Conversations With Strangers

When I was growing up, my grandpa used to embarrass me. I loved him dearly, but he would strike up conversations with strangers, and as a teenager I thought it was mortifying. I still felt that way when I was in college. He taught at BYU, so he could get me a nice discount on my books if I took him with me to the bookstore, but I always had an "Is this worth it?" moment in my head when he would go around asking the other students where they were from and what they're major was.

Now I think it's endearing. And maybe there's something to this conversation-with-strangers thing. I don't think I'll ever be as outgoing as my grandfather, but I had fun talking to a stranger today. I was in a waiting room, about to get my foot x-rayed (another story for another day), when an elderly woman struck up a conversation with me:


Little Old Lady, seeing my crutches and my foot in a boot: Oh, you poor dear! How did you do that?

Me: Running.

Little Old Lady: Were you training for a race?

Me: Yes, a half marathon.

Little Old Lady: My granddaughter runs lots of races. She doesn't do the 26 one, but she does the 13 one.

Me: That's what I was training for. A half marathon is 13 miles.

Little Old Lady: Then you must know my granddaughter! Kim Flenderson?

Me, trying not to smile too broadly: No, I don't think I've met her.


If I could be guaranteed fun conversations like this, I would totally start embarrassing my kids.

Saucy and Bobbo!

A couple of weeks ago we headed to Utah for my sister's wedding. They were married in the Manti temple, which is in the middle of nowhere. They chose this temple because my parents were married there, and, hey, it's beautiful. We stayed in Provo, which is a couple of hours away. I have to admit that I grumbled a bit on the drive there, but eventually we turned a corner, and there was the temple, surrounded by rolling green hills. It was like some of the castles we saw a few years ago in Germany. So worth the drive.

The happy couple, just as they're coming out of the temple.

Thing 3 with my cousin, who we lovingly refer to as "Flocky," although it's been so long that I can't remember why. He's more like a brother than a cousin. He's also the one who took all these pictures. Except this one.

Me and the sibs. We always do this pose when we're together. See the family resemblance? If you know what movie this is from, you get bonus points.

The fam. Can you tell how warm and toasty we are? This was on May 1st and it snowed that day. Seriously.

The bride and bridesmaids. I spent most of the night tugging on the bottom of my dress because it was a little too short for me.

The three Things and their Auntie.

This is the best picture we could get with all the nieces and nephews. Doesn't Thing 3's little 3 year-old cousin on the left look just like him?

Thing 3 is still getting his groove on

Last week my sister got married! More pictures from that to come, but until then here are some clips of Thing 3 dancing at the wedding. He danced the whole time the music played. Unfortunately, he was usually in the middle of a crowd, so it was tough to film him (Thanks Flocky for the footage). I wish we had gotten some of the air guitar, but we can't have everything.

A Daddy - Daughter Outing

My dad called me last week with a surprise - he was going to some of the first and second round NCAA men's basketball games in San Jose, and wanted to know if I wanted to go with him. Um, yes please!

He is friends with a guy who's on the athletic director's committee for San Jose State, so we got the tickets through him - center court, 16th row. They were incredible seats. We were with my dad's friend, his many sons and sons-in-law, and some guys that my dad's friend lovingly refers to as "my three Jewish friends from Syracuse." We saw four games on Thursday and two on Saturday. We had the best venue of the eight by far: we saw Murray State upset Vandy with a buzzer beater and Washington upset Marquette with another last second shot. Four of the six games were close. I yelled myself sick at the Washington game.

Notes from San Jose:

• Four games in one day is not too much.
• No matter how great nachos look, they're not worth $6.50.
• We went into this fabulous place at the arena called "the clubhouse" to watch Kansas go down against Northern Iowa on T.V. (sometimes it really pays to know people - it was a room for the president of the university and his friends). At one point I looked around, and there were about 100 people crammed into this small area, trying to watch the game. It was then that I noticed that I was the only woman there.
• You can still be a superfan when you're in your eighties. There was an awesome New Mexico fan in the row in front of us. She was really old, but totally into the game. She kept meticulous stats, and continually informed her husband of things throughout the game ("That's four on him, honey. One more and he's out of there!") There were some fun Montana fans sitting a few rows behind us, and one time we heard one say to another, "Man, those New Mexico cheerleaders are really ugly." Superfan Granny whipped her head around fast and gave them a dirty look. The next time New Mexico scored, she stood up, turned around, and shook her fist at them.
• You could tell which fans were which whether they were wearing their school colors or not. All Montana fans had cowboy hats. New Mexico fans had a weather-beaten look to them. I can't describe it. Maybe too much sun? Butler fans look just like BYU fans. Polo shirts and jeans, clean cut. Washington fans = holey tee shirts.
• I'm sorry to say that the Montana fans weren't exaggerating about the New Mexico cheerleaders. They had that fake bump thing going on with their hair, and they had a Tammy Faye Bakker thing going on with their make-up. Sad.
• There is a little cafe in San Jose called Hobee's that has the best breakfasts ever. We ate there twice.
• Some people just shouldn't drive. We didn't rent a car, so we just walked everywhere or bummed rides off of people. There were multiple times that weekend that I was afraid for my life.
  
