Squil

The sad thing aboot insomnia...

2010-02-21T03:55:00.003-07:00

So I've decided to break that hefty barrier of 'first post of the year', mostly because my insomnia this evening (err, morning) has allowed me to do little but read and re-read some blogs to soothe the synaptial soreness that accompanies thinking. I've decided that I've been on the receiving end of the graces of authored creativity wrought in pen without being a contributor for too long, a spectator of the sport that crafted our history, and has left its indelible genetics on our expectations, ideas, and perceptions.

I think my truancy comes from the special lack of 'things' happening in my life. I'm not complaining about a boring life, I've got plenty going on, but I would say at the moment I'm working towards those delectable moments of one's life that are exciting to share, rather than in the midst of them. Remember when Cowdery penned, "These were days never to be forgotten..."? Those days these aren't. So, unfortunately, I only have thoughts to share, as those tend to be abundant even when experiences ain't.

Lets talk about perceptions of security. Or better yet, I'll write about it and you read. I've been thinking aboot this one due to a number of recent experiences, of which I present two:

A good friend of mine had her car stolen
Another friend (and his wife) had their laptop (among other things) stolen from their apartment

To tie these together, I reluctantly present a common thread (reluctantly because I do not want to issue fault in association with the crime. These were cases of tragic robbery, not bad Karma, naïvete, or ignorance). The car was left running while the driver went inside to finish a task. The apartment door was unlocked while they were away. Unfortunately, this is not the end of my list, but it's the two accessible cases on which I choose to write.

I believe that our perception of security is a heuristic that we use in order that we not live in crippling fear. Unfortunately, most heuristics are built on our aspired notions and experience, not necessarily statistical data or even relevant information. In both cases the aspired ideal met dissonance in reality. I've pondered a great deal on both cases, and how safe I feel in my own neighborhood. And my ideals. I've always heard of those farming communities where no one locks their doors and everyone leaves their car keys on the visor of the vehicle. But I've never lived in those communities and, of more concern to myself, I've never aspired to. There's been many mentions of the irony that temples have locker room with actual locks on each locker. But I fear that inherent distrust is my instinct. The commonality of necessary security brings it to the obligatory mundane and, I feel, natural sequence. It would not surprise me if my mansion in heaven had a lock on the door. Agreeably, not because it would require it, but because of the ingrained notion that the only way to feel secure is to be secure.

It is for this reason that I feel at a loss. It's not the state of living in a place where locks weren't necessary, it's the state of idealistic bliss that such a place exists, and the mindset to feel at home in such a place. If I could illustrate more clearly, I've been learning a new keyboard layout for the last year plus some. It's paid off to the point that I'm at least as fast typing in Dvorak as I ever was in Qwerty. But there was a learning curve to that. The plasticity of my brain allowed me to learn a different way of doing the same thing - type - even though the process was the same (push certain keys in a certain pattern). My fear is that I've adapted the heuristic that is irreversible. I will never feel that my stuff is secure unless it is secure. There is no new keyboard layout that I can learn other than physically locking my stuff up, and it will always be so. Or maybe, as I said before, it is so because I've never had the desire for it to be otherwise. But now I wonder if it's enough now that I have the desire to have the desire for it to be so. Kind of like how I go on some dates just because I want to want to go on dates. Anyhow, It's 4:00, and right now I want to want to get some sleep, which will probably be better accomplished without continued synaptic stimulation. Good night, idealists.

The line

2009-10-10T12:35:00.002-06:00

I enjoy my work, I really do. People always get a chuckle when they ask if I like my job, to which I reply, "I love my work. I've been applying around for a new job." Which I only kinda have been - I call it passively looking. I'll get on monster or craigslist and see if there's anything really cool, and apply for those. These are few and far between, but since I have a job, I get to be picky.

That said, I came across an uncomfortable situation at work. We've all been excited about using social networking sites to further our marketing position. The great thing about these sites is they're free, hence the millions of people that use them. I was happy to create the corporation's facebook page, which we use for hiring and whatnot. But the boss decided that he wanted a page for every entity in the corporation. Fine. Not too hard. Once those were up, the idea was that we would all become fans (not a problem, I'm a fan of our restaurants. Actually, I only became a fan of one to show that I had received the invites. I don't like having too many fan pages. If I'm a fan of something on facebook, I'm REALLY a fan, otherwise I don't care to load everybody else's facebook timeline with inane chatter), and then invite all our friends to become fans. Whoa, wait, that's not kosher.

I probably stated it a little strong. As everyone in the department was going around sending invites to all of their friends, the boss asked if I had done so yet. I was feeling a little annoyed at the idea, so I had (too much) time to think about what I was going to reply when I hadn't sent invites yet. No, I'm afraid that I won't be sending invites. Why? "I don't feel that my social life is a marketing venue". Yeah, a little strong. Awkward silence. Of course I was right, most everyone would agree that there's an ethical line there. I know that those there were thinking of ways to justify the action to make me reconsider. Anyhow, I think I'll be trying a little less passively to find a job. I still love what I do.

Every Day IV

2009-10-09T00:00:00.001-06:00

Every Day this blog isn't. Thanks for checking, though.

Every Day (Ultimatum)

2009-10-08T00:00:00.001-06:00

Faith is Every Day

Elder Oaks gave a talk in 2005 titled "The Dedication of a Lifetime". While this talk is notoriously referenced as the call-out talk for dating (The three p's of a dating qualifier came from this talk: Planned, Paired Off, and Paid For). While this certainly was an interesting portion of the talk, it wasn't the primary focus. The theme for his talk came from a presidential candidate. I now quote from Elder Oak's Talk (accessible here).

I have titled my talk “The Dedication of a Lifetime.” I borrowed this title from something said by Governor Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois, who was the Democratic Party candidate for president of the United States in 1952 and 1956. He was a fine man and would have been president if he had not been running against a very popular opponent, Dwight D. Eisenhower. [editor's note: Elder Oaks looks like Dwight. That should count for something. And no, it's not just the audacious baldness.]

In speaking to an American Legion Convention, Stevenson gave a wise statement about patriotism. He said that what we need “is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime” (speech given Aug. 27, 1952, quoted in John Bartlett, comp., Familiar Quotations, 13th ed. [1955], 986). I like that—“not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” I will use this description of patriotism as a formula for how we should live the gospel.

Elder Oaks continued to state that gospel extremism isn't appropriate. I would like to take the discussion a different direction, related more to my theme. Another quote, this time by President Harold B. Lee: “Testimony isn’t something you have today, and you are going to have always. A testimony is fragile. It is as hard to hold as a moonbeam. It is something you have to recapture every day of your life” (“President Harold B. Lee Directs Church; Led By The Spirit,” Church News, 15 July 1972, 4).

In my last post I talked about the cost of maintenance. I think that it's applicable here as well. Especially considering my favorite Elder Maxwell quote, given when he spoke at the institute: "Be a high yield, low maintenance member of the church, we have ample supply of the other kind." Here, the cost of maintenance is again a daily dedication (recapture every day). If we don't pay the maintenance costs now, the consequences will me much more expensive to repair.

So faith is every day. It doesn't come in spurts, although it can be more concentrated at moments. And it isn't an intense celestial elation to accompany every moment. It's fighting every day, even when you don't need to.

Every Day (2)

2009-10-07T00:00:00.002-06:00

Love is Every Day
Sorry, time to get a little cheesy
I hate 'chick flick movies' where some guy sweeps some girl off her feet just as she's about to get married. Let's list a few:

Sleepless in Seattle
Runaway Bride
Sweet Home Alabama
The Notebook
The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Singer (ok, not entirely a chick flick)
Meet Joe Black
Serendipity
On and on and on

How are these romantic? It's not the guy sweeping the girl that's the problem for me, sure that'd be great for any of us. It's the engagement part, and one reason I see that people can quickly get in over their heads with what they think is a textbook movie romance (a paradox, I realize - 'textbook movie'?).

For me, love is every day. It's more than a heart fluttering impression. I guess my hope would be that anyone who gets married has an idea of what every day with the other person is going to be like. Say, pick day 1,206 of their marriage and let them ponder that. Love doesn't come in spurts, although it can be more concentrated at moments. And it isn't intense elation to accompany every moment. Sometimes it's just holding on to everyday with someone. And, I'm sure, that just like happiness, you have to work everyday to maintain it, it isn't just a given that love will endure forever. If happiness didn't fade I wouldn't have to work at it. But just like maintaining happiness is necessary at times and redundant at others, the reward of proper maintenance far outweighs the cost of time and effort.

Doesn't that make my outlook a little ... pessimistic? As Maybe Fünke would challenge, "Marry me!"

Every Day.

2009-10-06T00:28:00.002-06:00

So today I thought about how important every day is. This isn't a "Live every week like it was shark week" feeling, but the idea that if something right needs to happen, it's got to happen every day, otherwise it quickly falls off the radar.

Point in case: this summer I picked up running. I got to be quite good at it. I finished my second 10k in under 50 minutes. But about mid August I just stopped practicing after it rained one day. And now I probably couldn't do a 10k in under an hour (we'll see, I'm signed up for another at the end of this month). I've noticed how easy it is to miss scripture study if I miss it for whatever reason for one day. Somehow it's able to slip the mind exponentially quicker.

So I wanted to post a few things that I think are every day.

Happiness is every day.

I have pondered T.R.'s "Journey" posts lately. I have been fortunate enough not to have suffered a lingering depression. I do at times get fits of depression. When my grandmother passed away in 1998 my grandfather suffered through some depression. What I remember from that time is the hours he would spend with his eyes closed (not sleeping, just sitting on the couch with his eyes closed). I don't know why that stuck in my mind, but the most cathartic feeling for me when I'm overwhelmed is to envelope myself in darkness like I imagine my grandfather was doing. Sometimes I think the feelings of sadness (or anxiety) that occur are the most piercing to the soul, and admittedly there are times when I can feel sadness coming and choose to focus on it just to feel those strong emotions stir around.

One thing that I resonated with in the posts was "I wouldn’t say that it just lifted, but rather that it very slowly and imperceptibly dissipated." I find that true of many of these fits of sadness. For me, they lift slowly as though a haze is breaking. Not all at once, but every day.

After such experiences, I set up certain perimeters in my life that I try to follow every day. I try to read more comic strips than news articles, I picked up running (for as long as it lasted), I try to balance reading for class with reading for enjoyment. I have certain art projects that I keep mostly finished - I find that I'm not terribly creative when I'm depressed, but my attention to detail increases, so I don't start anything new, just work on something fun. In the end, I fight every day to stay happy, whether I need it or not. And I find that when I do that consistently, I need it less often.

So for me, happiness is every day. It doesn't come in spurts, although it can be more concentrated at moments. And it isn't intense elation to accompany every moment. It's fighting every day, even when you don't need to.

Haiku, too?

2009-03-14T12:36:00.002-06:00

Wow, Saturday already. I was going to try and stay ahead of the trend on this one:

Happy to cheer on
my Alma Mater to be.
Let's go Utah Utes!

Although not needed,
I purchased a new cell phone.
Will it survive wear?

Messages in space?
Everything's amazing,
Nobody's happy

And if your thirst for haiku is not yet satiated, I've discovered Twitter Haiku. As MLBee said, "I say its pure fun/Perhaps its more a challenge/It's twitter haiku!".

