Laughing with Seinfeld

Sara and I went to see Jerry Seinfeld on Saturday. We went with Shauna and Jean because it was Jean's birthday, and really how much excuse do you have to have to go see Jerry on tour? It's almost a once in a lifetime event.

The concert was at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, and lucky for me, my BYU parking pass let me park for free only 3 blocks away. Unlucky for me, after we parked there, I found out that we could have parked a lot closer for free! Oh well, such is life.

The show was opened by Tom Papa (his website). And he was on fire. He was literally one of the funniests comedians I've ever heard and all his stuff was on. Then Jerry came out, of course the crowd went nuts for him.

Seinfeld started out a little weak, and I was afraid that I was going to be disappointed overall, but he got into his groove and had us laughing in only a few minutes. By the end of the show, I felt good about it and was very glad I had made the trip.

Here are some action shots (as always you can click for larger):

Cabin Fever

A couple weekends ago Chad and I decided to go up to his families cabin. We figured it was a good time to go and that hopefully most of the snow would be melted. There were a few patches of snow still up there, but nothing crazy. The weather was perfect and the bugs were minimal. We took our very handsome nephews, Josh and Parker, along for the ride. We chopped wood, played games, and Josh even attempted to light the fire the good ol' fashioned boy scout way. When that didn't work, we switched to the girl scout way with lighter fluid and matches. The lake up there was so full, it was even pouring into the overflow. Nancy Falls (as we like to call it) was flowing like crazy. Here are some fun pictures:







When I was shooting our sniper rifle (aka a bb gun), I managed to do the unthinkable and unmanageable...I shot down two cans at once! Chad got it on camera, thanks to his trigger happy finger and his love for continuous mode.

We played Sorry and for the first time, I actually won! For those who don't know me very well, I love to play board games, but I suck at them. I always lose! So when I actually won, I was so surprised. I had Chad take a picture of this memorable moment.

Overall, it was a great time at the cabin. Right now we're trying to get our four wheeler up and running, so when that's ready to go, we'll have even greater times up at the cabin!

Warning Thoughts on Political Subjects

Be warned, the following items discuss items of a political nature.

***

 

Good riddance to Chris Cannon our non-representative to Congress for the last dozen years. I was pleased as punch to go in and vote for Jason Chaffetz, a man who at least has a plan to represent what his constituents care for.

Cannon, who has shown that he is also a jerk in defeat, claims that he is happy to have been given the boot by the people of Utah County. Well, I have news for you, so are we! That's why you didn't just lose, but lost in a land slide.

***

 

I was excited to learn today that the Supreme Court stood up for the Constitution today when they declared that the text written in the original amendments was still valid. You see, "progressive" (I don't think it's a party thing, I think it's a lack of intellect thing) politicians were attempting to be progressive by erasing the Second Amendment. Washington DC has banned that portion of the constitution for over 30 years! But the Supreme Court stepped in today and said 'no more'.

As a gun owner myself I welcome this ruling. I think it's good for the country and even better for the people of Washington DC who for the last 30 years have suffered in the murder capital of the United States without any legal means of providing the last line of defense.

Movie Review: Get Smart

Sara and I decided to go see Get Smart last weekend. We both love Steve Carell (and Dwayne Johnson!) especially on the office (probably one of the best television shows of all time). And it looked pretty funny. Of course, critics panned it. But here is the big secret of the movie, it is hilarious!

We watched it in a crowded theater and it was nearly non-stop laughter, and not just be me. The whole audience was laughing. The movie is based on the old television show of the same name, which was a little before my time. I know I caught a few reruns, but I was never a big fan, so I cannot comment on how close it is to the original, but it really doesn't matter. A movie can be extremely faithful to the tv show it's based on, but still not be that entertaining (see Miami Vice).

This movie excels because it was made funny first. Carell plays Maxwell Smart, a man who works for a spy agency as an analyst. He desperately wants to become a field agent. When he gets his chance, he must work with beautiful (and far more experienced) Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Together they must stop a nuclear arms deal and attack by their arch nemesis KAOS.

Carell and Hathaway have a passing on-screen chemistry, but they are both seemingly charming people in real life, which really makes them endearing. The rest of the cast is packed with big names, like Alan Arkin, James Caan, Bill Murray and more.

This was a fantastic comedy movie. I definitely encourage everyone to go out and enjoy it for what it is. A summer comedy. 4 stars

Utah finally admits that it's only 2nd best

My wife captured this image while out driving today and I thought it was perfect. I'm glad to see that the driver of this vehicle recognizes the position that the U of U athletics hold. You see, as long as BYU maintains it's athletic department the UofU will always be known as the "b" team.

Of course, they're just hoping that the UVU doesn't start up a football team or they could seriously find themselves falling to the 'C' team!

haha!

Movie 23: Back to the Future

Back to the Future is one of the quintessential 80's moves, in fact, we bought it to play at my 80's themed birthday party. We never ended up having time to play the movie, but it has become a welcomed member of our movie library.

