A Farewell to Logan

It is with great excitement and some trepidation that I announce my departure from Logan. That is right kiddies, I am moving from Logan to the big city (the biggest city in Utah anyway), Salt Lake. I have accepted a full-time position as an academic advisor for undecided students at the University of Utah. Jeff and I will be moving down on the 19th of December. I am very excited for this position because I have always wanted to branch out into advising and see how I liked that aspect of education. I am blessed to find such a good job in such a terrible market and I very grateful for this opportunity. Plus, I am really stoked to have health benefits. This job offer comes at a very opportune time since Jeff is graduating this Saturday (congrats to my hard working hubby) and now he'll have more job options available to him. Even though I am very excited to move on, I can't help but get a little nostalgic and teary-eyed when I think about what I'll be missing from my home of 12 years. I can't believe I've lived in the same place for 12 years, that is crazy to me, but after all of my yearning to move away from Logan it is now here. And I meet the challenge with mixed emotions. I'd like to dedicate this blog to all of the amazing memories that I have attached to all of the people and places that make Logan a town worth living in. These are all the things I will miss most (listed in no particular order of importance or worth, it's just my train of thought):

-Formosa Restaurant: the best Tiny Spicy Chicken I've ever had, actually I think you can only get Tiny Spicy Chicken in Cache Valley, b/c I've never seen it on any other menus outside of the valley.

-Mandarin Garden: what can I say? Logan has exceptional chinese food. Egg rolls and sweet and sour pork are the best here.

-Bluebird Restaurant: best Sweet and Sour Chicken ever--get it with the mashed potatoes, it sounds wierd, but it is amazing. This place is almost a hundred years old and it is still kicking.

-Bluebird Chocolates: some of the best chocolates I've ever had.

-Bridgerland Park 2nd ward building/people from BP2 old and new: this is the ward that I grew up in and it is where Jeff and I met through a mutual friend. We had our wedding reception in this building and it's just a place that I will never be able to forget, so many memories.

-My friends Elisha, Andrew and Jonathon: they've been amazing friends to Jeff and I for many years and I can attribute most of the happiness in my life to them. Elisha introduced Jeff and I back in high school and I will be forever in her debt. They've been great neighbors, game night buddies, and Sunday dinner contributors and we will miss them dearly.

-2nd west: the street that most of my adolescent life revolved around, my high school was located at the end of the street and my work for 7 years (Terrace Grove Assisted Living) is also on this street, as well as the first apartment that my parent's and I moved into when we first came to Logan when I was 14.

-Riverside Park on the Island: I have many good memories of skipping school and hanging out at this park.

-Logan Canal: some of the best memories I have of my teenage years involve getting injured in some way while floating in black innertubes down the Logan canal. I will forever mourn the closure of this canal.

-Ray B. West building on USU campus: my life revolved around this dilapidated excuse for a department headquaters during my undergrad and grad programs and I will never forget all of the stressful, and occasionally fun, times had within its rapidly deteriorating walls. I remember my first desk in the shared office on the top floor and how I felt like I had "made it" because I had my own desk and office hours.

-All of those houses who put lighted deer statues out in their front lawns as part of their Christmas decor. I would also like to apologize to anyone who woke up in the morning to find their in deer in suggestive poses. There's not much else for bored 2o somethings who don't drink or use drugs to do in Logan.

-All of the venues in Logan where garage bands and sometimes well-known punk bands have performed. At one point in my life I frequented these establishments and they provided many opportunities for entertainment.

-Village Inn: I cannot mention punk rock shows with talking about Village Inn, as the end of every show was accompanied by a trip to the only restaurant open later than 11pm in Logan. As it happens, they also have the best diner food in town. Seriously, I've never been disappointed in the food at Village Inn, it's always the same, and it's good.

-My old house on Evergreen drive: many memories of Jeff and I while we were dating are tied to this house that looks like a double-wide trailer. Despite the occasional break-in, peeping-tom, and mouse attacks, it wasn't a bad place to live.