A funny occurrence after posting today

2009-03-04T00:44:00.002-07:00

So after slaughtering massive hoards of Nazi zombie's, I checked my email and had received the following from Steep and Cheap, and found it relatable:

One of my friends sends me e-mails every couple days to let me know that he's posted new items to his blog. It's like, hey man, the whole point of having a blog is so that you don't have to e-mail me with news all the time. It makes it easier to ignore what's going on with you in one convenient place. I've read that an average blog gets one reader, which makes sense. After all, some blogs have hundreds of thousands of readers, so there must be hundreds of thousands of blogs with no readers.

Awesome. Just awesome.

The premise of the argument

2009-03-03T21:24:00.002-07:00

I think I already have a post with the same title, but I like the way it sounds.

Statement the first - I am typing this entire post in Dvorak keyboard layout. While I've gotten somewhat faster with Dvorak, it is still belaboringly slow. Also, please forgive any spelling errors as my spellchecker is highlighting every single word as though it's all wrong. Hmm.

Statement of purpose: I really want to blog more, I liked blogging, but it's almost like I ran out of stuff to say. Therefore, I would ask that you please bear with me through some mediocre posts (which I will explain) so that I can again find my 'voice'.

With the intent to again familiarize myself with the blogging world, I've decided to adopt a semi-temporary meme for my blog: that of weekly haiku. This way, I will force myself to adapt to a short, simple form of communication that will hopefully be meaningful (for myself and the reader). I will not post in only haiku, but as I've found with twitter, if I restrict myself to a certain form, I am able to adapt to a medium, rather than expanding to meet a limitless medium, as I am now doing (blahg!). That said, I've two haiku reflective of the past few weeks of my existance. Good luck, and I hope to see you on the flip side. Of the haiku, not The Force. Ahem:

Chosen insomnia:
Nazi Zombie madness reigns
Let's go one more round

March resolution:
Feed your blog until it lives
Dead blogs surround me

So, yeah, I've been playing a lot of Nazi Zombiage. Killing Nazis WHILE killing zombies? What a winning combination! It's like the interrobang, or bacon-wrapped chocolate! Hmmm ... if you need me, I'll be in the kitchen frying up some bacon. And thinking haiku.

Totally random, somewhat lame, completely bloggable

2008-11-22T00:01:00.003-07:00

So for some reason a recent XKCD strip was bouncing wildly through my head today. There are times I wish I could just shut off the thinking for a while so that I could focus on whatever the heck is going on. I was so caught up in the feeling of this comic strip that I didn't realize I had the radio on low-volume static until I was already half way to work. Upon discovering this, I turned the radio OFF rather than to another station. There I was in the quiet solitude of the moments of my day thinking about eternity in a rocky desert.

But really, I think it bears some though. What would you do with eternity in a rocky desert? After giving it a days thought, I've reached some conclusions that kinda make me think. More.

In the strip the character derives modern mathematics. Perhaps given eternity in solitude I might come across this scenario. I guess since it's eternity, I would eventually come across every possible scenario (referring to the theory that in a truly infinite universe, every possible scenario is occurring at every instant somewhere in the universe). But I tend to think that I would just get stupider and stupider as the eons passed. My reasoning behind this is that I tend to forget math if I'm not constantly and consistently using it. This semester, my academic advisor recommended taking a Business Calculus course. I think I'm going to try and avoid it, because, despite taking all three semesters of Calculus, and learning how to integrate in three or more dimensions, I'm starting to forget some of the fundamental principles of Calculus. Imagine trying to remember math after not having taken a course in three or four lifetimes. No, I don't suppose that I would find myself in the same situation as the XKCD character at all, although I particularly enjoyed the strip.

So what would I do? What would be 'me' through eternity in a dessert? I think I would dig a hole. I know, really breaking the 'guy' stereotype with that one - what is this, kindergarden? Seriously, though (and this is something I've been thinking about all day), once I found that I had eternity without getting hungry or thirsty, I think digging a huge hole would be a great way to maintain sanity as long as possible. I wouldn't just start digging some random hole like I remember digging with my friends in second or third grade. I mean a Bingham Canyon Mine type project. I would start with a huge space as big as you could see, and make a 3' wide 15 degree spiraling path down as far as I could in the earth. This would serve several purposes. First and foremost, it would give me something to keep me occupied and keep from going insane. Secondly, I think it would be a great way to keep track of time - show yourself just how long you've really been there (i.e. digging at a rate of blah per day, I've probably been here blah days because the giant hole is blah deep). Thirdly, it would satiate a curiosity that I have of what's down there. And finally, I would hope to find some bedrock so that I could start my next project: building a tower into space. Hey, what goes down must come up... right... And if I didn't reach bedrock, maybe I could find out what it's like to swim in lava.

Why, what would you do?

As long as I'm posting...

2008-11-01T00:09:00.002-06:00

I've been wanting to do this for some time now. Just to prove that I'm not as eclectic as some people think I am, I present my last 10 iTunes purchases:

Biomusicology by Ted Leo and the Pharmicists
The Story by Norah Jones (from the movie she was in)
Ashokan Farewell from The Civil War documentary by Ken Burns
Redemption Song by Bobert Marley
Just Like Heaven by Katie Melua (remix of The Cure song)
Defying Gravity from Wicked
Float On by Modest Mouse (I know, I should've bought this one long ago. But now I own it)
Breakdown by Jack Johnson
Stickshifts and Safetybelts by Cake (I can't really approve of the whole Fashion Nugget CD).
Start Wearing Purple by Gogol Bordello

See? Not eclectic at all.

The audacity of it all...

2008-10-31T22:51:00.003-06:00

Let's be honest - blogging has changed in the past three years. People used to give me weird looks when I told them I had a blog. Usually followed with questions like, "What do you do with a blog? Who would read it?" Now it would be more usual to hear, "oh, cool, I'll have to link to you". It was a funny transition. Three years and such a dramatic change.

Of course, it didn't quite evolve as I saw it panning out, either. I thought it would be a little more eclectic. I guess I expected more shopping lists, insane ranting, and haiku about Gandolfo's Deli. I didn't quite expect that most people were willing to put up an actual journal of events of their lives online for the world to read. I guess I didn't realize that the world just wouldn't care enough to read a random somebody's journal. I know, how naive of me. Of course, allowing access just to certain readers has changed things a little, I think. But not too many people bother to do that.

I'm not disappointed that more people grabbed onto the idea. I particularly enjoyed a recent XKCD comic that highlighted one of the benefits of everyone blogging. I certainly enjoy catching up with people and hearing about Ashley getting engaged (whoa - congratulations!). I guess the major drawback as I see it is that people ask me if I blog, and I have to kinda do a clause statement, "Yeah, I blog, just not the way you blog". Not that I'm like some esoteric writer that wouldn't deal with the swill of the amateurish world. I just like posting pictures of penguins and checkmark memes and posts comparing life to overdosing on Mentos. I indulge in posting Europe trip picture and writing about how finals suck just as much as the next guy, but I think 4.5 reasons about why I'm not going to buy a guitar speaks more about me than posting about the play I just went to see.

I'll make a note here: I've made my point, anything past this line is just further rambling on to the same end. In other words, if you stopped reading here, that would be fine with me.

Again, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from blogging, but could I just go a little more in depth as to why I have chosen to blog? From a post of mine on 09/13/06:

Perspicacity relinquishes its vibrancy in resuscitation through recitation. Experience is never secret, as it always has company in its participants; conversely not public when shared, as its participants were not in company. The infection of recitation still burns the hands of its recipients, but an obligatory dissipation abates potency. Not that I prefer the callousness of sterility (of environment, not self), but by choice I see wisdom in the inanimate, unfeeling surgical gloves. Immunization is formed not only in inoculation, but in indication (relating the foreseeable). Self, not story, is the perquisition of my perusal, whether it be found in writing or in purpose. Sweet sickness is the joy of those who isolate esoteric plagues, with reliable potency, and foreseen results. Bland, monochromatic immunity the fate of the eclectic vagabond, whether he receives it or writes it to be so.

I hate to belabor the point, but I want to make sure this is understood (I was trying to be convoluted so as to make sure people were thinking about what they were reading). I mention an infection in this post - the infection is an experience someone has. When someone shares an experience, they're hoping that whoever they're sharing it with has the same reaction (symptoms, if you will) that they had when it occurred to them. However, each time the 'infection' is shared, it loses its potency (through dissipation). I love this line (I know, I'm pretty proud of myself for this one. Almost to the point that I just about sprained my arm trying to pat myself on the back): Sweet sickness is the joy of those who isolate esoteric plagues, with reliable potency, and foreseen results. When you find a writer who is able to convey their being (thoughts, ideas, feelings - more than just 'this happened') through an experience, you enjoy reading about someone's experience. They have a reliable potency. You can trust that the story they're about to tell you is good. Why? Because their human. And the funny thing about us humans is that we like reading about other people being human (Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, Hamlet, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - I mean, just about anything). And someone that writes about their being human, not the story of what happens to them as a human, but what goes on in that very human brain of theirs as they're going through it, is relatable. And readable. That's why I wrote, "Self, not story" was what I am searching for in someone's blogs, whether they mean to write it in what they're saying, or if it shines through in the purpose of their writing.

So on this, the third anniversary of my bloggedness, I resubmit the same plea I gave at the end of my September 2006 posting. I doubt that I can change the world. But then again, everyone gave me weird looks for blogging just three years ago:

Find that motivating power that drives you to blog, and utilize it for every post. Behind the writing lies the fingerprints of the author, which is what I think makes a good post. When you can strike your own scales that measure effective expression, then validation becomes the nectarous byproduct. I know, this makes the post seem somewhat preachy, but it’s what I’ve been thinking about.

Wow

2008-08-18T23:03:00.002-06:00

Blogger has a new dashboard. That's cool.

But that's not what I was going to write.
I was originally going to title the post 'Don't worry' (Hitchhiker's? ... anyone?). To which the content of my blog would read "The microbrew is fermenting nicely".

You see, I've been working on a blog post for the last little while. I've just got to sure up some of my thoughts and theories before I send them out there into the excruciatingly lukewarm waters of the blogosphere. I'm just as excited as you are (i.e. meh?).

More on that later (obviously).

Like, as in, another post later, not later on in this post. 'cause basically I'm wrapping up this post as we speak (well, as I speak in writing this, not as you hear me in your mind's voice reading this to you). So, I wouldn't be writing about it in this post, but you can expect it in an upcoming post.

So honestly, you can stop reading now if you expect me to post more on the subject. 'cause it's so not happening.

You hear about the new Thundercats Movie? Yeah, me neither. Don't think it'll happen. But what do I know?

No, I'm not changing the subject. There's nothing to change the subject from. I mean, if we really think about it, shouldn't the whole focus of the post be 'WOW' as indicated by the title? Oh, sorry, 'Wow'.

Well frick, maybe I'll just leave the post NOW!

Sorry, I didn't mean to be pushy like that. Here, have some Jack Johnson. You're welcome.

You saw this coming...

2008-08-09T18:21:00.003-06:00

This is sand. Don't ask questions, just click, make sure to click on the gray box to get instructions. Then draw a volcano and laugh at the stuff people come up with on the internet. Then send me any completed pictures.

My latest acquisition...

2008-07-15T23:14:00.002-06:00

iPod, meet MacBook. Get to know each other.

Seriously, though, this was all pretty exciting.

A new day

2008-06-05T21:44:00.002-06:00

So this is life after 200 posts. Fascinating. Is it requisite for me to move to Alaska for the summer now? Perhaps.

A few thoughts. I just kicked up my MacBook in front of the TV without really anything to do. I'm actually looking up TV shows on Yahoo! to see if it's worth reaching for the remote laying 5 feet from me. Not really - Simpsons comes on at 10:35pm, but I've not watched Simpsons since... the townhome? Plus that gives me more time to listen to Death Cab on Pandora (thanks, Michelle - yeah, it rocks).

