Lazy Sunday?

mikemjensen Sunday Thoughts Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

What should’ve been a lazy Sunday turned out to a little busy.

We slept in a little following a late night on Saturday, but we were still up and going by 10.

Hit Walmart to get groceries and supplies for today and looking towards the upcoming week.

Changed the brakes on the 4Runner. One side was enough to make me have to repent for my language; the other side so easy, I felt embarrassed for the difficulty of the first side.

Super Blood Moon

Super Blood Moon

I split for a Birthday dinner for my niece. Good times and saw most of my sister’s family and a number of their kids. I find it hard to believe that I’m the old great uncle already.

Headed over to the other birthday activity for my sweetie’s oldest son. It was a party/craft night to prepare decorations for his upcoming wedding.

Oh, and the lunar eclipse happened tonight too. I remember the last one back in 1982 but this one, minus the annoying intruding clouds, seemed a little more spectacular. I have no camera that could capture it properly so I’ll default to an internet image. 

And now all focus will shift to our own wedding in just 6 days. This will be a busy week.

 

Day 216

Count Me Out

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Like most people now, I don’t watch a lot of live TV.

But Utah is playing Oregon tonight and it’s actually on free TV so I’m watching it. The game is going well for us Utah fans.

I’ve seen a commercial a few times now upon which I must comment.

To tell you the truth, I can’t recall what the commercial is about but it starts with a man microwaving his burrito in a typical corporate breakroom setting. Cut the lights and cue the music.

The 80’s Hair band Europe shows up on the far side of the breakroom, fireworks shooting sparks and smoke from the slow moving stage crawling towards the burrito man. He looks at the timer counting down at 12 seconds.final-countdown

“The Final Countdown” They sing over and over. People clear out of their way, a few bobbing their heads with the music but most disgusted by the intrusion.

This is exactly how I felt when I had to endure their opening act performance when I went to see Def Leppard.

 

Day 215

Tag No More

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

I just read that a school district has banned the game of tag due to safety concerns.

I realize that times are not the same as when I was in school, but I’m not sure what exactly has happened.

I played lots of games of tag, kick the can, football, baseball, dodge ball, slaughter ball, and Red Rover and apart from a few twisted ankles, slight bruising, and occasionally a little blood, no one died. The injured usually made back to the field of battle too.648131-bubbleboy

Being a kid should be fun. A few tears along the way, yes, but how else can one compare the joys of fun?

Looking down the barrel of 50 years old does have its drawbacks but I thank God I got to grow up in an age when I was allowed to do so. Without being wrapped in bubble wrap.

 

Day 214

By the Hour

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

It’s like the oldest profession.

Money given for that which is most precious.

The payer expecting everything that the payee can give.

No expression of thanks would be appropriate but the money received for services rendered.

The transaction robs one of being human and grants the other the feeling of superiority.

Why does this happen?wages-act-crop

We’ve all bought into the idea that our time can be compensated by a wage.

The wages will be spent tomorrow and the time is gone forever.

 

Day 213

Yogisms

mikemjensen Quote, Useless Observations Tags: , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

I learned today that Yogi Berra has passed away.

I’m not going to pretend that I was a Yogifile or that I’ve always admired him. And just for the record, I hate the Yankees.

But the quotes attributed to him have for a long time made me laugh. I’ve quoted a few of them several times. One for sure on this blog at least once.

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”fork_in_the_road

This says to me to not diddle-daddle and waste time thinking about it, just make a decision and do it.

“No one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.”

Choose your own path, not the popular one with the crowd right now.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up someplace else.”

Set your goals, don’t drift through life; it doesn’t lead to where you want to go.

“The future ain’t what it used to be.”

No. I think it’s a whole lot better.

Thanks Yogi. We’ll miss your wit.

Day 212

Modern Moonshine Run

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Have you ever been illegal?

Like hiding from the cops, illegal? It’s a thrill.

I’m not, however recommending it.150213_police_lights12

I’ve had to actually run from the cops four times in my life. Twice on foot and twice in a car.

But those are stories to be share another time; and again I don’t recommend it.

Currently I have, let’s say, extended tags on one of the bikes. I’ll still ride it on occasion to work and when I do, it feels like I’m embarking on a moonshine run and the cops are out to get me.

On my runs, I’ve learned a few things but I offer no guarantee that they work. And again, I do not recommend their use.

Most importantly, you have to keep an eye out at all times. Avoid suspicious driving habits- not too fast and not too slow. An escape route is to be always on your mind. Like sharks on the hunt, they’ll stalk you from behind. So you have to keep an eye on the mirrors and when you see one, get out of their line of sight.

