Cancel-out the Noise

The End of an Era

2009-05-09T19:45:00.002-06:00

Wednesday was the final episode of my beloved Scrubs. For the last eight years, I have gone through the up's and down's of each Sacred Heart employee. There has been laughing and crying, but it was always entertaining. Alec and I confessed our mutual "guy love" before "bromances" became cool.

Guy Love

I was very anxious for the finale, to find out if I would be satisfied. This is a show I watch the reruns of multiple times per day, so I know the in's and out's of the whole series. The first 10 minutes was great, but for about the next 15 I was scared that it wasnt going to live up to my expectations. The last 10 minutes were the best in Television history. I hope I can find a youtube clip of it all. I couldnt stop smiling once it was over because it could not have ended in a better way.

Even though I can't say these are my 10 favorite clips, I can say they are a few of my favs.

This is the last 10 minutes of the show. Absolutely fantastic!

Sports Update

2009-04-09T10:18:00.002-06:00

Just a quick sports update.
-I have decided to make a renewed dedication to my SF Giants. They have gone through a few down years, but I think this is the year it starts to change. With a tough pitching staff, they will win a few more games this year, and if the dogs pitching staff doesnt develop well, then I could see an outside chance at the NL West crown.

-Masters week may be higher than the first weekend of march madness on my favorite sports week list. I am always excited for it, but every year I watch the par 3 tourney and realize how special this tournament is. Remember, live coverage of amen corner and 15 & 16 can be found here, even when ESPN or CBS coverage has not started.

-Does it please anyone else to see the Yanks drop their first two?

-Any suggestions on sporting events to use my razorgator credit for?

The Pay Off

2009-04-07T08:07:00.002-06:00

Ok, it has been long enough. I really doubted my testimony of blogging, but my wife has helped me see that I should continue. Lets see if I can keep it up again.

Last night, my sports obsession paid off, literally. I am on a site called Wazzel where you pick the winners of games based on the betting lines. Instead of risking cash, you win and lose points with each pick. They say that in the future you will be able to cash in the points for prizes, like at an arcade. Over the past three weeks, I participated in a contest called Wazzel Madness. While most march madness contests consist of picking all the winners before the tournament starts, this one allows you to pick game by game, again based on the betting line. The amount of points possible to win increased by round, with the first round games worth 2000 points and the championship game worth 10000. Going into yesterdays game, I was winning by 6000 points, with only one other person in the running for a win, who was down by 18000. Since I was in first, I waited until late to make the pick, so no one could make their pick based on mine. Picking UNC at -7.5 wasnt very difficult, it was just hard picking period, knowing what was on the line. I didnt want to be like Tyler and screw up when the pressure was on!

Finally it was game time. After Carolina scored the first basket, the CBS feed went out. It was out on both cable and satellite, I dont know if it was just us or if it was the SLC affiliate, but I wasnt very happy. I was able to get the game online, so that saved a very stressful night. Honestly, the outcome was never really in doubt, but I pushed those thoughts out of my head throughout the game so there would be no jinx. Finally, with about 2 minutes left, I declared myself the winner and broke out the champagne. Actually, there was no champagne, but that would have been fun to spray all over the house. In the end, I won a $750 voucher for the ticket website RazorGator. I thought picking with the lead was tough, but deciding what sporting event I want to go to will be a huge challenge!

It is about time all the hours I have spent in front of the TV pays off. Let this be a lesson to you kids, hard work pays off.

The Cold Soda-Location Theory

2009-02-24T16:25:00.004-07:00

While we were eating In N Out on our way home from Mexico this past weekend, my brain was firing on all cylinders. It had been a while since I had experienced those feelings; in fact, it had been almost six years. Previously, it happened while I was having a slurpee in Virginia, which was a very disappointing slurpee experience. Now, I (with help from my wife) came up with a great explanation for In N Out.

While I was enjoying a fabulous burger and fries, for some odd reason it surprised me how good it tasted. It shouldnt have surprised me, as it was In N Out, but then I realized where my last few In N Out experiences had taken place...St. George Utah. I had gotten used to having In N Out in the first state that does not directly touch California. I likened it to the different ways of having Cold Soda, at least through my eyes. The principles apply the same depending on how you like your soda.

1. Iced Mug
The Iced Mug experience only happens in California. That is the founding place of In N Out and embodies all that the restaurant stands for. When drinking soda out of an iced mug, it stays cold for a good amount of time and some of the gas can escape, flattening the soda. This is how I prefer my soda.

2. Can out of the middle of the cooler
The COOTMOTC experience happens in the states which touch California: Nevada and Arizona. As long as the soda is consumed quickly, it is still very cold and always has the best taste. It just doesnt have quite the same grandeur as the iced mug. The creative juices and lifestyle of California can seep into these states since they are touching each other.

3. Fountain Drink Full of Ice
The FDFOI experience is still a great way to have soda, but it is my least favorite. There are many different factors that go into play, from the amount of syrup in the mixture, the amount of CO2 in the mixture, how cold the mixture is coming out of the fountain and how quickly the ice melts. While I can never turn down soda just because it is from the fountain, I prefer the other. The St. George location is still great, because it is In N Out, but now it has California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah variable to deal with.

In conclusion, there is no doubt that In N Out in California is the greatest way to consume the burger and fries, but the other locations cannot be ignored. I urge all who think they have experienced In N Out without partaking in California locations, to do so as soon as possible, as it is a life changing experience!

The End of an Era

2009-02-24T16:22:00.002-07:00

In sad news for Colts fans, Marvin Harrison was released by the team today. After breaking Jerry Rice and Steve Young's record for most TD connections, it was best to let him go. I am very interested to see where he ends up. Marvin has seen better days but is still a very capable possession receiver.

The Next Best Two Years

2009-02-08T20:41:00.002-07:00

Today marks the second anniversary of my return to the United States after a year and a half in Brazil. I have been thinking about all the things I miss about Sao Paulo.

-Pastels!

-Tapioca (different from tapioca pudding)

-People watering their concrete
-Three tongue clicks
-Dodging buses in Santo Amaro

-Getting violated on buses during rush hour

-The crazy music blaring on the streets in favelas

-Cops driving around with their heads hanging out the window

-Crazy motorcycles
-No snow!

-Guarana Kuat

-Sao Paulinos

-Corintianos

-Favelas

-Vielas

-Random trees planted in the middle of the road
-Cipo

-Evening mist

-Motorcycles getting hit by buses

-Crazy evangelicals holding their bibles over their hearts

-Crazy evangelicals taunting you during their services

-Crazy evangelicals in general

-Igreja Universal

-Rice and Beans

-Pao de Queijo

-Parque Ibirapuera

There are so many more things that I know I am forgetting, but these are things I have remembered throughout the day.

DTV

2009-02-04T15:38:00.003-07:00

Who decided that people need more time to procrastinate the transition to digital tv? IMO those who havent switched over cant afford the $10 it takes, after the govt subsidy (understandable), or dont watch tv enough to care. I am willing to bet a lot of money that the latter make up the large majority, therefore, not be affected. When they turn their tv on and it doesnt get a signal, I am sure they will figure out what is wrong if they want to watch tv so bad. And the government wonders why people are so cynical towards them? There have been ads on tv for OVER A YEAR about this, but lets put it off until June, that should make a huge difference. How about you be an example of how to meet a deadline, instead of your usual excuses and delays?

Funny Finance Fiascos

2009-01-28T12:02:00.006-07:00

My most boring class this semester is Managerial Finance. The professor is a good guy, but its about his time to retire. Every session I battle to keep my phone and bejeweled in my pocket, which lately I have been losing. Today, something amazing happened, almost like BYU winning a game in the NCAA Tournament, its bound to happen sometime, but is very surprising when it does.
Even though school started three weeks ago, the professor decided to have each student introduce themselves, the typical "what is your major, year in school and a few interesting facts" thing. This provided some obvious comedic gold, but little did we know the last guy (referred to as BB) would inspire laughs previously unheard in room 208 from 11-12. When it was BB's turn, he asked if he could stay sitting since his legs hurt. Then he said, "Well, I will try to stand up, but it is hard to use your legs after doing 450 lbs. on the leg press last night." Immediately, he had 65 people laughing, even though it wasnt meant to be a joke. Then his interesting fact was that he once went 5 days without sleeping, which was probably not very surprising to most in the room. Once the introduce yourself exercise finished, I thought it was back to the normal doldrums that accompany the class...but I was wrong.
One assignment in this class is to do a two minute presentation on business ethics. it can be a personal experience, a story from the paper, or even something made up. The first guy got up and put his powerpoint on the wall. The name "Tony Stark", or Iron Man, was on the first slide, which lead us to believe that was the presenters name. What followed was absolutely amazing. His presentation was about the ethical dilemma that Tony Stark faced as the head of Stark Industries and as Iron Man, so it was basically the plot of the box office hit from this previous summer.

Not only did he come up with this great idea, but he was able to present it with a straight face, while the whole class was laughing.
I have to do my ethics presentation on friday and am thinking of talking about the ethical dilemma that Batman faces when fighting the bad guys. His whole shtick is not killing people, but that must be hard when he considers all that they have done. The Iron Man presentation opened up a whole new world of ethical dilemmas to me!

My Nah Nah Nah

2009-01-23T16:06:00.001-07:00

While surfing around the interwebs last night, I came across a sneak preview of a new scrubs episode. What follows is the greatest fantasy JD has ever allowed us to see.

Toot Toot

2009-01-22T09:56:00.002-07:00

(By the way Johnny, you can't earn a jump ball when you are not touching said ball! Se parafuse!)

It's about time. I went through the gamut of emotions in about 4 hours yesterday. When I came home from work, shay and I decided to go to the gym. Since the byu-unlv game was later, I wanted to wear my lucky rebels shirt. After going through my closet I couldn't find it. I started to panic but shay helped me out and the crisis was averted...for now. I had a great workout and we ordered the new Natural pizza from Pizza Hut, which is great by the way. We got settled in for the game and I made a critical mistake...I grabbed a blue powerade from the fridge. The first half then proceeded to mAke me extremely mad, I couldn't understand why the Rebs decided not to show up, especially Oscar on the defensive end! I finished up my powerade as the first half ended and spent halftime mad At the world. Alec called when he got out of class as the second half was starting and I was able to vent my frustrations. After byu called an early timeout, I realized my mistake. How could I enjoy anything blue on this day!?! The rest of the half proceeded in direct opposite to the first and the Rebs escaped with a big road win. It had been a long time coming!

Now, to address the blog title. Before the game, I made two predictions: a final score prediction of 78-70, and that the rebels would win if Wink scored more than 20 points with at least 8 of those coming from the free throw line. As the CBSC broadcast ended, I realized my final score prediction was two points off, 76-70, which can be directly attributed to one of the technical free throws that Wink missed and the front end of the last two free throws that Tre'Von missed with a second or two left! I usually predict the score for every game and this is my closest prediction of the season. Then, as I was reading the Sun today, I saw that Wink went 8-10 from the line for 22 points. I batted 1.000 yesterday! Too bad I wasn't around any sports books, I was on fire! Hence the blog title, Not to toot my own horn but...

A Long-Awaited Reunion

2009-01-14T14:55:00.003-07:00

SPIRIT WORLD-After more than 25 years of being apart, Bert and Joyce Leavitt were reunited early Tuesday morning. In a beautiful moment, with countless souls watching, Bert pulled his wife into his arms, speechless after so much time apart. It was a beautiful sight to see, such lasting love being rekindled. The decision had been made, Joyce would no longer be a mortal servant, taking care of her sisters, husband or children during sickness; it was time for the next mission, this time with her husband.
Joyce had served hundreds, or maybe thousands, of people during her time on Earth, especially after the loss of her husband. A few missions in Pittsburgh, Washington D.C, and Salt Lake City are just a few examples of the time she spent serving. She outlived not only her husband, but also her eldest son and daughter. This was a woman who had experienced much heartbreak, but had taken those experiences and turned them into positives that she could learn from. For the past 15 years, Joyce organized "Gram's Beach Party," which outsiders may call a family reunion, but those that experienced it will attest to the "party" part of the name. There is no doubt those she left behind will continue this great tradition.
I am lucky enough to have had a personal relationship with Joyce, who is my Grammy. During my school years, she missed only a handful of sporting events, choir concerts or other events where I requested her presence. Short, routine chores at her house turned into an afternoon full of stories. I have never met another 80 year old woman who was up to date on not only the family team, UNLV, but multiple sports. Countless times I walked into her house on weekends to find a golf tournament or college basketball game on the television.
In my mind, Gram didn't age for my first 20 years of life; she jumped straight from 60 to 80. The last few years were hard for her. She walked slower, breathed harder and just didn't have the energy to take her to all the places she wanted to be. All of a sudden I started to think of a time without her, which I just as quickly pushed out of my consciousness. My only regret is that my beautiful wife did not get to experience Christmas Morning with her. The breakfast tradition will continue, but there will always be someone missing; no Charlie brown tree, or crazy sweater with flashing Christmas lights. I hope the weird birthday hat doesn't disappear, that every child or grandchild frantically calls around on their special day so they can put the hat on their head for just a few seconds.
Witnesses to the reunion say it was one of the happiest moments they had ever seen, second only to their own reunions with loved ones. Even more people confirm what many of us here on Earth were thinking...she did hear the words, "Well done my Good and Faithful Servant."

Argue!

2009-01-12T15:00:00.002-07:00

Last night Shay and I were over at a friends house for a little sunday night get together. It was there I discovered the greatest board game ever created...Argue! The name explains the whole premise of the game, to take an assigned topic and convince the other players your argument is correct. Little did I know, Shay and I would provide entertainment for the remainder of the night. We argued about whether or not Supermodels are overrated, which is better: baked or mashed potatoes and I think there may have been one more argument in there but I dont really remember. It is a good thing we dont have this game in our house or else I would be sleeping on the couch everynight, after winning arguments of course! :) I think this is a perfect game for our upcoming Mexico adventure.

bookrenter.com

2008-12-30T16:09:00.003-07:00

For all those college students stressing about whether or not they can afford this semesters worth of books, I found a great site. It is called bookrenter.com. The name of the site tells the story, rent your books for the semester instead of buying them and getting screwed by the bookstore for a low buyback price, or a new edition all together. I paid $321 for $680 worth of books. I made sure I couldnt buy them anywhere for cheaper than I was renting them and they all turned out to be very new books so it was hard to find cheap copies. This site doesnt let you write or highlight in the book, but chegg.com, another rental site, allows that but it is a bit more expensive. I will return at the end of the semester and report on how well this site works!

Nada Mais - Hateen

2008-12-18T16:01:00.003-07:00

I got this from Lindsey and liked it, so I will do it myself!

Directions:
Put your iPod, iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
For each question, press the "next" button to get your answer.
YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY OR NON-SENSICAL IT SOUNDS.
Try it if you want to, I'm anti-tagging.
Well, here we go!

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Never a Better Hero - Greg Hansen

2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Now - Pat McGee Band

3. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Skin - Rascal Flatts

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
An Oak Tree Stand Behind a Lindon - I Can Make a Mess Like Nobodys Business

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE PURPOSE?
Hundred - The Fray

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Boombox Generation - Motion City Soundtrack

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Let It Happen - Jimmy Eat World

8. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Motto - Less Than Jake

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Why Don't You Leave? - Homegrown

10. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Wonderful - Wicked Soundtrack

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
All I Ask of You - The Phantom of the Opera

12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Pages - There For Tomorrow

13. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
It's Gotta Be You - Backstreet Boys

14. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?
That Spirit of Christmas - Ray Charles

15. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Better With You - Five Times August

16. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
On Your Wings - Iron and Wine

17. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Tired All the Time - Treaty of Paris (This would better fit Alyssa or my mom)

18. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Bastard - Ben Folds

19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Come Together - The Beatles

20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Leave You Traveling - Steel Train

21. SONG THEY WILL PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
The Saddest Song - The Ataris

22. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Nada Mais - Hateen

That didnt turn out as cool as Lindsey's but I urge all to try it!

Video Chat

2008-12-17T20:10:00.002-07:00

Since Alec and Tiff got a mac, we have tried multiple times to talk through iChat. For some reason, we were never successful. After another unsuccessful attempt tonight, I remembered that Gmail had recently introduced video chatting. We decided to try that instead. Alec made a gmail address and we downloaded the necessary stuff. Finally, we got it working! Quickly we discovered one problem, my microphone wasnt working. For a few minutes, as I tried to figure out the problem, I felt like a mute. Alec was asking me questions, but I had to type out answers. Now I know how it feels to not be able to talk. I figured out what was wrong and we enjoyed the amazingness of technology!

What a Tribute

2008-12-15T14:23:00.002-07:00

This is an excerpt of todays SI Peter King column.

The Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks set off on a six-game, 12-day road trip on Nov. 18 -- to, in order, Phoenix, Dallas, Toronto, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles. (Who thinks of these itineraries? Magellan?) In between a Saturday night date with the Maple Leafs and a Tuesday noon flight to San Jose, the players were going to have their one day off on the trip, a Sunday, back home with family in Chicago.
But the day before they played Toronto, the players learned that Stan Tallon, the father of Chicago general manager Dale Tallon, had died after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease in a rural Ontario town, Gravenhurst, two hours north of Toronto. The director of team services, Tony Ommen, told the captains that he could try to arrange a team trip to the Sunday night wake in Gravenhurst if they wanted to go. But if they did, of course, they'd be giving up their only day off on a grueling trip in a two-week period. It was a day most of the players had plans to do something, if only to watch football on TV, sleep all day, Christmas-shop, hang with family.
"Guys like their time off, that's for sure,'' Patrick Sharp, an assistant captain, said via cell phone. "But this was something, when we got together, we felt we had to do. Dale's a part of us.''
The team meeting was brief and to the point, and there was no objection from a single player: The players would stay over in Toronto, surrender the day off, and bus up to the wake in mid-afternoon on country roads with a fresh blanket of snow. Ommen arranged two buses, one for the coaches and staff, and one for the 23 players on the trip. In all, about 50 members of the Blackhawk traveling party made it to the W.J. Cavill Funeral Home in Gravenhurst, and when they walked quietly through the side door of the place, Dale Tallon couldn't believe his eyes. He tried to say something.
"I couldn't talk,'' he said. "I just started bawling.''
The players and staff all filed past the open casket and paid their respects to the family, including Tallon's 80-year-old mom, whose mood brightened tremendously. She knew the players from watching the games on satellite TV. Now here they were, her heroes! She had a little crush on the big star, Patrick Kane, whom her son had drafted first overall last year. "Patrick Kane!'' she said, and hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Tallon,'' Sharp said.
"Ooooh,'' she said. "I enjoy watching you play.''
And then the players sat respectfully among the townspeople for a while, and then they went into a side room to look at the photo display of Stan Tallon's family, which could have been any hockey family in Canada, with shots of Dale as a tyke and moving up through the years 'til he thrilled the family by making the NHL. Before the players left, Dale Tallon told them how touched the family was that they'd make this trip for him.
Last week, Dale Tallon tried to explain why this happened. "I think hockey's unique,'' he said. "In every Canadian town, the hockey rink seems to be the center of the community. Families do so much for their kids and sacrifice for them so they can play. You rise up through different levels, but you never forget how you got there. With these kids on our team, I scouted, recruited and drafted so many of them. Watching them walk through that door made me feel so good about the type of people -- not just the kind of players -- we drafted. I hear so many people talking negatively about the youth of today, but don't underestimate these kids. They're good kids. My mother is there. Her husband of 59 years is laying in a casket next to her. And these kids walked in and she was just on Cloud Nine ...'' And then Dale Tallon got a little misty over the phone.
"I've played for different teams in juniors and the pros,'' said the 26-year-old Sharp, from the Ontario hockey hotbed of Thunder Bay. "And you walk into every locker room and you become brothers. Maybe it's rare in pro sports, but it's not rare in hockey, I don't think. We're all in this together. It goes back to growing up in hockey. My older brother played, I played, and my parents made huge sacrifices to drive us everywhere we had to go. Everyone in this game knows how much family means.''
Said Ommen: "The culture of hockey revolves around family.''
The team boarded the buses to return to Toronto and the charter flight home. But on the way out of town, as happens with two dozen premier athletes who have not eaten in some time, the players saw a McDonald's. They got the buses to stop. Inside, as the Chicago Blackhawks walked en masse into a sleepy McDonald's in rural Canada long after the dinner crowd was gone, a teenage kid behind the register figured out who he was looking at. "Coooooool!'' he said.
"So on the wall there's this big billboard,'' Sharp said. "I guess McDonald's in Canada has hockey cards, and we're looking at this, and there's [teammates] Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, looking at this. They had cards in this McDonald's series. We all had no idea. So a few of the guys bought the Happy Meals, or whatever, trying to get their cards.''
A couple of weeks have passed. The Blackhawks lost all three games on the last leg of the trip, but no one was blaming the Gravenhurst detour. I asked Sharp if the team had any regrets about attending the wake.
"None,'' he said. "No complaints. We were where we should have been. We'd do it again, 100 times.''
And that's my good news story of the week. Be proud, Canada. You've raised some nice boys

Superman

2008-12-09T15:05:00.002-07:00

This is either the funniest, or the most depressing, editorial cartoon I have ever seen.

