April 2-6, 2015

Please note: It has become burdensome to maintain this blog weekly, and you may have noticed that the quality of the posts has deteriorated. I am no longer committing myself to post weekly. I will probably still post from time to time, but it will not be as consistently as it has been. I get few readers on this blog anyway.

It's time to remember the days surrounding last Easter.


Thursday, April 2. I was dismayed to find that my brand-new laptop had bugs that had been on our home computer. Apparently I had downloaded some internet extensions that included adware. I tried to delete the programs, but every time I tried to delete it, it would try to install it again. Of course I also hated McAfee. (Seriously, why does that exist?) That night, I drove up to Tunnel Springs Park to go running. I went on a little trail that goes down in front of the hills, where I'd never been before. I passed some little flags and some kinds of wood structures. I felt like I was in a really random place, but there was a sign that said not to get off the trail because it was a blasting area. I had to cross a few ravines, but since I'm terrified of falling, I didn't care to cross over one and turned around, even though it wasn't really scary or dangerous. It definitely wasn't a good trail for running. I continued on that trail to places parallel to the main trail, and as I passed some tiny groves I thought it would be a nice place in the fall. (Everything's better in the fall.) I came up a trail that had been put in place when they were doing renovations in 2011. I passed a lady who seemed concerned about my lack of warm clothing, but running makes me warm. I went up a little trail that led into a small ravine, but soon the trail disappeared. I went up a hill with no trail, and there were ridges that were obviously man made, which perplexed me. I found what looked like a trail going down the other side of the hill, but it looked very steep, so I came down the side of the hill, careful not to step on the cactuses. Then I went home and watched The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town while eating bunny-shaped Sour Patch Kids. I journalized as follows:
"It was good to be down working in the library again, but I did get a little distracted with new features (and bugs) on my computer.
"Mom and Dad got home from their trip right after I got home. I went running on unofficial Bonneville Shoreline trails. I got a little uncomfortable in places, so I turned around. I followed a trail up a ravine, and then I climbed up a hill without a trail. I had to come down slowly. I was puzzled at man-made ridges on the hills.
"Then I came home and cut a pineapple and watched The Easter Bunny Is Comin'  to Town. Now my stomach doesn't feel very good.

Friday, April 3. Since my journal tells me that Journal History of the Church wasn't working online, that might have been the day I emailed the reference people asking when it would be back up, since it was essential to the project I was working on at the time. I decided to go to a mission reunion that night, since it was better than spending Friday night at home. I didn't want to go home beforehand, so I went to Smith's Marketplace downtown to look for an Easter decoration, and I was in no hurry, since the reunion didn't start until later. I got a box of carrot cake Clif Bars, and I went upstairs to their seasonal section and got a decorative egg tree. I also looked at their selection of Easter DVDs. Then I went back downstairs to their Easter candy aisle, and I got a carrot cake egg-shaped candy. While I was standing in the aisle, a little girl was talking to her dad about my egg tree, and I felt like a jerk for not saying anything, but she wasn't talking to me. I might have bought something for the reunion, I can't remember. Then I drove out to President Clark's house in Draper. I think I was the second person to arrive. President thought I knew the other guy there, but I didn't, although he had served in one of my areas after I had left. I told President Clark about how I worked for the new Assistant Church Historian, and he said he had read about his new calling. I think I ate some seasonal sugar cookies someone had brought, along with chips and things. I looked at the Clarks' books with all the missionaries. Elder Proctor was there and said he wasn't in the books. I said I thought I saw a picture of him, but when I showed him and his new wife, they said it wasn't him. His wife said her brother had gone on a mission but wasn't active anymore. I heard that my old companion Elder Wilson was coming, so I stuck around until he came. I talked with Colby Johnson, who said he didn't know where he was going to move once he finished at UVUl he said his mom wanted him to move home but he didn't know if he wanted to. I talked with the former Sister Van Noy, and later the Wilsons came. They brought their adorable daughter and let me hold her for a bit, but she didn't care for that. He showed her my Easter bunny tie, and he said he liked my "teal" shirt. He said they had moved to Provo, and I was sad that I had missed them there, but they didn't move there until I had left. We exchanged phone numbers in case we were ever in each other's territory. One of President's neighbors came over and he was telling him about my job and said "super smart." I remember him saying that twice, and one time I thought he was saying it about me, and another time I thought he was saying it about my boss, so one time I replied "I try my best," and the other time I said, "He is really smart." I felt silly if he was saying my boss was smart and he thought I was talking about me. Then I went home and wrote at my journal.
"Today I was a little distracted at work, but I don't know why. Journal History of the Church wasn't working. I researched various plants, Amasa Lyman in California, and the Great Salt Lake.
"After work I went to the downtown Smith's Marketplace, where I got an Easter egg tree (which is already broken) and some carrot cake Clif Bars.
"Then I drove to Draper for a mission reunion at the Clarks'. It was good to see them. I also saw Elders McKell, Critchfield, Johnson (Colby), and Proctor, and Sister Van Noy (Smith). I waited so that I could see Elder Wilson; it was good to see him again."

Saturday, April 4. Susanne came over and gave me some malted milk eggs and an egg decorative plate for watching their dog that week, and I didn't think I could finish all the candy before Easter was over, since we were having other candy as well. We received baskets with candy that my mom had bought from Winegar's, and their selection hadn't been good. We got the last two chocolate bunnies (Reese's) and spice jelly beans. I liked the spice ones and determined all the flavors: white peppermint, pink wintergreen, green spearmint, red cinnamon, orange orange spice, black licorice, and purple clove. Susanne said she didn't like the spice jelly beans. We dyed eggs while I turned on Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie. I had five eggs to color.

