As Time Goes By

I recently posted on facebook: "Today's debate in regards to 'Cruel Summer': Bananarama or Ace of Base? Go." Overwhelmingly, the response was in favor of the Ace of Base version. I can't say I'm terribly surprised, but I was expecting at least one old-schooler to go with the original (especially since that's the version heard in the original Karate Kid. if that doesn't make it a classic, i don't know what does.).

So it seems that my friends prefer the year 1998 to the year 1983. Now, I can safely say that there is one advantage that 1998 has over 1983 ... I had been born by then. 1983, you juuuuuust missed out on the glory that is me. But let's do a little more research, now that I'm curious, to compare the two.

1983

• Tokyo Disneyland
• GPS is made available for civilian use, and where would my cousin Kathryn be without it? (well, okay, maybe she's better at directions since last i checked.)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers formed
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day declared a federal holiday
• Crispix debuts
• Flashdance AND Return of the Jedi
• Introduction of the McNugget
• First minivans, and where would Mormons be without them?
• "Billie Jean" on MTV and MJ introduces the Moonwalk
• Disney Channel premieres (before the advent of hannah montana, so it was quality at the time)
• Fraggle Rock, A Team
• A Christmas Story is released, thus providing TNT with a movie to play for 24 HOURS STRAIGHT

  Okay, so 1983 wasn't all wine and roses: remember it was also the year that MASH ended, there were no more DeLoreans being made, and Superman III came out. But look how many good things came out of it!

 No, Richard Pryor was not photo-shopped in; this was seriously the movie poster.

1998

• Winter Olympics in Nagano
• 80-90% of pagers (remember those?) are without service for a day when a communications satellite fails
• Mulan, A Bug's Life, Mask of Zorro
• Lifetime Channel debuts
• Dawson's Creek debuts
• Seinfeld ends
• No more Ginger Spice
• Britney Spears, NSync, and 98°
• "My Heart Will Go On" is on the radio for 24 HOURS STRAIGHT 

 

All right, comparing ... comparing ... 1983 gives us: Red Hot Chili Peppers, the moonwalk, Disney Channel (pre-deterioration), and Fraggle Rock. 1998 gives us: Britney Spears, "My Heart Will Go On", Lifetime Channel, and Dawson's Creek.

1983 wins.

-Me

There Once Was a Yodeler

More retroactive reporting: going back to Labor Day! Before that lovely three-day weekend, my pal Megan had written to me to remind me of how much fun I had going to Swiss Days last year, so I managed to persuade Glen to come along this year, and extremely fortuitously, we arrived at the shuttle parking lot in Midway right behind Meg and Mash! The first thing we did was sit and listen to Kerry Christiansen: master yodeler. All of us enjoyed his performance (meg especially appreciated the neil diamond tribute), but Glen far and away was the most excited about it.

You can't hear Mr. Christiansen too well, but toward the end you can at least hear Glen and me pipe in.

After listening to Herr Yodel Meister, Glen not-too-reluctantly followed me around to the various booths as I tried to find something cute for our home. Swiss Days is a fun festival, and I'm glad two years in a row now that I have attended.

Enthralled.

 Meg's reaction to the Neil Diamond Tribute

No sheepdogs this year, though. I decided to forego that in order for Glen and I to have a nice peaceful day off together before he became so busy with school and choir and his calling and work that he no longer had time for me. Woe is me.

 Glen and some of the wares we admired but did not purchase.

And now it is October, and we all know what that means: novelty accessories!!!!! I wore one of my pairs of Halloween earrings the other night when we spent an evening with Grandma Merrell and Glen's sisters, and Eliza (one of glen's nieces) was quite captivated. I LOVE this time of year!

-Me

"I always say that shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist." -Tammy Faye Bakker

She Works Hard for the Money

She's alive! She's aliiiiiive!!!

Yes, it's true. Despite being extremely remiss on my blog the past two months, I do still exist and function in this world. And just in case you were all missing my incisive and witty posts, you can breathe easy: I'm going to be better at this. Life in our little part of the world goes by pretty swimmingly. Of course, Glen is being a responsible student (he had to start some time, right? j/k) and working hard on school stuff, so our time together is restricted, but that's all right. Ish. I'm dealing with it.

I'm also dealing with extended hours at work. As my very loving brother stated in a comment on my facebook status last week, "boo-freaking hoo". This coming from a guy who for several months puts in work days that extend until midnight is understandable, but I'm attempting to work up a little sympathy here. Ten-hour days may seem a mere pittance to some, but it's definitely not something I've been used to doing on a regular basis since I began working like a "real person". And as a result, Glen comes home about every other day to a wife who is just about miserable because she was on the computer when he left at 7:30 a.m. and is still on it when he came home at 5:15 p.m.

Usually I'm able to work myself up to being normal (well, normal for me, which is more eccentric than normal), but some days it just doesn't happen as easily. The occasional day when I work only eight hours seems like a marvelous respite, and I'm suddenly energized for the rest of the day. This works out well because I've only been taking eight-hour days when I've had non-work-business to attend to, and I should probably be awake for such activities.

