Tracie's World

So my little sister and I did some clothes shopping when she was in town last week, and it seems I've now officially entered mid-life crisis territory.  This was brought about by buying my first pair of what are called "Skinny Jeans".  Alas, this doesn't mean that I've lost a few pounds and gone down a size. No, it means that the jeans taper down and hug your lower leg.  And forget boot cut - skinny jeans are now all the rage. "In my day" this look was achieved by what we called "pegging" - folding over one side of the pant leg and then rolling it up a couple of times. And we wore them with penny loafers.  But these days why mess with pegging jeans when you can just make them narrow enough that a foot can barely fit through. Anyhoo - I was not necessarily in the market for a pair of skinny jeans, but I was with my "much younger" sister, and I figured "when in Rome" (aka Old Navy), so I bought a pair. One of my other si...

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced today his intention to retire at the end of next season.  Which means, that there's going to be a job opening, and I'm thinking of applying.  I mean, can you think of anyone else more qualified? Of all the people you know, is there a more die-hard baseball fan?  So I thought I'd submit an open letter to MLB, listing my qualifications, and my platform: To Whom It May Concern: I am a lifelong baseball fan and former player. I know my balls from my strikes, and I can argue a close call with the best of them - respectfully of course. I've attended a couple of major league baseball games in my time, I think Dodger Stadium is the only real place to have a hot dog, and I can get down with a bag of peanuts. As my first act as Commissioner, I intend to ban Darth A-Rod for life.  Any player found to be taking PED's will receive a half-year suspension for a first offense, a full-year suspension for a second offense, ...

Last weekend was the annual Greek Festival downtown.  I'm there just about every year, and other than maybe Thanksgiving, it's the one meal every year where I let myself go a little crazy. I love the lemon rice, dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), keftethes (meatballs), fasolakia (green beans), spanikopita (spinach pie), and pretty much everything else.  Kind of like St. Patrick's Day, it's the one weekend of the year when everyone in Salt Lake is Greek, and walks around saying "Opa! to each other.   Inge and I met up with our pals Mike and Jerry, and finally found a table where we were all able to sit together.  The last few years, it seems that we always end up meeting nice folks who are visiting from out of state, and this year was no exception. We ended up sitting at the same table as some folks who had come all the way from Texas for the big football game with BYU.  We had a fabulous time talking with them, and Jerry introduced them to loukoumades - fried d...

My 2nd-favorite Canadian is FINALLY back with another show, and thankfully I found it this week on DIY Network.  There has been a dearth of Mike Holmes shows lately, but now he's back and cuter in overalls than ever.  Mike, Damon, Mike Jr., and the gang continue to make it right in the 51st state, and all is now right in my home improvement viewing world. HooRah!

Friday evening I met up with my friend Stephanie and her girls Courtney and Bailee for Holladay's annual "Blue Moon Festival".  It's usually held the same weekend as a blue moon, and it's a way to celebrate the end of summer, and what feels like the entire community comes out for it.  Since Steph works for the city, and her girls go to school close by, I have friends to tag along with. There's always booths from local crafters - usually way overpriced, but fun to look at; food trucks; and a band or two playing on the town square.   This year was a Reggae band (Reggae has never really been my thing), and a local Neil Diamond cover band. I was much more interested in the Neil Diamond band. After looking through all the booths, we also like to make a stop at the local Frozen Yogurt joint. It's one of those places where you load up a cup with your favorite yogurt flavor, then top it with yummy goodness (e.g. fruit, candy, nuts, etc.), and pay ...