Lake Powell Pics

So Christi emailed me some of the Lake Powell pics. Here are just a few:

Two Wild and Crazy Girls: Me & Christi

Me being ferried to the house boat.

Me and Christi canoeing our hearts out.

I'm Home (for 13 hours)

So I'm home from Lake Powell, but I'm leaving for Phoenix tomorrow morning at 8:00 am. Lake Powell was great (despite the crowded house boat, the bugs, and the wood debris in the lake). Because I went with the The Gibsons, I didn't take a camera. I will post pictures as soon as Christi sends me some (hint, hint). If you want to see pics from last year, click HERE.

Anyway, I'm going to be out of town a lot over the next month. In fact, I'll only be in Utah for 3 of the next 30 days. Needless to say, I won't be blogging on a regular basis, but I will update all my faithful readers on my adventures when I return.

Psych Explained

I'm still at Lake Powell, but I scheduled this post to publish before I left s0 as I promised, here are the explanations behind the pop culture references on the TV show, Psych.

Pop Culture Reference #1:
Shawn: We'll get another check.
Gus: And you wanna know what we're gonna do with it?
Shawn: Party like it's 1999?

Explanation:
"1999" is a popular song from musician Prince. It features the lyric "tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999."

Pop Culture Reference #2:
Shawn: It's a chance to go undercover in high school, à la 21 Jump Street. Obviously, I'm Johnny Depp. Sadly, you can only pass for Holly Robinson.
Gus: Why can't I be Richard Greico?
Shawn: Why would you wanna be Richard Greico?

Explanation:
21 Jump Street is a television show that centers around a group of young cops. Because the cops were young, they were often able to work undercover in high schools and colleges. Johnny Depp played Officer Tom Hanson, Jr. Holly Robinson played Detective Judy Hoffs. Richard Greico, who joined the cast in the third season, played Officer Dennis Booker.

Pop Culture Reference #3:
Shawn: (sniffs) Does it smell like teen spirit in here?

Explanation:
This is a reference to the early '90s song "Smells Like Teen Spirit," written and performed by Nirvana. It became the band's biggest hit and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

Pop Culture Reference #4:
Shawn: (to Professor Hahn) I'm getting a feeling about you. Are you a Right Said Fred fan? Are you too sexy for your shirt?

Explanation:
Right Said Fred is a British pop band from the early '90s. The band's most well-known song is "I'm Too Sexy." It contains lyrics such as "I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts."

Pop Culture Reference #5:
Shawn: (calling out to a couple of kids at the park) Perry! Luke! I'll be sitting right here!

Explanation:
The two kids' names make up the name Luke Perry, an actor most well-known for his role as Dylan McKay on the '90s television show Beverly Hills, 90210.

Pop Culture Reference #6:
Shawn: Hello, I am Dr. Howser. I am filling in today.

Explanation:
Dr. Douglas "Doogie" Howser, played by Neil Patrick Harris, is a character from the '90s television show Doogie Howser, M.D. In the show, Doogie Howser is a teenage genius who graduated from Princeton at age ten and became a doctor at age fourteen.

Pop Culture Reference #7:
Lassiter: Spencer, you missed something. We found prints.
Shawn: Was he in a little red corvette?
Gus: Under the cherry moon?
Lassiter: Fingerprints.

Explanation:
Shawn and Gus mistake the word "prints" for the well-known musician. Released in 1983, "Little Red Corvette" is one of Prince's most popular singles. In 1986, Prince directed and starred in the movie Under the Cherry Moon about two men who scam women for their money.

Pop Culture Reference #8:
Shawn: (about Emilina) She could be like Keyser Soze.

Explanation:
Keyser Soze is a character in the film The Usual Suspects. Kevin Spacey plays Roger "Verbal" Kint, a con artist and sole survivor of an explosion on a ship. He is brought in for questioning and proceeds to tell what happened the days before the explosion, the story getting more and more complex. Throughout the course of the movie, the audience and the characters wonder who Keyser Soze is. At the end, it's revealed that Kint is actually Soze.

