Risin' and Shoutin'

One Week In

2010-08-07T08:54:00.000-06:00

My first week on the job is done and I'm happy to report it has been a good week. I've designed a wedding announcement, done a few business cards, run the envelope press, made all kinds of copies, gone on several delivery runs, and generally learned a lot. This job has me up in the mornings at the same time as Am, so we've had breakfast together four days this week, and that has been quite nice. All the people I work with are friendly and good natured, so that is a bonus. The amount of jobs coming through our doors has been light this week, which is bad for the bottom line, but good for me learning at a steady pace rather than having too much to do and getting frustrated.

I like the work, I'm getting paid to do it, and in a friendly environment, not a bad arrangement.

Celebrate

2010-07-30T16:08:00.000-06:00

Am and I are going out tonight to celebrate getting my new job. We are going to see Inception and then go out to eat somewhere afterwards. It'll be nice to be able to afford to do these kinds of things a little more often.

It sounds like they are going to start me out a little lower pay-wise for the first 90 days than I was hoping for, but I can understand going that route, as they need to see that I'm not going to flake out on them. And then the insurance benefit won't kick in until 6 months out. There are also 401(k) options, but I'll learn more about those on Monday. And they are still determining how to work out my schedule at least in the short term. But I'll jump through the hoops I need to, especially in this job market.

Minuteman Offer

2010-07-28T22:42:00.000-06:00

Well, it took all day, and I got pretty worried there when I hadn't heard back by the end of business hours, but...

I GOT THE JOB!

Minuteman Update

2010-07-27T15:38:00.000-06:00

I sent in my resume on Friday and then spent the weekend with my in-laws. We went camping at a church campground called Cinnamon Creek. It was supposed to be a ward camp-out, but there were only 4 families there, but I guess that was alright, since we got to know the few people that were there better than if the whole ward was there. We played some soccer and glow-in-the-dark Ultimate Frisbee, had s'mores and dutch oven cooking, and went canoeing. Then on Sunday, my recently returned missionary brother-in-law gave his "homecoming" talk and even more family came for the talk and dinner. I've been greatly blessed, not only with a wonderful wife, but with a great new extended family.

As far as the job opportunity goes, I told Am yesterday morning that if the guy didn't call me by noon that I would call him. And then, right around noon, he called! We set up the interview for 3 that afternoon. So I quickly got ready, rushed over to my mom's to print off some of my newer pieces to go in my portfolio, and realized that I'd left my portfolio at home. But before I took off for the interview, the guy called and said that he was stuck down in Provo and asked if we could move it back. So we set it up for 10 this morning.

I went in, and I think that the interview went well. It is a modest little company, but seems to be pretty stable as most of the people there have worked there for years. Afterwards, the guy said that he had a few more interviews to do, but that he would make his decision by tomorrow, and let me know whether I got the job or not. I thanked him for the opportunity of just coming in for the interview, since it's been almost a year since my last real job interview. He said that my friend highly recommended me, but that he would have brought me in just based on my education. That made me feel pretty good.

So stay tuned for an update!

Minuteman Prospects

2010-07-22T22:50:00.000-06:00

I heard from a friend that she is leaving her position as head designer at a local press shop, and suggested that I apply for the position. She feels that I would be the most qualified person to apply for the job thus far, and they want to hire ASAP. The thing is, it is a full-time position, so I would have to drop my classes at UVU to accept the job. I keep hearing from design people that it is not the degree that gets you work, it is the portfolio. I could possibly maintain half-time status at UVU by taking classes in the evenings, to stave off the repayment of student loans. However, the class selection is not that great, at least this upcoming semester. There are two art classes that I would want to take, but they are held at the same time.

If I was offered the job, though, it would be perfectly suited to my skill set. And the title of "Head Designer" sure would look snazzy on a resume. It would also prove to be a balm to my confidence to know that I am desirable to employers. This has recently been a worry of mine, as hardly anyone has asked me in for an interview after all the resumes and applications I have sent and completed. My friend tells me that I have a very good shot, especially since she is the one referring me.

Thoughts?

There's Something in the Chinese Food...

2010-07-12T09:39:00.000-06:00

Ick. I know several people in our area that like Won Won Wok. I wanted to give it a chance, I love good chinese food, but after two tries it is getting a negative vote from my household. First off, they haven't gotten our orders right either time. We specifically ask for fried rice, but both times we get plain white rice instead. That wouldn't be so bad if after our second trip we got hit with food poisoning. I just started doing work for LaborReady last week and I've now missed three days. The first was the worst, and now my digestive system is just trying to recover. It seems like we've just been unlucky, but all it takes is one bad experience to lose customers.

There's Something in the Water...

2010-05-13T22:10:00.003-06:00

So I have been experiencing, um, intestinal problems since before Easter. It has been a real problem, I've never experienced anything like it for so long. I went to a real bland, simple diet to mitigate a lot of the discomfort, but it was getting really old after a couple of days. Three weeks went by and my mom suggested probiotics. So I went to the local health food store and picked some up. It helped within a day or two. I've been eating regularly since, but my troubles have lingered. But Am wasn't being affected so I didn't know what it could be. At least until this last week. Am has been experiencing similar issues and the austere diet has been hard on her.

But we just found out that there is now a water contamination issue in our city. Surely our problems are unrelated, they would have caught the problem a lot sooner if it was, right? Well, in talking to some people to find out more, it sounds like people all over our town have been having these same problems for weeks. How does something like this happen? How does a problem like this go unchecked for so long? At least we know now, and we will boil our drinking and cooking water, and hopefully the problem will subside.

The Results are In...

2010-05-06T10:45:00.003-06:00

Grades just hit and I'm a little bit surprised. Not at the C I got in Layout & Typography II, but at the A I got in English. I was thinking B at best. I got behind, but my professor graded me on the merits of my writing and not on my timeliness in turning in my writing. As for the C, while not a surprise, my experience in that class was eye opening. That professor seems to be all about all the ways to dock points from students with strict timelines and rigorous project requirements. I'm in for a tough semester in the Fall as I have that professor again. I wish I could get around taking the class from him, but he is the only one teaching it, and I can't wait to take it another semester. That and I will have the most concurrent computer design classes in my career. It will be challenging. I'll have to work harder than I ever have before.

School's Out for Summer!

2010-04-29T15:03:00.004-06:00

Blessed release! The semester is finally over! I think I will sleep in tomorrow. But not for long. I have to finish up some designs for Doctrine & Covenants Scripture Mastery over at Latter-DayVillage.com. But tonight I am taking my wife out on a date. We are going to a concert (Thanks Hannah!) and out to eat (Thanks Tucanos!) for a day-late birthday celebration. My wife is now 26 years old. When the Primary sang to her on Sunday I almost couldn't sing along, I was so glad that we are married. I love her so much!

I also love her folks! For our birthdays they are paying for half of the cost of season tickets for BYU Football this coming season. That means no more tracking down scalpers or watching home games from the neighborhood clubhouse! Rah Rah rararaaaaahhhh! Go Cougars!

Touchstones

2010-03-30T22:34:00.003-06:00

My piece that was accepted into the student art show was also selected for publication in the English Department's student journal Touchstones. It looks like I should explore printmaking further. Apparently I have a bit of talent. And now I present, "Robby"!

Random Occurrence, or Something More?

2010-03-25T15:05:00.003-06:00

So I was wasting time today, playing a game on Facebook, when I ended up in a game with someone with a unique (to me anyways) name, the name of someone I knew once. Now I have played this game with many randomly selected players from all over the place, some with names of friends. Yet I never once assumed that they were anyone I actually knew. But because of the uniqueness of the name, I thought I'd try to see if it was the person I knew. This person is Latino and their name really isn't uncommon among Latinos, but it is to me. Well, it turned out to be the person I knew. I had been friends with him at the time that he joined the church. I had heard through mutual friends that he had left the church later on, so I didn't want to bring it up. But when I brought up our mutual friend they said they had to go. Was this a chance encounter, or was it an opening for something more meaningful?

Art Show

2010-03-25T08:38:00.004-06:00

It has been awhile! I just wanted to throw this out there to anyone who may have missed the announcement on Facebook. If you happen to be in Utah anytime during April, head over to the Woodbury Museum on the second floor of the University Mall in Orem. The entrance is on the east end of the mall by Nordstrom's. There you can see my piece entitled, "Robby". We will see on Monday if I'll be able to say "award winning" piece, or not. Either way I am in the UVU Student Art Show! I submitted the piece more for a grade in one of my classes than in hopes that it would actually be selected. I figured others who put their heart and soul into their artwork would be selected before me. I submitted the only thing that qualified and it was a piece I did for a class that I was taking just for fun. My teacher figured presentation had a lot to do with my being selected. I spent a lot of money on framing it, a lot of money I was not so sure I should have spent. But it has paid off. Especially if I win a cash prize!

On a completely separate note, Am and I have been together over a year now. Saturday the 20th marked one year from our first date. I can hardly believe how much my life has changed for the better since then. Thanks for saying yes, Am! I Love you!

School's Out For...Winter!

2009-12-23T10:57:00.002-07:00

I just checked my grades for my first semester at UVU, and things are good, if not perfect. I earned two A-'s and two B+'s. So I'm in good shape, but still have room to improve. The most important thing I learned was not to leave points just lying around. Both B's could have been A's if I had been a little more attentive. Art History from the Renaissance would have been helped by turning in the first homework assignment and tracking down a study guide for the first test. I failed to realize just how big a factor that first assignment would prove to be. Not that I didn't do the work for it, I did, well sort of. Am really helped me out when I was feeling positively stressed out at the beginning of the semester (and before the wedding). It just took me too long to buy the book, so when I finally finished the assignment, I thought it was too late to turn it in. I just figured that every assignment would be similarly weighted, but it was the biggest one of the semester. I also missed points on the first midterm because of the missing study guide. I didn't study for a third of the material and still got a B- on the test. Most people dread this professor, but I seemed to get his tests, and did well with minimal effort in, or away from, class.

My photography class was harmed because I didn't work hard enough at the end of the semester. I hardly studied for the final exam and it showed. I left several questions unanswered because I drew a complete blank. And I could have taken better care of my negatives on my last roll of film, they got hammered being loose in my bags, and it showed on what could have been my strongest images. Ah, lessons learned, right?

But the grade that had the most importance to me was the A- in my Typography and Layout class. This is the one class that required the most out of me. Which is good, because typography and layout skills will be going to be my bread and butter for years to come. Art History will fade, and photography will only be a small side of what I do. (Speaking of which, If you know anyone that needs a photographer on the inexpensive side for a couple of hours, I'd be interested, I'll do a couple of hours for $50) Some in my class complained about how rigorous our teacher was, but I felt he pushed us when we would have been satisfied with less. And from what I understand, other teachers expect even more from the students. That's the thing about my experience at Stevens-Henager. I learned how to use the tools, but because classes were four weeks long, there wasn't enough time to refine that knowledge into how BEST to use the tools. At UVU I'll be getting that. But I count myself lucky to get into UVU when I have. Now it is pretty much open enrollment for the design program, but there is a push to really tighten the admission standards and slim the number of students down. So I'm getting in while the getting is good, but I'm also getting the really good instruction that comes from a lean design program.

A Recent Development

2009-12-03T10:54:00.003-07:00

In the last month and a half or so, I've developed a new stress response: migraines. I've never had to deal with them before, and I wish things could go back to the way they were before. I can deal with uneasy stomach and cold sores. These migraines occur on Thursdays and sometimes Tuesdays, which coincides with my typography class and class critiques. I've found that high doses of caffeine help mitigate the pain, but then I'm hopped up on this stimulant. So on days that I need to be at my best, I'm in pain or I'm jittery. I've never had a problem with an occasional Coke, especially of the vanilla variety, but I've never been a caffeine addict either. I don't particularly like how it makes me feel. I tend to crash off any high I might get pretty fast. And now I worry that if this trend continues, I'll get used to having caffeine in my system and it won't work as well on the headaches. Is there anything out there besides caffeine, and absolute quiet and darkness, that you've found that helps with migraines?

Giving Thanks

2009-11-27T23:04:00.001-07:00

See my post over at Sittin' in a Tree.

Another 48 Hours

2009-10-08T12:03:00.003-06:00

OK, less than that even. Am went through the Temple for the first time last night. There are so many teeny little things to do, but everything is still coming together. I'm glad we changed our minds to go down to Cedar City. We both need the rest, and driving out to, and then up the Oregon Coast and back would have been so draining. It's funny though, when people at school ask where we are going and I say Cedar City, they initially give me a funny look. Like, why we would we go there of all places? But when I explain it to them, they realize it's not a bad idea at all. And better than most people do. At least we'll be sane when we get back. However, I'll have a stack of work to catch up when we get back. At least Am has another week off from teaching.

Less Than Five Days

2009-10-05T12:51:00.003-06:00

I don't know how much it has set in yet that my world is completely changing in less than five days. I started trickling my things over to Am's condo a few days ago. Hopefully it won't take too long before it feels like OUR place. It'll be SO nice to cut the small commute out of our schedules. And to settle into a married schedule. While dating and including the engagement we've tried to spend as much time together as we could, and our sleep habits have gotten wonky. It'll be nice to be together AND get a good night's rest. But there are so many other adjustments to be made and discussions to have. But I am ready to get into it. I don't think I'll miss being single too much.

School is going well. My classes are fun and challenging, and are definitely learning experiences. I am seeing that my time at S-H was good preparation for UVU, but I still have a lot to learn.

We've decided to go down to Cedar City instead of the Oregon Coast. Less driving, more resting, less cold, more warmth. Oregon will come at some point for us, I still think it will be fun, but we don't need to have a second vacation to recuperate from the first.

