Girl Cooties

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

5 Other Places

While I love Nine Moons (and even visit By Common Consent and Times & Seasons, from time to time), I must admit that my life online doesn't revolve around the Bloggernacle™. In fact, of the eight or so hours a day I spend online (work, mostly), I'd say only a few precious moments each morning are spent among the saints. What, pray tell, could possibly tempt me away from the iron-alloy rod? Well … lemme tell you. I won't bore you with a list of all 600+ feeds in my newsreader. Instead, I'll just hand pick a few gems:

1001 Rules for My Unborn Son — part of a larger library of "daddy" and "dude" sites I follow (Cool Tools, The Art of Manliness), 1001 Rules is a delightful compendium of wisdom, wit (ahem), and music. Start at the beginning.

TED Talks — I love having my world view challenged (occasionally). These folks who bill themselves as "ideas worth spreading", offer "riveting talks by remarkable people". And they do it with charm and panache. My favorite? A must-watch 15 minute talk on the Liberal and Conservative mindsets.

Cute Overload — sometimes kittens (or puppies, or something else, entirely) are just what the doctor ordered for a bad day. Be sure to check out the Rules of Cuteness.

Front Porch Republic (found via the inimitable Russell Fox) — I am, most of all, a political creature. As a child, I dreamt of being king of a small, sovereign state carved out of Montana (apparently I wasn't alone). But practical considerations suggested I work within the system. The folks at FPP write much that resonates with the best of me. I think they may resonate with you, too.

Player-vs-Player (a close second would have been Looking for Group) — online comics are my guilty pleasure. And PvP is the best-written, best-drawn, geekiest, and funniest of them all. No need to start at the beginning, you can catch-up with the character bios. Or just buy a t-shirt.

NB: This post is cross-posted from 5 Other Places, at Nine Moons. Please join us over there to comment!

A Very Gay Transcript

A heads-up: a web/e-mail friendly transcript of the Very Gay Podcast is available at my YouPublish site: A Very Gay Transcript. It’s available (like the podcast itself) for anyone to use, under a Creative Commons license.

That is all.

A Totally Gay Podcast

I was recently interviewed by Nine Moons founder Rusty Clifton about my being gay and active in the church — and about California's Proposition 8. If you've got 45 minutes, give it a listen…

Listen to the podcast…

NB: This post is cross-posted from Nine Moons: A Totally Gay Podcast, please join us over there to comment!

Meme: Things I've Done

Caught this meme from Andi, over at A Random Sampling. It's pretty easy — just copy the list and embolden the items that you've done in your life…

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (yes! … love trains!)
    
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (no … but I've picked-up several)
    
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (it’s called a “personal day”)
    
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (no… but I've held a cougar and petted a dolphin)
    
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (oh, but I'd love to!)
    
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt — and I've seen the original geyser (in Iceland) erupt, too!
    
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (no… but in the snow, yes)
    
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (a long time ago … they don't let me any more)
    
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (oops!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (no… but I have been to the Jefferson)
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (not that I know of)
    
90. Sat on a jury (no, dammit … and I wanna know why!)
    
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (there's only one dude who's had a baby, and I'm not him)
    
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (splashed in it!)
    
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Now, on all the visited this and thats … well, I've not done a lot of the things they've asked about, but I have visited: most of the 50 states, Tiajuana, four Canadian provinces, England, Iceland, Denmark, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand. Not bad, if you ask me.

:)

I Am Not Like Mr Wurfel

I'm not… I'm not… I'm not!



But something about this animated short struck a chord in me.

Portrait of the Artist as a Pseudonym

I've posted online under the "Silus Grok" pseudonym for years and years — and will likely continue to do so indefinitely. But a couple months ago, I started to think about getting a "self portrait" done, in order to flesh-out (so to speak) my online brand. And that's when I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a talented illustrator by the name of Jesse Ewing.

He and I have had fun over the last month going back and forth as the project progressed (see how it all came together in a Flickr set I've created for the portrait). And the final was just what I had hoped for!