-The couches located in the Sunburst lounge in the TSC: as an undergrad I used to sleep on these couches almost daily. Best place for a nap on USU campus.

-Logan High School auditorium: my first turn as an actress happened upon that stage and it is also where I won an Oscar for my performance. That is the only trophy I've ever recieved.

-Logan Temple and Grounds: gorgeous temple and lovely grounds. Jeff and I were married there so I will always have a special place in my heart for this temple.

Okay, I am sure there are more things that I will miss, but thats what I have so far. I've wanted to move away from Logan ever since I graduated from high school, but somehow I kept getting sucked back in. But now I can honestly say that I will miss it here. However, I won't miss the depressed job market and the freezing cold weather.

Farewell Logan, thanks for the memories.

Insanity

I came across this gem on Craigslist (for the record I had no idea you could even sell a W.O.W. account, or that one could be worth this much).

World of Warcraft Account-80 pally,80 mage, 80 shammy - $400 (anywhere)

All higher level characters are on the US realm Doomhammer are are ready for transfer
The account has:

80 Male Blood Elf Paladin w/
Full epic T8+ or equivalent gear for tanking
35.2k hp unbuffed/close to 39k hp self buffed ready to tank any content out!
also has full epic ret pvp set (4psc deadly glad etc..) and alot of good pve pieces
has a decent healing set that is full epic but I never put alot of time into it
includes epic flying/coldweather flying and dual spec
professions are 450 jewelcrafting and 446 engineering

80 Female Undead Mage w/
Full epic gear, Mostly T7.5+ and T8 but a few 200 item level pieces in there.
Easily cranks out 4k dps in raids as fire spec with torment of the weak
4 piece deadly pvp set and alot of furious or higher off pieces (currently have 60k honor)
includes normal flying/coldweather flying and dual spec
professions are 450 enchanting and 450 tailoring

80 Female Troll Shaman w/
Full epic healing gear, Mostly T8 or higher.
Plenty geared to heal any new content. Easily pumping out 3.5k hps (chain heal spam ftw!)
Have several off pieces for elemental and enhancement specs but I never played them
Full deadly pvp healing set including 2 or 3 pieces of elemental gear if you want that extra resilience ( also have the challenger title from season 6)
includes normal flying/coldweather flying and dual spec
professions are 250 mining and 450 skinning

There are several more toons on the account, 1 of each class on Doomhammer ranging from lvl 12 to lvl 60

I have put a lot of time and effort into this account but school comes first. --sure sounds like it...

I think I speak for all of us when I say: what the hell?

Is this what he means by "Female Undead Mage"? And it doesn't look like she has full epic gear...

Why I hate nature (sort of)

It's not that I hate nature, the problem is that nature hates me. I've been battling with this problem for as long as I can remember, and the list of reasons that keep me safely in my home huddled up next to an air conditioning vent for most of the summer keeps getting longer. Except this summer, for some unexplained reason, nature has found a way to wage an assault on me from indoors. It wasn't enough that randomly large dragon flies would fly in an open car window and slap me on the neck while driving innocently down the road. No, now they are finding ways of terrorizing me from inside my home. Rather than mountain rocks and dirt falling out from under me and causing me to slide rather painfully down a mountain (it's happened more times than I care to remember), nature has to seen fit to gather an army of insects (not just any insects, but ones I have an aversion to) and began to infiltrate my home with a force I've never before experienced.

Whoever this guy is, he's insane.

First offense: I was simply minding my own business being a good wife and taking towels off of the towel rack to put them in the laundry when all of the sudden a huge hairy spider came crawling out from in between the folds of a tan towel. I dropped the towel, screamed, and slammed the door shut. Seriously? Who does that happen to? The worst part is that Jeff couldn't find the spider to kill it so it wouldn't attack me again. So a large hairy spider is on the loose in my bathroom. Along with this event, I have found an alarming number of spiders in our apartment. All of them have positioned themselves on the ceiling, the one place where they know I won't try to kill them. I will not kill spiders that are on the ceiling because I have an irrational fear that it will drop on my face or my hand. Unlikely, I know, but does anyone expect a spider to crawl out their towel? I didn't think so.



