The Wonder Woman Experiment

Christmas time can be a time of hard decision making. There are those Christmas lists to satisfy and doing so while balancing busy schedules, crowded stores, budgets, and somehow remembering the true meaning of Christmas. This year was for me the first year my wife told me not to buy her any presents. She had a good case; she'd already purchased everything that she wanted for Christmas for herself. I can't fault her for doing so. It's not that I'm a terrible gift giver (at least I didn't used to think so), but it is because half of the magic of getting something new for her is having the opportunity to choose it herself and weigh options as she shops. I could have gotten her gift cards that allowed her to both receive a gift and go shopping for things, but the gift card has never been a go-to gift choice for me. I wanted to communicate my love for her in a fun and memorable way.

In all my wondering I walked into a game store one evening thinking about a fun family game I could  find. That is when I found the Wonder Woman puzzle. It was perfect. We love puzzles, and I was sincerely wondering what to get my woman for Christmas. Besides, I like to think of her as an amazing wonder woman any way. 

I brainstormed some practical gifts that I could purchase, customize and/or ornament with the 'Amazing Amazon' with a tight budget. Any big purchases outside of my Christmas budget would have me raising the funds by donating plasma. The gifts I thought of were definitely not needs, but they were more or less nice-to-have items that I figured would get some good use that included: a puzzle, protein powder, Athleta work out leggings, work out tank, winter hat, fleece blanket, and a Wonder Woman key chain. Plus, each of these items had something to do with activities that we enjoy together. I had even painted a cute little picture of a Wonder Woman with an invitation to start the new year of with dinner at a fancy restaurant in Salt Lake.

Christmas came and I was nervous in seeing her open these gifts. Previous Christmases, I'd given gifts to her that weren't necessarily on her Christmas list and still hit the ball out of the park when she removed the wrapping paper. This year's gift experiment was a completely different approach. Despite crossing my fingers, I think the Wonder Woman theme was somewhat a dud. No huge smiles, no tears of joy, no Christmas home run. It's understandable. There is only so much the woman in navy blue star-patterned britches will do for a non-fan despite the cleverness of the gift. And when I say clever, I mean it. How perfect was it that the explanation behind the color coordinated M&M's were actually presented as 'W's'? How fortuitous is that? It's taken her a little bit to get used to each gift and understand the feeling and thinking behind each one. She's a good sport. I can only imagine getting something similar, like a Popeye the sailor man themed Christmas for me. I can't think of much with this theme that gets me excited. So not every fun and creative idea is a winner in any old context. I learned that in the context of a penny-pinching Christmas, any dime available might be best appreciated being put toward something that is truly on the official wish list. While I recognize that is true, I'm still a dreamer. I love trying to come up with gifts that transcend what can be purchased at a store, or words that can be written on a card, or gift certificates that can be exchanged for goods and services. For better or for worse, I'll always remember 'the Wonder Woman' Christmas as something that taught me not only the value of thoughtful gift giving, but also the importance of being exactly on the same page with my wife on Christmas spending. Spending in general, really. 

...Seems like a 'Wonder'ful idea for a 2016 goal doesn't it?

The United States of What?

One of the things I enjoyed most of the 5th and 6th grades was learning US and world geography. It's hard to say how either has benefitted me in life since I've stayed in Utah most all my life; however, it was somehow comforting to know that I knew where Perú was when I was called to serve a church service mission there for two years. I was to live in Lima which I knew was a highly populated capital city. I am always asking my kids in grade school if they've been taught the 50 states and their capitals. The answer up to this point is no. What the heck are they learning?

So I'm asking myself, why learn capital cities anyway? What does that information serve? I've decided that it does matter in subtle ways and that along with capital cities it is important to know other large cities in a particular state. And what else about a state is important? Are the examples below a little over the top? or do they in a small way keep one informed about areas within our country. To me, the answer is somewhere in the middle; however the examples below make it easy for me to stereotype people from any given state. And then there are those maps that don't seem to make any sense at all...

You must be able to find one of these businesses on every street corner in their respective state. Or is that not the case? I didn't notice any Hooters on my last visit to Florida, maybe they're all located in Boca Raton. Next time I visit Oregon, I'll be curious to see if everyone wears Nike shoes.