Still finding time for good things, though. Last week, I went to the BYU Homecoming Spectacular, which my husband was singing in and Brian Stokes Mitchell was guest-appearing. WOW! He was amazing. (and so was brian stokes mitchell. teehee) No, in all seriousness, it was a great show, and I left feeling thoroughly inspired. The weekend before, Glen and I went to a BYU football game, during most of which I was extremely discouraged, but when your alma mater comes from behind in the fourth quarter and wins almost by a miracle, you can't help but feast on the excitement and exhilaration of the crowd.

Okay, you're probably getting tired. As am I. Will post soon with more of our doings (without the complaining bit attached, i promise).

See? Told you I was tired.

-Me

"The human race is faced with a cruel choice: work or daytime television." -Unknown

Accentuate the Positive

If memory serves, I wrote a post about a show that Glen and I would be participating in and singing some good ol' Gilbert and Sullivan. Well, the show, entitled Accentuate the Positive, is past and gone, and life is back to being a little less crazy. The last couple of weeks before the performances were a tad nuts, especially with the trips to Payson through the interminable construction that is I-15 in Utah county. People really need to learn how to merge.

There was a bit of shuffling going on through the rehearsal process, during which I suddenly (and completely unexpectedly) was assigned the part of Mabel for the "Pirates" section. -cue large megan eyes- Glen ended up being our Pirate King, and he's just enough of a ham (maybe barely, teehee) that he pulled it off exceptionally well. There ended up being a running joke amongst some of the cast about the fact that I had to sing to and flirt with a guy other than my husband, but we all know whom I went home with. Just couldn't resist the red velvet jacket with the lacy cuffs.

And the hats were fantastic.

Glen's barbershop group was a hit, as well. They sang between sections of the show, and no one could deny they did a fantastic job. I hope they keep singing together, because Glen loves ... loves ... LOVES ... singing barbershop. I hope this doesn't become a reason for jealousy.

Inevitably, there were hiccups during performances, but everybody did really well, and the biggest miracle of my stage "career" occurred: I made people laugh! On purpose! I remember trying to be "funny" during my little bit parts in high school, and it never translated too well to the audience. (and thus begin the placating comments about how talented i really was ... really, guys, comedy was never my strong suit.) So, yes, I was able to sing "Poor Wandering One" without my voice cracking, but the true satisfactory moment for me was the first time the audience laughed at my antics.

Ah, the theater, the theater. What has happened to the theater?

-Me

"Working in the theater has a lot in common with unemployment." -Arthur Gingold

Whistle While You Work

Another month has passed us by, and I have not written anything. I guess that could be a good thing, since you all could assume my lack of posting equals a lack of wasting my summer on a computer. (in fact, go ahead and make that assumption.) I admit, though, it's hard to feel that way when I spend eight hours on the computer each day because of work.

Speaking of work, I've been working from home now for the last three weeks, and it seems to be going all right. There are still aspects of working at an actual office that I miss, but it hasn't been too terrible. The hardest part so far is motivating myself to still get out of bed early enough so I don't work in my pajamas.

Days Begun in Pajamas: 12
Days Showered and Dressed: 3

Our home has become a computer zone (four computers ... yeesh), which I will say now does not thrill me in the least. I may be getting rid of my crazy laptop, but that's the only one that looks like it could get the shaft. We got a little desk for Glen's desktop so that he wouldn't have to write papers on the floor come school-time, so we've got a funny little set-up on the western wall on the office, but it works for us. So far.

My little work space ... it actually is a lot more organized than it looks.

 Lovebird desk set-up

The purchase of Glen's computer desk was part of a "date" night" shopping trip that took us to various locations as we attempted to figure out a way to organize the office closet. Fortunately, we found some shelves that fit the bill, and once they were set up and put in, I was suddenly a much more happy girl. Thank goodness our closet no longer looks like the mass hysteria that is my piles of music.

 Music that still needs a home. Our entire office used to look like this.

Hooray! I can find things in the closet again!

If only my parents had visited after this organizational evening; I wouldn't have been so ashamed to have them spend the night.

-Me

"If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?" -Laurence J. Peter

This Our Hymn of Grateful Praise

Glen took me to "Harry Potter". I'm no longer jealous. I'm a happy girl. Thank you, honey!

-Me

Come Fly With Me

I admit it: I suffered from intense jealousy the last couple of days. Wouldn't you if your friends were doing this?

Luna Lovegood, Rita Skeeter, and Dobby the House Elf

(yes, these are MY friends!!!)

I know that I have made no secret of my nerdiness on this blog, much less my love for Harry Potter. With the VERY final film having come out yesterday and several of my close friends attending midnight or even this-weekend showings, I am having trouble suppressing my envy.

Don't get me wrong, though. Glen does a fantastic job of making up for my disappointment. Last night after making curry at home (mmmm...), we headed to Sundance for the full moon lift ride.

All right, this could be taken anywhere, but it was, in fact, on the lift.

We had excellent timing, as well, because about ten minutes into the ride (on the way up), the moon came out from behind the mountains, and it was peaceful and beautiful seeing it rise in the sky for the next half hour. What an enjoyable and satisfying date night. Thank you, sweetheart.

But you and I both know we're still going to Harry Potter before it hits the dollar theater.

-Me

"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." -J.R.R. Tolkien