In the movie, Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) is friends with an eccentric scientist/inventor, Doc. When Doc invents a time-machine in a DeLorean, Marty is sent back to 1955 and prevents his parents from meeting and falling in love, putting his very existence at risk.

The movie isn't particularly heavy on science or anything, which is fine, heck, it was a 1985 comedy! And it was well loved in it's day. It was huge. The nice thing is that it has really held up well. Michael J. Fox is as charming now as he was then, nothing is too cheesy, as often happens with older movies. It's just a good movie about believing in yourself.

I am glad we have this movie and give it a solid 3.5 stars.

Bridal Pictures

I know I've been married for four years, but I never got bridal pictures done. Chad talked me in to getting some, even though it's been sooo long. I felt kinda weird doing it, but it was fun and I'm glad I did. Chad, this will be probably the only time you'll hear this, but you were right! Here are some pictures my mom took.








I can't wait to see the professional pictures!

Movie 23: Back to the Future

The year is 1985 and Marty McFly is your everyday teenager, except for one problem. He is stuck in 1955. After his good friend Doc Emmett Brown is gunned down, Marty ends up sending the DeLorean back thirty years into the past. Now, he must find the Doc and convince him that he is from the future, in order for the Doc to send him back to the future, but this is the least of Marty's problem. After accidentally getting in the way of the important meeting between his future mother and father, Marty must get them back together before he changes time forever, and destroys his own existence.

It's been many years since I've seen this movie. It was actually quite fun to watch it again. I'm not the biggest fan of Steven Spielberg, but this is a pretty good movie. It's fun and enjoyable. It's full of some awkward yet funny moments. How awkward would it be to have your parent think you're hot and hit on you? The cast is great and they all fit perfectly into their roles. The plot is fun; it's a little over the top and there are some "yeah right" moments, especially in the end when Marty gets back. How likely is he to get his car up to 88 miles per hour and hit the cord right when the lightning strikes the tower?? You'd have to be there at the right second or it wouldn't work. But whatever, it's just a movie.

My rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Conference in Florida

So I was at a exciting conference last week in Florida. I thought I'd share some pictures from the fabulous event!

Here is the "booth" that our company provided. It's not a lavish as usual, but this was a smaller conference. Now if this was the grand ALA, then it would crazy as all get out. I caught Julianne as she was eating her breakfast (which was provided by the Hyatt Hotel).

The following are some fun pictures of me and also of the beautiful scenery in Jacksonville, Florida.

Of course the trip wouldn't be complete with some good ol' cookin'! So we had to go to the Waffle House.

I also went to a place called Flamers (honestly, that's it's name!). I was so greasy, but sooo good!

Couple more items to note...(I know this is already long...) First, there were rocking chairs at the airport in Jacksonville. Sweet! I have seem some before at the Ashville, NC airport. It was a great idea. Hats off to whoever thought of that idea!

Lastly, I had thought my brother Tony and his family had moved to Washington for him to be a Physical Therapist Assistant. Apparently, I was way wrong! I have found proof of Tony's "real" job which he has tried to keep hidden. I found you out, Tony! Here is the proof**:


He actually makes bags for McDonald's...I must say, he did a fabulous job! None of my food fell out of my bag as I was running through the airport to make it to my connecting flight. Thanks Tony for a job well done! My tummy thanks you. In case you can't see, there is a stamp in the middle of the bag that says T. Wyatt.

**Editor's Note: Tony really does live in Washington as a Physical Therapist Assistant. I just saw the stamp on the bag and thought it was funny.

Craziness in Florida

So I was just in Florida last week for a conference for work. I was in my hotel getting ready to get on the elevator. A guy came out and was waiting for the elevator, too. He said hi to me, so I said hi back. We then get on the elevator where he asks me where I am from. I tell him I am from Utah. I honestly wish I had a camera or could get video footage from the surveillance camera because there is honestly no way to portray the shocked looked on this guy's face. He got bugged eyed and his mouth fell open a little bit. He then says to me, "I was not expecting that." Some where in between his freaking out he told me he was from Savannah, Georgia. He was quiet pretty much the rest of the ride, and we then got off of the elevator. As he was heading for the exit and I was heading for the fitness room, he turns to me again and says, "I have to be honest, I was really NOT expecting that." I just smiled and went on my way.

I had no clue how to respond to that. I have never had such a reaction to me telling someone I'm from Utah. I did say in the elevator (after I saw his face) that I grew up in California, but I think he was in too much shock to process that information. I'm not sure if he was expecting me to look different, like a polygamist or something, or maybe he thinks that people don't actually live in Utah or what the heck he was thinking. I wish I knew. It was so crazy.

I actually ran in to him the next morning as we were getting on the elevator. He actually talked to me again, which surprised me, but he didn't make as much eye contact as he did BEFORE he found out I was from UTAH. He did ask me how my work out was and I asked him how his night was, but then he went on his way back to Georgia (where they must think crazy things about people from Utah) and I never saw him again. I wish I would have asked him why he had such a shocked reaction. If you are reading this, shocked guy from Georgia, why were you so freaked out??