Pop Culture Reference #9:
Shawn: Don't say Meredith Baxter Birney.
Gus: It's not M.B.B.
Shawn: This is unhealthy.
Gus: OK, you were in love with her, too.
Shawn: I loved her because she was Mrs. Keaton and she gave birth to A.P.K.

Explanation:
Meredith Baxter Birney played the mother, Elyse Keaton, on the '80s sitcom Family Ties. A.P.K stands for her son's name, Alex P. Keaton, played by Michael J. Fox.

Pop Culture Reference #10:
Shawn: (pretending to read Rory) Flowing stanzas, Bobby Frost. Are you a poet by chance?

Explanation:
"Bobby Frost" refers to Robert Frost, a distinguished poet. One of his most well-known poems is "The Road Not Taken."

Pop Culture Reference #11:
Gus: (about Rory) Do you see his eyeliner?
Shawn: That guy could be the drummer from The Cure.

Explanation:
The Cure is an influential rock band that gained most of its success in the '80s. Several band members wear make-up, including eyeliner.

Pop Culture Reference #12:
Shawn: The old Indian burial ground? You bought that? I got that from Poltergeist! Or Poltergeist II.

Explanation:
Poltergeist is an '80s film about a family who moves into a house that was built on top of a cemetery. The family begins to notice subtle things, such as their things getting moved around. However, the ghosts begin to get violent, ultimately capturing the family's daughter. In the second film, we find out that there was an ancient cult's burial ground beneath the cemetery over which their house in the first film was built.

Pop Culture Reference #13:
Shawn: (to the mountain lion) Simba, I am your father.
Gus: I don't think Mufasa said that.

Explanation:
This is a reference to The Lion King and Star Wars. Both Mufasa and Darth Vader, fathers of Simba and Luke Skywalker, respectively, were voiced by James Earl Jones.

Pop Culture Reference #14:
Shawn: I only need you for a minute, like when Kenickie needed Danny Zuko. And you get to be Travolta in the analogy.

Explanation:
Kenickie and Danny Zuko are characters from the film Grease, a musical love story of sorts. John Travolta plays the character Danny Zuko, and Jeff Conaway plays the character Kenickie. Before the big race, Kenickie becomes injured and Danny must fill in for him.

Pop Culture Reference #15:
Shawn: I just, I haven't been a high heel guy since Single White Female.

Explanation:
Single White Female is a '90s film starring Bridget Fonda as Allie and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Hedra. In the film, Allie places an ad in the newspaper to find a roommate. Hedra replies to the ad and begins to change things about herself to be more like Allie. In one gruesome scene, Hedra kills Allie's boyfriend by stabbing his face with the heel of her stiletto.

Pop Culture Reference #16:
Shawn: (observing Hornstock's appearance) Sideburns, check. Hair, bold. Strokes, Hives... I don't think that's the problem.

Explanation:
The Strokes and The Hives are two rock bands that originated in America and Sweden, respectively.

Pop Culture Reference #17:
Shawn: Yes, I worked on the mono-thio-huxtable drug.

Explanation:
Theo Huxtable is Bill Cosby's son on the '80s TV series The Cosby Show.

Pop Culture Reference #18:
Shawn: I could give you the details, but then I'd have to kill you, which I can't do because my license to kill has been revoked.

Explanation:
In the James Bond film Licence to Kill (spelled License to Kill in the United States), M says the following line when Bond is handing in his resignation: "Your licence to kill is revoked." The alternate title for this film was also Licence Revoked.


Pop Culture Reference #19:
Shawn: "Judgment Day"? It sounds bad. That's like, the day that you're judged.
Gus: In T2, it's the end of mankind.

Explanation:
"T2" refers to the sequel to the '80s film The Terminator. Commonly abbreviated "T2," its full title is Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

My Favorite - Pop Culture Reference #20:



Explanation:
There are several pop cultural phrases Shawn uses in the "secret handshake." Crouching Tiger refers to the 2003 movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. While The Zookeeper's Boy refers to the song by Mew, Hairdresser on Fire refers to the song by Morrissey, and Girlfriend in a Coma refers to the song by The Smiths.