Jimmy V Week

2008-12-08T12:38:00.002-07:00

At the beginning of December, ESPN does "Jimmy V Week" to solicit donations to the Jimmy Fund to fight cancer. Jim Valvano was a college basketball coach who won the 1983 NCAA title with NC State. The video of him running around the court looking for someone to hug is ageless. In 1992 he was diagnosed with bone cancer which advanced very quickly. In March of 1993, he accepted the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award at the ESPN awards show, the ESPYs. His acceptance speech is one that I watch every year at this time. It is very moving and heartfelt, with the love that he had of helping others plainly evident. I have embedded the video below and encourage everyone to take the 10 minutes and watch it. Less than two months after the speech, he passed away. The foundation is set up with ESPN, which pays all administrators and employees to control the fund, so every penny donated is used for cancer research. I hope it moves you as much as it does me.

2008-11-25T09:24:00.001-07:00

null - Watch more free videos

Another New Beginning

2008-11-10T09:29:00.004-07:00

A few weeks ago I expressed my excitement for the opening of the NBA season...that does not even compare with how excited I am for College Basketball. Today marks the day that teams can start playing real games, although many will play an exhibition game early in the week then start the regular season this weekend. If I had to choose one sport to watch and that was it, NCAA basketball would be my choice. The middle of November each year is when I really appreciate satellite TV, since there is usually a game every night and that only increases once football ends. In the next day or two, I am going to do a UNLV and NCAA season preview. In the mean time, USA Today said this Saturday's UNLV-USD game is the best game of opening week. Hopefully that means that after the Rebs win, they will jump into the top 25!

This pic is not a dig at Mike, but when I googled Wink Adams, it came up 3 times on the first page so I had to put it on here!

Suggestions

2008-11-09T09:41:00.003-07:00

This article is in todays New York Times, written by Greg Mankiw, a Harvard Economist who was an adviser to President Bush and in charge of economic policy to Mitt Romney during his campaign. He updates his blog very often and provides a level-headed view of politics from a very well respected economist.

Congratulations, Senator Obama. You ran a good campaign, and you racked up an historic victory. As you get ready for your new responsibilities, let me suggest four ways for you to become a reliable steward of the economy:

Listen to your economists. During the campaign you assembled an impressive team of economic advisers from the nation’s top universities, including Austan Goolsbee from University of Chicago and David Cutler and Jeff Liebman from Harvard. Your campaign’s director of economic policy, Jason Furman, is a smart, sensible, and well-trained policy economist. I know: He is a former student of mine.

Pay close attention to what they have to say. They will often give you advice quite different from what you will hear from congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. To make sure you hear the views of your economists, put them in offices close to yours. Tell your chief of staff to invite them to all the relevant meetings.

Embrace some Republican ideas. No party has a monopoly on truth. Be ready to take the best Republican policy proposals and make them your own, as Bill Clinton did with welfare reform in 1996.

Health policy is a case in point. Over the past several months, you lambasted McCain’s proposal to reform the tax code to include a refundable health insurance tax credit. Did you know that long before McCain ever proposed this idea, it was advanced by Mr. Furman, your campaign’s policy director? He can explain to you why the Furman-McCain plan makes a lot of sense.

Now you may decide that this plan does not go far enough. You may want a more generously funded social safety net to help the less fortunate get health care. Fair enough, but in pursuing that goal, you run into the next issue.

Pay attention to the government’s budget constraint. The nation faces a long-term imbalance between government spending and tax revenue. The fundamental problem is that the federal government has promised the elderly more benefits than the tax system can support. This fiscal imbalance will become acute as more baby boomers retire and start collecting Social Security and Medicare.

Yet during the campaign, you promised that you would cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans, that you would vastly expand health insurance coverage, and that you would never cut Social Security benefits or raise the retirement age. You will almost surely have to renege on some of these promises. As your economic team will often remind you, even if the laws of arithmetic are ignored during campaigns, they provide a real constraint when making actual policy.

Recognize your past mistakes. As a new senator, you voted along predictable left-wing lines. As president, you will need a more eclectic, nuanced approach.

Take trade policy, for example. In the senate, you voted against the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement. You opposed free trade agreements with Colombia and South Korea. You supported Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham in their quest to put tariffs on Chinese goods if China failed to revalue its exchange rate. You supported the Byrd Amendment, which encouraged domestic companies to file anti-dumping suits against foreign competitors. You supported subsidies for domestic producers of corn-based ethanol and tariffs on imports of more efficient sugar-based ethanol.

Your economists can explain to you why these positions were wrong-headed. Economic isolationism is not in the national interest. A high point of the Clinton presidency was the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which passed both the House and Senate with a majority of Republicans and a minority of Democrats.

This past Tuesday, many people voted for you hoping you would achieve the kind of economic success that Bill Clinton enjoyed in the 1990s. Your best chance of delivering what they want requires that you abandon some of your past positions and pursue a more moderate, bipartisan course.

2008-11-07T10:34:00.001-07:00

"To those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."
-- Barack Obama, Nov. 4, 2008

Picturing the future

2008-11-05T15:53:00.002-07:00

I thought this was a cool picture.

Acceptance Letter

2008-11-05T08:55:00.002-07:00

Dear President Obama,

I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that I accept you as the next President of the United States. Even though I did not vote for you, I understand that by casting a vote, I am expressing my willingness to support my elected leaders, whether or not I choose them. Your leadership and oratorical skills are very impressive, skills which I hope you use to strengthen this beautiful country. I would like to offer some advice; keep exercising, eating right and quit smoking...this should keep Joe Biden in the Naval Conservatory as Vice President.

The next four years will be interesting for this whole nation, especially for you. I am ready to support you 100% and I am sure I will be willing to offer constructive criticism whenever you need it. You have already made history, dont let that be the last time it happens. If I can ask one favor, it would be to create a College Football Playoff. I know that may seem trivial compared to the problems facing the economy, or our foreign relations, but it would really make me happy. Think about it, no President in the history of our nation has been able to accomplish that, while many have been able to win wars, or create new jobs. I think that is the way you can leave your true legacy on Main Street!

President, good luck and God speed.

Sincerely,

Dixon Leavitt

election day

2008-11-04T09:42:00.002-07:00

As I drove to school this morning I was filled with emotion over how blessed I am to live in this country. There has been so much negativity surronding the elections but how lucky am I to not have to worry about a coup by the democrats if Obama loses? I have the choice of whether or not I want to vote, then if I do choose to vote, I can support those who I feel best represent my way of life. Even in a time of economic hardship, I have a job which allows me to provide for my family and fill my car with gas. Not only that but I can watch people make fun of our leaders on tv, without them fearing for their lives for being so outspoken! Even those being made fun of want to participate in the joke!
Around 10 or 11 tonight when I am finding out who will be the leader of my country for the next four years, I will remember all of the many blessings that I enjoy now and will continue to enjoy through his presidency, although I may have to share more of those blessings if the "quasi-socialist" is elected! Life can't get much better than it is now and a 40 year old black man or a 72 year old angry white man can't change that.

College

2008-11-03T09:54:00.002-07:00

Where if the homework is too hard, the answer in the back of the book must be wrong!

Where Grown Men Crying Happens

2008-10-29T09:24:00.004-06:00

I have never been so excited about the start of the NBA season! Turning on TNT after work yesterday, I witnessed Paul Pierce crying like he had just been stabbed 11 times (wait, that happened) as he received his championship ring. Usually these guys just grab it, wave to the crowd and go get ready for the game. Everyone of the Celtics looked like they truly appreciated what was happening, except for Brian Scalabrine but he never knows whats going on as long as he can pick up his check every two weeks. It almost caused my eyes to water and I wasnt even a Celtics fan. Upon further reflection I made a decision to do something I have never done...jump on a bandwagon. Last season, I hoped the Celtics would win it all so my favorite player of all time, Kevin Garnett, could finally get a ring after carrying the Timberwolves for so many years. After seeing that Paul Pierce and Ray Allen care too, I am on the bandwagon. Call me a Celtics fan...for now at least. I have always been the one making fun of people for jumping on, but I feel as if I had no choice with this one.

In other NBA news, Greg Oden is hurt again. I almost feel bad for the guy, but then I realize ive never liked him in the first place and thought Durant should have been the #1 pick. To dominate in high school and then against a few decent big men once a week in college is much different than 82 NBA games. I would like to see him stay healthy enough so this Portland team can reach their full potential (Rudy Fernandez will be ROY), but I just dont see that happening. Between a surgically repaired wrist and knee, things will go downhill. I think it is interesting that no one has said anything about the impact of his knee surgery. It was the same one that Amare Stoudamire had a few seasons ago and he was out, no bball at all, for over a year, and it wasnt until about 2 years after the surgery that he was back to full strength. Oden only had the surgery a year ago and is already back trying to play 25-30 minutes a night. That doesnt sound like it is going to work out very well, if you ask me.

Tonight, the rest of the teams get going. Quick predictions:
Finals: Utah/Boston
Winner: Utah
MVP: LeBron
ROY: Rudy Fernandez
Best Record: Lakers
Most Disappointing: Detroit

Irresponsible Blogger

2008-10-24T14:51:00.002-06:00

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. Over the past two weeks I have had tests in 4 of my 5 classes and have the 5th one on wednesday. Throw in the fact I still cant figure out how to solve the type of problems that are going to be on that test and school is definitely stressing my out more than usual. The good news is my average on those four tests is 81%, and that includes on VERY bad score. Throw out the outlier and it jumps up to an 88% average. Alec, I challenge you to figure out what that other score was and post it in the comments. It will be embarrassing, but also show what a geek my best friend is! :)

Raising the Bar

2008-10-11T12:34:00.002-06:00

I dont know how many of you have watch the new TNT show, "Raising the Bar", but it is awesome! The main character is Zack Morris (not his real name) from "Saved By the Bell". He plays a lawyer in the New York Public Defender's office. The main cast all comes from the Public Defender's and DA's offices, plus a judge mixed in there. It comes on Monday nights, but the episodes are replayed many times throughout the week. The few episodes weren't great, but the last two have been amazing. The stories they tell are very interesting. I recommend it to all!

Wal-Mart Hypocrites

2008-10-10T10:46:00.003-06:00

I am in class right now and the annoying student (every class has one) out of the blue said the economy is bad because of Wal-Mart. Then, her, the professor, and many others went on a 10 minute rant of why Wal-Mart is bad. When I looked at the girl who started this I noticed:
1. Her backpack is from Wal-mart.
2. She is eating the Wal-mart off brand fruit snacks.
3. Her coffee mug is from Wal-Mart.
4. Her shoes are from Wal-Mart.

I would bet next months tuition that 80% of the people complaining are regular Wal-Mart shoppers. If you really believe Wal-Mart is evil, STOP SHOPPING THERE!

Personally, I only go to Wal-Mart when I cant get things on sale somewhere else. This is nothing against Wal-Mart, but more to support the other places that are trying to stay in business, thus providing jobs to our small town.

Google Game Tag

2008-10-07T15:50:00.003-06:00

Destiny tagged me to do the 8 things, but show obviously doesnt know how I feel about being tagged! Instead, I saw a cool thing that Elizabeth did on her blog and decided it would be a good compromise with Destiny.
This is how the game works: Use Google image search to answer each question. Then, out of ONLY the first page of results, choose your favorite or most random image. You are supposed to tag people after, but I dont do that, so if you think its a cool idea, do it yourself!

My Age:

Place I have been to:

(Be careful when you google brazil images!)

Place I Want to Visit:

Favorite Place:

Favorite Object:

Favorite Food:

Favorite Animal:

Favorite Color:

(I put in scarlet, like UNLV's scarlet and gray!)

Birthplace:

Pets:

Past Love:

Best Friend:

Nickname:

First Name:

Middle Name:

Last Name:

(Does it surprise you that we have a diamond named after our family?)

Bad Habit:

First Job:

Grandmother's Name:

College Degree:

What I am Doing Right Now:

I urge all to try this out. It is rather amusing!

The House that Ruth Built

2008-09-30T08:58:00.011-06:00

It has taken me a while to blog about the main reason we went to New York, because it is one of those experiences that most people wont really appreciate or understand how great an opportunity it was. I don't want to come off as bragging or anything like that, so don't take it that way. To better understand how lucky we were, read this Sports Illustrated article from a few weeks ago. I am not even a Yankees fan and I think it was one of the best article ever written by SI.

On Saturday, September 20, we boarded the D train uptown to the Bronx. We had been out late the night before, but the anticipation of the days events fought off the heavy eyelids. It was a quick 20 minute ride to 161st street. We got off the train and headed for the stairs back to the street. My first look at her was not what I imagined. Here stood a big concrete bowl, showing every one of her 85 years. I expected the corner made famous on Seinfeld! Across the street was the new, chique replacement. With "Yankee Stadium" scripted in gold and a roman architecture facade, the new girl was much better looking, but we weren't here for her. Under the tracks of the 4 train, which runs almost right through center field, stood all the vendors. White and blue pinstripes could be seen in dozens of storefronts. Even though the first pitch was 3+ hours away, people were already lined up outside of her. We didn't wake up early to stand in line, that's not how we roll. At dinner the night before Jeremy Guthrie offered to introduce us to Yankee Stadium. We met up with him and headed around the concrete bowl, headed for the players tunnel. I was nervous, like what you feel before a first date. There was one huge difference; she is a celebrity, not Jessica Simpson, but Anne Hathaway, a girl with looks and substance.

We arrived at the entrance, it felt like an out-of-body experience. My first time with her, her last time hosting someone under the afternoon sun. With all that has happened inside her walls, she will never remember me, but I will remember that first glimpse of the blue seats and green grass for a long time. There I was, among 20 or so people, about to experience something 10 million New Yorkers would give up their first born to experience. We stopped and took a picture from behind home plate, the perfectly manicured grass sparkling in the background. I would have been happy to leave then, but our date was just getting started...

She led me down the aisles, where I noticed there was a metal bar going through the middle of each section which was odd, through the box seats and onto the field. She was letting me on the field on our first date! I did not know how to react...should I walk over to the dugout, reach down and touch the grass, or just continue to stand there with my chin hanging down? I walked down into the visitors dugout, think of all the legends that have sat there! I didn't care about her past relationships, she was mine for now.

Again, we took pictures in the dugout and standing right outside of it. Then, another surprise. Jeremy had brought a few plastic bags for us to get some infield dirt. I walked across the grass to third base. Rather timidly, I reached down and let the soil run through my fingers. How could she have such a unique gift for me? More pictures were taken around third base, then we headed to left field, where I would really get to know her past flings.

In Monument Park, I found out this girl has a bit of stalker in her. Out here between the left field fence and the visitors bullpen is where she keeps Shrines to her exes that meant a lot to her. Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle; legends who bowed down to my date. She commemorates big events that she has hosted, like Papal Visits and other people who have been influential in who she has become. Not being a Yankee fan, this was the part of our date that meant the least to her, but I was excited that she was willing to open up to me about these things so close to her. It was also in left field where we were able to walk up to the visitors bullpen and look down into the home bullpen.

Again, it struck me how many greats had spent time with her here on these mounds. Before ending the first part of our day together, she let us walk out into left field. My dad tried to impress her by saying he could make a home run robbing catch over the wall, but she saw right through him. After 85 years, she has a pretty good eye for what she wants.

That was it for our private time. We walked back out through the players tunnel, and who happened to be walking in at that same time but Derek Jeter. He is one of the guys she keeps going back to; unable to let go, even when he batting average dips under .250. He will probably end up in Monument Park one day...jerk.

A few hours later, we returned, this time to take in the final game Yankee Stadium will host on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. It was a perfect day, I didn't expect anything less. We made our way back inside, this time with the street folk :), and found our seats. We were at the top of the lowest deck, right behind home plate. Best of all, we were in the shade.

It was different being with her when there were another 55,000 people there. It actually added to the magic. We witnessed a great game, the last walk-off victory at Yankee Stadium. During the 7th inning stretch, she asked us to sing "God Bless America" with her before "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." This tradition started after 9/11, I hope it lives on in the new place. Once the final run crossed the plate, Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" played over the loudspeakers at least ten times. Once everyone cleared out, I had a little bit more personal time with her. She had me come back down the front row box seats, where I witnessed something I never expected. The Yankees manager, Joe Girardi, and their center fielder, Johnny Damon, brought their kids out to hit and pitch. 5 or 6 kids were running the bases and fielding grounders on this piece of history. That is something I will never forget. After a few minutes, she told me that our date needed to end.

She apologized for how much her age was showing, but it was hardly noticeable through all the history oozing out of each crack. We said our goodbyes, and made our way back out to 161st.

They say she has ghosts living inside of her. I don't know if that is true, but if they aren't living there, she at least lets them rent on occasion. I would have been happy to fly out Saturday morning for this date, then fly right back home afterwards. Lucky for me, I was able to experience more of New York, but this date with Yankee Stadium was far and away the highlight of my trip.

Great Speeches in History

2008-09-22T15:32:00.003-06:00

Last week I found a great podcast called Great Speeches in History. Obviously, what they are is self-explanatory. I downloaded a few for the trip to NY, listening to them has caused me to reflect. I got through Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down this Wall", Winston Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister, Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" and JFK's democratic nomination speech. I had heard parts of all these before, but it was so interesting to hear them all in their entirety. All day I have been thinking about two things: 1. Why is it that all of these are more than 20 years old? and 2. What would be something could cause such a speech to happen today? As to the first question, I could not think of an answer, but I have spent a lot of time thinking about the second question and have come up with an answer of my own that I would like to share.

One of the main themes of all the speeches was the unification of people for the greater good. I loved how Malcolm X talked about how we let religion seep into too many conversations/debates, when really there are many things that effect our daily lives no matter what religion we are. He also acknowledged his enemies and wasn't afraid to confront their opposing views without attacking them. Ronald Reagan gave a stirring speech to the people of Berlin, pointing out that the very people protesting his presence there would not be able to protest if they got their way. He never spoke bad about the communist people, just about the regime that forced them to live that different lifestyle. Even though I have very little respect and no admiration for JFK, his acceptance speech had nothing of the jabs and twisting of words that accompanies political speeches today.

Barack Obama has been hailed by many as a great orator, which he very much is. Malcolm X was not very eloquent, stumbling over his words and repeating simple phrases over and over, but he spoke from his heart. There is a simple way to explain why these great speeches have survived the test of time, compared to the rhetoric filled "word vomit" we hear all to often; these men were not presenting ideas, but ideals. They all understood we live in a world where there will always be hate and discord, but their understanding of opposition in all things allowed them to present the other side of hate and discord. Malcolm X spoke about building up the economy of black communities, Reagan spoke about reuniting a continent, Churchill expressed his true faith that good would overcome evil and JFK absorbed the religious bigotry to unite his party. None of them said things like, "living in a perfect world" or "a world without hate." They all expressed well thought out plans and desires to make the world better. I was so impressed by some of the things Malcolm X said about differences between religion. He is so right, many times we allow differences in religion cloud the similarities that exist between two people.

After putting these thoughts together, I tried to answer my second question from above; What would be something could cause such a speech to happen today? What Malcolm X spoke about regarding religion caused me to make a comparison to how political party affiliation effects relationships and conversations with those around us, not to mention the decisions made by our elected officials. Regardless of party affiliation, I believe it is easy to see that the political system is not what our fore-fathers intended it to be. It is time to overlook our differences on abortion laws and gay marriage and be united to change a tired system.

