Moving Day

All:

For all of you out there who actually read this blog (and judging by the response at the Mother's Day get together, there are many of you who actually do...) I'm pleased to announce that I have moved the blog over to a new blogging client: Wordpress.

What does that mean for you? Simple. My blog has a new website address. It is:

http://andrewrparker.wordpress.com

So, come on over and visit. And if you have a link to my site on your site, now would be a good time to update.

Oh, and the reason for this change? Let's just say that certain rules at certain places of business are making it impossible to blog using blogger.

Anyway, enjoy the new blog and I'll see you at wordpress!

Roxie the Formal

My dog is hilarious. As you can see, she's sitting there on Angela's lap with her front legs crossed acting very formal. After taking this picture, I asked if she wanted cream and sugar in her tea. She politely declined saying that she did not drink tea, but was grateful for the gesture. She then promptly jumped off the couch and began chasing her tail.

Ah, the mind of a dog. Simple, yet complex. Yet...simple.

So, You're Going to Be a Dad...

See that up there? That's my boy! In fact, it's my first boy (first child too) and here he is in all his ultrasound glory. Feel free to bask in the coolness of it all.

Last week, my sister posted her fantastic news on her blog, so I thought that I would follow suit. After all, in this case, THREE is better than one.

So, I'm sure you are wondering what we're going to name the child (or maybe you're not--Angela has been pregnant for a while now) and yes, we've selected a name.

It's Colin Andrew Parker.

Now, the Andrew part should be painfully obvious. If it isn't, then I don't know what I can do for you. As for the Colin part, the name is actually of Gaelic origin. It means peace or dove. In addition, it was a Gaelic nickname for St. Nick so we've named our child after Santa Claus. As someone who loves all things Christmas, I like that happy coincidence.

In any case, I'm getting more and more excited to be a dad everyday. At first I was a little apprehensive (who isn't?) but the closer it comes to little Colin's birth the better I feel about this dad thingy. After all, I had a great dad and so did Angela. All we have to do is follow their example and we'll be fine. Plus, I'm STOKED that I finally get to have a permanent video game partner--one who loves the little boy games as much as I do.

So, happy child birthing to all and to all a good night!

Christmas with the Choir

Wow! Take a look at that picture! It's of the Conference Center at the conclusion of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square's annual Christmas Concert. While, it's not the greatest picture in the world, it gives you some idea of the grandeur of the spectacle. This picture was taken shortly after we finished our final performance on Sunday morning.

This was my first Christmas with the choir (last year I was out sick and depressed) and let me tell you, this was the most exhausting thing I've done as a member. We've been rehearsing for three weeks for the show and of course I've been there every night this past week except Monday night. We even did a recording session on Saturday afternoon that took up nearly all of the day and then the Christmas concert at night! When it was all over, I took a deep breath and promptly fell asleep for hours.

However, there's nothing like a job well done. This year's concert (with special guests, the King's Singers) were wonderful. The music was phenomenal, the set design, as you can see with the picture above, was astounding and all the performers were splendid. The King's Singers especially were outstanding. I love A Cappella music anyway, so this was a treat for me. But, overall, the show was a resounding success. I was glad to be a part of it.

So, buy the DVD and CD when it comes out because you'll enjoy the show. I know I did!

Color Quiz

My good friend Dylan and his wife Sarah had this posted on their blog, so I thought I'd take the quiz. Take it and see how you fit in!

you are dodgerblue #1E90FF

Your dominant hues are cyan and blue. You like people and enjoy making friends. You're conservative and like to make sure things make sense before you step into them, especially in relationships. You are curious but respected for your opinions by people who you sometimes wouldn't even suspect. Your saturation level is high - you get into life and have a strong personality. Everyone you meet will either love you or hate you - either way, your goal is to get them to change the world with you. You are very hard working and don't have much patience for people without your initiative. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

I've Been Tagged

My sister has tagged me and essentially, what that means is that I now have to describe 6 things or habits about myself. I assume that means that I have to write down six things or habits that no one already knows, but I'm not really sure. As such, the first six things to pour forth from my fingers are what you get.

