. In the vain of using 'sig. figs.' ('significant figures') in science, she has introduced the term 'sig. ot.' as an abbreviation for 'significant other'. Sounds good to me.

The second is her subtitle quote, which completely cracks me up:
"Enough about me, let's talk about you...what do you think about my thoughts?"

Pundit Blogger

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few.

What kind of blogger are you?

Banquete de viernes

Appetizer What do you think is the perfect age to get married? To have a first child? To retire?
The perfect age to get married is when you find the right person. Forget about 'being ready'. You never will.
The perfect age to have a first child is when it comes along. Forget about 'being ready'. You never will.
The perfect age to retire is when you've lost passion for what you do. It doesn't matter if you're 75 or 35. If you don't love what you do, it's time to move on.

Soup If you could change occupations tomorrow, what would you want to do for a living?
I'd teach high school science.

Salad What does the color green make you think of?
Green is my favorite color, so it makes me think of a lot of things. At the moment, however, I'm reminded that Derek once told me he graded papers in green instead of red "because it's life affirming". Sounds good to me.

Main Course What is something that has happened to you over the last year that you didn't expect?
Isn't it obvious? (Read a few of the previous entries if it isn't.)

Dessert How old were you when you had your first kiss?
I was 14, and her name was Anne. We were both participants at a summer camp for the gifted and talented. She lived two hours away fom me, though, and things didn't work out. You'd think I'd have learned about long distance relationships the first time, eh?

Title translation provided by Babel Fish Translation.

{Friday's Feast, 19 November 2004}

Giving Thanks

This is a game I first played while serving in the West Virginia Charleston Mission. While walking the country roads one day, my trainer, Elder Duncan, suggested that we try to come up with something for which we were thankful for every letter of the alphabet. We took turns, and it helped not only to pass the time between homes, but also to remind me how blessed I really am.

Since it's now that season, I extend the challenge to you, loyal reader(s). List one thing for each letter of the alphabet for which you are thankful, and show the world your gratitude.

A: Aaron It's been good to get closer to my brother this year, even if that closeness came as the result of unpleasant circumstances for both of us. Hang in there, bro.
B: Books A good read is the cure for almost any ill.
C & D: Curtis and Derek My two oldest, best friends. Thank you for being there and keeping me centered (Derek to the left, Curtis to the right, as it were).
E: Electricity Because it'd be a real pain to have to check your e-mail in the dark.
F: First Amendment Even if I don't agree with what a lot of people say or believe, it's good to know that we've got the right to have the discussion.
G: Grandparents I've only got one left now (or one and a half, depending on how you count). I look back fondly on my time with them and the lessons they've taught me.
H: Humor You have to be able to laugh.
I: Internal Combustion Engine Because walking everywhere would just suck.
J & K: Jordan and Kayla My nieces, an all-too-infrequent source of laughter and sunshine in my life. Thanks, girls.
L: Life It's not always fun, but it's always worth having.
M: Music You already knew this if you visit this site regularly. From Beethoven to the Beatles to the B-52's, music gives a voice to feelings I can't otherwise enunciate.
N: Nani and Nelson My parents. Much of what I am today comes from their teaching, their example, and their encouragement. I appreciate that, even if I didn't always enjoy it.
O: Orange Juice A simple pleasure, and the beverage of choice when carbonation gets tiresome.
P: Plumbing, Indoor Better than an outhouse. Enough said.
Q: Quiet The get-it-all, get-it-now, thrill-a-minute siren call of modern life is overrated. Sometimes it's nice just to sit quietly and contemplate the things that are really important.
R: Readers If none of you were reading this and giving me feedback, it'd be kind of pointless, wouldn't it? ^*
S: Sam My youngest brother, who made it through growing up in Johnstown and didn't turn our completely dysfunctional. You're a good man, and you give hope to the rest of us.
T: Testimony My knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ is my most treasured possession. It is an anchor to me in times of trial, and a guide in times of uncertainty. It is my life, in the ways that matter most.
U: United States of America I know it's not perfect here, but I'll take it over any and all alternatives.
V: Voice What a blessing it is to be able to speak, to hear, to see - to communicate easily with others. I know I take that for granted sometimes.
W: Western Research I'm happy to have a job that allows me to indulge some of my more expensive habits: eating, sleeping indoors, etc.
X: My Ex Although things didn't turn out the way I wanted or planned, I learned a lot from her, and we had some wonderful, sublime experiences together. Best wishes, wherever you go.
Y: Yuletide carols What can I say? I love Christmas music. ⁺
Z: Zeezrom A private (and unlikely) hero of mine from the Book of Mormon; he had the courage to change his life when he found out he was wrong.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

--

^* "It's pointless anyway," I hear some of you smirking.
⁺ But not before Thanksgiving. Please, do we have to start decorating for Christmas before Halloween has even passed?