And for the record: No. It doesn't look like the flesh-and-blood me — what use would a pseudonym be if I slapped it on a picture of me? Besides, I've always loved playing dress-up… and this is almost as fun.

Meme: Let's Talk Missions

So I came across the missionary meme over at Connor Boyack's blog.

Here's the gist:

1. Answer Three Questions
2. Ask Someone the Golden Question, then Return & Report
3. Tag Someone

The Three Questions

Did you serve a mission, and where? — Yes, I did. I served in the Canada Montréal Mission from 1990 – 1992.

What was your best missionary experience? — My favorite? Wow. That's a tough one. When I think of my mission, I realize that I did a lot of good work, but my memories are largely of places and people, not events. But a couple of memories swim to the top: one was of me sitting in a burka lounger in the home of a long-time investigator. She had been kind enough to feed us that evening, and a snow storm was pretty much keeping us off the roads. My companion was on the couch or something, but had zonked-out (that guy could sleep anywhere). So it was just she and I chatting about the gospel, about her life, and about context. How it all fit together. The snow was falling outside, and it was just she, me, and the Spirit.

Many months later, not long after I returned home, I received a letter from the mission office informing me that she had been baptized. I wept with joy. I still weep with joy whenever I think of it.

Who is the most missionary-oriented leader you have ever had? — This is a really odd question. I don't quite get its purpose. But the first person I thought of was my trainer. He was a hard (and smart!) worker, yet hadn't seen much in the way of numerical success during his time in the field. But his testimony of the work was evident in everything he did. Especially how he loved me. He was missionary-oriented. He was me-oriented. I was a better missionary and am a better person because of his love and guidance.

The Golden Question

Sorry, folks. I leave the Golden Questions to the full-time missionaries. But I still have the missionary spirit, and love to share my testimony — here on my blog; in my dealings with members of the Church; and with the people whom the Lord's placed in my path. But in every instance, it's an organic expression of faith that is both time- and place-appropriate. So I'm going to take a pass on this 'un.

Tagging

If you're reading this, you're tagged.

Meme: Getting to Know You

Annegb, in a post at Mormon Mentality, asked everyone to answer a few questions… so I did:

1. How did you come by your handle? — "Silus" is a variant of the Biblical name "Silas"; "Grok" means "to understand fully or completely", and is used in the software world. I wanted to pay homage to my own religious surname, and my deep-seated desire to understand.
2. How did you find the bloggernacle, what drew you to blogging? — I came across a post at Times & Seasons years ago, and I've enjoyed it immensely. I've been moved to tears many times, and have learned much. I've even had my mind changed on a number of fronts.
3. Where were you born, are you LDS, were you raised in the church, how do you characterize yourself? — I was born Spokane, Washington. I grew-up in a home, and not in the Church. And while I attended Church with my sister from the get-go, I wasn't allowed to join until I was 8. My family, however, is not LDS. I consider myself to be a faithful latter-day saint (though others probably disagree).
4. Do you have a college degree? — I attended BYU for four years, but fell-in with a bad crowd towards the end and co-founded a software company. I didn't finish my degree… but had I, it would likely have been in Political Science with a minor in one of the languages I've studied (French, Mandarin, Danish).
5. Are you married? Kids? — Single. No children.
6. Where do you live? — I live in Salt Lake City, just four blocks from the Temple in a loft overlooking Pioneer Park.
7. Favorite:
   • Food — my favorite thing to eat is chili with lots of saltine crackers. My favorite thing to cook is roasted, brined pork chop served on savory French toast and topped with a sweet onion chutney (recipe).
   • Color — orange, though red comes in a very close second.
   • Movie — Phenomenon, Sixth Sense, Swing Kids, Twelve Angry Men, Charade, Lord of the Rings… ad nauseum.
   • Book — Gaia, Seeds of Change, anything by Wendell Berry or Neil Postman, Blankets, The Naked Ape, Lord of the Rings, This Time of Darkness… ad nauseum.
   • TV show — Heroes.
   • Blog — mine.
8. What is your most embarrassing moment? — I was about 14 or so and on a camping trip with the scouts, and we were encamped by a river. I decided I wanted to go skinny-dipping, so I snuck-off to find a nice place on the river for a dip. I found a place that looked good, dropped trou, and walked into the river… but it never deepened. I was out in the middle of the river when I heard guys from the troop approaching so I ran back to shore and got dressed. No one caught me, but I was still absolutely abashed.
9. What's your pet peeve? — drivers who tailgate and people who talk on their mobiles in public — especially those that use their mobiles while going through check-out stands.

