Power points

Oh snap! Guess who is getting a wireless signal from their neighbor??? Thats right babies, me. I am gonna take this opportunity to post some things that have been racing through my head as my MacBook Pro poaches some intraweb waves, in an ever so ninja-like fashion.

I was studying for an essay exam that I thought was tomorrow, but turns out its not til Thursday. Know what that means? I get to procrastinate, and you get to read my latest musings. Disclaimer: there really is no rhyme or reason, or relationship to any of the following points.

1.) Snow: Lots of it. Digging out every other day is becoming tiresome, but this stuff is gorgeous...glad that Brigham Young decided "This is the place".

2.) Passing of Gordon B. Hinckley: Although I am not sad, its not every day that the World loses the best person in it.

3.) Election primaries: coming up pretty soon, but I am still not quite sure who will receive my vote. If the day comes and I am still wishy-washy, I am just gonna write in "John Rambo" as the alternate. I am confident that he would sneak up on any one of our country's problems, cover its mouth, and then rip out its trachea with his bare hands. With his bare hands, man...

4.) Guilty pleasure song: "Lesson Learned" by Alicia Keys, and John Mayer. Her sultry voice, John's dripping-with-tone Strat, a simple piano melody, and a tight beat. Musician collaboration at its best. Never mind its about her getting her heart broken by some dude.

5.) Superbowl XXVIJHEBBV, or whatever it is: Who honestly cares about the Patriots or the Giants? The answer: No one. I am still gonna watch it in my Broncos gear, but only as a celebration of the 2007-2008 NFL season. I am gonna root for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I hope they win.

6.) New stuff I would like to purchase if me and my friends found One-Eyed Willy's treasure: A white Toyota Tacoma, new pickups for my Fender, and some gray and infared Nike Airmax 90's. Do I need any of it? No. Is that question relevant? No.

7.) This dude, Erik Mongrain: he looks like a cancer patient, or maybe a raver, or maybe a villain in Max Max Beyond Thunderdome. No, he's just Quebecois. Boy does he make a pretty tune in an unconventional way though. Enjoy Le Percusien.

List of Things that Must Go, Vol. 2

Some of you may recall a previous post, in which I outlined several things that must go. Since then, my observations about the world around me have yielded another installment of this (now officially) ongoing post. I compiled this list in class last night:

Hunting stickers: mainly found on redneck trucks, but usually depict two male elk, with horns interlocked. The word "Gladiators" can be seen underneath the image.


White girls and gang signs: seen largely on social networking sites. The generic gang sign favored is a usually a backwards "peace sign", and is usually accompanied by pursed lips, a la "kissy face".

Charlie's Angels sydrome: once again, can be seen largely in albums on social networking websites. It is where, for some unknown reason, girls feel the need to stand back-to-back, while holding up imaginary pistols made of their two hands clasped together, while posing for a picture. Why is this the default pose? (Thanks Chase, for bringing this to my list)

The response "everything", as the answer to the question "So what kind of music do you listen to?": Nelly, Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Snoop Dogg, and the Killers... thats not everything.

Other things that made the list, yet need no explanation:

The Toyota Prius

Double breasted suits

Items constructed entirely from duct tape


Beaded, or shell necklaces on males

Overly scented woman lotion


Screaming or grunting loudly while lifting weights at the gym

Sketchers sneakers

Thank heavens for '07, but no hate in '08

Well, its been over a month since I last spit some truth here in my blog, but I have been a busy man. I was up to my cerebral cortex in finals and projects, and transforming my house into a Winter Wonderland for the Second Annual Sweater Party. Not to mention holiday festivities, and numerous feasting occasions in which, I took part. So as you can imagine, my Franklin Covey was full to its maroon leather-bound brim.

To catch you up a little, the Sweater Party went off as expected. Many attendees dropped by to take part in sushi, meatballs, and a pinata filled with Halloween candy and prophylactic devices (courtesy of Jordan Buttars). We pulled in a good haul of presents for the foster children, and genuinely had a pleasant evening at the Dojo.

Some think that a perfect Christmas involves a snowy setting, mirthy laughs with close family members, and a fine spread of meats and cheeses. Actually, a perfect Christmas is getting a Nintendo Wii. I am not kidding, I have been acting a gaming-fool ever since the December 25th.

New Year's Eve, or as I now call it, Over-rated Eve, was spent in the company of a few close friends. We rang in 2008 with a bottle rocket/Roman candle battle and lying to and old woman, who we were upsetting with the salvo of illegal fireworks.

Nine days have passed since that night, and I have had some time to reflect on '07. I have come up with my highlight reel:

-Best concert: Tool
-Best meal: Mango mole enchiladas from Red Iguana
-Best trip: Six Flags in LA
-Best movie: Sunshine
-Best album: John Mayer, Continuum
-Best purchase: 70's era Fender Stratocaster
-Best new hobbies: road biking and motorcycle day trips
-Best quote(s): "What the ___ kind of ritual am I gonna do with patchouli oil?" and, "The beauty is in the subtlety of the arrangement..."
-Worst day: knee surgery
-Saddest day(s): two buddies left the Dojo to pursue life in greener pastures
-Biggest accomplishment: juice fasting for 10 days

To sum it all up, it was a good year. Laughed a lot, watched friends move on to exciting things, gained a lot of work experience that will likely shape the rest of my professional career, experienced some humbling physical events, overcame those events and became healthier than ever before, had a little heartbreak, and learned some good life lessons. So thank heavens for '07, but I got no hate for '08. Be easy.