It was announced last week that Obama spent over $60 million in August, while John McCain spent over $40 million. That is $100 million spent in one month, while the two argue over who has the best plan to fix the economy. Maybe by allowing that $100 million dollars to go back into the communities it came from? Campaign reform has the possibility to evoke the same lasting speeches as generations before us. It is something anybody can have a basic understanding of. How hard must it be for a father who works 60 hours a week to make ends meet see a millionaire presidential candidate getting off a private jet paid for not out of his own pocket, but by someone who could have used that $2500 to buy something in his community? According to opensecrets.org, a site that tracks where campaign donations come from and how they are spent, the two main candidates have already raised a combined $700 million dollars! Combine that with the $600 million raised by candidates who have already dropped out of the race and that makes $1.3 billion used to campaign for the office of President. Where does all that money go? TV ads, charter planes, meals, campaign buses, salaries, etc. There has to be a better way and that is something everyone, regardless of race, religion, party, can agree on.

At dinner a few weeks ago, we talked about the appeal of a candidate that would not respond to each little jabs and planted rumor from opponents. Take that a few steps further and imagine a candidate who refused to charter a plane to travel from each "swing state", which has to include enough room for all the journalists that track his every move. Or a candidate who doesn't run inflammatory ads during the other party's convention. Instead of traveling with dozens of "advisers", he convinces an airline executive to donate a few seats on a commercial flight instead of money to the campaign. If a candidate could prove to the public they were that committed to improving the economy, then I could start to believe that they truly care about all the people they shake hands with. These ideas should not make people laugh, but should reflect how a campaign works.

Wouldn't it be great to turn on the TV tonight and witness a world changing speech? I am 22 years old and have not experienced that, but I hope my life doesn't pass without that experience. With the technical resources we have at our disposal, Malcolm X wouldn't have to speak to a few thousand people in a Detroit church. It could be broadcast around the country and the world. I hope one day we can experience that and be united in ideals, not broken apart by the empty promises that seem to dominate the nightly news.

Football Frenzy

2008-09-15T14:37:00.004-06:00

I dove/dived in head first to football over the last 3 weeks and have not been disappointed. The most amazing part of that sentence is understood by UNLV football fans and "not disappointed" in the same sentence. Yes, I was frustrated when they bent over and got their butts spanked in the second half against Utah, but the other 5 halves they have played made up for it. Sitting with my dad in our living room on saturday still seems as if it was a dream. Coming from 10 points down in the fourth quarter? Still no turnovers this season? A one-handed catch in the end zone? By a freshman? From Las Vegas?...I could go on for a while on how surprised I was to even be in that game, much less win! Here are a few highlights.

The Colts almost got off to a 0-2 start, which may have caused me to go into depression. Even though they ended up winning yesterday's stinker against Minny, I had dreams last night of Greg Gumble saying, "Peterson, still on his feet" while I was being dragged by Adrian Peterson for 5 extra yards. That bent but dont break defense will not work against the big guns! I am not worried about the offense. Peyton should be rusty after knee surgery and no snaps in the preseason. Add to him losing half of his offensive line, including the rock Jeff Saturday, and his favorite check down receiver, Dallas Clark, the rocky start is not a big surprise. They looked a lot better in the second half yesterday, hopefully they can put it all together in the coming weeks. I am a bit worried about the defense. Adrian Peterson is good, but I dont know that he was ever tackled for a loss. Bob Sanders needs to step it up!

I am very excited for the Monday Night game. Philly-Dallas. Shay got lucky this weekend that Keith has been taking his meds, or else her questions of, "What city do the eagles play in?" may have led to a homicide in the Las Vegas area. After the boring Sunday Night game, the boys and eagles should provide enough fireworks for the whole weekend.

One thing to think about. With the way Aaron Rodgers has started, do you think the browns are in any hurry to get Pretty Boy Brady Quinn off the bench? They were in similar situations coming out of college, possible lottery pick, but slid to late in the first round. Hopefully teams will start to see the value of a young qb sitting on the sidelines for a few years soaking up information before throwing him into the fire. I think this is a major reason the NFL needs a rookie pay scale, so teams dont feel bad about letting a guy develop instead of having to guarantee 30 mil, only to see him bust out because of the pressure.

Well, thats about it for the first few weeks of football. We planned our flights to and from NY on Jetblue, enabling us to watch the thursday night college game on the flight out there and the nfl games on the way home...thats dedication, homes.

Dear Old Shiz

2008-09-10T16:17:00.004-06:00

Ya, the title of this blog comes directly from Wicked. I am listening to it right now, which is odd because I have never been enamored with the music (the play itself was fabulous but i never fell for the music), but when one of the songs came on while my ipod was on shuffle, it seemed to fit my mood.

There has not been much excitement in my life lately, just the everyday habits of schooling and working, but all that is about to change. This weekend we are going to Vegas for Justin's farewell. It is weird that he is finally leaving, he had a long wait. Since Hannah made honor roll last year, we are going to Love on Friday night. I cant express my excitement! The Beatles, Cirque du Soleil and CPK all in one night are rumored to cause seizures, I hope that is a false rumor. Also, our friends Trevor and Lauren are coming down to spend the weekend in Vegas also. Trevor and I will be golfing on Saturday, hopefully the girls can figure out something to do while we are enjoying a beautiful day at TPC.

As if all that wasn't enough, we are finally making my "bachelor" trip to New York next weekend. At the beginning of the year, I realized Yankee Stadium was about to go into its last season and neither me, chase nor my dad had ever been there. After discussing this with my dad, we decided this needed to change. The trip had originally been planned for a few weeks before the wedding, hence the bachelor trip name, but due to unforeseen circumstances (or a crazy Spanish teacher at BHS) we had to postpone the trip. We ended up hitting the jackpot. Now, we will be attending the final day game in the history of Yankee Stadium I.

I have spent all of 8 hours in NY, so I am beyond excited for the trip. Food, baseball, booing the Yankees, food, Broadway and 30 rock all in a few days? Sounds like one of my dreams! If anyone has suggestions for New York activities, let me know in the comments. You don't have to tell us the obvious things, those are taken care of, but I like to find something off the beaten path on every vacation.

I am enjoying the Wicked music way too much. I think this more accurately explains my current mental state than any adjectives I could use. Remember, no one mourns the wicked.

Albert Einstein

2008-09-08T08:39:00.003-06:00

A few quotes from Albert Einstein to start off the week.
"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."

One of my favorites:
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
I first heard this one from my mission president. It pops into my head everytime I talk to friends who dont know why life isnt going the way they want it to, when they have never made any drastic changes to who they hang around or how they treat people.

Jay Leno and Arsenio

2008-08-30T12:50:00.002-06:00

Last night I turned on Jay Leno, which I dont do very often. It ended up being the greatest Late Night television that I have ever seen. Arsenio Hall was the main guest and it basically just turned into him doing a stand up routine. My favorite part was when he said no matter who gets elected there is going to be a hot first lady! Shawn Johnson came on after that and I think Jay could have said Im hungry and she would have laughed. She definitely acted like a 16 year old, but you could tell she loved being there. Luckily for all who missed it, you can watch it on Hulu. It is definitely worth the time!

It is not up yet, but I will post the link when it goes up.

Our Future Leaders

2008-08-28T20:13:00.006-06:00

I am watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC. Five minutes into it, all he has said is Thank You. Michele just smiled!!! Anyways, just a few thoughts on him and his running mate, Joe Biden.

Obama decided he was ready to run for President after 142 days as a senator. He must have a lot of confidence in himself! After 142 days as a new employee, he thought, "I can run this place." Not only that, but he has convinced democrats across the nation that 142 days is enough experience to become POTUS.

Where is the money for change going to come from? He wants to cut taxes, but increase welfare, government health care, etc. States are already cutting budgets and still not finding the necessary resources to function properly. How will he reduce the national debt when all he plans to do is expand government programs? Why dont voters think of these things before casting their votes?!?

He is speaking tonight in front of 80000 people at Mile High Stadium. It reminds me of the videos of Adolph Hitler speaking. Not that I think Obama is Hitler, but his speaking ability is amazing. While McCain is hoping 15,000 people show up to the rally where he will announce his VP, 80,000 pack themselves in to hear Mr. Change. How many of these people have sat down and weighed the pros and cons of each candidate? In this day and age, it is almost impossible to agree on every stance that a politician has, so one must choose the one that most closely resembles them.

I wish i was recording this speech, so I could go back and write down every promise he has made. So many of them are contradictory. Not that this is something that only Obama does, almost all politicians do that, but it is chilling that all these people are cheering the impossible.

If Obama is elected, his VP will be Joe Biden. This is a man who in a 1988 speech while campaigning for president, said he had 3 bachelor degrees, received a full scholarship to Law School and graduated in the top third of his class. After further research, it was discovered that he had not 3, not 2, but 1 bachelor degree. Received less than a half scholarship to Law School and graduated in the bottom 10% of his class. Later, it came out that the reason he graduated so low was because he plagarised papers, then, used a speech by a British politician without disclosing it wasnt his own. He was willing to lie in 1988 to get to the White House, why wouldnt he do it again?

I am not convinced that John McCain is the best man to be President of the US, but he might be the best of two bad choices. When his opponents make a big deal of him not knowing how many houses he and his wife own, he is doing pretty good! I am sure any democrat would love to be in a position where he his wife could buy all the houses she wanted to, using her own money! I honor him for the service he has provided to our nation, but he failed in 2000 and I feel he will fail again.

At a time when our nation is bruised and beaten, I feel we as a nation have not chosen the two best possible Presidents. I hope and pray that whomever is elected will take advantage of what the Lord has offered to elected officials in the Doctrine and Covenants, because neither of them are anywhere close to being strong enough to pick our nation back up on his own. I am scared to death of what will become of our nation if a Obama is elected with a Democratic congress. The thought of Harry Reid and Obama as the most powerful men in government shakes me to the core. Make sure that you take a look at every candidate and how they feel compared to how you feel. Dont vote for someone because he can fill an 80,000 seat stadium.

Priceless advice from the geniuses at SNL

2008-08-25T15:25:00.001-06:00

Sobrepujamos!!!

2008-08-21T10:56:00.002-06:00

The US Womens Soccer team won the Gold Medal this morning! They beat Marta and the mighty brazilians in a hard fought game that was very entertaining. It is considered an upset, since Brazil beat the US in the the World Cup last year and the top US scorer was injured right before the olympics. I was happy to see Hope Solo get some redemption for being held out of the World Cup game. The save she made in the second half on Marta, the best player in the world, was beautiful!

United States Domination

2008-08-15T11:01:00.002-06:00

The world is back in the correct order of power after last night's gymnastics competition. Shay gets mad at me when the Chinese start their routines, as I cheer for them to fall. Then, when they actually do, I cheer even louder! What can I say? I want my country to be the best! If the other countries cant handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.

It was great to see Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson go 1-2 in the all-around. Now, if only the US can take Gold in every individual apparatus, wouldnt that be great?
If you want to see a similar reaction to the one I had this morning (I was tired last night so I had to finish this morning via Tivo) watch Bela karolyi in this clip.

Go USA!!!!

Diversity Training

2008-08-14T15:04:00.002-06:00

So, it seems like the same three or four people are always commenting on the blog, and I would like to connect with other readers. As a little experiment, every once in a while I will post about interesting things about random people I meet. This experiment will be titled "Diversity Training."

In the first installment of "Diversity Training" I am going to mention the hometowns of a few people I have met over the past few weeks. I dont know the names of most of these people, but where they came from was either interesting, new to me, or both.

1. Dillon, MT. This is a town of about 2000 in the northwest corner of Montana. I met this person while standing in line at the post office, she was a nice lady who had moved to Cedar to live with her eldest son.

2. Cedar Valley, UT. The reason for this one is obvious. I didnt know there was a town named Cedar Valley. I hear people from Enoch, Beaver or Parowan say they are from the Cedar Valley, so when I was talking to the girl who helped me with my residency application the other day, I assumed she was from one of those places. Then she said something about home up north so I did some detective work. It is a city west of Lehi in UT County. Interesting.

3. Virginia Beach, VA. I am interested in any town with the word beach in it. I dont know much about this place, so if anyone has any interesting anecdotes about it, let me know!

There you have it for the first installment of "Diversity Training." Since I thought of this concept, I have tried to talk more to random strangers, hoping to discover a hidden gem in their life. If you have anything to add about these places, or any ideas for a future installment of "Diversity Training" let me know in the comments!

Olympic Thoughts

2008-08-12T18:45:00.003-06:00

The following are a view thought about the olympics so far.

-Dwayne Wade is so close to being back to 2005-2006 form. The way he is slashing down the baseline and skying for rebounds over guys 6 inches bigger than him has to be very promising to the Heat. Then, consider they have two former rebels also starting for them, which means I may have to make them my early pick for the NBA title!

-It was awesome to see the USA rack up medals last night in swimming. People are talking about how China could overtake us in the medal count this year, but they forget to mention the US Rule that was instituted for this year. In the past, each country could send 3 swimmers in each race, but they got tired of seeing three americans on the medal stand, so now each country can only send two. Americans have said the trials races were more competitive than some olympic finals...that is proof of US dominance in the pool.

-When the French relay team said they would crush us, that quote came from a guy named Alaine. Why would anyone take a guy named Alaine seriously?

-As much as I am cheering against the Chinese, I couldnt help but smile while hearing the crowd go crazy for their Mens Gymnastics. Had they lost, the guy who stepped out of bounds on the floor exercise would have returned home to discover his family had died due to mysterious circumstances.

-Sticking with gymnastics, how could anyone not have a huge smile on thier face watching the reactions of the american men? When Johnathan Horton and Justin Spring threw down the gauntlet on the High Bar I was thoroughly convinced they were going to pull out a win.

-On a final gymanstics note, I am very against the new scoring system. I understand why it was instituted, to take power from the judges, but the difficulty score is way too important. A guy shouldnt be able to improve his teams score after getting an 8.8, but with a high difficulty score that can cover up the mistakes. There should be some reward for difficulty, but the execution of the routine needs to be 90% of the overall score!

-I am going to have to disagree with Alec and Keith. I agree with what they said about Trampoline and Rhythmic Gymnastics, and equestrian but for sports like sailing, shooting and all the swimming and track events, let them have their glory every four years. We worship basketball, football and baseball players all day everyday, when most of the them are overpaid jerks. I have no problem with the guy who only works so he can afford the best equipment and training.

-I am so proud to be an American. Even though I cant stand Michael Phelps, I still cheer for him. When the National Anthem plays as he in on the medal stand, tears appear in my eyes. Another reason to not like Phelps, he doesnt even mouth the words to the National Anthem. I doubt he values Gold Medals anymore, as long as they bring more endorsements...but he better get all 8, or I am gonna pull a Chinese on his family.

Barry Bonds and Almost Witnessing History

2008-08-02T10:42:00.002-06:00

This summer I have been in an English class called Writing About Baseball. As the title shows, we have read a few baseball novels and I have had to write about different baseball related experiences. One of the papers had to be about my baseball conversion. As I am not really a baseball fan, just a sports fan, I thought it would be difficult, but then I remembered this experience from last summer. This paper was probably my favorite one that I have ever written, I hope you enjoy it!

Lying underneath the bright California sun, my mind is not lost in thought, as is usually the case while on the beach; instead, it is focused on what I am going to experience later in the day. While the country is split over what to think of Barry Bonds and his chase for 755, my imagination runs away with the thought that I could see him hit the record tying home run. My family___ and a few friends were headed to Petco Park in Downtown San Diego on the evening of August 3, 2007 for a game between the San Diego Padres and my San Francisco Giants. This had become a family tradition in recent years, signaling the beginning of our Beach Week. Little did we know 4 months earlier when tickets were purchased that we had a chance to witness history.

Technically, this story begins on Labor Day weekend of 1998. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire were battling for the single season home run record, then 60, held by Roger Maris. Four years earlier, Major League Baseball lost many fans because of the labor stopping strike. This home run chase was exactly what the league needed to regain pre-strike popularity. As a 10 year-old boy, I followed this story very closely. Each night I would watch Sportscenter, hoping to hear that McGuire still had the lead. To this day, almost 10 years later, I remember being on the trampoline in our backyard when my dad came out and told me McGuire was at-bat with the record on the line. I cheered and ran around the house when the ball sailed over the wall; my baseball conversion had begun.

On July 27, 2007, Barry Bonds hit home run number 754. I was a bit nervous; he had a whole week of games to play before the game we were going to. Then, as if the gods were intervening on our behalf, it was announced he would not play in the Giants’ series against the Dodgers in L.A. Those two teams are fierce rivals and Barry did not want to break the record while being booed constantly. I arrived in San Diego on July 31, the last day of the Giants’ series in L.A. After a day off, they started a three-game series with the Padres. Thursday, we spent the day on the beach, enjoying the sun and sand. Usually, we stay out on the beach until the sun starts setting, but we had to change our routine around when Barry Bonds would be at bat. We would head inside right as the game started, anxiously anticipating that moment he would stand at the plate, elbow and shin pads on tight, waiting to jump on the first good pitch. My family comes from the Bay Area. Barry Bonds was the first athlete I ever idolized. We don’t understand the fuss about him and steroids, we just accept that he did use them and keep cheering. This understanding allowed all of us to really enjoy the moment each time he was at bat, while the rest of the sports world constantly debated whether records should be valid or not. To our excitement, no record tying or breaking home runs were hit that Thursday night, setting up perfectly for our family trek to the ballpark.

Friday morning, my cousin Jake, our friend AJ and I headed out to the beach. We knew it was only a few hours until we would take the train from Oceanside to the Gaslamp District to meet up with my parents for the game. The word excited would not even begin to describe how we were feeling. The night before, we watched the newscasters talk about all press frenzy happening at the park, knowing we would be a part of it. At about 3 p.m., we got all cleaned up and headed for the train station. As a Giants fan, my black and orange hat stood out among all the Padres shirts and hats that slowly packed the train. Padres fans have always been very courteous, but they seemed to be just as excited as me to possibly witness history. In my mind, it was a near perfect situation for Bonds. Other than not playing in his home stadium, he was close to his childhood home, Southern California, in a beautiful ballpark, amongst fans who really understood what could happen that night. We arrived safely in front of Petco Park and proceeded to find my parents and head into the park. The atmosphere and electricity of the game was evident immediately upon entrance. Food and drink vendors seemed to be yelling just a bit louder and every usher ready to help create a perfect ballpark experience for each fan; they did not want to take away from the historic moment each fan was praying to experience.

Finally, the game started. We were seated directly between 1st base and the right field wall, about 10 rows up. Since the Giants were the away team, there was a chance Bonds would be up right in the top of the 1st inning. Once Dave Roberts bunted for a single, we knew the first opportunity for Bonds would be coming soon. After two quick outs, it was time. Everyone in the stadium stood in unison, like there was a choir conductor leading us on the big screen. Flashbulbs started exploding throughout the crowd, adding to the already electric atmosphere. Much to my satisfaction, the majority of the Padres crowd were cheering Bonds, with only a smattering of boos heard. Each pitch brought the crowd to a quick silence, only to exhale with a missed swing. Bonds ended up striking out on a called third strike, leaving the crowd to wait a few more innings for his next at-bat.

When the top of the order came up again in the top of the 3rd, we knew Bonds was just two hits away. Dave Roberts and Randy Winn provided those hits and after a Ray Durham groundout, it was history time again. The crowd reacted the same way as the previous at-bat. Everyone on their feet, knowing that a home run would provide them with a story their grandkids would ask to hear over and over again. Just like before, Bonds did not come through. He grounded out on the second pitch to end the inning. It would not be until the 6th inning that Bonds would get another at-bat, this time fooling the crowd with a long, deep fly ball that was caught easily by Mike Cameron. Three at-bats, three outs. Never did I think we would be let down. In my mind, he was just waiting until his final at-bat to provide the fireworks. It was a close game and what a better way to win than on a history making home run?

That time came in the top of the 8th inning. Bonds was due up second and the Giants were winning 3-0 after a 2 run 7th. This was it! Again, crowd on its feet, cameras flashing in all directions; frankly, it was hard for me to focus on Bonds through all the flashes. All of the hoopla was for nothing, as Bonds grounded out to the first baseman. In the bottom of the 8th, he was replaced by Fred Lewis, manager Bruce Bochy assuming the Giants would take care of business and win the game. The Padres went on to score 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th, which would lead to extra innings. Of course, the Giants had gone through enough batters in the 9th that would have made it possible for Bonds to hit again in the 10th, had he stayed in the game. This switch would prove to be important our minds, considering how the next day’s game played out.

