Bye bye Brooke

Well I'm glad Brooke went home. She was getting more and more painful to watch with each passing week. I'm getting tired of Jason, or dreadlocks as I like to call him, but I guess I'll have to suffer another week.

As far as Seacrest's defense of Paula at the beginning of the show, I don't believe a word of it. Paula has come to the show drunk in the past and yesterday I could smell the alcohol through the TV. If it was true that she was in fact sober she desperately needs a(nother) psychological evaluation.

The new Jordan

I'm not talking about Kobe or Lebron here. I'm talking about Tim Duncan. The guy has made some clutch shots, but he resembles Jordan in a more meaningful way. Duncan gets the calls. In the past few minutes of this game I have seen Duncan trip himself and get a foul called on Shaq. I've seen him kick the ball out of bounds and get the refs to give it back to the Spurs. I've seen him almost fall to the floor after Shaq may have touched his eyebrows and get another foul on the big man. It's one thing to win a good game, but to have the officials decide who wins this game is ludicrous. Duncan has certainly fallen from grace since David Robinson retired, but what can you expect when his elder statesman is now Robert Horry, or Cheap shot Rob as I like to call him.

A Fun-Filled Weekend

We were so happy to have Grandma Powell visit this weekend. First it must be said that she drove down from Salt Lake on her own. Now I know this doesn’t sound that big but for my mom it is. She had never driven farther than Provo on her own so it is a major accomplishment. Way to go Mom! She came because I was throwing a Cookie Lee Jewelry Party. I was very happy that the party went off great and lots of people came and had fun and, of course, enjoyed some delicious cheesecake. I think I am an alright cook, but I must say, when it comes to cheesecakes, I am moving up into “Desert Chef” status. Then again, I have made them a lot so I better be getting good at them by now.

Spencer had his preschool “End of the Year” Celebration on Friday and surprised us all by actually singing the songs during their performance. Spencer isn’t much of a singer (still can’t sing the ABC’s) so this was a wonderful treat to his Dad and I. He has grown so much this year in preschool and I am just so thankful for his 2 teachers. As corny as it sounds, they are truly touching lives. Spencer’s last day is on Thursday and I am pretty sure that it is going to be hard on him. He really has come to love his classmates and his teachers and I am sure he will miss them.

We fly out on Sunday to Indiana / Kentucky to look for our house and to attend Jacob’s Graduation. I can’t believe it is finally here. I am so excited to get to see old friends again. I also can’t believe that we are buying a house. It just seems so grown-up. After living a rather transit life for 4 years this will be quite the big step for us. I go back and forth from being totally excited to totally freaked out. Such is life.

NBA on TNT: enjoy the comfort of your own home with a view from the nosebleeds

Could someone please tell me who the brains are behind this camera angle on TNT that moves along the court in an attempt to give me a fans view of the game? I can't stand it. Not only does it make me nauseous, but half the time you can't even tell what's happening on the floor.

Why Sloan will never be coach of the year.

With the Spurs safely up by 15 over the Suns Phoenix makes back to back baskets. Popovich calls a timeout, stops the Suns flow and safely gets his lead back up to 16 points. Similar situation in the Jazz game tonight. Jazz are up by 16 and Houston makes two threes back to back does Sloan call a timeout to stop the bleeding? No of course not, I think we should just go ahead and trust the players who allowed Houston two wide open threes in the first place. Houston comes down and Mutumbo gets a dunk to cut the lead to 8, does Sloan call a timeout now? Nope not yet. The Jazz trade a pair of baskets before Houston hits another 3. Does Sloan call a timeout now? Of course not. Trade a couple more baskets and the Rockets come down with a 6 point deficit and miss a 3 that would have cut it to 3. Does Sloan call a timeout now? Well duh, the run is over so why not stop time now to let the Rockets get things back together. The damage has been done and the Jazz finish the quarter out of sorts, up by 5 with no momemtum. That is some good coaching there Jerry.

Almost done

It’s been a while since I wrote a formal weekly email (and it may be a while before the next one). We finally got the laptop back so I am able to write while watching TV. I do my best composure with television in the background and tonight it’s the American Idol results show (with the Celtics then Lakers during commercial breaks).

Starting with AI I have watched 90% of the shows this year and have actually enjoyed some of them (not as much as most other things on TV, but since we only have one dish receiver I’m stuck with it). I enjoyed David Archuletta’s rendition of “Think of Me” last night as much as I can remember enjoying any performance on American Idol (I have been accused of having a short memory). I also can’t remember disagreeing with Simon, but I sure did last night with that performance. I sure hope David Archuletta and David Cook make it to the final because I really think I could enjoy that night as I have enjoyed everything the two of them has sung since the show started again for it’s 17th season (I know it feels like 18 but trust me it has only been 17 seasons). I hope you’re as excited as I am for next week’s Neil Diamond night (I know Becca is).

