I Loved This Headline

Off of the espn.com cover page:

Yankees wave magic Wang and sweep Red Sox.

It's pronounced Wong, not...riiiiiiiigggggggghhhhhtttt....but just reading it, you'd think...yeah.

Was that anyone else's first impression? Or am I just really juvenile? If you still don't get what I'm talking about, then that makes me laugh.

I Hate That

I hate no response. Just absolutely detest it. And even if the person has a good excuse, I still just hate being in the dark and not really knowing what’s going on. I sent out several emails to employers, professors, and I’m really interested in getting answers back because these things will determine a lot of my future and I’m just not hearing anything back. I know that I need to be more patient and cut people some slack because my anxiousness does not constitute their emergency, but I’d like to think that I do the best I can to respond to any question or request that anyone has of me. You know…that’s actually not true. I guess I’m just a self-centered jerk who wants an answer back not even as soon as possible, but immediately. I know, I’m an idiot. But these questions that I have are a really big deal to me right now. I think that's mostly where this is coming from and so that escalates my interest in hearing back from these people. My questions are about the program I'm looking at, letters of recommendation, and new jobs. Pretty important stuff. I think that's where my sense of urgency is coming from. That’s all.

What A Bust

Can you believe this guy? He twisted his knee last night and will be out for 4-6 weeks. Plus they lost. Again. I feel bad. This is turning out to be such a huge bust. They aren't winning, he's not doing interviews, and now he's hurt. It blows.

On the brighter side...the Angels swept the Mariners. They are really turning it on. And I'm totally turned on by how well they are playing. By the way, the LA Times has the best photos, by far. They climbed to their highest amount of games over .500, being 25 games over. They gutted out a sweep with 30 games to go. Two guys I’m really impressed with right now are Kendry Morales and Jeff Mathis. Kendry is en fuego, and in that comeback win the other night, Mathis had his best play of the season throwing out Ichiro trying to steal second when the game was still tied. That was huge because Ichiro is probably the best base-stealer in baseball and up until that point, Jeff wasn’t throwing anybody out. I hope you all are appreciating how exciting this part of the season is for baseball. There is so much drama with the pennant races and with teams showing their true colors, closing gaps or extending leads, it’s a really awesome time of the year. So live it up.

Am I so lame that I like that song Misery something or other by the band Paramour? That is the band with the girl lead singer, but it’s pretty dope. Yup. Dope. Her voice actually reminds me of the dude from Coheed & Cambria. Maybe that’s way. Or maybe I’m just super gay. Probably both. I also like the new Kanye West song. The guy is such an idiot, but he makes catchy music, ya know what I mean?

Now Batting...

Greg! Let's welcome him to the blogosphere. Check him out at I Wrote A Hit Play. The URL is actually www.returnofthekhaan.blogspot.com. Love that first video. Freaks me out. I'll include his link to the right as well.

I Personally Believe...

You guys have to have heard about this one, right? I had heard the clips over and over, but then I found out yesterday that she still finished 3rd. Can you believe that?

Happy Birthday Michael!

Yup, he turns a spry 49 years old today. Remember when this guy wasn’t an absolute freak? I was going to post a terrible photo of him because those are in abundance, but I prefer my Michael Jackson chocolate and child free, as opposed to vanilla and the homosexual pedophile that he has more recently become. How can you go so wrong, Michael?

I love Psycho Mike. I think he might be at least as funny as Ralph.

Did anybody catch the Angels game last night? That was some grit, I’ll tell ya what. I saw that first inning and I think that just might break poor Ervin Santana. But to comeback from five down against the team that up until a few days ago was right on your heels, and to do it in their ballpark to boot, that is some tenacity. Let’s go to a game this weekend? I think I’m in for Saturday because I want to go to that concert on Friday night. That might define their season right there though. I really can’t believe the performance that Dustin Moseley put on though. He came in with two on and one out, and got them out of the inning and went almost another five innings. And Vlad was freakin’ clutch as always. It really was awesome.

How are little Asian guys able to put up so much weight? I was at least as big as this one guy who was doing a dumbbell press and he was doing about 60 more pounds than I normally do. You know Chino? He can freakin’ bench 280. The guy weighs like 140. It’s crazy. Another crazy thing about Nick…his hospital wanted some entries into the LA marathon and they volunteered him and a few other guys to run it, THE WEEK BEFORE. So with no training, from one day to the next the guy ran a freakin’ marathon. He said it was one of the hardest things he had ever done. I swear…it’s all about your own boundaries that you put up that prevent you from doing those things that you don’t think are possible. A little less impressive, but still very difficult – when my brother was in the military would have fitness tests and then for a three-mile run he just decided that he would do it in 18 minutes. And he totally made it. He wasn’t in any kind of shape whatsoever. He just decided and he did it. That’s cool.

Deep Thoughts

I was just at lunch by myself and I was listening to a couple of super nerds chatting. They were asking each other, what's with the need to publicize everything in your personal life through myspace, facebook, or blogs? That was their topic. And they were really cynical about it. They assumed that everyone goes on and lies and makes up these false identities because they are afraid that who they really are will not be interesting enough. So I guess you can read that thought and you would think to yourself, A) they are spot on. I would never publish anything real or genuine about who I am or what I think about, or B) what a couple of puppies. I don't really care what anyone else thinks and you can take or leave whatever it is that I have to say. I think those are basically the two thoughts that you can have about that, with some variation as to how you might word it. I thought it was a funny way of looking at things. I'd like to think that I'm pretty authentic.

So why do I write? Because I just like doing it. I don't know. Some people like to go and put up stuff for family and friends and use blogs or personal pages as a means to keeping others up to speed with what's going on in your life. I like just writing and putting stuff on here for the sake of doing it, I think. I like having one place where I can put random thoughts down, or go to see clips that I really enjoy. That's all really. I also like the interaction. If I were more blog-savvy, I would have a chat tool that would function as a forum and there would be more discussion. Comments doesn't quite cut it for me. I need a little more. Plus...I don't have enough readership to generate enough response. I blame myself, in part, because I haven't been as consistent and so therefore numbers have dipped a little bit.

I went running yesterday and I felt like I was going to die. I think this was due more to the fact that I had a huge cheeseburger and fries for lunch than being out of shape. I'm shooting to run 10-12 miles this week, and then 14-16 miles next week. Then maybe a five-miler the following week, a couple days of soccer and then run Saturday. When I ran the 5k last time, I finished pretty well considering there was like 20,000 people. Is anyone else going to run this?

