Me 'n' the Moon

Winning Team

2011-11-11T13:33:00.001-08:00

Last night we camped out in front of the Spectrum (USU's Basketball Stadium) along with over a thousand Aggies. It was hard to get a good photo, but above you can see some of the tent city of faithful fans who braved the cold for a chance to see Utah State play against BYU. This was my first time camping out for an event --I've never camped for a concert or a movie or Black Friday.

It was bitter cold, but what's cold when you're with friends? From left to right (looking our best in the cold) is me, my girlfriend Cassie, my roommate Eric, and our neighbor Shelby (Phi Kappa Psi's Dreamgirl #2). Our camping trip was a little spontaneous and as amateurs we didn't bring a deck of cards or a thermos of cocoa but we had a lot of fun and managed to keep warm. In the morning Evan and his friend Liz snagged us all wristbands for the game!

I love Aggie basketball games so much. They're hard to describe to someone who's never experienced them, but the chants, cheers, energy and unity make them an unforgettable experience. They're not your typical sports game --we get mean. It might be hard to see but the banner over the visiting team entrance to the Spectrum reads, "Welcome To Hell". I love my school.

EDIT: Final score: 69 USU vs. BYU 62

Occupy Halloween

2011-11-02T00:24:00.000-07:00

The above was my Halloween costume. I could always tell who was informed and who didn't read the newspaper because the former thought it was rather clever whereas the latter didn't get it at all.

I couldn't decide about Halloween this year --was it a success or was it mediocre? Seems like we couldn't get any of our plans off the ground, but I ended up enjoying myself anyway. Pretty chill weekend. Walked some slackline, went to a family party, played a couple boardgames, carved a couple pumpkins (I haven't taken photos), and met some new people.

Just thought I'd make a quick post for the time-sensitive photo. I have some real updates that you might watch for soon --but I make no promises.

I'm SO happy!

2011-10-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Provo Tabernacle Temple

Amazing Rescue!

2011-09-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

The SLTribune has disabled embedding on this video, but here is a link to an insane video!

A motorcyclist was cruising down the road when a car pulled out in front of him. His motorcycle and the car burst into flames after colliding and the motorcyclist became trapped under the burning car. Fortunately there were some badass ~~Loganites~~ Logan residents and Aggies who lifted the car off of him and pulled him from the flames!

It happened right here in Logan, Utah.

Lamest Fortune Cookie Ever.

2011-08-31T22:19:00.001-07:00

"Pretzels are made from wheat grown in farmers' fields."

USU Chariot Races

2011-04-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

What I've Been Working On

2011-04-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Post cards for a post card swap my mother talked me into joining. They're painted on paint chips, cool eh? The scanner was hard to work with, so the colors are a little off...

This one is going to a person who lives in Colorado Springs, CO, that's why they're on the elevation comparison:

I like this one best because it's an image I've had in my head for a long time. Strategic bombing of World War II, especially by the Allies, is as much of an atrocity as the Holocaust.

the aim of the Combined Bomber Offensive...should be unambiguously stated [as] the destruction of German cities, the killing of German workers, and the disruption of civilised life throughout Germany.

... the destruction of houses, public utilities, transport and lives, the creation of a refugee problem on an unprecedented scale, and the breakdown of morale both at home and at the battle fronts by fear of extended and intensified bombing, are accepted and intended aims of our bombing policy. They are not by-products of attempts to hit factories.

--Sir Arthur Harris

Have you read Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles? I highly recommend it.

Some I like better than others. This is not one of them.

For Scott Evans:

I etched this one like a scratch-board. It took forever, but I like it.

There is no symbolism here:

A vote for 'inkstitch' is a vote for America!

2011-03-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

My mother's blog, inkstitch, is a contestant for Top Creative Moms over at Circle of Moms!

Help her out by voting for inkstitch! And check out her blog, 'cause she's pretty much awesome!

Cool Stuff Lately

2011-03-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

Here is more of my super-exciting life at college!

These guys were pretty awesome. Just out of the picture to the left is a long flight of stairs all covered in last week's snow. These guys were snowboarding and skiing down the steps before catching air and grinding the rails of the parking garage. They were pretty awesome. I couldn't get a great picture of them because it was dark and they were starting to give me funny looks.

Yesterday I was driving along when I saw the awesome car pictured above! I immediately turned my truck around and hopped out so I could get a picture (Mom, you have to show this to Natalie and the boys!). I'm sure all my fellow Aggies have already seen it, but I think it's bloody awesome!

Above is another snow creation that makes wonderful use of the famous (or should I say 'infamous'?) french-fry sculpture. Mouthwatering, right?

Over the weekend Evan took me to explore the cave he and his running buddies found one day. Did you know there was a cave so close to Springville? Neither did I. These two pictures are not of the cave (because it's secret. No, I won't tell you where to find it!) they are just pictures of us climbing around that same day.

Also Evan's sexy behind.

Snow Glorious Snow!

2011-02-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, quick blog post-

One of the things I love about being clear up north in Logan is that it is actually cold and snowy in wintertime. And because it's cold and snowy everyone grows accustomed to it and actually makes good use of it as can be seen below:

exhibit (a): A young man is seen sculpting a fantastical reptilian creature of snow on the Quad.

exhibit (b): A detail view of the snow sculpture.

exhibit (c): A ______ stands near the entrance to the library.

A Utah State Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

I love Valentine's Day. I really do. It's probably one of my favorite holidays. Don't ask me why, because I'm not really sure. Maybe it's because I like the idea of doing something special for that special someone, even if I don't have a special someone. Maybe it's because I have fond memories of elementary school days --giving treats and cards to all your classmates and competing for the coolest valentine 'mailbox'. Or maybe it's because I like seeing everybody dressed in pink.

That being said, Valentine's Day is officially much lamer in college than in elementary school.

I was pretty excited today because this is the first year I have a pink shirt for Valentine's Day. But walking to the bus stop I saw nobody in pink. Riding the bus I saw nobody in pink. Walking to class I saw nobody in pink. In fact, through the whole day I probably only saw half a dozen people dressed for Valentine's Day.

It made me sad.

Apparently nobody wants to celebrate Valentine's Day if they don't have someone to celebrate it with. Single Awareness Day (SAD) seems to rule the 14th of February nowadays. I understand how Valentine's Day can show your lack of companionship into sharp relief, but I really hate the way people have turned it into the opposite of what it should be. It should be a carefree day of treats and innocent valentine cards between friends, not a day of bemoaning ones relationship status.

BUT! Today was still pretty good.

Above is a photo of couples participating in the iPod Kiss-Off. At this point they'd been going an hour and a half.

And below is a poor picture of me in Logan. in my bedroom. with my pink shirt on.

I still love Valentine's Day!

Surprise!

2011-02-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

Bought GameCube on KSL to surprise little brothers.

Doesn't work.

W-I-N-N-E-R

2011-02-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

Guess what! I won the Spelling Bee yesterday!

Okay, actually I didn't win. I came in second. BUT, in the final round it was just me and this other guy duking it out, right? Well, we were getting some pretty tricky words until he gets up and what word does he get?

calculus.

REALLY?! Are you kidding me?! That's the final-round Spelling Bee word?! Who doesn't know how to spell 'calculus'? Even if you didn't know how to spell 'calculus' you'd know it was Latin and be able to guess your way through it.

Well then I get up, and what word do they give me?

elangue.

What is that word? I've never seen that word anywhere in my life. No one has ever seen that word before. I can't even google it for a definition. As far as I can tell, it's not actually a word in the English language. or any language. I spelled it with an "o" instead of an "a".

Then the other guy got up to spell "semanticize". Easy, right?

So technically he got first place and I came in second. But the second place prize was this beauty:

No, not the dazzling smile, the camera! Second place prize was that sweet camera and first place was one of the new iPod Nano's. So pretty much my prize was better and I won it fair and square (calculus. srsly?).

And now I have an awesome camera, which is cool because I didn't have a camera of my own.

Also, last night I tried out to be in the General Conference Choir. I'm pretty sure I got in. woot! I never realized how much I miss singing in a choir until I came up here and went to a few chamber practices with my roommate. I'm pretty excited!

Also, also, I'm going home today.

To steal Eric's saying: Life is good.

P.S. Alecia, how do you spell physician?

For Post's Sake

2011-01-11T18:02:00.000-08:00

Poor, neglected blog, you are not forgotten, just unloved. Also, I hated the way you looked and I'm too lazy to give you a full overhaul. This will have to do for now.

Also, I live in Logan, Utah now.

It is cold.

You Should All Come!

2010-12-08T22:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, images always give me trouble on blogger. Here's what it says:

Kimberly Gail Brown will graduate from Brigham Young University with a BA in Family History-Genealogy on December 17, 2010.

On December 29, 2010 Kimberly will enter the Provo MTC in preparation to serve in the Córdoba Argentina Mission as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Kimberly will speak at the Canyon Chapel on Sunday, December 19, at 11:00 am (1965 Canyon Road Springville, Utah).

Please join us in celebration and farewell at an open house held in her honor on Sunday, December 19, 2010 from 12:30 to 5:30 pm --2200 East 850 South Springville, Utah.

Hiatus

2010-12-07T23:05:00.001-08:00

(this blog is ugly, I need to change it up)

Maple Hike: III

2010-07-26T11:18:00.001-07:00

Hey, I hiked Maple a third time! 5 hrs up, 2.5 hrs down

The group this time was Alex and Eric Mageno, Eileen, Allyssa, and Tori and Taylor Strohecker (Alex's cousins from Colorado).