12 Days

2009-09-27T18:24:00.002-06:00

Am and I have just attended our last 3 hour block at the singles ward. There are a lot of good memories there. I have had the privilege of being in one great singles ward after another for the last 8 years, but the last 3 that I spent more than 3 months in have really stood out. Bishops Petersen, Davis, and Roberts have been phenomenal! They set the tone for their wards, but there have been so many friendly and faithful people in those wards that were just as responsible for the atmosphere at church. I'll miss them all.

But now I am (finally) moving into the next phase of life. If it is possible to be both ready and woefully unprepared at the same time, then I think that describes me well. But I know that I have found a "one", and I'm making her my "only". I've never been happier. And yet, I see greater happiness still to come. It seems like I am seeing the world with new eyes. The possibilities are endless.

And then there is this endurance thing we have to go through. The next 12 days will be an endurance test for sure. I can hardly believe that I am getting married, and that I have found someone so amazing to share the rest of my life with. At times I feel like I don't deserve the blessings I've been given, but I'll never turn them away.

Countdown to M-Day

2009-09-25T10:26:00.003-06:00

There are less than 15 days to go! Picking up the marriage license and going in to pick out a tuxedo. Then we are going out to eat tonight on one of our last dates as singles.

I've been trying to track down someone to talk to about having our ring ceremony on the church grounds across the street from the temple. I can't look up leadership numbers on the Church website since I'm not a member of the ward or stake in Daybreak. Hopefully I'll hear from someone by Sunday.

It's funny, a year ago I didn't even know Am existed, and now I can't think about life without her. I hate to see her sad, but especially when I have had some part in it. Thankfully, she forgives me, and thankfully she is happy the majority of the time.

I can hardly stand the wait!

Choices Update

2009-09-01T16:58:00.002-06:00

It's easy to make choices when the choice isn't presented. In other words, I didn't get the job. School's in session!

Choices

2009-08-27T10:05:00.003-06:00

Hello intrepid readers! So it's been awhile since last I posted. I've been hard at work getting ready for a wedding that is about 6 weeks off still. In the same time I've enrolled at UVU and done some job interviews. My first feeling has been that if I got a job offer before the last day to drop classes, I would accept the offer. But I've talked to the director of the Graphic Design program at UVU and he has reviewed my portfolio. He saw some interesting things but felt I still needed a lot of work. This was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. I worked hard at Stevens-Henager, and did really well there. But I realized that while I learned a lot at S-H, what I didn't get was in-person hands-on advice and critique of my work. I learned quick turn-around times and short deadlines, and the use of the computer programs to do the work. What I didn't get was the time to hone my craft as a designer. I'm still waiting to hear back on an exciting job I interviewed for a couple of weeks ago, but I'm also excited about the classes I'm in this semester. So I may have a bit of a choice on my hands. If they do offer the job, do I take it, or do I stay in school?

Me working full-time in a graphic design job has a lot of benefits. Bringing in money and possibly benefits will take a lot of financial pressure of us as Am and I get married. It will also be good to have real-world experience to add to my resume. Being in school means that I'll only be able to work part-time. And I'll still be super busy with only very little money coming in, for three years, but it'll seriously benefit my craft as a designer. Choices, choices...

Things I Missed

2009-07-20T10:11:00.002-06:00

Today marks the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. So to commemorate the event, Am's family got together to recount their memories of that time, as well as other memories of the space program. This is significant because Am's grandfather is Don Lind, the first LDS astronaut. Here is an article from the Salt Lake Tribune about him. He has many amazing stories and experiences about his time in NASA. He was scheduled to go to the moon on one of the later Apollo missions that got cancelled, but later flew on the space shuttle Challenger on it's second to last mission.

While listening to his stories, and the rest of the family's, I realized what I had missed for the first time. My paternal grandfather died when my dad was ten, and my maternal grandfather died months after I was born. I never knew them. And I never fully appreciated not having them around either. The wealth of experience, insight, and love is incalculable for the younger generation.

We will be greatly blessed to have Grandpa Lind perform our sealing in October. I am looking forward to getting a grandfather for awhile, and hopefully a long while. But I wish I could have known my own grandfathers, the men who helped shape my parents. I never knew them, but I love them and miss them anyway.

Olde Tymes

2009-07-07T12:38:00.003-06:00

Just want to thank Bekah and Thomas for hosting a barbecue at their place, as well as Woodine and Alison for allowing the boys along, too. Now a few more have gotten to meet Am! It was great to catch up and to see all of the kiddos interact as well! Now thanks to the (not so) subtle suggestion of Woodine, I'm posting a couple of pictures on this blog!

From BBQ

I'm Ashamed of Myself

2009-06-24T08:00:00.003-06:00

I want to apologize to all of my married friends that read this blog and those that don't as well. I didn't take attending your weddings and receptions very seriously. I went to many of them, but I missed a lot, too. I always disliked attending wedding receptions. I would think, "Why should I go to a party where I only know a few, or less, of the people, and only get to spend a minute with them? What could my brief appearance mean to them with so many others around?" I never thought that it could mean very much. I was wrong, dead wrong.

Our date is set for October 10th, a day that works with our respective schedules, but comes at an awkward time for people that don't live close by. Most of Am's family lives nearby, as do her friends. But mine are spread out, from sea to shining sea. Who can come mid-semester, or who can get off work for a few days, and afford the trip? I can totally understand if you can't come. But some of you will be coming and that means the world to me. More than I thought it would mean. And for those who can't come, Am and I will want to see you if and when you come into town for holidays or other events. I go on and on about my friends, but she needs faces to go with names. So please let us know when you'll be in town!

A Little Announcement...

2009-06-18T01:36:00.002-06:00

I am now engaged to be married to one Amber Kuhn of Houston, Texas.

Han Solo, P.I.

2009-06-04T15:10:00.005-06:00

I saw this on the web today. I thought it was hilarious, hope you get a kick out of it, too!

Alternate Realities

2009-05-09T09:59:00.003-06:00

This post may contain spoilers of the new Star Trek, so consider yourself warned.

For anyone that is upset by the direction taken in the new Star Trek, I believe it is well within the realm of possibility of what has transpired over the last 40 years of the franchise. Every iteration has dealt with time travel, has dealt with the alteration of the timeline. In fact, some of the best episodes and movies have dealt with these issues. But even with all the changes, I believe the characters have been given additional layers, but at their core, they are the same individuals they have always been. Well, at least the original crew is. Who knows how the events in the new film will trickle down to your favorite characters on the Enterprise-D, DS9, and Voyager. Were any of those characters ancestors on the Kelvin, or any of the other ships destroyed by the Narada (Nero's ship)? What about Tuvok? Were his parents or grandparents on Vulcan when...? ...you know.

That drastically changes the timeline. Some events just won't happen the same way, some won't happen at all. How does the loss of the Vulcan Science Academy change scientific advancement? How does this shift the balance of power over time in interstellar politics?

I would like to note that even as poorly received as Star Trek: Enterprise was, it was not jettisoned from the canon of the series. They do make reference to Scott Bakula's character and his pet beagle.

But will the Klingons of subsequent sequels have head ridges or not? They made a joke of it in DS9, and then attempted to actually explain it in Enterprise. Time will tell on that one.

Getting Specific

2009-04-17T08:12:00.002-06:00

It snowed here in Utah on April 15th. Let me say it again, it is halfway to May, and it snowed. I and a lot of other people want to know why! But I have a guess, and I'll share it with you.

My brother jokingly asked if I had ordered all the snow. I told him that yes, I had placed a requisition order, but the thing was, I only specified moisture. And I forgot to put a delivery date on the form as well. The shipping guys at Mother Nature, Inc. get that vague order a lot. I think they know what kind of 'moisture' to send at given times of the year, but they do like to have a good time at our expense. I think we all need to get a little more specific with our moisture orders. In the winter, place orders for snow, and the rest of the year order rain. Heaven knows we need the dampness in this dry place.

Meet the Parents

2009-04-15T10:18:00.003-06:00

I've had the opportunity to spend some time around Am's parents this week. They are good people, and I'm glad she has the wonderful family she does. But this week has felt like an extended job interview. I felt like I was being weighed in the balance and hoped that I wouldn't be found wanting.

Last night her dad told me that they felt like I respected their daughter, that they were glad that we were seeing each other, and that I had made a good first impression. And he said that if we would go to the temple for baptisms, then they would know we were being good. This definitely makes me feel relieved.

Gee Whiz

2009-04-01T17:46:00.004-06:00

Yeah, I'm breaking my anonymity vow. But I just got this in the mail, and I had to show you a little of how awesome my Amber is!

I've never thought much about thank you cards, but this is the second I've received in the last week or so. I didn't think either of them were necessary, but both felt good to get!

I've felt like I gave and gave to other girls that I've dated. Not that I ever expected equal returns, but some kind of return to let me know that what I gave was appreciated would have been nice. This little note that took 5 minutes to send gets a lot of traction in my book.

Envelope

2009-03-30T01:35:00.002-06:00

I don't want to go into too many details, but things are going well. I will say that I am learning not to second guess thoughts I have, at least in regards to Am. Like asking her out, for example. Even a couple of months ago, I would have had the thought to ask a girl out, but then decide against it for whatever reason. But I asked Am right when the thought came to me. And it totally paid off. There have been several similar thoughts, and they all have paid off in similar fashion. Like delivering flowers to her school, among others. The results have been satisfying.

In Case of Confusion

2009-03-26T13:07:00.003-06:00

In case of any confusion about how I feel about Am after the last post, I'm quite happy with how things have gone thus far. You could even say we are officially dating. (As if people have to fill out paperwork to get 'official' status.)

What A Difference a Week Makes

2009-03-23T00:45:00.004-06:00

So, there's this girl. She's relatively new in the ward here. I started talking to her after FHE several weeks ago now. It was just friendly, get-to-know-you kind of stuff. Then I started sitting by her at church. It started out as, "I need a place to sit, there is an open spot on the aisle, so I'll sit there." I talked with her after FHE the next week. We seemed to be connecting on certain things, but I thought she dominated the last hour of our conversation. I wasn't sure what that meant. I kept sitting by her at church. I talked to her again after FHE last week, but this time she let me dominate the conversation. So I figured asking her on a date was long over due. She had plans for friday, but was open on Saturday. Except we had stake conference this weekend. Well, we could do something after the Saturday evening session. Then her Friday plans fell through. So we bumped up our plans a day. We spent all night talking at her place.

We still had conference to go to the next night, so we kept the plan to go together. This is where things changed. We'd been scooting a bit closer together throughout the first part of the meeting. And then she asked me a question:

"Could you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, absolutely. What do you need?"

"Could you put your arm around me?"

It wasn't what I had expected, but I wasn't about to turn her down.

We've now done something every night since then. This has all gone kind of fast for me. I've been in somewhat of a similar situation before, however. Some of you may know something about another girl I dated a few years back named Linda. That went really fast. Ever since Linda and I broke up, I've been really cautious about girls. Too cautious. I felt like I needed to be absolutely sure about a girl before I even asked her out. But that took so long that the moment passed and nothing happened.

This has been fast, but not as fast as with Linda. This has been different. I feel like taking this chance has been validated, at least so far. I don't want to jump to any conclusions. I just want to see where this new situation takes me. It's been awhile for me, and this feels pretty good so far.

Deer Valley

2009-03-20T12:21:00.002-06:00

I went skiing on Thursday with my brother. I had been kind of nervous about it this week. You see, previous to our trip this week, it had been over 12 years since I had been skiing. Couple that with the news about the actress that died from complications of a seemingly minor fall, my reticence might be justified. It wasn't. We had a blast.

We thought it would be wise to go on the bunny hill first to see if we remembered how to ski after all these years. But the bunny hill was populated with practically all children and ski instructors or parents. My pride got the better of me so I said we should just take a real run and find out the hard way. Skiing is like riding a bike. Both my brother and I were amazed at how quickly we got up to speed, picking up pretty much where we had left off so long ago.

I was surprised by how long I lasted up there. I was expecting more of an aerobic experience which would have knocked me out pretty fast. But it was more like resistance training. The first run down I was worried about my feet and legs cramping up, but once we got to the bottom and I tightened all the bindings on my boots I was fine.

It was a beautiful day on the slopes. The snow started getting a tad slushy as the day wore on, which lead to my only fall, which wasn't too bad. I was going a little too fast and my ski caught an edge in the slushy snow.

We lasted about five hours before our legs threatened to turn to jello. It was nice then that our lift tickets had been given to us rather than buying them ourselves. Skiing is an expensive hobby, but especially so at Deer Valley. The lift passes there go for $80 each! We rented our gear from Outdoors Unlimited at BYU for considerably less than I would have imagined. While renting our stuff, they had a board that listed the conditions at the local ski resorts, with some comments about each place underneath. For Deer Valley they said if you could afford the lift passes, then you could afford to own your own gear.

I like skiing more than tubing or sledding, except for the cost. I have the hardest time with climbing back up after a sledding run, even on relatively small hills. If only they had lifts for sledding! But then, that would increase the cost for that activity as well.

Percolation

2009-03-17T21:28:00.002-06:00

I've been having some thoughts bubbling up recently, and I thought I'd put them out there. It kind of started when I commented on Tim's blog entry about modern political tea parties. The bulk of my response wasn't so much about the tea parties, but about the recent HBO miniseries John Adams adapted from the biography written by David McCullough.