Why is it that when guys get together that they tend to be their most childish? At Doug’s birthday party we assumed control of the entire pool and were wrenching ourselves to hit a ball that was nearly impossible to hit. I woke up yesterday wondering my back and ribs were hurting so much. I couldn’t, for the life in me, figure out why I had such a specific pain to such a specific movement – the twisting of my torso. Then I was chatting with Dave yesterday and realized why, because of the party. I hate that you generally get the most sore, or hurt, when you’re screwing around, not when you’re actually exercising. At least that’s the case with me.

What's your take on plastic surgery? I can understand being self-conscious, but that makes me sad to think that someone is so unhappy with their appearance that they would think there is no resort but to surgically alter it. There is not one person in my acquintance who, when I see that person, I think to myself that that person needs to take drastic measures to change that person's appearance. Not one. Maybe I just know really hot people. I think so.

I do have random points of human resource stuff. I saw these things on resumes.

• I love to work in fast paste environments
• I like to sale things
• I have recently gotted married…I hope that your life has been just as forfilling.
• I am your next investment with a 110% ROI. YES!

Word for word. I also saw a candidate for a receptionist position who had prior experience as a "tanning consultant."

I sat in on an harrassment investigation the other day and while I thought the guy was kind of weird, I thought the person filing the complaint was maybe being too sensitive. Sometimes people are just kind of weird, but not necessarily that they want a piece of you. Don't flatter yourself so much.

Angels and Airwaves plays this Friday at a free show at the Del Mar racetrack. Price of admission is the price of entering the race track, which is like $10. Interested?

I wish we could gamble. Yup...I want to bet on horses. I won't, but I would love to do it. I would gamble on EVERYTHING. I think it comes down to the fact that I like competition and putting money into the mix creates an artificial competition that any person would be interested in. So my proposal is that with the next March Madness tournament, we actually do a pool. Any takers? Even fantasy leagues. We should have our own prize for the league winner.

I wanted to complain about my life to a friend the other day, and then I talked to that friend and she was telling me about everything she was doing and I was realizing that the reason I'm annoyed about the things going on in my life is that I'm not busy enough. If I were as busy as she is, I wouldn't even have time to wallow. Know what I mean? That's why service is so important. You serve other people and not only do you remove yourself from your own concerns, but then you are privy to the trials and experiences that other people are going through and you realize that your concerns just aren't that big of a deal. This is true also of scriptures. Some of those stories you read and you're just like...how in the heck do people deal with those kinds of hardships? So my conclusion is...the church is true.

I had more stuff I wanted to write about, but I should probably get back to work.

Who's Excited For All Hallow's Eve?

I know I am. I've been thinking about it for the last few days more extensively. I already have in mind what I want to be. Yes, it does involve some make-up. I'm letting my hair grow a bit so that I can get a good cut for the costume. What is it going to be? You're going to have to wait. Unless you're Dave and I just told you the other day.

Halloween kicks off my favorite time of the year. The weather is cool and pleasant. I think I mentioned a few of these points before. But what's so cool about Halloween is that there is like a whole month of build up. As Dave and I were talking about the other night, what's so fun is to watch all the scary movies that come on TV. I think on AMC they have like a couple weeks of horror. What makes that nice is that with trying to avoid the pirate movies, I can watch just about anything that comes on TV because it's edited.

I love love love the scary stuff about halloween. I love going to Knott's Scary Farm, no matter how crowded it is. I love going to the Queen Mary. I love all the haunted houses they have in Utah. What I love the most is Rocky Pointe up in Sandy. Holy shazbot! This is the last year! NOOO!!! Okay, well I'll go up and get my Smokehouse on. Hell yeah.

So....what are you all going to be? Can we have a Halloween get together? Because I kind of feel like it goes underappreciated and maybe a little unnoticed as we get older and go to less stuff, mostly because you guys are all married and I'm not and I hang out with you dirtbags so I'm stuck doing a lot of nothing. Anyways...we should do something. If you tell me what you'll be, then I'll tell you mine. Discuss.

Good Sunday Reading

I think I've mentioned before how I've gotten into reading various devotional/fireside addresses off of the BYU website. I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I'm going to give a list of some links for some addresses that I have really appreciated. I do this so often for other articles, but I don't do it enough for church ones that I read. So hopefully Sundays I will get around to posting these ones that I read throughout the week. A couple of these I've linked to before, but I'll include them again along with some other ones that I thought were good.

• Elder Maxwell's Notwithstanding My Weakness. I think he was called as an Assistant to the Quorum of the 12 when he gave this address, or it might have been when he was called to the presidency of the 70. It's a wonderful talk about feelings of inadequacy.
• Elder Holland's The Bitter Cup And The Bloody Baptism. So many great quotes in this one. This one goes over basically what it means to stand firm in the faith.
• Elder Maxwell's But For A Small Moment. I know I've linked to this before, but this is so perfect if you are going through some rough times.
• Elder McConkie's The Three Pillars Of Eternity. My mission president used to talk about this one a lot. I always thought he pulled one of his main points that he used to drive home from this talk, but I think it was something he inferred rather than was explicitly noted by Elder McConkie. The idea basically being that the pillars basically serve as patterns throughout our lives. There is a garden state, a fall, and then a redemption. Things seem perfect, we realize they're not, but we can learn to deal as we apply the Atonement.
• Elder Maxwell's The Pathway Of Discipleship. The topic is apparent. I love this talk too. I have just been really connecting lately with Elder Maxwell like never before. A couple ideas he brings up that I thought were great: we have to apply fixed and eternal principles to the constantly fluctuating events that occur in our lives. That is essentially discipleship. Also, "Without gospel perspective in our lives, we just won't 'get it' either. Special moments will come and go unnoticed. How we manage those moments in daily life ends up either developing character or disintegrating character." I thought those were great.

So, I don't know how good my little sitemeter thing is at tracking what things you click on or not. If it's correct, then you guys aren't clicking on enough. These articles especially are worth your time.

Did You Sign Up Yet?

