Incoherent Musings and Other Schlock

Oh Em Gee

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:54:33 GMT

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24127062#24127062

Rainbow Connection?

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:15:51 GMT

In an effort to eradicate Leslie Hall earworms stuck in my brain (thanks to jockbdboy), my coworker was somewhat successful by injecting "Rainbow Connection" into my gray matter, but it led to a deeper discussion. The song starts with "Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side?" Which led us to ask, "Really? How many songs are there about rainbows?" We can only think of "Somewhere over the Rainbow."

Coming along..

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:54:18 GMT

More changes.. Now lights and glass on the table top. Those little cans keep the cats from playing on the table. Next step, curtains! They're at the dry cleaners being shortened.

Mmmmm.. fetish update..

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:03:07 GMT

Utah Utes football: Utes to get new uniforms

By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News

Utah football is getting a uniform makeover — and a major one at that.

The Utes are making the supplier switch from Nike to UnderArmour in a multiyear deal that may be announced as early as today. The football-only agreement could be in the neighborhood of an eight-year, $4.1 million pact the company signed with Hawaii last month.

University of Utah officials and football coach Kyle Whittingham declined to comment on the matter, however, pending finalization of the deal.

Utah will be the seventh football program to affiliate with UnderArmour, joining Auburn, Maryland, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Hawaii and South Florida.

The new uniforms, which the Utes will debut Aug. 30 at Michigan, feature a single curved stripe on each shoulder with "UTAH" emblazoned across the front and the Utes' drum and feather logo on the pants. The new uniforms will feature the school colors of crimson and white. The combinations, such as mixing and matching the jerseys and pants, will be determined later by the team's leadership council.

Rumors are circulating about an alternate black jersey as well.

Computerized displays of the jerseys obtained by the Deseret Morning News are believed to reveal the finished product for next season. The look can be tweaked a bit for future campaigns.

Utah's helmets — with its candy red finish — come from a different supplier and will remain unchanged.

After winning the Fiesta Bowl in January 2005, the Utes changed their Nike uniform design to something similar to what the Miami Hurricanes were wearing. They've stayed that way for the past three seasons.

The new UnderArmour design also includes a change in fabrics.

In a press release announcing its recent deal with Hawaii, UnderArmour describes itself as "a leading developer, marketer and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear and accessories. The brand's moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional natural fiber products."

The company has also said that it's gear is "engineered to wick moisture away from the skin, enabling players to feel drier, lighter and more comfortable."

Apparently, Dee Burger Clowns don't go to heaven when they die...

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:47:04 GMT

Apparently, Dee Burger Clowns don't go to heaven when they die...
Originally uploaded by Troy Snow

Another childhood memory captured in photos. Dees Hamburgers were a chain of drive thru's in Salt Lake. They were known for their rocking clown signs and 25 cent hamburgers. They were bought out by Hardees in the early 80's and the iconic clowns with their spinning noses were replaced by drab Hardees signs with no character whatsoever. It was big news. All the old signs ended up in the yard of YESCO and we're either trashed or parted out.

I so wanted my parents to take me over to steal one and keep it in the backyard.

Hotel Newhouse, Salt Lake City, Utah

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:43:49 GMT

Hotel Newhouse, Salt Lake City, Utah
Originally uploaded by Troy Snow

Some memories. This old hotel was one of the finest ins Salt Lake. I remember stopping in there after the Christmas Parade one year, just me and my mom for hot chocolate. Only a few years later, it was torn down to make a parking lot. It was heartbreaking. One of the local news stations did a whole montage to Dan Fogelberg's "Heart Hotels" and every time I hear that song, it reminds me of that hot chocolate with my mom.

Here's a picture in it's glory days, complete with trolley tracks.

http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/USHS_Shipler,4669

Sympathetic Soldier

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:34:35 GMT

Sympathetic Soldier
Originally uploaded by Troy Snow

Wow, this is just an amazing picture. I was forwarded to this photographer by another flickr user while looking at old signs. The photographer went with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to rescue pets in New Orleans during Katrina.

Troy Snow, the photographer captioned the picture with: "You could see it the eyes of all the military we ran into. As individuals, they desperately wanted to do more, but, as soldiers, had to follow orders."

Productive Day

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:38:06 GMT

Started with going to the bank. I hadn't ordered checks with the new address because my bank required I stop in at a branch to do so. That took all of 10 minutes. Then I headed up to Long Beach for a haircut.

Finally, ran up to Living Spaces and bought this:

My cellphone accidentally called slave_pug while I was at the loading dock. I need to remember to lock my keypad to prevent that. Got everything home and unpacked the table only to realize it was missing its hardware. It's a good thing Lowes is so close. And thank God for my Makita. Each chair had 11 screws.