I really liked parts of it, and hated other parts when I watched it. Here is this great man, that had so much to do with gaining our independence from Britain in getting the continental congress to join together to sign off on the Declaration. And then he is sent to be an ambassador to France where his talents and abilities are absolutely wasted. He was ill treated by Benjamin Franklin in France, the same man who had guided him to success back in Philadelphia. That made me sick. Then he is sent to Great Britain after the war to be ambassador there, and he starts getting all these imperial notions. When he finally gets back to America, his children are grown and he hardly knows them at all. He wasn't around for the composition of the Constitution either. He struggled as Vice President under Washington, trying to be useful, yet stay out of the political machinations between Jefferson and Hamilton.

The strife between Jefferson and Adams grew when Adams was elected President. Looking at it, it never made sense how the second place candidate became Vice President. Jefferson and Adams were friends, yet they had very different political views, and Jefferson totally undermined Adams. He had these very negative pamphlets published about Adams. It was disgusting. And then there were Adams later years as his family kind of fell apart. So sad. But then he bit the bullet and made the first gesture to reconcile with Jefferson. They corresponded back and forth for their last few years. On the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, both men died within hours of each other.

There is a scene near the end of the series where Adams and his son John Quincy view the famous painting by John Trumbull of the signing. He criticized the painting for being inaccurate. The Continental Congress was not so neatly organized or seemingly serene. It was filled with regular men, with regular passions and short comings. And looking back, I know why I hated the series in parts. It didn't jive with the common perception I had of the Founding Fathers. In my mind, they had been nearly deified. But they were, in fact, just men.

This is what triggered the thoughts I've had recently. The Founding Fathers were not gods, they were imperfect, regular men. But they lived during extraordinary times, and were called upon to do extraordinary things. And they did them. They accomplished great things. So often we tell ourselves that we could never achieve great things. We don't count ourselves worthy or able to do these things. But that is because we think of our heroes as being otherworldly. We see in ourselves our own weaknesses, but those who accomplish great things we think of as being nearly perfect. But they are not perfect. On the flip side, when we find out that our heroes made terrible mistakes, we discount the great things they did do. It is important for us to come to terms with this dichotomy within everyone, but especially ourselves. Not to minimize our own accountability, but to realize that even though we are not perfect, that is no reason to despair and count ourselves out.

Next Time I'll Read the Fine Print

2009-03-09T00:31:00.002-06:00

Hi! Some of you may have wondered what I have been up to the last month and a half. You'll have to keep wondering, as this post will not attempt to address that issue. But at least you know that I am, in fact, still alive.

I was visiting Into the Woods... and jumped at the chance for a free handmade item from Wood. But I failed to read the rule that I needed to offer handmade items to receive a handmade item. Now I am obligated to make the same offer to the first five respondents to this post.

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!

My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It’ll be done this year. {translation: you may be waiting a little while}
4. You have no clue what it’s going to be … it may be cards, a poem, a bookmark, something yummy or a complete surprise to you (and me!) … who knows? not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
6. Most importantly, you must offer the same deal on your blog - the first 5 people to comment on your blog (or if you do not have a blog, facebook) get something made by YOU!

The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me …

So... buyers beware. Nothing in this life is free.

Thank Heavens for iTunes, ABC.com, and Netflix

2009-01-20T12:30:00.004-07:00

So besides being a big fan of BYU Athletics, I am also a fan of movies and TV. Well, of some television programming. However, I've gone for the past year and a half or so without cable or satellite TV. This has made watching my favorite teams play away games. But it hasn't impinged greatly upon catching my favorite shows. Granted, I don't see them when everyone else does, but I do get them with little to no commercial interruption, and on my own schedule. I don't have to rearrange my daily schedule to fit when my favorite shows are airing.

This is made possible by internet resources like the iTunes Store, Netflix, and network websites like ABC.com. Episodes become available, generally, the day after the show is initially broadcast. The iTunes Store is just that, a store. But what is nice is the ability to purchase songs, and especially in this case, episodes, a la carte. No need to wait for the boxed set to come out. No need to find out the hard way that you are not a fan of a particular show. Netflix is another pay site, but it has a monthly fee. If you want to wait for the boxed set DVDs and see all the commentaries and other special features, but don't need to actually own the DVDs, this is the way to go. And you also have access to an almost unlimited collection of movies as well. But generally, the best value on Netflix is the TV series. And now along with the DVDs they send you in the mail, they also have select titles that are available for instant viewing on your computer.

Now if you don't want to pay to watch you favorite program, networks have begun to make their programs available for free on their websites. The best of the networks' websites in my opinion is ABC.com. They have most of their programming available for viewing, and in HD. To make this possible though, there are commercials at the same places as during the broadcast. But they are usually only 30 seconds long, and just one commercial per break. I think ABC's has the highest quality video. NBC's is lacking in picture quality, and I haven't really tried to watch anything on CBS.com.

This leads me to what I am really excited about this week. The return of LOST. I have been eagerly anticipating the beginning of season five. I've been watching clips on YouTube of scenes of the upcoming episodes, and I am geeking out. I haven't really gotten into the fan community, that is posting on message boards, though I do read the message boards. I just can't bring myself to interact with these other fans, though I feel like mocking some of the theories they put out. I watched one video chat between two guys reviewing season 4 and previewing season five, and they were trying to make comments on scenes and things that they couldn't quite remember. Everything is on DVD, and if you have enough time on your hands to make videos commenting on the show, you have enough time to do research and sound like you know what you are talking about.

If you haven't seen any of LOST, then I would highly recommend it. Though I would add the disclaimer that you should start with season one and watch it through before trying to watch the new episodes. The show is a serial narrative, so each episode builds upon the ones before it and affects the ones that come after it. Also, if you end up liking it like me, you'll need a lot of restraint to keep from watching it all in one sitting. I'd watch one disc and then want to pop the next one in, even if it was already 2 o'clock in the morning. So just be warned.

Christmas Wishes

2008-12-25T11:48:00.003-07:00

Painting by Jon McNaughton

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Resurrection

2008-12-23T23:18:00.003-07:00

This post was begun before the strike of Christmas Eve, I swear!

Yesterday, I spent the day participating in the funeral services of my mother's business partner. I know that he had health problems that severely limited his way of life and capacity for certain kinds of work near the end of his life. Which it sounds like was really hard for him, since he was such a hard worker.

The services were good. His best friend growing up spoke, as did a friend that he mentored for several years. A recurring theme of the services and in conversations throughout the day was about the work he would be able to accomplish on the other side. And then the work he would be able to do upon the resurrection. No more physical limitations, infinite capacity for activity. No more health problems.

I am grateful for my relative health, but I know that eventually something will start to go wrong. How reassuring it is to know that a time will come for perfection. That illness and ailment will fall away.

Tabling Things For Awhile

2008-12-22T00:10:00.003-07:00

Why is it easier to talk about things, i.e. feelings for another person, after the potential for a relationship with that person is cut off? I do know why, because there is no more risk involved, there is no more pressure. But why does it have to be that way? Ever since people developed finding pools of more than one, it has been this way. Wouldn't it be easier and more effective if it was no big thing to know how much interest someone had in you from the beginning? That it was no big deal to be perfectly honest with another person about your feelings for them? People wouldn't be getting their hopes up just to be dashed later on, they would know right away.

Instead, we all play this game, whether intentionally or not. He complimented me this way. She touched me here. He helped me do this. She sat next to me at the party. He didn't make eye contact. She sounded bored. It just goes on and on.

It has to be for some reason though. Every single person has to deal with it to some extent or another. It's not like it is some unique phenomenon to one person. So obviously, it must be important to the human experience... somehow... It's "opposition in all things" in action. Help people appreciate something truly good when it finally works out. Well, if that's the case, then I know some people that are going to be seriously appreciative at some point. Because I've been picking up this theme a lot recently, from quite a few different sources.

Actually, based on the timing of things falling apart for me, again, I know exactly what is going on, for me at least. It's a test. A test that I've been given time and time again. One that I haven't exactly passed with flying colors. It's either: a girl comes into my life and motivates me to get things straight, or I've decided to get things straight and then a girl comes along. Either way, they are taken away to see how I react. Will he keep doing the things he needs to for the right reasons in the absence of the girl? And unfortunately, I don't have a great track record to this point. But then, if I did, maybe I wouldn't be given the test as often, if at all. So now I am more cognizant of this particular test, I should be expecting the girls to start lining up soon, right? But I'll still have to deal with the game though. I certainly can't expect that to change all of a sudden.

Oh yeah, I've missed a couple of days of gratitude posts. Trying to catch up feels intimidating at this point though, so I'm not going to try to do so today. I'll just do one for today.

I'm grateful for second chances. And third chances. And fourth chances. And Umpteenth chances. Everyone deserves another chance. I'm grateful for all the chances I've been given. Life would be too depressing otherwise. I'd never have hope for something good. Everyone deserves something good, right?

A Little Rant and BG4

2008-12-18T12:17:00.003-07:00

A friend shared this link on Facebook today. It's a debate between an atheist and a Christian pastor, moderated by a journalist for Newsweek.

I'm not particularly a fan of debates like these. It is like Alma and Korihor - he said, he said. Nothing the one says is going to convince the other on the points that they differ on.

Mr. Harris is quite poisonous IMO. He insists that morality and altruism can be achieved without faith. Mr. Warren attributes that need that most people have for doing good to be from God. Mr. Harris cannot deny that people feel that need for purpose, because to do so would alienate his audience. But he can get them to deny the existence of God. And that's really all the Adversary needs to get his foot in the door. He doesn't need to dismantle people in one blow, he can do it a little at a time.

I just think it is funny that atheists deny the existence of God for scientific reasons, i.e. there is no proof that he exists. Einstein could not countenance the possibility of particles smaller than the atom, and yet when technology advanced, there is no denying that there are in fact protons, electrons, and neutrons. And a few years later, they discovered that there are parts smaller still, quarks and muons and such. Einstein's theories have been left behind because they cannot account for quantum mechanics. But to tell him all that we now know and say, take my word for it, he'd never believe, or at least have a hard time believing it. But you would know that you were right. Science has a way of cannibalizing itself as new discoveries are made, out with the old, in with the new. Just because we cannot see atoms and electrons and muons, does not mean they are not there. Just because we choose not to see evidence in God, does not mean he is not there. What the scientific community knows, or thinks it knows, today will not be what it knows in a year, let alone a decade or a century.

I also think it is silly for people of religion to dismiss science. Just because Hawkings' A Brief History of Time was not written by Moses or Paul and included in the Bible does not make it a lie. To say that God took 65 million years or longer to create the earth instead of snapping his fingers or wiggling his nose like a pop culture wizard, does not take away any of the awe and wonder we should have in the Creation.

And I was wondering what I was going to be grateful for today! I am grateful for my faith. I am grateful that it is not exclusionary. I am glad that rationality has a place in my belief system. But also that all the competing theories and breakthroughs and changes in scientific understanding will not whip me about like a boat on a stormy sea. All the theories and mysteries of the universe are secondary. They are fun to think about, but are not necessary for me to comprehend even a fraction, as long as I have faith in God and the Atonement of His Son.

BG3

2008-12-17T01:30:00.002-07:00

I'm grateful for you, dear readers. Most, if not all, of you are very dear friends to me. Most of you I have known for over a decade, and a couple for much longer than that. We've got a lot of really good memories, both trivial and poignant. At least one of you has appreciated me not being judgmental, and I appreciate that in all of you towards me. I said how grateful I am for my family before. I don't know my extended family real well, not like some of you know yours. I wish I knew them better. But all of you I consider to be my extended family; you are more than just friends.

Being Grateful II

2008-12-16T00:17:00.002-07:00

I'm thankful for the ward I attend. Tim has posted about what makes a good ward on his blog, and I made comments on what I thought. I felt like the wards that I attended in Provo got progressively better. Maybe it was my understanding of how wards worked that grew, maybe I just matured, or maybe they actually were better. Anyway, when I moved to this area last year, I was not thrilled to be starting at yet another singles ward. I was coming off a rough patch after my time in Denver and New York, and it took me a while to warm up to the ward in Lehi. The ward was big and I felt kind of lost in the crowd. Also, my first impression of that bishop was way off base, but I didn't find that out for three months though. Just when I found out my bishop was a good man that I could trust, the ward was dissolved. Arrgghh! Another new ward, and another new bishop to feel out. It hasn't turned out so bad. Despite not being in a ward with my best friends anymore, this ward rivals the last couple of Provo wards. There is nobody in the ward that I dislike, and many that I like a lot. And the bishop is great. I feel that he was drawn to this place by the Lord to be called as the bishop of this ward at this time. He is a spiritual giant, and a soft-hearted, sensitive, sometimes silly man. I've made many good friends here, people that, under different circumstances, I'd never think to be friends with.

Being Grateful in the Face of Adversity

2008-12-15T01:34:00.002-07:00

So, on top of my mother's divorce proceedings, we found out today that her business partner passed away on Saturday. This is a mighty blow as he was the money handler and technical wizard behind their web business. He had been in poor health for some time, but they had never made a contingency plan if one of them died or otherwise could not continue. She had no access to the company accounts, nor any clue on how to take care of the technical end of things. No one can take his place, only he knew how everything on their site fit and worked together.

It seems like the hits keep coming lately, now the new ones come before the old ones are over.

Which brings me to the subject of this post. How can we stay grateful in the face of adversity? How did our pioneer forebears handle the excruciating sacrifice of traveling to the Salt Lake Valley? Dealing with the loss of loved ones, how were the early saints able to press forward? Why didn't they just curl up and die, or turn around and head back home?

