Today I saw a guy clutching a nice piece of cardboard that was carefully written upon with lettering that was consistently sized and spelled correctly. I gave him a dollar.
About 13 or 14 years back, I had some time to burn on the 4th of July. So I made up a sign. In smaller print on the edges of the sign I mentioned that I was NOT a Vietnam vet. I was employed currently and not looking to do any work that day. I had a home. And my health was good. In bold letters, centrally placed I put "NEED MONEY FOR BEER". I staked myself out on the Orem Center street exit of I-15 about a hundred feet from a guy that had his sign.......but really did need money for beer.
The most common thing was people would drive by without even looking at me. For hell's sake I'm holding a boldly lettered sign and waving. Feel free to draw any conclusions you wish.
The second most common response was rolling down the window and screaming things such as "Get a job you lazy bum!" I would point to the part of my sign that mentioned my employment status. It dind't seem to matter to them.
The third most common response was people dangling money outside of their windows. I would thank them naturally, but refused. I did request that they not give it to the guy downstream from me however.
Speaking of the guy downstream, he came up to me after about twenty minutes and told me to leave. I gently told him to go f**k himself and continued.
Over the course of two hours, I had tourist types take pictures with me. About three or four asked, "Aren't you my pharmacist?". And eventually the UHP did show up. The officer took my driver's license and issued a stern warning to me about how I was tresspassing (not true by the way), and didn't have the right to panhandle (also not true if I am not impeding traffic nor being aggressive) and how I was in a whole lot of trouble.
I suppose he ran my name for outstanding warrants or whatever the 'po-po' do. By the time he came back my name had changed to Mr. Loertscher. He asked if I was really a pharmacist and what I was doing. I explained how I had a few hours to burn before my mother-in-law's Fourth of July party and (since my sister-in-law was single) invited him to come. He had just started his shift and was working until after 10 pm so he declined.
And then I left.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
latest DFHS
I went up last Saturday with my oldest kid. Never again. The parking lot was filled beyond capacity. People were parking on the shoulder of the access road. Scouts, youth groups, and the usual assortment of loud people.
All of the pools except the lower two (which are always in good shape) were murky and overrun.
I'll be heading back again before the snow shuts me down. I'm also going only on a WEEKDAY. I can clean out the Kokopellis and soak alone and in silence.
Something that I just want to mention briefly is the passing of my nephew Johnny. Our entire clan is crushed. I shall likely think of little else other than him my next time out. I would have liked to have shared such a place with him.
All of the pools except the lower two (which are always in good shape) were murky and overrun.
I'll be heading back again before the snow shuts me down. I'm also going only on a WEEKDAY. I can clean out the Kokopellis and soak alone and in silence.
Something that I just want to mention briefly is the passing of my nephew Johnny. Our entire clan is crushed. I shall likely think of little else other than him my next time out. I would have liked to have shared such a place with him.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Sushi groupies and a restaurant review
I had always theorized that they might exist. Hell, my wife and I know our favorite sushi chefs and they know us. (Hey Manadu, the big fat guy and his wife just walked in, start making some Sunomono and I'll get the Oshinko and Hell Roll going. OK Rodel.) So it stands to reason that sushi groupies could occur naturally. To an extent I'm one, I suppose, except I've not consumed by a desire to have sex with my favorite sushi chefs. They will still get a Christmas present though.
Today I saw a sushi groupie at the Mikado in Sandy. This specimen sat down right next to me, even though there were 6 other seats open. Her friend asked with an air of resignation, "are you sure you don't want to get a table?". As soon as her ass flopped on the seat, the incessant chatter began. "Oh I heard Kevin from Mizumi works here now". "Do you know how to make the Kevin number two roll?". "What's your best roll?"
The sushi chef smiled a lot and shot back the occasional 'uh-huh'. But he answered what he thought the best roll was and mentioned that I had just eaten one and that perhaps they should ask me if it's any good. Clearly she had no interest in getting the best roll, she was just trying desperately to engage him in conversation. And he was just as desperately trying to avoid it. She was the kind of girl that I might have dated when I was 22 (starving student), but not 24 (pharmacist with no bills and plenty of time and ...... ahem ....... energy).
No fewer than four times she brought up how Mizumi does things and how Kevin (who used to work at Mizumi, but now works at Mikdao but was NOT there) was so wonderful. I wanted to scream out "Go to Mizumi, leave Kevin alone, and SHUT THE F**K UP while I'm eating!". But being old and feeble I caught the eye of the chef in one of her rare quiet monents........he rolled his eyes........message received.
The bento box lunch was good. As was the sushi. The baby octopus salad was a winner though. The Mikado is good in a pinch for lunch when I don't feel like driving all the way to Suehiro. The sushi seems to have a uniformity to it. They all taste alike.
My favorite sushi is at the Teppanyaki in West Jordan. The Sunomono is the best I've ever had. I can order oshinko and not be treated dismissively. The Hell Roll is my favorite roll ever.
