What happens in Brazil, mostly stays in Brazil...

Check out the pictures on Flickr!

Here are some highlights:

• The rehersal dinner consisted of barbecued meats, and a lot of Guaraná. I'm sure I broke the Word of Wisdom.
  
• I experienced the biblical phrase "greet one another with a holy kiss." This is opposed to an unholy kiss... I actually never quite felt comfortable enough to make the kissing noise, but it was a new cultural experience. I think somewhere in between the hand shake and the kiss there has to be an acceptable greeting.
• The wedding of my good friend Felipe (which was the reason for the trip) was very nice. Although it started at 8:30 PM, and went to 4:00 AM. Even the elderly folk know how to get down on the dance floor in Brazil. I also had a lot more Guaraná. Probably broke the WoW again.
  
• Perhaps as divine punishment for my gluttony, had a nice case of food poisoning. Gosh it was fun. I'll spare the details here, but apparently a bunch of other wedding-goers got the Ronaldo Runs as well. Don't eat the beef!
• Spent a few days at a beach in Saõ Sebastiaõ. The weather was very nice. I had never been that close to the equater before. You can get burned in 10 minutes in the sun.
• A group of elderly Japense ladies were in line ahead of me at the airport. One of them started mumbling something in my direction in Japanese about the long line, so I responded back. Of course, they were all amazed at my sweet Japanese skills, as was the Delta worker. I said yeah but I don't speak any Portuguese, and the Japanese lady and I had a nice shared moment where we agreed that Portuguese was muzukashii da ne! (very difficult!)

Cheezburger Roundup 2

Losing my street cred...

...via tagging. What are friends for? Thanks Tara. :)

8 shows I like:

• Lost
• Arrested Development
• The X-Files
• The Office
• Bones
• West Wing
• Burn Notice
• The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (duh)

8 restaurants:

• CoCo Ichiban! (Japanese Curry - Japan & Hawaii)
• Gyukaku (Yakiniku - Japan, Hawaii, and ?)
• Noodles & Company
• Fresco Italian Cafe (in SLC)
• Panda Express (seriously, as long as the orange chicken is not more than 3 days old)
• The Mandarin (in Bountiful, UT)
• Mendocino Café (NorCal)
• MacDo Breakfast. I love bacon egg and cheese biscuits. Even after Supersize Me.

8 things I've done today:

• Commented online about gay marriage, abortion, and whether or not Hugh Hefner is a polygamist.
• Took LG to the park.
• Read about Psychiatric interviews and Mental Status Exams, and hopefully this time I can remember the difference between affect and mood.
• Practiced facial recognition of emotion with a nifty online training.
• Played basketball for work, and got hot flashes afterwards.
• Watched LG cry (with some really big tears) when his attachment behavioral system was activated this morning, to the extent that I started crying myself.
• Laundry.
• Practiced the piano for the December choir performance.

8 things I am looking forward to:

• The John Gottman training in San Francisco in November.
• Being done with my doctoral applications.
• The EFT training in San Diego in January.
• Winter break.
• The end of the Bush administration.
• The theatrical version of The Road.
• Going to Brasil next month!
• My next date with Nat.

8 things on my wish list:

• A Blu-Ray player, as soon as they drop below $2 billion each.
• An iPhone, 16 gig.
• Better emotional regulation.
• Better teaching skills.
• Better computer hacking skills?
• A Ph.D., a job at a friendly university, and a small private practice.
• This bike.
• A friendly, roomy place for Keiko the dog to frolic.

Elmo takes over

LG hasn't seen a single episode of Sesame Street, but he knows who Elmo is. Last week he started saying "Ahmo Ahmo" to a talking Elmo toy we borrowed from a friend. Today at the grocery store with N he saw a big Elmo balloon and immediately recognized it.

What exactly is Elmo's draw? Does that little kiddy voice entrance our young? The big bulgy eyes?

LG's words, in order that he started using them: ngheee, no, owl, mama, dada, ahmo, & ball. If there were ASL for Elmo I'm sure he'd know that too. I may have come after mama, but I'm counting my blessings that I at least came before Ahmo.

