Zona

This is my last post. Nobody reads this thing except for my mother and half the time the things I say here worry her to the point where she calls or emails.

When I started it was fun. It just isn't anymore. One day I may have it all printed out and hidden in a box for someone to find when I'm gone.

You've been a wonderful audience. Good night.

So I did something I haven't done in at least ten years, I went fishing. I always say there's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot. Since life, on many occasions, has proven me out to be an idiot I like fishing.

I REALLY like catching I've never caught three fish this big so I REALLY liked it. Parts for the frying pan and parts for the garden.

I'm taking baby steps to get back into fishing and plan on working up to actually catching fish besides trout. Laziness kept me from catching salmon while I spent 5 years in British Columbia.

Fishing in Utah is pretty easy when you consider several lakes and rivers are within an hour's drive or so from the house and it's easy to buy a pole, hooks, bait, and a license.

What I really look forward to now is taking my grandkids fishing.

My son was exiting southbound I-15 onto the Bangerter Freeway south of Salt Lake. A little too fast. A little too head-up-butt. The car hit the curve curb. This curb is twice as high as your standard curb. The car careened to the right as he fought to control it. He lost. At some point the air bags deployed and as you can see, the left front wheel was completely sheered off.

The car, turned mostly by the curved curb impacted the center divider proceed for a bit down the fast lane and then crashed again into the center divider.

My phone vibrated and lit up with Robert's name and I knew what had happened. Somewhere early in the conversation I asked if anybody was hurt.

"No."
"Are YOU hurt?"
"No."

By the time I arrived the ambulance had come and gone and I surveyed the damage before greeting the Utah Highway Patrolman. He cited Robert for failure to maintain a lane and not for speeding despite all evidence that he had been.

The tow truck showed up and took my beautiful red sled away. The wheel remains unlocated.

Today I picked up the check after the adjuster declared the vehicle a total loss. $4,397.30.

When we bought the car it had 18,000 miles. When Robert and I walked away from it the odometer was about 160,000. We got a lot of use out of him. I refer to the car as "him" because it had a real set of balls. You stepped on the gas and said "let's go" and he replied "okay".

I'm gonna miss this one. We sped together on some of the best roads in BC, Washington, Utah, and Arizona.

Damn damn damn.

Goodbye old friend, and thanks for saving my boy's life. A lesser car, and we'd be in far worse shape today.

my church is crazy anal about membership records. they called me at 7:30 in the too early AM for me one morning. I have caller ID so I didn't answer. I was about to go back to sleep in my room at my mother's house when I heard my mother's phone ring. "he don't answer. let's call his mother".

they've lost my daughter's membership records. she's out somewhere in records purgatory and alarms are sounding in the church office building in Salt Lake City. they MUST find her.

I'm wondering how they got MY phone number since I didn't give it to them. maybe I don't wanna know?

so we eliminated all the possibilities that they were really cops in disguise, or creditors in costumes, and after they call my mother again my wife ends up talking to them. I don't want them to detect apostasy in my voice and shred MY records. I don't attend church anymore but hey, everyone needs an ace in the hole. my wife gives them some info on where she thinks Ilsen's records might be. you see, the church sends them around to where you attend.

Ilsen's can't be found. who knows HOW they even know her records are lost. they want her address but we're still reluctant to give it to them.

so yesterday I'm being driven over bumpy dirt roads after qualifying with my gun near the Mexican border when my phone vibrates.

it's the church.

Ilsen's records have been found in the Salt Lake City central records office. I'm so relieved!

they STILL want her address.

cops? creditors?

I tell the lady to call me back in two hours so I can write down the 1-800 number she's trying to give me. she doesn't.

last night my sister and I were texting back and forth about American Idol so my phone was on noise instead of vibrate when the church called me this morning...

at 7:30

they must think all Mormons are early risers. I see the number on the display. that's how I know it's them. I open and close my phone, put it on vibrate, and go back to sleep.

I wonder if my records got shredded

Big moon. Me take picture

that place on 22nd. I don't know the name of that particular stand but to most Tucsonans you just need to say "that place on 22nd" and then narrow it down to "the one on the big dirt lot" and they'll know.

the local rag had a competition not long ago to determine the best Sonoran hot dog in Tucson and the idiots picked a Sinoloan hot dog. the difference is the bun on a Sinoloan dog is toasted.

I've had the dog at the Sinoloan place and this one has twice the flavor. gotta be the quality of the ingredients.

the place on 22nd also has a complete menu of other items including a wonderful tongue burrito