Ro Sham Bo!

I missed out on the fun. Janine and the boys (and others) took off to Antelope Island the other day, causing me to contemplate taking the day off to go with them. I ultimately decided that I needed to work and make some sweet mullah with Uncle Rico (and Shirley had to go to school), so we missed out on the massive amounts of Buffalo and other fun animals (none of which are as cool as a buffalo) that they were able to see on the trip. I am anxious to go with everyone at some point, as it would be so fun to watch our kids as they observe wildlife. Maybe next time.

Tonight I put together bikes. We received a gift from Stantec the other day totaling $150 in gift card form for Toys R' Us. While I would never normally shop at a Toys R' Us, we had little choice and could not turn our noses up at a generous gift from the company. So we hopped into the minivan and cruised State Street until we came upon the previously mentioned toy store. It was empty, strangely, with massive amounts of freakish toys sitting on shelves, the floor, and I am pretty sure, stuck in the ceiling tiles. Fortunately the empty nature of the store made it quite a bit easier to shop with the kids, as they had to touch and try to play with each bike we saw. We actually spent more time picking out helmets for the kids, only to ultimately only purchase for Shirley with the thought that we could get the boys helmets cheaper elsewhere (we were right...thanks, Target). In the end we walked out with a three bikes, un-assembled, that were assembled tonight while no one was looking. Hopefully our free investment will turn out great and the kids will love the bikes. What they really wanted was a motorized child four wheeler that was there...not going to happen, kids. And we had to convince (read: tell her no) Shirley that she didn't need training wheels. Hopefully she will learn quickly and be cruising around in no time.

Work continues to be the same as always. Setting several multi-million dollar machines daily might sound exciting, but it really isn't. We have also recently replaced one of our mainstays with another guy, which is kind of a bummer, as the other guy was really our main conversationalist. Now we sit quietly and stare off into the distance during most of our breaks. Not exactly exciting stuff. I am pretty sure that I will be riding this job out, which means that I will be working there for about another year. We have seen some of it slow down a little, but for the most part things continue to be busy and stressful at times. I really should get paid more for what I do...

I got to play guitar again with my friend Johnny from work. He really has taken an interest in my songs and is spearheading the gathering of other players to work out our band. It has been fun so far, and I hope that we get more chances to play in the future. Right now he is talking about playing a gig in about two months (he has played in bands before and has some connections in the area). I think it would be a lot of fun. Right now we are trying to think of band names and not really coming up with much. I suggested No Blame Frankenstein, but Janine didn't really like that one. There are always the mainstays: Serious Frank, Marginal at Best, Everyday Balloons, Aye! Captain, etc. I guess we'll figure it out eventually. For some reason Johnny wants to play for people at IM Flash (where we work), but I am thinking that we would be able to get enough of the people we like to attend one of our shows while not having to play for those who may annoy us from time to time (anyone who gets in the way of my total station as I work). We'll see what happens.

Has anyone else picked up "What is the What" at all? I know of one friend who has read it, but I have heard very little from anyone else. It is worth the time and effort to read it. It is good.

It is that time of the year again, the time of the year I like to call May. Every year at this time I get a tremendous itch to go live in the woods, surrounded by mosquitoes and biting flies, getting filthy, not showering for 8 days at a time, and eating freeze dried food. Yes. It is Trail Crew time. I spend three years working for Wrangell St. Elias National Park Trail Crew, and it has stayed in my blood. We usually gather at this time of year to begin our season, renewing old friendships, laughing about past years, and talking about former members and where they are and what they are doing. Kind of difficult to do all that from SLC, but the jones is going. I definitely miss the trees and mountains, the ruggedness of WRST that is unparalleled, unmatched by anything I have ever seen (eat your heart out, Wasatch!). I miss the cold rivers, the thirty degree nights, the long hikes up mountains, and the rush of looking out across hundreds of miles as we pinnacle on a trail high in the Wrangells. I miss May Creek. I miss Skookum Volcano Trail. Yeah. It's that time of year...any former or current trail crew member knows what I am talking about. Rock on WRST Trail Crew Ever. Ro Sham Bo!

I am finally watching Robert Redford's documentary on the 1975 shootings of two FBI on Pine Ridge Reservation. Very interesting. A lot to think about, so recent, so tragic. I recommend it. So go watch it. It is called "Incident at Oglala".

Anyhow, I hope you are all doing well. I will not ever promise to try to write more here, because it mostly likely will not happen. I will just sign off and get ready for bed.
Take care.