Almost sorta famous

I was contacted today by Schmap, makers of free digital map guides, about this photo that I took in Hawaii in March. Apparently it is on a "short list" to be used in a publication in the near future.



I was excited, until I realized a small problem. The guide it would be used in is for Sydney, Australia, while the photo is of the convention center in Honolulu, which pretended to be the Sydney airport for (the best show ever) LOST. Maybe no one will notice.

Eeyore is a dog

and a fly is a bird.

LG (16 months) has been learning sign language, and everything gets categorized into about eight signs. It's hard not to feel a little envious of his world view. So simple and pleasant.

I told N not to kill the fly in front of him, lest LG think we were killing a bird. He doesn't know the sign yet for saturnine donkey, so Eeyore (my favorite Disney character) will be a dog for now.

We're not cruel to all insects; consider the fecund arachnid Charlotte on our balcony.

R.I.P. Bob the fly.

an aggregation

• Feeling a lot better health-wise, and realized that my unmentionable health issues were probably related to stress.
  
• N's phone was turned into a very small aquarium (minus the very small fish) after the son of a friend dumped it in the toilet... Hopefully Verizon will be nice and let us replace it for something less than our nextborn.
• Divided TV watching between The West Wing (which is entertaining, but ultimately depressing that we’ll never have such a President), Northern Exposure (to offset the pace of The West Wing), The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Psych, Arrested Development, and Bones... Seems like a lot but at the rate we’re going we’ll be done in 2020. An interesting thing about watching so many different shows at the same time is that a lot of the same supporting actors pop up all over the place. Kind of gets difficult to suspend disbelief when Dr. Cuddy shows up as a law student/call girl on West Wing...
  
• Realized that the only thing that could help me recover from the end of LOST this season was an audiobook I'm listening to that is narrated by Michael Emerson, and this.
• Studying like crazy for the GRE in August. Trying to re-learn (learn?) exponents & square roots, and learn new words to define myself like contumacious, recalcitrant, and intransigent. Applying to more school in the fall.
• Went to a friend's wedding. The party afterwards definitely put LDS receptions to shame, although I would argue that we got more presents... Can't decide which is better.
• Released from teaching primary (due to my schedule during the week--teaching primary includes Scouts on Wednesdays for the 11 year-old boys), and now am playing the piano in primary again, which I love, and it gives me time to study more vocab, like assuagement and bonhomie.

Whew, that's a lot of links.

Jammin' in memory of James Moore...

James was a friend who brought reggae, Jamaican oxtail, and a lot of peace and love into my life and that of many others.

Sorry, I just can't get enough of these...

I know people either love these or don't think they're funny at all... Some even think that they are a result of the dumbing down of our language and culture. Frankly, I'd rather be dumb and happy.

With the "stimulus" check...

The stroller comes with some sort of "fitness manual" and some rubber cords to pull on to tone the muscles. Not sure if those are for the parents or the baby.







Unfortunately, the car seat does not come with any sort of fitness manual, nor any muscle toners.





By the way, as far as I can tell both companies are American (BOB Strollers: Idaho, and Graco, which is owned by Newell Rubbermaid out of Georgia). We've done our duty.

Cheezburger Roundup 1

LEGO Ammon defends the flocks

I showed this video at the end of the lesson today for the boys in Sunday School. It's pretty sweet.

Iron Man (I can has cheezburger?)

After a really great post on American consumerism last week at Mormon Matters last week, I felt inspired and energized to begin my gradual shunning of all things corporate America...

Well, it's going to take a while longer, because last night I saw Iron Man (which is a GREAT movie by the way, I knew nothing about the character--it was surprisingly entertaining and funny, especially as a summer blockbuster). So, yeah, I still give in to the Hollywood machine. Anyway, during the movie there is some shameless product placement (which is in everything now, I suppose--BUT the movie was still really good--did I already say that?). The main character, upon coming home after being held hostage in Afghanistan for three months, declares that he wants "an American cheeseburger." Guess what they bring him? Which fast-food chain is marketing Iron Man in their commercials? Yep, that's the one. I won't repeat it here, lest they get more advertising (although I have plugged the movie 3 times now).