This is the superhero in charge of saving your state. If I called the super hotline in Texas I should expect to talk to Wonder Woman, or at least her side kick? or maybe just leave a voicemail? Makes sense that she's there in that big old state with her lasso skills and all.

So these businesses might not be the most famous, but they're places you must consider working at in each state.

You must be a fan of this team in this state.

If food influenced the name of a state as opposed to other features/history.

You can thank each of these states for these companies. How this list corresponds with the other business maps I have no idea. Maybe it means that New Mexicans are more likely to have orange fingers from all those Cheetos they are consuming.

Another person's opinion about best teams in any given state. This person is suggesting that these teams might not be the most popular, but they are the best. The validity of such information changes daily; something that drives cartographers up the wall.

The only thing given at halloween per state. This may influence kids under the age of 8 to want to live in a particular state.

Shouldn't this just be a huge map divided up between Coke and Pepsi?

These maps are somewhat interesting. The subtle messages definitely stick in your mind as a kid. Find the state that best fits your hobbies/interests. Is that a heavenly basketball flying over the Great Salt Lake? Do I need to move to California for a career in skateboarding?

Learn to stereotype each state with each of these platters. Funeral potatoes are always linked to Utah. In the eleven years I've been in my home, we've had them once. It's not that we don't like them, we do, it's just that people really only think about them when someone dies and you typically make them for members of a grieving family rather than bake them for yourself on a regular weekday.

What would states be like if the borders were determined by Fandom. Historically in some instances this isn't far from the truth. Actual state borders were affected by religious affiliation, opinions on slavery, pride in one's region. For an informative read on this check out Mark Stein's 'How The States Got Their Shapes'.

If state topic assignments like these are really that useful, maybe coming up with new categories to educate ourselves about one another during the next census would be cool:

Most appreciated body part per state
Favorite excuse per state
Biggest reason for coolness in every state
Most annoying aspect of each state
Most popular non-famous person per state
Favorite movie in each state
Best band/music artist from each state
Most common outfits/clothing from each state
Most common slang from each state

The Snarrly 100 Top Movies

I started putting this list together as a way to think of movies that I wanted to be able to share/enjoy with my kids. That idea grew into creating my 100 favorite movies. So far I've been able to share about 35 of them with my children. As their minds mature and attentions spans grow, I hope to introduce a few of these to them year after year.
Finalizing this list got me pondering about the idea of curation and my personal history that I'm recording. Each one of these movies either says something about me or has some significance in my life or else it wouldn't have made the cut. The collection of movies doesn't have any value in and of itself, but the personal experience that I have tied to these flicks is golden to me. I'll be sure to write an extended explanation full of fun details for my own personal indulgence. Memories this list will bring to the forefront of my mind should be fun to review. Just a quick glance at these small thumbnail images gets my mind going:

Support your local Sheriff is what I would call our family movie (the family I grew up in). My mom introduced us to it, and it's full of laughs every time I watch it.
The first Mission Impossible is the best that franchise has to offer. I saw it in the movie theatre with my friend Michelle Higgs and quite honestly I didn't really follow it all that well and was confused when it ended. I pretended that wasn't the case back then, and thankfully, I get it now.
My mom took me to see Dances with Wolves in the Trolley Square movie theater. She insisted that I see it on the big screen. I've how to quote some of the Sioux lines from the show. I remember seeing the previews for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves before the show.
Spellbound is a great documentary. I got it from the library back when my wife believed that I didn't know that the library was primarily for books and not movies.
Big is a special show for me. I had a 'big' friend growing up; a friend of the family named Jared. He was a kid even though he was grown up, but not because of a wish on the Zoltar machine.
I remember seeing Clue for the first time for a New Year's eve party. I still loving watching that show on that holiday.
Into the Woods became a special show for me after performing in it with my wife. We learned so much about ourselves and the meaning of the show as we rehearsed and performed our parts. The music is absolutely incredible!
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of my favorite 'root for the bad guy' films. It's also one of the only movies that I've heard my dad say that he enjoys.
Return to Me was the first movie that I saw with my wife in a movie theater. We never went to movies while we dated before our wedding. It's a great mixture of laughs and cries...