The Spurs have become the Lakers of Kobe and Shaq. I, for one, was a fan of those Lakers but many people hated them for coasting through the regular season before turning it up a notch come playoff time. Why do people not hate the Spurs for doing the same thing this year? This team currently beating the Suns is amazing, but it isn’t the same team that coasted until the final game in the regular season. I see through the smoke and mirrors and hate them for what they are. Is it just me or has Tim Duncan gotten more whiny with each and every year? When the Spurs won their first title Duncan was as quiet as a lamb and never showed any emotion, now he wines after every play that goes bad for the Spurs (and even some that go well). I wish somebody would just go up and poke those giant bug eyes he displays after ever missed shot.

Things are still going great in Cedar City. I’m looking forward to finishing my final rotation of medical school next Wednesday. Ortho has been really good and if I was going to be a surgeon I would definitely go into orthopedics, or maybe plastics. I feel much more comfortable looking at xrays and dealing with fracture care now so that is good.

We’re looking forward to a week away from the kids starting a week from Sunday. We’ll be flying out to look for a house in South Bend then finishing the week in Pikeville for graduation (can’t wait for that).

Kristian is finally starting to walk with more regularity. He still prefers to crawl, but will willingly walk across the room and often toddles into the kitchen to bother his mother when she making dinner, or washing dishes, or cleaning the counters. Melissa tends to keep busy 24 hours a day (except for Tuesdays and Wednesdays when that number dips to 22 and 23 hours respectively).

Spencer finishes up his first year of school (preschool) this next Thursday (I get to be done before him). It has been great having him in school. The other day he got into trouble and asked his teacher not to put him in the thinking chair (timeout) because his mom and dad would be sad if he was put in the thinking chair and he would have to tell us. He was put in the chair, but his teacher told him that she would smooth things over with us. The story was quite enough to soften mom and dad wasn’t sad at all.

Jessi is going on her 10th month of potty training. She was doing really well until this week rolled around and I don’t think she has made it to the toilet once since Monday. I am going crazy and I’m only around in the evenings. We’re thinking about using our first paycheck on a truckload of diapers and trying this potty thing again just before kindergarten starts.

You can learn more about Melissa’s trying week in her post on the blog so I’ll let you go there. Stay tuned for more American Idol critiques and NBA playoff commentary.

Having a Melissa Moment

So today I was delivering invitations for a party that I am hosting on Saturday. I had to go up the canyon to deliver one. I finally found the place (it is up by Milts and off the road a bit) and was must say I was rather proud of myself that I found it only after having driven by it once. So I get up to the door and find that the intended recipient isn't at home. Oh well, I left it at the door and started back to the car.

Before 3 steps I notice my pockets don't feel like my keys are in them. So I frantically start patting my pockets and realize my before hypothesis was now a conclusion. So I am at the car now and see my keys sitting on the seat. Cursing the fact that I grew up in West Valley City and always lock my doors I hope against hope and grab the door handle. No such luck. (I didn't think there was much but I sure was hoping.) So I walked around the car and checked every door. For I second I thought about throwing a rock through the window but then came to the conclusion that although that might solve my current problem it would probably make a much greater problem when I get home.

Suddenly I remembered that I have a cell phone in my pocket. I was elated. I whipped it out and dialed Jacob and then came the biggest disappointment of all. It wouldn't dial. Unfortunately, when one is up the Canyon, one does not have cell phone coverage. So after fighting back a fit of hysteria I decided to start hiking it down the canyon holding my cell high above my head hoping that I would get coverage before I got back to Cedar. (About 4 miles) So I walked for about 15-20 minutes down the canyon. I must say I held it together alright for about the first 5 minutes. The next few I had a few tears roll down my cheeks. By the time I got a window of reception (about 20 feet, Thank Heaven) I was crying pretty freely.

So once Jacob calmed me down enough to be able to understand where I was and that I was stranded he came to my rescue. Funny to note, that while I was trying to get reception no one stopped. Once I got reception and Jacob started on his way 2 people stopped to see if I needed a lift. Oh well, I am just grateful for that 20 foot range of reception and that Jacob was not well today and home to rescue me.

So that is my Moment for the day. It still hasn't gotten to the point where I can laugh at it yet but I am hoping over the next few days I will get there.

Playoffs

Now that the playoffs have been set it's time to predict the winners.

In the east everything will go strictly seeds leading to the Celtics in the finals. Pretty boring there, but what you gonna do.

Now we come to the west:

Lakers over Nuggets in 5.

Mavericks over Hornets in 6.

Suns over Spurs in 5.

Jazz over Rockets in 5.

Second round:

Jazz take the Lakers in 6 games (Derek Fisher admits that his daughter could have gotten treatment on the East coast while living in SLC just as easy as living in LA he just didn't see any upside to the Jazz.)

Suns over Mavericks in 5.

Western Conference finals:

Jazz over Suns in 7 (home team wins each game until the Jazz prevail in game 7 in Phoenix).

Finals:

Jazz over Celtics in 5 games.

Stealing Cinderella

Chuck Wicks won't let me post his mosic video here so this one will have to do. Everytime I hear this song it almost brings me to tears and someday I'm going play this song for Jessi's beau (when she's 30 of course).



We really need another girl.

