Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

January

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Tuesday – 10 January 2023
Starting up again.

A new year has started. It has been good thus far. And really, that’s all one can ask for.

Stray Toasters

And, that’s a wrap.
(Which was almost “warp,” which would have been a totally different thing.)

Happy New Year 2022

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Saturday – 01 January 2022
A new year begins.

For whatever 2021 may have brought you, I hope that 2022 brings you and your loved ones, peace, happiness and prosperity.

Be well and be good to each other.

Namaste.

Junior Achievement City – BizTown

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Tuesday – 09 November 2021
Today, I had the opportunity to volunteer/chaperone for Team DiVa’s class, as they participated in the Junior Achievement City “BizTown.”

JA BizTown combines in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town. This popular program allows elementary school students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor. The program helps students connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world.

There was an additional bonus: The girls had NO IDEA that I’d be there.

That was a definite #win.

Both ladies were the CEOs of their respective businesses:

I didn’t work with either of the ladies. I was assigned as a volunteer in City Hall. I worked with the Mayor (CEO), Town Treasurer (CFO), Attorney, Two Account Executives, and a DJ.

Twenty businesses were represented, ranging from retail, food services, utilities, a school district, news and television outlets, and even sports. Each business started the day by taking out a loan from one of the two banks; kids were then responsible for making sure that their businesses made money, paid payroll, created and/or paid invoices, and more. Businesses could also create ads to run on the radio or television – which created revenue for the media outlets and hopefully turned into awareness – and sales – for the business featured in the ad.

The morning opened with an opening meeting and remarks from the Mayor, along with speeches from a few of the business’ CEOs. Diana, gave one of the opening speeches.

Diana’s Opening CEO Speech

One of the things that I wasn’t aware of until the day was over: She didn’t have a script for her speech. (There WAS a script for her speech, but her volunteers didn’t tell her to bring it. *facepalm*) She ad-libbed her entire opening, based on things she heard from some of the CEOs who spoke before her! She was so calm and cool about it that I – and I’m sure no one else, aside from possibly the JA staff – had no idea that she was going completely off-the-cuff with her remarks.

After the speeches, it was off to the proverbial races!

At first, it was a little like herding cats – this was largely due to the amped-up energy of the kids, trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. (As volunteers, we were there to support and guide, not to do the jobs for them.) Some things were done “a little” out of order. Some things got overlooked, until someone realized that something was missing. But, after a while, they got the hang of things and the day, while hectic and a bit frenetic, moved along nicely.

The day ended with a closing meeting, during which Vanessa gave one of the CEO speeches.

Vanessa’s CEO Closing Speech

In all, it was a great event and I was glad to have been part of it. I was also incredibly proud of not only the ladies, but also of the City Hall employees and how well they did.

Scenes from the Parenthood or “DiVa’s Infinite Playlist”

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Sunday – 06 June 2021
Kids can delightful, laughter-inducing angels of joy.

They can also be emissaries from the deepest pits of Hell.

And sometimes they can be both, within a matter of minutes. Seriously. The change can be as fickle and swift as the direction from which the wind blows.

Something that people – usually those who’ve had a kid or two before you – neglect to tell you is about the vigor with which kids sometimes glom onto new things, like toys, games, TV shows, or music.

Our ladies are BIG FANS of the L.O.L Surprise Dolls line of toys, for example.

L.O.L. Surprise!! Doll Series 1 - - Amazon.com

And, NO, I’m not giving them flak for that, given that I have an ever-growing collection of dolls action figures “photography subjects.” I’m self-aware enough to realize how hypocritical that would be.

Likewise, they have become big supporters of our Nintendo Switch, especially when they ask me to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game  Details

And when I say “ask me to play,” I actually mean “get me to play so that they can tell me what to do/where to go in the game.”

I won’t even go into how they’ve binged TV shows that catch their interest, but I will say that I had NO IDEA how many “magical girl,” Sailor Moon-esque series there were and I’m sure that we’ve only barely scratched the surface there.

Glitter Force Doki Doki - Home | Facebook

And, music…? Same brand, different flavor.

I should have known that something was up when I started listening to Jungle’s Busy Earnin’ and they effectively put it on solid repeat on our smart speaker.

But I didn’t.

Perhaps I should have gotten a clue when they did the same thing with Just Loud’s Soul Train.

Nope.

Ghostbusters (I’m Not Afraid), by Fallout Boy? Still nope.

Sucker, by the Jonas Brothers?  I might have started to get an inkling of an idea. Maybe.

What can I say, I’m a slow learner sometimes.

The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights?