• The Murray State band was terrible. Mostly they just played their annoying fight song over and over, which I'd had enough of after the first time. By the end I was plotting ingenious ways to get them to stop. The Butler band was incredible, especially their drummer. I wanted to bring him home and bake him brownies.
  

The Newspaper News

For the last couple of months, Thing 2 has been bringing home issues of the newspaper that he has been publishing in his spare time (aka when he's supposed to be working at school). It's called The Newspaper News. We love The Newspaper News. I had no idea there were so many scams going on in our neighborhood! I scanned a few of my favorite issues for your viewing pleasure. I have my attempts at the translation underneath, but I warn you that my second grade is a little rusty.

Newspaper
A person is getting money for the poor, but she is actually stealing the money, and the old beggar spent it all on one pair of jeans which is mean!

Newspaper
A man is stealing rubies. He is wearing black stripes and white stripes. He has black thin rubber gloves, and he has a big, big bag.

Newspaper
A man in black is robbing old people. He has stolen 9,000 dollars. He has a big brown bag. He has a knight that is double bladed (I'm thinking he means a sword. I'm sure double bladed knights are hard to come by). He has escaped from jail. He has clothes that are black and white.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

I love playing with my kids. I'm not just saying that - I really do! But in the last few months, Thing 3 has turned into a game junkie. Board games, cards games, whatever. He is constantly trying to get his fix, and he'll play with anyone - he's not picky. He's a good sport, win or lose, although more often than not he wins. He's great at Yahtzee, and he smoked everyone the last time we played Monopoly (with him exclaiming "I love money!" and "I love this game!" the whole time). I play games with him every day, but it never seems to be enough to satisfy him. Unfortunately, I can't play Uno and go fish every waking minute, so in desperation, I taught my four year old how to play 4 card solitare. What does this say about me as a mother?

Pioneer Fitness Challenge

This is why I haven't been blogging. Normally I don't have an excuse, but I have had one for the last couple of months. I'm starting a fitness program in my stake: We're celebrating the Mormon pioneers by "exercising" our way from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah, the 1300 miles that the pioneers walked. Every 30 minutes of exercise equals 5 miles on the trail, and if you exercise 150 minutes a week (recommended by the American Heart Association), after 52 weeks you'll hit 1300 miles. My dear friend Diana put together the chart you see above, and my lovely friend Jen helped me with the blog for it: pioneerfitness.blogspot.com (It's a private blog, so let me know if you want to view it and I'll send you an invitation). The challenge is from February 1, 2010 to January 31, 2011. I just wanted to put this out there in case any of you are interested in taking on the challenge. I don't know about you, but I'm always in the need for a little motivation when it comes to exercise!

Tetris God

I've played a lot of tetris in my time. I thought this was funny.

Blessings

At Christmastime, I usually try to focus on giving, but this year I can't stop thinking about the blessings that we have, especially the blessing of friendship. I have been overcome with the thoughtfulness of our friends this year. Some good friends of ours invited us over and went out of their way to cook us a gluten free, vegetarian meal. This year we have had an outpouring of caroling and goodies (Including some gluten free!). And the Christmas cards, so many of them hand written, have brought us so much joy. I usually try to reciprocate, but this year it's beyond my capabilities. I feel like George Bailey at the end of It's a Wonderful Life, surrounded by all his friends who love him, with everyone singing Christmas carols. "Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!" Thank you, dear friends. I wish you all peace and happiness this Christmas.

Family Pictures

My lovely friend Shama has great talents when it comes to photography. She took some pictures of us on a freezing cold day in November. I think anyone that can get us to relax somewhat in front of a camera is truly gifted; usually we all look like we're being tortured. Go to Shama's blog to see more pictures. Thanks, Shama!

Getting the heck out of Dodge

For about the last year I've been bragging about something, and now it's coming back to bite me. I was at a doctor's appointment, getting my blood drawn, when the lab tech saw my wedding ring and said, "Oh my goodness! You're married? I thought you were in high school!" I would have hugged her if I didn't have a needle stuck in my arm at the time. She didn't make my day, she made my year.

It all came crashing down yesterday, when I was Christmas shopping at the mall. I was at the register buying something for Sparky, some articles of clothing clearly for an adult man, and I had this conversation:

Perky just-out-of-high-school cashier: "Oh, cool. Are these for your son?"

