Is there any human on this planet that can sense the difference between the "Polish Dog" and the "All-beef Dog" served at the Costco Deli? Because this blogger's tastebuds are confused!

What kind of person falls for these things?

Man 1: What are you getting?

Man 2: (Looking at menu) I'll know it when I see it.

(A plate with orange and yellow and red and green items passes by)

Man 2: I think I just saw it.

Woman sitting next to Man 2: Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk (w/ cheesy freaking smile and laugh).


Reason 429 why I hate the Olive Garden. Except for the salad and breadsticks. And the Alfredo sauce.

Andrea and I had an in-depth discussion recently about Otter Pops, including a quick study of the Wikipedia entry for those beloved frozen treats. Last night I was at Wal*Mart, however, doing a bit of shopping for the week. I was on the phone with Andrea at the time, and I was stopped in my tracks by the sight of something my eyes had never seen before: Tropical Otter Pops! The display had regular Otter Pops on the right side and Tropical Otter Pops on the left side, both in boxes of 100 pops.

Here's the problem: today I searched the web for Tropical Otter Pops and was unable to find a single reference to what appears to be a new product. Has anyone seen these before? Do they feature new characters, or simply the usual ones with aloha shirts?

Any info would be appreciated.

I left Friday at noon and headed to California with good ol' Lorie MacGregor. We went down for the Burroughs High Class of 1996 Reunion. Friday night I hung out with Andrea, then spent all day with her yesterday, followed it up with the reunion last night (really fun!), then headed back this morning with Lorie and her brother Gavin. A rushed weekend, but I'll be back in Ridgecrest on Friday night for the long weekend.

I went to a reception tonight for Jeff Root and his new wife. Congratulations to them. The reception was held at a beautiful house in the Stone Gate development owned by a very prominent BYU donor. I'm really not used to being in that kind of a house, so it was mildly strange, but being there was friends was nice. I don't know what I'm getting at, really, simply that I went to this reception and that it was in a fancy house.

In the entire history of the world, no mistake has had a deeper and more painful outcome than the day Jello stopped making Pudding Pops.

Jon and I talked this morning about those blessed creations and we both agreed that no popsicle could ever compare to a vanilla/chocolate swirl Pudding Pop.

BILL COSBY, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?!

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/technology/20chip.html?ei=5090&en=2155...

Imagine how quickly a 3D-animated movie could be rendered with a 500 Ghz chip. I mean, they'll have to make a bus (computer term, not the large vehicle) that can handle that kind of speed, but imagine the possibilities here! Although, I wonder if the time it takes to render these types of movies gives any benefit to the screenwriters. I would assume that they have plenty of time to constantly reconsider their dialogue choices. If the movies were more easily rendered, I could see the quality of the dialogue going down.

Watching Iran vs. Portugal at the moment (TiVod it this morning so that I could sleep in), and I'm reminded of some comments I've been wanting to make for some time now, ever since this who Iran nuke thing heated up again.

One of the worst parts about what has happened to Iran is that so many good Iranians have become so disenfranchised with their home. That to me is the saddest part of all this. Somehow a noble and beautiful nation has become one of the most reviled and "dirty" cultures in the world, at least from the view of most outsiders. I had the honor of working and associating with a few Iranians during my time at Novell, and they were some of the most beautiful humans I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Flora, Cameron, Farzad, and many other Iranians I've known are wonderful people, and it makes me sad to know that their country, their home, has been taken from them by people who refuse to give them their freedom. Taken from them to the point that their only recourse was to escape in peasants' clothes, begging their way to Afghanistan, then on to Switzerland, and finally here to Utah.

Iran is a beautiful country, from everything I've ever been told about it. The people are beautiful. The European and American influence on their culture was welcomed by most for decades, until a small minority forced itself into the majority through fear and pressure. And even after all these changes, I still believe that most Iranians want peace, want a simple life, a family, good work, and freedom.

