Proud to Be an American

When I was in the Provo Missionary Training Center I used to use my daily gym time to take a much-needed break from my companions. Not that I didn't love Elder Parkes and Elder Velasquez (I was in a trio in the MTC), but I had a really hard time adjusting to spending every second of my life with two other human beings hovering around me all the time. But during gym time we were allowed to leave our companions as long as we stayed within the confines of the soccer fields. So I used to go down to the farthest corner of the farthest field and enjoy my precious alone time, which I would usually use to sing a few scales or a Schubert song or two because I was really afraid that I would completely lose my ability to sing after two years without practice.

A few days before our departure for Brazil I was down at my customary corner of the soccer field when it suddenly dawned on me that I was going to leave my homeland behind for two years and live in a foreign country. I looked across the street at the MTC and saw all the row of flags from all around the world, and my eyes fixed on the ol' Stars and Stripes. I suddenly felt extremely patriotic and I put my hand over my heart and sang "The Star Spangled Banner." At the conclusion of the song I was startled to hear enthusiastic applause from behind me. I turned around and saw a group of middle-aged female joggers who had stopped to listen to my performance. A few of them were wiping away tears and they all told me how inspiring it was to see such a patriotic young missionary.

The point is, I love my country. The United States is the greatest place to live and I'm so grateful that I was born here. I feel like all of us Americans feel that way at heart, but a lot of us are guarded about expressing it on days other than the Fourth of July. Recently I've heard a lot of people bagging on the song "I'm Proud to Be an American," both for its content and its aesthetic value. Come on everybody! Are we so jaded that we're embarrassed by the song's straightforward patriotism? "I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I wont forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA." How awesome is that? Okay, I could do without the "ain't no doubt" phraseology, but it's still a beautiful sentiment and I really am proud to be an American.

I got a great lesson in unselfconscious patriotism during the three summers I spent living in the small town of Wooster, Ohio, where I performed with the Ohio Light Opera company. It's the kind of town where there is an apple pie cooling on every window, a flag waving on every porch, and every other Midwestern cliche you can think of. It was the greatest place to spend the Fourth of July because every year we put on a free concert in the main square, and the whole town came out for the occasion. My friend Anthony wrote a nice post about these concerts last year called "Too Cool for School" in which he really captured the feeling of the experience:

Ohio Light Opera does a little Fourth of July concert on the town square of Wooster Ohio every year. We put together a few little patriotic choral numbers and the orchestra plays. It's really... cheesy... and awesome. I mean both of those adjectives with all my heart. This year we did an Irving Berlin medley and an Armed Forces salute. The music is not great. It's cheesy. But when we stand up on those risers and look out at the veterans stand up and be recognized and then sing to them... that's awesome in the real sense of the word.

The guy I stood next to runs wardrobe for the company and also plays little parts in a few of the shows every season. He had in his music folder a photo of his son who just joined the army last year. He may have thought it was cheesy, but you couldn't tell. He gladly stood up, proud to be an American and said God bless the USA.

Then we went to see the town fireworks display. Keep in mind, this is Wooster Ohio. Of course, that doesn't mean anything to most people. That's my point. The town is small enough that most people don't know it exists. So you'd kinda expect a wimpy fireworks display. Nope. It rocked. These people got it. This is our nation's frickin' birthday! Let's shoot the wad to say happy birthday to Uncle Sam! There maybe problems in Capitol Hill and in the White House, but we don't need to pretend we're too cool for America.

Hear, hear! In summary, hooray America! Last night I went with a big group of friends to Manchester, Michigan for a classic American fireworks display and it was perfect. Last year on the 4th of July I was in Manaus, Brazil, and while I shouldn't complain about being on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Amazon, I really missed being home in the U.S. for Independence Day. I just reread the post I wrote right after getting home from said trip and remembered the tremendous sense of relief and patriotism that have washed over me every time I've returned from a trip abroad:

"Greetings from the Estados Unidos da América. I got back yesterday morning at about 11:00, and I was so happy to be back that I got a little emotional walking through the Detroit airport when I saw such American symbols as the American Flag, an A&W restaurant, and ESPN playing at a sports bar. As much as I love Brazil, its culture, people, music, food, etc., I am American to the core and I'm happy to be back."

