Girl Cooties

I've not been to a Mormon singles event in years. Until last night …

Of Good Report, 3 | Friends

Today was a good day — a really good day, actually — as it was punctuated by two friendly outtings. At lunch, a bunch of us from work got together at Takashi to celebrate the birthday of one our team members, Doug. Doug is a good friend… and he and his wife (and their dog) are a cherished part of my life. Then, this evening, Apcar (who's "baching it" tonight while his wife pulls an all-nighter at the hospital) and I drove around town, checking out a couple stores featured in Salt Lake magazine's "Best of the Beehive" (NPS Store? … AMAZING!!!). After which, he and I headed over to my new favorite eating establishment south of the border (Salt Lake's border with I-80, to be specific).

It was the perfect cap to a nearly perfect day… and I owe it all to the friends I've made with people who have fallen into my life like pennies from heaven. My life is richer and more meaningful (not to mention more fun!) with people in my life who love and suffer me.

It would appear, at least for now, that I am not (contrary to recent news stories) insufferable.

And that's today's good report.

This post is part of a week-long series focusing on the good and praiseworthy in my life… please consider reading all seven: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Of Good Report, 1 | Fablehaven

So when CJane posted a series of posts highlighting the good and praiseworthy in her life (starting here), I was inspired to christen it a meme — and to join in the fun. Based loosely on the 13th article of our faith, her posts encouraged us all to dwell — even for only a short while — on the beautiful. So I decided to follow suit…

Tonight, I'd like to post about the Fablehaven books for young adults. It's not world peace or a cure for cancer… but good stories — especially good stories for children — can inspire the next generation. And I've found the Fablehaven books to be remarkable.

I had seen the books a few times, but their covers (a little too… much) didn't really invite a closer look. And then, out of the blue, I connected with a friend from college… Brandon Mull. "So, Brandon", I asked: "what's going on in your life?" … "Oh, I'm writing! Like I've always wanted" … "Writing? Does that treat you well?" … "Well, I've got a couple of books that have been on the New York Times Bestseller list".

And that's when I decided to read Fablehaven.

I was a little apprehensive, really… what if I didn't like them? What would I say to Brandon? But, as luck would have it, I needn't have worried. The stories are engaging; the prose is tight, well-edited, and doesn't shy away from the occasional 25¢ word; the characters are multi-dimensional; and there are consequenses to poor decisions… not to put too fine a point on it, they are solid contenders for Harry Potter's crown. Solid.

So that, my friends, is today's good report.

This post is part of a week-long series focusing on the good and praiseworthy in my life… please consider reading all seven: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Race Against Dallas

So, it looks like my buddy (and neighbor) Dallas is going to redecorate his condo. And he's on-track to starting and finishing the project before Christmas.

We'll see how that goes…

But it's lit a fire under me.

You see, I've lived here for two years, slowly (glacially, really) getting my place to a point where I could have an open house. My big hang-up right now is finding someone who can build a small wall (know anyone that fits the bill? let me know!). I'm in a race, now. I'm aiming to have my open house the same time Dallas has his re-open house.

Anyway… I wanted to — in the spirit of friendly competition — let everyone know that Dallas is having a garage sale. Online.

Around the Flat | Part IV of Driving to London

The original plan had been for me to land at Heathrow at 6am, speed through customs, then hope the Tube to attend church at the Hyde Park chapel... but landing an hour late and then spending two hours in a line at customs kinna shot that plan in the foot. So I headed straight to the flat in Covent Garden, instead.

I love London — I'd say I love England, but I've only ever seen London, so I don't want to jump ahead of myself — but I must say that their building habits are a little, um, odd... things like having the light switches to rooms outside of the room, or having the door knob in the center of the door (which makes leveraging the door closed or open really really awkward). Anyway, I was reminded, upon my arrival at the flat, just how odd things were to my American sensibilities.

But it's okay... I eventually figured out how to enter the building, unlock the flat door, and turn on the light to the bathroom. Eventually.

