Where I have been

I can, and will, make a better map than this:
visited 37 states (74%)
Try Neptyne, the programmable spreadsheet

What is wrong with you people?

I found this information on another blog and it shocked me a bit.
One is forced to ask: Why would God allow his people to be so loony?


Percentage of adults with poor mental health
#1 Utah, 41.4 %
#2 Nevada 41.1 %
#3 Michigan 38.7 %
#4 California 37.2 %
#5 New York 37 %
#6 Washington 36.8 %
#7 Oregon 36.6 %
#8 Delaware 36.4 %
#9 Wisconsin 36 %
#10 Minnesota 35.6 %
#11 New Mexico 35.5 %
#12 Vermont 35.4 %
#13 Alabama 35.4 %
#14 Maryland 35.2 %
#15 Idaho 35.1 %
#16 Ohio 34.9 %
#17 Indiana 34.6 %
#18 Rhode Island 34.6 %
#19 South Carolina 34.5 %
#20 Texas 34.3 %
#21 Arkansas 34.1 %
#22 Pennsylvania 34 %
#23 Massachusetts 34 %
#24 West Virginia 34 %
#25 Mississippi 33.9 %
#26 Maine 33.8 %
#27 Colorado 33.7 %
#28 New Jersey 33.6 %
#29 Illinois 33.6 %
#30 New Hampshire 33.4 %
#31 Oklahoma 33.4 %
#32 District of Columbia 33.3 %
#33 Connecticut 33.3 %
#34 Wyoming 33.2 %
#35 Virginia 33.2 %
#36 Montana 32.8 %
#37 Georgia 32.6 %
#38 North Dakota 32.6 %
#39 Arizona 32.2 %
#40 Missouri 32.2 %
#41 Alaska 31.7 %
#42 Florida 30.8 %
#43 Nebraska 30.1 %
#44 Iowa 29.2 %
#45 Kansas 28.6 %
#46 Kentucky 27.1 %
#47 South Dakota 27.1 %
#48 Tennessee 27 %
#49 North Carolina 25.8 %
#50 Louisiana 24.5 %
Hawaii (not rated)

u.s. centers for disease control

Books I have read in 2006

To Kill a Mockingbird
Cold Sassy Tree
A Painted House
The Stand
Ivanhoe
The Last Templar
The Wind in the Willows
The Power of One (still reading)

I have a couple of John Grisham books to read.
I am open to suggestions.

See more progress on: Book Sl*t. I will read anything but I am really looking for book love.

I have been to the Badlands twice.

I was at a place outside the park this weekend where the white river runs out of the park. The river is really white. All the clay from the hills breaks down and is carried as silt by the river. They say there are fish in that river but I don’t know how they live.

One of the most interesting things I saw this weekend was actual quicksand. We walked in it. Pretty cool stuff. At first you sink up to your knees and the longer you stand there the further you sink. The further you sink, the slower you sink. In the end, quick sand is quite easy to step out of.

Along with all the clay coming out of the badlands there is also a number of very interesting rocks. I found some bubble gum agate and some flint and a piece of fossilized wood.

Best of all, I know the guy well where we camped and we can go back there anytime we want to

Sunset

Sunset
Originally uploaded by MrSaucy.

I snapped this shot on a walk last week.
I am using it to test my flickr posts.

I am not a nerd, I am not a nerd

If it was important to me, it was important to him

One of my fondest childhood memories is sitting on my parents bed and my dad walks in and says: “What do you want to do today?” I said I wanted to play. We played. I don’t remember what it was we played, I just remember that he played with me, what I wanted to play.

I was important to dad and he let me know it in many small and important ways. Dad had to travel for work and whenever he could, he took me with him. I saw my home state from one end to the other, traveling with my dad. It was on one such trip that he taught me to drive. On another trip, we went to the horse races. We figured out handicapping together. The last race of the night we picked our winner. Not being to sure of ourselves, we picked her to show. Before the race the odds on our winner were high. We thought we blew it. Our horse won! I don’t remember how much we would have won, or did win just that we were right, we figured it out together.