So, Jumper. Pretty good film, besides the elephant in the room that is Anakin Skywalker's acting. Didn't like the specific way that they chose to leave it open for a sequel. But cool idea. Certainly worth a George Washington to get there. As it might be to rent the Red Box.

Wow, all that excitement.

2008-05-31T01:15:00.002-06:00

Only to realize that post #198 was a previously saved draft of post #200. And I still have one draft that has all of the pictures that keep "Notpoo" together. So for those of you counting, that makes this the 199th published post. But it puts my counter at 200(since I deleted the draft).

Oh, and new iTunes downloads - Norah Jones "Sunshine" and "This Story". Amazing.

Posty Post 200 - Aaaawww yeah!

2008-05-31T00:36:00.006-06:00

So, I've been working on this post for a few weeks. It's still not finished, but I just gotsta have something posted in May, or I would consider it a wildly unfruitful month. I therefore unleash this madness:

I had a post partially written out for a while as my next post. Then came the sudden realization that my thoughtless blogginess has blessed the souls of my dear readers for 199 posts. I've therefore created a list of 200 things. It started out as a list of things about me, but that only got me to 67, so I've improvised a list of random things that fit with the blog formerly known as 'Why the World Sucks: An Optimists Opinion'. Enjoy, I know I will:

I have been to Little Bighorn battlefield. Have you? Didn't think so.
I am a conservative, but not necessarily a Republican.
My original vehicle was a navy blue '86 Dodge Ram manual pickup truck. Loved that truck - got up to 92 m.p.h. on it one night. I of course was headed downhill.
4. 8 15 16 23 42 (They honestly just moved the entire island?! WHAT THE CRAP?!)
One of my favorite Thanksgiving Day foods is cheese whiz on celery - I kid you not.
I frequently lied in High School about going to Warped Tour so that I didn't seem like such a pansy. I've never been to Warped Tour, although I've considered it. Really Big Fish is playing this year. Awesome.
I've never kissed a girl. Well, not on the lips. Not something I entirely regret, either, but I am looking for my opportunity to get over this one.
I'm beginning to realize that 200 is a lot of stuff to go over.
Berry Colossal Crunch is my favorite cereal, hands down.
I ate a bowl of Fruit Loops every meal on the cafeteria plan my second semester at Ricks. I hadn't been introduced to the sensation that is Berry Colossal Crunch at that point.
I was probably quite under-qualified for the job I currently have, but do not consider it to be so now.
The Power and The Glory was probably my favorite book read in High School English. Not that Catcher in the Rye didn't have it's moments.
I've received many comments on how I look like Bill Nye the Science Guy, who rules, by the way.
I only went on two dates in High School: Homecoming and Prom my senior year.
I thrived on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in elementary school. I had a TMNT wristwatch.
I turned blue choking on a nickel on my sister's birthday (I was probably 4 at this point). We still have the nickel somewhere.
I used to wear glasses in elementary school. For about a year. Then my vision corrected itself, and I've never had corrective eyewear since. I think I'm going to do glasses rather than contacts when I need to, the thought of sticking something in my eye every morning is a little unsettling, plus I want to keep my eyes in pristine condition so that I can get Lasik.
I had a car for 5 of 16 transfers of my mission. But it was kinda a pride issue not to use the car. Even now I downplay the fact that I ever used a car in my mission because it makes it sound like I had a 'cushy' mission. Excuse me for utilizing the tools that were available to being a better missionary.
I currently weigh 127 lbs. I put that I weighed 126 on my drivers license when I was 16 because it was a lucky number of mine (I was, in fact, only about 118), and that has cursed my drivers license ever since.
I had one crush from 6th grade all the way until I went on my mission. No idea what she's up to now. Don't care.
I've never broken a bone.
It was kinda exciting the first time I got stitches, just so that I can say I've had stitches.
I've dusted the entire back wall of the upper balcony of the Conference Center. I know, wow.
I detested choir people in high school. I still do to some extent. Oh, I might explain that I was a band geek, then that makes more sense.
If I were to join any branch of the military, it would probably be the Navy. Nothing against the National Guard, Allison, I think it would just be the most fitting area for me.
My one grandpa was a Marine in the South Pacific for WWII, the other a tail gunner in a B-17 Liberator that flew Ploesti, twice. Both have since passed on. I've been thinking I might name my son Oscar in honor of my paternal grandfather.
Speaking of ancestry, one side of my ancestors made the guns for the North in the Civil War that probably shot at my ancestry from the South. My maternal grandfather would wear a cap of the confederate flag that stated: "Let 'er Fly", in case you're wondering which side did which.
I got rejected from BYU. Twice. Even after graduating from Ricks. No biggie, I was supposed to go to the U, I realize that now.
I've always been pretty amazing at computers and electronics in general. I have my generational culture to thank for that. They don't have A-D-D - they're just paying attention.
The first CD I ever bought was "The Best of Glenn Miller". It's still around. Somewhere.
I never saw (or remember seeing) the music video for "Thriller" until about 2004.
I don't like the way I look with longer hair, either. Maybe if I had a beard. I look good with a beard. The world is just against me ever growing a beard. I would really love to.
I signed up for my first email account when I was 15. The address is now defunct (projectmoonkill@hotmail.com). Conversely, I made my first web page when I was 13.
In 9th grade, I wrote a six page dissertation on the future evolution of the cow. For fun. Lame.
I've never thrown a punch, although I did whack my neighbor in the face with my school bag causing his nose to bleed. Although I fail to remember the conditions of the situation, and I regret my actions, knowing the neighbor kid, he probably deserved it. Punk.
I have an unpaid late fee on my library card that's been outstanding for more than a year now. It's not big enough to go to collections, fortunately. Which they send anything $10 or over to collections. I've pretty much just stopped using my library card. Although I've considered mending the situation so that I can get in queue for the third season of 'Lost'.
I don't do well in the cold.
I get very ornery when I'm hungry. Worse if I'm hungry and tired. Stay away from me on fast Sunday.
I like to drive down the middle of the road.
I rarely put my parking break on, unless I'm driving a stick. The Dodge Ram was a stick.
I'm pretty sure I was the cause of my companions bike crash that caused his wrist to break. He didn't remember the crash - he got a minor concussion and after all the pain medication the whole incident and subsequent two weeks were kinda blurry. I remember one occasion where he was starting to recall certain details of the crash, and getting them somewhat accurate. My only remarks were, "Really? That's weird." somewhat implying that things didn't go down the way he remembered them. They did.
A homeless beggar once told me that the secret to getting rich was thinking about banana cream pie every night before you go to sleep. The guy was homeless, what would he know? Yet I can't get away from the crazy thought.
I was one of the 80-something percent that voted not to have light rail in the Salt Lake Valley.
I've often dreamed of owning a Kiwi bird as a pet, but realize that they tend to die in captivity.
I'm a firm believer that $80k/year, the BMW, and a white picket fence aren't in the equation for happiness, but that finding the good in your life is.
Having said that, I went to high school with a bunch of rich, smart white kids. I was one of them.
I did Kindergarten in Illinois. I had my picture taken with Horace Grant and put in the local newspaper. I had no idea who Horace Grant was. My bad.
Mr. Abrams was the worst teacher I've ever had, and I don't remember why. Man, I hated that guy.
Crunch bars used to be my favorite candy bar. Now I can't stand the waxy cretins.
I was asked this at my birthday party and would just like to confirm - I prefer brunettes over blonds, but redheads over brunettes. But then again, I'm a fan of any pretty face.
I would probably live in Italy for a few years, given the chance. I really think it would be a challenge that I'd like to face.
I like to reminisce on life before everyone had a cell phone. It usually makes me laugh.
I've always had a brand loyalty to Nintendo ever since the 8-bit system. Which I still have in working condition, thank you.
I am a Mac fan, but I try to dissuade others from buying macs. They've become trendy, but they're overpriced if you're just using them for word processing and Internet. Talk to me about Macs when you're buying Photoshop.
Speaking of which, I've never really had a strong urge to buy an iPod, but it seems to me that it's one of those things you didn't know you needed to have until you have one.
I've an Achilles heel for ice cream. I know, welcome to Utah right? Seriously, though, I cannot refuse ice cream if it's ever offered. I usually take those half-gallon cartons in two or three sittings.
It's a little O.C.D., but I keep my cell phone, keys, and pen in my left pocket, my wallet in the right. I can tell by just putting my hand in my pocket if something is missing - three on the left, one on the right. It's actually kinda stressful for me to switch anything around, I'm quite particular aboot it.
I'd like to own a Mini Cooper or a Smart car, and for some reason I've always thought that the Neon was a pretty cool car.
I've come to certain realizations that if you can do with less, you don't miss having more. Once you've made a conscious limit on what you're going to have with you, it's not a huge problem that you didn't bring something with you or you threw something out. In my daydreams of me moving to Italy, all I take with me is a week's worth of cloths, a towel, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and I.D.
I don't dance, though I've made numerous attempts to try. I even took a Salsa class at the U. I really don't remember a thing.
I can be good at math, and I can self-teach math pretty quickly, but I'm horrible at remembering math. Horrible. Six years of using trigonometry, and now I couldn't tell you any of the properties.
Dance Dance Revolution is an opiate for the masses. I know that's not something you didn't know about me. Fine, I believe that Dance Dance Revolution was designed to be an opiate for the masses
I blog, you blog, he blogs, she blogs, it blogs, they blog, thou bloggest, we blog, blog blogs, Bob Loblaw law blogs, blog blog blahg blog blog.
I've only recently started reading other sections of the newspaper, but when push comes to shove, the comics get read first. They're the only thing in Google Reader that I read as soon as they appear, which is daily.
I'm now downloading the podcasts to the Dave Ramsey show. I've gotten through most of "Total Money Makeover" - great book. I mostly listen to the show as a reminder not to do anything stupid with my money.
I'm excited for the Solitude disc golf course to open up again, though it's going to be a late season, ski season is going to last a while longer this year.
I've learned how to use an abacus, apparently visualizing an abacus when doing math increases EEG (like a mental EKG). I don't know why, but it seems to stress me out more than anything.
I get carsick really easily. Like when trying to use my laptop on a train, as I'm currently doing (as this list has been in process for about 2 weeks now. Hurl.
Speaking of Hurley, I'm going to be borrowing the 'Lost' DVDs this week and get into the phenomenon.*Note: keep in mind it took me several weeks to write this post, which is why there's chronological inconsistencies. Kinda like on 'Lost'
If I had to choose between a punch to the ribs or a punch to the gut, I'd choose the ribs. It's more likely that whoever is throwing the punch will get hurt. I'm guessing I'm not the only guy who's thought about this.
I've tried to estimate how many times I've driven Highland Drive. Almost everyday there and back in elementary through high school, plus whatever extra-curricular activities. Anytime I drive to the U. I've estimated that it's about 5,200 times. Freak – think about that - 98th South to 215 or visa-versa about 5,200 times. Schtank.
I bought my first pair of flat-front dress pants this weekend. “Worse than the conformist is he who spends his life always worried about conforming.
I've only had 1 traffic violation ever - going 65 in a 50 zone. No accidents ever (well, I did take out a stop sign at the institute on a snowy day - since it's on private property there was no ticket issued), and since the officer was kind enough to lower the ticket to 59, it never went on my record (it was less than 10 m.p.h. over the limit).
Dave Ramsey has given me a new outlook on my financial situation, I highly suggest “The Total Money Makeover”, and living like no one else so that later you can live like no one else.
I am concerned about people who get married before they are socially adapted. It's not really an age thing, I've met plenty of mature 20 year olds and socially inept 30 year olds. It's about people who 'get it' socially. There's little hope that you'll gain sagacious social skills after you're married, there's less demanding motivation.
I used to love the snow. I suppose I still do.
The Incredibles is incredibles. I'm pretty sure it's my favorite movie.
On one of my most recent dates, my date revealed that she is writing a novel. a) Dang, that's ambitious b) I'm pestered by a strong desire to read it.
I think driving through Wyoming is more beautiful than driving through Southern Idaho or most other sparsely populated drives. I'm guessing it might be an acquired taste. I like Wyoming.
Lone Peak has been calling me for the past 10 years. I'm hiking it this year. I think I might do Olympus to 'warm up'.
Most of Oxnard was covered by a graffiti removal system that would clean most of the graffiti up within a week of it being down. I thought this was great, as it probably did a lot to prevent graffiti from taking place. That said, the canal was one area not touched by this program, and was showcase to some of the most amazing graffiti I've been witness to.
When you do a Europe trip, skip doing a sleeper train. It's more expensive, and not comfortable enough to get a decent sleep, which you need to tour Europe. Or if you do, spend the extra €10 and get into the first-class car.
My biggest pet peeve about gabachos speaking Spanish is the accent. It literally causes pain to my ears to hear a bad accent. Not to sound hypocritical, I recognize that I have an accent as well, but I stress that the hardest in my Spanish speaking.
'Magnify your calling' gets thrown around a lot at church. There's one simple way of doing that: DO YOUR CALLING. That is all, thank you.
It's overcast today. I really like overcast summer days, they're rare enough to be appreciated, it wasn't windy or rainy, and puffy white clouds are cool.
Puffy white clouds are cool.
No matter how rich I get, I'll never own as many tools as my dad. That's something I just have to live with. How is it that he managed to have three (3) different sizes of oil filter wrenches on hand?
I've always had a desire to be a culinary artist, but realize that that's not the most viable dream to have. I suppose that's why I like watching Iron Chef so much.
I was sad to see the demise of CompUSA. It's like when the Radio Shack megastore (Ultimate Universe?) went under. Dang that place was awesome. But the realms of nerdom are dwindling.
Some of the most interesting things I've eaten are chocolate covered crickets and iguana. The iguana was disgusting – the skin was chewy like bubble gum, and it tasted like a reptile cage smells.
If at first you don't succeed, deny trying.
If brute force doesn't work, you're not using enough.
Chuck Norris doesn't churn butter, he round-house kicks the cow and butter comes out.
Hate is a special kind of love I give to people who suck.
Getonetogo.
I was at the state capitol re-dedication. Pretty sweet.
That's what she said.
I'm tired of Salt Lake City trying to be something it's not – it's really not a major city like Denver or Las Vegas, so let's stop trying to imitate them.
Psssht – Alaska ... right ...
Email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email,email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email,email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email,email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email,email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email,email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email,email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email,email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email,email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email, email.
Dalmatians.
Wow, this thing's been in process for weeks now and I've only barely gotten half way through. This could take a while.
I'd like to see the server farms Google puts up for a project on such a large scale as Blogger.
Cartoon. Yeah, that's how I feel.
To err is human, to really mess things up requires a computer.
Why are waterfalls so intriguing?
What's the deal with GrapeNuts?
= 4 + 8 + 15 + 16 + 23 + 42.

