Is This Cruel Or What...?

 Tuesday morning, I rolled out of bed, got dressed, shuffled into my office, and fired up the work computer.

This is what I saw.

I thought, that's kind of cruel.

Why? Well, let me explain. I don't think it's cruel because it shows a kangaroo on a beach, as if the kangaroo is being abused in some way. No, it's nothing like that. I thought for a fleeting moment that the photo was cruel because it showed a picture of a place where many want to go but can't because they're stuck in front of their computer working.

I know it's a stretch...

Then I thought of the irony. Unless you live in an area with beaches and kangaroos, you (or, most people...) have to work in order to go to places with beaches and kangaroos. So, I guess you could look at the picture as inspirational.

Inspirational, or cruel, or just a picture, I think we can all agree, it's a beautiful shot.

When, Oh When Will Shorts Season End...?

 Today, I had to change from sweats to shorts in the middle of the day.

It's almost October.

I am more than ready to have shorts season end.

The above picture is not used to show my almost fifty-seven-year old legs, nor is it to show me wearing a pair of miss-matched socks. No, it's to show that the season of shorts that begins around April or May should be over about now.

My father-in-law told me something years ago. Utah has almost perfect weather. By the time you're sick of the winter, it begins to warm up. By the time you're sick of the heat, it begins to cool down. I still believe that's true. Even though we've had a warmer than normal summer, I welcome the cooler days of autumn. 

I've said many times fall is my favorite time of the year. In the fall bugs--mosquitos, mostly--die. In the fall, pollen levels drop. In the fall, yard work becomes a memory. In the fall, you get to wear your warm snuggly clothes and enjoy the incredible feeling of a down comforter.

These things don't happen in the summer. No, in the summer bugs--mosquitos, mostly--swarm and seek out blood. In the sumner pollen levels spike. In the fall, yard work must be done. In the fall, you get to wear shorts and t-shirts. This isn't that bad, but it allows more exposed skin for the mosquitos to feast.

Shorts season is almost over. I for one am more than ready.

"We Don't See A Lot Of People Walk Away From Something Like That" The Highway Patrolman Said...

 The call came in last night.

"We hit an elk," my daughter said over the phone to my wife.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," my daughter said. "I'm okay. We're just waiting to go to the hospital."

"The hospital?!"

My daughter and her boyfriend were traveling through a Utah canyon last night when their car hit and killed an elk. It could have easily killed them, too. We think what saved them from more harm was the car's hood flipped up and prevented the elk from entering the car. I've been told when a car hits those bigger animals, since they're so tall, the bulk of an elk or moose can go right into the car through the windshield and seriously harm or kill those inside the car.

Thank God that didn't happen.

My daughter is so funny. When we asked if she was hurt, she said she was okay. When she said she had to go to the hospital to get checked out, we asked how bad was she hurt. 

"They need to see if my nose is broken, and I may have powder burns, too."

They checked her out--thankfully, nothing broken. She looks like she want a few rounds in the ring, though. And thankfully, her boyfriend--also beat up--was not seriously injured, either.

Last night, with our daughter away from home hurting, my wife and I just sat there thinking of what might have happened, that the call could have been made not from our daughter, but from someone else, someone with news of a much worse outcome. So, so thankful the call came from her and that she's now home with us. Apparently, not many people walk away from something like that, at least, that's what we've been told.

Give Thanks...The Miracle It Happens At All

If you were to look at my social media timelines today, you'd see post after post, picture after picture of this year's FanX Comics Convention. So many of my friends attend, participate, even help plan the gargantuan event. As I walked around the Salt Palace Convention Hall this past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I realized just what a miracle it is to pull off a convention like this.

And except for Covid, they do it year after year after year.

I'm a small cog in a very big machine.

For the past several years, I've been assigned to the vendor floor stage. With the help of friends, our job is to book acts we feel with improve the show, provide entertainment, and even a little education. This year's line-up was our biggest ever. We had more performers than ever before.

Curve balls were thrown and problems arose, but with the knowledge of experts, friends, and parents, we made it through.

Still, all those people, all those vendors, all those guests, panelists, volunteers...everyone involved and everyone who paid good money to participate...they came together--worked together and the result was...well, in a word...

Miraculous. 

I'm grateful to be that small cog in the big machine. I'm glad so many are willing to dedicate so much time and energy so that others can have a fantastic weekend, and I hope to be able to contribute in the future. We'll see what 2023 brings. If it's like years past, the answer will be another great show.

 

Disclaimer...I Mean, Come On!

 We have one of those thermometers that reads both the inside and outside temperatures. It's handy when you don't want to go outside to experience weather, but would rather find out the information from afar. It's an older model so it doesn't link to the internet or relay information to various governments around the world.

And, it works pretty good.

Except when it doesn't.

Case in point, the outside reader is placed in a location where at certain times of the day, the thermometer relays incorrect information. It's located by some outside stonework that heats up to incredible degrees in direct sunlight. My wife and I got a kick out of a super-high reading. We knew why, of course. I thought it would be a fun photo to use for my Pic Of The Day. I included a pithy caption and sent it out.

Too bad higher powers thought the photo needed a disclaimer.

I mean, really?

If the high temperature in Northern Utah had actually been at one point 138˚ Fahrenheit in September, with a current temperature of 129˚, it would be front-page news across the globe. I really don't believe it requires a disclaimer, nor do I think anyone needs a disclaimer.

Then again, we're living in a strange strange world.

One Of The Best Slices Of Pizza I've Ever Had...

 The vendor floor was only minutes away from closing. It was then I decided I should get some dinner. 

At FanX this year, my venue changed locations. We're no longer in the middle of all the action. Instead, we're off to the side, close to the food court. As locations go, it's not bad, except all day I watched as dozens--possibly hundreds of people queued up for The Pie Pizzeria pizza. They sell it by the slice and even though it won't fill you up, necessarily, it is enough to keep you going for several hours.

The problem I had is I couldn't stand in a line for that long. I had to make sure things at the stage were running smoothly. No worries...I'll just wait until the line is almost gone. 

That's what I did. The problem was, I waited until the pizza was almost gone, too.

Me and two other people were in line. When I approached the display, they had three slices left.

"That's the last of it," an employee said. I would have preferred pepperoni, but when there's only cheese left, I'll take cheese. I picked up one of three remaining and an employee said, "With tomato slices?" 

"Sure," I said not really understanding.

What you see in the photo is what I got.

I didn't realize just how hungry I was until I took a bite. It was SO GOOD! And the tomatoes added that extra punch I needed. I realized at that moment, it was one of the best tasking slices of pizza I had ever had.

Was it really one of the best tasting slices I've ever had in my life? Probably not, but last night right before the Pie ran out of food, it was to me.

Happy 30th, Babe...I'll Be Home Soon

 From where I sit right now, I'm on the third level (down...) of a parking terrace with a line of cars stretching on mine and the previous two above levels. It's around 9:30pm and I have at least an hour drive before I get home--and that's after I get above ground.

I knew when they announced the date of this year's FanX Salt Lake Comics Convention it would fall on our anniversary, and because I had committed to helping this year, I knew I'd be gone all day. I told my wife. She said, "I guess we'll celebrate on a different day."

She's understandable, like that.

It's only one of the reasons why I love her so much.

Thirty years, almost a third of a century. Lots of ups and downs, that happens in three decades. And I wouldn't want to have spent it with anyone else.

Happy 30th, babe. I'll be home soon,