KSL does it again!

Deputies: Man shoots goat while high on spice

CACHE COUNTY -- Sheriff's officials arrested a Clarkston man accused of shooting a goat after smoking spice.

Lt. Chad Jensen with the Cache County Sheriff's Office says 28-year-old Ryan Lee was high on spice -- a legal type of synthetic marijuana -- when he got into an argument with a friend around 5 p.m. Friday. During the fight, Jensen says Lee pulled out a revolver, walked into a nearby building on the property and fired several shots inside and outside the home.

One of the bullets hit his friend's goat.

When deputies arrived, Lee came out of the building but remained combative. After several attempts to get Lee on the ground, deputies tried to use a Taser on him. When that was ineffective, deputies fired a bean bag round from a shotgun and were able to take him into custody.

Lee was taken to Logan Regional Hospital for evaluation, then booked into jail. Jensen says criminal charges are pending.

The goat survived and was taken to a local veterinarian for treatment.

Think this article is funny?  You should read the comments.  Classic KSL...Mormons, illegals, Obama, gun control, legalizing marijuana...pretty much everything but Sarah Palin.  

See, I told you reading the KSL comments was fun.  

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Kim, for bringing this article to my attention.  It's the best KSL story I've seen in a long time.  

So, thank you Kim, and thank you KSL, and a special thanks to the morons who comment on KSL!

Oh, and thanks too to the guy who smoked spice and then shot the goat...without you we wouldn't have a story.  And, a super extra special thanks to the local veterinarian who saved the goat's life...you have the hands of an angel.  

Becca goes to Bolivia 2010

I must, and will catch up on blogging.  I don't like being behind on blogging.  I feel like I can't go do anything else fun or blogworthy until I have blogged about all previous activities.  And, I like doing fun and blogworthy things.  


But, hopefully all this blogging will be worth it someday when I can print off all my blog posts and, voilà, have a history of my life.  And, by doing all the hard life-history work now, when I get old I can just sit around and knit and watch game shows and stuff (must re-learn how to knit first) and not worry because practically every second (both meaningful and meaningless) of my life will have already been documented via blog.  


So, put on your seat-belts people...in the next couple of weeks I will be on a blogging frenzy and will be inundating you with a plethora of pictures...more than you may be able to handle.  


Please allow me to start off with a little summary and explanation of my Bolivia 2010 trip.  


I went to Bolivia with a group from SHe Humanitarian that works in conjunction with Choice Humanitarian to do various, you guessed it, humanitarian projects.  They work in Bolivia, Kenya, Nepal, and Guatemala.  


SHe stands for "Singular Humanitarian experience."  It is an NGO started by one of my mission companion's brothers (that's how I found out about it) and a bunch of his friends.  They wanted to provide opportunities for LDS singletons to travel and serve at the same time.  


All of the SHe volunteers are single, all are LDS, and pretty much everyone is in their late 20's or early to mid 30's.  So, it is a perfect group for me because I fit right in age-wise, and I got to meet people who share my love of travel and humanitarian work, and people with my same marital and social status.  


I didn't anticipate that one of the best things about going on the trip would be that for the 10 days of the expedition (plus some) I would get to feel completely normal.  


And, it has been YEARS since I've felt completely normal.  And I loved feeling normal, even if it was just for a short time.  That's just not a feeling you get to have very often as a older LDS singleton.  Moments of feeling normal get more and more scarce as the years go on, and I rarely feel like a normal human being or get to have a moment of forgetting that I'm single...forgetting that I'm different. 


Every year I feel more and more awkward and out of place in the world, in the church, in my family, and just in general.  And it's not really anybody's fault.  It's just the way things are.  Because I'm not normal.  I don't fit in.  I am out of place.


I can't relate to most people my age because I'm not married and I don't have kids and I don't know what that's like.  And since I'm missing out on so many of the experiences that make up adulthood I don't even really feel like a real adult.  It's like I'm stuck in some weird limbo.  I'm not a child or teenager anymore, but I'm not really an adult either.  I'm a singleton...and a Mormon singleton, the worst type of singleton you can be.  (Except maybe the Amish...I'm betting single Amish have it pretty bad too.)


