Let's go see the Killers and hang out in the bleachers

Monday I was still recovering from COVID-19, so I worked from home. 

But according to the CDC's latest guidance, I was allowed to go out with a mask beginning on Tuesday. It was a long day. I went to work as usual, and in the evening I went to see the Killers!

I bought tickets on Monday night. Usually one doesn't go to a concert alone, but that's what I did this time. I was surprised at how much cheaper the tickets were the night before. I might have to remember that for future concerts!

The Killers had their biggest radio hits when I was in high school, and at that time I kind of thought I wasn't allowed to like mainstream music. But I remember driving the family Ford Taurus while hearing "All These Things That I've Done" on the radio ("I got soul but I'm not a soldier").

In college I would listen to music on Pandora, and that was when I realized that I really like the Killers (especially the song "Human"). With most alt-rock bands, I might like them at first, but then I quickly get bored of them. (I'm really more of a pop guy.) Not so with the Killers. And while their most popular, arena-friendly tracks are from the 2000s, I'm a big fan of their more recent stuff.

Most concert t-shirts are ugly, but I was happy to get one with actual good design elements! (Not that I need more t-shirts, especially since I wear a shirt and tie every day.)

The opener was named Johnny Marr. I had never heard of him, but apparently he's a major British rocker from the 80s. I wasn't really engaged with his act.

Then the Killers were amazing! They are made for a major arena like Vivint. They had everything you would expect from such a concert: confetti, lasers, and fireworks at the end.

This concert was to promote their album Imploding the Mirage, which I've only listened to once or twice, so I'm not as familiar with those songs. But they played all the usual songs you would hope them to play.

As they were getting ready to play "For Reasons Unknown," there was an eighteen-year-old kid with signs asking if he could drum with them. The lead singer, Brandon Flowers, asked if he was at least from Utah, and then invited him up on to the stage. And he nailed it! It was impressive to see this teenager drumming in front of a packed arena with a major rock band.

But my favorite part came in the encore. Brandon Flowers grew up in Nephi and Payson, Utah, so last August the band released an album called Pressure Machine about the town of Nephi. It's a lovely but gritty exploration of rural America. (I recommend the abridged version; the full version includes audio interviews with some rather salty language.) I figured they wouldn't play songs from Pressure Machine since it doesn't really match the rest of their catalog.

But! In the encore, they explained that since they were in Utah, they would play a few songs from the album. I think they played three songs from it. That was the highlight of the night for me, even though it made for a late night. Near the end, I really needed to cough (thanks COVID), but I was able to power through.

Last time they came to town, I was sad I didn't go. So I'm so happy I went this time!

The inevitable happened

 It started out as a typical, good week. I went running on the Woodbriar Trail and came across a tarantula, since August is the month they come out. 

This zoomed-in picture turned out better than I expected. I didn't want to get too close, because tarantulas will flick their hairs at you when they feel threatened.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, Reggie was sleeping next to me in bed. I looked at his adorable face, thinking how he has an easy life. I give him his food and water, and he gets to do whatever he wants all day in the house. He doesn't face the struggles I face. But then I thought, maybe his life isn't so easy. Does he miss his previous owners? Does he miss his front claws (which his first owners had removed)? Does he miss the dogs that lived in his previous place? Maybe I'm humanizing him too much.

Wednesday afternoon at work, my throat felt a little sore, and I felt unusually tired. I hadn't slept great the night before, but it was nothing unusual for me. So I decided to leave work early, since I clearly had a cold of some kind.

I slept poorly because I had to keep drinking water to soothe my throat, and then I had to keep getting up to use the bathroom. I did some work from home, but then I was too tired to keep doing so.

On Friday, I didn't feel as tired, but I continued to work from home. My parents got back from a trip they took this week, and they encouraged me to take a COVID-19 test. I thought it was just a cold, but I agreed to take it anyway.

Gulp. It was positive!

It has been two and a half years since this virus first disrupted our world, and it finally caught up to me. But I'm so glad that it didn't come to me until I had already been vaccinated (two doses) and boosted (once). It hasn't been too bad. I've had a cough, a sore throat, and some congestion. There might have been some mild chills. I've had other sicknesses that were worse. 