It was a blast as always. It was fun to get to know Tori and Taylor and hear about their super-exciting hometown. It was also fun to get to know Eric a little better. Allyssa can finally cross Maple Mountain off the list. Eileen can look up at the mountain and say, "Yeah, I climbed that thing. Piece of cake!"

The flowers were beautiful! Oh, and at the summit a plane buzzed us twice before doing a spin and flying away! It was awesome! Scott should've been there!

..and now Alex is gone away. I really wonder how Alex and I didn't hang out much until the final months before he left! He's such an outstanding man.

So, who's coming on another hike up Maple Mountain?

1/2

2010-07-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

I said goodbye to Eric on Tuesday...

...what more was there to say?

How did we get here?

2010-07-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

We finally found a bank that would change our euros for dollars.

Shouldn't most any bank be able to do that?

The clerk told us they don't take euro coins, "You can't exchange coins anywhere in the U.S., consider them a souvenir."
Really? Lame. Well, let's just exchange these bills then.

Then she told Evan he needed two forms of I.D.

What? Why? It makes absolutely no sense that I should need I.D. to trade money with you. If we came in with a dollar and asked you to trade us for quarters you wouldn't need I.D.

Will my German student I.D. work? No.

scheiße

But it wasn't the clerk's fault. It probably wasn't even the bank's fault. It is most likely a federal regulation to 'fight terrorism'.

"Yes, I'd like to exchange my Iranian rials for dollars, I'm shopping for an airplane --a BIG airplane...."

Really though, there is no reason for us to be so bass ackwards about things. Evan tells me that in Germany he could exchange money virtually anywhere, and he certainly didn't need bloody I.D.! Evan visited Germany,Austria, France, Switzerland, and Turkey without any trouble at all. But to get into the United States he had to empty out every single item in his luggage and send each through the metal detector one at a time. He nearly missed his flight because TSA thugs enjoy flexing their muscles and knowing nobody can do anything about it.

I'm not advocating open borders E.U.-style, I think people ought to show passports when coming into the U.S.. But the intimidation practiced by the TSA is violation of property rights and privacy under the name of 'security'. Requiring two forms of I.D. for something as simple as exchanging money is no different.

I don't know why anyone would want to come to our nation.

Maple Hike: The Sequel

2010-07-01T12:50:00.001-07:00

Evan, Kimberly and I hiked Maple Mountain today. We went with the First Warders: John Gay, Eric Evans, and Scott Evans.

Until this week it hadn't hit home that Eric was leaving. Today felt like a farewell hike.

Of course, it was also the annual Maple Hike, which meant Jeremy should have been there. But Jeremy is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And soon Eric will be somewhere in Connecticut or Rhode Island (after consuming large quantities of chocolate milk in the MTC)

We made really good time today, 3:15 up and 2:00 down! The snow Alex and I encountered was almost completely gone, though we still found the ridge-line trail to be much easier than the woods.

A great hike, as always. Really, it never gets old.

Guess What!

2010-06-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Evan comes home tonight!

GO BIG OR GO HOME

2010-06-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

I ran the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay for the third year in a row! Three in a row means it's pretty much a tradition now, right? So I decided that next time I run it, I really ought to train for it.

I haven't done any running since last year's Ragnar.

It was a blast! I met a few new people. Sarah, Amy, and Matt were in the other van and I didn't get to know them as well as I'd have liked. But hanging out with the Asbell family and Brother Bunch was a lot of fun. Brother Bunch is an interesting guy, I enjoyed talking with him. He was like a strange mix of my Uncle Russ, my Uncle Dale, and maybe even a little Jefferson McClain.

As for the running, it went extremely well, considering my lack of training. I was runner 9 which means I had an 'easy' leg, a 'very hard' leg, and the the first section of the Ragnar hill.

Unfortunately I'm not as awesome as Evan or Alex --I had to walk my whole third leg, because running was simply no faster than my walking.

I survived. It rocked.

And a special thank you to the Asbell family for letting me tag along on their team.

Maple Hike

2010-06-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Heck yeah!

Maple Mountain (aka Spanish Fork Peak) this early in the season was a blast! There was still a bit of snow up there, enough to make Alex and I glad we'd rented snowshoes but not enough to get us lost. (Evan and I once tried to hike Maple really early in the season. We were in snow from the start of our hike and somehow ended up on some precarious ridge, far from where we wanted to be).

The coolest part of the hike though, was the fact that we were hiking in the clouds. As we hiked we got closer and closer to the ceiling above us until we finally were up inside a cloud! It was a whole different world with the white fog swirling around us, phantoms breaking, hiding, and reappearing. Trying to see the landscape around us was like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle because the tufts of cloud would only allow us to see small bits at a time.

I'm sure Alex has/will have pictures on his blog. I haven't checked yet.

In short:

Amazing weather.

Great summit hike.

Good company.

Snowshoes for the first time.

6 hours up, 2 hours down.

and restarting a blog.. ;)

A New Baby Sister

2010-02-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

Looks like Evan beat me to the punch on his blog.

Violet Mary Brown, as you see, is pretty darn cute. I forget how small babies are! And she has the sweetest little cry! Anyways, I thought the birthday of this sweet girl was a good reason to get my blog going again(since it has been dead since my birthday!).

Speaking of which, thank you, Jessica, for your mini-blog of comments on the previous post. You're such a stalwart friend, even when I'm completely absent.

Friday the 13th

2009-11-14T02:00:00.000-08:00

Today was my birthday

(Okay technically it's 3AM and yesterday was my birthday, but who cares?)

It was a pretty good one. I was up in Driggs for the first half of the day. We made dry-ice bombs and blew things up. I drove down to Springville in a little manual-transmission pickup truck.

I've never really driven manual before!

It was like learning how to drive all over again! By the end of the trip though I was okay at it. I still fail (you can ask Jeremy) but I don't fail as much. It's pretty fun.

Then I ate pumpkin pie and a bunch of Kimberly's friends came by and played games. Alecia and Scott and Jeremy also came. We put 400 post-it notes on somebody's door. Then I came home and talked with Kimberly for a while and wasted too much time on the computer.

How was your Friday the 13th?

Onward

2009-10-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

I know I just posted a video. But here's another one..

This one is everything I loved about running. It's something that can't be explained, it has to be experienced.

This video also reminds me very much of Evan. He's the most hard-core runner I know. He would understandthis. He's running a half-marathon soon. He's in Deutschland. I miss him very much.

Sweet Summer

2009-10-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

A moment of silence for the end of warm weather............

....

Okay, now you can click play. The video is just the lyrics, but the song is fitting.

"It's a nice day for a..

2009-09-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

..white wedding!"

I went to a family wedding on Saturday night and had a blast!

I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to attending. For some reason I always dread going to family functions, even though I have a blast every time. I just need to remind myself that I will have fun.

Anyways, the wedding was very pretty. I really liked the bridesmaid dresses. Zac looked freakin' studly in his uniform. The South 40 is a great venue. Andrea was beautiful. Whoever did all of the girls' hair should be complimented too.

At first I was overwhelmed because I felt like I didn't know anybody there. I mean, I should've known a lot of people there because they were relatives but I didn't. Do you ever have random people come up to you and say, "Oh my goodness, look how big you've gotten! I remember when you were in diapers!"? Well, that sort of thing happens to me a lot. So I stood around thinking, "Great! I'm supposed to start up a million little small-talk conversations with people I don't even know!"

Never has Evan's absence seemed more pronounced than Saturday night.

But pretty soon I got into things. I found that I knew plenty of people and I had a lot of fun. Things especially picked up speed when the dancing started.

At my wedding dancing will be a must. Everyone has a good time when they let loose and have fun on the dance floor.

Well, anyways.. fun evening. fun company.

Congratulations to Zac and Andrea!

Alright, so here's the truth

2009-09-26T00:46:00.000-07:00

Well actually, where to start?

I've gone and found myself in a pickle. Which, might I add, doesn't actually need to exist! Leave it to the people with long hair to make problems where there shouldn't be any....

The title I wanted to give this post is "BLOODY HELL!" But I decided those probably aren't nice words to say.

So the truth is, I prefer to keep my trap shut. It seems every time I go telling people how I really feel, what I actually think, it ends up turning into a big fiasco. One of my favorite proverbs is "The best way to keep a secret is to first keep it yourself" because everyone has a confidant.

But I guess if you keep me up late enough I start babbling like a drunken idiot. I'll tell you anything you want.

(Though normally that's something I like about the night time. Things seem clearer. People are more open. Talking comes easier.)

But most of the time I prefer to keep my trap shut.

"You lie by omission"

I'm up too late.

Lame, this all sounds like some sort of Jr. High drama.. I just mind my own business. I'm not going to get caught up in silliness. It's never ending, it seems some people can't live without it. But I don't care, just frustrated, that's all.

Guess What!

2009-09-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

I found the Brown Notebook!

I'm so excited!

But guess what else. There are still a whole bunch of blank pages that need filling! Anybody itching to add something?

......

2009-09-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

4 8 15 16 23 42

......

an apology

2009-08-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I'm with friends I get really carried away.

We'll be joking around and laughing which is fine, but it escalates more and more until suddenly I realize I'm being one of those loud obnoxious people that I don't like. Then I suddenly catch myself and shut up.