NBA Playoffs

With the playoffs a few short days away let me give you my predictions. As the pairings are not yet set I can't go round by roung (maybe Friday), but I can name my champion.

Of course in the East I am going with the Celtics. I see them getting to the finals in 15 games (4 in the first round, 5 in the second, and 6 in the third).

In the West I am hedging my bets. At some point the Jazz will face the Suns and the winner of that series (7 games) will represent the Western Conference in the finals and go on to beat the Celtics in 6 games.

So there you have it folks, it's the Suns or the Jazz this year.

Basketball, Hillary and a little Carpentry

I never thought I would actually enjoy NBA games more than the NCAA tournament, but I've got to say I did this year. I never really got into College Basketball this year (oh yeah congratulations Justin on your win). Some of it was probably that as we are in Cedar we have better things to do than sit around and watch basketball every Saturday. Of course the match and all that led up to it didn't help me immerse myself in March Madness. The fact that the Western Conference playoff race is incredible and that the Jazz have won just enough to keep me from writing off this season has helped as well. In the end though the College game was just too sloppy. I was all excited for the final four with 4 stellar teams then I watched the UNC-Kansas game. What a pathetic excuse for basketball that was. I saw so many turnovers and poor shots I thought I might vomit (watch out for that feeling a little bit later in the blog). Say what you want about the excitement of the college game, but in the end I'm going with the crisp play of the Western Conference over any last second shot in this year's pathetic final four.

So I find it somewhat interesting that Hillary has been caught embellishing her stories as of late and that she is blaming her sources for not giving her correct information. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't she already used that excuse in the past? Oh right, that was when she tried to defend her vote to go to war with the rest of congress. I can't wait to see what tales she spins this week.

I'm in the second week of my final medical school rotation (It's been a long tunnel but the light sure is nice). I'm doing Orthopedics this month and it has been pretty good. I've seen a lot of x-rays and I'm not quite as lost when looking at MRI scans as I used to be. I enjoy the operating room quite a bit as with most of my other surgery rotations. Ortho is essentially carpentry on the body. The tools are all the same ones you find in most men's garages, just a little shinier and much more expensive. You have the drill with numerous rechargeable batteries and the screwdriver that looks like it could have been picked-up at the dollar store (but probably cost well over $100). I could probably do without the splatter from the bone saw on my glasses, but there's nothing quite like the feeling of pounding a steel rod into someones tibia with a steel mallet. I've also decided during the past week that we will never own a trampoline or a dog. In just one week I have seen far too many finger problems from leash accidents and quite a number of kids with trampoline induced fractures.

Stay tuned for future stories from the OR.

Take this Jon Stewart

I am an avid fan of Jon Stewart and The Daily Show (the KKK interns were priceless last week) and I even agree with him more than I would like to admit, but I can't pass up the opportunity to trash the Democratic party.

2008 Democratic National Convention
Schedule of Events
7:00 pm ~ OPENING FLAG BURNING
7:15 pm ~ PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE U. N.
7:20 pm ~TED KENNEDY PROPOSES A TOAST
7:25 pm ~ NON RELIGIOUS PRAYER AND WORSHIP -Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton
7:45 pm ~ CEREMONIAL TREE HUGGING -Darryl Hannah
7:55 pm ~TED KENNEDY PROPOSES A TOAST
8:00 pm ~ HOW I INVENTED THE INTERNET-Al Gore
8:15 pm ~ GAY WEDDING PLANNING -Rosie O'Donnell
8:35 pm ~TED KENNEDY PROPOSES A TOAST
8:40 pm ~ OUR TROOPS ARE WAR CRIMINALS -John Kerry
9.00 pm ~ MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR SADDAM AND HIS SONS -Cindy Sheehan and Susan Sarandon10:00 pm ~ "ANSWERING MACHINE ETIQUETTE" -Alec Baldwin
11:00 pm ~TED KENNEDY PROPOSES A TOAST
11:05 pm ~ COLLECTION FOR THE OSAMA BIN LADEN KIDNEY TRANSPLANT FUND -Barbara Streisand
11:15 pm ~ FREE THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS FROM GUANTANAMO BAY -Sean Penn
11:30 pm ~ OVAL OFFICE AFFAIRS -William Jefferson Clinton
11:45 pm ~TED KENNEDY PROPOSES A TOAST
11:50 pm ~ HOW GEORGE BUSH BROUGHT DOWN THE WORLD TRADE TOWERS -Howard Dean
12:15 am ~ "TRUTH IN BROADCASTING AWARD" -Presented to Dan Rather by Michael Moore12:25 am ~TED KENNEDY PROPOSES A TOAST
12:30 am ~ SATELLITE ADDRESS -Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
12:45 am ~ NOMINATION OF HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON -Nancy Pelosi
1:00 am ~TED KENNEDY PROPOSES A TOAST
1:05 am ~ CORONATION OF HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
1:30 am ~TED KENNEDY PROPOSES A TOAST
1:35 am ~ BILL CLINTON ASKS TED KENNEDY TO DRIVE HILLARY HOME