The mind is a terrible thing to challenge

Happy 2009, goodbye to bloging

2008-12-31T10:00:00.002-07:00

I hope everyone has a great new year filled with prosperity, luck, happiness, and all of that other good stuff. I hope that each and every one of you has success with your resolutions/and goals for the new year.

For what ever reason, I am the type of person that needs constant reassurance and positive feedback or I just shut down on what ever I am doing. This holds true for blogging as it does for just about everything else. As an example, I went to my parents house in August and my dad made a comment about how I said I was getting all skinny, but then when I crawled into the hot tub with him he commented that I looked as fat as I always did. I have not been right since, weight loss has taken a back burner, and my exercise regimen has suffered as well. Anyway, I don't want to dwell on that...but it is just an example of how I need to feel good about what I am doing in order to keep up with it. I would get really discouraged with the comments on my blog, 14 posts with no comments was enough to push me over the edge of no return. This problem is further exasperated by the fact that I have a lot more time on most days that others do, and I'd be checking my blog 5 or 6 times a day and would get dejected when there were no comments.

So this is the last post on my blog. Hopefully everyone understands, and know that I wish nothing but the best for all who occasionally glanced my way. That goes for family and friends. Good luck to all and Happy 2009!

Of course the ultimate coup de grace would be to leave a comment about my post about not leaving comments. I can't say that I will never check in and see if there is anything there, but it's not going to be a regular thing. So feel free, just know that it may be sitting in cyberspace collecting dust for days, weeks, even months as I resist the urge to check for comments in OCD way I do things.

Guess I shudda taken a left at Albuquerque!

2008-12-19T09:08:00.004-07:00

I'm off to Albuquerque today! I'm headed to The Land of Enchantment to watch my CSU Rams do battle with the Fresno St. Bulldogs. The game is on Saturday at 12:30 PM Mountain time on ESPN (watch...look for me!). This will be the 3rd bowl game that I have traveled to, I went to the Holliday Bowl in 1997 and watched CSU beat Missouri and in 1999 I went to Memphis to watch the Rams lose to Southern Miss. This year's matchup against Fresno is going to be a tough game, they seem to be a good team. The Rams success will hinge on their running game, and supposedly Fresno has some injuries to their Defensive line. Regardless, I'll be there screaming my head off along with my partner in crime....Nick. Nick's wife called me up around Thanksgiving and said she wanted to surprise Nick with the trip, so for the better part of a month she and I plotted and planned this secret trip. We sprang the news to him on Wednesday night, she even went behind his back and got him the day off on Friday for traveling...he had no idea! It was great! If you were to record that conversation, you could play it and use it as an example of the definition of flabbergasted. He was so surprised, I couldn't tell if he was crying, or just on the verge of it. In my mind I'm going to run with the idea that he was bawling his eyes out, but trying to hide it in a manly manner!

Hopefully the two of us won't be returning on Sunday with the same crying but trying to cover it up reaction from the game! Tune in and see!!!

Guitar Hero

2008-12-15T09:36:00.004-07:00

So I commented a while back that Guitar Hero is my new favorite. Well I am still lovin me some Guitar Hero. The way it works is the game plays a song and a pattern of colored dots flows along the bottom of the screen. You try to push the corresponding button on the guitar controller in time with the colored dot. Anyway, there are slow/ easy songs and very fast crazy finger flying songs. I found this comic somewhere and it seriously made me laugh....if I was drinking anything at the time I read it I would have snarfed it out through my nose, that's how hard I laughed. I think it is a serious sign that I'm a GH addict!

Fantasy Football bust

2008-12-15T09:31:00.003-07:00

This past weekend was the first round of the playoffs for fantasy football. 2 of my 3 teams made it to the championship bracket, and both teams bit the dust HARD! In my league of former work friends from Rochester I got whooped so bad it is embarrassing. In my defense two of my top running backs were injured, that never helps. In my league of friends and family, I lost to my best friend Nick. I beat him in the championship game last season, so I suppose I can at least feel good that he may go on to win it all next weekend. I still hate to lose though!

Breakfast with Santa

2008-12-13T11:54:00.002-07:00

We went to Breakfast with Santa this morning, here are some pictures to enjoy!

Cool Quote

2008-12-09T19:58:00.002-07:00

This came from the December 9th episode of The Biggest Loser. I think it is a pretty powerful quote for anybody who has ever fought the battle of the bulge, or simply tried to lose a few pounds. Anyway, here it is:

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."

Ahhh, kids

2008-12-08T17:26:00.002-07:00

So I think this is a funny story....maybe it will make others smile. So I had the kids in the car today and we were leaving the grocery store. This pickup truck turned in front of me and proceeded to take 2/3 of the road and he had plenty of time to move over to his side of the road. I yelled "move that piece of sheep truck outta my way!" Of course I didn't say sheep, I said a different 4 letter word that started with S. Then from the backseat I hear Sydney say "Daaaaaaaaaaaad, you don't yell. You have to use your words, and you have to say please!" I said "oh, really.....so if I said please move your piece of sheep truck, then he would have moved?" And she said, "well maybe but you also shouldn't say sheep!" I laughed and said, "well if I shouldn't use the word sheep, you shouldn't use it either!" She went on to continue the lecture about how we don't yell at our friends and that we always have to use our words. What a smart little sheep she is!

Bowling struggles

2008-12-07T14:22:00.002-07:00

We went bowling this morning with some friends, I took the opportunity to practice my hook ball. Yeah. I stink at it! Well I guess I should clarify, my ball has a wicked break to it....I just can't control it! It heads toward the right gutter and then breaks all the way across the lane and hits the 7 pin (far left corner pin). So I tried moving to various dots at the start, but never could get it dialed in. It is hard to work on consistency and moving around to different boards. Anyway, I bowled a game and a half with all hook balls, and then I gave up and went back to my straight ball which was working extremely well today!

So I guess in conclusion I'm not ready to break out the curve in league play quite yet. Maybe next year if I keep on getting the practice in. Check out this guy, he is a professional bowler who uses a two handed grip. It is completely legal and starting to catch on. I tried it today and got even more of a wicked spin on the ball, but that made it even harder to control!

Christmas Lights

2008-12-04T21:17:00.002-07:00

I was really busy all day hanging lights....What do you think?

Ok, Ok, my lights look like a yuletide log compared to that. But I really did hang up some lights today. Looks pretty good! Then Bridget, Sydney, and I worked on the Holiday tree (I don't know if it is acceptable to say Christmas Tree)....seeing as I am the most wanted man in Utah, I should really watch what I say!

New Obsession

2008-12-04T08:53:00.003-07:00

Guitar Hero. Those are the most important two words in my dictionary right now. I got it for my birthday from Bridget's parents. I pretty much play it as much as I can all day long. I get annoyed when I have to stop, but when I do stop I am still walking around singing the songs! As for the kids they can raise themselves right? House chores....you'd be amazed at how much I am willing to stumble over and how high you can pile dishes in the sink! Ah Guitar Hero, why am I not playing right now????

Back from Colorado

2008-12-01T23:10:00.002-07:00

Back from Colorado, and now I need to get my BUTT in gear! Bridget and I were talking in the car trip across Wyoming that I have not taken a complete week off of exercise in nearly 2 years! Well that little vacation is over...got to lose those Thanksgiving pounds before they become permanently attached to my body. I am a little nervous that I'll only be able to make it 30 minutes tomorrow, but I'll press on and get through the full 50!

My Kids Rock

2008-11-20T16:52:00.003-07:00

I Firmly believe that my kids are the cutest ever...this just confirms it for the world! Aiden and Sydney do The 3 Little Pigs. Listen very closely at the end right before the credits, Sydney utters a great line!