And what about you?

Meme: 5 & 8

So... the "five things you don't know about me" has been going around for a while (Matt Asay, most recently)... and now there's an "eight things" that's just sprouted in the gay Mormon blogs ( aka, among the MoHos ). I saw it last night on Abelard's blog, then this morning on Gimple's blog and over at Gay LDS Actor's pad.

So I'm gonna combine them…

1. Silus Grok isn't my real name — oh, wait, you knew that. Okay... no one in my life calls me by the name I was given at birth. Not even my mom.
2. I've thrown up just four times in my life (not counting the stuff everyone does as a baby/toddler)...
3. The one and only time I've kissed a girl was when I was in fifth grade — on a dare — and it was gross. This is not one of the times I've thrown up.
   
4. I'm afraid of stairs — not a phobia, by any measure, but still… I've fallen or been pushed down more flights of stairs than I would care to admit.
5. I'm the youngest of nine children, three of whom I first met at my dad's funeral, and two of whom I've never met.
6. In high school, I was voted by my peers the most likely to be kidnapped by terrorists — and the faculty and staff voted me one of the most influential students.
7. In the last few months I've been in the paper or on the TV news five times. All positive... and only twice for the same issue.
8. My favorite smell — hands-down — is roadkill skunk.

As usual, drop a comment if you happen to pick-up the meme… MoHos do eight, everyone else does five.

:)

Update: Looks like this isn't the first time I've caught this meme. They say memory is the first thing to go...

Meme: Three Wishes

So Rusty, of Nine-Moons fame, recently pitched a new meme... and I couldn't help myself.

"Imagine you met a real life genie that offered you three wishes. Assuming those wishes would come true what would you wish for? (You must also assume 1) the real consequences to your wishes and 2) your wishes can’t interfere with other people’s agency and 3) they fall within the laws of science and 4) you can’t change the past)"

So without further ado, I give you my three wishes:

1. That I could be a better brother/uncle/son.
2. That my hopes for gays in the Church would be realized.
3. That my business ventures pay off.

How's about you?

Meme: Five Things You Didn't Know About Me

Devin over at MidMarketMaven tagged me with this meme.

So blame him.

1. I was called fat, growing up. And I believed them. I started holding my stomach in at age 8. I look back, though, at pictures of me then and I wasn't fat.

2. I was also called a "fag" and a "homo". I didn't believe them. Zero for two.

3. My mom and I used to dream of getting snowed-in — how wonderful it would be. And it happened to us the winter of 1993. On the same week-end. I was an accountant at a ski resort in California's Sierra Nevada, and she was living in the woods north of Spokane, Washington.

4. I am afraid of stairs. I have fallen or have been pushed down enough flights to warrant the fear.

5. I am a proud product of the Head Start program.

I tag the two or three people reading this.

A Rose by any Other Name

This is a post about my brother.

You see, I realized a while back that he didn't know about this blog, but thought he'd enjoy seeing me in this setting, so I decided I should send him a couple links... but I got caught-up in work and whatnot, and didn't get around to it until a day or two back... and that's when it hit me: I don't think I've ever mention him here.

It's not strange, really: I live in a small universe of family, friends, loved-ones, and pretenders... so I couldn't possibly be expected to mention everyone. But he's my brother... and you'd think he'd come up more often. But that's just it: as much as I love and respect him, our planets swing wide of each other... We're Saturn and Jupiter: coming into each other's lives infrequently but not insignificantly.