I don't mean to make such a spectacle. I really hate it about myself.

So, sorry if you've ever been around when I've done that.

Also, I realized the other day that I have only four or five posts for the entire summer. How sad is that? Often times I'll have a thought that would make for a really good post but when I get to a computer it's gone. Other times I have events and experiences that really ought to be posted, but I never get around to it. So the only posts you get are little impulse-posts like this one. Sorry.

Also, Also, I saw "Ponyo". It was just as weird as the rest of Miyazaki's films except that the story had a lot of --how should I say this?-- unresolved confusion...? At the end of the show I was still confused about what the central conflict was and how it resulted from an unexplained backstory. And what the devil was the resolution? Don't get me wrong, the show was entertaining and fun, but I recommend that you wait until it hits the dollar theaters. Sorry to anyone who absolutely loved it.

And I don't care if my grammar and punctuation are teh lame....

: (

2009-08-17T00:05:00.000-07:00

I miss my brother.

Why isn't he here telling me to get off the computer?

What the devil am I going to do without you brotha'?

A Black Cat...

2009-07-30T02:10:00.000-07:00

...crossed my path as I was heading home from an epic fail date.

I'm packed (and excited) for NOAC.

I'm SO excited to fly in an airplane. And I really don't care if it's "not all it's cracked up to be." I'm sick of people telling me that the whole airport/flying experience is a pain. I think the airport looks like so much fun. Everyone is either going somewhere really exciting or returning from somewhere really exciting.

Speaking of which, Evan leaves on the 16th for Germany! He just found out who his host family will be. I'm sure he's going to have a blast, but I don't know what I'll do without him. He's always been there. For my entire life he has been there. We've always shared a room, and other than little week-long trips here and there neither of us have ever been gone. But now Evan will be gone.

Other news:

Spent the first night in the treehouse with the boys
Learned the constellations Hercules, Pegasus, Capricorn, Auquarius, Bootes, and others
Visited Mr. Bird (isn't that guy just freaking awesome?). He has a broken foot and hasn't been able to get out as much as he would like to
"Acquired" another road sign.
Cleaned more of my room (almost there)
Baked a quiche for a 50's style picnic. played croquet. tasted Ironport at SOS Drug Store
Oh! Slaughtered 14 chickens! I was going to post some pictures but then I got lazy..
Posted on a sad, neglected blog (which has a lot of followers, oddly enough..)

Midnight Update

2009-07-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

Attempted to clean my room today (it's a really cool room when it's clean).
My best friend Eric left to Europe for two weeks.
Talked to one of my friends recently returned from a trip.
Found out another one of my friends is back East visiting church history sites.
Built more of the tree house (the kids are allowed to play around in it now while we put the rail on it).
Bought some N64 games for Elihu's birthday (shh! It's a surprise).
Thought "glitter", but unfortunately couldn't act on the thought (sorry Alecia).
Need to write some letters (haven't gone to work in a week and a half) *see previous post

And that was my exciting day. How was yours?

"let the wild rumpus start!"

2009-06-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

I know the movie isn't fresh news.

But I found a really cool blog-collection of Where the Wild Things Are artwork: Terrible Yellow Eyes

And if you haven't seen the trailer yet:

"Where the Wild Things Are"

It looks like they've done a good job. If not then there is a special circle of Hell reserved for everyone who was involved in the production of the film. It's one thing to screw up Harry Potter or Twilight when you make a movie, but Where the Wild Things Are is sacred.

Snail Mail

2009-06-23T20:55:00.001-07:00

Okay, I suppose I should explain my lack of new posts.

Let me start off by saying that my job is extremely boring. No honestly, my job is extremely boring. It also doesn't require a lot of concentration. I sit at a desk and ask stupid people lots of stupid questions over the telephone.

That said.. I pass the time at work by writing letters. At first I just used it as an opportunity to write to the First Ward missionaries, Vegas and Tango, but I eventually started writing more and more letters. To people I haven't seen in a long time or to people I see pretty regularly, it doesn't matter.

I find it really enjoyable. It's therapeutic in the same way that posting on a blog or writing in a journal is therapeutic. It's creative. I have fun writing about day-to-day happenings, it makes them seem less mundane. I have fun drawing little pictures and diagrams of the things I write about. It's fun even though I don't write anything of consequence. It's also fun to stay in touch with friends and family members that you usually wouldn't see much.

And who doesn't love snail mail?! Isn't it so much fun to go out to the mailbox and find something addressed to you? Something other than a bill or an advertisement. Something that someone actually spent time writing. Sealed the envelope. Licked the stamp. Sent off. Just for you.

So that's why I haven't posted much lately, because everything I would write about has already been told in a letter.

Evan says,

2009-06-09T00:34:00.000-07:00

"Do you think the Cardinals ever get together to go bowling?"

Let's start at the very beginning..

2009-06-03T22:47:00.001-07:00

..it's a very good place to start.

H'okay! So I really was going to post a while ago, but I couldn't get the picture to upload. And of course things got extremely hectic after that.

Do you remember when I was complaining about my really ignorant U.S. Government teacher? Well, I dropped the class so I wouldn't have to put up with her. I figured I would just make it up online. Well, being the responsible person I am I kept putting it off until "Gah! Graduation is next week?!" So I spent a solid week sitting in front of a computer regurgitating ridiculous propaganda so that I could graduate. I made it, but just barely. In fact I had to take a final test the day after graduation. Fun stuff.

But, I'm graduated. I'm officially done with Springville High School forever! I was sooo ready for it when it finally came. I got sick of putting up with stupid teachers and their stupid games. I'm a little sad though, that I won't be seeing most of these people again. It's going to take all of my effort just to stay in touch with the few that I really care about.

Senior All-Night Party was fun. Star Trek was awesome! Although I came out of the theater wishing very much that I had been a Trekkie. I've been watching some of the other Star Trek movies so that I don't feel ashamed.

All of my friends are gone or are going on really cool trips and it makes me really jealous! Eric is in California (Highway 1! Ah!). Jessica just got back from Disney-freaking-Land. Nathan is in Paris. Allyssa leaves Saturday for Germany. Kimberly is about to come home from Spain. Gah! You all better take lots of pictures or at least remember lots of details so that you can come home and tell me all about it!

I was looking at this picture (you'll probably have to click on it because I couldn't manage to make it smaller):

and I said to myself, "By Hell, I am going to play in Hyde Park someday!"

But that is not this day. Isn't it a cool picture?

Oh! check out this picture! (again, click)

Those are Maunsell Sea Forts! Don't they look like something straight out of fantasy? They built them during World War II to defend the Thames and Mersey Estuaries. I can't get over how cool they are! There are more pictures of them here. This particular picture came from this album on The Big Picture which is a really awesome site.

:TELEGRAM:

2009-05-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

post forthcoming STOP

technical difficulty STOP

blasted image, load! FULL STOP

Oh My Bubbles!

2009-05-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

So the other day I had a little container of bubbles which I was blowing throughout the day. I blew them at the elementary school track meet, in the halls, in some of my classes, and later that day at a high school track meet. I noticed something really cool.

No matter who it was or what they were doing, anyone who saw the bubbles would immediately exclaim, "Ooh! Bubbles!" and often times set to chasing them around and popping them. It was so cool to watch someone's day instantly go from normal to whimsical. It reminded me of the stuff on Wooster Collective that challenges our views and attitudes about the world around us.

It's just cool to make peoples' days more out-of-the-ordinary, more surreal, more spontaneous, more [fill in appropriate adjective here].

Green Eggs and AP Tests. And Toilets!

2009-05-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

Chya! I freaking rocked it up on the second essay question on the AP Literature test today! Actually I felt good about the entire test. Probably not a 5, but hopefully passing. It feels good to have that over and done with.

Anyway, I'm proud to present to you the very first pictures on Me 'n' the Moon! I had hoped I would have something more fitting for such a momentous occasion, but I don't. I just wanted to show you a few things I've been up to lately.

This first one is a painting I did for my AP Literature class. Every APES class before us has left a legacy behind. This is ours. The photo is of the unfinished work. I later added a big, stamped "TRAGEDY" label because a few of us, particularly me and Eric, kept heckling Simmons about her definition of a tragedy. We eventually became exasperated and shouted, "Heck! Everything is a tragedy then! Even Green Eggs and Ham is a bloody tragedy!"

This is how I replied to Keilani Gleave. She asked me to Last Chance Dance with a really cool doodled note which you will probably never get to see because I'm too lazy to figure out how the scanner works. Anyways! It was Evan's idea and of course we had to do it because it was freaking brilliant! I mean, honestly, who on earth has an extra toilet lying around? The best part about it was that Keilani's family couldn't really move it anywhere because they had nowhere to put it, so it sat on their porch for all the world to see for two days before I could come over and retrieve it. Ha!

I'm pretty excited for Last Chance though. Keilani is a really cool girl. Sometimes I worry about dates and whatnot though because I'm not a really talkative person. I'm always worried that I'll be working really hard to keep a conversation going, y'know? Ah well.

I'm reading Garth Nix's Lirael. I really like easy reads. They're a nice change from assigned works or thick, rich "works of literary merit". Just a nice easy fantasy to pull me along and get lost in. That's all I want right now.

Midnight Update

2009-05-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

oh gaaawl!

My job is SO. BLOODY. BORING!

I literally keep a manual minute-by-minute countdown on a piece of paper until I get to leave.

