One Year of Service

Erica got to pick out a one year of service award from her employer. So, she picked out this Cheese Board Set:

Stop on by for wine and cheese, anytime!

Where Did the Year Go?

A year ago tomorrow was my first official day at work in Salt Lake City.

I think I announced it, but if you haven't heard, I am staying here for one more year.

This is Why You're Fat

See over the top food creations at thisiswhyyourefat.com They include the "30,000 Calorie Sandwich" made of minced beef, bacon, corn dogs, ham, pastrami, roast beef, bratwurst, Braunschweiger, turkey, fried mushrooms, with onion rings and five varieties of cheese, served on white bread and the Pake (pictured), a pie inside a cake.

Build Your Own Library of Classic eBooks - FREE

Each week from July 16, 2010 - September 14, 2010, Barnes & Noble will make a limited selection of Barnes & Noble Classics eBooks available at no charge. The titles will change weekly and will be determined in Barnes & Noble's sole discretion. To learn more about which Classics are available, go to www.bn.com/freelibrary each week. In order to take advantage of this offer, customers must have a valid bn.com account and BN eReader enabled device.

This weeks classics include: Beowolf, Emma, Great Expectations, Last of the Mohicans, Sense and Sensibility, War of the Worlds, etc. Chris is reading the classic Treasure Island on his nook right now.

Pioneer Day

On this day in 1847, the Mormon Pioneers settled in the Salt Lake City valley. Thus, Pioneer Day, which is a state holiday. Most people think of it as a sort of second 4th of July weekend here in UT. Many local businesses give their employees the day off and state agencies are closed.

There are pancake breakfasts, rodeos, a parade (It was broadcast on tv this morning. The floats were pretty impressive and spectators sleep overnight on the parade route to get a good spot), Brigham's Ball (don't forget your pioneer outift!), and fireworks tonight.

What this means for us: we can't buy alcohol today and there are more Mormons in town than usual (1,000s in fact, from all over the state and across the country).

Days of '47 Parade

Epic Brewing

We stumbled upon a new brewery in Salt Lake City, Epic Brewing

It seems they just started mass production earlier this year and can't quite keep up with the local demand. Chris was really excited to stop by the brewing facility tonight and pick up some IPA. But, they only have wheat, stout, and lager in the cooler today. I guess we just have to wait for another time. I think all beer and liquor stores are closed tomorrow for Pioneer Day (more on that tomorrow), so it looks like we are off to the State Liquor Store tonight instead. Sad face.

Outsourced

NBC is premiering a new show, Outsourced, this fall. I thought the trailer was really funny, probably because everything at work has been outsourced to India and the Philippines the past 6 months or so. I hope the show is good. The premiere is September 23.

Homemade Onesies

Erica's co-worker is having a baby in September. His name will be Xander. There is sort of a pirate theme at the office, so that's the inspiration for the pirate designs.

The designs were printed on transfer paper and ironed on.

Bike Mechanic

Chris has been working on the bike all afternoon. He took the cranks and sprockets off, cleaned everything, put on new tires, and now new bar tape.
Sent from my BlackBerry

Off site Meeting at Rio Tinto Stadium.

I am an associate judge for Humana's Utah Communities Benefit. We are narrowing down our applicant pool to 3 non-profits that meet our goals of childhood health and education, family wellness and active lifestyles, and health literacy for diverse populations and seniors.

The winner will be awarded a $100,000 grant.

Rio Tinto Stadium is home to Real Salt Lake. They were the Major League Soccer Champions last year.

The room is filled with concentration.

That is Julie smiling in the picture. We are in the Budweiser room just judging away. It is much more difficult than I thought!

Numb

I (Erica) am having issues with my feet going numb while bike riding. Anyone else have this problem? Toes all the way up past the balls of my feet go numb. Once I get off the bike, they get better quickly, but then turn numb again as soon as I start back up. Happens mostly when I climb. Today was particularly bad since we were biking up City Creek Canyon. Made it half way up when I couldn't take the numbness anymore.

Biked a total of 15.2 miles in all.

ekamai

Chris has been wanting to try ekamai since it opened earlier this year. Today was the day. It is right across the street from the farmer's market.

Massamun Curry & Pad Prik Khing Chicken.

This is a picture of Chris's food. Erica also had Massamun Curry, and the Yellow Curry and Red Curry. It was really good. We will be back.

We rode our bikes to the farmers market this morning.

We valeted our bikes and strolled the market. We got a deal on locally grown bing cherries at $2/lb. Erica has been eyeing up the mint limeade stand, but the line was really long today. So, we took our cherries and sat in the shade and listened to a bluegrass group called the Dry Lake Band.

Modest Mouse!

We are at the first Salt Lake City Twilight Concert Series concert of the year. Free Modest Mouse isn't bad at all. The place was packed. 50,000 people showed up. Chris flew in Wednesday night and worked from the apartment Thursday & Friday so we could go together.

Avi Buffalo

Avi Buffalo opened for Modest Mouse. Great people watching at the concert.

With most members still in high school, Avi Buffalo are the youngest signees to legendary Sub-Pop Records. What originally began as the solo project of singer/guitarist Avi Zahner-Insenberg, eventually became a quartet, with band members meeting at Milikan High School in Long Beach, California. One of the most buzzed about bands of the year, NPR describes the band as having drawn inspiration from “experimental folk, jazz and Beach Boys-esque harmonies” and having a “reverb-intensive summer sound, with intricate song structures and a timeless feel.” Avi Buffalo’s self-titled debut was offically releasted this past spring. -http://www.slcgov.com/arts/twilight/lineup.htm

Saw Eclipse tonight with 4 gals from work. Chris was relieved he was off the hook and didn't have to watch it with me. I have read all 4 books since I got the Nook. The Eclipse book was much better than the movie.

Crazy Clouds

We want to go for a bike ride...not so sure that is a good idea. The clouds and dark sky blew over while we were grocery shopping. Just got back from a 22 mile ride.

Jim was a Gangster

We gladly accepted some old bike jerseys and work-out hand me downs from Jim. We had a good laugh at this shirt. Jim is a Gangster of Love, indeed :)

Around the Cottage

Lake Hodstradt. The water is very low, this rock would normally be well under water. So would Erica.

River Road.

The Northwoods.

The Wisconsin River.

Biking