The City So Nice, They Named It Twice!

There is a song called "Always Wear Sunscreen" that lists several words of advice to graduating seniors. Among those lines are, "Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard." I recently visited New York City, New York...The City So Nice, They Named It Twice! Though I was there for a day of meetings with a company on the 60th floor of the Empire State Building, my associate, Shannon, and I had an opportunity to squeeze in some sites, great meals and a Yankees game. The entire time I was there, my mind was drawn to four dominating thoughts.

1. I am such a small little fish in such a huge pond. I grew up in highly populated, Los Angeles, but never before did I feel like a speck as I did in the Big Apple. I think within five minutes in Time Square, more people passed before me than live in American Fork. It truly is amazing how many people are there. I have never considered myself a country bumpkin, but I couldn't help to feel like one as I walked around NYC with my head constantly looking up at all the hoopla around me. Ultimately, I am happy I live in a much smaller and much slower paced community.

2. I was saddened as I watched the faces of those around me. Of course, in big cities, most know not to look at anyone else. We are trained to look at the ground, or straight ahead without acknowledging anyone and without gaining eye contact. Not a soul. Not a soul. They all seemed to be soul-less or defeated. I couldn't help but to wonder what sad existences the majority of those faces must live. They appeared to have no reason to live. Could this be the result of being such a small fish in a big pond? To say hello or to reach out to one of these sad faces would immediately result in a smile chasing away the frown. I could not help to think about how little effort it would take to make a difference in their lives. I could not help to remember the Ghostbusters II movie where the main plot and problem revolved around the ooze below the city that was caused by the bitterness, hate and discontent of the citizens of NYC.

3. NYC is truly a melting pot. Again, I realize I have become a sheltered Utah boy; living in my little bubble where the bulk of diversity is found in less than authentic Mexican Food. I still couldn't help but to stand in awe as I witnessed so many different people. I stood on the corner in front of the Macy's for ten minutes and literally saw every shape, size, make and model of humankind. If you made a list of every physical and non-physical trait a human can have, I saw every combination of those traits possible; every religion was represented, every nationality was present and every language was heard. Truly an educational experience.

4. The memory of 9-11 still leaves me breathless. It is still a very real experience that is fresh on the mind of the city's people. The hate for Muslim's is very alive and I will not judge them for that. I can only imagine what it must feel like to have been there that fateful day. I know it affected me greatly and I cannot fathom how much more intense those feelings would be for me had I been there. As our limo driver described to us the events of the day and the day four days later when he was allowed back into the city, my heart stopped, my skin got goose bumps and my spine shivered. He described the smell and how it burned his eyes and the stung the back of his throat. He described the piles of bodies and debris. I couldn't help to be sad for the citizens of this amazing city. We visited St. Paul's Church. This church was built prior to the birth of our country and is directly across the street from ground zero. It is now a museum and memorial for the victims and heros of this sad day. I found myself mesmerized by one display in particular as I stared and took it in for fifteen minutes. There was a picture of a firefighter sleeping on a pew with his coat draped over the bench. Below that picture was a tattered NYCFD jacket draped over the pew with a pair of boots under. This touched me deeply. Sometimes I believe my ability to write is very effective, but I cannot put together the words of how I felt as I stared at this empty jacket. I couldn't help but to wonder who's jacket it was or what happened to it's owner. I reflected solemnly the thousands that lost their lives at the hands of these villains and the dozens that sacrificed themselves to rescue the others.

New York City was fun. We had some amazing meals at Spark's Steakhouse and Keen's Gentlemens Club and Chop House. We had VIP passes to the very top of the Empire State Building (16 floors above the observatory deck) and the amazing view of Manhattan island from tip to tip. We had seats in row 1 right behind the plate at the new New York Yankees Stadium. We had a great slice of NYC Pizza and some meat on a stick (Anthony Bourdain would be proud). We saw the incredible St. John the Divine Cathedral and many more amazing architectural accomplishments. All in all, I loved my visit to NYC, but I would NEVER want to live there for fear of becoming too hard.

ODELAY!