I can't believe I read the whole thing. A few times over for editing purposes. Well, I only got to 108 of 200 things, but I feel accomplished enough to press that 'Publish Post' button that's mocked me for a few weeks now.

First Purchase from iTunes

2008-04-20T20:09:00.002-06:00

Since I got so many replies to my music thread I thought you might be interested in first blood - Question by the Old '97s. Purchased to give my friends a listen since they hadn't heard it before. Still weighing in Weezer (Red Album comes out soon), and checking out Dan in Real Life (has Michelle ever made a bad recommendation?), and taking count of some new contenders.

As if the Universe recognized it owed me one...

2008-04-01T15:09:00.002-06:00

I got a $15 iTunes card for my birthday. This opens so many windows to crawl out of.

Noted.

2008-03-29T14:41:00.002-06:00

New Jet Li movie out. Funny, I don't remember making a movie.

It's that time of the year again...

2008-03-27T14:34:00.003-06:00

Yes, it's about time for my annual CD purchase. CDs or artists currently under consideration, and a scale on 1 to 10 of how much they're under consideration, include:

The other Snow Patrol CD(9)
Weezer (I'm a lot like you so please, hello, I'm here, I'm waiting
I think I'd be good for you and you'd be good for me)(10)
Elton John(7)
Red Hot Chili Peppers(5)
Cake(5)
Modest Mouse(7)
Muse(4)
Death Cab(8)
Screw being confined to albums and just buy 10 or so songs off of iTunes (9)

I still have until school gets out, but I'm working on finalizing it.

Found in translation

2008-03-25T12:16:00.003-06:00

A few thoughts to 1) put them down on paper to see if they sound as good as they did in my mind, and 2) make blog post #2 for the month. So, without further ado:

• Analogies that I've been using in my life:
I've been feeling today somewhat like a cork in an ocean current. I'm headed somewhere with a future about it, but it's still really vague. And I've lost track of my personal references to track my progress. So I'm somewhere headed towards a certain future, but today is where I'm at. I consider myself successful by my standards, but I've yet to reach some future success that I feel vaguely drawn towards.

The second analogy comes from Elder Maxwell, so I'll just quote him directly:
"Furthermore, certain taste buds of our souls may have been burned over by sin, and our Father desires that we regenerate these by repentance. Our Heavenly Father also desires the development of what are presently the many other neglected taste buds of our souls. These, when they are really developed, will bring even greater happiness and true joy."
- Neal A. Maxwell, “The Pathway of Discipleship,” Ensign, Sep 1998, 7 (emphasis added)

one more line (non-analogical) from that talk:
"Failing to be valiant in Christian discipleship will leave us without significant happiness. Therefore, our active avoidance of wickedness must be followed by our active engagement in righteousness."

• considerations:
- I've been considering that I'm not nearly as 'deep' as I once thought. This is mostly due to the shallowness that our lives can attain if we become callous to routine, and routine becomes the norm. Perhaps I've lost depth, is that possible?

- I've been considering 'fashion'. I don't know that I can state anything about fashion, but it's been in my considerations. There's a lot to say here. Let me iterate just one example. My 'new' shirt from B.R. is now one of my favorites to wear. Of my close (think proximity) associations, I'm pretty sure I know who would applaud me on my purchase, and those who would be disgusted upon setting foot anywhere near a B.R. Wether or not I look good in the shirt is a matter of perspective. I've heard and read and been taught many times that how you feel you are perceived influences profoundly how you act. I feel more confident in my B.R. shirt because I know it's a shirt that looks a little sharper than a 'nice shirt'. I spent $37 on said shirt ('twas on sale), and accompanied the frivolity of the purchase with a $12 t-shirt to go with it. It's a little more than I'm usually willing to spend on clothes, and I've been mixed on how I feel about it.

• Things I've been pushing or trying in life:
- brutal punctuality
- insightful contemplation
- drinking more water
- reading something other than textbooks (I completed "The Richest Man in Babylon" this last week. An interesting read if nothing else. I'm not sure where to go from here. Maybe "The Little Prince". I need to find me some non-blogging time. Course, I need more blogging time, too).
- listening

well, time to move on, I've been on this post for a while and just realized I left my bookbag at home, which I will need for my next class. Ciao.

Another reason not to go green

2008-03-08T15:53:00.002-07:00

So I was walking through the parking lot of the COB when I watched one of those Prius cars slipped by me quite silently. Impressive, I thought. Then I had another thought - I remember learning in my ASL class that if you pull up to a crosswalk and a blind person is crossing the street, you shouldn't back up because the person is using the sound of your car engine to determine their position on the crosswalk. What if you're driving a hybrid car? The engine is so silent, the blind person wouldn't even know that your there, and could feasibly walk right into your car. So next time you consider buying a hybrid car, consider how it might be harming the environment. Of blind people.

Toed

2008-02-21T23:24:00.002-07:00

I hope you'll indulge me in a little story telling. I'd keep it short, but that's not how it was for me.

Background: As I was leaving the institute for work today, I got to my car only to find that the battery was dead. Luckily, &rea was close by with jumper cables to bail me out (Thanks!) However, that only got me to work. After work, I found my car completely dead. I took Trax to 90th and had my parents pick me up, had a short dinner at their place, then drove with my dad back to work to jump the car and get it home. For some reason (still under investigation) it didn't take a jump. So my dad got out the tow rope, hitched up my car, and began the drive home. The following is my account:

South Temple

I begin to ponder how many times I've been towed 10 feet behind a car. It is in number not a few. Even as my dad says it, I remember the strategy: "I'm the gas, you're the brakes". It's not the most difficult maneuver, but I've mastered it over a few tries. As we approach a red light, I've got to apply enough brake for my car and the Jeep. The whole time, my dad will be pressing the gas to keep the tow line taught. Then, when we're moving, it's my job to keep the slack out of the line. When slack gets in the line it's tricky to get out: too much brake and you'll jerk the rope, too little and you'll find yourself coasting right into the back of your tow car. And at all costs avoid bouncing (slack, jerk, slack, jerk), it's too much stress on the hitch and the line.

Left on 3rd West

The city seems pretty quite for 10:15 at night. The metered stalls are even empty, an oddity that I don't see very often.

Left onto 6th South

In Sunday School a few weeks ago, the teacher had drawn a diagram depicting the various parts of the Vision of the Tree of Life. As a jest, he labeled the great and spacious building "Studio 600". The red glow of the building logo brings this back to my memory.

As we pass Trolley Square, I remember the events of a year ago. Just as the news of the shootings was breaking we (a few members of the Forward Party that had stayed late working on the campaign) were pulling into the North lot of Trolley Square right by the Chili's. At this point it was thought that there were two gunmen, one who was down and the second was still running around by the card store a few hundred feet from where we were parking. A quick judgement had us eating at the sports bar at the Gateway. Later, the campaign would decide to host its support party at the south end of the Trolley Square Mall to help prompt students and others to return to Trolley Square. I get chills thinking of Columbine, Trolley Square, Virginia Tech, and the recent shootings at Northern Illinois University.

Right onto 7th East

I begin to think about thinking. I know this sounds dumb, but I had actually planned at the beginning of December to set aside time to just think. Now, only two+ months later, I've kinda decided thinking best come spontaneously, like in quite moments when you find yourself being towed 10 feet behind a car at 20 m.p.h. You can't just schedule time to listen to your mind. Well, at least I usually fall asleep. Have you ever tried to focus on the images that come up when your eyes are closed? Creepy. I have been better at straight up listening, however. This came about after a particularly long FHE in which we sat while someone let all the air out of his head. Well, apparently not all of it, he was still going fine when we wrapped up the lesson. Anyhow, I've decided that I've still got plenty of learning to do by listening. Present post excluded.

2100 South

I pass the Dee's that we would go to after choir concerts. Was that really two years ago? The tow chord snaps after a jerk start, but a quick knot and we're back rolling.

3300 South

I begin formulating this blog post. Also pondering about the CNN producer that got fired for his personal blog - link. Although I recognize his story is a little biased, and after further research understand that his blogs had some pretty opinionated subject matter, I find it greatly disconcerting. And did an intern really get fired for writing her job experiences to a password-protected, private online journal? Weird.