Anyway.

But now that he's here... what shall we call him? The Crow's Nest is nony-less, so he definitely needs a nick. Sure, my sister T is just "T"... but that wouldn't do for him. Nope: he needs a full-on handle.

So I call T, and ask if he had any nicknames growing up.

[ Pregnant Pause ]

"I don't think so."

We laugh.

"Why don't you call mom?"

"Okay... I'll call you back with the scoop!"

[ Hang-up ]

[ Dial Mom ]

"Hey mom... "

[ Pops the Question ]

Mom then proceeds to give me a nickname that I'm pretty certain had never seen the light of day until that very moment. Mom's funny that way.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious... T and I were talking and we couldn't remember if he ever had a nickname..."

Mom said something and I returned: "Well, he was always grown up."

"That's not true! Why he had asthma when he was a kid and he decided to join track ( "Track?!" T would later exclaim "He was never in track!" "Yes, he was... I remember the pictures, and thinking how cool it was that he was in track..." "Oh. I don't remember any of that..." ) and he would come in last during every race... and I asked him why he stuck with it, and he told me that 'someone has to come in last and it might as well be me...'."

[ Pause ]

"Mom: that's the definition of being grown-up."

[ Pause ]

"A'ight, mom, I've gotta jet... and you're driving... talk to you later, love you!"

So yeah: no childhood nicknames to speak of.

Of course, I could mine our lives for something...

I don't know how your mind works, but mine is filled with two types of memories: the crystal-clear snapshots/videos of moments or recordings of things said; and then the vague collections of sentiments ( "I don't remember what happened, but I remember feeling... " ).

Of the latter sort, I "remember" how much I looked up to him growing up, and feared him... not the fear you have of an enemy, but the fear you have of a parent or an authority figure: he was the Hand of God ( T, by comparison, was always the tender embrace of a savior — when she wasn't pushing me down stairs ). I also "remember" how much I stood in awe of him. I "remember" how much I bragged about him to my friends. I "remember" thinking how brave he was — that he was the paragon of manhood.

Of the former sort, I have maybe a dozen memories from my childhood: a winter ( back when it actually use to snow ), when he built a "pillow" of snow that we all jumped into from our second-story deck; he and his friend teasing me as I tried frantically to get a pre-pubescent itch in my shorts taken care of; him playing catch with me in the backyard and me wincing, closing my eyes, and squealing when the ball hit me... and him saying that I'd do better if I opened my eyes, with me replying that I'd open my eyes if he'd stop throwing things at me; him "stress testing" my Lego creations and then teaching me about sound building processes, until — once mastered — I could barely get them apart when I wanted to; him out in the back yard, chopping the heads off of scores of chickens, with the occasional one running about ( lurp! lurp! lurp! ) without its head — leaving a trail of blood in circles behind it on the lawn; him teaching me the difference between being "scared" and being "startled" — and that men got "startled"; playing hide-and-seek with him ( oft-times without his actually knowing ) by hiding in the middle shelf of the linen closet, or on the top bunk under a sheet and practicing breathing without moving my chest; and, finally, a wonderful road trip when he drove me from Spokane to Pasadena to see T... with lunch at a hat-shaped A&W on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, a stop to take a picture of a sign declaring that we had just passed the half-way point between the North Pole and the Equator, waking-up in the middle of the night in a blizzard in a forest and him telling me that he thought it would be cool to show me Crater Lake but that he hadn't expected the late spring storm, driving through the wasteland of Klamath Falls, and then dropping into Sacramento Valley and seeing the smog and thinking we must be really close to Los Angeles.