Okay, by this time, I finally managed to find two brain cells to rub together and come up with “a clue.”

Their latest infatuation has been Dua Lipa. Mostly Levitating

…but they have branched out a bit and will just tell the smart speaker to shuffle her songs. And it’s not just playing her songs, but randomly breaking out into song, like they’re on Fame or in Enchanted. Repeatedly.

At this point, I might as well just save some money and quit my Spotify and Amazon Music subscriptions because I have in-home, stereophonic singing. On repeat. Sometimes with the added benefit of dancing.

And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

The Black and White Suite

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Tuesday – 19 January 2021

I went down a bit of a rabbit hole, this is the result… in chronolgical order:

  • Black and White – Three Dog Night

  • Black or White – Michael Jackson
  • Black Tie White Noise – David Bowie ft. Al B. Sure!

#grooveboogiesway

Stray Toaster Central

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Friday – 04 September 2020
Just posting a few things that have caught my eye, from various corners of the Internet…

And now these headlines…

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Saturday – 01 August 2020
Today begins a new month in a year that has thrown more curveballs than Dwight Gooden.

Let’s see if it will ease off the gas enough to let us catch our collective breath… if only for a few brief moments.

Stray Toasters

Stay safe.

“We’ll be right back, after station identification…”

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Friday – 05 June 2020
I have been of ill humor most of the day, in fact. Despite this foul mood, I still want to find a way to bring a lesson and some light out of this darkness.

Most weekday mornings, I listen to a local radio station’s morning program. This morning was no exception. The station also has a “listen live” option, as well as studio cameras, so you can watch the on-air personalities. And the morning program even has its own chat room. I often listen to/watch the live stream and interact the people in the chat room. Over the course of the past two or three years, it’s become something like a mini-Cheers.

This morning, like so many others, started the stream and joined the chat. Things proceeded as they usually do: The radio hosts hosted, people in the chat room commented on whatever topic came up or struck off on their on tangents. I was working, so I was distracted from the chat, but tried to follow along with the radio program. Some indeterminate amount of time later, I came back to look at the chat…

…just in time to catch a semi-regular chatter make the following statement:

Bi-racial children are so cute. Like little oreos.

It took a few seconds for my brain to fully comprehend what my eyes had just seen, but when it did, it sent an urgent message to my fingers to be relayed to the others in the chat room:

As a parent – let alone the parent of a couple of bi-racial children: What The Fuck!?

I can’t tell you how absolutely delighted it made me to see others in the room express much the same sentiment.

I also realized that I was mentally “done” at that point – my threshold for ignorance and the stupid things that humans do is threadbare these days. I bade goodbye to everyone, wished them a good weekend, and left the chat. I tuned into an audio-only stream and listened to the rest of the show that way.

A short while later, I pinged a friend (who had remained in the chat) to ask them to forward me some information they’d previously mentioned (link). At the same time, they informed me that the person tried to walk back their comment by saying:

Oh.. shit. Sorry.
I did not mean that to be bad!

…and…

That wasn’t meant to be mean. I apologize.

…and, when asked: “What was it meant to be, insensitive?”

No, I just love oreos. I feel super bad now. I sometimes just shove my foot in my mouth.

I realize that Utah isn’t the most diverse state in the Union, but damn. As my father would say: “That doesn’t even make good crazy people sense…”

Let’s look at a couple of things:

  • Utah’s population, as of July 2019, was 3,205,958 people.
  • The demographics break down as follows:
    Demographics
    • At 1% of the total population, that puts Utah’s Black population at just over 32,000 people. In the ENTIRE STATE.

That doesn’t exactly say much “cultural diversity or sensitivity.” But, it HAS to start somewhere. I truly appreciate that so many people were quick to take this person to task and point out that it was insensitive at best, but was also definitely racist.

Yes, this was a “foot in my mouth” moment, but it could have quickly and easily become a “boot-to-ass” moment had this occurred in a public situation, around someone prone to violence and for whom this was the catalyst they needed to “prove a point.”

But I digress.

Why was I so off-put by a “simple comment?”

First off: My children are a couple of intelligent, beautiful, creative, thoughtful, expressive, and dynamic human beings. Period. Full stop. What they most definitely are NOT are things to be dismissively objectified.

Next: Why do you find the need to qualify children as “bi-racial” to call them cute? Does their special genetic makeup cause them to stand out above other children? I will be the first to admit that I’m biased about how cute my kids are, but to hear someone call them – or any other child of mixed race – “cute” just because of a quirk of their heritage is asinine. It is also patronizing and subtyping.

