Where has September gone?

Listlessness
Forgetfulness
Otherwise Engaged
Easily Distracted
Hurricane Ike
&
a wicked Sinus Headache with the bonus of a Tummy Ache
(hold the vomit, please)

These are my current reasons (aka excuses) for not posting as promised so many times before when I go a month without typing anything. The hate mail has been helpful – JL and Katie are so pleasant at reminding me of my negligence here (consider that your shout-out).

It is probably of no interest to you but for the first time in my adult life I am the only one in my family that has held their current address for more that 3 months. What do I mean by this? Well, let me tell you where in the World Carmen San Diego my family is:

Dad – floating between Missoula, Houston, & San Diego

Mom – pretty much camping in the new house in Missoula (Since 9/1)

Older sis & her family – moved from UT to C-land for podiatry school

Me – still rocking the same Utah address for almost 2 years

Lil’ Sis – moved in two blocks away from me last weekend, great addition to the social landscape & arrived just in time to escape Hurricane Ike

The younger brutha (from the same mother) & his family – relocated to Rexburg from DC/Houston

Who would have ever thought I was the “stable” one in the family?
(careful how you answer that)

It was a logistical nightmare to have so many people in flux but, as always, everything has worked out.

Random Tangents:
Music you should check out this week…
Daniel Agust
The Mollies
Garfield Mayor

Sales you should check out…
Visit J&K’s blog
http://spruance.blogspot.com

Techno-geek fixation of the week…
the new iPod nano (red or black, I can’t decide)

Mental distraction for now…
What to be for Halloween this year:
Dr. Horrible from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog

Online distraction…
The photos from people in Houston after Hurricane Ike
http://www.chron.com

Social contribution of the week…
I raised over $100 for the Utah Aids Foundation Walk for Life.
You can still contribute through their website, it’s a great cause and I didn’t see your lazy butt there – make penance by donating online.

Until next time…here are some pictures from my Labor Day trip to the US Open & the Hampton's:

The Junk in My Trunk

I have been carrying a weight around with me all summer. It's in the back of my mind and follows me where I go. I swear that at times I can even hear it clanking around (especially when I take a corner too fast). The weight would be the pile of junk that I keep in the trunk…just in case I ever need it. As the seasons change I need to reevaluate what I have back there (an extra 100 lbs can impact your gas mileage ya know).

Here is a list of what I keep on hand for those "just in case" moments of spontaneity. See how it compares with what you are sporting around in your junky trunk:

Baseball hat & Bandanna (for last-minute hikes & messy hair mornings)

Blanket (for the park & it covers the backseat when I drive 4-legged friends)

Board Shorts (hot tubs & pools are everywhere)

Camp Chairs (2)

Climbing Shoes + Chalk bag

Cycling Shoes (in case I ever make it to a Spin class again)

Disc Golf (set for 2)

Grocery bags (reusable ones for shopping & plastic ones for dog walking)

Flip flops (spare pair for poolside)

Hoodie (chilly canyon nights)

Longboard (Pintail, of course)

Magazines for wasting an afternoon working on a pre-cancerous tan

Running Shoes + socks

Scrabble Game (don't ask)

Tennis racket (2) + balls

Tool kit (only used 4 items in it so far and never anything to do with my car)

Towel (see Board Shorts above)

Volleyball (outdoor + it glows in the dark too!)

Somewhere in there I have a spare tire & a jack too.

Catching up...

...because I've been lackadaisical in updating my blog for the latter portion of the summer. It's been busy and I have fallen back on my mobile photo updates on Facebook to keep track on what has kept me ocupdao.

I put together a quick slideshow to carry you up to speed on what has caught my eye and kept my attention in the past few weeks. Too bad I can't upload it to Blogspot due to technical difficulties. That's what I get for not posting regularly and having too many photos in a slideshow I guess. I will post on FB and see if that works.

To make up for it I will post something above and then try to upload the video later but here are a few pictures worth posting:

My visit to the dump (aka the Journey concert when you take the wrong offramp)

The Alpine Coaster in Park City, Utah - worth every penny

This is a form of suicide for your knees - yes, I'm a pansie but made record time.

I made it out on the water at least once this summer
(I didn't quite master the wakeboard but I'm still smiling)

The Mollies adding some culture to the Apple Store @ the Gateway (check them out in iTunes)

4th of July - Week in Review

So it may have been a short week but it has been a busy one. It started off with my sister and her kids moving to Ohio. I still get sad when i think about it. We spent the weekend playing around downtown and trying to stay hydrated. Tony Caputo's was definitely a highlight (for the AC and the Meatball sub). I will miss my family greatly but they are moving on to Podiatry school near Cleveland so if the universe sees fit to have me be the sole member of my family in Utah I can live with that (for now).