Sometimes, it is easy to be grateful, it doesn't really take any effort. But other times, we need to be willfully grateful. We need to look explicitly for things to be grateful for. What I want to do is post everyday until Christmas. Each post will include one thing I am grateful for. I'm hoping that by the time Christmas comes, the gratitude I show then will be easier to express than it is at the moment.

I'll make this one easy:

I am grateful for my family that loves me, and who I love as well. No matter what comes against us, we have one another. Right now, my mom is taking the brunt of these challenges, so I try to support her. in the past and in the future, it'll be me who takes the brunt, and I'll require her or my brother for support.

Good Sometimes

2008-12-03T12:01:00.003-07:00

A comment on the previous post made me think about a conversation I was a part of the other day. My mom and I were talking with our neighbor about parenting (I was mostly listening). And my mom mentioned how sometimes when she would get mad at me and my brother, she would yell, and sometimes scream. And then she would feel terrible, like she was a failure, that she wasn't a good mother. One day when I was very young, she was feeling particularly bad about her perceived failures when she walked in on me watching Mister Roger's Neighborhood. I was singing a version of a song I heard on the show. I have included in it's entirety at the end of this post. I sang:

Sometimes kitties are good
And they do just what they should.
But the very same kitties who are good sometimes
Are the very same kitties who are bad sometimes.

Sometimes mommies are good
And they do just what they should.
But the very same mommies who are good sometimes
Are the very same mommies who are bad sometimes.

A lot of times, we think in terms of black and white. Things are either good, or they are bad. When we do good things we feel we are on top of the world. But when we make bad decisions, we forget or discount the good things that we have done, and we just focus on the bad things. We can bring ourselves down pretty low, even to the point of feeling worthless. I think it is hard for us to reconcile the fact that good people can make bad decisions, especially within ourselves. Even Nephi of old dealt with this issue. "Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul greiveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me." (2 Ne 4:17-18) See the rest of 2 Nephi 4 because it has a lot to do with the rest of the post.

I think it is important to remember we have dual natures. The classic cartoon representation of this is a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. We need to realize that we are good, we just make mistakes. We need to realize that the good advice we give each other is the same advice we need to follow in our own lives. When people compliment me, one of the first things I do is think, "If only you knew about X, if only people knew." I know I am a good person, but reconciling that with my bad choices is hard to do. I'm not saying that we need to accept the bad, live with the bad, wallow in the bad. What I think we need to accept is that we are good. Live with the good. Wallow in the good. We have a great aid in doing this. We celebrate his birth in about 3 weeks. We need to trust in Him. I don't say this because I am particularly good at it, because I'm not. But It's what I would tell anyone else, so why shouldn't I follow it?

So I want to ask what you think. What do you do to reconcile the differences within yourselves? And if you have a hard time doing that, what advice would you give me? And then I would challenge you to turn around and follow that advice.

Again, here are the lyrics to the song I sang a real long time ago. It helped my mom remember that she was not a bad mother. Hopefully, it will remind you that you aren't bad either.

Sometimes People Are Good

Sometimes people are good
And they do just what they should.
But the very same people who are good sometimes
Are the very same people who are bad sometimes.
It's funny, but it's true.
It's the same, isn't it for me and...

Sometimes people get wet.
And their parents get upset.
But the very same people who get wet sometimes
Are the very same people who are dry sometimes.
It's funny, but it's true.
It's the same, isn't it for me and...

Sometimes people make noise
And they break each other's toys.
But the very same people who are noisy sometimes
Are the very same people who are quiet sometimes.
It's funny, but it's true.
It's the same, isn't it for me and...

Sometimes people get mad
And they feel like being bad.
But the very same people who are mad sometimes
Are the very same people who are glad sometimes.
It's funny, but it's true.
It's the same, isn't it for me and...

Sometimes people are good
And they do just what they should.
But the very same people who are good sometimes
Are the very same people who are bad sometimes.
It's funny, but it's true.
It's the same, isn't it for me...
Isn't it the same for you?

© 1967 Fred M. Rogers

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T00:34:00.002-07:00

Ah, Thanksgiving! Despite the weirdness at my place, we had a good Thanksgiving. We had my brother up and my aunt over, and actually ate dinner over at our neighbor's. We made enough for everyone, and so did they, so there are plenty o' leftovers. Yay!

I learned that my cousin, who I like though we're not very close, is a real jerk. He lives up in SLC and had his family to his place for dinner. His dad, his sisters, and his in-laws. Everyone except his own mother that lives in PG. Through his sister texting her, he let his mom know that there was not enough room for her to come. That to me is unacceptable. She was nervous about having dinner with his inlaws, but to have the invitation rescinded at the last minute was terrible. My aunt is not a perfect person, she's made mistakes, but nothing so heinous to deserve that kind of treatment. We love having her over, so she had somewhere to be, but I can't believe there was not room enough for her.

On a happier note, this year marked the tenth anniversary of having Thanksgiving at The Masked Mallard's for the first time along with our friend John. That invitation was great because I was missing just my second Thanksgiving at home ever. We had such a good time, that even though my family is out here now, we've usually done something at their place during Thanksgiving weekend ever since. A lot of really good memories have come from that invitation. Thanks so much!

Test

2008-11-23T01:35:00.001-07:00

Mistakes

2008-11-20T17:51:00.003-07:00

My mother is getting divorced again. And that makes me sad. Not because I like her husband, but because I dislike him. It's sad that this man duped my mother. She's a sucker for a sales pitch, and I hope that if she ever gets married again, that I can spend some serious time around him before the wedding day. I met her present husband on the way to the courthouse. I didn't know what to think, except I could see that my mother was happy, so I was happy for her. But there have been things, red flags that have come up over the last 4 years. He was a weird guy. Not that my family isn't weird in our own way, but his sense of humor was on the opposite wavelength. When we would be silly, he was serious, and vice versa. Then there were the money scams. You know: "Hello, I am in need to move money to America, and am need to use agent for bank purposes." The first time I heard that he was working with someone overseas to move money into the country, I knew it was a scam. But, he was over 50, and I was still in college, so I merely asked if it was legit, and he said that he had checked it out. A short time later MY bank account had to be closed because of fraud related to HIS account. See, my mother had her name on one of his accounts, as well as on mine, so it daisy chained down to my account. Luckily, I only had $5 to my name at the time. Funny thing is, that was neither the first time nor the last time he had gotten involved in such a thing. Then there was the string of 4 or 5 jobs he went through in a year. When I went to Denver two summers ago, I needed a place to put my things. Well, mostly my furniture, which I had only been borrowing from my mother. WHen she mentioned to him that I was bringing it back up to the house, he threw a fit. When I had to work on my car this summer, I was worried about how much it was going to cost to have it repaired. He made some comment about putting the car into a trust. A trust in MY name, but under HIS control. The car would essentially be his, and I could borrow it, but he would, over time, pay for the repairs. He's maxed out a couple of credit cards, and has hardly helped financially with the house. All of this, and my mother finally decided to start the ball rolling on getting divorced.

Even with all of these things, I never felt it was my place to be say anything negative about him to my mother. It was her marriage, if she wanted to make it work, I wouldn't stop her.

Now that she is planning on seeing a lawyer, some new information has come to the surface. She found correspondence between him and several "clients". It seems that these clients are young women that are not too different in age than me, maybe a little older. And no mention is made of my mother being his wife. And how each is the only one that he thinks about. In fact, there is a woman coming from the Ukraine that he wants someone in the ward to host while she looks for a job. She is not LDS, but he entertains thoughts of converting her. He asked a lady in their ward if she would take her up to Temple Square, but not mention any of his marital problems to this foreigner.

My mom also found some other disturbing and inappropriate materials while searching for bank and credit records.

I went out with my bishop the other night to see some people in the ward. He asked how my mom and her husband were doing, he would go to their ward if he weren't the singles ward bishop. I told him that things were bad, and that she was working on getting a divorce. He said that he always thought that they seemed fine at church and other activities. And I thought to myself, "SEEMED is the operative term here." He seems fine, he seems like he doesn't have financial, emotional, and marital problems. He seems like he has it all together, and that he is just going through a rough patch. But underneath it all, he's just been using my mother and her home. Maybe, he really has a problem, a mental problem that can explain his behavior. And if he does, then that will be taken into account in the next life. But here in this one, he needs to move on and move out.

Thinking about it, it was almost four years ago when my mom met him online. She'd been dating a lot of guys that whole year when He came along. He invited her out to visit him in Ohio. It was Christmas break, and she asked me if she should go. I told her to go. I felt that the worst thing that could happen was that she would go and it wouldn't work out. Ohio was where she grew up, she still knew people out there, and my cousin and his family lived nearby in Indiana. She could have all of these good times out there. I also thought she would drive me nuts talking about him if she stayed. I never thought that they would be married less than two months later, or that he would turn out to be as big a scum bag as he has. But I don't feel guilty for advising my mom to go out there, how were we to know how it would play out. It's just feels ironic, and a little bit sad.

And Like That...

2008-10-15T02:52:00.002-06:00

The current girl situation has cleared itself out. Strictly speaking, age alone has not been a deciding factor, but the two girls on opposite ends of the age spectrum (relatively speaking) are no longer on my radar. The younger one was my choice. I just feel like I want someone who has traveled a bit more down the pathways of life.

The older one was her choice. We've gone out a few times, and had fun. I felt it was easy to talk to her, and she felt the same. But I guess she wasn't feelin' much interest. I'm disappointed, I felt like I could be more myself with her.

The situation taught me some things though. I've been able to focus my search criteria a little more in some areas, and broaden it in others. Age differences aren't as big a deal for me anymore. But having similar experiences carries a little more weight. Also, timing is another thing. I was attracted to B (The older one) early on this summer, and I thought she was as well. But I let all that time pass. I don't know if things would have been any different, but there is something to be said about striking while the iron is hot. I think I learned to be a little more direct about things. Once I started being more direct, I got clearer responses.

Now the trick is to move forward and not stand still or move backwards. Someone good is out there somewhere, but she'll only be found going forward.

High School

2008-10-06T23:18:00.002-06:00

So the girl situation was feeling a bit like high school. Now it turns out that S actually just graduated from high school in the spring. When she started coming to the ward, I thought she had just moved in. I also thought she was at least 25. She doesn't act like an 18 year old, and she looks more mature than her years. But she is in fact 18. That's just two years older than my kid brother. Now I feel...I don't know what I feel actually. I think she is still cool, but it's different.

In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy says, "It's not the years, it's the mileage." I am not as concerned about ages, but I am concerned about experiences. I mean, I know folks that got married despite a 10 year age difference. But, I think it is important that people have an appreciation for each other's experiences.

Something for me to chew on for a bit.

The Prospect of Juggling

2008-09-29T23:17:00.003-06:00

I'm glad that I haven't linked my facebook profile to this blog. There are more and more people in my ward that are adding me as a friend, and I don't need them reading everything that I post here. I don't want things to come back and bite me.

So I'm kind of pursuing this woman, (it is weird to say I am pursuing a woman, but 'girl' doesn't seem quite right either) and I think there is still potential there. But now I have been told that I should ask out a couple of girls in the ward the last two days. The first of these would be more of a friendly date I think, she's a nice girl, I'd just never thought about asking her out on my own. The second is one that I've been a little intrigued by recently.

I'm kind of a 'one-track-mind' guy. I've only been interested in one girl at any one time. Well, back in high school I was probably interested in multiple girls at the same time, but I was too shy or insecure to do anything with any of them, so I don't count that. There was Bethany my freshman year at BYU. I had a crush on her that whole year, during my mission, and into my first year back. There was Lisa my junior year, we did a bunch of stuff together, but it didn't pan out. Then there was Cynthia, and after her Linda. More recently, Lisa (different one), Kristana, Marcilyn, Heather, Alison, and Cynthia redux. Thinking about it, there was some over lapping of interests, but really only one focus at a time.

Now it is different. I can think of these two girls one right after the other, and be almost equally intrigued. And that is bothersome to me. It's not like I'm going steady with either of them, they aren't expecting me to be exclusive at this point, I've only had a couple of dates so far with the one, and am only slightly flirtatious with the other. But I feel to be any more than that would break some personally moral barrier. If one of them really starts to pan out, then I will need to be exclusive. And I wouldn't know how to break it off with the other.

It wouldn't be so bad if it was only me, but I think that both of them are at least somewhat interested in me as well. Do I just stop flirting with the one, and focus on the one I'm farther along with? or do I bring them both to the same level, and see which one wants to take it to the next step? Either way has its cons. I don't want to burn any bridges, but neither do I want to be a so-called player. I think both deserve my full attention, but only one can get it. Never thought I'd be in this situation.

The 'Hood Times

2008-09-27T11:04:00.003-06:00

I finally got a job! I'm going to be doing layout work for a newspaper/tabloid. Its just getting started though, so we will see how it goes. They want to call it the New York Hood News. It will be devoted to stories that are about regular people, rather than celebrities and politicians. They want the first issue to come out in three weeks or so. It'll be interesting to see if it gets off the ground. I think it is interesting that I'll be working on this paper that will probably go out to mostly african-american communities in the south and east. I'm sure it'll expose me to cultural aspects that I haven't had too much experience with in the past. But it will get me real world experience that will be useful in the future, and that's probably the most important thing.

High Anxiety

2008-09-07T14:18:00.002-06:00

I nearly had an anxiety attack yesterday. And I had my date. My bout of anxiety had to do with BYU's narrow victory over U-Dub 28-27. The officiators' strict adherence to the rule book after Jake Locker scored the final touchdown and threw the ball up in the air pushed the PAT back 15 yards. Who knows if this would have happened at the normal position, but the kick was low and Jan Jorgensen got far enough through the line to get his hand on the ball to preserve the lead and the victory. Man, oh man was that close! Though it shouldn't have been. Again, BYU's own mistakes almost proved to be their undoing. Collie dropped a bunch of passes that he should have caught, Unga fumbled into the endzone at the end of a 97 yard drive, and Hall was intercepted on an underthrown pass. But they still won. On the road, against a PAC-10 team. That's nothing to sneeze at!

