Brandon's Blog

More Opportunity to Lighten Up - AND Get Out to Vote

The following video is not an endorsement of any particular presidential candidate by the author of this blog.  It's merely a good laugh.  I find serious flaws in both candidates and will be proudly casting my vote for Jared Fogle as the next President of the United States of North America.



HT: Phil

Human Rights Celebration & A Little Caitlyn Update

We've had a nice trip through the mid-west in the last few weeks, from Denver to Minneapolis to Southern Wisconsin to Chicago.  Little Caitlyn has done well, despite sleeping in a different place every few nights.  Her "speech" (if we can call it that) has been taking on more distinction as if she's making quite an effort to form words.  And just tonight, she was beginning to pivot on one foot with tiny little steps, as if she's just on the verge of walking. 

In other news, I came across this brilliant little animation video in celebration of the 60th anniversary of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  (See also the Human Rights Action Center website for a better quality version in Quicktime.)  Have a look . . .

Perfect Teeth vs. Oral Hygiene, American vs. British Teeth

I've got some great friends in Great Britain whom I admire a lot.  And one of things we enjoy doing together is taking the mickey at each others' respective cultural quirks.  So I couldn't help but laugh at this cultural foible regarding how the British view America's ostensible obsession with perfect teeth. 

The funny thing is, right off the bat, the BBC article from last month confuses "average American smiles" for "Hollywood smiles."  Apparently, the lovely folks at the BBC think that the average American has special dental work to make their choppers look white, straight and perfect.

Even funnier, the article tries to excuse bad oral hygiene in Britain, saying that "British teeth might be described as having character," and that the British "traditionally prefer nice natural smiles - natural in colour . . . and have had a more functional view of teeth and dentistry."  Never mind the awful halitosis that can come from those "nice natural smiles."

Now, granted, folks in Hollywood and other wealthy people with a bent towards vain ambition can be obsessed with perfectly straight, unnaturally white teeth - just like they are obsessed with nose jobs, wrinkle-free skin, and other such cosmetic fixes.  However, dentistry has typically been viewed in American culture as an issue of hygiene.  Regular brushing and flossing, as well as trips to the dentist for professional cleaning, are an issue of health, not aesthetics. 

When I lived in England, I had a lot of conversations with British people about where to get my teeth cleaned and the general consensus was that it was nearly impossible to find a good dentist with an open date in the diary.  Besides, most people in Britain don't bother having their teeth professionally cleaned, other than once or twice every ten years (if at all.)  Which leads one to ponder:  What happens when cavities start to set in?  Do they just live with the pain and discomfort?  Do they just get false teeth when their natural teeth start to fall out? 

To all my British friends, this may be a great opportunity to clear the air regarding this cultural peculiarity.  Please feel free to leave your comments and I will gladly send you a free toothbrush and sample of toothpaste.  =)

Four Generations

Yesterday, we took Caitlyn to meet her great grandparents who are in their 90's.  It was a special time with extended family.  Given the age of Kristy's grandparents and our current residence in Europe, it may  be the last opportunity for us to spend time with them.  To make things even more exciting, Caitlyn took her first "step" while we were hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa.  We can't really say she's "walking" yet, but she'll get there soon.

(Click one of the pictures to see the full gallery.)

Back off Man - I'm Having Cultural Adjustment Issues!

As you can see from my last post, we've been struck by a few things about American culture in comparison to life in Ireland.  Here are just a few:

• Mobile/Cell phone service is not quite as straightforward here as it is in Europe.  (And texting is a bit more pricey and not nearly as common.)  In Ireland, I just bought a phone for 90EUR that came with 80EUR worth of credit.  (Which essentially meant that I bought the phone for 10EUR.)  Whenever I need more minutes, I just get it at the supermarket along with the groceries.  To get the equivalent here (at least through Verizon), THIS is what we have to deal with.  The phone cost us $20 and it came with $10 worth of credit, which isn't too bad.  So far, the only place we know where to get more credit other than a Verizon shop is Target, though I'm sure we'd be able to find other vendors.