4500 South

Tricky area - the speed limit gets up to 50 in this area, and traffic comes down to 2 lanes. I'm still flanking left of the Jeep so I can see any hand signals that my dad might give, not realizing at this point that he's rolled up his window to keep the cold out. The brakes are really stiff by this point, not having the fluid pump operating. Steering is almost impossible, but I'm not the one who has to do most of the steering, so, no problem, mon.

6200 South

As a distinct ache in my lower back waxes to a sharper, more focused pain I am reminded of dating. For about two years now, any time I ask a girl out on a second date, I make a new mix CD off of my iTunes playlist and play it in the car on the date to commemorate the occasion. I've four such CD's. Each is named after the girl that the date was with. I'm currently listening to Bethany, the latest CD to be made (note: although there was not enough juice to turn the engine, everything else like flashers, radio, headlamps, etc. worked fine). I think of a recent conversation with Wendy, where we talked about how dating gets increasingly less fulfilling with time. I think of how embarrassing it would be to forget one's wallet on a date, and then to try and pay using change, still coming up short. But man, what a story that would be.

Not to sound cynical, but I try to remember the last time I was faced with the decision to either call a girl up and ask her out, or drive myself slowly insane just thinking about her. It's been a while. I almost feel overwhelmingly temperate with the amount of concentration I've been asked to give the past few weeks. It's not that I don't want to date, it's that I've not had time to think about it. School is taking up a lot more energy, focus, and time than it ever has in the past. And, again, not to sound cynical, but it's been a while since any girl has grabbed my interest enough for me to think about it for longer than the time with which she occupies my immediate visual vicinity. I'll have to come up with a date to go to the ARUP Dedicated Donor Recognition Dinner, but that's not for a while. Plus, if all else fails I've got 'friends'.

7200 South

I begin to think of how many times I've been on Highland. Let's see, there and back every day of school from 3rd grade through graduation, then most days going to the U for the past four years. - probably close to 8,000 times I've traveled that road. It's time to find a new state.

As we pass Bengal Blvd. my role changes to a little more riskier scenario - we're now headed downhill, so I have to break twice as hard to keep a 20mph rate slowing my car and the Jeep. But we're almost home.

Creek Road

My friend and I used to travel Creek Road as fast as we could when it was all torn up. I start to think about the weekend. Should be a good weekend - not too much homework, and there's a 25-30 year old conference Friday / Saturday. Aaah, the 25-30 year old singles organization - I like to think of it as the most exclusive church organization I've had chance to be a part of. At this point I've had enough of Bethany and tune her out.

9400 South

As we approach home, I refine in my mind some of the details of this post. It's going to be a long post, but I'm not really expecting anyone to read it all the way through. I also think of my eBay Case Study assignment due Tuesday. The rest of my group is waiting on me to compile all of the loose parts into one essay and write a conclusion. It's going to be a late night. I think I'll most likely just do it tomorrow morning and stagger into work at lunchtime.

9800 South

Is it snowing again? Eh, I guess if it's lightly it's not too bad. I kinda liked Phoenix whilst I was there. Speaking of which, have ya'll checked out the new "Street View" option on Google Maps? Pretty sweet. My mad navigation / map reading skills are going obsolete... sad.

The Final Stretch

I forget, is velocity the integral of position or the derivative of position? Let's see, if I map out my position, the slope of the curve would give me ... my velocity - it's derivative. The derivative of position is velocity, the derivative of velocity is acceleration, and the derivative of acceleration is jerk. It's been a pretty smooth ride, not a whole lot of jerk to account for. Other than we broke the tow cable. Jerk is measure by a device called a 'jerkmeter', which inversely correlates to a 'stud finder'. The derivative of jerk is snap. The superfluous two derivatives of snap have been facetiously labeled crackle and pop, respectively. And someone said nerds don't have a sense of humor...

Home

Blahg (i.e., to let the air rush out of my head).

Now

1:47 A.M. - time to drive my parent's car home and get some sleep, before I have to get up and think about that case study.

Ates

2008-02-11T20:26:00.002-07:00

Passionate about:
1. Family
2. Efficiency
3. Hiking
4. Being helpful to anyone who asks
5. Absorbing information
6. Pondering, especially when it comes to people watching
7. Space (the space around me - not the final frontier)
8. Being understood and understanding

Want to:
1. Own a Mini Cooper
2. Own a minor fixer-upper and fix it up well
3. Have more than a cursory knowledge about car repair
4. Be well-read
5. Have a family of my own
6. Get A.C.E. and A+ certification.
7. Teach like my mission president
8. Visit Italy and Switzerland.

Have recently read:
1. Textbooks: like none other this semester
2. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Bushman
3. Living by the Power of Faith by Elder Cook (not the apostle)
4. In Perfect Balance by Elder Christensen
5. Here Stands a Man by Blaine and Brenton Yorgason
6. Wikipedia
7. An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck
8. minds

Say:
1. That's monkey sad (usually followed by "have you seen a monkey cry? That's how sad that is.")
2. Noted*
3. Meh.
4. So there I was...
5. And that's why (sarcastic insert)
6. (buzzer sound)Game over.
7. Schweet
8. I do well, thank you.
*did not pick up from Michelle

Attracted to friends by:
1. How good they handle high-stress situations
2. Insightful
3. Introspective. Usually really introspective. Means there's something there worth looking at.
4. Optimistic attitude / expressions
5. Unique humor
6. Confidence
7. Temperance
8. Willingness to try something new

Could listen to over and over:
1. Duke Ellington
2. Float On by Modest Mouse
3. Biomusicology by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
4. Life is a Highway by whoever sings it
5. Moonlight Sonata, Beethoven
6. Undone by Weezer
7. Amy Lee - seriously, anything. I could listen to a soundtrack of her hiccups.
8. Nightswimming by R.E.M.

Learned this year:
1. If I were blind, I would consider visiting a nudist beach
2. Scheduling is crucial
3. Working in panic mode doesn't always mean things get done faster.
4. I'm definitely not as smart as I thought, however,
5. I've covered more ground than I thought I could
6. Wow, do I really have to come up with 16? Ummm... Guitar Hero 3
7. Flight of the Conchords
8. I'll have to think aboot this more, check back with me.

And:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Tag:
1. Freeze
2. Kissing
3. "Missionary" ... yes ... that's what it's called
4. Güten
5. T.V.
6. Phone
7. Tonsil
8. Flashlight

Things to do in 2008, a list

2008-01-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it's taken a while, but I've finally got my list. Thanks to Creativity and Awright for the inspiration.

- Get a haircut. I like mixing highly achievable goals in with my other ones.
- Stay one step ahead of the class. Which means barely keeping up with the teacher.
- Go out on a freakin' date! Sheesh!
- Get to bed on time
- Get up on time
- More blogging, less blahgging. I've been working on this one for a while.
- Finish this post.
- Climb Lone Peak. It's been ten years since I first got the urge for this one. What makes this year different? I've been working on visualization exercises. In my mind it's already done. As soon as the snow starts melting, I'm hitting the trails to get in shape. I'm thinking July 5th on this one, but I've yet to set a date.
- Read. Something other than textbooks, scriptures, Wikipedia, blogs, warning labels, bathroom stall writing, tattoos (a generic form of highly accurate information), the comics, The First Presidency message, or between the lines. At some time during the year (I've been told goals are more achievable when there's a timeframe attached).
- Organize my books by color . Shouldn't take long.
- Save money.
- Find true love, but mistakingly diagnose it as a heavy reaction to that piece of moldy pigeon carcass I just ate on my way into the joint (he triple dog dared me!). Eh, who am I kidding, there's no way she'd wanna kiss me with my moldy pigeon breath anyhow. Unless it was ... after all ... true love.

Oh, and I should be updating my blog sometime soon. Like, maybe by the end of the semester. See I've already got the header finished:

We're getting there. And now to scratch one off the list...

Highlights of the year - 2007

2007-12-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

Well, another good year. Actually, this one was pretty average, but a general improvement. While I usually try and avoid shameless self-promotion, here are the (X) great things that happened in my life in the year 2007 in the order that I think of them:
- My younger sister getting married, leaving me the last single child in our family. I'm not bitter. Shut up, no I'm not. Just kidding, I love my sister and have been so happy for all of my family this year, what a great blessing they are.
- Europe
- "Don't tase me, bro" (you gotta love "Don't tase me, bro")
- new Mac, fully loaded with (a legit copy of) Adobe Creative Suite 3: Master Collection.
- choir ... stuff (spring semester)
- facebook (no, really, I mean that. It's changed the way I socialize).
- new shoes. I get new shoes periodically, but I really like these ones, normally I just get something that's comfortable and shodable.
- Forward campaign
- new job (resulting in a new mac and new shoes)
- My first concert (yes, I'm 25 and attended my first real concert this year) with Snow Patrol headlining and Silversun Pickups and OK GO as the intro bands.
- my new pad / roomies
- The Bourne Ultimatum (I mean, come on!)

Stuff that almost made the list:
- I almost got a 4.0 this last semester. I was THIS CLOSE ><.
- I almost bought a guitar this year. I told many people that I was going to buy a guitar. But the mac got precedence. Again, I was this close. Oh, well, maybe next year.
- The two meals that almost made me cry whilst I ate : The Penne Pasta that I had at the café on the Rue Cler in Paris, and the 8 oz. steak I had at Texas Roadhouse. I'm holding back the tears just remembering them.
- Comm 1010. Wow.

That aboot does it. I blogged just over half of what I did last year, but still maintained about 4 posts a month. This sight might be up for some work soon, we'll see.

PEACE!

Yie.

2007-11-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

What I need:
- a shave and a haircut
- sleep
- a girlfriend
- you to need me

What I want:
- a beard and long(er) hair
- another $1,000
- to graduate
- to go see my new niece
- food
- Christmas Break

Gotta go, class is starting.

Two years... where have they gone...

2007-10-31T22:13:00.000-06:00

I mean that literally. I've no idea where I left the past two years of my life. I've misplaced them somewhere. I'll have to check the attic.

On a completely unrelated note, it's amazing how much nothing one can fit into so much time. It's like trying to cram a thumbtack into a refrigerator box.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-30T19:41:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween!

And if that's not scary enough for ye, just consider this: I've been blogging fer two whole years now! YEAY!

Life

2007-10-23T21:56:00.001-06:00

Eat it before it eats you.

Martinique

2007-10-19T20:10:00.001-06:00

It's a small French island in the Carribean. I just spent two hours on Thursday reading about Martinique. Why? Class was boring, so while they were all spreading sheets or something, I dedicated my time to cramming as much information about this French anomaly into my head as possible. I wish I had time like this all the time. Wait, no, that would be boring. But visiting Martinique would be cool. Having this kind of time on a Martinique beach would be doubly cool.

If only...

2007-10-18T11:03:00.000-06:00

yeah...that'd be sweet. I feel like some orange juice, anyone got a fork?