Once inside, I debated with myself whether I should power through the day until bed time (a really good plan to defeat jet lag quickly), or take a short nap... I opted for the nap. My feet hurt, I was a little smelly from the trip... so a nap was in order. About an hour later, I got up and rang Mihaela, and we made plans to meet-up a little later. So I had a bite to eat, got familiar with the computer, internet, and television set-up, then headed around the block to the Covent Garden market to get my bearings.

I had been here a number of times in the past, so I was eager to reacquaint myself with its nooks and crannies. I had a blast... and when Mihaela joined me, I showed her all around. She joked that she should be showing me around, since this was her home... but I can't help myself. I'm a born tour guide.

We spent the next few hours wandering the streets, and I did my best to not buy stuff (it was, after all, Sunday) — but I did take note of where the Tin Tin shop was for later perusal. At the end of the day, she and I headed back around the corner to the little pasta shop across the street from my flat for dinner.

It was the perfect first day in London (thanks Mihaela!).

Next Stop: Charing Cross Road!
__________________

Photos from this leg of the trip can be found at my flickr account... starting with this photo I took from the flat's livingroom window.

Los Angeles > London | Part III of Driving to London

I awoke early Saturday morning to shower and gather my things together. The concierge had hired a car for me, and it was to arrive at 6:30am. Too early for breakfast — too early for much of anything — but the drive was pleasant and fast. My driver and I chatted along the way, which made the trip all the more of both.

A quick check-in (I never have more luggage than a single carry-on), and I was boarding... and from there, I can't much remember what happened when — or on which leg of the journey. Of the trip East, I remember a delay in Chicago due to a storm in New York that kept me from making it to church in London. I also remember Felecia joining us in Chicago — an engaging, lively, and beautiful woman on her way (via a short holiday in London) to South Africa to complete a Fullbright Scholarship... and I remember spending two hours (TWO HOURS!) in customs upon arriving at Heathrow.

But the rest, well, I can't recall exactly.

Some time during my trip — Los Angeles to London, or the other way around — I saw Little Miss Sunshine, which was a delight that brought me to tears and to laughter a few times — and whose soundtrack I've since purchased and listened to many times. I saw The World's Fastest Indian, which was wonderful and which reminded me of home and friends who had been extras in it (part of it was shot in Utah). I saw Marie Antoinette... which would have been twice as good had it been just a little bit shorter. I saw pieces of Man of the Year, and agreed with the assessment of one reviewer who said it was Wag the Dog minus the insightful political commentary. And I saw Running with Scissors, which somehow held my full attention despite being filled with unlovable characters and suffering from a pace which could only be described as glacial. It did, however, sport a wonderful sound track — which I also purchased upon my return home.

And that's it: a fog of memories at 36,000 feet, interrupted by bags of peanuts, orange juice, and two perfectly horrendous in-flight "meals". The strange thing in all of this, is that I love to fly... and loved my flights… I just can't recall why.

Next Stop: The Flat!

Vegas > Los Angeles | Part II of Driving to London

I woke-up Friday morning and dawdled at my sister's place for an hour or so — breakfast, a couple of games of sudoku, and then a shower — before hitting the road.

It was early, and the roads were pretty clear, heading out of town. Down to Primm, then up and over the mountains to Baker. It's a lovely drive with good roads, little traffic, and expansive views of the desert. I called a few friends to make-up for the radio that had been stolen when my car was broken into a while back… and I helped a business partner with some tech question or other.

A quick stop in Baker for a little breakfast, and then a quick stop in Victorville for gas and a car wash before descending down into Los Angeles. I was in Pasadena before I knew it — just 3.5 hours from Vegas. Another hour to cross town, and I was at the hotel.

It's strange for me to be in a hotel of any particular quality, as I've always preferred to stay in smaller one-off establishments and bed-and-breakfasts. I'm just sleeping there, so I can never justify paying for prestige or pampering. In Boston, I stay at the College Club. In DC, I stay at the Tabbard Inn. In NYC, I've stayed at the Y. Each place just a bed, a shower, and a friendly face at the front desk. I like it that way. But this place had a concierge, and complimentary drinks (I got orange juice) upon arriving.

Eh. I think I'll stick to small.