But anyway, I'm not trying to have a little blog pity party.  I'm just trying to explain why it felt so absolutely refreshing to get to be in an environment where I fit in, because I don't really feel like I fit in anywhere anymore.  


But on my Bolivia trip with Singular Humanitarian I got to feel like I was normal...even if it was just for 10 days.  Because we were all in the same life situation, and in that little micro-environment we were all temporarily normal (except that one weird guy).  And, it was awesome.  Fitting in feels so great.  I can't even imagine what it would be like to get to feel like you fit in all of the time.  Those of you who get to live normal lives have no idea how lucky you are.  


Singular Humanitarian is going to Nepal in November.  And, although it would be a lot of money, I'm so tempted to go...even if it would just be for that temporary fix of fitting in for a moment...because feeling normal felt so good.  


Humanitarian trip to Nepal= thousands of dollars
Getting to feel normal as a singleton= priceless? (I'm still trying to decide)


Anyway, I actually spent three weeks in total in Bolivia.  I got to La Paz a few days before the expedition began since I was coming from having spent nearly a month at sea level with my parents and most of my time in Bolivia was going to be spent between 13,000 and 15,000 feet above sea level.  I needed to give my body time to adjust to the altitude so I wouldn't get severe altitude sickness.  


Then I met up with the SHe group and we spent a day in La Paz getting ready for the expedition, eight days in the Altiplano region of Bolivia doing various service projects (of which I will explain more later), then we headed back to La Paz and some people went home but a bunch of people (including me) stayed a few days extra and biked the World's Most Dangerous Road and then went to Isla del Sol for a couple of days.  Then after that, everybody went home except one other girl from the expedition and me, and we went down to southern Bolivia for a few days before returning to La Paz to fly out.  Anyway, somehow that all added up to about three weeks.  


And, it was a good three weeks.  Pictures soon to follow...

News...

This just in...

A CTR ring was found at the Old Town Saloon in Rigby.  If it's yours, give them a call.  

Haaaaaaa I love Idaho.  This ad was in the Jefferson Star newspaper today.  I'm guessing it's a joke, and if it is it's pretty funny, and if it isn't, it's even funnier.  

Also, if you lost some boots by the road or are missing a turtle, or are missing your dog that just gave birth, you are in luck...someone found those as well.  

I also thought these articles from a recent Post Register were sort of funny and ironic.  The top article says "Job growth on horizon" and just below it an article is titled "Joblessness inches higher."  So, what is it Post Register?...am I doomed to a life of joblessness or not?  

I'm just wondering if Obama or some other politician is writing for the Post Register, because the articles seemed very poiticianish...like, we don't really have a freakin clue so we're just going to give contradicting information so you'll get all confused and will stop trying to understand the economy so we can just do whatever we want like spend more and more money to "stimulate" the economy.  Whatever.  

And, speaking of government waste, I went in today to renew my car registration and they made me buy a new license plate because mine was seven years old or something...seriously?  My old plates were in mint condition (except for some dead bugs plastered to them), I really liked my license plate number, I had an 8B (Bonneville County) plate so I wouldn't get made fun of as a 1J (Jefferson County) driver, and the new plates cost me 6 bucks!...come on Jefferson County, we're in a recession and I'm funemployed!

Anyway, truthfully the reason I'm mad that I had to buy new plates isn't the money, the wastefulness, or the fact that I now have 1J plates...it's that the new plates are SO ugly...they just print the numbers on and there's no dimension to the plates...they look cheapy and look like I drew on the numbers with a Sharpie.  I nicely told the car registration lady that I thought the plates were ugly.  So, maybe she'll put in a complaint for me.  Hopefully.  I worry about Idaho's future if we have such ugly licence plates...it just poorly represents our state when we travel.  I'll get over it sometime soon I'm sure.  