Again, we all left the beach earlier than normal that night to catch Bonds’ first at-bat. My dad did not think he would hit one that night and stayed out on the beach. I went up to Jake and AJ’s room to watch the game with them and my Uncle Keith. The Giants batters went 1-2-3 in the top of the 1st and the Padres scored one run in the opposite half of the inning. After what seemed like the longest commercial break in history, Barry Bonds was at the plate. There is no doubt in my mind that the stadium reacted the same way we had reacted the day before for each of his at-bats. With the count at 2-1, Clay Hensley of the Padres threw the pitch. Bonds connected and sent it to the opposite field and out to tie Hank Aaron’s record of 755. We ran out onto the balcony of our condo that overlooked the ocean. My dad and his sister were still sitting out there, having missed what just happened. We started screaming to them what had happened like we were 10 years old and our favorite team had just won a championship. The other 100 or so people between us and them must have thought we had lost our minds, but they didn’t understand how we felt about that moment. About five minutes later I realized we should have seen that home run. If the Giants manager had left Bonds in for extra innings, he would have had that at-bat to break the record, instead of waiting until his first at-bat the next day. I was disappointed, but satisfied that he had finally tied the record. Three days later, with the whole family around the TV this time, we watched as Mike Bascik gave up home run number 756, knowing we had come so close to being eyewitnesses to history.

While Barry Bonds walked from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box, as the crowd rose to its feet and the first of many flashes went off, I knew my journey from a 10 year-old jumping on the trampoline waiting for my dad to tell me to come witness history, to putting myself in position to witness it first hand, had completed the transformation from sports fan to baseball fan. It took a long time, but the wait was well worth it. I was born with Giants blood, so it was going to take a Giant to bring those feelings out into the open. I hope this is not the climax of my experience as a fan, but just the experience that will start me on a journey to something bigger and better. If it is the climax, I will always be able to tell my children about the time their dad almost witnessed history. One at-bat later…

Blog funk

2008-07-29T08:13:00.003-06:00

Havent had much to blog about lately. I have a lot to say about Brett Favre, but there has been such an overload of stuff about him that I cant bring myself to add to that. Lately I have just been working and getting stuff done for my english class, nothing too fun. The beach is coming up quick, shay and I are driving to vegas on wednesday night and then we will head down to San Diego on thursday. Hopefully things will happen worth blogging about!

Mick, Derek and George

2008-07-15T13:52:00.003-06:00

I have been in a picture posting mood lately, here is another one.
Notice Mickey Mantle in the dugout, taking a few warmup swings. My favorite part has to be Dubya in the stands. The best part about this card...its real. Topps actually printed it like this and will not issue a reprint.

My Middle Name is Hussein

2008-07-14T15:26:00.002-06:00

Gotta love it. One newspaper said, "While The New Yorker subscribers will surely appreciate and understand this cover, the general public will go into an uproar."

Isn't a magazine supposed to please those who pay the bills?

Out of this World

2008-07-11T11:43:00.002-06:00

I was glad to see Twitch in the bottom 3 last night on SYTYCD, since we had yet to see his solo. If he is gonna do something like this every week, people need to stop voting for him! How someone can move their hands and feet like that at the same time is unreal.

Madge and A-Rod

2008-07-08T11:20:00.002-06:00

Stuart Scott read a quote from Madonna on Sportscenter last night. He literally had to pause for a second before he read the intro to the quote. What is the world coming to when a response by Madonna to gossip column reports is read on the World Wide Leader? Why is A-Rod's wife finally filing for divorce? What, the picture of him coming out of a strip club with a $900 an hour stripper didnt do enough damage? Im sure she was just waiting until he signed a new deal, more money for her to fight for!

Random Observations

2008-07-03T10:25:00.003-06:00

-Shay and I saw Hancock last night, it was very good. I had seen a lot of negative reviews, but it is a perfect Will Smith 4th of July movie. I would highly recommend it, but watch out for the little ones, there is a lot of language.

-It was fun to watch a lot of the dancers struggle last night on SYTYCD. When they have to perform two dances, it leaves a lot less time to brush up on each little detail. The "Dreaming With a Broken Heart" dance from Twitch and Kherington was awesome, although I might be a little biased as that is my favorite John Mayer song.

-Why is baseball season so long? Luckily ESPN is smart and airs the My Wish stories on sportscenter during the dog days of summer, in the middle of all those baseball "highlights" that seem to run together.

-4th of July is going to be very different this year. With my dad and janae out of the country and the fact that Shay and I are going to her parents house, means no all-day pool parties and illegal firework shows! Usually I am one who embraces change, but this is my favorite holiday of the year and am nervous that I will be disappointed...but I am still VERY excited for Hannah Montana. :)

-College basketball season cannot come fast enough. After the Australia tour, it seems like the rebels are in the middle of their season. This "teaser" was worth it though.

Just a few things I wanted to get out of my head. Once I can find a good youtube video of it, I will post my favorite SYTYCD routine of this week. (You know you secretly like all the dancing Steve)

Chelsie and Mark

2008-06-26T09:53:00.001-06:00

Best dance of the season so far!

Shay and I watched it a few times last night and we got chills everytime. Freaking amazing!

I Can't Handle It!

2008-06-25T09:27:00.003-06:00

Are politicians just 5 year old kids in 50 year old bodies (or in McCain's case, 110)? Why cant they just present their viewpoints without bashing what their opponent has to say? Things have gotten so petty, and there is still 4 months until the election! Obama was in Vegas yesterday and said some outrageous things about McCain's energy plans, while he himself was making outrageous promises. Where does it end? I think President Bush should secretly set up hidden cameras in all the places the candidates go when they are not in public...houses, buses, planes, etc. I mean, Bush has nothing to lose now, people bash him constantly, why not do something like this to show the American people just who these two really are? I know thats a crazy idea, but I want to hear what Barack says when it is just him and his wife flying another 1000 miles, deciding if they should bash McCain's immigration policy or his Iraq policy!

Honestly, I think Michelle Obama is the biggest threat to the United States.

I have seen her on a few different shows, from the Colbert Report to the View (just highlights on the news, i dont watch the view), and still have never seen her smile. The First Lady is the mother of america! If you want to see what type of mother someone who doesnt smile becomes, watch John and Kate Plus 8...do we want someone like that going to bed each night with our President? The guy will go crazy! Can we please get a reprieve from these two until October?

EURO 2008

2008-06-22T20:19:00.004-06:00

As most of you know, I am what you would call an avid sports fan. Outside of regular season baseball, put a sporting event on tv and I will watch it. I have been very excited about this years European Championships, known as The EURO's, which is arguably the toughest tournament in the world to win...yes, even tougher than the World Cup. There was no clear cut favorite this year, but the majority of people thought Portugal would have the best chance. They have two great offensive player, Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo is different from the other Ronaldo many have heard of. CR is a 23 year old who is the best player in the world. Not only that, but I have heard from many he is stunningly good looking. Last month, he led his club team, Manchester United, to the Champions League title, which is the like winning an NBA title, it is the best club league in the world.

I have been enthralled by the tournament thus far. Since we moved back to Cedar, I have gotten a lot done around the house with the games on. The ones I cant watch, I have tivoed, but that usually doesnt go well because I dont have enough self control to not find out who won. The quarterfinals started a few days ago, and 3 of the 4 matches went to extra time, OT for you yanks. Two of those three went to penalty kicks, which the players hate, but the audience loves. I didnt get to see the pk's between Italy and Spain today, but the Turkey/Croatia game was one for the ages. After going 118 minutes tied at 0, Croatia scored. Since extra time only goes to the 120th minute, things looked bleak for Turkey. On a long free kick by the turkey goalie, one of the forwards turned and shot, rifling a ball into the back of the net...on to pk's. The croatians were stunned and only one guy even made his penalty kick. Two didnt even hit the net and one was saved. The turks score 3 of 4 and won that game.

There are many out there who dont appreciate soccer, but games like this make watching it so satisfying!

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!

2008-06-18T20:04:00.003-06:00

KG, The Big Ticket, Member of the Boston Three Party

He finally won a championship! Even though I am not a Celtics fan, I am definitely a Kevin Garnett fan. Since the NBA started advertising their league has a players league instead of a team league 15 years ago, I have not had a favorite NBA team. Instead, I have linked myself to certain players. KG was the first that I latched onto. For too many years, he played on not good enough teams in Minnesota. I died each year as they failed to get out of the first round. Then, in 2005, it seemed as if they had finally gotten over the hump, only to be knocked out in the conference finals.

When I heard about KG possibly being traded this past summer, I hoped it would be to the Suns, who were the closest team in the league to being my team. When he ended up going to the Celtics, I found myself in a hard place. I couldnt cheer for the celtics!!!! The first half of the year, I was enforcing my ban on watching the NBA, hearing about the amazing year it was turning into. I need to thank Jake for bartering a deal that allowed me to resume my NBA fanhood when he left on his mission; basically taking over what he had started.

It did not take long for me to get back into the game. Shay and I started dating and I used her love for the Jazz as an opportunity for me to sharpen up my NBA knowledge. We spent many nights over the past few months listening to the horrible KJZZ announcers! I was back...and so was the NBA.

For the Celtics to blow out the Lakers to clinch the championship was only fitting. Kobe was finally named MVP in a year where two or three other player had valid claims for the trophy. Also, he seemed to disappear after the first quarter in each game. I could not bask enough in the scene of Kobe trying to make his way to the locker room with confetti falling and reporters mauling KG, Ray and The Truth.

The journey of those three, plus the journey of the Celtics franchise back to the top, mirrors my own journey back to being an NBA fan. We all took different routes and had our reasons for our actions, but in the end, everyone won.

New Blog and New Dog

2008-06-14T09:41:00.006-06:00

First off, Shay and I started a new blog for the two of us, which you can get to by clicking here. It will be more of an update on our lives.

Second, we got a dog! Some of you who know me may have fainted when you read that sentence. It was something I have been talking myself into over the last few months, knowing that Shay would really want one. When we were on our honeymoon, I told her, "I have a question for you, but you have to answer it thinking of yourself, not what you think I would want." When I asked her if she would want a dog, she didnt even hesitate before responding "YES!"

We got a little yorkshire terrier, or yorkie. Shay knew from the first time she held her that was the one. While we were looking at a few others, another girl started playing with "our" yorkie. Shay came over to me and said, "That girl is playing with our dog!" Luckily, the girl could not pay for it and we were able to get our Lyla.

I will post a few pictures below. She is only 2.5 pounds and wont get bigger than 4-5. Shay gets jealous because Lyla likes to lay on my lap when we are watching tv...

So You Think You Can Dance

2008-06-12T09:16:00.005-06:00

It is finally that time of the year! So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) is down to the top 20 and my dance critiquing is happening twice a week. SYTYCD is my favorite reality show. You may ask, Dixon, you hate American Idol, isnt SYTYCD the same thing? That is a very valid question, but let me present a few personal reasons why this show consumes my summers.

1. Dancers arent born, they are made.
On AI, you get many people who have grown up singing, but have never recieved proper training. These people have advanced far in the competition in the past. Dancing is a different story. One may be born with a "dancing body" (as I have heard about me before) but without taking classes and a lot of practice, there is no way you can be a competitive dancer. This was evident many times this season, when good dancers advanced to the choreography round but looked as if they had two left feet trying to understand even the basic moves.

2. Participants have personalities.
Yes, American Idol people have personalities, but some of them consist of, I cant believe people actually think I am a good singer so I will cry after every performance. Dancers may be weird sometimes, but at least they know how to act in front of an audience. Plus, you get to see some very entertaining victory/happy dances.

3. Judges make a lot more sense
SYTYCD judges actually critique the dancing, not song choice or choreographer choice. Also, every judge brings something to the table, unlike Paula who they prop up with a cleavage heavy dress on and she only has three or four lines to use the whole season. Many people dont like Lynita Nelson, I mean Mary Murphy, one of the two regular judges, because she never opens her mouth, but at least she knows a thing or two about dancing. Paula knows a thing or two about taking provacative pictures and hiring a good producer (which most AI contestants need to even have a chance of salvaging a singing career).

Anyways, those are a few reasons I am stuck to the couch on Wednesdays and Thursdays during the summer.

Last night was the first non-audition episode. The top 20 we randomly placed into pairs and drew different types of dances out of a hat. Every dance was aboslutely great. This season is going to be very competitive. My top three are Chelsie, Kourtni and twitch. Chelsie has been my pick to win since her first audition. As long as she doesnt get partnered with a weak guy, she should cruise to the top 10.

Tonight is the first elimination. The bottom three couples will all have a chance to perform solos. Then, the judges will send one guy and one girl home. I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!

Stop Giving Me a Hard Time

2008-06-11T13:06:00.002-06:00

I know I have been a horrible blogger over the past two months, but that is about to change. Not only will I update my personal blog more often, but Shay and I have set up a "together" blog which I will post the address for it once we get it all done.

The rebels have started Australia prep, which means we get mid-season like coverage in June!!!! It is an early birthday present for me.

Dont lose faith, I am committed to becoming a better blogger.

Dreaming of Jessica

2008-05-22T11:08:00.004-06:00

I rarely remember dreaming during the night. It is an exciting event when I wake up and realize that I actually had a dream the night before, even though I cant recall what it was about. So, when I awake remembering that I had a dream and specifics about what happened in the dream, Hell is on the verge of freezing over!

A few days ago, I woke up from one of those dreams that seems real. It was probably the weirdest/funniest dream I have ever had in my life. Since I am writing this a few days later, I may have forgotten or mixed up some of the details, but the story is still very entertaining.

It was my wedding day. For some reason, everyone was on a bus waiting to go to the temple for the sealing. We were just waiting on Shay. I was sitting in the front of the bus, saving a seat for Shay when another girl got on and sat down next to me. I looked over to her and said, “Sorry, but I am saving this seat for my fiancée, she should be here any second.” When I looked over at her, I recognized her immediately…it was Jessica Alba. She responded, “I was walking by this bus, when I felt that if I got on, I would find the man of my dreams. That man is you.

(No, this is not a made up story to provide a valid excuse to put a picture of Jessica Alba on my blog!)

I was completely shocked by that and had nothing to say. Next thing I know, she tells the bus driver everyone is on and we head off to the wedding. She sits back down and says, “We are getting married right now,” and nothing else.

What happened between now and the next part I don’t remember, but we were married in some form or another.

Next, I remember being done with all the events for the day. Instead of going to our hotel then heading out on our honeymoon, we stayed our first night at my parents house. It wasn’t the house we live in now, but it was still a very nice house. We were going to stay in a room in the attic. It was decorated very nicely, but you could tell no one had been in there in a while. There was a lot of clutter, but not dirty. We brought all of our stuff up to the room, then headed back downstairs to figure out what to do about our honeymoon.

Since the plane ticket was in Shaylee’s name, we could not leave the next morning. We talked it over with my parents and decided to push back our reservations to Saturday, giving us plenty of time to get everything ready. The weird thing is my parents decided not to move back the open house. They said we didn’t need to be there and they would take care of it.

We headed back upstairs to turn in for the night. Even though it was our wedding night, we stayed up late just talking and ended up sleeping in separate beds. Even though I recognized her as Jessica Alba, in the dream I don’t think she was famous or rich. Since we had only met earlier that day, I didn’t know anything about her. What her finances were like, what her personality was like, etc. When I asked her how much money she had saved her response was, “My parents gave me a US Savings Bond when I was a girl.” That was it!

There was a second day to the dream but I don’t remember anything about it. The worst part about the dream was my conflicting feelings about the whole situation with Shay. On one hand, everything felt right with Jessica Alba, but on the other hand, Shay never found out what happened! She would have come out to the bus and it was gone. I wanted to call her and explain, but I figured her parents would be really mad at me and not let her talk. It was a horrible feeling! Also, I don’t know where Jessica Alba came from. If I made a list of 20 famous people I would want to date, she would not make the list. That was very random.

When I woke up, I was so relieved the whole thing was a dream. Both Lindsey and Shay thought it was very funny, but I was still a little worked up over the whole thing. When I got home from work, the whole thing got a bit weirder. I was on the Yahoo homepage and the main headline was this, Jessica Alba gets married in Secret ceremony last night. WEIRD!!!!! I had a dream that I was marrying Jessica Alba the same night she secretly got married. I cant lie, it kinda freaked me out. Maybe it is a sign that I need to be some kind of psychic, I don’t know, but it definitely provided me with a funny story to tell for years to come!

RIP J.R.H.

2008-05-06T12:49:00.005-06:00

This is my Eulogy to a friend, who departed my life as a roommate last week...

Justin Reese Hales, what can I say? We shared so many good times together. Even though you are secretly in love with my fiancee, you have always been there for me. KFC wings, rebel games after 4 hour drives and 5 dollar footlongs are just a smidgen of the many memories we have made together.

I remember our first night together. Snow was falling so hard from the sky, covering everything in sight. We decided to jump on the four wheelers and go crazy in the powdery goodness. Since I couldnt really see anything in the blizzard, you led the way, lighting my path so that I didnt get lost. We left our marks in the white fields of Cedar High School. Your only regret was not letting me pull you on your snowboard. We could have started a new fad...oh well, we had to fail somewhere.

Our Madden series ended up very close. I think you may have even pulled ahead with the Webelos in the end. I still have not beat them. As the weather got warmer, we worked on our tans by playing dunkball at the elementary school. Were you ever able to dunk cleanly? A few times I was able to dunk over David, even though he would never admit it.

NBA2K8 then entered our lives. Our first time playing together was against Arka and Curtis. It took a Paul Pierce miracle three to beat us. I knocked you around as you got used to the game, then you went on a long undefeated streak with the Suns. Never before have I been unable to beat someone like I couldnt beat you.

Soon, we will be going our separate ways, you on a mission and me getting married. I am excited to hear where you will be and I will write you as much as I write Jake. Everytime I watch a chick flick, you will be on my mind (which many people will think is weird, but they dont understand). Now, whenever I hear Kenny Loggins I will think of you sitting on the couch looking up his songs, waiting to see him in your first concert.

Justin Reese Hales...God be with you.

2 down, 2 to go

2008-04-30T14:12:00.003-06:00

Year 2 of my university experience came to a close today. Much to my happiness, I only had 1 final this semester. It was in stats, which went really well. My dad made a correct prediction when he said I would do good in my stats class. I never really stressed over the tests or homework and understood everything very well. Overall, it has been a very successful semester for me.

I am heading back to Vegas tomorrow morning. I am excited, as this mean the wedding is that much closer...in fact, only 28 days from today! Invitations are out and have already started arriving. Only a few weeks until Shay gets to go through the temple. I am so excited for her! A few people are throwing a shower for her in Vegas on friday night, that means a guys night for me, chase and dad.

This weekend is shaping up to be a good one. Guys night on friday and, wind permitting, lake on saturday. I still havent really wakeboarded in three years. I tried a few times last summer, but I didnt have enough movement in my ankle to really do anything. Im excited to get up and shred Lake Mead. Also, one of my good friends, Tyler, is coming down. He got home from his mission in January, but we havent been able to hang out too much. Should be a great weekend.

Thats about it! I just wanted to give a quick update of my life. I will try to post some pictures soon.

I was too nice

2008-04-21T13:44:00.003-06:00

There was too much BYU love in my last post, I have had trouble sleeping! This should make up for it.

Offseason Thoughts

2008-04-17T08:21:00.003-06:00

With the NFL draft coming up and ESPN's coverage of Florida's Spring Game, I decided to express a few things that have been sitting in my mind about football.

Matt Ryan is the top QB in the draft, expected to go in the first 4 picks. Everyday, Sportscenter focuses on each team and who they should pick. This consists of 5 guys sitting comfortably in room. Really, there are only two of them that are necessary, Chris Mortensen and Mel Kiper. Mort introduces each team and gives a little breakdown of last season, then Kiper just starts talking about his "big board." All the other guys try to say things but Kiper, the expert, cuts them off before they can finish a thought. The funny thing is, Kiper never really expresses his opinion on who the team should pick. He usually ends like this, "The Cowboys would really love to trade up for Darren McFadden, but they really need a second back or they could go for a linebacker or offensive lineman." As he says this, there are highlights of different prospects, but he never predicts who will be taken! He is my third least favorite person on ESPN, behind Skip Bayless and Stephen A Smith. Now, back to Matt Ryan...

Each of the first 8-10 teams could use a quarterback. Everyday, a different analyst predicts that he will fall to a certain team. I think someone has predicted Ryan going to every team in the top 10 at least once. I wonder if every team will pick him, then let him decided who he will play for...

Teams are scared to use a high pick on a QB because it is such a high risk. For some reason, no one seems to notice that these guys arent going to teams who are one player away from being good. They throw them into a no win situation, expecting many wins. Take the Dolphins, who have the number one pick. They won one game last season on a miracle catch and run in overtime. BYU's John Beck is their predicted starter for next season. When asked if the fact they arent choosing Matt Ryan shows they have confidence in him, Chris Mortensen responded, "At least until they have a chance to pick one of the other good quarterbacks available." How would you feel if you were John Beck? Hey, you are our starter, work hard and we will stand behind you...until we can bring in someone better.

Speaking of BYU, I saw their Football schedule for next season, and they are taking the Hawaii strategy to get to the BCS. This strategy consists of playing in a weak conference, not their fault, and schedule just as weak non-conference games. They play two big name schools early, UCLA and Washington. UCLA is coming off a let down season and has a new coach. They are in the middle of a quarterback controversy which will probably last all season. I dont know much about Washington, other than the fact that they have never recovered from the firing of Rick Neuhisel for participating in a March Madness pool. If BYU doesnt go undefeated, I will be very surprised. Really, the two toughest game will be at Washington and at Utah. I hope they go undefeated until that Utah game, then lose the same way they have beat Utah the last few years. If they end up in a BCS game, will they request that extra security be provided in case the opposing teams fans storm the field? In all seriousness, it would be a great thing for the conference because we would get massive checks for the athletic departments!

Reflecting on the reflections

2008-04-16T11:25:00.001-06:00

Lately I have seen a lot of pictures using reflections: off water, mirrors and even a rain soaked street. For some reason, pictures like these cause me to (pardon the pun) reflect on what I can learn from them. In many instances, it is hard to tell which side is the real object and which is the reflection. This realization taught me something about people, sometimes what you are seeing is a reflection, one that can be completely disturbed by one drop of water. The ripple effect from this single drop of water will keep moving through the water, causing the whole image to change. Once these ripples show themselves, the real object can be indentified. Then, when viewing the image again, it is much easier to find the real thing again.

Maybe it is just me, but I have recently discovered my mistakes in seeing past a reflection. People seem to hide behind reflections of themselves. This is fine as long as no one disturbs the water. I have seen a lot of water be disturbed in the past few weeks. Maybe its not me, it could be that I am just around when the ripples start moving through the water. For me, the hardest part about this is accepting that I have only known a reflection, not an actual person. What causes someone to hide behind their reflection?

This question is the reason my mind has been occupied with this subject. I am hoping that I can figure out the answer through my writing, or maybe through readers opinions. Most of these people are in a fluid period of their lives. Getting ready to go on missions, figuring out life/career plans or just gliding through life without any specific plan. Personally, I am confronting some big changes of my own, but I tried to not let that effect my relationships with other, aside from the obvious changes that come with marriage. I remember three years ago waiting for my call, wondering where I would spend the next two years of my life. I tried to use the time before I left to figure out how I was able to form relationships with people. Male, female, young, old, it was a great time to be myself and see what worked and what didnt. Whether or not that was the right thing to do is not what I am worried about. It worked great for me as I was able to really connect and form strong relationships with many different people in Brazil. I am just trying to figure out why these people, who are in such fluid parts of life, dont let themselves be themselves. Is it me?

These thoughts are a lot more coherent in my head. I honestly dont know if anything that I have written even makes sense. I guess I will find out when Shaylee or my dad read it, as they understand my thought better than just about anyone.

Do I encourage those around me to hide behind their reflections because of my actions or feelings towards them? Do my openly and well known opinions cause others to hold back their own opinions?

Too often over the past months have "secret" parts of peoples lives come to light. The thing is, everyone seems to know and understand these things other than me...(Full Disclosure :) I am finishing this post a few days later. The answer came to me sitting in institute yesterday)

Too many people live their lives behind Facebook or MySpace profiles. In fact, I am "friends" with people who will not return a phone call, but will respond to a facebook wall posting within 10 minutes. I have a Facebook page and enjoy using it, but I try not to use it as my main form of communication. More and more, young adults are turning their online personalities into the real person, using a reflection with those who arent familiar with the real thing. They dont hold back online, but wont even express the mildest of opinions to your face.

Society is turning into an online social networking site. I have made a goal to really try and only use these sites when normal means of communication prove too difficult. I dont want the vision of me in others heads to turn into one of me at the edge of a lake, trying to figure out which one is the real me.

Trying Again...

2008-04-14T22:39:00.003-06:00

I have spent the last 45 minutes writing about a recent connection my brain made through pictures. For some reason, I cant seem to transfer my thoughts from brain to words, which has made me very frustrated. Add that to the fact that some kids wont leave my house and I cant decide what to eat, its been a tough night. Then, throw in not seeing my beautiful fiancee all day, my mind has all but shut down.

My natural born laziness has been threatening to overtake me since last week. My brain seems to be working overtime to figure out reasons why I dont have to go to class. For the most part, I have recognized these thoughts and shot them down before having to decide whether or not to act on them. It has been a long time since I have put myself in a position like this. I am doing great in all my classes and there is only 2 weeks left. I should use this as a time to reenergize myself, but it has had an opposite effect. I have never worked harder in school than this last semester, but it hasnt been nearly as gratifying as I expected. Unless i figure out how to reverse all these feelings, I fear that my determination will decrease, through a lack of incentive.

This morning was beautiful. The sun was shining and it was a very comfortable temperature outside. I feel like that explains my life right now. I really have no complaints. But it is what happens when the wind comes up and the clouds come in that I need to be prepared for. Mae very accurately expresses how I feel, "Ready and Waiting to Fall." I am at a peak, and the normal course of life suggests that the fall will come soon. I am lucky enough to recognize this and am going to be prepared. I am pretty sure it will come in the next 3 weeks or so, when I have have to go a few weeks without my rock. The other night I realized, not for the first time and not for the last time I am sure, just how much Shaylee means to me in my life. She left my house after we had watched a movie, and once she left, my whole countenance changed. I had had a tough day, but I got through it then got to spend time with her. After she left, I got so bitter and was in a horrible mood. I could not see the positive in anything around me. I know Satan is working on my very strongly, he sucks. I feel adversity everywhere I go, even more than usual. The wind is pushing me everywhere, but I am doing all I can to not be effected by it. It was a lot like playing basketball today. We played at an elementary school, outside in the wind. Outside shots were impossible, the wind was just too strong. We had to work together and stay close to the basket for anything to work.

I know I have to go out into the wind sometimes to get everything done that I need to. It is these times that I feel so vulnerable, so exposed. The slightest wind seems to test my balance. My usual steady demeanor is bruised and battered, even sleep seems to sap me of energy. The edge seems so close. I know that only I can cause myself to fall off, which I will not allow to happen. The fall is approaching but it will not be over the edge...it will be to the ground and I will be able to pick myself back up. The nice thing about all of this is I have a safety net. My love and rock is more than willing to push me along, even carry me if I need it.

Wow, that was a personal post but it helped me clear my head. Now maybe I can finish the last post I started...

A Full Mind

2008-04-08T22:14:00.004-06:00

Just a few things that are on my mind right now.

-Baseball "highlights" are the worst part of Sportscenter.

-I finished season 3 of 24 tonight. Way better than season 2.

-I need to find season 4...

-Can Eric Gagne possibly be any worse? Does anyone doubt that he was on steroids those two seasons when he was unhittable?

-Tiger Woods will win the Masters by 4 strokes. An amateur will finish in the top 15.

-Im excited to watch the Par 3 tournament while I work tomorrow afternoon.

-If I were Bill Self and my alma mater was offering a $6 million signing bonus and $3.5 million per year, I would go.

-If I were Kansas, I would not offer more than $2.5 million per year to keep him.

-Psycho T needs to return to UNC, so does Ty Lawson.

-The UCLA style of play will never win them a national championship.

-I already miss UNLV basketball. Its gonna be a long 7 months...

-My earliest memory is from a packed Thomas and Mack. I remember Tark being introduced and the shark would go around the top of the arena. Visiting teams would leave the floor instead of watch the fireworks and introductions. The only players I remember are Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony.

-Why dont the fireworks intimidate anymore?

-Only 7 weeks until my wedding day.

-My parents are so supportive. I am glad they have let me make decisions and mistakes. It has taught me so much about life.

-There are new episodes of Scrubs, The Office and 30 Rock this week!

-Today is one of the days that I absolutely hate the game of golf. I went to the range and could not hit the dang ball. I have never been so frustrated while practicing, but I stuck around and tried to push through it to no avail...I will be back out there tomorrow.

-Lately I have been in a music funk. Im not really in the mood to listen to anything I have, and nothing new sounds good. This really frustrates me, I never listen just to listen, but that is how I have felt the last few days.

-I like blogging. It allows me to express myself and let others know what is going on in life. I dont care if no one else reads, I will still write. I write for me, not anyone else.

-I saw a flyer for a physics club meeting and thought of Alec.

-Tiffany has helped us so much with our announcements.

-I hope I have more energy tomorrow than today.

I think that is about it. I have more in my head, but nothing is forming into anything complete. Now that college basketball is over, I dont know what I will watch each night, but I am happy I wont have to hear Jay Bilas force his opinions on me.

April Fool's Day

2008-04-01T19:18:00.002-06:00

I have never been one to do much to anyone on April Fools Day, but today was different...

I decided last week that I wanted to do something to shaylee, since she is rather gullible. :) I knew I wanted to do something related to the wedding, since that can be a high stress topic. Heather warned me that I couldnt mess with the wedding actually happening, that was too over the top. After thinking it over, I decided to do something concerning our honeymoon.

Justin and I talked about it, and we decided on a fire happening at our hotel, leaving us without reservations. Justin made me promise I would use some of the things from the Welshly Arms SNL skit with Will Ferrell. I made sure to tell her Mom, knowing Shay would call her about it. Here is what I did.

I created a fake email from Marriott Customer Service saying there had been a fire. I read this to Shay, then told her I had just gotten off the phone with Barbara Hernandez, our "customer service rep." She told me that since we made our reservation with Marriott Points, we were very low on the priority list for getting another reservation at a Marriott resort.

I then told her that Barbara suggested the Marriott Montana resort. She said honeymoon couples love it because the rooms are nice and there is nothing to do. (Sorry Trent...) She being the great person she is, was trying to be very positive. I also tried to be positive, telling her that maybe we could get in to some other Marriott hotel. I told her I would work on it.

After institute, I told her that I had found some cool stuff to do. Like helping out on a ranch, an all day horseback ride, etc. At this point she asked me if this was all a joke, but I told her that I had the email to prove it!

Finally, I decided to tell her it was all a joke. I called her and asked her to come over so I could show her something. She came over and I showed her the email as I was pulling up the SNL skit on my computer. I sat her down, and once she saw the Welshly Arms neon sign, which I had said was the name of the resort, she figured out what was going on. She wouldnt look at me for the next few minutes! I am sure she is laughing now, but she got pretty worked up about the whole thing. She hadnt had the greatest day to start with, then I did this to her! It was a great first April Fools Day entry.

Why dont I trust my instincts?

2008-03-30T18:36:00.002-06:00

The Final Four is set, with all four 1 seeds making it for the first time since the field expanded to 64 teams. Although, if Stephen Curry hadnt picked up his dribble with 2 seconds left, we may be witnessing the second double digit seed in the final four in 3 years.

As I looked over the bracket two weeks ago, one thing that stood out to me was the strength of the 1-3 seeds compared to the rest of the field. Obviously, these are always the best team, but as the Nike Sparq commercial says, My better is better than your better. That was never more true than this year. I looked over the bracket and tried to decide who the surprise teams would be, and I got it right. I had Davidson in the Sweet 16. I didnt have the guts to have them beating Wisconsin, even though I really felt they would. Other than Davidson, the 7 teams in the Elite 8 were 1, 2 or 3 seeds. None of this weekends games were even close, until the Kansas-Davidson game.

Now, let me make my point...

I looked over the bracket and thought, "There is a real chance all 1 seeds will be in the final four." Of course, when I actually filled out the bracket, I talked myself into thinking DJ Augustin and Texas could handle Derrick Rose and Memphis. This did not happen, as evidenced by Rose's 21 points and 9 assists. So, I have 3 of 4 teams in the final four and have no chance at winning the office pool.

I am still going to stick with UNC as my winner. Tyler Hansbrough will singlehandedly carry them if he has to. It was a small miracle to hear Jay Bilas (a duke grad and coach k call girl) talk about how he had never seen someone as competitive as Hansbrough, even the great Michael Jordan. As much as I would like to see Kansas win it, even though Bill Self is an overrated coach more on this later, so the rebels will have lost to the eventual champ, I dont think they can handle Ty Lawson and Psycho T.

More on Bill Self...

Did anyone see that "play" he called with 30 seconds left coming out of the timeout? I think it was called, dribble around and try to get in the lane. There wasnt even a ball screen!!!! And people wonder why it took him 6 years to take Kansas to the final four. He almost got beat by a guy that looks like a middle schooler and a white guy who doesnt look much older. Neither of these guys were taller than 6 feet. It is realistic that all 5 Kansas starters will be on an NBA roster next season, 6 if you include Sasha Kaun. I think I cold take a roster like that to the Final Four.

Now, for the other side of the draw...

Memphis and UCLA showdown in a battle of the freshman. I dont know if I am ready to make a pick on this one. All I can hope for is that Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas are not calling that game. I think Jay Bilas is going to be kicked out of the Duke Media club because of the way he drooled over Kevin Love. Even Dick Enberg, who only did 2 of 4 opening day games because they couldnt prop him up that long, got excited about this kid. I think I even heard them talking about the way he shaves his sideburns :) HOW DOES HE DO IT?!?!? THEY ARE PERFECT...AND HE IS ONLY A FRESHMAN!!!!

Derrick Rose is my favorite of this years freshman class. Because of that, I will pick Memphis. They have dominated the last two games, while UCLA has not been able to play a complete game. That means there will be a UNC-Memphis final, which I called at the beginning of the year. The only change is that I picked Memphis to win. I think their free throw shooting will let them down, letting Roy and Psycho T cut down the nets in San Antonio.

Stuff White People Like

2008-03-26T10:20:00.004-06:00

I have a new favorite website (I had to find something new once Keiths blog went all Politically Correct), called Stuff White People Like. Here is the link. http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

Basically, they have a big list of things that white people like, with an explanation for each one. Also, they have running features like, White People in the News and White Spots.

White Spots highlights places around the world commonly frequented by us crackers.

Honestly, I dont know why I never came up with this idea. The funniest part about it is how much white people love it. The site has become a huge hit very quickly. It was started at the beginning of the year and has received almost 18 million hits.

I love how something like this can be covered in the New York or LA Times as a great or fantastic website, while a site called Stuff Black People Like would be labeled as racially insensitive if links to it were forwarded constantly day after day.

In fact, I think there should be a site called Stuff Black People Like just to educate all people that have grown up in Utah! How else are they supposed to understand their culture when only 57 live in the whole state?

Ok, enough about the color of skin...

For some reason, I have had writers block every time I try to express my feelings on this years NCAA Tournament. The good thing is I am pretty sure I know the reason why, which was my vague recap of the Mountain West Tournament. I have decided to censor myself publicly on the subject so as not to arouse feelings of hatred in myself or from other people. I NEVER censor myself, especially on this blog, which I started to express my feelings and opinions on whatever I feel like writing about, as no one is forced to read, much less agree with me. But in this situation, it felt like the right thing to do. Now, I just need to get over my pride so I can continue to entertain all my fans! :)

Anyways, I will maybe try some live blogging during this weekends action to see if that gets me out of this funk.

Hugs and Hand pounds,
Wink's greatest fan

Bracket Challenge

2008-03-18T11:30:00.002-06:00

I made a group on ESPN Tournament Challenge for anyone who wants to join. I want to see everyone representing their schools in this group. Here is the info.

Group Name: Joe Darger's Fauxhawk
Password: fauxhawk

Even if you are already in another group, you can get in this one also. Lets get the trash talk going.

Dixon

The Brackets are Set

2008-03-17T10:15:00.002-06:00

It has been an exciting weekend here in vegas. Lots of basketball, even some brawls, but overall a great few days.

UNLV is an 8 seed in the tournament. They have an opening round game against Kent State, which should be a great game. We are both smaller teams and should match up well. I cant wait to see them against our defense.

BYU also ended up an 8, and they open up against Texas A&M. I will stick to what I have been saying over the past few weeks and say I wouldnt be surprised to see them make a little run this year. The big weakness would be a team that has some very athletic guards. A&M is a team I have not seen play too much, but they have had a very up and down season. Should be another great opening round game.

The rebs open up in Omaha. Ive never been there, but hopefully that will change this week. It is still up in the air, but if I were a betting man, I would say we are going to be there. Dont worry, I have already checked the weather...mid 50s and sunny. I would not travel for more snow. I am so sick of that white stuff!

Saturday included a victory dinner at Geisha. I had never been there before. It was amazing. I had the Filet Mignon and dont think I took breath for 5 minutes as I ate it. We had a really good time with everyone there.

The most exciting part of the weekend came after dinner. Me, Shay, Trevor and Lauren decided to go to Golden Spoon. I had a bit of a brain fart, and we ended up going one street to high. This led to our wonderful discovery...Tart Frozen Yogurt.

I have dreamt about this place for the last two nights, thats how great it was. For anyone that knows of pinkberry, it is one of the many imitations that has popped up lately. They have four different flavors, all made from fresh fruit juice. Then, you can pile on many different toppings. Fresh fruit, candy, even cereal. They have different parfaits and smoothies they make too. My goal is to go everyday until school starts again.

I had strawberry yogurt with strawberries, peaches and bananas piled on top. Instantly, I knew we had made a very important discovery. Trevor said that his new nickname for me is Christopher Columbus because my wrong turn lead to an earth changing discovery!

All in all, it was a great weekend. I could not imagine a better way to kick off spring break!

It is oh so close

2008-03-11T18:53:00.002-06:00

I am feeling spring break..even seeing it when I close my eyes. Right now, I am sitting in my backyard enjoying the last hour or so of a beautiful early spring day.

One of my new years resolutions is to improve my golf game. I know, thats not saying much, but it has been warm enough the last few days to take my swing practice from the garage or living room to the backyard. The local range isnt open yet, so I am depending on my trusty plastic wiffle balls. Its a good way to work on my swing. I had a breakthrough today! I lightened my grip and the swing came through more naturally. That will be one of many improvement made through the next 6 months.

On to college basketball...

Gonzaga got beat last night in their conference tournament, which basically guarantees that the MWC doesnt get three teams in. With the east coast bias that exists, the committee will never allow the WCC and MWC to get three bids, especially when they can throw another overrated big east team in! Hopefully Butler can come through tonight so another bubble spot doesnt get taken.

That is it for today. I did not get to enjoy the weather as much as I wanted to, since I had class from 12-6 this afternoon. Depressing...

Championship Week

2008-03-09T18:08:00.005-06:00

Only 4 more days until I can enjoy my spring break! Not only that, this weekend we saw the beginning of my favorite sports time of year, "Championship Week."

This is a marketing device created by ESPN for the college basketball conference tournaments that decide who gets the automatic invites to the NCAA Tournament. Mind you, it lasts about 9 days, but ESPN isn't CNN, they don't have cool devices to crunch numbers! (Quick side note: How can these news channels "declare" winners of political races when 1 out of 2500 precincts have reported?) I think the purpose of the marketing blitz is the fact they show the Women's NCAA tournament and the NIT for the next month and know the ratings will be lower than the NHL, which is saying something.

I think there have 5 automatic berths handed out up until now, but the big conferences don't have their tournaments. The greatest part about all of this is the perfect timing of spring break. Now, I don't have to skip class Thursday and Friday for the 32 games played in that time period. Plus, I will be at my parents house in Vegas, which means 62 inches of pure High Definition! Hopefully Keith and Janae can come through with HD this year, they choked worse than anyone paired up with Tiger! In addition to all this, SUU is dedicating 2 new buildings, 2 remodeled buildings and a clock tower on Friday afternoon, which means classes are canceled starting at noon. I still haven't gotten my hopes up too high for this, as it wouldn't surprise me if my stats professor didn't even know about this and gives us a Friday test.

My blogs will focus on the big dance for the next month or so. We are less than 7 days away from the CBS Selection Show. All I need is for the Rebels to come through in their tournament this weekend so I can watch the show without suffering a stress related death. Depending on how BYU does, and our own performance in the tournament, I am expecting a 9 seed...maybe 8 if we beat BYU in the finals. That will be another win over a top 30 RPI team. My word of the month is bracketology...do you read it? I think it moves to daily updates this week, which will cause me even more stress because of the daily movements of my rebels. As long as we can beat TCU first round, I think we are in.

That brings me to something else, but very closely related, that I am excited for. The Mountain West Conference Tournament. Another weekend of exciting games, and grumblings from the other fans about home court advantage.

Here is what I have to say on that subject. Yes, we get a home court advantage, and I have no problem with that. They do all they can to make it feel like a neutral court, i.e. UNLV logos are not seen on the court or in the arena, the rebs use a different locker room, they have to stay at a hotel instead of at home. But all in all, the Vegas fans show up in droves. Any team would give up all those things to host the tournament! To anyone who wants to make comments or complain about this, I would like to direct you to your favorite teams coach and athletic director, they voted in favor of it. As one assistant athletic director said last week, "No one is complaining when the revenue check comes in the mail!" Every team knows from day one of the season the tournament will be in Vegas...deal with it. On a related note, UNLV went to the finals of the tournament 2 of the 4 years it was held in Denver...although not many people would know that since there was no one actually at the game.

Anyways, back to what I was talking about. The Wyoming fans are definitely the most annoying. WYO, WYO, they chant staggering around to find the right seats, since they cant read their tickets through the massive buzz they are enjoying. I will go out on a limb and say the conference has liked the fact they made mini runs through the last two tournaments, it definitely boosts alcohol sales! Since I cant get to Vegas until Thursday afternoon, I was hoping to miss the Wyoming game, but they will probably be BYU's sacrificial lamb in the late first round game.

New Mexico has a crazy tattooed guy that always comes. I expect a big number of NM fans, since they need a good run to lock up a tournament spot. And Air Force always has the few cadets that make the trip. As always, BYU will have their fair share of fans, but since it is a football school, they wont really show up until the finals. AS for the other teams, I don't think San Diego State really has any fans. TCU is just too far away for them to play in our league, although they make our football seem better. Colorado State hasn't won a game yet in conference, which equals a play in game exit wednesday morning. I don't know who would pay to see just that game. Utah will have a smattering of fans, but they wear red and will blend in with the UNLV and New Mexico fans.

I will make predictions later in the week, but let me just say this. The one team I do not want to play is Utah. Luke Nevill is a much better NBA prospect than Trent "I am such a horrible free throw shooter my wife is addicted to pain killers" Plaisted.

All in all, it is shaping up to be a great month. Wedding plans are gliding along smoothly, Shay will even be joining me for the conference tournament. As will one of my good friends, who just happens to be a BYU fan. Trevor "Cosmo" Tripp and his fiance Lauren will be staying with us.

To end, I have one complaint, why does this all have to happen in March when the weather starts getting warmer and it is absolutely beautiful outside?

Signed,
Bracketologist in training

An empty mind

2008-03-05T09:00:00.004-07:00

I have a huge desire to write a great blog today, but nothing is coming to me. Its been that kind of week. I guess I will just give some updates since my last post.

Wedding plans are coming along great. We went to Vegas this weekend to get a few things done. Our open house in the backyard is going to be very fun. I shouldnt even call it an open house, it will be a big party. We were looking into putting a plexiglass dancefloor over the pool, with floating lights underneath, but it ended up being too expensive. A custom floor needs to be made...too bad.

The best part of the weekend was a Full Ho feast. No, Full Ho is not one of those vegas clubs...it is a great little chinese place off Jones and 95. I think I had a whole takeout box of Kung Pao beef.

I am currently sitting in my Geology Natural Disasters class. I dont think I have ever taken a more worthless class, but it count for the same GE credit as Chemistry. Our labs have been identifying rocks and minerals...stuff I did in junior high. The Professor is really cool though, that is what keeps me coming to class. He gets so excited about hot spots and earthquakes. There are a few guys in my class who suck up to him daily, which only makes him more excited to teach.

I recently discovered the game that Keith and janae have on the tops of their blogs, something like travelpod. Talk about an addiction! I still havent matched keiths high score, but I am getting there. Geology is a great time to practice. My sudoku is also improving rapidly. I will be taking alec to school soon! Wow, I sound like such a dork...but im not scared to admit my sudoku addictions. In fact, I always have one little book in my backpack, one in my car and another in the living room. Whenever I feel the urge, I can satisfy my brain. Monday, I had a two hour break between classes and didnt have any homework to do. I didnt feel like going home, so I went to the library and broke out the sudoku. Those two hours passed so fast!

Well, thats it for this rambling post. Hopefully I will have a more interesting topic to blog about later this week. March Madness is only a few weeks away...

A smattering of thoughts

2008-02-28T22:37:00.002-07:00

Just a few things that have been on my mind...

-Why do people make movies that are rated R just for violence? Shaylee and I just finished Michael Clayton (conveniently edited by clearplay) and there was literally nothing else cut out other than swearing. Just cut those 20 words out and you will make at least $20 million more!

-Stephen Colbert is the best satirest of our time.

-3 months is such a long/short time!

-Yankee Stadium is looming in my near future.

-By the way, Michael Clayton was the best George Clooney movie I have ever seen. I know that isnt saying much (he has taken over hollywood despite having just one movie in the top 100 grossing movies of all time), but I would recommend it to just about anyone.

-Why are some people so flakey?

-Females do not belong in the broadcast booth for a mens college basketball game, keep them as sideline reporters!

-Many people gave me a hard time about my body pillow that was mentioned in a recent post. Shaylee was the one who told me to include it...she finds it very amusing.

-Friday Night Lights CANNOT end like it did. If it doesnt get renewed, I am going on a killing rampage of NBC executives.

-I need a tan.

-This has been an excellent College Basketball season...and will only get better once the rebs are dancing!

-KFC hot wings bring me so much joy and happiness.

-The name Alec basically means Superman...(to quote keith)look it up.

-I wish I had been better at writing in my journal as a child.

-Texting is ruining the way people develop relationships, I think I will devote a whole post to this one day.

My application

2008-02-25T15:05:00.003-07:00

As you all know, there are only two things I like about BYU. The Mens Chorus and Men's Volleyball (but even then I prefer Pepperdine or Long Beach). Whenever I talk about my, many people like to ask the question, Did you apply to BYU? This was recently brought up again by my loving shi'ite uncle. Here is the answer. Yes I did apply, but only because I applied to BYU-Hawaii. Never once have I considered attending BYU, but I checked the box because you could apply to both schools, I even checked BYU-I which I would rank even lower on my list than Provo, because there was no extra charge on the application. You never know what will happen when it comes to college applications, the more the merrier. Plus, I think I would have been excommunicated for not applying to Provo!

There is the explanation for all you that have ever asked me that question. Dont try to use it against me...I was just being a good Eagle Scout. "Be Prepared"

Signed,
Kruger's love child

Another one of these stupid tag things

2008-02-23T19:56:00.002-07:00

10 Years Ago....

I was 11 years old and dreamt of being a professional athlete, basically what I still dream about today.

5 Things on my to do list Today

1. Hang up laundry
2. Register for wedding
3. Eat a few meals
4. Watch Memphis/Tennessee
5. Become a millionaire

4 Things I would do If I was a Billionaire

1. Drop out of school
2. Buy an NFL team
3. Go to Brazil and build houses
4. Follow the Rebels to every game

3 Bad Habits

1. I am too humble
2. I think about others way more than myself
3. My shoes are too beautiful

5 Places I've Lived

1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Cedar City, UT
3. Sao Paulo, Brazil
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. Cedar City, UT

5 Jobs I've Had

1. Master of the File Room - Leavitt Insurance Agency
2. Runner - Hutchison and Steffen. Thats where I realized the worthlessness of most (notice I said most, Andrew) Lawyers.
3. Vice President of Rating - Leavitt Insurance Agency. Who else has ever had a VP title?

6 Things People Don't Know About Me

1. 5th grade was the highlight of my athletic career. Champs in basketball and hockey, I was the MVP of the hockey team.
2. I will learn Italian before I go to Italy.
3. I am addicted to The Real World and all spinoffs/challenges.
4. I really appreciate good art.
5. My body pillow has a name...Julie Taylor. And I sleep with her every night.
6. I enjoy not having a favorite NBA team.

I refuse to tag anyone else. I HATE these things!

Proposal details and wedding stuff

2008-02-23T19:22:00.005-07:00

I have received many requests for details on how I proposed...but Im not good at telling the story so I will leave it to her.

So here I am, My first attempt at blogging! Kind of exciting stuff... bet you've been dying to hear about Dixon's proposal! Well, no worries, I am here to give you all the details. So, Once upon a time, I used to go swing on swings in my hometown Kaysville Utah with my girlfriends...but this wasn't just plain swinging on swings, this was better than that, cuz we would swing on swings with frostys! I know, its pretty fun stuff! Well, I told Dixon that I did that with my friends in high school all the time, but I don't know how he remembered that, cuz its not like I kept telling him that over and over. So, this past weekend when we were up visiting my family, Dixon made a request to go swing on swings with me, but substitute hot chocolate for the frostys! Well, I am not one to turn down swinging on swings, so of course I was gung ho about that! After putting ice cubes in our hot chocolate so that it wasn't so hot... I guess I lied, we didn't have hot chocolate, we had warm chocolate! But anyways, we went to the ghetto park where I used to always swing! Dixon was pushin me on the swing, and me being the random person that I am was rambling on about stupid things, when he slowed my swing down to a stop, and said "wait here!" My heart started racing a little bit, because I am a blonde, and I hadn't even thought that this was a proposal... well, he comes around and gets down on one knee and says "Shaylee Anderson, will you marry me?" Now most people would think that I would answer right away, but I was completely breathless, I couldn't even say anything, bless his heart, he had to wait for ever till I finally said "YES!!" and then it was an episode from legally blonde with me waving my hands all funny and kind of sort of hyperventilating... I didn't even know that I could hyperventilate! So after freaking out just a little, we got in the car and he put on our song... I know, so romantic right?! I thought it was a little piece of heaven! Fun story huh?! I sure think so!

That was the great story from my beautiful bride to be! We are excited for the big day, May 28.

Now, on to our day. We decided to go down to St. George and get some wedding stuff done. Register, sample cake, look at wedding dresses and find what we are going to wear in our Engagement pictures. We were feeling very ambitious, to take all of this on in one day.

We started at Bed, Bath and Beyond, where Tiff told us is the best place to register. They give you cash for returns instead of store credit. The girl who got us all set up was very helpful. It is an overwhelming thing, especially for the girl. It doenst matter to me if all the different kitchen things match our mixing bowls and salt shakers. I never realized we would have to decide how to decorate the whole house in 2 hours. We were showed how to use the scanner, which was my favorite part, and we took off. There were a lot of decisions to make, most of which received an "its fine with me" answer. I enjoyed smelling the different scents of candles. I dont know how many times I said, "Shay, just scan it, if we dont get it, but want it, we will get 10% off, if we do get it and dont want it, we can take it back!" After 2 hours, we had gone through the whole store and scanned more than 200 different items.

Following Bed, Bath and Beyond was the bridal store. This overwhelmed Shaylee, but it would get worse! She tried on a few wedding dresses and looked absolutely beautiful. Now she knows what kind of dress she wants.

We picked up some lunch then went to Target to continue registering. The scanning gun at Target was a lot better than the other one, in fact, it even looked like a gun. I enjoyed Target a lot more than Bed, Bath and Beyond. A lot of the stuff was similar, but I liked the electronics section. They had all 6 seasons of scrubs, which would be a great present (hint, hint). We spent another 2 hours there, and left after adding almost 300 things to our list.

We had about an hour before we needed to be back, so we went over to the mall to choose what to wear for our Engagement pictures. I thought Shaylee was overwhelmed looking at dresses, but that was nothing compared to how she felt at the mall. She could not find good colors to go together and just got more and more frustrated. It is much harder for girls to shop than it is for guys. She came very close to breaking down before we decided to head home and try again next week.

All in all, it was a very productive saturday. It actually feels like our list of things to do it getting shorter instead of longer!

The NCAA and Kelvin Sampson

2008-02-20T13:18:00.002-07:00

Its time for me to publicly make known my feelings on the whole Kelvin Sampson situation. I talked to my dad about it the other day, but my feelings have changed a bit since then.

I do think he should be fired. He cheated, is a repeat offender, and needs to go. But...the university should be punished also, for knowingly hiring a cheater. Here is what I think should happen. Players should not suffer because of the choices of their coach. They should be allowed to finish the season, participate in post season tourneys and so on. Once the season ends, these players should be given the option to transfer without sitting out a year. They should not be stuck in a program that will be sanctioned because their coach cheated to get them there. Incoming players will know that ahead of time, which would be the difference.

Indiana should lose as many scholarships for as many players that leave, for the time remaining on each scholarship. If a player with 3 years left leaves, they lose that scholarship for 3 years, etc. This will show how the kids that earn scholarships really feel about the situation. If, 10 of the 12 scholarship players leave, they lose those 10 scholarships for however amount of time remains on each one. I know the NCAA doesnt have the guts to do something like this to a big program, although they might think about it if UNLV was in the same situation...

That would be about as close to the death penalty as possible. Could you imagine a new coach playing in the big 10 with more than half of his players as walk ons? I think Indiana would learn very quickly what the consequences are for hiring a cheater.

I believe in second chances, but people need to prove they have changed. Kelvin Sampson was on probation with the NCAA when he was hired!

While I am talking about the NCAA...

They need to do something about the constant change of coaches, especially in football. Bobby Petrino has signed almost 20 years worth of contracts over the past 4 years. I understand it is a business and if a job you want opens up, you should look into getting it. The bad thing in college sports is the effect this has on the athletes. Here is my solution.

First, make a special rule (maybe just for football) that players can transfer to another program without sitting out a year if their coach leaves, for a reason other than being fired. Especially if the new coach runs a different system.

Case in point. Ryan Mallett at Arkansas. Last season, he started 7 games as a freshman at Michigan. He is 6'8, 250 pounds. Coach Carr decides to retire, and Rich "Shredder" Rodriguez is hired. Shredder runs a spread offense. All of a sudden, Mallett (the #1 QB in the country coming out of high school) goes from the top of the depth chart to third or fourth.

Mallett decides to transfer, which is a great decision because of his NFL potential. Normally, he would have to sit out a year before playing, but he has filed a petition with the NCAA to recieve a waiver of that year. The NCAA will review that request, but i doubt it will be granted.

With the way football coached bounce around from program to program and with the Rich Rodriguez example, not even power schools are exempt, the NCAA really needs to figure out a way to lessen the impact this has on the athletes. Many of the football and basketball players in the NCAA are trying to make a living in the future through their talents, and a certain coach may be a big reason they choose a certain school. At the same time, everyone needs motivation, and if Coach graduated from USC, and that job opens up, he should go after that job. If the new coach cannot use the player in a similar way, there should be nothing keeping him from going somewhere that will use him. If I am an English major because I want to work with a certain faculty member and that faculty member finds a better job elsewhere, I can transfer to another school that would be a better fit!

I think football has many more "bouncing coaches" then basketball does, but if the NCAA creates a small committee to review each transfer case by case, everyone can have a chance to find a way out of a sudden coaching move.

One other option would be to try and limit the length of coaching contracts and extensions, which can express a false sense of commitment. Bobby Petrino signed a 6 year extension with Louisville, only to leave less than a year later to sign a 4 year deal with the Falcons. Again, less than a year later, he leaves the falcons to sign a multiyear deal with Arkansas.

The NCAA is a huge moneymaking machine, but never seems to make the right moves. Maybe that can change with the whole Kelvin Sampson.

ITS OFFICIAL!!!

2008-02-18T20:52:00.006-07:00

As of Saturday night, Shaylee and I are officially engaged. We are getting married on May 28th in the Bountiful Temple. There is a lot to do between now and then, but we are excited to get it all planned. Here are a few pictures of us and her ring. James did such a great job!!! Sorry that the picture is sideways, but ive tried to change it a few times and nothing worked.

ABC's of Dixon Wade Leavitt

2008-02-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks a lot heather!! I am not a big fan of these things, but I have been called out.

A - Attached or single? Attached
B - Best friend? Shaylee Anderson
C - Cake or pie? Pie, without a doubt
D - Day of choice? Friday & Saturday
E - Essential item? iPhone. "Its more than a phone, it a lifestyle" ~Dixon Leavitt
F - Favorite clothing item? Duh...shoes
G - Greatest ambition in life? The greatest dad in the world
H - Hometown? Vegas baby!!!
I - Indulgence? Food - KFC hot wings, Life - Music
J - Jan. or July? July, its my birthday month!
K - Kids? Of course!
L - Life isn't complete without? Music and the gospel
M - Movie? Can I name more than one? Recently, The Shawshank Redemption, Across the Universe and Juno
N - Number of bros and sis? 1 awesome brother, 3 crazy sisters
O - Oranges or apples? oranges in juice, apples off the tree
P - Phobia or fear? failure
Q - Quote? "Its harder to do things when you are tired" ~Bob Bertolini (If you dont know him, you are missing out on many great quotes.)
R - Reason to smile? I am alive and healthy
S - Season of choice? summer
T - TV show? Friday Night Lights, The Office, The Real World, College Basketball
U - Unknown fact about me? As much as I hate to say this, I am starting to accept dogs for who they really are. :)
V - Vegetable? Carrots and Brocolli
W - Worst habit? I am way too judgemental.
X - ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound! When they are rubbing that gel on an injury it feels so good
Y - Your favorite food? Dont ask me to judge...
Z - Zodiac sign? Cancer

I guess I am supposed to name people here to do the same thing...but I dont want to put you on the spot. If after reading this, you feel so inclined, please repost for yourself.

An e-goog-lee

2008-02-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

For those that dont understand the title, I would like to refer you to a scene from Zoolander when Derek pronounces Eulogy as it is spelled phonetically above.

Here is a short remembrance of Mitt Romney, who announced a suspension of his candidacy for POTUS. As I am sure a few of you were disappointed with my last post (Heather), this one should make you a bit happier. Although I wasnt sure whether or not he was ready to be President, he did a lot of good.

When I first heard that Mitt Romney was considering running for President, I thought one thing...that will be hard on him. This is the case for all, but for an active member of the church, it would be that much harder. I was scared at how he would represent the Church and the scrutiny that would come upon him. His speech late last year in Texas about the importance of religion in our lives and its role in his campaign was one I will remember for a long time.

I hope he will take the next few years to gain more experience aside from economics and think about making a run in 2012. It would be great to have someone in office who understands the blessings God is willing to give to those who hold public office. Although, if Condi decides to run, he will have to convince me why I shouldnt vote for her!

Just a few things

2008-02-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

Go buy the new Jack Johnson CD. The song Angel is my new favorite, but the whole CD is amazing. Also, if you are a beatles/musicals fan, watch Across the Universe. It is weird and artsy, but I enjoyed it immensely...even with Shaylee almost ruining the ending by telling me what was about to happen!

Super Tuesday is passed and it looks like the only answer we got is that all the candidates are childish and petty. Out of everyone, I lean more towards McCain. I like his leadership style and past experience. If that makes me a bad mormon...so be it. I dont have anything against Romney, but I have never looked at him, or heard him and thought, I want to make him the next POTUS. Too many tanning beds and salons. How will he read his national security briefing with those little goggles over his eyes? Good guy, but should stay in business to make other people rich, that will do more to help the economy than any republican president could do with Harry Reid as the Senate Majority Leader. I still like Obama, if only I agreed with what he stands for. Wouldnt it be great to see a brotha in the White House? Maybe he could make Condi his running mate! That would be a sight to see...

Im headed up to the Utah-UNLV game tonight. I think it will be a close game until the final 7 or 8 minutes. Rebels by 9. Justin and I are making the trip up and will head back after the game. Oh, the joys of college life!