I could go on and on and on, but I'll save that for another time. In some ways making this kind of a list just underscores how valuable these accompanying details of our lives are since they can quickly link our minds to forgotten memories that have made us who we are. That there is worth the price of admission.

Celebrating 37

37 years worth of experiences and stories is an awful lot to wrangle together. Viewing my past through the angle of clothing through the years has inspired a fine collection of experiences.  Each one of these stories is deserving to be celebrated with my children and with dear friends. See a brief preview description below of each outfit and the story it brings from memory.

Leave a comment about the story/outfit you remember. I'd love to hear from you!

Read about how these graphics were put together here: http://snarrlyillustration.blogspot.com/2015/05/celebrating-37-years-of-curiosity.html

1 - Birthday Suit

This should be pretty self-explanatory. It's the first outfit that we all wear, and it's important to embrace who you are in your own skin. Hopefully, at 37, I'm doing that better than ever.

2 - Cub Scout Dropout

I was so excited to become a Cub Scout. On the days that I had cub scout meeting I got to wear my uniform to school and salute the flag during the pledge of allegiance. I went after my first couple of merit badges with all the energy that I had. Then, from one day to the next, I stopped. Was it because scouting began to require things that were outside of my comfort zone? Was it lack of leadership or parental encouragement? Whatever it could have been, I had plenty of opportunity to join back in and I never did. I'm not sad I'm not an Eagle Scout, but at the same time, what do I have to show what I did otherwise? Some sketchbooks maybe?

3 - Surf-n-Swim Ry

School shopping was a big deal as a kid. We went once a year to the back-to-school sale at Nordstrom. We'd buy some clothes, and then they'd sit in my closet until the first day of school when I was finally allowed to wear them. This outfit commemorates the return to shorts to my wardrobe. For years as a small kid, I just didn't feel comfortable wearing shorts. This pair of T&C surf design shorts with accompanying sky blue T&C shirt turned that around. The shorts folded up at the bottom revealing a decorative pattern of Yin and Yang that was the coolest thing for me. They were long shorts that went below my knee and they looked amazing with some white canvas classic Converse shoes.

4 - 5th Grade 1/1 Champ

Many of my shirts from the 4th to the 7th grade looked like this one; a character screen print of one of my favorite sports heroes at the time. Spud Webb, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Don Mattingly, and NBA All-Stars were some of my favorites. Finally (and much later) the '97 Western Conference Champion Utah Jazz was my last caricature shirt. I left that shirt in Peru with a family that wanted something from Utah. The minifig representation is only somewhat accurate since I wore each of each of these shirts at least two sizes too large. I of course was wearing one the day I won the 5th grade one-on-one basketball championship.

5 - Jr. High Dance

This outfit reminds me of going shopping with my mom. It was probably an outing in the spring since I usually got a new dress shirt and tie around Easter each year. The stripes just seemed cool, and I remember the tie had a cool metallic sheen to it. The only thing likely missing from this depiction is an extra long braided belt that was buckled with the excess belt portion tucked back under the belt to hang downward. So cool 1993, so cool.

6 - Sky Ry

The Sky Ry outfit was a costume I wore as Sky Masterson in Guys & Dolls. It was as royal blue as you've ever seen and much to big for my then High School Junior frame. The redeeming quality of this suit was that I liked it more than any of the other costume options presented to me. It would have been nice to find a hat the same color, but I had to settle for the grey.

7 - S.B.O. Ry
It was a fun experience to wear a letterman sweater as a Student Body Officer for a year. I probably would have worn it more had it not been so itchy, it made for a really good hall pass.

8 - Atticus
The most memorable aspect of this costume from 'To Kill A Mockingbird' was the pair of glasses that I wore that didn't have any lenses. Atticus is spat upon by the unruly Bob Ewell in one scene. We didn't practice with actual spitting until the final dress rehearsals. The glasses did nothing to protect my eyes from the spittle of Bob Ewell. All of us on stage realized at the same time what had happened and got a good laugh. I'd have to bite my tongue during that scene from that point to not break character.