Blog Action Day

2007-10-15T23:19:00.000-06:00

Today is blog action day, and, being a blogger, I feel somewhat obligated to participate.
So let's talk environment.
I've grown rather fond of the world I live in. You won't catch me littering, dumping oil down storm drains, or leaving lights on around the house.
I recycle my newspapers, compost my lawnmower clippings, and take Trax as often as time allows.
Do I consider my life to be environmentally sound? No. I don't think I'm an environmentalist by any means. But I seem to remember a Trivial Pursuit question that claimed that 98% of a surveyed population considered themselves to be environmentally conservative. In other words, it's like being Christian - if I perceive that I'm better than 50% of my neighbors, I must be going to heaven.
Let's just lay out a few things: I don't think that not planning enough time to take Trax to school rather than driving makes me a 'environmentally unsound' person. I don't think that the difference between the carbon emissions of an SUV and a Corolla are going to persuade me that buying the Corolla is a better idea. Were I to buy a hybrid, it would be an economic decision, so until buying a fossil-fueled vehicle becomes much more expensive and inconvenient than replacing battery cells every few years, you'll see me in the former.
I believe that humans are having somewhat of an impact on the environment via their pollution, but that not all the blame of the rise in both atmospheric and oceanic temperatures can be assigned squarely to carbon emissions. Part of it is a catch-22 with the ocean - the ocean can retain larger amounts of CO2 the cooler it is. When the ocean warms, large amounts of CO2 are released. If CO2 is cause for the greenhouse effect as much as been hyped about, then that would cause further warming of the ocean, more CO2 released, and so forth. I'm getting off track, what I'm trying to say is that I don't think human carbon emissions are as responsible for global warming as some would like you to believe.
I think exempting China and India from Kyoto protocols because they classify as a different kind of nation is a little ridiculous. Especially the role China has played. It claims that while it is increasing greenhouse emissions at an exorbitant rate, it's ok because its' per capita emission is remaining relatively low. But I think to make a fair protocol, one would have to examine the per capita benefit of increased greenhouse gases, and determine the target carbon emission rate on a country's potential to increase the benefit per capita of its carbon emissions. Which I would argue are very low for China. I highly doubt that China will sign any binding policy toward the reduction of gas emissions at any time. I agree with the US Senate's reasoning behind not signing a policy that has no binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized countries, especially when such protocols have the potential of placing the US in economic peril. The selling and trading of carbon offsets is ridiculous and unfair to such countries as cannot afford to meet their assigned protocol reduction, but lack the resources to buy offsets - stated realizing that the US probably could afford to buy such offsets as it needed to exceed its' carbon emissions target. The idea of the protocol is great, I would like to work toward reducing such a hazard if it has such a potential as claimed, but this isn't the way to go about it.

In other words, I like to do what I can, but doubt that spreading hysteria is necessary.

Celebration!

2007-10-01T21:41:00.000-06:00

Whoever is the next to post a comment on my blog will leave the 500th comment I've received. And go.

There it is again.

2007-09-28T23:49:00.000-06:00

My last post was a little too unstructured for my liking, and I apologize. You probably couldn't care less what I was thinking. I know I couldn't. I only made it halfway through my own post.
Let me try this again:

Sometimes we stand to lose the most when we believe we've nothing to lose.

What do I have to lose? Nothing that wasn't heaven sent to begin with.

So what do I have to complain about? Well, my last post would have you believe there's a lot on my mind. But really, all my concerns were of something that was there, like my job, which I love (did I mention that I held the door open for Elder Uchtdorf and his wife today? Schweet). What concerns me most is all the nothing that I stand to lose. From wingtip to wingtip.

And there it is.

2007-09-27T15:26:00.000-06:00

Have you ever seen someone in deep concentration, and ask, "I wonder what he's thinking". Well, if it happens to be me you're seeing in the next little while, I'm glad to answer:
1. Grrrl.
2. Work, which mostly entails me thinking about:
A) a color scheme for the wedding show (I'm starting to see everything in color schemes now, like traffic)
B) A theme for the wedding show (I feel it lame to think that I'm spending more thought energy on this wedding show that I will be toward my own wedding, as far a schematics are concerned).
C) What I'm going to do with the website, and how much of it I'm going to do.
D) Am I being given too much at this point in time? Do I need to let my boss know that they need to step back a little.
3. School. Not so much the details, I'm just sweating the larger picture.
4. Church. I worry the most about my calling, and what we're going to be singing next. I've got nothing and only three days. I don't like to take recommendations, either, so I'm not soliciting for help here - it's something between me and The Spirit and the choir.
5. Moving - I'm moving into a new apartment with Michelle's brother this weekend. It's got me a little...beside myself.

Whoa - I'm not quite done here, but I'm going to be late for class.

10...no...4.5 reasons why I will not learn how to play the guitar.

2007-09-20T00:51:00.001-06:00

1. Practice. I mean, dang, it takes a lot of practice to do anything these days, and I just haven't the time. Nor do I feel it important enough (due to the ensuing reasons) to make time for it. If it were as easy to pick up as 'Guitar Hero', I'd be there like shareware.

2. Cost. I would have to buy a guitar. I mean, if I were to get into this thing, I'd have to be serious about it, and I wouldn't feel like I was serious about it until I owned a guitar. Then I could use guilt as a motivating factor. But we're looking at, what, $300.00 here? I don't even know what a good guitar costs, but I'm pretty sure of this: I can't afford a guitar. I'm just moving into a place where I'll be paying rent, I'm looking at 2k in tuition next semester, and I'm still at least 2 paychecks away from my MacBook Pro.

3. I wouldn't be able to stand being one of 'those people'. You know the type, they own the guitar because, let's face it, put a guitar in someone of the opposite sexes' hands and, well, dang. They haul it around with them and play, like, 2 chords, or they know one crappy love song ("Oooo, swoon over me 'cause I can play 'Hey There, Delila'" - *wretch*). They're out to show off the fact that they have a guitar. Which, agreed, would be a motivating factor for myself, but who knows how much longer I'll be single, then what? I'm stuck with a guitar and 2 chords for life. This would kill me softly. Plus I couldn't take the pressure of hauling the guitar around and having everyone assume you're one of 'those people'.

4. The pressure to play. Face it, if there is a guitar present in the group you're hanging out with, you've got to have a chance to play it. There's no leaving until you do. Or there's external pressure for you to play if people know that you can ("Jeremy, don't you play the guitar? Play something for us!").

4.5 (a half reason) - Fear. It keeps me from doing a lot of things. Like dating, it's kept me from going on a date for...let's see... three months now? And I love girls, so I can recognize that fear is a POWERFUL force. (I don't want to hear about it, that's not the point). The point is that I'm afraid that I'll put a whole lot of time into guitar playing and get nothing out of it. Basically, that I'll suck at playing guitar. Then there's a whole lot of time wasted on something I'll never use, I've still no date, I'm poor, and now I'm just another underdeveloped guitar player. There's already too many people who 'kinda' play the guitar due to reason #3.

That said, there's props to be awarded to those who have overcome these demotivating factors:
Allison:
1. practices
2. owns a guitar
3. is not 'one of those people'
4. well, I'm not sure how you handle internal or external pressure
4.5. overcame the fear and made something of it.
Congrats, you're one of those people who keeps their guitar handy and has a reason to. My respects.

Michelle: I remembered that you mentioned that you took a semester of guitar, and how all the guys would overcome 4.5 because of reasons stated in 3. Good job, you overcame fear and practiced. Also respectable.

T.R.: Guitars are a step in the wrong direction for Tenor Sax players. Plus the imagery of a guitar-playing naturist is a bit overdone. Especially if you still have your beard. You've already earned my respect by being more T.R. than I thought that anyone could achieve.

Ash: Do you play guitar? I remember you not playing the guitar. In which case, I would have to congratulate you on fighting the same fight I do and not becoming 'one of those people'. Plus, it's hard enough for all of your male students to resist the urge to ask you out, putting a guitar in your hand could prove lethal.

Laverna: So, you've probably dabbled in just about every instrument there is. And you're a newlywed, so #3's easy to overcome. I suppose you'd have to fight the urge to not want to play guitar. Keep fighting, someday you'll want to play guitar.

Scott: Own ye a guitar? I think that might be the only place lacking since you've practiced, got the girl due directly to your ability to literally have the strings catch fire, and overcome drawbacks. If you don't own a guitar, you should get a 'guitarSTRONG' bracelet so that others will support your cause and feel your pain at not owning a guitar.

Wow, so, another long post. I'll end.....here->.

An idea from a friend.

2007-09-16T23:00:00.000-06:00

If aliens from outer space ever come and we show them our civilization and they make fun of it, we should say we were just kidding, that this isn't really our civilization, but a gag we hoped they would like. Then we tell them to come back in twenty years to see our REAL civilization. After that, we start a crash program of coming up with an impressive new civilization. Either that, or just shoot down the aliens
as they're waving good-bye.

Oh, and you've got to try Blogger play, it's pretty cool.

Just me again...

2007-09-05T22:32:00.000-06:00

Today I will be carrying a 3x5 card. Wish me luck, I'm gunna need it.

Game Day

2007-08-30T12:05:00.000-06:00

The anticipation is killing me. GO UTES!

Dear Senator Hatch,

2007-08-29T22:17:00.000-06:00

My name is ______________, and I am currently a nursing student at ___________ University . I am writing in hopes to make some kind of difference in the health of our nation.

I have taken several courses that explain the immense benefits that nutritious eating has on our bodies. Eating healthy is something that I like to strive for, and I try to make wise choices in the foods that I purchase for my husband and I. Lately I have been discouraged because of the higher prices for healthier foods compared to those foods with little nutritional value. Tostino's Pizzas and Top Ramen have stayed their usual dirt cheap price, but milk, yogurt, orange juice, various fruits, and cheese have recently had a spike in their price. Since my husband and I are both students, we live off of a tighter budget. It gets harder and harder to justify buying the more expensive food, even if it is healthier. In a nation where obesity, diabetes, and heart disease run rampant (all of which are undeniably correlated with nutrition) we seem to be focused so much on health care rather than preventative care. I know there are bills out there that are asking for the government to subsidize nutritious foods. As a citizen of Utah , I ask that you, my representative, do all that you can to help lower the cost of nutritious foods. I believe that this will help solve problems related to the health care crisis are nation is running into.

While I do not know much about politics and law, I do know that this is an important issue that can be resolved with our governments help. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

______________

Sometimes I'm proudest to be my sister's brother. I never would've thought of this. And we all know the problems with obesity I face (you've all been so kind not to mention it).

Why is it...

2007-08-28T11:46:00.000-06:00

That public computers always have one gimpy leg? This really cheeses me - when you try to prop up the keyboard, someone's gone and broken off one of the feet that holds the keyboard up. I swear it's the same guy (or gal) that runs around ripping antennas off cars. Seriously, people. Only three more paychecks until my macbook, then I won't have to put up wid any of this.

Hey,

2007-08-21T17:48:00.000-06:00

Hey,
This is [name], call me back.

No, no reason as to why I called. Nor am I leaving a time that I'll be available for you to reach me. Rather, I'll let you play phone tag with no idea why you're calling me. I'm just leaving a message to tell you I called.

And that you need to call me back.

Might I suggest...

2007-08-03T00:19:00.000-06:00

Today was payday. After I had noticed that 'the man' had shorted me a few bucks an hour for the hours I've been working as a graphic designer, I took it up with the corporation. So this paycheck I got bonus backpay for every hour I've worked since May. On top of that, I've been saving like crazy since I got back from Europe to recover from the costs and prepare for a tuition payment on Black Tuesday, September 4th. With the backpay, I've just passed the mark of how much I need for tuition this semester. Plus I have one more check coming that should cover books, assuming I get around to buying any this semester. They tend to be a little overrated. Long story short, I was feeling quite frivolous as I left work today. Which brings me to my recommendation:

Drive with the windows rolled down AND the A/C on full. It's quite the indulgent rush. Oh, and the comfort - mmmmm.

It's especially nice at 11:30pm, when I got off work, because the air is nice and cool. The A/C adds just the perfect kick to top it off. Of course, I had to roll my windows back up when I saw the cop parked down the street. I wasn't out to cause trouble or nothin'. I know it's not on the lawbooks, but it's one of those taboo things like drinking sprinkler water or voting for a third-party candidate that just might get you slapped with a 'disturbing the peace' fine.
Aaah, livin' easy with money to burn, there's nothing quite like it. Now would be a good time to cash in on your friendship. Just don't bother me around tuition payment time.

