...Oh, that's why...

"People should not be afraid of their Governments, Governments should be afraid of their people."

2009-11-05T22:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Guy Fawkes Day.

Join the Fight

2009-09-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

Read the charges here.

Join the cause here.

We've gotta stop this. You can also read about the recent developments in the fight for net neutrality here, and the FCC's warning to Comcast here. The FCC is probably the government entity with its head most squarely set about its shoulders.

Yo ho.

I saw a giant flock of flying pigs the other day...

2009-09-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

...so I thought "Better get a Facebook account." I think I'll go cook up some words I stated earlier and eat them for dinner.

Meeting People is Easy

2009-08-15T00:33:00.001-07:00

People are at my house all the time. Sometimes I wonder if they really don't have anywhere to go. There is always noise, blowing speakers, hurricanes and I'm getting burned out.

Yo Ho

2009-08-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

Last Friday the RIAA won $675,000 in a copyright infringement suit. You can read about it here. Rather than use the substantial sum to reimburse the artists that they represent, the RIAA has chosen to use the newly acquired funds for the noble cause of pursuing more lawsuits. They've filed some 30,000 already but only two have gone to trial, the other one coming just a few months ago. It has been reported that the RIAA uses bullying tactics to force other defendants to settle out of court.

Here's the thing: According to this Wikipedia article, which has multiple reliable sources, the actual amount that the artist loses from file sharing is negligible. If a substantial majority of proceeds from record sales actually went to the artist, I would be more inclined to buy their music. But that's not the case. Record sale profits go to the record label, not the artist. When the RIAA takes legal recourse under the pretext of representing the artists and then uses the money to fund more legal action (and probably their own pocket books) instead of reimbursing the artist I take big issue. There has to be a better way for artists to be able to record their music, without record labels or the RIAA making bank off of their efforts. Until that happens, it's a pirate's life for me.

Why "Going to the Gym" just doesn't cut it.

2009-07-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

Now, feel free to take this with a grain of salt, as I have never had a gym membership, but I just don't think lifting weights really does much for you, except make you ripped (and if that's yer cup o' tea then have at it) and give you the ability to lift more weights. It also makes you top heavy. Here's why. This morning at about 2:00 some members of my ward and I set out to hike Mt. Timpanogos with the goal being to reach the summit in time to see the sun rise. We left the trail head at around 2:45ish and headed up the mountain. Within the first hour the one large group became two or three smaller groups traveling at various speeds according to the physical ability of the group. I was blessed to find myself in the lead group. We continued up the mountain in the dark, the sun just barely starting to make the eastern horizon glow a beautiful, deep orange and the color being scattered by the haze. It was after 4:oo by this time and most of the last group had already turned around. By the time we got to the eastern slope just below the saddle, the sky was bright enough that we no longer needed our headlamps. When at last we reached the saddle, roughly 700 vertical feet below the summit and solid mile and a half worth of hiking, our lead group had thinned out to just three individuals: myself and two girls from my ward. We rested at the saddle for no longer than two minutes and then continued on, being determined to reach the summit before the sun peeked its head over the mountains visible far to the east. We achieved the top not a minute before the sun began its ascent into the sky. We were tired, sore, bruised, and elated to have made it. We were the only ones that did. The point is that none of us who did make it have a gym membership (I have one to the climbing gym but according to my roommates, who didn't even go, that doesn't count). Most of the people that didn't make it however, do have such memberships to various gyms around the area. On the way back we ran, making it back to the trailhead a solid hour before the people who turned back, and at least three before those who pressed on to the top. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

I don't mean to rag on people who have and frequently use gym memberships. I mean to rag on the gyms. Somehow they've convinced a good number of people that the only way to get in shape is to have a membership to their facility and some even go so far as to hire a personal trainer. I run and/or climb and/or ride my bicycle regularly and from what I saw today am in better shape than most people who frequent the gym or health club.

I bet Lance doesn't have a gym membership either, and that guy is a hero. If you go to a gym, good on you for making an effort to take care of yourself, as it gets increasingly irritating to me to see people who make no attempt to do so. I think however, that you could do even better and save some money by doing a little research on the Internet (isn't that place just a wonderland?) and investing in a good pair of running shoes and fixing up your bike.

Do You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

2009-06-30T00:45:00.000-07:00

There's this classic episode of Family Guy where Peter gets his own segment on the nightly news entitled What Really Grinds My Gears where he rants and raves about things that irk him. He would start everything by saying "Do you know what really grinds my gears?" Hilarity ensued. In the spirit of that episode, here are a few things that really grind my gears, in no particular order.

1. Reality Television. The only thing worse than turning to the Internet in search of true love is going on a reality TV show. They all follow the same tired formula started by Survivor (which is still airing episodes and still isn't that great) and it is always so sad to see people making compete fools out of themselves on national TV. What is productive or good about shows like The Bachelorette? Why is some girl sleeping with a million different guys every week something you would want to watch, or would want your children to watch? Not all reality TV is bad, but none of it is good.

2. Girls who ask you questions, the answers to which are the current thing that's on their mind that is going to be really difficult to talk about, because for some reason boys and girls can't seem to effectively communicate their "feelings." Why can't they just say it? That's what boys want anyhow. Ugh.

