Winning Team

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

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!

The Provo Tabernacle Temple

Amazing Rescue!

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.

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

USU Chariot Races

What I've Been Working On

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!

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

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!

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

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!

Bought GameCube on KSL to surprise little brothers.

Doesn't work.

:(

W-I-N-N-E-R

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

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!

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

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

Maple Hike: III

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

I said goodbye to Eric on Tuesday...







...what more was there to say?

How did we get here?

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

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!

Evan comes home tonight!

GO BIG OR GO HOME

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

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

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

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

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

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..

..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

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!

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?

......

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

4 8 15 16 23 42

......

an apology

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....

: (

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...

...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

• 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!"

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

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,

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

Let's start at the very beginning..

..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:

post forthcoming STOP

technical difficulty STOP

blasted image, load! FULL STOP

Oh My Bubbles!

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!

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

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....

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..

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!

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:

ALIVE -STOP

STANDBY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION -FULL STOP

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

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..

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?

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)?

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...