The Voyage of 2010

2010.  Already.  Times appears to be picking up speed, like a semi coming down a mountain pass with no brakes.  The Jazz were playing the Bulls in the Finals yesterday.  Y2K had was driving everyone to madness last month, and I celebrated the year 2000 last week.  I got home from my mission yesterday.  Now all the sudden it's 2010 and I wonder what I've accomplished in life.

I've lived through some of the 80's, all of the 90's, all of the 00's, and now I begin the 10's.  How is that possible?  1986 orignally seemed to be so recent.  I'm having a mid-life crisis at the ripe old age of 23.  I wish I had a stellar car to go with it.

2009 was a great year, starting with the Sugar Bowl and ending with a quick trip to San Fransico and spending time with family.  2010 begins with an internship in Washington, DC, and then heads into the great unknown.

I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions, but I think the new decade requires me to do so.  Thanks, 2000's...you gave me some facial hair and a few inches.  2010...you got big shoes to fill.

Sweet Potatoes in K.C.

The flight to Kansas City was normal.  I got the usual water with ice (why risk spilling juice all over yourself if there happened to be sudden turbulence?  Am I the only sane passenger?).  Sudoku,  Lord of the Rings, and The Bourne Supremacy soundtrack made for a pleasant passage, even though the guy next to me hogged the arm rest to himself the entire time.  The significance of this Thanksgiving never set in while I was on that flight, but now reflecting upon the weekend, it was significant for a few reasons.

1.  For my 23 short years upon this planet I had never once celebrated Thanksgiving with my family any place other than Utah (Portugal doesn't count because I wasn't with family).  The reason for spending this holiday in Kansas was because Brooke and Tyler live there and Brandon and Michelle live mere hours away, so it seemed like a logical location.  Above is a picture of the Barrett's (minus Tom) in Gardner, Kansas.

2.  It just so happened that the Barrett all-time favorite musical was in Kansas City.  Wicked was so great and we loved this opportunity.  You can see the excitement oozing from our faces right after the curtain call.

3.  Britain, Braden, and Kylee.  Enough said.

4.  Another first this Thanksgiving was eating out.  No, we did not cook our own bird nor mash our own potatoes.  After playing some intense family basketball and volleyball at a church, we immediately drove to the nearest Goldern Corral.  I'll be the first to admit my hesitation to eat at a restaurant, let alone a buffet-style Golden Corral.  Visions of tackiness swirled in my mind, thinking that our family would star in a "Thanksgiving Vacation" movie where everything goes wrong and everyone is miserable.  It actually was perfect.  The food was very delicious - especially the sweet potatoes!  Perfectly mashed, delectable temperature, and topped with just the right amount of marshmallows.  I'm fully converted to Golden Corral...and sweet potatoes.  The best part was leaving without having to do any dishes.

The drive home was amazingly amusing and particularly pleasurable.  There's not much to adore in Kansas nor Nebraska, but things spiced up in Colorado and Wyoming.  Those states are surprisingly fun to look at.  There were so many small towns that I found quite homey, and I wouldn't be surprised if I lived in a tiny town myself one day.  Throwing the football at rest stops was fairly entertaining as well.


I could go on and on about this Thanksgiving and this road trip, but I would neve rbe satisfied and there would always be something else to write about.  The biggest thing I realized this past weekend was how much I love my family.  Parents, siblings, niece, nephews, and in-laws alike are very dear to me.  I love them very much, and having said that, I must say one last thing:

WHO RULES CATAN, BRANDON?

Chops and Piñatas: Halloween 2009

This year's Halloween costume was supposed to be epic.  After receiving so many comments about my "Wolverine" hair, I decided it was finally time to give it a go.  Things definitely did not turn out as I had hoped...

I cut my hair three weeks ago, destroying all chances of actually mimicking Wolverine's hair.  And my attempt to grow some wicked chops was about two weeks shy of any justice.  So showing up to a Halloween party as I was turned out to be distressing.  Many asked what I was supposed to be.  "Oh, Ren McCormack, I get it!" or ""Why didn't you dress up?" were my most frequent comments.  Overall, I was a costume-failure and disgrace to Hugh Jackman.

I literally walked into the pinata event.  Walking aimlessly, and alone, through Jared Bryson's home I bumped into an acquaintance who handed me a bandana and walked away.  I was soon given a stick and was being forced to spin.  I was humiliated as I swung about, trying to hit a box-shaped pinata made of duct tape.  Yes, duct tape, meaning that it was physically impossible to tear it open with a swing of a small plastic bar.  The bar literally almost left my hands several times because I was swinging so hard that my hands began to sweat.  I somewhat gave up, grabbed the string, pulled the box close, and beat it like a dirty rug...and it still didn't break open.  Public humiliation at its finest.

Halloween 2009 brought with it some good memories and gave rise to a new pet peeve: people who use this holiday as an excuse to lower dress standards.  Drives me crazy.

GOING TO D.C.!

So the time has finally arrived for me to do something really "big boy" - an internship. On somewhat of a whim, I decided to apply for an internship in Washington, D.C. for the spring of 2010. What I thought would be a simple "yes/no" response was really a triple-interview extravaganza that left me absolutely certain that I had no future.