Just so people know, people do live in Utah, we look normal (for the most part), and not all of us are polygamists (just some). Thank you.

Monday Madness - Childish People

Good Monday Morning. There's not really that much good to it. I had to drop Sara off at the airport this morning, she'll be going to a conference all week in Jacksonville Florida. It's bad enough that I have to see her off for a couple of days, but having to do it at 4am is just not right.

Attached is a picture of Sara at the airport. Savvy readers will recognize that this is not a recent photo, because Sara is wearing her glasses. Since she had Lasik Eye surgery last year Sara has not needed glasses. But this is a photo taken last year when Sara went to Chicago for an on-site project. I just can't wait until she gets back.

***

Now, on to a little Monday Madness. I thought I'd talk about people who behave rudely and/or childishly.

Who better to start with than the LA Fakers err Lakers. I've watched with great glee as the Lakers have looked absolutely astounded on the court for the past two games against the Celtics. The Lakers were obviously cherry-picked by the NBA to represent the West and were seemingly given the benefit of the doubt on every questionable call through the Western Conference Playoffs. But now that the NBA has what it wants, a revival of the rivalry between the mighty television markets they no longer care which side gets the calls, or so it seems to me. I love watching Bryant, Gasol, and Fisher look on in disbelief as the whistles they have become so reliant upon have been silenced.

I had added another section on people who hate Utah. I cannot understand those people. There are 4 types: 1. Grew Up in Utah, Active Mormon. 2. Grew Up in Utah, inactive or non-Mormon. 3. Moved to Utah, Active Mormon. and 4. Moved to Utah, inactive or non-Mormon. Each group has it's pretty stereotypical reasons for hating Utah, and I am interested in examining those reasons further, but this isn't the right time or place. Suffice it to say I think Utah is a beautiful State with amazing natural resources that range from Mountains and skiing, fishing, hiking, camping, to deserts with outstanding natural rock formations, striking colors, and so much more. Not only that, but our jobless rate is a full 2 points less than the national average, our economy is still going quite strong and we have one of the most prestigious universities in the Nation in Brigham Young University which is even now discovering key advances that will one day, hopefully, make cures for AIDS more effective.

Making a Move

You may have noticed, if you've visited the Clogg recently that I'm making a bit of a move and a few changes. First, I've changed the address of the Clogg to http://blog.chadcluff.com - this enables me to still use my awesome domain name, but also to take advantage of many of the new features that Blogger is coming up with. If you have been looking at http://www.chadcluff.com/blog/ or http://www.chadcluff.com/blog.html you'll want to update your bookmarks (or your home page if it's set there! ha-ha). For those of you who are savvy and cool and you syndicate, you can subscribe to the feed with: http://blog.chadcluff.com/feeds/posts/default - it's great for adding to Thunderbird, myyahoo, Google, or an rss reader of your choice.

You'll also notice a different layout - I've switched to a default theme for now, while I work on redesigning the layout of the whole chadcluff.com experience. I'm also working on creating some new tools and some new features that I think will be fun, for a sneak peak, look at the almost completed book library: http://www.chadcluff.com/media/books.php we're a little more than half way done putting in our books, and I'm about 3/4 of the way done with the webdesign.

Let me know what you think.

Movie 22: Big Fish

Most Tim Burton films are a little weird to me. I like them, but they have such weird factors. This movie definitely had some odd things, but it worked so well. This is the first Tim Burton film that I walked away from feeling touched. It's a beautiful movie with a touching and wonderful story. I love the message from it. I also really enjoyed the acting. I love Ewan McGregor in this film. I think I could have done without seeing Danny DeVito's butt, but it was still a great movie. It's not a movie I could watch over and over again because it's emotional and a lot to process, but it's definitely worth seeing.

My rating: 4.5 stars

Great News from the Mountain

DirecTV has finally announced it's final plans for the MTN. The channel that covers Mountain West Conference sports, or really, BYU Sports, because BYU is literally the only team that matters in the MWC.

The channel will begin airing on DirecTV on August 27, it will be on channel 616.

According to their website DirecTV will be available in the MWC on the basic package, and the sports pack everywhere else.

The Mtn. will be available on DIRECTV's Choice and above packages for the states and DMAs servicing Mountain West Conference institutions: Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming plus the markets of Dallas/Fort Worth and San Diego. Customers throughout the remainder of the county will be able to access The Mtn. with a subscription to DIRECTV's SportsPack.

This is fantastic news and I can't wait to get it.

Read more here [DirecTV.com]

Monday Madness

I think it's madness how much work we did on Saturday! But to good effect.

Many of you may remember that we had our front steps replaced about a year ago. Well, to do that they had to tear up our grass in the strip of land we had between the drive-way and the steps. Since the steps were replaced, we haven't done anything with it.

We finally got to work and put in a beautiful waterfall with a small water basin at the end. I think it looks pretty good, and we gathered all the rock from the surrounding hill sides, so it didn't cost us a thing, thanks to Sara's dad providing a left over pond liner he had.