This is the trailer for the upcoming made-for-television movie, Prayers for Bobby, on Lifetime, January 24th. This is an important film that I would love for me entire family to watch with me. Consider this an open invitation to them and to any friends who would like to see it as well. I'll bring the pizza and root beer and of course the Lifetime. I'll confirm the time and update the post. Hope to see you there.
Anyone who knows me with any degree of accuracy is well aware of my LOVE for what I refer to as "Cheese Balls." Technically they are called "Fried Macaroni and Cheese," but that is not near as fun to say as "Cheese Balls." My good friend, Josh, introduced me to these gooey balls of heaven a couple of years ago. For me, it was love at first bite. 
Since that time, I haven't been able to get enough and frequently make excuses to go get them at TGI Friday's. Other places have offered something similar on their menu, but most just can't get it right. The horrible aftertaste from (BLANK's) attempt just celebrated 15 month anniversary. I'm not sure they have ever changed the oil. =0
My job involves working with a team in Manila we lovingly refer to as the PHLRO SSG. The past few weeks, their team manager, Shei (short for Sheila) has been visiting our office in Salt Lake. We had a chance to take her out to dinner and guess where I suggested? You know it. 
They have five TGI Friday's in the Philippines, but I'm not sure if they have a different menu. Now that Shei has tasted the awesome power of the cheese ball, she has offered to check out one of the local Friday's to see if cheese balls are available. Carl, the PHLRO team's representative homosexual, has invited me for a visit. Seeing Carl and the others on the team would be nice, going all that way would turn from great to wonderful if I could have me some cheese balls.
The only exception to my rule about liking cheese balls at some place other than Friday's is at The Cheesecake Factory. They offer a unique take on the classic in that instead of seven balls, they give only four, but they are each quite large. The four baseball sized orbs are encased in a crust of Parmesan cheese and come sitting in a creamy marinara sauce that is simply to die for. If you like your cheese balls with alcohol as I do (see below) and you are at the Factory in Salt Lake, remember to go after noon as they remember where they put the keys to the bar about that time. Dumb ass Utah drinking laws. God, don't get me started. Ok, now I'm started. With the exception of Bud Light Lime, which is delicious, Utah 3.2 beer tastes like horse piss (yes, and don't ask). Real men (the kind I'm attracted to) drink German beer that is easily twice that strength.
This is a picture of me being fat and happy. I have a cheese ball in one hand and a mudslide in the other. Mudslides, for those who do not know, are AWESOME! It is basically a chocolate milkshake (complete with ice cream) with a nice blend of alcohol that I'm pretty sure includes Bailey's Irish Cream Whiskey. Oh My God!!! Having the two is like a little piece of heaven on earth. The only thing that could top the experience is two orders of cheese balls and another round of drinks. Some sort of margarita is being enjoyed by someone in the picture, but I prefer the full dosage of fat the ice cream and deep fried goodness offer. Getting drunk is not required to enjoy cheese balls. Indeed, I have had them both buzzed and with root beer. But, given the chance, a nice frosty mudslide on the side is the way to go.
Anyone want to go for cheese balls? I'm game. Of course, you may need to drive me home (I do not condone drinking and driving), but being the designated driver can have its benefits, especially if you are a cute boy. =) Enjoy.
The IHG summer party was held, well, a few months ago in the summer. =) These past few months have really slipped by quickly. It was a really fund day with my family. Due to a twist of fate, I was able to bring a few that rarely get to do fun things with me and my "regular" groupies.
This rattle snake was HUGE. I just kept thinking about Harry Potter and how I hope everyone around us was a Muggle. For those who know me, I have a very strong fear of snakes. While that is true in EVERY sense of the word, I also hold a bizarre fascination with them. So, a trip to the zoo would not be complete without a visit to the reptile house, even though the smell inside that building is so foul that long-term exposure would probably be toxic. Seriously, OPEN A WINDOW. They have a tropical atrium area where birds fly freely and their excuse is that the birds would fly out an open window. One word solution: SCREENS. 
It is quite possible that building hasn't been properly ventilated since I was a kid nearly four decades ago. Hopefully, the money they will now collect as a result of the recent election can help make my mandatory visit to the snake house less than a miserable experience in trying to hold my breath for an hour. Yes, I vote for the additional funding. Now let's just hope they use it responsibly.
This skeleton of a snake's head has been there creeping me out and fascinating me since I was a kid. Also of interest, though I didn't get a picture, is the Styrofoam board showing where various mounted bugs came from. I remember always wanting to move to Australia because that was the one foam piece that didn't have any bugs, at least as evidenced by their lack of colorful dots. I believe this snake head came from a python and they are showing how once you get inside their jaws, you probably aren't coming out. This alone prevents me from visiting 3/4 of the world as I don't want to get eaten whole by snakes the size of school buses. What? I saw the movie Anaconda. 
Since my last visit to the zoo, they have taken out the hippopotamus building and added an old-fashioned carousel. Awesome. As you can see, even someone as big as I am could ride without fear of breaking the animals. This penguin didn't know what it was getting in for when it signed up as a carousel pole dancer, but I held on and tried to be gentle. =) 
The zoo has two of these lion drinking fountains. When I was growing up, I think they only had one. It was always right outside the elephant house, which has been renovated to accommodate a bunch of monkeys and an ATM machine. Classy. The fountain still works, though. The elephants have moved to a very nice new facility that gave me quite a bit of hope regarding the (then) upcoming vote for more funding. There was a time when the zoo's management was highly criticized for the frequent deaths of many large ani
mals (like the large polar bear, a giraffe and an elephant), and for shady business dealings regarding the construction bid process for the new entrance. Things look quite positive at the zoo and I'm quite pleased IHG moved their summer party there this year. It was nice as well, because the concentration of regular people vs IHG people was fairly well balanced throughout the day, even after they were supposed to be closed to the public. 
Riding the train was included with our IHG party passes. The seats were far smaller than when I was a kid, but then again, I had more hair then as well. The kids also enjoyed playing on a large playground while we enjoyed a nice sit-down chat on a bench. 
The kids enjoyed playing with this water fountain of sorts. It is a big black ball with the various continents carved into it like a globe. It would spin around until the continents were no longer visible. It is located right at the front of the zoo, which made for a very convenient meeting place when some of my family had to arrive later than the rest of us.
The white Crocodile was visiting during the IHG summer party. It has since moved on to another zoo. Apparently there are only 10 or so albino crocodiles in the whole world. The amount of water being moved in this video lead me to ask an attendant if it was a water filtration system, or if the croc was doing it all. The latter was true.
This is a clip of the German cast of Wicked at what looks like a press conference. Wicked opened just over a year ago in Stuttgart, Germany. I bought the German version of the soundtrack last year during my trip to see Josh. Even though I do not understand most words, it is fun to listen to and compare with the English version. Going to Stuttgart and seeing it in person is on my To Do list. Josh and I saw Mamma Mia in Essen, Germany and I was surprised at how much I understood from knowing the English version so thoroughly. If you'd like to come along for Wicked, let me know.
This made me laugh on a day that I really needed a laugh. Hope you enjoy.
(The advertisements are annoying. Sorry. I just clicked the boxes to close, but don't tell Jack Black or the fine folks at Funny of Die.)