I'm talking about the Run Hit Remix. I signed up this morning. It's September 15th. I just realized that Dave has mock trial and won't be able to make it. If you sign up before the end of the month, then it's $31. After it's $39. SIGN UP! Aaron Bennett signed up with me. You really have no idea how fun these are. Especially this one because it's so huge and there is so much crap going on. Did I mention it's for a good cause? Just sign up.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

I finally saw a preaseason game last Friday. Most of it, anyway. The third of the four preseason games is the most significant because it's when the first team will play the most snaps in the game because they are trying to determine starters. The last game is all the leftovers. This one was especially important because Dante Culpepper was given the nod to start. And he did well. I know it's only preseason, and they actually did really well last year in the preseason, but they looked good. Offense was clicking and their defense was lights out. That defensive four upfront was swarming the Rams the entire time. And then the secondary is starting to turn into a shut down unit. I still think their running game will blow, but if Michael Bush can be half as good as they had projected before he got injured last year, then we might be alright.

But I'm just so pumped for football. The fall is my favorite time of the year. It is when you have new beginnings. The temperature is nice and comfortable. The air is crisp. Or crisper, at least. And then you have Halloween (which I'm already planning for, and I will be posting about this later). But you have the entrance of that wonderful season from October through January 1st that is just so awesome. I love it. And on top of all of that...you have football. And the pennant races are in full gear and the playoffs and World Series. It's really just such an awesome time. I freakin' love it.

Anyways...I'm not getting my hopes up yet, but we are looking alright for the upcoming season. Alright, meaning something like 5-6 wins. Who knows. My only concern is that we sign Jamarcus before the start of the season. This is kind of ridiculous. I sent out invites for Fantasy Football. Let me know if you didn't get an invite. We can work you in. But I have to like you.

Need New Job. Will Work For Food. And Other Stuff.

I work mostly with two other people in the HR department at the company I'm at. There is the Director and Coordinator. We'll call them Claudia and Marla, respectively, because those are their names. Claudia got offered another job about a month ago with a different company and almost left. Once the President found out, she offered Claudia more money. Like 30k more. Damn, right? But she came back and Marla was talking to her and was like, well...are we going to get anything? Because everyone has been really pleased with the work Marla and I have done, but we're not getting paid nearly what some of these other idiots are getting. And I know because I see their salaries all the time. So Claudia was like...I know, I know. I'll get you more money. She told Marla about 15k more, just for her. And when we last spoke with her, she really gave the impression that speaking with the President was just a formality and we could almost count on it. Well, mentally I really did start thinking that way.

My first day back from Utah, I found out the answer - no. That's it. We just have to wait until the normal merit increases in December. And even then, it may not be anything more than the normal increase for cost of living expenses, which might be just like five percent or so. Up until this point, I was kind of content with what I was earning, but hearing about the raise really put me in a different mindset and gave me a sense of entitlement to more money. And Marla kind of felt the same way. Although hers is a combination of being dissatisfied with her compensation and the crap she gets from Claudia. So now she's looking. And so am I. With school being the goal for next Fall, I'm really just looking to save enough money to cover at least the first year of school. Now that I have no restrictions on schedule, or what it is that I will do, I'm open to ANYTHING. So if you hear or know anybody who needs anybody, please send them my way. I will do anything for the next year, so long as I can make at least 40k this next year.

This Is The Place?

I'm back. Been back for a few days. I drove up with Kira on Monday and then flew back on Thursday. Although the flight I got was a really cheap internet special on Southwest, I think I'm at the point in my life where it's worth the extra fifty bucks or whatever it is to go ahead and get the direct flight into Orange County, or I guess Long Beach works. My total travel was about five hours on Thursday. Kind of a hassle. Whatever.

Utah is such a funny place to me. This was the first trip back in about two years. The worst part about the trip - I didn't even get to eat at Smokehouse. Does anyone want to open up a franchise with me in a couple of years? They have some information on their website about it, but they aren't looking to do it until about 2008 or 2009. I think that is pretty good timing. Just think about it. I'm not giving up on this franchise thing. Plus this place is awesome and you're a dirtbag if you don't love it. Anyway...back to Utah being a funny place...

But before I get to that, this guy we drove up with, Jorge...we were talking about what words we liked in Spanish and Kira said cacahuetes, and my favorite word is cochino. For example, a mom screamed, "Cochina! Sacate la mano de alli!" Which means, "Filthy girl! Get your hand out from there." There, in this instance, was crotch. But then he was like, my favorite word in English is "anyways." I never really thought about my favorite words in English. Anyways...

Utah is a funny place. First, I think towns are weird that are built around a Main Street, or Center Street. I guess I'm just a kid who grew up in the city, or the bigger suburbs of Irvine, CA. Driving around Utah is like driving around in the 909: everyone seems to have raised trucks, and is really obnoxious about getting ahead or around you. I guess the difference here is that a person might pull up on your rear pretty quick, but they will just as quickly speed around you. But in Utah they will just ride your tail for such a long time. Bugs. And then in Utah, EVERYONE is white. It's weird being in a place with little cultural diversity. I forgot about that. I'm a mix of like everything, so I don't really feel any allegiance to any particular race, but it's just funny. You know where you feel it the most? BYU campus. SO WHITE. And everyone dresses kind of funny. And most everyone is very clean looking. Mormon girls are also the prettiest girls, by the way. But in Utah it feels like the pretty girls all have the same exact look. I can't really put my finger on it. I was getting a J-dawg one day and I saw a girl and she was really cute, but if I had to pick a BYU girl out of a line-up, it would have been so easy to spot her. I don't know what it is. You get what I mean though, right?

In spite of how weird a place it can be, I really love Provo, especially as it pertains to BYU. I have a testimony of BYU. It really is such an amazing place. It has an almost unlimited amount of resources, and above all else it really does provide such an amazing combination of academic achievement as well as morality. And spirituality, of course. I spoke with the graduate coordinator of the program I am looking at and I really think it will be a good fit. I already have a couple of professors that I think I'd like to hitch my wagon to, and I like the breadth of the program. I am still interested in the I/O psychology and OB stuff, but I like the more psychology specific dimension that this program provides as opposed to what I was getting in my program.

