Truth Can Do That

Do I look young?

Today my coworker told me she thought I was nineteen or twenty. When I told her how wrong she was, she was honestly quite surprised. Since I was about twenty-three, I have found that people consistently guess my age as about three years younger than is correct. These sorts of guesses come from people who are both younger and older than me, so I don't think it's a generational thing. Also, I never ask people how old I am, I hate that. Why put someone on the spot like that? It's silly. So, these people that have guessed at my age have done so because they were so surprised when the truth was discovered that they simply had to divulge their inmost thoughts. Truth can do that to people.

Well? Do I look my age?

Standing Outside the Fire

Sometimes when I listen to music I cry.

I just do, okay?

I was minding my own business on my way home from work today when Garth Brooks came on my cute little iPod. Garth was singing "Standing Outside the Fire".

Oh man.

Oh, man.

Not once in my known memory have I not cried while listening to this song. I remember the first time I saw the music video.
I was in the third or fourth grade.
It was after school, and I was watching CMT.
And I cried.
I bawled.
I couldn't breathe.
I don't remember ever feeling like that before.
But mostly, I was embarrassed and was glad no one had seen me crying at a music video.


Fast forward to the year 2005.
I was living in Idaho, in C4, and I had just come home from work. I was walking through the living room when the music video for "Standing Outside the Fire" suddenly appeared on our TV screen.

I stopped.

I had avoided that video my entire life.
And now, there it was.
There wasn't a soul in the living room.
Just me and Garth.
I stood transfixed.
As the message of the song and video unfolded before my eyes and in my heart I started to cry.
Tears were streaming down my face. I basically knew it would happen. I figured Garth and I could have another private moment. It was about time, anyway. It had been years since I had last seen the video.

As I stood there with my things in my arms, my face glowing with tears, eyes glued to the TV screen, I noticed a slight movement of energy to my left. I turn my head and here comes Tara bustling around the corner. She sees me.

She stops.

She stares.

Her mouth opens just a bit.

She looks at the music video.

She looks at me.

She says, "Are you crying???!"



I have no idea what I did then. I only remember Tara's shocked face. She was astounded, I think. I'm pretty sure Tara never looked at me the same after that.

Anyway, I figure you should probably all watch the video.



I hope this version is okay; I didn't watch it all the way through.

A.G.

I have been house sitting and am currently flipping through the channels on the TV machine, looking for something to keep me company.
And suddenly, it just fell into my lap: the American Gladiators. Memories passed over me, of after school viewings of American Gladiators.... the rearranging of furniture and the execution of our own Gladiator events using NERF products... And how i'm pretty sure i was always the wost. I would attribute that to my girl-ness and lack of real desire to participate in these events.
Just so you know, from the view from Viper's helmet-cam clearly shows Tower's inability to stay in sync. Well, that is something like what the announcer said.

Anyway, does anyone else have American Gladiators memories?

The 4th of July and things named Orlando

I've never understood the Fourth of July.
Growing up, the 4th was not a party day. My parents always did normal things on those days. I think they wanted to avoid big crowds, which is understandable, and why go to the beach when it is super crowded, when you could go the next day when it isn't at all crowded?

To me, the 4th consisted of an early pancake breakfast at the Stake Center, and then listening to patriotic songs sung by women who have the highest pitched voices on earth.
And that was it.
Sometimes we would take advantage of sales, or sometimes we would go to a parade, but i don't remember having a really great time ever.

The beauty of the 4th started to become clear to me once i moved out. I was in Utah, and took a hike in the mountains with a few friends of mine. I had to work that day, but was able to meet up with them again for fire works. It was a good day.



The next summer found me in Idaho, and i ended up going to Bear Lake with a friend, and we met her family there, and played around all day. We drove back up to Rexburg when it began to get dark, and we were able to watch fireworks all the way home. We even made it to the bridge where they shoot the Idaho Falls fireworks off at the finale. We completely missed traffic, and had a fun day.

I wasn't really expecting much for this 4th of July. My friends Liji and Christina (Liji rhymes with Fiji) called me and said they were coming up from Utah to hang with their family, and invited me along.

We had a great time. We went to a parade, managed to find a super great spot (everyone uses twine to save their spot, and get mean if you even slow down when you walk past) and then we chilled and we went swimming at a dam, and had a great BBQ. Afterwards, i met up with my roommates for fireworks, and it was a wonderful day. Oh, i also met a skunk named Orlando.



No one knows why "Give a kid a flag to wave" is all one word on this banner, but it didn't bother us too much, because this is Idaho.


What did bother us was this creepy guy. He was part of the DARE float. It wasn't just this guy, there were about 10 other costumed people looking all creepy and scary. What does that mean? If you do drugs you will end up like this? If you do drugs these monsters will come and take you away? Was this a scare tactic? No one had any clue. Does anyone have any ideas?



Me, Liji, Petra, and Christina cheering for candy. We loved the candy. People were also giving away Creamies and Otter Pops. It was a great parade.

A lady in a flower pulled by a man. It was a good float.

I don't know if you can see this, but it was some BMX club, and at the end of that Semi, they have their awards and trophies. I don't know what they would have done if they didn't have that Semi to carry around their trophies. Would two MAC trucks have done the trick?



Liji, his niece Adelaide, and Orlando.



Orlando and Liji's fancy swim trunks.
Orlando is a nice skunk.

Wheat and Skulls

When we were growing up, Mom liked to grind wheat. I would often find myself waking up to the grinder noise, and in the coming days find myself face to face with a wheat pancake. They were disgusting. Absolutely the worst thing ever. I couldn't understand what people were talking about when they spoke favorably about pancakes.
I think i was about 13 when i discovered that not all pancakes are nasty, i just happened to grow up with the nasty kind. To this day i hold no grudge on the pancake community, for i now know there are good amongst the evil, just trying to fight for their yumminess for the benefit of all man kind.
A few days ago i heard the familiar wheat grinder, as my roommate makes homemade bread every once in a while. I came down the stairs and discovered that my roommate had made me a wheat pancake, her favorite (somehow), weighing about 10 pounds and full of little pieces of wheat. I tried to eat it, but i got tired and bored. It filled me up after three bites. I ended up making an "M," and finishing it after a little break. I didn't eat for two days afterword.






Oh, also i got these really great skull shoes.