I grew up in a very diverse community, one that today, I would be the minority.  I was raised by loving parents that taught me to find the good in everyone and to love everyone equally, without bias to skin color, creed, race, or religion.  For that I am appreciative.  I love Utah, but in many ways, I miss the diversity of growing up in Southern California.  While the diversity is growing in Utah, much to the dismay of many, I have always appreciated my hispanic brothers from the south of us.  I have made many trips to Mexico and I love their history and culture.  I am smart enough to know not to categorize or generalize any groups of people based on my limited engagements with only a few...this applies in all cases, whether my experience has been positive or negative with the few, I will always try to avoid using a broad paintbrush to describe them all.  Thank goodness this is not done with me, or people may assume I am a barbaric Scot or a drunken Injun.  I am neither barbaric or drunken, thank you very much!  The closest I have ever gotten to generalizing a group of people is to say (making assumptions based on my experience) that first generation immigrants from South America are very hard working and appreciative of the opportunity they find here.  Even still, I will make the qualifying statement that I am sure there are in that same group lazy and unappreciative individuals.

This week I got my car washed at The Firehouse in American Fork.  It is by far the better of the car washes I have patronized here in Utah, but with that said, it would rank at the bottom if grouped with your average car wash in So Cal.  Why?  The Latin workforce.  When you get your car washed in So Cal, you pay half as much, have five workers attending to your vehicle and they produce a job filled with pride and perfection.  The cheapest car wash there is equivalent to the most expensive detail job here.  Our caucasian youth could learn a valuable lesson of hard work and pride by watching these Hispanic car washers.  Our Utah car wash owners could too.  Quite frankly, I am done tipping at the car wash for a mediocre job after paying way too much.  

Today is my free day.  I rewarded myself by visiting the McDonald's in Lehi.  I have been looking forward to a sausage biscuit for a week now.  I know that I am a dork, but that is not the topic of discussion here.  I went through the drive in and the conversation between me and the Hispanic McDonald's employee went something like this.

McDonald's Worker:  What do you want?

Me:  I'll have a sausage biscuit.

McD:  A what?!

Me:  A sausage biscuit.

McD:  What is that?

Me:  Uh...A sausage biscuit.

McD:  Yeah, what is a sausage biscuit?

I looked on the menu board to make sure I had not lost my memory after so long a period without one...

Me:  A SAUSAGE BISCUIT

McD:  Anything else?

At this time I completed my order and pulled around as instructed.  Totally baffled that this employee didn't know what I was talking about.  It became clear that English was the second language to this employee as was the case for every other employee there.  None of them could get my order right and the math to figure out my change was a huge issue too.  This frustrated me so I left.  I drove straight to the other McDonald's and was greeted by an English speaking employee who helped me immediately with 100% accuracy.  Now, I want to make it very clear that I was not frustrated that there were so many Latinos working at the Lehi McDonald's, but that the Latinos that were assigned to communicate with the customers didn't speak English well enough to properly communicate.  This is the poor performance of the manager and owner.   

There is a great benefit to the labor force in the inclusion of our hard working immigrated friends.  There is a way to manage them as well.  I don't know why I wanted to rant on these two experiences.  This subject is always such a sensitive subject; one which people tend to take extreme positions on.  Not me.  I observe it at face value.  If the individual has a right to work here, they better be fit for the job and do a great job at it.  If not, send them packing.  This applies to everyone, regardless of birth nationality.  If this were the case, then the workers and owners of car washes across Utah would be fired, so would the owner and many of the workers at the Lehi McDonald's.    

In the words of Dennis Miller, "This is just my opinion.  I could be wrong."

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Gratitude

Life's been so good to me
Has it been good to you
Has it been everything
That you've expected it to be
Was it as good for you
As it was good for me
And was it everything
That it was all set up to be
~ Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo

Gratitude! What an important thing to possess. I recently tried to communicate this to my young men on Sunday. I believe gratitude to be the founding root of all things good. It is my opinion that a person who has gratitude, also will discover they have happiness, success and love. Many are compelled to gratitude, typically after they lose something. It is easy to be grateful for what you had at a later date when you no longer have it. I find the key to happiness, success and love is to find gratitude for every little thing Heavenly Father has blessed us with before it is too late.

