My Gap-Toothed Woman

Before I fell in love with Janna, I fell in love with her smile.
It's wider than I-80 and brighter than December's glistened snow. Her most dominating feature instantly melts your heart strings.
Squarely nestled in Janna's heart-breaking smile is her GAP.  The two millimeter gap resides right smack between her two front teeth.
I've seldom paid attention to Janna's gap. About five years ago our son, David, introduced his mother to one of his friends. The new acquaintance blurted out, "I love your gap. Do you like mine?" A casual 5-minute conversation between two gappers then ensued.
Janna once mentioned to her friend Beans, "I think I'll get my gap filled." Beans quickly countered, "You better not. It's you."
Being the ever-caring provider, I once broached the subject and suggested she ask our dentist the cost to fill that itsy-bitsy gap.
When the drill and fill specialist told Janna it would run $3,000 to fix her midline diastema, we jointly decided the gap stays.
A few weeks ago Janna stumbled across a D-News article proclaiming the glories of gaps.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700075321/Gaptoothed-women-are-in-vogue.html
The headline reads "Gap-tooth women are in vogue."  Not only do Lauren Hutton, Madonna, Natalie Cole and Condoleezza Rice sport gaps, Chanel now features gap-toothed women in their glossy ads.
In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the head strong Wife of Bath's gap symbolizes sensuality and lust. The author writes of her physical appearance describing her clothes, legs, feet, hips, and most importantly her gap-tooth.
Geee, I must have dozed off when Mrs. Argus was teaching that little Canterbury tidbit. http://www.librarius.com/canttran/wftltrfs.htm
Last week our daughter-in-law Jana called all bubbly. "Guess what? Marlee's two front teeth are coming in and she has a gap!"
Hopefully when the permanent teeth arrive on the scene Marlee will still sport a gap - just like her Nana Janna.

Peace, love and all that Jazz, Charlie

P.S. For hard-core lovers of gap-toothed women, here's a 3 1/2 minute documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BilnXlqQy6w

Jake's Jazz Journeys

Jake

So what's more unlikely?
A) The Jazz crawling out of a 22-point trench only to defeat what may develop into the best team in NBA history or
B) Our firstborn, Jake, watching the two most thrilling Jazz regular season wins live and in person - even though they were played two time zones and two decades apart?
Jake lives in Davie, Florida, about 30 minutes north of the star-studded Miami Heat. His bro, Steve, took advantage of his SkyWest benefits and the two of them attended Tuesday's gasping Jazz overtime win over the Labronites. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCiHOpNJXnc

They may have been the only two who left the arena in ecstacy. "After the game we saw one guy with a Karl Malone jersey, but that was it," Jake says of the Jazz fan base in Miami.
As a 14-year old Jake watched the 1992 Jazz triple overtime win over the Michael Jordan crew. That summer his dad dangled this carrot (translate 'bribe'):"You earn your reading merit badge, and I'll make sure you get a ticket to the Bulls-Jazz game."

Steve (in a Pistons jersey)



I forked out 3x face value from a scroungy scalper to meet my fatherly obligations. Jake attended that game by his little lonesome as his family listened to Hot Rod in the family van. Michael threw a tizzy and got ejected as the Jazz sealed the deal in the final .4 second.
http://articles.latimes.com/1992-02-04/sports/sp-1178_1_chicago-bulls Jake leaned more toward the Bulls in those days, but has since modified his loyalties.

Peace, love and all that Jazz,
Charlie

Tribute to Rod Marrelli

I struggle when I lose friends. I still miss David White's chuckle, Rosan Davies' smile and Lloyd Jackson's patience. They all exited this frail existence way too early.

Last week, the 750 employees of the Tax Commission (and countless others) lost a great friend with the passing of Rod Marrelli, our executive director.

For the past three years Rod valiantly fought cancer and all its demons. He battled in a dignified manner, with a grateful heart and cheerful attitude.

I admire Rod for a number of reasons, including the fact that his integrity was beyond reproach. I sat on the sidelines in countless meetings for the past five years with Rod. Never once did he even sniff the lightest gray area of an ethical breach. Integrity flowed throughout his blood stream. 

Over the years I've known several people who exemplified dilgence in the workplace. None worked harder or smarter than Rod. Business was business and play was something you might get to later - as long as work was done and done right. 

At Thursday's funeral his son, Jon, mentioned that whenever Rod left a job, it took two people to fill it. Although that comment brought a unified chuckle throughout the chapel, I tend to believe it.

His leadership style was simple and straightforward: ask tough questions, get all the facts, listen to those you trust, consider all the pros and cons, make a decision and then take action. 

Rod must have co-authored "Sweat the small stuff." He would fret over details like a mother bear over a cub who had wandered away.

Personally, I'll miss Rod's wry sense of humor and the selfless personal service he graciously rendered daily.