2007-07-27T18:46:00.001-06:00

Txt msg

2007-07-27T00:38:00.000-06:00

I don't know why, but my favorite text message of all time to send is as follows:
"?"
That's it. A single question mark. I only use it in special occasion, or when I'm trying to see if someone's awake since it's too late to be calling.

I'm still awaiting the perfect response, and I'm not quite sure what it is.

I just know that I'll know it when I see it.

Michelle doctored her photo!

2007-07-27T00:07:00.000-06:00

Quite the title for a post, but you won't be disappointed. If you're already lost, make sure you check here first.

Now, upon reading her latest post, I was indeed impressed by how pretty the sunrise was, as seen here:
But the shot seemed somewhat familiar. It didn't occur to me where I had seen the photo before until I was 2/3 of the way through my weekly watching of the "Planet of the Apes" pentalogy. Whilst reviewing "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes", I realized that the above scenery was used heavily throughout the films. A sample shot is provided below, the ridgeline might look somewhat familiar:
But that still didn't explain the familiarity of the photo. Then I remembered the extended cut of the ending to the second movie, "Return to Planet of the Apes", where Dr. Zaius watched the bomb explode, destroying earth, as depicted below:

So, really, Michelle's last post revealed more about her than one would have thought:
1. She's become more proficient at using her MacBook to doctor photos, and
2. She's a rampant "Planet of the Apes" fan and is secretly trying to admit it.
Kudos, but remember: You can fool most of the people some of the time, but you can't fool some of the time most of the people.

If at all possible...

2007-07-14T13:55:00.000-06:00

Could I be serious for just a moment here, folks?

No? Good, 'cause I gotta say, that would've sucked.

Rules for 'Poison' croquet

2007-07-08T22:41:00.000-06:00

As there is often confusion on the subject, I will clarify according to the sacred and tested rules of poison ball.

Rules governing play of 'poison' ball croquet, following normal play of 9-wicket Backyard croquet:

1. Any ball, after completing the standard 9-wicket game (having struck the beginning post), continues play by proceeding to go through the center wicket.
A. Players may go through any wicket or number of wickets before going through the center wicket with no penalty. No bonus stroke is given for passing through the wicket, but the player retains any previous bonus strokes given (i.e. you still get two strokes for the last two wickets passed through at the end of the game).
B. One (1) bonus stroke is awarded PER ball hit PER turn on the way to the center wicket. (No hitting the same ball twice for two extra hits).
C. Players may traverse the center wicket in any direction to gain 'poison'.

2. After passing through the center wicket, the players ball is declared to be a 'poison' ball.

3. Play for any poison rules is chronological (Example: If red, being a poison ball, passes through a wicket and then strikes blue on the other side, red is first eliminated then eliminates blue. Therefore blue is still in the game, as it was struck by an already eliminated ball).

4. Any number of poison balls may exist. Any player, after completing the 9-wicket course, is eligible to become poison by traversing the center wicket.

5. Any ball that is poison can eliminate any other ball from the game, including other poison balls, by striking it (Referred to as a 'death blow'). One (1) bonus stroke is awarded for any ball eliminated by a death blow. In a team game, penalties relating to 'friendly fire' must be declared before play begins, although it is normal not to adopt any special rules.

6. Any ball that is poison CANNOT traverse ANY wicket in any direction. Penalty of traversing a wicket is elimination. A poison ball is eliminated if it is struck by another ball causing it to traverse the wicket (a suicide attack if done by a ball that is not declared to be poison).

7. Any ball that is not declared to be poison cannot strike a poisoned ball, by penalty of elimination.

8. If a poison ball is struck and rolls causing it to strike another poison ball, the second poison ball is eliminated. No bonus stroke is given the first poison ball.

9. Play continues by elimination until only one player or team remains.

and my favorite, which has been an addition to most Milam family game rules:
*NO WHINING BY PENALTY OF ELIMINATION*. As long as we're on Milam family rules, I'll add my grandpa's phrase, which has become Milam family mantra:
"If you can play fair and win, play fair and win. If you can't, just win."

Right...

2007-06-28T00:05:00.000-06:00

Sorry, I've neglected some of my cooler Europe pictures.

Warning: This is a statue of Narcissus at the Musee d'Orsey, so you're seeing what he would have entranced him. Oh, wait, I should have warned you before the picture, shoot.

"Needs get" classic tourist shot.

I liked my beard. Everyone liked my beard. I wanted to keep my beard. Why can't I keep my beard? Oh, right... work. Someday... before my beard turns gray.

general rules about Jeremy... just FYI...

2007-06-27T23:21:00.001-06:00

Don't bother me before I'm about to start, during or just finishing a bowl of cereal. That's sacred contemplation/comic strip reading time. It's amazing how often those two mingle. Sometimes the comics can really make you THINK.

But, seriously, just don't do it, and I know that it's quite tempting. Can't a guy get a decent break?

You can all stop worrying now...

2007-06-20T00:34:00.000-06:00

I just checked with Wikipedia and WebMD and I don't have an aneurysm. See, most cerebral aneurysms "arise distal to the origin of the renal arteries", or basically at the stem of the brain. My intense headache is in the frontal lobe and forehead region, and is more severe with sudden movement or strain. More likely I have a sinus headache, caused by inflammation of the sinuses due to infection brought on by this #*@! cold that has plagued me from New York. I think I got it from one of those dern Brits on the way back from London. Anyhow, it's a really intense headache and I just thought I'd check to make sure. I'm just going to drown it out now with some Nyquil, and all will be well. I thank you for your concern.

Really.

2007-06-12T23:53:00.001-06:00

This was a toy hummer into which I could have comfortably fit as a passenger. Keep in mind that the current conversion rate is roughly $2 to £1.

more interesting interpretation

2007-06-12T23:42:00.000-06:00

Another one was from the same cathedral, this time a depiction of Eve being created from the rib of Adam.

The Louvre

2007-06-11T20:05:00.001-06:00

This photo seemed so familiar, I couldn't resist.

Noah

2007-06-11T17:40:00.000-06:00

I thought this was an interesting interpretation (and depiction) of the story of Noah. Apparently Noah was out having a kegger.

Yeah...

2007-06-11T17:31:00.001-06:00

This photo is pretty much what you think it is. Yeah, I was there. How cool is that?

bounjourno!

2007-06-04T02:59:00.000-06:00

Italy is magnificant! And I think that gelatto is perhaps tainted with the taste of elation. Anyhow, more pictures:
Well, maybe later, this uploader on blogger is being buggy again. I forecast that I will have a slew of photos to publish once I get back home this Saturday. Sad to see it go so quickly.

From London with Love

2007-05-27T13:54:00.000-06:00

Hey all, here's a few pictures from London, mostly the British museum. There was waaay too much in there, we just had to cruise through stuff that I'm sure would be really neat under any other context, but not enough time to take one at a time. Anyhow, hope everyone's doing great. On second thought, blogger still doesn't seem to be working. I'll try harder next time.

My life in a 22" x 17" x 9" bag

2007-05-25T13:21:00.000-06:00

I've gained a greater appreciation for the term 'essentials'. Ooooh, and I have some neat before and after pictures. Unfortunately, Blogger's being a bit of a bugger right now. Anyhow, somehow I've managed to fit 2 weeks into a carry-on bag in less than 15 minutes, something I'm quite proud of. Still a little bit nervous about the flight, and getting scammed in Europe, but I'm sure everything will turn out alright. Best of luck to you all and have a great two weeks. Keep checking back, I'll try and keep you updated whenever I can. Cheers!

For the benefit of humanity...

2007-05-21T20:48:00.000-06:00

That all may know that I was. And that I blogged.

For the benefit of all, I have temporarily enabled importing from my blog to my facebook account. Normally I wouldn't do this, and just tell everybody to check out my blog at this link, but I want minimal effort in telling everybody what I'm up to while I'm in Europe, so I'll be updating my blog only for the next two weeks.

I want to make sure this works as well, so I'm going to post a picture to try it out:
Good. Now all that's left is to go on some kind of trip...

Jeremy 3.0

2007-05-11T17:16:00.000-06:00

Just as a matter of updating:
I am now taking my third job - not in place of or after - but IN CONJUNCTION WITH the two prior jobs that I've obtained - at the J.S.M.B. : Graphic Designer. Yay. It feels so weird, I got my first assignment and all I could think was, "Wait, this is for real. This isn't some institute slap-together job or ASUU work. Real graphic designers do this stuff, and somehow they want me to take a look at it and see what I can do. Crap, how'd I get here? Where am I? I'm not a graphic designer, I just do pretend stuff in my own play world. This isn't real." and so on and so forth. My managers for jobs 1 & 2 aren't going to be happy to learn about my new job acquisition from manager of job 3; but for $6 more per hour, I'm not out to please.

The pure joy that is...

2007-04-22T13:03:00.000-06:00

Receiving a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip in my Google Reader box every day.

I feel so virtually ashamed...

2007-04-15T09:18:00.000-06:00

Life...

2007-04-03T21:55:00.000-06:00

Life...
is a lot like when you eat so many Mentos that you get sick and start puking Mentos. Puking anything is going to suck, but if you can take the time to savor the minty aftertaste between retching, it becomes not only a tolerable experience, but something to look back on.

... (Check Mark)

2007-03-31T22:49:00.000-06:00

As I'm sure your all asking yourselves, "I wonder what Jeremy smells like today?" (I know I find myself asking that question all the time), I will now answer. Well, here's what I'll be smelling like in 2-6 days, anyhow:
Just scratch and sniff (not compatible with most monitors. Like yours, for example. Maybe your missing a plug-in or something).

2007-03-29T15:02:00.000-06:00

2007-03-25T22:11:00.000-06:00

One year older...

2007-03-23T23:55:00.000-06:00

I was there

2007-03-07T01:22:00.000-07:00

That's me in the background.

2007-03-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

President's Day...

2007-02-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures from my Presidents Day holiday:

That's right... I found ALL 13 of these pictures in my 'My Pictures' folder, clearly indicating that I somehow have claim on these photos. How was your day off?

2007-02-02T00:22:00.000-07:00

It's still going to be a very late night...

...and a very early morning...

...but hopefully not a very long winter.

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!

This is all my fault...

2007-01-25T23:31:00.000-07:00

"Downtown SLC"

I should be taking Trax more often. Uuugh, it's like I'm back in L.A.. Yes, by all accounts, there should be mountains visible in this picture.

What the...?

2007-01-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you. That is all.

January (3)

2007-01-15T00:44:00.000-07:00

Let's get this party happening with a NEEEEWWW BLAAAAAHHHG!. Seriously, this is the coolest thing to happen since TGS4.

January (1)...