Interview #1: Senator Hatch's Office
First interview I've had since applying for the job I currently have. I felt rather confident, however, because I had some connection with the interviewer. My sister-in-law's brother had been an intern for the interviewer, so I could at least mention a name. Overall, this interview went ok...probably a 7 out of 10.

Interview #2: Congressman Chaffetz's Office
Two interviewers. Unexpected questions to which my answers were probably more unexpected. I hadn't done much homework before this interview, which left me yearning to turn back time to get ready. Of the three interviews, I felt like this was my least impressive. "Well," I thought, "at least I have one more today."

Interview #3: Senator Bennett's Office
I walked into the building feeling prepared. I had used the previous two interviews as templates for the third. I asked myself questions, I read up on issues, I practiced my answers...no sweat. There was nothing impeding me from having a stellar interview.
THREE interviewers. They asked me some of the classic questions to which I gave probably classic answers. The bulk of the interview was spent listening to one man give a description of what the interns in that office do. When I began to feel like I really had made a good impression, the handed me a paper that became, I believe, the reason for my rejection. They expected me to respond to a fake letter concerning the public option in health care. After 15 minutes of stumbling my way through poor writing, I gave up. I handed in my letter and walked shamefully across campus.

After the third interview was over, I felt defeated. I couldn't believe I had blown all chances of interning in D.C. After reading my rejection letter from Senator Bennett's office, I gave up hope.

In the end, everything turned out wonderfully. Apparently the stars aligned that day and Jason Chaffetz's office accepted me for the spring. I'm going to Washington!

The Dating Chronicles: Post 2

The Blind Date: The idea of a blind date makes sense:  Person A tells Person B of their dating struggles.  Person B tries to match qualities of Person A to friends and acquaintances.  Finally, Person B finds Person C to match up with Person A.  Person A and Person C go on a "blind date," realize they are meant for each other, and continue toward marriage.

That's the idea, anyway.

Most single people cringe when they hear "blind date."  When describing a blind date experience, most singles would refer to them as "boring," "terrible," "really bad," and the like.  

I think blind dates are ideal for the most part.

PROS:

• There's no need to find someone.  Another person plans the date, and you simply show up.
• There's no obligation.  If all goes well you've added another person to the dating pool.  A second date implies that both parties are interested.  If all ends after the first date, then you've eliminated yet another person from the "potential" list and you move on.  There's no guilt in never seeing that person again.  It's not as if you're distancing yourself from a long-time lover.  You're simply avoiding ever having to spend time with the same person you suffered with for 6 hours on a date because your friend thought you'd be the perfect couple.  No awkward break-ups.  No heartache.  No doubt.
• You can learn a lot about what your friends think of you by the quality of the blind date they set you up with.  If upon meeting your date you think, "Are you kidding me?" then you'll realize how little your friend knows you.  If, however, you think "Wow, this is going great!" then you and your friend can enjoy an even stronger bond than before because you are both on the same page.

CONS:

• Spending valuable time and money on someone you don't care about.
• Hating the friend who set you up.
• Receiving stalkerish texts from a blind date who just doesn't understand that you aren't interested, even if you don't call back.

All in all, blind dates are just fine.  You just may meet your future spouse.  If not, at least you have a new funny story to share with friends.

The Dating Chronicles: Post 1

The Single's Ward:

The Utah State Fair, like most other state fairs (I assume) has the livestock competition. Cattle, sheep, swine, rabbits, goats, and other animals are put on display so spectators can admire their size and appearance. After a period of a few days, new animals are brought in for the same purpose. Eventually winners are chosen and ribbons are awarded to those who have the most impressive "performance."

So it is with a singles ward. Hundreds of young people flood the chapel, each claiming their desire to be spiritually lifted, yet other motives are afoot. The first few minutes of sacrament meeting and Sunday School are spent scanning the room for the fresh "livestock." Men and women alike are drawn to church each Sunday with the hope that they'll find their blue-ribbon partner. There's no secret - single's wards perpetuate an atmosphere of competition. Your best friends are your toughest opponents.

The elephant (or in this case, the large pig) in the room is MARRIAGE. Jokes are made in every talk, lesson, and testimony, and although we all laugh, it's everyone's worry. A ward full of singles, you would think, should be a petri dish of love. Marriages should happen so much more frequently than they do. It so often seems that we enjoy walking between the pig pens trying to decide which one we like best. We're afraid to give away our blue ribbon, because we only have one. We're all awaiting the day that we finally award the ribbon and take home our prize pig.

Until then, we're confined to walk the stinky pens of dating looking for our favorite pig*.

*The word "pig" in no way represents the way I feel about women. It is simply congruent with my analogy. No ill feelings intended.

Barrett Movie Classics

Growing up with a very cultured mother has been a huge blessing in my life. Much of what I do, like, and desire comes from the way Ginger raised me. One thing, for which I am so giddy, that Gigi has given me is the love for old movies - movies I never would have seen without her encouragement.

These are some of the best movies of all time. Doris Day, John Wayne, Robert Redford, Don Knotts, James Garner, Rock Hudson, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby (what kind of a name is Bing?), Howard Keel...the list goes on and on. I love these movies. I'm painfully aware that no one reads this blog, but if you happen to be reading this and you want a Brady Barrett review of any of these films, or others of the same genre, let's talk about it over lunch. Or dinner. We'll have our own "dinner and a movie" experience.