And WHAT in all the Heavens and Hells does “…like little oreos” even mean? Because, given the inherent lack of diversity around here, I’m pretty sure that we’re not talking about the generally-accepted slang usage of “oreo” here. And if that IS the case? We need to have an entirely different conversation.

Finally, if anything wrote in those last three paragraphs bothers you or makes you uncomfortable…? Perhaps it’s time to take a look at the way you perceive the people around you who don’t necessarily fit into the pigeonholes you expect. If you want to discuss things and learn more? Let’s do it. I’m willing to put in the work to help bring about understanding and empathy.

Alternately, if you see nothing wrong with them, then I think it’s time we part ways. As I’ve said before: I’m tired. And I have neither the time nor energy to carry dead weight.

We Didn’t Start the Fire…

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Saturday – 30 May 2020
This has been a trying, frustrating, and mentally taxing week, to put it very mildly.

The fuse is lit…

In the space of less than seven (7) days, we’ve seen:

  • A White woman use her perceived privilege to call the police threaten Christian Cooper, a Black man.


    Picture (c) ABC News

    There’s a part of me that wants to grossly oversimplify this and call her “The Ultimate Karen,” but I don’t for two reasons:
    1. I have friends and family members whom I love and respect named “Karen,” and
    2. Her actions show an implicit and smug belief in the misconception that she could rely on her “privilege” to cause harm to a person of color and I don’t want a cute name to gloss over that.
  • We’ve also seen the death of an unarmed and handcuffed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a police officer.

    Picture (c) The New York Times

    (New footage has shown that it was actually three officers, but the number doesn’t really matter.) Additionally, the subject of the investigation basically had a 48-hour free pass before being arrested and charged… with third-degree murder:

…a category of murder defined in the laws of three states in the United States: Florida, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.

Depending on the state, third-degree murder may include felony murder regardless of the underlying felony, felony murder only where the underlying felony is non-violent, or depraved-heart murder. It is punishable by a maximum of 40 years imprisonment in Florida (in the case of a violent career criminal) and Pennsylvania, and 25 years imprisonment in Minnesota.

source: Wikipedia


Third degree murder can be defined as homicide committed with the intention of causing bodily harm, but not necessarily death. It can be a killing that results from indifference or negligence or recklessness. Statutes defining third degree murder vary considerably from state to state. In California murders are classified into two- first degree and second degree.

Example of a State statute defining Third degree murder

Minn. Stat. § 609.195 MURDER IN THE THIRD DEGREE

(a) Whoever, without intent to effect the death of any person, causes the death of another by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years.

(b) Whoever, without intent to cause death, proximately causes the death of a human being by, directly or indirectly, unlawfully selling, giving away, bartering, delivering, exchanging, distributing, or administering a controlled substance classified in schedule I or II, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $40,000, or both.

source: US Legal

It’s sad, no… that’s not strong enough. It’s disheartening to think – let alone SEE – that after 60 years of progress, this country only seems interested in not even maintaining a “status quo,” but in taking steps backwards. Leaps backwards in some cases.

And I am tired of seeing men, yes Black men in particular – who have not resisted arrest, who have not acted in threatening manner, whose apparent only “crime” in many (but not all) cases was the color of their skin – die at the hands of those sworn to uphold the law… and then be summarily dismissed as “thugs” and “animals.”

The Powder Keg Explodes

Not surprisingly, in the wake of these events, protests have sprung up across the country. Some peaceful, some far less so. But, what are people to do when, for decades, they have been systemically and consistently ignored when they try to work within the channels that are supposed to be the gateways to their voices being heard?

Let me be very clear: I am not advocating violence and/or the destruction of property, but I do understand the emotional eruption and need for some kind of outlet. This is not the first time that we’ve seen this kind of reaction boil over in the wake of injustice. Unfortunately, I am sure that it won’t be the last time, either.

Taking a Deep Breath

What I would like to know is: How we can come together, not as Black or White, Native, Hispanic or Asian, but as Americans? Is that even possible? It that an aspiration that everyone – or anyone, for that matter – still hope to achieve?

I hope so.

…because now, I have to figure out a way to talk about this with my kids. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to, because I love the innocence that being young affords them. By the same token, they need to know – even if at a very basic level – that there are people in the world who would harm them just because of the color of their skin or, due to some misguided notion, simply because they think they can.

As an aside, I had a team meeting yesterday in which the subject of the protests in Minneapolis came up. One of my coworkers – and his family – lives less than five minutes from the area where the protests were happening. He’s not Black, but he is a person of color.

This is not just a news story for him; it’s very real and VERY close.