9 - Enry Iggins
My favorite costume from playing Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady was a fancy smoking jacket that had a cool tonal pattern on it. That character had so many lines to memorize. It was a relief at the end of each show when I got them all, and did so in order. There were a couple of slip ups; most memorably, "Damn the Pierce, and damn Mrs. Coffee!"

10 - Elder Snarr
This dark green patterned suit was my favorite missionary suit until I took it to be dry cleaned. It seemed to come back a couple sizes too small.

11 - Canadian Ry
This Roots zip-up sweater was a real favorite. I still wish I had it. I bought it in Canada just before I got engaged to my wife. She and I visited Waterton, and Lethbridge mostly, and we decided to bring our mothers along for the ride. It was the first time I mentioned the prospect of marriage to my mother-in-law. I'm sure if we weren't experiencing car trouble at the time she may have driven right off the road. It reminds me of a wonderful period in my life.

12 - Jump Jive Ry
These outfits for Weber State Singers seemed pretty cool. We had this fancy black button instead of a bow tie. Jump, Jive, and Wail was part of our performance list, so try to imagine some amateur choreography happening in this over-sized blue vest to that swingin' tune.

13 - Hawaiian Ryan
My first Hawaiian shirt that I got to wear as performance attire on a choir trip to Hawaii. It was my only time I've been to Hawaii thus far, and I got there aided with a pair of crutches. I should have kept this shirt on more to avoid the terrible sunburn I got my first day on the beach. I'm hoping to return one day as crutchless Hawaiian Ryan.

14 - PJ Ry
These snowflake pattern flannel PJ's were a Christmas gift just after I got married. They often were accompanied by my Root's beret. I always wondered why one might wear a cap at night like you see in the cartoons from time to time. I used the beret as my cap, and without fail I'd pull it off midway through the night as I slept and throw it on the floor where I'd find it the next morning. The more functional reason for wearing the beret was to not appear with bed head hair in pictures on Christmas morning.

15 - Olympics
I feel like it was fate that I got this volunteer position with the Olympics. The big perk for me was the complete outfit. Weber State University shut down during the games in 2002 and since I was working on campus, my volunteer schedule fit perfectly into my no-work schedule. You could see me at the Ogden Ice Sheet in all my gear watching curling all day long. I loved it. It was fascinating to watch and then interview the players. The biggest pain to endure during my volunteer work was removing my shoes to get through the metal detectors since the only black shoes I had were steel toed.

16 - American in Paris
We couldn't just travel to Paris without thinking about what we'd wear as we took our picture in front of world famous landmarks. This must have been what the wife liked best for the scene. I really liked it too until the turtle neck got stretched out after plenty of wear.

17 - Great Great Great
Sometimes clothing is enough compensation for volunteer work. I volunteered as a member of the Wildcat Club Board of Directors right after I graduated from WSU. I wasn't big into the sports there, but I figured this would be worthwhile of my time and for networking for a couple years. My purple WSU pullover was worth it. I soon found out however how hot I got when wearing it. It was definitely made for cold weather. It's a mystery where this ended up. I sort of think my wife sent it to the D.I., but she of course denies the accusation. Maybe one day it'll turn up.

18 - Strucker
When I took an agency job in SLC, it seemed appropriate to get a few new shirts since the dress standard in the new office was much more relaxed. I was so thrilled with my new position that I wanted to embroider the company logo on a couple things. This shirt had the little hammers logo on the front pocket, and even though I really liked to wear it, it seemed to shrink with every wash till it became unwearable.

19 - T-068 Blue Blazer
My involvement in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has brought with it countless blessings and about 5 different performance suits. Each suit is housed in a large dressing room where I go each Sunday morning before the weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. The Blue Blazer Suit is the only blazer I've ever worn and recently sparked my curiosity to determine the difference between a suit coat, blazer, and sport coat. Do you know the difference? Fascinating stuff!

20 - Towel Days
To date, Towel Days is a myth, but I'm hopeful that one day it'll happen. The myth came about when my sister-in-law came to live with us one semester. In describing how things ran around our house I couldn't resist but fib about the two weeks in April where we were nothing by bath towels around the house. Buff-n-Fluff at its finest.

