This story takes place about two years ago...I lived with my best friends Jesse, Betsy, and Kristi. That January, Kristi decided to go to China to teach English. When she left, we decided to move Jesse into our room with us. It was seriously so much fun having us all in the same room.
Sometime in November of that year, Jesse and I were both home one afternoon and she decided to share some of her family home videos with me. Now this was a big deal because Jess does not just let anybody see these home videos, but she made an exception for me. So, of course I was very excited that she was allowing me to watch them. She started off with a video of her birthday. It was a video of her and a couple of friends at the lake swimming and playing on a boat. Just your average summer fun…Then she skipped to a video of her and her sisters reenacting The Nutcracker on Christmas Eve. Jesse was around 14-15 years old and her oldest sister was a freshman in college. Jesse was very embarrassed, but for some reason just kept showing me the video. It was hilarious and I loved it. Afterward, she told me that she keeps these videos hidden and that I was not allowed to tell anyone that she had shown them to me.
When Kristi moved out and Jesse moved in with us, we used their old room as a large Closet. It was Fabulous, but it got messy in there quite frequently. So one night, when Jesse was gone, I was in the “closet” and found Jesse’s home videos just sitting by the dresser. Okay maybe it was in one of the dresser drawers, but it’s hard to say and my memory is fading. Betsy and I had been doing homework all night and it was time for us to have a break. So we decided it would be perfect to watch some of the Hinkson’s home videos. There we were in our bedroom, watching Jesse and her family’s adventures. It was getting late and I knew that Jesse would be home soon, but I wanted Betsy to see The Nutcracker- Hinkson style, so the rush was on to find it. I had just barely found it when we heard Jesse coming in the door, so I went out to distract her so Betsy could continue watching the video.
Jesse and I were out in the bathroom area getting ready for bed with Betsy in the room still watching and snickering. Jesse even walked in and out of the room several times and didn’t even notice. Then she heard something that sounded familiar to her and she went over to the computer to see what Betsy was watching. Jesse realized that Betsy had been sitting there watching her home videos without her permission. At that moment I was standing by my bed, just getting into my PJ bottoms. Jesse ran over to me, standing there pant less, and started to choke me. In her fury, she had just not realized that she was choking me in my underwear. Betsy just sat there on the bed next to us, wide eyed and speechless. Naturally, I was in shock so I could not say anything either. A real sight to see I am sure. Finally Jesse snapped out of it and realized what she had done. I think that she ran out of the room after that, but I was still kind of in shock at that point so the details are fuzzy. Very traumatizing at the time, but now we all joke and laugh about it every chance we get.
D's guide to Green River's Melon Days
For all of you who have just been dying to find out what the real Green River is like, I have decided to give you all a little "slice" of life during Melon Days.
Naturally the parade starts off with a gigantic slice of watermelon being pulled by a tractor.
Once a year Green River goes all out for the big event and this year was no exception. Here are some pics from the parade.
Naturally the parade starts off with a gigantic slice of watermelon being pulled by a tractor.
Clowns throwing candy follow...It may be hard to see, but this clown is easily in his 86th year of clowning around!
As you can see the streets fill up with kids fetching the candy that was thrown by the different floats (cars with signs mostly) of the various political candidates (well it is an election year).
But one of the most important observations is that the majority of these "kids" are over the age of 35. And as you may be able to tell from some pictures, each had their own bag and was not planning on sharing with their children or grandchildren for that matter.
Ahh, another highlight of the Melon Days parade. The Sara Lee bread truck brought quite a crowd out to the street. One lady looked like she had been following the truck for most of the route trying to get a loaf of bread.
This was yet another enjoyable moment for me. The BMX group with the sign that says "Get us off the streets".
And last but not least, what goes better with melons than Mexicans! (em this one is for you)
So now you have it. Another Melon Days in the bag...Everyone has taken their bags of candy and loaves of bread and has gone into hibernation until next year. But don't worry because Chow Hound, a local favorite, is always in business serving burgers, pizza, burritos, pastries, and more. Next time you are passing through, don't be shy and stop by!
