Traffic for 2008 November

(3) Sat Nov 01 2008 11:38 EST Trunk or Treat: Thursday was my first Trunk or Treat ever. It was insane. The parking lot was packed! We ran out of candy. This was my first ever Trunk or Treat. I always assumed, having never participated in the ritual until now, that it was a CA-invented notion. Susie begs to differ. She thought it was a UT invention. But Susie did have to admit she did have Trunk or Treat growing up, whereas I did not. I think Susie assumed it was a UT thing because it is a Mormon thing. I assumed it was a CA thing because there are a lot of areas in CA that are just not conducive to trick or treating. The sad thing is, we may never know the truth.

Today, for those who don't use the Mormon calendar, is what they call Super Saturday. What is Super Saturday you ask? It is a Saturday wherein all the women get together to make cork boards out of recycled felt (think McGuyver) while John babysits their kids. I'll return and report, if I survive.

(2) Tue Nov 04 2008 11:52 EST What a Day: Things that really bother me:

1. People that think that the rain doesn't matter, and they can still drive recklessly.

2. People that are afraid of the rain and drive 15 mph on the freeway.

3. These new-fangled blogs with the radios at the bottom. I don't want to listen to your dumb songs. I have my own songs playing on my iTunes and your automatic radio clashes with my style. Also, I usually check blogs when Maggie is asleep. And your intrusive music is not appreciated.

4. People that tell me "oh you should vote for so-and-so to be your Draper House Rep. He's for Prop 8." How is that relevant? I live in UT and Prop 8 affects Californians. UT already has a law in place (big surprise) so why does it matter? On that vein, I really dislike people that lie for votes. Did you know if Prop 8 fails that the gays can make Mormons recognize gay marriage in the temple, or risk it being shut down? Phooey. Boston temple is still up and running. So are all the temples in Europe. If you really really feel that God wants you to vote yes on Prop 8, fine. But don't do it based on lies.

Things that excite me:

1. Voting! Though I didn't get to pull any levers. Just touch the screen. And I also didn't have to wait in line (thank goodness, because it's pouring rain outside).

2. Fast Offerings on Sunday. Why, you ask? Normally I dislike doing YM responsibilities due to the laziness of YM. Especially because it was pouring rain. But I stopped by several houses of prominent members in the neighborhood with Obama signs in the window! I really doubt UT will cast electoral votes for him, but still. I'm not alone! I'm not the only one that wants the Republicans to understand that they can't tote the same old rhetoric every 4 years and then do nothing about it, nor am I the only one out there that thinks McCain should not get the Mormon vote because he hates Mormons!

3. Getting to leave work on or before 5. Now I remember why I moved to UT. Slow season!

4. Holiday season. The time has come.

(1) Tue Nov 04 2008 23:53 EST Condimentary: We went with Brook & Erin to Rib City for dinner. It boggles my mind that Susie dislikes red meat but likes ribs. I don't really care for ribs, so I had smoked turkey instead. Maggie got a free meal because she's under four! It consisted of what we assumed was a chicken nugget and some fries. Instead, it was a chicken leg and fries. How a 19-month old is supposed to eat that is beyond me.

Anyway, Maggie and her fries. She thinks that fries are just a tasty, somewhat dissolvable utensil. For ketchup. She loves ketchup. She ate way more ketchup than fries tonight, by dipping her fry repeatedly into the ketchup. Then licking off the ketchep, and repeating the process. That kind of grosses me out, but it beats her begging for more Halloween candy.

(12) Sun Nov 09 2008 17:58 EST The End: In order to put the current political round behind me, a few thoughts.

A lot of people have asked me lately how I can be a Mormon and a "liberal thinker" at the same time. Some have gone as far to infer that I illegally hold a temple recommend. My response is thus: True believers of the LDS (or any) faith believe in a certain number of absolutes. That is to say, my church is right, so the rest are wrong. Some take this farther than others. I still believe that good people of ANY faith can go to heaven, but at the end of the day I too believe my religion is the most correct.

These same people want the rest of the world to be black and white. So if the Republicans are right, then the Democrats are wrong. Unfortunately, life does not work that way. Case in point: lieing to kids about Santa Claus, Nephi killing Laban, etc. So then the reason I can be both of what I am is because I can pick and choose what I believe out of politics. I can choose to accept people for who they are and believe in welfare and still be pro-choice. The following article says the rest far better than I can: Link

Time for my soapbox:

I believe in raising taxes to help out those less fortunate. Some people call it welfare. The truth is, though, our country is already very socialist. The public school system, child labor laws, etc are all good things, and all socialist ideals. I think too many people are just plain selfish. I'm willing to give of my excess, regardless of whether the ultimate recipient is deserving or not.

