Saintless

I have always adored the story of Helen Keller. I remember reading The Story of My Lifeas a young child, and being inspired by the obstacles she overcame. They seemed so impossible, and yet she didn’t let that stop her. And so, when I watched this video of her with Anne Sullivan, it brought tears of joy to my eyes:

What amazing women both of them were! And what a treat to see them tell this story!

A group of us were invited to a special sneak preview of Smashburger today. We got to try literally everything on the menu, and I must say – it was fabulous!

I had been skeptical of the idea of them smashing the burgers when they go on the grill. Everyone knows that if you squeeze a burger, all the flavorful juice comes out! But, their method works, and it works well. Apparently, when they put the burger on the grill, they smash it for 10 seconds or so, to sear it. And all the juice is locked in! There’s a reason that their slogan is “The best burgers you’ve ever tasted”.

The first burger I tried was the Mushroom Swiss. It came with veggie frites, which were amazing! Flash fried asparagus, carrots and green beans.

The next item that showed up at my table was the Baja Cobb, with chicken, bacon, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce, then topped with spicy chipotle sauce, guacamole and jalapenos. Yum!

A Chicago Dog made it’s way past me, and I was pretty thrilled by it, too.

However, I think the Chili Cheese Dog was the best thing besides the burgers and veggie frites:

Ok, so I have to admit – when I tasted the various burgers, I was thrilled, and thought nothing could top that amazing burger patty. But then I ate the Veggie Frites and couldn’t decide which was better. But, somehow that Chili Cheese Dog ranked right up there. I’m indecisive, I know!

This monster of a salad also made it’s way by my table, called The Smashwedge. Everything is better with bacon, right?

Did I mention the Häagen-Dazs shakes and malts? The closest I got to a photo of one of those was @michaelkreagan about to put a spoonful into his mouth.

This post would be incomplete if I didn’t mention the smashfries, which are tossed with rosemary, olive oil, garlic and some other herbs. I couldn’t get enough of them! While I adored the veggie frites, if we’re talking potato based fries, there are none better than smashfries!

I’ve heard a few people trying to compare it to 5 Guys Burgers, but I can’t say that I think there is any comparison. I recently went to 5 Guys with some friends, and while the burger was pretty good, I didn’t care for the fries at all, and I left feeling like I needed a shower to rinse off the grease. While Smash Burger isn’t exactly health food (unless you’re going for the salads), it wasn’t extra greasy. And the perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked burgers really are to die for.

Here is our very full and very satisfied group right before we left:

I think I’ll be back with my kids in a couple of weeks, after the initial rush has died down just a bit, and I’ve recovered from the feeling of having literally tried everything on the menu.

My company chose Hogle Zoo for our Annual Family Breakfast this year. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the American Express Event Pavillion with coworkers before heading out into the zoo. Our friends met us there, so we had quite the group – 9 of us in all!

I’d like to shout out to @Hogle_Zoo for some tips on things to do at the zoo, including the Meet The Keepers events.

The one thing I really, really hoped for at the zoo was to pet a snake. I didn’t think that was going to happen, but we got lucky! After we left the Madagascar exhibit, there were two guys with a boa constrictor talking about it, and they let us touch it’s back. I adore snakes, and will probably add one to my own zoo eventually.

The other thrill for me was the Elephant Encounter. I knew that Christie was pregnant, and due soon, so when they brought her out I was pretty happy. I get my love of elephants from my grandmother, who also loves them. And I have fond memories of being scared to death as I rode the elephant at Dickerson Park Zoo in Missouri as a child.

Speaking of elephants, a while back I discovered a site selling paintings by elephants. You read that right – paintings by elephants (not just of them)! There is even video explaining how they do it, and why. The whole thing was very fascinating!

So, while we were at the Elephant Encounter, I discovered that Christie the elephant also paints, and they had pieces of her paintings for sale in the gift shop. Preston, my 9 year old son, really wanted one. We didn’t get one while we were there this time, but I’m hoping to go back soon and purchase one. I wish that Hogle Zoo would put out a video of the elephants painting! I bet that would greatly increase the demand for a “Christie Original” painting!

I asked my sons to write about the visit to the zoo, so I could post it here. First up is Preston’s:

What I like about the zoo are the two babies, the Madagascar exhibit, the conservation carousel, the train ride, the beastro, wild zootique, the big marble, flavor burst cone, Christie, the animals, and the elephant’s paintings. Because of the two babies were so cute. The big marble wouldn’t stop. The flavor burst cone has lots of flavor in it and tastes good. And the elephant’s paintings are cool.

For the uninitiated, the big marble is a giant round marble floating on water, and the kids get to go spin it and get very wet!

