Beautiful Butterfly

I have been severely neglecting this blog--as far as actual events this blog is over two weeks out of date. It is in fact so out of date that I am having to consult my journal to figure out what interesting things I have actually done.

My parents have officially moved into their Provo house. It's a cute little 1953 ranch home right in the middle of a historic neighborhood. They are mostly moved in but as luck would have it the week after they closed on the house Provo had one of the worst storms it's had in fifty years and now we're looking at a pretty bleak Winter. Welcome to Provo I guess.

I posted previously about my bow tie crafting and I still had the fabric for two more ties so I used my mother's newly accessible sewing machine to finish them off. The above ties were wholly cut and sewn by me making them the first sewing project I have ever completed without assistance. I'm going to get fabric for a few more (my mother might have some antique Japanese silk) and then eventually move into full neck ties. I will never have to buy a gift for a male again.

I've done a few other things as well, the above picture is from a chalk festival in which the winner actually made the front page of Reddit. I also attended a couple weddings and started dating someone. It's starting to get colder and so I'm desperately trying to do everything outdoors I can do.

Salt Lake Comic Con 2013

Last week I attended Salt Lake's inagural Comic-Con with my sister and some friends. There were so many people; four fold the expected registration.

One of the best moments of the Con was the Henry Winkler Q&A. A young lady went up to ask her question but Mr. Winkler interrupted her with general praise about how attractive Utah women are and specifically how pretty she was. The lady then told him she was 23 and had never been kissed and asked him to do the honors. Winkler agreed and the girl got one of the best first kiss stories I have ever known.

We tried to go look at the booths but there mass of people made it too much to bare so instead we said hi to some cosplayers.

I'm excited about next year, there was some planning problems with the con that I hope they sort out next year. They had so many people there that when we left for lunch we were told we couldn't come back in so we missed a lot of stuff. Next year!

Justin and Jen's Wedding Weekend

Mirielle, the wedding photographer, posted some pictures from the wedding on her photography blog located here. It pays to know the photographer--I made the blog cut!

It was a small party and a lot of fun. I ended up harassing all the guests to sign the guestbook because I didn't know what else to do. The prospect of sitting and talking with no other activity is unbearable to me. Everyone did love my bow-tie though and I once I get my parents settled into their new home in Provo I'll continue making some more.

The following day we met up with my Aunt Mary and Cousin Heidi and wandered over to the Denver Art Museum which was stellar. One artist, Nick Cave, had a special exhibit which was fascinating. He had built these suits and covered them in buttons which he called "soundsuits." There was no photography allowed but I had to spite them.

The black is covered in buttons, not camera noise.

It was all very reminiscent of the video game Journey which, if you haven't played, is probably one of the best arguments for video games as a medium of art.

Suzi getting stabbed by giant knives.

Riding a turtle in the kids section.

Much of the rest of the vacation involved playing games with my cousins and siblings. An enjoyable weekend for sure, would go again.

Patchwork Cables

We ran some new fiber cable in the office at work and while pulling it through the conduit--the fish tape got caught on some CAT-5 cable and ripped it in two.  This was not our cable but we did some quick thinking and fixed it.

Unfortunately the call center who uses this line for all their data and voice was not satisfied so we had to run a brand new cable the following day.

I just got back from a trip to Colorado for my brother's wedding but I'm going to hold off on a write up until I get some of the pictures from the wedding photographer.

Custom Neckware for the Soon Unemployed

They let us know this week that the project at work is winding down and that depending on the decisions by higher-ups they may terminate my team in 1-3 months--sigh. There is a slight chance I'll be kept on as on for other projects as I am one of the most senior members but we'll see. The important thing is I'll always have this dry-erase mural of this job to remember it by.

You'll find me in the center with my stylish short beard. This mural has been in progress for over a month but it was just barely finished to include the whole office--well what is left of us. Mirielle drew most of them and a co-worker started giving them teeth, red lips, and blue eyes. Once that co-worker left to dental school I took over and even drew one of the portraits--Ramsey, the man with a big beard.

I also started a new project this week which will perhaps transform into a hobby. My friend June offered her help and taught me how to make bow-ties. This is the result:

I felt a little like a Chippendale dancer while taking this picture.

I'm happy with how it turned out and have the fabric for two more: a yellow honeycomb, and a red with white polka-dot. June helped me considerably with this one so we'll see how two and three turn out; once I master the bow-tie I'll try my hand at full neckties.

Florida and Back Again

As some of you know my parents had recently decided to move away from Florida and into a home on Center Street in Provo. This last week was when the sale became final on my childhood home and in exchange for helping my parents driving a moving truck cross county they flew me down to say good bye.

It was eerie to be back in Florida for so long; seeing my old haunt brought back many memories that otherwise would have never come up. Packing the house took most of my two days but I was able to drive around and eat dim-sum lunch with a few friends whom I rarely see. 

We hit the beach on Sunday before church to say farewell to the Atlantic. Church was a strange mix of the familiar and strangers; a few people there I had known for years but there were many whom I have never seen. My parents both spoke and both cried and later that day there was a farewell party open house in which I knew very little people.

On Monday we started to drive. Florida had terribly narrow roads and mixing that with us still learning to handle the thirty-foot truck equaled to terror. As we came into Georgia I was dumbstruck with how beautiful it was--this feeling continued to intensify as we came into Tennessee the next day and drove past serene lakes flanked by dramatic cliff faces and southern greenery all gently blanketed in just enough mist to create a sense of magic.

We continued through  Kentucky and Illinois where we stopped in the town of Metropolis, IL--the self proclaimed home of Superman. We ate a delightfully mid-western meal with wonder-bread and all.

We continued through Missouri and had a slight delay due to the truck engine but it was sorted out quickly and we pushed through Kansas and into Denver the following day.

St. Louis Gateway Arch from I-70

We spent the next day with family in Denver as everyone was present save one brother and his family. I also got to finally meet my new sister-in-law, Jen, as she married into the family about a week ago.

Then on Friday my mother and I did the final leg through Wyoming and on to Utah. We unloaded the whole truck into storage units since my parents don't close on their new house for a few weeks and I finally was home and excited to get back onto a normal schedule.

I may not know what I want to do with my life but I do know that its not being a trucker.

Rooftops and Stuff

In Provo, the first Friday of every month during the Summer is host to the Provo Rooftop Concert Series. It is outside (avoiding the stink), free, and yet still manages to get some great bands out. The most memorable concert for me was last year when they did a tribute concert to Tom Petty in which several local band-members (including the singer of Neon Trees) took turns singing various Tom Petty songs--climaxing in "Free Fallin" which somehow the singers all forgot the lyrics and skipped half the song.

This is mostly a filler post. I have a second interview with Provo City on Monday for a part time position in the IT department which I'm hoping to get. I'm going to Florida on the 9th and helping my parents drive out to Provo so here's hoping something fun will happen. At the very least I'll be going to a couple temples on the way.