Mandi's Birthaday

Well Mandi will be a little older tomorrow--won't we all?--and I thought it might be appropriate to leave some Mandi memories on the blog.

Vis's Mandi Memories:
Red Bull
Frazzle
7Eleven
Greg Maddux
Baseball
Talking Heads
Doubles tennis at Dixie High way back when
Frank McCourt
The Now-Playing CD stand
Utah hill
Just driving
Sentra
Animal Collective
Most of all a person who will do anything for others

If anyone else is not a wuss, post.

Happy Birthday Traver

Thirty-two years ago today Travis Wade Roberts entered this world. In honor of his birthday I thought we could play the compliment game. So feel free to wish Traver a happy birthday and give him a compliment of your choosing.

BYU really pissed Hitler off!

TO BE OR NOT TO BE?

Well, a month without a post. So I've decided to take a poll about the demand of the masses to view this blog. If the demand is fewer than 5 persons, before the end of the existing year, as demonstrated by comments posted to this very post, the supply of this blog will be officially terminated. Hasta.

1 GR!

Although Wellzzzzz won't know it until he reads this, he accompanied me on my 1,000th mile this year. This has been a major goal of mine. I have covered most of those miles huffing and puffing over my shuffling feet, some walking, many alone, and, recently, amongst PVXC. If I could just get my eating habits in a headlock, I would be one svelte dude. Maybe that's for next year. Looking back on 2008, however, I join with Forest in a chorus, mumbling, "I was running."

America's Credit Problem

I am sure you are all aware of the problems that the financial industry is going through. If you're not, read something! I work for a bank and I get this question all the time.... "what happened?". That can be a very long answer. I would suggest the this link. This is a radio show from Chicago public radio called "This America Life with Ira Glass". Great show, great answer. Check it out.

Man-Size Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe I found after a bit of extensive research and several trials in the kitchen. They are pretty fantastic and the final product is a cookie that can easily be shared with 2 to 3 other people (I actually have eaten two in a single sitting, but then, I was also just complaining to Heather that I think I've never been fatter). Apparently this is a knock off recipe of the well-known treats from the Levain Bakery in Manhattan.

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups AP flour
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 baking soda
12 ounces (2 cups) good quality chocolate chips of your choosing (mixing semi-sweet with the milk variety produces good results)
1 cup pecans (or walnuts or macadamia nuts)

Cream the cold butter with the sugar and brown sugar. Blend in eggs one at a time. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Now, you can either reserve a perfectly clean countertop to unload the dough and knead in the chocolate chips and nuts, or simply blend with your mixer--it gets pretty heavy there.

Next shape the completed glob of dough into a long symetrical rectangle and proceed by carefully dividing into 12 equal segments with a large knife. Roll each segment into a ball, which will roughly be the size of a cue ball. I can fit about six on my cookie sheet at a time and, if using a conventional oven, will bake only those six as a single batch at 375 for 19 minutes. Finish the second six. Share and enjoy.

Jesus Christ Was the First Socialist

On Tuesday night Mandi was kind enough to join me at the southern Utahns for Obama gathering at the Jazzy Java. We all introduced ourselves and why we were there. We were apparently the only two "undecideds" in the energized group, although I don't know why Mandi introduced herself as such because she is clearly a decided (see: her sole blog post and numerous comments alluding to her man, McCain).

I think even Mandi would agree, it was a nice experience. At the meeting, some Obama representatives were better than others--the ones with the bitter, conspiratorial tone were hard to stomach, but for the most part it was good people interested in the ideas of a pretty good guy. Discussed several times was an obvious Democratic cause central to the Obama plan: helping the poor. It didn't bother me. Rising poverty is clearly a huge problem our nation faces; it's seems wrong to ignore it and, admittedly, some ideas are poorly informed populism while others do a better job to encourage progress. But a dialogue addressing the problem is a good thing where it is a problem that will only forseeably worsen.

Then tonight I had the good pleasure to volunteer at the church cannery canning thousands of cans of peaches. It was a timely reminder of how those who are underprivileged ought to be helped and who really ought to be helping. When properly done, church welfare is a win-win with people feeling good about their service and people feeling good about a welcomed helping hand. And all this minus the compulsory means necessary with state intervention.

Using western Europe as an example, it has notoriously become a more secular society than what we see in the US; however, it is interesting that the fall of its religious activity has been accompanied by the rise of its welfare state. It would appear that when the government robs churches of the significant role of charitable giving, people quickly lose interest in an institution that now has a less relevant purpose in society. Obviously, other social mores are at play, but the government doing what has historically been the church's job has to have an impact.

