Another update

Tonight I successfully made beef stroganoff. I can now add that to my short repertoire of dishes I can actually make. I am very excited about this...because I don't have an extensive list...mainly because I don't attempt new dishes very often. Perhaps I should try new stuff more often...although that would make me kinda domestic. I don't know how I feel about that. However, if anyone has an awesome recipe I could try, feel free to suggest it.

So this past week was rather hectic! Apparently the AF had another faux pas...surprise, surprise. This time we sent some nose cones to Taiwan. For those of you who aren't all up on your ICBMs...the nose cone is the pointy end. But rest assured there was no nuclear material in that nose cone...thankfully for the security of the nation, the AF doesn't own the nuclear package, someone else does. So no bombs went to Taiwan. Of course this led our leadership to have a very long meeting where we all had to sit there and listen to them tell us how they don't know how it happened, won't know for a very long time, and we should be prepared for a ridiculous workload in the near future. Awesome. I probably will not be affected. I was not working at Hill when the stuff was shipped and I am only an intern. No one cares about interns unless they are having sex with someone.

It keeps snowing here. Of course this means that the temptation to go snowboarding is really great. I know I should be staying in and getting my spring cleaning done (I have company coming next weekend). But it's so hard to clean when there is fresh snow in the mountains. I spent most of Friday on the black diamonds...good times!

We had a band concert on Wednesday. It was supposed to be a joint concert with a local high school, except the local high school didn't show up. So we added a few more Sousa marches to our list and played anyways. I think there was a total of 25 people in the audience. It was pretty lame...but I still enjoy playing my horn...even if it's only for 1 person.

So I went to the dentist last week. This isn't really noteworthy except this was the first time I had gone to any dentist other than the one I have been going to for 24 years. Again, not totally noteworthy. However, they asked where I was from, what I was doing in Utah...yadda yadda. When they found out I was from NY it was like I was another species that they wanted to investigate. I was bombarded by questions from the hygentists on what NY was like and I explained it was upstate...not near the city. But they continued to bombard me with questions anyways. I just wanted to say, "Listen...get the hell out of Utah and go experience NY...then you can stop making me feel dumber for having talked to you."

April is going to be insane!

That is all!

More craziness!

So this past week I went to Clearwater again. And I have been to Clearwater a number of times...and every time we go, we always go out to a bar somewhere. Because let's be honest, when you get done with meetings at 4 and then get dinner, it's only like 7...and who wants to go to bed that early? However, after all the random incidents I have had while out drinking in Clearwater, I should have learned by now...go to bed at 7! This time I got hit on by an Irish lesbian (oh you're adorable love) and I was told by some random guy that I was the whitest person he has ever seen. Ok, let's be honest...I live in Utah. I haven't worn short sleeves since October and I won't get to wear them for another month, and I'm a little bit Irish...of course I'm going to be a little pasty. Other than that I didn't get to enjoy the nice weather because I was stuck in meetings the whole time. Damn engineers...I wish they would know when to shut up.

So I flew home Thursday and I landed in the middle of Salt Lake rush hour. Which is like the special olympics of all rush hours. The freeway here is much worse than 495 coming out of DC into NoVA during rush hour...and I should know...I drove both. So anyways, I'm sitting in traffic doing 6 miles an hour...at one point it got down to 3. I'm not even exaggerating...on I-15...which is like 81 if you are from CNY, or 90 if you are from anywhere in the northeast. 6 miles an hour. And so it took me an hour and 15 minutes to get home...it should have taken me 25. What was bogging the highway down so much? A car that had broken down...but the car was not in the northbound lane where I was driving...oh no...it was in the southbound lane. Oh and there was a cop assisting this broken down person. So because there was a cop on the opposite side of the road...out of his vehicle (so he couldn't easily stop anyone for anything) everyone slams on their brakes and rubbernecks. This is why it is imperative that I leave this state, hopefully before I become stupid like all these people.

So I went boarding again today. The snow kind of sucks now. It's the equivalent of boarding through italian ice...that's the consistency. However, it hurts a lot if you should happen to fall. Which increases the suck factor. The day was going along fairly well until I got ramrodded by one of the Utah urchins that I speak so highly of. So I'm sitting on the ground tightening my toe strap...and next thing I know...bam...there is a searing pain in my left forearm. Then I heard, "oh i just lost control, are you ok?" And I wanted to scream back, "No I am not ok you crazy urchin, I think I just broke my forearm...which is tragic because I have a concert to play this week." However, I just said, "I think I'm ok." Then the mormon rugrat jumped up and boarded off. I checked to make sure I wasn't bleeding (I did get hit with the blade edge of a snowboard) and decided that I should probably call it an early day, because I do have to play a concert this week and I can't be doing something stupid...like breaking an arm. For all who care, it's not broken...it's just extremely sore and bruised...it could have been much worse.

Other than that, just the usual routine. I think I get to be in Utah for a full 2 week period! On a happier note I'm almost a preferred client on United...although when I do become a preferred client...which should be in June...I don't know that I get anything really special. Maybe another free ticket...that would be good.

That is all!

Travel season has begun!

So this past week I flew into DC, drove to the Cuse and then back to DC. I had a blast!

I flew into DC during rush hour on Thursday and I made it to Cuse by 11. Doing 81 on 81 was a good decision...but not one I would recommend every day. Friday was spent wedding dress shopping with my cous! We found her the perfect dress and she is going to be the most beautiful bride!! The rest of the weekend just flew by and then it was time for me to drive back to DC.