Anyway, I also found this...

in the Post Register.  I just thought it was funny because if you look above the 50 it says in small letters "Belated."  So, "Happy Belated 50th Birthday!"  I just think 'come on people...if you are on the ball enough to actually put an ad in the newspaper to wish someone a happy birthday then at least get the ad in on time.'

Newspaper birthday ads aren't for underachievers...99 cent Hallmark cards are. I'm just saying...save yourself the money next time and buy a funny belated birthday card.  

And lastly, to complete this post about things in the News, I just have to say that if any of you out there have not yet had the pleasure of reading the comments that people leave on KSL.com articles, then you should...because they are hilarious.  Just go to KSL.com, chose pretty much any article and click on the "comments" button to read what people have to say.  It doesn't really matter what the article is about because the comments may start off pertaining to the actual article but no matter what the subject matter is the comments will inevitably end up being about:

Mormons versus non-Mormons

Conservatives versus Liberals

Dog lovers versus dog haters

Climate change believers versus those who think Al Gore is full of it

Glen Beck lovers versus Glen Beck haters

Atheists versus Believers

Gun lovers versus gun haters

Hunters versus non-hunters

Citizens versus Illegal Immigrants

Latinos versus Whites

Whites versus Blacks

Blacks versus Asians

Obama lovers versus Obama haters

Christians versus Muslims

People who think Sarah Palin is an idiot versus people from Alaska, 

and etc!

If you don't believe me, just go look up a few articles...very funny.  Currently I recommend the article about the pastor dude who wants to burn Korans on September 11th, any article about child molesters, any articles about the LDS church, and, my personal favorite, the article entitled "Dogs have their day at West Valley pool."  

The article talks about how at the end of the swimming season they have a day at the West Valley pool where you can bring your dog and let it go swimming.  Supposedly they clean the pool thoroughly afterwards but it still sounds pretty disgusting to me.  But, then again, I'm not really a fan of public pools even after just humans have been swimming, I'm slightly OCD, and I am not a lover of dogs.  

In closing let me just share some direct quotes from the comments left from the "Dogs have their day at West Valley pool" article.  I haven't changed anything...spelling, grammar, anything, but I have added italics for emphasis.  Enjoy! (comments may not be suitable for young children) 

How is that inappropriate its the truth i would rather swim with my dogs than an illegal. at least they are checked out by a vet for diseases which is more than you can say for the average illegal

Yeah,like we don't know the way they clean! a hookworm can get inside of you, trough your pores and the sole of your feet ,and it will travel to your internal organs like the kidneys and liver,and they will even invade your pupil's ! google it! I dare you!

Umm, don't beleive eerything you read on the interwebs. And if you do, just google "hookworm chlorine". Chlorine kicks the hookworm's butt!

Hookworms,Saliva,Feces,Anus. All the crap that yo get in the tamalies illegal aliens sell in the Walmart parking lot.

Then all you have to do is ,STOP eating them! and go and drink the water from that swimming pool! hehehe...

Yeah, take some water from the swimming pool (AFTER THE DOGS SWIM IN IT) and use it for ice water for your family!

I have a Mexican lady make me Tamales at my house and it is ssssooooo ggggoooooodddd!!

WOW....Your life must be so miserable. You need to get that treated. Germaphoebe. I bet your a hermit that never leaves her house and constantly uses the hand sanitizer.

id rather swim with an illegal than beck but id still rather swim with my dogs than either of them

I will swim with my 2 year old golden retriever, way before I swim with your 2 year old child.

I think I saw a dog there doing the "person paddle"

So yeah, somehow we got from diseases dogs would bring to the pool to illegal immigrants, to tamales from the Walmart parking lot, to Glen Beck, to babies pooping in pools, and we ended with a joke.  Where do these people come from, seriously?  

I can't believe there's someone out there who would rather swim with a dog then an illegal immigrant...and one guy would rather swim with a dog before swimming with either an illegal immigrant OR Glen Beck.  