Peace, love and all that Jazz,

Charlie

Here's a link to a letter to the editor in Thursday's Salt Lake Tribune from former Gov. Leavitt:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/50587989-82/rod-state-tax-utah.html.csp

and here's a link to the Tax Commission news release http://tax.utah.gov/news/2010-11-01.pdf

All Hallow Even'

                                                Future Ute wide receiver Carter Filion and his old bishop. 
                                                                                Former Bishop

                                                 - Hair over ears

                                                                 - Cheap sun glasses

                                                                 - Scruffy beard

                                                                 - Crumpled blue shirt

                                                                 - D.I. reject tie

                                                                 - Jeans, no belt

So we can blame everything on Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruits and seed. She's the root for our passion for celebrating All Hallow Even.'
Tooele shares in the responsibility of turning Oct. 31 into the second most successful retail holiday. What once was the largest grocery store in town is now 'Halloween City.'
I love everything about Halloween, including dressing up, scrounging candy and watching movies that keep me awake when the lights go off.
Chubby kids dressed as princesses, babes clothed as witches and children bouncing off the wall as they recover from an o.d. of sugar amuse me.
It started back at Central School when we would get the afternoon off to parade down Main Street and then play dopey games. That sure beats Dick, Jane, times tables and verb conjugations.
Of course those activities were just a prelude to the true meaning of Halloween: Tromping across Highland lawns to collect as many pounds of sugar laden goodies you could physically haul in a faded pillow case.
Peace, love and all that Jazz,
Charlie

The power of negative thinking

                                                    Ed tries to understand the Animals.                        
This morning at Gold's fatness center I listened to a healthy list
of "Don't" songs on my fake i-pod.
Here are the titles of the negative command tunes:  
- Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (The Animals)
- Don't Cry Out Loud (Melissa Manchester)
- Don't Leave Me This Way (Thelma Houston)
- Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (James Taylor)
- Don't Let Me Down (Beatles/Past Masters)
- Don't Look Back (Temptations)
- Don't Pass Me By (The Beatles/'White' Album)
- Don't Stand So Close to Me (The Police/1978)
- Don't Stand So Close to Me (The Police/1986)
- Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac)
- Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)
- Don't Stop Me Now (Queen)
- Don't Take Your Guns to Town (The Man In Black)
- Don't Worry Baby (Beach Boys)

Whew, that's enough to make Norman Vincent Peale get kind of cranky.

Peace, love and all that Jazz  

                                               Man, that was a depressing song.

'73: My perspective

                                        "It's just a third-rate burglary. I promise."

Janna and I just returned from the movie "Secretariat," which we both enjoyed.
Back in 1973 Secretariat won the Triple Crown and was featured on the cover of Time Magazine. Here are some additional memories from that fateful year:
- Since I failed to register for the draft on my 18th birthday I found myself explaining this situation to the the local draft board. "Yes, the formal peace agreements were signed on Jan. 27, and American troops  are leaving Vietnam; but, Mr. Roberts draft registration is still the law. Register or you'll find a U.S. marshall on your doorstep." Ooops.
- Three weeks after getting stomped by Cyprus in a dual meet, THS swimmers win Region and hand Coach Roberts his first of umpteen (and counting) region crowns.
- Five Tooele High seniors get hired at the newly constructed LDS Church Office Building and the original TCP Tooele Car Pool forms. They make $1.75 an hour (6.6% above the minimum wage of $1.65). Since gas was 29.9 per gallon the trip to SLC was worth it. TCP consists of Super Stan, Skid, Spence, Wasso, Mumbles Black and me.
- The colorful cast of characters from Class of '73 receive THS diplomas. Well five of my buddies were 'excused' from the ceremony following an interesting weekend nighttime activity in the halls of the high school.
- The Senate Watergate hearings dominate daytime TV. It cured insomnia for most, but I loved those afternoons.
- I find myself at BY Academy on the 7th floor of T-Hall.
- H.B. Lee sends a letter saying I'm headed to Nawth Caralinee to make friends with Lew Hansen.

Plunging into Facebook

                                          And if you do everything your coach says, you'll be a champion
                                                 just like your big brother.
   
A few weeks ago my son Levi told me, "Dad everybody is on Facebook. Everybody. Everybody but you and me."
For 55 years I've practiced marching out-of-step to various flutists.
But I now plunge into World of Facebook among a guzillion friends.
I add this inclination to a healthy list of these broken "That's not for me thoughts."
2002 - I don't have time to golf. I'll never have time to golf. " Golf has since grown from hobby to passion to serious addiction.
1999 - "There's too many places in the U.S. to visit. I see no reason to ever travel overseas." Then Janna and I fell in love with our Sister City Kambarka.
1996 - "Well, I never be a state bureaucrat." I actually said the first day on the job as mayor while opting out of the state retirement system as I completed personnel papers.
1977-1989 - "I can't imagine why anyone would ever run for public office." That thought crossed my mind at nearly every city council, county commission and school board meeting I covered for the Transcript.
1977 - "Hey Janna, let's have 12 kids." After a third of a century we're halfway there.
1969 - "Why should I swim butterfly? My brother's a breaststroker and I'm a breaststroker. I've been a breaststroker my entire life." I then spent four years swimming 'fly at THS.
1968 - "I'll only date girls my height or taller." Janna's 5-2.5 when the tide is high.
As I tip-toe into Facebook waters I feel that queaziness that I experienced when I first entered Mrs. Fleanor's first grade class. I've now officially joined the crowded field. I envision my Facebook comments being supplemented with this weekly blog.
Peace, love and all that Jazz. Charlie