Believe it or not, the Sutherlands in Nature

Responsibility - what a drag. Things at work have really started picking up, so there has been no time to blog on the clock.

The trip to Vegas was really good. No matter where we go on vacation, it always rains - even when we are going to the desert. Nevertheless, it was still good to get away. The original plan was for my sister's boyfriend, Dan, to fly us to the Grand Canyon in his little plane (he's working on becoming a pilot) but it was too rainy. I thought the idea of us being in a fiery plane accident would be really good blog material, but no such luck.

Breaking our own general rule of only frequenting man-made attractions in Vegas, we replaced the plane trip with some light hiking with Sarah and Dan at Red Rocks Canyon. Hiking in Vegas, who would've thunk it.



This is blog-worthy only because I believe this is the first hiking Traci and I have done in our married life. It's not that dislike hiking - I quite enjoy it, actually. The thing is Traci and I would never spend time in nature of our own accord. We will only do it if it's someone else's idea. We're city folk.

We had a good time. We got some fresh air, got out of the city and I saw my first wild burrow. Can't beat that.

Springfield is For Gay Lovers of Marriage

The Simpsons has always been political - but it's always been kind of tongue-in-cheek. The past couple of years it's become quite blantant - the characters singing "O, Canada" instead of America's "Anthem to War" comes to mind - and the humor has gotten lost in the overtness.

I was skeptical that the Simpsons tackling gay marriage would likewise be a drag. I was pleasantly surprised. Very funny. But I guess if there's one thing the Simpsons does well, it's gay comedy. Homer taking Bart to the gay steel mill may be one of the show's all-time funniest moments. Homer moving in with the gay couples was also a great episode. Thanks, Springfield for welcoming "Gay Lovers of Marriage."

Beaker Buddy

Just in case you don't believe that I was really on TV, I finally have the pictures to prove it. I wish I could post the whole video on here to impress all y'all, but you'll have to settle for this uncensored manuscript:



Shelley Osterloh: "Spencer, you look pretty hottt in those Beaker Buddy scrubs. But I bet you'd look even better out of them. If you know what I mean. [Shelley winks, then coughs. Then begins a hacking cough.]



Spencer: [Spencer smiles]"Oh Shelley, I'm flattered. But I'm married and you're such a dirty ho."

My television debut was a smash hit.

iPod Road Trip

iPods are sneaky little things. You would think that after shelling out your life savings to buy one ($300), you would be in music heaven. Oh no, you soon realize you can't plug the thing into your car without buying a new stereo. And that you can't plug into your home stereo without buying an RCA cable. And that you can't go on a long road trip without needing a power adapter so you don't run out of juice. (Not to mention the problems with power conversion in foreign countries)

To solve the can't-listen-to-the-thing-in-the-car problem, Traci bought me a Belkin Tunecast FM transmitter for Christmas (shown above). This little contraption allows you to play your iPod through an unused FM station on your car radio.

I was skeptical about using this on our trip to Las Vegas, for fear that it wouldn't work and we would be stuck music-less for six hours each way. As a backup plan I burned a few of my iPod playlists onto CDs.

When the CDs ran out, we plugged in the Tunecast. It worked surprisingly well. On the way there we were able to go an hour without having to switch to a new station. On the way back it was slightly more often.

The transmitter works a lot better in the country than in the city - obviously less radio stations in less populated areas. Though not as clear as CD sound, the Tunecast was a nice alternative to having to drag a bunch of CDs along. With Traci as an able transmitter operator, it was a successful music road trip.

College Drama Continues

First I didn't graduate at all, and now I'm going to get to be the star of the show. Since the U. changed my graduation date from May 2004 to Summer 2004 (the start of a new school year), I am eligible to go to commencement again this May. And according to a letter that I received yesterday, not only can I walk again (heck, I did buy the cap and gown), but they want me to give a speech.

From the letter:

"You are presently a candidate to receive academic honors upon your graduation from the University. Final academic honors determinations will be made whenSpring Semester, 2005 grades are recorded. In the meantime, I am pleased toinvite you to submit a speech for consideration in our selection of a student speaker at the University's May Commencement ceremonies."

I think I will give a speech. It'll go a little something like this: "Hello, I would like to tell you about all the crap I went through to get a diploma - all of which occured after I was done with my coursework." Do you think they'll pick me?

What's Become of the Smashing Pumpkins

Billy Corgan did Zwan and now a book of poetry, James Iha is rockin' with A Perfect Circle and now the only Smashing Pumpkin to be fired- Jimmy Chamberlin - is doing his own thing. The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex recently released its first record. (I am waiting and waiting for a Darcy solo project.)