Change

This image brought to you compliments of The Demotivators Series.

Reminiscing

I found myself in Ogden last night. My friend Tammy got married, and I went up for her reception. It was held at the Alumni Center on the campus of Weber State University. It's a beautiful facility, and it was a nice reception. Tammy looked great, as did her husband. I got to talk to her only momentarily; there were a lot of people there, and she was the featured attraction, after all.

Once she recognized me (it's been a while), Tammy thanked me for making the arduous journey from Salt Lake City and wished me a safe return trip. I congratulated her (and Matt) and wished her the best for the future. It was only quite a bit later that I realized that I hadn't wished her better luck than I'd had. My cynicism hasn't entirely overtaken me, I guess.

There were a couple of people I was hoping might be at the reception, but I didn't see any of them. On the other hand, there was at least one person I dreaded running into, and that didn't happen either. So I suppose it's a wash.

I also got to spend a little time with the old gaming group: Curtis, Jon, Heath, and Brian. Lesslie was working and consequently absent. We talked about a lot of things: old campaigns, absent friends (Bill), future plans, music, movies, and a lot of hard-core geek stuff, to be perfectly honest. I came to realize last night that I had more close friends in Curtis' living room than I have in all of Salt Lake City. It does my heart good to see those folks.

With bus schedules being what they are, I had a bit of available time before, after, and between events. So I took the opportunity to wander around campus a little. I lived in Ogden for about a decade, and I was a student at Weber State for a couple of years. The walk brought back a lot of memories.

I got off the bus in front of the Ogden LDS Institute of Religion. I took a lot Institute classes while I was at Weber, and I was a member of one of the choirs there for seven years. I also went to church there as a member of a student ward. I can't even begin to count the number of people I met there - friends, dates, teachers, leaders. That's where I met Tammy, in fact. A big chunk of my life is tied to that building.

I crossed the street to a small plaza where I'm sure an information kiosk used to stand. I walked past the business building, where my Uncle Jim had helped me find a place to live when I first moved here after my mission. Opposite that was the social science building, where I ran a little coffee and donut stand for campus food service one year.

I took the sidewalk between the student services building and the Student Union, past the duck pond where the annual Pioneer Day concert and fireworks show was held. Looking up past the Union, I saw the old art building. I thought of a girl named Tracy who had worked in that building, with whom I had developed an unusual friendship: almost instant, deep, uncharacteristically platonic. I gave her advice about getting married, as I recall. (I don't remember what it was.) I also remembered Mary, an art education student I dated for a while. I wonder if she ever finished that ceramic chess set.

I saw on my left the Browning Center for the Performing Arts. I sang in several shows there as part of the Institute choir. In fact, one of those concerts was the last performance before the place was closed down for two years for renovation. It seems the state fire marshal had made a visit and determined that the place was a firetrap. The remodeling left it not only safer, but with a striking, distinctive appearance. It's a classy venue with a modern touch.

I also walked through the visual arts center. I don't know how to describe the architecture of the place; it's a little 'artsy' to be truly modern, if you ask me. I found the place very interesting, especially since the whole area was a parking lot when I was a student there.

As I walked up toward the Alumni Center, I saw the loading dock where I often went after work to see a young lady on whom I'd had a very large crush. We ended up dating for a while, but I failed to strike while the iron was hot. I was still getting over the girl I'd spent most of my mission writing to, and I hesitated. Too much or too little, it always seems.

After the reception, I made my way back to the Union building. I passed an ATM that's still operated by America First Credit Union. I eventually opened a checking account with that institution so that I could get money on campus without having to use the ATM operated by First Security Bank (long since assimilated by Wells Fargo) that charged me $2.50 a pop. I've stuck with credit unions ever since.

As I went inside the Union, I passed the hallway down which I used to walk my letters to the editor of the school newspaper, The Compost...er, Signpost. I wrote a lot of letters in those days, not so much anymore. I wonder why. Maybe I'm not as impressed by my own cleverness as I used to be.

