Spurfly Kickoff #1: Twinkie & Pizza Party

Some of my roommates and friends have been working on a startup for an iPhone social networking app.* As the app is about ready for release, they've planned some kickoff events to spread the word and build buzz.

The app is called Spurfly, and it'll be a great app for people wanting to connect with friends and invigorate their social life. The test market is Washington DC, but hopefully it'll be ready to expand soon.

As the first of two kickoff events planned so far, Spurfly bought 1,000 Twinkies to use.

Yes, you read that right.
1,000 Twinkies.

Here's what that many Twinkies looks like:

Did your mouth just start watering? Mine did.

Lots of friends turned out for the Twinkie & Pizza Party, and I played event photographer early on.

Putting the various toppings to good use.

Nomnomnom.

Black and white, and white and black.

Getting fancy.

The classic, original Twinkies.

Makin' purple look really good.

Pizza's here!

Chomp!

Anybody here like bright-colored clothing?

Spurfly is all about getting people to interact and cross paths.

Stack 'em to the heavens!

We barely even put a dent in that 1,000 Twinkie stack with this first kickoff event, but the second event will be much more Twinkie-centric. Just wait until Sunday, May 13th, for the Twinkie Brunch!

*Note: I have also been brought into the team, filling a company controller/accountant position.

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Gay Mormons: It Gets Better

This past weekend, there was a conference in Washington DC for LGBT Mormons, friends, and supporters. While I wasn't able to attend, I think it's a wonderful sign that some members of the LDS Church are changing their viewpoint about homosexuality and gender issues from exclusion to inclusion.

Recently, a couple videos have come out from LDS groups in support of LGBT Mormons, using the "It Gets Better" tagline. I applaud the makers and participants in these videos, because hatred and fire and brimstone are not productive. Love and compassion and caring are.

I include the videos here:

BYU students

Family and friends

Well made and to the point.

I'm hopeful that more people will speak up, and do so in a spirit of love and inclusion. All are welcome and loved, or should be, especially by followers of the LDS Church, who have so much to give.

Sidenote: While researching, I came across the MoHo Directory, which links to blogs by gay Mormons and supporters. Thought I'd share, just in case anyone would like to read more stories or thoughts on this topic. 

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Crazy New Animals in the News

I am fascinated by nature, and particularly the variety of wildlife in this great big world of ours.
So when I hear about new ones, my ears and eyes perk up, and I like to get a little more info on them.

And I'm not talking about adorable dogs and cats on TV shows. Lassie, this isn't about you.

I'm curious about more exotic ones, or at least not-so-common in nature (double-meaning!).

Today I have one from far away and two that are a lot closer to home.

Purple crabs

The cute, little 1-2 inch crabs were discovered in the Philippines recently, along with three other (less-vibrant) species of crab. The coloration is apparently for mating and recognizing others of the same species. I didn't know before that crab are discriminatory, but that's what the scientist cited in the article stated. Either way, I think it's awesome how bright that purple is!

Armored catfish

These guys are invading South Florida, and the biggest problem they're causing is erosion. They burrow holes to deposit their eggs, and those holes can then collapse if a person is walking near the shore. While most catfish are good for fishermen, these don't bite on fishing hooks with bait, so pretty much they have to be caught by "nets or even spears". Yes, I said spears. So even though they look super-cool, they aren't worth having around due to the hassle and problems they're creating.

Warning: if you get squeamish about gross fish or get scared easily about going into bodies of water, then I recommend you stop reading this post now. Why? Because the next creature is freaky-looking.

Snakehead fish

Don't say I didn't warn you. He's an ugly bugger, ain't he?! Snakehead fish are messing up the Maryland aquatic ecosystem, such that anglers can earn $200 for catching them. They have no natural predators in the region, and they can survive for up to 4 days on land. Plus, they're hard enough to catch that some fishermen have resorted to using guns. Guns! No wonder some call them the "fish from hell".

What do you think of these creatures?
Know of any other interesting animals to pop up recently in the news?

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Who Wants to Join My DC Dance Walking Group?

My friend Stacee shared this Ben Aaron video on Facebook, and it is now a must-do activity for me.

The idea is great, and (as said in the video) it truly would be a great way to combine three activities:

1. Interacting with people
2. Seeing the city
3. Dancing

Maybe it'll just be a one-time thing for kicks and giggles, or maybe it could be a regular activity and we'd try different places around DC to see where we get the best reactions and most people joining in.

So who's with me? The National Mall on a weekend is an ideal starting location...

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Jim Henson's Genius Pitch for the Muppet Show

My fascination/obsession with the Muppets continues...

This time I'm impressed by their creator: Jim Henson.