Second offense: earwigs, everywhere. Possibly the most vile of all insects and one of the most terrifying to me. I've had countless sleepless nights while at friends houses or in tents where I've spotted them. Once I see it anywhere near where I have to sleep the whole night will be spent trying to keep one ear covered with my pillow and the other with my hand, or trying to cover both ears with pillows while not suffocating myself. The background for why they scare me so much is simple. My family had one TV as a child, and if my Dad wasn't watching Star Trek the series, he was watching the movies. One that I still refuse to watch ever again is "The Wrath of Khan". I can't do it, it's too disgusting. Plus, I heard once that ear wigs will lay eggs in your ear, yikes! So far, I haven't seen any earwigs in the bedroom, but there's been a problem with the kitchen and the bathroom. I've discovered they like moisture, because they like to hide under dishtowels in the kitchen. We are not dirty people. I like to have a clean house and I just can't understand how this is happening. Recently, Jeff did spray some insecticide around the house and we've eradicated the earwing problem, thank heavens.

Third offense: grasshopper on the door knob. This is the most recent occurrence that actually inspired this post. I was simply taking out the trash this morning and I grabbed the door knob leading out to the garage and my hand was met with a rather sticky, spiny, unexplained object. I dropped the trash bag, and slammed the door. After I inspected my hand, I found it relatively unscathed, but I still didn't know what was on the door knob. After I tentatively opened the door again, I saw a big brown grasshopper hanging out on the ground--sick. I really, really, hate grasshoppers. No backstory on this one, I just have always thought they were gross since I was a kid. I'm really getting tired of the surprise attacks.

I'm not sure why nature has always had it in for me and I've tried to deal with it as best I could, but this is over the top. All I have to say is if I find a snake (my absolute worst fear) loose in my house, I'm moving to Antarctica.

Post Japan

Konnichiwa! Jeff and I got back from Kyoto, Japan a couple weeks ago and I am very eager to share the details of the trip for all interested parties. WARNING: this post is very long and includes tons of photos. The faint of heart should turn back now.

Overall, we loved Japan. The architecture is amazing, the culture is intriguing, and the food was to die for. It was great. If you'll bear with me, I'll lead you on a pictoral journey of the trip. I've tried to limit the photos included hear to the very best, but since we took over 500 photos, it was hard to weed them out.

To begin, here's pictures of Nishi-Higashi Temple. This was our very first temple and we kind of overdid it on the photos because it was all so new and inspiring.
This one is of the outer gate.

Here is the fountain outside of the temple. It's customary to take some of the water, wash your hands, and take a sip before entering the temple. Although, I did stop drinking the water after I saw pigeons bathing in it, and I started using hand sanitizer as well.

I love this photo because, in my opinion, it really symbolizes what Kyoto is all about: the marriage of modern and traditional architecture. What I loved most about the city was the fact that you could turn down a small lane and come across a small shrine or temple, they seem to be embedded in the city somehow. It was really wonderful.
Here is the hallway connecting the two main halls at this temple. I love the gold lamps that were everywhere in most of the temples we visited. They were beautiful.
Please note the pigeons...and here comes the hand sanitizer...

Here's a Japanese crane.


















These cute little ducks were so close to us--how sweet.












Here is Kyomizu-dera, or, the temple of love. This was a huge conglomeration of smaller temples and shrines that people go and visit to get help with issues such as, finding love, easing childbirth, and living longer, among others. It was one of the busiest temples that we went to, and we had to hike up a very steep hill just to get to it (you all know how I feel about hiking), but overall, the views were breathtaking.

Here's more of Kyomizu:






















This is the one fountain that didn't have pigeons bathing in it, and they had a UV sanitizer for the dipping cups, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to drink for a longer life.