State of the Union

2008-01-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite television programs returned this week after a long hiatus. In fact, I havent watched it since returning from my mission. This program is The State of the Union address. It has everything you could desire from tv, especially when President Bush is involved. I like dubya, but I will never confuse him for the smartest man in the world. My question this evening has been this: Does the teleprompter tell him when to raise his voice and use his hands? It would not surprise me, except for one thing...wouldnt that just confuse him? Brian Williams said before it started that President Bush took all day yesterday to rehearse this speech. I can just imagine him sitting in the oval office, with stereo speakers in front of him. Condi is sitting in the next room watching on a video screen and piping in applause to either speaker, depending on what is said. When he pauses for applause and it doesnt happen, she runs in yelling at him, pointing out that he didnt have enough emotion in his voice, or didnt point at the people in the front row! Can you tell that I really miss Saturday Night Live? Why does the writers strike have to happen in the middle of an election year? Bad timing...

I figured out what is wrong with our economy this morning as I was reading for my business lecture. It was a very basic overview on economics, but the answer was right there. Here it goes...

Over the past few years, Global Warming has become a hot button issue. The media loves to tell us how important this issue is and likes to shove it down our throats. NBC even had a whole "green" week last november. I am not sure what to believe about global warming, but anything we can do to create a better living environment for our followers is a good thing. There is one problem, since we hear so much about it, there have been many knee jerk reactions. In fact, it seems as if daily I hear reports of some big company or government agency buying carbon offsets, whatever those are. Because there is so much pressure on companies to "go green", it immediately jumps to top priority to get more publicity. As companies create budgets, the only green planned for is the money they plan on making! Therefore, all these companies are having to cut in other departments to make up for the money being put into the green transformation. The result is lower wages, or layoffs, and lower profits for these companies.

Issues like this should be looked at very closely and each detail planned out instead of just waking up one morning and deciding to go green. The only people who profit from this are the consultants and companies who help in the transformation and Mr. An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore, but he invented the internet so he doesnt need the money. The best results are usually found by staying in the middle of an issue like this and taking small, but significant steps as they are available. It is sad to see smart people be completely manhandled by the media and a Vice President like has happened recently. I can only hope that this is a trend that slows down, but for some reason I dont think that will happen.

When can I go to Heaven?

2008-01-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

On the drive home last night, we found out President Hinckley had passed away. Luckily, as we recieved the news, we were coming to an exit so Shay could get off to let her tears dry. I called my mom and talked to her for a few mintues. It was very hard news to receive. Ever since he got very sick about two years ago, I had started to wonder how I would feel when he finally did pass. I never wanted to find out the answer to that question. At first, I was extremely sad. He was "my" prophet. The one whose talks and sermons helped me form the man that I am today. While talking to my mom, I admitted this was a very selfish way of thinking. He finally gets to rejoin his wife and live in a better place. Since hearing the news, I have reflected on how he has effected my life.

When I was around 12, I went to visit Gram in Salt Lake when she lived at Eagle Gate. Both Presidents Hinckley and Faust were in her ward. I had attended her ward a few times, but never had the opportunity to see President Hinckley there, as he traveled very often. This time, he walked in about a minute before the meeting started. Immediately, the whole congregation rose to their feet out of respect for the Prophet of the Lord. An amazing spirit could be felt during that meeting. After, he hung around for a few minutes outside the chapel. Gram leaned down to me and told me I could go shake his hand. I was a bit nervous, but very excited. I waited for the few people in front of me to talk to him, then approached. I stretched my hand out and he took it. Then, he opened his arms and gave me a hug. It was very unexpected. The love and power of the Prophet was evident to me, even at such a young age.

I remember the "B's" talk like I heard it yesterday. My youth leaders had told us that a special meeting with the President of the Church for just for the youth had never happened before. That was a great tactic to get us excited for it! In the months following that talk, we must have watched it 3 or 4 times. President Hinckley taught such deep, important principles with great simplicity; the evidence of a great teacher. To this day, there is a beehive hanging on my wall reminding me of them.

I always loved watching President Hinckley's conference talks. The way he pointed at the audience/camera when making an important point. The little fluctuations in his voice that conveyed the importance and emotion he felt about the gospel. In his later years, watching him carry his cane up to the podium without using it, all to follow his doctors orders of carrying a cane with him! What a simple lesson in obedience! His talks were the first ones that made me excited about General Conference, for reasons other than being able to stay home from church for the weekend.

His council is constantly bouncing around in my head. One talk that stands out to me was given right before the passing of his wife. It was called, To the Women of the Church. Never before had I heard such a powerful talk about the sanctity of women. It was given during the General Relief Society meeting, and for the next few years, many people quoted or referred to it often. While working in the office on my mission, we listened to many talks and conference addresses. I remember the day that one came on. From the beginning, I stopped what I was doing and listened intently. It changed the way I treat and think of women. I had a greater appreciation for my mother and sisters. In 10 minutes, I changed the person that I was. I believe that is a definition of power. An agent in change.

I have looked up to President Gordon B. Hinckley for as long as I can remember. When I really found out the church was true for myself, I had those feelings while listening to I Know that My Redeemer Lives with a picture of President Hinckley on a projector. I will always call him "my" prophet, but not in a selfish way. Like my mom and President Kimball, President Hinckley showed me what it was like to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Even as I sit here in the library writing this on a cold, blustery day, my head is filled with memories and my eyes are filled with tears of joy. I know I am not the only one that has learned so much from this Man of God. His travels around the world have been greatly documented, he has even left physical examples of these travels through the many temples built during his time as Prophet. The beauty of the gospel is that my testimony is strengthened by his passing. I know President Monson and his counselors will continue the plan that God had for His church in our day. As long as I am alive, I will use the principles and teachings of President Hinckley to increase my testimony and faith in Jesus Christ. We have lost a great man from this Earth, but he served well and will be a huge asset to the Lords work in the Spirit World. I hope and pray that I can be half the man he was.

Tyler is home!!!

2008-01-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

I saw Tyler today. For those that dont know, Tyler is one of my best friends from High School. He was the last of us to go on his mission, even though he should have been the first. As he was preparing his papers, a doctor found a growth in his shoulder. It wasnt cancerous, and had it removed. About a week before being cleared to send in his papers after the surgery, they found some more problems in his shoulder and he had to start the waiting game again. Finally, about a year and a half later, he left for the Brazil Belem Mission, which is right on the edge of the Amazon.

All of us have been anxiously awaiting his return, since Tyler is usually the life of the party. I had planned on seeing him Friday, but the plans didnt work out. He is doing very well, still a bit weird, and is going to be in vegas next weekend. He is very excited to go to Claim Jumper with my dad.

Shaylee and I drove up to SLC on Friday afternoon. Her parents went out of town, so she was babysitting her siblings. I stayed with Alec and Tiff. They went to Provo friday night for Kadee's concert. I went up to Shaylees house and hung out with her and her family. We had a fun night. Saturday, me, alec and tiff just sat around, enjoying our saturday morning. The rebs played at San Diego State, so we watched that in the afternoon. Curtis Terry continued his SDSU magic with a game winning three pointer with 26 seconds left. It was a big interconference road win for the young team. Now, they are tied with the housecats for first place.

This morning, Tyler spoke in Springville. We had a bit of an adventure trying to find the right chapel, but we eventually made it. He gave a great talk, even though he kept slipping into portuguese. David Strobehn and I had a good time translating for everyone around us. After, his family had people over for food and socializing. With a few friends there, we had fun exchanging mission stories and adventures.

Tiff made some great Broccoli Cheese soup for dinner. She all of a sudden learned to cook this week! She treated us to London Broil yesterday. Her practice is paying off.

Shay and I are gonna have a late drive tonight. He family had late church, so we wont be able to hit the road for a few hours. I have a stats test tomorrow, surprisingly im not too worried about it! We will see if I still feel the same way 24 hours from now.

Frustration...

2008-01-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

I have been sick for the last week. Every other day it is a different thing...sore throat, sinuses, cough, etc. I wish I could have all of them at the same time for two days and get it over with! Never before have I had so much medication in me, yet there has been no relief. So much for my new found fondness for pills...

The Patriots won again today. They bother me so much! I still dont think they will win the super bowl. It is so hard to win as many games in a row as they have in the NFL. With two weeks to prepare, either NYG or Green Bay should have a good chance to beat them.

Thats it for now. I just needed to get those things off my chest.

Big Win!

2008-01-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Rebs pulled off a dominating win last night at the Thomas and Mack Center against those hated Happy Valley House Cats...at least that should be their new mascot with the lack of intensity they played with! Me, Justin and Brett Parry drove down after my Geology lab, arrived about 10 minutes before tip, then headed back after the game. It was totally worth the trip.

Funny story from the game. About 10 minutes in, a BYU guard named Michael Loyd subbed in. He played his high school ball at Palo in Vegas. He is only a freshman and doesnt have much confidence yet. When I saw him checking in, I said 4 or 5 times, Wink is gonna eat this guy up on defense. The guy sitting in front of my dad turned and said, pointing to the kid in front of me, that is his brother. I started laughing! I leaned forward and told him it was nothing personal and he understood. Obviously he didnt care too much if he didnt turn around and say something to me first!

It was a great game and a great mini road trip. I love the Rebs.

Moving to Brazil

2008-01-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

I made the decision today that i am moving to Brazil each September through the first week of February. Thats what it takes for my Colts to win the Super Bowl. They broke my heart again today against the Chargers. 3 turnovers inside the 20 yard line. It should have been a blowout. I am kinda jealous of Keith and the Eagles...but I am sure that will only last for a few days. At least the Colts are a playoff team!

Another thing that influenced my decision to move to Brazil was hearing the beautiful portuguese language in church today. There is a girl from Rio in my ward and she has only lived here for a month. She was asked to give the closing prayer, but was given the choice to do it in either languages. It was amazing! I was able to talk to her for a few minutes after church. My portuguese is still pretty good!

I made it!

2008-01-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

The week is over! Once I get through the first week or so, the hopeless feelings subside. I was actually one of the few that understood our stats homework this week, although Im sure that will not be a normal thing!

A miracle happened last night! Shaylee came over and we watched the Jazz-Suns game. Let me say that again in different terms, a cute girl came over just to cuddle on the couch and watch an NBA game! Not only that, but she knew who each and every one of the players were. One of my dreams has now been fulfilled! At halftime, I told her I was living a dream...I wasnt joking. Dad and Alyssa were sitting front row on the baseline about 3 steps away from the jazz bench and even got some tv time on TNT.

The second biggest thing that happened this week was my huge Madden victory over Justin. We have had some epic battles since coming back up here. The other night I beat him 72-34! Yesterday he beat me to gain back some dignity, but the damage was done.

I would like to give a shout out to Uncle Keith for publicly announcing to the world my disdain for dogs. Now, maybe people will stop being so surprised about that fact when it inevitably reveals itself!

Thats all for now. I got Justin and Shaylee into Friday Night Lights so we will probably spend most of the weekend watching that!

Two down...too many to go

2008-01-08T18:03:00.002-07:00

Im through the first two days of school. My classes have not been too bad, but it has been everything going on outside of them that has. In november, I made sure I registered for classes at midnight of the first day so I could get all the classes I wanted/needed. Easy peasy...I thought. Everything worked out perfectly until I got on sunday night to look up classrooms and stuff. Thats when I realized I had been put of the waitlist of my English class. Ok, I thought, that must be some weird mistake, I will work it out tomorrow. In the mean time, I found another english class I was interested in that had a few open spots.

After my first class monday morning, I went to the registrar to figure things out. There, I was informed that the only person who can move people from the waiting list to the real class is the professor. I called the professor who told me she had not even looked it over yet. Then she told me that I had no hope because not only was I on the waiting list...I was number 20 on the list!! There are only 25 people in each english class, so I had no chance of her being in a classroom with a few extra desks. My only hope is 20 people dropping the class by friday. I turned to my backup.

This was an internet course, which I figured would probably be better for me in english because then I dont have as much interaction with the professor. Being someone who is open with his opinions, I usually clash with english people. Being an internet course, I could only enroll through the professor. I wasnt worried because it showed 5 or 6 open spots online. I went to talk to him. He told me there was a very long waiting list for his course also, but my chances were a bit better than the other class.

Ok, I guess I am not supposed to take english this semester!! I looked today for one more class so I can take more than 12 credits. Since I am taking stats and trying to work a few more hours this semester, I didnt want to take anything too tough, but also wasnt going to take a class that I didnt need. That didnt work out either. Nothing goes with my schedule, even the tougher classes I didnt want to take at the same time as stats. Basically, unless a miracle happens, I am going to have 12 credits and will have to take english over the summer to stay on schedule. I got totally screwed in this situation. And I thought my lack of procrastination was supposed to be a blessing?!?!?

Anyways, outside of the school arena, life has been good. I dont have class until noon on tuesdays and thursdays, so I was able to wake up at 8 this morning and get a lot done. I got a Golds membership yesterday, which is a huge step up from the on campus gym. After my workout, I came home and watched the first new episode of the Colbert Report in 7 weeks! How I lived through those weeks is beyond me. Even without writers he was amazing, but some segments could get a little stale very soon. I went over my stats homework from the night before (I need to stay on top of it while I still understand) and got some work done. After class, I worked for a few more hours and now here I am.

This afternoon, Justin called saying his car was stuck. We got about a foot and half of snow from sunday night to monday morning and the worst part is right now. The roads are back to normal, but if you part on the side of the road, there is a good chance you will end up stuck. His car is also rear wheel drive...which doesnt help. I went over to try and help and we recruited another kid walking down the street. We were very unsucessful. The back right wheel just kept going further and further into the snow bank. We decided to find a few others and try again. We got two of our friends to come help and finally got it out. I was pushing the side that was very stuck, and kept getting sprayed with nasty snow. It was actually a very funny scene to those passing by.

Last night we watched the last BCS game at my house. The first half was good, but LSU ran away with it. Typical BCS game! We had a bunch of food and stuff, it was fun. Brett Parry came over and it was good to catch up with him.

Well, that is all for today. I like my classes and think they will be a bit easier than I expected. I have all but one class in the Dixon (Dixie) Leavitt Business building. I should get an honorary degree because of that building!

A New Ward...A New Start

2008-01-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out what ward I am in!! For those that didnt hear about my situation, here is an explanation.

When I came back from Thanksgiving break, I went to church and someone came up to me saying they didnt think I was in the ward anymore. I told them I had been at home for the last few weeks, but was still living in the ward. He went on to say that I thought my street was no longer part of the ward. I talked to a few more people and they confirmed his suspicions. The search was on!

I talked to the counselors in the bishopric, who were able to tell me I was no longer in the ward, but not where I had been moved to. During the week, I called my bishop, or former bishop, asking him if he knew where I was supposed to go. He also didnt know but told me he would know by sunday and just to go to his ward again that week. Upon arriving at church, I asked my bishop if he had found out where I was supposed to be. He said he had forgotten, but apologized and said he would find out. A member of the stake presidency was at sacrament meeting that day, so I asked him. He also was not able to help me. Finally, I gave up for the day, deciding to call my bishop later in the week and remind him. The semester ended, and I went back home. During the break, I attempted to get a hold of my former bishop, but was unsuccessful for 3 weeks straight. Yesterday, I decided I would try my luck on the church website. I remembered that if you logged in to you account, it would take you directly to the ward where your records are. I did this and found out I was in the 25th ward.

Now, I knew my ward, but they did not keep up their site, so I didnt know where or when to go. After thinking about it, I realized that ward sounded familiar and someone I know is in it. I saw a few people I knew last night at the game and asked around, but no one could help me out. Shaylee and I came back to my house to watch the last few minutes of the Steelers-Jags game and I remembered that the 25th ward was one of the dorm wards. I called Adam to find out what ward he was in and I had finally found my answer!! That is his ward and he was able to tell me when and where to go.

Anyways, today was my first day in that ward. I was rather happy to change wards as the last one wasnt my favorite, to say the least. During testimonies, I was thinking about John the Beloved and his choice to stay on Earth till the resurrection instead of being granted the wish of the rest of the original Disciples. I realized he understood something none of the others did. During the time we are in paradise waiting for the resurrection, we will want to be back here trying to help in the work with the wisdom we have gained. It was completely selfless of him. I need to understand this now and take advantage of my time here and make a better effort to help my fellow men, because I am pretty sure Christ will not be giving me the same choice he did the disciples!

I really enjoyed my new ward and am excited to get a calling and start home teaching. I never got a home teaching assignment in my last ward, but not because of a lack of effort! Also, I never recieved a home teaching visit from anyone. I hope it will be different this semester.

School starts tomorrow and I am not ready! I love being back up in Cedar, but have never liked school. Oh well, I guess I need to get over that.

Very Productive Days

2008-01-05T01:27:00.000-07:00

I have a few funny stories to pass on to my beloved readers.

One night, two young men were figuring out what to do when they recieved a text from a hot girl. "Hot Tub, Katie's House, 8:00" Quickly, Gilbert responded asking for directions. During the 10 minutes it took to recieve a response, Gilbert and Jorge realized they had recieved a "courtesy text". Finally, Ashley responded telling Gilbert to call Katie for directions.

Gilbert called and got directions. Before hanging up, he asked permission to bring Jorge. It is important to understand something about Jorge, he is very fat. Gilbert asked Katie if there was a problem if a fat kid came with him. He made sure she understood he was very fat and asked if there would be room in the hot tub. Katie gave the hesitant ok, then plans were set in motion. After talking to Katie, Gilbert knew for sure they had recieved a "courtesy text" but they were excited for the awkwardness that could occur if they went. Their first idea was to go in speedos, but they were pressed for time and realized their presence would be awkward enough.

Upon arrival, Gilbert and Jorge made their first awkward move of the night by knocking on the door instead of going around to the back yard. Quickly, they realized there was already an even amount of guys and girls in the hot tub. This wasnt a big deal to Gilbert and Jorge as they enjoyed living their alternative lifestyle together. The two proceeded to the hot tub and everyone moved in closer to find a bit of room for them. About 8-10 minutes after entering the hot tub, conversation slowed down. A few minutes later, Gilbert and Jorge found themselves with one other couple in the hot tub. Ashley shot them a look of, "Yes, I like this guy and want to be alone." The two pretended they didnt understand and stayed in the hot tub for a few minutes creating awkward conversation for the new couple. Finally, they got out and joined everyone in the house. Everyone was kinda paired up and Jorge and Gilbert didnt really know anyone there. They through out some really wierd ideas, jumping off the roof, etc., but all the people just kinda looked at them wanting them to leave. A few different serious ideas were thrown around without the two boys in mind. This time they took the hint and decided to leave. Their plan of awkwardness was achieved and they headed home, less than an hour after arrival.

Really, this is a true story about Mike and Trevor. I wish it was a joke, but everything in this story happened!

The next story happened tonight.

We, Trevor, Mike and I, went to Jillian's for a concert of local bands. One of our friends, Sonya, brothers band was the headliner. Sonya's family is from Logandale and many friends and family were in town for the show. Also, lots of people from the local singles wards were there. When we got there, Sonya introduced us to a bunch of her friends from home. Mike and Trevor are trying to get over their attraction to each other and I decided I would be a good wingman and help them out. They pointed out a few interests and we went to work.

The first band we saw was very good. I knew they would be from the first time I saw they had an African-American keyboard player. This was a new thing to me, so I was excited. A few of these girls stayed close to us and I kept trying to push the conversation away from me and more towards my boys. It was going very well.

The next band was horrible. We had a great time joking around about them. I noticed Trevor had kinda made a decision and tried to come up with a plan to help him. At this point, the band we were there for, Air Raid Anthem, was getting ready to play. I was excited. I was full of energy. I used every bit of my energy during their set. It was great!! Anyways, the concert ended and we started to figure out where to go from there. We decided on In n Out and one girl told us to call her when we got there. This was when my wingman skills came in handy. She leaned over to me to give me her number, but I told her my phone was about to die and brought in Trevor. It was a good move.

We got to In n Out and sat down at a table with these two girls Mike and Trevor were interested in. About five minutes after sitting down, Trevor asked these girls where they were going to school. It was about this time I got up to get some water, but I still heard the answer and it was a good thing I was not at the table because I was laughing so hard. "We are still in high school..." was all I needed to hear! Later I found out what the next comment was and it explained the overwhelmingly awkward silence that greeted me as I returned to the table. Pointing to the guy at the table next to her, "And this is my dad." I dont know how Mike and Trevor were able to keep straight faces the whole time!

