This is Halloween!

This is probably my favorite holiday! Seriously, you get to dress up and people give you candy (ah, to be a kid again!) Since it is no longer acceptable to trick-or-treat, I dedicate the entire day to eating nothing but candy and sugar laden treats. Bring on the sugar rush! The afternoon low is going to be miserable!

Are you a Potbelly fan?

And I'm not talking about a pig. Thanks to Mandy, I was turned onto this great little sandwich shop; Potbelly Sandwich Works. (I ate lunch there twice while in Chicago!) They have them all over Chicago, the Great Lakes region and Texas. However, there isn't one here in Utah. I really wish we had a cool, quirky place like this here! If you're ever near one, I highly recommend it; especially the sugar cookies!

Is there anything better than a movie in 3-D?

As if The Nightmare Before Christmas wasn't already good enough, they went and made it better! I know this is an old movie (the original came out in 1993) and its not even new in 3-D. But, I just got around to seeing the 3-D version this weekend and let me just say, it was fantastic! I just love a movie in 3-D! Remember Meet the Robinsons in 3-D? I loved that one as well. Now, if they could only perfect the technology so I could watch these movies in 3-D from the comfort of my own home!

People are so much happier after eating treats or Why I brought cookies to work.

Somehow last week I agreed to make cookies for one of the guys I work with (probably because he a: gave me a piece of pizza so I didn't starve and b: he was having surgery on his back.) So, today I brought cookies to work. It's amazing how nice everybody is to me. I guess bribery by junk food isn't just for small children; it also works on adults!

You're surfing the web anyway

As long as you're using the Internet at work, make it for a worthy cause!

Thanks Mandy for sharing!

As if Valentine's Day isn't bad enough!

While in Chicago I kept hearing talk on the radio of "Sweetest Day" but didn't really know what they were talking about. It wasn't just DJs, but all sorts of companies (grocery stores, department stores) were talking about this Sweetest Day. I was beginning to feel very stupid for not knowing what this holiday was all about. Well, take a look here to see what all the hype is about. And, since it is mostly celebrated in the Mid-West, no wonder I'd never heard of it. So, to all you Mid-Westerners out there, "Happy Sweetest Day!" And, to the rest of you, if you're looking for another holiday, feel free to add this to your list.

Chicago Blackhawks: Red Rising

Since I was in Chicago, I decided to take in some of the "local culture." I decided to head to a Blackhawks game. Their motto, I suppose, is "Red Rising." I'm not really sure what exactly it means, but it was all over the arena and on the scoreboard. There were some pretty interesting things that happened during the game.

1. The usher for my section was very concerned that people remain in their assigned seats. Keep in mind, I was in the "cheap seats" and the arena was only about 50% sold. However, she made a very big deal of rearranging the entire row in front of me until every person was in the seat that was listed on their ticket. Nobody really seemed to care about being in the correct seat except her (and some lame chicks that couldn't just move up one row where there was nobody sitting but me and two other guys.)

2. Apparently, if you are over 40 and can recognize a song by Modest Mouse within the first 30 seconds, you're cool. The 40 year old in front of me was very impressed with himself for knowing who the group was. The 50 and 60 year olds with him, didn't know what he was talking about, nor did they care!

3. I don't understand the point of "ice girls." They wear skimpy outfits and skate around during time outs pretending to clean up the ice. All the while a couple of guys are actually scraping the ice with snow shovels. I suppose they are meant to be the cheerleaders of hockey. There really is nothing they can do, kind of like cheerleaders at a professional basketball game. The only professional cheerleaders should be the originals, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders!

4. I was blown away by the lack of homeless people around the United Center. Yes, I know this sounds odd; but its true. The United Center is in the heart of downtown Chicago. Yes, there were homeless people asking for money. However, I encounter more homeless people asking for change when I go to the grocery store in Sugar House.

All in all, I had a great time and its nice to feel safe when in a major metropolitan area. And, why do nachos with fake cheese taste so good when at a sporting event?

A PT Cruiser is an upgrade?

Upon arrival to Chicago, I headed to the rental car counter to pick up my vehicle--a Chrysler Seabring, so I was told. They apparently decided to give me an "upgraded" vehicle--the Chrysler PT Cruiser. In my opinion, the PT cruiser is about the ugliest car on the road. And, as if that weren't enough, the car is metallic orange! I don't think anybody in their right mind would actually choose to drive the car I am cruisin' around Chicago in. Oh well, at least I have a car.

