Mystery Men

Paul Drayson

Petersen/White Lightning Team 2004

Sam still hides things from me. I don't think he does it intentionally, it's just he's not a woman, and as not-being-a-woman, he just doesn't think things are interesting or as important, as say, well, me.

You see, Sam is not just a truck driver. He actually has a pretty interesting "side job." Since 2003 he has worked on a race team for the American Le Mans Series (yea, I'd never heard of it either). Boiled down, it's basically a race series that includes cars called Prototypes and Ferraris, Porsches, Corvettes, Aston Martins, etc. It's actually the premiere sports car racing of the world. In other words, the ALMS or the LMS is the Nascar for the rest of the world.

Sam drives the truck, or the tranporter that hauls the car (hence the need for a truck driver) and he's worked his way up the ranks to be the primary fueler. He got the job with the team because team's manager's sister worked for Andrus Trucking and she recommended Sam for the job. So, this is how we met team manager Dale White. This is the introduction to the first of my two "mystery men."

Dale is the team manager and is standing by the driver's side door in the above picture. All 6'5" of him can be intimidating. And it doesn't bother Dale to sit one-on-one with you in restaurant in total silence. I guess the tension can be so thick that it forces one to speak of things you normally wouldn't, according to Sam.

Every once in a while, Sam will reveal little tidbits of information about Mr. White. I knew he holds a mechanical engineering doctorate degree and has invented some auto part he still gets residuals from. Tonight, though, Sam told me Dale used to work for the government at Area 51. I asked the next most logical question (for my Dad, of course): What does Dale know about the aliens? Sam said Dale won't talk about "those days."

Apparently, though, Dale still has connections. A couple years ago, some of the team was in Africa getting ready for the Dakar race (very famous, very long, very dangerous so much they cancelled it, desert race). Dale and another team member, Nico, had their passports stolen. At the airport, Dale took one government official aside, gave him his "code" and 10 minutes later both Dale and Nico had new passports. Wow, so don't mess with Dale or he could easily have you buried alive in the desert.

The second mystery man is Lord Paul Drayson. He's so famous he has his own Wikipedia entry. The "Lord" is the owner of the team. He's a British fellow, who is currently the Minister of Science in Great Britian. Very smart man. Even all 5'5" of him is intimidating. He's in his late 40s and this is his second year touring with his family pursuing his racing teams.

He and his family are quite nice, but he won't rest until he wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France (check your local listings in June for the race on Speed Channel). Word is he plans to run for Prime Minister in a few years (whew, all the answers my Dad would also love to have from someone who knows the Queen). Also (info. Sam was holding out on me) is that Paul has been financing a car for the last two years that he plans on breaking the world land speed record. They'll test it out at the Bonneville Salt Flats next year in hopes of it going 1,000 mph. Sam will pick up all the equipment for it at the airport next year.

So, Sam works with some interesting people. Dale and Paul don't necessarily look like anyone "interesting," but everyone has a story.You'd never know the stories people have just by looking at them. That's why I like people watching, especially at the mall.

Some Lost Lovin'

I'm a Lost addict. After watching last night's newest episode I continue my routine for the week by 1. Analyzing Doc Jensen's take on it all, and 2. Talking to my brother so we can confer, concur, and try out some conclusions (if that's possible with Lost). So, as I'm winding down my Lost routine for the week (sniff, sniff) I've really been thinking about why it is I like this show so much.

Lost makes you think. It's so unlike most reality/sitcom/drama crap on TV right now because it's really a show that lets the viewer try to come up with their own conclusions about what's going. Now, granted the Lost actors, and probably even the writers, may be wingin' it from week to week with all their complicated mumbo-jumbo, but still I love the mystery and the answered/unanswered questions of the Island.

