Where is Bobby Dunbar? Introducing TAL

When my brother Allen came to stay a few visits ago, Adam asked him, "Do you know what happened to Bobby Dunbar?" And I was like, "Yeah. Don't you know what happened to Bobby Dunbar?" And Allen's mind was officially boggled. He hadn't yet heard the story of Bobby Dunbar because he hadn't yet heard of This American Life. If we still had radios in the house, we'd hover around it every Sundee night to have a listen. They're stories that make you cry (like the story I listened to on the way home from work today on my iPod - driving with an iPod - is that bad?), stories that make you think twice, stories about types of people you didn't know existed, stories about the common threads that bind us. Get the free download every week here and let me know if you think.

We Found It!

We've been perpetually celebrating our anniversary all week long, eating out and staying out and doing all manner of expensive things but probably the most exciting part was finding OUR sushi place. We've been searching for awhile now - others have been too loud, too expensive, menus too confusing, sushi too gross - but on Tuesday we found IT. We felt good upon arrival. It was nice, quiet, had enough people to make you think "hey, this is place is popular enough." The servers, all 4 of them, were nice, with painted on smiles. You know those painted on Asian smiles that say: "Save face no matter what! Even if the customer spits wasabi in my eye." They brought out our rolls and we were in heaven. Mmmm, raw fish. THAT was my favorite anniversary present.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Us

RED Hot

Today's post is brought to you by the color: RED. And the temperature: 90 degrees. This is what last Saturday was all about. By 7:30 am we were in the sun and sweating. This is us at the MS Walk with my co-workers and boss. The ol' boss puts together a team every year called Ruby's Raiders, in honor of her mother, Ruby, who died from MS.

We chowed on some muffins and tons of fruit during the race, during which I was going for a PR (personal record): walk really slow while eating everything you see. I ate 3 muffins (mini), 1 orange, several grape bunches, 2 bottles of juice, 1/2 a bottle of water, 1/2 a banana and at the finish line I had pizza and chicken....at 9:30 am. I really regretted setting - and reaching - that PR.On the drive home from the MS Walk, windows down and still panting, it was apparent that the day was not cooling down anytime soon, and that's when we knew we had to do something about it. After checking a phone message from my mom that said, "Martha, we are picking up trash along the highway. What are you doing?" it was decided: since we live in California, we will go to the beach. It's that simple. When you live here, you go to the beach. When you live in Roosevelt, Utah, you do your duty. Good riddance, duty.

Our friend James grew up in a little place called Emerald Bay. When he said his house had a view...the guy was NOT screwing around. His entire front balcony is the ocean. Rough. This is us at Emerald Bay Beach. Again: Rough.

Adam coaxed me into my first swim of the season in a FRIGID ocean. There's only one way to coax M-Ware to take a swim in a frigid ocean: yank her from her beach chair and slap her booty all the way down. Ok, he didn't have to do that. I actually ran my own booty all the way into the ocean and didn't stop til I knew salt and sand boogers were going to be a part of my life for the next few hours.


Next red exhibit: I re-did my kitchen/dining room walls. Not terribly exciting but it's something I can finally live with. The left wall is my Christmas present to Adam: his favorite poems, framed. And the red stuff is a combo of some of my favorite things: sailboats, buildings and...red. Tell me if this combination works. The jury is still out for me and I need your opinion. REDdy, GO!

Touch My Cupcake

Right after I read that Mariah surpassed Elvis in #1 hits I've been her biggest fan again, watching all her old YouTube videos, marveling at the wonder she used to be. Which also lead me to watch all of Whitney Houston's old music videos and then Beyonce's ... and soon I was feeling all girl powered out. Until I met these cupcakes today. It all came flooding back. The sensuosity (?), the high notes, the old school delight. Irreplaceable came on the radio and I sang to my cupcakes in the passenger seat. I picked up Adam from work and started telling him an animated story about my day while taking my first bite of the Red Velvet. Everything stopped, I fell silent and, in so many words, said Give Me One Moment In Time. On our after dinner walk, Adam started gushing about the cupcakes and I agreed with some gushing of my own. Made me Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Somehow we're saving the Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chocolate for tomorrow. They're a Vision of Love sitting on my countertop til I Can't Help Myself.