This isn't the best photo, but here's a picture of one of the traditional tea rooms at Kyomizu. Jeff and I went to restaurant that was similar to this one, but we didn't have our camera with us.








This is at Nijo castle, built by a shogun and completed in the early 1600s. This just the outer gate, and the whole property houses two palaces, extensive gardens, and is surrounded by a large moat. Interesting fact, the larger palace is outfitted with nightingale floors to alert the guards of intruders. Each floor board makes a high-pitched squeaking noise that almost sounds like a bird chirping.





Here is one view of Honmaru palace, the largest of the two located inside the gate.




















Here is the main entrance for Honmaru.














The Golden Pavilion definitely lived up to its reputation as the busiest tourist attraction in Japan, second to Mt. Fuji. There were literally swarms of tourists being bused in and out of this trap. I did like the pavilion, but it was just too busy. We were lucky that we were able to get this shot without anyone else walking in front of the camera.
















This is the entrance to Heian Shrine, it is dedicated to the first and last emporers that reigned from Kyoto Emperor Kammu and Emperor Komei.




























Here is the Manga Museum of Kyoto, the lawn is actually just astroturph and is popular place for relaxing and taking in some new manga. I will admit that I really wasn't interested in going here, but Jeff insisted. It was really different than I thought it would be, I originally expected huge life-size figures of manga characters and blown-up displays from pages in the books, but it was more like a library. All the walls were lined with manga that patrons can take and read, and all the hallways and common areas were lined with people, old and young, devouring all of the books. It was a really cool look at Japanese culture, manga is not just for school-age children, like I had foolishly expected, but people of all ages seem to enjoy it.




I wish these pictures would have turned out better because I loved Fushimi Inari (the Vermillion Gates). We got there at dusk and the lighting was just not right and I have a less than desirable camera. It was amazing to walk around, there are hundreds of gates set up all over the mountain side. We were worried about getting lost in the dark, so we didn't go too far up the mountain, but we were very impressed with this quiet spot.










This is Pontocho, the oldest part of the old red light district, in Gion. This part of the city is known for expensive restaurants, trendy bars, girly shows, and all of the geisha houses. We did actually see a few geisha while we were exploring. Two were on dates with older Japanese men, and one was being escorted into a tea room. We didn't want to gawk at them or get in their face for pictures, but Jeff did manage to catch two of them in the corner of a picture that he took of a building.

We went to a cultural performance in Gion and, among other things, we were able to see two maikos (apprentice geisha) perform a dance. It was beautiful to watch, and there were two women that played the Japanese harp.







Now I'd like to switch gears and move away from the places we saw (there's just too many to list and I've been working on this post for way too long--it's time to wrap it up), and talk about the delicious food we ate. There were so many yummy things that I still miss today.





I fell in love with Japanese salad, it's very thinly sliced cabbage and other veggies with a thin thousand islandy-type sauce--delicious. Here we have miso soup, steamed rice, fried pork cutlet, and a couple other things that I'm not sure what they were, but it was all delicious.







Here are the second best waffles I've ever eaten. We went back to this place several times because I was obsessed with them.



















This was taken at a restaurant in Kyoto station, and it was unique because they actually served you water with your meal. Here's more delicious salad, except this one was served with Japanese pickles. Normally I hate pickles, but these were lightly pickled pearl onions, peppers and cucumbers, fantastic.









And the second course is hamburg steak. I just had to try some japanese interpretation of western fare. It was really good, kind of like a vamped up meatloaf. Jeff has beef curry, which was another very popular dish offered in many restaurants.








About 95% of the restaurants have plastic models of the food in the front window so that you can see exactly what you get with your meal. The plastic food model business is thriving in Japan, what a great economic niche to get involved in.









Tuna Pops!
This was the best meal we ate while in Japan, they bring out several different cuts of raw meat that you dip in an oily shoyu sauce. Once your meat is cooked you dip it into another sesame flavored shoyu sauce. It was very delicious!