And here’s what Drake, my 11 year old, had to say:

When we went to the zoo we got some T-shirts from my mom’s work and tickets for the zoo. We ate breakfast at the zoo because my mom’s work gave breakfast too. After we ate breakfast we waited for my mom’s friends. We went to the new Madagascar and saw cool turtles and when we went out to go to the primate forest we saw two people holding a snake not venomous thank the lord we got to touch it and it was slimy and scaly. We went to the primate forest and got to see the same species as Dexter from the Night at the Museum and we saw a new born monkey that was born May 1st 2009. then we saw kangaroos jumping on each other it was funny. Then we went to the small animal room and it had reptiles in there to. Then we went to the primate building and then we ate lunch at the Bear Grotto. The great apes building then we went to the conservation carousel. Then we saw Giraffes. Then the last thing the zoofari express. It was fun till we had to leave.

I should also mention that right next to the kangaroos jumping on each other were two turtles, mating rather loudly:

Here’s Preston petting the snake:

Oh, and this little guy, which I think was the Brown Tufted Capuchin Monkey, was pretty fun! He crawled down and made some pretty creepy faces at us!

Tags: Hogle Zoo

Dax and I drove up to Logan tonight for the PostSecret event at USU. We stopped first at KVNU studio to see Tyler and Jason. This part was a blast, until we got asked to detail what Dax and I fight about politically. I drew the line there. But maybe someday we’ll podcast it. Until then, my lips are sealed! We also got to meet Jess, whose recipe for tomato soup I adore! You can hear me on the show about 46:30 in.

Being at the PostSecret event was quite the experience. I’ve been a fan for a while, and Dax bought me the Secret Lives of Men and Women as a birthday gift a while back. So, I purchased Extraordinary Confessions From Ordinary lives tonight. Frank Warren, the guy who runs this, gave a talk, which was more like an audio guide to the postcards. Some parts were funny, some were moving. The images below are all of postcards that the lawyers wouldn’t let him publish.

At the end, Frank invites the audience up to tell their secrets. No one was going up at first, and I debated in my head about whether to get up, or not. I finally did, and I was the first to tell my secret. I’ll be telling the whole story here on Saintless.com soon, but for tonight, I’ll just share the photos from the event. Check back over the next few days, if you want to know my secret.

I forced thousands of employees to take a pay cut… …so that I can get a pay raise

I still believe in God…but I’ve lost my religion.

Sometimes I imagine that one of the guys driving by is you & you’ve come to save me from killing myself in this town.

When I was in the mental ward, I would look out the window alot. Now since I’m out, I ride my bike past the window every day and SMILE! THERE IS HOPE!

What you did to me when I was 16 was wrong.
I never felt so alone in my life.
I never felt so much pain.
Today I am strong because of you.
Thank you.

15 years ago I gave up a boy for adoption. 1 year ago I found out his address in the next town. 4 months ago I drove past his house. Last night I took my 2 young children trick or treating to his house & he opened the door. I almost cried. But instead I went home.

I wish all secrets could be fun secrets. He he ha ha

Thank you! Every time I work up the nerve to swallow the pills someone does something to make me want to live and I’ve never said thank you for saving my life people have no idea how far kindness can go

It’s a boy! When we decided to keep you, your life wasn’t the only one saved.

I tell myself that one day after our spouses die & we’re like 80… We’ll reunite on a talk show and live happily ever after

I’ve always wanted my life to look like a picture frame insert

Tags: PostSecret

Here are my favorite jokes from today across the web.

First up, of course, is Google. This one is a simple link on the main Google search page:

Introducing CADIE: a singular upgrade to your online life.

I do wish that Gmail Autopilot by CADIE were real, though. And next time you’re planning a family vacation, check out CADIE’s recommended places for humans. Make sure to check out Redmond, WA. Oh, and apparently, they’re pairing up with Alienware to produce a $100 laptop. The laptop has a built-in brain wave reading chip, with sensors that need to be applied onto the user’s skull via USB port.

If you have a gPhone, you can try out Google’s new brain seraching technology, only available via mobile. Any idea how long I’ve been begging for Google to index my brain? And I bet that pairs nicely with Ford’s new Android Car.

Apparently, there’s a new ball released in Australia called the gBall. Meanwhile, in Africa, Goog Town is opening.

ThinkGeek has a whole newsletter full, but I am loving the Unicorn Chaser drink. Don’t forget to watch the video.

Pirate Bay announced they’d sold out to Warner Bros.

The Invisible Shirt was amusing.

And because there aren’t enough Twitter rumors and jokes the rest of the year, here’s another. Make Magazine gives you the code to add 141 characters to Twitter.

Although I generally stay far away from Apps on Facebook, the “We’re Related” one has some goodies. @homerj79 and @TheDax, among others, reported Barack Obama confirming them as cousins. Ivonna Earnest discovered that her husband is her third cousin. I wonder who I’d find out I’m related to?!

One of my favorite tweets for the day, from @markie28:

Snow? Nice April Fool’s prank, Mother Nature. Jokes on you though, I’m using styrofoam cups all day long today. HA!

The Save IE 6 petition was truly horrifying.