I'm done with all the big ticket items, except maybe a patio set. It's time to decorate. There's track lighting over the table. I plan to hang a couple pendants from it. I need to order some track adapters to do that. I also need some window treatments and the table really needs a big vase or something in the middle of it.

And on top of it all, I've paid off all my credit cards and other debts. The only outstanding debt I have is the truck.

Yay!

Mika - Lollipop (Official Music Video)

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:28:49 GMT

Kinda reminds me of the Sonny and Cher animated videos.. but with a bit more technology.

I Think I'm Nesting

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 03:43:05 GMT

Today I went grocery shopping, did laundry, watched "Terms of Endearment", and baked bread?!

But Ma! I know It's a School Night.

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:14:05 GMT

A buddy of mine has his first live performance of his solo career tomorrow. I'm planning on going to support. The bar itself looks awesome. Anyone else interested??

http://bordellobar.com

Hush Up You..

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:50:58 GMT

National Gay March on Salt Lake anyone??

LDS Church disciplines musician
By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 02/23/2008 11:17:17 AM MST

ROSE PARK -- Peter Danzig did not set out to be a Mormon activist.
    The gentle musician spent his life serving the church he loved. He went on a mission, married in the temple, composed pieces for Mormon pageants, and taught hymns to children. He and his wife, Mary, also a returned missionary, were raising their three daughters in Levan, but driving to Salt Lake City each week to play in the LDS Orchestra at Temple Square - he on viola, she, the violin. Both believed their music was their gift to God.
    Danzig said nothing in 1993 when church officials charged six well-known Mormon scholars and intellectuals with apostasy for their writings or
Peter Danzig's letter to the editor of The Tribune published June 14, 2006:

