Happy Halloween!

My favorite part of Halloween is passing out the candy and looking at all the costumes. My favorite this year was this little Yoda who was brave enough to come to our door even though there was a bunch of teenagers there at the time. Our family likes to not only give out candy but something else. We have given out play dough, big plastic rings, mazes, etc. This year it was little game cards with Disney characters. We decided to let the kids choose which one and it was so much fun having them tell me why they picked Cinderella over Sleeping Beauty and such. I like it when I am passing out the candy and saying wait a minute I also have a game for you to choose and their faces light up and they say “cool” or “awesome.” I hope they think of our house like I think of the lady who lived behind us when I was a kid and she gave out nickels. I thought that was the best thing ever to get at Halloween.

Halloween also means lots of decorating, just not at our house. For the past couple of years my family has been in charge of decorating the attic at the library for our Halloween program "Scary Stories in the Attic". It is fun and my family really gets into it. It took us three Saturdays to set it up this year but I think it was worth it. This year we had a mad scientist lab to loosely go with our teen book festival yesterday that had a steampunk theme since Scott Westerfeld came along with 19 other teen authors. Yeah, our library rocks! I left my camera in the attic but I will post pictures next weekend of what you missed out on.

James MacArthur

I’m sad to report that James MacArthur has passed away from natural causes at the age of 72. I was really hoping he would have been able to make a cameo appearance on the new Hawaii Five-0 since he is the original Danno. Though out of all his film, stage, and TV performances, I will most fondly remember him as Fritz from Swiss Family Robinson.

Primary Program

Is it just me or is the Primary Program your favorite Sacrament Meeting out of the year as well? Where else can you hear a child sing loud and proud and out of key and think it is so adorable?

Thriller

AJ, AMM, my sister and I went to go see the Odyssey Dance Theatre production of Thriller last night. I have seen the advertisements around for years but when AJ suggested we go this year I thought it was a good idea. Of course I had no clue what the production would be like, but I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it (minus the video clips, I really want my ten minutes back for the shopping car clip. I felt like I was watching a really bad Sundance film). My favorite was Dem Bones that was done with black lights. It really looked like skeletons dancing on the stage. Ray Harryhausen would have been proud. I also enjoyed the River of Blood Dance (river dancers being shot) Frankenstein and Frankenstein number (the Bride of Frankenstein was so flexible). Over all you could tell the dancers were having fun which makes the event fun.

The production was playing at Kingsbury Hall and the U of U football game got out the same time we reached the campus. Roads were blocked off where we knew where to turn, so we took a scenic route around campus and arrived a little late. But of course going to an event is also part of the adventure.

Got Milk?

I know I do! I was reading an article that says that the average American consumes about 30 gallons of milk a year. That is more than any other country. That started me thinking about how much milk I consume. I can sit down at dinner and have 2-3 glasses. So I calculated that I probably go through 2 ½ gallons of milk a week, averaging 130 gallons of milk a year. That is 4xs the average (I never like being average). It could also be that my favorite snack/meal is cereal so that plays in my milk consumption. But I really do love milk. My favorite? Really cold 2% Cream of Weber. I am a milk snob. I can taste the difference between milk brands. Do not get me started on cloudy water (that is skim milk to the rest of you).

When we lived in PA there was a local convenient store by our house and the employees would joke about how our family would come in at least twice a week and purchase five gallons of milk at a time and commenting on our love of milk. When my sister and I went off to college the store closed. Our family joke is that happened because we were not there to keep them in business with our milk consumption.

Happy 85th Angela Lansbury!

When I was kid I grew up watching Murder, She Wrote. It is a fun show to watch even now just to see who’s who in classic Hollywood guest starring. Though there is one thing to make note: Never, ever invite Jessica Fletcher to your wedding or have her come for a visit because a murder was guaranteed. Anyways, I grew up knowing Angela Lansbury as a kind, gentle woman from her roles like Murder She Wrote, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Blue Hawaii. Then when I was in high school I watched Manchurian Candidate (1962) and that was when I realized that she really is a talented actor. If you get a chance, watch it. It’s one of my favorite psychological thrillers. The pace maybe a bit slow, but the cinematography/set designs in the flashback scenes were quite ingenious. Plus, you will never look at Angela Lansbury the same way again.

Vampire Weekend

The band, not to be confused with anything Edward.

So, AJ and I discovered we liked the band Vampire Weekend pretty much the week after they came to Salt Lake. We were discouraged. But then a few days later AJ comes up to me at work and says that they are playing in Vegas the end of the month and we could do the entire trip under $200. What else could I do but say yes.

So we flew down Wednesday afternoon after work. I love short flights. We checked into our hotel The Imperial Palace (there was a reason our room was only $30). We ate at Serendipity 3 (like the one from the film but in Vegas) since we tried to go there last time we were in town but they were closed. Our waiter literally winked after every sentence. I guess he was really working for his tip, but it was just annoying. We got dessert first, which was wise since it was huge. Then we hoped on the bus to The Palms for the concert.

Vegas really knows how to put on shows. Every seat in the house had an unobstructed view and the seats were leather. Friendly ushers to show you the way and immaculate high end bathrooms. We had two opening acts The Very Best and Beach House. Then it was time for Vampire Weekend. They are great live. Chris Baio is a hoot to watch dancing while playing bass guitar. I love their up beat music and it makes me smile. I bet when they first started out finishing up at Columbia University their parents thought, “That is what you want to do after I spent all that money on your education?” I’m glad they did because it was worth the investment.

The next day we flew home. In fact our shuttle bus driver could not believe we didn’t have any luggage with us other than a backpack size bags. Don’t other people make short trips to Vegas like us? I would go down for a show again.

True Grit?!

Why did they remake John Wayne's Academy Award winning performance True Grit? Did they not learn when they remade his Stagecoach? I do not think that True Grit is Wayne’s finest performance but really, why touch a classic? I’m a little sad that Matt Damon is in it, he should know better. Okay, I’m done ranting. I just had to put my opinion out there.

Stephen J. Cannell

We lost another great today. Stephen J. Cannell producer and writer of such great television series as Rockford Files, A-Team, 21 Jump Street, Greatest American Hero, Hunter and Black Sheep Squadron passed away from complications of Melanoma. I just mentioned a few of his series, but these are the ones I grew up watching and still watch on reruns. What I think is amazing is that he had dyslexia but that did not stop him from being a writer. I will always remember him typing at the typewriter and pulling out the paper to create his logo. He will be missed.