I, personally, know a lot of illegal immigrants I'd be glad to go swimming with.  And, Glen Beck wouldn't be too bad either.  I don't see him as the "goes to the bathroom in the pool" type so I can't see what would be so bad about swimming with him.  I guess he does cry a lot...but tears are the least disgusting body fluid there is...so a few tears shed in the pool wouldn't be too big of a deal for me.  

So, Glen and all the illegals out there...pool party at my house!  

That is when I get a pool.  Oh, and when I get a house.  

Someday. 

The end.  

The Blog Snob and Her Last Meal

I realized today that it has been over a month since I've blogged.  And, since I believe that if you can't think of something to blog about at least one time a month then you should probably just get rid of your blog, I figured I'd better get on it.  Because, if you don't have something to blog about at least monthly, well, not to be rude or anything, but you are boring...because really there isn't that high of an expectation when it comes to blogging...you can blog about anything and everything...family, friends, trips, parties, potty training, water-births in your back yard, etc.  

But, I guess I'm just a blog snob thinking that everyone should blog at least monthly.  I have a lot of opinions about blogging and commenting on blogs and opinions on most other things too.  I can't help it.  Someone has to set rules for the blog world.  It's a new frontier.  

Also my mom bugs me ALL THE TIME about why I'm not blogging.   Today she asked me if I was in a blog bog.  I know my blog is probably her main connection to the outside world and to the goings on of our family but I guess I really just haven't been in the mood lately.  Maybe I have been in a blog bog.  

So, without further adieu, the post...

I got home from Brazil/Bolivia two weeks ago.  And, although I have a lot of trip blogging to catch up on (and I will catch up), I just have to say that I'm glad to be home in time for the end of summer/first of fall.  

Because, it's the most delicious time of year.  

And it's also a very cheap time of year to be a person with an income of zero since lots of people have free food from the garden to give their local unemployed spinster and any other produce you do have to buy is super cheap like,  

Delicious peaches courtesy of cousin Lucy...

Strawberries I picked this week from my mom's garden...sorry to bring it up MOM since I know all your gardening in Brazil efforts have failed...but you'll be home next year to pick your own strawberries.  And, they are delicious.  

And, the very best of all...raspberries from my grandma's garden.  I don't think there's anything better to eat in the world (including candy and ice cream and cake and pie and pastries and South American Oreos) than a sun-ripened raspberry straight from your grandma's garden...unwashed and everything and warmed by the sunshine.  Yum!

If I ever accidentally end up on death row (which, if I play my cards right in life I won't) raspberries will definitely be part of my last meal...a big bowl of raspberries from my grandma's garden.  Followed by my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup, then some pistachio-white chocolate almond-cookie dough frozen yogurt, and then topped off with another bowl of freshly picked raspberries...because a fresh garden raspberry should be the first and last thing that every human being tastes in life.  

I know a few people who don't like raspberries and I feel sorry for them...oh so sorry.

And while we're on the topic of produce...I just have to say that I have discovered my new favorite vegetable...

the Chayote.  

I tasted chayote for the first time in 2005 in Guatemala.  It was love at first taste.  I asked some of our Guatemalan friends what the vegetable was and they told me the name was güisquil but I couldn't find that word in my dictionary to figure out what we called the vegetable in the U.S. and we were at a restaurant when I tasted it so I never got to see what the raw veggie looked like.  And that was before the days of me looking up EVERYTHING on Wikipedia.  So, I just didn't figure out what it was.  

Fast forward to 2010, July to be exact.  I'm in Brazil, at the mall, in the food court, with my mom.  My mom and I order fish from a waiter wearing a vest and tie. The food court in the mall in Fortaleza is pretty fancy.  You can even buy filet mignon if you care to.  I think it is weird that you have to order from a waiter at the mall food court (even at Pizza Hut), but whatever, it's Brazil.  You can also order a big keg o beer with your meal if you want to, and when I say keg, I mean keg...the thing must hold 5 gallons of beer.  But, we didn't.  

