from the mixed-up files of a middle-aged mind

Norman "Dale" Rex January 22, 1938 - June 26, 1982 My daughter was helping me make spaghetti tonight and she wanted to break the noodles in half. Purist I am, I stopped her. And then it came back to me... It was our favorite way to break in the new missionaries. Not new in the field, but new to us. My dad would order these 48" long spaghetti noodles from Portland. I remember the two-foot long box they arrived in. They were carefully curled in half at one end which made it just possible to ease them slowly into the rapidly boiling water and cook them whole. We never ate them whole except when we had the missionaries over for dinner. Watching the 19 and 20-year-olds try to keep their white shirts clean and politely lift their forks higher and higher trying to get to the end of the noodles seemed like great fun to us kids. It must've amused my dad, too. His birthday was last Monday, January 22. Usually I make his favorite cake from scratch--spice cake with caramel frost...

With so much discussion about turning 30 and so many (too many to link) of you having babies and such, it has drawn in sharp relief the inescapable fact that I am biologically old enough to have given birth to the whole lot of you. OK, well most of you anyway (the exceptions shall remain nameless, of course). In any case, I usually try to avoid acting my age, but the effort has become futile of late. So today I'm coming out: I'm 44 and I think I'm having a midlife crisis. The good thing about this is that if you do the math, having a midlife crisis at 44 means you've still got a long way to keep going, baby. Granted you all have entire decades ahead of you before you have to worry about this, but I still feel it's my duty to prepare you for what lies ahead, Forewarned is forearmed. Or something like that. Here's a short guide to the upsides and the downsides of middle age: Downsides first: Midlife crises are a sexist phenomenon. Cases in point: Harrison Ford...

My Life. My Card. My name... never mind, most people pronounce it incorrectly anyway. Childhood ambition... to be a detective Fondest memory... probably never really happened Soundtrack... "Sweet Home Alabama" Retreat... Never. I'm a fighter not a runner Wildest dream... insomniacs don't dream Proudest moment... well, it wasn't when my 9-year-old stole a car and hopped a plane and led police on a high-speed chase Biggest challenge... juggling Alarm clock... I don't own one, but my husband's and at least two of my kids' go through snooze at least three times before they get shut off Perfect day... would have to involve lunch at Sundance First job... I was a hoer at the tender age of 12 Indulgence... homemade ice cream Last purchase... You seriously have got to smell my new lotion Favorite movie... "So I Married An Axe Murderer" Inspiration... simple things My life... is not remotely as interesting as Kate Winslet's, but th...

In what's clearly going to be the most overused phrase of the decade, it appears we have a number of historic bids for the presidency. First Mormon president aside, we could have our first woman president . . . . . . or our first African American president. At this point I might be more interested in our first woman African American president. So that's not going to happen in '08. What I truly long for is the day when one's gender or race or religion is completely a nonissue. . . . around the water cooler Someone call the wahmbulence ! I don’t mean to be unsympathetic, but to hear a guy whine about being objectified is a little over the top. Seven must be this guy's lucky number . Killer line: The window was double-paned, and had a safety bar, he said, adding that hotel officials will investigate and "will take whatever steps we have to do to ensure safety. " (Because hotel management should’ve taken better precautions against inebriated men running...

...you must see this in person. And don't miss the post of the week .

NOT! Just yesterday as my nostrils were defrosting from the arctic (no--it's actually colder here than in some places in the arctic right now) air I sent up a little prayer of thanks for things such as central heating, Milguard double insulated windows, shoes and socks, black leather gloves, cozy quilts, but especially that central heating. At precisely 3:20 a.m. I was awakened from my toasty slumber by Z~. "Mom, the power is out." Normally I'm not so worried by such an announcement, but when it's below zero outside that kind of news alarms me. I round up all the candles I can find. First order of business is to shed some light on the subject. I never go anywhere without my trusty reminder of my all-time basketball hero, Larry Bird Next we call the power company. I love calling the power company because even though our instructions during a power outage are expressly spelled out that we are to call them and inform them of the outage they always reply, "Duh,...