Here are a few ways I have learned to show my gratitude. Maybe they will help you:

• Write something you are grateful for at the end of every journal entry
• Send a thank you card once a week to someone who has helped you, influenced you or otherwise touched your life.
• Make genuine "Thank You"s a part of your every day vocabulary.
• Blog about it!
  
• Most important - Be kind to others and treat them with graciousness.
  

I am a very grateful person. I see greed and selfishness everywhere I look and it is bothersome. It is worrisome to find myself caught up in these sins from time to time, but I am grateful I am firmly rooted in my thankfulness for what I have; for my ability to recognize that which is ultimately important and place those things first in my list of blessings. I am happy that my parents have raised me to recognize blessings and to express outwardly my gratitude for these things. I am happy my Heavenly Father blessed me with a natural ability to understand that all good things come from Him and that I am nothing without His hand in my life.

There are so many things to be grateful for and for that reason I love Thanksgiving and the holidays. It is a time when we are encouraged to look within for those things that we are truly blessed with; to recognize and prioritize those blessings we have been given. Elder Kikuchi once told me that if I ever find myself in a position where I didn't feel like praying, all I need to do is simply kneel and begin to itemize my blessings. It is impossible to do without humbling your soul and placing you in a state of gratitude and love for what He has given you. I know this from experience. I have been blessed with a loving Heavenly Father who gives me everything I need and more. He has given me the greatest blessing in His Son, Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.

I am grateful for my wife, Sarah. She may not be perfect, but she is perfect for me. I could not want anyone else in my life. I am grateful for Leah. She is truly a special spirit and this will be proved time and time again in her life. I already feel it. She has made me so happy. I am thankful for Caitlin. Caitlin is Sarah and my angel. She may never understand just how grateful we are for her. I am grateful for a perfect Mother and a loving Father. They have made me what I am today. I am grateful for my brothers who are so different from me and each other, yet we are perfect together. I am thankful they are all coming for Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my Grandfather Bliss. I am thankful for my Grandmother Bliss-Baldwin and Brewer. I am grateful for my nieces and nephews. I am thankful for my entire family, in-laws included. I have been blessed with a strong family support system. At times I may act independent like they are not needed, but they are.

I am so blessed with some of the best and most amazing friends, past and present, a guy could ever want. I am thankful for a job that allows me to support my family comfortably. I am grateful for my boss and the other owners of the company. If it were not for Steve, Phil, Len and Boyd, I would have left the company and industry years ago. I am thankful for the best ward ever with such an amazing Bishop. I am grateful to live in the friendliest neighborhood to ever exist. The ward and neighborhood I live in have been so supportive in all our needs. Simply amazing. I am thankful for my young men and their unique personalities.

Man, this list can go on and on. I am thankful for the church, almost all music, football, mountains, the ocean, technology, learning, thumbs, food, soda, milk, history, my mission, all my experiences and believe it or not...my health issues. I am thankful for my slippa's, surf culture, my heritage, the travel I have done and will still do, I am thankful for cars, yardwork, grass, etc. I am so blessed. So, so, so blessed. I simply do not know how to express it. I do my best and won't stop trying. That is all I can do. That is all that is expected of me. Where much is given, much is required. I truly have been given much.

F.S.B.O.

FOR SALE BY OWNER!!!! Isn't it amazing to follow the cause and effect of different events. Amy, Sarah's cousin, got married to Jaime, which left Amy's mother's house vacant, which was then offered to Rhett and Jenny (Sarah's Cousin) for a "too good of a deal to pass up" which caused them to vacate my townhome which caused me to list it on this blog as F.S.B.O. Now that I typed that all out I realize it may not really be that fascinating at all.

Anyway, I think it worked out okay anyway. I was going to sell it in three years, but now that Obama is in office it would benefit me to sell it now anyway. He has made it pretty clear he is going to immediately raise the capital gains tax (why shouldn't he....I worked really hard to get ahead...I deserve to be taxed).