Of all the places I wanted to eat - Cafe Rio, Smokehouse, J-Dawgs, Saigon Cafe, Tucanos, Bajio - I only had Cafe Rio and J-Dawgs. Karen was trying to tell me that a friend of hers said J-Dawgs was only as good as Weinerschnitzel. That's bull shoot. She also said her friend is a big dude and knows this kind of stuff, but I beg to differ. If you're a fat guy, then it's because you're not very discriminating about the kind of food that you eat. Those hot dogs are the best. Better than Costco hot dogs. Maybe not a better deal because nothing beats 1.50 for a dog and a drink. But this one has the best sauce in the world. The sauce is what makes the dog. If you don't get the sauce then you're missing the whole point. Then I might agree with Karen's friend. I've always been fond of the sauce/onions/jalapenos combo. It's a delicious mixture of sweet and spicy. Hit that link above if you're trying to figure out where it's located. It's a freaking delight. You won't be disappointed, unless you're an idiot. Cafe Rio was good, but it didn't knock my socks off like it used to. I think that's mainly because you can get really similar stuff at places almost anywhere. The tortilla in the salad is awesome, but even that dressing isn't entirely unique to Cafe Rio anymore. It's still good, but from now on, Smokehouse will be the first meal I consume in Provo. Damn that was a bad move on my part. It wasn't that I didn't try to go. I tried, twice. Both times it didn't work out because of other people. If it were just up to me, I would have went. I should've just gone solo...sorry...I'm just disappointed in myself for not making it there.

I don't have much else to say about the trip. I stayed with Eric one night. I really dig on his place. All in all, everyone was SO COOL about hooking me up with places to stay and rides and everything. I didn't even have to ask to stay anywhere, or even rides anywhere. Once people found out I was coming up, they totally offered before I could even say anything. Eric let me use his extra car the whole week. Dave even just volunteered to give me a ride. I didn't even ask him. I'm really lucky to know the people I know. So thanks to everybody.

I've got a lot more to post on, but I guess I'll stop with this one here so as to keep the posts focused on one particular topic, as much as possible.

How About A Story?

Yay! I’m back from Utah. What a funny place to be. Before I post about Utah though, I was giggling to myself on the plane ride back when I was thinking about one of my favorite fart stories ever. And of course, it comes courtesy of my college roommate, not Dave. If you guys don’t know this, he’s probably the gassiest person you’ll ever meet. I don’t remember if it was his first day in the MTC or what, but it was early on in his experience there. When you’re in the MTC you have regular large group meetings. For whatever reason, I think as soon as you’re set apart as a missionary you are automatically the most tired you will ever be in your entire life. But I’m not a parent so that might not be true, let’s just say as tired as you’ll ever be up until you have kids. So naturally he fell asleep in the large group meeting. Well apparently he got so relaxed that he even relaxed his sphincter to a point where he totally farted in the large group meeting – loud enough that he woke himself up with it. As he comes to consciousness he asks the elder next to him, “was that me?” at which point several rows of missionaries start shaking, shoulders rising and falling from trying to suppress laughter at this poor fool who woke himself up with his own fart. I love that story…anyway…I will be posting so keeps your eyes open for the next few days. Peace.

This Is So Gay

Okay...this is the gayest thing I've ever thing. So awesome. Next follows Brian's rendition of the same song. I think the real video is actually funnier than the spoof. Seriously...so homo.

September Dawn

Have you heard about this one? Jon Voight stars in this film that is very unabashedly critical of the church. Well isn't that fantastic?



Jewish friend of the church, Michael Medved, wrote this article about the movie. Obviously this is a dark chapter in the early days of the church, but we have acknowledged it and do have something to say with regards to it, here. I posted it a little while ago, but it seems appropriate to bring it up again. I would comment more on the subject, but I think Medved and the church article do very well in explaining the church position and why this film is unfair in its portrayal of the church. Plus...I was listening to Medved interview Voight on his show last week and the guy is an idiot. That's mature of me, huh? I don't care. He's dumb. There sources are not reliable and I like that the church has taken a position of no comment because it's not even worth responding to. I guess that's my comment on it.

Some Surge News

I came across this article and it was pretty interesting. You guys realize that the stuff in bold are links, right? Because nobody ever seems to click on the links. This is important stuff to know about. Anyway...it just gives some good news from Iraq.

King Of Kong

On Kevin and Bean this morning they had the star of this film on the show. You gotta watch this trailer. This movie looks so freakin' awesome. It's playing only in Santa Monica this weekend and then if it's successful, it will be open in more theaters. I'm not committed enough to go all the way over there, but if it comes within 20 miles, I'm there.

Run Hit Remix

Who is in for this race? I ran this a couple of years ago with a bunch of people and it was really fun. Maybe you don't enjoy running all that much, but it is actually really fun to be with like 20-30 thousand people all running together through the streets of LA. Even the smaller races are still fun. It's a really unique kind of energy and I'm not like a big time runner, but I really think these things are fun. And this one is especially cool because you go through downtown LA, starting off by the Coliseum and you run down streets where there are frat and sorority houses and kids are cheering you and doing beer bongs on the lawns, it's really awesome. So you have all of that AND then interspersed throughout the course there are bands playing their sweet hits. Check out this line-up:

• Naughty By Nature
• Sugarhill Gang
• Sir Mix-A-Lot
• and the crown jewel...MC Hammer, baby

I like at least one song from all of those people. Plus they give you a cool Nike shirt that absorbs sweat and crazy crap like that. Way fun. So who is in? I'm not gonna be super competitive like I was last time so I won't just leave you alone. This is a 5-MILE run not 5-K so it's a little harder, but I think still definitely worth it. And then you finish off with bagels. What's not to love? And you get a sweet medal too. What else can I possibly entice you with? I saw Owen Hemsath last time. How random is that, Dave? So make comments, please join me. It is really fun. And it's a Saturday morning. Last year it was on a Sunday so we lucked out.

Maybe you're wondering why I have Greg's picture posted. They give you a sensor to track your time and so that they know which pictures to send to you. When he picked up our bags and things, he switched ours. I didn't want my own pictures anyway when he's so pretty.

I'm Very Blessed

In the album booklet of the Pennywise CD that they released just after their bassist accidentally shot himself they include a quote from Abraham Lincoln that says something to the effect of, "the better part of one's life consists of his friends." I just want to bear testimony of that statement.

I am so privileged to have the most wonderful friendships and associations right now. I can't believe how lucky I am to know the people that I know. No matter how difficult my situation has been, I have been so abundantly cared for and watched over by so many good people. And it's not just the people that I'm super close with that are always there, but so many others who I may not see as often that are just there in the wings.