Have you seen the original pitch he made for the Muppet Show?

Isn't that great?!?

Pretty cool how he immediately catches the attention and builds the argument for his show.

And I'm just really glad they bought into what he was selling.

What did you think of Henson's Muppets pitch?

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Everybody Loves a Good Meet-Cute

Don't know what I'm talking about?

You must not remember this scene from The Holiday, starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslett, and Jack Black:
(you have to click the play button, as I disabled the auto-play because it was getting really annoying)

Outside of the usual ways of meeting members of the opposite sex (high school, college classes; at friends' birthday parties; church), I've had a couple pretty good meet-cutes.

Here are two that I feel are noteworthy:

1) Training Day
A Saturday afternoon on the DC metro. I was in the Rosslyn station, heading home from lunch with friends. Overheard 3 girls talking about where they wanted to go, and then noticed they were about to get on the wrong train (orange line), which would have taken them far from their intended destination.

I informed them of the mistake they were about to make and said they could join me on the blue line since I was also heading to Pentagon City, too. Just before we parted ways in the mall (them to shopping, me to my home a block away), I got her number.

2) Karaoke Connection
For a roommate's birthday, he decided to do karaoke in the Hoth-like basement room of a restaurant/bar. There was no employee to do it, so I took charge and was operating the karaoke machine. Pretty soon everyone thought that was my job and that I actually worked there. If you wanted to sing a song, they'd say to ask "the boy in the green hat" (me).

Another group celebrating a birthday started to join in the singing. One very outgoing girl in their group introduced me to her friend, who I'd mentioned I thought was cute, and conversation came easily. We all went across the street for some food after leaving karaoke, and then I gave her a ride home at the end of the night, since she lived near my place. I got her number just before saying goodnight.

How about you? Have any good meet-cute stories to share?

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Metallica Monday: Jump in the Fire

A couple great songs came from Metallica's debut album, Kill 'Em All. They established themselves as solid thrashers with songs like 'Seek & Destroy' and 'Blitzkrieg'.

Previously, I wasn't familiar with the third single from that album, titled 'Jump in the Fire'. [source].

While the song was written with a much darker connotation, I'm applying it as an anthem of not settling for a safe situation, and instead going all in for what I want to achieve.

Jump in the Fire

Not sure what I'm going to do yet, as there are several options.
Plus, I am not in any hurry to change unless the risks are somewhat calculated.
I'll let you know as I figure things out and take my leap of faith into the great unknown.

Time to go all in.

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The Shel Silverstein 80's Kids Probably Didn't Know

Without checking Wikipedia or Googling him, I want you to say what you know about Shel Silverstein.

He simultaneously looks friendly and scary, right?

If you're around my age, you probably knew he wrote such childrens' books as "Light in the Attic" and "The Giving Tree". These are classics and I will read them to my kiddos whenever I have some.

He penned such great poems as "The Quick-Digesting Gink" and "Hug O' War".

But until recently I didn't know how much more there was to Shel Silverstein and his varied life.

Did you know Shel was friends with Johnny Cash? And that he wrote songs, including the hit "A Boy Named Sue"? Here's a clip if you don't believe me.

And did you know Shel also drew cartoons and wrote illustrated travel essays for Playboy (I guess they really DO have articles!)? Note: I won't include any here, as this is a family-friendly blog and I don't know what would come up if I searched for example materials. Not worth the risk.

For my theater-loving friends, were you aware that Shel wrote over 100 one-act plays?
I may have to look into them and see if any are short enough and also age-appropriate for my family's holiday/special occasion talent shows...

Isn't it amazing to learn that people actually have so much more to their lives than you thought?*

If you want more info on Shel, now you can go check out [his Wikipedia page].

Do you ever have this happen to you? Who was the celebrity/individual you learned more about?

*This also applies to school teachers and principals. It turned my world upside down to see one of my elementary school's 4th-grade teachers on a date with the principal at a University of Utah football game.

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The Mystical Land of Facebook Purgatory

You've heard of Facebook purgatory, right?

It's when you get a friend request from someone, and for whatever reason you don't accept or deny or block right then, but instead leave them to wait for an indeterminate period of time.

We've all done it. Right?
Shoot, what if I'm the only one?
I hope I'm not the only one that does this, or I'll feel like a real jerk.