Next up, I had a quick trip to Denver for the U of U's annual night at the Rockies. They were playing the Padres so I was more than willing to go. Turns out the Padres barely took the field and played some slophouse ball that produced the Rockies shortest game on record (nice Friar's, real nice - I took crap from everyone for the rest of the night).

The flight back was amusing. I sat near a lady that thought we were going to crash from the moment we took off. She spent most the flight bracing herself against the seat in front of her. I was glad that this was a 1+2 seat configuration - I would not have done too good if we were seated next to each other.

After landing I experienced some turbulence that almost grounded me. My trusty iPhone had been crippled. The speaker for the ear piece was no longer working. I had to use the speaker phone setting to hear my voicemail and make calls. NOT COOL. I restored my phone using iTunes and crossed my fingers. No luck. I bolted to the Apple store before it closed and after 15 minutes in the store and dinkin' around on Facebook with my phone it miraculously started working again. How does it always happen that things are never broken when you need them to be broken?!

Lucky for me two employees fiddled with my phone when I first got there so they were witnesses to my predicament and that I wasn't crazy. I had to go back the next day and after 5 minutes the tech guy disappeared and came back with a new iPhone. SWEET! I was planning on selling my phone in the coming months and it had a few dings and scratches but now I have a perfectly clean and shiny iPhone. My week was salvaged, that is of course until I went grocery shopping a left a bag at the checkout counter. Normally I would shrug that kind of snafu off but the bag contained the hot dogs and queso for the 4th. Back in the car and back to Harmon's. The day was never going to end.

In all of my forgetful moments and challenges this week I was proud that I kept things in perspective and never really got frustrated. I am getting more adept at laughing at myself and life in general. Work has turned me into a serious and staunch person that is not who I really am. I'm actively working to shed the uptight and stern-faced guy I have evolved into over the past year. Moving on...

I wrapped the week with some dog sitting that entailed a trip to Tanner Park, a walk to the Sugarhouse Arts Festival (not so artsy, no so festivaly either), a few laps around Sugarhouse Park and a quiet night of watching fireworks from my deck. I have one of the best views in the city and was stoked to have an empty house - it was nice to only entertain myself (and a dog).

For those that missed out on the fireworks you can check out the video below.

Enjoy.

Just before the show began...

How to pretend you’re living in New York City without actually living there...

Here is an oldie but goodie. I revisited my old blog (shockingly it was still up and going).

I thought I would repost one of my more favorite entries (especially since I gleaned it from the ladies in NYC). Laugh and crack a smile while reading the following - they are all good steps towards living the hustle and bustle of a big city. If you cannot "live the dream" in NYC you can at least daydream one in SLC.

Laugh it up chuckles. It's a bit long but they are all great suggestions.