As a side note: You have to take a shuttle from the airport terminal to get your rental car. My shuttle bus driver a) asked me if I was a model (and he was serious!) and b) sang to provide entertainment for the passengers. People really will do (and say) anything to get a tip.

Fall sports + Yummy food = A relaxing Sunday

After being lazy for weeks (OK, maybe just days), I finally decided to cook all the yummy recipes I'd been planning on. So, last night, I made one of my favorite dishes: Mexican Lasagna and spicy creamed corn. And because my Cowboys lost to the Patriots (sad day.....my 'Boys are no longer undefeated) I decided I needed to make cookies (Oatmeal Scotties) to cheer me up! But, let me clarify, I really just made cookie dough, scooped it with a cookie scoop (the perfect portion size) and froze it......I'd rather eat frozen cookie dough than actual cookies. With all the yummy food, I had to invite people over to eat. And what better way to enjoy a good meal than in front of the TV watching Sunday Night Football and game 3 of the NLCS. I'm not a huge baseball fan (unless I'm at a game eating a hot dot and nachos!), but I've really been enjoying the playoffs this year. The Rockies are pretty unstoppable right now! The best part of my Sunday cooking spree, I have leftovers to eat for the next few nights. Now, I just have to decide what to make next week.....maybe some delish crock pot chili.

Can I join you for a run?

I've become a big fan of group workouts lately. I used to always opt out and train on my own, but lately I've been doing a lot more with groups (Masters swimming, group rides with the local triathlon club, speed work sessions, etc.) Well, work took me to Scottsdale, Arizona this week. My girlfriend told me I should check out the Scottsdale Running Co. Upon visiting their web site, I discovered they do group runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Lucky for me Tuesday was the only night I would be in town. I thought, what better way to spend my evening, as a party crasher of a local group run. I was amazed at the number of people who showed up for the run (about 30 to 40). All the group workouts I do have no more than 10 people involved. And, what a friendly, fun bunch of runners. However, I was given the reputation of being a little competitive (I can't help it, I like to win!) I think I was even compared to that stronger, faster animal in the jungle zeroing in on its prey an going in for the kill. At the end of it all, I ate some great sushi and, I got turned on to a great old fashioned ice cream parlor; the Sugar Bowl. I can't think of a better way to spend my time in Scottsdale: running, sushi and ice cream! (Don't worry, I will be hitting In-n-Out before I leave town!)

False Alarm

Working at a chemical company allows for all sorts of fun in a day! Today the alarm sounded (not once, but about 4 times). This alarm is to warn of a potentially hazardous chemical spill in one of the many buildings around the office (where I work.) When the alarm sounded this morning, nobody really moved too quickly. I was told when I started, if the alarm sounded, someone would come over the intercom with announcements and I was just to follow everybody to the designated meeting spot. Apparently everybody was given this information during "safety training" as nobody seemed to know what to do. And, it seems once the alarm sounds, everyone is locked out of the phone system so no announcements can be made over the intercom. I feel very safe! Don't worry, there was no chemical spill and nobody knows why or how the alarm was sounded. PS--I did learn that anybody can trigger the alarm by entering a certain code into the phone (I know the code and it can't be traced!) I hope the IT guys didn't fix this glitch as they were fixing other things.

Rainy Day + Scary Movie = Good Times!

With Halloween fast approaching, its time to get out all the scary, suspense movies. This weekend was the perfect weather for just such movies.....cold and rainy. If you haven't seen this yet, I recommend checking it out, its pretty good. One thing I've noticed about myself; whenever I watch scary or suspenseful movies, I have to keep my feet off the floor, weird. Why is this? Does anybody else do this?

Dear Meggie,

I'm glad you're back! I can't wait to hear all about your European adventures.

Loves,

Me

Really, I'm not drowning, I'm just trying to Butterfly!

I've started doing Masters Swimming on Friday nights. There are fewer people, so fewer chances of embarrassing myself! The Friday night instructor is a former butterfly swimmer in college, so she believes everyone should learn how to swim the butterfly. Well, it is probably the most difficult stroke to learn. If you do it correctly you look pretty cool and glide effortlessly through the water (or at least it appears that way). If you do it like me, you look like you just might drown. Hayna, I couldn't help but think of you as I was drinking half the water in the pool while trying to butterfly. Don't worry, I eventually gave up and stuck with freestyle!