We also had an Easter egg hunt. My dad and I went downstairs for the afternoon conference session, while my mom stayed upstairs, but she came down later. After that session, I knew I didn't have much time before the priesthood session, so I changed my clothes and ran up to the Wild Rose Loop. I was delighted to see that the "Restroom Closed" sign was taken down at the park, which meant they had turned the water on again, so I could get a drink from the drinking fountain. I was surprised, because it was supposed to be closed until April 15. I might have run past people going to view the session at the stake center. Then I went home and quickly showered before watching the priesthood session.

"Conference was really good today. Everyone was a little astonished when people opposed the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. Elder Ballard talked about needing to get married, but another speaker (I can't remember who) talked about those who aren't married for various reasons. Between the first and second sessions, we found eggs, colored eggs, and watched Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie. I made an Easter design, a multi-colored design, a shamrock design, a star design, and a snowflake design.
"Before the priesthood session, I ran the Wild Rose and Chukar Loops in their entirety. It was warm and sunny, but fortunately the park's drinking fountain was on again.
"I've been eating lots of candy, since my time is almost up. Nan got me some Easter gifts for watching Buddy."

Sunday, April 5. My mom was grating carrots while watching conference in the morning to make carrot cake for dessert. That afternoon, our relatives came over for Easter dinner, and my grandparents brought a ham. I was wearing my black "Hanging with my Peeps" shirt, and my cousin Peter told me he was disappointed that my holiday outfit was something that other people would wear, and he told me I was a hipster, which was definitely not true. My mom announced we were having carrot cake, and Peter began laughing, because he knew why we were having it. My mom had decorated it with jelly beans and bunny marshmallows, and the young kid Brennon wanted marshmallows by themselves. I made a Facebook status: "Whenever I read in Isaiah about "wizards that peep and mutter," I think of something like this."



I was surprised I wasn't getting more positive feedback, so my cousin April said she'd "like" it for me. After everyone had eaten cake, there were only two pieces left, and I was surprised that Allie wanted one, since people were still there and there most definitely was not enough. After everyone had left, there was only one piece, and I had it, but felt bad because I would have saved it for my sister, but my mom said she would have eaten it if I hadn't, so I didn't feel as bad. I did, however, feel sick from eating two pieces of cake and lots of candy. But it was the last time I would eat candy until May 22 (when I ate some red, white, and blue Twizzlers).
"I ate lots of candy and carrot cake today.
"After conference, G'ma and G'pa, Peter, Gildersleeves, and April came for Easter dinner. Renee forgot her e-cigs, and I don't feel bad for that. I wrote on my blog tonight. We found three extra candy-filled eggs that we didn't find yesterday. A decent Easter."

Monday, April 6.  This might have been the day I took my personal Geologic History of Utah book to work for research and annotation, because I was dealing with a document where the First Presidency of the 1850s said they heard volcanic eruptions in the mountains, and I knew that was impossible.
"Today I talked with Reid and continued researching. I even wrote a note about geology, because I know the early Utah settlers didn't hear a volcano.
"I didn't know about FHE tonight, so I went running. It took me eighteen minutes to get from the trailhead to the radio towers, so it probably isn't too much further to Ensign Peak, which I need to try again." 

March 14-19, 2015

Time to remember last year's St. Patrick's Day!

Saturday, March 14. It was Pi Day, so I tried to look at my watch when it was 9:26 and 53 seconds, but I knew my watch was a little fast. Then I went running, first on the Wild Rose Trail, then on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. At Tunnel Springs Park, there are two dirt paths--one is a road leading to a parking area, and the other is simply a trail. Well, some truck was parked on the trail, not on the dirt road, and I was very annoyed with them. They might have been associated with a group of scouts climbing the hill, although that might have been a different day. There were also people in wedding attire on the trail, taking wedding pictures, and I thought that was a strange location. That afternoon I went shopping with my parents. We went to Barnes and Noble, where my dad got some clearance National Geographic books about national parks and state parks. Then we went out to Walmart. I went and picked out a corned beef and a cabbage, and some onions and potatoes as well. I also picked up some Lucky Charms treat bars, which I had looked all over for but couldn't find. On our way home we picked up Allie and went to Subway for dinner. Then we took our sandwiches downstairs to watch my St. Patrick's Day show for the day, the "If the Shoe Pinches" episode of Bewitched. When it was over Allie wanted to watch another episode, so we did. Then we went to Devan Gubler's wedding reception. We were standing in line behind Bishop and Sister Eyring, and they turned around and said hi to me and met my parents. Sister Eyring asked Allie how old she was. Then we went and sat on a table. I had a sugar cookie with green frosting, although it was more of a teal color, and then I had another and put some pineapple on it, which I thought was a strange topping. Allie pointed out that Jacob Gubler was sporting a man-bun, which my mom said she hated. Peter Moosman talked to us, and introduced himself to Allie, and my mom said she already knew him because she was a Facebook stalker, which somewhat offended her. I wrote in my journal:
"This morning I went running on the Wild Rose. Someone had parked on the wrong trail leading to the Bonneville Trail, and some people were having their wedding pictures taken there! 
"We went to Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and Subway, and I came home and started cooking corned beef and cabbage. We watched two Bewitched episodes and went to Devan Gubler's reception. Then I did some indexing and Hulu.