Flashback Fridays
Because of the ridiculous life I lead, there are plenty of stories from my past that I feel must be shared. That is why I have decided to implement Flashback Fridays on my blog. Every Friday I will share one of my past experiences, the majority of them being shocking and outrageous. So get excited...
LARPING-For those who fight with honor
Move over Quill and Sword, there is a new brand of Medieval in town...
Live Action Role Play is a form of role playing game that has participants physically act out a specific character's actions. Players physically portray characters in a fictional setting, improvising their characters' speech and movements somewhat like actors in improvisational theater. (Wikipedia.com)
Here are some pictures of what I am talking about.
I heard about this on Monday from a co-worker and have not been able to stop researching it since. I have watched a plethora of you tube videos (some documentaries and some home video) of such events to familiarize myself with this pastime (see below).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3TEG9KbHSU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ04mfAY2BU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oWAb5NVALw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtHhppoISBk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIKkd9ceBfI
So what have I learned so far? Well I know that there are many groups across the nation that are involved in this type of gaming. I also have learned that there are like 9 different groups of larpers here in Utah. These groups get together periodically and battle with each other. Some of these events last only for a few hours and others last several days (that means there is camping involved-these people do not mess around). Each person takes on a character that has different levels of specific powers. Also each character is a certain type of specie. Most of the time, people dress up according to character. Some costumes are very intricate, others are a little more homemade looking (as you can see from the pictures above). This is a group that likes to escape the "norm", but feel that there is something lost in the virtual gaming world. This is a whole underground world that I did not know anything about until now.
So this is what I propose to the Quill and Sword Club and BYU. I suggest that they look into having one of this type of event as a fundraiser. They would be very surprised by how many people would pay $5 to watch such a spectacle. I think that I might have to join the club just to get this ball rolling.
Sunday Afternoon Stroll
Just in case you were wondering, my life truly is this ridiculous...
Yesterday Afternoon I found this guy walking down the sidewalk outside of my old apt. building.
It was pretty creepy, but I managed to get a few shots of it...however, I was terrified that he was going to come over and attack me. Then we tried to follow him, but he disappeared. Later we found out that he disappeared into #2 of Glenhaven. I'm just waiting for him to show up on my doorstep...
Yesterday Afternoon I found this guy walking down the sidewalk outside of my old apt. building.
It was pretty creepy, but I managed to get a few shots of it...however, I was terrified that he was going to come over and attack me. Then we tried to follow him, but he disappeared. Later we found out that he disappeared into #2 of Glenhaven. I'm just waiting for him to show up on my doorstep...
Rooney @ Spoon Me
Naturally with this type of festivity, I always find myself with good material...
I had heard about this event about a week and half ago, and could hardly contain my self. I have loved Rooney since my high school days and was thrilled that I would finally see them live. But because this was a promotion for Spoon Me, I was a little skeptical of it actually happening.
So Saturday finally came...my friends and I showed up an hour early to secure our spots at the concert. I really thought that there would be a ton of people, and that I might have to be waiting outside the door at 11 am. Luckily this was not the case. There were only like ten people in line when we showed up around 6. Unfortunately the ten kids in line were all freshies. One kid in particular kept driving me insane.
Some other highlights of that wait include the girl next to us applying make-up (watching her apply the wall of blush was my favorite part), the Kid with the white shirt under his v-neck tee, and the first performer showing up in his van.
That night I also realized I am my mother...
As we were waiting for Rooney to come out, I told the girl next to me off.
She had worked her way up to the front and kept trying to push her way through me. Finally I had had enough and I turned around and told her that she had been pushing me all night and that she needed to stop. She preceded to tell me that I had actually been pushing her all night. That's when I told her that she needed to chill out and just stop. That was the last I saw of her all night...
Now on to Rooney! The show was fabulous...and I am in love (especially with the drummer, so hot!) Here are some pics from the night.
Luckily I got some pictures before the push to the stage began. People were trying to make their way to the stage and I started getting crushed...
Eventually I just made my way out and and enjoyed the rest of the concert while breathing, but not before I got to touch the lead singer's hand(sigh). Best $3 concert of my life!