I don't think Europe's a bad place because its citizens are comfortable with socialism, and religion still does have its presence there for those inclined, but my questions are: Is our country's current roles for church and state the ideal solution for social welfare, or does the government need to step in where the churches have deficiencies, or Friedman-ites, is it stupid to step in at all?

Oh, and I don't think Jesus Christ was a socialist at all as Hugo Chavez and his red contemporaries like to call it. Clearly the distinction is that Jesus Christ asked to sell all you had and give to the poor. If you care for what He said, it is one's own choice to whom, how much, or even at all.

What's Your Mantra?

The Hindus have AUM--the sound present at the creation--which encompasses all other sounds, words, languages, and mantras. The purpose of the mantra is to bring the mind into focused concentration. You can use it to steer your mind from harmful thoughts or to travel into meditation. Ultimately, we must learn to control our bodies and minds, and a mantra can be a tool that anyone can use. Let it be a scripture, a poem, a lyric, a phrase, or a word. Whatever you choose make sure it is simple to remember and positive. Right now, I'm searching for a mantra. Anyone have any ideas?

BTW, today is the 1st anniversary of visbits. Thanks to you guys it's better than ever.

The Little Things

It has been said often that the devil is in the details. I prefer to look at this way; the beauty is in the details. Or better yet, the beautiful are found in an observation of the seemly minute experiences that make up our lives. For example, I love to fish. Yes with a fly. And yes I am inclined to release all, or most, of the fish I catch. In a story about fly fishing and the enjoyment one gets out of this activity, David James Duncan recounts how he got mixed up with the most foul sort of outdoor enthusiast, the "activist". During this mix up he twisted the point of view, and logic, of this activist to refer to fly fishers as "insect rights activists". If you are not familiar with this story, let me know I will send you a copy, suffice it to say that Brother Duncan chose to use the logic of animal rights activists the world over to justify, no exalt, the practice of catch and release fly fishing as a way of preserving the little lives of mayflies the west over. Pure beauty.

The use of the phrase insect rights activist, is just such an example of the little things that make our lives great. Every now and then I get flack for being a catch and release fly fisher and I just smile and say, "I prefer insect rights activist". Since 10 times out of 10 the person I am conversing with has no idea what I am referring to, I giggle with excitement and launch into an almost evangelical campaign to convert the person to my way of seeing things.

It was in pursuit of this very activism that I recently experienced another of life's little joys.

My father is the person that cultivated in me a love of the outdoors and fly fishing specifically. Growing up we would spend the most memorable of days on what he calls "the seeps of Southern Utah". Small creeks and streams that house small but wonderful populations of trout. He is the one that taught me that fly fishing is an art to practiced and enjoyed all by itself. And that even when you don't catch fish, fly fishing, unlike many other forms of fishing, is still a wonder and a beauty.

Due to a myriad of different circumstances I will not go into here, my father rarely fishes anymore. In fact in the past 12 months, the only time he has gone fishing is with me, in Idaho. I use the lure of grandchildren to coax my mother into bringing my father up to Idaho so that she can hang out with them and I can return a life's worth of fly fishing favors to my father by playing guide.

The South Fork of the Snake river is a far cry from "the seeps of Southern Utah" and a wonder in its on right. Every year on or around the 4th of July my father comes to Idaho to try and make it to the river for "The" fly hatch; that of the salmon fly. Aquatic insects so large they inspire the abandonment of all reason by all trout in the waters that experience "The" hatch. I often compare it to what I would imagine would happen if you were to through large T-Bone stakes to a pit of alligators. The gnashing and whaling of teeth; aka phenomenal fly fishing. To an old angler like my dad, it is what your elder years are supposed to be like, dry fly fishing on one of the most breath taking powerful tale waters in the Western United States. It is this promise that makes the trip so anticipated each year.

As a result of him not fishing as often as he once did, my dad is not as proficient as he once was. He misses strikes, screws up great drifts with bad casts, and in an effort to land the big one, breaks off many a large trout. This infuriates him to no end, and brings pain to my heart. This giant of man has somehow fallen from fly fishing grace.

And then it happens....

