I'll Give You This Signed Paper, You Give Me a House

So... I maybe put in an offer on a house last night.

Eep!

This could be me soon (minus the super-hot wife...)

We'll know by 5 pm today if I get it, or if they counter-offer, or whatever the scoop is.

I'm so nervous/excited/antsy/stoked right now.

Update: Oh snap! I got it! Time to hand over earnest money and get the paperwork signed, because I. am. a. HOMEOWNER!

Second Update: The deal has crashed and burned, because the home inspector found lots of things that needed to be fixed, and the seller wasn't willing to either fix anything or reduce the selling price. So it's back to the drawing board and finding a different place. Boo.

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Not Invited, But Thanks for Asking

It's always an eye-opener to receive a text message like this:

"I'm a little offended you aren't at [insert a good friend's name]'s birthday dinner! I hope you have a good excuse :)"

Especially when this is the answer you can honestly, albeit painfully, respond with:

"I wasn't invited. Is that a good enough excuse?"

Ouch.
It hurts not to be invited.

If I had never known about it, I'd have been fine.
I actually figured all the birthday celebrations had been earlier in the weekend.

Sigh.

Update for concerned readers: I was hurt initially and am still sad that I missed out on the fun, but I figured (and it has now been confirmed) that my not being invited was due to mis-communication between the birthday individual and those planning the dinner, not due to an intentional act of exclusion.

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The Lost Art of the Way-Too-Long Song Intro

I listen to the radio on my drive to and from work, and usually I find myself singing along with the oldies.

It's what I was raised on, and I generally just like the music more.

One thing I've noticed is that I get impatient when the songs have overly-long intros.
Feels like the song should start after the standard 8 beats, but it doesn't get going until way later.
Anybody else ever notice that?

Maybe our modern culture just can't wait for the actual song to get going, but I don't think we see it much in current pop music.

Here are two prime culprits from the oldies station:

Jet Airliner, by Steve Miller Band

You expect lyrics at 8 seconds, right? Nope, no soup for you until after the minute mark.

Dream Weaver, by Gary Wright

Lyrics at only 32 seconds in, but it feels like an eternity of twinkling chimes.

Can you guys think of any recent songs with me that employ the way-too-long intro?
Maybe they're more prevalent than I think, and I'm just not catching the new ones.

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The Watermelon Football Slashing of 2013

Last night I went to a pool party that my friend Afton hosted at her apartment complex.

Lots of cool people came, and we started playing watermelon football in the pool.
If you haven't played it ever, you need to try it next time you have the opportunity.

So fun.

If you've never played, here's an example I found on YouTube:

At one point, I was on the receiving end of a pass and was being covered by a girl named Ingrid.
She was out of position, and she went for grabbing my shoulders instead of playing the ball (an understandable move, and I'd have done the same thing).

Let's just say that she didn't get a firm grip on my shoulders, and her hands subsequently slipped down my back, with her fingernails leaving me some souvenirs to remember the game later.

She felt bad about her handiwork, but was a good sport for the pic

Yeah, I'm gonna be feeling those trophies for a few days until they heal up.

PS If you want to eat watermelon after the game, buy a second watermelon. The first will definitely explode in the heat of battle.

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My Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon's birthday was just a couple days ago.
Not sure how it hasn't been declared a national holiday yet, but Congress is probably working on it as we speak. I can't wait for next year's Kevin Bacon Day parade.
Sorry, getting off topic. I'll bring it back.

Yep, the prolific and well-traveled actor turned 55 years old.

Crazy to think that Tremors was 23 years ago and Footloose was 29 years ago!
I guess he's aged a little, but in my mind he's still the same.

Anyway, have you ever played the game 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon'?
I used to play it with a mission buddy while we walked from door-to-door in Guatemala.
You just link actors/actresses through their work until you get to Kevin Bacon, because pretty much everyone can connect back to him in less than 6 moves.