Anyway, this purgatory punishment can be for a variety of reasons:

1. Haven't seen them in forever (prime examples: elementary school friends or church acquaintances from when you were 14 years old but never hung out with)
2. You had previously been Facebook friends with them, then they de-friended you at some point and now have decided to come crawling back
3. Can't remember how/if you know the person - I sometimes send these people an email, but usually not for a while after the add request
4. Someone that apparently went to high school with me, based on the 100+ mutual friends from that group, but I can't remember ever seeing or speaking with
5. Individual wants to add me just because we know a bunch of the same people, even though we have never spoken to each other in our whole lives
6. Recruiters who (erroneously) think Facebook is an effective business networking tool
7. Saw the request, had too much else to do at the time, totally forgot about adding them

Almost all of these groups are currently represented in my Facebook purgatory.

Do you have a time limit you leave people in there to wait? I figure anywhere from 3-6 months is plenty, and then they've probably forgotten and I can just go ahead and deny the request.

PS: If you are reading this and are currently in my Facebook purgatory, either send me a follow-up email or make a game of it by waiting a few months to see if you're in category 7 or one of the first 6.
PPS: I do the same thing with LinkedIn, but most of the time it's because they're just recruiters who want to call me at work and bug the crap out of me. I promise, if I want a new job, I'll call YOU!

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Metallica Monday: St Anger

According to the Kübler-Ross model, there are 5 stages of grief following a loss:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

They don't have to be chronological, and some stages may be quicker or less pronounced than others.

Last week I went through a couple of these, including the second phase of anger. Not at any individual, because that wasn't warranted in this case, but just at the general situations of life and how sometimes I'd rather not have to go through them, even when/if they're necessary.

In honor of the anger stage, today I've picked the following song from Metallica's catalog:

St Anger

Warning: contains strong language

For those times when you just want to rage and be angry for a bit, Metallica has your medicine.

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How to Get Married (for Guys and Girls): The Flowchart

Flowcharts are simple.

Dating can be complicated.

Mix flowcharts and dating, and the latter seems less complicated.

I don't know who Nancy Brown and Brandon Walton are, but this is awesome

I know dating and getting married aren't this easy, but wouldn't it be nice if they were?!

Guess at some point I'll have to go ask a girl out and get the process started again, eh?

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Flashback Friday: Early Childhood Bedtime Books

My siblings and I loved having our mom (and sometimes dad) read to us at bedtime.

Here are a few that still stand out in my mind as the very best reads from my youth.

Shel Silverstein
He wrote some fantastic poems for his A Light in the Attic book, including the 'Quick-Digesting Gink' which I recited for several poem-sharing assignments. The Giving Tree is also one of his most famous works, and its film is embedded herein.

Dr Seuss
There are so many great Dr Seuss books, but I believe the Smyth favorite was The Sneetches and Other Stories, which included 'Too Many Daves', 'What Was I Scared Of?' (a.k.a. the pale-green pants story), and, of course, 'The Sneetches'.

Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola
I know I mentioned this one in my birthday post to my mom last year, but it deserves repeating, because it's a family favorite.

Calvin and Hobbes
Yes, this came a little later on, but few comic strips or books of comic strips can rival the genius and hilarity of Calvin and Hobbes. I've included a couple, but you can see plenty more [here].

Taught me to 'fake it til I make it'.

Taught me proper TV-watching form.

Those were simpler nights and I miss that simplicity.

What books/series did your mom or dad read to you as a child?

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Get Up and Finish the Race - Inspirational Runner Videos

I was/am in need of a major pick-me-up today, and sometimes YouTube fits that bill.
Especially when it involves running and overcoming the odds and obstacles.

Here are a couple that gave me a boost, just in case you need one, too.

Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire

Heather Dorniden, 2008 Big Ten Indoor Track Championships

Derek Redmond, 1992 Summer Olympics

I feel a little better already.

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Easter Egg Hunts are Just as Much Fun as an Adult

Ah, Easter.

A great time for reflection on the Savior's sacrifice and what it means to each of us.

Also, a great time for brunch, egg bocce, and egg hunting.

As I don't really feel like narrating the whole thing, I'll just add captions to some pics.

Seth was handing out devilish-ious eggs

Preparing things for us to devour

Love our newest roommate, Andrew

They used that wedding photo stance like champs!

Holidays are for families; very glad Pete and Jordyn came down!

Huckleberry Finn joined us

Mmm, I can still imagine the tastiness of those pancakes and strawberries

Kristina likes Easter, and that's the truth
(that's what her fingers mean, not peace)

A bacon wrapped Peep, which Dave later called "a waste of good bacon"

Pete's toss that got us into the finals

The finalist teams in the egg bocce competition

Ryan and Cara, egg bocce champions, show off their prize

Hurry, find those hidden eggs!

We all looked high and low, but there are probably still some around that yard

When you hide all the eggs, you just get one pink real egg; them's the breaks, Becky!

An egg-cellent event, and the weather was positively smashing.

Another very entertaining and happy Easter for us, and I hope yours was, too!

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