But since I got the result, I have been confined to my room. That has been boring! When I was in high school, I said that my hobby was watching TV. But now I think watching too much TV is boring! And I have lots of reading material, but I read for learning, not for entertainment. And I brought my Nintendo Switch into my room, but I already beat Super Mario Odyssey and I'm really not a gamer.

I finished reading Patrick Mason's Restoration, which should be required reading for Latter-day Saints. And it's only one hundred pages!

I have spent some time working on my Pioneer Day research, but that gets boring too.

Cats can get COVID, so when Reggie comes onto my bed, I stay away. I feel bad that he doesn't get the cuddling he so desperately loves. I have had to lock him out of my room at night so he doesn't sleep next to me.

Late August is when summer starts transitioning to fall, and I'm disappointed that I have to be stuck at home while this happens. But my mom did feed my holiday Squishmallow habit by bringing these home to me yesterday.

The skeleton and the coffin are the inside-out counterparts to the tombstone and the Grim Reaper (they're called Flip-a-Mallows)

Tomorrow (Monday) will be day 5, and I should be able to end my isolation on Tuesday, as long as I wear a mask. I do seem to be getting better. I slept better last night than I did the previous nights.

Welp. I'm glad that when COVID-19 finally got me, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Just more August

Now that I'm not in school again, Augusts aren't that eventful. 

Last year, my parents planted a peach tree. We had one many years ago, but it died. And this year we had our first crop of peaches! On the old tree, the peaches would be eaten by bugs and birds before they were fully ripe. But on this one, they were ripe and tasty without being eaten by pests!

Yesterday morning I participated in a service project, which meant I couldn't do a morning North Canyon run. But luckily, it was cool enough that I could do an afternoon run. It felt like fall!

I go there all the time, but sometimes I forget to look up and see new things, like this conglomerate outcrop

Back in 2015 and 2016, I was privileged to be on the editorial team for At the Pulpit. Today I was saddened to learn that one of the coeditors, Kate Holbrook, died (I think from cancer). I regret that I wasn't able to talk to her again once I returned to the Church History Library this year. I saw her in the hall once, but it didn't seem like the right time to talk to her. Oh well. The other coeditor also has a history of cancer.

Meteor-ocre

Hmm, I guess it just wasn't that interesting of a week.

Yesterday morning, we heard a loud boom, which was not a sonic boom, nor thunder. All signs are pointing to a meteor, so that's cool.

I knew there was a race going on in North Canyon and Mueller Park yesterday, so I opted not to go there. Instead I went to Holbrook Canyon, which I don't like that much because it's so slow paced, with stream crossings, rocky portions, steep drop-offs, overgrowth, etc. But I liked it better than I remembered! I would have liked to have gone farther yesterday, but I had to turn around because I had a car maintenance appointment. (They called me to set up the appointment, and they had a wide open schedule, but I was still there two hours. Why does it take so long!?)

Anyway, it really was a lovely day in the canyon. I might have to go back in the fall to see how far I can go.

One of my favorite things about August is all the plums on our plum tree. Back in the spring, we had an insane amount of blossoms. But then there were very few plums on the tree. I recently saw that a few plums were purple, but they weren't ripe yet. So I went back, and the few plums had vanished! Sad day. First our apricot tree died, and now I don't know how long our plum tree will last. Oh well. At least we seem to have a decent crop of grapes.

August is the month for back to school, and I'm so relieved that I don't have to worry about that anymore!

Agosto

Since 2012, I have come to appreciate the joys of August. 

One of my favorite parts of August is the monsoonal thunderstorms, and we had a couple of good ones this week. Outside our house is a storm drain that is damaged, so the city has placed orange cones over it. Not once but twice this week, I watched cones travel down the gutter during the intense storms. They remained in an upright position while the water washed them away, so it was almost like they were walking away. It was kind of funny. 

This couple took a honeymoon down the block. I picked them up and took them back where they belong, but carrying two was surprisingly more difficult than just carrying one.

Last year's storms really took a toll on some parking strips that don't have plants in them, and once again they are devastated.