I was hoping that Jimmy was going to go 100 percent Ringo Starr on us (or Tommy Lee, for that matter) and switch from drumming to singing. That is not the case. Billy Mohler is handling the vocals, but there are some guest performances from Billy Corgan.

If you want to go the effort of going to their website and signing up for the email list, you can hear a couple of full mp3s. Otherwise, you're stuck with 30 second clips. I always think it's a little strange to name a band after the drummer, even if the drummer is the only famous person in the band.

Everyday the 14th

Happy Valentine's day. Nothing too much exciting going on lately. I spent the weekend trying to finish up a new song to put on the website; it's a drag to face the reality that you are not very talented. I made some progress, but my voice isn't very good and the vocals sound crappy.

The highlight of the weekend was seeing a Hummer parked in the handicapped spot- handicap sticker hanging from the window and all - at Furniture Warehouse. I guess the handicap must not be affected by having to pull yourself up four feet just to reach the door. Or maybe being able to run over anyone in your way is compensation for having a handicap. Who knows.

The Sutherlands are heading to Vegas for President's Day weekend, hopefully catching Bouncing Souls and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes at the House of Blues. (In case you were wondering about the weirdness of "I Like Your Mom" being on a Pepsi commercial during the Superbowl, the Souls defend themselves here) Of course, the forecast says "rain" for our days in Vegas, but 58 degrees beats the 37 degrees here.

Traci's Book Reviews: Witness for the Prosecution of Scott Peterson by Amber Frey

There are not many people who can say that they were not at least a little interested in the Scott Peterson case. I was interested, and that interest was only fueled by my steady (weekly, if not daily) diet of People magazine, CNN.com, and other news programs. I watched for the verdict in the case to be posted on the CNN website while at work, and did the same thing a few weeks later when the death penalty was announced. But, I didn't really give any more than a passing thought to Amber Frey until I saw her on Oprah in January. She was on the show to promote her book Witness for the Prosecution of Scott Peterson- her personal account of the part she played in the case. After seeing this interview, I decided to check out her book.

First of all, I read this in one sitting on a Sunday night. Obviously, that means no brain power required when reading this book. But it also means I just couldn't tear myself away. I felt like reading this book just gives you a small view into the twisted world of Scott Peterson- a man who was calling her and telling her he wanted to see her while just outside people were holding a vigil for his missing pregnant wife. That is really what kept me reading, because I just couldn't believe some of the things he did! Also, it was a bit like a mystery novel- there was suspense! Did he ever wonder why she was asking him certain questions? How did she even get involved with him? Was she ever in danger? All of these questions are answered throughout the book, and you will get chills when you read the answers to the last question.

Someone wrote a review of this book criticizing Amber for profiting off this case. I disagree. In the book, she talks about how she was offered tons of money and gifts for an exclusive interview during the trial- even from Diane Sawyer! She wouldn't do it though- she felt like she was Laci's voice during the case. It's obvious that people want to hear about her involvement with Scott Peterson and their taped conversations that helped convict him. I say let her have the chance to tell her side of the story- if that means she wants to write a book and be on Oprah, then go ahead. I think that she was very courageous in helping the police by pretending to still be in a relationship with him and taping their conversations. She went through a lot during the trial, and deserves some good in her life.

Hooray for Monkeys

This year's Superbowl commercials were l-a-m-e. The exceptions were Careerbuilders.com's monkey spots. Who doesn't think it's funny to see monkeys laugh and laugh about a whoopi cushion? The monkey butt-kissing commercial was good as well.

To watch all of the superbowl spots check out http://www.ifilm.com/superbowl

Best Buy Changes Name to "Possibly the Crappiest Buy;" Customers Love It

I recently received two gift certificates – one to Barnes and Noble and the other to Best Buy.  I immediately thought of which CDs I would buy.   I decided to buy Power by Q and Not U from Barnes and Noble and I would get a Mike Doughty album from Best Buy.  I knew that I wasn’t going to find either of these selections at the store and that they would have to be special ordered.  Similar approach, but very different results: 

Barnes & Noble

I found the CD on their website.  I called the store and asked if they had it in stock.  They didn’t, but quickly offered to order it for me.  They said I was not obligated to buy it, but they would call me when it got in.

They called a few days later; I went over and picked it up and didn’t have to pay for any shipping.  Quick, easy, good to go.

