Way Mega Super Bowl

While Chad and Brandon are off having fun in Reno, the Biggest Little Hole in America, the rest of us are stuck working so last night I went to the bowling website to see if I could pick them out of the sea of other bowlers. I definitely found Steve (in the black and blue striped shirt) and Dave (in the powder blue polo). Otherwise, I'm not sure who is who.



Hope you guys are having a splendid time.

Keeping It ReAL

The weather forecast for the last week said Saturday was supposed to be a lot colder than normal, with the possibility of rain in the valley, snow on the benches. Not unheard of in Salt Lake, but not an everyday occurrence either. Chad got four tickets through his office to the ReAL Salt Lake game held at Rice-Eccles stadium at the University of Utah. Throughout the day, it rained, hailed, and the wind blew, making us all wonder if the game would go on as scheduled.

Eventually Chad called to see if the game was canceled. According to the receptionist for Rice-Eccles, the only time a game is canceled due to inclement weather is when there is lightening in the sky. She then surmised the entertainment value of a wagering system to determine which team got struck first. I think I'd put $20 on the one standing closest to the metal-framed goal posts.

But first, dinner. Our first choice, Chili's, was closed at 5pm on a Saturday for what the manager said was "facility issues". As in Taco Bell? Don't think I'll be going back there. So it was off to the Desert Edge Pub (known as just The Pub) for delicious POTD (pasta of the day).

A quick trip back in Brandon's Zoom-Zoom to pick up an orphaned rain slicker from my car, we were off to the game. We each had many layers of clothing in anticipation of the weather, all of which were being worn by the end of the night. In addition to rain coats, blankets, and underarmour, we relied on a little Irish courage to battle the elements:



The game was good, though perhaps unevenly matched. The New York Red Bulls seemed to out-do ReAL in most areas like head shots, shooting, and passing. However, we (ReAL) had the upper hand in cute shoes, most notably the halfback wearing pink cleats. If you're gonna wear 'em, wear 'em proudly sweetheart.


Craig, Chad, and Brandon

At half time as they do in Jazz games, the team support people threw small balls into the stands to get people excited. One foam soccer ball was thrown to our section just as Craig was upping the level of his "coffee", which enabled me to lean over and snatch it away. Here's how I caught it:



Finally, a picture of the stadium. You can see the snow-covered mountains in the background:

Struggling to Stay Warm

While I disagree with some of PETA's tactics, harvesting cuddly animals for a fur coat is a bit barbaric. All of the fur in my house is fox. I mean faux. But not all residents in my household maintain such high standards. It doesn't matter they were born with theirs and try as I might, they just will NOT wear anything else. Even on Halloween when everyone simply coos over critters in little devil outfits and charlie chaplin tails, they want none of it. To quote the British, they find it bloody annoying. Bloody being the operative word. That's how I end up after attempting a kitty costume change. Annoying for them, having to pick skin out of their 12 inch talons.

Word has it fur coats are very warm, hence their popularity. It has nothing to do with having more dollar$ than sen¢e. So one would surmise that having a pre-installed coat would help cut the bitterness of a mild spring. Not so. When the temperature drops below 80°, it's as though the ice age came back around for another go. It's a veritable cold-war arms (or paws) race to find an accommodating human lap where warmth is known to persist.

All is well when the two critters know how to share the sandbox that is my lap. Meaning one at a time. Felicity is a svelte and skiddish kitty whereas Piper is...ehh...not either of those. Yesterday the temperature dropped a few degrees and all bets were off.


Piper trying to push Felicity out of the way


Both fitting onto my lap

Yumbo Gumbo

Yumm. Craig made gumbo some time this weekend for him and Ian. While he made a 1/2 recipe, there was still a 10 gallon drum of it left in his fridge so he invited me over for dinner last night. We watched Heroes. I think it's because we were so full and didn't want to strain for the remote that we sat through the Real Wedding Crashers. It turned out to have some decently funny parts to it.

Some gumbo photos: