brad got a blog

Reasons You Should Share Your Bed (Appropriately, Of Course)

2012-01-26T02:25:00.001-08:00

1. Well that one's obvious. Moving on to number two...

2. Those cold feet of yours now have their own person space heater to accompany them.

3. You always have someone there to talk to (though they'll most likely fall asleep in the middle of your story).

4. You have someone to introduce into your covered wagon.

5. There is the possibility that someone else will get you a drink in the middle of the night.

6. You'll have someone around to tell you the funny things you said last night in your sleep.

7. People tend to be less annoying than alarm clocks in the morning (though often harder to turn off).

8. You have someone there to tell you when you should go to bed, even if it does not sound like the most entertaining of your options.

9. When they snore, or start talking nonsense, you can record it (it really is more fun than I would have ever expected).

10. Cause you love them. And cause everyday begins and ends with you seeing your favorite person in the world.

Reasons to Never Share Your Bed

2012-01-26T02:12:00.001-08:00

1. The Sleep Cycle app will never work properly.

2. You will get blamed for stealing the covers.

3. There are now twice as many people in your bed that could possibly be farty.

4. They will undoubtedly smear mascara all over your pillow cases, especially if they're feeling a bit emotional.

5. "Your" bed has now become "our" bed. This means that your ownership has now been reduced to a thirty percent claim of the sleeping space, and still, you will often get blamed for taking up "the whole bed".

6. Someone else's cold feet are now your problem that you must fix.

7. On the right occasion, even the prettiest of girls will snore loud enough that you will curse the fact that you own no earplugs.

8. You are a prisoner of your bed as soon as you lay down, as you don't want to wake up the light sleeper next to you for something as trifle as a bathroom or kitchen break.

9. Whatever volume you would listen to anything at to assist the sleeping process is assuredly FAR too loud for your sleeping companion.

10. Bed temperature will never again reach a comfortable equilibrium. If one of you is just right, the other will be asking for more blankets, or simply sliding into snowboarding attire being crawling into the sheets. If the other is comfortable, his or her partner will be trying to figure out how to situate themselves under the requisite amount of bed linens to maintain temperature control.

It sounds like all fun and games, but you've been warned now.

If It Makes You Happy, It Can't Be That Bad

2011-12-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

Brea loves my facial hair. I really do enjoy a little from time to time, but I also love being clean shaven. I got sick the end of October though and I didn’t really feel up to shaving. So it kept growing, and she kept telling me how much she loved it, and pretty soon it was Thanksgiving and I had this fully grown beard. Though part of me enjoyed the change and the luxury of not shaving, I did miss my smooth face.

After a full month of living after the manner of Samson.

Finally I caved. But of course I had to shave it off in steps.

A little trimmed.

The sides cut down.

Jeffrey begged me to leave this one for church. I felt a little like Paulie Sr.

Instead I opted for the creeper stash.

Remind you a little of anyone?

Preparing for Christmas!!!!!

2011-12-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

Having your first Christmas together is kinda a big deal. You have to figure out where you're gonna be, and how you're gonna get there, and when you are going. You have to somehow combine two peoples' traditions together to find something that works for you. And for some people, like my new wife, it was THE FIRST TIME SANTA EVER CAME TO HER HOUSE!!!

First came the light up reindeer we picked up on black Friday. Then the wrapping of our palm trees with lights. Then came picking out the tree (a first for her too).

I wanted to go with this one, but in the interest of our apartment, we decided to keep looking.

But instead we compromised on one more full than she wanted but less full than I wanted. And it was perfect.

I'll have to put up a decorated tree picture tomorrow.

Christmas came. Christmas left. And it left us all feeling a little more warm, a little more loving, and a little more like a family. And though I know next year will be a different one for me, I'll be excited to try something new when the time comes
.

Our Quarter Dog

2011-12-07T17:18:00.002-08:00

Well we can't call him our dog. And we really couldn't say even half dog. So let's just settle for a quarter. This is Jaded Wax, a five year-old ex-racing greyhound. See our neighbors got him. And when they would be gone, they would occasionally ask us to hang out with him. But now, I sometimes hope they are gone so we can pretend like we have a dog for at least a few hours.

I know at least one of the Carbieners really wants a dog right now. And I know that the other one does too, just not quite yet. So for now we'll just have to settle for stealing the neighbors large, "not conscious of his own size", lovable greyhound.

State Fair

2011-12-07T17:18:00.001-08:00

For my birthday Brea's mom got me two season passes to the state fair, which was awesome. I love it, and I love the concerts that you get to see for next to nothing. So our first trip was to see Darius Rucker and it was great.

Our next trip was with Christin and Jonmark. We got there just in time to see the Turkey Stampede!!

While Christin and Jonmark saw Bodies with his family, we hung around to see Valentine's performing pigs, which was, well, an experience. Though it made Brea want a pig.

After some more time walking around, now reunited with the rest, we made it to the Monster Truck/RV Demolition Derby. And for a measly five dollars, we got to take a ride in the back of a Monster Truck. Brea nearly peed herself, half from excitement, and half because she was scared. It was a great day, we had great company, and I'm so excited for next year.

A girl happy to have a funnel cake.

Now that is a corn dog.

My Poor Car

2011-12-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

It might be fairly cheap and spacious where we live, but it might be in an area that some would consider "slightly ghetto". That being said, after having lived here for three months, I will now be more careful about what I leave in open sight in the back seat of my car.

I thought they stole an alarm. But I found that later. The day after it happened though I got a call from a bishop in another ward. A member of his ward had found our temple clothes on the side of the road. Luckily, he had seen them scattered on the side of the road and gathered them up. Through Facebook he hunted down Brea, found her new last name, and with the help of the stake directory online tracked us down. And we got very nearly everything back.

I called for some quotes, and was told it would be nearly two hundred dollars to replace. Instead I took a drive to the "less fancy" part of Phoenix and I found a small shop that sold me the window for thirty five bucks. It took me almost two hours to figure out how to put it in, but we are a hundred and fifty dollars less poor, and I know a little more about car repair. And whoever sits behind the passenger has a tinted window now, which is great for them.

First Married Trip

2011-12-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

A few months ago we decided to take our first trip together, so off to conference we went. I drove through the night like I have the tendency to do, made it to Salt Lake and checked into the Hotel Monaco, which happens to be a Kimpton hotel, and also happened to be barely over a hundred dollars for the night, along with parking, and a voucher for parking. It was awesome and they were so friendly. Though I might have not realized the office building next to us could see so well into our room. So there is a chance that a man sitting at his desk saw me naked . . . sorry!!

After picking up Brea's wedding dress from my parents and having lunch with them at Red Lobster, we got ready and visited temple square. We ate a quick dinner at Bambara and then to the Off Broadway theater for my third time. And it was funny, like always, and Brea loved it.

Saturday morning started off a bit rough, but we got ready, got to temple square with our sign at 9:31, five seconds later, someone gave us two tickets. It was really such a blessing. It was a really neat experience to be there.

After the session we checked out and headed down to Lindon to see the Hackings. It had been a few years and it was so good to see them. After lunch we watched conference there, then went for a little walk with them around the neighborhood, then President and I went to priesthood. It was such a humbling experience to see him again and spend some more time with him and his wife, and I'm so glad they got to meet mine.

We changed hotels, and it was really nice. We had a nice morning watching the morning session, and then got a reminder that hanging the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door isn't quite enough . . . next time we will remember to close that extra security latch.

After spending the afternoon around temple square, we headed back to normal life.

Doesn't she look important?

Another Brick in the Wall

2011-11-13T19:28:00.001-08:00

Painting an argyle wall might not have been on the mind of Pink Floyd when composing this song. But when we moved in to our little townhouse apartment, that is what we had in mind. Or at least me. And she was cool enough to let me do it.

We got the keys to our apartment a while before we actually planned on moving in. We had to do this to make sure that we could live next to Jeffrey and Olivia. However this also gave us a little bit of time to get started on some projects. One was an argyle wall. I don't know why, but I wanted to do it. I don't think either of us expected quite so much work to get the finished result. But you know what? It is AWESOME. And everyone that comes over loves it. And I love it. And I'm pretty sure she does too.

In case you are wondering how long it took to measure, mark, tape, silicone, and paint all that, each way, the answer is A LONG TIME.

But isn't it so cool? Really? Really. It is.

Then came the table. This sad little table that was our family table, then Christin's table, and now it's ours. It has undergone several paint jobs, and now has gone through one more, as well as some staining. Most of this was done by Brea, who decided she wanted this to be her project. A little was done by me. And a little of it was done by my mission companion visiting from Mexico. It also took a long time, but it is done, and it is excellent.

The very lovely final project.

Our first dinner. Crab on coolers. The table wasn't exactly usable at the time.

I don't know what happened to the cooler by the next dinner. But she found out she loves brussel sprouts.

Our bathroom is painted blue as well, which is great. Not quite as exciting as the other two though.

So that's our little house. I'll try to clean a little more and put up some more pictures, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

The Big Day

2011-10-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

Is it time for the wedding?!

Okay.

So. Thursday was her endowment. We were there on time (even me, I beat Brea there!). It wasn't too weird for her, and there was a lot of people there, and it was really nice.

Friday we went and took some bridals. And she looked super hot, and she whined and said gross pretty much every time we kissed. But the weather was beautiful, as was she, and we got some really cute pictures.

Now. The wedding. I woke up, showered, and ran over to the dry cleaners that didn't have my shirt ready the day before, but promised me would be in the morning. And. It wasn't there. I'm supposed to be at the temple in thirty minutes and I have no shirt!! He made a phone call, I waited impatiently, and fifteen minutes later someone pulled up, I had my shirt and was on my way.

Our sealer was a bit animated, though really good (he had given Brea her patriarchal blessing). There were people there, the ceremony happened, we kissed, people cried (well, mostly Candice. And then Joy Lynn joined in for a bit).

The luncheon at Toby Keith's was delicious, though smaller than we had expected the group to be. And the waitresses in their little shorts made us feel a bit awkward. But what do you do?

The reception, though the forecast had said the weather would be awful, really was pretty nice. Great for the pictures. And great for the first . . . hour and some. But suddenly the weather turned bad. So we hurried with cake cutting, had the parents' dance and ours, and started cleaning up. Brea hadn't been feeling good, and so instead of partying there for a few more hours, we (Brea and I) moved the party back to our place. Thanks to everyone it was a great day. If only there was more dancing . . .

I guess we'll have to find another excuse to fit that in.

Now that is one handsome bunch of guys.

And I'm not allowed to comment on other attractive girls . . .

Love Tom's face.

Oh my gosh. They're so cute!!! And the kids are okay too, I guess.

All Rice Krispies inside.

Grandma playing actual harp. How sweet.

Mathesons, Randalls, Carolynn, Ariana and Tyler.

I think there's a good chance we kissed after this.

Doesn't she look intense?!?! One of my favorites.

Going the Distance

2011-10-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Although we went there for Jeffrey's bachelor party, really, there's no place to compare to The Tilted Kilt as far as Mormon bachelor party dining venues go. After a second delicious dinner served by a slew of sexily dressed women (though not as sexy as my smoking hot wife) . . .

I think Jared fell in love.

. . . we headed out to get some water for, as I had suspected, A GIANT SKIP N SLIDE. Now if you return just two blog posts, you will find a video of my mother on one of these.

But this is how we roll:

Then a ride to the pool to rinse off!

Though we came out a bit cut and bruised, it was stinkin' fun. We need to do this again soon.

Update:

2011-10-11T19:58:00.001-07:00

I don't really get what the big deal is. Like anything has been going on in my life. Oh yeah.

I GOT MARRIED!!

So. Where do I start with all of this?

The big day came. Everybody showed up. We partied. So I guess I should start with the bachelor party....

Enjoying the Fourth

2011-07-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

After forever, we got there. And always one to please, my mom got a slip n' slide. And being the cool mother/grandmother she is, she gave it the test run.

Then the boys gave it a go. Maybe they should have payed more attention to the demonstrator . . .

Sunday night we had a great dinner then I told Brealynn I wanted to go for a ride around town. I ran downstairs and slipped a diamond ring and a pair of earrings into my pocket and off we went.

See, the earrings were a present that she had gotten years before that were her favorites. They were part of a young women's lesson relating to some movie. Anyways. They were starfish that whispered good things in a girl's ear. Self esteem kinda stuff. You're great. You're wonderful. You have great legs. You know, stuff like that. Now while she was gone in Missouri visiting her aunt I had these earrings repaired, because a post had been broken off and she hadn't worn them for years.

The ring had been a bit of a challenge. I am at times indecisive. This is especially true I have learned when picking out wedding rings. After quite a bit of looking, I ended up buying one. When I picked it up though, I was less than impressed. I spent a little time milling it over and ended up going somewhere else, picked out a new ring, and had that ordered. The wrong one came, work didn't pay me on time, etc, and it took longer than it should have. So when I told her I didn't have it yet for different reasons I wasn't lying (not that I wouldn't have for a situation like this). Christin picked it up for me while I was in Texas.

So after a few stops we ended up around the river/temple. We walked a little ways over to a little park that had a bridge running over the river. We stood there for a bit holding each other, and she made a comment about how we were going to the temple soon. Then she felt my heart and realized it was about to explode. I told her I had a surprise for her and pulled a pair of starfish earrings out of my pocket. It is a bit of an understatement to say that she was excited. I think a tear even leaked out (her, not me. For once). While she was hugging me, I snuck the real surprise out of my pocket, whispered in her ear that when she wasn't wearing them, I wanted to be the one to tell her how great she was. And I got down on one knee. And she cried a little. Smiled a lot. Not really sure she said yes. So, wow. I'm getting married.

Oh yeah. The fireworks were awesome too.

Texas and Back

2011-07-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Monday night before I was supposed to be leaving to Montana with Brealynn and her family, I got a text from a company owner and he said he needed me in Texas pronto. So I came home, packed up my stuff, and was gone in a few hours. Ten hours and seven hundred miles later I arrive in Hereford, TX.

This was really an uneventful trip, with just a bunch of work and watching television in a hotel room. Thanks to Kevin passing quite a bit of work my way, it was a worthwhile trip. I tried to stay as late as possible so I could make as much as possible. I ended up finally heading out about five o'clock Friday night. I decided I had enough time to make a last minute trip to Mexico to pick up some medicine though, and that's where the excitement happened.

I pulled up to the Mexico border right at two in the morning. Now, the office had decided to close when I left and filled my car with tons of alarm equipment. And random things like Kevin's giant bin of brown rice. After a fairly thorough inspection, I was allowed to cross into Mexico. However the Mexican authorities thought even less of the contents of my car and informed me I would have to declare everything in my car. So. I drove back across the border, found a McDonald's parking lot, stuffed three hundred dollars in my pocket and started running. I crossed the border to find the weekend partiers spilling out of the clubs, some of them saying things but most just staring at this crazy gringo running through the streets of this border town.

Aiming for where I had believed this pharmacy to be I made a few turns, quickly finding myself lost in the dark, abandoned streets of Nogales. Now I am not someone who worries about my personal safety too much. Nor am I someone who gets nervous going down to Mexico. That being said, running past the three or four shady looking characters on the nearly empty streets made my heart beat a little faster than the jog already would have. I almost took a taxi, but instead asked two guys getting into their car where there pharmacy was located. They pointed me in the direction and my pursuit resumed. I had to stop and ask for directions from someone else shortly thereafter. Anyways. I didn't die. I finally found it. I got what I needed, gave a few bucks to someone else for helping me, and ran like mad for the border. I crossed without any problem and finally made it back to my car at a quarter to three. Though Google says this is a three hour and seven minute trip, I arrived a five o'clock on the nose. Whew. I showered and packed my things in fifteen minutes, and at five thirty I was at Brealynn's house. Fifteen minutes later we were in the car traveling a thousand miles to the north to my parents' house.

In The Mail

2011-07-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

The night Brealynn got back from Missouri we had a little talk. And we decided to set a date. So the next day, we called the temple and scheduled a sealing date. No, I had not proposed. It is a little weird to get this particular letter in the mail when you are not actually engaged yet.

Geez I love that Eclipse shirt.

It's Never Too Late For A Party

2011-07-25T21:34:00.001-07:00

JEFFREY GOT MARRIED!!!!!!

And I never wrote about it. Well. I was the best man. I mean, I'm kind of a big deal. Or I was at least for a few days. But I did get to throw a bachelor party. So we went to The Tilted Kilt. Which has kinda attractive girls. And pretty decent food. So for a Mormon bachelor party, it is perfect. And we took a picture (which I had framed and put in their apartment while they were gone on their honeymoon).

And then, with the go-karts that we borrowed from the bishopric (Thanks Brother Peterson) we went to the institute parking garage. Armed with snow balls from Bahama Bucks and water balloons, we commenced racing around (yes we made Jeffrey wear his tiny swimsuit. If I would have thought about it earlier, I would have gotten some flag girls to start the race too). Though the snow balls were a little hard and might have bruised Jeffrey, it was still an excellent bunch of fun.

Oh yeah, and he had a cape.

I don't really know why we wait so long before we do awesome stuff like this.

My Old Man

2011-06-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Though I may not always be the best at vocalizing it, as far as fathers go, I have to say I have a pretty good one. He has his flaws and shortcomings, but the good things about him sure overshadow them.

I am so grateful that I have a father that treats my mother like he does. Out of anything that my father has ever taught me in my life I believe that has been the most important. She has always said that even though as a non-member at first, he was a bit rough around the edges. Despite that, no one ever treated her better than him. Nothing in my life has ever made me think otherwise. I know they have had hard times and struggles, but I have never had to question the way my parents felt about each other, nor worry about their commitment.

Being a convert my dad was thrown into a world much different than that of his earlier years. There was a lot of changing for him to do, and even though he wasn't or still isn't perfect, he has never wavered in his testimony that I know of. He has never been anything but a great example of what a member of the church and a priesthood holder should be.

He has never been afraid to help others. Since the day this happened, I don't believe I have ever brought this story up to him or to anyone else, but it has been one that I have reflected back on numerous times over the years. On a cold day in Idaho (what?!?! I know, they have one occasionally) we had driven over to shovel his parents' driveway. Driving home, we noticed an older women shoveling hers. Without thought my dad hit the brakes. Sensing what was coming, I immediately started pleading my dad not to go back. I was a teenager, I was cold, and I'm sure I thought there was something else I should be doing. She really didn't have much left, and after several seconds of my pleading he gave in. As we drove off, with a slightly pained voice he said something to the extent of, "Please don't ever make me do that again." For years and years of my life I've regretted that decision. I am so grateful for his example and willingness to help others around him always and hope I won't ever be a detriment to that again.

I am sure he would not say he was the greatest father, but to three children he was. Though he lied to Christin about Santa Claus, set me down in alligator infested waters (it really isn't as bad as it sounds), and fought with Candice through most of her life (can you really blame him though? she is just as stubborn as he is), he has always been there for us. He's been there for Christin's 24 graduation ceremonies, Candice's wedding, picked me up from my mission, and bawled like a baby at everyone. Though he might be a bit old for us to dog pile on now without us worrying about him breaking a hip, he will always be the perfect dad to us.

The dad who would nap with me.

The dad who gave me tongs so I could hold the first fish I caught.

Was the proudest dad ever of his missionary son.

The dad who was there to show me the way.

And occasionally even wipe away my tears.

Happy Father's Day.

New . . . Old Things

2011-06-19T00:53:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about the Living Social website is their 365 things to do list. Browsing through there on Monday we came across this place, MacAlpine's Soda Fountain. And it's so cool!! It's this old vintage shop/restaurant that has been there since 1928. The booths are super cool and old, there's tiny juke boxes on the tables (that don't play the songs you select, but still cool). The food there was pretty good, and then you get to look through or try on all of their old stuff after. The waitress isn't very friendly though. Don't bother trying to talk to her. Despite her not very happy to be listening to the same songs over and over again on the tiny juke boxes attitude, we will definitely be back.

Oh Mary

2011-06-19T00:47:00.000-07:00

I really don't have much to say. Except that her little sister Mary is darling. And likes me at least one out of every four times that I come over. This is her, liking me this day because of the app Talking Ben. I will post the video of it before too long.

Proof There's Really Nothing Going On In My Head. And More Blood & Guts.

2011-06-19T00:42:00.000-07:00

This also made the "Bodies Worlds" exciting. Groupon had a half off deal for it, so even though I had already been once I decided to buy tickets for us and her parents. Because she had said she would kind of like to go.

The first time I visited the exhibit, it was a slightly busier day, but I still spent almost two hours there and read every word of every card. Being with a family of people who aren't quite as fascinated with anatomy as me, the time was cut down to forty-five minutes. And Brealynn had to walk behind me most of the time to block the vast majority of it. I was slightly worried the entire duration of it that I was going to be leaving with vomit on my back. True story.

Afterwards though we explored the rest of the Science Center. One of the most entertaining things was a machine that would roll a ball dependent on how much brain activity you had. The more you had, the closer the ball came towards you. The object of the game was to get the ball to the other person's side. Turns out girls are horrible at this. I beat Brealynn in all of about five or ten seconds. Then I played her father. After five or ten minutes of a stalemate, we gave up. See that little monitor by our sides? That measures the brain activity. My spikes were my occasional laughs when I would look up. But at least I have scientific proof now that when I say I'm thinking about nothing, I really mean it.

I even got to build stuff.

All in all it was a pretty good day.

I Didn't Really Need That Toe Anyways

2011-06-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

Of all the differences we have, one of the most . . . inconvenient one is her aversion to blood. And my remarkable ability to find it. I feel bad for her sometimes. For example:

The other day we were in my room and I walked around the bed, kicking the corner as I rounded it. I yelled, complained a little that it hurt, and sat down on the bed. A few seconds later, I looked only to see my little toe spewing blood. A lot of it. Poor Brealynn almost added to the mess as she barely managed to hold down the contents of her stomach. I hurried to the bathtub and started hollering for Tom. Being the good guy he is, he brought me an old shirt and also cleaned up the bloody trail on the floor. It bled forever, and some more the next day when I reopened it. It was really impressive for how small of a cut it appeared to be. And now because I'm morbid (as well as all of my family) here are the pictures:

At Least She Trusts Me

2011-05-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

I am still not exactly sure why girls let me cut their hair. I am grateful for the chance to practice though. And really, they could have much worse people than me doing the cutting.

She looks so excited.

Time for the razor.

Finished product.

A Day With Brealynn

2011-05-17T03:11:00.000-07:00

We have almost nothing in common, but we sure have fun.

She climbs in shopping carts while I'm buying tires.

We went to Crate & Barrel for her first time. And she LOVES it!!! Whew. And we found a couch that we both love. And can't afford. And her shirt is up cause she wanted to know what it would feel like on bare skin :)

She'll try on sweet aviator shades.

She finally said that she would be okay with a boxer. She wanted a pit before. Gross.

And isn't this one adorable? Yep. That's the right answer.

And then we made kabobs for my first time. Turned out pretty good. And she liked them. Even though she really doesn't like chicken. Which is a bit of a challenge at times.

And she lets us put watermelons on her head. Really. How could I not love her?

And she has the stinkin' cutest little sister.

2011-05-17T02:52:00.000-07:00

I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited to have my parents come into town to visit. We went out to dinner, they met Christin and I's significant others, and they got to meet my friends and roommates. And my mom got to cut their hair of course. And make moustaches out of that hair later.

Deconstruction

2011-05-17T02:29:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I had a blowout. On the freeway. It destroyed the front passenger wheel well of my car. It broke a few little things, but it also ripped out a huge part of my wiring harness which included my air conditioning control, air bag control, and cruise control. I couldn't find the other end of the harness myself, so I had Ben come over and take a look. He couldn't find it either, so he had me take out the airbag. Well, I had to pull some stuff out. And some more stuff. And more. This is what I was left with:

Oh yeah. When I hooked up the battery again, it reset the alarm. So to start my car without setting the alarm off, I had to unlock it, open up the back door, reach over, put in the key and turn it on, get back out, and start the car leaving the driver door open.

And Brealynn never complained. She didn't complain about the waiting for me to open the door or didn't whine about the lack of air conditioning. Not once. For like a month. She's pretty great. And the good news is, I finally took a day and got it fixed.

Makin' It Rain

2011-05-17T01:47:00.000-07:00

There was a joke made last month about how funny it would be if one of us paid rent in one dollar bills and made it rain all over Tom. Well. The storm came.

There's Something In The Attic

2011-05-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey came home the other day and asked me if I wanted to help him insulate his mother's attic. I am not exactly sure why I agreed to this. Mostly because I love his mom I suppose. She's really an amazing woman. But partially because I'm a guy and there is something oddly fulfilling about stuff like that. So Jeffrey and I, without either of us knowing a thing about how to insulate an attic, read a little bit, and went to work.

Turns out insulation is more expensive than we thought. The four or five hundred dollars that we thought it would cost ended up being about twelve hundred dollars (she was planning on two grand, so it was still okay). We filled up the garage with three trips in the mini van, bought painting jump suits, goggles, gloves, and before long were unrolling yards and yards of insulation. It took about three days, left us sore for another week, earned us a dinner from his mom at The Keg, and left us with the feeling that we had done something really good. Not a bad day's (or three partial days) work.

And it's saved her a ton on her utility bill already.
And I'm thinking about buying another jumpsuit just cause I look so good in it.

Olivia

2011-05-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

I became friends with Jeffrey over the summer, and honestly, I wasn't sure how much I liked him getting back with his ex, as I had never met her. In my opinion, it's usually a very bad idea, which leads to second and third rounds of heartbreak.

However, a trip to LA and an all day music festival made us friends quickly. She is now part of my life, and someone I've gotten rather used to having around. There really is no one who shimmys like her, nor looks hotter as her bony limbs are draped across a pool table. She even lets Jeffrey draw moustaches on her face. With a Sharpie. And I'm so glad her and Jeffrey are getting married Friday. They're two of my best friends, and I love them. And I might come move next door. No. Seriously. Not kidding.

Dinners You Wish You Never Had

2011-05-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

For Phil's birthday, one of us had the terrible idea to go Heart Attack Grill. None of us had been there, but we heard the waitresses were hot, so maybe we would go (this is a post that I neglected to make months and months ago). I did not know there existed a place that would make Hooters look classy. And delicious. Not only do they put hospital gowns on you (they will refuse to serve you if you don't wear one), but they play videos of them making the burgers on the tv's there. Yes, videos of them dipping the buns in lard before frying and preparing them (luckily they don't do that anymore). Oh yeah, and there's the girls. It was, just bad. But. An experience. That I will never have again. Though Phil did eat the four patty, two pound burger and get wheeled out to the car in a wheelchair. Oh, America.

Huge Mouth

2011-05-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, he can fit his whole fist in it too. Ask him sometime. He LOVES to show people.

And he can fit twenty-eight cheese balls in his mouth without crushing them. Twenty-eight.

By the way, best donuts in the whole world. Whole world. 19th Donut Hole. University and Lindsey.

Carbiener Vocabulary

2011-03-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

I took Brea shopping yesterday and today. I just wanted her to have a nice pair of jeans. Referring to one of the pairs she tried on, I told her later that they were very sexy. I asked her if she felt sexy in them. She said she did if I thought she looked sexy in them.

I started thinking about a text message I got the other day from a friend, making fun of me for referring to the new gunmetal grey Kitchenaid as sexy. But it is. I started thinking about how much I use that word. The thing is, I don't use it just for the sake of using it. I genuinely see the world like that. Sexiness just seems to surround me. I'm not exactly sure what my parents did, and I am grateful for it, but I don't know if you could converse with me or either of my sisters at any given time for more than an hour without hearing some reference to "sexy".

Everyone sees the world how they want to. You read any Stephen Covey book and you will find chapters and chapters about personal paradigms. Everyone has their own black or yellow or rose colored glasses they see the world through. I'm not sure which color mine are, but I do know that they have a protective sexy coating on the lenses.

Follow the Leader

2011-03-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone who really knows Christin or I at all knows that we are almost genetically identical. We have oddly similar brain patterns. For more info on this, see here.

We also tend to be very similar in our relationship patterns. We get bored easily with people and often stay emotionally aloof. A few weeks ago, after a several year hiatus, she went and got herself a boyfriend. Several weeks later, after nearly three years of single life, I am actually in a relationship again. And I love it. Her name is Brea, or Brealynn. Tom brought her over and not too long later we ended up together. Luckily Tom wasn't in love with her so he doesn't hate me.

I have my worries and concerns, the things that come with a relationship. And we have really nothing at all in common. But we get along great. And I think she's so cute. And I have no idea where things will go. But for right now I am very happy.

Breaking Up Sucks

2011-03-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

... however, the songs about it are excellent. I love a well written love song, but almost as much, I love a good break up song. Something about being able to translate the emotions of a break up into a song impresses me greatly. And movies? Have you seen The Break-Up? Cause there are a lot of excellent movies about love, but not very many that are about how crappy it is to end that love. Here are a few of my favorite songs of this sad variety:

David Nail - Red Light

Chris Young - Tomorrow

Blake Shelton - I'll Just Hold On

Rascal Flatts - Here Comes Goodbye

Garth Brooks - Not Counting You

Garth Brooks - The Dance

Reba McEntire - You Lie

Reba McEntire - Still

Easton Corbin - Love You Back

Colbie Callait - I Never Told You

Keith Urban - Tonight I Wanna Cry

Matt Nathanson - Bent

Jack Johnson - Flake

Warren Haynes - One

Camila - Mientes

Ha'ash - Que Hago Yo?

I know I'm going to post this and then remember six more excellent ones. But. This is a decent list.

It's Almost Time to Party

2011-03-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

I met Jeffrey years ago. The first time I really remember speaking to him, he had come over for dinner for one of Christin and mine's dinner parties. And he was funny. He had come over a few other times, for games nights or whatever. The thing is, I didn't really think I would like him that much. I certainly thought we were far too different to ever really be close friends.

Three and a half years later, here I am planning his bachelor party. Somehow, I am the best man at his wedding. I'm grateful for this, for the friend that he is and for the friends that I have surrounding me right now. I feel very lucky that I have the social group that I do. However, planning this bachelor party is a bit stressful. Especially when I found out that it would be impossible to get penguins to the party legally. It is probably going to be a bit messy and expensive to drain our pool and fill it with green jell-o, Devo is way too booked to come and play for us, and it is probably not very practical to stage a Spain-esque tomato fight in the streets of Mesa. Whatever it is, it needs to be epic. And I need to get on this.

Safety-Conscious Asians

2011-03-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Walking around ASU campus, your eyes and ears are inundated with a myriad of sounds and images. You gaze upon girls dressing in not nearly enough clothes, policemen speeding along on their trusty Segways, people who are far too large to ride a Razor scooter that was designed with a six year old girl in mind, people who decided to learn to ride a skateboard (poorly) amidst a throng of rushing students, street preachers telling the students that they're all going to hell, smokers, environmental campaigners, people exercising in a far too public environment, etc. And of course, Asians.

This is not meant to be a racist post. More of a simple commentary on my observation of the amazing phenomenon of Asian people protecting their bodies. Most of the Caucasian females you see on campus are walking advertisements for melanoma. They have far surpassed the desired brown and now radiate a carrot like color. Asians on the other hand, not only do not care about their skin color, but they actually appear to be frightened of the sun. Dressed in cardigans, hats, and sunglasses to protect their exposed skin from the ultraviolet rays, armed with umbrellas for added protection from the glint of vitamin D that might have otherwise passed through their barrier, they carefully walk from class to class. They do not text, or even use their phones very often as they walk. Not only will they never ride a bike without an approved safety helmet, but they will use the same precaution if they are using one of the aforementioned scooters. If their backpack comes with a waist buckle, rest assured it will be buckled.

No, there really was no point to all of this rambling, except that I should maybe look to learn a bit from this cautionary culture. My body might thank me for it one day.

Damages

2011-02-08T19:58:00.001-08:00

I feel so lame sometimes just posting youtube videos, and I feel like I might have done that a bit much lately. Or just twice. Anyways. We found a close runner up to the, "I never knew there was chicken in this soup," kid.

Validation

2011-01-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

Jeffrey sometimes stumbles upon little internet jewels. This is one of my favorites thus far. I know it is fifteen minutes long, but I promise it will leave you smiling.

Let the Rhythm Take You Over .... Bailamos!

2011-01-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

Now last night there was another birthday party. Yes, Miss Vanie had a birthday. And we did the first Latin thing she has ever done in her life. We went salsa dancing. It was odd, cause I felt the whole night like I was a very good dancer, though I have only been salsa dancing once. Though it could have been because no one else there was any good either, except for the Columbian cougar that I danced with that made me look ridiculous and uncoordinated. I do love dancing though. I remember trying to have my Ecuadorian mission companion show me how to move your hips with salsa dancing. That was my first experience with it. It was awful. Somewhere in between then and now I found my rhythm. It felt a lot like this:

Though it might not have been life changing, it has made the dancing thing more enjoyable. I definitely need to go more.

Me and the birthday girl.

Virgin shots they made for us.

Christin and J rockin' it out.

Annette and Johnny. They are so hot right now.

Back in the Snow

2011-01-30T14:22:00.000-08:00

It was kind of magical.

Birthday

2011-01-30T14:20:00.000-08:00

I never wrote about my BIRTHDAY!!!

Well it was 10/10/10, so I of course had to make it epic. Luckily I have an awesome family and friends to help that be realized.

It started off with a Friday night pool party at my house. Unfortunately, it is still a bit cold to be swimming in October, even in Arizona. So time in the pool didn't last very long, and it was definitely limited to a select few (the good news is, there was still an opportunity for Jeffrey and I to wear our skimpy bathing suits for a bit). The crazy thing was the attendance. I have thrown a few parties, and they have never been very big. I was expecting around twenty people. Somewhere closer to sixty showed up, a quarter of which I had no clue who they were. But it was still everything I could have ever wanted. Though next time I will remember to buy more pizza and turn on Rock Band.

Saturday night was karaoke at Geisha a Go-Go. This was a bit of a more intimate event. Newlyweds Matt and Kristine came (no, Jeffrey and Matt did not plan the matching cardigans). Christin. Vanie. Phil. Gene. John. And Jeffrey. And Lindsey at the end. We sang some Bonnie Tyler, Ricky Martin, Alanis Morisette, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Turns out we are all excellent singers.

The problem with all this partying was that by Sunday, my actual birthday, I was a bit partied out. I ended up just having a few people over, we ate the cake that Ariana made for me, I got some gum from Carolyn for whoever I planned on kissing next (though she made it clear that it was not going to be her :). It was an excellent birthday weekend.

Mathesons

2011-01-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

Two of my favorite people ever, Bishop and Sister Matheson, I don't really get to see much anymore. Now that they're not in fifth ward it is a little more difficult. The ward got some money together to buy them new scriptures, so I decided I would make them some cases. I don't love the fabric for hers, but for an eighty year old woman I think it is probably okay. And I got to use some scrap pieces of leather that I have had around for a few years. Anyways. They were two of the better ones I had ever made, and they liked them, which was really the important thing.

First Week

2011-01-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

My first week is over. I have been to ALL of my classes. I bought all my books, I have woke up early a few days. I am even planning on talking to a math tutor sometime tomorrow. I am already signed up for two institute classes and haven't missed yet. I know this all may not seem very impressive, however it is a first for me on all of those things considering I haven't even started the second week. I'm going to try to be a good student again.

I hope I haven't taken on too much, but I suppose if I work hard it will all turn out. And I'm also starting to go to Crossfit classes. And a break dancing, acrobatics, and parkour class. Oh yeah, and I'm going to play on a city league softball team. And trying to work on the side as well.

It seems like a lot, but really, it is about time I got busy in my life. I'm a little sick of hearing talks about time management and thinking to myself, "I have so much time to do whatever I want." I'm ready to be "anxiously engaged" in something. And dad, you don't need to make any "engaged" jokes, thanks for worrying about my love life though.

Now I have to cook dinner and go to bed. I have to get up early.

Spontaneity

2011-01-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

School started today. Today also happened to be the day that I registered for class. It is funny when I tell my friends that I hadn't registered yet. I don't think I could adequately describe the shocked expression on their faces. Christin however was not quite so surprised. When I told Candice she referenced this (just the last line really):

The good news though, I am still in school, I have all the classes I want, and I am quite happy about today.

Sledding!!!!! in Arizona

2011-01-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

It was Arizona. It was a little bit of a drive. It was cold. And it was AWESOME!!

The girls were freezing, the snow was a bit icy, the saucers fell apart in about two seconds, we all might have bruised our tail bones from the occasional rock, and I might have had to throw a lot of snow on Jeffrey to pay him back for a face-full of snow. Oh yeah. And we had to pretend to be married to the girls so they could eat at the restaurant, since neither was old enough. I need to go sledding more.

Can't . . . Roll . . . Over

2010-12-12T21:46:00.000-08:00

Maybe the only dog that could compete with a boxer.

Good vs Evil

2010-12-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

I love the tv series Chuck. Since I was first introduced to it on my plane ride to Hawaii, I've found few things I enjoy so much. I've had such good memories associated with Chuck.

But then tonight I began a book by Chuck Klosterman. See, Jeffrey talks about this guy and how he's one of his favorite writers from time to time. He has these cards that have a lot of stupid, pointless questions on them to supposedly figure out what kind of a person you are, like whether you would let a gorilla play football for the Raiders or not, and your reasoning behind the decision. I know. Pointless, though kind of entertaining. Not that I feel like you get to know anything worthwhile about a person by asking them like Mr. Klosterman does. But again, they are kind of entertaining.

Now his books have nice titles like Eating the Dinosaur, and another about Cocoa Puffs. I started reading this Cocoa Puffs book tonight and four pages into it, I realize I cannot bring myself to read anymore of it. I might find it to be one of the worst things I have ever picked up. Though he has an extensive use of pop culture and does have the ability to reference it at occasionally clever times, that's about all he has going for him. He manages to be incredibly vulgar for no reason at all (I think he managed to pack eight "f" words into one sentence), annoyingly cynical, and very depressing all at the same time. He organizes his comments of world hatred into annoying rants and then tries to cover it with saying, "Not that I'm judging you, or blaming anyone," or something like that. But he is. He just hates the world, and wants everyone else to swim in his misery pool with him. When I encounter things or people like him, I think, "What if everyone in the world were like [insert name]? What a terrible world this would be. If that was the case, I might hate life as much as you do."

I'm glad there are still some good Chuck's in the world.

Thanks Library

2010-12-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

The library made this for us. How awesome is that. And there's two more videos without music on my Facebook page. It's all pretty great. I think my mom is just proud of me for not throwing condoms on basketball courts to show my school spirit.

Magical New Traditions

2010-12-09T14:51:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago we were driving, talking, and we came up with one of those brilliant ideas that guys come up with: have a silent dance party in the library!

Well, I think it was mostly Jeffrey's idea. But I had a part in the collaboration. And today it went down.

At noon everybody, armed with their iPod's loaded with Flo-Rida's Right Round, pressed play and danced their little hearts out. I will post a video later, but for right now, here's the best picture of it. Though I have only seen five so far.

Merry Christmas!!!!

2010-12-03T22:24:00.000-08:00

Though we don't exactly remember whose idea it was, we do know that roommate pictures was a great idea.

Go Big or Go Home

2010-12-03T22:21:00.000-08:00

This was much better than the first attempt.

We Have A Trampoline!!!!!!

2010-11-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks Caitlin.

At A Disadvantage

2010-10-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has taken a standardized test in the last say, fifteen years knows what a Scantron is. This convenient sheet allows tests to be graded very rapidly and very efficiently. The problem is, when they designed these, they didn't think about the effects that it would have on people like me.

You see, when any serious test is given using these (SAT, ACT, I imagine the MCAT, LSAT, and GRE as well), the person proctoring the exam has to read instructions on how to fill out one of these. They tell you how you need to fill out the bubble completely, darkly, and within the lines. This is something that I would have done with or without the instruction. The point of this is, it take A LOT of time. I would say out of most tests that I take, a solid 25% of the time I am filling in those ridiculous bubbles; carefully tracing the ring, meticulously filling in the center so there is no spill-over. And don't get me started on when I have to erase.

Scantron, I think you are an amazing product. You truly have revolutionized testing. But though I think you are amazing, me and all the other people in the world who might happen to only leave the radio and thermostat on certain numbers, who reload the dishwasher almost every time they start it to make sure everything is in just the right place, who automatically straighten their shot glasses when they are put into the rack off center, we hate you. Curse the day you were created.

In Your Little Corner

2010-10-15T10:18:00.002-07:00

Really everywhere you go these days you see iPods. Just about everyone has one. Except the "uncool" people who have some other mp3 player. And me.

Years ago I formed a bias against the iPod. It made me upset that you couldn't change anything on it without hooking it up to a computer. You couldn't use it with anything but iTunes. And I think for a while you had to use their special headphones for a while (though I might be wrong about that). Whatever the reason, I never bought one.

Now I see them everywhere. I see them at the gym, all around campus, everywhere really. But a lot of the time I think, "What if I wanted to talk to that person?" I mean, what if I had an iPod and I missed out on meeting someone awesome that couldn't talk to me because of my iPod.

I might buy one sometime. I do love the Tower Madness game. And Words With Friends. But as far as music goes, I think I will keep the one pair of headphones I own in that cluttered box tucked away. And if you want to talk to me I would love to talk. Unless you're weird of course.

Feeling Like Less of a Man

2010-10-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

There are a few things in life that guys are inherently proud of. One of these is the ability to eat. A lot.

Thus came the food challenge. Eat some disgusting amount of food, just because we can, and we'll put a picture of you or the wall or something. Somehow, I had made it to this point in my life without ever competing in one of these.

A few weeks ago Tom found a pizzeria that had a twenty-four inch pizza challenge. Two guys (or girls I guess. gross.) have one hour to eat it. Yesterday I decided I was hungry. So I sent Tom a message telling him it was the night to own this challenge. The problem began with a four hour lapse in the time it took for my phone to send a message to his phone. So he ate quite a bit around four. And when I got home around five, I was starving. So I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And then a salami and gouda sandwich on a hoagie roll. But it was only a twenty-four inch pizza, right?

I think we might have underestimated it. I might have been able to finish my half, uncomfortably, but luckily Tom was a little further behind. With a little less than a quarter of the pizza left, we tapped out. It was a little humiliating to both of us. Though I can deal with that. What I am not happy about is having to go back and eat the whole thing again sometime. But that picture on the wall will be mine.

A Little More Gas

2010-10-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

I moved into my current house August 15th. Tom and I lived there for about a month alone, without any real problems. Jeffrey moved in about that time and started complaining that he had no hot water. Though it occasionally wasn't super hot for me, I didn't really think it was a problem. So after looking at the water heater one day, realizing I couldn't see the pilot light, and clicking the button a few times, I left it alone. However, the new roommates moved in this week, turned the a/c down fifteen degrees, and my shower was very cold suddenly. I knew that they hadn't showered for hours so I thought about it more that day.

About two in the morning last night Jeffrey and I took a look at the water heater. I discovered shortly that I could see the pilot light if I slid this little piece of metal over. Then I made the discovery that if I moved the little dial to "on" instead of "pilot" a lot more fire came out.

This morning the shower was just a little better.

Wounds That Never Heal

2010-10-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

No I'm not talking about a love lost in my life!! I'm actually talking about my foot. My senior year of high school I suddenly couldn't walk anymore on my right heel. Apparently the repeated kicking close of my shower door had stress fractured my heel. And it really hurt. This pathetic looking, almost invisible line on an x-ray. I wore a boot for three weeks and gel pads for the rest of football season.

The problem is, it has never really healed. So here I am eight years later and still my heel occasionally bothers me. I can also say this about my numb lip from jaw surgery, or forehead from the motorcycle accident. But I suppose sometimes it's a good idea to have little memories of what we've been through.

I Don't Eat Corndogs Everyday

2010-09-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't been cooking much lately in the last few weeks. I have made a few things though.

Stinky fish. Dover sole. Terribly, terribly stinky fish, but surprisingly good.

I bought a slap chop!! I love it!!

Christin called me up the other day and told me we needed to make dinner. So she came over and used the eggplants that came from my garden, and basil that came from my garden, and we cooked up some delicious eggplant miso. It was delicious.

Doesn't she look so happy?

Our miso eggplant.

Mirin glazed chilean sea bass.

Isn't it pretty?

The Bucket List: Revised

2010-09-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have recently found a few new shows that I have begun watching from time to time. The Good Guys, Burn Notice, and even The Wild Boyz from time to time. But last night I stumbled upon something new: The Buried Life. I'm pretty sold on it. I am not one of those people who frequently thinks about things he needs to do before he dies. But from time to time I don't think I am doing enough with my life. I don't really make lists, and goals are not something I often make. Maybe I don't have enough vision, or maybe I just live in the moment a bit too much. There's things I can work on. And though a lot of the things they do for themselves are stupid (ie. sneak into the Playboy Mansion), the things they do for people are great. And when they have an idea, a goal, they go for it. MTV actually inspired me.

If you have twenty minutes to blow, this is pretty awesome!! Click here.

Time To Plan

2010-09-10T01:38:00.001-07:00

It is now officially one month from my birthday. I need to start planning the fun.

Who's Idea Was This?

2010-09-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I was with Jeffrey when he found out about this music festival in L.A. "Buy me a ticket," I say. I'm still not exactly sure why I told him that I would go to this music festival of some thirty bands, none of which I had EVER heard of before. But at the time it sounded like fun. And it was only twenty dollars.

The group we were going with changed several times over the course of the next few months, and from the Phoenix area it only included me and Olivia. Olivia is Jeffrey's love for the time. I had seen her, though never spoken to her. The good news is we had a six hour car ride to get to know each other.

When we got there we decided to stay where Jeffrey was in the extension office. They decided to not go for apartments, but instead rent a very large house (it's on the market for 2.7 million) from some guy that ran out of money before completing it and couldn't sell it. Sounds kind of cool, but living with that many sales reps in a house furnished with pretty much just beds and a ping pong table isn't really all it's cracked up to be. But it was pretty to look at from the outside.

In the morning we had phenomenal pancakes at Original Pancake House (or something like that). Jeffrey had the German pancake, I had the Swedish pancakes, and Olivia had normal pancakes topped with peaches (and I ate two of them...). I didn't actually know I could be so impressed with a House of Pancakes. We headed afterwards to the venue, and proceeded to wait. And wait. And wait. See they made a mistake and didn't send the tickets to Jeffrey for some reason, so we stood in the will call line for three hours. Yep. Three hours. Now I could go off about how miserable this was, because it kind of was. However, I was able to take the opportunity to realize that this was not my normal crowd. It was probably the most interesting group of people I had ever seen. In my whole life. I decided later that I would start taking pictures of some of them for the blog.

Anyways. I really did have a good time. I enjoyed Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Mountain Goats, and !!!. And though I wouldn't listen to them much, we danced our little hearts out to The Rapture. Which in turn got everyone within twenty feet of us dancing. And it was awesome.

By the time everything wrapped up it was almost twelve. And yes, I was starving. We made our way to Pink's which is pretty famous for their hot dogs. And it happened to be next to one of the funniest signs I have EVER seen. I had to immediately send this to a bunch of people.