I believe in socialized medicine. This is so because I don't want to endure any more emails about fundraisers for bone marrow transplants for the little timmy's of the world. Just give them the transplants already before I start to cry.

I can choose to be pro-choice and still support a party that isn't, based on the article above.

I am willing to give the Republicans my vote, in the future, if they can cut the bull and get to work. They had the run of the mill from 2000-2006 and did nothing. To win back my vote, the following is required: stop hating Mormons, gays, and illegal aliens. Stop staying you are pro-choice and care about life and then allowing thousands to die in the Superdome because you are both on vacation and incompetent. When you say you are fiscally conservative, then mean it.

Lastly: I don't blame Bush for the economy. I won't blame Obama either. I blame greed.

(1) Wed Nov 19 2008 13:15 EST Preemptive Strike: There are at least 10 homes in my neighborhood that have set up and turned on the Christmas decor. The halls are decked, making feel like a Scrooge. But hey, it's only mid-November.

I've also been blessed with an early Christmas present: surgery. I need hernia repair and will go under the knife in two weeks. I'm not very excited, and have switched doctors. My first doctor told me I had a hernia, end of story. Lucky for me, my neighbor is a surgeon and I went to see his partner, who spent 30 minutes describing the condition, its origin, the procedure, my surgical options, etc. AND I didn't have to sit in his lobby for an hour. I've decided it's worth living in a nicer neighborhood to have an 'in' in the medical profession.

Thu Nov 20 2008 23:09 EST On War & Peace: NOW the neighbors have their Christmas lights on! As you probably know, this means war.

Speaking of war, our home teachers came by last night. One of them informed me that we are in an economic downturn. And history has shown that the only surefire way out of an economic downturn is to start a war. And here we are, electing a president that wants to end a war! The horror.

I may have a solution for him. I have attended two different tax conferences the past two days, held at varying hotels in the valley. Both hotels were also hosting other conferences, both with the trite slogan "Bringing Wall St to Main St." I cringe to think of what that entails, but it most likely includes instructions to buy low, sell high, and screw over everyone that gets in your way. I think the show "Survivor" runs on the same premise, but in thongs instead of double breasted suits. So I propose we initiate our own conference that teaches us how to "take Main St to Wall St," as in taking it to the streets. Show the fatcats a thing or two. Only problem is, I don't own a pitchfork. But Grandma June gave me a metal hoe. And I have a push mower....

(4) Sun Nov 23 2008 20:15 EST Death becomes advertising: My short jaunt to CA from 2005-2007 greatly changed the state of UT. There are now billboards all over memorializing the passing of loved ones. The signs are normally very colorful, with the name of the individual and the birth and death date displayed below. For most signs, that's it. For others, there may be a tag line such as "miss ya already" or "thanks for the memories."

Having witnessed the publication of Frances's obit in the local paper, it appears that billboard obits are not really much more expensive. But if I'm allowed my druthers, I'd prefer not to be immortalized to the commuting community.

Do other states do this? I don't EVER remember seeing this in CA, but I also didn't drive as much there.

(3) Fri Nov 28 2008 21:12 EST Turkey Lurkey: Thanksgiving was at the cabin this year. It was a full house. Leonard made brussel sprouts. I think it was my first time having them and they were good. They taste like broccoli but with an improved texture. I was even surprised by how many of the pickies in my family tried them and liked them. The bacon may have helped.

Today we put up all the decorations, including our new tree ornaments. Instead of throwing away the old ornaments, they are now scattered throughout the house in various bowls and whatnot, acting as their own decor. The ultimate way to reuse and reduce.

I normally avoid Black Friday, but yesterday I couldn't help but notice the awesome adverts for ellipticals. I've tried to avoid buying one but let's face it, UT is not, and will never be, CA. I just can't get outside to work out when the weather is cooperative. And I've decided that I don't like working out in gyms. I prefer to grunt and sweat in the privacy of my own home. Plus then I can control what's on tv. So we bought one today (happy early Christmas to me), and I spent the remainder of the day assembling. I'm going to use it tonight when Maggie is in bed and Susie's taking Leonard to the airport. For being in a recession, the mall sure was packed.

I also saw gas for $1.49 today. Next to the elliptical, no Christmas present can top that, especially since my work per diem is still $0.585/mile!

Maggie's sure going to miss having Leonard around.