3. News stories that aren't that big of a deal, but that you hear about for weeks and weeks and weeks... I got so, so sick of hearing about Anna Nichole Smith's death and the subsequent legal battle over her son...or daughter. I don't remember nor do I care what gender that child was. I really couldn't believe how much media attention she got. I mean, seriously, what did she ever do to bless the lives of Americans that they would care that she died for more than an hour?

4. People who rag on me because of my "counter-culture." My roommates (whom I love to death) and some friends of mine don't exactly see eye to eye with me when it comes to movies, music, Facebook, what sorts of girls are attractive, etc. I loathed the first Transformers movie (seriously people, it was awful), and as a result won't go see the second unless somebody pays for me to get in, and then pays me for my time. $8.50/hour should cover it. I hate country music. Hate it. I've heard my fair share, and nothing appeals to me. I like most music that led to the creation of country; folk, rock and roll, bluegrass, blues, jazz and the like, and that leads me to believe that there is something wrong with country. I got it! It's all the same! Anyhoo, I get a lot of flac from people because of my tastes and opinions, not because I rag on theirs, but because mine isn't the same as theirs.

5. Barack Obama. If you don't know why he grinds my gears, then there's no convincing you that he grinds the hell out of America's gears.

6. People who make absolutely no effort to take care of themselves, either physically, mentally, socially, or financially. There is a girl who hangs around my apartment all the time that fits the bill on all four. She belches, farts, laughs at inappropriate times, says the most grotesque, offensive things, eats our food without asking, steals people's phones and starts texting random people (she doesn't have one of her own). I have made it clear to her that if she ever touches my phone I will obliterate her. There will be nothing left. She is supremely overweight, doesn't have an ounce of muscle on her body, and volunteers at Deseret Industries full time for $1.50/hour and calls it a real job. I'm sure it's the only place that would "hire" her.

7. Blanket statements concerning rated-R movies. The rating board of the MPAA is a secret council with secret rating process that tailors movie lobbyists who need a certain rating for a film to target a certain audience in order to make the most money. I don't trust it and won't until the process is more transparent. "But Kyle," some may say, "the Prophet's have said rated-R movies are bad. Don't you trust them?" Yes I do, but nowhere in any publication officially endorsed by the church (thus making it official church doctrine or policy) do they warn against the "R-rated" movie nor does watching them bar me from holding a temple recommend. They do warn against innapropiate films, but I'm convinced that there are more inappropriate PG-13 movies out there than R ones. I guess that depends on what you find inappropriate, but don't heckle me if you find something inappropriate and I do not.

There's some other things that grind my gears, but I've been told that there isn't anything you can't make worse by complaining about it, so I'll stop complaining. That's another thing that grinds my gears. People who complain yet do nothing to make the situation better.

RIP Michael. Thank you for what you did for music.

No good deed goes unpunished.

2009-06-17T23:21:00.001-07:00

I like to think that I'm a pretty good guy. I try hard to treat girls with respect and dignity. I have a policy of not leading a girl on if I'm not interested, and as a result I rarely get to cuddle, hold hands, make out, get married, etc. It seriously bothers me when I see guys that don't care about how he feels about a girl, but if she's hot, he's playing ball. It bothers me even more when it's guys that I'm close to, like my roommates. But what bothers me the most though is when girls eat it up. I'm not trying to pass the buck here. I know the men-folk are to blame as well.

Why would guys do that though? And why, when I explain my policy to them, would they try to make me feel like I'm missing out? I know what it feels like to make out. It's awesome. But I seriously, seriously want to be able to look my wife it the eye one day and honestly say that I never had a booty call or a NCMO. (If you don't know what that means, this will serve to enlighten you.) I don't know why other guys, especially members of the church, wouldn't feel the same. I say that it's not enough to be able to say that we saved ourselves sexually anymore. It's time to raise the bar gentlemen.

Umm...

2009-06-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else find it strange that the ABC Family channel has shows that need show the "viewer discretion advised" disclaimer before the show? I do.

"After months of want and hunger, we suddenly found ourselves able to have meals fit for the gods, and with appetites the gods might have envied."

2009-05-29T02:46:00.000-07:00

That was said by Ernest Shackleton, one of the greatest explorers to ever live. During a trip to Antarctica to be the first to traverse the length of the continent his vessel Endurance was trapped and subsequently crushed by ice. He and his crew were forced to abandon ship, taking with them lifeboats and supplies, and for the next year endured hardships that few men have ever seen. They dragged the boats for miles across the ice during the three month Antarctic Night, sailed the ocean using nothing but a sextant to navigate, and eventually saved themselves, as the rest of the world had lost all hope of ever seeing them again. Shackleton said that after the rescue.