Sunday, March 15. In the morning, I had my laptop on a table in the living room, and Allie was looking for something on the table, so she put it on the arm of the rocking chair, and then she accidentally knocked it off and seemed a little embarrassed. The charging cord was broken--it kind of worked, but I obviously needed a new one, so I looked to order a new one. The reviews weren't the most positive for the one I was getting, but it was much cheaper than getting a name-brand charger. I put corned beef and its associated vegetables in the slow cooker. I went to church in my shamrock tie, and Boyd Tschaggeny commented on it, saying he would have to eat corned beef and cabbage that week. I told him I had some cooking at home, and he said, "In a Crockpot? That's the best." When I got home from church, we ate dinner, and my parents liked it more than I did. I wrote in my journal:
"Today Allie knocked over my laptop, ruining the charging cord, so I had to order a new one. To get free shipping, I also ordered Get Smart. I finished preparing corned beef and cabbage for dinner, and we ate after church. I was able to get all my blogs done.


Monday, March 16. I was a bit overwhelmed by the enormous amount of frosting on my Kneaders cupcake. I was working in the public portion of the library, and I had to keep adjusting my computer charger to make sure it would charge. That night I drove out to FHE in the Foxboro neighborhood, and I think I parked at a nearby church and walked over. Seth Wood was the first one there, and indeed most of the people who came were from our ward, even though there were supposed to be people from four wards. The bishopric counselor from the Legacy Ward was watching a basketball game, and he and Seth laughed at a commercial of a man in his underwear. Then the counselor showed us The Lamb of God, which I had seen many times, and before the lesson he said that some classical art depicted Christ as emaciated, but he was probably stronger since he was a carpenter. I didn't think it was the best planned activity. Then I went home and did indexing and was listening to my music, and I specifically remember a Taylor Swift song playing. I remember feeling weird that it was as late as it was, because daylight savings time had just happened. I went downstairs to watch Bewitched. I wrote in my journal:
"Today I did a lot on the Andrew Jenson autobiography and the Willie and Martin companies. For lunch I went to Kneaders and got Irish stew and a cupcake with a huge mint glob on top. I mostly worked down in the library. 
"I went to FHE, which was at the same place it was on January 19. The Legacy Ward counselor just showed The Lamb of God. Then I came home and indexed while Nan was here, and while Mom was doing taxes with Jackie, I watched "The Leprechaun" episode of Bewitched.

Tuesday, March 17. I wanted to get up and dressed early so that Allie and Mom could see what I was wearing--green glasses, green pants, white shirt, orange belt, green socks. At work, my boss called me up to his office to give me a "prize," and he was impressed with my outfit, saying I looked like a leprechaun. He asked if I was a holiday guy, and I said I was, and he said some people were and some people weren't. He gave me a copy of the book The Map Thief, which was the department book. His assistant Jo Lyn said green was her favorite color. When I got home, all the corned beef and cabbage was gone, so I decided to make green rice and have Hawaiian haystacks. My dad seemed to think it was unhealthy, but my mom was happy for it when she got home. I changed my clothes into a t-shirt and green shoes and green belt, and I went to institute. As I was putting chairs away, the teacher (who might have been a substitute) commented on my shoes. Then we went into the cultural hall for refreshments, where there were shamrock cookies and a green drink, which apparently had Sprite in it. I talked with Shannon Kelly, and then I went home. When Mom came home from something, we watched The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold. She agreed that it was suitable for St. Patrick's Day, and I think she said it was "pretty cute." I said I didn't like the story but thought the animation was charming, and she wouldn't go that far. I wrote in my journal:
"I was able to say goodbye to Mom and Allie before they left for school. I wore green pants, green shamrock socks, my Snoopy shamrock tie, green glasses, a white shirt, and an orange belt. Reid called me up to his office to give me a "prize," and he said I looked like a leprechaun and asked if I was a holiday guy. He gave me a copy of The Map Thief, the department book. I told him how I finished going over the Jenson autobiography.
"Since I got home early, I made Hawaiian haystacks with green rice. Then I went to institute in a green belt, green shoes, and Snoopy "Erin Go Beagle" shirt. I didn't get as many comments as I'd hoped. They had green Sprite and shamrock cookies. Then I came home and watched The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold with Mom.

Wednesday, March 18. In the morning I needed to fill out insurance stuff for my new contingent position, and I was on the slow home computer while I also had my laptop open. I was listening to my Easter music on my laptop, and I discovered that my laptop charger wouldn't charge at all anymore. I journalized as follows:
"I wasn't overly productive at work today--in the morning I looked at insurance stuff at home, I went to a Lunch and Learn about library services, and my laptop charger quit working altogether. Amazon tells me it won't arrive for a week.
"Tonight I ran further on the Bonneville Trail, but my stomach was a little off. After lifting weights, I took down St. Patrick's Day stuff and put up a few Easter things.

Thursday, March 19. I was reading the last chapter of Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism at work. I went to tutoring, and the kid named Zion (Sione) was very chatty. I thought it was funny that a sixth-grader was giving me life advice. On the way home from tutoring, Camille asked me what I learned about at work, so I told them about the circumstances leading to the murder of Parley P. Pratt, and Camille was surprised he was a polygamist. I wrote in my journal:
"My laptop wouldn't charge, so I worked from my cubicle all day, including reading about the death of Parley P. Pratt. Then tonight I went to tutoring. I helped a middle schooler with grammar, and another one, Siane (sp?) talked my ear off as a distraction from doing his work. He told me not to do online dating and that I should stay at home to help my parents.

Winter driving

A week ago, I was driving home in a snowstorm that followed a rainstorm, so the snow was very slushy. As I was driving up a hill, I was sliding all over the place--I don't think I went straight at one point while I was going up. I never had a driving experience like that, so it got me thinking about the experiences I've had in cars that have gone sliding on snow and ice.