( Okay, I take it back: I apparently have more memories than I thought... they just needed a little prodding. But I'll stop here, as I'm considerate of my audience. )

But someone is not just a tangle of memories — sweet, sour, and occasionally just-plain-odd ) — they're also the echoes of those memories: the tug-and-pull they have on you when they're nowhere to be seen. My brother is no different... he's the voice in my head urging me beyond mediocrity... my cupid when I first fell in-love with computers ( though his love was always computers-as-puzzles, and mine was always computers-as-tools ). In fact, I credit him as a very real contributor to my current life as a former software company co-founder, and now a computer-aided designer.

So this brings me back to the beginning... what shall we call him?

Flash? Jupiter? Coach? Jove? ... Nah.

I think I'll keep it simple...

"Brother" ... with a capital "B".

So welcome to my blog, Brother!

Meme: My Last Day

Over at Zachv's blog, he ponders his last day... which got me to thinking: If I knew that today was my last day to live — and with the constraints of my current reality (what's in my bank account, and who's in my life currently) — what would I do?

Assuming that I learn of my fate early in the morning, so that I have the entire day:


MORNING

I'd take a personal day at work... but would e-mail my business partner my computer's password, so that he could get to everything on the hard drive. I'd set-up a delayed e-mail to everyone in my address book with the news of my fate, my testimony of the Restored Gospel, and my appreciation for the myriad kindnesses that I've enjoyed — and I'd ask forgiveness of anything I may have done to hurt their feelings. I'd make sure that my mortgage insurance was in order, and that my sister was the beneficiary. I'd call-up Boy Wonder and insist on an early-evening date to the Kyoto restaurant for sushi. I'd clean the house and do my wash and fold everything... and I'd order flowers — a large arrangement of white star-of-bethlehem or a few dozen orange gerbera daisies — to brighten-up the condo. I love flowers.


AFTERNOON

I'd visit Åse and her husband from the ward. We'd talk about her family and I'd try my hand at a crossword puzzle... then I'd call Captain K and see if he was free for lunch. He probably wouldn't be, but we'd chat for a while and joke about stuff going on in the ward. I'd then go up to the H-House. It would probably be empty... but I'd let myself in and I'd look around for Daniel or Bryan or Sameth. They're all normally busy during the day, so I'd leave each of them a note on their beds. Op! Time to get home and let the flower boy in.

After that, I'd go for a drive — probably around by Park City.


EVENING

Date with Boy Wonder... afterwards, we'd talk and snuggle for a while, then I'd send him home.

Call mom, sis, bro, and grandpa. We'd talk about nothing, and I'd be sure to tell each of them how much I love them. Call Steve, David, and Adam... we'd also talk about nothing, and I'd be sure to tell each of them how much I love them — how each of them made my life so much the better. Then, in the morning, they'd get the news that I'd died... and our last conversation had been happy and not filled with all sorts of weirdness.

I'd write a short note and leave it on my bedside table.

Shower and change into fresh bed clothes. Read a little from the Book of Mormon. Say my prayers, crack the windows open and go to sleep.

If today were your last, what would you do?

Happy (Late) Valentine's Day!

So... I hope you had a great Valentine's Day.

Oh, me? Well, thank you for asking...

I rented a car Tuesday morning to make the evening a little special (not to mention comfortable). I got a Jeep Liberty (which seemed appropriate, as we were going over the mountain to Park City for dinner)... Anyway, I left work early to run errands, and discovered that the car smelled of wet cigarettes (ew!)... so while I was out and about, I swapped-out the rental ( a little silver Jeep Liberty ) for a car that didn't have the added feature of causing nausea ( a little black Jeep Liberty ). Then I rushed home and straightened-up the place a bit and changed clothes.

A little after 6:30 he called to say that he was 10 minutes out... so I hopped downstairs to the Italian market and purchased a couple of fancy-schmancy sodas for the road, and a handful of Italian candies ( two "kisses" and to "devil's balls" ).

