Bored

I remember beinga little kid and complaining to my mom in the middle of summer how bored I was. The sun was shining, the streets full of neighborhood kids, and several siblings available for entertainment. That never changed the fact that I was bored. Mom would inevitably tell me to go find something to do and quit bugging her or she'd find something for me to do. Which meant cleaning or some other equally tedious chore. Off I'd go to entertain myself...or bug someone else at least.

Lately, I've been bored. When I get home Bob asks how my day was. My reply, "boring". Someone asks me how I'm doing. My reply, "I'm bored". Well, I don't actually say that becuase how do you respond to that? But that's what I want to say.

My analysis:
I think its started with the colder weather. Its no secret that I hate winter.

Secondly its my school class. I'm in geography (its a required elective for my associates) and it is so boring. The teacher is boring, the subject is boring. Its only redeeming quality is that I only have to suffer through it one night a week.

Then there's work. I have a great job. Good co-workers, good boss. Great perks and benefits, great company. But I'm bored. I sit in a desk all day and do the same thing everyday.

I need some spice, a challenge, a change. Something, anything! I feel for the first time in my life that I'm stuck in a bored rut. Its not a pleasant place to be for someone who is usually lively, talkative and debateably eccentric, at least a little kooky.

I will now take your (and by "your" I mean mom since I guess she's the only one who reads this) suggestions for how to get my oomph back.

I'm Starting a Boycott

I love Halloween. I love to get dressed up- this year I'm a mad scientist! I love seeing other people get dressed up. I like the spooky decorations and the fall leaves and trick-or-treaters and anything else you can think of. Oh! Pumpkin carving, I love carving pumpkins (hint, hint honey) So what could I possibly be boycotting about this time of year. Some of you know. For those that don't please read on.

Trunk-or-treat! What a load of hooey. There are so many things wrong with this.

#1- You can't change a decades old tradition, that's very party-pooper of you.

#2- I have a house of my own for the first time ever, and I want trick-or-treaters. I love seeing the cute little kids in all their costumes. If I had kids of my own I'd want to parade them around and show off how cute they are. And I'd like them to experience one of my favorite childhood holiday traditions.

#3- This is from Bob, and I wholeheartedly agree. You are just making your kids fatter. Yes, the take is usually bigger for trunk-or-treats which kids love. But they are going to eat all that candy and they aren't walking/running around the neighborhood to collect it. As far as I'm concerned trunk-or-treat is the leading cause of childhood obesity in America (at least for the month of October)

#4- It seems that trunk-or-treats occur more frequently in lower income neighborhoods. Perhaps these people think its unsafe to send their kids out. Go with them! You have to be with them at trunk-or-treat anyway, or is it just that you don't want to walk/run around with your kids. So maybe trunk-or-treat is the leading cause of all obesity in America regardless of age.

Please, please, please send your kids out for Halloween. They will have fun, you will have fun. And I will be a happier person.

That is all I have to say. Keep an eye out for my official boycott petition in the mail.

Let me know what you think. Trunk-or-treat, or Trick-or-treat?

S.A.D.

I have some bad news to share. I've been diagnosed (read: in a chain email I saw this and decided it fit my personality quite well) with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Yes, this is a real disease (or mental state, or excuse, take your pick) see link here http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/27.cfm

I hate winter, there isn't a think about it I like. Snow is nice the week of Christmas but I have to say that last Christmas in AZ I didn't particularly miss it, I still enjoyed the lights and presents and music just fine. I don't ski, I don't snowboard. Sure, I could learn, but that costs bucks, and unless someone is willing to donate the money, the equipment, an instructor, and TIME then I will not be learning to ski/board in the foreseeable future, and I'm fine with this because as I mentioned, I hate winter.

Its mostly the cold that gets me though, it can snow all it wants, as long as its above 55 degrees (I am willing to withstand that slight bit of cold just to truly be able to appreciate summer when it finally drags its lazy butt out again) that of course is 55 as a low, not a high. I even quite enjoy the rain. Again, as long as its above 55.

By some unfortunate series of events I was born in Utah. Not southern Utah with the red rock, hiking, Lake Powell, and heat. But the Salt Lake Valley (yes, I really do love it, I'm just in a bit of a funk) Where we get cold (humph) snow (gasp!) and inversion (gag, cough-cough). Somewhere in me there is a beach bum sunbathing on the sandy beaches of wherever.

Here is the depressing, sheltered side of me. I've never been to a beach. Not a real beach anyway. When I was 12ish my family traveled to Fortuna, CA (link too long to post, check out mapquest. BTW if anyone knows how to post a link but have it appear as the text you desire, please let me know) in the winter months, and we played in the water there. It was freezing cold, but we did it anyway because it was the ocean and we were kids.