The big reason for flying out from Los Angeles instead of Salt Lake, was the wedding of an old friend and roommate… I couldn't make his wedding because it would have meant leaving for London way too late, but I could make it for his bachelor party. So I did.

It was great... he, and I, and five or six of his closest friends all descended on Medieval Times for an evening of Campbell's soup, chicken, knights, horses, and lots and lots of laughter. Even with the cost of entry set at the astonishingly high $50 per person, the evening was a complete success… and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

We're all Mormons, so the evening ended at a respectable hour, and I was dropped at the hotel with hugs and promises of seeing each other again, soon.

Next stop: The Airport!

__________________

Photos from this leg of the trip can be found at my flickr account... starting with this photo I took of three of us at Medieval Times.

Salt Lake City > Vegas | Part I of Driving to London

My trip actually started the week before Valentine's Day, when I took the beast (my 1994 Saturn SC2) in to get a new water pump. I had had a coolant leak in it for a little over a year, but hadn't found a mechanic I trusted. When I finally found the great guys down at Airview Texaco (1700 South, 1100 East — and they're full-service!), I was just too busy to leave the car for a day... but this trip was important, and I didn't want a failing water pump to keep me from seeing my sister, wishing my old roommate well on the eve of his wedding, or catching my plane. So I took her in... and a few hours later, she had a new water pump and coolant reservoir — and I had the confidence I needed to drive to London.

Instead of going out on the town, like I did last year, for Valentine's Day, I stayed home and packed... Then on Thursday morning, I hit the road.

My plan was to stop-in at BYU and have Reid — my barber — cut my hair for the trip. Then a breakfast date. But the breakfast date fell-through, so I stopped-in at the BYU Museum of Art to check-out their Beholding Salvation exhibit. Very very nice... and I was happily snapping photos of my favorite works until I was informed that photography wasn't allowed — though no sign said as much — by a surly she-guard.

* mumbles about the excesses of copyright *

But the exhibit was nice enough to inspire a visit to the museum store, where they had a lovely book for sale — with most, though (infuriatingly) not all the pieces featured. I also grabbed one for my sister.

After that, I hit the road in earnest and arrived in Henderson (Nevada) at 4pm. Right on time. It was good to see my sister and two of her three children. And after I passed-out some gifts that had been accumulating — including a hoodie for Chael from War Regime — my sister and I headed-out for dinner at Kona Grill. Tasty food... neat ambiance... smelled weird in the back. But a wonderful evening when all was said and done.

Next Stop: Los Angeles!
__________________

Photos from this leg of the trip can be found at my flickr account... starting with this photo I took at the museum.

Back from London

So, I've just returned from a short vacation across the pond in London. It was a wonderful (WONDERFUL!) trip... and I can't thank my bud Gareth enough for hosting me nor Mihaela enough for taking time off here-and-there to play.

The trip, strangely enough, began by driving to Los Angeles — with a stop-over in Las Vegas to see my sister and her family — to wish an old roommate well on the eve of his wedding. I then took-off from LAX for a flight to London with a stop-over in Chicago. I had hoped to attend church with Mihaela Sunday morning, but snow delays in Chicago and two hours spent in London customs (good GRIEF) nipped that in the bud. Instead, I went straight for Gareth's and a short nap. After that, I walked the city a bit and then met-up with Mihaela to show her around a bit (this wasn't my first time to London, and she hooted that she should be showing her around... but she enjoyed getting the night off from playing tour guide). The plane ride wasn't all bad, of course... I met a delightful woman named Felicia, on her way to London with a pal before heading to South Africa on Fullbright.


MONDAY

I woke well-rested and set-out to see some more of the city. I focused on the book sellers of Charing Cross Road, and picked-up tickets to see the London production of History Boys, that night. Lunched at a wonderful little tandoori restaurant called Saint Martin's Spice, then headed over to the London Business School to see Mihaela before returning to Covent Garden for the play.


TUESDAY

Slept like a baby again, and woke to Gareth fumbling with his keys as he returned from his week-end out-of-town. I had accidentally locked him out. I was installed comfortably in his bed, so he crashed on the couch for an spell before he headed in to the office (OUCH!). After my morning routine, I set-out to do a little food shopping for a dinner party Gareth and I were hosting that night...

