recent statistics*

places traveled:

1. Calgary for some family time.
2. Phoenix for some hot yoga.
3. Las Vegas for all things that stay in Vegas.
4. Los Angeles for a wedding.
5. Boston to remind me of how much i miss the east cost.
   
6. Rhode Island to remind me that there are places where the people are bigger hicks than in Utah.
   

books read:
the trouble with physics
(the trouble with this book is it is BOOORING.)

a fine balance
(the indian version of anna karenina and a must read. MUST MUST MUST.)

the man who ate everything
(by jeffery steingarten of iron chef fame. god put jeffery steingarten on earth to make fun of' stupid food phobias. even though i am faily certain he would make a lot of fun of me, i still love him and his book.)

teach like a champion
(bought because my primary class is going to drive me to drink. the book is supposed to help with classroom management. the only thing it is helping with, however, is my resolve not to have children.)

sense and sensibility.
(favorite line: like him? esteem him? use those insipid words again and i will leave the room this instant.)

TV series watched
deadwood.
a dead-good western. don't watch if you are offended by colourful language.

the wire.
makes you wonder why you ever wasted time on law and order reruns. also don't watch if offended by colourful language.

the good wife.
based on the elliot spitzer/rod blagojevich scandal. i real gem of a show.

keeping up with the kardashians.
it is free on on demand. i blame on demand or a lot of poor tv habits.

Jobs Quit:
bridal store employee

Jobs Gained:
Ghostwriter (seriously).

*i mention all these things for a couple of reasons. first, i like lists. second, lists make me feel like i am doing something with all my time; the illusion of productivity if you will.

i heart cowtown

since 14 i had one goal: get out of dodge. as far as i was concerned calgary was the most miserable, boring, uninspiring place on earth. my recent trip home, however, had me appreciating cowtown to a degree heretofore unfathomable.

calgary had me at free wireless at the airport, but i fell hook, line, and sinker over:

1. free luggage carts at the airport

2. sobey's: it makes whole foods look like reams
(if you don't know what reams is, consider yourself one of the lucky ones).

3. my parents' steam shower, where i spent about 12 hours a day.
(don't worry mom i squeegeed the ceiling after i used it)

4. the great canadian stupidstore. two words: joe fresh.

5. alberta beef

6. free health care
(NOT a word michael!)

this list, of course, doesn't include the obvious things like....family...friends... or fernando.

ex-pats out there, what are your favorite things about the motherland?

Air Show

before we met, michael was in the air force. he did a few tours of duty before starting law school, which technically makes him a veteran (and for some reason that totally cracks me up because when i think vet i think hippies from the movie born on the 4th of july and that is so-o not michael).

anyway when michael decided to go to law school they transferred him from an active duty unit to the air national guard. he goes one weekend a month to do "stuff" for the national guard. last weekend i went with him to see their annual air show.

here are some pictures....specifically for sarah who wanted to see a picture of michael in his uniform.
here i am with canada's pithy contribution to areal defense. these planes are OLD and they smell like something the dog did. oh canada, your planes leave something to be desired but your universal health care system still makes my heart go pitter patter.

michael looks mad in this picture. he isn't, but if he were it might have something to do with the fact that "someone" had been pestering him for twenty minutes to go on the airplane astro jump in the background. apparently going on an astro jump at age 31 is conduct not becoming of an officer....

oh please.

Chicago Trip

chicago made quite the impression on me: architecture, clean streets, museums, friendly cab drivers (with an endless repertoire of dirty jokes). surprise surprise, the thing that made the biggest impression on me was the food (also the reason i currently have to lay down to do up my jeans). in particular i fell in love with the pizza pot pie at chicago pizza and oven grinder.


i know it sounds gross. it even kind of looks gross...but it is heaven on a plate and I NEED MORE. i used to think people who have food items delivered across the country are nut jobs....but then i guess it takes one to know one because guess who just looked into pizza pot pie delivery???