Goodbye Nalgenes

Since Thermo Fisher announced that their popular Nalgene Outdoor bottle contains BPA, I have felt a deep sense of loss. I have been a long time user of Nalgenes--I currently own 10. Those Nalgenes and I have been through a lot together: up to the Living Room, Big Cottonwood, Grand Canyon. I use them at work. They're more than just a means to carry liquid--they are friends, companions. We hike together, road trip together, share our experiences together. They have provided me life-giving waters. They have given me Gatorade. I've even used them to make chocolate pudding out on the trail. They're not just bottles--they are a part of me.

I'm less worried about the biological effects of the BPA I have consumed than the lifestyle change of using another bottle. It's like breaking up--you've been together so long, you don't know if you could ever be with someone else. And what do you do with all the pictures, the mementos? Just toss them? I'm not quite ready to do that. I'll just have to ease into a new path of life, a new social circle, a new outdoor bottle. Goodbye Nalgenes, I'll never forget our times together, and what you gave me!

New Sheets

I wore out my second pair of sheets last week. Have you ever done that? I woke up and there was a big tear down the middle. I didn't know sheets could wear out like that. I thought, "Maybe I can just sew it up." The surrounding area was too worn out for that--anywhere I would pull to test the strength "rippp!" another tear.

I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to look for a new set. Sheets are expensive! Eighty and 90 dollars a set! I found a set that was on sale for $62.99, still a lot money. "I wonder if I have any of those Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons that come in the mail," I thought. Do you get those? I checked the junk mail pile at home--nothing. I asked my parents. They had one but it had expired. Not to worry, two days later another one showed up.

So tonight I went to the store, armed with my 20% off coupon. I figured that with 20% off I could weigh the options and get something that I really liked. So I started pulling sets off the shelf to compare. My main criteria was color. I was leaning toward the greenish ones. I walked up and down the aisles looking for reasonably priced green ones (that is, less than $80 retail). And then I found the clearance section. Apparently, the Bed, Bath and Beyond brand is only $29.99 for a king set. But, they were on clearance for $19.97. Subtract 20%, and you get $15.98. $15.98! But they weren't my first choice of color. They were also on 250 thread count instead of 300. The 300 thread count was $64.99. I kept looking at the two: "this one is the color I like. . . but this one is only $15. But I like the color better on this one. . . but this one is only $15. Sixty-five dollars. . . or fifteen dollars." I deliberated for the better part of 40 minutes.

I bought the $15 set. I'm so proud of myself. They aren't wrinkle-free like the other ones, but they were only $15. I ironed the pillowcases so now there's only a hint of wrinkles on those, and I think after a few nights, I'll totally forget the other color. Good job, Spence. Way to live cheap.

Lonnie

My guitar is my favorite possession. Possession, however, isn't quite the right word. Really, it's a relationship, not a consumer/product arrangement, but rather a team of equals. We met in 2001. I was working as a guitar instructor and she was hanging beautifully on the wall.

She's a Larrivee L-05: solid wood mahogany back and sides, solid sitka spruce top. Appointments are classy, understated: abalone rosette, maple wood binding, ebony fingerboard, inlaid silver Larrivee headstock logo, and a clear pick-guard to let her beauty shine through.

I bought my first guitar back in high school. It's a Washburn dreadnaught style. It worked well for several years, until I started hanging out in the 'expensive guitar' section of the music shop. I spent hours playing and talking to Tom at Local Music.

One day Tom was being particularly helpful. He would hand me one guitar and then another. I would play a few minutes on each, sizing up the sound. Most of the guitars in the shop were upwards of $3,000, most decidedly out of my price range (which at the time was about $5). One of them was a Larrivee L-05. I kept wanting to play it again and again, and decided, when I have the money, that's the guitar I want.

While working as a guitar instructor at Summerhays music, they ordered two L-05's. I was so happy. Between lessons I would go out and pull one off the rack and play. I longed to buy one, but the sticker price was more than I could afford. Until I talked to the manager. He would give me 10% over cost. Still a lot of money, but I wouldn't get a better price. I bought one. Biggest check I'd ever written, and to this day not a twinge of regret.

Although Lonnie and I have only known each other six years, it seems much longer. Each time we are together we grow more fond of one another. There is no guitar but Lonnie for me. I've never met one with whom I feel as comfortable. She's heard my songs many times and always knows if I am excited, happy, sad, angry, or tired. Behind every great player there is an even greater guitar, and this is certainly true of our relationship.

Thanks, Lonnie, for your hard work, dedication, commitment, and love. Yours always,
Spencer

A Theologically Gated Community

One of a few metaphors Dave used this weekend. "So you build this theologically gated community. You get the walls tall enough, make sure all the gates are secure, the passwords set, only to look out and He is on the outside. 'What are you doing out there? You're supposed to be in here!' 'Didn't I tell you to love your neighbor?' 'Yea! In here, neighbors like us!'" Hmmm. . . . Easy to love people who are the same as you. What about others?

Another one: Dave was on a mountain bike ride, it was getting dark so he took a short cut through the railroad tunnel. It was a long tunnel. But he could see the light at the end. No sweat. There was enough light at the beginning, so he could see where the rails were and could keep in the middle of them. Bumpety, bumpety, bumpety. . . . As he got further in the tunnel it became darker and darker. He could still see the light at the end, but not anything in front him. "Oh no! I can't see where the rails are! What if I hit one and tumble over, and hit my head, and a train comes?! What if there is something in the middle and I hit it, and tumble over, and hit my head, and a train comes?!" But as he got closer to the other side, gradually, he could see the rails, until finally he made it to the end without incident. "When I got home my father and son were inside smiling at me as I got to the front porch. One still had light from where he came from, and the other could see better as he got closer to the end. But here was I, in the middle, wondering if I was headed in the right direction. I was doubting. But I see now that I can trust that as I ride through the darkness the light will come."

