The bigger the better!

Wikipedia has an interesting chart ranking every state in the union by obesity rates. I wasn't surprised to see Mississippi at the top of the list...during my stay in Hattiesburg, it seemed everyone not in a uniform was morbidly obese. I was, however, surprised to find Utah ranked 44th in overall obesity (portly people are ubiquitous in this state.) Utah is also ranked dead last in childhood obesity...but that didn't surprise me. In Utah, kids play outside year-round and do boy scouts, sports, etc.

Utah statistics are fun...the fact that a majority of the state's residents are members of the Church has a noticeable influence on society and demographics.

One guy in my steel design class is married and has three young children. He lives in Spanish Fork, about twenty minutes south of Provo. The town is nearly crime-free, and the neighborhood has plenty of other kids the same age as his (despite having the greatest longevity rate, Utah is also the youngest state in the union --- the median age in Utah Valley is 22!) When he first moved here, he acknowledged that Utah seemed a quirky place...but, it's also a great environment to raise a family. I guess that's why Utah's the fourth fastest-growing state.

Speaking of families, the man-shrew has been tamed:



Semester after semester, he eschewed ward activities and social events, but now my roommate Drew has found the woman of his dreams, and in this photo, he's giving her an impromptu manicure...I kid, I kid!