Anyway, my date gets cold easily, so I put a sheep's skin throw ( I've got several — I love those things! ) on his seat, and brought down a nice lap blanket that I purchased in Iceland... in case he got cold. When he arrived, the car was ready, and a mixed-CD that I'd burned especially for the drive to Park City was in the player... So we climbed in and hit the road. It was a lovely drive, and he held my hand most of the way... which really made my evening. We chatted about all sorts of things — school and work and life — and when we arrived, we walked to the restaurant (Café Terigo) holding hands.

I don't much care for kissing in public (regardless of orientation), but I love holding hands. Love love love it.

Dinner was nice... an opener of coconut-crusted shrimp with a vinegar dipping sauce, a shared pasta papparadelle with chicken sausage, and a shared chocolate crème brullée ( I've decided that I don't like crème brullée... this was a perfect specimen, but I just don't like the caramel shell... anyway... ). After dinner, we walked Park City's Main Street, holding hands and chatting — and popping into the occasional art gallery that was still open. We then drove around looking at the big homes before heading down the mountain.

Back at my place, we came-up to my loft, where we talked and cuddled... then I gave him a small gift and sent him home before it got too late (and before I got too caught-up in the moment to mind my Ps & Qs).

So there you have it... a perfect evening with an amazing guy. Needless to say, I was on cloud nine for some time after he left. Yeah, I know that I'm a hopeless romantic... but that's okay by me.

Meme: Four in the Morning

I got the idea from my good friend Listless Lawyer, who is continuing the Four in the Morning meme from somewhere else.

As usual, if you decide to pick-up on the meme, leave a comment!

Four Places You’ve Lived

• Spokane, Washington


• Clovis, California


• Cap Rouge, Québec


• Salt Lake City, Utah

Four Jobs You’ve Had In Your Life

• Baker's Assistant (It was a nice place when the baker wasn't drunk, his son wasn't pouting, and his wife wasn't high on weight-loss drugs.)


• Bag Boy (I still can't get over being told that I was too helpful.)


• Shoe Salesman (I still can't get over being told that I was too helpful... yeah, I know!)


• Bill Collector (I understood why "helpful" wasn't what they wanted here, though.)

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over (and Over and Over)

• It's a Wonderful Life


• Sixth Sense


• Phenomenon


• Rear Window

Four TV Shows You Love To Watch

• West Wing


• House


• Lost


• Battlestar Galactica

Four Places You’ve Been on Vacation

• Copenhagen, Denmark


• Reykjavik, Iceland


• London, UK


• New York City, USA

Four Websites You Visit Daily

• Salt Lake City Tribune


• Cute Overload


• For Better or For Worse


• PVP Online

Four of Your Favorite Foods

• Saag Paneer


• Wasabi Peas


• Sushi


• Butternut Squash Soup

Four Places You’d Rather Be

• Fez, Morocco


• New Zealand


• Boston


• With Friends

Four Albums You Can’t Live Without Adore

• Soundtrack: Brokeback Mountain


• Squirrel Nut Zippers: Hot


• Andrew Bird: Swimming Hour


• Soundtrack: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Four People to Tag With This Meme

• The three people reading this... and one of their friends.

A Quick Update

So, I'm in Florida... I delivered a car to my friend and his wife. This has been my first cross-country road trip (I'll post more later), and I'm loving it!

Anyway, I'll be back at work Wednesday.

I Am a Fancy Parker

So over at AskMefi, someone asked why some people back into a stall (fancy park). Among the responses was a link to this great site... which explains in way too much detail what fancy parking is.

My response:

I back-in to avoid backing out.

When I'm parking, I'm in the flow of traffic, and know what's going-on around me... but when I'm leaving a stall, it's almost impossible to see what's going-on as I back out. So I back-in to give me safer sight-lines upon departure. Well, that, and it's easier to maneuver backing-in... so it's easier to center the car in its stall.

A New Nest for Silus

Well, it's been remarkably quiet here... and mostly because I've been so focused on my biggest shiny thing to date: a new condo.

I've sold my condo in Provo, and closed last night on a nice new pad in downtown Salt Lake City. It wasn't a smooth ride by any stretch of the imagination... but every step of the way Heavenly Father was there, clearing the way. I've said it before, and it bears repeating: I live a charmed life. I am truly blessed.