Andrea is camping with her family tonight, so I have to face the evening without talking to her. It's become my favorite part of the day, talking to her before I go to bed. I'd rather it be in person, but there will be a time for that. For now the telephone will have to suffice.

Since we wouldn't be able to talk tonight, though, she sent me two beautiful emails, enough to tide me over for the evening.

I should fill you all in on my travel plans for the next month or so. Next weekend I will go to Ridgecrest for my 10 year reunion. I'm driving down with Lorie MacGregor -- we'll leave next Friday at noon, then come back here on Sunday afternoon. Then I'll fly down again 5 days later, this time directly to Inyokern. I found a ticket to Inyokern that was cheaper than the flight I just took to Burbank last weekend, so I bought it as soon as I saw it. I'll be in Ridgecrest from June 30th until July 5th. It'll be nice to spend the 4th with Andrea and our families. After that, I'm planning on going to Andrea's family reunion near Monterey for a few days in July. That should be quite fun.

Work is going well. We started a new section today that should take a few weeks to do. It's a Contact Management section that will allow the sales reps to track their visits to customers in their territories, keep notes on prospective customers, schedule appointments, view reports, and several other features. It's a 3-phase project, though, so it should take some time to finish it in its entirety. For now, though, we are shooting for getting phase 1 done by the time of the corporate tradeshow in the beginnings of August.

That's all for now.

may she know that I love her dearly.

I wrote this up just now and submitted it to Dodger Blues.

Greatest moment of my life, I tell you. I was 9 or 10 years old, and my parents knew of my young Dodger obsession. They were from San Pedro but we were being raised in Ridgecrest (up in the desert -- yes, I know it's hot, you didn't have to tell me that. I'm the one who's from there). I would beg and beg for the chance to go to a Dodger game every year, and in general my annual wish was granted.

One year we were told that there would be no Dodger game for us that season. Mom and dad feared that we weren't being given enough culture, so we would instead be going to some stupid ballet down in Los Angeles. We groaned and moaned for weeks leading up to the day, when we were loaded into the minivan and slowly taken to the city. Several interesting things occurred to me only years later:

1. Why were we not dressed up for the ballet? We had no change of clothes with us, and we wore nothing but t-shirts and shorts (and with it being the 80s, chances are that they were very short shorts).

2. Ballet? Who goes to the ballet? What parent takes their pre-pubescent children to the *BALLET*?!

3. Why was our interest not piqued when Mom suggested that we drive toward Dodger Stadium, and I quote, "just to check out the stadium and see if anything was going on"?

We emptied the minivan and walked toward the stadium. Why were we there? What were we going to do? Did we have to go to the stupid ballet? Couldn't we just go to the game, mom? And then, the miracle: She reached into her purse and, feigning surprise, exclaimed, "LOOK WHAT I FOUND! DODGER TICKETS!"

If I had been over the age of 50 and possessing even a minorly worn heart I would've keeled over and died of a coronary right there in the parking lot. HA! DODGER TICKETS! OREL HERSHISER! TOMMY LASORDA! Greatest moment of my life.

We went in, sat way up high, but loved our lives for those three hours. I actually don't remember even one detail about the game, but I'm sure I ate one of those chocolate malts that you eat with the stick/spoon/thing.

Had a nice trip. Spent virtually all of my non-sleeping time with Andrea. Could there be a better way to spend a weekend? I think not! We went to her brother Jared's high school graduation, took a day trip up to the Sequoias with my brother Glenn and his wife Christy, went to see the movie "Cars", went up to Lone Pine on Sunday for church (her dad had a church assignment there, so we went up with him), watched some soccer, and just generally "hung out." I had a GREAT time -- I was so sad when it came time to say goodbye yesterday at the airport.

I'll be back in Ridgecrest two weekends from now for my reunion, then again for 4th of July weekend.

So let it be written.

With any major decision there are cautions and considerations to make, but once there has been illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. Certainly don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. Face your doubts. Master your fears. “Cast not away therefore your confidence.” Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you.