Smartest Girl Ever

2008-11-20T11:36:00.002-07:00

We went to Sydney's school today for parent teacher conferences. This was the second conference, and this time they had test scores. Now, we have always thought she was pretty bright....but the test scores confirmed it! She scored well above average is the verbal and reading areas, and did pretty well in the math sections. All of that was on a test that was administered in the first weeks of school and was meant to measure her baseline of knowledge before starting school. Her results were so good that the teacher asked if this was Sydney's first year of preschool, or did she do a year last year. She was almost shocked when we told her this was her first go around. The teacher said that the middle and end of the year tests should only improve and her scores could be off the charts. It's pretty cool stuff, and we are so proud of her!

Picking up spares

2008-11-19T13:04:00.002-07:00

I've been doing some real improvement to my bowling average. I started today at 126, and I bowled a 145 in the first game, and then a 140 in the second. Unfortunately, I lost my ability to pick up spares in the third game and had a dismal 105 in the 3rd game. That gives me a 130 average for the day, still above my season average...so that should go up a little. All day long I was putting the first ball in the almost perfect spot, but seemed to leave 2 or 3 pins EVERY TIME! It was very frustrating, I wanted and needed those strikes! In the first 2 games I was having a lot of success with those spares, in the last game not so much. Ahhh bowling, it's all fun until I get to that 3rd game!

Meh, whatever

2008-11-16T18:47:00.001-07:00

From the AP:

LONDON — At least someone is excited about "meh." The expression of indifference or boredom has gained a place in the Collins English Dictionary after generating a surprising amount of enthusiasm among lexicographers.

Publisher HarperCollins announced Monday the word had been chosen from terms suggested by the public for inclusion in the dictionary's 30th anniversary edition, to be published next year.

The origins of "meh" are murky, but the term grew in popularity after being used in a 2001 episode of "The Simpsons" in which Homer suggests a day trip to his children Bart and Lisa.

"They both just reply 'meh' and keep watching TV," said Cormac McKeown, head of content at Collins Dictionaries.

The dictionary defines "meh" as an expression of indifference or boredom, or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring. Examples given by the dictionary include "the Canadian election was so meh." The dictionary's compilers said the word originated in North America, spread through the Internet and was now entering British spoken English.

"This is a new interjection from the U.S. that seems to have inveigled its way into common speech over here," McKeown said.

"Internet forums and e-mail are playing a big part in formalizing the spellings of vocal interjections like these. A couple of other examples would be 'hmm' and 'heh.' "Meh" was selected by Collins after it asked people to submit words they use in conversation that are not in the dictionary.

Other suggestions included jargonaut, a fan of jargon; frenemy, an enemy disguised as a friend; and huggles, a hybrid of hugs and snuggles.

Stupid Leaves

2008-11-14T14:52:00.002-07:00

I hate leaves (this time of the year). Always falling off the tree, never all falling at once...instead prolonging the agony over weeks and weeks. I mow my fallen leaves, and just as I get them pretty well under control...a big gust of wind and more leaves on the lawn. I already think I have some form of OCD when it comes to the lawn, I like it just perfect....then the stupid leaves fall and drive me CRAZY!

31 is the new 25

2008-11-13T12:42:00.002-07:00

My birthday was yesterday and I had a great day! Wednesday is my bowling day and I had 3 games above my average! Going into the day my average was a 122, and I bowled a 135, 156, and 145 and my season average was boosted to 126! Pretty good! Then the rest of the day was business as usual. When Bridget got home from work she asked if I wanted to do anything. And we discussed how we had a birthday dinner on Sunday so on my actual day we were just going to be good and not do anything. Funny how things change when push comes to shove. So we got a baby sitter and went to my favorite place in all of Salt Lake City.....Brewvies! We split some lethal nachos (1/2 order) and some pizza, it was yummy....but not a good part of any diet! We saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, it was pretty good. It was a little sappy and love storyish for my taste, but we had already seen Burn After Reading which was the other movie playing.

It was a great birthday, thanks to everybody who called and sent cards and e-mails. My 30th year was great, I wouldn't have changed a thing, and I'm looking forward to a fantastic 31st year! And NO, I don't feel old yet...still very much young at hart!