The whole day was a lot of fun — shopping, cooking, and chatting the night away.


WEDNESDAY

Wednesday morning, I took it slowly — I hate to rush while on holiday — and didn't get out of the flat until after one. From there, I hoofed it up to the New London Architecture... and shot plenty of photos on my stroll. After drooling over all the amazing maps and maquettes, I hopped the tube back over to Baker Street to catch-up with Mihaela. We chatted, then took the tube out to Notting Hill, where Manu (her amazing boyfriend) joined us for a walk up to this amazing little book store that specializes in food literature and cookbooks. I'd found it on my last trip to London, and was determined to return.

From there we headed down to Victoria Station and the Apollo Victoria to see Wicked. I flirted with Adam, one of the theater workers while they ran-off to find some pizza for Manu (no complaints), and then we settled-in for a delightful evening of song, dance, and deciphering.


THURSDAY

My last day in London wasn't as sunny as the rest of my trip... but no bother. I packed in the morning, then walked over to St Jermyn to do some clothes shopping, and then up to the Marlybone high street to window-shop a spell. Gareth met me there for dinner at Fish Works — and he treated, which was especially nice.


FRIDAY

Breakfast at Paul with Gareth, then a tube ride to Heathrow and my 11am direct flight to LAX. The plane ride was nice... no new friends made, but I did catch edited versions of Running with Scissors and Little Miss Sunshine. So no complaints... landed in LAX and spent 15 minutes in customs (way to GO!)... and then six HOURS snarled in LA traffic. Ugh. I had hoped to sleep at my sister's in Las Vegas, but I was full-on hallucinating in Victorville, so I got a hotel.


SATURDAY

Got into Las Vegas at 9am and spent the morning with my sister, my niece, a nephew, and one of his best friends. Sissy treated us all to lunch at PF Chang (I had never been before) before I hit the road one last time... and I finally collapsed in my very own bed last night at 10 pm.

That's not all I have to say, of course, but that's enough for now... pictures and more stories to follow!

:)


PS... Now that I'm back, I can let it out of the box that the poem The Frail Light of Light is a short homage (no pun intended) to the men of London... which means I've changed the word "subway" to "tube".

This Is the Life

So I read in this morning's Tribune how a condo boom is hitting downtown Salt Lake City, and it was a great little write-up... it's especially fun to read good news about your neighborhood and the people you know (Luann Lakis serves on the Downtown Community Council, Ken Milo is an up-stairs neighbor and a fixture in the area).

I'll let you read the article yourself, but I've got this much to add: there's more to living downtown than return on investment and the nightlife. I have never been more plugged-into a neighborhood than this one. I know and see more people and care more about the people I know and see than ever before.

How is this possible?

Living downtown means I don't have to drive... and walking means I see more of my neighbors, and it means I frequent my neighborhood businesses more regularly. So in an odd twist of fate, living in the big city is much more like living in a small village than living in the wastelands of suburbia ever could be.

So to Troy, Andrew, Matt, Nick, John, and the rest of the crew at Tony Caputo's... to Jace, Bobby, Liz, Teresa, Brandon, and everyone at Carlucci's... to Rachael and the ladies at Roots... to Mary and her friendly helpers at Jade Market... to SLC Urbanite and her husband... to Tom and his wife... to J Simon (and his broken foot)... to Devin and his little family... and to everyone in my corner of heaven: howdy neighbor!

This Is a Place

So, Tom... remember him? My artist friend who "still doesn't have a web site"? Well, he finally started a blog, This Is a Place... and I'm really happy for him. I'm excited to see what comes of his foray into the blogosphere.

I hope you'll welcome him warmly.

To Marcello, on the Day of His Baptism

Mars, a friend of mine, is joining the Church tonight.

I got him a small Moleskine notebook, and wrote this in the front:

Mars, my good friend, I cannot tell you how happy I am for you — what joy flooded my heart when I first heard the news! Please take a moment to write your story, here — in these pages. Let your grandchildren know how a good man became a great Mormon. One day, one step at a time.