Originally posted on my old blog: Friday, October 13, 2006

How to pretend you’re living in New York City without actually living there... 1. When eating in a restaurant, eat right next to someone, even if there is NO ONE else in the restaurant. Scoot your table over if needed. 2. Make sure you have at least a 45 min. commute to work. 3. When ordering food, pretend the person taking the order doesn't speak English. 4. Barter the next time you make your next purchase at a clothing store. 5. Pretend a complete stranger is homeless and give them a dollar or some spare change. 6. Don't go to sleep before 1:00am every night. 7. Light a cigarette and leave it outside your front door so you have to walk through the smoke every time you walk outside. 8. Get someone to pee on your sidewalk. 9. Have a friend ask you if you have any spare change every 5-7 minutes. 10. Visit the mental ward at the hospital and ask to talk with a few of the patients. 11. Hang a big light outside your bedroom window so your room is never completely dark. 12. Feel free to walk whenever possible. 13. Yell loudly at anything that slightly annoys you. 14. Yell as loud as you can when cars pass you. (kind of like the subway) 15. Pay at least 15 dollars for dinner whether or not it was worth it. 16. Move all the furniture in your apartment in three inches to make your place seem smaller. 17. Run around your block 6 times before going in your front door to simulate walking up 6 flights of stairs. 18. Buy 5 pidgins and 3 rats and keep them as pets in your front lawn. Be sure to keep a bag of garbage out there as food. If you're lucky they'll multiply. 19. Get a cockroach (real or fake) at least 3 inches long and stick it in your bathroom. 20. Take a cold shower....pretend you don't have any hot water. 21. Pay double your rent. 22. Eat dinner at 9:00 on a normal basis. 23. Refer to North and South as uptown and downtown 24. Collect To-Go Menus 25. Assign names to different sections of your town (such as midtown, the village, theatre district, financial district) and actually use them. 26. Make 10 Starbucks signs and hang them on every corner in a one-mile radius. 27. Spray paint the words "dog water" on the sidewalk. 28. Call for an ambulance or a fire truck just for background noise. 29. Follow an ice cream truck. 30. Pretend the next guy you see is a celebrity and follow him for a few blocks. 31. The next time you see two guys together, pretend their dating. 32. Ask someone if they're waiting 'on line'. 33. The next time someone asks you a question on the street...ignore them. 34. Invade everyone's personal space. 35. Walk at twice the normal speed. ---pretend you were supposed to be there 10 minutes ago. 36. join a gym and get a dog---maybe if you don't want to buy one, you could just walk someone else's dog. 37. tell someone to 'axe in faifth'. 38. Hit on every woman you see...whether or not you think they are attractive. 39. Use your horn for no reason. 40. When walking have no regard for traffic. 41.Turn off all your lights, but turn up your thermostat and pretend it's another New York heat wave. 42. Call in to work and tell them it's a transit strike and you won't be able to make it in today. 43. Find the smallest grocery store in your town and shop there. Who needs selection?! 44. Complain about the tourists...even if there aren't any. 45. Paint your car yellow and start charging your friends $2.50 to get in the door and 35 cents for each 1/5 mile. 46. Get a small water spray bottle and spray your self with water to simulate New York humidity. (make sure to get as wet as possible.) 47. Get a friend to randomly throw a whole bucket of water on you to simulate random rain storms. Make sure that you DON'T have an umbrella. 48. Try not to look at the stars for a whole week or more so that you forget what they look like. 49. Go to the top of the highest building and then pretend there is another good 40 stories above you. 50. Interact with as many different cultures as possible. 51. When someone talks to you on the street assume their crazy and that they want money. 52. Feel free to carry around a boom box with you at all times. Cover it with a black plastic bag, just incase you get hit with one of those random rainstorms...(I guess that is what it would be for) 53. Ask for just ONE slice of pizza. 54. When walking if someone gets in your way say 'Excuse me!' to get them to move But if someone behind you says...Excuse me..., just glare at them and keep walking, even a tad bit slower if you want. 55. Wait for a car to come, walk right in front of it and then yell: "I'm walking here!!" 56. Go rollerblading (remember it's the cool thing to do in NYC) and ask 50 of your friends (maybe one with a green truck) to start running uphill just as you come downhill. Be sure to use rollerblades with out breaks. 57. Pour yourself a coke and charge yourself $6, and don't forget to tip. 58. Wait until it's 24 degrees out and then walk the four miles to work. 59. Hold a dance party on your roof. Make everyone climb up a ladder out your window to get to the top. 60. Call the Chinese restaurant and demand that they deliver your food to you. In 5 minutes. 61. Carry all of your laundry, in your suitcases, 5 buildings away from yours, or to the local Laundromat. (even though you have units on your floor/in your apt) Make sure it is uphill. And it is raining. 62. Go to the middle of the quad, or lawn, and lay out in your bathing suit. Make sure there is no water to swim in anywhere near. 63. When at the grocery store, ask that they deliver your groceries. For free. Do the same everywhere you go. 64. Go to the movies and ask if you can pay $10.75 and request the first row. On the side. 65. When walking down the street, don't move out of people's way, stare them down until they get out of your way. If need be, bump into them. They will learn eventually. 66. Pretend you are a tourist and randomly stare up at the sky. Point and say 'what is THAT?!' to no-one in particular and see how many people you can get to look up too. 67. When driving disregard ALL traffic lane markings or signals. 68. Don't ever turn right on red. 69. Pull up to another car at a stoplight, roll down your window, and ask the car next to you where the nearest subway station is. Tell them that you need to take the C to one-oh-third street. And then say, oh don't ever take the A, except on nights and weekends and when there is construction. And the D NEVER goes local. Uptown OR downtown. You don't make THAT mistake twice. 70. Wear your ipod all the time and when people talk to you, pretend you don't hear them. Whatever you do, don't make eye contact. 71. When someone holds the door open for you, give them your change. 72. Separate all of your garbage and recyclables, then throw them all away. 73. Make your closet into a bedroom and sublet it for $900 a month. 74. Start tipping your friends. 75. Don't start your weekend fun until 1:00am. 76. Attend every party that you hear about. Remember it doesn't matter if you know the person or not. 77. Maintain alternate side parking rules. Be sure to double park for an hour and a half each morning. 78. Drive around the block 8 times looking for a parking space. When you find one, make sure it's only 10 ft wide. Try to parallel park anyway. 79. Rig your local fire hydrant to spray water 15ft in the air. Get the local neighborhood kids to come play in the water. 80. Set up a domino table on the corner. Try to get old men to come play until 4am on a Tuesday. 81.Stand outside the theater (not the movie, one where they do actual plays/musicals) at 5:30pm and ask where the line is for the lottery. Demand since you're the only one there they should have a ticket for you. Make sure to bring friends to increase your chances of winning. 82. Go to a different ward every month. This will help you think that new people are moving in and out of your ward. 84. Buy three different colors of spray paint, a frying pan lid, a cup, and spray paint scenic pictures of your town and sell them to people walking by. 85. At the end of each day take your garbage and pile it out in front of your house. Make sure that everything is in black garbage bags and that you don't throw it out before 10pm. 86. Refine your break dancing skills and dance at any public gathering. Be sure to ask for money at the end. 87. Next time you go to a museum. Tell them that you would like to only pay a dollar since its only a suggestion donation...right? When they refuse, acted surprised and tell you..ll be back on Friday when it's free. 88. When driving anywhere, make sure to print out plenty of mapquest directions. Be sure to not follow them or read them backwards. It is also ok to skip numbers, cause it doesn't really matter if you..re going north or south anyway. 89. Feel free to dress as you please...use accessories like hats, belts, necklaces and bags. If you need help deciding, dress in a different decade each week. If this idea scares you, just wear black. 90. Get really excited every time you see a Broadway musical soundtrack in a store. 91. Stand almost completely in the middle of the road and try to get a car to stop. When they do, get in and ask them how much it will be to get to your destination (remember to barter). Pretend they are a gypsy cab. 92. Host a party. Make sure to use Evite to send invitations. 93. Be sure to furnish your apartment with furniture you find off the street. 94. Be sure to get rid of unnecessary furniture (remember you don't really have room for it.) First thing to go should be the kitchen table....eat standing or on the couch. 95. Feel free to dance in the grocery store, clothing store, park or wherever else is necessary. 96. Try walking around your apartment naked. It's best to do it in the nighttime with your blinds open when your neighbors might be home. It..s helpful if you live RIGHT next to someone. 97. Leave all windows open so that any animal passing by can visit or die in your living room. 98. Put an extra lock on your front door and two more on your bedroom door so that you have to unlock at least 5 locks before you get to your bedroom. 99. Occasionally fall asleep on your couch with the light on, all your daytime clothes and shoes still on. 100. Get 50 (or more) of your friends to walk around with you at ALL times. Originated by: Sara Jane Lundquist Contributions by: Valerie Baker and Anne Wright Edited by: Sara Jane Lundquist, Anne Wright and Jessica Harris