Baseball

Tonight I went to see the Salt Lake Bees play the Sacramento River Cats. The Bees won 12-5. Here are a few pics:

Mitch - He wasn't too excited.

Zack - Slightly more excited than Mitch.

Me & Mitch - by the end of the game, he was out.
Not the best photo of me, but it was the only one I was in.

Summer Break - Week Two

Summer is passing quickly. My second week of summer break is already over. In that time, I've accomplished the following:

• Exercised 4 out of 7 days - getting better.
• Wrote my last 3 essays and attended my last class of the summer. No more night classes until September 2nd - YEA!!
• Bought another swimsuit. Only two more days until I leave for Lake Powell.
  
• Helped out my mom by filling in for her at work.
• Went to the post office - one of my least fav places.
  
• Only ate out once - I'm utilizing all the food I have in my fridge.
• Did all of my laundry. I even washed all my bedding.
  
• Burnt a CD of pictures for Jeanine. She's been asking me to do it for ages and now I have.
• Finished The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
• Went to the movies with Kathleen. I hadn't seen Kathleen in ages so it was really good. We saw The Happening. I know, it's rated R, but it's only my 2nd rated R movie in over two years. Pretty impressive.
• Visited my grandparents and helped them move some furniture around.
  

Next week nothing will be accomplished because I'll be in Lake Powell. I will, however, return as a slightly bronzer, blonder bombshell. Stayed tuned for pics.

Psyched About Psych

Because nothing good is on TV right now, I've been watching old episodes of one of my favorite comedies, Psych. It actually is returning to TV next month, but until then I'll have to be satisfied with the episodes I have saved on my TiVo. It is a hilarious comedy about fake psychic, Shawn Spencer, and his best friend, Gus. Shawn and Gus are hired by the police to help solve crimes using Shawn's "psychic abilities." The show always begins with a flashback scene from the 80s featuring Shawn and Gus as children. The show is full of funny pop culture references, mostly from the 80s. Some of the references are obvious, but some are more subtle. Here are some of my favs. See if you can figure them out:

Pop Culture Reference #1:
Shawn: We'll get another check.
Gus: And you wanna know what we're gonna do with it?
Shawn: Party like it's 1999?

Pop Culture Reference #2:
Shawn: It's a chance to go undercover in high school, à la 21 Jump Street. Obviously, I'm Johnny Depp. Sadly, you can only pass for Holly Robinson.
Gus: Why can't I be Richard Greico?
Shawn: Why would you wanna be Richard Greico?

Pop Culture Reference #3:
Shawn: (sniffs) Does it smell like teen spirit in here?

Pop Culture Reference #4:
Shawn: (to Professor Hahn) I'm getting a feeling about you. Are you a Right Said Fred fan? Are you too sexy for your shirt?

Pop Culture Reference #5:
Shawn: (calling out to a couple of kids at the park) Perry! Luke! I'll be sitting right here!

Pop Culture Reference #6:
Shawn: Hello, I am Dr. Howser. I am filling in today.

Pop Culture Reference #7:
Lassiter: Spencer, you missed something. We found prints.
Shawn: Was he in a little red corvette?
Gus: Under the cherry moon?
Lassiter: Fingerprints.

Pop Culture Reference #8:
Shawn: (about Emilina) She could be like Keyser Soze.

Pop Culture Reference #9:
Shawn: Don't say Meredith Baxter Birney.
Gus: It's not M.B.B.
Shawn: This is unhealthy.
Gus: OK, you were in love with her, too.
Shawn: I loved her because she was Mrs. Keaton and she gave birth to A.P.K.

Pop Culture Reference #10:
Shawn: (pretending to read Rory) Flowing stanzas, Bobby Frost. Are you a poet by chance?

Pop Culture Reference #11:
Gus: (about Rory) Do you see his eyeliner?
Shawn: That guy could be the drummer from The Cure.

Pop Culture Reference #12:
Shawn: The old Indian burial ground? You bought that? I got that from Poltergeist! Or Poltergeist II.