If any of you out there in blog world know of someone looking for a great starter home or maybe need a help back on their feet until their credit improves, send them my way. I am open to selling out right or doing a lease option. I maybe even will keep it and continue to rent it out.

The townhome is a row style townhome in a great location. It is off of 5oo East in American Fork. It is close enough to the freeway to be very convenient, but far enough to avoid the noise. Shopping is right around the corner. The HOA keep the grounds very good and the townhome is in near excellent shape. I understand the neighbors are great and the ward is phenomenal. The playground is close and there is a small backyard. The home has two very large bedrooms and 1 and 1/2 bathrooms. The living area has hardwood floors and the kitchen is small but very functional. There is storage space in the crawl space below. The townhome has one covered parking space directly in front of it. There is additional storage for RV's, boats, etc. HOA fees are $95 a month which covers water, refuse and cable. I am asking $155,000, but will entertain all offers.

If you know anyone who may be interested, please send them my way. Here are a few photos.

Yapona! Restaurant Review

Today I went to lunch with an associate from Kansas City, MO. He wanted sushi, so we went to Yapona. Yapona is a sushi bar near my home in American Fork, UT. I have never been much of a sushi guy, but we have gone there a couple times with our friends the Casales and Jaspers. I have always enjoyed their non-sushi menu. They have great entrees like their Beef Teriyaki Don or their Bento Box Lunch. Their appetizers are tasty and their desserts are like art!

When we got there, I saw they were now serving Kobe Beef and I immediately decided that was for me. It was expensive for a lunch steak, $28 for an 8 oz sirloin, broccoli and rice. If you have ever had Kobe (or the American cousin, Wagyu) you would know it is well worth it. Kobe beef comes from a virgin cow that is feed Sake and Beer and hand massaged daily. It is a very tender meat from the high marbelized fat content. It is expensive, but again, well worth it...unless it is from Yapona.

My steak was overcooked (well) when I ordered it medium rare. It also was fairly tough. It had the texture of shoe leather more than beef. The flavor was not bad, but it was definitely not Kobe. I questioned the waitress if she had indeed brought me the Kobe and she confirmed that she did. Either the chef/owner at Yapona does not have a clue what Kobe is or they thought I wouldn't know.

My suggestion....go to Yapona. It is a great restaurant. It truly is. Whatever you do, DO NOT GET THE KOBE!!! IT ISN'T KOBE!!! IT IS A RIP OFF!!! IT IS OFFENSIVE AND DISAPPOINTING!!!

A Positive Review

I don't want anyone to think that I am one of those grumpy restaurant critics. I am not. I typically keep my thoughts to myself and if I am dissatisfied, I simply do not patronize the establishment any longer. So, in an effort to show that I can dish the praise along with the criticism, I encourage everyone to visit Thai Chili Gardens in Orem, Utah. This place is great! You can be seated immediately (even on a Friday night), service is good, meals are prepared quickly, the food is tasty and the prices are very, very affordable. Thai Chili Gardens...Give It A Try!

Trellis Cafe at Thanksgiving Point ... Do Yourself A Favor ... Just Fast!

Today I took my customer service team to lunch as I do from time to time. Typically we eat a heavy lunch, like Tepanyaki or Tucanos, but this time I thought I would take them to a more girlie type place. After all, it was going to be one guy and seven women! The manager of the Harvest restaurant at Thanksgiving Pointe suggested we try the Trellis Cafe'. He promised the food would be fast and good. So, I decided on The Trellis Cafe at Thanksgiving Point. Here is how the Trellis Cafe's website describes itself:

"Located in the Thanksgiving Point Gardens Visitor Center, the Trellis Café offers tasty cuisine with a healthy helping of breezy ambiance. A popular destination spot for ladies who lunch, the Trellis Café is open throughout the Thanksgiving Point Gardens season. During that time, you'll find some of the most stunning patio dining available, accompanied by an artful array of sandwiches, soups, and gourmet salads. Altogether, it's a beautiful way to enjoy a meal."

Let's break this down.