• I hate answering the phone. I think it has to do with the fact that when Angela and I were first living in our own house we got more telemarketing calls than a normal person gets (yes, even after we were on the do-not-call list for some reason.) So, I hate going to the phone to see who it is because nine times out of ten, someone just wants money.
• I have a deep and abiding addiction to toffee covered nuts. For some reason, they agree with my taste buds and I can't get enough of them. It's a strange thing to be addicted to, but there you have it. I first started my infatuation at BYU where they bring them in fresh everyday to the bookstore. Honestly, I couldn't not go in and get some. Especially since the student center was right next to the fine arts center (where most of my classes were) and it was so easy and convenient. Did I mention how good they tasted?
• I am fabulous with names. I can remember just about anyone's name even if I've only ever met them once. For some reason, it sticks in my head. Honestly, I think it stems from being on a mission and having to remember everyone's names in all the wards I was serving in. I found I got better response from the members if I remembered their names and their kids names. After all, if I ask brother so-and-so how his kids are and name them, he's a lot more likely to give me a referral. It's all about the networking.
• I love 14th century choral music. This probably doesn't come as a surprise to most of you since I sing with the Tab Choir, but the truth is that I'm very specific about the kind of choral music I listen to on my own time--and to be honest, I rarely listen to popular stuff (rock, pop, alternative) when I have a choice. It's all Palestrina, Josquain Depres, Viadano, and others. I'm not even that big a fan of 16th or 17th century choral music. I like my music light, fluffy and with clean, sonorous harmonies. Here, try some.
• I watch the Food Network with regularity. Honestly, it's scary how much I watch this channel. After Angela goes to sleep I switch between it and ESPN while I'm winding down. I loves me some Ace of Cakes, Emeril Live, Feasting on Asphault, Good Eats with Alton Brown and many others. You know, this is my second entry about food. I'm not sure what this says about me.
• I read in to stuff people say all the time. For some reason, being a writer has always made me more sensitive to the way words are used and how they're spoken or written. I'm sure my entire family, all of whom write to some degree or another, could attest to the same thing. The problem is that, as Freud has said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I usually have to remember that when people are talking and not to read into every little thing they say. It's a tough road for me, but I'll get over it.

Ok, so that's it! Now, I'm supposed to tag six other people, but I don't know six other people. Sad, I know. So, I'm going to tag a few people that I know and hopefully that will suffice. My dad, Zuke, cousin William, Matt and that's it.

By the way, I'm almost done with school and the choir Christmas concerts are coming up so I may be incognito over the next few weeks. Not like that's different from any other time, but now I have a reason. I'll try to post before Christmas about what's going on. Oh, and Angela is getting huge! I'll have pictures of that soon too.

USC is Pandemonium!

As usual, Angela and I made our annual trip to Los Angeles to take in a USC Football game and to enjoy the good weather. We do so enjoy going to L.A. and going to the games. They truly are a huge party!

On campus, it's a complete circus. There are people everywhere, there are lines to get into the bookstore (yes, lines) and everyone has these enormous set-ups complete with big-screen TVs, stoves, refrigerators and more food than you can shake a stick at. I even saw one tent with a chandelier. A chandelier I tell you!

On the way into the stadium, you pass the USC rose garden and let me tell you, it is stunning. The picture above doesn't do it any justice, but it is gorgeous. It's a surprisingly peaceful setting what with all the hoopla just on the border of the garden.

Once you step into the L.A. Colosseum (that's where USC plays it's football games) the one thing that I marvel at is it's size. The stadium seats about 100,000 people which is enormous. As a point of reference, The Old Mile High Stadium in Denver sat a little less than 70,000 and the Delta Center in Salt Lake seats about 17,000. So, yeah, it's huge.

But the picture of me above is in the famous arch ways at the north end of the stadium. Outside the archways are images of famous sports people in America (Knute Rockne, Pop Warner, and a few others) as well as a wall of all the winners during the 1984 Olympics. It was cool to walk around and see that.

As we got to our seats, we gave the traditional Trojan hand symbol for their motto which is "Fight On!" It's essentially a peace sign, but at USC it's meant to be a V which, as you might guess, stands for victory. Fortunately, the football team does a lot of that victory-ing.

When night falls on the stadium, the lights come on and combined with all the smoke from all the grills that surround the stadium because of the tailgating parties, an eerie look surrounds the field. It's almost surreal--as if you were watching something that wasn't happening. It's tough to describe unless you're there, but man is it an odd site.

The game was a blast (we played Oregon State and won, 24-3) and we enjoyed being back in California together. We visited a couple of our favorite eatery's (dad will be jealous that we had the Japanese curry--yum!) and just soaked up the California sun. While it was a short trip, it was most enjoyable and I, for one, can't wait to get back.