For example, (and it took Doc Jensen and Jason to tell me this), but in last night's episode dead-bullet-hole guy wasn't actually shot with a bullet. It was metal filling from his tooth that was jarred lose with such force from the electromagnetism thingy down by the donkey wheel. But, the show didn't come right out and say that. All we knew was what the dead guy "told" Miles. The last thing he remembered was feeling what he thought was his tooth, essentially, going through his head. Lost didn't tell us that - it made us come up with our own conclusion that that's what happened! Oh, how I love this stuff! (Most bloggers gush about loving their husbands and kids, I gush about loving Lost....hmmm. I do love all the boys in my house, but I don't come right out and say that - you see, I let you infer that through my posts and come to the conclusion that "Oh my, yes, she does love her family." See, how tricky I am! I could write for Lost...OK, maybe not. I'm not quite that sci-fi.)

Of course I do enjoy mind-numbing entertainment (Dumb & Dumber is a classic), but I also enjoy media that let you think for yourself. See, this is why The Office is also a fav. There's no damn laugh track: "Oh yea, hey guys, this joke isn't funny enough for you to get on your own, so we'll insert canned laughs here so you can know this is supposed to be hilarious."

No, the awkward silences of The Office are enough for me. I get it. I get that humor - and that's where Sam and I are at odds. We enjoy different entertainment. He's more of an American Pie-type, while I'm more of a Napoleon Dynamite-type. ("Well, I don't know Napoleon, make yourself some ques-a-dillas or something.") He doesn't get Dwight and I don't get the whole apple pie thing. Makes me sad we can't enjoy TV together, but we do both like The Soup....so maybe there's hope.

I Love Peeps

I love Peeps. I love their puffed mallow, dyed sugar-coated, gritty goodness. I appreciate the fact that a stale Peep can satisfy an urgent need for sugar quickly. You see, I'm not a candy snob. OK, I am a little bit. (Note: I tried to add some visual dynamic to my post, here, but my Google search for "peep pictures" didn't exactly turn up what I was looking for.)

Peeps are so popular they have their own holiday(s). Not only have they infiltrated the day of the Resurrection, they have slowly been taking over Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's. Those evil, delectable little creatures. I know I'm not alone in my love for Peeps. So, it upsets me when I read about sites like www.100waystokillapeep.blogspot.com. Who are these animals?!

Peeps retail for about .97 for 12. (Yes, I keep up on these things.) So, you see I'm not really a candy snob. I can do without Godiva chocolates. But, I am kind of candy connossieur. So, I'm still seething a bit after our annual Andrus Family Easter picnic yesterday. The deal is that for every kid you have participate in the egg hunt the parent supplies ten eggs. After the hunt I have to inspect the kids' candy... you know for uh...knives and Anthrax. So, what did my inspection reveal? Jelly beans and cheap chocolate! I was so ticked, especially after the eggs I donated were filled with actual Nestle's chocolate and not some cheap knockoff.

I am getting tired of this charade. It's gone on way too long now. I am demanding that all eggs for the Andrus Hunt be filled with adult-like chocolate goodness. Egg hunts are not just for kiddos, my family. I'll be honest. I, like my friend, Kara, hide my kids' Easter candy for myself on occassion. Nothing wrong with that. I know my mom did it, too. So, my dear Andrus family, until you can rectify this horrible situation I am boycotting the Easter picnic. And the only way to get back into my good graces is to maybe fill a golden egg or two with a Peep. Until then, Peep-out, my friends.

Dixie in Vegas

I love getting together with old friends. True friends are those you can just pick up with where you left off. There's no straining for conversation, awkward silences, or "trying." You know, some people are just easier to click with than others.


So, I love getting together with my friends from Dixie College. Back in them days we were all thrown together and forced to co-exist...and some 11 years later it's still turned out pretty good. Now, our conversations are a bit different. Scheming our latest prank at the Wedge has been replaced with talk of kids and we've moved past talking boyfriends, and even the bad habits of our husbands, to talk a little politics. Time has changed a bit, but we still love reminiscing - and I think our old stories even get better with time.

