Utah is a funny place, make no doubt about it. After living in Seattle, San Diego, and Austin, well, Park City is special. I love my home town, it’s the cool hip island in an ocean of MORMON JELLO– seriously, they are serious about their Jello. I think we used to call it Ambrosia as a kid – the weird concoction of fruit and cream and vomit-inducing Jello. And yes, I’ve been to a party that featured some…

What I will share with you this week (while I’m on vacation!!!!) are some things I’ve noticed about ME here. Your location undoubtedly changes you, I’m proof.

How I Know I’m Becoming A Utahn

• I love Musak.

I mentioned in my last story that I ran in to the mall the other day.  I was wandering through racks of SHOULDER COVERING shirts when I wondered why I was so at peace. I haven’t been to the mall in Utah since the last time we lived here and I was also shopping desperately for SXSW.

I love music. My droning on and on about SXSW every year should tell you that. Well, in Park City I get npr, and three Clear Channel radio stations. In Salt Lake you get that plus one more Clear Channel station that is usually playing the same song as one of the other three Clear Channel stations. If you’re not aware, that means there are 10 songs that make my ears bleed in rotation. HOLY MORMONS the radio SUCKS.

Our car is too old to have an AUX IN. We have a 6 CD changer in the trunk. I don’t even know what happened to the 1000+ CDs I used to own. MK says he has them but can’t get them for me. He must have lost them, if I was him and was getting this much grief, I’d find the CDs. I bitch every time we get in the car. Especially when in the off chance a good song is on, and we lose reception halfway from our house to the ski hill. UGH.

So in the mall, breathing slowly and feeling so abnormally good I take note of it – I try to figure out why I’m happy. Why? BECAUSE I’M HEARING A SONG I HAVEN’T HEARD BEFORE. Don’t get me wrong, I was at Macy’s. It wasn’t a good song. But it didn’t have the words “carry out” of “tick tock” or “call me Mr. Flinstone” in it. It was sheer pleasure. Living in Utah will make this year’s SXSW even better than ever- you might be able to force me to listen to anything and I’ll find the good in it!