Business in the front, party in the back

About a month ago I began to notice a strange trend developing with my car.

The paint job on the hood looked just fine, but the trunk was a different story.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but the stripe of fading paint actually starts on the roof.

I usually make a habit of taking both ends of my car everywhere I go, so I can't figure this out.

Thoughts? Theories?

Letter to a Bishop

Dear Michael,

Let me say up front that I am very excited to hear my sister is getting married. I can think of nothing but positive qualities to describe Michelle, and you're probably aware of most of them. She's the smart one in the family and she's always had excellent judgement, so I trust that you're the guy for her.

However, pop culture has taught me that as Michelle's big brother, I'm supposed to be an intimidating, skeptical, annoying figure in your life. I plan on handling this responsibility VERY seriously, and you can expect the same dedication from Kevin and Doug.

Based on our two brief meetings, here's what I know about you (that matters):

A- You're family has a boat. This is a good thing. We're not big water sports people, but you'll find we're open to the idea of a couple days on the lake. Be wise and use this information to your advantage.

2- You're not a fan of card games or board games. What kind of a Mormon are you? How have you survived college? Strike one.

C- You don't play golf. Nuff said. Strike two.

I suggest you avoid strike three. Our family doesn't need another "incident" like the one we had with Jeremy. Life's just too short.

Congratulations. See you Jan. 2.

Rob

Party like it's 1979

30 years ago it was just the two old people on the ends, but look at this family now!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!

It wouldn't be an authentic Weiler celebration without a little trivia game about my parents. The answers (with possible corrections) are at the end.

1- First date

A. Drive-in showing of Superman

B. Bread concert

C. Ensign Peak hike

D. Monument Park Stake road show

2- Prop used as part of his marriage proposal

A. Mom's Ford Mustang

B. Superman comic book

C. University of Utah ski cap

D. Spalding basketball

3- Mom and Dad's high score playing home version of "The Newlywed Game" (j/k - though we do own it)

4- Honeymoon destination

A. Disneyland

B. Yellowstone National Park

C. U of U engineering building i.e. they didn't go on one

D. Hawaii

5- Names considered (but not used) for first child

A. Jack (as in Nicklaus)

B. Abraham (as in Lincoln)

C. Charles (as in Xavier of X-Men)

D. Harold (as in B. Lee)

6- Average length of time between children's birth dates

A. 2 years, 8 months, 2 days

B. 2 years, 10 months, 3 days

C. 3 years, 3 days

D. 3 years, 2 months, 1 days

7- Longest-lasting family automobile

A. Datsun 160Z coupe

B. Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser station wagon

C. Dodge Caravan minivan

D. Ford Windstar minivan

8- Favorite home video moment

A. "Two scoops of disgust" - Rob's silent protest over the family's choice of Christmas tree.

B. "Hey Scott!" - Kevin running down a trail in the Tetons chasing after his uncle.

C. "Teenage Mutant Plumber Cracks" - Doug's unsuccessful attempts to keep his pajama bottoms around his waist.

D. "The gift taped to the gift" - Michelle's preference for Christmas wrapping paper instead of the actual presents.

“I know of no other place than home where more happiness can be found in this life. It is possible to make home a bit of heaven; indeed, I picture heaven to be a continuation of the ideal home.” - David O. McKay

Answers:

1. B

2. D.

4. none (I was certain they went to Disneyland, but I've been corrected. They were in southern Utah (St. George/Zions/Bryce Canyon).)

5. B (though I don't think that name came up because of the famous president.)

6. B (my math, so there's room for error.)

7. B (not sure there's a definitive answer on this on either. The "Gutless Cutlass" had to have been "in the family" the longest, but it wasn't the "family car" in its final few years.)

8. B (subjective answer, but it's my personal favorite. You may want to check the comment board in the coming weeks for opposing opinions.)

Signs of Autumn: Season Premieres!

If you live in an area where the leaves on the trees change color and the temperatures are ideal (still waiting for a high of 99 in Yuma), then by all means, go outside. Break out the hoodies, play a little golf, toss around the football at a park, take a drive into the canyon and roast marshmallows until the park ranger kicks you out.

For the rest of us, September and October is a time to find a new sweet spot on the couch and lounge it up. It's been said of me that I'm rich in television (Butters), so here's a list of some of the TV shows I'll be watching in the coming weeks:

The Office: The more the show gets out of the office and into their homes, the less I like it. And I don’t know how many more storylines are out there without really changing the show. But for now, I’m still fully invested. Premiere: Thursday, Sept. 17, NBC

Flashforward: One of the few new shows I want to check out. I’ve had this one on my radar since ABC was running one-second (literally) promo commercials during LOST. Premiere: Thursday, Sept. 24, ABC