It's hard to tell, but the hole is probably two feet deep. The hole was not there a week ago.

I continue to pluck up goathead plants, and there was some environmental factor this week that caused them all to sprout at the same time. There was an insane amount of little baby goathead plants! It took me quite a while to pull them all up, but it's better to get them while they're tiny than to let them grow big. My dad likes to go walking past one of the patches, then the goatheads stick to his shoes, and he tracks them all over the house. But he remarked yesterday that he hadn't seen any this year, and there haven't been as many in our house. And that's all because of me and my efforts!

And yesterday, before the rain, I ran up—you guessed it—North Canyon. May and June are peak wildflower season, so I was surprised to see all the August flowers. On cloudy days, the flowers are more vibrant. And there were also some low-hanging clouds near the top. It was an amazing environment! But the mugginess drenched my shirt with sweat.

Fireweed and aspens

Over the last two years, I have continually added to the barrier over this unofficial trail.

fleabane. An ugly name for a pretty flower.

Streambank wild hollyhock! I don't recall ever seeing this one before!

Goldenrod and fireweed

Richardson's geraniums

There wasn't a lot else that went on this week that I care to share with the world. But I'm excited to see what the rest of the month will bring!

Late July

 All the holidays are over, so things aren't very exciting right now.

I was off on Monday for the observed Pioneer Day holiday. But I'm of the mindset that when the holiday is over, it's over, so I already moved on. I ran up North Canyon, which gives me nostalgia for two years ago when I ran up there every day in the heat. I recently bought a new brand of trail shoes, Topo, and so far they seem to be the most comfortable I've ever had. But we'll see if I continue to feel that way.

fireweed

I was startled to see a new trail! I didn't know they were making one here. I'll have to try it sometime, but I'm also kind of sad to see the forest marred, and to see the trail get busier.

chicory, a nonnative species, but at least it's pretty

It was the last day for my brother's kids to be in town. At their request, I took them and my niece to the arcade, Nickel Mania in Murray. I went there for a YSA activity three years ago, and within the last three years they quit using actual nickels and instead used a card system. I opted not to play any games, but the kids enjoyed them. There was just something about being at an arcade on a hot summer day and the excitement of cashing in on ticket rewards that made me feel nostalgic for summer days of my own childhood.

That evening, I took my brother's kids to Deer Hollow Park, which is an amazing little park with a zipline, a zippy slide, and other fun equipment. I guess it's more of a park for bigger kids than for toddlers. 

They headed back to California on Tuesday. It's sad when they go back, but at least they remember us now, instead of a decade ago when they were tiny. I feel like I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I would have liked—when I asked if they wanted to go get ice cream or go hiking, they were involved in computer games.

The rest of the week wasn't that interesting. In previous years, I have only gone goathead picking during the month of June. But this year, I regularly go back to a few particular goathead patches, and I continue to do so. When you pull them up before they get big, they are safe enough that I can continue to pick them for the rest of the summer. I really feel like I have made a good impact on the goatheads in those areas. I am confident I have aborted hundreds of goathead plants in one area.

And yesterday I ran up North Canyon again, since it's the most amazing place.

The last week of July isn't that interesting. I'm excited for a new month tomorrow!

This year's Pioneer Day festivities

 I had a lot going on this week!

My brother's kids who are visiting love Reggie. He sure is cute. I caught him doing a facepalm this week, and I tried to think of good captions to go with it:

Me: I work for the Church History Department
Them: Oh, have you read The Lincoln Hypothesis?
Me:

On Wednesday evening, I went with a few members of my ward to the Wilford Wood Museum here in Bountiful. I walked there for a field trip when I was in fourth grade, but it's only open by appointment (family-led tours), so I hadn't been since then. It's a series of old houses full of old Church artifacts purchased by Wilford Wood. There's even a ceiling made of rocks. All I could think was "I wouldn't want to be here during an earthquake." There's already a dilapidated storage building that apparently has been condemned. I didn't take many pictures because it seemed a little awkward to do so. It was interesting but not riveting. 

On Thursday, I was invited to a Christmas in July party with a group of mid-singles. We made creations of candy and graham crackers, and I titled mine Pioneer Day.