God bless the U.S.A.!

SST: B is for Bubble

SESAME STREET TUESDAY

Two weeks ago on SST I wrote about how our Elders Quorum sang a round and I posted the "Redwood Tree Round" clip. However, due to some kind of brain lapse, I completely forgot about my ALL-TIME FAVORITE Sesame Street round. My sisters and I used to sing this all the time and I always loved how the kids singing keep cracking up. And those bubbles! I was so jealous of these kids and their bubble blowing prowess.



Happy SST!

Draft Night Thoughts **LIVE**

I'm watching the NBA Draft and I feel like blogging, so here is a real-time diary of my thoughts during the draft:

On the date of last year's NBA Draft, June 26, 2008 to be specific, Maggie Bennett and I were in a town in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais called Conselheiro Lafaiete, staying with her former mission companion, and I was sick. I had been sick for a few days with sore throat, a wicked cough, and overall I felt like absolute crap. It was clear that the sickness wasn't going away on its own, so that night I slipped out by myself and went down to the pharmacy to pick up some drugs and a whole lot of unsolicited Brazilian medical advice from bystanders in the pharmacy.

As I left the pharmacy, my mind was on the draft, which I knew had just gotten underway at Madison Square Garden. I was disappointed that I was missing it and I was curious to see whom my Utah Jazz would pick. When I reached the apartment where we were crashing, I noticed that on the ground floor of the building was an internet café, so I hopped on a computer and loaded up ESPN.com. The Jazz weren't picking until number 23, so I sat there impatiently refreshing the page every couple minutes waiting for the latest draft picks to appear. The café owner warned me several times that he was about to close down for the night, but I kept begging him to let me stay on for a few more minutes (I tried to explain the NBA Draft to him, but he didn't get it and he seemed amused that someone could be consumed by a sport other than soccer). Finally I saw the name "Kosta Koufos" flash up on the screen and the owner kicked me out. Because I had been in Brazil, I hadn't been following all the draft coverage and I had no idea who Kosta Koufos was, but his name was stuck in my head all night long (it kept my mind off being sick, at least) and first thing the next morning I ran back down to the internet café to read up on all the Jazz's picks. Anyways, I guess my point is that it's nice to be able to watch the whole Draft as I chill on my couch with a bowl of chocolate ice cream with some Honey Nut Chex swirled in for good measure.

They keep showing this Right Guard commercial with Chris Paul, whom I naturally have to dislike as a Deron Williams fan (even though the two are friends in real life and their rivalry is just a media creation). But fortunately the commercials feature the actor who plays the dim-witted, low-level meth dealer Badger on Breaking Bad. Of all the show that I followed this season, Breaking Bad had the strongest season. By far. The show was already great in its first season, but this season they took it to a whole new level. In an earlier post this year I compared my TV schedule to my class schedule, and if I had to fill out a course evaluation for Breaking Bad, it would read something like this:

List two of the course's strengths: The course moved at a very thoughtful pace and placed the emphasis on the characters, but also floored me with jaw-dropping twists and hard-hitting drama. Prof. Gilligan [Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan] expertly created compelling moral and ethical dilemmas that his characters, and his audience by extension, had to work through.
List two ways in which the course could improve: Continue to develop and empower the character of Skylar (it looks like Mr. Gilligan has set up a strong arc for her in season three) and bring Jesse back onto center stage as soon as possible.
The professor made efficient use of the time: Strongly Agree
The professor displayed thorough knowledge of the subject: Strongly Agree
I learned a lot from this course: Strongly Agree
I would recommend this course to others: Strongly Agree

Tyler Hansbrough picked at 13?!? Are you kidding me? A lot of experts were expecting him to fall to the Jazz at 20. I guess I feel alright about that - I didn't like him very much as a Tar Heel, but he would've been the kind of "nasty" player that Jerry Sloan is looking for.

