Champs

Sure, BCS blowhards will hand you schlock about how the college football season is like a playoff, how it’s an elimination tournament every week. Really? Well, how come Florida and Oklahoma weren’t eliminated with their losses? Utah ran the table, beat everybody set in front of them, including Ala-damn-bama in no less than the Sugar Bowl, and gets the bagel….

Until all these people do the right thing, I’ll be celebrating with the true national champions — the undefeated, untied Utah Utes. (Our new slogan: Utahk about a team!)

Lemonades for everybody!

I believe.  Deductive reasoning?  Copy-cats?  Not too many people who “matter” agree.  But I think Mr. Reilly explains why they wouldn’t pretty well.

Email from my advisor

Grant:

I have signed the forms and will take them to the faculty meeting and try to obtain the other signatures.  You missed a few changes and I will leave a few pages (that show the needed changes) with the forms.  [unnecessary content deleted].

Great job!  Lets talk in a few weeks about how this can be turned into a paper!

So I might actually graduate this semester.

Turkey

The obligatory post-Thanksgiving post. Wednesday I spent the night at my friends Heidi’s and Daniel’s house. We brined the turkey, hung out, ate waffles in the morning, and got ready for a group of 16 to arrive around 2. I got hungry about 12:30, so we set out on a quest for a burrito–carne asada, guacamole, beans, rice, all the good stuff. Once everyone arrived, we had a huge, huge buffet-style dinner. The dishes (I may have forgotten some): turkey and gravy, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potato souffle, two cranberries, green been casserole, spinach casserole, artichoke dip and sourdough bread, salad, deviled eggs, caramelized baked apple goodness… I think that’s most of it. Dinner was followed by coffee, a turkey pinata, then dessert… pumpkin, key lime, and derby pies. Oh, and the candy from the pinata. Several rounds of mafia, dutch blitz, balderdash, and some food coma rest finished off the night.

See Heidi’s photos here.

The rest of my weekend consisted of a left-over ham sandwich dinner downtown Friday, a game of Ticket To Ride Europe edition, walking Temple Square to see the Christmas lights.  Shooting portraits of a friend’s friend (see Shutterfly), playing worship Sunday morning (totally stripped–1 acoustic, 1 djembe, two voices), making gumbo for friends Sunday evening, bread pudding and watching Charlie Brown Christmas.

I might have already put on my 10 holiday pounds…

watch

this first.

and then this.

10-0

Oh yes: 10-0.

It’s funny.  I think of a few moments that have forever impacted history and I can remember exactly what I was doing, where I was, minutiae that get lost on any other day.  I remember the morning of September 11th to exquisite detail.  Or just a few nights ago–grading papers at my deskand hearing the first news of Obama’s victory.  Or a few months ago, when Jason Lezak held of Alain Bernard, I was at a friend’s house with two other buddies.  A Thursday night just weeks previous, when this same group of guys won a game in the final two minutes, sitting in my living room.

Last night I was surrounded by red and black at Iggy’s downtown, and the place went bonkers.

I just wish they wouldn’t play with my emotions so…

fall…

This is going to be a really random post.  Kind of.  Very Fall-y.  Anyways, news flash: submitting my thesis today or tomorrow (depending on when the Department Chair signs off on it) for Final Format Approval.  That’s the second to last step.  Then once my advisor gets back into the country, I’ll get a few signatures and submit for official release!  Crazy…  anyways, enjoy some new Colorado photos.

yesterday on my way home from school:

President's Circle.

In going with the fall theme.  This might change your lives.

Salaries…

In Academia.  I want to know what grad schools pay their grad students that much!

check My Shutterfly to see photos from the wedding.  Right now only bridal party pre-ceremony shots up.  will be working on the rest of the photos this week when i can fit it in.

‘tagged’

Apparently I’ve been ‘tagged.’  I didn’t notice when I ready Becky’s post.  I guess I’ll participate.

1.  Wearing long johns.  They just make me feel ultra cozy.

2.  Peeling big chunks of old callouses/blisters/etc. off my hands or feet.  Yeah, that’s weird.

3.  Driving slow.

4.  Hearing my dad’s banjo twang through the parents’ house in mid-spring afternoon/evening times.

5.  Fire + chili on Saturdays in the fall.

6.  Singing ‘Hallelujah.’

tag: Alex and Brett.  I don’t know anyone else who blogs and hasn’t been tagged.

additionally, I wanted to post my to-do list for the week.  Being Fall Break, I’m planning on avoiding campus at all costs, using internet in coffee shops, friends’ houses, etc.    Here we are (several have already been accomplished):

1. Second interview with MWH (check)
2. Take at least 1, preferably 2 naps each day (1 for today–check).
3. Go hiking up the canyons Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.  About to head out today.
4. Work on rearranging a Christmas song.  Last night some friends and I recorded a totally cool version of “Little Drummer Boy,” the second such occurrence when that particular collection of individuals has gathered.
5. Lunch appointment with students Wednesday.
6. Lunch with a friend Thursday.
7. Coffee with a friend Thursday.
8. Fly to CO Springs Friday to shoot wedding.
9. Enjoy Colorado for a few days.

Any other suggestions?

annnnnnnd…..

exhale

I’d have to say that on a scale of 1 to freaked out, I’d fall under “terrified” right about now.

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

of course, I’ll be waking up alone tomorrow morning.  And without that much sun.  Especially since my bedroom is in a basement on the west side of a building at the bottom of a west-facing hill.

A Christmas song just came on Party Shuffle…  Can we just time-warp forward a bit?