I have a very young memory of our car spinning around when I was probably three or four, but that might have simply been a U-turn.

One day in fifth grade, my mom was driving me and Hillary Ulmer to school in our blue Subaru. It wasn't snowy, but some snow had melted on the road and frozen again, so as we went down Marialana, my mom lost control of the car and nearly hit Debbie Pope, who was coming up the road. We hit the curb and the car quit working. Debbie stopped and asked if we were all right. We were fine, but we didn't know about the car. Hillary said, "Well, I'm not walking," and I thought that was a ridiculous thing to say, because if the car wasn't working, we had no other option, and we weren't super far from school anyway. But my mom started the car again, and it worked fine.

After we got our white Subaru, I remember a few times when we got stuck in the snow at the bottom of our driveway. One of these times was on Christmas Eve in 2000.

When I was in tenth grade, some days we would get rides from Wayne Christensen. He was apparently in a perpetual rush and would drive somewhat recklessly, not staying on his side of the road and going way over the speed limit. One snowy morning, he drove down Marialana and was angry that they hadn't plowed it yet, since it was the worst road in the snow. He was in too big a rush to take a different road. He began pumping the brakes and told us that the worst thing you could do is to slam on the brakes in the snow. When I asked my family about that, they said that it only applied to cars without anti-lock brakes, and that you never take Marialana in the snow.

On another occasion, it began snowing while we were in school, and Latecia Pope was driving us home. We cleared off her windows, and the snow was coming so rapidly that her rear windshield became completely snowed over while she was driving. When we got up to Raygene, she couldn't get up the steep part in the snow, so I had to get out and walk home, which was fine with me.

I didn't do much snow driving, but one morning I was driving to school and I slid as I was coming down to a stoplight near school.

Then on my mission, my first companion, Elder Chun, liked to pull the emergency brake on roads to turn around, rather than just doing a U-turn. You have to understand that in Spokane, they do a horrendous job of plowing roads. They just let the snow pack down, so the roads always have a slick surface. Elder Chun's method of turning around often made us end up stuck in snow berms, and I would have to get out and push, and sometimes other people would have to come help us too.

One time, we were visiting a family, but he missed the turn and we ended up going down an icy, hilly road called Deer Lane. It was so icy that we couldn't come up. I suggested that we go to the bottom of the road to look for an outlet (after all, we weren't far from a major highway), but he didn't think there was an outlet (and he was right). He asked me to get out and push, but when I pushed, I simply pushed myself away from the car, rather than pushing the car away from me. We did lots of praying and trying and pushing. Then he got an idea: On the side of the road, there were lots of pine needles that had fallen from the trees. He got the driver-side wheels on the needles and was able to get enough traction to drive off. Then we were able to use that experience in our lesson we were late to.

On another occasion, he went the wrong way, down a dead end, and people came to help push us back up the hill.

A year later, I was driving in the town of Ritzville, and the roads were coated with ice, I think because of fog. I was approaching an intersection and applied the brakes and couldn't stop; the car going the other way had to swerve to avoid me. Elder Wilson chastised me for not pumping the brakes, but I didn't understand why a brand-new 2008 vehicle didn't have anti-lock brakes.

One Saturday morning in December 2011, I was driving to my work at the Distribution Center, and as I was going down Raygene I slid into the curb. Everything was fine, but I was scared for the rest of the drive, and I did do some sliding.

I have had numerous times where the anti-lock brakes have come on when I've gone down Raygene. Times include the Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2010 and the Sunday after Christmas in 2014.

Then last Christmas, we had a dinner at the home of a bishopric counselor. It started snowing during dinner, and not wanting to get caught on his very steep hill in the snow, I left early, and my ABS came on and stayed on for a rather long time. I was relieved when I got off that hill.

February 12-16, 2015

Time to remember last year's Valentine's Day.

Thursday, February 12. I left early to go to an eye appointment at the Bountiful Renaissance Center. My GPS directed me to get on I-15, and as I was getting on the on-ramp, I faced a dilemma--either go fast and run into the car in front of me, or go slow and get hit by the semi in back. Fortunately the semi changed lanes, but it was scary there for a second. As I drove down the road, two guys--probably in high school--were running shirtless, one of them just wearing American flag boxer shorts. I went inside and saw the signs said one of the doctors was "Dr. Poll," and I thought I was supposed to see "Dr. Paul." I filled out insurance stuff in the waiting room, and then I heard them say "Dr. Poll," pronounced "Dr. Paul." I thought it shouldn't be pronounced that way, but then I thought of the word "doll." The doctor told me I could get new glasses, but I didn't need them. As I got out of the building, I thought for a split second, "It's a little chilly for October," but then I remembered it was February, so it wasn't chilly at all. I went home and made tacos with ground turkey. When I said I was going to tutoring that evening, my mom was surprised that I was cooking even though I had tutoring. She was late for some reason that night. I went to Camille's house to carpool to tutoring, and I think Nik drove. Our bishop also came to tutoring, and some of the kids had heard he was President Eyring's son. Nik talked with Bishop in the hall, and after tutoring was over, Camille and I sat in his car while he kept talking to Bishop. He had just been breaking up with his girlfriend. Camille asked about me, so I told her about my seasonal eating habits. She said that Valentine's Day was her favorite holiday, that it always had been. I said I didn't know whether my least favorite was Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day, and she said it would have to be St. Patrick's Day, since I'm not Irish and I don't drink. She said she liked to go on dates on Valentine's Day. When I came home, I watched the "Valentine's Crush" clip from the Peanuts Motion Comics Collection. I wrote in my journal:
"I left work early today so I could got to my eye appointment. I could get new glasses, but I don't need to. Then I came home and made tacos for dinner. Then I went to tutoring; I feel like I get progressively less awkward. Bishop Eyring came. Nik Day is thinking about breaking up with his girlfriend. Then I came home and watched my three-minute Valentine clip."