My Grandfather passed away early yesterday morning. Grandpa is one of the best men that I have ever known. I remember fondly the summer visits to Moses Lake when I was a small boy. Every year we would go and ride horses to the Grand Canyon and Mississippi River. I remember once Grandma and Grandpa came and picked me up when we lived near Seattle and took just me back to their house for a full week. I remember getting gum all over my hands and their Buick and stopping at a rest stop for an hour while they cleaned me and the car up. I remember that whenever I went to church with them, people would always come up and say hello to Bishop Jackson and I remember thinking about the great love and admiration that seemingly everyone had for my Grandpa and with a sense of awe thinking to myself, "That's my grandpa." I remember moving to Moses Lake when I was a teenager and the only comfort in being there was that my grandparents lived so close. I remember putting on rubber boots and wading the creek to see Grandma and Grandpa, fully intent on helping out around the house. As soon as I got there they sat me down and fed me. I remember when Grandma died and the resolve I saw in Grandpa those years in which he was alone. He never spoke about it to me, but I know that he missed her dearly. My whole life I have always admired how tough Grandpa was. I remember when he fell off his horse Sam and broke his leg. I imagine that the cast is still hanging in the shed where he kept the saddles. I remember when he had his knees replaced, though I can't remember any recovery period. I imagine he made it short. I remember the last time I saw him about a month ago. It was shortly after his nasty tumble when, like a stubborn mule, he tried to get from his bed to his chair by himself. He stood up, even though it was only to go to the bathroom, but he stood up by himself. Grandpa was a man among men, and Shackleton, as great as he was, pales in comparison.

I love you and miss you Grandpa. You done good. See you after a while.

Collective Soul

2009-05-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a band that I have been listening to for the past few days, pausing only to work and sleep. They've been around for a long time (since 1993 or so) and have enjoyed prominence at the top of the charts. The reason that I talk about them now, besides for them being awesome, is that I haven't heard anybody raving about them like they should be. If you haven't heard of Collective Soul then you were probably living under a rock for a large majority of the 90s. The song above is an acoustic rendition of "Why Pt. 2" from their album Blender (2000) that they sang in Morocco. Listen, enjoy, find more to listen to, and enjoy that too.

Trick Shot Pool, Brought to you by...Physics.

2009-05-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Pretty sweet, huh? The best part I think is Eye of the Tiger in MIDI.

Girls are silly creatures. There is one that is currently brooding over my roommate. He has no interest in her (but will still encourage her silliness by letting her cuddle with him) and it is interesting to watch her enthusiasm for anything drop by a million percent when she finds out that he doesn't want to go. When we all get to sit at the Savior's feet and have Him explain the mysteries of the Universe to us, the mystery of women is the first one I'm asking about.

A few things...

2009-05-05T01:09:00.000-07:00

I have had a few things happen since I last posted. Here they are in as close to chronological order as I can remember.

1. I got a new phone! Since the only camera I have is attached to that phone you'll have to make due with a stock photo of it. It is an HTC Touch Pro and you can read all about it here (because I'm sure you care).

The only thing you really need to know about it is that it is better than your phone, especially if you have an iPhone. (pukes)

2. School's out for summer! Need I say more?

3. I drove home for a few days. There was a scheduling mishap at work and they accidentally gave me six days off in a row, so I decided that I would drive home and surprise my family. I left on Friday night at about 10:00 and drove through the night, stopping in Oregon for an hour or so to sleep at a rest stop. Luckily I got home just before my mother and little sister were leaving for Spokane to walk Bloomsday with Brittany and Kaelyn. I went with them, spending another hour and a half in the car, and got to see my little niece. She has teeth and is walking, new developments since I last saw her at Christmas. Here she is about two miles into the 7.26 mile journey.

What a trooper.

4. In my attempt to blog about cool music that you may or may not have heard of I present Cold War Kids. These guys are the coolest band ever. Not the best, but definitely the coolest. Since the Recording Industry is retarded and won't let me just embed the video I have to link to it here. It is definitely worth your time to check it out though.

Carly Comando

2009-04-22T00:45:00.000-07:00

I know, I thought it was a new G.I. Joe character as well, but it isn't.

You know those NBA commercials? The ones that are in black and white and have some amazing player doing something amazing? The music is gorgeous. It's written by one Carly Comando, a composer from Brooklyn. Pandora hasn't even heard of this girl yet. The album is called One Take and it is just her and the piano. Wonderful stuff. Here is a YouTube video featuring her song "Everyday" which is featured in the NBA spots.

I'll start blogging more often about good and interesting music that I find.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, A Review

2009-04-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Yeah, you read that right. I am going to give a review of the new X-Men movie that features the beginnings of the comic's most famous character, Wolverine. "But, Kyle," you may say, "that movie hasn't come out yet and won't for another two weeks. How can you review it if you've never seen it?" All I will say is that the Internet is a powerful, powerful tool.

If one word could sum up how I feel about this movie it would be this: yikes. The film is poorly written and poorly directed and poorly edited. Pretty much everything I expected from it considering how much I hated the first three films. Another superhero franchise ruined. It does have one redeeming quality though: Hugh Jackman. This guy can act your face off. He does exceptionally well delivering awkward and cliche lines and really delves into the character. He's ripped too. If there is a Batman villain out there that he would fit, Chris Nolan, then Jackman is your man. They've worked together as well on The Prestige (an exceptional film).

I didn't enjoy this movie. It wasn't a complete cut though and many of the special effects were at a very incomplete stage. I would like to see the theatrical version of the film and see what changes. D+

The deal of the century right here folks!

2009-04-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

I was helping Brent move some furniture to his and Carolyn's new place when we passed this adorable little girl on the side of the road selling drawings for ten cents apiece. She was holding a sign advertising her little business high above her head like Link holds the triforce. I stopped and bought one.