With much love.

God bless you, Mars! I'm so proud of you!

Menu: Dinner among Giants

I spent Sunday evening with some wonderful people from my ward... new friends, and already treasured. And though I could go into detail, I'll just say that while the food was ( admittedly ) amazing, the company and the conversation was even better.

So in lieu of tantalizing gossip, a menu:


Seared brined pork chop served breakfast-style on savory French toast, with warm onion chutney.

Brined Pork Chop

Brine pork as follows ( multiply quantities by combined weight of chops )... For every pound of meat, mix 1 qt water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup kosher salt, sage, garlic, bay leaf, and coarsely-ground black pepper. Brine is best when sugar, salt, and water are brought to a quick boil until salt and sugar is completely dissolved, then chilled with herbs until room temperature.

Add meat to brine and let marinate in the cooler for 1 hour for every pound of meat ( based on average weight of meat in question ).

In my case, I had three pounds of meat divided among four 3/4-pound chops... So I tripled the basic brine recipe, and soaked for 3/4 of an hour. After the soak, chops are removed from brine ( which is discarded ), and are rinsed thoroughly and patted dry.

Sear the chops on high, with a pat of sage-infused, clarified butter. Place in 375 degree oven until medium-rare ( about ten minutes ); then remove from heat and let rest five minutes before slicing on the bias and serving atop savory French toast with onion chutney.


Savory French Toast

Cut quality baguette into one-inch slices ( on the bias ). Let air-dry overnight ( or use day-old bread ). Combine half-and-half and eggs to create egg bath, and add sage leaf, salt, and freshly-ground black pepper. Cook French toast as is customary.


Onion Chutney

Coarsely chop sweet onion, then brown in large sauté pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, bruised garlic, and a dash of red pepper flake. Brown in small batches, adding sweet, plump raisins as you go — roughly a 1:2 ratio, raisins to pre-browned onion. When complete gently pulse in food processor.


Sage-infused Clarified Butter

Gently melt unsalted butter. Let rest until milk solids separate and remove milk solids. Bring clarified butter to a medium-high temperature and add sage leaves. Remove from heat and let steep for a few minutes. Strain-out sage and store clarified butter in air-tight container in frig.


: )

Artfully compose plates. Enjoy with good friends.

Beautiful Dreamer: $500

So tonight is this month's gallery stroll. A chance to visit Salt Lake area art galleries ( that are normally closed after 6 )... to schmooze a little... to sample a little gnosh... and to see some beautiful artwork. Now, mind you: it's not always good. I've seen my share of disposable art — but even disposable art inspires.

So why mention it?

Well, tonight, in conjuction with the gallery stroll, there will be a studio sale at the Uffens, featuring works by four area artists: Tom Aaron ( who really needs a web site! ), Mark Elliot, Holly Mae Pendergast, and Dallas Graham. If you're not familiar with the concept of a studio sale, it's less formal than a show, and the artwork featured is often priced significantly less than it would otherwise be... and it's a wonderful opportunity to build your collection.

The studio sale is from 5:30 – 10:00 p, tonight.

If you can't make it tonight, I understand that they will open tomorrow with works not available tonight — a perfect companion to your trip to the farmers market!

Remember: bring cash or a check book. No credit cards accepted.

UPDATE: I spent the evening sitting and chatting with my friends at the studio sale... and then a little while this morning. From all accounts, the sale was a resounding success. You should have been there.

And me? Well, I walked away wishing that I had an extra $3,000... and the happy owner of a lovely and amazing photo by Dallas Graham. So ts'all good.

Lady in the Water

I headed to the theater Saturday evening, hoping to catch a flick... specifically hoping to catch Cars or Over the Hedge. Something light and airy to distract me from what has been a pretty off month. But as I rounded the corner into Gateway's food alley, the movie's marquee didn't look promising... Cars and Over the Hedge didn't appear to be showing. And the one movie I did want to see — M Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water — wasn't something I could see by myself. Too scary...