Amazing Race: Question: What reality/game show would Rob like to be a contestant on? Answer: The Price is Right, as hosted by Bob Barker. Since that dream is now dead, Amazing Race takes it place. I think I’m pretty patient dealing with language barriers (though there’s never been $1 million on the line in those situations), can run through airports with the best of 'em, and have already learned my lesson in reading directions VERY CAREFULLY (see the blog's inaugural post). Premiere, Sunday, Sept. 27, CBS

Big Bang Theory: This show is starting its third season and seems to be relatively unknown, though anyone I know who’s seen it is immediately hooked. Premiere: Monday, Sept. 21, CBS

Survivor - Samoa: The classics never die, and this one is being dubbed "the most dangerous one yet." I propose a drinking game (using root beer, of course). Anytime the words "merge," "alliance," or "blindside" are said, everybody takes a shot of A&W. If you haven’t checked out the Survivor: Ponderosa online once the Tribal Council members start getting voted out, it's usually worth watching. Premiere: Thursday, Sept. 17, CBS

Big Break Disney: This is golf's version of reality TV, played at various Walt Disney World venues in Florida. 12 people compete for a sponsor's exemption on a PGA Tour event. My Utah readers will recognize the names Tony and Gipper Finau, who are supposed to be among this year's contestants. Premiere: Tuesday, Oct. 13, Golf Channel

30 Rock: Admittedly, some of Tina Fey’s topical jokes go right over my head, but this show always delivers laugh-out-loud moments. Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey are as good a combo as any on TV, and the supporting cast is just as funny. Premiere: Thursday, Oct. 15, NBC

Community: I like Joel McHale. I like a lot of Chevy Chase stuff, and I like the setting of a community college for a sitcom, so I want to give this one a try. Premiere: Thursday, Sept. 17, NBC.

Gotta wait until “early 2010” for the final season of LOST. I suspect it will be worth the wait.

Texas-sized win

This wouldn't be my blog if I didn't share some thoughts about one of the biggest wins in the history of BYU football.

The good:

- Defense. Who saw that coming? The Cougs didn't look like a team in need of team speed one bit. They scared OU's line into a ton of false starts, hit hard, created confusion, and that goal-line stand was top notch. (Don't blame the Oklahoma backup QB for the delay of game either. Go back and watch. That one's on their fullback.) Oklahoma never put BYU's corners to the test with a deep route, so the jury's still out on them, but give the game ball to the new defensive coordinator for doing the lion's share of the work for Saturday's win.

- Bryan Kariya. It takes a special kind of player to step into the spotlight, make plays, avoid a big mistake and not draw added attention to yourself. Kariya may not want to be a star, but he's not going to have a choice in the post-Harvey Unga years.

- BYU's offensive line. Untested. Patchwork. Second string. Call them whatever you want, but don't call them ineffective. By the time we play TCU, this group will be solid.

- The game-winning drive. Just a thing of beauty. Great 3rd and 4th-down play calls. BYU put the game in Max Hall's hands and let him go to work with Pitta. When those two are the subjects of a Mel Kiper NFL Draft piece, the video highlights will come from that drive.

The bad:

- Mitch Payne. At some point in the season every good team needs its kicker to come through, and I'm scared for BYU when that moment comes. Not only was that second FG attempt atrocious, but all of his kickoffs were short, and hitting that last kick OB is inexcusable. 

- Hall's first three quarters. Hall said it was a long offseason, but it obviously wasn't long enough for him to learn when and where to take a risk with those two INTs. Hopefully the real Max Hall is the one who emerged when his team needed him most.

The good and the bad:

- It's the first game of the season.  No one will remember the Sam Bradford injury by next year, so this win boosts BYU's national credibility in the big picture. In the small picture, the only way to make this win count for something in 2009 is to win the next 11 games. It's TOTALLY possible, but after the "Quest for Perfection" debacle I'm trying to keep my expectations moderate and just enjoy each game as it comes.

- - - - - - - 

I can't lie. I was a little subdued about the win at first. As soon as the game was over, all I could think was "this comes with a big qualifier." Much to my surprise, BYU seems to be taking very little flack in the nation's eyes for beating Oklahoma "without Bradford," and ultimately I've decided to look at it like this:

- Injuries are part of the game. It's not like Bradford went out on a cheap shot or a personal foul or some bad-luck situation. Isn't the point of defense to hit guys as hard as you can, even to the point of knocking them out of the game (in a non-malicious way, of course)? 

- Considering the state of the game at the time of Bradford's injury, this came became less of a chance to pull of a huge upset and more of an opportunity to prove it belongs among the elite programs in the nation and can be worthy of a BCS bid. And if Sam Bradford isn't on this team to start the season, Oklahoma's still ranked ahead of BYU in the preseason poll, so in that respect its an upset win - on the road, mind you.

-The only thing to expect in season openers is the unexpected. Reporting on high school football for the past five years has given me some great perspective in this area. 

In other words, Thank you and congrats to Bronco and the boys in blue. 

(Interesting side note: One of the stories I read pointed out that Hall already had helmet stickers. I thought those were given out for in-game achievements only.)