I walked through the recreation area, where I once had a bowling class that fulfilled my last physical education requirement. I skipped the pool tables - never much good at billiards, despite the physics classes - and strolled through the video games. I recognized some of them from when I was there. Scary.

I went upstairs to the food service area. I paused at the door to the little hole-in-the-wall place that used to be (and maybe still is) the Union's equivalent of a convenience store. Bill was also working there when I ran that little shop, and his friendship ultimately led me to Curtis. I also got perhaps my most unusual birthday gift there. I walked in on my 25th birthday to find a large bouquet of black balloons awaiting me. There was also a large mylar balloon decorated with a graveyard scene and dancing skeletons wearing party hats. One of the gravestones read, "We mourn the passing of your youth." Ironic, considering the friend who left them for me was actually older than I was (though she never admitted that fact until later).

From there I went across the skyway to the other side of the building. I went downstairs, past the main lobby where my boss once told Uncle Jim that I looked like I could be his illegitimate son, and down to the bookstore. It was closed, but it looked to be a lot larger and nicer now than I remember it. Bookstores in general fascinate me, and I'd like to go back sometime when it's open. I have to get a Weber State window sticker for the new vehicle, after all. (It'll fit nicely between the ones for BYU and the University of Utah.)

The time was approaching for my return bus, so I left the Union and headed back to the north end of campus. Off to my right, past the clock tower, I saw the new skyboxes at the football stadium. I hope they're helping to generate some revenue for the program, because they're sure not helping the team's performance. The Wildcats were 1-9, last I checked.

I didn't make my way up to the math and science buildings where I passed so many fond hours. They keep those buildings tucked away in the far upper corner of campus, safely away from the normal people.

I sat at the bus stop, looking across the street at the Institute, looking back in time. I thought about these and a hundred other experiences that being back at Weber had brought to my mind. And I realized that it was not the buildings themselves that were important, but the people that they reminded me of. That's what made my time in Ogden so memorable: the people that I knew there. Most of them are gone now, I suspect, and those that remain have certainly changed as much as I have.

I suppose it's something like Corwin of Amber's journey back to Avalon. It's not the same place it was when I left. There's no way that it could be. But it's still a nice place - a place where life was pretty good, and a place I was happy to see again.

The Return of Friday's Feast

Appetizer Name 3 cosmetics/toiletries that you use on a daily basis.
1. Zest Tropical Fresh soap
2. Suave Naturals Ocean Breeze shampoo
3. Pepsodent Whitening with Baking Soda toothpaste
(Brands may change from time to time, depending on what's on sale.)

Soup Approximately how much exercise do you get per week, and what type of exercise is it (walking, running, swimming, etc.)?
I spend at least half an hour each day walking to and from class, work, the train station, bus stops, et cetera. As Steven Wright said, "Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time."

Salad Write a sentence including your favorite color and your favorite food.
For lunch today, I believe I'll have a barbecued steak and a green salad.

Main Course What famous person/celebrity do you think you look like?
I've been told by several people that I look like Clark Kent.

Dessert Name 2 simple things that never fail to make you happy.
A phone call from a friend, the first snowfall of the season.

{Friday's Feast, 12 November 2004}

My Life: The Soundtrack

Taken, once again, from Cindy.

Opening credits: Morning Song - Edvard Grieg (Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46)
Waking up: Awake - Asia (Aura)
Average day: Place in This World - Michael W. Smith (Go West Young Man)
First date: Pressure - Billy Joel (The Nylon Curtain)
Falling in love: Be Still My Beating Heart - Sting (Nothing Like the Sun)
Love scene: Feels Like Heaven - Peter Cetera with Chaka Khan (World Falling Down)
Fight scene: Duel of the Fates - John Williams (SWE1: TPM)
Breaking up: Blue Moon with Heartache - Roseanne Cash (Seven Year Ache)
Getting back together: It's All Coming Back to Me Now - Pandora's Box (Original Sin) ^*
Moving on: The Dance - Garth Brooks (Garth Brooks)
Secret love: She's So High - Tal Bachman (Tal Bachman)
Life's okay: I Feel Fine - The Beatles (Beatles '65)
Mental breakdown: Strange - Joe Satriani (Flying in a Blue Dream)
Driving: Red Barchetta - Rush (Moving Pictures)
Learning a lesson: What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Pet Shop Boys (Actually)
Deep thought: Dreamtime - Yes (Magnification)
Flashback: I Spoke as a Child - Todd Snider (Songs for the Daily Planet)
Partying: Love Shack - The B-52's (Cosmic Thing)
Happy dance: Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants (Flood)
Regretting: More than a Feeling - Boston (Boston)
Long night alone: Nights in White Satin - The Moody Blues (Days of Future Passed)
Death scene: Adagio for Strings - Samuel Barber
Closing credits: Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas (Leftoverture)

Current music: Layla - Derek and the Dominoes (The Cream of Clapton)

^* Okay, so the Celine Dion version is better known, but this was the original.