So one day, hopefully while I still have a youthful physique (sort of) I'd like to visit a nice warm beach with hot sun, blue water, and no day planner to attend to. Until that happens I guess I'll be sitting here in fabulous SLC- where the snow falls, the temperature drops, the inversions settles in, and we're all warned to stay inside for the health of our lungs- waiting for the slow 6 months of winter (October-March it seems some years, yes this might be a bit drastic, but you forget I'm in a funk and apt to rant. And, as far as I'm concerned if its not summer, it's winter) to painfully slug by so that I can again bust out the flip-flops.

Ah, you know me so well. Yes, the flip-flops will certainly be seen before that. I wear them any day the temperature is above 60, or if its just a quick trip somewhere and the weather is dry, or if I'm being defiant and trying to show winter who's boss.

For fabulous flip-flops see the link at the left sidebar.

P.S. Sorry for the blantant mis-use of the parenthesis, that's just how my brain thinks, and I wouldn't want to rob you of the experience of the authentic me.

Wear Your Helmet...You Putz!

I am just as appreciative as the next of the wonderful feeling of the wind through your hair, the sun on your face, and the distresses of helmet hair. However, I like my brains just as they are. I doubt they'd be any more useful spewed out across the pavement.

A little graffic? Perhaps.

In this wonderful state of Utah we have seatbelt laws, carseat laws, and DOT certified helmets. So why is it not law to wear them? WHY?

I can't emphasize enough how disturbing it is to me that so many motorcyclists, scooterists, and cyclists continue to go out on our congested streets. Which, FYI have had more traffic accidents this year than 2005
(see http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,645193259,00.html end of the article for stats).
What would their mothers think?

While I'm on the subject of thinking, no doubt these bare-headed commuters are thinking that they are safe, they follow the rules of the road and drive defensively. In response I'd like to refer you to a recent Deseret News article, http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,645193961,00.html
please note the statement about half way down by Tim Buche. You may be smart (though if you aren't wearing a helmet then you probably aren't) but other drivers aren't.

Maybe they are just too cool?
Not likely. Unless they are part of the Emergency-Room-Rules gang. To my knowledge, no such gang exists.

My point, wear a helmet, someone out there loves you and doesn't want to plan your funeral. As far as I'm concerend those who go without helmets are about as bright as those who continue to smoke. Both do stupid, life-threatening, insurance raising, preventable bad habits. At least smokers can pass some (actually, very little) blame off to addiction.

Note to my brother who smokes...with love, please read above.

HUD for 100...please?!

Buying a house isn't all that much fun. Not when you're destitute anyway. Alright, we're not destitute, but trying to buy a house makes me feel that way.

Recently a saw a picture of someone's new home under construction and it made me a little jealous. Not that it was big because after living with our coach in his spacious home I've decided that is too much square footage for me to take care of. And it’s not because it’s new because I'd rather have an existing home that has some character and big trees in a well established neighborhood. I'm jealous because they can afford it.

Bob and I both work hard and make fairly good money; especially when you take into account the lack of degrees we hold. So why when we're looking for a home can't we find anything in a nice neighborhood and that isn't falling apart? We're really looking primarily in West Valley, though we'd love something in Taylorsville. We have awesome credit and the only debt we have is our car. We're not looking for anything too big or too lavish. But man our choices are limited. We've been looking mostly at foreclosure and HUD homes because that is all our budget will allow.

I am confident that if we're patient we'll find something that works for us. It’s just a little depressing in the mean time that two very hard working people who have tried to be smart financially can't afford a reliable roof over their heads. It makes me really wonder how people out there less fortunate than us make ends meet. It is upsetting to me that while interest rates, housing costs, gasoline, health care, and energy costs are all rising (some quite rapidly) that wages remain stagnant and in many companies (airlines for example) they are taking pay cuts. Though I'm not sure many CEO's would say they are feeling the pinch.

Bob wants to be a fireman (starting pay around $30,000); I want to stay at home with our kids- is that even realistic? Thankfully we pay our tithing, we know how to be frugal, and my mom taught me to reuse sandwich bags. We'll work it out. But not everyone out there is as lucky as we are.

Please, post a comment, I like reading what people have to say about the topic, or what I wrote.

Scooter Courtesies

Being the gas-conscious consumers that we are a couple years ago we purchased a scooter. Actually, my fabulous husband surprised me with one for Christmas! The scooter is number one, a lot of fun. Number two its cheap to buy, insure, and drive- getting 80 something mpg. When Bob purchased our scooter he really shopped around as any smart buyer would do. But of course, he is a guy and can't bare the thought of puttering around at 30 mph on a toy sized scooter so he buys an often mistaked for a bullet bike scooter. A 150cc (don't ask me what that means, all I know is so far I haven't met anyone with something more powerful) Vento R4i. The Green Hornet we affectionately call it. It can easily do 50 with us both on there, and more with only a single rider.