Dad took me on my first commercial airplane ride. Took me to Dinosaur National Monument. Threw rocks off of Dead Horse Point with me. We drove miles out of our way to see things that he thought I would like.

One summer, Dad promised that in two weeks we would hike to the top of Grandeur peak. The day before the hike I reminded him of his promise. That day was July 2nd, 1976. So, on July 3rd, when all the rest of the City was celebrating our 200th anniversary (July 4th was on a Sunday) Dad and I hiked to the top of Grandeur peak.

When I got into Skiing, dad got into skiing and took me often. I remember well seeing my dad fall and break his wrist skiing with me. He never went on about it. We kept on skiing year after year.

When I was in something at school, Dad was there to see it.
When I broke with family tradition and went out for cross country track instead of football, track became my dad’s new favorite sport. We ran 100’s of miles together. In 1988 when I ran the St George marathon, dad jogged out from the finish line and ran the last 10 miles in with me. He met me when I had hit the wall, as they say in running terms. Dad talked me through it. Then when I saw the finish line a 1/2 mile ahead and wanted to finish strong, Dad told me to take off and I did.

Dad helped me get jobs and offered advice on how to be a good worker, what to say and how to handle myself around important people.

When I got a ticket for going 70 in a 35, Dad went to court with me. Not in a mean sort of way. I think he was teaching me about our justice system. He taught me how to address the judge and encouraged me to plead not guilty so that I could see and learn how it all worked out. The judge was nice but I was still guilty. I paid the fine with my own money.

At important times in my life Dad would sit down with me and we would talk. I remember talking to my dad in the living room before my baptism. I remember talking to my dad in my living room after the “for young men” meeting we had at school. Dad did no shy away from talking about sex and taught me how important it was to treat it properly. Dad and I talked before I went to the Temple, before I went on my mission, and before I got married.

Dad got mad and me. I deserved it. Dad punished me then loved me all the more after.

Yesterday, I talked to my dad. We talked about my life now. He still is a fan. If it concerns me, it concerns him. He is proud of me and tells me so.

I hope I can be that for my sons.

See more progress on: When the music plays, dance.

We're in!

All that is left is my table saw. But for all intents and purposes we are moved in.

...and ready to move out.

See more progress on: Finish moving into my house

My home

I made this map for some folks to come to a meeting this week at, obviously, the Mickelson Public Safty building. It would be hard to see in this picture but if you know where to look you can see our van, our truck, where I work and where I live. You can also see where I was living when this picture was taken (hint, the van and truck are both in the parking lot). There is the church and the YMCA and the route I took this morning on my jog.

And that's all I have to say about that. 

I am still fat

The other day I was sent some pictures of myself twenty-two years ago. It was sad. I want to be that skinny again. I want to be able to eat like that kid did. Interestingly enough, I also went to the doctor last week. He said I was in great shape but that I needed to lose a few pounds and the best way to do that was 10 pounds at a time and to make permanent changes in my diet and exercise. Then he told me to go to the lab and have a routine blood test. Oddly enough, the next day the doctor’s office called that night and said the doctor wanted to talk to me about my blood test.

Never good news.

Turns out my cholesterol is off the charts, well not off the charts actually, it’s chart-able. I have an overall cholesterol of 300 and an LDL (bad cholesterol) of 243. The doctor threatened to put me on statin drugs if I did not promise to change my wicked ways.

So now I only get one small helping of meat. I am eating more fruit. I am eating a whole grain breakfast. I am trying to eat less. IT IS SO HARD!!! We are now cooking with olive oil. In short I am trying to make the changes that are necessary to now, not only lose weight but to lower my cholesterol.

The main thing that is lacking is I have to get off my butt and do some real exercise. Oh, I go for walks almost every day, and I have ridden my bike to work a few times. Now I need to get that mattress off my back about an hour earlier and swim, bike, jog, or do something that gets me breathing hard for 40 or more minutes. (That rules out sex, as that only takes me one tenth that amount of time, dang-it)

SO, if you see me, or talk to me, call me fat boy and ask me if I have exercised lately. I will pout and cry and say I am trying to. You keep after me. I need it.

See more progress on: Lose 30 pounds