"Tasty cuisine and artful array of ..." - The food at the Trellis Cafe' is okay if you don't mind waiting forever to get it. It took us exactly one hour from the time we sat down to get our meals. ONE HOUR on a lunch break?! Pathetic. When I expressed frustration, the waitress did not even apologize, but instead said, "The chef is overwhelmed." IT IS SANDWICHES AND SOUP FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! Speaking as someone with extensive restaurant experience and some formal culinary training, I don't know if you can call a sandwich maker a chef! It is true that Chefs make sandwiches, but sandwiches does not a chef make! The only cooked dish at our table had a 10 inch long hair in it! Again, no apology from the waitress or visit from the manager, though they did remake the dish.

"A healthy helping of breezy ambiance" - We had to hold our own umbrella so it would not topple our table. I know this is hardly the fault of Thanksgiving Point, but it definitely didn't add to the experience.

"A popular destination spot for ladies" - The decor is a Victorian Garden theme, obviously appealing to the ladies, but if the Trellis Cafe' is not careful, they will lose even their lady clients. Not only was our experience today totally awful, Sarah and the gals in the neighborhood went there earlier in the month and had an equally bad meal.

"Altogether a beautiful way to enjoy a meal" - I couldn't disagree more. This Trellis cafe' meal was an hour and a half long and was eventually cut short with half eaten meals and desserts to go due to the time. On top of the negative experience, no apologies and lack of caring, the Trellis Cafe' felt they needed to charge me a 20% service fee for our party because there were more than six in our group. Of course, this made no sense to me since our party had to sit at two different tables!

I was very hopeful that the Trellis Cafe' would live up to their own bragging, but that clearly is not the case. The surrounding Thanksgiving Pointe gardens are beautifully manicured, but not enough to compensate for the Trellis Cafe's lack of execution; their breads are good, their dishes are conceptually good, but executed in a mediocre manner, their service is poor (supposedly due to the overwhelmed sandwich "chef") and their prices are not in line with the overall dining experience...I paid $19 per person! We will not be back.

It's Good To Be Me!

While life does send a few blows my way from time to time.  It is still good to be me.  I have an amazing and beautiful wife, a loving family and so many great friends.  I live in the greatest ward and neighborhood and in a beautiful part of the country.  I have the greatest calling and work with an amazing group of young men.  I am employed by a strong company, have bosses that are good men, manage a team of employees I call friends, and I like my job.  I enjoy relatively good health.  The list goes on and on.  Today I realized all this early in the day.  I still had hopes the day could get better...and it did!

It started by BYU slaughtering UCL-Lame.  59-0!  The worst drumming the Bruins have had since losing to THE University of Southern California in 1929 by the score of 76-0!  Next Notre Dame beat Michigan 35-17.  I am still not impressed with Notre Dame and think that Charlie Weis is overpaid and over-rated.  The cap to the day was USC's continued domination of The Big Ten and ranked opponents by beating the consistently over ranked Buckeyes from Ohio, 35-3.  What a great display of solid ball!

Like I said, it is SO good to be me.  I am truly blessed!

AFPD Working Hard to Change My Opinion

Only 5 days after I publicly had a change of heart regarding law enforcement, the American Fork Police Department is hard at work to change my heart against them. For the second time in three years, the American Fork Police have pulled Sarah over and ticketed her for a registration that is not even a month past due. Two years ago she got pulled over for a two week overdue registration on a car that was being sold the next day. The car even said, "For Sale" all over it. The cop, probably a hairless rookie, still felt it necessary to ticket her. I agree, she is a danger to society for not registering a vehicle that is not even going to be ours 24 hours later. Good job Officer Moron!

This morning, she got another ticket from Officer Moron's trainee, Officer Dipwad; another of American Fork's finest! This time, her registration is 27 days over due. Again, we spent the last two weeks trying to sell it, so I purposely procrastinated registering it. On top of that, we have been busy with family in town and our trip to Wisconsin. I realize it is ultimately my fault for having not registered the car, but seriously. Is ticketing innocent women for slightly past due vehicle registrations really how these officers planned on impacting society?! I could understand if it was more than a month overdue, but 2-4 weeks? Pathetic. I can understand pulling her over and giving her a warning, but a ticket?! Pathetic. I discussed this with my brother and he acknowledged that he would not have even pulled her over until it was much later past the registration date. I guess cops in California have more important things to tend to than ticketing innocent women for very minor infractions. I guess they have to pay for their new fancy cars somehow, everyone knows the money doesn't go towards their salaries! I used to think they were underpaid, but now I wonder if they are overpaid....anyone can do what was just done to Sarah.