But marquees are sometimes wrong, so I took the escalator up to the theater, hoping for the best.

And who did I meet? My old roommate, Lafs, and Chocolate Kisses — a date from last year who is also a friend. They were on a group date and were waiting for the others to show. They were there to see Lady in the Water, and they asked if I'd like to join them. Um, yeah!

... thank Heaven for small miracles.

So Lafs introduced me to Chocolate Kisses... but we were already hugging. Small world.

Lafs' cousin and two other guys show up, and we head into the theater ( assigned seating ROCKS! )... and a few hours later, we left. My cohorts HATED the movie — which squares pretty well with what critics are saying about Lady in the Water — but I loved it. In fact, I even decided to post my review of it over at Metacritic. I don't think I can link to my review directly, so I'll just quote myself:

[A rating of 8/10]

Not MNS's best, but certainly a solid showing... and his larger budget is nicely reflected in better creature work. The difficulty is that this movie is a fairy tale — a bedtime story. And a self-aware one at that. Adults should take it, then, holes included. We don't talk of Little Red Riding Hood and complain that it would be impossible for the wolf to have two, whole people residing quietly in his stomach... we listen to the story for what it is: a bald moral tale dressed in the diaphanous robes of formulism. And that's okay.

I can't wait to see it again!

Anyway... there you go.

I loved it... but I loved The Game, too. So take my reviews with a grain of salt.

: )

Oh, and who knew: MNS penned a Lady in the Water book!

Menu: Pizza Party

So I had another dinner party this weekend... this time PFD and Ferry joined me at Captain K's place.

I set this one up, and asked PFD and Ferry to bring the meat (steak, chicken breast, and two types of sausage), and asked Captain K to provide the pizza dough and ice cream (for desert)... while I brought (and then cooked) the fixings for the three pizzas. I must say that this arrangement was fortuitous: Ferry's family being in beef, we had a choice steak which didn't cost them a penny... and Captain K's wife, Pumpkin, made the best pizza dough I've seen. It was absolutely amazing.

The meats were cooked separately and put into dishes as a condiment, as I wanted the unique fixings I chose to be the stars:

Pizza One

Hand-roasted bell peppers pickled in apple-cider vinegar, red chili flakes, and molasses
Farmer's market-fresh basil
Cow's milk mozzarella from Tony Caputos


Pizza Two

Caramelized sweet spanish onions from the farmer's market
Dollops of clotted cream


Pizza Three

Pan-sautéed porcini mushrooms
Roasted garlic cloves (whole)
Blue cheese


Dessert

Breyers vanilla ice cream (well, ice milk, actually... but that's another story)
A chilled. piquant, fruit nectar reduction (featuring apricot, pear, and peach nectars)


It was amazing.

We rolled-out the doughs, brushed them liberally with olive oil, then dressed them with the fixings, and baked them at 450º. Very tasty... my only regret: re-heating the mushrooms. They dried-out a bit in the oven. Should have just put the sautéed mushrooms on a docked crust after it had cooked in the oven — or, perhaps, used pie weights.


* drools *


Between courses, we played a wonderful round of Settlers of Catan. Much to Pumpkin's chagrin, Captain K won. But only just — PFD gave him a real run for the money.

Can't thank Captain K and Pumpkin enough: their hospitality really made it all possible... and it was really fun watching PFD and Ferry make new friends.

Thank you again!

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Menu: Dinner with PFD & Ferry

"Menu:" is a new category.

I love cooking for friends ( and even the occasional stranger... so long as they're a good sport, and appreciate quality over quantity ), and I love sharing what I cook with others. This won't be so much a recipe post as a menu post with lots of details.

Anyway, enjoy!

Last night I spent a few hours with a young couple from my ward: PFD (Pork Farmer's Daughter) and her husband, Ferry. Ferry's family has a cattle ranch, so featured on tonight's menu was family-raised beef... specifically porterhouse steaks. It was a wonderful evening, with a little vacuuming, a little basil sniffing... and a lot of laughter. We'll definitely have to do this again!

The menu:

Seered, spiced, porterhouse steaks, served cubed on a bed of toasted trofie pasta.