Best Buy

I found the CD on their website.  I called the store and they said they could only to ship it to a store if the album had a “store pick up” link by it on the website.  It didn’t.  This meant that it would have to be shipped to my house – and I would have to pay the shipping. 

I thought that was a drag, but was willing to do it.  I got the CD selected and put into my “shopping cart.”  I went to “checkout” and there was no place to enter in a gift card number – something that Barnes & Noble has on their website.

I called the Murray store and said, “Hey, is there a way to enter in my gift card number on the website?” 

“No.”

 “And you won’t order a CD to your store so I can pick it up there?”

 “No.”

 “What can I do, then?”

 “Well you could sign up for a Best Buy Card and use that online, but you wouldn’t be able to use your gift card.”

 [Hmm.  That sounds like a stupid idea.]

 “Could I buy something in the store, return it, get cash back and then use that money to buy something online?” 

“You can’t get cash back on a return purchased with a gift card.”

 “So I’m screwed?” 

“Yeah, I guess.”

Thanks, Best Buy.  It’s really been good to shop with you.  Where do I sign up for that Best Buy Card? 

Book Review: The United States of Europe, by T.R. Reid

 Beware of Tight Pants, the Europeans are Coming!

I have often said that you when you start listening to talk radio you have officially become your father. In my opinion, cars were made for rockin' out and no time in a car should be wasted on politics, when there is so much music to be listened to.

Unfortunately, I have found that life sometimes sucks you in. It all starts with the nightly news. You start watching the news and then you might want to read the newspaper. You start reading the newspaper and then maybe it seems okay to start listening to NPR on the way to work, instead of "Radio From Hell." Before you know it, you're a regular news and politics junkie and you think the world is going down the drain and there is no hope because the world is run by idiots.

While I am in no way a news geek, I do make an attempt to kind of know what's going on around me. I have had an interest in Europe since living there and have recently been reading The United States of Europe by T.R. Reid hoping to find out why the euro has been pounding the dollar for the past two years.

The European Union has helped more than 20 countries to put aside their many, many differences in efforts to gain their one collective goal - to outdo the United States in every area: economics, social care, science, art, culture. Right now they're doing it.

The United States of Europe was written by an American - to show Americans - that the U.S. is no longer the World's only superpower and what that means to our country and economy. Reid discusses why Europe loves our Gap t-shirts, McDonald's hamburgers and Hollywood celebrities, but hates our government, our ego and our view toward the rest of the world.

To illustrate the shift in economic dominance, here are some of the "American" products owned by European companies:

Product	Owner Country
Dunkin' Donuts	United Kingdom
Jeep	Germany
L.A. Dodgers	United Kingdom
A&W Rootbeer	United Kingdom
Texaco	Netherlands
Power Bar	Switzerland
Holiday Inn	United Kingdom
Verizon	United Kingdom

Maybe we are fighting the wrong devils. Maybe we shouldn't be so worried about the Walmarts and Microsofts that are taking over and destroying America--hey, at least these are America companies determining America's fate. Maybe we should be a bit more worried about the fact that the new capital of the United States is in Brussels, Belgium--the head of the European Union.

Now, this book doesn't make me want to trade in my stars and stripes for a thick turtleneck and tight jeans, but it does make me think that it's time to look at what's going on here in the homeland. If we want to stay strong in the world economy, we need to be humble enough to recognize when other countries do things better than we do. If we continue to think that we're the best at everything we will never improve and we will be left behind.

The United States of Europe is an important read.

Weekend Movie Reviews

Traci brought home a bunch of DVDs from the library for our weekend viewing pleasure. We got around to two of them.

Little Black Book


I don’t know why Traci chose this one. Every time we watch a Britney Murphy movie she spends two hours saying how much she hates Britney Murphy. Oh, she had a lot to hate about this movie.

It is the story of emaciated Britney Murphy trying to find out the truth about her boyfriend by contacting all of the old girlfriends listed in his Palm Pilot while he’s out of town. Slow, uninteresting, lame.

Keeping the Faith

We gave this one a shot because it stars Ben Stiller as a rabbi—yep, a rabbi. It’s also got Ed Norton, Jr. and Jenna Elfman, a.k.a. Dharma from “Dharma & Greg.”

While not the greatest movie in the world, it wasn’t bad. Stiller’s best friend is Norton, who is a Catholic priest. The rabbi and priest both fall in love with the same Jenna Elfman. Uh-oh, trouble! If you’re going to rent this, get it from your local library—it’s free!