I was in DC to take a class at Ft Belvoir. The army has a lot they can learn from the air force. 1. It's not cool to make your residents share bathrooms. Yes, that's right I had to share a bathroom in my hotel room. 2. Don't make people pay for internet. I mean how ridiculous is this...my government organization pays another government organization for my stay...the government paying the government...weird.

I had a fantastic time despite the shoddy quarters. I would leave the hotel at 7am and return roughly around midnight. Class was fine...but after class I went into the city every day!!! I had dinners, networked, walked the mall with an old friend and just had a fantastic time in my city! 18 more months and I can be back there!!! I also got my picture taken with Stephen Colbert's portrait at the Smithsonian. If you do not know what I am talking about...you're not cool.

I tried to get an earlier flight on Saturday because I didn't want to get into SLC too late...but alas there were no earlier flights available. So, I actually got to do something new in DC. I went and walked around Arlington Cemetery! It truly is a must see if you've never seen it. I can't believe I spent a whole semester in DC and I never saw it. That's another thing I love about DC...I always seem to find something new to do there. I saw the National Portrait Gallery and Arlington Cemetery for the first time on this trip.

All in all a wonderful trip...of course any time I can get the government to pick up the tab for me to go to DC...it's a good time.

So it was back to Salt Lake for a second and then off to Florida for a week. My job isn't all bad.

That is all!

Where did February go? Seriously can someone answer me that?

I haven't updated this thing in almost a month...probably because I have been too busy living. Which I'm not complaining about one bit. For anyone that knows me, February of last year was not a good time for me. I was not in a good place in my life. As my father told me, "I needed to find my happy place." And I totally could not. This is year is a total 180 from that. Almost all of the reasons I was miserable last year are no longer in my life. I say almost, because there are still mormons in Utah...but I don't really see much of them anymore. Plus I have been fortunate enough to do so many cool things, that I can't help but be in a happy place.

1. I have learned to snowboard. If I had not moved to Utah I probably would not have picked up boarding. I never boarded in NY and if I had moved to DC like I planned, I definitely would not have done it there. However, I am glad that I have learned to snowboard...it's just one more hobby that I found I enjoy...quite a lot actually. That is of course after I got over my frustration. It did take quite a few hours, but I am almost proficient now. I completed my first black diamond run successfully the other day. This was followed by my first black diamond spill/slide 50 ft. No kidding, my second trip I totally bit it and then proceeded to free fall down said mountain. Luckily I dug my board in...so I didn't go all the way to the bottom. But worry not readers, I wear a helmet...so I will not crack open my head, I may break every bone in my body...but the head is safe.

2. I have so much travel to look forward to. I get to go to DC next week!!!!! I'm way excited. Of course I am making a side trip to Cuse the weekend before for a certain 21 birthday and some bonding time with my wonderful bride-to-be cousin Mandi. Totally excited! After that I have 24 hours in Utah before flying down to Florida again. Then it's back to Utah for a bit...then there's a trip to Boston and then to Clearwater in May, Eglin AFB in June (hopefully), back to DC, Ohio (hopefully), Chicago and then it's July. Just for the record I am hoping for elite status on United by June...we'll if I get there.

3. I went to Vegas at the beginning of the month. Yes, I finally went to Sin City after being here for almost a year and a half. And it turns out that what happens in Vegas...doesn't quite stay in Vegas...there are always the pictures that follow you home. And yes, I got the full Vegas experience. I won't go into anymore details than that to protect the innocent. It was a crazy cool trip though and if you want to see pics...go to my webshots site.

4. I experienced sheer intimidation last week. I was in a metal basket no wider than 3 feet across, with a very large man, dangling over a 100 ft black hole, with my nose touching a 60 ft Minuteman III ICBM. I kid you not. I got a cage ride...which is where they put you in said metal basket and lower you down the hole to different parts of the missile. This is not for the claustrophobic...it's tight quarters in there. I got to touch a missile. Ok, I'm done. There were some pictures taken and as soon as I get them, I'll post them. That was totally my highlight at FE Warren. For those of you that don't know...FE Warren is in Cheyenne, WY...there really isn't a whole lot going on there...they don't even have mountains to board in. So when I think Utah's getting to me, I just have to remind myself...I could live in Cheyenne. The base itself was really pretty though, all historic and whatnot. For you history buffs it used to be an army base and General Pershing lived there before he was General Pershing...and the only reason he became a general was because of his senator father-in-law...it's a complicated story...if you want to know the rest...ask.

5. There are some cool people in Utah. I have some really great friends that make sure that I get out of my cave and be social. These are the people that text me on Friday night and ask where I am and how long will it be until I get my lame ass out. Or why I am even considering not going to Vegas, this should clearly not even be an option. Of course I'm going to Vegas and they are going to drag me there. These are the people that are like my big brothers and sisters watching out for me and hooking me up with dates so they can live vicariously through me. I am really fortunate to have had the opportunity to move somewhere where I knew no one and make such good friends that they feel like family. And this is not the first time I had to do this in Utah. I had my Utah family the first year I was here. Then they all moved on me in November. So I had to find a new family...and I did. And I am very fortunate to have been able to do that for a second time.

So time is flying...I'm in a happier place.

That is all.