It was a relaxing evening. It wasn't a performance. Dave just sat there and played us some songs. I have seen him a dozen times. I like him. I trust him. He knows what it's like. Thanks, Dave.

4th of July Salt Lake City!

Fourth of July 2007 began with a wonderful hike to Lake Mary. Mom, Lizzie and Spencer took it easy and enjoyed the scenery, and Dad, in near marathon shape, powered ahead with a "real hike."

Immediately following the hike was the annual Brighton breakfast hosted by the Wasatch 2nd Singles Ward. We each got the 'blue' breakfast, pancakes, eggs, and sausage. The line was long, but the food was good.


Fourth of July evening we rode bikes over to Sugarhouse Park to see the fireworks. It was crazy crowded with lots of interesting people. We even saw a skater dog. (See the skater dog.)

Here's Catherine, Spence and Brinton (with Hillary on the phone).



The fireworks show lasted half an hour and had a wonderful finale. (See the finale.)

All in all, it was a great Independence Day!

Chocolate Breakfast

I love chocolate. I crave chocolate, a lot. No meal is complete without at least a morsel of cocoa to end on. I'll take milk chocolate in a pinch, but dark chocolate is my favorite. (Semi-sweet chocolate chips are great for chocolate emergencies.) Last winter I found a place, Hatch Family Chocolates, that sells dark hot chocolate. Holy cow, that stuff is good.

I love chocolate fountains. The first time I saw one was at a wedding reception. I couldn't believe it: there was flowing chocolate, just like in Willy Wonka's factory! It was a dream come true. At this reception there were two fountains, one milk, one dark (wonderfully). Strawberries, cinnamon bears, bananas, and other things, were used as mediums to get the chocolate to your mouth. It was heaven.

I eat a lot of cereal. (I'm a bachelor.) Growing up we never ate 'sugar cereals.' Mom didn't think it was good for us. We never had Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, or Lucky Charms. This was hard as child, with all those 'sugar cereal' ads between the cartoons. Once, I went to Blake's house and saw in their cupboard a bunch of 'sugar cereals.' I was astounded. "Oh, lucky!" I shouted. I was depressed that the next morning I had to settle for Cheerios. Cheerios, Cheerios, Cheerios; I had so many Cheerios growing up, I still have a hard time eating them now. Anyway, when I left home, I thought "I'm going to treat myself right. Bring on the sugar cereals! Mom ain't buying the cereal now, I am, and I'm going to buy sugar cereals!" It was great. I discovered the Malt-O-Meal discount cereals--the same as the name brand, but cheaper, and in bigger quantities. Cinnamon Toasters, Honey Graham Squares, Marshmallow Mateys; it was fantastic.

So I overcame my childhood conditioning that one should not eat sugar cereals. But, there lingered in my mind this idea that one should not eat chocolate for breakfast. I couldn't bring myself to do it. In spite of my declared liberation from 'healthy' cereal breakfasts, I still couldn't bring myself to eat chocolate cereals for breakfast. Yes, I love chocolate, and yes I love sugar cereals, but chocolate for breakfast? Certainly this went against nutritional wisdom.

Until. . . . John left a bag of Cocoa Dyno-Bites (brand named Cocoa Pebbles, i.e., Rice Krispies covered in chocolate) on the counter. I came home from work, looking for a snack. "Hmmm. . ." I thought, looking at the over-sized bag of Malt-O-Meal cereal. "I wonder. . . ." It wasn't breakfast. This was just a snack, right? I would eat Oreo's for a snack. That's chocolate. Why not some Cocoa Dyno-Bites? I poured a bowl (with whole milk) and dug in. It was soo good! I poured a second bowl. I was hooked.

I'm on my sixth or seventh bag (these are big bags, mind you), and I don't feel the least bit bad about it. I eat them for breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, after-work snack, bed-time snack, whenever the heck I want. Nutritious? I'm not worrying about that now: I'm a bachelor, and bachelor's don't have to eat right. I don't have kids, so there's no one to teach about eating right. I can eat whatever I want. Including chocolate sugar cereals.

Cocoa Dyno-Bites, anyone?

Seven Peaks Water Park

I was the most scared I've ever been in my life! They have this new ride called the Boomerang. It's kind of like a half pipe, but it's shaped more like a V. You slide down one side (3 stories), around the curved bottom, and up the other side. I thought I was for sure going to fly off the ride and land in the asphalt. I got off and I was shaking. Literally shaking. I could not control the trembling and made some half-hearted attempts at playing it cool by saying, "yea, that was intense," which slowly degraded into comments like, "that was really scary," and "I'm never doing that again."


(See Lizzie and JT on the Boomarang!)


Shotgun Falls wasn't too bad. I went in front, JT behind. It's dark in there so you don't know when the drops are, but you're on a tube, so there is some cushioning. Jagged Edge was kind of cool. It was the tamest of the scary ones. It required some not so minor suit readjustment, but all-in-all it was good.


JT, the accounting wiz of the group, did the math to see what food we could buy with exactly $6.25. He did it, even with a last minute menu change. All-in-all, it was a fantastic day.

Here's JT being a show-off on the rope swing.