And the hot dogs were awesome too.

And Sunday I found Bridget's brown doppleganger!!! I didn't realize it at first, but as soon as Jeffrey mentioned it to me, I couldn't see her as anything else. So we talked Olivia into going and asking her for a picture because she reminded her of a friend. Awesome.

I don't go out of my comfort zone nearly enough sometimes. What a great weekend.

Home Again

2010-08-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm really not sure why I am so happy to be home. I didn't really have anything that was waiting for me. I didn't have a better job, more fun, a girlfriend, or better weather. But I was very happy to be coming home. And last Sunday I made it. And I went to church and it was great. And I saw my mom and sister and it was great. And a few days later I got to listen to Christin tell me about her night at work and it was awesome. And my house is awesome. And the weather is okay. And school is okay.

I am very happy to be home.

Garage Galore

2010-08-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

My mother and father finally moved into their new house. They couldn't be more happy about having a little more space and having a little bit of alone time once again. My mother has been furiously buying furniture and the wrong size blinds (just a little joke mom :)) and my father, well, he is very excited about his garage. If only I could find a way to move that bench over to Levi's house...

The Perfect Night

2010-07-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

A lot of nights in your single twenties you sit around with your friends and wonder what you should do. We had been planning on going dancing but one of the girls that we were going with broke her toe so that didn't happen.

When we got home from work Jeffrey, Gene, and I ran down to get our favorite pizza from Luigi's Pizza Garden. The two medium pizzas were delicious, and exactly the right amount. Then we enjoyed delicious smoothies in my awesome new blender ("awesome" might be an understatement).

We decided our best bet was bowling. The problem is I knew we wouldn't be there 'til almost one. The first alley of course closed at one. I next called Country Club Lanes and I heard one of my favorite phrases ever, "We're open twenty-four hours." Excellent.

I put on my new socks and grabbed my shoes. A car ride later filled with amazing renditions of 500 Miles, Bad Romance, and I'm Shipping Off to Boston, we arrived. Now not only was this a twenty-four hour bowling alley, but it was only twelve dollars. For unlimited bowling. I know, right?!?!

I'm really not much of a bowler. I do have awesome shoes. However, I bowl anywhere from about 80 to the two times I broke 200. This night was one of those good nights. This picture is after my first game. That's right. 233.

Yes, that is SEVEN strikes in a row.

I didn't actually think it could get any better. I was feeling pretty awesome. But then I bowled a 236. I know, right?!?!

The next game was full of me bowling between between my legs, and a lot of awesome dancing. Really, this was maybe the best night ever. Until we come back for laser tag next week.

It has a SMOOTHIE button!!

Response

2010-07-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to post this, but in response to the worried comments of my parents, I will. This is what I had for dinner a few nights ago. And tonight is Pistachio Crusted Chilean Sea Bass. Don't worry mom.

Bad Company

2010-07-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need someone around to tell you that what you are about to do is a bad idea. Jeffrey is not that person for me, nor I for him. We're actually terrible together. Example: the other night we were up talking after the others went to bed, until about three. When we got up to go to bed, I realized I was hungry and said, "I wish we had doughnuts," referring to the tasty little Hostess morsels that have filled our apartment the last few weeks. "Let's go get some," says Jeffrey. So after a quick yelp.com search we find that there is in fact a 24 hour doughnut shop seven miles from our house, called Yum-Yum doughnuts. Now, was there a good selection? Not at all. Were the doughnuts they had exceptional? Definitely not. Were the homeless people sleeping in there a little creepy? Yes. Would I go again? Absolutely.

Hello, Pizza Stone

2010-07-18T18:35:00.001-07:00

I had never used a pizza stone. I didn't see the point of it. But Jeffrey bought one. So we decided to use it. Last Saturday night after our H&M outing we were driving home and decided we needed to make a breakfast pizza. A trip to the store later, we were ready. So while watching the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands, we began cooking. Biscuits spread out as a crust, hash browns on top, eggs on top of those, sautéed onions and peppers and cheese on top of those, with sausage and gravy covering all of that, and we had our delicious artery clogging breakfast pizza. Best breakfast ever.

Now for dessert. I can't remember what dinner was this night, but we decided that we should have a pazookie. So we bought a roll of cookie dough, spread it out over the pizza stone, cooked it for about eight minutes, pulled it out and heaped scoops of ice cream on it, grabbed three spoons, and feasted.

San Francisco and Rock Band

2010-07-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

I've had an interesting week. I went to San Francisco for the first time. I went to my first dance club with a live dj. I guess he was a big deal, but the thing is techno all kinda sounds the same after a while. But it was a good time. One of my roommates made out with a random girl at the club and another took a shot out of a homeless guy's bottle of vodka. It was awesome. I took a picture in front of the Full House house. I saw the fireworks on Pier 39 and had clam chowder. I went to the beach and had a delicious breakfast at a little cafe. I fired one of my technicians. I went on a date with someone that I am actually remotely interested in. I bought a pair of green jeans. I bought a pair of jeans that had a hole ripped in the crotch for twenty. And three other pairs. I tried on my first pair of skinny jeans and didn't hate them. I helped push this kid out of the middle of the highway that had totaled his car and very shaken and confused. I cooked delicious pork chops and brussel sprouts. I watched a lot of Grey's Anatomy. I am getting better at Rock Band and I'm a little embarrassed about it. I got a new phone (against my will). I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge. I installed for a big gay guy who talked to me about a little more than I really wanted to, and another for a cute girl about my age. I ate a lot of Hostess doughnuts.

And on that note, here's some pictures.

I don't know if watching that video will ever get old to me.

The Real Price of Free Food

2010-07-11T03:22:00.000-07:00

I find myself a little on the tight side when I go out to eat. I can't remember the last time I ordered a combo meal at any fast food restaurant. I am a very strict dollar menu shopper. Which really is ridiculous. It is usually only a dollar or two more. And I do love fries. But the value menu has it's hold on me.

Yesterday Jeff found out that if you dress up like a cow you got free food at Chik-fil-et. On their website was even a convenient cow costume that you could print out. So twelve pages later we had four cow costumes. We began cutting, taping, and tying to assemble our costumes. We looked awesome. And by that I mean completely ridiculous. However we got not just a free sandwich like I expected but any combo meal we wanted. Unfortunately I had other things to do and couldn't stay with them, but the guys drove another forty or so miles so they could go to the other two Chik-fil-et's in the valley to get another meal. It is funny how much work we will go to sometimes to get something for free.

I'm going to need to work on getting an udder for next year.

Activity Day Correlation

2010-07-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

I told the office today that they couldn't schedule four of us until one o'clock in the afternoon. I told them that we were having activity day correlation. I did this partially because I hate when they schedule me for stuff in the morning that could definitely be done later, and partially because I really wanted to do this:

Gene didn't seem phased by the really cold water.

Tom needs to work a little on his take off.

And speaking of taking off . . .

Good times.

Late Night Snacks

2010-06-30T04:17:00.000-07:00

I really like all of the roommates that I have. Everyone seems to bring something to the plate, Tom, Gene, Jeff, and occasionally Humberto. We have some good times. We even bought Rock Band. Fortunately Jeff failed miserably at the drums. Now he is our theatrical lead singer. What he doesn't possess in talent he makes up for in performance. We are a pretty amazing ensemble.

We went out to eat two nights ago at like midnight. We ate a lot. Yeah, those four plates and the bowl in front of me are all mine. Unfortunately our server was a little older and didn't have the steadiest of hands.

I bought a new car. My faithful little Camry had the little transmission that decided it couldn't anymore so I had to make another automobile purchase. Not what I particularly wanted to do, but I am happy about it.

I've met some cool girls out here at different things. If only they weren't from California.

We decided we needed to do something cool for the fourth. So Saturday we are taking off to go to San Francisco to party a little. We got a sweet room in the Hilton a few blocks from the bay for a hundred bucks. I'm pretty excited about it.

Coincidence?

2010-06-19T00:59:00.000-07:00

I left out one of the best parts of the last story. This was left on my car during church.

Times to Smile

2010-05-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

I love that I know that mom just gasped when she saw this picture.

And no I don't think this happened because I got the tires for super cheap from a Mexican tire shop. I sort of jumped a curb in my Camry the other day. And though I don't think she particularly enjoyed it, it didn't appear like I broke anything. Though the steering column would periodically wobble. I was planning on having it looked at Tuesday, as tomorrow is memorial day. However driving home tonight after dropping off a co-worker at someone's house for a barbecue, the car started shaking pretty violently and then black chunks of something started flying off my car. It was pretty intense. I pulled over and this is the tire I found.

The funny thing about blogs is it makes it a little more exciting to have bad things happen because you think about blogging it the whole time that it's going on. And with this it at least broke the monotony of my life right now. And as weird as it is to say it is kind of a blessing it happened. Cause it was Sunday afternoon, I was really close to the house, and Tom could bring out my lug wrench to me. I figured out (I think) what the problem was with my car. Blessings come in so many forms.

The End of the Road

2010-05-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well at least until next season. Last night Tom and I watched the last two episodes of Chuck. Were they awesome? Of course. It wrapped up pretty much everything important and then left a little hanger for next season. Not an annoying one. Just enough to keep me hopeful that it will be another season of awesomeness. It's a little sad that I don't have any new Chuck to watch for the summer, but at least it's not all done yet. And yeah, Sarah is still super sexy.

California

2010-05-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I forget how much I don't like the first few weeks of my summers. The whole driving/lack of sleep/disorganization/lack of eating good food never is a welcomed combination.

