Tracie's World

July 24th is Pioneer Day here in Utah, and it's a State Holiday. It commemorates the day the Mormon Pioneers first arrived in the Salt Lake valley. I always take off work, as I just don't like the idea of having to work when other people I know aren't. And since Pioneer Day fell on a Thursday this year, I thought, I don't really want to go back to work on a Friday, so I made it 4-day weekend instead. It was a fun-filled weekend, with lots of physical activity, and I am pretty whipped.  Thursday Spent the morning at the Days of '47 with my pal Diana. Seems that over the years we've watched the parade together more often than not. This year, we walked to the parade route, and found a pleasant spot right under a tree, where we set up our chairs, ate our snacks, and enjoyed the parade. LDS President Monson was the Grand Marshall, which was quite a treat to see. And I have my favorite entries that are there every year, like the Liahona Alumni Band, Mama's Fait...

As a general rule, I love living in our fair state. There's mountains, red rock,9 national parks, 17 temples, the MoTab, and Diet Pepsi is easy to find. But top on my list of things that I hate about our state, even more so than the dreaded winter, is the plethora of Check Cashing places. There's a commercial for them every 10 minutes, spouting "No credit, no money, no problem!", or "It's just that easy!", or "Payments as low as $2 a week!", or "We'll get you back on your feet!" Like H-E-double they will.  What the commercials don't say is that the $2 a week will go on for the rest of your natural life, at an interest rate of 50% or more. It's basically legalized loansharking, and by the time you pay off that $500 loan (if ever), you'll have actually spent tens of thousands of dollars.  The worst part of it, among the many, is that it's the fine upstanding Mormon citizens of our community who own these companie...

Drove down to Provo yesterday (what is is with me and Provo lately) to check out a new exhibit that just started running at the Museum of Art. It's called "Cut: Costume and the Cinema", and is an assortment of costumes from recent films, that were worn by some very famous folks. Now you all know me and my love of all things movie-related. Ever since I found out this exhibition was coming, I've been counting the days. And I was there the day after it opened. The exhibit showcases the costumes, has photos of the costume as it appeared in the particular scene, and gives an explanation of the fine art of costume creation. I really had no idea there was so much effort and craftsmanship involved. There were roughly 40 costumes, that had been worn by the likes of Maggie (may she live forever) Smith, Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Sandra Bullock, Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, and many more. The thing that stood out most to me was the ...