Oh! Check out Kimberly's Blog. I'm sooo jealous! Spain looks bloody amazing! Is all of Europe that cool?

It's nice and all, having friends and family that get to travel and take cool pictures and tell you cool stories, but by darn! One of these days it's going to be my turn and I ain't coming home!

I Finished 'Cry, The Beloved Country' by Paton today. Astounding book! A powerful story and very different from typical African literature. I highly recommend it to anyone as an enjoyable read.

i dunno....

2009-05-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

Do you think you'll know when you're going to die? Do you think you'll know at least on an unconscious level? I remember when Neal passed away his mother said it was almost as if he knew. He started coming home at lunchtime, just to spend time with his family. He was exceptionally eager to help his mother out, just 'cause.

I wonder why..

he died...

It really seems so bloody unfair. Why should a young guy like that have to go and die? He's got so many things going for him. He was about to leave on a mission. He was about to go off to college. He was about to find a wife. He was about to start a family. He was finally reaching the age that allowed him to have deeper relationship with his parents, his sisters, his grandparents, his aunts and uncles, his cousins. He was only barely entered into manhood.

So why the hell should a young guy like that have to go and die?

What about that wife he never met?

What about those kids he'll never have?

Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and give me warm-fuzzies. Tell me, "He was called to serve a mission in Heaven" or, "He'll have those opportunities someday".

Go ahead and tell me, "We just don't understand the mysteries of God, Logan".

But you know what?

Sometimes I just don't bloody understand the mysteries of God!

i dunno...

it just seems sorta lame sometimes.

Guess what my brother taught me!

2009-05-02T23:56:00.000-07:00

Do you know why seeds don't sprout until after the winter? It's because the plant produces a certain hormone in seeds which inhibits plant processes (i.e. growth). Now, this particular hormone is rendered inert only after a long cold period (i.e. winter). If this didn't happen then seedlings would sprout in the fall and be killed by winter frosts. And do you know how desert plants manage the whole process? The same hormone is present in the seeds, but rather than being rendered inert by cold it gets washed out with water. So seeds only sprout after a heavy rain, otherwise they'd shrivel and die.

God is genius.

P.S. Don't complain that this post isn't good enough, at least I'm posting again!

:TELEGRAM:

2009-04-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

ALIVE -STOP

STANDBY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION -FULL STOP

A Toast to Hyrum W. Barlow, the 'richest' man in town!

2009-03-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

Today I talked to a 70 year-old woman in Sarasota, Florida about her favorite hospitals. Then I called up a guy in Anchorage, Alaska who feels very strongly that gold-mining operations in Bristol Bay will adversely affect salmon population. Aren't you jealous?

Well you should be, I finally have myself a job! I'm so excited (even though it's a little boring). I finally have money coming in, rather than only going out; It's a much better feeling.

But what I really meant to post was this:

Last Saturday my grandfather, Hyrum Barlow, had an Open House at his home, HyPointe. It was a house-warming party to thank all the friends and family who donated so much time and effort to build the beautiful home. If you would have told me a few years ago that Lehi, Utah could look so pretty, I never would have believed you. But now I know there are few places on Earth that are as beautiful as HyPointe.

There were so many people there! The drive and yard were filled row upon row with the cars of guests (my Grandfather commissioned a few of my cousins as valet parking) and the rooms inside were crammed shoulder to shoulder with talking, astounded relatives. I was reminded of It's a Wonderful Life when Harry Bailey raises his glass "to [his] big brother, the 'richest' man in town". George Bailey's and Hyrum Barlow's 'wealth' come not from money, but from close ties with loving friends and family.

The party was --or rather the home is-- a big success.

I am extremely grateful to have played a part in the construction of such a lovely home.

Y'all know who you are..

2009-03-01T21:09:00.000-08:00

I've said it before..

But I'm grateful for true friends.

The kind that will forgive you after you offend them. The kind that you will always be friends with.

Best friends.

For better or for worse, you're stuck with 'em.

What the [expletive], man?

2009-02-25T21:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is a bit of understatement

but sometimes I really don't understand God.

He shows you something that seems to say, "Look, this is good. This is what you want. You aren't searching in vain."

But then..

He says, "Ha! gotcha! You thought you had something good. You thought that everything was just the way you dreamed. But you were wrong. Try again."

What am I supposed to learn from that?

I know you're probably wondering what I'm talking about, but I'm afraid to be too explicit here. Endure my ambiguity please. It's just frustrating and discouraging when you do everything correctly but your work is all for naught. It's alright when there is a lesson to be learned, but what about the times when you can't find the lesson? What are you supposed to learn then?

And what if it isn't a failed venture? What if you could fix things with a little extra work?

And if that were the case then how would you know it?

. . . .

I'm annoyed and frustrated at my indecision.

(P.S. God doesn't speak in American vernacular)

...(wheels)?

2009-02-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Hey check it out, I'm famous!

See that over there? 13 followers (*edit: 15!), and one of them I've never met in my life (apparently he is from Portugal)! I feel cool....

Also, I talked to Brother Sherrell Johnson today about my car:

SJ: "It's a '68 Buick?"

Me: "yeah"

SJ: "What kind of engine does it have?"

Me: "um... [attempting to sound knowledgeable] ..a V6?"

SJ: "Two-jet carburetor, right? I have a couple of them lying around, in fact I know right where they are. Just come by and pick 'em up sometime."

Me: [completely ecstatic!] "Wait wha-- Really?! Are you sure? Oh, thank you so much!!"

Wahoooo! I'll finally be able to get my beautiful lawn ornament rolling! And when she is up and running I will finally be able to christen her. I've had a name picked out since day one, but I'm keeping it a secret until she can move.

hehe, I wrote Brother Johnson a letter two days ago asking for assistance. He'll probably get it tomorrow...

symphonic cacophony.. er something like that....

2009-02-21T23:34:00.000-08:00

I wish there were a song for how I feel right now.

It would have a lot of humming. and bagpipes. and spoons. and banjo. and cello. and trumpet.

Needless to say it is a very interesting song. It's part happiness, part confusion, part worry, part contentment, part excitement, part dread, and part reckless abandon.

[insert contented smile here]

And I really love country dancing! Sometimes I forget just how much I love it. I'm also really bad at it. My repertoire includes...maybe five or six moves? They teach me things and I learn them. and then I promptly forget them and revert to those same moves. I need to go more often because a) it's a blast b) I'm an awful dancer and c) it's a great cheap date.

And guess what! I was accepted to Utah State University! Woot! That means I'm an Aggie now... hehe. In reality though, I'm not as excited as I should be. Perhaps if I had a clue about where I were headed and how I'm going to get there then I would be a little happier. As it is, I'm worrying about a mission; How will I pay for it? How will I get myself in the correct frame of mind for it? How will I pay for it? and, How will I pay for it?

They are calling it a Depression now. As if we ever expected it to be anything less. I find it a little funny that in European history classes you read about dozens countries that tried in vain to save their financial and economic systems by printing off more money. Again and again you watch fiat money systems collapse. Even recently, in places like Bolivia where my dad served his mission there was price inflation of 15,000 %! Paper money systems always fail. Always. Especially if you decide to print billions upon billions of paper notes!

I also find it a little funny that almost every economist agrees that pumping money into the system is the wrong solution. They advocate letting the economy run its course and correct itself. So why is our government pushing so hard for bail-outs?...

I also find it a little funny that people think free-market capitalism is what got us into this mess. Our economy is very far from free-market, almost every aspect of it is regulated, protected, or controlled in some way. I like Rex Vallis's "spinning top" analogy.

So yeah..

my personal soundtrack.
my love for country swing.
my college acceptance.
my mission anxiety.
my views on the Depression of 2009-ish.

(But just watch, they won't actually say the word "Depression" for a long time. They'll come up with some sort of euphemism for it.)

Is it Springtime yet?

2009-02-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

I want winter to end.

I want to fix my car.

I love pumpkin cookies.

I love early-morning and late-nite escapades with my brother.

I think my aunt Amber needs some sense kicked into her.

I really love my friends.

I want winter to end.

I like having true friends, the kind you can invite over for peanut-butter and apricot jam sandwiches and not care whether the house is a mess.

I like these new CD's Alecia gave me (thanks, Alecia-leia!).

I want winter to end.

I need to win the lottery.. or something.

I don't feel prepared for this Depression.

I need to get caught up on my to-do list.

I want to be a tenth of the tenth.

I want winter to end.

I need to finish Mansfield*bloody*Park.

I am so excited for graduation.

I am dreading graduation.

And I really, really want winter to end.

disquiet-

2009-02-13T23:22:00.000-08:00

All week I have had an awful, anxious feeling.

As though I were forgetting something really important.

A stressed feeling, like the kind you get when you know something horrible is coming, something you dread.

A gut-clenching feeling.

Worried.

Pressed.

Restless.

Looking over my shoulder to see if I would find what I couldn't remember.

It's been driving me crazy. I can't think straight. My thoughts jump from box to box. I'll be doing the dishes and suddenly realize I don't know whether I am loading or unloading the dishwasher. When I try to speak I simply lose track of where I was going.

What on earth is making me so nervous?

title:______.

2009-02-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

I sat down here to write a post.

But I can't decide what to write.

Do I write about the jazz festival that Singers went to today? Do I write about Israel and Palestine? Do I write about New Hampshire's recent denouncement of the federal government over its abuse of power? Do I write about my growing abhorrence for snow? Do I risk writing about just how much I love attending church? Do I write about a dozen more subjects that I could possibly write about?....