So, the Jazz are still seven picks away, so while I wait, I'll share a video clip with you. I have a very vivid memory of watching this performance live as a seven-year old kid and it made a big impression on me:



I saw an interview with a rock musician one time where he was asked about his influences. He listed off a few artists and then said, "And of course Michael Jackson," which was followed by a brief pause before he interjected, "Michael Jackson the singer." Yes, it was hard to separate the singer/performer from the weirdo he became, but when I was a kid, Michael Jackson was the man. "Bad," "Beat It," "Billy Jean," were all among my favorite songs and all my friends and I all made fools of ourselves trying to moonwalk. I'll chose to remember Michael Jackson the singer, the moonwalker, and the man in the mirror.

MERF???!!!??? The Timberwolves just picked their third point guard of the first round?!? What are they thinking? Oh - ESPN just reported that the Wolves are going to trade him to Denver. That makes a lot more sense.

By the way, if you've never tried ice cream with cereal swirled in, you need to try it. I've eaten ice cream with cereal my whole life and I thought it was a widespread phenomenon, but a shocking number of my friends have told me that they have never even heard of doing that. All you need to do is pick a base ice cream flavor (you can't go wrong with chocolate), swirl it around with a spoon until it is smooth like soft-serve ice cream, and then pour in cereal. Most cereals will work, but I recommend something in a Chex or Crispix - your pointy, crunchy cereals. You can try flake cereals, but they don't work as well, but Cheerios and Grape Nuts are especially nice. Try it and it will change your life.

So the pick is in: With the 20th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select ERIC MAYNOR! Dude, I'm stoked about this. The Jazz have needed a reliable backup for Deron Williams and I didn't think that Maynor would fall all the way to 20. Some experts had him projected as a late lottery pick. Good times.

Well the Jazz won't draft again for 30 more picks, so I'm taking a little break.

10:47 - I just got back from my last training run before the 5K in Charlevoix on Saturday. The fireflies were out, the frogs were croaking, and there was a fine mist coming off the ponds as I ran past. I'm not gonna lie - it was kinda magical. I somewhat expected Sebastian the Crab to appear and start singing "Kiss the Girl." Some random female pedestrian would have gotten a big surprise.

Here's what ESPN.com's draft expert Chad Ford has to say about The Jazz picking Eric Maynor:

I thought they might go with Sam Young here, but I have to admit that I love this pick for the Jazz. They needed a backup for Deron Williams, and Maynor is perfect for Utah as one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft. He has a high basketball IQ and great leadership qualities. The Jazz fill a need and get a guy who I think is the most underrated player in the draft.

Well, the Jazz don't pick again until number 50 (thirteen picks away) and I need to hop in the shower and get to bed, so I'll wait until tomorrow night to read about the Jazz's later pick. At least this time I can read about the draft on Laddie rather than pay to use a Brazilian internet café. Good night!

SST: Everybody Run!

SESAME STREET TUESDAY

I am not a runner. I never have been. In a high school P.E. class they made us run a mile and a half at the beginning of the semester to gauge our running ability and then again at the end of the semester to see how we had improved. Since the evaluation was based solely on achieving a modicum of improvement, I flat-out walked the first time (scoring somewhere in the 25 - 30 minute range), and then at the end of the semester I mixed in the smallest amount of jogging with my walking (finishing solidly in the 20 -25 minute range). Since my time improved slightly, I passed the test. (I did, however, win the P.E. hula-hooping contest that semester, outlasting my nearest competitor by over a half hour, earning myself a gift certificate to the recently opened Spanky's sandwich shop.) Until I came to Michigan, that P.E. class was my most recent running experience.