My team and I, after making sure that he and his family were safe, discussed what was happening and what led to people’s reaction. I appreciated their candor and was able to provide a perspective that none of them had. It may not have been much, in the grand scheme of things, but I like to think that I helped them consider a viewpoint outside their own.

Parting Thoughts as the Smoke Clears

Here are some things (the bold text contains links) I’ve found or been shown over the past few days that I feel are worth seeing/watching:

Be well. Stay strong. Stay safe.

Memorial Day 2019

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Monday – 27 May 2019
Today is Memorial Day in the U.S.

Here are a couple more tidbits of Food for Thought for the day, with a big tip of the hat to my cousin, Vivicca Whitsett, for pointing them out:

 

At the end of the month…

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Thursday – 28 February 2019
This year, I opted not to do a month-long Black History Month series of posts. I did a post on February 1st on Facebook, but I think that last year’s run of Black Panther posts – while fun – may have burned me out a little.

I was going through old blog posts and wound up stumbling upon part of an entry from nine years ago – nine years ago today, in fact – that I thought bore being brought to light once more:

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month

Today is the last day of February and, as such, the last day of Black History Month in the United States and Canada. Of all the things that we’ve looked at over the past twenty-seven days, one question has not been asked: “Why do we have a Black History Month?”

The remembrance was founded in 1926 by United States historian Carter G. Woodson as “Negro History Week”. Woodson chose the second week of February because it marked the birthdays of two Americans who greatly influenced the lives and social condition of African Americans: former President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass.

The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.

While I believe that it is good to set aside time to recognize the achievements and pitfalls of the past, we still have “…miles to go before [we] sleep.” Black history – and any ethnic group’s history, for that matter – shouldn’t be relegated to just one month of the year. In the same way that America was known as a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities, our history is an amalgamation of those peoples’ struggles and stories. These are things that should be studied and celebrated throughout the year, as a common history of the people of the United States of America.

Quite frankly, that seems like the perfect coda for this month.

What do you mean “It’s January?!”

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Tuesday – 15 January 2019
Today is the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s birthday.

When Simon and Garfunkel sang about a Hazy Shade of Winter, they must have been talking about the Salt Lake Valley. The air here has been atrocious over the past few weeks.

There’s supposed to be a weather system moving through tonight that will hopefully help move some of the chewy air out of the valley.

Stray Toasters

  • Team DiVa has decided to undertake “spy training.” Last week, they spent days working on “being stealthy” and “using camouflage” to hide from Evie. (I didn’t have the heart to tell them that she could see – and just as easily smell – them, all the same.) Last night, after getting home from school, they asked me how much a motorcycle costs… because they need two of them (with two seats) to be spies. When I showed them a couple of options from BMW and Harley-Davidson, they asked if they’d have enough to buy them if they sold our house.YeahbuhWHAT?!

    Sara and I told them that, while they’d have enough to buy the motorcycles, that they’d have no place to live. At this point, Kid Logic kicked in, as they told us that they didn’t mean right now… but in a few years.

  • Men Are Mad Online Because of a New Gillette Commercial
  • A Son’s Race To Give His Dying Father Artificial Immortality
  • A friend asked me if, when I say that I am adding something to “The Covet List,” I am adding items to an actual list. I told him, “Yes,” and that there are actually two lists. (I really need to see to it that they mirror each other more accurately.)
  • How Our Cruelty Killed Hootie and the Blowfish – and Damaged Our Souls

There might be a fair bit more that I could say, but for now… I’m ready to call it a night.

Vote

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Monday – 08 October 2018
Today is the holiday-formerly-known-as-Columbus-Day Indigenous Peoples Day.
There are just under 30 days until midterm elections in the United States.
There are 325.7 million people in the United States.
There were 245.5 registered voters in the United States, as of November 2016.
Are you one of them?

If you are not registered, there’s still time.
Do you need assistance to get to a registration location? Ask a family or friend to take you or to go with you to register, as well.

I don’t care political affiliation you claim.
I don’t care for whom you vote.
What I care about is you using your right to vote to make your voice heard.

Register. Vote.

Headlong Flight

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Wednesday – 03 October 2018

All the journeys of this great adventure
It didn’t always feel that way
I wouldn’t trade them because I made them
The best I could, and that’s enough to say
Some days were dark
I wish that I could live it all again
Some nights were bright
I wish that I could live it all again
     -“Headlong Flight,” Rush
I did the math and it seems that today marks the anniversary of the date that I arrived in Salt Lake City as a resident. Twenty years ago.
It was a brave undertaking, to say the least, to pack up my life and move across the country: I had no friends of my own here, a “new” job (really same job, different location), and no close-at-hand support system. Things did not go well initially, but I committed to giving it a year to see what happened. Turns out that Life got better. It wasn’t immediate. It wasn’t fun. It was a slow, painfully journey.