By the way, I've been forwarding e-mails about national and world events to a few of the people who read this blog. The e-mails are pertinent to our current situation and they are really interesting (or at least I find them interesting). If you would like to be added to my mailing list just leave me a comment with your e-mail address, but don't worry, I won't let your address be posted publicly, only I will see it. Um.. I won't flood your inbox, I will send maybe two or three e-mails every week or so.

My grammar be, awfuls.

Movie Party!

2009-02-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

I'm going to let this video speak for itself. It is about an hour long. Even though it looks like it should be viewed on an old-school slide projector it is actually pretty good at providing facts and hard evidence to support its claims.

So take some time to watch it.

Really.

...and eat more apricot kernels.

*edit: the movie is titled A World Without Cancer.

my eyes are going fuzzy...

2009-02-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

Re-reading Ender's Game (until three in the morning!). One of my very favorite books ever. If you haven't read it then you aren't a red-blooded American.

College applications were annoying and stressful. What if I don't have a clue what I want to do with my life? Can I change my mind after I get back from my mission?

I have a bad case of Senioritis. I really don't care about any of my classes anymore. So many people are driving me crazy. The sheltered, bureaucratic, self-contained world of high-school is getting really old.

But then there are my friends... Looking at my friends never ceases to amaze me. Some of the people I once couldn't stand are now my best friends. But then some of the people who were once such a part of my life are now distant and foreign. There have been so many interesting twists and turns which produce the most unexpected results.

It is sad to know that most of them will soon be little more than a memory. I won't see them again and I probably won't care. We have such a large --no, monstrous-- group of tight-knit friends. We've gone on thousands of adventures and had thousands of laughs. We have characters and personalities more varied than any author of fiction could ever invent!

Some days I know I'm going to miss every single one of them. Other days I know it wouldn't faze me if they were gone tomorrow.

Some days

i wonder...

where

the Devil i'm going..

how

I'm gonna get there...

Brain..cells...leaving..........gone.

2009-01-26T20:49:00.000-08:00

For a split second I thought it might be fun to irritate my U.S. Gov't teacher by pointing out flaws in what she was teaching. Just for a second.

But then reality came flooding back in..

This class is

so.

bloody.

useless.

brainless.

a waste.

Not only is the curriculum far, far, far below a high-school level, but the teacher is far, far, far below healthy brain capacity. She is a zoobie through and through, which means she forgot a long time ago how to think for herself. She has handed her mind over to anyone who wants to indoctrinate it. And as such, it is impossible to hold an intelligent argument with her. You can make as many valid points as you like but she merely brushes them aside and says, "Hmm, maybe. But the book says..."

Unfortunately, she is the standard in our education system. She teaches us the exact same things which were taught to her years earlier. She regurgitates key phrases like "checks and balances" "We the People" "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness".

And do we learn anything from that? No, of course not. It merely makes us one more product of the education system. Then we can grow up and regurgitate the same things to the next generation.

So basically I hate that the system perpetuates itself. People become apathetically programmable and will believe anything they are taught. They never question whether the newspapers are actually reporting fact or whether they're unbiased, they never question whether they should really vaccinate their child, they never question whether police actually have the interest of the people in mind. They merely accept what is being fed to them. I can't stand people who won't think for themselves, people who won't seek out alternatives to the mind-numbing regurgitation of media and mass education!

Gah! Sorry for the rant....

I'm dropping that class and teaching myself.

edit: Krystal pointed out to me that I make it sound as if I'm criminalizing everyone who vaccinates their child or trusts in the police system. I'm not. I merely wish that people would learn about topics well enough that they can arrive at their own well-educated conclusion.

HOPE! CHANGE! AMERICA!

2009-01-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

Bloody Heavens!

Do you have any idea how sick I am of hearing about Obama's inaugural address?!

I watched it live. I watched a recording. I analyzed his rhetorical strategies. I dissected the ways in which he appeals to rich, poor, white, black, atheist, and baptist. I searched for his subtle references to past presidential speeches. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

It is really getting old.

I didn't examine his speech for fun. No. I was forced to 'ooh' and 'aah' over the whole affair because it was "an historical event", a "milestone in our history". Because he is "such a skilled orator". Well of course he is a skilled orator! He is a skilled everything! He pays people big money to make him that way.

It is almost ridiculous how effectively he has been marketed. From the very beginning news channels and papers were pushing his image. Even at his inaugural address he was strategically branded.

Take the musical number for example, you've got an African-American, a French-born Chinese-American, a cripple from Tel Aviv, and a Venezuelan--We should all forget our differences.

Then there was the benediction (which was almost insulting) delivered by a civil-rights contemporary of MLK, Jr.--He recognizes his roots.

Obama's wife and daughters were decked out in bright, spring colors which were in striking contrast with his own somber attire--especially important because our nation is facing hard times. While Obama's staff wore bright blue neckties he sported a dark crimson. Heck, Obama doesn't even wear a necktie half of the time in order to promote a "working man" image, he shows that he isn't an "executive snob".

I could continue rambling, but I'm not going to.

I'm just sick of everyone fawning all over him just because he is a great orator. Let me remind you that Hitler and Satan were both great orators. Rhetorical skills don't mean you have peoples' best interest in mind.

Oh! And I get to watch the Inaugural Address again tomorrow! yay!

Heart of Darkness

2009-01-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

I finished reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness a while back.

I really enjoyed it, even though it was written in a style that I usually dislike. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a "page-turner", but the story was definitely compelling from beginning to end.

You want to know what's funny about it though?

Nothing happens.

Well, maybe not nothing, but the story itself is very simple:

A man joins a company that gathers ivory out of Africa. The man is charged with the job of retrieving Kurtz, an almost legendary ivory trader in the heart of Africa (hence Heart of Darkness). So after many days piloting a steamboat up the river the man finally finds Kurtz, loads him on the boat and heads back down river. Kurtz dies en route to Europe. The End.

Soooo.. I'm pretty sure that I completely missed the message hidden in the story. You should all read it and tell me what you think... because I'm a bit confused.

2009-01-06T23:02:00.000-08:00

Ni !

am i Living, or merely Surviving?

2009-01-04T00:10:00.000-08:00

"Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from."

I swiped this from the blog of Rex Vallis. It is from Tribes by Seth Godin (which I now really want to read!). Rex Vallis had other cool snippets from Tribes on his blog, but this particular one caught my eye.

This Christmas break was an amazing and much-needed vacation. I have been able to stay up late, sleep in, and play with friends and family. There was hardly a thing I needed to worry about. Two solid weeks of nothing. Nothing except things I enjoy.

But alas, all good things must come to an end.

Wait a minute! Is that really true?

When I saw the quote above it made me wonder, "Why do I hate the life I live? Why don't I enjoy it more? Why do I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels? Why don't I take time to do enjoyable things?" I'm not talking about the staying up late and sleeping in. I'm talking about painting for the sake of enjoyment and playing a game of Risk with my brothers just for fun. I'm talking about going sledding with my friends because it is free, going to bed on time so I don't feel rushed in the mornings, visiting the art museum more often, and keeping my room clean so I can be comfortable in it.

I suppose what I am really talking about is simply getting a hold on my life.

I hardly feel like I should be saying this, because I'm the King of procrastination. But I feel that if I can just get on top of things I would find everything I do much more enjoyable.

So this year my goals are geared towards setting up a life that I don't need to escape from. A life that is productive, creative, and enjoyable.

I just ain't feelin' it.

2008-12-10T22:22:00.000-08:00

So.. I'm not really sure if I like "warm fuzzy" feelings.

Y'know, cheesy things like inspirational seminary songs, or The Work and the Glory, or "Family. Isn't it about...time?"

You have to understand that I just returned from 'The Forgotten Carols' which is a christmas musical by mormon songwriter Michael McLean. It was a fun, enjoyable show. However, the whole show seems to depend on giving you that "warm fuzzy" feeling. The kind that makes you say, "aaawwwww, cuute.."

The show ended with the entire audience linking hands and singing, "We can be together forever, someday."

Now, I'm not saying that it isn't a good thing. I'm not sayin' that at all.

I just don't feel like it's for me.

I'll join in. Heck, I'll even link hands and sway, and enjoy it with you. I'm not against uplifting, spiritual things, of course.

But I would be alright without a lot of the "fluff".

I dunno, maybe I'm just cynical...

still here

2008-12-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Good Heavens!

This last week was completely hectic. Concentrated Stress in a Can!

I gave blood on Tuesday, which I'm pretty sure was a stupid idea because I spent the next four days on my feet for Choir Dinner.

"No strenuous lifting," they said.

Oops.

I hammered my body for those four days: lifting those bloody stands, hauling and pulling on the floor mats, building the backdrop, running around setting up risers, curtains, christmas trees, practicing and performing under the baking lights. I would leave for school in the morning and not return home until late at night. I was dizzy throughout the whole ordeal and I'm surprised I didn't actually pass out. I blame it on the missing blood.

But it all went very well. Especially the second night when Li'l Bop and I weren't completely faking large sections of the show. We had a blast! Thank you all so much, those of you who attended. And a big thank you to those who helped to set it up, especially the ones who aren't even in the choir.

I'm really tired, but I thought I should post to show that I am still alive.

