The basic reform plan with no fluff

Here's the deal:


So we won't even have an increase in taxes and nobody who already has coverage will have to change, and this won't be a government takeover of healthcare? Looks like this is taking alot of the hot air out of some of the anti-reform claims. Thing is, if any of these basics are NOT actually met, then that will backfire on Obama and may turn me back to the "light side".

Another miracle - I'm spared again

Yesterday on the way home from work I decided to stop in at Walmart (sorry Kenny) to get a couple of things. I decided to turn left from Hill Field Road in the parking lot from the North. I was heading west and the eastbound traffic was backed up clear to the light in front of the DI. The light they were all heading to had turned red again so they weren't going anywhere. On coming traffic were kind enough to leave a gap for me to turn left. There are two lanes of traffic and both had stopped and left me a gap to turn.

I started through the gap when all of a sudden BOOM! Some guy sped through the outside turn lane and hit me probably around 30 mph. He was really going fast. He hit me right on the front right corner. The impact pushed my car clear to the other side of the turn lane. We almost hit another car pulling out of the Wal-mart parking lot, but missed it by inches. I just sat in the car with my hands on the wheel for a good 30 seconds. I knew that people often react too quickly and shock settles in. So I decided to sit there, and do a very careful mental assessment and inventory of my physical state. I was unharmed. The other driver got out of his car and asked through my window if I was OK. I also asked if he was OK. Both of us were unharmed.

I was fearful that I had done something wrong, but realized that it was clearly his fault. He was speeding around stopped traffic and had gone straight through the outside shoulder which was supposed to be for turning in and out of Walmart.

My car had stopped at the impact. It struggled to start back up, but I tried moving and it sounded like an old man with a broken ankle and wouldn't move. So we both pushed it off the side of the road and onto the sidewalk. His car was able to move, but the windshield was completely shattered and both air bags deployed. It was obvious that because both cars were fairly aged, this totaled both of them.

I called 911 and within 20 minutes an officer arrived. I called Lyn Baskum's office and his assistant told me to take pictures and get names and numbers of witnesses. There were three kind people who stopped and made statements for the officer as witnesses. One of them also had a camera phone and took these images. The other driver's mother came and was kind. She didn't try to blame me and wasn't mean to her son either. She did ask him, "So did you get a ticket yet?" I didn't hear the answer, but the officer did tell me that his insurance card was expired and he would be cited for that. His mother told us that it was still active, just an expired card.

Anyhow..... I'm fine and thankful to again be alive. Although this accident was more unlikely to result in death, I was left completely unharmed and not even sore from this. My head did hit my arm, but not even bruise or soreness. Very blessed.

Dr. Alice Kripin goes on TV this morning!!!!

I'm a big fan of I am Legend. At the beginning of the movie Dr. Alice Kripin goes on TV on the Today show and is interviewed. She explains that she created a virus which essentially kills cancer. After which you see "Three Years Later" with scenes of New York abandoned.

Later in the movie you see Dr. Neville say the date, September 5th, 2012. So that would mean that the date of the Alice Kripin interview is today! September 4th, 2009. Here is the interview.

From Movie/Music clips

Checkout my Song Of The Day for a cool song from the movie.

Who needs an alarm clock when you can just get a kick in the face!

This morning I was planning to get up early to swim in Bountiful Lake one more time this week. When it was time to get up, instead of the alarm clock I got a kick to the left side of my face, thanks to Oliver who was sleeping. Man that is annoying. All the kids are off track in school so they decided to sleep out in the back in tents. In the middle of the night they came in and went straight to our bed. Not because they wanted to cuddle with Dad, but because of Mom. She's the celeb in our house! And where the heck was Cathi? She moved over to the big red chair in our bedroom. Poor woman. That's where the kids should be!

Close encounter with a moose

After the Bear Lake Triathlon yesterday we went back to the cabin to clean up and have some lunch. Now I've had close encounters with antelope, deer and even Bison, but this was my first encounter up close with a Bull Moose. I was cleaning a few dishes at the kitchen sink when I looked out the window to see a big Moose trot over the lawn towards the bridge from the west side of the cabin. I hurried over and got my camera. By the time I got to the back door it was already in the water making its way to the other side. It was very exciting to see such a majestic large wild animal.

Here is the video I took. But the video quality is poor. Sorry.

SLC Depeche Mode Concert Review

So last night I took Cathi to Depeche Mode. I surprised her with the tickets earlier this summer knowing that when we were young she liked them. However, she told me many times before the concert that she wasn't that big of a fan and shouldn't have spent the money and rather I taken someone else.