My date went well. We had a regional Stake conference broadcast today, so last night we had the adult session with our stake presidency. That meant the date started later than is customary. So I made dinner and brought it over to her place. I made Lasagna and ceasar salad. After that, we watched The Italian Job, the original with Michael Caine, not the new one with Mark Wahlberg. After the movie we had homemade ricotta gelato (italian ice cream) with blackberry sauce. All of the food turned out very good. We were undecided on the movie, I think we both liked the remake better.

We talked before, during, and after the meal and movie. It was interesting how much we have in common, it was almost cliche, although I didn't play it like the cliche: "You like that? Omigosh! ME TOO!" It was nice though. Like I said before, we have an understanding and appreciation for our different life paths we've taken. It was just really comfortable, like I could be more myself. I think there is certainly potential there. A second date is on the horizon for sure.

What Am I So Anxious About?

2008-09-02T00:13:00.003-06:00

Or is this just the effects of food poisoning?

I'm feeling something, whatever it is.

It's against my recent policy, not that I've been good at following it in the past, but I feel like I've got to say something to release the tension inside me. There's a girl. Before you jump to conclusions, I haven't even asked her out yet. But I am picking up some positive vibes from her, and have all summer long. And I want to reciprocate.

Why has it taken so long, why have I put off all summer what I felt to do back in May? No good reason, especially considering my recent post about wasting time. I was still getting over the departure of my ex-girlfriend in May, and my car was out of comission until last month. I didn't have a lot of contact with this girl in august, so I imagined that her interest had probably waned. I shouldn't have worried. After the party over at her place last night, I have no doubt she is still very much interested.

She's a few years older than me, and in the past I would've never even considered someone that much older. But I find that, in her case anyway, her years help her appreciate my life path, rather than look down on it. She's been a teacher going on five years now, but it seems she has had just as meandering a path as I have followed. She's intelligent, funny, caring, and respectful of others. She's also pretty patient, the fact that she hasn't given up on me, despite my inaction, tells me that.

But I am nervous. I am almost certain she'll agree to go out with me once I ask. But it has been awhile since I asked anyone out. And if the vibes I am detecting are true, it could get serious quickly. I'm just afraid that I am getting ahead of myself again. I tend to do that, and then I go into freefall when things don't work out.

Football Season is Here!

2008-08-28T13:57:00.003-06:00

OMIGOSH, OMIGOSH, OMIGOSH!

Kickoff is just over 48 hours away! At least for my favorite team it is, but opening games start tonight! It has been a long dry sports drought for me here at Risin' & Shoutin'. Last season I was working out in New York and very often missed watching any football, let alone BYU football. I did arrange to see the Las Vegas Bowl on my way home from the Big Apple, but I missed a lot of the other games. I did go to several BYU basketball games last winter, but by and large, my sports consumption has been particularly low over the last 12 months. Since moving back home, I've missed getting up on Saturdays and vegging out for hours of football on ESPN. We don't have cable or satellite here, we only watch DVDs around these parts. Any sports watching I've done is at other people's homes. I missed most of the Olympics, especially Michael Phelps amazing tour de force.

Vegging out watching football is not in the gameplan this season, but I will be better at least at seeing the Cougars of BYU. There are BYU fans in my ward here, and I got season tickets this year for the home games! I welcome my good friend Javich home from his mission in Arizona! I am glad that he was finally able to get the medical procedures done to allow him to serve, I know how important it was for him to go. But I am glad that he is back! We watched the games together during those dark years of '02-'04, and saw the first glimmers of redemption together in '05. But with everyone parting ways over the last couple of years, I didn't have anyone to share the success of the last two years with. But, at least for this season, it'll be the best of both worlds! Good friends to watch the games with, and a good team to watch.

GoooooooOOOOOO COUGARS!

Putting Out

2008-08-22T00:49:00.003-06:00

A friend just posted a portion of his portfolio online, you can find it here. He is on the lookout for design jobs, so if you know of anything, let him know! A link is being added to the side bar for access to his portfolio once this post gets buried. Enjoy!

Intimidation

2008-08-16T02:13:00.003-06:00

I was once asked if I was intimidated by girls that are accomplished, meaning someone that graduated from college, has a real job, and may have their own house. I can't remember exactly what I said at the time, but here is what I think now. I don't feel so much intimidated, as inadequate. I mean, right now, I am 28, live at home, am still in school, and haven't had a job since December. I am actually quite interested in 'accomplished' women. I just don't feel like I have much to offer someone at the moment besides my winning personality and dimpled smile. And now I have some anecdotal proof for my thinking. Last Sunday I was in the clerks office, after the block of meetings, when the second counselor's wife started up a conversation with me. She has a strong matchmaker's spirit to her. She told me there was a girl in the ward that asked her about me. She wanted to know if I was still in school, and of course I told her that I was. Well, apparently my educational status immediately disqualified me from her search. This girl has graduated from school, and is only looking for guys that are in the same stage of life as she is. I told Sis. Matchmaker that I only had a year left, so if this girl was still around next August she could look me up.

I've been thinking about this for a week now, and I want to change my reply. I'd like Sis. Matchmaker to give Mystery Girl this message. If she is still around and single next August when I am scheduled to graduate, then she can go suck an egg for all I care. Apparently, she doesn't want to support someone through school. Last time I checked my criteria for what I was looking for in a spouse, neither breadwinner nor meal ticket made the list. I'm just hoping to find someone that will love me as much as I love them. What if Mystery Girl and I otherwise make a good match? Then this girl and I will be losing a year of getting to know each other. But if a piece of paper makes that big of a difference to someone, maybe we wouldn't make such a good match after all.

I'm sorry that it took me almost nine years to find something that I really liked to do. Maybe it would've been better to push through my old course of study and be miserable in my line of work, at least then I might've been able to get a date.

Update

2008-08-11T23:56:00.002-06:00

We never ended up taking Joe to the vet, it took a couple of days for him to recover though. He was up and moving around the next day, but he seemed to never be comfortable and not as responsive to certain stimuli as usual. He didn't "talk" much either. He usually has these little yips and growls that he uses to communicate. We think maybe his vocal cords were injured in the fall. He was on his leash when he jumped out the window, so when the leash went taut it may have bruised the vocal cords. So for a few days he was very subdued. But it seems that he has made a full recovery. He is just a yippy and active as he ever was. We're glad to have our 'old' Joe back.

A Bit of a Scare

2008-08-07T21:41:00.003-06:00

We had a bit of a scare tonight. My mom's husband is an adjunct professor at the recently rebranded Utah Valley University. He teaches evening classes twice a week. As he was getting ready to go, our little dog Joe wanted to follow him. I fully expected Robert* to turn Joe away as he left, but was surprised when he asked, "Joe, do you want to come to school with me?" Of course, Joe wanted to go, not knowing what Robert was talking about. It was good that it was a cool day, because I'm sure he had to leave Joe in the car while teaching the class. My mom and I had been talking the whole time they were gone, when she got a call on her cellphone. It was Robert, and he needed her to call the vet, something had happened to Joe. So we scrambled to find the vet's number, but no answer and no voicemail. In the meantime, Robert showed up with Joe in the passenger seat. He looked asleep and was breathing heavily. So we called around, and the closest office we could get a hold of was up in Sandy, another 20-30 minutes away. SInce that was the only option, we had to take it, and Robert headed that direction. Mom and I were discussing what could be wrong with the dog, apparently he had jumped out the window and hurt himself. We worried that he may have broken his little neck. Then we heard Robert pull into the driveway, and we thought that he must have passed away before they got to Sandy. Fortunately, Joe was awake in Robert's arms, though subdued. He didn't think that any bones were broken, but wasn't sure of any internal injuries, so he's not out of the woods yet. I think we'll take him in tomorrow to have him checked out. Hopefully, we won't lose the little guy.

This whole episode brings up my concerns about Robert. Notice I don't call him my stepfather. I don't really want anything to do with him. He's showed many lapses in judgement just in the last eight months that I've lived at home. He was the main reason that my brother decided to move out. (That should have happened a long time ago, but he is so much of a homebody that nothing else really motivated him to go before.) My mom is fully aware and concerned about Robert's issues, and I listen to her, but I don't voice my concerns. I don't think it is my place to talk about her husband, whether she would agree with me or not. So I just stew with my thoughts about the situation.

Robert surprised us when he brought Joe home with him one day. They had discussed having a small dog, but they weren't in a financial position to be having another animal. And a pure breed Maltese no less! $400 up front, and then all the vet bills and food and other things. $400 was a deal for a dog like that, but still a lot of money they didn't really have. Naturally though, we've all fallen in love with our little Joe, in spite of his tendency for mischief. It would be sad to lose him now, he's only seven months old. I call him "The Puppy," much like one "The Maxwell." Anyways, I'm kind of stuck here at home for now. I'm in school and haven't worked since December, and my money is almost gone. Even when I get a job, it'll still be awhile before I can afford to move out. Until then, I'll have to put up with Robert and his lapses in judgement. There are so many more, but I'd rather not go into detail. It's not that I don't like Robert, it's that I have a hard time respecting him. A man of his age and apparent intelligence should not display such a lack of common sense.

*-Robert's name has been changed for the purposes of anonymity.

TDK

2008-07-19T15:30:00.002-06:00

I went and saw The Dark Knight today. I'm still trying to decide what I think about it. It is a well made movie. The acting is strong across the board I would say. The action does not let up. There is hardly any swearing, nothing that couldn't be in a PG movie, and zero sex. There is gun-play, martial arts, and some animal violence. I don't recall there being any free flowing blood, if there was blood it was dry. It had very few of the earmarks we usually look for when trying to tell if a kid should not go. But the movie was INTENSE! It tread in very dark waters. It questions the balance of security and freedom, ends and means.

The Joker is a psychopath, he is a criminal mastermind, but not for gain. There is a scene where he burns all the money he has stolen. He is out to spread fear, not to put himself in power, not in a traditional sense, more to just see what would happen, to know that he CAN cause fear. Really, he is an anarchist. A divisive element, with no permanent allegiances. He wants to show the world that society is a pretense, that when push comes to shove, people are selfish, willing to kill to save their own neck.

A lot of people die in the movie, cops, mobsters, minor characters and important ones. And they die in pretty gruesome ways. At least you know it is gruesome, because it is setup to be gruesome. Like I said, there is no free flowing blood. The actual moment of death is always left to the imagination. I kept expecting to have to shield my eyes, I never did, but it is hard to shut out the images that my mind has created to fill in what the movie left out.

Not many movies do that anymore, leave things to the imagination. And really, I think it is more powerful then seeing exactly what happened.

When I walked out of Batman Begins three years ago, I left feeling that it was totally awesome. This time, it was just as well made, as well acted, but it feels different. A critic I read called it The Empire Strikes Back to Batman Begins' Star Wars. There is still some optimism at the end, but not nearly as much as the first one. This one is good, just keep the darker thematic elements in mind when you see it.

A Long Time

2008-07-06T22:28:00.003-06:00

Recently, my high school graduating class held its 10 year reunion. On the one hand, I cannot believe it has been 10 years since I roamed the halls of Lake Mary High. Living in Utah, it was never even a consideration to go back to Florida for the reunion. But I did see some pictures taken at the party of some old friends. Even if I did go, I think I would have been uncomfortable though. I got this really weird feeling seeing those pictures. Even though I value most of my time since high school, I felt like I didn't have much to show for my time. While I have finally found a field that I enjoy, and can actually see myself doing, it has taken most of these last 10 years to figure that out. I'm sure that my experience has been markedly different over that time from my former classmates. I came out to BYU, and went on a mission representing my church. I didn't drink, or smoke, or experiment with drugs. I'm not saying that I think they all did, but I'm sure that many did. I don't know how much we could have related to each other. One thing I noticed in the pictures was that nearly everyone at the reunion had some kind of drink, and none of it looked like fruit punch. I would have been even more of an observer than I was back then. I don't want to sound like I feel like I am better than them because of my faith. I probably could learn a lot about being a good person from many of my old classmates. People that, at first blush, seem so different from me. The thing is, one night in a Florida hotel with 10 years removed from common experience is not the ideal venue for that.

Maybe, if given a more personal setting with my old friends I would have been able to enjoy myself, but large group settings have never been my thing, whether alcohol is being served or not.

Hitting the Road

2008-05-23T10:39:00.002-06:00

I'm going to Richland, WA this weekend with my brother and step-sister. Our kid sister turned 8, and kid brother turned 16 this month. They've held off the baptism and ordination so we could be there. It's a 9 hour trip or so, we'll be getting there around 7 or 8 PDT. Unfortunately the weather is cold and rainy, and it is a holiday weekend, so we need to be on our toes. But it'll be good to go up and see everybody. It's been about a year and a half since I was there last. Hope you all have a good Memorial Day weekend!