"Quarter to twelve, I'm feelin' fine. When the sun comes up I'm gonna miss my friend moonshine!"

midnight bulletin

2008-11-24T23:07:00.000-08:00

Two things tonight:

First: You ought to check out the blog of Rex Vallis now and again. I have a high respect for his opinions and views on various subjects, and he is one of the most well-read men I know.

Second: Today I asked Sarah Lynne on a date. I should have asked her a long time ago --years ago, actually. But I'm a loser and I didn't until today.

But I'm actually very excited to take her on a date! I don't know what we are doing yet (Li'l Bop and some other guys have planned that), but it doesn't matter because I'm sure it will be all be fun.

...okay, a Third: Last year during Choir Dinner a little bird flew to me and Li'l Bop and told us, "Ever since your ninth grade year we knew that you two would be the M.C.'s for Choir Dinner as seniors!"

Well, a year has past and Choir Dinner is fast approaching. We are finally able to tell people that we will be narrating the event. We are both excited and stressed for time.

Now you have to realize, the Bop Brothers are professionals. They know exactly what they are doing. Even when the Bops are winging it they do the job right.

Crockett, however, has some goofy ideas about how we should run the show. She has given us an awful script and a deranged order of songs. She fails to realize that the Bops are professionals. We will be doing things our way, and she will actually enjoy it.

Needless to say, we are rewriting the script.

"BECAUSE IT IS MY NAME!"--John Proctor

2008-11-17T23:21:00.000-08:00

I went to see The Crucible tonight with a very pretty date. She had never seen it before so of course we had to attend a performance! There is no other play so intense, so riveting, or so moving as The Crucible. Needless to say, I was very glad when the cast delivered a marvelous performance. I love it not only for entertainment value but also for its amazingly powerful themes.

Ah! It sends shivers up my spine just thinking about it!

*If you haven't yet seen a quality production of The Crucible I strongly suggest that you attend a performance at the Playhouse Under the Library, this Friday or Saturday, 7:30 pm.

Happy 18th of November, Everyone!

18

2008-11-13T22:07:00.000-08:00

Today I am eighteen years old.

I don't know what that means yet. I certainly don't feel 18.

I still feel like a kid.

I always imagined I would act more mature. feel more mature.

Ah well...

This birthday was better than last year. I had to work at Allen's last year.

I decided birthdays are lame anymore.

But this year I went with my family to a home canning seminar and then to dinner at Wingers. There was some other stuff too, all good. My birthday was all good.

Thank you mother. Whether it sounds goofy or not, thank you for being my mother. To list everything you have done for me would be impossible.

Happy Birthday Mom!

a letter to my good friend

2008-11-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

Miss B,

You marry who you date.

This is true, though it doesn't mean that by going on a single date with a person you will marry that type of person. What it means is that by steady dating a person or by continuously dating a certain type of person you become accustomed to what they believe and comfortable with how they do things. So the phrase should be "You marry the kind of person that you date."

Now, to marry a "flaming liberal" may be fine and dandy for certain apathetic people. But quite obviously you should marry someone with whom you share common values, standards, and interests.

The idea that you should teach your children both sides of an issue and let them choose for themselves seems a little misguided. While this may hold true with certain topics, like whether to attend college, or to vote for one candidate or another, or to immunize their children, it does not hold true with other issues. Issues like tolerance for gays and gay marriage require you as a parent to teach your children right from wrong.

Subjects like this are a lot more black and white than the world would have you believe. Homosexuality is an abomination in the sight of the Lord, plain and simple. Satan wants you to think that free agency gives people the freedom to do those things. He wants you to think that denying these "rights" is unconstitutional. Satan is a master of mimicry; he takes what God creates and distorts it, but he only changes things a little bit. He creates a grey area in order to confuse you and capture you.

There is a blessing and a curse upon this land, America. God has created a country like no other with the most perfect government on earth. The drafting of the Constitution was a work guided by His hand. But over the years we have become more and more tolerant of sin and Satan has twisted the Constitution to his own purposes. Our Constitution does not work without Christian values; neither do any of our governmental systems. We cannot hope for continued freedom unless we teach our children to keep the commandments of God. We cannot teach our children to keep God's commandments if husband and wife are not united in thought.

All of this talk still leaves the question unanswered. Should you date people with differing political values? The answer depends upon how much weight you put on certain issues. Let's say that a particular candidate is for abortion, but at the same time the candidate is against increased federal regulation and loss of civil liberties. One has to decide which is more important, stopping abortion or stopping Isaiah's "King of Assyria"? Unfortunately such a candidate is fictional. In the recent election both candidates seemed different but in reality the outcome is the same. Obama will continue to erode civil liberties in the name of "Homeland Security", he won't be able to pull out of Iraq, and he will accelerate the socializing of our economy in order to stabilize it. McCain will continue to erode civil liberties in the name of "Homeland Security", he will put more troops in Iraq, and he will steadily socialize our economy in order to stabilize it. So maybe you should refrain from dating those who voted for either candidate. I personally hope to find someone who thinks outside the bubble, someone who isn't blinded by the bright lights of mainstream media.

I could continue rambling, but I'm basically saying "Date who you want to marry." You want to marry someone who agrees with you. He wants a big family. He wants to take care of you. He exercises his priesthood in righteousness. He is intelligent. He is hardworking. He is against such things as abortion and gay marriage. He is against such things as the erosion of traditional liberties. He is aware of the world around him and speaks up for the things he believes in. He teaches your children the ways and commandments of God. He teaches your sons to become men of their own. He treats your daughters like ladies. He likes the things you do. He likes your sketches. He likes to share good books with you. He is amazed by the quilt you made. He enjoys going on walks and hikes with you. He loves the dinners you cook. He wants to travel to different places with you and find cool little shops. Etc., etc., etc.

Miss B, I don't need to write your list, you already have one, and somewhere is a man who matches it.

I've done my best to express my opinion toward your question and I hope it will suffice. I also hope that you take everything with a grain of salt. Search and form your own opinion with the help of prayer and scripture study. And remember, we only have seventeen years of experience in this world, our parents have a lot more. Most of the time we get to the end of things and realize that they were right after all...

Your friend,

Big Bop

yep. pretty much.

2008-11-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

It really isn't fair for girls to be as pretty as they are...

NaNoWriMo!

2008-11-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

Phew! I promised myself I wouldn't post on here until I had written something for NaNoWriMo. I lack a main character, side characters, a location, and most importantly a plot. But I have been signed up for this thing three years in a row now and still never done it. So, despite my lack of direction and ideas, despite my mental editor, I will slap 50,000 words onto the page!

But I won't lie. I'm bloody intimidated!

Sometimes I feel like my life should be a novel. There are some things so strange you would swear they are from a book and have some deep symbolism.

Take Mike and Phyllis of Yummies for example: They are a crotchety old couple that never show any signs of affection for one another. Their life is the custard shop. They are always talking about custard. They are always thinking about custard. Except when they are thinking about Wisconsin. They are obsessed with Wisconsin. "In Wisconsin they did it this way." or "In Wisconsin it would be like this."

Or sometimes I feel like my car in the driveway is like a symbol in a book. I am the main character and my car is a symbol for how life has beaten me. I have a beautiful car, yet I ride a bicycle. I am powerless to accept the opportunities life presents me with.

Or at least that is how you would interpret it, if it were a symbol in a book.

My friends each have a personality so unique and exciting that it simply must be fiction. My extended family is ridiculous in so many ways that it simply can't be real. If someone could arrange all the elements correctly, my life would make a pretty good read.

...Golding meets Steinbeck meets Spinelli. Whoa...

Let's blow something up!

2008-10-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Shoot.

There was something I was going to write... I thought about it yesterday and now I can't remember. Ah well.

My brother and I were wondering about nuclear fusion today (I'm not sure how we got on the subect) and so we googled it. We ended up looking at Hydrogen bombs.

So heres the thing: The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was about 20 kilotons (20,000 tons of TNT) and its mushroom cloud was about a mile and a half around. In comparison, the first Hydrogen bomb, tested in 1952, was 5 megatons and its mushroom cloud was one hundred miles around. It was so monstrously powerful that the measurement equipment they had was insufficient. That's why those Japanese fishermen (along with about 250 others) got burned, because it was so much bigger than expected. The atoll was completely vaporized and then rained back down to the earth as radioactive fall-out.

"Twenty-three nuclear tests were carried out at Bikini between 1946 and 1958.

The original natives were granted $325,000 in compensation and returned to Bikini in 1974. But they were evacuated four years later when new tests showed high levels of residual radioactivity in the region." (BBC "On This Day")

Am I the only one who finds this completely sick? These are scientists who have worked their whole lives with this sort of thing, they aren't stupid! They knew the islands weren't safe before they ever sent the natives back, they didn't need four bloody years to figure that out! They detonated 23 nukes there for heaven's sake!

Gawl, it just makes me sick to know there are people out there who conduct horrifying science experiments at the expense of human life!

And there you have it. I wish I could remember the other thing I was going to write.

Shoot.

Bang!

Score one for the home team.

2008-10-27T21:27:00.001-07:00

Do you ever find yourself wondering, "Did that just happen? Was that what I thought it was?"

Better yet, have you ever known exactly what it was? That feeling that brings a contented smile to your face. Inside your head you do a secret victory dance. You've got it in the bag!

That's a good feeling...

*edit: I suppose I should clarify by telling you I'm talking about girls here. I'm not saying I've had this feeling recently, I'm just thinking out loud. I don't know if this is offensive to anyone in some weird way, but if it is you can just go home because we don't want you here.