General Lounging and a Flashback

This weekend, as is no surprise, was all about eating, sitting, sleeping, reading and general lounging. General Conference weekend is so great for that, plus a filling up of the ol' spiritual reserve. This morning we had the Elders over for the traditional General Conference breakfast of German pancake. Elder Shin (from Korea) and Elder Cunningham (from Sacramento) both had never tasted of it. Nothing delights me more than introducing amazing food that should not be lived without.Sometime between all the naps and Conference watching, we went on a beach walk. Salt Creek Beach. I had a picture-taking escapade involving these three palm trees.

Let's see how many times I can get these palm trees in a picture.

Oh, I guess they didn't make it into ALL the shots. Anyway, Salt Creek was cool because the ocean came with a beach AND a lawn. The perfect combination, if you ask me, because when I get tired of sand getting into the crevices of my book pages, I need a refuge not far from the ocean. The answer? Grass. Oh, and a multi-million dollar beachfront home. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

While lounging and wasting time and wondering when Priesthood session was going to be over, I came across these pictures A-Ware's mom recently sent:

Adam has always spoken fondly of the crazed night of dancing that occurred at his friend, Kurt's, wedding in the days before I knew him. Until now I had only HEARD of this night. SEEING this night made me wish we hadn't ditched out on chaperoning the stake dance last night. These are moves not to be kept within the confines of our home. His innate awesomeness really comes through, and I just wanted you all to enjoy this rare look into his real abilities and strongpoints.

Family Biznass

Well, babies are getting older and engagements getting shorter so without further ado I bring you the March happenings of my cousins who are blogless.

Carrie No-Show Warner birthed her first child March 16. Don't ask me height and weight, as these are details that don't register automatically and translate very little to me. For instance, say you had a 54 inch baby and you told me over the phone. If I never saw the baby, it would never translate that that is a tall baby. Baby stats just don't make it into that part of my brain that figures things out. Anyway, Baby Ruby came fashionably late, following directly in the footsteps of her mother. Go here for more pictures. I have yet to hear from the mother on the progress of the 54 inch (?) child, as she and her husband moved to Washington and may never be heard from again.
And here I bring you Greg "Just When You Had Lost All Hope" Giles. Debuting on my blog in his Macho Man Randy Savage Halloween costume, here he is with the maker of the costume herself.

The lovely Kristen. He found his 'match', and gave her the 'ring' and now they make up a beautiful 'tag team.' His best comment about her: "She is so legit it makes me cry." Wedding in Mesa on April 16, where I'll be doing my own crying, seeing Ruby for the first time and the championship belt up close.

Beard-Be-Gone

The stake president had said that the minute SOTW was over, the grow-a-beard exhortation was revoked. Adam and I were all too eager to heed his counsel. Last night as we finished cleaning up after the final show, we hurried home and he slapped on the shaving cream and I got out the camera. This is the last you will see of the hairy beast, rat-on-my-chin version of Adam.

I call this one "Lester the Molester."

Right here he had to make a very important decision.


"Ah, Pedro, you gotta keep your mustache, eh?"

"No gracias, Pedro."

Happy Easter

Well, we are five performances down and three to go! And just when I thought I'd be glad to have a couple days off, I'm already sad that it will be ending this week. It has been a remarkable spiritual experience not only during every performance but during every practice.
As members of the "angel chorus" we have seen the events not only "on the ground" as portrayed by the principle cast members but we've pondered our station as actual witnesses from heaven to events on earth - singing glories at Christ's birth and rejoicing as we learn of His resurrection. Yesterday we spent nearly our entire day in performances (a matinee and evening show) and I've never enjoyed Easter weekend so much! My brother, Allen, came to see the show and we had a lovely weekend of performing and chowing - sushi yesterday, roast beef today, and of course Easter baskets full of chocolate for all!

Happy Easter, everyone!!

Book Review: Guns Germs, And Steel by Jared Diamond

In the year 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. What followed over the next 500 years was the not-so-gradual infection, murder, and relocation of the Native American population. Ever wonder why it didn't happen the other way around? Well, neither have I. But really... why didn't a Cherokee Chief load up some boats and sail across the Atlantic to infect, murder and relocate the Europeans? That's the question Jared Diamond tackles in this dense 400 pager.

The answer is simple right? European colonists beat out Indians because they had guns, and the Indians didn't. That's true, but Diamond asks the tougher question: why did Europeans develop guns, and Indians didn't? Why were Europeans resistant to measles and bubonic plague, and Indians weren't. Why did Europeans have advanced methods of agriculture, and Indians didn't? Well, it's because Europeans are smarter than Indians, right?