Today's Superhero Identity

I browsed over to The Daily Humorscope, clicked on the "Find out your secret superhero identity of the day" link, and entered my name and gender. This is what I got:

Calculating your superhero identity for the day...

Accessing Victoria's Secret secrets...
Searching the sky for signs...
Beaming psychotronic energy to Pittsburgh...

Your Superhero Identity For Today Is:

Name: Black Raven
Secret Identity: Michael M.
Special Power: Invisibility
Transportation: Space Bathtub
Weapon: Ultra Pistol
Costume: Fireproof Sport Coat
Sidekick: Igor
Nemesis: Cindy the Yodeller
Tragic Flaw: Narcolepsy
Favorite Food: Chocolate

I'd love to say more, but I've got to put on my fireproof sport coat and zip off with Igor in my space bathtub. Either that, or take a quick nap...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

The Incredibles

I don't usually do movie reviews here – mostly because I haven't actually been to a movie since I started blogging. But with some unexpected time off this afternoon, I decided to treat myself to a screening of the most recent offering from Disney/Pixar. Here are my thoughts; I'll try to keep them as spoiler-free as possible.

Let me start by saying that I loved The Incredibles. I thought it was at least as good as Monsters Inc., my personal favorite among computer-animated movies. I thought it was better than Finding Nemo. I thought it was much better than either Shrek or Ice Age. It was as good as any animated movie I can remember.

The animation was excellent, of course. The folks at Pixar are magicians, and the folks at Disney are morons for letting them go.

The movie was better than just the animation, though. As a long-time fan of superheroes, I have to say that the folks behind The Incredibles nailed it. All the classic bits are here: the hero with the boy-scout sense of justice, the more sensible but no less heroic heroine, the annoying sidekick, the struggles of keeping a secret identity, the mad scientist turned would-be world conqueror, the villainous grudge that goes back for years, the bad guy's high-tech weapons and disposable henchmen, and, of course, the innocents that get caught in the middle – DNPCs, in Champions terms.

Better yet were some of the details. The writers had to have read a lot of back issues of The Flash and The Fantastic Four for some of the tricks they pulled out for the two super-kids (and Mom too, for that matter). And with a brick (a super-strong character) around, anything can become a weapon in the fight against evil: trees, cars, boulders, anything that's handy. The villain, as tradition demands, goes off on an arrogant, self-indulgent monologue when he thinks he has the hero beaten (and in this case, catches himself doing it, which is kind of a treat). The heroes find that their greatest asset in the fight against evil is not their superpowers, but their brains and their trust in each other. In a bit of genre-bending, one of the chase scenes involving the super-speed kid looks like an extended homage to the speeder bike scenes from Return of the Jedi. Then, to wrap it up, the end credits have the look and feel of a Bond movie.

But all of this is gravy, in a sense. What I really liked about the movie was the way it looked at the characters. What drives someone to become a supervillain? How would having superpowers as a teenager or preteen make you different from everyone else? How do you move from knowing what you have the potential to do into actually doing it? What would a hero who had to retire before his time feel living a mundane life? What would it be like to raise a family with a perilous secret? To what lengths would you go to save your family if they were in danger? These are the kind of questions that drew me into the superhero genre years ago and kept me reading. There are real-life analogues for all of them.

I give this movie a solid A. I can't wait to see it again.

There were a couple of unexpected treats before the movie, too. There was a trailer for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Anakin looks scary in the robes of the Sith, and Padmé looks as ridiculous with the cinnamon-bun hairdo as Leia did. There was also a trailer for the next Pixar movie, Cars. Imagine the Chevron cars looking not quite so cute and racing for a living. I look forward to it.

All in all, it was a great afternoon. I should do this more often.

Shuffler

Note: I got/stole this from Cindy.

