Moving out (part II)

In an update from this post, the 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion left Utah today.

After an intense period of pre-mobilization training at Camp Williams, these soldiers and their families would likely say they've been gone for a long time already. A friend of mine told me that, due to the long hours that he'd already been putting in, he and his family more or less said their goodbyes weeks ago.

LTC Tolman, who I know personally and have much respect for, says that the 142nd's mission, once they hit Afghanistan, is clear - unlike the battalion's 2003 tour in Iraq.

Despite my own doubts (having been there and heard that line before) I am actually optimistic that this one really will turn out as they are planning. One thing is for sure: this is an outstanding group of soldiers, and they will do great things in Afghanistan.

God speed, and good luck over there.

Related links:SLTrib, KSL, KSTU-1, KSTU-2, KTVX-1, KTVX-2

Saturday day morning teaser

Moving out

I've got a lot of friends on this one.

Stay safe over there, guys.

No love for Sandy

Home to the HBO series "Big Love," but increasingly finding only tough love from neighbors and legislators, Sandy recently paid Love Communications $25,000 to re-brand the city and repair its image in Salt Lake County. Nevertheless, after seeing the billboards and hearing the radio spots, I can only conclude that Sandy is simply "looking for love in all the wrong places."

I don't have any problems with the concept of an ad campaign. It's a bit bold, so I expected people to be a bit surprised by the campaign at first. (When was the last time a Utah city tried to market itself within the state?) I also don't think 25k is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a project such as this (although I understand Sandy has budgeted up to 50k).

I didn't grow up in Sandy, but I'm a Jordan High School alumnus, and after a few years living out of state and even abroad I returned to Sandy and have lived here for several years now. I've come to think of Sandy as my hometown. I really enjoy living here. I love the access I have to Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons, and the great ski resorts that call those canyons home. I like the views of the mountains from my house. I like the access to shopping and entertainment, as well as the close proximity to downtown. My diverse and eclectic neighborhood truly defies all of the stereotypes that people associate with Sandy, and I have no plans to move anywhere else.

Nevertheless, people hate my town.

Witness a commenter to the DesMoNews article linked to above, "I hate Sandy and no advertising campaign will change that."

As much as I like my town, the new radio spots are bad enough to put a bad taste in even my mouth. The whole campaign just comes off as pretentious and even holier than thou.

The radio spots try too hard to mimic Motel 6's iconic Tom Bodett, with the folksy music in the background, and the smooth, slow talking Bodett-wannabe mumbling about how things were back in his day and why those things are still important to Sandy. Here's a clip from one of the commercials. Imagine a more annoying version of Bodett as you read (or click here for the KSL.com video report):

"Anyway, it's been 20-odd years without raising property taxes. Maybe that's why folks in Sandy sleep a little better at night, not having to keep such a tight grip on their wallets and all."

Yeah, whatever.

The main failure of the campaign, I think, is that if you're trying to create goodwill, you shouldn't start out by insulting your neighbors, as in the "hold on to your wallet" and "be careful" billboards. You just can't help but take offense at those slogans if you live anywhere other than Sandy. The "take a hike" billboard hits a little closer to the mark - emphasizing your strengths without saying anything about anyone else.

Another failure is the new logo. The old one was maybe a little busy, with the picture of City Hall, but it was classy, at least. The new logo is too simple, too unimaginative, and too boring. The motto, "Heart of the Wasatch," is OK, but not great. Finally, the color scheme is dull and lame.

The only real good thing to come of this re-branding is an overhaul of the city's website, and the hiring of a full-time webmaster. The website is much improved, both in content and navigation.

But that's not enough to stop people from hating us. Just as the commenter said, no advertising campaign is going to change that.

Well, at least not this one.

Strikeout

Against my better judgment, I wrote this response to a reader comment to Scott Pierce's article in the DesMoNews this morning regarding the WGA strike. The original commenter questioned the fairness of one small group (the writers) walking out, and the impact that group's decision would have on other associated groups (extras, crew members, actors):

It is never an easy decision to strike - it is painful for everyone involved. It is definitely appropriate to demand fair wages, however - regardless of who you are.

This is not a concept that Utahns understand very well. We are all too willing to work for dirt, despite high levels of education and qualification.

The writers recognized that their wages were not keeping pace with revenues resulting from new means of distribution, and rightfully demanded new contracts. Individual bargaining is not effective in these situations, but striking, while not desirable, is an effective method of bringing uncooperative executives to the bargaining table.

And let's be honest, it's just not as easy to replace a striking writer as it is to replace an extra, a member of a production crew, or even an actor. Writers play a very important role in the production process and deserve a little recognition for that fact. (Not convinced? Try watching the late night talk shows and see just how much they're stretching to find material to fill their shows while their writers are striking.)

Fall in!

I had to take a picture of this rather unique formation on Camp Williams a couple of days ago. I took my real camera a few days later, but time had already taken its toll on the squad of snowmen.

Adventures of a toddler

Last Saturday my almost two year-old baby girl graduated from her crib to a brand new "big girl bed." She'd been bored and tired of her crib for the past month, and after a successful sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house the night before (sans crib) we decided it was time for her to make the leap.

This week has had its ups and downs as she's learned to deal with the freedom of being able to get in and out of bed - and the access to toys and other items of interest that this freedom affords.

Of course, this conflict is not unlike that which we experienced with her big brother... Many times we had to intervene while he was assembling his army of stuffed animals atop his bed - and crowding himself out of a sleeping space.

Tonight, I had to scold her a bit because she just wouldn't settle down. She kept getting out of bed, playing with her toys, and refusing to relax and fall asleep.

My reproof had the desired effect, and shortly thereafter I found her peacefully asleep in her bed.

Surveying her room, I laughed to myself as I saw what activities she'd engaged in while avoiding sleep: toys strewn about the floor, a little chair pushed up against her dresser to reach the out-of-reach items on top.

Most interesting to me was her tiny box of "pretties" - plastic jewelry - spread out across her bed. It was just interesting to me to see the difference between the items that wound up on top of our little girl's bed, as opposed to the sorts of things we'd so often seen on top of her brother's bed before.

Bed time can be an extremely frustrating time - I often feel more like a prison warden than a loving parent - but little revelations like these are always welcome surprises, and help me to let go of the frustration. And it really is a lot of fun to be a spectator in the adventures of children.

Out of many, one

E Pluribus Unum

The great American motto. Found on coinage, the Great Seal of the United States, and elsewhere. I find myself reflecting upon the meaning of this phrase every time I turn out to vote.

Shortly after polls opened yesterday, I filed into my local polling station - Sandy Elementary School - to add my one voice to the many voices in the state of Utah, to announce my preference for the next President of the United States.

I voted for Barack Obama.

I have various reasons for this selection - some good, some maybe not quite as good - but ultimately the reason I voted for Obama is that I wanted my vote to count.

Romney was going to run away with the winner-take-all Utah Republican vote (and he did) so voting Republican was an exercise in futility, one way or the other.

On the other hand, the Democratic race looked like it might be close - both locally and nationally - and I wanted to do my part to give Barack the advantage.

So I checked the block three times, and cast my vote.

Apparently 70,372 other people decided they thought Obama was worth the hassle of voting for, too.

Out of many, I was one.

It's amazing, really. I could have chosen not to turn out. I could have chosen just to head to work, just to get on with my day and let the unknown "many" make my decision for me.

Then again, so could have all of those other seventy-plus thousand Utahns. But we banded together, and drew strength from each other. Collectively, our individual voices mattered, and the cause of democracy was furthered.