Sugar...

I've heard some people say they have a sweet tooth.
They don't know the meaning of the phrase.
If I had MY way, Pepsi would flow like Moses' water from the rock in the desert. Washington growers would harvest candied apples. Peeps would come not only on Easter, but on EVERY Sunday morning. Movie theaters in my world would have little shelves in front of each seat with the entire concession collection on tap (and a little freezer for the Haagen-Daz and Junior Mints). Bars and clubs would add taps for soft-serve, hot fudge and caramel. The food groups would break down thus: chocolate (subcategories: with or without nuts, with or without peanut butter), nougat, marshmallow, caramel, ice cream, licorice, soda, little candies with fruit flavors, straight sugar (Bottle Caps, Pixie Sticks, etc.), and liquid gold (Pepsi).
I know, Pepsi is a soda.
But to me, it's a way of life.

P.S. - about 80 new photos up on my Flickr site. Enjoy!

"A hit! A very palpable hit!"

First of all, a happy 29th birthday to my little brother Dave. Many more, dude!
So, Marissa and her family took me to the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City this weekend. What a great time. Good company, good food and GREAT theater. Brian Vaughn's Hamlet is one of the best I've ever seen. The curtain call in Room Service WAS the best I've ever seen. I found myself telling myself, "Ah, so THAT'S what it's supposed to look like." Fred Adams and Co. deserve every accolade they receive.
I want to be Brian Vaughn.

Tiger vs. Phil... um... er... J/K!

So, TNT bought the rights to early-round coverage of this year's PGA Championship, golf's fourth major tournament. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are paired together for the first two days of the four-day event. The ideal pairing. A marketer's and advertiser's dream. The top two in the world. Huge fan bases. Endorsement megastars. An intense and often icy rivalry. The biggest draw in golf, arguably in sports. TNT will cover the entire afternoon.
Only, Tiger vs. Phil tees off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Now, I know I only work at ABC 4 TV in Salt Lake City, and we're only the 35th largest TV market in the nation, so perhaps I'm speaking out of turn here, but WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING, TNT?! Which TNT executive's grandmother needed to see her reruns of ER instead of the best major tournament pairing of all time (and one that may never be repeated, ever)? Golf on TV has enough marketing and survival issues without this travesty of exclusion.
So come on, Ted Turner. Pony up the extra several million that the PGA is undoubtedly asking for to buy the first few hours of the round. Earn my loyalty as a viewer. Make millions of TiVo owners happy. Do the right thing.
And Phil, to ensure a competitive round... please leave that damn driver in the bag.

Weekend fun

Spent this past Sunday playing with the kiddos and introducing my girlfriend Marissa to the family. We've been dating for a few months and it was high time to meet the kinfolk. I was so glad we all got to hang out and spend some quality time. My brother Dave, sister Jaime & her husband Nick were also there, along with their little doggie Gage, so they all got to know Marissa a bit better, too. One of the things I love about her is that she gets along so well with anyone and everyone she meets. She's so sweet. Anyway, I think we all had a lot of fun together. We had a great dinner and played in the backyard with the trips, trying to teach them baseball. What a hoot. Wish I'd had my camera.
I sometimes wonder if, in my rush to put every little thing they do on film (or memory card), I miss being a dad. I turn into this photo-megalo-manic shooter guy who's watching light, colors and angles instead of noticing that Colin already has a strong throwing arm, or that Ben just swished that basket, or that Abby just smacked that ball into the upper deck. I'm trying to learn to savor those things "in the moment," as well as on camera. Dueling Dads in my head.
Or it could just be that imaginary friend that I never acknowledge.