Today I saw a sushi groupie at the Mikado in Sandy. This specimen sat down right next to me, even though there were 6 other seats open. Her friend asked with an air of resignation, "are you sure you don't want to get a table?". As soon as her ass flopped on the seat, the incessant chatter began. "Oh I heard Kevin from Mizumi works here now". "Do you know how to make the Kevin number two roll?". "What's your best roll?"
The sushi chef smiled a lot and shot back the occasional 'uh-huh'. But he answered what he thought the best roll was and mentioned that I had just eaten one and that perhaps they should ask me if it's any good. Clearly she had no interest in getting the best roll, she was just trying desperately to engage him in conversation. And he was just as desperately trying to avoid it. She was the kind of girl that I might have dated when I was 22 (starving student), but not 24 (pharmacist with no bills and plenty of time and ...... ahem ....... energy).
No fewer than four times she brought up how Mizumi does things and how Kevin (who used to work at Mizumi, but now works at Mikdao but was NOT there) was so wonderful. I wanted to scream out "Go to Mizumi, leave Kevin alone, and SHUT THE F**K UP while I'm eating!". But being old and feeble I caught the eye of the chef in one of her rare quiet monents........he rolled his eyes........message received.
The bento box lunch was good. As was the sushi. The baby octopus salad was a winner though. The Mikado is good in a pinch for lunch when I don't feel like driving all the way to Suehiro. The sushi seems to have a uniformity to it. They all taste alike.
My favorite sushi is at the Teppanyaki in West Jordan. The Sunomono is the best I've ever had. I can order oshinko and not be treated dismissively. The Hell Roll is my favorite roll ever.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Disneyland
The entire family went to the mouse, Seaworld, and Magic Mountain the last few days. The kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly. For my wife and I, it was something akin to an endurance event. Long lines for a short tide. Heat and dehydration. Vile food (I ate at In and Out AND Tommy burger within a 16 hour span!) Rush hour traffic making for 3 hour one way commutes. God willing, I shall not go back to any of these until I have grandkids.
This was likely the last vacation we will take with all of us in attendance. My oldest will be in college next fall. I hope to pull off a 'weekend' in the spring though. Something like Lehman's cave then off to Mesquite.
I think it is laughable for couples to go to any of these. Cruises are popular too! Nothing like 5000 people being jammed on a boat and getting hit up for money .....errrrr.......gratuities. Why can't they just say pay 'x' amount of dollars and then you can relax. In short, 'vacations' suck. Simply going somewhere and seeing what happens has always been my thing. Next year about this time I'll be heading down to the St. George marathon. Now that would mean a very definite activity for about 8 hours starting early Saturday morning, but after that I am limited only by the beaten body's capability to move.
My idea of a perfect vacation? I've several depending on the time of year and the time that I have. But I can sum them all up in one paragraph.
This was likely the last vacation we will take with all of us in attendance. My oldest will be in college next fall. I hope to pull off a 'weekend' in the spring though. Something like Lehman's cave then off to Mesquite.
I think it is laughable for couples to go to any of these. Cruises are popular too! Nothing like 5000 people being jammed on a boat and getting hit up for money .....errrrr.......gratuities. Why can't they just say pay 'x' amount of dollars and then you can relax. In short, 'vacations' suck. Simply going somewhere and seeing what happens has always been my thing. Next year about this time I'll be heading down to the St. George marathon. Now that would mean a very definite activity for about 8 hours starting early Saturday morning, but after that I am limited only by the beaten body's capability to move.
My idea of a perfect vacation? I've several depending on the time of year and the time that I have. But I can sum them all up in one paragraph.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Hot Springs
Ah yes, it's that time of year. I enjoy natural hot springs very much. I find the geology of these places fascinating and of course warm water and quiet can be pretty good also. In this state, I have soaked in four. I'm not talking about the Homestead, Crystal Hot Springs, etc. but places in the public domain where nature still surrounds you.
Today I went to Diamond Fork Hot Springs (hereafter referred to as DFHS). I will not get into the hows and wheres of getting there. I suppose if someone wanted directions they could just Google it.......I did.
It is a 5 mile round trip and 700 or so feet elevation gain. Not exactly crushing, but a decent workout. I have been there upwards of 40 times over the last few years. I've seen just about everything. There is the drunken college kids, scouts, couples making out, and the occasional enthusiast like myself. It turns out one guy is basically responsible for building all the tubs out of cement he hauled up over the course of the years and the rocks that he had to move to make them. He died a few years back apparently, but I often wonder what it would have been like. Dedicated is one thing. Just the work of constructing the four pools would have been about 500 man hours according to my estimates and that excludes time and expense of materials and transporting them. I'm looking for just such an opportunity, but all the undeveloped springs are not up for grabs.
At any rate, I saw a bit of everything today except the scouts. The water was soothing. The path still fairly bright with autumn colors, and not to many people. I avoid weekends due to crowds obviously. As it gets colder, the waters is even more wonderful and the crowds and the rowdies will fall off. Of course, the weirdest day I ever had there was also one of the coldest. Go figure.
Today I went to Diamond Fork Hot Springs (hereafter referred to as DFHS). I will not get into the hows and wheres of getting there. I suppose if someone wanted directions they could just Google it.......I did.