Apparantly, Guardian is downsizing. From paper to Twitter:

A mammoth project is also under way to rewrite the whole of the newspaper’s archive, stretching back to 1821, in the form of tweets. Major stories already completed include “1832 Reform Act gives voting rights to one in five adult males yay!!!”; “OMG Hitler invades Poland, allies declare war see tinyurl.com/b5x6e for more”; and “JFK assassin8d @ Dallas, def. heard second gunshot from grassy knoll WTF?”

Reddit.com‘s site redesign is pretty good.

Expedia.com is offering $99 trips to Mars. And Hotels.com is offering lunar accomodations.

Woot.com had a Bag of Crap, but had changed the shipping price to $1,000,000.

So far from Microsoft, I’m finding the Automatic Mood Detector for Messenger. There’s also The String or the Cat: A New .NET Framework Library:

For years applications have been built that accept user input. Most user input starts out as a string. Strings are a universal representation of arbitrary data coming into a computer. However, most data does not remain as a string for very long. User input often ends up getting parsed or converted into another data type, such as an integer, Boolean value, or a date.

The concepts presented here are based on a thought experiment proposed by scientist Erwin Schrödinger. While an understanding of quantum physics will help to understand the new types and APIs, it is not required.

Some woman somewhere is pretending that she has absolutely no sexual attraction to Neil Gaiman. Which is just one of the most blatant untruths ever, because that’s just not possible.

Whole Foods is selling organic air for $6.99 for .02 oz.

GreenFeet.com has such offerings as a solar powered microwave, a tree hugging jacket, and a belly button lint kit. Along with a coupon for free shipping, which looks to be real.

Qualcomm has some interesting “creatures” helping out with wireless networks, including the crocodeagle and the sharkfalcon.

I’ll update this in a few hours with the rest of what I find. If I’m missing any good ones, please let me know in the comments!

Update: Google Chrome now comes in 3D.

HowStuffWorks explains Rechargeable Gum and Permanent Kittens.

Toshiba is releasing the PetBook for your dog, and apparently it’s slobber resistant.

And apparently, Neil Gaiman is being considered for sainthood.

For a more local flavor, check out KVNU’s announcement that they’re being syndicated. Or JM Bell’s list of favorite pranks, including getting married.

Warner Bros. announced a new sequel to the Matrix series.

NIN released a new album, Strobe Light, which you just really have to read about. Just make sure you scroll down a tiny bit, so you don’t have a seizure.

Ok, that’s it for now. More in a bit.

Update 2: Fox cancels Joss Whedon.

Ok, that’s all, folks. I didn’t find any other good ones, and it’s time to head up to Logan for PostSecret.

Tags: April Fools

The book Where The Wild Things Are is one of my favorite books from childhood. When I heard it was being turned into a movie, I was a bit hesitant to get excited, though. Until I saw this:

Forest Whitaker

I’m positively giddy about this, and I can’t wait until it comes out in October. Though, I must say the wait until then is a bummer.

Forest Whitaker (right) will be the voice of Wild Thing. If the trailer is any indication, they couldn’t have picked a better person for that part! It gave me chills when I heard him first speak in the trailer.

I am very much looking forward to seeing this with my boys. Rumors on the internet say that some of the movie was reshot because it was too dark and scary for young children, and that even the final version will be. Then again – wasn’t that also said of the book when it came out? I’m sure that I’ll find out much more about the movie in the next 7 months, so that I can make a final decision on whether my 9 and 11 year old boys can see it, but so far I’m not seeing anything that makes me hesitate.

Tags: Books, Forest Whitaker, movies, Where The Wild Things Are

This is SO getting posted at work!

(h/t HuffPo)

Sunday is one of my Top 7 Favorite Days of the Week. Because every Sunday, Frank Warren posts a new edition of PostSecret. The voyeur in me loves to take this sneak peak into other people’s lives, and wonder about the rest of the stories they hint at. Sometimes I think about what my secret would be if I sent it in right then.

Some of them are cute or funny

Some are pretty serious:

Some just really make you think.

So, on my To Do list is to figure out how to get Frank Warren to bring the show to Utah. Here’s the latest tour video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV7iZ0A8_rk]

That’s right, the lost boys grew up, and now they have a new movie, taking place 21 years later.

However, MTV sucks, and the Flash code they provide for the trailer gives you a still image with no sound, then redirects to Corey Feldman’s interview. So, here’s MTV’s page where the trailer actually works. Apparently, they’re the only ones with the trailer as of yet.

It will have both Corey Feldman and Corey Haim, in case you were wondering. Unfortunately, this will go directly to DVD, which totally dashes my hopes for the film. But, I’ll be buying it anyway. I own the original on VHS, and I’m pretty sure it’s one of the videos I kept when VHS went the way of the dodo bird. However, I’ll probably be buying the original on DVD, assuming it’s out already or coming out.

The Lost Boys is (in my limited experience) the “original” vampire movie. I wasn’t allowed to watch anything like that growing up, but The Lost Boys was one of the first movies I watched that I “wasn’t supposed to”, and is largely why I love vampire movies to this day. It wasn’t the best, but it is one of my favorites.

Can’t wait!