Every year there is that one cast that is just right. No tailing loop. No wind. The right riffle and mend. He sets the hook and is patient enough to land that perfect fish. Astonishingly vibrant color, mean and strong. To be honest this year it wore him right out when he finally landed the damn thing. Shaking with equal parts age and excitement he releases the hook and holds the creature in the sun smiling with pure joy. What a moment for me. One of the little things that makes life great. One favor down, one million to go.

Thanks dad.

3 Cosas K Me Gustan

MY CAREER--It's rebirth every fall and dying again in the spring. The educational cycle.

THE WEST--I was born in it. I've struggled with it. Now I want to know everything I can about it--history, geography, flora, fauna, and religion, too.

PODCASTING--It's free, and it's for me. Some of my favorites are NPR's Fresh Air, Bill Moyers Journal, Stuff You Should Know, and This American Life. If you're sick of your music, the radio, and you don't have the money to remedy your situation, podcast. You'll luv it.

Is three a crowd?

Are Mustaches funny? Short answer; no, but buckle up because you'll be getting the long answer as well.
While they have been called the new Mullet by many a naysayer, they have specifically avoided comedy at all costs. This is not to say that hilarity cannot be associated with a Mustache, however it is unfortunately directed at them and not initiated by them. Mustaches are deadly serious. So serious in fact, they are trying to destroy the so-called Two Party System, which, as Americans you are all aware, has dominated the political landscape of hair, facial and otherwise, for decades. The major players are the aforementioned Mullets, and the lesser known Wig party.
Bickering has gone back and forth between these two factions since 1972 when the Mullet androgynously entered the scene atop David Bowie's snow-white tan head. Their reputation was cemented in place when Rod Stewart and Ron Wood jumped on board with the cock-a-doodle-doo version. It seems that musician's support of radical hair resonates with baseball players as well, and lucky for all of us, allowed the Mullet party to become a major player in hair policy-making.
The Mullet party came to power soon after, mounting a coup that displaced the then reigning power, the Uni-brows, which was only made possible by the sheer number of Uni-brows that wanted nothing to do with hair politics, which has led to a poor showing at political functions by Uni-brows, and, not surprisingly, public appearances in general.
The Wig party has been here the longest, rising to power in the late 20's due in part to a rise in male pattern baldness and in part to the Great Depression. Traditionally women have been the largest support to this party, but several prominent workers in the St. George library system have also been on board with the Wigic platform, hearkening back to the 20's.
Which brings us back to the Mustache. They would simply like to be recognized as another voice, if you will, in this complex new world; no longer relegated to the adverse working conditions in pornography, migrant farm labor, and notorious taskmaster Frank Zappa. The Mustache party is the voice of the little guy. They regularly cross partisan lines in an effort to make the US a better place. Examples of this include: Ron Jeremy, Pedro, and John Oates in the 80's/possibly now (also, Mullets need to be given credit where credit is due with respect to these examples). It is my dream that mustaches will someday be recognized as another hair party and give us the choice we deserve.

I Need A Mouthpiece

I'm not going to part the Red Sea in the near future or part my hair for that matter, but, like Moses, I find myself wanting for a mouthpiece. It's not that I have a problem speaking. Once in a while suitable words come up absent in the conduit between brain and mouth. There's no earth-shattering message beating the back of my lips blue to get out. It's just that I've found the perfect voice to narrate my life as I live it. In fact, smart money says that a project employing this voice for audio books and lullabies, commercials and cover songs would exponentially grow any mula you're willing to invest. He's the personal interlocutor in Magnum P.I. His voice the Ambien on a sleepless night and the Valium when You're nervy. Tom Selleck, narrate my life.

Mix Tape

So I'm headed to a family reunion up in Washington in a few weeks. I don't mind this drive as Amy lets me listen to my iPod most of the time. I like to switch up the music as I am driving through different stretches of the trip. For example, during the stretch through Idaho I listen to The Triggerlock's as there is a turn off called Idahome Rd. Now are there certain other situations that call for certain music? Does Bob Marley really sound better on Saturday mornings than any other day? Should it be a rule to listen to Wilco anytime you take drive through the desert? Do you always listen to the band your going to see? Travis, are you still a Misfit?

Don’t Burst My Bubble

As I find myself bored with……myself at times, I resort to making fun of others. As I know I’m not perfect, nor do I strive to be, I simply enter the bubble. The bubble was started by Vis and Jared Stanley a number of years ago. It allows you to judge, make fun of and degrade others around you. Now although you may have the same faults as the ones you are degrading, it doesn’t matter because you are in the bubble. That is why Utah County is known as the bubble (you can actually burst that one if you wish). So go out there and climb in the bubble, you'll feel better I promise.