It is a masterpiece. Reminds me of some pictures of my two younger sisters at a lemonade stand and they look bored to tears. They've always been my favorite pictures of Juie and Meg.

When a little girl is selling anything for ten cents, you buy it.

I learned an interesting thing today.

2009-03-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

They say that Space begins at about 62.5 miles above the average height of the Earth's oceans. Why right there? It's nothing scientific really. That's roughly 100km, and that's a nice round number. Click here if you think I'm making all of this up. I also learned that you don't really need any special certification to be officially considered an astronaut. You just have to make it that high in a flying machine. Doesn't matter what kind of flying machine.

I have been doing a lot of research about the Apollo program of late for a lengthy paper I am writing about it. I've learned some things that I didn't know before and have come to more fully appreciate the scale and magnitude of what we accomplished when we sent men to land upon the surface of the Moon. It leaves me in awe. Here is one of my favorite pictures that I've stumbled across during my research.

This is Alan Bean standing next to the unmanned Surveyor 3 probe that NASA sent to the moon years earlier. During Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong had to land several hundred yards from his intended landing site because it was riddled with boulders that NASA didn't know about when they selected the site. This was misconstrued by the media as a horribly inaccurate landing. In order to prove that they knew what they were doing NASA had Bean pilot the LM to within 600 feet of Surveyor 3. This also wasn't the intended landing site for Apollo 12 and Bean had to change the site last minute for the same reasons that Armstrong did, which got him closer than they intended to the probe. It's still a great shot.

100,000!

2009-03-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

I did it!

This could be perhaps the greatest day in the relationship that you have with your car. To take the time to celebrate your car's 100,000th mile truly says to your car that you love and cherish it. I am truly grateful to my truck (or my parent's truck rather) for all the places that it takes me without complaint. It truly loves me and I love it.

I've been waiting for this day ever since I started driving her when I was seventeen. She had about 40,000 miles on her at that point and I thought to myself, "I wonder when she will have 100,000, and who will put it on her." Now I know. I felt really bad about a year ago in Arizona when she was approaching 90,000 miles and I was excited. I got distracted by some really good music though (No Cars Go by Arcade Fire) and the next time I checked she was at 90,003. I was so sad and I felt terrible. I vowed that I would not miss the big One-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh.

Happy 100,000 Priscilla. Thanks for all you do.

Big Love

2009-03-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_love

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5803281

Everything you need to know is in those links.

The sacred will always be sacred, no matter it's public knowledge or desecration. I am confident and comforted that those who do this kind of thing will get theirs. No story is more important than respecting the beliefs, convictions, and practices of others, something that the writers of Big Love sorely misunderstand.

9 out of 10 British housewives can't tell the difference between Whizzo butter and a dead crab

2009-03-05T22:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, here is something that has been bothering me for a long time. Girls, I'm calling you out on it. Not all of you are guilty but if you are, mend your ways now or risk greater damage in the future. If you don't want to go out on a date with someone, then just say no. Don't say maybe and then never talk to him again. Don't try to protect our feelings. It causes more trauma when you do. Freak, man. Freak.

Pace is the trick.

I hate song titles (in parentheses)

2009-03-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

It's true.

One day (when I'm a rancher) I'm going to write a song and have that as the title.

The weather here in Utah has been really nice the past couple of days. Warm and sunny. Every morning as I leave my apartment to go to school, I have the almost uncontrollable urge to skip and go play frisbee. I haven't succumbed to it yet but dang, Gena.

Look at me, talking about the weather. I must not have much to say. I've seen people get kicked off reality shows for not having anything to say and talking anyhow.

I dislike Manny Ramirez, but I hate his agent. If I were blessed with his skills as a ball player, I would turn down a $45 million two year deal too, but because it is way, way too much money. You are in no position to turn your nose up to the only team that is interested in having you when they "only" offer you $45 million over two years. The Dodgers must be desperate. I love baseball, but when it's a bunch of d-bags that play it, it makes me less of a fan. I say let them take all the steroids they want for a few years and let's see what happens. In maybe five years all the players that took them will be dead and only the honest ones will remain. It's either that, or say, "you take them, you will not play baseball for any MLB team ever again and any and all records you set will be wiped from the books." It's tolerance and too much of it that is destroying baseball, not chemistry. I leave you with a from Stephen Colbert: "Athletes perform for our enjoyment. Therefore 'performance enhancing drugs' are really 'enjoyment enhancing drugs!' "

25 Random Things About Kyle (Hey! That's me!)

2009-02-19T22:31:00.000-08:00

I've seen this on other blogs and thought I'd give it a go. I hear it originated on a web site that I detest with all my soul, which brings us to...

1. I hate Facebook, and MySpace. For some reason those things have no appeal to me at all. It seems like all they're used for is self promotion and I'm not a big fan of it (I say as I write on my blog...).

2. I once pierced my lower lip. It was while I was a missionary and I did it with my front tooth as my face slammed into the sidewalk. Some idiot put a large orange construction cone in the middle of the sidewalk as it bent around a corner. I was the lucky guy to find his mistake as I came barreling around it on my bicycle.