As soon as you see a light rack lurking behind you in the traffic, turn. Don’t leave it to fate whether they’ll catch up to you- they will. And never trust the car behind you to run blockage; they won’t. No one likes a cop on their tail and they will turn or change lanes on you.

Remember, a turn made too sudden turn catches attention. Changing lanes in an illogical way can also draw a curious eye.

Right turns are best. It gives you the most options. Left turns can leave you stranded in the intersection in clear eye shot. Don’t do them unless you have no choice.

Look for a parking lot and park as soon as possible and as close to the store as you can. Don’t leave your foot on the brake- there’s no reason to signal where you just ditched. Don’t worry about going into the place of business as part of your cover. If the cop is looking for you at this point, he’s already got you.

The illegal run can add real excitement and enjoyment to the morning and afternoon commute. However if caught, the fine can ruin all of it.

In fact and on second thought, maybe it’s best to pay the registration and simply enjoy the ride.

 

Day 210

My Lake

mikemjensen Vanity Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

I moved around a lot during my upbringing.

Although a little skewed, I attended 10 schools in my 13 years of public education. Yes that includes Kindergarten. No I didn’t repeat a year. Nice try.

During that time, it’s hard to grow attached to any one place. So when I find a place to which I do grow attached, rest assured it’s a good one.

During the years of raising kids, the recreation money wore thin and we found many hours recreating within the minivan and driving into the mountains that border the Salt Lake valley.

Within these Wasatch Mountains is a canyon called Big Cottonwood and 17 miles up the canyon, where it ends at nearly 9,000 ft. elevation, lies a small mountain lake called Silver Lake.

During the hundreds of trips, we saw the improvements to the trail and boardwalk around it. We’ve been there during scorching summer days and have tromped through knee-deep snow banks. I pushed strollers and later begged kids to slow down. I’ve dragged teenagers out of the car and watched them reluctantly enjoy themselves.

We’ve seen moose and deer, watched the beaver build their dams and lodges, and watch the hundreds of trout rise in the evenings for their daily gorge of insects.

Silver Lake grew to my most favorite place in the world. Every step holds a memory. I know the trees, the banks of the lake, and the wood planks of the boardwalk as if they were family. I can tell a story related to every point on the one mile trail. It’s a picture board of my life with my kids.

Those days and events have stopped now. The chronicle of my children’s life will no longer be measured against the backdrop of this beautiful setting. The visits have dropped in frequency and always void of children.

In less than two weeks Silver Lake, however, will be the site of the wedding to my new bride.

The past will remain in the past and in my memories. The future lies before me. The thing that will remain consistent is my favorite place in the whole world shared with those I love the most.

 

Silver Lake Utah

Silver Lake

Day 209

Epic October on the Horizon

mikemjensen Vanity Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Hey Kids,

Wedding. Road trip. Wedding. Whew!

This upcoming month of October is going to be a crazy time!

First up is my own good news with my own wedding on the 3rd. Pretty cool, eh? A mountain setting, with a friend to marry us, I expect nothing less than fantastic in a most simple way. The dress will be mountain casual for the guests and we’ll be at one of my most favorite places in the world. I’ll be talking more about all this in the next coming weeks. Two of them to be exact.

Texas will be on the docket during the middle of the month. For Annette, it’s going home.

Spray painting creepy table decorations.

Spray painting creepy table decorations.

October 27th will be the wedding for her oldest. The ceremony will be in a Haunted House venue. Crazy!

On top of all that, I have two books that need to be finished. Ouch!

Every weekend will be jammed packed, so I need to cut this off short today because I’m bushed with all the wedding prep work going on around here.

More fun to come!!

 

Day 208

Home Again

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

A funeral service, rekindled relationships, and 140 miles traveled.

The services for my uncle were short, reasonably well attended, and as he would have like them.

Many cousins and family members spoke of being closer than we’ve been. The older generations have thinned out and the regular occasions to attend funerals have put us “younger cousins” into each other’s awareness. It’s time to draw together and maybe get to know each other outside the sharing of funeral potatoes.

Mt Nebo, Utah. 11,929 ft A Point of Interest along the way.

Mt Nebo, Utah. 11,929 ft A Point of Interest along the way.

After all the good byes, it was time to fire up the bike and head back the 140 miles I traveled the day before. As all return trips go, it wasn’t as full of excitement as the original trip but it wasn’t so bad either. Bumper-to-bumper traffic did rear its ugly head, due to construction, but it passed soon enough.

It’s good to be home once again and back to my baby.

 

Day 207