Me, full of calm and patience: "Um... no... They're for my husband."

*Awkward silence*

Cashier: "Debit or credit?"

I wanted to either slap her or lecture her (Listen, if you're going to work in retail...). Of course I have no backbone and did neither, just pasted a smile on my face and got the heck out of Dodge. I've decided that the two experiences cancel each other out, so now I'm just left with me, being dragged kicking and screaming into middle age.

Two things

1. Last night I had a dream that I suddenly discovered that there were a bunch of prequels to the Lord of the Rings besides the Hobbit. It was a nightmare. I've read all of those books and I just can't muster any excitement about them.

2. Two days ago I went into the garage and our furnace was leaking. It had to do with the pump on the side of the furnace, and when Sparky called the furnace people, he was informed that the nice extended warranty that we'd bought didn't cover the pump. We prepared to pay a ridiculous amount, but today the guy came, fixed it, and refused to charge me. He said it was easy to fix, no big deal. I didn't know that there were any nice guys left in the world (besides my friends and family of course). A bright spot in a rather lousy week.

Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed.

Looks like BYU women's soccer had a rough time yesterday. Check out these clips on Sports Center last night. Watch for #15 on New Mexico. There's aggressive and then there's evil. Thanks, Sparky, for sending me the clip.

All The Cats Join In

Does anyone remember when this used to play on The Disney Channel? It was back when The Disney Channel was fun, before it was taken over by a bunch of lame shows geared at tween girls. I loved "All The Cats Join In." I heart Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa. I used to say all the time that I was born in the wrong time period, until I started having health problems. If I could go back in time and visit just one concert, it would be a no brainer for me - Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall, 1938. That concert made big band music legitimate, and it changed music forever.



Anyway, I was working out this morning, and I was tired, and the thought suddenly came into my head - I need a giant animated magic pencil to erase a few inches off my butt and thighs like the one in "All The Cats Join In." It sure worked for that girl. If only.

Bashing The Myth About Exercise

Last month, Time magazine came out with an article that still has me steaming. It tries to convince the reader that exercise won't help people lose weight, and that it's awful and meaningless. It misrepresents a study done by Dr. Timothy Church from LSU, who actually found in his study that exercise results in weight loss. Dr. Church was interviewed on one of my favorite podcasts, Fitness Rocks, where he explained the study and the importance of exercise.

I have been trying to get over this article and I can't. The information in this article is wrong (So wrong!), and it could affect the health of so many people. The average American is looking for an excuse to not exercise, and John Cloud is giving it to him. I don't know how he can sleep at night.

Feet on the Ceiling

This morning, while "snugging" under the covers with Thing 3 (AKA Genius The Monkey), he informed me that, "I love you, but not as much as I love dad because he can put my feet on the ceiling!" I can't compete with that.

Wobbly Bits

What is up with the middle-aged-to-old women and locker rooms? Someone needs to teach them how to get dressed without scaring the children. Yesterday, my friends and I took our kids to the pool, and while my friend and her daughter and I were in the women's locker room, there was... an incident. Look, I get that it's a locker room, and people are changing, and everyone is going to see some things. But this lady was not getting dressed. She was just walking around, butt-naked, taking her time, bending over repeatedly as she stuffed things into her bag. Not pretty! In my mind, I was pleading with her to stop stalling and get dressed already. I wanted to run to all the children and cover their eyes. To quote Bridget Jones, we don't want to be seeing your wobbly bits, lady.

I move that anyone who violates the Fireball Locker Room Changing Standards (not giving little children nightmares) should have to be paired up with a surfer for changing lessons. Have you seen these guys getting dressed in beach parking lots? They are masters! And half the time they're dealing with wet suits. All they need is a water jug and a towel, and in two minutes they've had a shower, they're dressed and ready for work, and no flashing. No wobbly bits.

Our House

Here is a conversation that took place in our car yesterday:

Thing 3: "Mom, does our house have a name?"
Me: "No..."
Thing 3: "Hmmm. How about Mr. Fred? Or Whitey!"

I was glad we were in the car so he couldn't see me shaking from held-back laughter.

Moosebutter

My kids won't stop singing this song. It's by an a cappella group called Moosebutter. I'm embarrassed that I laughed when I saw it, and that I got all the little jokes throughout. Dangit - that's two posts in a row that expose the nerdy side of me. Here's hoping that posting this will get this out of my head or at least get it in yours. Misery loves company, right?

The 80's List

This post is going to expose my nerdiness. I'm sorry, I can't hide it from you any longer. Last week, my brother and cousin were in town, and we finally finished a project we've been talking about for years: the 80's list. It all started when we were trying to decide what the best song from the 80's was, and it ended with each of us compiling a list of the 100 best songs of the 80's. Actually, it didn't end there, it got nerdier. We then combined the three lists and used a point system to figure out our combined top 100 list. I know, your respect for me just dropped a notch.