I have interacted with so many different people this week alone and everytime I walk away feeling just so blessed to know the people that I know and so uplifted by each of their presences. I don't feel like making that a better sentence. But...I just felt like saying thanks. It's nice just to talk about life and just know that people are there listening and interested in what's going on.

Dave and Caitlin...I keep forgetting to bring this up, but we need to go and visit with Laura and her fam and we should get Kirk and Valerie to come too.

Thanks everybody. You're much appreciated.

It Is Finished

I got a response a few days ago from my academic advisor at Claremont. She was actually really nice about it. She said some nice things about me being intelligent and capable and wishes me well, etc. and so forth. I had a philosophy professor who always ended sentences saying that phrase, "etc. and so forth." Anyway, so I have officially withdrawn from CGU. It's pretty crazy actually.

When people ask me about school I still tell most of them that I'm starting up in a couple of weeks. I think it's mostly because I don't feel like explaining my whole story and what I plan on doing. When they ask it's easier just to say, "2 weeks," than it is to say, "well...I've been kind of spinning my wheels with the program for a long time and I just felt like it was time to..." If you've gotten my full explanation then you should feel good about that because I feel like you're actually interested and therefore I don't mind explaining. It's mostly when it's just brought up as just chit chat and I don't feel like the person really cares one way or another whether or not I actually go back to school that I don't bother to explain. What's harder is when my employers bring it up because my new plan affects my job future and so I don't know if I really want to tell them anything about it. Should I? I think they'd actually be really understanding about it. The problem is that I'm increasingly receiving more and more responsibility and job diversity and I don't want to lose that because they know I'm leaving in a year. Anyway...that's all.

So next week I'm heading up to Utah and I'm going to look into their PhD program in Applied Social Psychology. I was explaining to a friend last night that usually in life I have a very definite direction on where I'm headed not only in the next 6 or so months, but in the next several years. Since I have been in my previous program, I never really felt like I knew what I was doing. He kind of explained how he was feeling like it's not necessarily bad for him to be here, but also that it's not quite the right place for him to be, at least not yet. I think I share those similar feelings of ambivalence. In considering BYU and that program, not only do I feel better about that plan, but I also feel like I have a much more definitive direction and plan for my life. And that's really exciting to me. And it's more than just the fact that I would be there for the next four years going to school, but I feel like I can see a future beyond that and that is what really gets me jazzed.

So there's your update.

Movie Review: Becoming Jane

Yup, I saw this last night. Not my choice, but it was alright. I didn't love it. Her life is kind of sad as far as love goes, nothing like her novels. But it was real and you've got to appreciate that authenticity. To be honest, I actually had a hard time even following the dialogue sometimes because the manner of speaking is very Austenesque, which I don't think I have a problem with if I'm reading. But when it's coupled by these thick British and Irish accents, I felt like I was trying to catch up a lot of times. So...pretty good. I do appreciate Jane, though. Very romantic, but then heart-breaking other moments. S'alright.

Movie Review: Hot Rod

I got to see this last week, and it's awesome. It caters to a very specific kind of humor. If you liked those clips that I posted last week from the Dudes then you'll like the movie. Basically what they used to do was put together these videos and then send them out to different outlets to get more exposure, and the website is a product of that effort. They made their way to SNL because of the work that they did on their website. So if you like what you've seen there, then the movie is basically a conglomeration of those clips. I want to see it again. I want to see it with Greg this time because I want someone who laughs loud enough to cover my laughter when I'm enjoying the really stupid parts, because there are a lot of those.

I'm Really Interested

I really am looking for new music so I'm reaching out to you the reader. Besides Dave because I already know all the stuff he likes. Let's do this...if you were stuck on a tropical island with an unending supply of D batteries, a CD player, and only three albums that you could listen to for the rest of your life, what would they be? Or what three bands would you be able to listen to for the rest of your life? Please...everyone participate, even Dave.

Feel Good Stories

There are a couple. First, did you hear about this story? For whatever reason, I remember when this guy dropped out of the major leagues. Usually when a guy doesn't make it, he just fades away into nothing. I think the difference with Rick Ankiel is that his attempted march into obscurity was so spectacular. He had a world of talent as a pitcher, but he self-destructed and was the same person who threw five wild pitches in one inning in the playoffs a few years ago. That's quite a feat considering that hadn't been done since 1890. But he really was considered a big time prospect. There was a reason why he was chosen to be the first pitcher in the Cardinals series versus the Mets in 2000. However, in spite of the talent he had displayed he just could not cut it at the major league level as a pitcher.

In 2005, he switched to the outfield and decided to start over. He was invited to spring training with the Cards in 2006 and showed some promise, but a season-ending injury to his knee slowed the comeback. Slowed, but did not stop. This season he worked his way onto the triple A affiliate (you ever notice that is not ever spelled out like AAA? it's always written). He slugged 32 home runs and then this past Thursday night, August 9th, in his fourth at bat, Rick Ankiel dramatically announced his return with a home run off of Padres reliever Doug Brocail that sailed into the rightfield seats.



And what a place to do it too. Nobody appreciates baseball more than the fans do in St. Louis.

The second comes from my work. I found a stack of papers that I was supposed to file away, but they were different than the normal stuff that comes across my desk. I asked my boss what they were and if I needed to file them and she told me yes, but that they were invoices and receipts for medical expenses for one of our employees. One of the porters has a little girl that is 8 years old and she has cancer. Although his family is all covered, for whatever reason the insurance would not cover $25,000 worth of the treatment. With his $10-12 an hour salary, there was no way he could make the payment for that. So the company stepped in and picked up the bill. No questions asked, no expected return payment. They just paid it. Nobody will find out about it because I'm sure that's not something they want to advertise, but I thought that was the coolest thing ever. So thank you General William Lyon. You saved this little girl's life and only this guy's family, me, Claudia, Marla, and my blog readers will ever know about this wonderful act of kindness.

One final note...I can't believe I'm not at all compelled to write about Barry Bonds breaking the home run record any more than just writing about how I don't care to write about it. I'm a huge sports fan, but this just doesn't matter to me. That's how much the record has been cheapened. I just flat out don't care. It's not like I hate Barry or anything like that...but I didn't ever bother to try and catch a game with him, watch any of his at-bats, and I haven't even seen the video for when he hit it. It's just crazy to me. It's just meaningless. That's sad.