I had heard about this event about a week and half ago, and could hardly contain my self. I have loved Rooney since my high school days and was thrilled that I would finally see them live. But because this was a promotion for Spoon Me, I was a little skeptical of it actually happening.
So Saturday finally came...my friends and I showed up an hour early to secure our spots at the concert. I really thought that there would be a ton of people, and that I might have to be waiting outside the door at 11 am. Luckily this was not the case. There were only like ten people in line when we showed up around 6. Unfortunately the ten kids in line were all freshies. One kid in particular kept driving me insane.
Some other highlights of that wait include the girl next to us applying make-up (watching her apply the wall of blush was my favorite part), the Kid with the white shirt under his v-neck tee, and the first performer showing up in his van.
That night I also realized I am my mother...
As we were waiting for Rooney to come out, I told the girl next to me off.
She had worked her way up to the front and kept trying to push her way through me. Finally I had had enough and I turned around and told her that she had been pushing me all night and that she needed to stop. She preceded to tell me that I had actually been pushing her all night. That's when I told her that she needed to chill out and just stop. That was the last I saw of her all night...
Now on to Rooney! The show was fabulous...and I am in love (especially with the drummer, so hot!) Here are some pics from the night.
Luckily I got some pictures before the push to the stage began. People were trying to make their way to the stage and I started getting crushed...
Eventually I just made my way out and and enjoyed the rest of the concert while breathing, but not before I got to touch the lead singer's hand(sigh). Best $3 concert of my life!
Arachnophobia anyone?
If I had to say my life is like one movie, I would have to choose the 1990 film by Frank Marshall, Arachnophobia.
Another experience I've had happened several years before, I was getting ready to go to bed. I had just turned off my lights and was drifting into sleep when I felt this fuzz ball land on my face. Not being fully coherent, I felt the furry thing on my face and brushed it off. Once my brain had time to process what I felt, I bounced out of bed and quickly turned on my light. I had once again realized that it was a spider that I had come in contact with! I shook out all of my bedding searching for it, but had no luck. I still cringe when looking back at these experiacnes.
Strange pick, I know...but maybe not so strange because of the many experiences that I have had with spiders.
This week in my new apartment, I've had to kill two spiders in the last four days. But Let me tell you, these were not the typical spiders that one may find. These were quite large and very hideous (see below).
The first one I found with my new roommate in the corner of the ceiling in the living room. That one was dealt without too much hassle. Then yesterday, as I was getting ready to wash a dish, I found another spider just like the first in our kitchen sink. That one was more of a surprise and made me jump. But these are just the two most recent stories in my long history with arachnids.
I have lived with a fear of spiders for as long as I can recall, but have managed to control my fears during my encounters with these eight legged creatures. I have come to the understanding that as long as they are dead, I will be fine. So this is how I have managed to control my fear long enough to kill the little suckers. After they are dead, then I can freak out.
Now I know that you are probably thinking, "Really your whole life is like arachnophobia because you found two spiders in the matter of a few days?" Well, let me share another story that will maybe put things into better perspective.
A couple of years ago, I was home for Christmas break. One morning, I got up and headed straight to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I grabbed my toothbrush and spread some paste across the bristles. I put the toothbrush into my mouth and started brushing. I felt something more than just bristles and toothpaste in my mouth and thought that somehow a small ball of hair had also got into my mouth (which would have been sick enough), but boy was I wrong. As I pulled the "hairball" from my mouth, I realized that it was wiggling. Yes that is right, it was alive. At that moment I realized that it was a spider. So disgusting! I screamed and shook it right off my finger.
Another experience I've had happened several years before, I was getting ready to go to bed. I had just turned off my lights and was drifting into sleep when I felt this fuzz ball land on my face. Not being fully coherent, I felt the furry thing on my face and brushed it off. Once my brain had time to process what I felt, I bounced out of bed and quickly turned on my light. I had once again realized that it was a spider that I had come in contact with! I shook out all of my bedding searching for it, but had no luck. I still cringe when looking back at these experiacnes.
These are just a few reasons why I truly believe that my life is like the movie Arachnophobia. I guess I better just watch out when I am digging into popcorn bowls, or when I am in the shower.