Sometimes funny things happen when Japanese is translated straight into English. See if you can figure out what this sign is trying to say:

Overall, Jeff and I loved Japan and we would love to go back someday. Sorry the post was so long!

Japanamania and Swine Flu

Check out Jeff's blog for our current thoughts on the swine flu pandemic and our upcoming trip to Japan.

Also, there is a follow up video to the one I posted in my last blog.

Here's his blog address: http://androecium.blogspot.com/

How old am I?

I seem to be stuck in the middle of an age crisis. I am technically 25 yrs old, yet I have some habits that seem to suggest otherwise. I've decided that I'm either 12 or 40 years old. Here's why...

I think I might be 40 because:

I have chronic lower back pain--I've thrown out my back at least 3 times, once while leaning over to put in an 80s dance party CD.

I make a weekly menu--don't judge. I know it sounds like I'm a Relief Society president or something, but it really helps us save money at the grocery store and helps us not eat out so much. Plus, we need all the extra money we can get for more important things, like Japan.

I listen to NPR at work and on the drive home everyday. This is really the clencher for me, when I noticed that this had become an enjoyable habit, I knew there was a problem. I absolutely hated talk radio in my younger years, listening to the news bored me (I would have rather have chosen ignorance than awareness), and I just had no interest in public radio. Oh, but now, it's become a love affair. I noticed that listening to talk radio helped me be more focused on the road and less focused on how tired I was--it helped me combat my slightly narcaleptic tendencies. So it started as a survival method, but now its become so much more than that. I really look forward to "World Have Your Say" at 11am, and "All Things Considered" in the afternoons. I can't help it, I'm hooked. There's just so many cultural programs that are interesting and insightful. Although, I understand others may not find it quite as palatable. For example, I was listening to it at the SLCC concurrent enrollment office that I work at 2 days a week when I had a troubling encounter with my addiction. I share the office with an older lady who lets me have free reign of the radio. So NPR ran an interesting cultural piece on a man who was a Jewish Cantor that survived the Nazi concentration camps--I was enthralled by his touching story of loss and abandonment. Then they played some clips of the cantor performing in a jewish temple, and my co-worker gave me a weird look, and asked, "What are you listening to?" It was then that I knew I had a problem, I tried to explain to her what was going on, but I don't think she knew what the word "cantor" meant--I gave up trying to explain it, and I persist in listening to NPR.

Okay, now here's why I think I might be 12:

There's only one main reason really: Jeff and I bought a Nintendo DSi and I spend hours trying to unlock levels on both "Gardening Mama" and "Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games." So help me, I love it.



Well, those are my dirty little secrets: I'm an unabashed Nintedo playing, NPR listening, Fun Unlimited shopping(those of you familiar with the Cache Valley mall will understand this reference), geek.

I guess it could be worse, I could be this guy...



PS-Japan countdown is at 3 weeks exactly.

I think I'm turning Japanese

I really think so. You want to know why?

Jeff and I are going to Japan!!! I am extremely excited! Jeff got invited to present a paper at the 6th Annual International Triticeae Symposium held this year at Kyoto University in none other than Kyoto, Japan. We're going at the end of May and into the first part of June. We're planning on staying over a week--I wish we could stay longer, but I have to go straight to Daytona Beach to grade AP English tests when we get back. Right now I'm in that really excited researchy stage of travel. All I want to do is look up travel tips, learn commonly used Japanese phrases, and map out sight-seeing trips. As part of the conference we will go on a one day "excursion" which includes a trip to "Kinkakuji," the Golden temple, the Bamboo museum of Kyoto city, a hike through bamboo orchards to the Genebank of Kyoto University, and a visit to "Kizakura" sake company, tasting of "sake" and beers brewed by Kizakura (not really our cup of tea, but we'll go along for the ride--gotta love my use of the double cliche there). Other than that we are trying to decide what we should see, what we should eat, or avoid eating, and all of that stuff. So if anybody has any suggestions, we'd love some travel advice!

Here's what we get to enjoy in lovely Japan:



Yummy!!!