The officer pulled Sarah over on 700N. and 900W. She was not speeding; she was specifically pulled over for the tags. If the money made on that ticket went towards fixing that crappy intersection or makeshift patchwork they call call 900W., I would be happy to pay the ticket! If the money went towards making the roads in American Fork look like the roads of a suburban American city rather than the roads of Tijuana, Mexico, I would purposely speed by every cop I see just to pay the ticket! Everyone knows it may be cheaper than replacing all my tires and wheels! The bottom line is that it is my fault. I will register the car today and pay the ticket tomorrow, but the American Fork Police Department has not won me over. Great job, American Fork Police! PATHETIC!!!!

Go Get 'Em Joey!

My Cousin, Joey Bliss, has just opened a fashion boutique with his girlfriend in Newport Beach. To all my SO Cal buddies: Take your wives and get them all gussied up at Westerly! They will love you for it! Good Luck, Joey and Lindsey! I hope you both experience much success!
Here is an article about Joey's new boutique, Westerly, in Newport Beach, California!

http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2008/08/09/shopping/dpt-bestbuys080808.txt

WELLS FARGO SUCKS!!!!!!!

I am a very responsible person financially. I consistently pay my bills two weeks early, I have a credit score over 750, I live within my means, I avoid debt like the plague, etc. When we learned we would be adopting, I began pinching pennies where I could; adoption is far from cheap and I would rather not go into debt for it if it can be avoided.

I called Wells Fargo, who financed my vehicle, two weeks before the next payment was due. I requested to defer a payment in an effort to put that payment towards the adoption. This is the advice I was given, almost verbatim, "We can not discuss a deferment until you are late in your payment. You have always been on time with your payments, so a deferment shouldn't be a problem. Just be late on your payment on purpose and call us then." It didn't really make sense to me, but I agreed to play the game.

Two days after my payment was due, I called Wells Fargo to request the deferment. They quickly said "No" to the deferment request and demanded my payment a.s.a.p. to avoid a late payment. Whatever! I was a bit perturbed at the situation. Not because my deferment request was denied, but because I was late at their request! I am never late and I hate the thought of being late. The next day, the payment was mailed out. I recently learned that my payment missed the grace period and I was charged a $30 late fee. This really annoyed me.

I called Wells Fargo to request that they remove the late charge. I had them verify that I have never been late. They did so and still denied my request! They said, "You should have paid your bill online." I became hysterical as I raised my voice time and time again stating, "I WAS ONLY LATE BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME TO!" The customer service rep said, "It's only $30". It isn't about the money at this point. It is the principle! I told her I would never do business with Wells Fargo again and that I would do my best to see that any friend and family member also avoid using them. Her reply...."You do what you need to do." What the?!

This is the problem with big business. It is so frustrating, as the customer, when businesses get so large that they genuinely do not care if you are satisfied or not. When they don't feel any repercusions of losing a customer. The sad thing is, that I am beginning to feel they are right; taking my business elsewhere will not hurt them. I say this because I have already sworn never to do business with Wells Fargo in 1994. I was disgusted when the dealership set me up with a loan from them. They seem to still be getting stronger. Oh well. I am still strong willed enough to still try to help them see that the customer is key. Maybe if enough people put a foot down against their big business tactics, they will begin to understand.

Friends and Family - DO NOT USE WELLS FARGO. There are sooooo many local banks and credit unions that want your business. It is so pleasant to walk into the Bank of American Fork and hear the teller address me by name, in a manner that tells me they appreciate my business. You will never get that from Wells Fargo. Why? Because WELLS FARGO SUCKS!!!!!