-from “Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence”, a devotional given at BYU on March 2, 1999. Thanks to Carly H. for sending it to me.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5040372.stm

I don't necessarily oppose attempts to build a wall across the Mexican border, but I believe that plans like this one have the possibility of being MUCH more effective, and at a fraction of the price. Let's use technology to make our border safer and more secure!

I guess yesterday's post shocked some people... I apologize to those people if it caught them off-guard. Let me say that our plans are still soft, that we are definitely planning on getting married, but there are no firm details yet.

This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life (but it's going to be oh-so worth the growth that I have to go through). I continue to feel peace about the decision though. That, along with the soothing voice of the woman I love, are strengthening me more and more as each hour passes.

I went to Barnes & Noble this afternoon to browse books in the Latter-Day Saint section. What I need is a good book about overcoming fear, about finding strength to get through the things that are hardest for us to do. I admit that I have marital fear issues! I'm taking them on headlong with Andrea's help. One particular book that I found helpful was by Sheri Dew, entitled If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard. A cheesy title, indeed, but the first 20 pages were exactly what I needed. In it she quotes Thomas Paine, who said in 1776:

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. Breaking away from my fear and my selfishness is and will be bitterly difficult, but I have faith in God enough to know that the reward that awaits me on the other side of this trial will truly be glorious.

I can't hold it in any longer:

I asked Andrea to marry me on Tuesday and she said yes. We hadn't been dating since March, but I spent the whole weekend with her and realized how much I missed her and how much I love her. We had a great time -- it wasn't even within an hour of us spending time with each other that we both were able to acknowledge how strong the feelings still were.

She was all set to go to Denver in July to be a nanny for a year, and when she told me that a few weeks ago I was heartbroken. The fact is that I love Andrea and can't imagine a better woman to build my life with. Knowing that I just couldn't wait a year for her to come back, I asked her to marry me instead.

I have become selfish and hooked on worldly possession, and it's always been Andrea that's brought me back to planet Earth. She is beautiful, she is a saint in my eyes. I can only assume that God is doing me a favor on this one, because I certainly don't deserve a woman like her.

I owe her so dearly for the pain I caused her when I broke up with her (both times). I keep crawling back to her, though, because we have a deep and immutable connection. I don't ever want to hurt her again. I know I made some terrible excuses for breaking things off before, some of which many of you have heard me tell you... But I was wrong. I was being selfish. I'm ashamed at some of the things I've said, even. I always seemed to blame it on her when in reality it was always me and my own pride holding me back. I apologize to you for that, Andrea.

We're planning an early-September wedding. I'm flying home next weekend to spend some time with her and we'll finalize the plans then.

Please pray for us. I have years of selfishness in me that I have to get rid of before we get married. I choose a better life than that, though. I'm choosing a life based on true Christlike love. I've been too afraid to do it until now, and I'm still operating under a great deal of fear, but I know that I'm doing something that God approves of, that marriage between two people is ordained of him, that if I just focus and work hard at this I'll have a successful life, a happy wife, and children who know that we love them.

Not to mention that she's downright gorgeous.

I have decided to tackle my biggest fear head on. Those of you who know me will know what I'm referring to. Those of you who don't know what my biggest fear is, I'm not ready to divulge it through this medium yet. Anyhow, I've spent some time searching for quotes regarding fear. Some of the more notable:

"Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain." -Emerson

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." -Corrie ten Boom

"What are fears but voices airy? Whispering harm where harm is not. And deluding the unwary. Till the fatal bolt is shot." -Wordsworth

Mac led me to a site full of quotes. Here are some favorites:

"Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop." -Usman B. Asif

"Panic at the thought of doing a thing is a challenge to do it." -Henry S. Haskins

"Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them." -Brendan Francis

"There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them." -Andre Gide

And my absolute favorite:

"Fear is faith that it won't work out." -Sister Mary Tricky

I will not let this get the best of me. The reward on the other end of this tunnel is too magnificent and valuable for me to take my sights off of it. I've spent years fearing it, and I choose to no longer lend my ear to its lies.