We went to Salt Lake for a few days. It was fun. We went out to eat a lot, went swimming, and hung out in downtown Utah. We were with David's brother and there were a lot of jokes to enjoy. David's comedy tends to repeat itself. The recurring themes for this weekend were "get a room" ("I think a bald head is more attractive than a balding head." "Get a room.") and "I can't take my eyes off the passion" (unoriginal Seinfeld joke, but it has a lot of different applications).

There were more freaks and bums than I remembered hanging around Temple Square. There was the type that approached you directly, the type that simply held up a sign and didn't make eye contact, and there was one guy singing the blues. We were also approached by a couple of punks. By punks, I mean they were punk kids who were trying very hard to gain Sid Vicious' approval. I didn't even think twice about turning them down. First, they asked for money for food. They both looked very well nourished. Second, I'm sure it takes a good chunk of change to look that fashionably anarchistic.

We passed one bum who looked very odd. His gut was hanging out of his shirt and I think he was wearing a stuffed bra. David's brother kept turning back to look at him, trying to figure out his gender. We made a couple of jokes (see recurring themes above) and then Grace asked what we were talking about. I thought for a second and said, "One of God's children." Which changed the whole direction of our conversation. That guy is somebody's child, was somebody's baby, and God loves him now. Even though he's messed up. That made me feel more compassionate.

I love downtown SLC. There is a nice variety of architecture, a great new train system, and lots of good nostalgia. In college, we'd head up to Salt Lake to go dancing, thrifting, go to a concert, or just do something different. We lived in Salt Lake for six months back in 1992 when we first got back from Japan. I remember walking home from a friend's place and just soaking up the fact that we were in America. Everything seemed so wide open and familiar and just, like, home.

It's nice how it's good to get away and it's good to be home.