But, I did read a Quoteable Quote the other day on my thinkin' chair in my favorite quick-read literature, "The Reader's Digest," (you know they make that magazine that size to fit perfectly on the back of the toilet) and it said:

"We have to remember that these are the 'good ol' days.' "

Me, Brittney, Kara (hiding behind the bench because she was way pregnant. Congrats, Swaney on baby Jackson born April 8), Adrienne, Necia

Also, that weekend I had a good surprise visit from my cousins, Michelle and Becca. Those girls are crazy! They were down from Kaysville to spend a wild weekend in SG-town. And contrary to what some believe, I was NOT making them grind wheat in my basement!

Undie Overload

Tonight was our ward's R.S. birthday bash. The theme was along the lines of "Remember When..." and so followed an assortment of old dresses hanging on the walls, centerpieces made eons ago in some forgotten Homemaking meeting (plastic grapes anyone?), and good-old fashioned Mormon fixins - Jell-O, roast, funeral potatoes, green beans, etc. It really was an original theme.

They had some ladies share memories of "olden" times. I couldn't relate to diapering any babies in cloths, making bottles with water and Karo syrup, not strapping kids in car seats, or hanging clothes to dry (ironing, what's that?). But, after some thoughtful reflection I do have two memories that does stand out from early on my church-going youth:

First, my mom wore a ton of clothes before she could even put on her Sunday dress. As a child that amazed me and I remember telling her so. First to go on was the Gs, then the pantyhose, bra, girdle, slip, and finally the dress. Man, I remember thinking that was a ton of clothes. Now, I must be getting older because I dress the same way - although I am thinking of switching to Spanx as a way to combine the pantyhose/girdle combo. Anyone tried it?

Second, has to be the "lantern" my mom made in some activity. I think it was comprised of a small saucer plate, upside down tea cup, another saucer all glued together and spray painted with some rubber black concoction. I guess the '80s had their lanterns and we have our magnet boards - go figure.

Me Jackie, Me Hungry

So, I had this extremely ravenous appetite for some meat tonight. And seeing that I am not a very good cook (I can hold my own with salads and desserts), I had to resort to other means. After an extreme stomach turning adventure with mustard chicken a few years back, I have to blacken chicken to make sure it's done. So, tonight was one of those obscene cravings where I could totally feel at home with the Flintstones as the rack of ribs tips over the mini-van at the drive-thru. I settled for Wendy's instead.

Yes, there you have it - an admission to my sins. Yes, I do break the Sabbath occassionally. I don't shop at the stores and don't wine and dine myself at restaurants, but yes, people, I do satisfy my cravings with a trip to the Cum-n-Go (seriously, they do exist...hehe) or the Dairy Queen. Bad habits learned years ago from my Gpa and Aunt Ellen. It's either satisfy the inner beast or kill the kids - I think God understands my dilema.

I had two hamburgers. I seriously would have eaten the entire bag-o-burgers at Arctic Circle, but thems good Mormon going people who don't open their business on Sundays for heathens like myself. Then I snuck some chicken nuggets away from the children. I did draw the line, however, at finishing off Cooper's half eaten ones thrown way under the front seat. Standards, people.

So, two hamburgers - not that bad, right? Well, did I mention I ate an entire sleeve of Oreos between 12:15 pm and 1:00 pm. I didn't eat breakfast and church just makes me hungry. Is it just me or is anyone else starving when they get home, even if you have had breakfast/lunch? After my Oreo high ran out, I needed some more chocolate. The only chocolate available were the little morsels in the chocolate chip bag. Helped myself to a heaping cup. Yum, yum. So, it's understandable that by the time 6:00 came around I needed some salt to even out the sugar...hence the hamburger dilema.

Then in between the sugar high and the caveman urgings I'd had about enough of the children. Sometimes the whining and the constant needs just get to me. I think Milo has spent most of the day crying outside my locked door - he's two and a little evil right now. Sam's been gone for two weeks now and my patience is just thin. And I woke up this morning with a big fat whiteheaded zit just under my lower lip. Zits around the lip area are just bad. Then my skirt was a little tighter around the midsection than I remember it being last week.