After I got back to the table, we tried to keep conversation going so it wouldnt be too awkward for everyone involved. It was about this time I got a text from Shay and pulled my phone out to respond. The girl sitting across from me, Kayla, had never seen an iPhone so she asked to look at it. I handed it over to her and kept talking to Trevor. After a few minutes, she was still messing with my phone. I looked over at her and she said, "I want to leave a note on your phone, ok? It will only take a minute or so. And, I wanted to see how it worked to put peoples numbers in, so I put mine in." Could anyone be more obvious? I just said ok and a few minutes later she gave me my phone back. I really wanted to look at the note, but decided it would probably be best to wait until she was had left. We sat there with them for another 15-20 minutes until them and everyone else that had met at In n Out left, but we were still waiting for people. The second they walked out the door, I pulled out my phone and read the note. Here is what it said. "D - You are so rad! Text me some time! Love Kayla <3" I exploded into laughter as I tried to show Mike and Trevor what it said. Mike and I had been making comments about the whole High School thing in Portuguese all night, adding to the amusement.

Finally, the two girls we were waiting for, Lindsay and her friend Kaisha, showed up. Almost immediately, we told them this story, which was probably a mistake on our part because they took every opportunity for the rest of the night to remind us that we are into High School girls!

A few random stories from Jessica.

First, Jessica and j-jar were at the gym yesterday morning when they started discussing the recent departure of Lamar Roberson from the rebels. They decided they needed to do something to show him a proper, respectful departure. After their workout, they went to the Jarmans and made a poster that said RIP Lamar with little sayings around it. Then, they ripped it into little pieces and threw them into the street!

Second, she went to a Chris Brown concert last night! Remember, my sister is white. She said he was actually the only good one, which doesnt surprise me when the rest of the line up is made up of Lil Mama, Bow Wow and Soulja Boy. I think she has jungle fever.

Well, I think that is it for this edition of cancel out the noise. I hope this provides some comic relief for those of you out there.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the belated New Years Wishes. There was a lot going on around New Years, then I woke up early yesterday morning with my stomach disagreeing with the rest of my body. The rest of the day was spent on the couch. Literally, I got off the couch maybe two times before 9 last night!

Shaylee came down for the New Years weekend. Also, the Marquezes were staying with us. We had a full house, which was very fun for all. We didnt do too much. A lot of movies, eating and football...all the things a good new year should have. Like every year, there was a huge fireworks show on the strip. We found a great place to watch them and Shaylee and I sat and talked for a long time. She is a great girl!

Jake went into the MTC yesterday. It hasnt really hit me yet. I know I will finally feel it when I am watching the NFL playoffs this week and start to text him about something. I talked sports with him more than anyone else! We worked out a deal to end my NBA strike also. We decided that I would take over his NBA viewing duties once he left, which would end my 2007-2008 boycott. For those of you who dont know, this is a huge deal. I think the WGA should bring me in to handle their negotiations!

I have a few more Top 10 lists for you to finish that off. The first is actually a Top 5 list.

Top 5 TV shows of 2007
1. Scrubs
This is my favorite show of all time! I hope the writers strike doesnt keep me from seeing how it ends.
2. Heroes
I watched the first season on DVD in about 4 days. The second season started off slow, but the last few episodes totally made up for it.
3. The Office
The third episode of this season was my all time favorite. I am glad they are back to the half hour format.
4. Friday Night Lights
An amazing show with an amazing cast.
5. 30 Rock
I think I found a show to replace Scrubs once it ends this year.

Honorable Mention
Private Practice
Pushing Daisies

Weird...all 5 are from the same network. Go NBC!!!

The last two lists are special this year. Since I missed 2005 and 2006 due to a mission, I am going to do my favorite albums I have found since coming home.

Top 10 albums
1. Jack's Mannequin - Everything In Transit
2. Cavalier - Your Honest Answer
3. Dave Melillo - Talk is Cheap
4. The Format - Dog Problems
5. The Early November - The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path
6. Acceptance - Phantoms
7. Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
8. Cartel - Chroma
9. Tyrone Wells - Snapshot
10. Until June - Until June

Movies

2007-12-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

I got back from a quick trip to San Francisco last night. Out hotel didnt have wireless, so I wasnt able to provide any updates! Here is the top 10 movies list. Hopefully I can get sometime later today to go over Christmas and San Fran...until then, enjoy!

Top 10 Movies 2007
1. Dan In Real Life
Steve Carell turned in a surprising performance in my favorite movie of the year. This was a funny movie with a great story line. Even Dane Cook was good!
2. Juno
I had very high expectations for Juno and I was not disappointed. A great soundtrack and great acting made this a personal classic.
3. The Bourne Ultimatum
A fantastic end to a great franchise. The fight seen through the slums of Morrocco may be my favorite part of any action movie.
4. I Am Legend
Again, high expectations for me on this one. Will Smith turned in an award winning performance. The special effects were amazing and even though it was a sci-fi storyline, it didnt seem over the top, like War of the Worlds.
5. Hairspray
I dont know if I have ever laughed harder in a movie than I did during John Travolta's dance solo at the end of Hairspray. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie.
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Through 5 films, they are finally figuring out how to make a Harry Potter movie. The actors are getting more mature and have really become their characters. The whole Deparment of Mysteries scene was fantastic!
7. Transformers
Judging by the trailer, I did not expect much from this movie. Little did I know it would be fantastic. Shia Lebouf is becoming one of my favorites.
8. Blades of Glory
Behind Anchorman, my favorite Will Ferrell movie yet.
9. Disturbia
Again, I had low expectations for this Shia Lebouf movie, but I was wrong. Well written, with an actual story line, which is weird for a horror movie.
10. License to Wed
The Office cast has been well represented on this years list. A great chick flick.

Honorable Mention
Spider-Man 3
American Gangster (Judging by the trailers!)

Next Top 10...and other stuff

2007-12-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

It is the day before Christmas...I dont know where the last year has gone! I was talking to Shaylee last night and she asked me about the differences of being home for Christmas and being on a mission. My answer surprised me. I think it was easier to be on a mission around Christmas because you really appreciate it for what it is. In Brazil, Christmas is not nearly as commercialized as here in the US. Even the most affluent families only get their children one or two presents. Also, as a missionary life is a lot simpler. Because of the work we were doing, it was much easier to focus on the whys of Christmas than what comes from it. Although, nothing can replace the joy that comes with being together as a family during the holidays.

Jake spoke in Church yesterday. He did a great job. I really liked the sports analogies he used. They had a little get together at his house afterwards, which was fun.

Now on to the next Top 10 list. This one will be my favorite songs of the year. Here it is.

1. So, In This Hour... - The Rocket Summer
My favorite song from my favorite CD of the year. One of the highlights of the year was seeing The Rocket Summer. Since this was a newer song I wasnt sure if he would play it or not. FInally, he came out for an encore and satisfied me.
2. Rollerskates - Treaty of Paris
Just an upbeat, fun song to listen to.
3. Song In My Head - Sherwood
Even though it has such a catchy melody and upbeat sound, this is actually a downer of a song. At one point, it was the best way to explain what was going on in my head.
4. Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...) - Jay-Z feat. Kanye West
My favorite rap song of the year. It doesnt take much for this position, but lyrics that talk about Black Bar Mitzvahs are hard to beat.
5. Light Up the Sky - Yellowcard
The first time I heard this song, I was sitting at work. Near the end, there is a big drum solo. After hearing it, I had to walk out to my car and listen to it louder to completely appreciate it.
6. Realize - Colbie Caillat
Sometimes we just need to take a second and look around at what we already have before wanting more.
7. The Shade of Poison Trees - Dashboard Confessional
I still have no clue what this song means, but I like it a lot.
8. Imagine - Jack Johnson
A great cover of a classic song. Personally, I feel it is better than the original. Everything Jack touches turns to gold in my book!
9. Stay Close, Dont Go - Secondhand Serenade
This song was included on the re-release of their first CD. I could see myself singing these lyrics on a regular basis.
10. Thriller - Fall Out Boy
How can I keep a song with an intro by Jay-Z off this list? Not only that, but the Jay-Z part was probably my favorite ringtone of all time.

Honorable Mention
The Second Coming - Juelz Santana
Movement - The Higher
Underclass Hero - Sum 41
Direction - The Starting Line
Brink of Disaster - Mae
Lose It - Cartel
You're Not a Whore - The Format
I couldnt choose one song from the new Jimmy Eat World album!

Stay tuned for a few special Top 10's to come. Since I missed 2005 and 2006 on my mission, I am going to do a Top 10 new albums and songs from the new stuff I have discovered since being home. Also, a Top 10 movie list is on its way, but I am going to wait and see Juno before making that list, as I feel Juno will end up pretty high!

Feliz Natal para todos!!!!

Top 10 Time

2007-12-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Over the next few days I am going to share a few different Top 10 lists with you. Today I will start with my Top 10 Albums of the year and there will be 3 or 4 more to follow, with my Top 10 Movies of the year as the final installment.

Albums of 2007
1. The Rocket Summer - Do You Feel
For the first two months after buying this CD, I listened to it everyday. At the beginning, I was even considering making it number 1 all time, but it ended up not making it that far.
2. Sherwood - A Different Light
This is what I call happy music. Great to turn on in the car alone, turned up loud and singing at the top of my lungs.
3. The Higher - On Fire
A great sophomore effort from the Vegas boys. By far the best band Vegas has to offer.
4. Colbie Caillat - Coco
This is on many people lists this year. Every song is fabulous, with so much emotion expressed through the lyrics.
5. Yellowcard - Paper Walls
A surprise on this years list. After a dismal follow up to Ocean Avenue, Yellowcard got down to business for this years Paper Walls. Listen to the amazing drum solos on a few tracks.
6. Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light
I am a long time JEW fan, but have never felt satisfied by their music since Clarity. Chase This Light will be loved by long time fans and new followers alike.
7. Dashboard Confessional - The Shade of Poison Trees
Chris Carrabba surprised the world with this album, announcing it only 5 weeks before the release date. A completely acoustic CD, it got everyone ready for the great solo tour that had been 5 years in the making.
8. Treaty of Paris - Sweet Dreams, Sucker
The first LP release from Andrew McMahon's Airport Tapes & Records label is a fun, upbeat rock album.
9. Paramore - Riot!
This teenagers figured out their sound on this second release. With great melodies, I will listen to this record for a long time.
10. Farewell - Isn't This Supposed to be Fun?
A surprise find from my recent music quest. These guys know how to get your feet moving without using to many computer generated sound. I cant wait to see them live and get the full experience.
Honorable Mention
Angels and Airwaves - I-Empire
The Starting Line - Direction
Cartel - Cartel
Mae - Singularity
Hidden In Plain View - Resolution
Jay-Z - American Gangster
Anberlin - Cities

This Fishbowl Life is All They Need

2007-12-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying I am glad I dont live in a fishbowl. If you dont know what I am talking about, listen to Into The Airwaves on my music player.

Anyways, my SLC trip has come to an end. I have had such a good time, but am ready to head home for the holidays. Let me recap the last few days.

Sunday we were able to relax and enjoy life. Keith got a bit worked up by the Miami victory, which was funny for the rest of us to watch. Alec and Janae love to play Pinochle on yahoo games, but Janae doesnt have a great rating. They decided that they would play together, and I would play against them at the same table with someone else. Once the first hand was over, I would quit which means a forfeit, and their ratings would go up. Tiff got a great picture of all of us on the couch with our laptops. That night, I talked Kadee and Troy into coming up and chilling with us for the night. Shaylee came up also and we had a good time playing Guitar Hero and watching The Bourne Ultimatum. I defended my speed crown against Shaylee, which I dont let her forget!

On Monday, I drove up to Logan with Shaylee and her twin Kylee to visit Lindsey and Richard. Lindsey, Richard and I went to lunch at the restaurant where Lindsey works. Her rooommate, Anne, was our waitress. When Richard and I get together, we have a good time, especially at restaurants. Poor Anne got the brunt of our jokes, which included Richard asking her to wipe the ice cream off the sides of his mouth! After, we went back to Lindseys house and watched the Jack Johnson DVD while having a discussion about lifes deepest, darkest secrets. Shaylee, Kylee and their friend Leslie Ann joined us for a while, which somehow led to a discussion about the 7 wonders of the world. We looked them up on Wikipedia (speaking of wikipedia, does it bother anyone else that wikipedia get such a bad rap from educated people?) and found out that there are many more than seven wonders, in fact there is a world panel whose only purpose is to define the seven wonders of the world!

From Logan, we headed back to Shay's house for her families annual visit from Santa. This was my first time meeting her family and I was very impressed. We had a great dinner and then it was time for santa. He loved giving me and James (Kylee's boyfriend) love advice! Overall, it was a very fun night.

Tiff's little brother Austin flew in yesterday so he has been partying with Alec and I. Today we decided to go to the zoo. Austin had never been and so we went. We actually had a pretty good time. We were one of maybe 10 people in the whole place. Following the zoo, we headed to the Gateway so I could finish up my Christmas shopping. I was able to get everything I needed, which is a record for me because there is still a week before Christmas. One side note on the trip. Alec has gotten me addicted to Sudoku. I got a Sudoku book today because I am hooked.

Tonight, Shaylee and I went to Temple Square to look at the lights. I had not been there around Christmas time for so long! Temple square was decked out and so was the plaza between the Joseph Smith building and the church office buildings. They had a bunch of paper bags with different Christmas related words punched out in different languages. It was really cool. We sat in front of the Christus statue for a few minutes, which I really enjoyed. After we were done there, we went to Starbucks for some hot chocolate. Shaylee had never been inside of a starbucks...what a utah girl!

When I got back to Alec and Tiff's house, we sat around talking for a while. I called Jessica to ask her about the Chris Brown concert and while I was on the phone, Alec started doing different dances. He started out with the Soulja Boy and moved on to different mission inspired dances. He ended by performing a cheer in front of the tv. I was literally on the ground laughing!

I have really enjoyed my time up here. This is really the first time I have been able to spend a lot of time with Alec since he has been home. Also, I spent a lot of time with Shaylee, which has been amazing. She is such a cool girl and I enjoy getting to know her. Hopefully I can convince her to come down for New Years! I cant believe there is only another week until Christmas. I cant wait to go look at lights with the fam. That is one of my favourite traditions, right behind Christmas Breakfast at Grams, but I will save those things for another day.

Remember, its gonna be a hard day, so hang on, dont panic, there simply is no need. We are hanging here.

A Night Out in SLC

2007-12-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

I made it safely to the land of the north today. I had to bring my truck up for Alyssa to use since she wrecked her car a few weeks ago. I am so nervous! She better treat it good.

Tonight, Shaylee and I went to dinner with Alec, Tiff, Jake and Amy at Rodizio Grill. The Pao de Queijo was absolutely amazing, as was just about everything else. It was the first time Alec and Tiff had met Shaylee and we all had a good time. I got everyone to try the chicken heart, which is very good when you dont think about what you are putting in your mouth. Shaylee had to get to a family thing, but the rest of us went to see I Am Legend. I saw it last night also, it was great. We had a good time discussing it on the way home! Alec watched the Guy Love clip from Scrubs for the first time. It went over very well! Here are some pictures from tonight.

Tiff giving Alec a dirty look for eating too much

A better picture of the young couple

Me and Shaylee

Jake and Tiff getting ready to try chicken heart

So, I am watching a special episode of "The Soup" which shows the funniest game show moments of the year. It is one of the funniest shows I have watched in a while. One girl on Teen Jeopardy told a stupid story about how she and her family went camping and were scared they would see bear. After not seeing one, they were disappointed so they went looking for one. Then they saw one...the end.

Wow, this is compelling television! Especially after midnight. I dont think it would be nearly as funny in the middle of the day.

I rediscovered the album Ocean Avenue on the drive up there this morning. That was very fun. I think that is one of the more undervalued albums on my ipod. One of my favorite parts about long drives is turning up the volume and really enjoying some music. It doesnt happen enough.

I had an epiphany at dinner tonight...I have been home for over 10 months now. I cant believe how fast the time has gone. Last night, me, shaylee and justin watched the slide show from our Christmas conference last year. Time flies... Christmas is just around the corner and I am still not prepared. I have presents for Jessica, Chase and Hannah, but still dont have everything for Mom, Dad and Alyssa. I have no clue what I am getting for mom. Im sure something will come to me soon.

Stay classy San Diego,
Dixon

The Mitchell Report

2007-12-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Excuse me while I rant...

Never before have I been so disgusted by ESPN as I am this morning. As many of you know, the Mitchell Report comes out later this afternooon which will basically show that baseball knew that its players were taking steroids and HGH but just looked the other way because of the huge numbers being put up. Huge numbers = more publicity and income. Thats all that matters to Bud Selig. People say Gary Bettman ruined the NHL, why does Bud Selig get a free pass?

Anyways, it came out this morning that Roger Clemens will be named in the report as someone who received steroids. This is huge news, because he is one of the best pitchers of all time, as well as one of the biggest D-bags of all time. Well, Peter Gammons, who was a Red Sox beat writer when Clemens was there, came on to talk about how big this is. He started off saying something that almost caused me to throw my tv through the front window. He said that we are dealing with an interesting situation because of the mitchell report. These names were given by talking to general managers, trainers and clubhouse attendants among others. Basically, people that could get steroids to players. Gammons stated that we need to take this news remembering none of these players actually tested positive, so we dont know for sure if they took them. Where has this statement been for the last 3-5 years that steroid use has been coming into public knowledge? People like Paul Byrd, Rick Ankiel and others who have been linked to buying steroids were in the same position that Clemens is going to be in!

Here is a disclaimer. Barry Bonds is my all time favorite baseball player. Never before has he tested positive for steroids. Do I think he took steroids? Yes. Was it against the rules of baseball at the time? No. If I was in his position, would I take them? I think I would. Bonds is a scapegoat for the whole steroids issue because he is so apathetic towards the media, which is understandable. Gammons went on to say that he believed the whole Game of Shadows book, loosely based on Bonds' alleged steroid use, but would take the Mitchell report with a grain of salt! This is ESPN's number one baseball analyst! He will believe a book written by a biased reporter looking to make money, which it has with movie rights being bought by HBO recently, but will not trust a 20 month investigation by a former senator? I understand Mitchell was contracted by MLB to investigate the situation, but from what has come out, he is saying MLB is partly liable for the whole thing, therefore he comes to a somewhat unbiased conclusion.

I do not completely disagree with the point Gammons made, it just bothers me that it took the connection of one of the 10 best pitchers of all time* (if Barry's home runs have an asterix, anything related to Clemens should too) for him to express that opinion. We will never know for sure who took steroids until these players come out and say so. The best scenario for MLB would have been to give players a one month window to come out and admit they were using steroids before it was against the rules without any chance of suspension or fines. Too bad Bud Selig doesnt have the balls to open up the game like that. For now, we will have to trust these reports linking players to steroids. Personally, if they are buying them, they are using them. At the same time, these guys make millions and millions of dollars in a very competitive market. If it were me, I would use every advantage I could within the rules to get a leg up on the competition. I dont blame these guys for using steroids. I blame baseball for not changing the rules because they are a greedy, moneymaking machine. Enron had the same thinking, lets hide everything and tell everyone business has never been better, but we will leave out that it is artificially enhanced! Sometimes I wish MLB could go the way of Enron...

Halfway there

2007-12-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

2 Down...2 to go. I finished my first two finals of the semester this morning. Sadly, they were the two I was least worried about so it doesnt take away from much of my stress. Hopefully the next two days will go as smoothly as today...

It is freezing today! I enjoy the snow, but not everything that goes along with it. Shoveling the driveway, scraping ice off my windshield, these are not fun things to do when it is 12 degrees outside. It is amazing how fast you start to lose feeling in your hands! Only a few more days of this until I can enjoy the wonderful Las Vegas winter, which includes none of the above scenarios. I just dont understand how there can be a cloudless sky, yet it is still below freezing.

I got some great pictures of hannah and dad in New York. I am so jealous! I have only spent a day in new york and know there is so much more for me to discover. Not only that, they get to see The Little Mermaid on broadway. It was only a few months ago that Lindsay Egbert and I were scheming on how we could get to see that! I love my dad, he takes such good care of his kids.