    As a member of the LDS Church, returned missionary and member of the Orchestra at Temple Square, I am appalled at the intellectual tyranny that our leadership has exercised through the summary dismissal of Jeffrey Nielsen from his teaching position at Brigham Young University for speaking his mind in an op-ed published June 4 in The Tribune. I was troubled that my church requested that I violate my own conscience to write in support of an amendment (marriage) I feel is contrary to the Constitution and to the gospel of Christ.
    I am even more discouraged to see how they deal with an honest difference of opinion.
    I wish to express to Jeffrey Nielsen that I admire his courage and that I stand with him. I hope that rank-and-file members of the church as well as members of the lay clergy who also find this troubling will have the courage to step forward and let themselves be known. To do anything else would be to hide in the shadow of an injustice.
speeches about LDS issues. He kept quiet when Brigham Young University fired history professor Steven Epperson, a member of Danzig's Mormon congregation, for serving the homeless rather than attending church.
    But in 2006, Danzig finally felt compelled to protest. BYU adjunct professor Jeffrey Nielsen lost his job for arguing in a The Salt Lake Tribune column that the LDS Church was wrong to oppose gay marriage and to enlist Mormon support for a constitutional amendment against it.
    The dismissal appalled Danzig, who had explored the questions of homosexuality while pursuing a graduate degree in clinical social work.
    "I wish to express to Jeffery Nielson that I admire his courage and that I stand with him," Danzig wrote in a letter The Tribune published on June 14, 2006. "I was troubled that my church requested I violate my own conscience to write in support of an amendment I feel is contrary to the constitution and to the gospel of Christ."
    What happened next is disheartening to many who believe the church should allow its members to express divergent political and personal views. While others wrote letters in support of Nielsen without facing discipline, Danzig endured months of grueling attacks on his motives and membership.
    "There is room in the [LDS] Church for honest disagreement regarding church positions," LDS Spokesman Scott Trotter said. "Disagreement on doctrine only becomes an issue when a church member acts in open opposition to the church or its leaders."
    Deciding when a person is in "open opposition" varies among Mormon bishops and stake presidents. Clearly, someone at the top thought Danzig had crossed that line.
    In his Tribune letter, Danzig mentioned he played in the orchestra, which is open to Mormons in good standing. He wanted to make it clear he was not a church opponent.
    Within a week, LDS officials contacted Danzig with concerns about the letter. They suspended him from the orchestra and for the next year, he and, ultimately his wife, defended their loyalty, faith and actions. No amount of persuasion or pleading could convince these ecclesiastical leaders they meant well.
    Ultimately, the Danzigs moved out of their Levan house and, in December, resigned their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rather than face excommunication.
    "Part of the reason for writing the letter was to find out if there was room for personal conscience in this church. I was very hopeful," Peter Danzig said. "But now I know there is none. This has been a painful journey for me."
    Set in motion: It began with a call from Michael Watson, secretary to the church's governing First Presidency, to Barry Anderson, orchestra administrator, and Mac Christensen, president of the Tabernacle Choir, which is associated with the orchestra. Danzig said Anderson told him Watson wondered whether "an enemy had infiltrated the orchestra."
    Eventually, the Danzigs' bishop and stake president in Levan got involved.
    All of the leaders declined to comment or offer any written accounts of their actions.
    "Communications of this nature between church leaders and members are considered confidential," Trotter said.
    Danzig wrote an outline of his version of events and sent it to several of the leaders, offering to correct anything they thought was inaccurate. He received no reply from the orchestra or choir reps, but local leaders said if he published any part of his outline, they would hold a disciplinary hearing.
    "In hindsight I could have used some different language, but what I wrote expressed the feelings of my heart," he said. "I have seen the church abuse too many, including my family, without anyone daring to speak out. It is important to me that the silence about this abuse end."
    Initially, Mary Danzig thought it was all a big misunderstanding. But soon, her own devotion to the church came into question. She, too, felt unwelcome in the orchestra. Her parents wrote letters to church authorities, begging for an audience or at least some understanding. They were unsuccessful.
    "I felt like my world had come crashing down when Peter told me he might be excommunicated," said Mary Danzig, at the time a member of the Primary Presidency in her ward. "What would happen to my family in the eternities, in our community, in our extended family? I found myself coming completely unglued every Sunday. I spent a great deal of time hiding in the bathroom crying with my little girls."
    Shifting approaches: Between June 2006 and December 2007, the LDS Church came out with several statements acknowledging homosexuality may be inborn and difficult to change, even with much effort and prayer. It was exactly the position Danzig had been defending.
    Many committed Mormons, including philosophers, psychologists and some politicians, disagree with the church on the Federal Marriage Amendment, said Nielsen, who now teaches at Utah Valley State College and Westminster College. Several members wrote letters to The Tribune defending Nielsen and sharing his view. He is unaware of disciplinary action taken against any of those letter writers.
    Nielsen could no longer teach "gospel doctrine" in adult Sunday school and has not been called to any other position in his Orem ward, but has suffered no other ecclesiastical consequences.
    Bill Bradshaw, a recently retired BYU professor of microbiology, has given several public addresses about the science of homosexuality, detailing published evidence that argues strongly for a biological origin. He is also the chairman, with his wife, Marge Bradshaw, of Family Fellowship, a support group for the LDS families with gay and lesbian children.
    After a relative complained to their bishop, the man invited the Bradshaws in for a discussion.
    "Our bishop responded very favorably to the conversation," Bradshaw said. "He was very sympathetic."
    Bradshaw doesn't entirely blame the Mormon leaders for what happened to the Danzigs. Human interactions like this are too complicated.
    But he does feel an overwhelming sadness.
    "Now I can't sit in church next to Peter and Mary and their kids and I can't sit next to gay members of the church, whom they were defending," Bradshaw said. "The bottom line is I don't have the fellowship of loving people and that's a hurt for me."

    For Peter Danzig's complete account of his experience, visit http://equalitysblog.typepad.com/equality_time/2008/01/update-more-on.html

And then as if that wasn't enough..

LDS Church wades into California traditional marriage case
By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 02/23/2008 10:36:46 AM MST

The LDS Church has joined with several California religious groups to file a friend-of-the-court brief in defense of Proposition 22, a law passed in 1999 that defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
    Opponents have challenged the law's constitutionality and will make their case before the California Supreme Court in a three-hour hearing on March 4.
    "Male-female marriage is the life-blood of community, society, and the state," wrote the brief's author, <b>Kenneth Star</b>, the conservative prosecutor in the President Clinton impeachment proceedings.
    "We rely on this honored institution for the procreation and proper formation of the next generation. Social science demonstrates, and [our] own long experience confirms, that a child fares best when raised by caring biological parents who have the deepest stake in his or her well-being and who can provide both male and female role models."
    The brief was signed by the California Catholic Conference, National Association of Evangelicals, and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, in addition to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Starr's co-author was Alexander Dushku, of Kirton & McConkie, the LDS Church's law firm.
    The LDS Church has been involved in the California effort to promote traditional marriage since 1998, when members were asked by their local leaders to support Proposition 22, financially and personally.
    "We were asked to canvass neighbors, go door to door with the petition and ask for support," said Russell Frandsen, a Latter-day Saint in southern California. "A large number of us volunteered to do that. I suppose most of us did it out of a sense of responsibility."
    Soon after the bill passed, the California legislature passed a domestic partnership bill that granted all the rights of marriage through civil unions, Frandsen said. "It's marriage in all but name only."
    Even during the fractious debate over Proposition 22, he said, some Mormons in southern California wrote letters to the editors of newspapers saying that although they believed marriage to be the best for society, they opposed discrimination against gays and lesbians. Unlike Peter Danzig, who was called in by LDS leaders in Utah for writing a letter, Frandsen is unaware of anyone in southern California who faced similar pressure.
    "The church has actually been fairly progressive in terms of calling for polite and respectful treatment of gays and lesbians," Frandsen said. "We don't hear too much gay bashing around here."
    Now there is a move in California to amend the state constitution, making Proposition 22 permanent. It is not clear whether the LDS Church will get involved again.
    "I have heard nothing about it at church," Frandsen said. "There is no official church involvement in pushing the constitutional amendment yet."