Friday, February 13. When I got home from work, my family had made a Papa Murphy's stuffed pizza and were going to watch a movie. Since I was home a little early, I asked if I could go running before I ate. I drove up to Tunnel Springs Park, and I began running up the hill toward the radio towers. I wanted to see what the little gate said, so I went up to it. I doubt I was running at that point, because I hadn't gone up that hill before. The gate just said I was entering Salt Lake County and that dogs had to be on leashes. I decided to see what the sign at the top of the hill said; it just said "Bonneville Shoreline Trail." I had to take in the view, and I saw Ensign Peak, but it was too late to keep going. I returned and ate pizza and various candies my mom had brought home, as well as some red velvet candy corn my sister had brought. We went downstairs and watched A Charlie Brown Valentine, and then we looked on Netflix and Amazon to see what to watch. One of the items on Netflix was Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett; Susanne said it would be good, and my mom told her I had the CD. We watched Box Trolls, which had a weird ending, and we didn't particularly care for it. I remember Allie had to let Buddy, their dog, outside. Then my mom and Susanne watched another movie, and my dad went to bed, while I went to write on this blog. That night I wrote in my journal:
"I actually got to work a little early today. I wore my Snoopy Valentine tie. I came home and had a wonderful run on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, going up near a weather station [radio tower]. I saw Ensign Peak but I didn't go to it. (Nan thought I said 'I saw some puke but I didn't get in it.') Then we watched A Charlie Brown Valentine and Box Trolls, the latter of which has language I don't approve of. Then I wrote on my memory blog."

Saturday, February 14. I think my family was undecided about what we wanted to do for the day. I ran up to the Wild Rose Trail, and as I was coming to the intersection of five trails, I saw two guys coming from another direction. I think they said hi as I passed them. When I returned, I showered and put on my red shorts, Valentine shirt, and red heart socks, and we decided to go to Golden Spike. We went and picked up Allie, and I brought a red velvet Pop-Tart in the car, and I tried to be discreet about it. Allie brought all the Valentine candies her mom had given her, saying her mom had gone overboard, and my mom said that was typical. When we showed up at the site, there was a whiteboard saying the date, with hearts drawn next to it. We signed up for a special tour, so in the meantime we went out and looked at the railroad.

One of the signs was from the Hibernian Society, and I reflected that it would soon be St. Patrick's Day. Then we went back inside and they announced the tour, so we all hopped in our automobiles and followed the ranger to the place where they were working on the railroad car replicas. They told people not to get lost. They showed us how colorful the trains were originally, as they had advertisements on them. They instructed people on how to get to Spiral Jetty. The ranger pointed out a young girl who was wearing a Golden Spike visor--they had ordered visors for the gift shop, but no one bought them, so they were giving them away. We returned to the visitors' center, and we looked at various exhibits. I liked the old map of Utah showing different county borders, and I liked seeing chocolate golden spikes, but we didn't get one. We watched a documentary in the auditorium, and Allie went out and asked for one of the free visors. Then we looked in the gift shop. I wanted a 37-star American flag I could use for Pioneer Day, and my mom wanted a documentary she could get for school. They said the Charlie Brown one was out of stock, but my mom said I had it; she debated and got another one. After we had made our purchase, Allie said she would have liked a flag, but it was too late. We stopped at a place where they had lots of rocket pieces on display. My dad and I got up and looked around. I signed the guest book, and they probably didn't care about visitors from North Salt Lake, and I drew a little heart by the date. We drove home, and I put in our heart-shaped pizza which we hadn't made the day before, while I turned on Batman. I needed to go to the store for some reason, and when I got there, Julie Keddington saw me, and she remarked how unusual it was that I could wear shorts in February. After I checked out, I saw my home teachee Bob at the Redbox, but there was a woman waiting to use the Redbox, and I didn't want to hold them up by talking to him. My mom made a blackforest cake that night, and while it was baking, we watched Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown and the Golden Spike episode of This Is America, Charlie Brown. I turned on my Valentine's Day playlist that night, and when Jan Terri's "Everyday is Valentine Day" came on, Allie said, "This is terrible." That night I wrote in my journal:
"Today I successfully ran for an hour, including on the Wild Rose Trail. Then we picked up Allie and went to Golden Spike National Historic Site. That was all right; I got a little 37-star flag. Then we came home and cooked our heart pizza. Then I went to the store and saw Julie Keddington. I also saw my home teachee Bob, but he was at a Redbox, and I didn't want to interrupt him, especially since someone was waiting for him. Then we watched Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown and "The Transcontinental Railroad" of This Is America, Charlie Brown. Then we ate cherry chocolate cake."