So here's my list. Disclaimer: This is not a list of my favorite songs of the 80's, but what I think are the best songs of the 80's. There's a difference. At the end of the list, I grudgingly stuck on a few songs that I don't love, but I figured they probably deserved a nod for one reason or another.

1	Simple Minds Don't You Forget About Me
2	A-ha Take On Me
3	U2 Where the Streets Have No Name
4	New Order Bizarre Love Triangle
5	Duran Duran The Reflex
6	Peter Gabriel In Your Eyes
7	Cure Just Like Heaven
8	OMD If You Leave
9	Michael Jackson Thriller
10	Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse of the Heart
11	Foreigner I Want To Know What Love Is
12	Madness Our House
13	Oingo Boingo Dead Man's Party
14	Information Society What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)
15	Madonna Like a Prayer
16	Modern English I Melt With You
17	Naked Eyes Always Something There to Remind Me
18	Billy Idol White Wedding
19	Police Every Breath You Take
20	R.E.M. Stand
21	U2 With or Without You
22	Depeche Mode People Are People
23	B-52s Love Shack
24	The Smiths How Soon Is Now?
25	When in Rome The Promise
26	Bon Jovi Livin' On a Prayer
27	David Bowie and Queen Under Pressure
28	General Public Tenderness
29	Crowded House Don't Dream It's Over
30	Journey Don't Stop Believin'
31	Frankie Goes to Hollywood Relax
32	U2 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
33	Thompson Twins Hold Me Now
34	Romantics What I Like About You
35	Erasure A Little Respect
36	Tears for Fears Everybody Wants to Rule the World
37	Spandau Ballet True
38	Elvis Costello Veronica
39	George Michael Faith
40	Cars Drive
41	Bananarama Cruel Summer
42	Men At Work Down Under
43	Clash Rock the Casbah
44	Soft Cell Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go
45	Prince 1999
46	Toto Africa
47	Police Don't Stand So Close To Me
48	Cure Close to me
49	Flock of Seagulls I Ran (So Far Away)
50	Genesis In Too Deep
51	Mr. Mister Broken Wings
52	Stray Cats Rock This Town
53	R.E.M. Orange Crush
54	Level 42 Something About You
55	REO Speedwagon Can't Fight This Feeling
56	Police Wrapped Around Your Finger
57	Chicago Hard to Say I'm Sorry
58	EMF Unbelievable
59	Duran Duran View to a Kill
60	Billy Joel We Didn't Start the Fire
61	Heart Alone
62	Huey Lewis & the News Power of Love
63	Cyndi Lauper Time After Time
64	Talking Heads Burning Down the House
65	U2 New Years Day
66	Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
67	The Smiths Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
68	Yes Owner of a Lonely Heart
69	Erasure Oh Lamour
70	Bangles Walk Like an Egyptian
71	INXS Need You Tonight
72	Survivor The Search Is Over
73	Queen Another One Bites the Dust
74	R.E.M. It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
75	Midnight Oil Beds Are Burning
76	Clash Should I Stay or Should I Go?
77	Men At Work Overkill
78	Oingo Boingo Weird Science
79	Hall and Oates Private Eyes
80	Echo and the Bunnymen Lips Like Sugar
81	Howard Jones No One is to Blame
82	Kenny Loggins Footloose
83	Police Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
84	Cure Lovesong
85	Survivor Eye of the Tiger
86	Rick Astley Never Gonna Give You Up
87	Harold Faltermeyer Axel F
88	Dexys Midnight Runners Come on Eileen
89	Thomas Dolby She Blinded Me With Science
90	Tommy Tutone 867-5309/Jenny
91	Pet Shop Boys West End Girls
92	Wham! Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
93	Beastie Boys Fight For Your Right
94	Alphaville Forever Young
95	Richard Marx Right Here Waiting
96	Chris DeBurgh The Lady in Red
97	Belinda Carlisle Heaven is a Place on Earth
98	Human League Don't You Want Me
99	Billy Joel The Longest Time
100	Cheap Trick The Flame

So there it is. I'm sure you're thinking, "I can't believe she put that song on there." Believe me, I already feel like making changes. But if you're really bent out of shape about it, make your own list. It's harder than it looks. Oh, and don't bother telling me that EMF's Unbelievable came out at the beginning of 1990. We figured that out just after we made the lists, and I'm too lazy to change mine.

Next up: we're making a playlist. We've figured out that between the three of us, we have just about all of the songs. So if anyone feels like OD-ing on nostalgia, you know where to go.