More Conspicuous Consumption

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:38:35 GMT

Finally, I have bought furniture for my bedroom and none of it required assembly with a little hex wrench.

The leather padding on the headboard smells so good.

A big bed can sure fill up a room.

Up Late With A Friend and Strange Dream

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:03:36 GMT

Last night I got to chat with a friend who I haven't had the opportunity to see for a while. It was really nice getting to chat with her, albeit online.

It kept me up a little later than I normally go to bed, but it was worth it.

Then last night I had an interesting, action-packed dream.

dart_rope might not want to read any further..

Somehow, it appears I was a spy or an agent or something. I'm in a cargo transport plane making a rapid decent. Two of my companions have parachutes, I have none. Now this is one of those airplanes where the tail opens up to load heavy cargo, and it's wide open. Which probably explains the rapid decent. My companions jump and I have a choice, jump or go down with the airliner.

I choose to jump. I do a couple moments of free fall, then my instincts kick in to stretch myself out as much as possible to slow my fall. This seems to work. As I get within a few hundred feet of the ground, I start to right myself. I hit the ground running and to my surprise I'm okay.

The plane crashes, sliding into a house behind a supermarket. Me and my unknown companions rush to the site to find that everyone is alive, but injured. I need to call for paramedics, but have no idea what the address to our location actually is, so I go into a neighboring house to find something with an address where I encounter a protective dog. I manage to out-maneuver him and get the assistance we need.

I then wake up.

Where the heck in my subconscious brain do these dreams come from?

Been Thinkin' o' pug

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:28:18 GMT

And then leashdog 's post lead me to this..

see more cute puppies and funny loldog picture

Old Flames

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:13:37 GMT

You know when you have one of those breakups.. one that had been dragging on for years and then you finally say goodbye. It always seems that just when you're completely over that person, they know just when to come into your life again and stir it all back up.

Well this happened to me. We had the best relationship, she was always there when I needed her. She literally made me dance. It was so good that it was like she had always been there, even before I was born. But then, a few years back, she broke it off and said it was for good. We said our final goodbyes, not once, but twice: once in LA at Staples Center, then once again later at the Pond in Anaheim. Then today in my email box, she sends me this..

And all those old feelings come up again.

Sometimes I Feel Like a Republican

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:26:25 GMT

Someone making less than 50K want to marry me so I can get a piece of the pie too? :-D

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/07/congress.economy/index.html

I don't like the idea of paying people to have kids, but that might just be me not liking kids.

I did practice conspicuous consumption yesterday to do my part in helping the economy.

Truck Came Home Today

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:35:45 GMT

They made a point to add back the new car smell. Everything that was damaged was replaced with a new part. Haven't noticed any quirks, but I've only driven it maybe 8 miles since getting it back today, so it's hard to tell. It was nice going to the grocery store and stocking up.

I'm considering holding on to it until the new 2009 series come out and trade up to a 4x4. If I'm going to have a completely unnecessary automobile, I might as well go whole hog.

Random Erotic Dream

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:05:22 GMT

Playful wrestling on the beach with a young hot surfer when his brother and two other surfer boys join in.

Then my phone rang and I woke up.

Remake of a Classic

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:25:15 GMT

Reserved for MAL Post..

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:41:18 GMT

Coming soon.

There's Probably Something To This

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:07:44 GMT

infinitesimal yet integral

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:44:19 GMT

Last night, I'm sitting in the hot tub at the complex, looking up at a crystal-clear balmy January night's sky and I'm thinking.. as big as the events of the weekend were or seem to have been, they're really so insignificant in the greater scheme of things. Change is always around us and much of it we have no control over and even when we make mistakes and the outcome isn't ideal, we can just shrug our shoulders and say, "Next time, I'll do what I can not to do that." We adapt, we continue, we move on, we grow.