And if you don't know what I'm talking about you can go home too.

How ya been?

2008-10-26T22:39:00.000-07:00

Today I picked up a solar panel from the roadside. Technically it doesn't belong to me but I'm going to keep it. It powers a few LED lights. I think it would be fun to alter it so that it powers...something cool. I dunno what, but something..

I've been reading Golding's Lord of the Flies. I have hardly been able to put it down because at each turn of a page I expect them to start tearing into each other. It is a twisted, gripping little book.

I also framed a picture today. I covered an old wooden frame with a whole bunch of coins from my collection. France, Germany, Argentina, Dutch Antilles, Barbados, Seychelles, South Africa, Isreal, Jordan, China, Thailand, Italy, Turkey, Malaysia. They come from everywhere and in all shapes and sizes: square ones, wavy-edged ones, big fat ones, heavy ones, wafer-thin ones.

I didn't put a single Euro on the frame.

Each coin on the frame is its own sovereign nation. A nation which governs its own land. A nation with the responsibility of caring for its own people.

I didn't put a single Euro on the frame because I feel that it represents a break-down of that system. An undermining of nationalism. Unifying national governments into continental governments like the European Union or the American Union consolidates too much power into too few hands. It distances the governing body from the people. Such power inevitably falls into the wrong hands.

I didn't put a single Euro on the frame.

Yesterday we tried to cook our meal in a solar oven. We failed because we didn't actually put much planning into the oven's construction. But it was the idea of the thing! I don't know about the rest of the family but I found the whole thing really interesting. Of course I have heard of solar ovens before but I didn't think they were so practical and...possible! Did you know you can boil water in the dead of Utah's winter in relatively no time at all?

It will be really fun to learn how to construct an efficient oven which is large enough to cook for our entire family.

Gawl, I just have so much to write about tonight!

I received a brochure from Deep Springs College. It is a college in the Middle-of-Nowhere, California and it is the coolest college I have ever heard of. The student body consists of twenty-six men (no women). The students make all decisions in the management of the college including admittance of new applicants, hiring and firing of staff, and courses taught.

The campus is home to 300 head of cattle, goats, chickens, geese, sheep, milk cows, an alfalfa farm, and a large garden. All students participate in in maintaining and running the ranch. Everyone takes turns at different duties, feed man, dairy boy, butcher, baker, cook, labor crew, etc. Tuition is free for all accepted applicants. There are two set-in-stone rules: no alcohol or drugs, and no leaving the valley during the term.

Oh, I can hardly tell you how cool this place looks! Check out their site here!

Alright, I will end here because it is late and my laptop is starting to overheat...

Jus' talkin' t'mahself...

2008-10-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

Two things:

1) I talk like a durn cricker.

2) I have a fairly negative vocabulary.

The cricker thing I'm not so worried about. It is part of who I am. And it is a little bit fun to talk like a hick sometimes, even if I sound unintelligent.

The negative vocabulary though...

I curse. A lot. and I'm not only talking about horrible cuss words, I'm also talking about little things like suck and friggin', etc. I suppose small ones like that never bothered me before, but lately I cringe a little every time I let one slip.

I need to stop. But it is very difficult because, like cricker-talk, it has become part of who I am. A bad part of who I am. So if I'm ever with you and I say something that offends your ears, go ahead and slug me, will ya? Honestly.

Educational Sleep Deprivation

2008-10-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

I could go to bed right now and probably wake up tired, or I could read a book after posting this and still wake up tired.

The former choice is of course the healthier one...

I think I'll take the latter.

Sometimes I hate that I don't know enough to hold my own in an argument. Today during my free period we all got into a heated (yet well mannered) debate. We ranged over a few topics, the usual: Presidential Election, Wall Street Bail-out, War in Iraq, etc. While I feel that I made some decent points, I also feel that if I were more well read, more geographically literate, more culturally aware then I could refute the stupid arguments that some people were making.

So that is why I choose the latter. That's why I am going to read a book until 3 o' clock in the morning.

(And hopefully the sleep deprivation won't have lasting damage on my brain...)

One of those friends

2008-10-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, I promise I wasn't slackin' off on posting. I've been trying to get on to write something but it's just been so crazy-busy this past week that I couldn't afford the time. So, even though it is 1 o' clock in the morning and I'm freaking exhausted, I'm forcing myself to post. And to make it a good one.

Have you ever had one of those friends that you can talk about anything with? I mean anything. You can have the deepest conversations about 'why are we here' or 'where are we going'. You can have heated debates about major world issues or best pizza toppings. You can laugh at ridiculous people or laugh at your ridiculous selves. You can go for hours delving into the hidden meanings of a literary work or you can make up crazy ditties from Dr. Suess books.

You know the kind of friend I'm talking about. Be they girl or boy, young or old. You can say anything you want when your with that person. They won't look at you funny for it, or think less of you for it, because they understand.

You have too much dirt on them just like they have too much dirt on you.

Have you ever lost one of those friends? Just like that, lost them.

One day it occurs to you that you things aren't the same between the both of you anymore. And maybe sometimes you don't care. Maybe you think, 'Well, such is life. Things change and you move on.' But maybe other times you can't quite figure out what went wrong. You want to fix it. Really bad, you want to fix it. But you don't know what went wrong.

So you have to force yourself to think, 'Well, such is life. Things change and you move on.'

And I'm not talking about marriage here, so all y'all with spouses can just hush yer melons! I can almost hear you right now saying 'Why yes, I had one of those friends, she became my wife.' Well, way to go! Bonus points for you!

I s'pose losing one of those friends doesn't happen to adults much...

Baby it's cold outside!

2008-10-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

I am hating this cold weather. I can stand the cold, but I can't stand riding a bicycle in the cold. I've done it for two bloody years now and I don't think I can do it again.

When you ride a bike in the winter it doesn't matter how well you bundle up, because when you arrive at your destination all of your extremities will have frostbite and all of your not-extremities will be very hot and sweating. It's really dumb.

I could enjoy the weather so much more if I could get that lawn ornament running ('68 Buick Special Deluxe!), but alas I have hit a few speedbumps and run out of funds (yet again).

You don't happen to know anyone with an old Rochester carburetor, do you?

Stifling Silence

2008-10-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

I hate when I don't know what to talk about.

I just don't know what to say. I sit there and search for conversation topics in my head until I suddenly realize that I haven't said anything!

There are two kinds of silence. There are comfortable silences and then there are the silences that you can feel, their presence is stifling. You just want to say something, anything to end it, but you can't think of anything. So you mumble something lame about the song on the radio, or the billboard you just passed, or maybe you just laugh at the awful predicament you are in. And the person you are with makes a response. Dispels the silence. But when they're done you find yourself searching for conversation topics....

That happened to me a couple times tonight. I feel lame.

But I did have fun! I hitched a ride up to the Tabernacle to watch my friends perform in All-State Choir. They were amazing. Their conductor had chosen some really cool pieces (Whitacre's "Cloudburst"!) and they were so precise, their blend was superb, and their energy was fantastic!

I am supremely jealous.

Gah! I hate being a mooch! I hate being socially inept! I hate seeing all of the night's stupid moments replayed in my head!

[insert creative title here]

2008-10-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

So my mother's cousin gave us this huge load of firewood, right? Well my mother bought an axe so that we can split it up. Unfortunately, she decided that because this axe is hers she is going to be the first one to use it. She hasn't yet. Sometimes I get home from a lame day at school and I want to go out and vent, but I can't because it's her axe.

-That Faraway Place-

There is a place far away

and it is beautiful.

The sun rests there, just so, and laughs a little

and the gold from it cascades

to the meadow below

where grows the softest grass,

rising and falling.

And the brook that runs through it is lively

it burbles and chatters

sometimes rushing and tripping over stones

and other times it catches in pools

where it sleeps under the warm sun,

in perfect contentment.

Through the whispering trees flit songbirds.

They are a pretty little chorus

and now and again one voice will lift above the others

in an exultant and joyous melody

now sailing high in the air

now moving to such a sorrowful tune,

low and lilting.

Beautiful.

It is all beautiful.

And alone in that place you can be happy

In that faraway place.

Now I'm going to go and bug my mother about that axe....

"Fascist America, in 10 easy steps"

2008-10-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

Hmm... I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not I should use this blog to talk about all the stuff that is wrong in the world (regarding loss of civil liberties, undermining of nationalism, etc.). I think I may start up another blog specifically for that purpose. For now I'll just touch on it briefly.

The Bush administration has more or less completed all 10 steps toward fascism. (As discussed by Naomi Wolfe here, or more in-depth in a video called "The End of America" which can be found here, or even more in-depth in her book The End of America).

The ten steps are as follows:

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy- Can you hear the word "terrorist" echoing in your head? Just what is a terrorist anyways? It is a very loose term and the definition seems to keep expanding. And while we're at it, how can you win a war on terror? (hint: you can't, it lasts as long as you want it to)

2. Create a gulag- Basically a prison that is above the law. It allows you to incarcerate anyone you want for any amount of time and do anything you want to them. Think Guantanamo Bay and CIA "black site" prisons.

3. Develop a thug caste- Blackwater and other private armies are officially immune from the law. They answer to no one. So? So, recently a boatload of Blackwater troops were re-stationed to Colorado. What are they doing there? Training with tasers and tear gas and rubber bullets. Hmm...what on earth would they need that for...