For the love of the shame, er uh game

There is something to be said for being downright awful at a sport/game but still playing because it’s fun. Now I am overly competitive but that’s reserved for academic pursuits and three-legged races.

When it comes to things like tennis – the game of choice this summer – I can honestly say that my game is in need of some serious work. We’re not talking “quick fixer-upper” this is more like implode the money pit and start from scratch. Sad, but true – I’m all location, location, location but need professional TLC and some serious weekend DIY. How did I get off on the home renovation metaphor…FOCUS Matt, focus!

There was once a time when this type of realization would degrade into apathy and the eventual shelving of my racket. My fifth grade coach would be horrified at how bad my form is these days. If video existed of my backhand I might just drop my jaw is disbelief as much as I was dropping my elbow. But there needs to be a (re)starting place, right? Ego has little place on the court when you are a lame duck like me. It’s an exercise in watching, practicing, and implementing new habits – it’s an exercise in humility.

My serve is consistent – consistently in the net but at least I’m not knocking birds out of the sky or retrieving the ball from the other courts.

My long shot is great – I can hit the ball really long. It’s getting inside the lines that proves challenging and I love a challenge.

My short game is short – short on skill but I am becoming fast friends with the net since I seem to keep hitting the ball right at it.

Now that I have exposed my (lack of) skill on the court, who’s up for a game? It’s all “for the love”– if you don’t love it – I might just have you leaving the court hating it.

Doubles anyone?