Pop Culture Reference #13:
Shawn: (to the mountain lion) Simba, I am your father.
Gus: I don't think Mufasa said that.

Pop Culture Reference #14:
Shawn: I only need you for a minute, like when Kenickie needed Danny Zuko. And you get to be Travolta in the analogy.

Pop Culture Reference #15:
Shawn: I just, I haven't been a high heel guy since Single White Female.

Pop Culture Reference #16:
Shawn: (observing Hornstock's appearance) Sideburns, check. Hair, bold. Strokes, Hives... I don't think that's the problem.

Pop Culture Reference #17:
Shawn: Yes, I worked on the mono-thio-huxtable drug.

Pop Culture Reference #18:
Shawn: I could give you the details, but then I'd have to kill you, which I can't do because my license to kill has been revoked.

Pop Culture Reference #19:
Shawn: "Judgment Day"? It sounds bad. That's like, the day that you're judged.
Gus: In T2, it's the end of mankind.

My Favorite - Pop Culture Reference #20:




I got most of these references from the website: http://www.tvrage.com/Psych/
I'll post explanations for the pop culture references in the near future.

Scottish Festival

Today I went to Utah's Annual Scottish Festival with Christi and Lesli. We had loads of fun watching the Highland games, the bagpipe competition, and all the men in kilts. Here are a few pictures and videos:

Me, Christi, and Lesli.

Mark participating in the Sheaf Toss.

The Caber Toss

The Bagpipe Competition

Salt Lake's Scottish Rock Band - Swagger

Tracy Aviary

Today I went to the Tracy Aviary with Jeanine, Zack, and Mitch. The aviary was very impressive. We saw pelicans, geese, swans, flamingos, a condor, an emu, a bald eagle, and tons of other birds. The most popular attraction seemed to be the peacocks. Here are a couple of funny pictures and videos (I'm still trying to figure out my video recorder).

Jeanine & Zack - I love his crooked smile.

Mitchie

Zack and Mitch checking out the birds.

Flamingos

Bald Eagle

In this video, Zack is sneaking up on a peacock.

In this video, Zack is describing the peacock to me.

Summer Break - One Week Down

Summer break began one week ago. In that time, I've done the following (not in this order):

• Cleaned my house.
• Cleaned my garage - it's so clean!! Plus a push broom is quite the workout.
• Exercised 3 out of 7 days. Not so great, but better than when I'm working.
• Found the perfect swimsuit - it only took 4 hours and 8 stores.
• Went out to eat with friends on 3 different occasions - must stop going out to eat!!
• Road my bike to the library twice.
• Spent Sunday at my aunt's house with the fam.
• Bought a wedding gift for a friend.
• Saw Speed Racer with Lesli. To read Lesli's review, click HERE.
  
• Hosted game night at my house.
• Attended FHE.
• Wrote an essay on narrative vs. expository texts.
• Renewed my ballet subscription for next season.

Wow, I'm exhausted. Anyways, here's a few pictures from the week:

Me with my bike. I'm actually not going to the library -
I'm at Christi's house.

Me, Shelli, and Christi at dinner.

Me with my greasy, fattening food.

Me (my knees) and Mitch on the trampoline.

Again, out to eat - Me and Sara.

Me, Mitch, and Zack on the trampoline. I am filming. Mitch is bouncing - so cute. Zack is being a brat.

Isn't this Photo Fantastic?

Mitch - for once he's not ornery.

Single Life vs. Family Life

The purpose of this post is to tell a funny single life vs. family life story, but because I haven't posted pictures for a couple of weeks, I thought I'd include this picture of Katrina and me at lunch today (even if it's not the best - we're blaming bad lighting). Besides, the picture is still applicable because having lunch with your girlfriends is easier to do in single life than in family life.


Anyway, to the story - after lunch I spent 3 hours searching for the perfect swimming suit. I want a chocolate brown swimsuit that does not have a halter top. I didn't care if it was one-piece or two-piece, all I cared about was the color and the straps. I searched 7 stores and still couldn't find anything!! I was quite distraught over the whole situation when my phone rang. It was a phone call from one of my closest friends, Ruth. Our conversation went something like the following:

Me: Hey

Ruth: Hey, how are you?