So what's the problem? After the cheeseburger scene, I was hungry. I wanted a cheeseburger too, dang it! A friend and I went out looking for one (promising not to buy one from previously mentioned chain), and the one we wanted to go to (a local, mom and pop type with the really good shakes) was closed. Guess what was across the street.  Yep.  I still have a ways to go in terms of living up to my principles.

Iron Man: A

Cheeseburger: B+

Adam sticking to his principles: C

eschato(lolz)gy

LOST Tour

Check out some more pictures!. By the way, you can leave comments on the Flickr photos if you have a Yahoo! Mail account.

Mindfulness, and Pictures from Oahu

Today I had a day-long seminar on meditation and mindfulness.  It's a lot to write about here, but here's a little bit... We can practice mindfulness just a few minutes a day. It is about being present with everything in the moment. For example, when you are eating, just eat. We can realize that little things (like eating, walking, or doing the dishes) are not little, but are life. If we focus too much on what's happening next, we will miss the present.

Mindfulness also relates to our natural system for seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. While necessary at times, it can get out of control. The means we use to avoid pain can become detrimental, and we can also become obsessed with pleasure. Mindfulness teaches that we can let go of this struggle, and just let our thoughts be. Basically, mindfulness is not about needing to be a certain way, but rather it is a curiosity of exploration, a way of approaching every moment and interaction in life.

I also put some pictures from today on Flickr.

Not In Portland* - Day 1

I arrived in Honolulu today for the American Counseling Association Conference. I'll be here about six days, four for the conference, and two for some sweet vacation time.  I don't think today counts as a vacation day, because it was the first time I ever thought I wanted to die.  I've been recovering from a cold, and endured probably the worst pain (from sinus pressure) I have ever felt in my life, for about 45 minutes, twice (as the plane descended). Granted, there are much more painful things in the world, but this was bad.  If I had known it was going to be this bad, I would not have come.  Some nerves in my face were being pinched as well, so not only did my head feel like it was being run over, but also like someone was drilling a hole in it above my left eye--only without the pressure relief. There is always good to be learned from suffering, as much as I detest it. I can now choose to be a little softer, a little more compassionate. I hope. I also hope it clears up before I fly home next week.

In some lighter news, Miss Idaho was sitting in the row behind me (on the first half of the trip)--going to Seattle, I think, for a pageant. She wasn't donning the headwear on the plane, but she still managed to stand out a little--probably the only passenger with a tan, wearing a dress, and speaking in complete sentences... Also, our flight number was "851," and I was headed to "the Island." Not exact, but eerily close eh? I was also able to watch some X-Files ("Scully!") and read some New Moon ("Bella!")

We took a shuttle from the airport, which was going fine until "some bloke" (according to an Aussie sitting in the row behind me) started complaining about the lack of air conditioning. Some others started chirping as well, and finally the driver decided he'd had enough, so he pulled into a parking lot, and said we could all wait for another shuttle! Boo hoo. Bus driver doesn't want to play anymore. We all coaxed him back on the bus, and he agreed to finish the route... Seriously, if you're saving money riding the airport shuttle on a tropical island, can you REALLY demand air conditioning?

I ended up getting off a the wrong hotel, and decided to walk to the right one. The receptionist at said wrong hotel said a taxi would cost $15 so I told her I was going to walk ("Shall I have Snotty beam you down Sir?" "Forget it. Forget it. No more beaming. This time I'm gonna walk!") When I asked for a map she said "Well, if you ARE going to walk, it’s at LEAST a mile and a half.” Do I look that old/out of shape/rich? It was a nice walk, and I found the right hotel. Even better, said right hotel is very close to my favorite restaraunt of all time, "Curry House," also known as CoCo Ichiban in Japan. MMmmm. I had some for dinner and it was delicious.

Back at the hotel, I tried to go to the pool, but it was closed.  In desperation I bought a Ben & Jerry's "Cookie Dough Ice Cream on a Brownie with a Thick Drizzle of Milk Chocolate Coating" ice-cream bar.  It too, was delicious.  I also bought some toothpaste.  Way more than I'll be able to use in a week.