-The weather here is beautiful exactly half of the time. It pretty much rains every other day.
-I don't particularly like training new techs. It is not the most enjoyable part of my job.
-I'm a little worried that Tahoe will be too cold to jet ski in, and I really don't want to buy wet suits.
-I ran out of cheesy poofs. I need to find some more.
-I got a roommate hooked on Reese's Puffs.
-It is funny how some people download on me. I understand that God blessed me with that capacity (to be downloaded on), and I honestly don't mind. But it is funny that the one girl here went to a fireside with me, talked the whole way there and back about her life, and then talked to me for another hour in the parking lot about her relationships and what she wants to change or work on. And then probably another hour inside.
-Sacramento has terrible radio stations. Maybe, just maybe, I'll invest in a radio. -I started classes yesterday. That should be an adventure.

-I need to get a camera cable so I can put some pictures up.

Otro Capítulo Se Acaba

2010-05-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

Well I'm packed.

Christin got sad this afternoon and now it's my turn I suppose. How lucky I am that I got to spend these years living with my big sister. I sure do love her.

I feel like this is a good step, I think we need some change. It will be a new adventure and I have a great roommate to live with when I get home.

But as great as he is he won't be her. He probably won't ask me to iron his scrubs or make his lunch for him. He won't ask me to go to Cosmo and get him some Curls Rock. He probably won't give me a hard time for taking so long to get ready for church. He probably won't wake me up in the morning to tell me about his crazy patients at work the night before. He won't help throw me a Bond birthday party or get me a Buckle gift card or gelato or want to go float around in a raft on Tempe Town Lake for my birthday or throw dinner parties for our ward. Who am I going to tease for making a Blue Steel face in the mirror? And more importantly, who am I going to where my "brother" shirt with?

I know this seems awfully dramatic considering I will be living within fifteen minutes of her, and maybe this has a lot to do with the stress of this week of finishing school and moving, but it still doesn't help stop these tears from running down my face.

I sure will miss living with this cute little blonde.
I'm gonna miss living with my sister.
I love you.

No Regrets

2010-05-07T02:57:00.000-07:00

There is a time to be responsible.
But honestly, way too many people don't do fun stuff cause they are too busy or are doing the responsible thing. This week I have been crazy crazy busy. But I went to the Ironman 2 showing tonight at midnight even though I haven't slept much and I have a 9:40 final tomorrow and have to pack my room still and have to write another four page Spanish paper and make a fourteen hour drive. Tomorrow. But it was awesome. And I would do it again. No regrets, that's my motto (a reference from Out Cold when the friend gives the protagonist the pep talk to go win his engaged-to-another-man love of his life back. Whatever, you get the point).

Planning For The Future

2010-04-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

I don't think a lot about my honeymoon or things of that nature. But when I saw this advertised on a website yesterday, I decided that Greece will be my destination. I can stay here for $250 a night. Are you kidding me?

The Follow Through

2010-04-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

Most of the reason that I struggle sleeping is that I have a problem shutting off my brain at night. I don't know how people can just tell theirs to stop thinking. I am unsure if I will end up posting this, but they are some thoughts I had last night:

I was listening to a talk by Spencer W. Kimball and he began speaking of covenants that we make. While I was listening to this I thought about a conversation that I had six months or so ago with a friend. I was asked why I was an obedient missionary. Now I wasn't perfect. But I really tried. At the time I responded with something about my patriarchal blessing. Last night I realized though that that had very little to do with it. It was really because of the covenants that I had made.

I have struggles in my life. Not more than most, or maybe even as many as the median. But they are there. I have talents, though I am definitely not the most talented person I know. But I feel like I am good at following through. Before my mission, I went through the temple, I made covenants. I agreed that I would serve better. That was my choice, and it was something I didn't do lightly. When I said I was going to serve a mission, I did so because I wanted to. They told me that I would have to live a certain way, and since I had made the choice to go, and I had agreed to live that way by thus accepting. By being obedient to the mission rules I was just following through with what I said I would do.

President Kimball spoke about how if we aren't going to live up to the covenants we shouldn't make them. It is given no one will perfectly. Everyone will slip up from time to time. Everyone has violated their baptismal covenants at different times. No one serves perfectly. Thus the need for the atonement, the sacrament, and for repentance. I have a close friend who will not go to the temple for any ordinance because she is scared of transgressing after that. She understands the seriousness of those ordinances and covenants. In a way, I really respect that and think it is a wise decision. If she is not ready for it, then she should not go.

Though I understand this, I also acknowledge that she should be working towards going. That should be her goal. And the basis of this should be a better understanding of the atonement. We all live different lives and we all have different problems. Jesus Christ will bless us with strength greater than whatever the opposition is. At times I think if I had more trials maybe things would be harder. But I don't necessarily believe that. Those who meet more opposition are entitled to more help. If they stay close to the Lord and ask, the help will come. So if we make those covenants, God will absolutely help us honor them.

Like I said I'm not the best. I'm not always the best example. Sometimes I act a little harshly with people. I do feel that I hold myself up to at least that same standard though. I believe that I will be judged how I judge others, and honestly I feel like I'm not unreasonable. I'm hard on myself. I believe that if I committed to do something, if I said I was going to do it, that I should be accountable to that. And I feel that others should if they made that same decision.

The promised blessings are there. The Lord has promised help. We shy away from making covenants and receiving the entitled blessings from them too often because we feel that we are not strong enough, but He is. If we really want to follow through, He will make sure that we can.

Amputee Humor

2010-04-24T02:39:00.000-07:00

Usually I am not a fan of tattoos and think getting them are one of the more stupid things that people do. And I really love when they tell me how it reflects their deep spirituality. I mean, I know that not everyone believes as me but that is a phrase that I think is absolutely ridiculous. I think more along the lines of Christin, that tattoos really just reflect an emotional crisis in peoples' lives. Anyways, as much as dislike almost all of them, I can't help but smile at this.

Building Brains

2010-04-20T23:36:00.000-07:00

I posted a while ago that i had a lot of creative ideas that were partially finished. Well not much has changed and it's been eating at me a little still. Luckily, I had to do a project for one of my classes yesterday that involved me building a brain with the cortical pathways and satiated the desire for the moment. So with a planting styrofoam ball, some paint, black buttons, and twenty feet of twelve gauge wire, this is what I made (the weird face stretching in the corner was thanks to Apple Computers Photo Booth program).

Pre-season 2010

2010-04-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to go see a ton of games this Spring. But then I kinda forgot about Spring Training, and realized I really didn't have anyone to go with even if I wanted to. But Brenden was over a few weeks ago and he asked if I was going to any games. Well, we checked and there was only three more before opening day. So two hours later we were on our first man-date and watched the Cubs lose to us for a mere $7.

Hair Identity Crisis

2010-04-20T22:50:00.001-07:00

I went through a hair crisis not too long ago. I just have had the same hair for SO LONG. So I tried to grow it out. And I colored it darker. And I liked it okay. But then it got longer and I remembered that I really don't have that great hair for growing out. It did look like this.

Or like a Thundercat. That was going bald.

Then I cut it off. I really think this is how short I usually cut it. But I felt like I scalped myself.

Then I colored it. Darker than it was before. Even though it is whitish in this picture.

Luckily I really like it like this.

I guess I'll have to be happy with this for the time.

Spring Break, South of the Border (that's Mexico Christin)

2010-03-31T00:24:00.000-07:00

Writing that I realized I completely neglected to mention my Mexico trip. So.

Friday night I was heading to repair a security system in Phoenix about seven o'clock when I got a call from my friend Josh. "What are you doing this weekend?" he asks. Well that ended with me finishing the job, driving back, picking up some guys that were coming with us, showering, packing, and leaving in a little less than two hours.

Now in all honesty, I was expecting something crazy. I kinda expected, well, the Spring Break that MTV shows. The good thing is, it wasn't that crazy. There was some good beach volleyball, Xanax hunting, a concert, delicious tacos, and dance clubs with girls that I thought about making out with (but no naked girls). Oh and church. All in all it was pretty awesome trip. But nope, no pictures.

Pills, Please

2010-03-31T00:17:00.000-07:00

A lot of people don't know (though probably no one that reads my blog), but since I was in a four-wheeler wreck when I was seven or eight I have had this weird anxiety issue. Whenever I get stressed I start gasping for air. I imagine it is a lot what being asthmatic feels like.

Anyways I had my last bad "attack" a few weeks ago. I was working on a homework assignment before Spring Break and it got a little too much for my body to handle. So for the six or eight hours that I was working on this paper, I felt like I couldn't breathe the whole time. Yeah. It sucks. The good news is that in Mexico I bought some Xanax. So next time this happens, I will be ready!!

The funny thing is that Christin came running into my room today, "Did you take a Xanax?!?!" perhaps a little more excitedly then she should have. I told her no and then she started to apologize and let me know that she really doesn't want me stressed out. I know. And I love her. And honestly, I am almost looking forward to the next time so I can see how well these little pills work.

Just a Snack

2010-03-28T01:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it has been the few minutes of Southpark that I have seen lately or what, but I have wanted "cheesy poofs" for a while now. I finally broke down and bought me some at Bass Pro the other day. And yep, they're delicious (even though I found them for half as much at Walgreen's yesterday!!).

But I don't always eat them. Sometimes I even make very delicious looking salmon (even if it didn't taste quite as delicious). And I made some amazing creme brulee on a date tonight.