So anyway, we got our fish dish, which, by the way, was delish.  And, it came with a yummy assortment of boiled veggies...one of which, you guessed it, was chayote.  I recognized the flavor right away and asked my little Brazilian food court waiter what it was.  He told me it was called chuchu in Portuguese.  So, we went to the grocery store later and asked for chuchu, and finally I found my new favorite vegetable...now if I can just find it for sale in the U.S. of A. 

Anyway, it is delicious and nutritious.  Even though it looks kinda pearish it tastes like a cucumber and a potato got together and had a baby.  Sounds weird but it is really good.  And, it's really good for you with lots of vitamins and very little calories.  So, if you can find chayote for sale in your neighborhood you should buy some and try some.  It's so good!

I just wrote a big, long post all about fruits and veggies.  I am weird.  

But see...you can blog about ANYTHING.  I'm not saying people (other then your mother) will read it and comment, but at least you can blog about whatever.  

Well, that's it for now.  Stay tuned for more... 

Tear Gas and Llama Fetuses

I guess I was wrong.  


About the firecrackers.  


It seems like the little Bolivian independence party I mentioned in that last post went bad.  Because just minutes after pushing "publish post" I got my things together and headed out to explore La Paz.  But the hostel security guard stopped me at the door of the hostel and told me not to go out...that the police had just dispersed tear gas on the crowds.  


And I could smell the tear gas, even inside the hostel.  And, just so you know, tear gas does make you cry.  It was very diffused by the time it got to where I was and it still made me cry just a little.  

Anyway, I ran upstairs to my room to get away from the tear gas that was filtering into the lobby and I was able to see a little of the action through my window.  This isn't the greatest picture but you can see all the po-po out there doing crowd control.  Also, check out that power pole...yikes!

And, after a little research on some websites designed to prepare protesters for tear gas, I discovered that tear gas is distributed in little tear gas grenades and that the po-po shoot those grenades into the crowd by somehow using blank shotgun shells or something to propel them.  

So, the "fireworks" I was hearing were actually gunshots, but not the dangerous kind.  

Anyway, I waited for the tear gas to settle and for all the po-po to go away and then I headed out on the town.  I tried to find out what happened but by the time I got out there everything was back to normal and when I asked people why the police were shooting out tear gas into the street they just shrugged their shoulders and acted like police shooting tear gas into the street was no biggie and not even worth their trouble in asking why.  

And, later in the day in another part of town I saw police and smelled the lingering affects of yet more tear gas.  

But, don't worry MOM...it's really safe here...it really is.  I think they just like tear gas and crowd controlling.  That's all. 

And, at least I got to see something exciting happen.  That's probably one of the main reasons I travel...because not much exciting happens in Idaho. 

Anyway, since my friends have yet to arrive in Bolivia and I'm on my own for now I really haven't taken many pictures.  I think being alone in Europe for so long made me really sick of taking pictures alone.  

Today I went to what they call the "Witches Market" and did snap a picture of this little booth that sells...

you guessed it...llama fetuses! (enlarge the picture to see more detail)

I guess that's why they call it the Witches Market.  Because really although it is really just a touristy market full of souvenirs they do still sell llama fetuses, dried frogs, Tucan beaks, and other weird witcherly things.   

The llama fetuses are to bury under the foundation of your house.  If you do it will protect your house and bring you good luck.  And, according to the all-knowing internet, 99% of Bolivian families have a llama fetus buried under their house.  

Or, you can buy dried frogs.  And, if you buy a dried frog and stick a cigarette in its mouth then your chances of striking it rich will increase.  

And, although I know that some of you are probably wishing I'd bring you a llama fetus for your new house or a dried frog for money luck in these hard economic times...sorry.  That just might be pushing the limits for what I can get through customs.  

