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.

:)

Of Good Report, 7 | The Good News

I though that I might talk about my Mac… or my iPhone — great (amazing!) tools I use day in and out. I thought I might talk about the Farmers Market, which I attend faithfully every Saturday morning. And I thought about mentioning Enterprise car rentals, whose presence in my neighborhood allows me to forgo car ownership… I thought of all these things, but none of them seemed a proper ending to this series.

No, in all honesty, only one thing really and truly warrants mentioning: the gospel of Jesus Christ. It fills me with hope, it gives me direction… and on the rare occasion when I think I can't take another day, the gospel reminds me that I can — that life is good and that I am loved.

Life is amazing, and it's too easy to dwell on the potholes when what we really need to be focusing on is the view. Thank you for staying with me through the series!

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, 6 | Music

I've loved music from a very early age… mom even says that I danced before I walked. So it's no surprise that with school came jazz choir and stints in a couple musicals and that church brought Sunday morning choir practice… nor that I was the first in my school to listen to this or that group, or that much of my allowance went into vinyl. Music touches my mind and heart in a way that nothing else can.

Today, my iTunes library comprises nearly 6000 songs (all legal), and it continues to grow as I come across new artists. Below, I've selected a few artists / albums that I think are particularly interesting / talented / obscure…

Wikipedia Article | Album on iTunes

Andrew Bird | The Swimming Hour


Beirut | Gulag Orkestar


The Boy Least Likely To | The Best Party Ever


Dodos | Visiter


Hairspray | Soundtrack


The Innocence Mission | We Walked in Song


The Jayhawks | Rainy Day Music (Album Not on iTunes)


Kings of Convenience | Riot on an Empty Street


Koop | Koop Islands


Lhasa | La Llorona (Album Not on iTunes)


M. Ward | Transistor Radio


The Magnolia Electric Co | Trials & Errors


The Mollies (MySpace) | My Sentiments Have Just Begun
Local Salt Lake Band


Ray Lamontagne | 'Til the Sun Turns Black


Squirrel Nut Zippers | Hot!


They Might Be Giants | No!
One of my favorite albums for children, evah!


Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend (Here's a fun video.)
Heads-up: Light smattering of f-bombs.


Ojos de Brujo | Techari


Okkervil River | Black Sheep Boy


Ollabelle | Ollabelle


Once | Soundtrack


Over the Rhine | Snow Angels
Perhaps the best original Christmas music since the 50s.


Pink Martini | Sympathique


Pizzicato Five | Music Is Organized by Sound
Japanese Hipster Music

I hope you find something wonderful among these two dozen artists — something that inspires or delights you. Please let me know if you do.

And that's today's good report: music I love.

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, 5 | Flowers

Flowers. I meant to run over to Roots today, but got distracted. I'll have to stop in tomorrow, after Farmers Market.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for flowers… my childhood home had flower beds galore, and my (extremely) sensitive nose continues to find respite in their heady, organic scents. So I take the time to have cut flowers in my home. When I'm on a roll, I'll have fresh arrangements every other week (less frequently when I can pull long-lasting blooms from a wilting arrangement and repurpose them)… when I'm off my game, it's every other month. And it's worth the effort. The small bundles of beauty moderate my moods and bring sparkle to my home life… well worth the "pizza money" I'm foregoing.

I guess it's a matter of priorities. I spend money on things that are important to me: flowers, a maid, long-lasting shoes, books, my friends, and philanthropy. And I'm unapologetic. I've heard it said that one of the best tools for teaching our children what they should value is by our example in the management of our discretionary funds. If I had children, I'd be proud to let have them walk with me across the park to the little brick flower shop… they'd get a handful of Skittles from the candy jar on the counter while we waited for Rachel or one of her gals to work a little magic. Then we'd bounce back across the street with a fresh arrangement for our home.

* sigh *

Yeah… I'm definitely getting some flowers tomorrow.

Flowers are definitely something of 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, 4 | Downtown Living

I love living downtown. I love that my grocer, my baker, my florist, the fish monger, and the guys at the deli all know my name. That they notice when I've been away. I've said it before: living downtown in more like living in a small town than living in the wastelands of suburbia ever could be. And it's not just my neighbors that I love … I love my home (photos). All 576 square feet of it. It's mine — every inch. Sure, it would easily fit in many of y'alls living rooms. But it's all the space I need. I won't lie: I've thought about buying the unit next door, and combining the two (1100 square feet! woot!) … but the thought seldom lasts. What would I do with all that space? No… I think I'll keep it right where it is.

Living small is where it's at. It forces you to edit … to focus on what delivers, on what's worth the effort — the room! It fosters creativity. Necessity being the mother of invention, and all.

Anyway, that's today's good report: living small is where it's at!

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, 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, 2 | Lone Star Taqueria

Preparing a meal is a magical act… and this is because food is a perfect conductor of both love and neglect. That is why it's such a delight to find a restaurant that conveys love and not neglect. Lone Star Taqueria is one such place…



I discovered the taqueria via the ever-useful, always charming blog Your Heart Out, who mentioned the shop this afternoon — just as I was leaving the office, and most susceptible to talk of food. So it's no surprise that I soon found myself in Fort Union (of all places!), on the hunt for a fresh food find.

