I Do What I'm Told

You don't have to ask me twice.  The new berry waffle cones at Baskin Robbins are delicious.  They are particularly delicious with one scoop of pralines and cream.  Photo courtesy of Biz.  This is the shot she liked best.  I was fixing my hair.  Beautiful!

Weekend Update

My Aunt Renee got married in Boise on Saturday.  It was fun to make a quick weekend trip to attend the wedding.  We also drove by our old house (somebody PLEASE mow the lawn) and the 7-11 where we got a lot of our Christmas ornaments.  They're turning it into a Shell Station now... and they probably don't give out penguin ornaments at Christmas anymore.  Times have sure changed.

On Thursday night, Biz and I went to see Les Miz at Pioneer Theater.  It was amazing!  Strong cast and incredible music.  It was the first time I've seen Les Miz where I wasn't kind of annoyed by the grown-up Cosette.  The actress played her with a little spunk, instead of sticky sweet, and I liked it.  Before the play, Tricia and I made a quick stop at Gilgal Gardens and had dinner at a restaurant where they brought us our check inside a book (and not a plastic bill thingy).  It was pretty much a perfect night.  Merry Christmas to me!  Thanks Biz.

Welcome to Another Random Photo of Me During the Workday

I want to make it very clear that I did not write this.  I don't do grafiti.  And if I wanted to start, I certainly wouldn't choose the sign outside of my office building.  In broad daylight.  On a Wednesday afternoon.

But I do want to thank the artist who added "I hate this.  A lot" to our sign.  What a fantastic photo op.



Gilgal Sculpture Garden

This weekend a friend sent me a picture of himself standing by a statue that was very clearly the Prophet Joseph Smith's head pictured on a sphinx.  My response was, "Where ARE you?" 

The answer is Gilgal Gardens.  Formerly known as "The Secret Garden of Salt Lake" this collection of sculptures was created by an LDS Bishop in the backyard of his home.  Now a city park, the garden is a few short blocks from my office, but I had never heard of it before this week.

So my friend Steve and I decided to take a field trip on our lunch break.  Following broccoli beef and rice at my favorite gas station/Chinese restaurant, my fortune read, "Travels from nesting space will take you to a broader cultural horizon."  And boy did it ever!

The Garden entrance.  Behind me is a sculpture of a soldier with a sword and a featureless head.  It's hard to tell if the head was just unfinished or if the lack of a face is symbolic.

This statue led me to do some research on why someone might carve Joseph Smith as a sphinx.  (Sadly, my knowledge of literary references is not as sharp as it might have been in college.  Back in the day, I know I could have written a killer 12-15 page essay on Joseph Smith and freemasonry and the mysteries of the kingdom as seen in the image of a sphinx.  Sigh.  Those were the good old days!) 

This picture is a pretty good representation of my present day confusion as I pondered the statue.  But it was a wonderful lunch-time outing!  The Gilgal Garden website identifies the park as the only "visionary art environment" in Utah.  I can agree with that.

It's Been a Day and a Half Already

It's been the kind of day where you sit in traffic on your way to work following an accident on I-15 that you would have avoided if you had been smart enough to get out of bed when your alarm went off. 

And your co-workers are sending you impatient emails to follow-up on a project you completed and emailed to them months ago.

Then you try to pay a medical bill online, and through an automated phone system, and sit on hold for 12 minutes and 15 seconds to talk to an agent who is not allowed to take credit card information over the phone and you decide to just mail in a check from the account you didn't want to use to pay this bill, but oh well.

And yet... it's Friday.  The sun is shining.  And the Person In Your Office Who Has Been Annoying You The Most All Week (which is a coveted title) is out on vacation for the day.  And so you smile.  And wonder what toppings to order on your pizza tonight.