Embiggen

"Thanks, and have a nice... uh... evening," he says with a smile, confident in the charisma he actually lacks. Airports are the ideal people watching spot. There are so many people, but not enough bustle that it's impossible to take people in. This man, for instance, ordered the clerk at the airline desk around -- thinking he was somehow charming and exuding a "well-travelled" aura, when really he was just impolite.

There was a woman a few seats down from me waiting for a flight to Boston, where she was getting married. She was talking loudly on her cellphone to her mom about the stress of repacking too many suitcases and trying to figure out how to decrease checked-baggage weight. In the end, she was given a fee of $280 and her mom didn't quite understand why. Then flight 6420 to Boston was called and she and her fiance toted hundreds of wedding menus onto the plane as their carry-on luggage.

But, there's another reason I love airports: I love flying. No matter if you're leaving or coming home, something good always lays ahead. There is inherent excitement sitting in your seat, listening to the video about oxygen masks and exits, and feeling the plane take off.

I think this could be a good trip for me: Even with my "haven't-slept-in-48 hours-and-I've-been-sitting-on-a-plane-for-much-of-that-time" look, I already had (crazy) men hitting on me. Don't worry; no matter where I go, I manage to attract the same type of people, so those stories aren't over. (And? As a bonus, I learned that I, too, exude much less charisma than I thought, because they thought I might be a terrorist when I landed.)

A few photos:

Fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil

This is my sister's adorable dog. He had to get all his hair shaved off.

Utah: A pretty great state.

I think that used to be our advertising campaign. Or an option before they chose "Life Elevated," maybe.

Anyway, according to a study published in the Wall Street Journal we're the 4th most agreeable and conscientious state. We're top 10 (8th) in extraversion. We're slightly higher than middle of the pack (18th) in openness to new ideas. And we're the least neurotic state in the entire country.

Check it out. The flash maps are fun. (And, if you're not from Utah, you can find some fun things about your state, too.)

I'm a puppet; you can almost see the strings.

People always say that you should pay attention to what people DO, not what they say. That's a lesson I still need to learn.

Because I want to believe people. I want to think that people are honest and that they try to make what they say and what they do the same. I want to believe in the whole, "I'm as good as my word" idea.

Unfortunately, I've had to learn many times over, in unpleasant ways, that the world doesn't work that way.

Enter: today.

It's moments like this that I think, "I want to just leave all this behind and go somewhere else, do something else, be friends with other people." The best part about today? I am.

Oh lolli-lollipop

As I was walking to work today, I followed a woman with the most bouffant hair I've seen in some time. It was actually very pretty hair, and evident that she just had a lot of it -- not that she had spent all morning teasing it. However, she was also among the skinnest women I've ever seen. It caused her to look something like this:

(Note: While inspired by true events, the image below is merely representative, and is in no way meant to infringe upon the image rights of the aforementioned woman. Some aspects of the image were modified to protect the innocent. No animals were harmed in the making of this image.)



This made me think two things: 1) when you have that much curly hair, you should not be a stick. It's not natural. 2) I'm going to kind of miss high heels for the next few months.

A spot of bother.

The awesome thing about waking up this morning is that my face was one big rash.

Alright; which one of you came and smeared poison ivy on my face last night?

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

Dear internet,

I quit my job recently. I wasn't planning on it. I left work on a Friday and, by Monday, I'd decided to take a new, slightly-altered -- or maybe just detoured -- path. I'm going to do something completely different in a completely different place. I'm going to be a better, more-fulfilled person, and I'm excited about that. I'm excited to come back, too, to find the ways in which I've changed.

Cheers,

E

2,900 burial plots available.

I have at least that many plots available in my yard -- when you consider that the majority of the deceased are potato bugs. My home has become some sort of mecca for potato bugs that know they're going to die; the idyllic, preeminent choice for eldery pill bugs (which are apparently crustacean) or perhaps the pill millipede. (It's amazing what the internet can teach you.)

Last night, when I got home from work, I swept up about a dozen of these little guys, all curled up and dried out. (Gross.) This morning, as I left for work, I saw at least three more that will be waiting, I'm sure along with some friends, to be swept up and interred somewhere. Does putting them in the garbage count as interment?

I've tried several kinds of spray to keep bugs out, but for some reason, these guys don't seem to be bothered or deterred. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love bugs and clutter -- both. What better than clutter created of bugs? I have no idea.

I don't have a good title today.