Sunday, February 15. In the morning I wrote on my blog. We went to my grandparents' house to visit because my uncle was in town. He asked what I was doing, so I told him a little about my job, and there was also a teenager who came with him, whom baby John loved. I was wearing pencil socks, and my cousin Peter asked why I wasn't wearing Valentine socks, but Valentine's Day was over. My aunt had brought some s'more brownies, but she pronounced it with two syllables, "sa-more." I couldn't have them. Sue talked about her horrendous principal. I later remarked to my mom that it was a good visit with Sue, and she said part of that was because she wasn't on her phone the whole time. That night I wrote on my memory blog. I went to bed and watched Get Smart while I was in bed. I wrote in my journal:
"This morning I wrote on my blog before church. I passed the sacrament and set up home teaching. Then I came home, and we went to G'ma and G'pa's because Uncle Paul was there. It was pretty fun, I guess. Then we came home and I wrote on my other blog and tried my hand at a crossword puzzle. 
"Having eaten too much cake last night and having a sore throat, it was a rough night. My voice is deeper than normal, and I might be congested. I hope it's all temporary."

Monday, February 16. It was a very boring day. I spent a lot of it looking at Wikipedia articles, since I was fasting from doing many other things. I felt bad that Allie was spending her day off watching TV, so I asked if she wanted to play games. We played Mancala; we were missing some pieces, so I went outside to find some pebbles that I could wash off and use. We played her Disney Hedbanz game. Then that night I went to a stake dance. I was supposed to turn on 400 N, but I missed it and went on another road, and I just happened to find our stake center. They asked me to give the opening prayer. I was talking with Peter Moosman and Kelton Gubler, and they talked about how we looked alike, and how Kelton had been dating Rachel. I went to the dessert table. There was a girl who knew about my rules, so she asked if I could have the Valentine cookies; I said no, but I could have the mint cookies because of St. Patrick's Day. She said, "So it's St. Patrick's Day because Valentine's Day is over?" I talked with a guy who had a patriotic eagle shirt I own. I said I had the shirt but only wore it around the Fourth of July; he said he always wore patriotic things, including socks. I visited with my sweet-bro home teachee and he told me seriously that I should get a girl's number that night. As soon as they started slow dancing, I left before anyone could ask me to dance. This is a portion of my journal: 
"I also have a bit of a cold, so I couldn't go running. I tried to lift weights, but I was very weak. Since I couldn't run or do [other] things, it was a rather boring Presidents' Day.
"Allie watched TV all day, and since I was bored, I played games with her. We played Mancala and then her Disney Headbanz game. Mom and Dad went to a movie. When they came back and learned we played games, Mom said, "Thanks for being a good Uncle Mark," and I said, "I try." Allie said, 'You try and you succeed.' [My mom then smiled at me.]
"I went to the stake dance party. I gave the opening prayer and talked with a few people--a guy named Spence and Daniel Egan, my home teachee. One girl has known through institute about my dessert habits, so she asked if I could eat the Valentine cookies. I explained that I could have the mint cookies. I left just at the beginning of slow dancing. 
"I put up a few St. Patrick's Day decorations today."

December 30, 2014-January 2, 2015

Time to remember last New Year's!

Tuesday, January 30. It was snowy and windy, and I think a government official on the news was asking people not to drive if they could avoid it, so I decided to work from home. I was working in the living room when lots of birds flew around the house, as if I were in a snowglobe of birds. I had to get up and take a video with my phone.
I asked my parents if they thought I should go out on the roads to go to the temple, but they helped me decide not to. I think I ate an orange. I wrote in my journal:
"This morning there was snow on our road, and the news talked about lots of accidents because of wind, so I stayed home again. I talked to Reid. Then I finished my plans for next year's scripture study. Pops showed me how to change a battery [in a car]. Twice I was sitting in the living room when oodles of birds--probably hundreds--began flying around the house. It felt like it was snowing birds. Fearing bad roads, I didn't go to the temple, so I wrote a memory post about December 30. Then I used the elliptical while watching Gilligan's Island."

Wednesday, December 31. It was very cold, and before I went in to work, I went to the Salt Lake Temple and had to ask where to go inside. They asked about how cold it was outside. When I went home, my family had bought lots of New Year's goodies. There were birthday cake Oreos and root beer and ice cream for root beer floats. I turned my 2014 music on shuffle while my mom and niece and I played Book of Mormon Battles, which is basically glorified War. I had my music's album art showing on my computer, prompting Allie to ask, "Who's Ingrid Michaelson?" She asked who was singing when a song from the album Cheek to Cheek was playing, and when I said Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, she said it must be bad then, but I said that album was clean. Later we watched Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, and Susanne came and we watched Mr. Peabody and Sherman--I think we rented it from Amazon. Mom and Susanne thought it was hilarious when Washington and Lincoln were pardoning the dog and Clinton said, "I've done worse," and Allie didn't get it. Then we turned on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Fergie was on TV and Allie called her "Fer-jee." There was some talk about Nicki Minaj that I don't know if I should repeat here. Allie was excited when Taylor Swift was singing "Shake It Off." My mom said Taylor had kind of gone off the deep end, as she was dressed more scantily than she usually was (she must have been cold!), and I said her latest songs had more swearing. After the New Year and everyone had gone to bed, I spent some time listening to New Year songs on NoiseTrade and looked at Awkward Family Photos. (This of course was technically January 1, but I hadn't gone to bed yet.) I wrote in my journal:
"For New Year's Eve, I went to work, but first I went to the Salt Lake Temple for initiatories. It was in the single digits today. I had to scrape lots of snow and ice off my car, and while I was doing so, a guy for a glass company pulled up. He was looking for 656, which I don't think exists.
"New Year's Eve wasn't too exciting. I turned on my 2014 music while Mom and Allie and I played Book of Mormon Battles. Then we watched Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, and then Nan came and we watched Mr. Peabody and Sherman. 
"After Mom and Dad went to bed, I listened to more music and looked at silly things on the internet."