One more class act...Tom Glavine. He reached 300 wins as a pitcher about a week or ago. I was a big-time Braves fan during the 90s when they were awesome for 14 years straight. I actually still follow them a good amount. I was actually really excited that they got Texeira at the deadline, way to go Schuerholz. But Tom Glavine is a class act, through and through. I liked him more than Greg Maddux when they both pitched for the Bravos. Congratulations to him. I still have his Fleer '87 rookie card, going to be worth millions some day, you'll see.

This Is Radio Clash

It's interesting that the more videos I put up, the more visitors I get; but the more stuff I actually write about and have some thoughtful commentary on, the more comments I elicit and the more interested you seem to be. You know what’s funny? I actually feel bad when I’m not posting as much. It’s not like I feel like I’m letting people down, but I like to write and comment and keep people in engaged. Or I at least like to think that when I do write or post things, that they are worthwhile things and at the very least they provoke some thought, or get you to chuckle. But at least get some kind of reaction out of you.

Last Friday I talked about how I went to that show and while I was standing around people watching, the Clash came over the speakers and I was realizing again how much I love them. I don’t even have any of their CDs, but I committed that night to finally get one. And I did…The Singles off of ITunes. 20 songs for ten bucks. That’s fifty cents a song. That’s a good deal. I don’t know if it is the same guy that sings throughout because there are a couple of songs where he sounds completely different. I think my favorite song has to be Train In Vain. I love that voice that comes across and the harmonica. They’re just a cool band, know what I mean? They have a lot of different kinds of beats - some stuff that you want to jump around to, some stuff you want to skank to (wha?), but mostly I feel like their music just kind of makes you want to move and I always appreciate that.

One of my favorite Clash memories is when MxPx played Should I Stay Or Should I Go? at the Warped Tour. It was so cool. Of all the times I’ve seen them in concert and all the songs I’ve heard live, that’s the one I can distinctly remember the most.

Is there a better place to listen to new music then in your car? I realize that the car needs to have at least a decent sound system, but it’s perfect. There is this box with speakers and you sit inside and you can listen to music and you can listen to it as loudly as you like and not have any concern whether or not it’s too loud for the person next door, or if you’re gonna wake somebody up. I realize that earphones and headphone can provide some very proximate noise, but it’s not the same kind of energy that travels through the air and into your ears as it is when it’s just sitting right there in your ear massaging the drums. Lately with the new music that I’ve gotten I’ve really appreciated listening to it first in my car cranked up.

Having said all of that, do you have any suggestions on what I should listen to next in my car? I’m taking applications for new bands and CDs that I should be getting.

Guillermo Stars In The Bourne Ultimatum

I heard about this on KROQ this morning. It’s WAY funny. I love the way he laughs in the beginning when the things happen. Yeh…yeh…Yayson.

President James E. Faust 1920 - 2007

Did you hear about this? So sad, huh? I didn't realize that he was 87 years old. I love love love President Faust. I guess I feel that away about all the First Presidency and Quorum of the 12. Although he was really starting to show his age the last several years, he still has given some really memorable talks recently. What he may have been lacking in physical presence, he more than made up for in his strength as one of the Lord’s most integral servants in the kingdom. That President Hinckley is outlasting his peers that are 10 or more years younger than him is so absurd to me. This will be really interesting for me because this will be my first experience as a member with the reorganization of the First Presidency. I guess it won’t really be a reorganization, but I’ve never been around with the passing of someone in the First Presidency. What is crazy is that the complexion of the Quorum of the 12 and the First Presidency will go through some dramatic changes in the next few years as we’ve already had two recently called to serve. Office pool on who’s going to fill in? My money is on...Elder Holland. I know, it’s crazy, right? Total wild card pick with that one, but I think they will go with someone younger, but with substantial experience serving in the 12. Elder Packer seems too obvious a choice to me.

Back to President Faust…what a wonderful man. That’s one guy that you have no need to worry about meeting his Maker. Rest in peace.

Frank Caliendo

Have you ever heard of him? He does tons of impressions and he's pretty funny. He's at the Irvine Improv next weekend. Any takers?

Isn't This Sad?

Hal Fishman passed away yesterday at the age of 75. This guy was a staple of Southern California news for longer than I can even remember. I think he even makes a cameo on Spiderman 3 which is kind of funny because he is so well-known in an entirely different market than New York. He was a host on KTLA, or channel 5 down here. And it's not even like I ever really watched him or really any kind of TV news, but he's as LA as the Dodgers or Lakers. I was sad to hear the news.

Off-The-Air Mitt

This video on YouTube is labeled Mitt Romney Implodes Over Mormonism, but I don't really think that's the case. I think he does get a little defensive with the radio host, but for the most part he handles it with a lot of grace. He's obviously a little worked up, but he doesn't respond with anger or react negatively, I don't think. Towards the end he gives a good explanation as to how members of the church can be in good standing while still endorsing pro-choice politics.

I heard about this video while listening to Michael Medved and he asserted that the host is contentious and on the offensive with Romney, but I don't feel like that is the case either. I can understand where he is coming from with his line of questioning. Although I do understand also why Mitt reacts the way he does, but I think he does manage to keep his cool for the most part.

For more context, this is the second of two videos so you can check out the first one on YouTube under the title I mentioned above.

Romney Picking Up Steam?

I haven't posted anything about politics in a while. How about something on Mormon Mitt for President. This comes courtesy of Hugh Hewitt. Just some interesting tidbits. I haven't heard much on the Republican side about their candidates, but I've been reading less and listening less the conservative side of things. In any case, this is interesting so check it out.

Movie Review: Harry Plopper, And The Order Of The Phoenix

I certainly did not start out loving Harry Potter. I think the first movie came out just after I had gotten home from the mission. I think. And I thought it was alright, but it didn't resonate with me. I think about two movies ago I started to become really enamored with the whole series. I'm pretty sure I mentioned this before on here also, but Orson Scott Card turned me onto it even more during a lecture he gave at BYU. Really, the only thing he said was that Harry Potter really is the kind of story filled with the kind of characters that our children should grow up hearing about. That point really stuck with me because I had a similar sense of awe when it came to the characters from the Chronicles of Narnia, in particular the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Peter was a character that I just really loved. And of course, Aslan as well. I thought they were such heroes. They looked out for the people that they loved, often at a tremendous cost to themselves. For whatever reason I have just always had an enormous affinity for knights and medieval times and chivalry, I think for similar reasons. Heroism is a beautiful story, especially when the deeds are bourne of courage and strength. I thought the scene in the Goblet of Fire where Cedric gets killed and Harry reappears admist all of the onlookers sobbing was really heart-wrenching. Made me teary-eyed seeing that part.