There was also a white-elephant gift exchange, so I took a Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook that I found at Book Garden. I ended up with the card game Santa Cookie Elf Candy Snowman.

Friday morning, I took a couple of hours off to go see the unveiling of the new Pioneers of 1847 Monument at This Is the Place. I got there early enough to get a decent seat. The opening prayer was offered by the president of the NAACP in Ogden; I was glad to hear an inclusive non-LDS prayer in this setting. Then Mauli Bonner, the instigator of the monument, gave a rousing speech about being inclusive from a faithful perspective. I really appreciated his remarks. (Bonner made the movie His Name Is Green Flake, which is an important movie but not a very good movie.) Then Governor Spencer Cox spoke about his pioneer ancestors, learning later in life that one of his Mormon ancestors was a slaveholder, which he found heartbreaking. His speech was good but not as good as Bonner's. Then the Bonner Family sang the original song "Child of God"; they are very talented singers. Then President M. Russell Ballard gave a few remarks before his dedicatory prayer, acknowledging that our Mormon singing isn't as good or rousing as that of Black churches. Elder D. Todd Christofferson was also there but didn't speak. So there were a few local celebrities present. In the audience, I saw Charlie Bird, the gay Cosmo the Cougar, there with his boyfriend.

After the ceremony, I said hi to a few former coworkers at This Is the Place, but I was kind of incognito with my hat, sunglasses (instead of regular glasses), and clean-shaven face. Then I went to look at the new statues. There were lots of people around, so I didn't get very good pictures.

Hark (Lay) Wales and Oscar (Crosby) Smith. They were two of the three slaves that came into the Valley two days before Brigham Young. Last year I wrote a bio for Oscar for the Century of Black Mormons database, but for some reason it was never published. Both Hark and Oscar moved to California and drifted away from Mormonism.

Green Flake is the most famous of the three slaves. He stayed in Utah and Idaho throughout his life, and he often spoke at Pioneer Day celebrations about his experience.

Jane Manning James arrived in Utah in September 1847. She was not a slave but still, of course, endured hardships.

I didn't have time to read the bios on the stones, but from what I could see, they have rather religious language. That would be fine for a monument on Temple Square, but it makes me uncomfortable that those are the bios they use at a state park.

I was so happy to see these people finally get a monument. I have long thought Green Flake (at least) should have been on the main 1947 This Is the Place Monument. But maybe they thought it would be glorifying slavery to put a slave on the monument? I don't think they excluded him for nefarious reasons, but he was still excluded.

Saturday morning I decided to participate in one of Bountiful's Handcart Days races. The only options were 5k or half-marathon. A 5k is too short for me, but a half-marathon is the upper limit of my running, and I didn't feel like doing a long, shadeless, flat run on a July morning, so I opted for the 5k. I was happy with the themed shirt and finisher medal I got. (I have been disappointed with the poorly themed Thanksgiving and Valentine's shirts they gave out at other races.) 

I ate the breakfast that was part of the race (though I felt like I was stealing from the serious runners, the half-marathoners), but then there were still two hours before the awards ceremony. Instead of hanging out for two hours, I decided to go up Holbrook Canyon for an hour. I don't go there often because it's not good for running, but it was better than I remembered. It helped that it's later in the summer, so the creek wasn't as high.

On my way back to the rec center for the award ceremony, I heard my radio clip play on KUER (local NPR station)! But then when I got there, the awards ceremony was already over. But I later learned I wouldn't have gotten any awards anyway. (Today I learned that my uncle and cousin heard my spot on the radio today!)

In the afternoon we had a delayed family party for my grandpa's ninetieth birthday. It was supposed to be on July 2, but he got COVID.

This year, Salt Lake City opted not to spend any money on fireworks, instead putting on a laser show. So I took my "posterity" to Liberty Park to see the laser show. Once it started, we were away from the action. They had a screen onto which they projected laser images while playing pop songs, and there were some laser lights up on the trees. But it was a bit underwhelming, and we didn't feel like staying to battle crowds for the whole show.

Then today, July 24 itself, has been a bit boring. But that's what happens when holidays fall on Sunday.