21 - Mr. Incredible
I treated myself to this set of Under Armor when I purchased my wife similar gear for Christmas. She was doing some long-distance running and this clothing is a necessity for outdoor training in the winter months. I had the incredibles symbol embroidered on them because I felt like what she was doing was super incredible. She's always been an incredible example to me.

22 - I'm a Ghostbuster
This is my favorite Halloween costume ever. Sometimes I feel like I just want to put it on even when it isn't Halloween. It's a combination of articles of clothing that I've happened to accumulate over the years. The best part of it is the authentic Ghostbusters arm patch that I've had since the original movie came out over 30 years ago. It actually was sewn onto my S.B.O. letterman sweater sleeve midway through my senior year. I've removed it since and it now sits on the all black jumpsuit I received performing in the closing ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

23 - Derby Cap Ry
I'm not a huge fan of sweater vests or derby caps for that matter, but for some reason I love this combo. It doesn't make me feel like a golfer nor even want to go golfing like some people must expect. I'm always asked about golf when I wear it. Most of all, it makes me happy to think of those that have said, 'Nice hat,' and from that point on we become friends. There is a catch to this though. If I see another derby cap in my proximity, especially worn by someone near my age in a somewhat similar fashion, the derby hat comes off. I don't want to end up in a 'Who wore it best' episode.

24 - Heritage Ward #7
The reversible black jersey is a favorite. I remember seeing some of these church basketball jerseys in my dad's drawer growing up. Now I've got one of my own. Lucky number 7.

25 - Music Man
Harold Hill was a role that I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to play. I had a wonderful time playing the character I'd loved since childhood. Aside from finally learning all of the words to the song 'Trouble', I got to learn to tie a bow tie that we made at home.

26 - Snarrly MC
I was asked to MC the Miss Syracuse pageant for a couple of years. In doing so, I learned a thing or two about these city pageants: I don't agree with them even though I find them sort of entertaining, you don't mess with mama bear at a pageant (which means be very careful what you say), and there is way too much 'let's give a round of applause' mumbo jumbo.

27 - Cinderella's Prince
This costume is memorable since I put it together with my wife for a production of 'Into the Woods' where she was playing the role of the Baker's Wife. We found the white jacket at the D.I. and pieced the rest of it together with things from home. For many it was a relief to see the Baker's Wife and the Prince were married in real life after witnessing our 'moment in the woods'.

28 - Joseph
Of all the times I've performed on a stage, this marks the only time thus far that I've received a dime for doing so. I was unsure about auditioning for the production of 'Savior of the World' put on each year by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. I was humbled to play such a wonderful role during the first act. The experience truly taught me a lot about my abilities, my weaknesses, and pillars of my faith. It was a dear experience that I was able to share with my whole family.

29 - Little League Coach
I don't really see myself doing much coaching, but time will tell as my kids get older and opportunities present themselves. This is the first time I got to play a coach, and I did it for a small bit in a 30 second television commercial for America First Credit Union. I kicked off the commercial by singing the line, 'I like convenience...' The commercial was played all over the place and lots of people noticed. It was fun to be spotted.

30 - Pink Tie Ry
I enjoy wearing suits, and I enjoy getting them from Mr. Mac. My grandfather knew Mac Christensen as one of his customers. Even though grandpa was an ornery soul Mac loved him; of course, Mac seemed to love everybody. I got to know Mr. Mac a little closer as he served as President of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He is an amazing man. It was a no brainer to go get new suits from his store. Usually with a new suit will come a new tie. I've determined that you really do get what you pay for when it comes to ties. When I bought this black pinstripe suit I knew I couldn't get a cheap tie. When I saw the pink textured tie on the shelf it reminded me of grandpa and his style. He wasn't afraid to wear pink. I think of him each time I put on the tie.

31 - New Year's Day
I got together with some of my best high school friends on New Year's Day in 2014. It had been a long time since we'd gotten together. These were good bunch of youth to hang around and now they are all good men. I wore this sweater and pair of khakis and can be seen in the center of our group in the picture that we posed for in front of the Cracker Barrel restaurant. It was that day I knew that I needed to get serious about writing and began writing memoirs under the title of 'Mordinary'.

