Pictures from Thanksgiving

This year, Mom, Dad and I took a different route for Thanksgiving. Nick went on a rock climbing trip to Moab, UT over the break (he's stuck in CO because of bad weather as I write this), and all of our other family and friends were going to be out of town too, so we decided to have Thanksgiving at Elk Moutain and Saratoga, WY. We finished up the trip by cutting down Christmas trees at Fox Park, WY.

If you click on a picture in the slide show, it will take you to my Picassa site and you can see bigger versions of the pictures.



Also, here are some pictures of my roommate Cassi and I during our Christmas decorating fun. I am really proud of our tree.

Only two more weeks of school!

Laramie loves Obama

So with the election just passed, I must take the opportunity to tell a bit about Laramie's affection for Obama. He came to UW during his primary campaigning to quite a big crowd. My roommate Casi and I went and were pretty impressed. We were also really interested in the camera angles used, how the crowd was directed, and the overall energy of a political ralley. Casi and I are not superly politically active, so we were just there to observe and see what all the hooplah was about. Obama's a dynamic speaker.

The funny thing is that a band, called OK Go, was performing that night in Laramie (they're the guys that had the treadmill music video) I think the only reason they came to our rural town was because they love Obama so much. They even postponed the hour of their concert so they could go to his rally. Then, throughout their concert, they totally campaigned for Obama. It was a really wild experience. Here's the video they posted about their Obama love:



"Organic." Interesting...

As I stood in line for two hours before the rally, I was actually interviewed for the Cheyenne newspaper. It was perhaps the dumbest quote of my life. All the other quotes were about political issues, yada yada, and all I was quoted saying was that I thought it was cool that Ok Go postponed their concert so we could go to the rally and their concert. I looked for the quote in their archives, but couldn't find it. Maybe that's better; I would be embarrassed for you to read it.

Laramie and Jackson Hole were the only two counties in Wyoming that voted blue. College student's and professors love Obama, and everyone in Jackson is from California. I confess that Nick and I voted for him too. Frankly, I was just excited that we voted. That is a rare occassion for the Brazzale kids.

I'll write about our political ambivelance another time. I have an entire theory.

Uncle John Brazzale in the NY Times!

I got this email at work today about an article about Cheyenne in the NY Times. I started reading it and realized that my uncle John Brazzale is quoted in it, and there's a picture of him! And then I found out that everyone knew before me...

Hot Stuff.

133 years of Nugums

October 2008 has been a historic month for the Brazzale family, one that can only be surpassed by a possible future October 2009 of equal achievement. If October 2009 proves to be as momentousness, you are all invited to my house for an outrageous celebration.

When I was 7 years old, I decided that it was time for me to get a pet. Previous to this decision, I had witnessed the tragic reality of surrendering my three goldfish, Goldy, Stripey and Spotty to an unfamiliar woman. My mother said that surrender was better than death, an important life lesson that has stuck with me. So I was 0 for three.

My mother thought I needed to prove myself for the next pet. So I did chores for like a year. It felt like an eternity, but at last my efforts were recognized. Christmas 1989 found me with the best gift ever: a ball of catnip. Un gato! I was so excited; I remember playing with the catnip for several hours. I think I got a little light headed.

Well, after Christmas had passed, we went to the Animal Shelter and I was told I could pick out whatever cat I wanted. There was a huge cage with 20 or so cats in it. Most of them were wild and crazy and jumping all over the place. My mother told me that boy cats were usually nicer than girl cats, which I apparently interpreted as jumping cats are more high maintenance. So I went with the only cat who wasn't playing: a scraggly gray cat. I wanted to name him Motor Mouth, because he purred all of the time. We eventually decided on Dustin.

Dustin was a terrific cat when he was young. Super low key and affectionate. A very grateful animal.

After a couple of months, we found out that Dustin was very, very sick. So that's why he wasn't bouncing in the cage... Well, we were told he probably had feline leukemia. You know, the curse that's killed all of Angela's cats on The Office. One night, Dustin crawled under our overstuffed recliner and wouldn't come out. Mom said he was probably going to die under there.

I was so devastated. I had sweated for months to have him in my life, and now he was going to die on me? I sat on my bed for quite some time that night. My Uncle Ed used to come into my bedrooms when he visited and pray with me before I went to bed, so I decided to pray that Dustin wouldn't die. I had the intent of praying all night, but I think I probably only prayed for 10 minutes.

The next morning I ran out of my bedroom and checked under the recliner. No cat.

Well, 19 years later, Dustin, or Mr. Nugums as he is now affectionately called, is still kicking. And that's why October was such an exciting month. I had my first real experience with prayer when I was 7, and my dear cat has lived for 133 cat years. Truly a great month.

Thin Air: NPR on the Summit

So, I love this show on NPR called Fresh Air. This lady with a really soothing voice interviews a bunch of famous people and skillfully turns normal life into a philosophical discussion. You should check it out. One of the best interviews I've heard lately was with Sheryl Crow.

I grew up with NPR: Late Night Jazz on Sunday evenings, Car Talk on Saturday mornings, Prairie Home Companion on the way home from the lake, and All Things Considered in the car. Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me in the kitchen, Morning Edition on the way to work, and Performance Tonight falling asleep on the couch. I've met a lot of students here in Laramie who have never heard of NPR. That's because NPR doesn't broadcast UW football games.

I listen to NPR a lot at work now, I'm sure my dad would tell me that I've given in to constant liberal brainwashing, but I work by myself a lot and stare out the window at the Snowys and watch the wind blow, so I need some diversion. But don't worry Dad, I've got my critical ear on every time I listen...except when I'm listening to Car Talk. I don't really understand mechanical jargon anyways.

I've started this blog, because sometimes in the winter, here at 7200 ft. above sea level, we get trapped here in Laramie, literally cut off from the rest of world. Sometimes, all of the roads are closed, and we have to settle in and buddy up with the other 27,000 people that live here. On occasion, I feel kind of isolated from all of you down there. So I thought that I might try this blog and let you know what life is like up here, breathing the thin air. I can't promise that you'll want to read everything I post. But, if you're ever stuck inside while the weather is blustering afuera, I'm here for you. And just look at it this way: the weather here is probably worse.