With the coveted green rock in the center, Balboa’s pioneer trek hat lacked only one thing - Stampede strings. You know, those leather straps that extend down through the hat and below the jaw to keep the wind from blowing it off (most of the time). Not an easy modification, but a necessary one.
Who knows, he might lose it despite these contraptions.
Here is the hat before the mods:
After mods:
Note the grommets:
A view of the under side:
Yes, it’s a bit fancy for the Wyoming wilderness - kind of like this:
What are these things? If you can tell me, I’ll send you a rock. Not just any rock, a really cool Brian rock. I have webcrawled the infosphere (yep, just made that word up) for an eternity (anything more than 10 minutes is insanity).
Oh, and a cool tune - as always. This one is from Kym’s formative (blue) years… Morrissey has a great voice but no rhythm.
Before BAPCPA reform and before REFCO filed bankruptcy on little ole me - I wrote the above. It was published in the Deseret News editorial section. It was the first time that my efforts had been published on anything other than my educational “permanent record.” So I framed it - here, on yellow craft paper with a purple border and staples to keep it rigid. Kym found it while purging documents from the filing cabinet earlier today.
Life has revolved full circle. Fourteen years ago I was employed by debtor’s counsel and today I am employed by The Office of The Standing Chapter Thirteen Trustee (aka The Good Trustee). Insolvency laws have changed significantly and I’ve been blessed to be a creditor in the largest corporate bankruptcy in over a century. From a purely experiential perspective, I can relate to three out of the four primary parties in a bankruptcy case: debtor, creditor, and trustee. The considerations of a judge are lacking. And so, as I reflect on this article, the tender naivete of my youth has me feeling a bit sheepish. On the other hand, there isn’t a statement regrettable enough to retract. So here it stands, re-published, so to speak, for posterity.
Oh, and here is a quote that always makes me chuckle: “The bankruptcy community is an incestuous thing.” -Thomas D. Neeleman (aka-Rob). Special thanks to Maegan for reminding me of that one.
Don’t ask me how or why babey Abey butted in front of baby Bess, I’m just grateful that she is confirmed for arrival sometime in the middle of May. Here’s a quick preview:
Feeling that there wouldn’t be many more Sunday afternoons of fair weather, Babey Abey saddled up his Papa and invited his best friends (Balboa, Goobah, Bahbear & Wubber) to join him in a jaunt up the nearby mountainside. Mama stayed home to catch up on her Z’s.
I spent five hours on the north beam - aka “The Wall” last Saturday. Dren was on the south beam - aka “The Other Wall.” Me, the beam, thin air, 25+ ft up, setting the trusses as they swung, shook, squeaked, shifted and leaned. Dren kept saying, “That East Gable really screwed things up.”
When I finally got down, I was shaky and twitching (muscle fatigue + energy drink + sheered nerves), dizzy (now I relate to Hitchcock’s classic, Vertigo) and darn proud (yeah, it was my first time). So yes, this video was captured by my cell phone and I was in no condition to be filming, but for posterity’s sake, I had to document this worthy feat.
Dren’s skill and competence inspired and impelled me.
Balboa did a stellar job of keeping Dren and I hydrated and stocked with 2×4’s etc.
Dallin Smith had the safest and smoothest moves of any crane operator I’ve ever seen.
The footage and soundtrack impress upon me an indelible notion of beauty. Then the logical, over-analytical guy steps up and asks:
1. How much do those scuba divers get for cleaning the tank? Do they pay them hourly - because at approx. 10 meters depth, they shouldn’t stay under for too long.
2. Also, do they take decompression stops on their way up (and presumably out of the tank)? They are safe from sharks on the bottom, because sharks attack from below, but it takes at least one decomp. stop (for, say, 6 minutes) and that is prime time for prime rib human (rare).
3. What are they cleaning up? Whale shark poop? I can’t even see it. How many divers are mucking the aquarium? Like, 2-3?
4. Look! Aren’t those Steve Irwin Sting Rays? Wonder if the divers have barb-proof suits. Like, some kind of second chance vests so they don’t get pierced through the heart.
5. Don’t the divers look out of place? Everything else is crammed into a viewing tank and so, to stay alive (gills filter oxygen and if fish don’t move around, they suffocate and die) and desperately fight insanity due to boredom, they swim in harmonious circles of the living dead - call them “zombie fish.” The divers lolly-gag around and find curious and varietous forms of fish poop - much more engaging than swimming in circles forever.
6. Do the fish feel trapped in an artificial environment? Aren’t they providing services to a non-profit institution - for room and board? Isn’t that exactly what humans in the public sector do every day too? Ewwww. Too many similarities.
7. What do YOU see? (please add comment below). I have some very interesting friends, their views always enlighten or amuse me.
That’s the command for excitement in the deadly-fun game of shooting trap. Goob requested this activity as a integral ingredient to his ideal birthday celebration. After smoking scores of skeet in 102 degree heat, the party relocated to Mantua reservoir to cool off.
2009 is the year of the First Attendant. Who is Miss America this year? Yeah, I don’t know either, but the First Attendant’s fair renown for her frank and friendly remarks regarding man/woman marriage will live forever.
The 2009 Davis County First Attendant this year, rather than relish a ride in her fancy personal parade car, benevolently parlayed her exceptional success by sharing the extra space in her auto with my Baby Bear. For the high-class example and grandly genuine gesture, Tiffany will forever outshine the competition. BRAVA!
It’s a jewelry box that I made for bear-bear. Honeycomb onyx tiles donated by Big D who had them compliments of a neighbor with a big heart. Golden geometry dimensions provided by Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci from his 13th century classic, Liber Abaci. Tile saw borrowed from brother Phil. Abrasives and polishing compounds gifted by The World’s Coolest In-laws. All other art, inspiration and perspiration are attributable to the man in the title and The Man Upstairs.
I miss Kym. As such, identifying with King of the Road (Proclaimers covering tune by Roger Miller) and Queen of the House (by Jodi Miller) seems natural.
Quick question. Why didn’t Jodi Miller sing “Queen of the Home” instead of “Queen of the House?”