Well, I have friends arriving tomorrow.  So hopefully I'll take more pictures and will have some more normal things to blog about.  Until then...

Welcome To Bolivia Becca, Welcome to Bolivia...

Welcome to Bolivia Rebecca Butt!

So close and yet so far away with my last name.  

Maybe this was only funny to me because I got into La Paz at about 3:30 AM and so I was super tired, but I just got a kick out of this little Bolivian taxi driver guy holding this paper up at the airport...looking for me and smiling big when I made eye contact.  So funny!

I told the guy what butt meant in English and why I wanted to take a picture.  He laughed with me and then proceeded to try to fix the sign with a pen.  I'm like "no worries dude, you don't have to fix it....I'm already here."  Funny little mix-up.  

Anyway, I was going to try to get some sleep...I got a little.  But then at 8 AM a parade of marching bands started circling around the place where I'm staying.  And they've been circling and playing all day.  Some songs I recognize ...like a Bolivian variation on We All Live in a Yellow Submarine, and when the Ants Go Marching In or when the Saints Go Marching In or some song like that.  

Anyway, I guess Friday is Bolivia's Independence Day and the festivities have started early.  Right now I hear a lot of what sound like gunshots but they are probably just fireworks outside.  I'm guessing/hoping they're fireworks anyway.  I think people would be screaming if they were gunshots.  

I've got to go get some money, water, a SIM card and other provisions...so, I'm really hoping those are just fireworks.  Don't worry, I've got my mace.  

I'm glad I get to be here for Bolivia's Independence Day...I guess I kind of lucked into that one.  I wouldn't even know about it if it weren't for the marching bands.  Hopefully there will be some great celebrations I can attend. 

Stay tuned...

Avoiding Stalkers, Serial Killers, and Other Weirdos...

The past couple of weeks my mom and I have been going down to the beach early most mornings to walk (and sometimes run if we aren't feeling too sweaty or lazy).  And really, getting up early and walking hasn't been too bad...we're pretty much in the habit now.  

Here we are in the matching Brazil shirts we bought earlier this week to use as exercise shirts, because there's no way any Brazilian is going to mess with a person wearing a Brazil shirt.  Brazilians LOVE their country...even the thieves and bad guys.  

So, anyway, my mom and I have been going to the beach every morning, and after a couple of weeks of going, we pretty much have a set morning routine.  

We wake up at 6:00.  I usually lie in bed until approximately 6:05, convincing myself that I have the strength to get up.  Then, I get up, go to the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth, put on my exercise clothes, put on a hat (to cover up my morning hair), and my sunglasses (since the sun is already up and burning bright at that hour).  We take the elevator down the three flights of stairs to the garage (because we don't want to actually exercise before exercising), and then we drive the four blocks to the beach (because we don't like walking there...too much dog poop and too many busy roads to cross, and we don't want to actually exercise before exercising).

We park in the same place.  We go the same distance.  We stop to watch the dolphins for about the same amount of time.  We amuse ourselves by making a contest of who can find the ugliest t-shirt on our fellow beach-walkers, who be the first to notice "Speedo Man," and who can identify the most interesting sweat patterns on the shirts of fellow walkers. (We know that the presence of two Americans wearing bright green Brazilian t-shirts is probably providing entertainment for them too). 

Then we go the car and I get some change out of the center console to buy an agua de coco (coconut water) from my favorite Rastafarian coconut salesman (he is way more hygiene conscious than the other coconut salesmen, and way cooler too.)  And then we head back to my parents' apartment.  

So, we're pretty predictable really.  

And people (motivational speakers, responsible adults, and Oprah) always say that the best way to accomplish what you want to accomplish is by making good habits and getting into a routine...by being predictable.  

But, a few mornings ago the thought crossed my mind that "maybe routines aren't that great."

Because one thing that they (motivational speakers, responsible adults, and Oprah) don't tell you is that having a set routine every day makes you a way bigger target for stalkers, serial killers, and other weirdos.  

Just something to think about...

Later Leeches.