I'm ready for my close-up

Or at least to be eclipsed by the professor (20 sec mark) so you can't see me at all!



Back in April we spent an early morning filming a portion of the U's new campaign video at the law school. I posted a photo from that rushed morning here.

Wouldn't you know, when all the editing was complete I got shot-blocked right out of the commercial. I woke up early for this? I dealt with a ranting librarian for the opportunity to be hidden behind the professor? At least they had 3 versions of the commercial, oh wait, I'm not in any of those either. They only changed out the girl graduating at the end from Indian to a waspy Caucasian and then had a Spanish version with a dude and his parents at the end.

Consider my alumni donation severely reduced for 2009-2010.

Twinkies, the apocolyptic (petroleum-based) food

Few foods scare me in life but there are a small sampling of items that I will NOT eat, Twinkies being one of them. I made this decision a long time ago and was pleasantly surprised when grad students at Rice University developed the T.W.I.N.K.I.E project. I would happily reproduce their experiments with my summer camp kids & turned another generation away from the "more chemical than food" food. It was more fun than science but at least it got them thinking about what they were putting into their bodies.

After watching the Food Inc movie this week I am trying not to let it outright ruin my eating habits but it sure reinforced my stance on the Hostess snack cake from hell.

To further my point, there is a great article in the LA Times today that will help my case. It's always nice to find out it takes some Chinese Petroleum to make that golden delicious snack. Mmmm.

Enjoy the ever more mysterious cream filling (just remember it will cost you your soul & the health of your G.I. track).

You can find the article by clicking here.

True Story.

Food Inc, the movie

Advanced screening in SLC on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 provided by the Salt Lake Film Center.

http://www.foodincmovie.com/



REMEMBER TO BUY LOCAL AND SUPPORT FARMER's MARKET
When: Saturdays, June 13 - October 17, 2009
Time: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
Where: Pioneer Park (300 South & 300 West)

What I did this Summer (take 1)

Sure, the retelling of "what I did this summer" usually happens when you get back from vacation and stand in front of your elementary school class. A bag of sand, a few seashells and a postcard "wishing you were here" all splayed in front of oohing and ahhing classmates. A silent tension, everyone vying for who did the coolest things while away from the confines of the classroom is a highlight of the fall term.

I figure if I wait until September I will forget the best (mis)adventures of the summer so here we go with round one. Memorial Day weekend officially kicks off all things summer. Somehow growing up we always ended up leaving California and coming to Park City, Yellowstone, or the national parks in and around Utah. Now that I live here I want to return to California but since Hunter is up from Houston (& I just went to CA) we stuck it out close to home for Memorial Day weekend. Here is what I learned over these fine 3 days of summer vacation:

-Bonfires can potentially be ruined by friends inviting friends of friends and having said individuals consists of tools, posers, sheltered bubble children, and those that want their lives to be as “exciting as the Hills.” How could I forget, there are also those kids that still communicate exclusively through insider mission stories (WTF?!). In this situation one must use patience as a weapon of choice and wait out the needy, they will find shiny objects elsewhere.

-Enjoyment of particular bonfires can be maintained by ignoring passive aggressive people that feel entitled to attention and act out like spoiled children when they don’t get what they want. Bonus points to the whack job that couldn't stay behind with a swine flu cough and camped out at a nearby picnic table coughing for all the sympathetic ears. This sickly individual sure could gobble a charred brawt when it came time to eat though, she had a magic gullet.

-Events that are spontaneously planned should still be planned enough to include a destination and communication to the socially infirm (see friends of friends of friends) so they can make it to the mountainous destination without having to run red lights in a game of vehicular follow-the-leader.

-It’s OK to expose posers for what they are. Especially when the dinks can’t even talk the talk to begin with. Example: whitebread, flatbrim hat wearing Utah rappers that barely have fireside cred let alone street cred (Yo, yo dawg. Next time leave TightyWhitey & Crew off the guest list).

-Trips to Park City for the Alpine Coaster/Slide can be derailed by surprise guest appearances by girlfriends of friends of friends that exhibit unjustified demands and socially aggressive behavior. Good thing this one was kept in check from the click of her 3-point seat belt. Too bad the nagging could be heard throughout the stillness of the Aspen trees at PCMR. Auditory deflection can be used to block out sniveling tantrums, some people are as transparent as scotch tape (Caution: it's OK to put baby in the corner in this situation).

-When there is a possibility of defaulting to a bad dining destination one must fight passive aggressive behavior with matter-of-fact statements like: “no” and “we shouldn’t waste our money there.”

-Shopping with great people can make the outlets fun, if not completely entertaining.

-Doing expensive things with cheap people can be trying at times (especially when expensive starts at the "anything over $10 level). Red Rock Brewery trumps the Baja Cantina at PCMR any day of the week, suck it up and pay the extra $5.

Lessons all worth learning, I just wish they weren't so "trial and error" while Hunter is in town from Houston. Next time the pesky people come swarming I will pack my repellant. Deet works on people too ya know.

Furnished apartment for the summer?

Turns out that I am housesitting (gratis) for the summer and will be ditching my apartment from June-August.

If anyone is interested in a well-furnished 1BR near the Catholic church on South Temple just let me know and we can talk numbers. It's a top floor, corner unit with covered parking. If it goes empty, which it probably will, let me know if you need a place for summer visitors (it’s better than having them crash on your couch or pay for a hotel).

Here are some pictures for curiosity sake:

Yes, that is an original Nintendo and it will be traveling with me for the summer.

Sit Back & Relax

A late lunch after a light hike up Little Cottonwood canyon...great day of relaxation. The doctor's orders were taken to heart (& the fact that they were doing pest control on my building meant no sleeping in for me today).