Prolific poster

2008-11-11T09:53:00.002-07:00

I know this is the second post of the day, but I've had 2 cups of coffee and I have a halfway decent caffeine buzz going! I read this article a few days ago, and it really must have bugged me cause I keep thinking about it. The article is called de-bunking 5 recycling myths. And number 5 is the one that seems to me distressing me. It talks about how most recycling centers place plastics in the regular landfill, so recycling plastic is essentially pointless. There are only a few recycling plants in the country that had the technology to sort the different kinds of plastic (involves a machine that uses optical sorters and infrared light to instantly identify the chemical composition of a container, then a puff of air directs it into the right pile). Once this technology becomes more widespread I guess the recycling of plastics will become more feasable, but it is a little disheartening to learn! Doe is mean we stop putting plastics in the recycling bin, no keep it up!

Not going to make it

2008-11-11T09:18:00.002-07:00

So I was supposed to hit a weight loss goal tomorrow, and sadly I'm going to miss it....for sure....not even close! Yeah. Um, so Halloween really killed me, I don't know why because I've been able to resist in years past....but not this year. It was a chocolate induced coma for days on end. I was also sick for a couple of weeks, kept me from exercising and from eating well.

But the good news is that I feel 100% now, and I'm back at it. I am trying to have a great 2 weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, and then rolling from there. Maybe my new goal will be Christmas or New Years? I'll have to think about it!

I didn't want to keep any of my devoted readers guessing what happened, figured I'd better just come out and say it. But I keep at it and keep working at it, I guess that's the way it is going to be for the rest of my life.

Sydney learning

2008-11-06T09:09:00.003-07:00

Sydney is learning to write her name. Check out how close she is, her y's look a bit like t's....but she is only 4 and she is supposed to be able to do this at the end of her pre school year, not 1/4 of the way through! She is BRILLIANT!

Prius Update

2008-11-06T08:59:00.002-07:00

Last fill up the Prius has 51.4 MPG average! I was worried it was going to go down because I gave the car an oil change and I replaced the oil with conventional oil. I wasn't sure if it came from the factory with synthetic oil or not....so I wasn't sure if that change would result in a drop in MPG. My friend Justin says cars come from the factory with a special "break in" oil, but he didn't know either if it would be regular or synthetic oil.

Anyway, we still love it and we're still getting great mileage!

We Voted!

2008-11-04T20:15:00.003-07:00

For the first time ever, Bridget and I voted. It was kind of cool, I'm glad we decided this was the year. And it was really easy! Just slide in the card they give you, punch a few buttons on the screen and wala I was done. And even at 6:00 PM there was no line, I was worried about that after work voting traffic.

I have a voting story to tell, but I think the voting etiquette says you aren't supposed to talk about voting things too much. So I guess I'll keep my story a secret...although it is funny because Bridget gave me a bunch of grief over my voting strategy and then she did what I was going to do, but she talked me out of it. Silly girl!

Last of the Halloween fun

2008-11-03T15:37:00.003-07:00

I got these pictures from Madalyn, the organizer of the bowling league I'm in. They are obviously some more pics of me in my awesome costume, now I can say award winning costume!

Candy induced coma

2008-11-03T09:47:00.003-07:00

Enough said!

Pumpkins 2008

2008-10-30T21:47:00.006-06:00

We went to a pumpkin carving party tonight, and as been the trend lately we were the hit of the party! Well I should say our pumpkins were. And by our pumpkins I really mean my pumpkins since daddy ended up carving 3 of them! Sydney saw me looking up patterns on the internet this afternoon, and decided she wanted to pick her own too. I steered her away from the Disney princesses, yes there are Disney princess pumpkin carving templates! So here they are in no particular order:

Aiden's Vampire

Sydney's Kitty Cat

My Mummy

Bridget's Jack Skellington from Tim Burtons A Nightmare Before Christmas!

Here is the Jack Skellington template I went off of:

I am the pumpkin carving master!