From the Soap Box

Day 74

My sister inspired me for the debut of this new column. A couple of days she listed a few pet peeves and it got me thinking. And I am feeling a little cranky today so this might be a perfect match!

I am cranky because I had to wake up early and go get some blood work done. It was all my choice and no, nothing is wrong. I am taking part of another study at Utah State University. This study will not be as intensive as the last one but should be interesting. We are taking a product called ASEA. ASEA is a liquid dietary supplement that is currently available on the market, and is sold through independent distributors. It is comprised of water and sodium chloride that has been electrolyzed. The company claims that drinking ASEA has health benefits that support the immune system, and they have anecdotal information that consuming ASEA might lead to a rise in blood levels of antioxidants (carotenoids are considered to be antioxidants). So, the purpose of this study is to determine if consuming ASEA actually has any effect on blood levels of carotenoids, lipids, and vitamin E. If accepted I have to take it for two weeks and get more blood work done.



This combined with the air quality in the valley has made me a little cranky. My town has the #1 Worst Air Quality in the nation! Check out the map and now you can see where I live! The air has made my throat sore and my stomach feeling a little queasy. Our air during the winter does get bad from time to time but this year has felt like the worst.



Anyway, that is not what I wanted to blog about today even though I am annoyed. One of my biggest pet peeves has to do with littering and smoking. I am not a smoker but that is not why this pet peeve ticks me off so much. If you want to smoke, more power to you. I have no problems with people who choose to smoke. What really annoys me are people who throw their cigarette butts out of their car and to the ground. I have a few problems with this.

First of all, are you that lazy that you cannot take care of your own trash? If you don't want it in your car, what makes you think that everyone else wants it on the ground? It is plain lazy. There is no excuse for this. Besides, littering of any kind is against the law.

Cigarette butts are NOT biodegradable. The filters can take many years to decompose. One of the biggest excuses I have heard is that a cigarette butt is so small that it cannot possibly pollute or harm the environment. That is probably true if it was ONE cigarette but we are taking millions of cigarette butts. Be part of the solution instead of being part of the problem.

And it is dangerous. A relative of mine was riding his motorcycle on his way to work and passed a car right when the driver of that car tossed out his cigarette. It landed in her lap and burned a small hole in his pants. He was lucky enough to grab it and put it out and then carried it to his work and properly disposed of it. Another time my dad and I were driving along the highway and we saw a small fire on the side of the road. It was small enough that we were able to stamp it out and pour what water we had on it to put it out. On the side of the road, in the gravel were a bunch of cigarette butts. Now I don't know if they were the cause for sure but just think about it. It could have easily caused the fire.

So if you are smoker, fine. Go ahead and smoke, I have no problem with that, just dispose of the butt when you are done okay?



Kindly pick up your butts!

When Kristy Met Matt: True Aggies!

Day 21

Last night Kristy and I watched our hometown Utah State University play Boise State in football on ESPN2. That was big for a couple of reasons, as reported before my wife and I met on the campus of Utah State University and that was the first time Utah State's football team had a nationally televised game. We got trounced 52-21 but it brought back those college memories and the pride we had being a Utah State Aggie.

But did you know that we are True Aggies?

No? Well, let me give you a little history before we get into that.

Kristy graduated from Utah State but unfortunately I did not. I did go to USU for a number of years but when Kristy got the call to be a teacher down south we packed our bags and headed out. Those college days were a lot of fun and USU has a lot of unique things that make USU and Logan (the town) special. Two things that stick out are Aggie Ice Cream and Merlin Olsen.

First let's talk about Aggie Ice Cream. If you EVER come to Logan, you need to head up to campus and get yourself a scoop of Aggie Ice Cream. This is a tradition, alumni always come back to Aggie Ice Cream. My grandpa ate Aggie Ice Cream, my parents did, I did (and still do) and I have passed this tradition to my son. So what makes it different? Aggie Ice Cream has a 12% butterfat content. It's aged slightly longer and contains less air than most commercial brands. And it was the first ice cream to make it to outer space. You want to know more about it? Check out this page.



Aggie Ice Cream also is the background for one of the Breinholt's favorite family moments. Kristy's family were up visiting and Kristy (like she always does so successfully) got her mom to take us all for Aggie Ice Cream. We hopped out of the car and we were all excited for some ice cream so one of them decided to act out a little. He was singing "Fatso! Fatso Man! I want to be... ...a Fatso Man!" (sung to the tune of "Macho Man" by the Village People. Well, as it turns out, while he was singing he didn't notice the rather large man eating a huge ice cream cone. He turned right into him singing "I wanna be... ...a Fatso Man!" I was so embarrassed. Because that idiot that was singing was me.

Raise your hands if you know who Merlin Olsen is. Merlin Olsen played in the NFL for 15 seasons making the Pro Bowl 14 times. He became part of one of the best front fours in NFL history. Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier, Lamar Lundy and Merlin Olsen were named "The Fearsome Foursome." He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, he was ranked number 25 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. But most of you know him when he guest starred on Little House on the Prairie. He eventually got his own series called Father Murphy. He was born not to far from where I live now, the park a block away is named after him and his sister still lives here.



So history and tradition play an important part at USU. And one the more interesting traditions is becoming a True Aggie. On campus there is a little stand that is shaped like an "A". To become a "True Aggie" you stand on the "A" with your significant other and smooch. But you have to do that on the Friday night before Homecoming. And usually that is the same night as the Homecoming Dance. Kristy and I went to the dance with a bunch of friends (yes, that is a gun Kristy is holding, long story) we first had dinner and then to the dance. My friend Lared was suspecting that I would take Kristy and pay a visit to the "A". After the dance we all dropped off our dates and I snuck back and grabbed Kristy and we headed off.
FUN FACT: That red dress Kristy is wearing? She made it.



We were not the only ones. There was a small crowd of people watching (and this is well past midnight) and it was snowing quite a bit. Lared was right and he beat us up there and snapped some pics! So that is what a True Aggie is and yes, Kristy and I are True Aggies.



We really just believe in tradition is all. *wink* *wink*