Thursday, January 1. In the morning I bundled up (somewhat) and drove up to the Eagleridge church building to park my car and go running. There were lots of places where I had to run in the street because the sidewalks weren't clear, and when I got to the Bountiful golf course, the sidewalk was covered in snow and ice and I had to go really slow. On my way back, near the top of a hill I passed some girls running the other way; they said hi and I said "Happy New Year!" My cousin April came to our house to carpool up to Golden Corral in Layton. As we were pulling out of the driveway I had to tell my dad to stop because a car was coming up the road; it was Steve Moosman and he waved at us. My mom asked if we had seen the picture Sue had posted of her grandsons, and Nan said, "The one where he looks dead?" My mom was glad she wasn't the only one who thought that. April was talking about Studio C, and I said I had had a class with the short-haired girl my first semester at BYU. April liked the show but not the acting. After we were done eating at Golden Corral, I heard Jesse and Peter talking about a tree; I asked what that was about, and Peter said missionaries had visited with him and told him not to let his spiritual tree die. When we got in the car I asked how old you had to be to have tattoos, because my teenage first-cousin-once-removed had one. My mom said she didn't know how they could afford tattoos. That night we brought out questions we had answered circa 1995 and 2005 and compared our answers. Gilligan's Island was my favorite show both 2005 and 2015, and cucumber was my favorite vegetable both times. I said my favorite songs were "Memphis" by Cherie Call and "You and I" by Lady Gaga. Susanne said she loved "Brave" by Sara Bareilles, and I think she put "1D" for favorite band, as did Allie. We were amused that in both 2005 and 2015, Nan specifically said "carrots, broccoli, cauliflower" were her favorite vegetables. We discussed our New Year's resolutions. Then I watched Rudolph's Shiny New Year. This is some of my journal entry:
"This morning I bundled up and drove up to Eagleridge to go on my old running route. Due to snow and ice, I had to do a lot of running in the street and running slow. But it was glorious and invigorating, although I am a little sore. My goal was 54 minutes, but I made it 58.
"April rode with us to the Layton Golden Corral for New Year's dinner. After we got home, we set New Year's resolutions and did a 'favorites' activity. Then I watched Rudolph's Shiny New Year."

Friday, January 2. I just remember being on my computer, deciding whether to go to my stake party, and I just felt too tired to go when 9:00 came around. This is my journal entry for the day:
"I feel proud of myself for getting the year right [in my journal entry]. We'll see how long it lasts.
"I had an ordinary work day. I finished the Conversations with Mormon Historians, then worked some on the General Epistles. The Mormon Historians book annoyed me, because some previous editors 'fixed' things and made them wrong.
"I came home and took down New Year decorations, then watched Hulu. I didn't go to the stake party because it's late and I'm tired, and tomorrow we're cleaning the church, and New Year's is over."

Patriotic treats

If you read this blog, you undoubtedly know that I only eat candy and desserts that are seasonal. Seasonal treats abound at other times of the year, but for the Fourth of July, they are a little more rare. You never know what to expect from one year to the next; and even if a particular seasonal candy is made from year to year, you never know what stores will carry them. They're very inconsistent.

Therefore, I'm going to remember the patriotic desserts I've had in my life. Here is some basic information about this list:
1) This only includes things that I have personally eaten. I saw some patriotic candy corn the other day, but I haven't had them, so they're not on the list.
2) Some things on the list aren't strictly dessert, so I could eat them at any time (e.g. pretzels), but they are still fun to include.
3) The list refers mainly to pre-packaged goods. I'm excluding most bakery items (like sugar cookies) because there are always seasonal bakery items. (I think of the Killers lyric: "Red, white, and blue upon a birthday cake, my brother he was born on the Fourth of July.")

Many of these treats predate my seasonal eating rules, but I still remember them. (For those of you who are wondering, my eating habits got started in 2003, but they have evolved significantly since then, generally getting stricter.)

My favorite priority is unique flavors, followed by unique shapes and/or colors. Individually wrapped candies with seasonal wrappers count, but they're my least favorite kind of seasonal things.

Patriotic popsicles. Red, white, and blue popsicles are the one thing I can count on from year to year. They are made by multiple brands, and they aren't always marketed for the Fourth of July, so they're always around. I can eat any popsicles during June, July, and August, but these ones are funner. One noteworthy variation is Dairy Queen's Starkiss, which is shaped like a star and is striped.

Keebler rainbow cookies. Keebler's M&M cookies weren't originally made with M&Ms but with their own brand of chocolates. They had ones with red, white, and blue candies in the late 90s. I had them in 2012--they were marketed for the Olympics but I used them for the Fourth of July. This year, they use real M&Ms and are available at Target, and there are both regular and chocolate varieties.

Summer Oreo O's. Back in the late 1990s, there was a cereal called Oreo O's that had brown rings with white spots on it. One year, probably 1999, they changed the white spots to be red, white, and blue. This is the only time I have ever known of a patriotic cereal. Oreo O's no longer exist, so of course the summer variation does not.


Sno-Balls. You know the Hostess Sno-Balls, the chocolate cake covered with marshmallow and coconut? They usually come in two-packs, but in 2001 or thereabouts a Hostess store carried a three-pack with a red one, a white one, and a blue one. That's the only time I've ever known of them doing so. Before Hostess went out of business, they would change the colors (such as orange at Halloween and lavender at Easter), but I haven't seen them do it as much since they were resurrected.

After 9/11/2001, patriotic things became much more popular, and there was an abundance of patriotic things. In fact, I think some of the things that are still around today may have got their start then.