2007-01-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

was really starting to bug me. So I've decided to make it January (2). Umm...soo...stuff.
Maybe I'll do a general catch-up post for all out there. Semester's actually going to be great, I'm just not prepared for it. I've got that gut-sinky feeling of anticipation that I got the first day of high-school, when I was waiting for college acceptance papers, my mission call, waiting for the Lobster Bake and Boil 2006 ... with bacon! and other such sundry times. I'm not predicting anything huge, but it is going to be an unprecedented semester.
The class to beat (or be beaten by) this semester is Micro/Macro Economics. One Class. 6 credits. Meets everyday. ALL DAY LONG! FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! BWAHAHAAAHAAAA! The T.A. that is going to be giving our tests every Friday is quite funny. He thinks that Econ is the most useless business course out there. It was hard to identify him, as he walked into class with a hoodie on, baggy pants, and an iPod dangling from his ears.
I've got tickets to go see Snow Patrol and OK Go! on March 5. Stoked. Although I wish it were a different venue, as general admission standing room only for the whole venue doesn't sound that cool. Whatever, dude, ok? Pppppsht, racist.
Work rules, and they really like me there (I was the only Holiday help that they hired on, telling the others that they were already over count on how many positions they had available. Sometimes hard work just pays off). But no benefits (so you're probably better off sticking with nursing, or teaching school, or being Pam 6.0. Whatever floats your boat and keeps you in the black. Or a darker shade of red. Or, perhaps, still in the red, but getting more red at a slower rate).
I just finished "The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul" by Douglas Adams before school started, and just watched "Stranger Than Fiction" yesterday. I recommend both. I like Douglas Adams' books, how nothing happens without consequence and there are no coincidences. I believe that. And it was funny to see 'Buster' in a different role. And with a hand. Talking about the movie, not the book.
And, as my final thought, I have to leave now to go plan a trip to Europe. Yes, I am going to Europe, Italy specifically. Friggin' awesome. There hasn't been a Sheetz near Italy since my grandfather flew over Italy to saturation bomb the snot out of the Ploesti oil fields. I plan to be a little less destructive. And it's still a little hopeful at this point, especially with regards to the financial situation. But I think all that it means is that I won't be able to do a summer semester. Which will be nice, seeing as I've gone to school straight for the past 3 years.
So that should be everything, and now I'll promote myself to January (2) by clicking the illustrious, blatantly orange 'PUBLISH' button.

I'm not ready for this semester...

2007-01-08T07:01:00.000-07:00

Here goes nothing.

Wow...

2006-12-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

100 posts in one year. Wait, I mean no more 2006. 'bout friggin' time, too. I'm done with 2006, I was done with this year about September. Good riddance. Happy New Year everybody! Here's to the last 100 posts, and to 100 more! Cheers!

Why...

2006-12-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

do people never assume that I'm perceptive? Wait, no, don't answer that.

2006-12-25T14:43:00.001-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

The delight that will not be...

2006-12-21T23:52:00.000-07:00

Trying to think of a new theme for posts. Happy Winter Solstice all. So now the earth is being hurled towards the sun at an uncontrolled speed. Hope that works out well for ya'll.

The delight that will be...

2006-12-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Michelle and Ferrin's new family. Many congradulations, you both deserve your happiness.

The delight that wasn't...

2006-12-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

work. I usually enjoy it immensly. Certainly wasn't making friends tonight, but I could tell that the rest of the crew was having trouble with the same.

The delight that was...

2006-12-18T23:49:00.000-07:00

the realization that I've been blogging at relatively the same time every night. Enter "The Blogging Hour". Seriously, though, I think I might start getting to bed on time.

The delight that isn't...

2006-12-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

suddenly remembering that I have to be AT WORK at 5:30am tomorrow. And it's already 11:50pm. Great. But at least I got seasons one and two of 'Arrested Development' to accompany my sleepiness tomorrow afternoon. Did I hear an "Arrested Development Marathon" mentioned?

The delight that is...

2006-12-16T23:51:00.000-07:00

blogging barefoot on the new carpet that was put in today. Ya'll are welcome to come on over and give it a spin. Can life get better? I submit to you, my friends, that it cannot. You'd be hard pressed to convince me otherwise.

The premise of the argument...

2006-12-14T00:23:00.000-07:00

"You've no reason to be back here."
Bite me. (I'm still working on it).
"Oh, sorry" I say. "I was just putting this bucket of butter back."
"Well, your M.O.D. (Manager on duty - as if the manager's going to be anywhere else but on duty.) has the card for the commissary, they're supposed to be the ones getting stuff from here."
Did I say I was getting anything?
"They told me I could get a card from the bakery and..."
"You're not supposed to be getting cards from the bakery. How long have you been working here?"
You did NOT just go there. Besides, my M.O.D. was watching as I was told to get the card.
"About six weeks. Sorry, I guess I didn't know."
"Well, you should ask your M.O.D. before you take stuff anywhere."
I usually like to put "Will ask questions before doing anything that requires independant thinking" on my resume. People like that.
"OK, I'll do that next time. Could I have you put this butter away for me, then?"
"No, you'll need your M.O.D."
Again, BIEEEEETE MEEEEEE. This is especially annoying since all us professional theives dress up in server uniforms to steal $20 in Coca-Cola syrup from the commissary anyhow. The motivational poster about efficiency (a poster that hangs on the 9th floor) flashes through my head.
Pythagoras: Hey, have either of you seen my sandals? I can't find them anywhere.
Me: No.
Guy: Nope.
Pythagoras: Eh, thanks anyhow. *leaves*
OK, jeremy, calm down. Cool, cool, calm peaceful. He's doing his job, there's a reason for these rules, and you don't need to get upset about this. Cool as a cucumber. It's just trifling. Make the molehill. Visualize the molehill. Visualize.
Silent pause. Well, actually, I think Evanescence was playing in the background. Amy Lee is an awesome singer. And I answered him not for the space of an hour. Well, it sure seemed like it.
"Alright. Again, I didn't know, sorry about that." I say in my most sincere voice yet.
"Well, now you know. Just act like there's no door here when it's closed."
I calm myself down as I get back in the elevator with my bucket of butter to take back to the 9th floor. Luckily my M.O.D. is standing right off the elevator door when I get off.
"Hey. Couldn't find the commissary?" she remarks.
"Nah, some guy down there wouldn't let me in. He said that only M.O.D.'s are allowed to take stuff back since they have the cards."
"What? That's ridiculous! We don't have time to waste doing that! Here, I'll take it back. Just so you know you should be fine taking the card from the bakery."
Yes! Redemption! I wasn't in the wrong! This is SO getting blogged about.
Wait, no, I was still wrong to get angry. I'm probably in the wrong to be blogging about this, but it gets the point across - crappy attitude ruins people's days. It took me a few minutes to get all happy again so I could go out and serve the sweet tour group their ice cream. But at least I wasn't passing it around when I got back. The attitude, not the ice cream. I mean, seriously. Anyhow, I didn't mean to get everyone down by reading my post, but just remember: It takes 100 muscles to frown and only two to reach over and jack someone in the face.

The cost of living

2006-12-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

The following post has been mulling in my mind for a while now, and is less jovial than my usual postings. Sorry. It comes in part due to the following:
1) I've been noticing two attitudes of rich people at my job: a) those who could be classified, "If your rich and you know it clap your hands". b) those who could be classified by, "it's been taken care of". This is the attitude that you have a vague notion that somebody is OK enough financially, then they do something that surprises you that they can afford it with such nonchalance. I have no problem with either attitude. I'm not going to label one of the other as being the 'correct' way of being rich. Along with earning money, one earns the right to how that money is spent. As long as they're not spending it on the forces of evil on a bozo nightmare, ban all the music with a phony gas chamber, it's fine with me. I digress.
2) In my anthropology class we've been studying American culture, particularly consumerism and capitalism. The thought question, worth 25 points on the final, was about being wealthy. 5% of the worlds population controls 50% of it's wealth (basically America and Europe). Part of the essay discussed 'the responsibility of the wealthy'. I hate that term. But interestingly enough the balance of generosity and wealth shows that the wealthy are disproportionately more generous.
3) I've been doing a final paper in my writing class about economics, mostly about debt (The paper's title is "Blissfully Red: The benefits of debt in economic America).
4) I've come to realize that the only way to get wealthy is by making yourself wealthy. If you're working for someone else, you're working to make them rich, and it very rarely will pay off for you (although it could, but it's rare). Of course, I guess a good definition of rich is 'always a little more than you have'.

So the question I submit is this: Is it my responsibility to be as economically prosperous as I can be?

I have a responsibility to myself to fulfill my goals. But other than financial stability and some nice comforts like a safe home with a yard, I'm not driven by luxury. Money's nice, but it's not going to help me spend time with my family, make memories more vivid, or (hopefully not) change who I am. Money isn't happiness (as Hollywood stars very effectively demonstrate time and time again). Happiness is a decision. So why be rich? Hmmm. I guess tolerance draws from the soul, and being rich means that you don't have to be as tolerant because you can afford to change things the way you want them. That sounds like it could assist in being happy.

Of course, if I'm not wealthy there's a greater chance that my children aren't going to be wealthy. I'm not talking about spoiling children with freebies, either - just opportunity. Let's face it: the public school system is out of balance and favors rich neighborhoods. Not that being rich leads to being smart (when we moved to Chicago, my brother and sister were leaps ahead of their classes even though heaping loads more money is put into the public school system there than here), but the idea again is opportunity. There's the adage, "Only the wealthy can afford the cost of wealth". What if I could afford greater educational opportunities (I'm not talking private schools, I still believe in the public school system. I'm talking within the public schools) for my children - am I obligated there? Since my economic status will affect my children, do I have to be responsible to them? But I could teach correct economic principles and have my children govern themselves.

I'm leaving the religious factor out for the time being. I wouldn't even know how or what to word.

Well, anyhow, it's all fun and good until someone gets hurt. Good luck to those whose goal it is to live the American Dream, perhaps our paths will be similar, or mutually exclusive. I think I'll end with some quotes by Benjamin Franklin, Mr. $100 himself: "The eyes of other people are the eyes the ruin us. If all but myself were blind, I should want neither fine clothes, fine houses, nor fine furniture." (The Real Benjamin Franklin (1987), pg. 364), and "When you have bought one fine thing you must buy ten more, that your appearance may be all of a piece; ... ' 'tis easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it.' "(The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac, and Other Papers, 227).

So...

2006-12-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

How are finals going for everyone?

Yeah, me too.

The morning after...

2006-12-10T00:41:00.000-07:00

Look, where I was trying to go with this is that I cried when King Aragon sees his hobbit friends again and they start bowing to him, then he streches out his hand and says, "My friends! You bow to no man!" then bows and the whole kingdom bows before them. It was really cool. So, long story short, those fithy hobbitses stoles my precious and destroyed my Pilot G2 Pro in the fiery pits of Mt. Doom. Sorry, I'll try harder to come up with something better.

Day after yesterday...

2006-12-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

Decided to keep my precious pen home today. After yesterday's scare we didn't want to chance another loss. It's safe for now, close to where we can keep an eye on it.

Day...well, whatever day I'm on...

2006-12-08T00:23:00.000-07:00

I thought I had lost it today. I wasn't sure if it was in the office, searches proved futile. Finally someone whom I had lent it to returned my precious pen. Certainly won't be in that predicatment again. I felt powerless.

Day six... (sorry, day five found me a little busy)

2006-12-03T00:04:00.000-07:00

Some girl at the reception I was working asked if she could borrow my pen to write something down. I noticed that there was a guy sitting across the table with a pen in his coat pocket. Obviously she couldn't resist the pens charm. Amazing possibilities with this. Further research to be conducted.

Day four...

2006-11-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

Used pen to endorse a check which I deposited today. Somehow this pen has the inherant ability to make me richer - more research is required.

Day three...

2006-11-30T01:57:00.000-07:00

Didn't have need to use pen today. I sense this pen might have some inert balance of negative karma, further research to be conducted...

Day Two...

2006-11-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

I doubled the notes that I've taken all semester in my Writing class just in today's lecture. My what a difference a pen can make... Also edited today's Salt Lake Tribune. I didn't realize such power could come from such a simple writing device.

Day One

2006-11-27T23:47:00.000-07:00

Tales of my new G-2 Pro Gel-ink pen with .5mm tip:

Day One:
Bought pen. So far, so good.