Hey, if you get tired of seeing things from the mixed-up files of a middle aged mind, please drop over to Z blog and take a look at things from the eyes of my favorite 15-year-old. Z~ got a digital camera for Christmas and has some interesting stories to tell. And I can guarantee he will take you to at least one place you have never before been. Enjoy!

this is my only daughter, "Susie Q" Susie Q LOVES to play in the snow this is one of Susie Q's best friends, W~ with Susie Q and one of my best friends, the Lo Down the Lo Down also happens to be favorite aunt of W~ and my favorite friend du jour for capturing these loverly Kodak moments today at Soldier Hollow Thanks Lo!

ADJECTIVE entry: 2 adjective ( so I may use the term loosely ) Function: noun : a word belonging to one of the major form classes in any of numerous languages and typically serving as a modifier of a noun to denote a quality of the thing named, to indicate its quantity or extent, or to specify a thing as distinct from something else Mirriam Webster Melancholy: January, thus far. Brilliant: The particular shade of blue of Sunday's morning sky. Interesting, Entertaining, Embarrassing: This is the last thing I would have thought about giving someone for their wedding night. Heavy: My heart. Witnessing the suffering of people I love. Witnessing the suffering of anyone, for that matter. But especially that of people I love. Validating: A book describing "How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices, and On-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place." Happy: My heart. Because while I was driving to work this morning feeling crummy about myself I was blessed with th...

Shamelessly stealing from the too long and too irrelevant survey by the Daily Herald, I want to do my own poll on your picks for "Best of Utah Valley" You can particpate even if you don't live here. You can participate even if you've never been here. (If you live in the Northwest you can tell me where to find the best of whatever in your neighborhood. I could potentially find myself in Portland sometime, desperate for a good pedicure, you know.) Have at it! Disclaimer: I have also shamelessly tried to sway your votes in just a few categories. I make no apologies, but please forgive. Best of Utah Valley People to know: Best local artist Best local painter Best local illustrator Best local poet Best local photographer Most famous B-list or lower celeb Best has-been Favorite woman to watch Best local recording artist or garage band Person most likely to bump into a celeb (people who used to live here count) Best wedding cake designer Best person to be seen with Places ...

Tomato Basil soup in Helsinki, Finland I just got my umpteenth chain e-mail. This one is a recipe exchange. Been there. Done that. But I've got a better idea. How about a recipe chain post? Here's how I hope it will work. I will post a most delicious soup recipe. Then each of you will contribute your favorite soup recipe as a comment. I'm thinking that if weren't for the fact that it's almost the weekend (we all know everyone goes back to their real lives on weekends) we could potentially have a month's worth of meals if everyone plays along. How? Well, if we get at least 15 recipes and each batch of soup makes enough for two meals, you can eat half one night and freeze the rest. And that could take care of all the cooking required for the rest of the month of January. Cool! Any players? I'll start. White Bean Chili this is a kid friendly soup--even my kids who won't eat beans love this soup 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (methods vary for getti...

Inane: Main Entry: 1inane Pronunciation: i-'nAn Function: adjective Inflected Form(s): inan·er; -est Etymology: Latin inanis 1 : EMPTY, INSUBSTANTIAL 2 : lacking significance, meaning, or point : SILLY Main Entry: 2inane Function: noun : void or empty space, a voyage into the limitless inane ( mirriamwebster.com ) It's gone. An entire hour of my life sucked into the void. Just like that. I'll never get it back. Two conversations. It's not even like they were worth becoming passionate over. Inanity (no, it wasn't a word till I just made it up) at its best. Or maybe its worst? First one. Someone needs a form. I've never seen such a form. I inquire about said form, calmly ignoring the pointed comment that indeed someone went over this form with me already. So I spend the next 30 minutes of my life chasing down said form, filling it out, and then participating in one of the most inane conversations ever. You know, those kind in which someone tells you one thing and ...