Considering I've never been in a movie, here is mine with stage productions being fair game:

1. I was in the Murray Arts Council production of Oklahoma! with Megan Smyth
2. She performed in Cottonwood High School's My Fair Lady* with Charlie Halford
3. Charlie played a role in The World's Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins
4. Sir Hopkins worked with Elliott Gould on the film A Bridge Too Far
5. Elliott had the honor of being in The Big Picture with none other than Kevin Bacon

Got to Kevin Bacon, and with a degree of connection to spare.

Neato, huh? 

I found a great quote from Kevin while prepping for this post. Speaking of his show biz start:

"I wanted life, man, the real thing", he later recalled to Nancy Mills of Cosmopolitan. "The message I got was 'The arts are it. Business is the devil's work. Art and creative expression are next to godliness.' Combine that with an immense ego and you wind up with an actor." [source]

I'm with you on business being the devil's work, Kevin. If only I had the talent for performing.

Oops, getting off track again.

If you know someone who has been credited in a TV show or movie, you can find their 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon by going to the Oracle of Bacon website.

So what's your Bacon line of separation? Put it in the comments if you'd like.

*Correction: I had previously listed this CHS show as Oliver! Thanks for the heads up, Megan.

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Happy Birthday, Nikola Tesla!

Tesla was a genius. He deserves a birthday shout-out.
Way cooler than Edison, but gets little to no credit.

He was "quirky", but invented a whole bunch of useful gadgets (here's his Wikipedia page).

Here's the short version intro of Tesla vs Edison:

Some of his awesome inventions/discoveries included:

• AC (alternating current) electricity - better than DC (direct current) for a lot of reasons (link).
• Radio - yes, radio. Marconi got credit initially, but Tesla did it first.
• Fluorescent and neon lights - where would Las Vegas and Atlantic City be without Tesla?
• Hydroelectric power plants - Niagara Falls was a good place to start that one.

Here's a looooooong (but wonderful/excellent/fantastic) graphic from theoatmeal.com to explain it:
Apologies in advance to my readers for the swearing.

Hope you found that informative and simultaneously humorous. I sure did.

So happy birthday, Nikola! And Thomas Edison can suck it!

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We are Surrounded by Beautiful Women All the Time

It's true.

We might not notice it, or be able to see it right off, but it's 100% true.

Because every woman we see is absolutely beautiful.
Gorgeous women, exactly as they were created or evolved or however you believe humans came to be.
Old, young. Tall, short. Skinny, not skinny. Whatever trait you want to evaluate.

My friend Katie shared this AFI interview of Dustin Hoffman, speaking about his 1982 role in Tootsie.

Makes you think, doesn't it?

It took Dustin changing his appearance for a movie to learn this, and it's a powerful point.

Women, you are interesting. You're funny. You're amazing.
You have too many wonderful qualities to list here, actually.
And each and every one of you also happens to be beautiful.

You are just as you should be, and I hope all of us can start seeing that more plainly.

Note: I didn't share this to get brownie points with my female reader's or the female population at large. I fully believe the same is true for men, though to a lesser extent, as beauty isn't as important of a societal status symbol for us.

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More Like a Fail Mary... or ISO Train Companion

A few people have asked me (offline) what ever happened with my hail mary attempt.

So here's the answer:

Nothing.

I knew it was a long shot, so my expectations of success were low (though I still hoped).

Well, the pass wasn't a touchdown.
Actually, I can't be sure it was ever even received, since I didn't hear anything at all.

But such is life.

While I was thinking of her in Justin Timberlake lines:

I don't wanna lose you now

I'm lookin' right at the other half of me...

And I'll tell you baby, it was easy

Comin' back into you one I figured it out

You were right there all along

She was thinking of me in Taylor Swift lines:

We are never ever ever getting back together

We are never ever ever getting back together

You go talk to your friends talk

To my friends talk to me

But we are never ever ever ever getting back together

And it was a hail mary, which rarely work out in either football or dating.
So I'm not too surprised.

To quote President Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th President of the LDS Church:

Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.

The hail mary didn't pan out, but life goes on.
And I'm still looking for my train companion, because it's going to be a fantastic voyage when I find her.

So there's no need to feel bad for me, or worry about me, or any such thing.
I've grieved for the end of a relationship, as is painful but healthy, and life has now begun anew.