So we went with our friends Duane and Jen Ralphs. We enjoyed their company on the way in and back home.

The opening band was not terrible. I previewed their music before the concert and noticed that one of their songs was loaded with the F bomb. I warned Cathi and sure enough they played it. But they only played for 30 minutes and then the stage got setup for Depeche Mode.

When they came out the first two songs were from their new album which I'm not really familiar with yet. But the third song and most of the songs after that were from previous albums. Two of my favorites they played were: In My Room, It's No Good, and Never Let Me Down Again, and Enjoy the Silence.

Behind the stage they had a huge big screen monitor. During some of the songs they had some visual trippy stuff, and sometimes a video. During Enjoy the Silence the big screen played a video of the band just standing in space suits rotating every minute to the center. Pretty boring, but added a cool touch to the song.

I was really getting into it and having a ball at this point! Great concert. Then after 90 minutes they went off stage. The crowd cheered and bellowed for a good 5 minutes and then they came out again. We really should have left at this point. Because when they came back on stage it quickly went downhill. They played Stripped, and Fly on the Windscreen which wasn't terribly bad, except for David's habitual pelvic grinding of the mic stand.

Then they started to play Strange Love along with a video of some lesbian activity. As soon as I saw the screen with a woman in lingerie laying on a couch and another lady entering the room and walking over I sat down in my seat and let the tall guy to my right who was standing, block my view of the big screen. I could only see the front part of the stage where David was singing. I was afraid to look to my left where Cathi was sitting knowing she didn't have someone to block her vision, and I knew she was getting angry.

She isn't a big DM fan and this was only making her hate me for taking her. After the song she got up and left. I could only imagine what she saw and how offensive the video must have been considering the song. I followed her out and she kept telling me to go back in as I spent $70 dollars for my ticket. She was so mad at me! She wouldn't stay within 10 feet of me and wouldn't look or talk to me. She kept saying "I don't want to be with you!" There wasn't any one around us except for a few people off in the distance, but it was getting to be quite a dramatic scene so I backed off.

I was embarrassed for several reasons. We must have looked like dumb quarreling teenagers. I didn't have a clue they were going to do that. I kept reassuring her before the concert that they only have a few raunchy songs and that perhaps that they would do their homework about SLC and not play those songs. I was wrong, dead wrong. It's one thing to play those songs, but to show an R rated sex scene. That's pathetic.

So they probably only played for another 20 minutes while Cathi and I sat outside on the grass (ten feet apart again, as every attempt I made to apologize and console an angry conservative woman failed and she would move away in a huff making me look like a fool). I texted Ralphs that would meet them at their car. By the time they showed up Cathi put on her fake "I like Gordon afterall" look.

Apparently Jen Ralphs was furious as well. Hopefully Duane wasn't in trouble like me. We had a good talk about triathlons and Duane's job on the way home.

It's the last time I take Cathi to a concert. It's just too risky. I'm never sure of what's going to be sung or shown on a screen. I guess I'll have to wait until the Millenium when perhaps John Denver will do another tour. Only then will I be confident that Cathi will enjoy herself at a concert.

Happy Birthday Cathi - can I come out of the doghouse now? I love you and sorry about the crappy evening.

Cathi - my eight cow wife

Today was our 15th Wedding Anniversary. I'll tell you what. I chose a winner. Cathi's best qualities include: She's outgoing and friendly. She's a great mom to our children. She's flexible and laid back. She's athletic and takes care of herself physically. She's close to the Lord and a great example to the whole family. She's loving to me and forgiving. I seriously couldn't have been more blessed with a perfect fit for me. We get along so great and I'm still very much in love with this foxy red head!

I thought this week what I could do that would be fun. So I thought I'd sell the very rare tu uefi shell that I found and buy (make) a golden mirror. One carved with birds and flowers.

Here's a picture of her anniversary gift: a wooden bowl with eight cows and the golden mirror. The mirror was truly lined with gold and had birds and flowers on it. Very good looking.
Here's my eight cow wife and her golden mirror. Her gift to me was a wonderful poster full of pictures of our 15 years together. We've sure had a fun ride and am so grateful to have a happy marriage with these wonderful kids.

Now for your viewing pleasure, here is the original film of Johnny Lingo. The whole film is put into 3 parts. Parts 2 and 3 can also be seen from youtube.

Cathi's favorite part: 4:55
Gords' favorite part: 7:35 - 7:46, 7:53 - 8:00, 8:16