Me: Fine (but not sounding fine)

Ruth: You don't sound okay. What's wrong?

Me: (This is all said in one exacerbated breath) I've been trying to find a new swimsuit. I've been to 7 stores and I haven't found anything!! It's not like I'm being too specific. I just want a solid brown suit with two over-the-shoulder straps.

Ruth: Oh

Me: (Realizing how stupid my "drama" sounds) Soooo, how are you? How's Oscar?

Now let me explain - Ruth just had a baby (Oscar) last week and he's been in the NICU since then. I know my stress over finding a new swimsuit must have sounded so trivial and down-right lame compared with her stress, but because Ruth is such a fantastic friend she laughed it off.

Here's where the funny part comes in. Apparently shortly after I talked to Ruth, she called our mutual friend Camie. Camie is also a single girl who is able to stress over trivial things. When Ruth asked Camie how she was, Camie went on to complain about leaving her favorite shampoo at Ruth's house (Camie lives in Virgina and Ruth in Pennsylvania) and being upset that she wouldn't get it back anytime soon. Camie also realized she was complaining about something stupid. Again, Ruth, being such a great friend, laughed and said it was funny because she had just listened to me complain about swimsuits.

Poor Ruth - having to listen to us stupid single girls bitch about random things. I'm sure she's thinking, "Seriously? You think that's something to be upset about?" But because she is such a great friend, she would never say so.

Anyway, until I have a family to worry about, I will continue to worry about swimsuits. Luckily, because Camie had experienced some similar swimsuit issues a couple of weeks ago, she knew exactly what I was going through. After she hung up with Ruth, she called me to give me some swimsuit leads. So, I'd like to thank my single and family friends. Single friends for understanding my concerns and my family friends for not mocking me for those concerns.

Summer Cycle

My summer break started approximately 44 hours ago and I'm already going crazy. This means I've entered Stage One of my Summer Cycle. Every year I go through the same thing. Here's a break down of my Summer Cycle:

• Stage One - Anxiety
• Time Frame: One Week
• The first week I go crazy with anxiety and hopelessness. I can't stand the fact that I have no schedule. I begin to feel like I have no purpose - like I could die and no one would notice because I'm not contributing to society. Because of this, I create a "To Do" list to occupy my time.
  

• Stage Two - Productivity
• Time Frame: One Month
• The "To Do" list gives me some purpose and I begin to feel not so crazy. Things get done that would never get done if I was working (painting the deck, cleaning out the storage room, etc). It's great.

• Stage Three - Extravagance
  
• Time Frame: One Month
• After finishing my list "To Do" list, I slip into living a lavish life style. It includes me living like a rock star and spending ridiculous amounts of money (at least for my budget). I start sleeping in more and more, I shop more, I go on lunch dates more. I start thinking work is for suckers. Who has time to fit it into their schedules? This stage ends when I check my credit card balance.
  

• Stage Four - Realization
• Time Frame: One Week
• I realize that even if I don't want to go back to work, I must - I need money to pay off my credit card and it will help me curb my spending.

You'd think that knowing the cycle would help me from repeating it, but it doesn't. Come the end of August I will have accomplished a large to do list (a good thing) and have a credit card bill with a balance in the thousands (a bad thing).

I'm exhausted

I'm exhausted. Sunday night I wasn't tired so I didn't go to bed until 3:00 AM. Big mistake considering the fact that I had to wake up Monday morning at 6:30 AM for work. Then I spent all Monday at work boxing up my books and materials, getting ready to move into my new classroom. To top it off, I rode my bike for 7 miles that night.

If that wasn't enough, today I went to Lagoon with the 9th graders at our school. The teachers at my school raced from ride to ride having a blast. It was so fun to see my colleagues in a different light. That's why I go every year. It's a great way to end the year - even if it exhausts me. I'm not to worried about it, considering that in a few short hours I will be off for an entire summer!!