You know, I've never actually taken a cross-country train ride. Anyone want to join me?
I also accept referrals (maybe not in comments, please send me an email)...

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It's Time to Renew My Old Addiction: Triathlon

I haven't raced a triathlon since Ironman St George in 2010.

Weird.

Especially considering it was such a huge part of my life for 10+ years prior to that.

I guess I just got burned out after training so much in the 9 months leading up to that race, and I needed a break after. A change of pace is good for a person, right?

Well, if you follow my blog or Facebook or Instagram, you probably know I've filled the hole with golf.

A lot of golf. (see posts here, here, here, here, here, and here)

Yes, I consider myself a pretty decent golfer now, and I'm proud of that fact.

I enjoy playing, especially with my friends. But I worry because I'm starting to get the classic golfer belly.
Not too bad, but more than I want. I'd like to get that triathlon body back, and I think it'll improve my golf game if I'm in better shape, too.

I'll be stronger, more flexible, and I won't be sucking wind when it's a hilly course or I play 36 holes in a single day (yes, I've done that, and yes, I recognize it's excessive).

So as part of my rehab from the torn Achilles last year, I have been swimming and biking, and I'm slowly getting my jogging back to a level where I'll be able to run the 5K necessary to at least finish a sprint tri later this year.

I'd been hoping to prep for TriUtah's Jordanelle race, as it was always one of my favorites back when I lived in Utah previous to heading to DC, but it's more likely that I could prep for Ogden Valley on Sept 14th.

Fortunately, I also loved Ogden Valley, so it'd be a great return-to-triathlon race. Even though the distances are a little longer than a standard sprint, including a 4-mile run which will test me.

But if we don't push ourselves, and we don't try, then we can't succeed. So that's my goal.

Happy training and I'll keep you all posted on my progress!

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A Merry Night with 'Robin Hood: Legend of the Sherwood Bandit'

On Friday, my parents and I were able to go see my sister Megan perform in Robin Hood: Legend of the Sherwood Bandit. And let me tell you, she and the whole cast rocked it!

The show is playing in Clearfield, UT, and Monday night at 7:30 pm is the final show.
Only $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and kids under 12 (bring cash).

If you don't have plans for FHE, I'd recommend making the drive up. It's an original version, and the writer is actually in the play (Guy of Gisbourne). They've added some new characters, including my sister's role (Rowena), providing added depth and humor to the story.
There's action, romance, and plenty of comedy, so it's good for all ages.

Great job to everyone in the cast, and have a great closing show on Monday night!

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This Year's 4th of July Fun

As always, it was another action-packed celebration of our country's independence.

I'm not going to bore you with all the details; I'll just give short snippets and let pics do most of my talking.

Nana Bett's 4th of July Birthday
The Cravens came over to my parents' house, and we had a BBQ and birthday celebration for my grandma. Love getting together with the cousins, and it's so much fun with even more little kids around.

Ready to blow out her birthday candles

The whole gang

This is more representative of how we usually act

Stadium of Fire
In the evening, I went down to Provo with friends for the concert and fireworks. Carly Rae Jepsen was underwhelming and Kelly Clarkson was passable. Cirque du Soleil and the fireworks were the real winners of the show. Oh, and shakes at the Malt Shoppe after was a great call, too.

Skydivers brought Old Glory into the stadium

Clever and innovative tube dancing

Our enthusiastic group, ready for the action to begin

The bombs bursting in air

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God Bless America, and God Bless Our Troops and Their Families

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

This day always makes me so grateful for all the blessings in my life that I didn't have to sacrifice for.
The freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America still don't come free.

Men and women serving in the military give so much, and they deserve our recognition and appreciation. And the families of those military personnel are sacrificing greatly, too.

Some don't come home, as they are called on to give the greatest sacrifice: their lives.
Tears are shed on their behalf. They will never be forgotten by those who knew them.

Thankfully, many families and friends are able to shed tears of joy for those who do return home.

That's why I loved this segment that has recently aired on ESPN a couple times:

It makes me teary-eyed every time I watch soldiers reunited with their families.

God bless this great land and those who serve to protect its freedoms.
I hope you're all able to return home safely to your families very soon!

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