Catch Phrases Are TIGHT!

We've all used a catch phrase once or twice. Rad. Cool. Tight. T!ts. Maybe we've even created our own. Nivey. Catch phrases unite us, especially those that are universally known and accepted. Or, perhaps, catch phrases are used almost like a password or code. In the latter instance, if you're part of the group, you know  the history of the catch phrase, its creator, and its uses, the exact time of its conception.  What are your favorite catch phrases? Which ones just missed being part of everyone's vocabulary? Now, I want to resurrect a catch phrase and propose a catch phrase call-to-arms. This phrase can be used in a number of ways, similar to t!ts: as an exclamation--T!ts, as an adjective preceding the noun it describes--Sean has some t!ts thongs, as a predicate adjective--Sean's thongs are t!ts, and as an adverb--Sean's thongs are t!ts tight. This catch phrase was created by one of our fellow bloggers--I'll let her reveal herself if she so chooses--and lay dormant for more than a decade. The phrase is Bruce Hurst. In a curious juxtaposition, one could use the phrase as follows: The Yankees are Bruce Hurst. I challenge readers to a catch phrase contest. How many times can you fit Bruce Hurst into your day? And remember you guys are Bruce Hurst cool and don't you ever forget it. 

(N)OBAMA

Spaz down, I'm not making a political statement, rather I wanted to address a prevailing, and disappointing trend in modern politics. Situation: I'm walking out of work and I notice a large and overbearing truck (a Cedar city truck) with this bumper sticker attached to the huge chrome bumper. It was accompanied by an elephant urinating on an Obama caricature sticker. What is wrong with people? I definitely lean to the Right but these type of right-wingers make me feel embarrassed. Who are they appealing too? Do they think they will change some one's mind with their sophomoric display? Don't get me wrong, I'm not against all stickers, and truck displays. I hate Chevys so much ever since I saw Calvin urinating on the Chevy symbol. I also love to see the naked-lady mud flaps, because then I don't have to wonder if the guy is lame. My point is, if you don't like Obama, don't vote for him. Put your time, money, and energy into the candidate you support. I have really started to loath the negative campaigning. I love politics, but I like the sport of it, not the terrible anti-feelings. P.S. BUSH does not = McCain.

Hype: Alive and Well

It's hear. Go ahead believe the hype. Actually, go experience the hype. Ever since the first fully functioning micro drives where developed by Toshiba about 8 years ago, I have been waiting for the day when a whole computer could fit in your hand... or pocket... or wherever. I know that the iPhone was first released last summer, however because I have chosen to live in what some may categorize as a barren and destitute land, we did not get them. Idaho, more specifically Eastern Idaho, had no authorized AT&T dealers; therefore no iPhone. So yesterday was the first day that you could buy one without testing your connections on the grey market and or your skills as a full fledged computer hacker.

The new iPhone has some major geeky upgrades, the in depth discussion of which I will leave to more capable and competent hands. However, here is my list of the top improvements in no particular order.

• The change from a metallic back to a plastic back may be viewed by some as a inconsequential, but it actually has a purpose. Have you ever been deep in the catacombs of a large, mostly steel building like Home Depot or Costco and lost your cell phone signal? That is because steal inhibits a cellular signal. Thus causing poor conversation quality or no conversation at all. The plastic back alleviates this problem and provides exceptional signal quality.
  

• GPS. This is great for fun little tricks like "Geo-tagging" your pictures, locating things like the movies or a new resturant, or every one's favorite goofing on Google Earth. There are already numerous applications that have been designed to take advantage of this new feature. All available through the app store which I will get to in a minute.

• The addition of 3g is great because of the ability to stream media live anywhere. My first example of this was driving around last night streaming Pandora through my iPhone and into my car stereo. Look for live TV (my guess is ESPN) shortly.

• The app store. The greatest thing about a computer is what we can do with it. For example the Internet is made possible because of the Internet browser. Music was completely reinvented because of the software compression algorithm known as mp3. Pictures, word processing, email and on and on. All of these are made possible because of software. The app store will open limitless opportunities to create new wonderful, addictive software applications that we can take with us. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, the iPhone is a handheld computer with the ability to make phone calls on a cellular network.