What's the point you ask?

Ok- If I'm driving my merry-self to work on my scooter doing 45 in a 40mph zone why does every other shmuck on the road feel the need to buzz by me in a huff and hurry like I'm crawling along? Do they not realize that to pass me they are going at least 10mph more over the limit then I am already going? This is proof of the egotistical society (note to self- write humble commentary on egotistical society) that we've become. When just the site of a smaller mode of transportation keeping up with your superior machine sends you into a flurry of speed (which, I shouldn't even need mention, causes the little scooter driver a bit of fear that the passing driver is possessed of some fit of rage that could likely endager said scooter driver)

So next time you see a scooter on the road pass (only if needed) with kindness as the typical scooter driver is no more than a happy-go-lucky, laid back citizen with concerns for finances and the environment and wishes you no harm or disrespect.

Remember the Golden Rule, and Karma, and what goes around comes around, etc.

P.S. Yes, I use parenthesis a lot which just goes to show how often I ramble, get off topic, and talk to myself. I wouldn't want you to loose the spirit of Taunya by using proper grammer/punctuation.

A Commentary on the Controversies of Cycling

So if you've been watching the news at all in the last week or so you are undoubtedly aware of the public humiliation the sport of cycling is currently enduring. I've had numerous people ask my thoughts regarding various allegations and operations that are currently underway. So here is my take (and if I may be so bold as to add Bob's name to this opinion as he and I have visited these topics as of late and seem to be in agreement upon the subject)

Landis:
Et Tu? I never would have pictured small town Floyd as a doper. (Although I said the exact same thing about our friend Tyler) Yes, I know nothing has been confirmed yet. But to point out the obvious: 8 minutes down one day, gains it all back the next? While watching the live coverage of the now infamous stage 17 of the Tour de France I commented to those associates with whom I was priveledged to be watching such a momentus occasion that "...seems kind of odd. With all the doping scandals lately, can we still believe in sports miracles"
To make yet another reference to the currently suspended Tyler Hamilton- In a recent interview aired during the 2006 TDF Hamilton agreed with a comment his wife made to the effect that "this is all very confusing and we've been working with lots of doctors etc. to help us understand" contrast that with a statement Landis recently made while on Larry King Live, this is a direct quote "Well, I don't know. That's why I have some experts helping me out to try to understand what's going on here...I have a lot of very intelligent, experienced people helping with this" Face it, its not looking good. I think an historical tour win is turning into an historical embarrasment.

Operation Puerto:
I would have thought a disorganized, secretive, and so far essentially ineffective operation like this would have been in French territory, not in Spain.

So here is a basic update in my limited cycling knowledge:
- Operation Puerto announced late spring/early summer
- Unrealeased list of those implicated includes cyclists and other sportsmen
- Day before TDF Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, and others name's released. Team managers hold meeting that evening and decide that any implicated rider will not be allowed to start and will not be replaced. As a result three top contenders of the Tour are suspended by their teams and one Alexander Vinokourov was unable to start the tour becuase five of his teammates were implicated. Vino was and has never been named.
- Two days after the TDF the five Astana (Vino's team) riders are cleared of any wrongdoing.
- A few days later the entire Comunidad Valenciana team was cleared by the investigation.

Anything look a little fishy to you?
#1- Officials had the names for weeks and they announce key players the night before the Tour begins? Could this have been a publicity stunt? No, they wouldn't dare do that to the racers, the teams, the fans, it must have simply been an oversight.

#2- Five members of Vino's team are implicated thereby keeping one of the favorites out of the Tour de France only to find out two days after the tour that, oops sorry, you're all clear? In the meantime the tour is won by an american (no complaint there) that potentially has permanently disgraced the greatest race in the world.

#3- 13 members of one team are now cleared after they could have raced in the Tour de France (had an assistant director not been implicated and arrested) and in the Vuelta (again denied admission due to the operation) and has now had sponsorship pulled no doubt in reaction to the allegations which have recently been recinded.

And the operation isn't over. I'm sure many more mistakes and should-be apologies are on their way.

Will cycling recover from this rash of injustices? Only time will tell. In the meantime sponsors are in a sweat, potential sponsors have had their check books sewn into their jacket pocket with a secure 10 digit- mixture of letters and numbers, with at least one symbol- password to keep cycling out. Cyclists themselves are donning baseball caps and dark shades to make it to the grocery store and back before someone can recognize them and question/chastise/lament the current state of the sport. The fans, oh the fans! The pains we have endured. We defend our sport enthusiastically to anyone who will listen. Despite our embarrasement we soldier on in the hopes that one day we'll have something to be proud of again.