4. Set up an internal surveillance system- You know those cameras on all the stoplights? Well the Department of Homeland Security recently announced that they aren't for traffic regulation after all. Instead they are connected to a facial-recognition database to help catch "terrorists".

5. Harass citizens' groups- Through a little-known law, activist groups --whether they be anti-war, environmental, or even animal-rights-- are now labeled as "potential terrorist threats".

6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release- More or less a list of dissidents and activist to watch. Arrest 'em if they try to board a plane, search 'em, release 'em. Detain anti-war marchers, or college professors that write books about the Constitution, harass them with criminal charges then drop the charges and release them. Rinse. Repeat.

7. Target key individuals- Is that District Attorney getting a little out of hand? Pull some political strings and get him fired. Senators, artists, writers, academics, civil servants, lawyers, doctors, anyone who starts talking too loudly.

8. Control the press- But this is America, we have free press! Actually, no. At the Republican Convention any reporters filming police brutality towards protesters were arrested and their equipment destroyed. One reporter was able to slip away and bury his camera before being arrested. He came back for it after he was finally released. (Bury his camera! It's like the bloody Soviet Union!)

9. Dissension equals treason- Get it into the minds of the people that speaking out in any way will get you in big trouble. Anyone can be declared a "terrorist". This makes people scared to make waves.

10. Suspend the rule of law- The President now has the power to use the militia of any state in any way he chooses (e.g. as a "domestic police force" under martial law). Among other things...

This list, while lengthy, actually only touches on a few of the many civil liberties we have lost in recent years. There is so much stuff that most people don't even know about. So educate yourself and spread the word, do your best to tell everyone- friends, family, total strangers- it doesn't matter if you make a fool of yourself. Aren't your civil liberties worth it? Aren't your God-given Constitutional rights worth it?

Now go click on those links up there!

Heaven and Hell

2008-10-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

Idaho was great. It was a nice visit. I got to see some of the my father's tile work and I was really impressed. His work is spectacular and he has a great eye for detail.

Oh, and we went to a home, the Vest cabin, and it was the closest thing to Heaven I have ever seen. The building itself was of reclaimed timbers from the 1830's! It had a big porch with a copper roof and copper window frames. It sat next to the river on a huge spread of land. The leaves of the trees were turning and the sky was filled with rainclouds (the kind that shoot shafts of sunlight down to the earth). There was nothing else, just the beautiful cabin on the river surrounded by fields of grass, and golden trees, and golden sky.

That's how I imagine Heaven..

On a less happy note:

I sure hope that the end is nigh, because if all this crap is happening for nothing then-- well, it would just suck!!

It's all quite frightening really, and I don't mean the stupid stuff on Wall Street, I mean the fact that Gadianton Robbers have completely taken control and NOBODY notices! It's all so blatantly obvious, you don't need to go searching to see, all you have to do is wake up! But nobody does...

So, it is all very frightening. What keeps me optimistic is the hope that perhaps this is finally it! Perhaps all of the prophecies of old are finally coming together!

I really hope so. I don't want to grow up and try to figure out how to raise a family in a fascist world...a world that more and more seems to resemble Hell..

*The things I write on here are often disjointed or make little sense. But too bad for you because it's not going to change! Ha Ha!

Vroooom!

2008-10-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow I head North to the spectacular faraway country of....Idaho! Huzzah Potatoes!

Actually, I really am excited. We're going up to visit my father which doesn't happen often because gas is so expensive. It will be a short trip but a good trip.

I'm looking forward to the drive too. I find being behind the wheel quite comfortable, not in a physical sense but in a ...different sense. I don't know what word I'm looking for but I enjoy the hours and the miles more when I am driving.

You know what I hate? OSHA. I did finish carpentry one summer with my uncle, and even though I was awful I enjoyed it. So I decided this year I was going to take the Woodshop class at school...

IT IS RIDICULOUS!

I've used every tool in there a million times, and yet I have to learn the "proper procedure" for each one of them. "Curl your fingers under when using the planer." "Always wear your safety glasses when applying wood glue." "Don't turn the machine on until the Instructor has approved your set up." "No, don't place your hand there, hold it like this instead" "Don't stand over there, this 12-inch board might slip and impale you." And on and on and on...

I'm okay with rules --actually that's not true, I hate them, but I understand why most of them exist. I understand that the teacher has a lot of morons in his class that need to be protected from their own stupidity.

What I don't understand is why teachers refuse to recognize smart kids. Just normal kids with common sense. If my woodshop teacher would do that I could already be finished with several projects. But no, I'm a minor. My opinion doesn't count. I don't know what I'm talking about. I don't know where I'm going in life. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm not allowed to make my own plans without my mommy giving permission. I'm not allowed to decide for myself whether something is wasting my time or not. And I'm certainly not allowed to cut a little stick without ALL of the guards down, my safety goggles on, a thirty foot perimeter, a kevlar vest, at least two supervisors, and following the "proper procedure".

Maybe I'm making no sense. It is quite late and I have to drive tomorrow morning. G'night.

Soy un perdedor..

2008-10-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a loser baby, so why don'tcha kill me?

It's true. I am very much lame. I stayed home from school these last two days for absolutely no reason. I feel... bleh...

The other day I wrote a "J" on my hand to remind me to do something. Unfortunately I can't remember what it meant. I hate when I do that.

So, I've been looking at the plans for, and information about a new city library. Here are the facts:

Our library currently has 8,000 sq. feet and contains 77,000 volumes
The new library would be 40,000 sq. feet and cost $14,000,000 (9.8 million would be payed for through a bond, meaning increased property taxes)
Currently the court occupies 900 sq. feet and administrative facilities occupy 11,000 sq. feet. These will both be moved to the new Civic Center when completed.
The new Firestation will cost between 2.5 and 3.5 million dollars
The new Civic Center will cost between 15 and 18.5 million dollars
That's a bloody lot of money that Springville doesn't have

It seems to me that building a library we can't afford isn't so smart. It also seems to me that we need more library space. But guess what! Once our new Civic Center is complete we will have 12,000 sq. feet of unused space!

So, for a fraction of the cost of a new library building we could instead renovate the existing building. This would give us space for about 200,000 volumes, putting us up to there with Provo, Orem, and American Fork. This would also allow for offices, study rooms, meeting rooms, etc.

Yes, I know, Springville grows fast. The plans for a new library building provide for about 10 to 20 years of growth. While renovating the existing building would only allow for about half of that growth it would provide us with a few years to repay the cost of the Civic Center and Fire Station. When we are finally in a situation that makes a new building feasible and needed then we should consider floating a multi-million dollar bond. Until then we should "use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without."

Mr. Darcy

2008-10-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching "Pride and Prejudice", the one with Colin Firth. The reeeeeally long one. I survived and --putting my manly ego aside-- enjoyed it. But I have this to say about it:

I don't get it.

I don't understand what every single female finds attractive in Mr. Darcy. He's a rude, socially inept man who doesn't smile once in the entire film except on his wedding day. I know, of course, that his curt arrogance disappears once you get to know him better. But even when he acts like a normal human he really isn't very exciting.

Oh dear! This sounds so ridiculous, coming from a man!

I suppose that the only way for me to get a complete idea of what makes girls so excited for Darcy would be to watch all of the films and read the book. Unfortunately this requires more effort than I am willing to make. After all, a guy can only take so much "Austen" at a time!

Allow me to clarify that I have no interest in becoming like Mr. Darcy or picking up any ideas from him. I am merely curious as to why girls rank him up there with the Disney Princes, Edward Cullen, and Mr. Knightley...

Hey guess what! Tomorrow evening I'm going to one of Avraham Gileadi's firesides! He will be giving a lecture on the biblical history of the Isrealites and how it is a type and likeness of our day. It should be really good. I'll take notes so I can tell you all about it if you ask me.

....

I have nothing more to say tonight

Where I want to be

2008-09-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

There are times when I just don't know where I want to be.

Like now. There are times when you say, "I want to go home." or, "I wish I were with my friends." But right now.. I don't know where I want to be.

Perhaps a mountain, in the cool of the pines, a sliver of blue sky showing between towering peaks. Perhaps, driving, zipping down the road, fast, headed anywhere or nowhere. Perhaps up in a tree, with a book. I don't know.

Well! Anyways, I went on a date last night. A double date with my best friend Li'l Bop. It was a lot of fun! We went to see 'My Fair Lady' and snagged some cheap food on the way home. A nice success, if I do say so myself, I hope the young ladies would agree. I thought it was particularly nice because I was finally able to get an official date with a certain girl. Jolly good!

I'm not sure whether I should use people's names and such. I don't know how other people feel about having their information plastered across the internet, so for now I'll just use nicknames and pronouns.

Mexican Hat!

2008-09-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

"Choose a template and a title" says the screen. So I did. Voila! a blog!

Now I can waste more time on the computer than ever before! Although, I'm not sure what I want to do with this thing just yet...

The title up there? It's from a Gaelic Storm song. Long ago the First Ward Mafia decided it was my theme song because I have a talent for staying up late into the night.

Sleep. I should do that sometimes. But I don't.

There's just something different about the night. The rest of the world has gone to bed.

You feel as though it's all yours.

The Earth. The sky. The Grass and the Mountains.

All is good and simple under the vast expanse of stars.

It doesn't matter if the day isn't right

because there in your own world none of it matters.

It's yours.

Everything is going to work out just fine.

Ironically though, I find the dawn even more spectacular..