This is why I've come to really love Harry Potter. What's more, I love how much darker the films are getting. I imagine books are similar in that sense. Harry really is the type of character that we should come to appreciate. He does not take council from his fears. He frets over and fights for the people that he loves. His friends are tremendously loyal. I loved the scene where Hermione picks up on the Cho eyeing Harry. They all look out for each other and stand up for good, no matter the cost. It's all very noble. I ate it all up.

So I loved the movie. I loved it so much that I'll probably buy the books because I'm so interested in knowing what happens with everything.

Still Like That Old Time Rock And Roll

I'll start by just linking to a post written by my good friend over at the Wet Donkey. The first person that bailed on me was completely understandable - I know Dave, you had the Texas trip that you had been planning on for a while with the wife, I can understand that. But then when I asked the next person, he responded with a yes, but then when it came to showtime, he tells me that he's going to see a movie. Really? You're seriously going to bail when we made plans? You know I already bought the ticket, right? So that falls through and I'm scrambling to find anyone, even if I have to cover the ticket just so I don't have to go by myself. I ask my deviant 14 year-old cousin who says, yeah, that sounds cool. I go to the gym, I come back...and he bailed too. Headache. Of course, but you feel good enough to go and hang out with your drug dealing buddy and stay out all night when you're on probation and supposed to be home at 10pm every night. When did my family get so messed up?



So screw everyone, I went to the concert by myself. And I wasn't the least bit disappointed. I am not afraid to eat by myself, or even go to movies by myself. This is a new level of independence to be able to go to concerts by myself. I remember Robbie Haglund mentioning how he went to a Modest Mouse concert solo. And I know my buddy Mario has done it on many occassions. Mario is the same person who will fly out to a concert in another location, get so amped on the opening band, buy their album, and then leave the concert before the band he even came to see gets on because he was so satisfied with what he had already partaken of. That's just really funny to me.

But they were awesome. It was at the Pomona Glasshouse. These reasons three are why the Glasshouse pleases me:

1. You can do pretty much anything there. You can crowd-surf, you can go in and out of the place as you please, and you can mosh, should you so desire. They won't kick you out, they don't even get upset.
2. It's really easy to get to. Not being in LA is why. On a Friday night, you can leave at 830 and get there by 9, and it's just a couple blocks off of the freeway.
3. Parking. Parking is free. There is ALWAYS plenty of it, and it is RIGHT NEXT TO THE VENUE. It couldn't be any better. So awesome.

I also love the crowd that was at the Glasshouse for this particular show. The last two bands I saw there were Rufio and Unwritten Law. It's an all-ages venue which I don't really love that much, but at least it means no alcohol, but it also means that you get a lot of groms there. 13 year-old girls, and the like. Especially with Rufio. There are just a lot of kids and it makes a 27 year-old feel really out of place. But with Strung out it's like a 10:1 guy to girl ratio. All dudes, all wearing dark-colored t-shirts. It's just a totally different crowd, which I loved. And that stems from the fact that Strung Out is bad. Michael Jackson bad, not like milk dated April 2005. They have a lot of melodic stuff, but then a lot of it is really hard and it just has such a cool edge to it.

I have always said that Unwritten Law and Strung Out are my favorite bands to see in show, but Friday night I realized why I like Strung Out more: Jason doesn't talk at all during the show. Sure, he might say a few words here and there, but his thing is really just pumping out as many songs as they can, as fast as they can. The last show with UL at the Glasshouse, I felt like Scott talked in between songs for about as long as the songs are. As much as I love your music, I'm really not interested in much else you have to say. Although Scott does have cool moves and will play the guitar in some songs, especially since they lost their second guitarist.

And what's probably the coolest about Strung Out is that their stuff translates so well to a concert setting, especially a punk rawk show. If you want punk music, you're not really looking for stuff to sing to or dance to. In part, I think you always want to sing the songs. But you're looking for stuff that makes you want to push people, or make you feel coerced into unadulterated fist pumps in the air. Case in point, two sweet fights in the pits right next to me. So awesome. And like I was saying, the hard stuff they play is harder and has more edge and energy then ever can come across on a CD. That first one of the new one. If you listen to it really loud and when the intro finishes, the music pops in with guitars and drums. But in concert, it literally explodes. You know a band is awesome when you go to see them live and what you hear in concert sounds more exciting and more explosive than anything you would ever just hear on a CD. On top of that, listening and seeing them live reinvigorates the love you had for music that might have been getting old when listening to just the CD.

There is something so cool too about having so many people feel such a personal connection to stuff that you have produced in one way or another. I think that is what appeals to me most about writing. It is really exciting to hear that people feel like something touched them or that they connected in some way to what it is that I'm trying to convey. Even when people mention that they like reading this blog it totally gets me excited to feel like somebody is interested in things that I have to say.

I would think that musically, the feeling of satisfaction has to be somewhat similar, and then amplified many times over if your music is actually any good. For example, I will forever love Ted Bond of Craig's Brother. The stuff he wrote, especially on Lost At Sea, has such a special place for me just because I identify so personally with a lot of the things that he wrote. But it has got to be such a rush to play for an audience that paid money to see you and is screaming back at you lyrics that you wrote.

So...the concert was awesome. They played a wide range of songs from each of their albums, and while I didn't get to hear every song I wanted to hear off the new album, by no means was I disappointed with what they did end up choosing. What was cool was that afterward the drummer hung out with people in the crowd, looking at their tatoos of the band and just sat around talking to them. It's really awesome how intimate these punk shows can be. I don't think there is any place else where you can see two dudes punching each other, but then the next second see everybody reaching down to help someone up that has fallen down. It really is a weird dynamic at these punk shows.