From Summer 1999 (I think…) (c) NoteablePhoto

One year later found me in a better place. All the wounds of the previous year hadn’t completely healed, but I was feeling more optimistic about being – and staying – here. There were new friends, a (slight) change in job, and Continental and Southwest made sure that I could get home occasionally for whatever additional family support I needed.
Twenty years down the line and things have only gotten better, including marrying the lovely SaraRules! nine years ago today. (“Including?” Strike that. Change it to “Especially.”) Happy anniversary, Sara!

Gettin’ married!

The fact that both anniversaries fall on the same day wasn’t something that was planned. It’s definitely the epitome of a “happy coincidence.” What they do have in common is that they are/were days full of life-changing experiences which, come Hell or high water, I wouldn’t give up or change for anything.
All the treasures, the gold and glory
It didn’t always feel that way
I don’t regret it – I’ll never forget it
I wouldn’t trade tomorrow for today

“If the future’s looking dark, we’re the ones who have to shine…”

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Saturday – 30 June 2018

Today was a “Divide and Conquer” kind of day. Sara took Team DiVa to their swim class, while I represented the family at Salt Lake’s “Families Belong Together” rally.

I got there a too late to march with the other event-goers, but I was there. It would be good if our elected officials actually listened to – and acted upon – Vox Populi, and not just to the talking heads of their respective parties.

That brings up a side note: I’ve recently noticed a fair number of posts going around that say something to the effect of “Neither religion nor politics have ever been a reason to turn my back on a friend.” Isn’t part of the reason that we choose people to be in our circles because they not only share some of our views and perspectives… but also because the have differing ones, as well? What happened to the ability to “agree to disagree?” Or even the seemingly simple ability to have discourse without it devolving into arguments or outrage?

It seems to me
As well make our own few circles ’round the block
We’ve lost our senses
For the higher-level static of talk
“Dog Years,” by Rush (from the album Test For Echo)

After that, I headed to Koko Kitchen to pick up some lunch. I love that place and don’t get there nearly often enough. Back in the car and on to Watchtower Cafe to pick up some liquid motivation. I chatted with Tui a bit about next week’s Salt Lake Gaming Con (Are you going?!) and some of the goings-on there. I’m looking forward to attending.

Back in the driver’s seat and (finally) headed home. Sara and the girls were working on an assemble-and-paint model of the solar system. When they’d finished, Diana and I talked about the planets and their orbits… which turned into us asking our Echo about the orbital periods (new phrase for D) of the various planets.

We all enjoyed some downtime and then headed to one of the local libraries and parks. I was thwarted in my attempt to acquire delicious confections from C. Kay Cummings (Curses, foiled again!), as they closed about 20 minutes before we got there. *shakes fist* I poked my head into Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection, but decided that I didn’t need anything today. From there, it was off to dinner.

Post-dinner, I “needed” to stop at one of the local Michael’s. I picked up some props and accessories for Action Figure Theatre. (What?! I put “needed” in quotes. Get off my case!) It’s fun when I go to an arts and crafts store and go to check out with miniatures, because I often get an odd look, raised eyebrow, or even a direct “What are you making with these?” When I explain how they will be put to use, the quizzical expressions usually turn into wide, surprised smiles or laughter. Totally worth it.

One of the books I picked up at the library was a “How to Draw Animals” book for the girls. V picked it up first, but D was the first one to actually put it to use. In the half-ish hour she had before bed for free time, she busted out nine or ten pictures. And, they were good. Really good, especially for first shots. V, not to be outdone, drew a quick picture right before bedtime, which was also very good.

Later? Who knows….? Possibly a movie. Possibly some Overwatch or some other game.

Stray Toasters

  • Today’s rally reminded me of something my father gave me years ago. And gave me an idea. We’ll see where this goes.
  • I listened to a lot of Prince yesterday. I regret nothing.
  • Bruce Banner could have used one of these: The Belt That Protects Against Gamma Radiation
  • Tin Machine
  • Salt Lake City’s fireworks laws have been recently updated/amended. There’s a period of a few days around July Fourth and Pioneer Day that are designated as legal to shoot off fireworks. Someone needs to tell the people a couple streets over.  *grblsnrkx*
  • I didn’t realize how anxious and excited I am for City of Titans to (finally) drop until talking with a friend about some of my old City of Heroes and City of Villains characters last night.

.eof