The "Thrill" of the Hunt

2008-05-15T00:00:00.002-06:00

I hate looking for work. It sucks. Just like dating, it is so mercenary. Every employer expects you to be totally loyal, but most won't even give you the time of day if they are not interested in you. They look for loyalty in your resume. "What was the reason you left your previous position?" You make up some BS to sugarcoat why you are looking for work now, but you are really thinking, "I hated my last job, they didn't pay me enough for what they wanted me to do, and I'll leave you too as soon as something better comes along." The reality is that most employers are not going to hire you, so you have to apply at several jobs at a time. And each one you have to tell, "I only have eyes for you, baby!" You just hope that the last one on your list isn't the first one to offer you the position. It wouldn't look good to say, "I'd rather work for the other guys, but please wait just in case they say no." And then you find a job that you think you may like. They ask you to come for an interview, and it goes well. The pay is good, the hours are great, the people are nice. And then when you are finally feeling like you are about to get a job, you do some fact finding, and calculations. The part-time job that sounds so great comes attached with a two-hour roundtrip commute, and no public transportation that comes anywhere close to your destination. So you have to turn your best shot at employment down, and start the search all over again. Ahhh, the thrill of the hunt...whoop-di-freakin'-doo!

Illustrator Final

2008-05-08T13:57:00.005-06:00

I am still figuring out a way to post my work in the highest quality way. I tried uploading my work as .pdf files to a site I found called Scribd.com, but they wouldn't go. Maybe I was not patient enough. Anyway, I wanted to share my final project for my Illustrator Basics course that I just finished today. Just click on the picture to get a better view.

I had to incorporate myself into a comic character. I had a lot of fun working on this project, and all my others as well. This is a single frame from a fictional comic book. Dr. Glacier is the arch nemesis of Solar Flare, the main character of the comic. The design kind of came together as I went. I had taken some goofy pictures of myself with my computer and decided to use this one:

It's not terribly flattering, but oh well, Dr. Glacier was born from that look, so it's all good, right? Maybe that's bad, though. I'm not exactly sure what that Cold Formula will do...

The Man Who Knew Too Little

2008-04-30T15:07:00.002-06:00

If you have never seen the Bill Murray classic The Man Who Knew Too Little, you are really missing out. I don't think people put it up there with Groundhog Day or What About Bob?, but it is hilarious. I watch it if I am having a bad day, and it always picks me up. Anyway, it's about this bumbling guy that thinks he's in some kind of audience participation theater, but he is really caught up in the conspiracy to restart the Cold War. He thinks it's all just an act, so he goes along with it.

The other night I had a dream like that. Except it was the other way around. It was like Candid Camera, or The Truman Show but it was an adventure story. I thought it was all real, only to find out at the end that it was all an act. The kicker was that there were people that I thought were dead, that weren't really dead. In the dream I had a girlfriend that I thought was now dead, but she walked into the debriefing room and I was floored. In the course of the adventure I'd fallen for another woman, but she had really fallen for me too, so I was confused as to what to think. I'd only moved on because I thought the first woman was dead, except she wasn't dead. But I was happy in the current relationship, how would I reconcile that?

I woke up from the dream and thought, "nice try." It doesn't make me feel much better about my current situation, but it does make me think. What is the human capacity for love? How many can be included? On the one hand I don't believe in there being a, "one and only." But on the other, I believe in monogamous relationships. I think of another film, Dan, in Real Life, with Steve Carrell. Is it a betrayal to remarry after the death of a spouse? I think I would have an extremely hard time in that situation.

There is a certain seeming randomness to attraction. There are certain things that I think I find attractive, but no two women I've been interested in over the years have looked anything alike. Tall and short, blonde, brunette, and auburn, petite and full figured, my interests have run the table. But love is different than mere attraction. It is a decision. It is an action. A stake president once said that there were probably many women he could have been happy with, but he chose to be happy with his wife. And he'd chosen that everyday since they were married.

Dating is so mercenary. When you are dating you are looking for what is best for you, which is completely opposite of what marriage is supposed to be. When you are married, you are no longer number one, you are 1-B, at least to yourself. That should be fine, as you ideally become 1-A for your spouse. (Correct me if I've got that wrong married people, I'm working on my observations as an outside party. I'm sure adding children changes things even more, but that is for another blog.) But when dating you are tasked with making the tricky switch from looking out for yourself to looking out for another, and you just hope they make their own switch at the same time. But if they turn around before making that switch...

As stated below, I've let go of an old girlfriend. Well, sort of. I'm letting her go without a fight, not that I have any say or power to keep her from going. But I'm half hoping she comes back on her own, and am loathe to even think of moving on. That's not really letting go then, is it?

Hard Things

2008-04-28T01:25:00.003-06:00

Last night I did something very hard. I hope it is worth it. I let go of someone that has meant a lot to me for quite awhile. I'd forgotten, somewhat, how I'd felt about her until we saw each other for the first time in a long time. We dated a few years ago, and when we broke up, it broke my heart. I always felt that our story was not finished at that time, but I stayed away. Until this month that is. Thanks to a bizarre dream on April Fool's, we have done a few things together. It felt very much like old times. But she is leaving at the end of the week, and I may never see her again. I had hoped that somehow we could get back together, that I could somehow talk her into coming back. I realized, however, that I had no place asking her any such thing, especially being unsure how she felt exactly. I felt that I had to let go of her. I had run away when we broke up, and never really faced the issue. I'm still crazy about her. And I told her so, but I also told her that I was letting go. I'll miss her, but I'm at peace about things. I hope I did the right thing, I think I did.

Respect

2008-04-24T02:38:00.002-06:00

I'm gaining more respect for those of you that finangle with your blog layouts. It took me awhile to figure out how to get my work on here and have it look good at the same time. I think I need to work on sizing, maybe stretch it out and use some of that open space on the right. But for now, it'll have to do. I'm tired!

Stones

2008-04-19T04:48:00.003-06:00

I went to a play last night called Stones. Actually, it was two one-act plays. I didn't know anything about it before going, just a few lines on a poster about it being about family. So I thought it was about a family named Stone, or something else other than what it turned out to be. The production was very minimalist, but that allowed the power of the performance to be on full display. There are 4 more showings at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo, UT, so if you find yourself that way tonight or next weekend, check it out. Tickets are normally $10, but I picked up a discount card that'll get you $3 dollars off per ticket.

I didn't know what I was in for at all. If you are looking for something light, this isn't it. There is some humor in it, just enough to make you appreciate that you are watching real people, but the subject matter is very serious. Some of the themes concern death, sacrifice, obedience, love, and family. Not for the faint of heart, but very powerful and touching in turns. I totally recommend anyone in the area to see it. I don't want to say too much about the plot, but it is very rewarding and I am so glad I saw it.

Daily Obedience

2008-04-15T11:09:00.002-06:00

So, staying on target with my resolutions hasn't been easy. One thing or another inspires me for a day or two, and then I start slipping back into old habits. I spoke with my bishop the other day, and he said we had to decide to do what was right every single day, no matter what. That seems daunting, but I think it is possible, it has to be. So I was wondering what you, my intrepid readers, had to say about staying on task. When things are difficult, what do you tell yourself to hold on for a little more?

Color Festival Craziness

2008-03-30T01:25:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, I went with Melinda, Caron, and a couple of Caron's friends down to the Color Festival at the Hare Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, UT. I'm still a little fuzzy on the significance of the throwing of the colors. But hey, it was fun anyways!

Before the throwing of the colors

After

Caron and I

The color came off pretty easily in the shower when I got home. We'll see how my clothes look after a washing. To see more pictures, just click on any of the above thumbnails.

Snakes and Snails...

2008-03-25T23:41:00.005-06:00

Last week my step-father bought a pure bred Maltese puppy. He's going to be a stud. I mean that quite literally. He is going to be used for breeding. We call him Joe, which is short for a Portuguese phrase that means, Hound of Gold. Go figure. Anyways, he is a cute little sucker, and usually fun to have around. He gets under foot easily as he is not much bigger than that. The thing is he is displacing the cat. She went wherever she liked, until the day Joe showed up. There is no reason for her to be skittish around the puppy, she is 3 times his size, and when he is done growing, she'll still be twice his size. But she is skittish, and rarely leaves the basement. I think she is feeling somewhat neglected as she will now get on my bed and want me to pet her. This would be alright I guess if it weren't for her fur. It's long and fine, and hard to see individually. But you can definitely tell when it is in your mouth, blech!

And now for something completely different:

I'm in my third month of classes at Stevens-Henager, and the two classes I'm in could not be more different. They have me in English 101, which is a grammar class. I haven't had grammar since the fifth grade. I guess they didn't realize I had to write several research papers every semester I was at BYU, and that I might actually have grammar down by now. My other class is Management 330: Advertising. Does that seem strange to anyone else? Advertising is definitely a possible career for a graphic artist, but why am I in this class so early in my studies? Wouldn't it be more useful to take the class near the end of my program? Why number it 330 if it is not meant to be taken later on? Anyways, the classes started last week, and I completed everything for the English class yesterday. I took all my quizzes, submitted all my assignments, and took the final. The only thing I have to do for the class is to log in everyday for the next 2 and a half weeks. My advertising class on the other hand is more involved than that, I can only work ahead so far. I can't wait for more design classes next month.

There is a chance I will have to move and find a job sooner than expected. My step-father has applied for a couple of positions at SUU in Cedar City. If he gets one, then he and my mother will be getting an apartment down there. He feels confident about his qualifications, and it would be great for them financially. While the housing market is quite favorable at this time in most of Utah, their neighborhood is full of houses that are standing empty. For the time being they would not want to try to sell the house. But they would still need to make the house payments on it. No job that would fit with my classes would allow me to make the payments myself. And I doubt I could talk anybody into moving out here to help. One, it is so far away from everything, and two, there is not enough parking space for four individuals with personal cars. I enrolled at the Murray campus to force me to move north when the time came, I just didn't think it might be so soon. If anyone knows any good deals on rent in south Salt Lake County, let me know.

Not Quite Magically Delicious

2008-03-16T01:39:00.001-06:00

Here is a pic of Christy about to drink one of her three salsa shots as Matt and Caron watch on.

Second Tag Post On The Front Page

2008-03-15T16:58:00.002-06:00

Man, it's been about two months since my last post. Nothing seemed post worthy for awhile there, but I have completed 3 classes at my new school and about to start my 4th and 5th classes. My classes are primarily online, so I haven't gotten out much in the last month. Getting tagged by Christy has finally prodded me back to the blogosphere.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 10ish
2. What do you usually have for breakfast? Um, I don't usually eat breakfast any more. I feel sick if I eat too soon after waking up. But if I do have something it will probably be a mug of hot chocolate and some toast.
3. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Elephant by The White Stripes.
4. What kind of car do you drive? A white Honda Accord.
5. Favorite sandwich? The first thing that popped into my head was an Angus Beef sandwich from Schlotski's Deli, that or a Throgs Neck Bridge sandwich from Gandolfo's.
6. Favorite item of clothing? a green and blue plaid shirt that I have had for years, and before that a blue and yellow plaid shirt I got on my mission, but that one is too worn out to wear anymore.
7. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? I'd start with England, but I would also like to go to Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii, Alaska (in summer) and other places as well.
8. What color is your bathroom? Gee, I think it is white, with a underwater themed shower curtain.
9. Where would you retire? Hard question, I'd want to be warm during the winter, and cool during the summer, I'd have to be one of those snow birds and migrate, north for the summer and south for the winter.
10. Most memorable birthday? For my 23rd birthday I helped plan a surprise party for myself. Wood and I invited a bunch of friends to it, "Don't say anything, it's a surprise!" I got an issue of the Weekly World News, a popsicle mold, and a yellow blow-up seamonster I named Agnes and hung in our living room all summer.
11. Favorite sport to watch? Football followed closely by basketball
12. Are you a morning person or a night person? With no reason to get up early for work, I would go to bed late, and wake up late, so definitely not a morning person, but I don't really think of myself as a night person either.
13. What is your shoe size? 10-10 1/2
14. Pets? I have lived with pets all my life but have never had one that was my pet. I like pets until it comes time to clean up after them.
15. What did you want to be when you were little? A fireman, or an astronaut, or a transformer ;).
16. What are you today? A student, same as always, this time to be a graphic artist.
17. What is your favorite candy? Dark chocolate
18. Your favorite flower? ummm...
19. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? August 2009, when I finally graduate.
20. What are you listening to right now? My mother singing Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella
21. What is the last thing you ate? A supersonic burger, tatertots, and a Cherry limeade, mmmm.
22. Do you wish on stars? Every once in a while.
23. What faith are you? LDS
24. Who was the last person you spoke with on the phone? My home teaching companion about setting up appointments
25. Hair Color? Brown with some red and, gulp, gray!
26. Name of your favorite school teacher? Dr. Tobler, a history professor at BYU. But if this means before college, then Mr Ware, middle school geography.
27. Chocolate or vanilla? I just had some really good dark chocolate ice cream, but vanilla is so much more flexible. Chocolate on it's own, vanilla as a foundation to build off of.
28. When was the last time you cried? I teared up last night watching Dan in Real Life.
29. What is under your bed? maybe a dirty sock.
30. What did you do last night? Watched Dan in Real Life.
31. Favorite smell? Fresh baked bread.
32. What are you afraid of? Coming up short at a critical moment.
33. How many towns have you lived in? at least 13, not including all the different towns I lived in on my mission.
34. Do you make friends easily? I can, if I let myself, if I am somewhere new and don't have any friends already near by.

I tag…I feel like I just did this recently, so anyone that feels like answering the questions in this post and reads this blog!

Standing For Something

2008-01-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

It is said that a prophet is never appreciated in his own time. We read over and over in Scripture how the prophets of old were persecuted, reviled, and slain by the people of their generation, and then are revered by later generations. I think it was because those prophets were not around anymore to disagree with the people, so they could be interpreted any way that suited the people.

I think by and large that while we don't revile and stone our modern prophets in such visible ways, many still turn a deaf ear to their words. It may not even be an active or wantonly purposeful decision to ignore them, but people let their lives get in the way. So much is going on that no lingering thought is given to their words.