I might go see them again September 15th at Long Beach with Lagwagon and Rise Against. I'm down, even if I end up going by myself. WHOA! I just checked the tour dates section and they are playing October 27th in Hollywood! I don't think I mentioned this on here, but I went and saw them on October 28th a couple years ago at the same place and that was the funnest show ever. That's the one where they opened with Analog and the old time music proceeded the raising of the curtain. They all wore costumes, Jason had an old school tux, one guy was Phantom of the Opera, drummer was Batman, another dude a crazed surgeon with blood all over his surgical mask and scrubs, and I can't remember what the other guy was. I'm going to that one FOR SURE. Please join me. That will be so fun. Ok...this post is done. I need to use the 2nd person voice less.

I'm The Worst Employee

I'd just like to point out the genius of this shirt. It's not the clever play on words that is so great, but the number one actually being typed out, like the person didn't hit *shift*, so therefore...it's 'shift'y. I know you didn't need the explanation, but I appreciate that wit. Smart.

Rock Me Amadeus

They got me again this morning. I don't know how I don't see this stuff coming. Kevin was reading an apparent hate letter about Ralph's letters with the loosely rhyming phrases to the tune of Rock Me Amadeus and then it closed with....

I'm so tired of Ralphie's Constant Gayness.

Beautiful.

I Was In Nirvana

Have you guys ever heard an interview with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters? Of all the people in the world of music and entertainment, he is probably one of the coolest guys I’ve ever heard. Incidentally, you know who else is an amazing person to interview? Hugh Grant. The guy is so intelligent, and so witty. Much more than you would have ever thought. In a similar way, you would think (or at least I thought) that Ashley Judd would also be an awesome person to interview, but I saw her on the Tonight Show and she was a complete idiot. But she is supposed to be super smart and she’s of course absolutely gorgeous, but it was the lamest interview ever. Next to Kate Hudson in idiocy, but at least that one I saw coming.

Back to Dave though…he’s super funny and super cool. Very witty. He’s just awesome and I love people with self-effacing humor. Just a really cool guy. He, too, was on Kevin and Bean this morning and I thought I’d just bring him up and tell everyone how cool he is. And include this clip.

How Could You?

I was wondering what I was going to blog about this morning. I had several candidates. Wednesday my mom’s ex called her up and actually said the words “shoot” and “kill” when talking about me and my brother. I thought that might be interesting. And given that he has had a restraining order placed on him before and is currently on probation for brandishing a firearm while under the restriction of a restraining order, this is kind of crazy. I thought about blogging about SYTYCD, but I don’t know what happened to me…I just don’t really feel like it. I’ve enjoyed the season thus far, but I have only been wowed a couple of times this season. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still super pumped to go and see a live taping. I’m such an idiot…But just so you know, Sabra is my favorite. None of the guys really excite me. And I just love her. I think she’s adorable.

I brought this up with Dave and Caitlin last night, but I just wasn’t that impressed with the Mia Michaels routine. I’m sorry, but it seemed pretty weak to tell you the truth. It wasn’t even my favorite of the evening. Just because it’s about her and the relationship with her father doesn’t mean it’s an awesome dance. Boohoo, I’m sorry your dad is dead, but these weren’t the dancers to waste this routine on. And I’m not even sure that it could have been performed much better than it was by Neil and Lacey. Yikes…that sounds harsh, but that’s really how I feel. Ok…so I guess I did feel like blogging about it. I think Pasha is a huge dork. I think they replaced Danny with somebody else. I actually haven’t been that impressed by him the last couple of weeks. I think what they did was replace him with a much nicer, more friendly guy, but not one who can dance like Douchebag Danny could. Is it possible that by shedding the D-bag exterior that he lost some of his dance ability? Like Samson’s strength resides in his mane, Danny’s strength as a dancer is rooted in his douche-bagginess. I really liked Sara. I was starting to like her more and more each week. I love how happy Lauryn always is. And does Lacey have cross-eyes or something? There is something about her face that throws me off. Not all the time. Is it the chin? Can you believe how critical I am of these people? I would never do this to anybody I really know. Ok…I’m done. But yes…I too could hardly keep my eyes off of beautiful-bare-chested Neil. Am I always all about alliteration like I am in this post? Hehehehe…dur. Douchebag.

Back to the original idea for this post. So I absolutely love Ralph on the morning show. But he really hurt me this morning. I couldn’t believe my freakin’ ears when he was trashing on Hot Rod, which I’m sure will be my favorite movie for a long time. I can’t believe anybody wouldn’t be completely in love with The Dudes. If you don’t love them, then you and I are no longer friends. Yes, they are that funny. Do I only love them because I have watched every clip of theirs on their website? The link is the first one on the right on my links list. I dare you not to love them. For your viewing pleasure and to fall madly in love with the dudes, I present to you…KABLAMO and the intro to Awesometown. I dare you to hate on them.

On Camera Audience

Those are the people who handle providing tickets to a studio audience for SYTYCD. A month or two ago I enrolled online to get tickets and of course there is a huge waiting list to get on so I just never really expected to hear back anything. Then, just a little while ago I totally got an email telling me that I can choose a date for tickets. And they're free...I know they always are, but it's still cool. Only hearing that the performance show is on Monday and the results show is on Thursday, I reacted quickly and was like...hell yeah I want tickets to the performance show because that one is 1,000,000x better than the results show. So I reserved the tickets and realized....DAMMIT!!!!!!! Monday is like the only day in the entire year where I just can't blow off whatever it is that I'm doing and go to the freakin' show. I'm picking up a friend from the airport who doesn't know anyone else in California and then Dave and Caitlin are going to be out of town. Foooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I emailed them asking if there was any way I could change the date that I have tickets for. Cross your fingers...I wanna be the oldest male in that studio audience besides the judges.

Trapped In A Closet

This morning on Kevin and Bean, Ralph was breaking the news that R. Kelly was finally going to trial for taping himself having sex with a minor. And in typical Ralph fashion, he comes up with a wonderful repartee to his own story saying, “I think pretty soon R. Kelly is going to have his cellmate trapped in his closet…know what I’m saying? And by closet, I mean sphincter…and by trapped in, I mean ‘have sex with,’ know what I’m saying?”

Have you guys heard or seen this crap? It’s really unbelievable, unbelievably stupid. I guess toward the end of August he is going to come out with 10 more chapters to this stupid crap, but what’s gonna be awesome is that the videos will all be recapped on IFC. So set your DVRs right now, kids.

Caitlin, did you hear the latest ‘rock me Amadeus’ story? Spock will make him famous. And hilarity ensued…I heart Ralph.