M&Ms. When I was a kid, I always wanted them to make red, white, and blue M&Ms, but it wasn't a reality until fall 2001. Since then, they have come back sporadically. I know I've had them in 2006, 2007, 2013, and 2015, but this year they're only available at Target, whereas they've been available elsewhere in the past. They come in both milk chocolate and peanut varieties.

Marshmallow Peeps. They made star-shaped Peeps after 9/11. I can't remember whether they were plain or vanilla flavored, but they were white with blue and red specks. They came back for a few Fourth of Julys, but they quit making them because they didn't sell well. In recent years, they've made vanilla-flavored traditional Peep (chick) shapes with the red and blue specks. I don't quite get it. I mean, chicks are still an Easter candy, and what makes them think chick-shaped candy will sell better at the Fourth of July than star-shaped candy?

E.L. Fudge cookies. In 2002 or 2003, there were patriotic E.L. Fudge cookies. These were truly unique--most patriotic candies simply change the colors, but these changed the shape instead. The elves were holding flags or patriotic signs.

Vanilla ice cream. In 2003, my mom bought vanilla ice cream that was colored red, white, and blue--like Neapolitan except it was one flavor. That's the only time I've known of patriotic ice cream.

Goldfish. Goldfish crackers are made red, white, and blue. I first had them in 2004, and I've had them every year since 2013.

American taffy. The Sweet's brand makes peppermint-flavored white taffy with patriotic wrappers. I know we had some in 2007. They used to come in boxes and bags. This year I saw them in bulk, and I got one in my 5k goodie bag this year.

Animal cookies. You know those pink and white, kind of waxy animal-shaped cookies? They used to make patriotic ones. In 2007, I had ones where the frosting had different colors, so there were white, red, and blue cookies. In 2010 and 2011, they were only white, but they had red and blue nonpareil sprinkles. I haven't seen them since then.

Little Debbie brownies. On my mission, in 2009, I saw various Little Debbie treats with a patriotic theme, and I got brownies. I haven't seen them since then.

Tootsie Rolls. These aren't my favorite, since once you take off the flag wrapper, they're the same brown candy, but they're fairly reliable from year to year. Shopko usually sells them, although I didn't see them this year, but I did get one in the goodie bag I got from my North Salt Lake 5k this year.

Tootsie Dots. In 2010 and 2011, I saw patriotic Dots. There were two kinds of Dots, and each Dot had two colors, a red and white one and a blue and white one. The white parts were vanilla, the red ones were cherry, and the blue ones were blueberry. I'm sad that they don't make them anymore, because they were some of my favorite candies. (The red and white ones are still made for Valentine's Day and Christmas, but the blue and white ones aren't otherwise around.)

Tootsie Roll Pops. One of my favorite patriotic candies, usually available at Shopko, are Tootsie Roll Pops. The red ones are cherry, the white ones are strawberry vanilla, and the blue ones are blue raspberry. I like these since the white and blue ones aren't available at other times. I think I've had them every year since 2010.

Blo-Pops. I've seen these in 2011 or 2012, but this is the first year I've had them. The red ones are cherry, the blue ones are raspberry, and the white are strawberry lemonade (which are really good). I'm not a big fan of gum-filled suckers, but I like them since patriotic candies are rare.

All-American Oreos. I've only seen these in 2012, and I don't know whether they were for the Fourth of July or the Olympics. They were the golden variety, and the creme was blue and red. They were plain flavors. They weren't the greatest, but I'm always sad to see Fourth of July desserts go.

Star-shaped Marshmallows. In 2012, I was really excited to see star-shaped marshmallows, and they were red (really pink), white, and blue.  Then I saw bigger ones. I've seen both sizes since then, but I usually get the big ones, since they're better for roasting, which is what you usually do during summer. However, I have occasionally used them on rare cold June days, since they allow me to have hot chocolate.

Pretzels. In 2013, I found pretzels that were shaped as flags, Liberty Bells, and stars. I haven't seen them since then.

Pop-Tarts. I first had patriotic Pop-Tarts in 2013. At that time, the pastry was red, the frosting was white, the berry filling was red, and the sugar sprinkles were red, white, and blue. I didn't see them in time in 2014, but in 2015 they're very different. The pastry is regular color, the frosting is blue with white star-shaped sprinkles, and the berry filling is still red. I think they've improved the flavor. (I'm not big on berry Pop-Tarts.)

Planters trail mix. In 2013 and 2014, I had patriotic Planters trail mix, made with peanuts, raisins, dried cranberries, red chocolate-covered peanuts, and blue and white chocolate pieces.

Patriotic Twizzlers. Walmart is the only store I've known to sell these patriotic Pull-and-Peel Twizzlers. Each strand is a different flavor; the white ones are lemonade, and the others are different berries. I've had them in 2014 and 2015.

Summer Ice Pop Tic-Tacs. Last year, there were red, white, and blue Tic-Tacs based on patriotic popsicles. The red ones were cherry, the white were lime, and the blue were berry. I haven't seen them this year. I have a feeling they may be the rarest of rare candies, so I'm lucky I got some last year.

Patriotic mints. At my 5k this week, I got a goodie bag with various mints. There was a dinner mint with a flag wrapper and some patriotic peppermint lozenge things. There was also a red, white, and blue striped candy stick, but it was some kind of fruit flavor and wasn't very good.

Caramel Cob. Caramel Cobs are basically large caramel popcorn balls shaped like a corncob. They put seasonal sprinkles on them. I had a Halloween one in 2012, and I saw patriotic ones in 2013, but I didn't have one until this year.

I always like seeing what will come out every year.