So as I mentioned above find someone that has one and play around. Or if you have the means to do so, get one yourself. Heck, my father Bill is on board. He stood in line in Las Vegas for 8 hours yesterday to pick one up. Who knew!

Amateur Hour

Many subjects have certainly drawn my interests throughout the years, but there are some I feel I can appreciate just enough by merely scratching the surface. Later in life I may be driven to master these areas of interest, but the utility I gain now is sufficient for the time being. I wanted to lift from Travis' trademark and list of few of these below. I could probably carry on a short conversation with any expert on these subjects, and each would walk away thinking, "that's nice."

1. Minimalism--Reducing everything to its fundamentals has great appeal with so much chatter and noise nowadays. It is everywhere, and so why not strip everything down to clean straight lines and do "more with less". I mean minimalism in design, music, art, and life. It's a real commitment to make, which is why I admire these concepts rather than actually abiding by them.

2. Thorstein Veblen--Early 20th century economist and social critic that gave us the term 'conspicuous consumption'. He was met with contempt by many of his peers and led a somewhat unstable life; however, his thoughts have had a relevant clarity even a hundred years later. His most popular work was The Theory of the Leisure Class, which appeared to scathingly expose the habits of the more opulent members of society and the underlying mechanisms of competitiveness, such as the fear of failure and loss of esteem.

3. Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and urban planning--Once there is enough money in the bank we would like to build our home borrowing from his fundamental concepts: cruciform layout with a meeting place in the middle, openness for flow of family traffic, low horizontal lines, and an incorporation of the structure to the surrounding landscape. His ideas on urban planning were almost as forward thinking as his architecture, which is basically the forerunner for most master-planned communities today; however, his were more idealistic and slightly utopian. Ayn Rand denies Wright was the inspiration for Howard Roark in The Fountainhead. Everything I've read about Wright tells me she's lying. We happened upon the FLW Xanadu Gallery building nr Union Square in San Francisco last summer as a nice surprise.

4. The Plight of Africa--Is it not incredible that we can all watch on our television sets small children starving with no real chance of surviving? I mean I know we have our own problems at home, and even then, how much of it is really up to everyone else to fix. But it is jarring to view the problems most of this continent have in the face of non-existent infrastructure and very little human capital. All efforts of the past 30 or so years have yielded very little progress. The problem is so large it is frustrating to learn more.

5. Elvis Presley--Elvis is a big deal to a lot of people, but who are they? The last huge fan I knew alternated her Elvis T-shirts with her wolf and indian feather ones. I can say I enjoy only a small part of his music-- his Sun Record years, and his Tiger Man comeback stand out. He sold billions of records and was a huge movie star, but was Elvis really as cool as we were all raised to believe he was?

The Best 5 Live Bands I've Seen

No. 1 -This is it. The final band. Fugazi. I saw this band at the Utah State Fairgrounds--probably the worst venue ever. Fugazi discourages moshing or violence at shows, charge minimal amounts for tickets and cds, and RAWK. No one who has been to a Fugazi concert will ever forget it. 

No. 2 -I've seen this band 3 times--Jesse, Cobalt, and I even trekked to San Jose to catch these guys headlining H.O.R.D.E.--The Black Crowes. Chris Robinson is one of the best performers I've ever seen. I saw these guys at the joint in '95 or '96 and about half the set was covers--maybe the single greatest live music experience that I've been a part of.

No. 3 -The biggest stage show I've ever seen. Uge. U2 on the Popmart tour in Las Vegas was outstanding. This was the tour with the gigantic screen as a backdrop, the band in muscle men tights, and an entrance from a lemon. This band is probably the band that will transcend our generation.

No. 4 -I've seen this band 5 times, and it pains me that they are only 4th on the list. Wilco. Onstage, they appear to be rock stars, country crooners, and mad scientists. Which one is the real band? My personal view is the mad scientist band. At times during a show they are all huddled over their instruments or in front of their amps, acting as conduits for the noise of creation. They've been good every time I've seen them, but the best show was in Denver with Ches and The Mother Hips, prior to Jeff Tweedy taking up running and impregnating Juno.

No. 5 -The reason I ever read Kurt Vonnegut, listened to Fugazi, or wore rubber bands on my wrists--Pearl Jam. I saw them at the Aladdin Theater w/ Juddy while they were in this phase. I know it's cooler to say you liked Nirvana better than Pearl Jam, but I didn't. Sometimes I sit back and wonder, "What is Eddie Vedder thinking, right now?"