On your computer, select 'All Music' in your media player and set it to shuffle. List the first 20 songs that play.

1. Toto: Can't Stand It Any Longer (Fahrenheit)
2. Ralph Vaughan Williams: March - Seventeen Come Sunday (Folk Song Suite) ^*
3. The B-52's: Rock Lobster
4. LDS Hymns: Like Ten Thousand Legions Marching (#253, music only)
5. The Al Di Meola Project: Kiss My Axe (Kiss My Axe)
6. Rush: The Weapon [Part II of Fear] (Signals)
7. Dire Straits: Money for Nothing (Brothers in Arms)
8. Henry Purcell: Dido's Lament (Dido and Aeneas)
9. Royal Crown Revue: Mr. Meschugge (Walk on Fire)
10. J. Strauss Jr.: Thunder and Lightning Polka (Classical Music for Home Improvements)
11. The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Straight Up ('The Mask' Soundtrack)
12. Mark Knopfler: Sands of Nevada (Sailing to Philadelphia)
13. The Glenn Miller Orchestra: Tuxedo Junction (In the Digital Mood)
14. Joe Satriani: Seven String (Strange Beautiful Music)
15. Gary Hoey: Bula Brain (The Best of Gary Hoey)
16. Wilson Phillips: A Reason to Believe (Wilson Phillips)
17. Lana Lane: Seasons End (Queen of the Ocean) ⁺
18. Linda Ronstadt: Tracks of my Tears (Greatest Hits)
19. Vangelis: Dial Out (Direct)
20. Cross Canadian Ragweed: Again (Soul Gravy)

^* Latter-day Saints who listen closely to this piece will recognize the melody of one of our more popular hymns.
⁺ Marillion's (original) version is better, IMHO.

I Hope

Now that it's over, I find myself wondering about where we go from here. I was particularly impressed by the following words from John Kerry's concession speech:

[I]n an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning, we all wake up as Americans.

And that is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on Earth.

With that gift also comes obligation.

We are required now to work together for the good of our country.

In the days ahead, we must find common cause, we must join in common effort, without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor.

America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion.

I hope President Bush will advance those values in the coming years.

So do I, Senator Kerry. So do I.

I know that President Bush is a man of strong beliefs. I know that he is opinionated and often stubborn about what he believes is right. While I admire his determination and agree with many of his beliefs, I hope that he can temper some of that stubbornness and truly work with his political opponents to build a stronger country.

I know that a lot of people hate the President because of those beliefs and that stubbornness. I hope that they can allow themselves to be less angry. I hope that their criticism will be constructive, and inasmuch as it is, I hope that it will not fall on deaf ears.

I hope that Senator Kerry is serious in his desire to bring unity to the nation. I hope that neither he, his Democratic colleagues, nor his Republican counterparts will use important issues as excuses to pick political fights.

I know that there is much intolerance in this country – and not all of it comes from the right, incidentally. I hope that we can learn to be more accepting of those with whom we might disagree. I hope that we can learn to disagree and to debate constructively, without resorting to name-calling.

I hope that we can learn to forgive those who offend or insult us.

Most of all, I hope that we can find a way to become the United States of America. If we've learned anything these last few years, it is that there are a lot of other people out there who are happy to fight with us. We don't need to fight amongst ourselves.

Quote of the Day

This comes from yesterday's entry on Tiffany's blog, The Bitter Villager.

    "Get out and vote tomorrow. Vote like your country depends on it, folks. It just might."

Yes, ma'am. Done and done.

Election Day

So, today is the big day. One way or the other, all the rhetoric and shouting ends today...I hope.

One nice thing that Utah does is to provide a Voters' Guide before each election. It includes statements from the candidates for the major state offices and a review of the records of the judges that are up for reinstatement. It also provides an analysis of the major ballot initiatives, offering an argument for, an argument against, a rebuttal to the argument for, and a rebuttal to the argument against. I make it a point to read this publication before every election - my tax dollars are paying for it, after all. I've seen a lot of other people on campus reading it. I wish everyone would. I go into the voting booth each year wondering if I'm just canceling out the vote of someone who has no idea what the issues are.

I hope that all of those readers who are registered to vote will take the time to do so today. But even more, I hope that those who do vote will have taken the time necessary to make informed decisions rather than just walking the party line on every issue.

Well, I'm off to the polls. Although Utah uses punch cards like Florida did/does, I don't foresee a hanging chad controversy here.