When I first saw "The Dark Knight," I wasn't sure what I thought about it. Of course, I was part of the enthusiam created in an opening night crowd. It was obvious to me that it was an incredible film. Nothing lacked. Both "Batman Begins" and the latest installment in the series are deeply philosophical and psychological films -- an admirable feat (and intention) among the purile and inane Hollywood films that are so pervasive. But, I wondered if this film was too dark -- a question which raised some discussion among many across the nation. I'm happy to say that the film gets better the more I think about it.

I think this article, from the National Post, provides interesting discussion:

SAINT BATMAN?

"SYDNEY, Australia [which should be read somewhat wistfully] -Heath Ledger is mesmerizing in The Dark Knight, the latest Batman film. Here in his Australian homeland, his posthumous appearance as the Joker has been a major news story for two weeks.

"It's an extraordinary film, even if you are, inexplicably, unmoved by the addition of futuristic gadgets to the most reliable blockbuster combination in cinema: explosions, firearms, car chases and more explosions. This Batman comes with the bonus of some of the more combustible questions in philosophy. What is evil? Is there a moral order built into our world, or is to speak of such a moral design delusional?

"This Joker does not permit us to dismiss him as delusional; he comes with an argument. This is not the maniacal buffoon of Jack Nicholson's star turn nearly 20 years ago. This Joker is diabolical."

Finish the article here.

I've had a lot on my mind lately.

I was reminded recently that I'm totally in the right profession. Someone mentioned a Heinz ketchup campaign from years ago in which they held a contest for taglines and bottle-cover designs. I entered. I think I was 12.

That story reminded me that one of my favorite things I ever did with my brother Jon was make an tv spot for a music company called "Color."

I still dream about being a widely published author.

There are not many things I hate more than "WTF" and "OMG." I'm bugged that I even have to write them to share how much I hate them. I almost kept this loathing to myself.

I work in an office of adults (as I suppose most people do). I think I might be the youngest employee in the building (or close). So, I was confused to see the bathroom floor look like this:



Somehow the picture is more tame than it was in real life.

I was intrigued by some reading I was doing a while ago that people CANNOT act UNLESS they are influenced by good and evil. This is something I have discussed at some length with several people. This caused more contemplation.

I cried the other day during/at a movie that I don't particularly like. But for some reason it really moved me this time.

I'm grateful for pioneers: people who risk everything to progress a cause -- religion, science, thought, art. I'm grateful for inspiring examples. People with courage. People who do what they know to be right. People who care about what constitutes "right." And work at it, even when it's not easy.

I don't like EFY. But, recently, I've considered that maybe I've musjudged it. I think, for people outside of Utah especially, it might actually be valuable.

I'm grateful for people that make morality personal. Who follow a strong code of ethics because the self they've created demands it.

Today, I went to a class that used Radiohead for the soundtrack on their education videos. I found that very distracting. I like Radiohead too much to pay full attention to the dialogue and action. It was simultaneously endearing and upsetting (that they would use Radiohead and that they would use Radiohead for THAT).

I recently heard someone talk about how the main theme in Beethoven's 5th (the entirety of which they called a movement -- first clue I should have stopped listening) -- da da da dun -- is congruent with the Morse Code letter for "V." Clearly, she (falsely) elucidated, this was for "victory," since this was the first piece Beethoven wrote after going deaf. I found this silly, and a very little offensive -- because I don't often think you should promulgate opinion and heresy as fact. (But that's just me.) Not only did Morse Code not exist while Beethoven was alive, but I don't think he'd write one of the greatest pieces of music EVER, based around a loosely connected symbol, as a tribute to himself for triumphing over deafness. (That second point is my own, equally ridiculous, opinion.)

Mostly I've been thinking about choices, though. Partly because of the aforementioned reading and discussions, and partly because of some choices I have recently made. And choices that others have made that have given me pause. I wonder if a tiger can change its stripes. I wonder how often people can truly be so committed to something (or more specifically giving something up) that they are willing to fight for it their entire lives (ie: never smoking again, not lusting after people, never drinking again). Even more, I wonder how often people do that without looking back -- with no regrets.

One of my favorite thoughts (and quotes) talks about reaching out to everyone, including, perhaps especially, to those hands that aren't reaching out anymore; that the world is more hungry for love than anything else. I yearn to be able to give that kind of love to the world and the people near to me. But... is there ever a time where you just say, "No. I can't do that. I need to take care of myself."? Or should you always reach out, no matter what it does to you? What if there is more for you to give? What if you try and you find there isn't? Is breaking yourself worth the service you can give to others? Can you help someone become the best version of themselves through unrequited "love?"

I hope someday to be like Mother Teresa or Princess Diana or Ghandi or any other number of people who have changed lives through small, singular moments of genuine caring. I have a long way to go. I don't even know how to get there. But I hope someday I find the way.