Back From Vacation

The first rule of driving in the state of Utah is: "If you ever, ever, ever look up and see the above in your rear view mirror, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" Do it like your life depends on it, because it does!

Now that I've been back for a few days I suppose I should do a little blogging before anyone starts yelling at me. You know how much that bothers me. I enjoyed my little getaway immensely and was sorry to see it end. Vacations always seem so short. We did a LOT of driving this time so there was plenty of time for talking. I learned a lot about Lisa during these long drives, now I have a deeper understanding of her and greater respect and appreciation for the person she is now. That alone made the whole trip worthwhile.

I got to see a lot of Eastern Utah, and some of the Northern part too (I think). The landscape is extremely different from what I am used to. Barren would be a good word, even desolate would work for some places. It seemed to be mostly dirt and rocks with a few tumbleweeds, straight out of an old Spaghetti Western. It was still quite pretty in it's own way though. The color contrasts between the flat ground, the mountains and the sky, the different colors of the mountains themselves, the multicolored layers of stone and the oddly shaped formations all made for some fantastic scenery. The pictures just don't do it justice and completely fail to convey just how big and open the views actually were. Check out the "Utah Mountains" album if you want to see a few of the pictures I took. Most of them were taken while moving at roughly 80-85 miles per hour proving that high speed photography is indeed possible. Who knew??

We went to a museum which showcased artifacts from the region. There were a lot of interesting exhibits depicting human life throughout early history in what would later become Utah. There was also a lot of dinosaur exhibits. It's a small place but they had a lot packed into it and it was interesting to see. A lot of the pictures we took there didn't come out so well so I borrowed a few from the museum's site to replace them so they'd be more visible. They are in the "Utah Prehistoric Museum" photo album if you care to look.

I also learned that I absolutely made the right choice when I decided to never have kids, lol. 6 hours in a vehicle with 4 boys who all had better things to do was not the highlight of my trip. But I survived!

There's only one bad thing I can think of about the entire trip. I left my last few remaining Godiva chocolates in Lisa's refrigerator!! :( They were my reward to myself for enduring the pain of shopping with Lisa. After an hour in Victoria's Secret I felt I deserved it (just kidding, it wasn't really that bad. Shhhh) Key lime truffles and raspberry truffles in dark chocolate. Shame, shame, shame on me!

Coming home sucked! Drving to the airport, long flights, a layover, losing 2 hours due to crossing multiple time zones then the long drive home. We left Lisa's around 11am, I got home around midnight to find a messy house (grrrrr), then got up and went to work the next day. WtF was I thinking?? Laundry and cleaning the next night insured I'd still not have enough sleep then back to work again. yay Now it's back to life as I know it.

Blogging From The Land Of Mormon

My first ever weekend in Utah is all but over. The mountains and canyons made for a pretty drive from Salt Lake City to Lisa and Adam's place. I didn't get a real good look at them (at 85mph everything goes by pretty quick), but I managed to see a lot. I'm still not used to seeing mountains everywhere I look but I'm getting there. I don't have a camera so sorry, no pics.

The weather has been perfect, sunny and 70ish. Meanwhile at home in PA there was a day of flooding rains then a winter storm dropped 6 inches of snow over a layer of ice. All I can say is hahahahahahaha!! I beat all the airport shutdowns, so no sleeping in the terminal for me!

So far this visit I've done a few things for the very first time. I ate fries with fry sauce on them, it sounded nasty (a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup) but I had to admit that it was pretty good. I saw my first real live (even though they are dead) tumbleweed. I took the four wheeler for a few laps around the yard, that was fun! I managed to avoid hurting myself or running in to anything. We even ended up at a club which was having a swinger party, that was quite interesting. I met some nice people and experienced another first, an Anheuser-Busch product that I actually liked!. I got nailed with a low level migraine which put a damper on the evening but it still ended up being a good time.

Tonight we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire in the back yard, not a first but it has been just about forever since last time I did that.I'm having a great time and am really enjoying my little getaway. It'll be over before I know it but I'm enjoying it while I can. Until next time .....

Vacation Time!

Reservations for my flights and my airport parking are made and confirmed, the banking is done, the bills are paid, the orchids and other house plants are all watered, the litter box is cleaned, the recyclables have all been dropped off at the collection center, the house is mostly clean and I am all packed. I think I need a vacation from all the preparation for going on vacation! Now I'll probably spend the next few hours driving myself crazy wondering what I forgot... I hate that!

It will sure be good to get away from home for a few days. I leave this afternoon to go spend almost a week with Lisa and family, in Utah this time. Aside from flying over it I've not seen any of Utah so I'm looking forward to it. Plus I know I'll be in good company, so that's even better! I've already been warned that the boys want to fill my luggage with rocks (fossils they've found and collected) so I think I better bring along an extra bag, lol. Let airport security figure that one out.

