Let the Training Begin

Guess we're making it a tradition.

For the third year in a row we've registered to run in the Deseret News Pioneer Day 10K. Technically this is only the second year that I've registered, Michelle ran the first year by herself (and placed 79th in her age group) since I was involved in something else that I don't recall at this time. And, of course, Michelle got sick right before last year's race and so I did that one alone (and placed 97th in my age group, so you can see who the better runner is).

So, here's hoping that 3rd time's the charm and we'll make it down together.

Hole in the wall, full of good stuff.

Get ready, I'm making my first attempt at a restaurant review.

Buca di Beppo

Michelle and I have always enjoyed Italian, but Buca di Beppo is a different style.

Most Italian restaurants are elegant, showing off a beautiful Tuscan atmosphere. Not Buca. They pull you right into the most active and lively part of Italian culture. The walls are covered with black and white photos (flattering or not), Italian football scarves, wine bottles, and grape vines. There are replica statues of world renown and busts of famous Italian personalities. The restaurant is lively and fun.

OK, enough about the environment, on to the food! Again, Buca di Beppo leaves the norm behind. Correction, it leaves the normal restaurant behind, but brings you in as a member of the Italian family. All the servings are done "family style". In other words, they ain't cheep. Unfortunately each serving is designed for more like four people, and the cost is for more like four people.

While these servings are larger than either Michelle or I can handle, it still doesn't stop us from going there for a celebrity night out. The food is great! It's full of flavour and shows up fresh and piping hot.

So, in summary, great place for a party. If you're just in the mood for some tasty Italian food, well, it's still pretty darn good (but plan on having some leftovers).

First Reader's Request

I think that something happens when I'm trying to write something and I'm just staring at the blank page, my mind becomes even more blank . . .

So, after many attempts, I'm going to try and tackle one of the requested topics and see where it takes me. From this point I'm just writing for the sake of writing and hope that something publishable shows up . . .

"Not just another pretty face, the personalities of birds."

Something that I think a lot of us don't stop and think about is that we're mammals. Why do I point this out? Well, as mammals we're more likely to relate of feel some sort of connection with other furry, hairy, woolly, things. (I'm not going to be the one to judge as to which category you fall under.) The mammalian sorts take front seat for most people as being the most individualistic.

What do many people feel about our feathery friends though? I remember in Biology 1010, the professor would always refer to them as bird-brains. He talked about how birds are simply designed to react. This enables them to fly through whatever obstacles evading predators or chasing prey.

While I can't speak for all birds, I do know that some have higher levels of thought than that, some could even say that they have quite the personality. Some of them are more willing to be trained and are even eager to work with us as we try to teach them new things. Others of the same group might just wish to avoid us all together.

We never really can tell what type of bird is going to react to what until we've worked with that individual for a while and can have a good idea of what their personality might be like.

I'm sure that those of you living with multiple animals, or children (if you want to put them in a different category) understand. Basically, what works for one doesn't always work for the others. Try to explain why and you'll probably come up blank.