3. My new second favorite band is Interpol. I seriously can't get enough of these guys. Their song "Obstacle 1" is on Guitar Hero: World Tour and it's the first song I ever played on expert in any Guitar Hero. They should do a Guitar Hero: Interpol. I'd drop the money for an Xbox and the game right now.

4. Every twenty minutes or so I can make by back sound like a ratchet just by bending backwards over a chair. I hope that doesn't cause me serious problems when I'm an old fart. It's been better since I started climbing regularly though.

5. I was once told that if I could come up with a cost-efficient way to desalinize sea water I'd make millions. I've had a passive interest in it ever since.

6. People say that I'm a pirate, and while it's true that if I were born 4 or 500 years ago I probably would be, it's because I'd be more interested in sailing the high seas than plundering. I only download. I don't make and distribute. That's what pirates do. That and hijack oil tankers and then drown after getting the "booty." I don't qualify as either of those.

7. I love movies, and I can't stress it enough. After I found out a few days ago that Google doesn't offer any scholarship opportunities for white males, Netflix became my most favorite company in the world. Less than ten bucks a month for all the movies I can watch? What better deal is there?

8. I've always wanted to have someone drop me off in the middle of the wilderness (foo!) and see how long it takes me to get back to my apartment. Ever since Anasazi more than a year ago, I've been ultra confident in my abilities to survive with next to nothing. While I still think I could make it back, I do need some humbling.

9. I love playing with frisbees and arobie disks. My roommate in Rexburg and I would do it all the time.

10. I was once almost tackled by a dead sheep. Some friends and I were playing in a spillway when all of the sudden an expired sheep rolled down and almost hit us. We were all able to get away, but that ruined all the fun, as we were unable to make the sheep get through the little eddy at the bottom of the spillway, despite all our best efforts with the longest sticks available. We didn't want to play downstream from it either so we just went home.

11. I saved one of my roommates from drowning, although I had to repeatedly punch him in the side to keep him from drowning me. After I dragged him back to shore I told him that he owed me a steak. The little punk didn't even say thank you, much less cook me a steak. I should have thrown him back in.

12. I like to make my own bracelets and necklaces. A little hobby I picked up in Arizona. I make myself a new necklace and bracelet every six months during general conference. It helps me pay attention.

13. I always have to make sure that I applied deodorant before I put my shirt on, even if I applied it not four seconds ago. We're all slightly obsessive compulsive in some way.

14. I'm thinking of starting a business of selling quarters to college students for 30 cents apiece. They're worth more than solid gold to college students, so at 30 cents they'd be a steal, right?

15. I know more about cellular technology than most people should who aren't paid to know it. There are a lot of acronyms, and I like acronyms.

16. In high school once I aspired to be a rancher when I grew up and would often start sentences with, "When I'm a rancher..." even if the next words had nothing to do with being a rancher. I still think it would be fun to drive cattle for long periods of time and eat rancher breakfasts cooked over a fire every morning. My back doesn't do well with horseback riding though.

17. I've been dumped because I never made it to Eagle Scout. I guess I'm just not good enough for some people. That's okay though. I don't want to be good enough for those kinds of people.

18. A girl (not the same one as above) broke up with me over the phone for reasons that still remain unknown to me. Six hours later I had quit my job, packed all my things, and was on the long road home from Rexburg and I haven't been back since. Little did she know that she was the reason behind the one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. That whole experience changed my life forever, and I'm a better man for it.

19. A large majority of people think I look really good when I'm clean-shaven. Unfortunately, I am not a member of that majority and I like the bearded look. I'm not going to grow a road warrior beard (I don't even think I could) but it is sometimes frustrating being nagged to shave when I just don't wanna.

20. I haven't played a percussion instrument in almost two years. I've played for most of my life but I just don't have the money or the space to house a drum set or marimba. That makes me cry. Seriously, I'm crying right now.

21. One time my good friend Emily waved at me when I wasn't looking and she got all upset because of it. When I realized that she had waved I waved back it was too late. She was mad and there wasn't a thing I could do to calm her anger. I tried waving back but nope, she wasn't going to have it. I waved at her all the way from Moses Lake to Othello, a 45 minute drive, but she outlasted me. My arm was sore for days afterward.

22. I'm almost done with this list.

23. One of my companions threatened to kill me with a knife. "See that knife over there, Elder Jackson," he said. "There's a lot of things I can do with that knife that you couldn't imagine." Put some makeup on him and his devilish little smile and laugh rivaled that of Heath Ledger's Joker. Not kidding. I didn't sleep for three days after that. All because I put some pink sheets on his bed as a joke. Gee wiz...

24. I have a soft spot for songs where the lead singer sings the whole thing in a high falssetto. Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole" and The White Stripes "Blue Orchid" come to mind.

25. I have a copy of the Book of Mormon that has every single reference to Christ marked and all his spoken words highlighted and no other markings. In the event of a fire, it would be the first thing I would grab. It took me almost seven months to complete it.

There you have it.

It's amazing what I can accomplish when I only have an hour to do it.

2009-02-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

There's a really good Calvin and Hobbes strip where Calvin is out playing in a sandbox when he's supposed to be writing a paper. Hobbes comes out to join him and asks him about this. Calvin calmly replies that he can't write unless he's in the right mood. "What mood is that," Hobbes asks. "Last minute panic."