*See Lost Episode: "Not in Portland"

Is this really happening? Has Utah really gone that nuts?

According to this article, a new law (that will go into effect in 2009) will make it a misdemeanor "to conceal, harbor, transport or shelter undocumented immigrants." (And what the heck is the difference between "sheltering" and "charitable assistance"? (which will be allowed...))

Why are we not outraged by this? I REALLY REALLY REALLY do not like Nazi comparisons, but this one really just hits you over the head with it, doesn't it. Yuck. Not only that, local police will be enforcing immigration laws... Possibly the DUMBEST idea I've ever heard of... So not only will these people be living secretly in someone's attic, but if they see a crime (or are a victim to one) they won't report it. Great. Good one Utah. You really ****** up this time.

Sorry about the strong word(s). I just feel that strongly about it. Please tell me where I'm wrong. Or that I'm dreaming. Or that I'm on something... I want the immigration problem fixed as much as the next person. But I DO NOT think the above law is ANY good AT ALL.

My latest creation

We named the dog Indiana

Sir Sean Connery won't be making an appearance, but Shia LeBeouf (possibly my favorite actor) will, maybe as Junior Jr.

The Kitties and The Citation

• I have my first counseling session with my first client this week. I’m still a little anxious, but I feel a lot better about the whole idea than I did when I started the program last fall. Maybe I have learned a few things!
  

• I’ve been assigned to play the piano (solo!) sacrament meeting. I don’t know what they were thinking. They really need someone who plays the piano themselves to make these assignments… Sure I can play some hymns or maybe even The Simpson’s theme song, but I don’t think that’s what they had in mind.

• I managed to go snowboarding twice this year! Both times for free—the first time it was free for Toyota drivers, and last night there was a “bring two cans of food for a lift ticket” deal. I even got a free lesson from a friend who used to be an instructor. He has one of those fancy jackets with his name on it… and a sweet ride too, The Citation!. Minus the ski pole that holds the hatchback door open, and the near-complete lack of acceleration, it is a fine-tuned machine!

• For work yesterday I went with my 8-year-old client to a cat zoo. They have a bunch of different types of cats, most importantly the one bred for its magical powers—the Liger! We also got to pet this baby tiger for about 2.2 seconds (along with 40 other people). “Don’t touch his head, people. He’ll bite you.” Ahhh, but he looked so cute.

• For family stuff, my parents are visiting tonight and tomorrow, and bringing the bookcase my dad made for us with his sweet woodworking skills. LG is standing up now—holding onto stuff—sometimes with one hand. With that new development, we’d like the stereo knobs to remain in place, so we’re putting it on the bookshelf. He’s also running out of new kitchen appliances to play with—at the moment it’s the potato masher.

• N is substituting once or twice a week, and though she doesn’t absolutely love the middle school days (who would?), she enjoys getting out of the house to do something different. She has also been able to come to my Attachment class twice. It’s my favorite class, and I really feel like we’re getting our moneys worth when she comes. We’re learning a ton about parenting and attachment, a lot of it from The Circle of Security.

• We’re wasting our time and money trying to cram more science and math down elementary school childrens’ throats. They need first learn how to have a relationship with their teachers & and how to learn from them before they can do anything else…why isn’t there more (any?) socio-emotional learning in schools? Sure a lot of kids are fine in this area, but special-ed really needs less focus on addition and more on relationships.

Movies:
Akeelah and The Bee: A-
I, Robot: B

Our Kitteh is going to be famous with ur halp!

We submitted our Kitteh to I Can Has Cheezburger. She needs your votes!!! Click here to vote for our kitteh Old Prospector!

New Year's Survey 2008

IN THE YEAR 2008:

1. Will you be looking for a new job?
Yeah, as a better dad, at least two days a week!

2. Will you be looking for a new relationship?
A new relationship with a punching bag would be nice, I just don't know where one is. And maybe a new relationship between my palate and vegetables. They have not hit it off well.

3. New house?
Someday. We like our secluded apartment, however. Even if it has cold drafts coming from the fireplace. There are no marital issues over keeping the lawn watered though, which has been great!