Even looking up at the stars they're all in different planes. Over time, maybe thousands, maybe millions of years, constellations we recognize today may no longer exist. Individual stars may move and change their positions relative to the stars we perceive as their neighbors. Some may go dim. New ones may be born. Change is inevitable and constant.

And that's a bit bigger than an F150.

Me in a Nutshell - The Obligatory New Years Post

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:12:12 GMT

My 2007 actually started in the last quarter of 2006, at least a couple of events that happened then pretty much set the stage for the year to follow. The main change was negotiating a higher pay with the president of our company. She decided I deserved the pay raise, but it warranted a change in title as well, so she promoted me to Manager of my department and simultaneously, changed the title of the man she was hiring to be my boss to Director. I did spend a day with the title of Supervisor in the middle while they worked things out.

With bearsbearsbears off in China for a good portion of the year, I decided to focus on work. I only went to four leather events the whole year: The Mr. Pistons Contest; a Team LAboL Fundraiser with dart_rope , fd_midori , lbbuzz , sdleatherboy ; and others I'm sure to have missed; Southern California Leather Gathering (AKA: Picnic in the Park with slave_pug ); and the Mr. Long Beach Leather Contest. By not driving up to LA weekly or more, I saved a lot of mileage on my truck and on me. I would reduce my mileage even more at the end of 2007 with one of the biggest changes I've made in many years: moving.

In my new role at work, I got to continue on my development as well as to develop others. I talked one of our senior support guys into joining the ranks of my group and he's worked out great. I now have someone that understands our software and the business applications that can do the reports that I was doing. My employee based at our other location really stepped up and went out of his comfort zone to help us develop several applications to automate many of our groups tasks. My team is highly effective and I'm very proud of them. We never have a queue of requests or issues building up like the other departments in our company. The guys are well disciplined to jump on and accomplish a task when given to them. Our only challenge is we become frustrated by lack of process or, in some cases, logic in other parts of the organization.

To help me acclimate to my new role, my company enrolled me in executive coaching. It's been informative and we've really only focussed on one area and that's how we interface with the other groups in our office. According to the 360 review and her interviews, that's the only area where we were lacking and it stems from the aforementioned frustrations. My team and I have worked out a strategic plan for 2008 and will undoubtedly be successful in implementing that plan and we've already made a team commitment to managing the frustrations in a more positive light.

One of the most interesting portions of this program was she had me purchase the book Strengths Finder 2.0 and take the online evaluation. Never before have I done one of these evaluations that resonated so much. It's amazing how much I felt it pegged me. I really recommend this book.

My strengths were identified as:

Ideation: People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to
find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
Strategic: People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced
with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
Futuristic: People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could
be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.
Individualization: People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique
qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work
together productively.
Relator: People who are especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They
find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

I think those that know me would recognize these traits in me. Enumerating them has really helped me to better understand my relationships both inside and outside of work.

My biggest change of 2007 was the move. After thirteen years (THIRTEEN YEARS!!) in one apartment, I decided it was time to change and moved behind the infamous Orange Curtain. In the process of moving, I threw out over half of the things I had, gave away or sold a bunch of the rest. There's something to be said for purging. It's felt great walking into a clean home, where the Roomba and cats roam freely. Having a place to put everything away is wonderful.

My executive coach noticed a change in me that coincided with the move. She said she can tell that I'm less stressed and more open. Living within a very short stroll to my office has definitely made a huge difference. Being able to leave the truck parked, get out and enjoy a nice walk to work has been awesome. I've only filled the tank of the truck once since I moved. I have no idea what current gas prices are and it feels great.

So, 2008.. what about 2008? I've made clear plans professionally, but haven't really thought about my personal goals for the year. I plan to make a reemergence somewhat into the Leather Community. Again, I will be more selective in the events I attend, but I plan to attend more this year, particularly national events. This starts with MAL. bearsbearsbears and I have booked flights and a room. The last time we went, we spent most of the time exploring DC and really didn't actually do that much of MAL. I would also like to go to IML again this year. Regardless, I don't want to get bogged down in the drama or politics.

I need to manage my money better. I'm paid too well to be this poor. It's time to put together a workable plan towards home ownership. I long for a home where I control the walls and a yard. I really want a yard.

I do also need to invest some of this newly found free time back into me and to make use of the amenities my complex and community have to offer. There are three swimming pools here and a workout room that always has something available. It's also time to buy a bike again and to spend some more time out of doors. Most intriguing, there's a trail near my place that goes down to the ocean. The other way, it goes up into the foothills.

It's time to explore.

Unimportant But Interesting Coincidence

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:15:32 GMT

My final American Express bill for 2007 came out to exactly $2007.