Buggy Buddies

There is no level of excitement that compares with buggy rides. They are even starting to stay awake for the entire ride.

Ride On! part III

For the past few weeks we've had a fair bit of rain and storms (ocasional snow/hail). Not to be deterred by a little moisture, I managed to hit the hills once again during a three-hour break from this dour weather.

This particular ride that I went on (we'll just call it the Water Tower Ride) is about thirteen miles round trip with a vertical gain that tops 1000ft and my fastest time being just over an hour. I started out not really knowing whether I would go the complete distance or not - spring conditioning is a real drag. I ask you to remember the bit about days and days of continuously rainy/snowy weather.

So I get to the top of the climb (about six miles in) and it looks something like a swamp. However, I take a little look around (elevation = 5600 ft, so you can see the entire valley from up there on a clear day) and notice that the tiny break in the clouds seems to be following me up the canyon. This bit of reassurance, fueled by Massive Attack's 'Radiation Ruling the Nation' pumping through my earphones, meant that there was no turning back. (Massive Attack fan note: Had it been 'Backward Sucking', well, my day would have been a lot less muddy)

So I plunged into the mud-madness like a good sport. I made it about another mile in and my chain derailed from all the mud that was packed in my hubs, bottom-bracket, and tires. I managed to 'wash' the vital parts of my bike off in one of the larger puddles on the trail so I could carry on. This is one of the few times that having SPD pedals works to your extreme disadvantage since the old shoes are caked full of mud and won't snap back in without some real work. When I finally made the hair-raising decent (back down the 1000ft, only this time on a bit of single track that is about six inches wide in places and covered with loose rocks and skirts a nice cliff) and came out on the Jordan River Parkway Trail, I looked like a real mud-baby. The total trip time ended up being about three hours of mud-heaven including repairs, picture taking, climatic observation, and general marvelling.

Fortunately, there weren't any wrecks, and it was so thick that I couldn't really get going fast enough to flip it all over my back. Unfortunately, it took me two days to clean my bike and I had to rebuild my front hub and will need to rebuild my bottom-bracket - which I didn't realize until it seized up on me in the middle of another ride a few days later. The things we do for fun...

Hooray! (for something off-screen)

Whatever is behind me is way more interesting. Possibly mommy.















In this side-by-side shot you can tell them apart (Ian: left, Marcus: right). At other times though... not so much.

Smiley Guy in the Chair

Marcus

Ride On! Part II

With the weather warming up, it’s that time of year when Mike heads to the hills to crash his bike. Unfortunately, out of the three rides taken so far this season, he's only managed to crash once [sighs of regret]. We apologize for posting a picture of a hairy leg, but until Heidi starts to log some crashes, you’ll just have to deal. Note the line and symmetry of the perforations that the front sprocket made on his leg. Due to the intervention of a chain-link fence, there was no heavy bleeding and will most likely be no long-term scarring (to the disappointment of the Soul Riders of our youth).

In the clearing stands a boxer...

Here's Ian, ready for any sucka' who is willing to Bring It. [That probably would've been more threatening if he wasn't wearing his 'got milk?' outfit]

It appears that we are raising a couple of aspiring thugs.

Travelling Space and Time

So, the boys are now starting to sleep with their eyes open (a source of much laughter and rejoicing). However, this is not to be confused with just plain 'spacing out', which they do plenty of as well.

Here is a pic of Marcus working on his time travelling abilities. I especially like how he has fashioned his burp cloth to resemble a nun's habit. It might make a good musical, The Time Travelling Man-Nun of Orem.

We all have dreams, even if they happen while our eyes are open.

Another stinking blog

Hey all,
I have recently begun another blog with a friend from my Film program at UEA that is devoted to film, culture, and the arts. That way I can indulge my sickness and you don't necessarily have to wade through it just to see pictures of Heidi and the boys. Of course we'd love to have you visit both sites (and comment), but now there are Options.

The name is Boast. Right now it's still getting sorted, but there you have it.

[Note that the address is iboast, not iboats... for obvious reasons]

Smiley Attentive Guy

Things are going well for us here as the little guys are now sleeping between 5 and 7 hours at night. They also now seem to understand that we are for real and therefore sometimes pay attention to us while we hover above them making all sorts of unnatural noises and faces. This is a shot of Ian.

Ride On!

 

Hands, touching hands - reaching out...

 

Let them have punch

Mommy spiked the punch... mmm, spiked punch.

**Edit- sorry about the rubbish mobile picture

More, a short film by Mark Osborne

Watching Alive in Joburg reminded me of a short stop-motion animation that Josh and I fell in love with a few years ago when we lived at The Place. More is about as brilliant and thought provoking as short films get, so I want all of you to take a moment, snuggle in with some popcorn and your favorite squeeze, and watch this film. It lasts about 6 minutes.
(it might take a minute to load if you have a slow connection, but stick with it anyway)

A related rant (optional):
Unfortunately, More is only available in an Apple Quicktime format. Because I haven't sold my soul for Quicktime Pro, I cannot post the actual video here - a prime example of the type of corporate slickery that Apple seems bent on promoting. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Alive in Joburg, a short film

Here is a pretty sweet short film by Neill Blomkamp that depicts a fictional world where extraterrestrials have become refugees in South Africa. Brilliant use of subject and narrative elements, CGI, hand-held photography, editing, and what appears to be some very convincing stock footage with matted overlays.

Brutha's Gonna Work it Out

Marcus is already bustin' tha gang signs.
Dag yo!

Spa Time at Chez Smith

What's better than soaking in a warm bath while women sponge you down...? Keep your answers to yourself because we don't want Ian to find out; this is his fantasy moment.

Going Home

This week we were able to bring the little guys home from the NICU. *thunderous sounds of applause* This helps to explain Ian's party attire and accompanying bewilderment. And yes, Mike picked out their 'going home outfits' because chicks dig the hat (thanks Kelsie). Other than the chronic sleep deprivation, things have been going well.

Because the babies are still quite small (6 lbs!) and sickness is so big and bad, the doctor in the NICU advised us to not have any visitors (especially children) for a couple of months and, since Mike has already gone 180 rounds with the season's cold/flu champion, we feel pretty strongly about this. Since they have already had respiratory problems, even a minor cold could make life miserable, and the last thing we want is to have to spend more time back in the NICU. We appreciate all of the concern and support that our family and friends have given us and we'll let you know when the Visiting Hours are open.

Cheers!

'In the Mood for Love' plays Provo

This coming week (Jan 17th - 21st) at the BYU International Cinema (in my opinion, the best thing that Utah Valley has to offer in regards to the arts), Wong Kar-Wai's film, In the Mood for Love (2000), is showing. Despite the fact that you probably already own the brilliant Criterion version, this is an excellent chance to see it on the big screen (and count the number of uncultured BYU students who shake their heads and walk out). If you haven't even seen this film then you need to have your partner give you 50 lashings with a sturdy leather belt, and then go see it.
All shows are free!
-m

Mommy Time!

 
Ian enjoys some Mommy Time after drinking himself into a euphoric state. 

You know you're in Utah when...

Maple syrup. Vermont, maple syrup.
I'm familiar with niche marketing but this seems more like exploitation.