I Hurt Myself

2010-03-28T01:45:00.000-07:00

I would not by any stretch of imagination be classified as someone who never gets hurt. I've had literally hundreds of stitches, four or five good concussions, a few off-road accidents, a few on-road accidents, etc. Installing alarms I cut myself almost daily, and hit my head enough that I think about wearing a helmet while I work (not really). The other day though I was getting something out of my trunk, but I forgot to remove my head before shutting it. Soon there was a lot of blood running out of my hair onto my forehead. This picture was a few days later. Luckily there were no stitches needed.

I first attempted taking the decals off my jet ski with one single razor blade. Not only was this very labor intensive, but really very ineffective and not that safe. Example:

I tried to catch the falling razor blade and ended up shoving the point of it into my hand a ways. It wasn't the nicest feeling thing. But luckily, that too didn't need stitches.

Jet Ski Modification

2010-03-28T01:40:00.000-07:00

This is the ugly seat after I took off the ugly vinyl.

Before I covered it.

The recovered steering column. This is going it need to be redone though. It is not the easiest thing I have ever done.

Hopefully I'll have pictures of the new paint job soon.

First Trip Follow Up

2010-03-28T01:30:00.000-07:00

It was so much fun. A little cold, but awesome.

These pictures was taken at a little beach we stopped at. And then one jet ski sucked up a rope. And then the other one ran out of oil. So they both ended up getting towed back. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind. But no one got hurt. And it was only me and Ben that had to deal with it. And the second boat ride was with a cute girl. So it could have been worse.

Memories of Ruidoso

2010-03-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

I love riding go-karts. When I was eight or so we went on a family vacation to Ruidoso, New Mexico. We passed a cool go-kart track on the way in and my dad told me we could go ride the next day. I remember laying there in bed that night, too excited to sleep. And now I lay here in (almost) bed thinking, I'm going to the lake tomorrow. On my jet skis. And it's awesome.

Country and Clovers

2010-03-18T01:08:00.000-07:00

I don't usually do stuff for St Patrick's Day. I mean two years ago I randomly kissed this girl cause she had a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" necklace on. But what I mean is I don't usually make it a night out. But this year Tyler and Ariana wanted to do something and Toby Keith's was having a free concert with Easton Corbin, who is one of my favorite new artists. So off we went. And even though they closed the kitchen early and we all really wanted some nachos, it was still awesome. And of course there were the hot servers in boots and cut-offs which is always a plus.

Afterwards we went to go rent a movie and I got pulled over. Oddly enough I had no clue what for (I usually know when I have it coming). He was kinda a jerk and had me get out of the car and stuff. Apparently I had not used a blinker to change lanes. So after starting a field sobriety test I remembered what day it was and caught on. The cop loosened up after he realized I had definitely not been drinking. Hopefully he actually caught someone later.

Karma

2010-03-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my friend Kenia dropped her phone in the toilet. She was wearing a hoodie and it sneaked out of the pocket and "plop". Her boyfriend Josh made fun of her for this, but the next week his phone slipped out of his hoodie pocket and "plop". He posted on Facebook that it was probably bad karma for making fun of her. Seeing as how I did it within the last year, I figured I was safe commenting some "ha ha ha" remark. But then Tuesday rolls along, and out slips my phone out of my hoodie pocket and "plop". It wasn't in for long, but water doesn't take a long time to get in. I took it apart, let it dry, but the touch pad stopped working. But after another day I took it apart again, and yes, it's fixed. I am really happy I don't have to get a new phone yet.

Relative Cost

2010-03-01T10:41:00.000-08:00

Christin has talked to me before about the relative cost of things that she has bought. On one hand she has things like her food processor that cost twenty dollars and has had regular use for a decade. Then there are our expensive clothes we buy, and what not. I figured out a little formula for this: real cost * (product duration in years/0.06)(possible enjoyment from 0-100/.008) = actual cost to me.

Thinking of this, when I got the idea on Tuesday that I needed to have a way to enjoy Lake Tahoe better. I wasn't going to find someone with a boat, but it would be possible to find some jet skis. So I started looking on craigslist. And for almost half of what my Cadillac transmission cost, for less than my Camry cost, and for less than two months rent at our condo, I found some jet skis. And that's not even figuring in the actual cost with my little formula there!!! If I did that they only cost me $284.40!!! And I am very excited.

Weekend of Parties

2010-02-28T16:49:00.000-08:00

Well my single friend group took another hit a few weeks ago as my friends Jason and Tricia got married (not to each other though). I invited myself to Jason's wedding which was a very nice, outdoors in his parents neighborhood. It couldn't have been more perfect weather, and since I'm realizing more and more how similar Jason and mine's tastes are, it was one of my favorite receptions I've ever been to.

After the reception John and I met up with Tricia's fiancé and his friends for his bachelor party (another event that I decided to invite myself to). Instead of going bowling though, we walked down Mill Ave (the main party street in Tempe). It was one of the more awkward experiences of my life. After one of them announced to the entire street that we didn't drink, we went into the sex shop where they announced that we were all virgins. Awesome.

On the bright side, John and I each got James (fiancé) a few little things which I think they'll enjoy.

Saturday night met us with Tricia's reception which was at the super nice club house by her parents' place. And there was delicious real food, delicious cake, a groom in a white tux, Tricia looking gorgeous, and a very exciting garter toss. It was a good time. The Mardi Gras party we went to afterwards was maybe not as exciting, but there was worse things we could have done. I actually went into one of the bedrooms to get away from the noise and we got caught up on each other's lives. And yeah, everyone thought we made out in there. This ex-girlfriend relationship thing is funny sometimes.

Monday was my friend Kenia's birthday, so I went out to eat with a few of them to this Italian restaurant called Postino's. It was a really fun group of people, it was good food, and I had a really good time. And I even met a girl that jumped off the Mill Ave bridge one night into Tempe Town Lake in her bra and panties cause she always wanted to. Something I wouldn't do, and something she said she felt like she was washing off for a week, but still cool. It was a good weekend.

Boring Schmoring

2010-02-09T23:04:00.001-08:00

I read enough of these posts, but I really think it is needed:

To the few people that occasionally read my blog, I'm sorry my blog has been crap as of late. I will do some fun stuff this week so I can have an awesome blog. Promise.

Waking Up

2010-02-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

There are morning people in this world. And then there is me. This is what I feel like pretty much every day. Except I am not waking up with Jennifer Aniston.

How Awesome Is This

2010-02-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

I know it's kinda long, but one of the coolest things you will see in a while.

Taking a Break from Taking a Break

2010-02-06T00:08:00.000-08:00

After I came back from my time in Fort Worth, I had a rough few months. Some of the lowest of my life for different reasons. I wasn't working. I applied for probably thirty jobs and didn't get any of them. I couldn't apply for summer semester at ASU because they didn't have a transcript of mine. Then I was shot down when I applied for the fall. I couldn't date cause, well, I was a loser. I just did a bunch of nothing. I contributed very little to the world. I felt like this really:

Things have definitely taken a turn for the better. Security work picked up dramatically and I was pretty busy for most of November, December, and January. ASU let me back in. I like my classes. Even better, I'm doing really well in my classes. I might actually graduate one of these days.

Things definitely aren't perfect now. I still have my own issues. I still have no idea what I am going to do with a degree when I get it. My mom still thinks I need to be on Ritalin. But I feel like there is actually some progress in my life. I am really happy with a lot of things. And that is really nice for the moment.

Throwing the Diet Out the Window

2010-02-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

Through high school I weighed about 175 pounds. I ate like garbage. With the exception of the very healthy dinners my mother made me, I really lived mostly off of Jack in the Box, Fiesta Ole, McDonalds, corndogs, Totino's Party Pizzas, ramen noodles, and canned ravioli. Yep. And I played football and worked out, and I looked awesome.

Then I went on my mission and I got fat. A few months in I stepped onto a scale in a hospital and I was 197.7 pounds!! Luckily I lost a pound or two before I went home. And then another bunch right after I got home and found my nice 175 pound range again.

Then I had jaw surgery. I dropped to 158. I felt like I was dying. In the three years since then I was back up to almost 170. The other day though I stepped on the scale at a whopping 159.5. Crap.

So I bought some weight gainer. One little shake has a whopping 800 calories. Maybe with this I can actually have an acceptable number of calories in a day. Then I won't die. I am also going to start to eat more crap. More Party Pizzas I think.

Sleeping Potion

2010-01-21T00:51:00.000-08:00

I don't really take medicine that often. Despite that, I feel like I have a relatively high tolerance for drugs. When I had jaw surgery three years ago, I was taking something for it every few hours and it didn't seem to hardly touch the pain. I occasionally take sleeping pills (like once or twice a month). When I do, I usually take two Unisoms because one really doesn't do much for me. If I decide to go the natural route, I will take three melatonin before I feel anything. The other night I decided that I should combine those. One Unisom + two melatonin = Brad hardly able to stand up in a half an hour. And it was awesome! I have since realized that that is what Christin and Adam feel like every night. I am still a little in awe of that feeling. Really the only times I can remember it occurring naturally to me is after staying up all night.

With that I just want to say I really wish I felt it more often. I have laid in bed for almost an hour every night this week before falling asleep and I am getting sick of it.

The Last Rainforest

2010-01-16T00:49:00.000-08:00

Avatar has become one of, if not THE, highest grossing movies of all time. I asked a friend about it a few days ago and he told me it was really just a souped up Fern Gully. I saw it tonight, and yes it is incredible and the IMAX 3D experience is something well worth the $10 ticket, but ... he was exactly right. In fact if you begin to type "Avatar F" into google, Fern Gully is the first to come up suggested. If you actually search for it, you find dozens of these remade trailers of one of the first tree-hugging movies ever made. It would be funnier if you had seen the movie and understand how RIDICULOUSLY similar the story lines are, but you still get the idea.