The best things heard/said in my office today:
1. Jordan talking to pizza place: "Really? Hey Matt, they say they don't have any beer"
2. IM conversation between Sarah and I:
Lani: ps - there is nothing good on people.com
Sarah: Amen
Today was so disappointing
Lani: how dare celebrities not have outrageous things happen every day
Sarah: I know!
They are supposed to be ENTERTAINERS
Does that mean anything to them?
Lani: probably not, inconsiderate jerks
Sarah: For real
Rich bastards
3. Jordan, stranded on freeway: "Uh... I ran out of gas"
It's only 2:30 and it's been a great day.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Summer Happenings: San Francisco
I am back. And it's already time to leave again. Well, not really - I have GOT to stay put for long enough to take care of some items of business that have been neglected but I am no-joke already hurting for another weekend away. What does this say about my life, you may ask? Just don't ask - I have no idea.
After arriving in San Jose on Friday night, Sara and I packed ourselves a couple of backpacks and caught the CalTrain to San Francisco in the morning. We both definitely fell asleep face-down on the formica table afforded our section of the train - the jury is still out as to whether I contracted any communicable diseases from that encounter. I was totally unprepared as to how cold the weekend was actually going to be - I took short sleeved shirts, flip flops, and just a basic fleece to keep me warm and it was a good thing that we were continually on the move because it was CHILLY! Luckily, we literally were always on the move; on the full days of Saturday and Sunday that we were in the city I'm guessing that we walked 14-16 hours each. Loved it. At some point we were both wincing and hobbling a little bit, but Sara is tougher than me and I try to keep up, you know? We made sure to make plenty of treat stops to maintain our energy and also made time for a brief nap just off of a pathway in the park. One day after situating a backpack to use as a pillow, we fell asleep for a few minutes and upon waking, were pleased to notice that a little man had taken a seat on the bench some 15 ft. from us and was watching like a hawk. I can't decide if he was thinking about trying to steal our stuff or about offering us some money to go and sit tight in a shelter for a while.
There was no need though, as a new experience for me was staying in the Mason St. Intl. Hostel:
Sara made all of the arrangements and the price and location were perfect - I think I may become a frequenter of hostels. They are competitively priced, there are bunkbeds, and you may get a cool roommate like Bridget, our new friend from Ireland who has been hanging out in Canada for the last year just for the hell of it. What a life, right? Poor Sara may not have gotten the best end of this deal as she doesn't sleep much and there is literally nothing to do in the rooms other than sleep. Total trooper.
On Sunday we decided to take off on a walk and see if we couldn't find the Exploratorium (we couldn't), see the park (we did), and get lost for 6 or so hours (we did). After biking through Golden Gate park and along the beach for a few hours, we ended up on Haight-Ashbury and were able to see all-things-Grateful-Dead. The street was pretty cool and we found some cute boutiques and funky little shops to look at while we walked. A while later, we were looping back towards Mason and found a little outdoor market-fair thing that we hung out at for a while. For those of you that don't know, I could spend all day looking through Etsy and the blocked off streets were the physical manifestation of all that etsy could offer - everything was handmade, fairly original, and generally awesome. I could have spent a LONG TIME just going back to look and talk with the vendors but we caught it at the end and saw everything pretty quick. I found this little gem of a shop and bought a tiny little necklace that I fairly adore. This is one of my favorite things about bigger and more temperate cities- the outdoor markets! We went throught the farmer's market on the Embarcadero and then found the goods market without even looking- they somehow just appear with the most lovely of items. I swear I would move somewhere if there was the promise of fresh flowers being wrapped in newspaper for my consumer purposes... My purchasing power was definitely exercised between the boutiques, markets, and last but not least: the famous City Lights Bookstore. We literally wandered by the front door one night and I am so glad that Sara suggested going in; I didn't know it at the time but City Lights was one of the most popular locations for beat readers like Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Ferlinghetti. Since of my best/favorite papers written at BYU was on Ginsberg's "A Supermarket in California" I honored the location by reading parts of "Howl" and purchasing "On the Road." I don't know the last time I felt so patriotic to my cause.
We caught the early train back to San Jose first thing on Monday morning and after a quick change of clothes headed down towards Santa Cruz to hang on the beach. After a quick tour of the actual 'town' of Santa Cruz (again, full of boutiques and outdoor sales) we headed to a prety vacant beach where Sara wore layers and I wore layers plus a coat. We didn't last too long because it was cold but upon getting back to the car it wouldn't start. So, we warmed up by taking a couple-hours walk along the railroad tracks and once we got back it started! Hooray! We made it back to Sara's house and her generous dad and step-mom made a great/much needed barbeque. It just doesn't seem like Memorial Day if there isn't some grilling involved, you know?
I left the next day after some MAJOR sleeping (like, more than I've slept since Christmas) and some errand running (via bicycle, naturally). The flight home was uneventful, unlike the first which I only made by running through the airport in really unfortunate shoes. So here I am, just catching up on the mundane and real life related. My only goal for next time is to have my camera in operating condition and learn how to be more brief in my re-telling. We'll see...