That describes me of late. I stay on top of my work but my best work always comes out when the pressure is mounting and time is running out. Is that par for the course?

I haven't eaten a morsel of fast food since committing to never eat it again. I really wanted some McDonalds ice cream and was almost able to rationalize it, but then I started thinking about something else and drove right past it. It's a good thing too, or I might have fallen. Instead I ate some chips and salsa. Yum!

And Griffey is back!

We slow hands...

Here's my once every three months post.

2009-02-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I am a busy person these days. I've had a few life altering events since last I wrote. I'll list three of them in the order of what their importance should be. Actual importance may vary.

1. Rock Climbing
If you haven't tried it then a) don't knock it till you do and 2) go and try it. It is seriously some of the most fun I've ever had and very challenging. I've gone at least twice a week since school started at the beginning of January and I'm getting to the point where my arms don't hurt for the next four days every time I go. It's nice. Enjoy this video. I'm a long ways away from this point but one day...

2. Super Size Me
This film changed me and I think it will stick. I look back at all the fast food I've consumed and I want to die. The whole film I felt like grease was dripping out of my pores. If you haven't seen it, then see it. Not for the faint of heart or stomach, but if you suffer from those, then you should probably see it.

3. Becky and I are no longer together.
Like I said, actual importance may vary...

Fw:fw:fw:fw:fw:fw:fw:fw:

2008-12-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

This is perhaps the funniest Shirt.Woot post I've ever read.

"It isn’t the annoyance. It isn’t the way they post “v1agra c1llas d0nk3y sexxx” on every unsecured wiki, blog or message board. It isn’t even the thought that some people make a living at this while we struggle at our desks. It’s the indisputable fact that there are people out there who give their credit card number to strangers who bombard them with requests that aren’t even well written.

Sure, we want your money as much as the next guy, but we don’t run in your living room and jump up and down on the cat. We jump up and down here, and if you don’t show up, well, we’re saddened, but we accept it is your right. So why are some bozos rewarding people who are the electronic equivalent of a screaming two year old?

Let’s not hunt down spammers and their servers. Let’s go find the people who actually pay them money and slap them until they promise not to do it again. Also if you agree please send this to everyone in your address book."

I'm not going to forward it, so I'll just post it here. I seriously, seriously love this website.

May I always be the person my dog thinks I am.

2008-12-04T23:50:00.001-08:00

There hasn't been many people who have thought more highly of me than Sadie did. Sad to say she died last night. I love my dog, and I'll miss her for the rest of my life. Thanks for everything Sadie-poop.

Na na na na na na na na Batman! Batman!

2008-11-25T00:04:00.000-08:00

This article, The top ten reasons Batman 3 needs to be made, and it's sister article, the top ten reasons NOT to make Batman 3, may be the most important you ever read. What do you think? Post your opinions and any other reasons for or against to comments.

Mine, you ask? It most definitely needs to be made, but only if Christopher Nolan is at the helm. I've decided that he's my new favorite directer, followed by Joe Wright. And only if all the cast members return (except for Maggie and Aaron). I also think they should stop at three. With the exception of Bond, three is the max for any film franchise I would say.

On this day in history....

2008-11-22T01:22:00.000-08:00

...my mother was born! So for today, I will talk mostly about my mother and how unbelievably awesome she is and how much I love her. I'll talk about some other things too, as there is at least one more important event that happened today in the annals of the Jackson Family.

M'lee was born in Clovis, New Mexico, which according to Google is 223 miles east of Albuquerque, right on the border with Texas. Until this day I actually had no idea where Clovis was, except that it was in New Mexico. She was raised mostly in Federal Way, Washington, just south of Seattle. She married my dad on 27 August 1982. They have been happily married ever since, which is the coolest thing about my mom. She is still in love with my dad, and although it isn't fun to see sometimes because no one likes to see thier parents kiss (yucky!), it is still one of the greatest blessing of my life.

My mom has taught piano lessons for as long as I can remember. She even tried to teach me, for five long years I took lessons from her and various other teachers and every single day I kicked and screamed about it. That's another awesome thing about my mom, she is persistent. She finally relented and let me quit, and I have regretted it every day for a long time, just like she said I would. That's another cool thing. She is always right. Chances are, your mom is always right too. Better give her a good listen.

She instilled in me a love for the arts, especially music. I don't think I would have found it quite so intriguing or inspiring or beautiful had it not been for her constant influence starting very early in my life. Of the many, many reasons that I love her, that is near the top of the list.

One thing that is rather small but that I really appriciate: If I have been a bad son and haven't called her for a while, she calls me and reminds me that I haven't called her in a while. It means a lot that she will never, ever let me go. Not that I would ever want to leave.

The best thing about my mom though, is that she has always been close to the Lord, and always stayed with the Gospel, not even, but especially in the bad times. Because of that, I will always be close to the Lord, because she taught me how important it is.

So, mom, thanks for everything. I love you. Happy birthday.

On a sadder note, today in 2002 our grandmother passed away. We love you Grandma, and we miss you terribly.

This one is for the kids.