It is a 5 mile round trip and 700 or so feet elevation gain. Not exactly crushing, but a decent workout. I have been there upwards of 40 times over the last few years. I've seen just about everything. There is the drunken college kids, scouts, couples making out, and the occasional enthusiast like myself. It turns out one guy is basically responsible for building all the tubs out of cement he hauled up over the course of the years and the rocks that he had to move to make them. He died a few years back apparently, but I often wonder what it would have been like. Dedicated is one thing. Just the work of constructing the four pools would have been about 500 man hours according to my estimates and that excludes time and expense of materials and transporting them. I'm looking for just such an opportunity, but all the undeveloped springs are not up for grabs.
At any rate, I saw a bit of everything today except the scouts. The water was soothing. The path still fairly bright with autumn colors, and not to many people. I avoid weekends due to crowds obviously. As it gets colder, the waters is even more wonderful and the crowds and the rowdies will fall off. Of course, the weirdest day I ever had there was also one of the coldest. Go figure.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wall lake
Two rather disparate topics tonight. I'll start with the more familiar. I went fishing in the Uintas today. I saw a moose family. Papa moose, mama moose, and baby moose. They were clearly republicans! Otherwise it would have been two lesbian mooose raising their child to only eat meat. Naturally, I left the movie camera at home. I did get them on my cell phone, but even at just fifty feet away they looked quite distant.
My rant is a simple one. While USGS terrain maps are highly accurate for the most part, they fall down hard on hiking trails. Sometimes they show trails that haven't existed for decades (White Pine canyon). Other times the trails never existed but are at least within a one or two hundred yards of each other (Silver Lake above Tibble Fork) and sometimes they are just plain wrong. I take the USGS maps whenever I go into the back country, but I get instructions from people that have been there before..........preferably old-timers like myself.
The fishing was fair. I caught four and lost a few more on the way in. The fish were not plump like the ones at Notch Lake. I caught a Brookie with the elongated jaws (for the spawn I suppose) and he was barely 12 inhces long and skinny. He was also about the brightest Brookie I've seen in a few years. I also caught a Lake trout. Yes, I know they are not indigenous to the area. I know they are not planted in that drainage. I know they prefer deep water in big lakes. I also know what I caught. I know that tiger trout are put into some Uinta lakes. Perhaps this one didn't get crossed with a brookie and somehow snuck in. He was perhaps 10 or 11 inches and pretty lethargic.
My rant is a simple one. While USGS terrain maps are highly accurate for the most part, they fall down hard on hiking trails. Sometimes they show trails that haven't existed for decades (White Pine canyon). Other times the trails never existed but are at least within a one or two hundred yards of each other (Silver Lake above Tibble Fork) and sometimes they are just plain wrong. I take the USGS maps whenever I go into the back country, but I get instructions from people that have been there before..........preferably old-timers like myself.
The fishing was fair. I caught four and lost a few more on the way in. The fish were not plump like the ones at Notch Lake. I caught a Brookie with the elongated jaws (for the spawn I suppose) and he was barely 12 inhces long and skinny. He was also about the brightest Brookie I've seen in a few years. I also caught a Lake trout. Yes, I know they are not indigenous to the area. I know they are not planted in that drainage. I know they prefer deep water in big lakes. I also know what I caught. I know that tiger trout are put into some Uinta lakes. Perhaps this one didn't get crossed with a brookie and somehow snuck in. He was perhaps 10 or 11 inches and pretty lethargic.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The Sand Dunes
I took my daughter to Little Sahara. A few things struck me. The obvious one being the amount of sunflowers that have taken root in the sand. The desert can be reclaimed with sufficient water after all. And of couse the inexorable shifting of the sands towards the Northeast sure didn't hurt.
We have this practice of digging trenches and watching the sand collapse. Little rivulets form and improbable structures too. These structures eerily resemble things that you would see in Canyonlands or Bryce. A little bit of sand is removed from a trench and little happens. A bit more is removed and nothing. But every so often the next 'scoop' is enough to cause great changes.....some of it cataclysmic with entire structure collapsing.
It got me thinking if geologic changes in places such as the aforementioned or Grand Canyon aren't cataclysmic every few thousand years. I also started wondering if global warming might not also make up much drier or perhaps wetter. We have seen it already in Australia. Perhaps my beloved West Desert might again be a fertile grassland. Maybe I should by a boatload of land?
We have this practice of digging trenches and watching the sand collapse. Little rivulets form and improbable structures too. These structures eerily resemble things that you would see in Canyonlands or Bryce. A little bit of sand is removed from a trench and little happens. A bit more is removed and nothing. But every so often the next 'scoop' is enough to cause great changes.....some of it cataclysmic with entire structure collapsing.
It got me thinking if geologic changes in places such as the aforementioned or Grand Canyon aren't cataclysmic every few thousand years. I also started wondering if global warming might not also make up much drier or perhaps wetter. We have seen it already in Australia. Perhaps my beloved West Desert might again be a fertile grassland. Maybe I should by a boatload of land?
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