After arriving in San Jose on Friday night, Sara and I packed ourselves a couple of backpacks and caught the CalTrain to San Francisco in the morning. We both definitely fell asleep face-down on the formica table afforded our section of the train - the jury is still out as to whether I contracted any communicable diseases from that encounter. I was totally unprepared as to how cold the weekend was actually going to be - I took short sleeved shirts, flip flops, and just a basic fleece to keep me warm and it was a good thing that we were continually on the move because it was CHILLY! Luckily, we literally were always on the move; on the full days of Saturday and Sunday that we were in the city I'm guessing that we walked 14-16 hours each. Loved it. At some point we were both wincing and hobbling a little bit, but Sara is tougher than me and I try to keep up, you know? We made sure to make plenty of treat stops to maintain our energy and also made time for a brief nap just off of a pathway in the park. One day after situating a backpack to use as a pillow, we fell asleep for a few minutes and upon waking, were pleased to notice that a little man had taken a seat on the bench some 15 ft. from us and was watching like a hawk. I can't decide if he was thinking about trying to steal our stuff or about offering us some money to go and sit tight in a shelter for a while.
There was no need though, as a new experience for me was staying in the Mason St. Intl. Hostel:
Sara made all of the arrangements and the price and location were perfect - I think I may become a frequenter of hostels. They are competitively priced, there are bunkbeds, and you may get a cool roommate like Bridget, our new friend from Ireland who has been hanging out in Canada for the last year just for the hell of it. What a life, right? Poor Sara may not have gotten the best end of this deal as she doesn't sleep much and there is literally nothing to do in the rooms other than sleep. Total trooper.
On Sunday we decided to take off on a walk and see if we couldn't find the Exploratorium (we couldn't), see the park (we did), and get lost for 6 or so hours (we did). After biking through Golden Gate park and along the beach for a few hours, we ended up on Haight-Ashbury and were able to see all-things-Grateful-Dead. The street was pretty cool and we found some cute boutiques and funky little shops to look at while we walked. A while later, we were looping back towards Mason and found a little outdoor market-fair thing that we hung out at for a while. For those of you that don't know, I could spend all day looking through Etsy and the blocked off streets were the physical manifestation of all that etsy could offer - everything was handmade, fairly original, and generally awesome. I could have spent a LONG TIME just going back to look and talk with the vendors but we caught it at the end and saw everything pretty quick. I found this little gem of a shop and bought a tiny little necklace that I fairly adore. This is one of my favorite things about bigger and more temperate cities- the outdoor markets! We went throught the farmer's market on the Embarcadero and then found the goods market without even looking- they somehow just appear with the most lovely of items. I swear I would move somewhere if there was the promise of fresh flowers being wrapped in newspaper for my consumer purposes... My purchasing power was definitely exercised between the boutiques, markets, and last but not least: the famous City Lights Bookstore. We literally wandered by the front door one night and I am so glad that Sara suggested going in; I didn't know it at the time but City Lights was one of the most popular locations for beat readers like Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Ferlinghetti. Since of my best/favorite papers written at BYU was on Ginsberg's "A Supermarket in California" I honored the location by reading parts of "Howl" and purchasing "On the Road." I don't know the last time I felt so patriotic to my cause.
We caught the early train back to San Jose first thing on Monday morning and after a quick change of clothes headed down towards Santa Cruz to hang on the beach. After a quick tour of the actual 'town' of Santa Cruz (again, full of boutiques and outdoor sales) we headed to a prety vacant beach where Sara wore layers and I wore layers plus a coat. We didn't last too long because it was cold but upon getting back to the car it wouldn't start. So, we warmed up by taking a couple-hours walk along the railroad tracks and once we got back it started! Hooray! We made it back to Sara's house and her generous dad and step-mom made a great/much needed barbeque. It just doesn't seem like Memorial Day if there isn't some grilling involved, you know?
I left the next day after some MAJOR sleeping (like, more than I've slept since Christmas) and some errand running (via bicycle, naturally). The flight home was uneventful, unlike the first which I only made by running through the airport in really unfortunate shoes. So here I am, just catching up on the mundane and real life related. My only goal for next time is to have my camera in operating condition and learn how to be more brief in my re-telling. We'll see...