32 - Beach Blanket Bingo
I've only been to the beach a handful of times; a couple times in California, once in Oregon, a couple times in Peru, and once in Hawaii. The Pacific Ocean is the only ocean that I've ever stepped in, and I've only seen the Atlantic from sight seeing in New York or driving in Rhode Island. Needless to say, much of my beach experience is lived vicariously through movies. The beach life painted by Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello in the 60s seems so dreamy. So even though I'm only at the local splash pad, In my mind I can easily slip into a game of beach blanket bingo... It's just a phrase and a silly song, I have no clue how you'd actually play it.

33 - Run Ry Run
Running is an important part of my life, and how fortunate I am to combine what I know and enjoy about design with the hobby I love. Years ago I won a poster design contest for the Ogden Marathon. That lead to them asking me to rebrand their race. That rebrand lead me to being able to design this shirt for the 2014 marathon. I still get a kick out of seeing people wear it around.

34 - Snarrly 180
In all my life I never had a purposeful diet. I ate whatever was in my path with no thought as to what it was doing for my body. Fortunately, I grew up in a pretty healthy home so I inherited a good set of habits and tastes for food. Running made it easy to eat whatever I wanted and so I did. It wasn't until I determined to adjust my diet along with some purposeful exercise that I noticed some cool results. I set a goal for myself the fall of the 2013 that I would get down to 180 lbs. I hadn't been there since 1998. I didn't know what I was getting into, but I soon found out that my clothes didn't fit me any longer and for the first time I had to buy new clothes because of a weight change. Thank goodness it was because of losing instead of gaining. I treated myself to a stylish Puma polo shirt once I got down to my goal weight and had maintained it for 3 months.

35 - Favorite Color is Light Tan
My suit shopping experience when I bought my pink tie was a nice one, but my wife wasn't there to provide her input. They were nice suits, but I could have done better with the sizes. Now that I was needing suits for a thinner frame, I brought her along to help choose. I'm glad I did. She convinced me to get a nice light tan suit that fit my slenderized self really well. I love wearing it. I love the line from Nacho Libre when Sister Incarnación states her favorite color. I feel that same way about light tan now.

36 - Snarrly Vacation
As mentioned before, it was a transition for me to lose some weight and have to get new clothes. I was worried to do so at first because I hadn't proved that I could keep off the weight. Sometimes some new clothes will help maintain that confidence. I got several new things for my birthday from the wife that just felt nice; things I didn't think I'd ever wear. What really feels nice is when someone notices. I wore some of these new clothes on a extended family vacation that summer and enjoyed hearing feedback from brother/sister-in-laws about looking stronger. My mother/father-in-law were just concerned I was getting too skinny. It just means they love you when they say that.

37 - Tux-n-Tie Ry
I've worn a tuxedo many times throughout my life. 99% of the time it is because I'm performing in some event with some sort of choir. The 1% was the time that I wore one at my wedding or the times that I wore my choir tuxedo to a high school dance. I enjoy wearing one, it can make you feel handsome. As I write this it makes sense that I aspire to wear one for an additional reason at least some other time in my life; one that fits amazing since what I currently wear for choir performances is massive.
In my imaginative birthday celebration with all my friends since the day I was born to the present, this perfect tux is what I'm wearing. The shirt is nice and crisp, and my cuff links are custom with my initials. It fits amazing, is incredibly fancy and the mansion in which the celebration takes place matches my attire. All my friends are dressed super fancy as well, there are bright colors, nice shoes, and some sequins. It gets better. Since this imaginative party is in a mansion, it has a giant pool. Half way through the party we all change into swimming suits and have underwater breathing contests and diving demonstrations in the perfectly warm water in the spring air. Everyone changes into cozy attire afterward and we socialize while nostalgic music videos play on screens in the background. What a birthday party we're all enjoying! If you've gotten to the end of all of these descriptions, let there be no doubt that you were invited and are present at that party. Thank you for coming!