So, after I get the kids out of the tub I'm taking a Midol and Tylenol PM, putting Twilight on, zoning out, and calling it a night.

Go to sleep, or I will put you to sleep!

I'm actually talking to myself with that one. I have not gone to sleep until 2 am for the last few nights. I have become obsessed once again. First it was "Twilight" (so over that), then blogging (hmm...that's waning a bit), then couponing (still going strong), and now "Lost" (Holy mother of M-O-L-Y! Could the nerd coils be any hotter right now!)

I'm always a little late jumping on any fad or bandwagon. I know big bangs are out, but are A-line bobs still in? OK, good. So, even though Lost began in 2004 I didn't become a true follower until 2008. Four whole stinkin' years I was missing out. So, after the ever-so-gentle prodding of my SIL, Tiesha, and brother, Jason, I watched the first DVD of the first season. So, about this time last year I watched Seasons 1-3, then just recently watched Season 4, had DVR'd Season 5 and as of last night I can join the ranks of Lost freaks. Ah, it feels so good to be "current."

So, sorry, right now instead of spying on my fellow bloggies, I will be immersing myself over at www.ew.com where Doc Jensen is my new crush. This guy is either brilliant or he has some insider knowledge about the island. In either case, I have become mesmerized, and will now fully participate in the postulations, what-ifs, and maybes of all things LOST.

This Doc Jensen fella is all about the literary allusions of Lost. I admit, I do find his theories pretty much right on and fascinating. Finally, six years after the fact, lessons from my literary theory and criticism class are finally clicking. I sat glossy-eyed and in another dimension myself in that class and have no idea how I survived. But Doc's analysis of names and symbols in Lost are finally making elements from that stinkin' criticism class make sense.

I have to confer with my brother after Lost episodes and he has ever so enlightened me with his own theories:

1. Richard Alpert (hmm...he is good-looking meat) is really an Egyptian who has found a portal from ancient times that has lead him, and possibly others, to the island. This would explain the black eyeliner. And this would also explain the giant statue, whose only remains are a four-toed sandled food. The statue, which we only get a quick look at during one of the time warps, resembles the many-eared god of the underworld, Hades. (Jason theory)

2. Eloise is Daniel Faraday's mother. She is also the woman with the gun during the "Jughead" episode. She is referred to as Ellie. (Jason theory)

3. If Ellie is Eloise, I'm betting that Daniel Faraday is the love child of Ellie and Charles Widmore, who were both in Alpert's group of others at the same time. This would explain Widmore financing Faraday's ventures. (my theory)

4. Claire is not really dead - and I suspect that at some point we will see a reemergence of dead characters who will be resurrected in some respect according to the islands wishes.....OK, that one's a stretch. (my theory)

5. It's hard to say who is absolutely good and who is absolutely bad. I think we'll find Charles Widmore is a better man than that lying sucker Ben Linus would have us think. After all, he told Desmond how to reach Eloise and isn't Eloise the master-mind behind getting everyone's butts back to fantasy island? Why doesn't Eloise just send her former lover back there herself? (my theory)

6. John Locke got talked out of killing himself by Ben....yet another example of Ben's smooth convincing. The island wanted John to die (not sure why yet), but Ben is once again assuming control - just like he did when Locke was supposed to turn the wheel, but Ben did it instead. (my theory)

7. The Dharma Initiative's symbol looks eerily like a snake - snakes were very much a part of Egyptian life/mythology. We think of serpents as evil (Adam and Eve), but not necessarily so for the Egyptians. (my theory)

There is so much going on in the show. I hope they can tie up so many lose ends. What about Walt and the other special children that were on the flight? Anyway, I will be all about LOSTing it on Friday mornings now. And Sam better not change the channel and screw up my recordings. Doesn't he know I have "lost" of TV to keep up on??