Friday, May 23, 2008
Summer Happenings: Florida
I'm packing to go to San Francisco tomorrow and feel a little bit guilty that I never posted anything about my last trip, Florida with Sarah. Unfortunately, we were both depending on the other to bring a camera to document our wild and crazy doings, but neither of us actually brought one. So, as sad as it is that I am having trouble remembering the events of only three weeks ago, I'm going to have to rely on Sarah to fill in the blanks where I've already forgotten. Here's the rundown:
After an interminable flight seated next to a recently-divorced father of three (who, if it must be said, was a little too comfortable with my company), we had a short layover in Albequerque, New Mexico. For anyone who may have a deep and abiding love for the 'Albequerque International Sunport,' please stop reading right now. I've never spent time in what can only described as the ghetto-booty of all airports. It was dirty! It was crowded! There were only like 3 terminals! I paid $8 for yogurt and water! Feeling slightly violated an hour later, we left for Tampa and arrived late afternoon. Seriously you guys, Florida rocks. It was warm and a little bit humid and had green plants and trees! That were GREEN! And ALIVE! Clearly, a big improvement over the snow flurries that we had left earlier that morning.
We spent the next two days at the beach - first at St. Petersburg and then Fort DeSoto Park on the Gulf of Mexico. It's interesting - St. Petersburg was mostly populated by the older generation. From what I could tell, most everyone must have decided that as they are approaching death's door there was no point in worrying about using sunscreen or sun protection of any kind. Instead, tanning oil (and possibly butter) were liberally applied to every surface of these people and they were 'leathering' before our eyes. Sick. Don't worry though, me and my SPF 80 were sitting pretty, in a long sleeved shirt and under a beach umbrella, naturally.
On Sunday, I left on what was supposed to be a little drive (while Sarah half-sat/half-stood at home with a nasty sunburn) and ended up on the other side of Florida, Cocoa beach on the Atlantic. I'm not really sure because of the screwy way that I got there, but I think I drove for a little over three hours. I won't lie - it was kind of great. I like to drive and I had a charged ipod that lasted me through Orlando and the coastal drive - I ended up feeling like I had finally figured out the freeway system and saw a lot of landscape throughout the afternoon and evening. I suppose I ought to have a destination in mind the next time I pick up and go. I came back to good old allergy-ville Utah on Monday afternoon. It was a real, real, good vacation - I read 4 books, sat by the pool, played with a puppy (no joke), bought the most amazing water-noodle ever created, ate fresh fruit, took some lovely walks, and managed to escape without a sunburn or case of food poisoning. The last part is most surprising because one night we ate Mexican food purchased from a bus-turned-restaurant. Needless to say, it was sketchy.
After an interminable flight seated next to a recently-divorced father of three (who, if it must be said, was a little too comfortable with my company), we had a short layover in Albequerque, New Mexico. For anyone who may have a deep and abiding love for the 'Albequerque International Sunport,' please stop reading right now. I've never spent time in what can only described as the ghetto-booty of all airports. It was dirty! It was crowded! There were only like 3 terminals! I paid $8 for yogurt and water! Feeling slightly violated an hour later, we left for Tampa and arrived late afternoon. Seriously you guys, Florida rocks. It was warm and a little bit humid and had green plants and trees! That were GREEN! And ALIVE! Clearly, a big improvement over the snow flurries that we had left earlier that morning.
We spent the next two days at the beach - first at St. Petersburg and then Fort DeSoto Park on the Gulf of Mexico. It's interesting - St. Petersburg was mostly populated by the older generation. From what I could tell, most everyone must have decided that as they are approaching death's door there was no point in worrying about using sunscreen or sun protection of any kind. Instead, tanning oil (and possibly butter) were liberally applied to every surface of these people and they were 'leathering' before our eyes. Sick. Don't worry though, me and my SPF 80 were sitting pretty, in a long sleeved shirt and under a beach umbrella, naturally.
On Sunday, I left on what was supposed to be a little drive (while Sarah half-sat/half-stood at home with a nasty sunburn) and ended up on the other side of Florida, Cocoa beach on the Atlantic. I'm not really sure because of the screwy way that I got there, but I think I drove for a little over three hours. I won't lie - it was kind of great. I like to drive and I had a charged ipod that lasted me through Orlando and the coastal drive - I ended up feeling like I had finally figured out the freeway system and saw a lot of landscape throughout the afternoon and evening. I suppose I ought to have a destination in mind the next time I pick up and go. I came back to good old allergy-ville Utah on Monday afternoon. It was a real, real, good vacation - I read 4 books, sat by the pool, played with a puppy (no joke), bought the most amazing water-noodle ever created, ate fresh fruit, took some lovely walks, and managed to escape without a sunburn or case of food poisoning. The last part is most surprising because one night we ate Mexican food purchased from a bus-turned-restaurant. Needless to say, it was sketchy.
Since I've been home, I've been anxiously counting down the days to this San Francisco bit where I'll be seeing Sara M. and biking through countryside. Or something, I guess. No real idea what the itinerary is - perfect for me!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
So, I graduated
I started knocking college courses out of the way when I was a junior in high school, so it it feels like I have been in school for nigh unto a lifetime. I know I have the paperwork in a box that is currently in my basement, but I can't even remember the number of credits I now have to my name. Fact of the matter is, though, I did the thing and am now the owner of my very own (in the mail?) diploma stating that I have graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English. 
Now what?
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