2008-11-12T23:21:00.000-08:00

This is my new shirt. Well, it will be when it gets here in a couple of weeks. When someone puts these types of images on a shirt I have to have them. Call it an addiction. Luckily, images this cute don't often appear on shirts, so I don't end up spending that much money (plus they're cheap anyhow). Everyone should go to shirt.woot and check out the new shirt that they sell everyday. Wait, on second thought, don't. I don't want a ton of people cramping my style.

Jigga-what?!

2008-11-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

The following is an email that I received from Rock the Vote, the agency that I used to register. I have interjected some things of my own, indicated with parentheses.

Dear Kyle,

You did it.

Yesterday, more young people voted than have ever voted in American history. 24 million young voters.

You took our country into your own hands-- you got registered, you got your friends registered, and you turned out to the polls on November 4th.

You picked our next president. (No I didn't.)

I can’t tell you what last night meant to me, to all of us here at Rock the Vote. For 18 years we’ve been telling politicians that if they only took the time and energy to talk to us, to engage us, and to take us seriously, that young people would get involved and vote.

President-Elect Obama did precisely that. (No he didn't) He responded to your concerns and questions. (No he didn't) He found you on the Internet. (No, he didn't) He organized on your campuses and in your communities. (No, he didn't do that either.)

And he won because of you. (No he didn't.) I don’t say any of this because President-Elect Obama is a Democrat, but because he ran a campaign as a democrat, with a small “d.” (That's debatable.) He ran a campaign that reached out to the young and the traditionally disenfranchised, (disenfranchised by their lack of involvment) he organized one-on-one and across the nation, (not with me) and he talked to and with us about the issues we care about (by insulting me and calling me selfish). He ran a campaign based on the democratic premise that our country is run by the people and for the people. (Not really, but we'll see if his presidency does. I have my doubts.)

Congratulations to each of you. You made history yesterday. (No I didn't.) Your hard work, your dedication, and your votes will go down in the books as a momentous event. (Mine won't.)

And this is just the beginning. Yesterday, we showed them our power. Today, we start work on using that strength to make real change for our country.

I can’t wait.

Heather and the Rock the Vote Team

Had I known that Rock the Vote was going to assume that I'm a radically liberal Democrat because I am in my twenties, I would never have used them to register. Somehow the Democratic (note the capital D) leadership has convinced the "young and the traditionally disenfranchised" that liberalism is the only good way to go. I am borderline offended by this letter. It says to me that this agency and their endorsed candidate Barack Obama don't really give a hoot about what values are important to me, but will assume that I have none.

Bollocks.

2008-11-09T23:25:00.000-08:00

This article about President Bush is a great one. Let's not repeat the same mistake with President Obama. That's not progress, and progress is what America is all about.

2008-11-05T01:35:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Mr. Obama. You managed to outspend and say some more interesting words than your opponent.

I wish that the outcome had been different tonight, that senator McCain had managed to pull off an upset over Obama, but alas, twas' not to be. Barack Obama will be my president, and because the man that I voted for and hoped would be the victor tonight has asked me to, I give my full faith and support to Barack Obama. I'm sure we will always disagree on many issues, but if he really wants to, then I am willing to work with him to resolve those issues.

Change has indeed come to America, though I still have little faith that it will be for the better. Hopefully, it won't be for the worse.

Could be worse. We could have this guy. Wait till the end. I couldn't imagine having a president use this kind of "humor."

American Politics are so stupid

2008-11-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

I would just like to point out that the price tag for Barack Obama's campaign is $250,000,000 (yes, that's million) and that he lied about his intentions to accept public funding. I still can't fathom why people think he is so great. He's never said anything specific about his presidency, just spoken in generals meant to coerce the non-thinking to think that they're thinking (that's why the love him!) and sway uninformed voters, made promises that I don't think he can keep, and will leave future generations in way worse shape because of his planned spending than we are in today. Congratulations, Mr. Obama on a successful campaign. Idiot.

Christine Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi's daugter, said that Obama is a great man because if elected President, the American Dream will come true for everyone! Oh joy! What a nation that would be! The American Dream involves hard work, Ms. Pelosi. Liberals lately have been talking about the rich as if they're horrible people. Thickus thieves even. It makes me sick. So sick that I'm going to stop talking about it.

Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint Nextel, said that Google's Android operating system for mobile phones "isn't good enough for Sprint yet." Mr. Hesse, you are the head of one of the worst managed companies in the country, and Google anything is never not good enough for anything. It's open source, allowing it to be constantly improved upon whenever, wherever, by whomever, and for whatever purpose. The only reason that I am still with Sprint is becasue I pay only $30/month for unlimited everything and have a sweet phone. The second that I loose that, Sprint looses me. Their stock is in the tank, they've lost subscribers the last two consecutive quarters, and lets not even delve into how horrific their customer service is. I'll talk about that right after whenever it is that I talk to them next. Hopefully that is years away.

In more upbeat news, my skin feels like it is finally getting accustomed to the dry climate here. The same can't be said for my nostrils and boogers though. Every morning it seems that I wake up with a large quantity of dry boogers. When I was in the MTC, I could blow them out and punch holes in the tissue. The other day I woke up with a nose bleed. First one in years and years.