Wrong, says Diamond. He dismisses racist arguments outright. Instead, he argues that the ultimate explanations for Europe's dominance are environmental, not biological.

For example, Diamond points out that the American continents are tall and skinny, while Eurasia is short and fat (look at a map, it's true). If an ancient American figures out how to grow corn in Panama, the idea can't spread very far, because climate and rainfall change drastically as you move north or south. But, if someone in the fertile crescent figures out how to grow wheat, the idea can spread for thousands of miles east and west, since the climate is relatively uniform.

Large food-producing societies like ancient Europe create food surpluses. So while some people farm, others have time to sit around and invent things... like guns. Europeans weren't smarter or more inventive than Indians, they just lived in a better place. If the Americas were short and fat, and Eurasia were tall and skinny, the Anasazi would have colonies all over the world, and Europeans would live on reservations.

Diamond's book is not a page-turner, but it is fascinating. Reading it is a serious project, but it opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking about our past. If you like anthropology at all, check this book out.

Till We Meet Again

In case you're wondering and wishing and hoping and yearning, yea and even pining, for an updated blog in the next three weeks, you can take your high hopes and....go visit The Pioneer Woman. Because starting tonight we had/have 'Savior of the World' rehearsals and performances until the end of time.

We are part of a 150 person angel chorus and, dude, it is gnarly. We've garnered so much attention for our over-the-top production that the composer of the music and several other artsy-fartsy big wigs that run the show in Salt Lake City are coming to see it - no, not just see it - hold a special fireside for US to see THEM, too! We are in full costume at this point, plus rigged up light systems and sound systems and mike systems from - where else - Disneyland. The set, which includes 15-foot walls that the angels stand on, was hand built by one super-human male builder and painted by two super-human female artists. And the entire show is run by a pair of super-human female drama queens. It is going to be nothing short of spectacular.

If you're in Southern California or just looking for an excuse to come here, buy tickets! Go to http://www.irvineproductions.com/ to book them. And God be with you till we blog again.

Numb Bum

I started cycling 3 years ago this month. Every day after I ride my bike, I ask myself the same question: "Why can't I feel my butt?"

A quick Google search (keywords: cycling, numb, fertility) reveals all sorts of interesting opinions on the topic. Some, including the Mayo Clinic (oooooohhhhh), say that "bicycling can sabotage the system". I don't think I need to mention which system they're referring to (reproductive). Others claim the whole issue is a joke, although I should mention that most of these people are cyclists. Who are you gonna believe here... seriously?

So I have to ask myself a tough question: Am I going to keep riding, despite my constant numb-bum? Let me answer that question with another question: Is the Pope Catholic? Do one legged ducks swim in circles? Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?

Fortunately for me, the combined research and development resources of the cycling industry have been looking into this problem for some time. After devoting thousands of man-hours, millions of dollars, and who knows how many test miles, they have come up with this... that's right... saddles with holes in them.

Mine will be arriving next week!

Measuring the Years

I turned 26 yesterday and what better way to celebrate than by baking and eating and getting things that promote baking and eating. When Adam asked what I wanted for my birthday I said "measuring cups." Just like that. And I meant it. Can you see why? I've been living with measuring cups that have been around the block a few times.

The 1/4 cup came out a fighter, but who needs a sturdy 1/4 cup? thanks a lot; the 1/3 cup was left behind in Vista, lost in some church kitchen during a pizza making fundraiser that I helped the Young Men with in Adam's place (all the more reason for Adam to be the one to make ammends); the 1/2 cup is a crucial cup, but it went and got mangled in the dishwasher about twice and my 1/2 cups of sugar have been lopsided ever since; the 1 cup just wussed out the other day under the weight of some wheat flour. Wheat flour weight! These cups had to know what was coming to them: the trashcan.

So Adam got me some great measuring cups along with...surprise...my choice of art lessons - there are drawing lessons, all kinds of painting lessons and ceramic lessons to choose from! Can't wait, and I think I'm going with the drawing lessons.

This is the baking I did for the b-day (Adam did the cooking - a salmon dinner of wonder). It's a lemon tart with berries on top, obviously. And I did it all while looking fabulous in my winter wardrobe staple: the blue bathrobe.

Then we went for a walk at the beach! It was a great birthday. Thanks to all of you who wrote me/called. I gotta run to SOTW practice now but you will be getting a reply!