4. What will you do differently in '08?
Not have as many existential crises, if that's something one can control. Take better care of myself. Do more laundry. Maybe even clean the bathroom more than once.

5. New Years resolution?
I'm too much of a rebel at heart to conform to something like that. New years is probably the only time I don't make goals. Lame, I know. That being said, I am making one-week-after New Year's resolutions! On Tuesday I'm starting a 12 week cardiac arrest-prevention workout program!

6. What will you NOT be doing in '08?
Spending so much time on the Internets.

7. Any trips planned?
Hawaii (for school, I promise!), California, maybe Brazil (for a wedding).

8. Wedding plans?
See #7. (It's a friend's wedding, not my #2)

9. Major thing on your calendar?
Precious free time. Only a little bit left. Spring semester starts on the 15th.

10. What can't you wait for?
Seeing The Dark Knight, the presidential primaries to be over, and LOST.

11. What would you like to see happen different?
More unity, more kindness. Less bickering in the country. Less judgment from EVERYONE.

12. What about yourself will you be changing?
First, one must define what "yourself" means. As I still don't have an answer to that, I can't answer this question.

13. What happened in '07 that you didn't think would ever happen?
I made a bunch of female friends and somehow stayed happily married. (Note: N didn't like this answer)

14. Will you be nicer to the people you care about?
Nicer than what?

15. Will you dress differently this year than you did in '07?
Unless I go back to my Jr. High style of wearing basketball shorts to school every day, probably not.

17. Will you better your relationship with your family?
Better than what? How is this question different than #14?

18. Will you do charity work?
Sure...does that have to be a commitment?

19. Will you go to bars?
What is "bars?"

20. Will you be nicer to people you don't know?
Probably not. That's asking for a complete personality change? As an introvert, I just don't have the energy. I'm really good at being neutral though.

21. Do you expect '08 to be a good year for you?
What does "good" mean? We don't use that word in our profession.

22. How much did you change from this time last year til now?
Last year this time I was buffer, and better at Japanese, but now I am more patient, and a better listener. I had better be, considering my tuition bill this school year is hovering around 20k.

23. Do you plan on having a child?
One is great for now, thanks! Ask me again in a few years.

24. One wish for 2008?
That all sentient beings be free of suffering and the root of suffering, and enjoy happiness and the root of happiness. And that I am somehow a part of it.

And I thought last semester was crazy...

This semester:
-15 credits (5 classes)
-6 hours a week counseling practicum
-15 hours a week working with foster kids
-5 hours a week graduate assistantship
-11-year old Boy Scouts on Thursday nights
-Sunday School lesson every other week

This semester definitely wins in busiest time in my life-ever. I didn't think it could get worse after last semester, but it did. : ) Fortunately, I'll have Tuesdays and Fridays home with LG! N will be substitute teaching. Funny how that works out. She swore she would never be a sub and I swore I would never work with kids or teenagers. That all changed pretty quick. I am grateful for the opportunity though. We're getting a wide range of experiences!

To top this all off, we've been worried for a while about LG grabbing his ear a lot, so we want to have that figured out sooner rather than later, and I've been having some new urology-type problems associated with exercise (I'll spare you the details here), so I'll be finding myself in the doctor's office soon as well. N is feeling pretty healthy though! That makes me happy. : )

We do have great lives. We are very fortunate, and I hope that we can use these opportunities to do some good in the world, or at least the community.

friends making music

Some old friends of mine from Centerville have a band called prospect mali, and they just put out their debut EP. The song "The Silence" (video below) was inspired by Jim and Pam's romance on The Office. How can you pass up a song inspired by a TV romance?

The band's name means "small street" in Russian. From garageband.com: "From 2001 to 2004, each member of the band spent some time on a street in St. Petersburg, Russia called "Mali Prospeckt," although no two members were ever there together."

Musically the EP exceded my expectations--really good percussion, vocal harmonies, and decent chord progression. You can buy the album at cdbaby.com, and is also available on iTunes!

Also, the bass player, Rob Green, was my drive-through bank teller for a few years. : )