You can do it, to, of course… they're easy to find:

Lone Star Taqueria
2265 Fort Union Blvd.
Cottonwood Heights, Utah
(801) 944-2300

The food is delightful… flavorful without being bald, subtle without being bland. The service is quick and chipper. The menu has English translations. And the ambiance is 100% authentic fun — not to be confused with places where the minions wear "flair".

And there you go: today's good report.

Psst… check out my photos from my maiden voyage!

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.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger… Videos

So I'm online some 12 hours a workday, so you shouldn't be surprised that I see more than my fair share of videos… and it's always fun when you see a trend develop.

Let's first start with the song: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (iTunes), by Daft Punk.

I first heard the song last year I think, on a video put out by a French inventor:




But the real fun started, I believe, when a couple of girls decided to be living lyrics:




… and then a couple guys responded:




… of course the Simpsons picked it up:




… but I think these two killed it off, well-and-good:




Only to have these two kids breathed new life into it:




It's kind of gone full circle.

Kinda.

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?

Go Wild!

The Wildlife Conservation Society — who own and operate New York City's zoos and aquarium — are hoping to capitalize on the avatar craze in its outreach efforts. Yes, it's a bald marketing gimmick… but it's a fun, bald, marketing gimmick.

So what are you waiting for? Build your wild self!

Meme: Food Druthers

It's not exactly a meme until you take it and run with it, but the folks over at Serious Eats inspired me with this question: regarding food, what are few of your like-more-thans?

I Like _________ More Than _________ .

• savory… sweet
• rare… well-done
• al dente… soft
• cooked… raw
• local… shipped
• artisinal… industrial

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.

I voted! (With Updates)

Have you?

I'm in district 2228, and I voted at the Multi-ethnic Senior Highrise, at 120 South 200 West — the pink building behind the Salt Palace:

US Senate ( At Large ): Pete Ashdown — Lost to Incumbant, *mumble*
US House ( District 1 ): Steve Olsen — Lost to Incumbant, *mumble*

State Senate ( District 2 ): Scott McCoy — Won

County Council ( At Large ): Janice Auger — Lost to Incumbant, Jim Bradley
County Clerk: Sherrie Swensen — Won
County Sheriff: Jim Winder — Won

District Attorney: Sim Gill — Lost to Lohra Miller
Judiciary: NO on Leslie A. Lewis — Austed

Constitutional Amendment Number 1 ( Tax Exemption ): FOR — Passed

Salt Lake County Prop 1 ( ZAP Projects ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 2 ( Open Space ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 3 ( TRAX & Transit ): FOR — Passed

And while I was there, I shot a few snapshots for the AIGA Polling Place Photo Project.

PS... If you're in Salt Lake County, the County Clerk's elections website is really really helpful.

Meme: Four Things

Sorry about two meme posts in a row... but a dear friend ( whose Batman Begins I'm holding for ransom ) just sent me this... so I couldn't resist:

A. Four jobs I have had in my life:

Baker's assistant
Bag-boy
Bill collector
Software interface designer

B. Four movies I would watch over and over.

Young Sherlock Holmes
Lord of the Rings Trilogy ( I II III )
A Man for All Seasons
Spirited Away

C. Four places I have lived

Spokane, WA
East LA, CA
Québec City, PQ
Provo, UT

( Check-out my "Places I've Lived" map at Platial )

D. Four TV shows I love to watch

Project Runway
Prison Break
Psych
Eureka ( I found this one on iTunes )

E. Four places I have been on vacation

Copenhagen, Denmark
Banff, Canada
Reykjavik, Iceland
San Francisco, USA

F. Four Websites I visit daily: ( I have 400 feeds in my newsreader... but you want just four... )

Metafilter
Times & Seasons
Ideas in Food
Utah Centralist

G. Four of my favorite foods:

Pho
Miso soup
Vanilla ice cream served in my famous spicy fruit reduction
Corn dogs

H. Four places I'd rather be right now:

Stockholm, Sweden
Boston, USA
Beijing, China
Isfahan, Iran

I. Four friends I think will respond:

Hehe... this is a trick question, right?

Meme: The One Book

I caught this little meme from my good, but sadly distant friend, the Listless Lawyer:

Excluding the books of my faith: The Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, the book of Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

1. One book that changed your life:

Home from Nowhere, by James Howard Kunstler

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:

It's rare that I read a book twice... but I do recall reading The Man Who Planted Trees, by Jean Gionno a couple times.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:

No book could possibly replace the warm touch of another human being...

4. One book that made you laugh:

That Distant Land, by Wendell Berry — though, to be fair, it also made me cry and rejoice and mourn and a million other things.

Man. I love Wendell Berry

5. One book that made you cry:

Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner

6. One book you wish had been written:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by JK Rowling

7. One book you wish had never been written:

I can't think of any book that I wish had not been written.

8. One book you’re currently reading:

Nicholas, by René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:

Call of the Mall, by Paco Underhill

10. Tag others: If you’re reading this, consider yourself tagged.

technorati tags:
• blogger
• the crows nest
• silus grok
• meme
• one book
• listless lawyer
• scripture
• old testament
• new testament
• book of mormon
• doctrine and covenants
• pearl of great price
• home from nowhere
• james howard kunstler
• the man who planted trees
• jean gionno
• desert island
• that distant land
• wendell berry
• angle of repose
• wallace stegner
• harry potter and the sorcerer's stone
• jk rowling
• nicholas
• rené goscinny
• jean-jacques sempé
• call of the mall
• paco underhill

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?