I'd like to give a shout out to Meg, one of the most awesomest people ever to live. Love ya Sis!

Of all the nieces in the word, mine is the cutest.

2008-11-01T01:26:00.000-07:00

Sprint finally came out with a patch to enable Windows Mobile phones on its network to have picture mail and I downloaded it the day before last and installed it and it works great (well, great for Sprint, but it still sucks) and the next day I get not one, not even two, but three picture messages, all pictures of Kaelyn in her adorable Halloween costume. Here is my favorite of the bunch.
She is so cute I can't hardly stand it!

I saw Wall-e tonight with Becky. We had a lot of fun. It's a great film. I'm really glad Halloween is over and done with. Too much hubbub for me, especially in a college town. Wanna know what my costume was?
That's right kids! I am the Internet! On the obligatory "Write-down-everything-about-yourself-so-we-can-give-you-a-calling-and-find-your-future-spouse-for-you" information sheets that they make you fill out when you join a BYU ward, I wrote down that one of my talents is that I am able to find anything on the Internet. I half expected the Bishop to ask me what "anything" meant but he didn't mention it.

It is almost 3:00 in the morning and I just realized that either none of my roommates are home, or they haven't come out of their rooms all day. I can never tell which. Out.

"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." --Don Marquis-- (1878 - 1937)

2008-10-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I really like Fox News, because it's the only news agency that I can find that doesn't consider democrats, especially Obama, to poo solid gold. Now, I realize that there will be spin wherever I look for news, I'm not too dumb, but there is less on Fox than anywhere else. After watching hours and hours of coverage I feel like John McCain would better lead the country than Barack Obama. Now I just watched Obama call me "selfish," his own words, because I think his tax plan is rediculous. It really taylors to middle class America because it rewards them for staying middle class and penalizes the ones that really work for the American Dream and "spreads their welth around," again, his own words. When I achieve the American Dream, I will be more than happy to help out the poor, but let it be on my own terms. If the federal government is going to take around 50% of my income (yeah, that's right. Look it up) and give it to those that didn't earn it, that is going to begin to bring me down to their level and bring them up to mine, which is called Socialism. If Obama is going to call me selfish for wanting to work hard to earn the dream that this country was founded upon, then that convolutes the entire idea of America. That's what the change that he promises is. It undermines free enterprise and takes away initiative.

I don't know, maybe Obama does poo gold. He can sure make a rousing speech, but I don't think that he's filled with great wisdom so much as hot air and a great speach writer. Maybe whoever writes them should be president. There was a poll conducted by the National Tax Foundation that concluded that one-third of Americans think that the government shouldn't take more than 20% of their income, and two-thirds don't want more than 30% taken away. And here the Obama plan will take over 50% from the top earners, 75% of which are small business. And that's just the federal government. That doesn't include state nor local taxes, which will be even worse for small business. My parents just opened a small business to hopefully retire early. If this happens, it'll kill that dream. It kills jobs, which kills the economy, which kills America. You're going to kill America, Mr. Obama.

I can't wait for the flac that I get from that. Or is it spelled flak? Flack? I'll stick with flac.

Conflabit

2008-10-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist anymore and I made a blog. Hopefully it will be the type that entertains and isn't just a collection of my "thoughts and feelings." That's what a journal is for, and I'm really the only one that consistently cares about my "thoughts and feelings," so I'll write them in my journal. That's what it's for!

I recently moved to Provo, a place I have sworn I will never live, and it's not so bad. The weather has been great. My dad tells me that there will be idiots wherever I go, but there will also be neat people too. Sometimes I wish I could go to a place where idiots would get eaten by bears. It was like that in Arizona, at least every other week when I was out in the wilderness (foo!) and you would seriously die without basic survival skills, like fire and shelter and food and not being eaten by bears. Good times. Anyhoo, as it turns out, my dad was right. There are a lot of neat people here. I haven't been able to talk to many of them though, as they won't return my calls, but people are busy. You are busy, right?

I watched a fantastic movie last night on TCM. Witness for the Prosecution with Tyronne Power and Charles Laughton. Six or eight years ago you wouldn't catch me dead watching a movie from 1957, but man, there is some good stuff from way back when. I'm glad I'm not an ingrate anymore, at least I'm becoming less of one each day. There is a disclaimer at the end telling me not to reveal the secret surprise ending, so I won't. It's a doozy though. Writers of the Saw series, take note. In fact, take this note, stop writting movies. Seriously. If you can come up with a terrific ending to a movie then well and good, but if you can't write good dialouge that gets me to that ending, then I'm not going to want to stick around and watch it. I hate that the tourture porn industry is a license to print money now-a-days. Michael Haneke also had some nasty things to say about that industry, but there are better ways of saying it, Mr. Haneke.

Well, I guess we will see how this goes. If it turns out that people don't like me as much as I hope, then I'll probably never update this thing ever again. I for some reason feel like a sellout. If any of you think this will lead to a facebook or myspace page, allow me to put to rest those slanderous thoughts right now! I will never have one of either. I also said I would never move to Provo, but this is different. Maybe next time I'll talk about the election and the sub-prime mortgage crisis. That'll fire some people up and I'll be popular! Kristen Chenoweth sang a song about that. She gave me a hug afterwards.