Here's yet another online quiz for your amusement. I was extremely surprised when I took it. Me of all people, sarcastic? The nerve!! See where you rate.

You're Totally Sarcastic

You sarcastic? Never! You're as sweet as a baby bunny. Seriously, though, you have a sharp tongue and you aren't afraid to use it. And if people are too wimpy to deal with your attitude then too bad. So sad.

How Sarcastic Are You?

What's Your Party?

I forgot about these right after I did them, so here they are now. Better late than never!

You Are 40% Democrat

You're a bit Democrat, and probably more liberal than you realize. If you're still voting Republican, maybe it's time that you stop.

How Democrat Are You?

Nothing earth shattering there, so I figured I may as well take the other one.

You Are 16% Republican

If you have anything in common with the Republican party, it's by sheer chance. You're a staunch liberal, and nothing is going to change that!

How Republican Are You?

Uh oh, I've been called the dreaded "L" word. Oh for shame! I'll take it though, "liberal" sounds better than "supporter of a murderous lying buffoon." I don't really think these lame internet tests are all that accurate but it's still nice of them to show that I put my money where my mouth is. I'm always saying that blind partisanship is bullshit, vote the issue not the platform. At 40% Democrat, 16% Republican and 44% other (whatever that may be) it looks like my opinions are spread out amongst all parties and platforms. Go me!

Immigration

Since the topic of immigration seemed to touch a nerve I decided to blog about it. Personally I'm all for immigration, but with conditions. Most importantly, follow proper legal procedure and pay your share. Next, learn the bloody language. This is America, an English speaking country. We should never ever have to press 1 to continue in English. Finally, you are coming to America to be an American so you damned well better act like one.

If you want to be Mexican, befriend only other Mexicans and speak only Spanish then stay in Mexico. This applies to all other nationalities as well. This is America, by coming here you imply that you want to be American. Learn the customs and follow the rules. I'm not saying that immigrants should forget their heritage, that's an unreasonable request and one with no merit whatsoever. It is quite reasonable however to ask, even to demand, that once you are an American you start acting like it. If that's a problem, leave.

What follows is the text of an e-mail I received not too long ago, the general theme is the same."Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration. Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely. Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.

Let's say I break into your house. Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, 'I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors; I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).'

According to the protesters, not only must you let me stay, you must add me to your family's insurance plan, educate my kids, and provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do your yard work because he too is hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).

If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends, who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my right to be there. It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm hard-working and honest, um, except for well, you know.

And what a deal it is for me!! I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of selfishness and prejudice. Oh, and I want you to learn my language so you can communicate with me."

Only in America.... Pass it on (in English) if you find this ridiculous. Share it if you see the value of it as a good simile or even just to provide a smile

Mandatory Urine Tests?

It's official, I'm losing my mind. This will be the second time in a week that I decided to write another blog entry then forgot what I was going to blog about. Duh me. After forgetting what I was going to blog about I figured I'd just rant about something but after thinking about it for a few minutes I realized I wasn't even pissed off about anything. How's that for scary?

To prevent the cobwebs from forming I have to put something here so I'll just start posting the forwarded e-mails which I receive almost daily. This one comes (supposedly) from the readers' opinion column of a newspaper in Riddle, Oregon. For those of you who don't know, the random urine test the writer refers to are the random drug screenings required by a majority of employers in the US.

"I have a question, not only for Douglas County, but for the entire state of Oregon. Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me, i pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as they see fit. In order for me to get that paycheck I am required to pass a random urine test, which I have no problem with.

What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check, because I have to pass one to go earn it for them?

Please understand, I have nothing against helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sit on their butt. Could you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?"

While it sounded kind of funny at first, the more I think about it the more I realize that the writer may actually have a valid point. What do you think?

Hating on Yahoo!

I'd like to take this opportunity to loudly declare my firm belief that YAHOO! SUCKS!. Lately it seems that every part of their services have been screwed up. As usual, if you do manage to get a response from an actual person at Yahpoo! Customer Care they just tell you that they were unable to replicate the problem then try to pass it off as a problem with your computer.

360° is screwy, html blog entries require repeated and extensive re-editing before they post correctly and the Share Photos feature seems to be broken too. I got so fed up that I made a myspace page and copied most of my blogs to it.

Y! Photos is all buggered up too. It seems they've updated the whole interface and given it some new features. Nice! Too bad most of it doesn't work.

Yahoo! Message Boards are screwed up, "technical difficulty" error messages out the wazoo. Sometimes they open, sometimes they don't. Sometimes when they open correctly they even remember your settings! Wow ... progress!

Then we get to Yahoo! Answers. It used to be fun helping people out but now the site is now full of assholes, idiots, spammers, homophobes, racists and any other low-life form of bigoted horse's ass you can imagine so I quit going there. Now I have to find something else to do, again. Viva la Yahpoo!!