• Europeans have this stigma that Americans are fat and generally unhealthy.  Despite the nature of this idea as a stereotype, there is certainly truth to it.  The first time that Kristy and I stopped by a fast food restaurant and asked for small drinks with our food, we were surprised to get what would be considered a medium (or at times even a LARGE) drink in Europe.  Needless to say, we usually only drink about half of our "small" beverage.

• Walking into retail shops in Europe, you're almost guaranteed that employees will leave you alone unless you ask them for help.  Here in the States, you're almost guaranteed to have an employee approach you and ask if they can help you find something or if you'd like to buy the latest and greatest crap on offer.  For example, I walked in to a small electronics store in the Seattle area to get a simple cable to connect my parents' MP3 player to their home stereo system.  The salesman tried to upsale me to a cable twice the price as the one I wanted.  Then he made at least 3 other attempts to sell me other stuff that I didn't need, including a "better" mobile phone.  I was so annoyed that I don't even think I acknowledged him when he said, "So are you satisfied with your phone?" 

I won't even go into the size of supermarkets and shopping centres and the enormity of simple things like cartons of fruit juice, televisions, and houses. 

One thing that I've thoroughly enjoyed has been post-season baseball.  Last night, in particular, we watched history in the making as the Red Sox came back from a 7 run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Tampa Bay by one run in the bottom of the ninth.  The victory keeps them alive in the battle for the American League pennant, making it necessary to take the next two games from the Rays in order to face the Phillies in the World Series. 

Current Radio, My New Niece, & Extravagant Culture Shock

I'm sitting here in Caribou Coffee in what once was considered North America's largest shopping centre.  It's probably the thing that stands out to me most, being back in the States - in your face, ostensibly wasteful, bloatingly excessive capitalism. 

But never mind that for now.  Caribou Coffee blows Starbucks out of the water.  So drop by now and you too can enjoy coffee that is "smooth and fresh - 'cause burnt and bitter were already taken," as my napkin proudly states. 

Early this morning, my third niece was born to Tyson and Iris.  At 6lbs. 13oz., Mercy Lynn Wellcome is just an ounce more than Caitlyn was at birth.  Congrats, Tyson, Iris, Justus, and Pria!  Mercy is phenomenally blessed to be born to such a loving, energetic family. 

And in other random news, I'm LOVING this radio station here in Minneapolis called The Current.  Hearing lots of music from bands that I've only heard of, but never had the chance to hear their music.  Also hearing brand new music that I'd love to look into more.  (Have a look at my Last.Fm profile for what little I've been listening to since we arrived back in the States.)

Watch Out, Harry Potter

Yesterday evening, the family and I were in Borders bookstore in Federal Way and I noticed a table set up for a book signing.  When I went over to see what it was all about, I realized that one of the guys doing the promotion looked familiar.  Turns out, I played softball with him when I lived in the Seattle area back in the summer of 2002.

Chris and his brother Allan have begun a fantasy fiction book series for kids called The Codebearers.  The first installment is entitled "Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow."  Have a look at their website HERE.

Premium Coffee, Seattle Hipsters, & an Enchanting Birthday Dinner

We've had a great weekend in Seattle celebrating my dad's birthday and catching up with some friends in Auburn.  Yesterday, we took my dad deep into Seattle's shopping district for his birthday and, in the end, I was just barely able to drag my wife out, kicking and screaming. =)

Just walking around Seattle on a Saturday proved to be a fresh American cultural experience.  I quickly noticed that about every third person had a cup of coffee in their hands.  And about 75% of the paper cups had the green siren stamp on it.  However, after Kristy and mom dove into the first retail store they found, I immediately took off down the street with Caitlyn and dad to see if we could find a good cup of coffee at a different place other than the green mermaid.  Fortunately for us, the first place we came to was the Monorail Espresso stand, just down Pike Street from the new H&M store (where we'd already lost the ladies.) 

Faith in the Free Market

Leave it to Colbert to shed hilarious light on the economic bailout.  If you're a person of faith, you may wince at how close Colbert gets to the sacrilegious line (especially the "God and the free market are compensating for something" bit).  However, not only is the juxtaposition of religious faith with trust in the free market actually quite funny, I find it also eerily profound.