President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away on Sunday, January 27, 2008. As I listened to KSL radio on my way to school the next day, I started to realize that while I loved hearing him speak at conference time and other occasions, I was just as guilty of ignoring the prophet as the people I have described. He was the prophet of my teenage years and early adulthood. I don't recall much of General Conferences before he was called. Much of my spiritual thought has been triggered and shaped by his words and deeds, and yet for all that, still I did not fully appreciate what it meant to have a living prophet. It was easy to say that I followed the prophet because I stayed away from much of the negative influences of the world while growing up. But President Hinckley was not really about the 'don'ts,' he was about 'doing'. And that's where I feel I have always lacked.

Recently I have posted that I want to break the lesser patterns of my life. To honor President Hinckley and his message is to continue with my goals. But I need to add to those goals. Within a few short days, the next prophet will be set apart. I challenge myself to follow the next prophet in the manner that I should have followed President Hinckley, not just at conference time, but everyday, in everything. If you feel a little bit like I have, then I challenge you to do the same.

Starting Over

2008-01-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

I went to my first day of class today! I'm not in any classes that are specific to my program yet, but it is good to be back in class. My first two classes are Computer Fundamentals (mostly Microsoft Office), and Student Success. Neither will be very challenging, which is a good way to ease back into being a student again. I also picked up my brand new MacBook Pro at school. Maybe I should now consolidate all my Apple gear into one entry on my list of favorite toys. I'd like to add camping gear as a favorite toy come warmer weather, but I don't really own any besides a sleeping bag. I need to get in better shape so I can go hiking with friends and not be the last one to the top.

Speaking of which, yesterday the Masked Mallard and I went with Kristicity and her family sledding. We only went to a park in Sandy, but it was lots of fun. There were quite a few people there, which was good so the snow was already packed down. The Mallard has a bunch of sleds that really took advantage of the packed snow. One problem with so many people though was dodging the people coming back up. Some folks didn't seem to understand that they should climb back up the side of the hill rather than come straight back up the middle where everyone else wanted to go down. Oh well. Channel 2 sent a reporter and a camera man to the park while we were there, so if you were watching the local news last night, you may have seen us. Anyways, halfway through I started sucking some major air when climbing back up. I probably could have done a third more runs if I hadn't taken so long to climb up and then rest at the top. But it was a lot of fun, even though I was totally exhausted when we were done.

Tagged and Bagged

2008-01-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Trying, unsuccessfully, to get into Top Band.
2. Trying out for my HS production of Annie Get Your Gun.
3. Starting my first art class and loving it.
4. Having my first vague notions of where I would go to college.
5. Hoping we could keep the Camry when we got the minivan, so I could have a car.

Five things I want to do in the next 10 years:
1. Start a family.
2. Travel to Europe.
3. Finally graduate.
4. Drive the Pacific Coast from the Puget Sound to San Francisco Bay, or vice versa.
5. Live somewhere green.

Five things I look forward to learning at my new school:
1. Graphic illustration
2. Digital photography
3. Flash animation
4. Keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop and Illustrator
5. Design aesthetics

Five movies I have watched recently that I really enjoy:
1. Stranger than Fiction
2. The Man Who Knew Too Little
3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
4. The Incredibles
5. Casino Royale

My favorite toys:
1. My iPhone
2. My iMac
3. My growing TV on DVD collection
4. My Car
5. Board Games in general

Five people to tag:
1. Kristi
2. John
3. Alison
4. Brent
5. Katey

Transfer Credit

2008-01-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

I picked up my transcript from BYU this week and took it to Stevens-Henager to see if any classes would transfer. Looks like I get credit for 12 credits, or three different classes. I won't have to take Philosophy, History, or Math at S-H. I would have hoped that I wouldn't have to take the writing class either, but this is still good news. This cuts 3 months off of my program and saves me $4300 in tuition! Now I just have $5800 to pay to the school, which will be a lot more manageable. Once I get back into the swing of being in classes again, I will probably look to work for some company that will help pay my tuition. This will be real good, because the school will match dollar for dollar what the company pays, up to $5000. That'd be great!

High Resolution

2008-01-03T23:37:00.000-07:00

So I posted things I was looking forward to a few weeks ago, some were short term, some long. I have accomplished some of the things I was looking forward to, and now wanted to somewhat qualify the long term goals I had.

1. Go back to school: I went to Stevens-Henager last week to get more information about their Graphic Arts program, and ended up filling out all the preliminary paperwork for enrollment and financial aid. I have until the fifth day of class to back out with no obligation to pay anything, and then after that I will be up to my eyeballs in student debt. I was all gung-ho until we were almost done with all the forms when the weight of what I was taking on started to set in. But I still want to do it and think that it is worth it. My BYU education was paid for primarily by sources outside myself, and I don't think I appreciated that enough. Now that most of it will be paid by me, I have a larger ownership, or investment if you will, in my own education. I think this is good. And of all the things to go into debt for, one's education is the most acceptable. There will still be a lot that will not be covered by loans and grants, but I have a feeling that that won't be a problem, which brings me to...

2. Get active in church: Like I posted earlier, ever since I went away this summer I have let myself slip in spiritual things. I have some things to do yet to get back on track, but I have had the feeling lately that if I do, my education will be paid for, one way or another. I went to my brother's singles ward and requested my records be transferred there. I was having second thoughts in Sunday School however (some obnoxious people were getting on my nerves), but by the end of the block I was ok again.

3. Get in shape: I gained a lot of weight on my mission, and I never lost it all, and then during my time in New York I gained some more. I think for my height I should be about 180, but I think getting down to 200 is an achievable goal. I think if I can do that a lot of things will be better in my life.

4. Date more: I think working on the first three goals will help me out on this one. I am interested in a certain kind of girl, and the specifications aren't in height, weight, body style, or hair color, but in how she lives her life, and what kind of expectations she has. And I generally feel that, at the moment, I don't meet a large portion of those expectations. Which means either I change myself, or I change my own expectations. But a Groucho Marx quote comes to mind, "I will never join a club that will have me [as I am right now] as a member."

BYU 17 - UCLA 16 (Barely)

2007-12-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

Pseudo Play-by-Play

2007-12-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

Byu turnover on 1st pos
Goalline stand-ucla fg good
U 3 b 0
Collie 26 he ret
Pitta 12 rec
Unga 5 run
Byu punt-ucla 11
U punt
Collie 22 rec
Pitta 8 rec
Fg byu good
U 3 b 3
U punt-byu 31
Reed 6 rec
Pitta 3 rec
Unga 5 yds 3 rd conv
Fui 6 yds
Unga 5 rec
Unga 3 yds
Byu punt byu recovers on ucla 14
Collie td xp good
U 3 b 10
Criddle pass brkup
Pop pass brkup
U punt-byu 44
Tonga 3 yds
U penalty
Unga 6 yds
Unga 9 rec
Unga 1 yd-short
Byu to downs
Ucla fg good
U 6 b 10
Collie 44 ret
Unga 13 rec
Hall 2 yds-3rd conv
Semanoff 9 rec
George 9 rec-3rd conv
U penalty 1st dn
Reed td-xp good
U 6 b 17
U punt-byu 8
Unga fumble on 4
U td-xp good
U 13 b 17
Hodgkiss 4 yrd tfl
Jorgensen 10yd sack
U punt u 44
Collie 9 rec
Byu punt u 11
Nixon 10 yard sack
U punt Y 3
Tonga 17 yds
Pitta 9 rec
Tonga 2 yds-3rd conv
Unga 7 yds
Y punt-u 32
Hodgkiss int
Semanoff 8 rec
Unga 7 yds
Tonga 1 yd
Collie 9 rec
Unga 1 yd
Hall sacked 6
Y punt-u 17
U punt-y 13
Y punt - y 46
U fg good
U 16 Y 17
Pitta 5 rec
Y punt u 29
Collie 30+ rec
George 3 rec
Collie 7 rec
Y punt down on u 2
U last second fg no good!
U 16 y 17!

Sent from my iPhone!!!!

Looking Forward

2007-12-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to several things in the near future. I look forward to getting into a new routine. When I go home, I'll again be at my mother's house, but I will take a more active role there. Money has been tight there for the last little while, and without getting into many details, I'll be helping out with that in a couple of ways. Also, I look forward to going back to school. I have taken so much time off and it hasn't gotten me much closer to financing my own education, until recently. However, the school I want to go to is a lot more expensive personally than BYU was. That is a bit intimidating but I am committing myself right now to do what it takes. I've been saying that I would go back to school now for a couple of years, and then I push my timetable back for one reason or another, but the buck is stopping here. I feel like I have held myself back long enough, and I hope that you, my friends, will hold me accountable.

I look forward to being home for the holidays, to seeing old friends and making new ones. I look forward to having a life outside of my job. I look forward to supporting my teams from the sidelines rather than from my computer. I look forward to being more involved and not falling back on old tired habits that keep me in place. I look forward to getting active and trimming down.

I look forward to getting back into a stable church setting. I have taken a step back the last six months or so from regular church activity, and I am feeling the toll of this. I have no excuse that can hold any water, all the reasons I have given myself over this span are empty. I feel myself to be at a spiritual low, and I want that to change. I have been somewhat reluctant to be open about this with anyone, for fear that those of you whose friendship I value would think less of me. But I realize that I am only doing myself a disservice trying to act like nothing is wrong. I worried that you may see that as some sort of betrayal of trust, and perhaps it is, but it only grows worse the longer the pretense continues. I have convictions and faith, I have just neglected them far too long.

Anyways, I have set down much more than I had planned when I started, and it is almost time for work. I guess these are my New Year's resolutions, but why wait till New Year's to get the ball rolling?

Let's See if it Works Now

2007-12-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is now my third attempt at posting this image to my blog.

This is the curtain call for the showing of Wicked I went to on Wednesday. I liked it, but I should have enjoyed myself more than I did. I was worried about parking in a "no standing anytime" zone. Nothing happened to the car.

The Return, Part II

2007-12-11T14:04:00.001-07:00

I just booked my return flight to Utah. I fly from Newark to Phoenix, have an hour layover, then fly to Las Vegas. Once in Las Vegas I have a weird eight hour layover before flying to Salt Lake. So, I figure since I'm in Las Vegas anyways, maybe I can slip over and catch the bowl game against UCLA. Who knew the bowl game would just happen to be at the same time as my layover. Hopefully, this will assuage some of my guilt for not being "fully invested". I'll be back in Utah on the 23rd. Go Cougars!

Living With Cliques

2007-12-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a feud going on among the people I work with out here in NJ/NY. There is my friend Rob*, his wife Julie, his sister Heather, her boyfriend Tyler, Julie's friend Nikki, and me. Julie doesn't care for Tyler, so he and Heather do stuff on their own most of the time. Last week Nikki and I ended up going into the city with Heather and Tyler. We told Julie we were going, and that she could come. But I guess she didn't want to because of Tyler, and resented us going. Or rather she resented Nikki. Now she is ignoring Nikki for no real reason. I think I have mitigated any wrath Julie may have had toward me. I have tried not to go with one group more than the other. But I am having trouble keeping it up.

You see, I think Nikki has a thing for me, and I don't have it back. I would choose Rob and Julie, just to avoid her, but I share a room with Tyler, so that group is always over. I think that Nikki is starting to pick up that I am being a bit distant, I just hope she doesn't take it the wrong way. I have no problem being a friend, but that's all I care to be.

I thought I left this all behind a long time ago in public school. I am not yet counting down the days until I can go home like I did this summer, but it is getting close to that. At least the money is a lot better here than it was in Denver.

* - names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Testing

2007-12-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

I think my posts from my iPhone don't allow comments. This post is a test of that theory.

I Have Joined the iPhone Nation

2007-12-08T12:52:00.001-07:00

I have just joined the iPhone nation. I splurged today, and so far I have no buyers' remorse.

Travel Nightmare

2007-12-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

So I was able to go home for Thanksgiving, and it was great to see some of you while in Utah. The Masked Mallard invited my family over to his parents' for Thanksgiving. I went to a couple of get-togethers, met some new people (Thanks for the invite Carona), watched the Big Game (BYU 17-Utah 10, in another last minute nail-biter), went on a date to the Messiah Sing-in at Abravanel Hall (Thanks for the invite Princessplumeria). I had lots of good, home-cooked food, stuffed myself on all kinds of pie, and had a great time all around.

And then I had to go back to New Jersey. I had worried about the flight from NJ to Utah, but not the flight back. I should have. I had an hour layover in Chicago that turned into a 3 hour layover, that turned into a cancelled flight, that turned into a 5 hour layover and rebooked flight to Minneapolis. In Minneapolis I had an hour layover with another airline turn into an hour and a half layover with a 45 minute wait on the runway. I finally got to Newark seven hours later than anticipated. And then, to add insult to injury, when I finally got to our hotel, I found that my driver's license was missing. Aaaaaarrrrrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!! I stayed up another 2 hours trying to talk to different airports and airlines lost and found offices to track it down to not much avail. SLC didn't have it. Minneapolis had changed its number, and Chicago had an automated system that could take up to 10 business days to get back to me.

The next day I called the Utah DMV, and they said to get a replacement DL I have to be in Utah. That doesn't help me much here in NJ, especially since I use my DL to get through airport security. But they could send me a 'counter permit'. Which I just recieved today. But it looks kind of dubious, as the form is filled out by hand. At least it is better than nothing.

I called TSA and the recording said I could use other forms of ID to get through airport security other than my DL. So I can get through, I'll just need to go extra early on my trip back to account for any snags that might crop up.

If there is one thing I have learned from all this it is traveling around the holidays is a nightmare. Stay on the side of the country you are on for the holidays. And if not, give yourself plenty of time for travel or you could end up a total wreck.

Too Much Popular Media?

2007-11-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

I guess I've seen too much TV and too many movies in my years. But then again, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Not in this case, but it had plenty of potential. We had the day off, so a group of us went into the city today. We took a ferry over from Jersey and then walked around Times Square. We ate at the Olive Garden, and I had the stuffed chicken prosciutto. Good stuff. Four of us ended up going down to Canal Street which is in lower Manhattan. This is the center of imitation merchandise in the city. There are street vendors around in all the tourist spots, but this is the mecca of cheap knock-offs.

Almost as soon as we get street level from the subway, this little chinese woman comes by and shows one of the girls a paper with a bunch purses on it, and asks, "want to see?" "Uh, sure..." And we were off. She takes us down this alley way for 2 or 3 blocks. This is starting to feel really shady, but we keep following. When she takes us into this building that she has to unlock to get into, I stay at the door, making sure it doesn't shut behind us. She stops and tries to talk us into continuing on with her. Her English is not great, which makes me nervous, big language barrier. "Come see purse, come see. No scared, come see." She was very insistent. But we go in. She takes us up 6 flights of stairs into a sweat shop. Wow! Definately not your normal tourist locale. It is night and several people are leaving for the day, so it is not super crazy in there, but there are still a few chinese ladies working on sewing projects. She takes us into a side room filled with purses. Chanel and Prada knock-offs. I stood at the door to make sure we weren't shut in or that some martial artists would take us totally by surprise. I didn't know what to expect...

When the girls decided upon a purse style, they asked for it in a different color. The lady got on her radio and then took us back to the street. This shady looking chinese man smoking a cigarette came up to us with the purse in a shopping bag. He wanted $35 for it, but they offered $30. He only went down to $34. I didn't like being in the alley so I stood apart from everyone else, so once more I could watch either end of the alley for any surprises.

Thank goodness my imagination was larger than life rather than accurate. Nothing happened, except we got ripped off and had an experience that not many people get.

(Editor's Note: The editor wishes to apologize for taking so long to post this entry. December 1, 2007)

Language Barriers

2007-10-29T20:46:00.000-06:00

I was walking down the hall at my hotel tonight and passed a middle-aged couple going the other way. I did the kind of under the breath, "Hello" as I walked by, and the man replied, "Good Morning" in a German sounding accent. I kind of wondered about that for a second as I continued down the hall. Then I heard the wife wonder about it too, "Good Morning?" He responded to the effect of, "Ya, Gut nacht, good night; Guten tag, Good morning..." (Pardon my German, Tim)

Missed It...

2007-10-27T19:59:00.000-06:00

...by that much.

Well, I'm not sure exactly how close the other car was, but it was pretty close. They finally had us go out and do some driving today, and I almost got in a wreck. It would have been my fault as well. We were trying to get from Staten Island to Long Island, and I saw a sign that I was wondering about when the girl in my car said, "Red...RED!" I slammed on my breaks, as did the car that had the right of way, and it was amazing that we did not collide. Miraculous even. I stopped right in front of them, and not even a tap on our fender. Oi vey!

And then we got stuck in Manhattan for an hour (Only an hour?) before extricating ourselves and getting back to Staten Island. Manhattan is definately a night drive location.

Got to see Wood, Woodine, and MaryP last night. The conditions were not ideal, but it was good to see them nonetheless.

Oh, and New Jersey does not smell that bad where we are, but down by the Goethals Bridge to Staten Island it reeks! Just nasty! It had been raining all day too and if anything it smelled worse. In other places the rain usually washes that kind of stuff away, but not in Jersey!

New York, New York

2007-10-23T09:17:00.000-06:00

A town so crazy they named it twice. More about that in a moment.

Got in to Buffalo Sunday night and the weather was way nice. Went to Niagra Falls that night and snapped a few pics. It was after dark, so the falls were all lit up. They say that the Canadian side is a better view, but the line up of cars to the Canadian side was ridiculous, not to mention the line to get back in to the US. Yesterday we took off for Albany. We decided to stop in Palmyra on our way. But before we made it to Palmyra we got word that we were not going to Albany after all, but that we needed to go directly to New York. That was good as we only had so much time to get to Albany, but none to get to New York. So we were able to take a little more time in Palmyra.

I had never been before so it was cool that we got to go. It was a perfect time to go. The weather was still warm and the leaves were changing. Greens, yellows, oranges, and reds. And it was that way all the way to New York.

We are actually staying in New Jersey as the hotels are much cheaper there. We ate at Ruby Tuesdays and the service was not very good. That's the word around here that the service is not great in these parts. Which makes no sense, don't people want tips?

Today we drove into the city to get our cars outfitted for testing here. That was crazy! I am glad we will be going at night because traffic is nuts. I was following behind everyone with no idea where I was supposed to end up. We went through the Lincoln Tunnel and when we popped out I lost track of the car in front of me and had 3 choices of which way to go. So I just crossed my fingers and took a route and miraculously ended up right behind the right car. We had to cross Manhattan and I was NOT letting anyone come between me and them. I became a New York driver for 20 minutes. And now we are just sitting around waiting for the cars to be done. It sounds like this is going to be an adventure here. More news later!

Confirmation

2007-10-19T10:43:00.000-06:00

I just recieved word that I am needed first in Buffalo to drive one of the test vehicles to Albany to be setup for testing in NYC. I am flying on the 21st. We'll probably be getting in to NYC sometime mid week. I'll kind of have to play it by ear on whether I can get out to Connecticut before the 27th. Something tells me with all the preparations being made, our east coasters are not making a quick jump down to the Big Apple, so I'll have to see if I can get out there.

Interesting Development

2007-10-18T04:00:00.000-06:00

So all summer long, I felt like I just wanted to come back to Utah. But the timing of things was somewhat off. I missed enrolling at UVSC by a few weeks, and ended up staying at home while looking for work and a place of my own. It was good to come back and see my friends here on the weekends. But I found myself in a bit of limbo. I had no intention of staying a home as long as I have, but the job search wasn't as productive as I had wanted. I found a company I would have liked to have worked for, but I wasn't what they were looking for apparently, because they never got back to me after I interviewed. I was going to start searching again in earnest, when something came out of left field. A week and a half ago, on sunday night my mom told me I had a call from a family friend we had from our time in Florida. Turns out she was calling in behalf of her son who had just been made a project manager out in New York. It seems things had not gone the way they were intended, and he wanted to bring in people he trusted. This is the same company I worked for in Tallahassee, FL a year and a half ago. They need me to be a navigator for their drive testing in New York City. The thing is that the timing with this company is always up in the air. You never know how long their projects are going to last. Or when they are going to start. My friend made it seem like he wanted me ASAP, but his boss has been more vague about when I needed to be out there. But once it starts it should run at least until Thanksgiving, if not the end of the year. The pay will be good, there should be overtime, as well as per diem which is not taxed. But that means missing Ben's wedding just like I missed Tim's this summer. Hopefully though I can see a set of east coasters before they migrate west for the winter. (BTW, when does the migration start? I'd hate to just miss the exodus.) I just wish they would give me a specific time to be out there.

Pride Cometh Before the Fall

2007-09-16T01:26:00.000-06:00

So BYU has shot itself in the foot for the second week in a row. Turnovers and penalties have been the downfall of the team for the last two weeks. The team has the skills to dominate, but not the mental toughness. Anyone who watched a game with me from 2002-04, knows how passionate I can get in regards to BYU football. The thing that was so frustrating during those years were the mistakes, the boneheaded penalties. More so than ineptitude, although that is no good either. This team is not inept, they were in it until the end, they had a chance the last two weeks. But critical miscues throughout the game and especially on the last drive kept BYU from leaving with a W. Over 200 yards in penalties the last two games, that is 2 football field lengths of going backwards.

Another thing that gets me is that during the weeks preceding the first two games against Arizona and UCLA, PAC-10 fans gloated about how much better their teams were, because of size, speed, and by virtue of playing in a tougher conference. The team showed that they were just as good as those others. But then this last week, I heard so many BYU fans start giving the exact same reasons that had been used against our team, as reasons why the team was going to dominate Tulsa. Bigger, faster athletes. Tougher conference opponents. There was talk of going undefeated for the rest of the season. While I think that it is possible, it just felt like fans, as well as some players on the team, lost sight of the fact that the season only goes by one game at a time, and that there is no room for being unprepared for any opponent, because on any given saturday, the amazing can happen. Appalachian State sure taught us that against Michigan. The team just has to prepare to be the one doing the amazing, and not allowing the other team.

I have mellowed greatly since those hard to watch games of a few years ago, but all the mistakes were still getting to me. I can accept when an opponent is clearly better through their play on the field. But I have a hard time when my thoughts start going through the woulda, coulda, shouldas.

The Return

2007-09-12T17:24:00.000-06:00

Houston, the Eagle has landed!

Made it back without too much trouble. Now the trouble is figuring out what to do until January. Hmmm....

Signing Off

2007-09-11T21:02:00.000-06:00

Just for the night, though. I need to pack the computer up for the trip to Utah, which I am starting before dawn tomorrow. I'll post again when I am safe and sound in Utah.

Done... Well Not Just Yet

2007-09-10T18:36:00.000-06:00

I have completed my final installation! It is great. But I can't leave just yet. I felt I needed to get my car checked out before taking off. It's a good thing I did, because I might have gotten majorly stuck in the mountains if I hadn't. The passenger front tire was just about to burst when I took it in. They showed me where this nasty bulge was on the inside wall of the tire. It wouldn't have just gone flat, it would have blown out. Part of my axle needs to be replaced as well. If I had taken it in earlier, I might have been able to get it taken care of, but they couldn't get the part until tomorrow morning. I should also get the seals replaced on the transmission and have my suspension looked at, but that is not as dire a need as the other repairs. But it leaves a empty feeling in my gut knowing that so much money is being spent on my car, something I have already paid for. Oh well, better safe than sorry, and better here than out in the boondocks where I would be at the mercy of some remote mechanic.

Rise a Little Higher, Shout a Little Louder

2007-09-07T14:09:00.000-06:00

I am majorly ticked off right now! I just checked the company site and found out that there have been 8 installs this week and that I am responsible for only one of them! I have sat here all week thinking that things were just being slow. But apparently the powers that be seemed to have forgotten that I was around, desperately waiting for a couple more jobs, and gave the work to others that are here for the rest of the month! I told people that I was going to stay until I hit my level. I told the office manager here in Denver, I told the Vice President of the company, I talked to a person in scheduling, I had a job yesterday that cancelled, it's not like it wasn't known that I was here. And yet, somebody got two installs yesterday and one today! If I don't get paid for this week I will be outraged! And if I hadn't checked the company site, how long would it have gone on for? Argh! The company is so disorganized, it's right hand doesn't know what its left hand is doing! And it has been this way the whole time! I tried to calm the other techs down when they started complaining, but its finally getting to me. I could have been long gone by now! But I should not have been naieve enough to think that the company would try to help me out here, even though that is one of it's stated missions. I should have been pestering them this whole time.

Slow Days

2007-09-05T10:36:00.000-06:00

It looks like I am staying in Denver even longer than I thought. I needed to come back to get a few more installs to reach my level. I thought it would happen pretty fast once I got back, like I would be packing up and heading out today. But I have spent the last two days waiting for an install to come up and nothing. My install today is not 'til 5pm, and that only because I talked to someone in Scheduling and had them take it from someone else and give it to me. I don't feel bad about this as he will be staying all of September, and the sooner I can leave, the less competition he'll have for his own installs. I just don't know how long it will take for me to get the number of installs I want. But if Northstar continues to pay me a weekly salary, I guess I can live with that.

The biggest thing is that I'll probably have to be here over the weekend again, ugh.

BYU 20, UofA 7

2007-09-03T16:04:00.000-06:00

I just got back to Denver from my 'vacation' in Utah. It was an expensive little trip, But I'm glad I went. I would have been bored to tears out here. As it is, I totally forgot about Labor Day and should have extended my stay another day, as I don't think there will be any installs to do today.

The game was fun. It was really hot, but I went prepared with sunscreen and lipbalm, so I wasn't totally fried. There were alot of questions going into this game. How well would Max Hall step into John Beck's shoes? Who would replace Curtis Brown at runningback? What about the tight ends without Johnny Harline and Daniel Coats? How much rust does Austin Collie have after two years in Argentina? How would BYU handle Arizona's new offense?

Hall went 26-39 for 288 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Not bad for not playing in an actual game in four years.
Harvey Unga made a strong case for himself filling the role Brown left, running for 68 yards on 15 carries, and catching 9 passes for 127 yards. He scored two touchdowns on the day. Tight end play was solid with Vic So'oto and Dennis Pitta combining for 66 yards and 1 touchdown. While he didn't have a huge game compared with his freshman year, Collie showed some moves on his 4 catches for 41 yards. BYU's defense was up for what turned out to be not much of a challenge. Arizona had implemented an offense very similar to BYU's over the off-season. It was somewhat reminiscent of BYU's first game with their offense two years ago against Boston College. The only score came when there was less than a minute in the game. Arizona's O will get better as the season progresses, but no one should have expected very much in it's first game.

BYU faces a bigger challenge in UCLA next week in Pasadena, CA. They will be facing former Cougar and star recruit Ben Olson, who transferred to UCLA after serving his mission. Olson threw five TDs against a weak Stanford team in a 45-17 blowout. I just need to find someone with the cable station Versus so I can watch the game.