I'd like to thank all my friends who kept me in their thoughts and prayers... It was very much appreciated.

Pictures and details to follow.

: )

Meme: The Game

So a good friend of mine e-mailed me last week with a chain-mail thingy.

I realize that "good friend" and "chain-mail" are oft-considered mutually-exclusive statements... but this was an exception. It's really not revolutionary, but it's a nice way to get to know people.

So here goes... 32 questions, and almost as many answers:

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7am


2. Diamonds or pearls? I love pearls, but men can't get away with wearing them. * sigh *


3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Charlie & the Chocolate Factory... well, all but the last 20 minutes, when there was a bomb/fire scare at the cinema.


4. What is your favorite TV show? LOST


5. What is the last book you read or are reading? I'm baby-sitting this week, and I've borrowed Harry Potter & the Half-blood Prince (don't tell my mother).


6. What did you have for breakfast? Cereal.


7. What is your middle name? Um...


8. What is your favorite cuisine? Southeast Asian (Thai, Vietnamese), with Indian a close second... followed by Italian and Japanese.


9. What foods do you dislike? I don't think that I'd care for eyeballs or testicles... and I hated the way my mom cooked asparagus. But that's not the asparagus' fault.


10. What is your favorite crisp (chips)? Lime Doritos. * drool *


11. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I don't have a favorite CD (see music meme), but I just purchased Queen's "Classic Queen", and that's getting a lot of play.


12. What kind of car do you drive? Oh, sure, make fun of the guy in the Saturn why don’t ya? (An apt, but direct rip-off, from my friend who sent this to me... and for the record, M, they're not making fun of the Saturn. They're making fun of the giant Puerto Rican flag dice dangling from your mirror.)


13. Favorite sandwich? Bacon, avocado, and roast beef, from Provo's Red Deli (801 356 SUBS — they deliver!).


14. Characteristics you despise in people? The same I despise in myself, mostly.


15. Favorite items of clothing? My bow ties... and my Allen Edmonds shoes.


16. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Spring: Morocco; Summer: Iceland or New Zealand (I like cold islands); Fall: Boston; Winter: Québec City.


17. What color is your bathroom? I just sold my bathroom, and am buying a new one... hopefully in this cute little loft in downtown, Salt Lake... and that bathroom will be persimmon.


18. Favorite brand of clothing? I don’t know, taupe?


19. Where would you retire to? I'll sleep when I'm dead.


20. Favorite time of the day? Early mornings.


21. What was your most memorable birthday? Last year... kidnapped for breakfast, followed by a lunch date, and then dinner out with one of my best friends and his wife (who is, perhaps, my favorite woman in the world, outside of family).


22. Where were you born? Spokane, Washington.


23. Favorite Olympic sport to watch? Men's figure skating, men's swimming, men's gymnastics, men's luge, men's bobsled, curling, and kayak. I just realized that I don't like watching women's sporting events... though I do like to root for the US softball team. Hm.


24. What fabric detergent do you use? I don't use soap unless I have really soiled clothes. I know, that may sound gross... but try it: water is the universal solvent.


25. Coke, Pepsi or Mr Pibb? Ew.


26. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I'm a morning person.


27. Shoes size: 7.5


28. Do you have any pets? I have two kitties. Well, at least until I move, when kitty two will be returned to the breeder, and kitty one will be looking for a new home. I know... I'm a little sad, too. Would you like a lap cat?


29. Latest purchase? Arby's.


30. Name four things that remind you of childhood: the pooh-bear my mom made for me for my second Christmas (yes, I still have him... shut-up!), fog, bark mulch, and seeing boys enjoying time with their fathers.


31. You can never have enough or too many of? Insight.


32. When is your Birthday? When I fill out profiles, it's Aug 24, 1976.

Pass the baton: if any of you pick-up the baton, let me know, and I'll be sure to list you here.

: )