A composed salad of organic mixed greens, basil, chilled pear spears, gorgonzola cheese, and toasted almonds. Served on a skiff of ranch dressing and dusted with fresh-ground pepper.


Tasty.

: )


Author's note: you may have noticed that I have, once again, featured people with really strange names. If it's not painfully obvious, these are nicknames, handles — pseudonyms. They don't get to choose what they're called, but I take great care in finding just the right name.

Why? Well, I'm the last person who should be using a person's real name online...

No Way Down

So Early Dude and I finally went climbing... and we had some really cool people come along: Kwai Guy, a high-schooler that works with Early Dude; Spidergal; and finally Spiderdude... her husband. We went up to a climb in the Storm Mountain area of the Cottonwood Canyons, here in SLC. Lovely lovely... and though it was really warm out, our climb was in the shadows, so it was cool and pleasant.

My biggest fear before I started climbing was making a fool of myself... but only a short way into the climb, I was more afraid of fear. I realize it's cliché, but I could just picture myself being paralyzed with fear at the top of the climb, and not being able to get down. Not the height... not making a fool of myself... in the end, my enemy was fear itself.

Crazy.

I can't wait to go again!

: )

( Funny story: Kwai Guy was texting this girl that he was planning to ask-out to Prom... and whenever something beeped, he was like "Is that my phone?". At one point he disappeared like kids before mobile phones would disappear while outside to pee... but he was off looking for better reception. Heh. )

罂粟的夢。

When I was attending BYU, I took 3½ years of Mandarin ( three years of language and a semester of calligraphy ).

I loved it.

Loved loved loved.

During my first year, I did something quite daring: I signed-up for the year-end speech contest... and instead of reading a passage or something other from some well-known author, I decided to write my own.

I've always loved poetry, and I've written a great deal of it in my life ( though most of it during my youth ), and the idea of writing a poem and *performing* it was more than I could resist.

I prayed over it, and thought over it... wrote and re-wrote it... And then finally performed it.

Prior to the performance, one of the judges pulled me aside and told me how much he loved the poem, and that he would like to have it published back in China ( presumably in some collection of English-speaker-authored poetry ). He then gave me a suggestion on the last line which I smiled at ( then dismissed... I liked it as-is... I'm stubborn that way ).

After the contest, I put the poem aside. My life had become VERY BUSY, and I forgot about the poem for a while. When I went to look for it, I couldn't find it. Every year or so, I'd think about the poem and dig through all of my old paperwork — to no avail.

Fast forward 12 years... I'm returning from church the week before last, and I walk into my store room. I just stand there and look at all the boxes of books waiting for my shelves to be built ( I do this a lot... not having my books out on shelves is really hard on me ). And I think to myself, spying a box filled with old Franklin planners, "I wish I knew whatever happened to that poem". I go to the box, pull out a binder with 1994's archives, and let it fall open.

And there she is.

My poem.

God heard my prayer, and gave me a gift... Even now, my eyes well-up with tears to think of God's tender mercies.

It's such a small thing, really... to Him. But it was a perfect gift for me. I can't really ever repay Him... but I think all He really wants is my honest gratitude. And what better way to thank Him, than to share His twice-over gift with others. So it is with joy that I finally present my little poem about fireflies and August skies...

罂粟的夢

在罂粟中間、
我静静地躺。
看夜募降臨
停! 聽星星唱。
看螢火虫慢慢地飞
分享星星的舞劇。

I hope you like it.

In passing, though, I should mention that after 12 years, my Mandarin has faltered a bit, and I had to turn to my dear friend Cam, whose Mandarin is impeccable. He helped me publish it here by providing the pinyin. Thanks Cam! You're a super-star!

Up a Creek with a Paddle

So I went kayaking on Wednesday. It was my first time... it was great.

Early Dude — a friend of mine from the ward — took me up to Mountain Dell Reservoir, east of Salt Lake City. It was an amazing day... not too warm, and beautiful blue skies, punctuated by clouds just thick enough to keep everything comfortable. The water was mirror-like. Absolutely amazing.

I think I'm hooked.