But I got here to Ann Arbor and my circle of friends here includes many hard-core runners - there's even a Hill Street Run Club group on Facebook (I am an officer in said group with the title of "Morale Captain"). So in 2008 I made a resolutionary decision to run a 5K. I was planning on running in the Turkey Trot race in downtown Detroit on Thanksgiving morning and I started training about a month beforehand, but unfortunately I broke my foot shortly beforehand and had to miss the race (although Seth bandied around the idea of running the race as a costumed pair, a common occurrence in the Turkey Trot, with me in a wheelchair dressed as FDR and Seth pushing me as Eleanor Roosevelt). But another race opportunity has come up in Charlevoix, Michigan, a small town in northern Michigan about 4 1/2 hours from Ann Arbor. I jumped on board with the Charlevoix trip because I wanted to run a 5K, but I also wanted an excuse to go back to northern Michigan. Last summer I went up to Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and the Traverse City area and it was amazing, and this year after the race I'm headed to the Upper Peninsula with a few friends to camp for a few days.

So once again I have been training to run a 5K. I'm actually a little embarrassed about my need to train to run such a measly distance when most of my friends (not to mention my sisters) routinely run a dozen miles or so on their normal runs. Most of my friends who are going on the Charlevoix trip with me are running in the 10K or half marathon races. A few weeks ago it seemed to me that 3.10685596 miles was a completely unrealistic distance for a human being to run, but last week I managed to run two whole miles without taking any walking breaks at all. I jokingly boasted about my feat in my Facebook status for the benefit of all my more accomplished runner friends, and my status elicited the following comments:

First of all, that's probably the most feedback I've ever gotten for a Facebook status post, and second of all, I'm now someone's "inspiration?" That's a lot of pressure - I hope that in Charlevoix I can at least finish my 5K before my friends finish their 10Ks and half marathons.

Wait, wasn't this a Sesame Street Tuesday post? Shouldn't it have a Sesame Street clip in it? Well then, here is the all-time number one Sesame Street running jam. I'm sure it was at the top of every runner's playlist back in the '70s.



P.S. I will be running the 5K using my friend Mike McMurtrey's registration because he pre-registered several weeks ago and then had to back out. What a guy - first he gives me his computer and then he gives me his identity!

Eets makelijk!

A Father's Day memory:

My dad served his mission in Holland and picked up a lifetime habit of saying the popular Dutch phrase "Eets makelijk!" before every single meal, right after the blessing on the food. "Eets makelijk" translates as "Eat hearty!" and it sounds like "Eat smock lick" - I never knew how it was really spelled until a Google search about two minutes ago. Hearing "Eets makelijk" was such an established part of the dinnertime ritual that it just seemed normal to me for my whole childhood and it wasn't until I was older that I realized that not every family said it before each meal and I finally thought to ask Dad what a "smock lick" was and why we should eat it.

All those years of "Eets makelijk" must have made an impression, because starting a few weeks ago I have frequently found myself saying it before meals. I have no idea why I suddenly picked up the habit, but I have found it to be a good icebreaker/transition after the prayer on the food, because sometimes after the prayer there can be a few awkward moments before people start conversing and dishing up food.

So Happy Father's Day, Dad. May you always "Eets makelijk!"

SST: Redwood Tree Round

SESAME STREET TUESDAY

As one of the first acts of the Frischknecht administration, I was asked to lead our Elders Quorum in a relatively obscure hymn, "The Priesthood of Our Lord" (Hymn #320). President Frischknecht had noticed a footnote printed in the hymnbook saying that the hymn can be performed as a round and he wanted me to get the quorum to perform it as such. When Adam (sorry - President Frischknecht) first mentioned the round idea to me, I immediately thought of this round from Sesame Street:



I wasn't sure if our quorum could measure up to the high standard set by those turtles, but the actual performance of the round this past Sunday came off surprisingly well. We did forgo all the hand gestures, though.

New Dream Blog Post

After a five-week hiatus, I have finally added a new post to my dream blog. It is called "The Ann Arbor 500" and it seems to have had many disparate inspirations: my recent viewing of the movie Breaking Away (featuring a bike race called the Little 500), the Red Wings' imminent Stanley Cup victory, my love of Iron Chef America, and an email my sister recently sent me wherein her kids asked me when I'm going to join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Speaking of my dream blog, on Monday Brady, Stephanie, and I finally redeemed our FHeBay certificate for a free watercolor lesson with Katherine Downie, and I used my brand new watercolor skillz to recreate one of my MS Paint dream illustrations: