The end of one heck of a semester.

I was busy this past semester. Full time graveyard job, part time multimedia reporter/web editor for the Daily Universe, and a healthy 15 credit semester. I'm glad it's behind me. I am pretty sure that I got mostly A's and perhaps a B may have snuck in there, but by and large I am only too happy for how things went. This next semester, I bit adieu to the newsroom: they haven't the position for me and I haven't the time. It was enjoyable to be sure, but I had a limited schedule for them to utilize and was tired of having no free time at all.

Simply put, I have been too lazy to update. I have been alone lately since my wife has been in Peru, but even so, I couldn’t find the energy to write a blog. Maybe the biggest issue is that my laptop screen went mysteriously dark and I have been out of a computer. I have had access to computers, but I haven’t been here at work where the abundance of time seems to work well for me to actually write things. Apparently, the guy at Wasatch Computers thinks that it would be a good deal to fix my laptop screen for 350+ dollars. Since I could buy a new one for the same price, I beg to differ. I would like to get a new Macbook Pro, but they are so bloody expensive I highly doubt that will happen. We’ll see.
What I have done is watch Beetlejuice and the Nightmare before Christmas finally. Can you believe that I’d never seen them before? All in all, good flicks. It was weird to see Alec Baldwin so young, and seeing Micheal Keaton so bizarre, but there you are. Other things that I have done: I shoveled a lot of snow in Fruitland. It was less fun than you’d think. I also attended all three hours of church there for the first time in a long time. It was strange. I hardly recognize the people there anymore.
All of the family minus Michele (and she hardly counts anymore) went to see Tron in Roosevelt. First time I can remember seeing a movie with the whole family, and in Roosevelt no less. Lets just say that it was cold everywhere in the Basin, but especially in the theatre. The other three people there must have been regulars because they came well wrapped in blankets.
Tron… not a bad flick, but I happen to like Jeff Bridges. Lets just say that this movie demonstrated what I suppose an acid trip might be like.

Another reason I delayed updating my blog is that I wanted to post PDF’s of my final design project. This proved to be more difficult than I had originally thought, so you will have to go to my online portfolio here:

And download it.

I hope you like them, the investigative reporters handbook should be useful to all because I have linked every website listed so all you have to do is click on it to go to the resource. I hope somebody uses it because it took me FOREVER to do and if nobody uses that feature, it would be a royal waste of time.

Here at sleepmuch8 we pride ourselves in putting off posting for long stretches at a time and then posting massive posts that really should be broken up into three or four different posts. Continuing that noble tradition, here is a really funny article I read titled, “Dave Barry’s Year in Review”. It can be found here:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/01/1992746/dave-barrys-2010-year-in-review.html

And I highly recommend giving it a read. This has inspired my to write my own short “Year in review”. So here goes,

2010 was a pretty good year all around for me personally, but fairly lame as far as politics and such go. We’ll not worry about that though. Bad things that happened in 2010 include the BP Oil Spill and pretty much everything that happened on a national level of politics (except for elections). Justin Beiber got popular enough that I actually recognize one of his songs now and that is a minor tragedy. I kind of know what Jersey Shore is as well, which makes me sad for Television. BYU lost to the UofU in football and that is never acceptable, and none of the teams I wanted for the World Cup went as far as I’d hoped. Good things include new family members and international travel. Speaking of international travel, this brings me to the beginning of the year…
January
… We had a second reception in Peru for Malu’s side of the family and it was a lot of fun. What with the drinking, the dancing, the drinking, the lights, the drinking, and the personalized details of the party, it was a great time (my side of the family probably had less fun than the Peruvians because they missed out on the first, third, and fifth things that I listed). I probably would have enjoyed the whole thing a bit more and certainly would have enjoyed the meal more if I hadn’t had a vicious case of the runs, but there you go. Malu introduced me to lying around and watching TV, which is how we came to buy all of the seasons of “2 and a half men”. I also toured the countryside in style with my parents and Jon in the finest buses where we nearly froze to death and had near accidents frequently. (and by finest, I mean cheapest and not fine at all). We were all shaken by the experience, but had a good deal of fun. Also shaking in
February
was the country of Chile, which had the major Earthquake on my birthday. Not a pleasant way to start the day, to be sure. Also in February, I dress up in traditional costume (gently called by my sister and friends the ‘gay pirate apparel’) and do a marathon of dancing during the Candelaria. I was pretty amazing, and Malu was ok too. When we weren’t dancing in the mountains, we were visiting the ocean where I enjoyed an aspect of Peru I never could as a missionary, swimming. Through all of this, I love Malu’s little brother more and more…
and eat all the foods that I love in Peru.
March
was the month that I used to sneak away from my internship to visit my family in Chile. I decided that I needed to survey the damage for myself and to see if I could be of aid sharing my recent skills; such as: donating alternative lifestyle swashbuckling clothing or if preaching the doctrine of Charlie Sheen could help speed up recovery. It was good times, and I didn’t even mind the 80+ hours I spent busing through arid desert to make it happen. My family in Chile treated me to delicious food and reminded me of why I love Chile. Speaking of food, in…
April
…we spent practically the whole month filling up on foods that we wouldn’t be able to eat for a while. Which was ironic, considering that we had done the same thing four months previously when we left the States, and that Malu did it again when she left in December to go back to Peru. But I get ahead of myself. In April, I wrap up my internship, visits to members and people from my mission, and Malu and I bid adieu to the family and country. There was many a party in our honor and I gained back all of the weight that I had danced off during the Candelaria, which made lugging all of our baggage back to the States that much more uncomfortable at the end of the month. Highlight of that trip was the 12 hour layover in LA where we went and explored the town. We also managed to move back into BYU Married Shmucks and Family Housing and I went back to my job of watching boys sleep.
May
is when we bought C3P-O AKA, the Kia Rio and were glad to finally have a car. May was also when nothing really exciting happened. Towards the end of the month, Malu insisted we buy a decent TV in preparation of
June
and the World Cup, which took place in S Africa. We decided right then and there that we would go to Brazil for the next one, just see if we don’t. We spend a lot of time lying around, watching soccer and somewhere in all of that excitement; we discovered the greatness of 7-11 hotdogs and Bahama Mama’s- finally, something to accompany my Slurpies. Malu got a job at Heritage and our poor little Kia ends up parked there most of every day and of every night. This might also be around when Michele announced her pregnancy, which was big news and an ongoing spectacle as she began swelling more and more each time we saw her.
July
at some point during the summer, and I suspect it was this month, Malu got her license. That was good news for her since she got the freedom of transportation and good news for me since I didn’t have to play chaperone anymore. (although, I’d still frequently take her to work and retrieve her if she looked at me with cute puppy dog eyes.) I also believe that this was the great Sweat family camping experiment where the whole family, even Michele, Alan, and SJ’s kids went to the old logging grounds of the Uintah’s for nostalgia. It was weird to actually be in the area for recreation, rather than hard labor. And while I’m thinking of labor,
August
was the month where my classes, along with a second job working for the Daily Universe, began. It also marked the first time that I worked full time at nightwatch while taking classes. I am a glutton for punishment it would seem. Malu also started classes at UVU and got a sample of what working full time and classes was like. Lets just say that it was a busy time.
September
I shamelessly pad my resume by being selected to be a Freshman Foothold counselor. I traumatize the impressionable freshman and had a jolly good time choreographing a really silly dance number. Somewhere in this time of year, we start the habit of going over to Michele and Alan’s to play board games. We master Bang, Carcazonne, and Ticket to Ride.
October
I finally get a Halloween off from work and Joe fulfills his role of our ever-fearless chaperone to the UVU dance. Malu and I dress up as Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. We looked pretty snazzy if I do say so myself. Joe went as himself. Joe was also the instigator of a dinner at a Peruvian restaurant where we got together for Shane’s birthday. Miracle of miracles, Asher and his wife went, unfortunately, we haven’t seen or heard from them since. I retire from the dance group that Malu and I participate in because it’s just too much along with my other things.
November
was noteworthy because mom made smoked turkey, which was awesome and delicious. BYU lost the game against the U, which was a bummer, but not as bad a deal as I’d thought.
December
Finals, and Michele gives birth to David, who is pretty cute. Malu jumps ship to Peru the day after the birth and Alan steps up his plans to get me obsessed with Star Craft 2. I shovel plenty of snow in Fruitland and am released from my Universe job. Owing to the overabundance of spare time, and lack of a wife to fill it with trips to the Mall and other such nonsense, I attend the gym A LOT.

Well folks, there you have it: a year in review. It was really busy there towards the end, but in this year I got the best grades of any 2 semester stretch I’d ever had, I finished my internship, I finished most of my minor, and I padded the resume quite nicely for that sometime in the not so distant future law school application. I learned a lot about design programs and photography, and have gained a new appreciation for the older generations. It’s been a good ride, and a not quite set in stone goal for the year is to blog shorter posts and more frequently. We’ll see, it is not a resolution, it would just be nice.

Interview with Aunt J and Uncle T

For my media history class,I was given an assignment to interview and older person about their experiences with media. I was glad for this assignment because I've been meaning to interview my relatives for some time now, but just have been too busy to do so. Thankfully, Aunt Jackie and Uncle Ted love me and were willing to submit to an interview. It was good fun and at the end, and Jackie gave my wife and I some cake.

Here is the transcript of that interview. It is pretty long so I recommend reading it in phases.


Comms 301 Oral History Project
Interview with Ted and Jackie McNiell
Date of interview: November 11, 2010; Fruitland, Utah
Interviewer: Jason Sweat
Transcriber: Jason Sweat
Digital recorder.

Your grandpa, Jackie’s dad and mother got married and moved out here to Fruitland and they had, what was it?
Jakie-A sack of potatoes and a bushel of plums.
Ted- A sack of potatoes and a bushel of plums. In 1936, and that’s what they lived on out here, the first winter that they were married. Jackie and your grandpa and grandma sweat

Me- A sack of potatoes and a bushel of plums, that’s it?


My grandpa sweat, he had a little caw- and got milk from the cow and eggs from a chicken and that was it.

What jackies talking about, is I just wrote a thing that’s tongue in cheek.

Me- Oh great, lets here it.

Ted-Thing so that my kids and grandkids would know about what things were like when I was growing up. I did check and see what the prices were. A postage stamp was 2 cents, the year I was born, in 1931. And I could read it, I was reading it earlier

I was born in 1931, the year that all the banks failed. There was 2,500 banks that failed. And there were 5 million people unemployed. People were hungry. It was the year that Al Capone was convicted, and the Star Spangled Banner was adopted the national anthem. Top songs on the radio were “All of me” and “Heartaches”, some of them are still around. And a house, you could by a house for 6,000 dollars, the average American home cost 6,000 dollars. And a car, a brand new car cost 530 dollars. But nobody had any money, you gotta remember that. Milk was 50 cents a gallon, a loaf of bread costs 8 cents, a postage stamp was 2 cents, the average income for a worker was 1,400 dollars a year, and … you know, I say I came up in a damned hard world. (Laughter)

Just so my grandchildren and great grandchildren know, they think I’m old, they don’t know how old. Even my kids don’t know. I was born before Television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees, and ‘the pill’. There were no credit cards, no laser beams, no ball point pens. Ball point pens weren’t invented yet. There weren’t any pantyhose or air conditioners, or dish washers or clothes dryers- clothes were hung out to dry on the line- they froze in the winter, and man sure hadn’t walked on the moon, that’s for sure. Jackie and I got married first, and then lived together, that’s something new. (laughter) That’s really different now, every family had a father and a mother, until times changed so much.
When we were born, I used to call every man older than me “sir” and every lady, “ma’m”. It was long before gay rights. I remember when you were a “gay young blade,” you were a happy young man. That was before computer dating, or dual careers, or day care, or group therapy. That’s when the Ten Commandments and good judgment and common sense covered our lives, we were taught to know the difference between right and wrong, and to stand up and take responsibility for your actions. Serving your country was a privilege; living in the country was a bigger privilege. Amnesty for illegal aliens? Give me a break.
We thought that fast food was a fleet footed deer, and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front door when the evening breeze started. Time share meant sharing time with your family. We never heard of FM, or satellite radios, or tape decks, or CD’s or laptops or yogurt, or guys wearing earrings. Mini skirts, belly button rings, and rock stars and rap artists and so forth. I don’t ever remember any kid blowing out his brain while listening to Eddie Arnold or Frank Sinatra.
Anything that was made in Japan was junk, and the term ‘making out’, meant that you’d done well on your school exam. Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Starbucks, Ebay’s were all unheard of. If a merchant would have charges a dollar fifty for a bottle of water, or four bucks for a cup of coffee, people would have run him out of town.
We had five and ten cents stores, where you could actually buy things for five and ten cents. Ice cream cones, a phone call, a pepsi, were all a nickel. Your nickel would also buy enough stamps to mail a letter and two posts cards. You could buy a new Chevy coupe for 600 dollars, but who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In my day, ‘grass’ was mowed, ‘coke’ was a cold drink, ‘pot’ was what your mother cooked in, and ‘rock music’ was your grandma’s lullaby. ‘Aids’ were helpers in an office, ‘chip’ was a piece of wood, ‘hardware’ was found in a lumber store, and ‘software’ wasn’t even a word. And I’m of the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder I’m old and confused to say it’s a generation gap.

Sweat- What were some of the experiences that you can recall regarding to media. What were some of the earliest memories you have of dealing with media, that is to say, newspapers, radio, magazines, TV, internet, etc.?

Ted-You know when we lived down there (Fruitland), they had a radio, but there was no power. Jackie and I were married before there was power here in this town. And I remember when they used to have to, to hear the radio, uh, because you couldn’t afford two batteries, you’d have to go out to the car and get the battery, a 6 volt battery, and bring it in, and hook the radio to it, and play the radio. You had to park the car on a hill, because if you played the radio to long then the battery would be dead and the car wouldn’t starts. (Laughter) Now that’s a fact!

Sweat- You had to take the battery out of the car to listen to the radio?

Ted- To listen to the radio, you when out to the car, ya know. You should have had two batteries ..
(Jackie) That would been nice.
.. but back in those days you couldn’t afford it, so that was how they done it.

Sweat- What year was this?

Ted- 1948

Jackie- No, it was before that honey, I was just a teenager.

Ted- Well I know, but we didn’t get power till after we were married.

Jackie- When my dad used to do that, go out and get the battery, it was because he’d have to listen to the fights every Thursday night or something, and I was only, like fourteen. This was like back in the 40s? Early forties. Forties.

Sweat- What do you remember about hearing the news in this area- what is your earliest memory?

Jackie- Why don’t you tell him about when WWII started?

Ted- Well, uh yeah. But we lived up Red Creek and there wasn’t any power or anything up there. We’d have to go out, and in the car, we’d listen to the radio. They were going to listen to the prize fights, and the news came on over the car radio that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. And my grandfather didn’t know what that meant. And my father told him, well, “it means we’re at war”. And he said, “No, we can’t be at war”. And my dad said “Oh yeah, we’re at war, if they’ve bombed Pearl Harbor.”
When was that, about 41? I don’t remember, exactly what year it was.

But we, uh, magazines, and newspapers, when we could get em, had to be news. And finally, later on, we did have radios. But I don’t remember, uh. (Laughter) We didn’t get much news out here. (More Laughter)

Sweat- Do you remember any of the names of the magazines or newspapers you used to get or read.

Ted- Yeah, Life. And Colliers. Life was the main magazine for everything that everybody went, everybody subscribed to life. I don’t remember a lot of sports magazines that my father read, you know, fishing and hunting magazines. But as for news of the world, it was what newspapers you could get, and those magazines, Life, and I guess Readers Digest was back then too, I don’t remember for sure.

Sweat- When did you personally first hear about The Great War, you mentioned once that you were too young to serve, but you heard about it, how did you hear about it?

Ted- Well we lived- my dad had a coal mine- up Red Creek. I think he had about 17 miners. And we had a cook house, and a bunk house And they had a cook hired to feed all these miners, and they were mining. And when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, all these young men who were draft age, they all came down and joined the army and the navy and left him alone, up there in the mine. It was just him and his brother and this old cook. And they couldn’t mine out the coal fast enough, and uh,… the mine caught fire. Because all his help was gone. He went into Salt Lake to get some help. From the government, and they sent out a little engineer, just young, just graduated out of college. And he checked the coal, and he put a thermometer back in the mine and he said he thought it would be all right. But it caught fire before he got back to Salt Lake (laughter).
So that was quite a shock to everybody. Then the government had to bring out, big machines, to cover up the mine, to keep from burning.
And then we moved down, and he moved out into other coal mines and lost his leg in a coal mine. During the war, everything boomed. And…. Gosh, I don’t know what else to tell you, it’s not about media anyway. There wasn’t any media when I was young. It was hard to get to know what was going on. Really hard.

Jackie- When the first television come to Salt Lake, remember, we were married in 1950, and we went into my uncles house and they had this huge, huge box, and the screen was like this (about 6 in by 6in). And they was all crowded around, and this was when television first came into to Salt Lake City, and they had this great, big, huge television down in ZCMI in the window and people would go down, they’d turn it own, even at night, you could walk down at night, and the store would be closed, but you could stand there and watch the news and anything like that on the television.

Sweat- How many people would go down to watch it?

Jackie- Oh lots. Lots and lots, people would be crowded around it.

Ted- There’d be crowds around it all day, out on the sidewalk. You couldn’t get down the sidewalk, for the people standing there.

Sweat- So that was when TV first came to Salt Lake, can you remember when you first got one in your house?

Ted- It was many years later that we got one in our house. It was Springville. (Jackie- it was about 1958)

Sweat- Do you remember what kind of TV it was?

Ted- It was a little black and white RCA. Big box, little screen. About like that fireplace with a tiny screen (about a 3 ft by 3 ft box with a 6 in screen).

Sweat- When you served during the Korean War, did you have anything to do with the media. I know there were magazines, publications by the military, such as Stripes and such, did you ever have anything to do with that.

Ted- I never got any schooling. We lived up there, I went to Duchesne for a little while, but I never graduated from high school or anything. My whole education is from reading. That’s one thing that I have done, I’ve read all my life and I read everything. And I’ve read a lot.
That ship I was on, at the time, was a mine sweeper, was a state of the art, most expensive ship per foot in the Navy at the time. Everything was all non magnetic you know, it was a wooden ship. All the metal was non magnetic, it was either beryllium or aluminum and you couldn’t have a pocket knife, or a wrist watch. And they issued us special shoes with no nails in the shoes. And the ship was made to go over a magnetic mine, 8 ships could go over and number nine would blow up, or 28 ships could go over it and the next one would blow up. So, we would go over it and then we’d send a big electrical pulse down behind to blow them up. So that’s was it was designed for. So I had to do a lot of reading. They had aircraft engines, and the metals, so I had to do a lot of reading to learn. That’s what I did, take care of the engines.

Sweat- What were some of the favorite publications that you can remember, that you subscribed to?

Ted- I always subscribed to popular mechanics, and popular electronic magazines, and anything to do with diesel engines. Diesel engines used to be really popular you know, and that’s what I always read- any technical magazines that I could get with anything to do with mechanics or electronics or engines. I used to subscribe and read all of those. I guess that’s how I got by, because that’s the only education I had (Jackie- self educated).

Sweat- Aunt Jackie, what do you remember about when you were young in your family, what do you remember about news?

Jackie- Not very much, because we were really limited. We didn’t even get the power in Fruitland till what? 51? And even then we couldn’t afford to get the radio that plugged in. It was mostly magazines and, you know, word of mouth.

Sweat- Well, maybe jumping ahead a little bit to when you two were married in Springville. Did you have a radio then?

Jackie- Oh yeah. We always had a radio, in fact, I think that’s one of the first things we bought, like silly kids are, we bought a radio- and entertainment. Back then what was it called? (Ted- record players, a big round disk record player.) Yeah, a record player.

Sweat- Do you remember any of the names of shows that you used to listen to on the radio?

Jackie- Oh, (laughter) oh, grandma, loved Jules Wilk (SP?)

Ted- It was music show, it played some old time music. It was a musical variety show, they danced, and sang.

Jackie- But before that, what was it? Red Rider? When we were little, help me out with some of the names. The Lone Ranger?

Ted- Yeah they had radio shows, The Lone Ranger and Gene Audrey, and Roy Rogers had radio shows that went on television later. But hey were on radio first.

Sweat- How was that, how was listening to a show on the radio? I can’t really imagine a show without images because I’ve always had them, but what was it like to listen to one of those shows?

Ted- Well, you would here, somebody I guess, you could hear the horses running, you know, and then people hollering, then gunshots, and then somebody would yell, “Here come the Indians” and (laughter, heh heh) It was pretty fun. And I, you know, I still got, I found a tape, an 8 track tape a while back that was the Lone Ranger.

Jackie- Instead of having ones that are on TV now, the, my grandmother listened to Helen Trent, which would be like ‘One life to live’ you know (Ted- soap operas) Yeah, soap operas. But they were on radio, and she never missed, my grandmother, she had to hear ‘Helen Trent’ every day. And it would just tell what this one was doing and then this one would talk and then this one, you know. Like you say, it’s hard for you to imagine because we could picture these people in our minds, and everybody probably had a different picture of course, but there were several of those that was popular. And that was back, back before the 40’s.

Sweat- Well, you saw the wars on television, more closely than before, what was that like, seeing war close up through television?

Ted- Well, they had news reels, before television. Why they, when you’d go to the movies, then they’d have what was called the ‘news reel’, it was a news program. And it would show you how the war was going and they’d show, bombs dropping andyou know. In fact, they took actual pictures and would send them back, of how the war was going in Japan, and how the war was going in Germany. People would go to the movies, more or less just to see those half an hour news reels. That’s where we got our news till the television came.

Sweat- And what about during WWII, what about writing? There were some journalists over there, do you remember any of them?

Ted- Yeah, Ernie Pyle.

Sweat- And what do you remember about Ernie Pyle, who was he?

Ted- Ernie Pyle was a news reporter that went right with the troops, they issued him a uniform and he’d take his camera, and his type writer and he’d send dispatches from the war. And he lived right with the soldiers. He died, I remember when he died, not too long ago, it was just a few years ago now ***Ernie Pyle actually died in 1945 in WWII*** He would type all these out and he’d send them someway, he’d send them back to the stations in the states. And that’s how we got the news, right from the front lines.
They had a program on him here, a while back when he did die, it’s been some years ago I guess. He was kind of a hero. He wrote stories about the troops, and sent photographs. I remember seeing Life magazine and there’d be a picture of the troops standing in the mud eating their rations or crouched in the trenches, and in their tanks, and he flew in their planes. He had, I think, if I remember right, he might have gone with that plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Don’t know if he was in on that or not, but that’s the kind missions he went on, and he just documented them, so that we, well, everybody had to take Ernie Pyle’s word for how the war was going because he was about the only one—there were others, but he was one of the more famous ones.

Sweat- What did your parents think of the invention of the television?

Ted- Oh, it was a miracle, and it was good, because my dad was paralyzed, so he, he couldn’t do much except sit and watch the television. He’d had a stroke and was paralyzed on one side. He’d lost one leg before and then,… so it was good entertainment for him, he enjoyed it, a lot of shows.

Jackie- And your grandpa, Grandpa Sweat, it was a miracle for him, because he loved westerns, so when the television come, and it was a little while before they could afford one, but anyway, when it come he loved the western movies, that was his thing- and when he got ill, and couldn’t do much, like Grandpa McNeill, well he, could be entertained and the time went by faster and this was I think in the 50s?

Sweat- When did Grandpa die?

He passed away in 74. And dad McNeill in 69. His dad passed away before mine. And my dad, he enjoyed keeping up with the news, he liked to know what was going on. And of course the westerns and conferences and things like that.

Sweat- Thorough history, media has been used by the Church (LDS) a lot, to spread the Gospel and a lot other things. What are some of the things that you’ve seen firsthand, in that process, the churches use of media?

Jackie- One of the first things is the Tabernacle Choir, they’ve been around how many years? At first, they had to pass things around, and it was very makeshift, in their first broadcast. It was interesting, how they stood on ladders, and passed, microphones is what I’m trying to say, back and forth to get the first broadcast of the Tabernacle Choir, and that was quite amazing And that was about 100 years ago. And that was way back. And that was good for the church.

Ted- And that was good for the church. I can remember back, when they had little film strips.

Sweat- Along with the media and the church, I am reminded of General Conference, and how originally, you had to go to the meeting to hear what was said. And now, it is a lot different, do you remember anything about that change?

Ted- Well, they always published a magazine with the conference talks in it. And they’ve always published them.

Jackie- They did print them in the newspapers, just like they do now, like in the Deseret News.

Sweat- Do you remember the first conference you saw on TV?

Jackie- It was probably first back when we first got our television, must have been during the sixties.

Sweat- Well, you listened to them on the radio as well right?

Ted- Yes, we always listened to Conference on the radio.

Sweat- You can remember when dvd’s and vcr’s came around. What can you tell me about that?

Ted- Well, the first thing like that to come around was the old 8 tracks, and I still have some of them- I don’t remember exactly when it was. It was years ago. And then, back then, one of my friends got one in a car and we went all over showing everybody, playing music on a tape in a car.

Sweat- That was at the time where you couldn’t really have recorded music in your car.
Ted- Oh no, uh uh. I mean, all you had was a radio in the car, just a radio. You couldn’t have recorded music at all in a car. Until then, until the 8 track. I think it was in the 70’s. They were really expensive to get. Then, what are those little ones called?

Sweat- Cassettes?

Ted- Yeah, then came the cassettes.

Sweat- And now MP3’s. Lot of change in a short time, what were your impressions of that?

Ted- You could take that that little MP3 now, and tell somebody in 1950 or 60, that you had that many songs on that and they’d been beat you up. (laughter). (Jackie- They’d lock you up). Oh yeah, they’d say that you were crazier than a loon, and you couldn’t convince anybody of that. I remember, in those Popular Mechanics that I used to get, way back, reading and they were predicting these cell phones, and satellite phones. And that was back, in the … 1960’s somewhat when an article came out in Popular Electronics, or Popular Mechanics, one of those books, and said someday they’ll bounce beams off or satellites or stars or something and that you’d be able to have a wireless phone. And you couldn’t convince people of that, in that day they wouldn’t believe.

Jackie- I can remember in my last days of school, they told us there’d be something like a microwave. I mean they didn’t call it that, but it would be an oven, but it wouldn’t have to have wood burning. It would be, you know, a stove, and we were all excited about that and we couldn’t believe what they were talking - that the microwave would come, into existence, we thought that was crazy.

Ted- In our lifetime, when we went on our first mission to India, we were over there teaching and the only thing we had- that we had access too- was a little film strip. You’d put it in a little machine with a little light behind it and we had, uh, Johnny Lingo, you ever heard of Johnny Lingo (Sweat- Yeah… Muhana you ugly?) Yeah! We had Johnny Lingo and we would show those people. But you’d have to turn it one clip at a time. And that was, when we were on our first mission, in 1987.

Sweat- And during your last mission (of three) had things changed a lot?

Ted- Oh yeah- on our last mission we had fax machines and all kinds of things. Of course, the thing you have to remember is that our first mission we were in India, and so, even then we were behind the times because we were in a remote part of India. If we had been in other places, it would have been better.

Sweat- Uncle Bernard and a few other folks, were on active duty during Vietnam, what do you remember about seeing the news and seeing images during that time. I think it’s generally recognized that the tone, of the media coverage for that was different than from other wars. What do you think of that, or what were some of the impressions that you got.

Ted- Well yeah, well WWII was covered by newsreels in the theatre and then, you’d hear it on the radio. Then we got television, and you could see things on black and white television, but boy… I’ll tell you, when these last wars started, and when CNN went right with the soldiers, well, that certainly changed things. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, …I don’t know. At least it brought it home to the people, the wars home to the people. So they could see what the soldiers were going through, I mean before it was pretty remote. People didn’t actually know what was happening. So when CNN went right with the soldiers, and actually broadcast pictures back, why, that was pretty traumatic stuff. I know it was for me anyway.

Sweat- Would you say that you were more worried about people during the WWII era that you had less exposure too through the media or more worried about the people during Vietnam, because of the media coverage.

Ted- Well, I don’t know. That’s a hard question for me. I mean, not knowing anything, you naturally worried, and you expected anytime that some soldier would drive up with a telegram saying that those people you loved were lost.
I don’t know, like I say, when you can see what’s going on, when they broadcast pictures of it- of the bombs going off or the people dying, why, that puts you in a different frame of mind. You tend to worry more, about it, I guess … it was a hard time either way.
In WWII people would go off, and you’d just have to worry. I don’t know, which would be the worst.

Jackie- I think it was worse to see it, you’re reminded more, because it’s constantly on the air. Like the Korean War and this, the one we’re still in. (Before) It was a worry and yet life went on, because you were so far removed from it. It was just when things like, you know, when Pearl Harbor got bombed and when the Utah ship went down, and all these things, so then, for a while, it was all really dramatic, and then it would ease up,
Depending on the person too. I mean, there was this one family had five sons. All five sons they had were in WWII, and it was a constant worry for her, that mother. And she didn’t go out and socialize or anything so she just stayed home, worrying- with five stars, back then they gave you stars for each member that was in the service. So she had five stars, hanging in her window. So naturally it was more of a worry for her, as it was, and then depending on the faith that you have, I mean, she wasn’t active. So it does depend on the person, the beliefs and faith and things.

Sweat- What do you think the impact the media has had on this generation, as opposed to the impact that the media had on your generation?

Jackie- I think that the impact now, a lot of it is negative. Naturally, when the population grows, there’s more chance of negative in the world. In my time, there was less and you didn’t get exposed as much.

Ted- The media has had a big impact on these later generations as opposed to ours, like I said earlier when I was talking to you, when I was young, every family had a mother and a father and now, girls don’t even have to be married to have babies. I guess we’ve always known that, but you didn’t think about it back in our generation. I think that sometimes people were treated very badly when somebody did make a mistake. But mostly, families were together more, and now with the media and the busy life you don’t have the interaction that we had back in our generation.
But I wouldn’t want to go back, you know, to the times before we had technology. I just think it’s… There’s so much you can learn now. Where I lived so remotely, if I’d of had access to this stuff, the access now, then that there is now, I could have learned a lot more, done a lot better.

Sweat- How has media and communication changed your relationships with people, I mean, now you have friends from Uganda when before, when you were coming up, you maybe would never have seen any African Americans.

Ted- I certainly am glad for the technology that we have now. I just wish that human beings would use it a little, you know, better for good things.


-Last half of section 7 needs transcribing (about India and Africa contrast of then and now)-

Sweat- What are some major events that you remember learning of through the media?

Jackie- I remember distinctly when President Kennedy was assassinated. I was watching the tv and it came on the air and then they were stopped, all the programs, and it was brought on. And to me that was traumatic, for me, that was terrible, to see him in the car- dying. And still, I can picture in my mind very clearly, what I was doing that day. Because it came on the TV.
And then of course, whenever the President of the United States comes in, you watch that. And the church, all the conference and things, being able to watch President Hinkley come in and his life. I think that it helped you feel closer.

Ted- The dropping of the atomic bomb and the landing on the moon, were big impacts that I remember. President Kennedy’s assassination.

Jackie- One that I remember too was when those astronaughts were killed, when they didn’t make it back too Earth, I was watching the TV that day too and that was, that was stunning. That you could watch something like that in action. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain, it’s really, it really hits you hard. When you watch something actually happen, when I watched that day, I was thinking, that isn’t happening. But when the pieces started going…

Ted- That’s what it was when President Kennedy got assassinated. I mean, you saw it happening. The news media was right there. First, they got the shooter, then somebody else killed the shooter. And you actually had pictures of it, right there in the television

Jackie- The day the guy got shot in jail, the guy that killed President Kennedy, and then he got shot. And it was just, there, right in front of you and it was crazy. I felt the same way the day those astronaughts didn’t make it, it took me a minute or two to realize, this is really happening, their blown apart. When you’re watching it, and it’s so exciting going to the moon …

Sweat- What are some feelings that you have experienced through exposure to the media, such as sad, happy etc.

Ted- Well, one of those things, the assassination of President Kennedy, I certainly felt bad about that. Uh, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, was on the radio, but most people didn’t know how serious it was, like my grandfather, who said, ‘we can’t be at war’. But others, like my father, who was an ex marine and who had been to Pearl Harbor had to tell him. But I don’t think many people knew, when the news came on about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, it didn’t hit people that hard. Now, when you seen the twin towers, when you seen them fall. Or when you seen the space shuttle blow up, you actually see it. So media, I mean modern media definitely has a big effect on people.

Jackie- I remember crying both times, I just broke down in tears, because I remember thinking, what a tragedy- those poor families watching this. I remember the media too, when I was a little girl, about 8 or 9, during WWII, I remember that time, when grandpa was listening to the radio, the prize fights or whatever. When he brought the radio in and we heard that, it came to life to me because I had uncles that were in there, in the war, and one uncle’s ship got hit, and sliced in half. And even today, I had to make a little piece of cake and send it to Ray, to thank him, for being in that. And the media did that, it brought that to us, and made it reality. I remember when I was a little girl, they had air raids, and you had to go, and get down under the desk. And they would say, in case of a bomb, in case they bombed Salt Lake, that you’d have to get down under your desk and hide, and they told us what to do. And that was all through the media and the newspapers and that year, I did live in Salt Lake, my mom and dad and we had more access to the newspapers and to what was going on in the world. And it made such an impact on me, that when they said lets have a drive, through the radio, they said lets have a big drive to get rubber, why me and my little girl friend, we took our rubber dolls down and we threw them on the pile because we wanted to help. (laughter) kind of a small thing, but it was through the media that we knew that, or we wouldn’t, you know. Even out here where it was kind of hard to get news you still had that, … connection.





Well, there you have it. It took me forever to transcribe but it was worth it.

Nobody seems to blog anymore... :(

No comments, no new posts. Last update: Months ago. This is the environment that I continue to launch (futilely?), new blog posts. Is it worth it? Lets hope so. By the time you (singular) read this, a week at least will likely have past. I haven't had a lot of time, but I will put forth my stuff anyway:
News for me: I will soon be on my own for a few weeks as Malu goes down south. This shouldn't be a big deal.

I got pseudo laid off form the web desk. I am not going to lie, this made me immensely happy. Apparently, they are cutting the number of web editors from 4 to 3 and they need someone who can work any night (presumably without it affecting their real/night job). I have been dreading more and more a semester as busy as the one I just went through but didn't know how to get out of my responsibility without quitting, which I didn't want to do for reference purposes. Thankfully, my problem was solved for me and I came out looking like a victim, which is ok by me :). Anywho, I should be able to go the gym now a bit and not be such a chunky monkey.

Politic Chick is about to pop- Pregnancy and all. Every now and again she will horrify me with a new fact that I didn't know about child bearing, and I get sick inside. It's creepy that this alien life form will soon be among us, but let's hope that it (he) pulls the features of both parents. But then again, isn't that always the hope?

I found an AWESOME song that I am digging. Mumford and Sons, where have you been? I actually heard this song on the radio (shocking I know), and made sure to remember the chorus so I could google them. Here is a clean version of a great tune, you can thank me later.




For my soon to be former job, here is something I have been up too:

A construction audio slide show. I didn't write the story, but I did all of the audio slide show except record the interviewee, I just included Amanda's name on the sideshow part because that's how I roll, I'm kind of gallant. (and humble.
http://universe.byu.edu/node/12509


BYU lost: This was a bummer, but I can't really feel bad for some reason. I guess it was just the nature of the game, hard played and entertaining. Even though we lost in the last second, it's something that has happened to Utah before as well as us. Just another chapter in a good rivalry. I do think that our team generally put performed, but I'm sure a certain someone would debate that. Meh, only thing that matters is who won, bad calls, could-have-beens, and all the rest fade into whatever it is that no one cares about. At least this year, no one 'hated' anyone publicly...

Ironically, during the time that I was working on my construction project, I got a ticket for speeding in a construction zone. Everyone hates getting tickets, so no need to dwell on that. Let's just say that Orem City is 200 dollars richer and I'm going to have to spend 3 hours next Saturday going to a certain type of 'school'.

I could go on, but since there's a good chance that nobody really reads this, why???

Veterans Day

I love vets.
Not so much the animal doctors, although they're ok too, but the men (and women) who have served the country in times of conflict. I even wrote a blog for the Universe about it:
http://byudailyuniverse.com/blog/?p=6255

hope you like it.

Some other stuff I have done for the Universe:
Wintervention Video
http://byudailyuniverse.com/blog/?p=6132

An intramural story I helped Danny Ng with- good times. Not the most quality work, but there you are.
http://universe.byu.edu/node/11460


Other than that, I got a new cell phone. The review said, "This is not a Man's phone". ... oops.

Much has happened.

Don’t think that just because I have been disconnected from the blogosphere, that nothing has happened that I don’t wish to comment on. Every day I think of something that I should include in a post, but the minutes, hours, days, and weeks slip by to quickly for me to get them down.

1) So, back peddling a bit, I would like to say first of all, VIVA CHILE!!!
That’s right, the 33 were rescued and it was a grand time for all involved. There is much I would have written about the event, but that’s old news. I’ll have to be content with a electronic ‘high-five’ to all involved and a warm swell of pride for me individually.

2) There were positive things happening in the election recently that I am hopeful will get things pointed in the right direction with our government- that is to say, reining it in a bit. I am also going to be launching a soapbox blog, where I will spout political drivel. A recent 5+ hour discussion about history and politics with my good buddy Joe will be the motivator behind this fun move. Let’s just hope I am better at preaching my ignorant views than entertaining the masses with this blog, eh?

3) BIG GAME THIS WEEK- I’m talking about Utah instead of BYU for once. Our game is important to us, but this will be the mother of all college football games played in this state ever. I think that deserves a mention. Even if my partner on the Red-Blue analysis is a WANK slacker who never updates, I will say this. I hope TCU wins out. Not because I hate the U, but because I think they have a better chance of going to the top. And also, because if Utah won and then somehow lost to us (an unlikely situation to be sure) than I would feel conflicted between my eternal desires of sticking it to the BCS on one hand, and also my other eternal desire to stick it to the U of U. Whatever happens, its like the CLASH OF THE TITANS IN SLC>

4) Police beats- not as good as usual, but here are a few humorous ones:
Oct. 20 Three males were seen entering the Wilkinson Center. One of them went and suspiciously changed his pants. When officers arrived, they searched the area that the student changed in and found nothing.

Oct. 21 A suspicious-looking 33-year-old male was reported walking around the Widtsoe Building. When police confronted him, he said that he was looking for a job.

Oct. 22 A suspicious-looking gray truck was reported in the Wymount Park parking lot because its alarm was going off for about half an hour.

Oct. 22 A woman reported two separate, suspicious incidents. The first, the woman received several suspicious phone calls. Second, she had her keys stolen from her car. Both she and the police are wondering if the two incidents are related.

5) My work for the Universe, go look at it and comment. I don’t know as to the quality of the Intramurals video, we were operating on rough scheduling issues, but I thought it turned out okay.


6) Kudos to Mario Vargas Llosa for winning a Nobel Prize. He’s a Peruvian. More about him here if you care:
http://www.aarp.org/personal-growth/life-stories/news-10-2010/mario_vargas_llosa_nobel_committee_appreciates_what_authorities_didn.html?CMP=KNC-360I-GOOGLE-PER-LST&HBX_PK=mario_vargas_llosa&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=mario%2Bvargas%2Bllosa&utm_campaign=G_Personal%2BGrowth&360cid=SI_196001729_6990198901_1

7) Halloween. I finally got one off from work and was determined to enjoy it if it killed me. We went to the UVU dance party and the dance part was pretty crappy. Too many people and gay pop music. Luckily, there was a hypnotist who was quite entertaining. The line to get in took about 40 minutes and was none to pleasant, the plus side being that we were able to see more peoples costumes. I enjoyed the 4 guys dressed as teletubbies. The guy dressed as a pimp with his two friends as his 'hoes' was also good times. Malu and I were Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. I tried to scare some people with the costume, but I was spotted by a paranoid type before I could execute the fright... RAGE!

Hanging on by two fingernails.

Been busy, as usual. Something that I have been meaning to do for a while now is post a few of the more hilarious police beats.
These are ridiculous, and often demonstrate the 'dark' 'seedy' underbelly of BYU campus. They are actual police reports filed at BYU and then read by a reporter at the DU (Daily Universe) and published weekly. Here are some gems from lask week:

Oct. 7 In Lot 48, A black Toyota was parked against a hill and the windows were fogged up. When the officer approached, the officer discovered a male and female in the car. After running the plates on the car, the officer noticed the owner of the car is banned from UVU’s campus for a sex offense. The officer warned the young woman that her companion was dangerous. The woman assured him that she was fine and the officer left

Oct. 5 A suspicious individual was knocking on apartment doors in Wymount Terrace wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. When the officers arrived, Guy had once again eluded the police.

Oct. 5 Two male students were arguing over dating. One was having a difficult time getting dates and was telling the other student about it. The second student joked that he didn’t have a difficult time getting dates and he could date the other student’s mother. The first student took offense and slammed the second student against a wall and brandished a knife. Upon arrival, the police arrested the first student for aggravated assault. However, the second student decided not to press charges, so the first student was released.


Oct. 5 At Helaman Halls, several males covering their faces with T-shirts were running down residence hallways throwing firecrackers. The perpetrators were gone before the police arrived.


Yep, riduculous.

I've been bouncing back and forth between my two jobs and school, so I have been hard pressed to update. In fact, I am currently sitting in the newsroom and watching the TCU-BYU game. I am forced to multitask to get anything done, and for those who know me, that should be worrisome. I went to the last BYU game with my father. A really nice guy named Brandon who is the Editor here at the DU hooked me up with tickets. Surprisingly enough, BYU won, and the weather was good.


As I said a while ago, a feature that I was going to run was Good Song/Bad Video. This song might not be considered good by many of you, but I like it. And also, even though the video is really bizarre and pointless,I like it aswell for some reason. Must be the mariachi at the end. Who knows. Maybe it's the bird and monkey. But all that doesn't change the fact that the video sucks. I mean, it's generally considered bed form and amateur to show an example of what ever the song lyric says as it is said. Anyway, enjoy:




Also, just because I found this commercial and find it hilarious.

Here are a FEW pics of Freshman Foothold for those who want em.

Well, I've been busy- as if you didn't know that by now. But here are a few things that I have been working on:

http://universe.byu.edu/node/11028
This is a video I did for International Fair.

http://byudailyuniverse.com/blog/?p=6010
This is a photo blog that I shot of Y Trail.

There are more things but you can look for them on universe.byu.edu.

And here are the photos:

Because the people demand it...

I'm a busy guy, so I apologize for the lateness of this update and leaving you all hanging. I have two jobs, for those who don't know, and they have been keeping me very occupied. Oh, and 15 credit hours. So you can understand why these posts aren't as frequent as we'd like. Anywho, I recently received an e-mail inquiring about my recent escapade with the Freshman Foothold retreat. So for all of those who wish to know, here are a few points:


A few questions to consider might be:
-How exactly are you involved in Freshman Foothold? (Or how did you get involved?)
I got involved in Freshman Foothold originally as a freshman when I was invited by the MSS office to go on the retreat. I had such a great time and learned such useful things that I have always remembered that experience throughout my university career. Because of these fond memories, when I received an e-mail calling for volunteers and mentors for this years FF Retreat, I was only too happy to sign up. Apparently there were a lot of others who answered the e-mail to be a mentor, but I was lucky enough to be chosen and was glad for the chance. Something interesting is that I was the oldest mentor and the only one married. I don't know why, but it was interesting. As a mentor I drove a group of Freshman up to Springhaven in Hobble Creek Canyon in a BYU van and directed my group of 12 freshman during the course of the overnight trip. I also organized our dance number which was, well, pretty awesome.
-What are the main purposes of the Freshman Retreat? Do you think these purposes were accomplished?
The main purpose for Freshman Retreat is to aide students in making the transition from high school to university life, and to really let them understand that the MSS office is there for them whenever they need as a counsel and support. Also, to have a TON of fun. I am not sure if the students had as good a time as I did, but I suspect that they did have a great experience and I'm sure that the goals of the MSS office were met and exceeded with this activity.
-How do you think the program helps new freshman adjust from high school to college?
I think the most important thing for any student who has recently left home of the first time is to learn how to wisely manage time and relationships. There were workshops about those topics and inspired devotionals that I know helped me become better educated about important facets of university life.
-What kinds of other activities are planned for Freshman Foothold throughout the year?
I am not sure what other activities are planned, but I am sure they will all be both fun and educational and I hope I can get involved in them in someway as well.


So there you go. In addition to these good times, I made some new friends, played some Phase 10 and got into a battle royale (a good kind) with Melba the coordinator in charge.
The activity was great fun, a shout out to my group: Heaven, Mika, Rachael, Michelle, Giselle (yeah, there were hard to keep straight name-wise), Sheldon, Phoebe, Maria, Jenae, Miriam, and Brenda. They are a good bunch. We called ourselves the Kool-aides and our cheer was high on the awesome scale. I do love Kool-Aide. We were almost the ‘Slurpies’, but even my dedicated freshman wouldn’t go for that.

There will be more things posted later.

Impressionable freshman need YOU!

Well folks, I have been selected from amongst thousands of candidates to be a Freshman Foothold mentor. What is this you ask? Well, I'll tell you. Freshman foothold is a program that is sponsored and organized by Multicultural Student Services at BYU. This entails an overnight event in which around 150 multicultural freshman are taken to Spring Haven lodge up Hobble Creek Canyon for an overnight activity with devotionals, workshops, dances, and presentations. I was selected to be a mentor of 12ish wonderfully optimistic/naive Freshman for this activity which will take place next week. I am told that I was selected primarily for my awesomeness, which is substantial.
Now, for those of you who know me (I'm looking at you politicchic), you are probably cringing internally and questioning whether or not the Freshman Foothold selection committee is composed of sadists, psychos, pirates, and ruffians. Probably. But that doesn't change the fact that I, and therefore you, are in a position to impact/scar the next generation of BYU tadpoles.

I am planning on printing up a list of REAL HELPFUL advice for each of my little buddies (there will be girls and boys). I am going to be putting advice that will really help them during their time at BYU.

This is what I would like from you: One thing that you wish that you'd have known about when you were a Freshman that you didn't learn until later.
We're looking for the best tips, tricks, ideas, and philosophies- NOT the standard 'get involved', or 'do the readings before class' type of advice. That's common sense and I am sure they will get that from other sources. I need your combined wisdom to make their experience as worthwhile as possible. The focus of the workshops is relationships- between a student and roommate, professor, opposite sex, and other students.

Extra credit: I am also going to make a mock 'Worse Case Scenario' cards to hand out to the kids in my group. They are supposed to be funny/realistic. It will have a scenario written on the front of the card, for example:
You come home late one night to your apartment (around 1 AM) and find your roommate engaging in 'petting' with their significant other. WHAT DO YOU DO?

Then on the other side will be something like this:
A) Yell at your roommate and throw a chair at them.
B) Apologize and offer to be lookout for them and run interference with other roommates.
C) Curl up into the fetal position and cry until they go away.
D) Throw a bucket of ice water on them.


Anyway, something along those lines. If you have a scenario idea, email me. They are supposed to be silly, so no worries there, and The idea isn't to give them an acceptable solution, they can think of that on their own, but to get them to think about things in a humorous way. Thanks if you help, and if you don't.... well. Fine, be that way.

5 Greats of the 80's

The other day at work I watched an 80's movie that I had never heard of before. It is called 'Big Trouble in Little Tokyo'.
It Was Awesome.
Kurt Russel. John Carpenter. Demons. Kung Fu. Ridiculous. Amazing.

This reminded me of many great 80's flicks. Here are my current favorite five action comedies of the 80's:
5) Big Trouble in Little Tokyo


4) Romancing the Stone
Micheal Douglas when he wasn't old and creepy. Danny Devito. Villains with crocodile pits. Suave mambo dancing cut scene.


3) The Goonies
Little Asian kid from the Temple of Doom. Chunk. Villains falling on their delicate bits chasing the heroes. Great pirate parallels. Sean Ashton. "Hey you Guys!".


2) Who is Harry Crumb
"I've been so thoroughly trained that I don't even have to think before I speak". Chasing a plane on a stair car. Best use of Bonnie Tyler's- 'I need a Hero' ever... Period. Tic Tac Toe on a strangers stomach. Brilliant. Fat Guy Hero.


1) Better Off Dead
John Cusack, Blowing up Moms. "I want my Two Dollars". How to pick up trashy women. Testicles/tentacles. Skiing montage. Van Halen Claymation Hamburger.




It just dawned on me that there is no such thing as a top five for awesome 80's comedies. As I review my list, these movies have flooded my mind:
The Three Amigos
Fletch
Airplane
Breakfast Club
National Lampoon Movies
FERRIS BUELLER
Caddy Shack
Spaceballs

*Sigh. Why do movies suck these days? This is an open invitation to share your fondest memories of 80's cinema.

Bald like me.

When I was 19, the first indication I ever had that I would one day be super bald was when my girl friend at the time gave me a super short hair cut and afterwords said, "I think your thinning out on top.". I scoffed at the time, sure that since my grandfather on my mother's side had always rocked a healthy head of hair, that I would as well. I was wrong. Apparently, the genes that I got from Big Steve, this guy:

were stronger than the others. Fortunately, I don't mind being bald. I never cared much about my hair when I had a lot of it, and I don't much miss it. There are times when I wouldn't mind, say, combing a wolverine style doo like I used to, but at least I don't have to comb it at all.

Baldness: not a problem. I've been told that my head handles the baldness well. That's good to hear.

So, who else is bald out there? Here's an incomplete list:
Jason Statham
Samuel L. Jackson
Michael Jordan
Michael Clark Duncan
Lex Luthor
Kojak
Bruce Willis
Bulls Eye
Mr. Magoo
Yul Brenner
Vin Disel
King Pin
Dr. Evil
Yoda
Patrick Stewart
Winston Churchill
Sean Connery
Billy Corgan
Steve Austin
Andre Augassi
Pac Man
Shaq
Montel Williams
Kyle Gas
Paul Shaffer
Moby
Hitman
Dragon Ball characters; Teeyen, Krillin, Piccolo, Freeza etc.
Michael Stipe
Damon Wayans
Charlie Brown
Ghandi
Turk from Scrubbs
All of the Ninja turtles
Mr. Clean
Jessie 'the body' Ventura
Stephen Covey
Pop-Eye
Ed Asner
And many more. Fill free to add those I don't remember.

Things and people the world would be better off without:

Soap Operas
Indiana Jones 4

Michael Moore

Black licorice
Somali pirates
Jar Jar Binks
Male purses AKA Satchels
Hugo Chavez

Mosquitoes
The UofU Mascot Swoop (because it's gay)

AIDS
Obama
The View
Kenny Chesney

The Taliban
The Daredevil, Electra, Fantastic Four, and Second Punisher movies.

Skinny Jeans. Also, emo hipsters who wear cardigans and thick rimmed glasses and have delusions about how great their chosen music is.

Most Akon songs
Modern dance

Pedophiles
Clash of the Titans

The Harry Potter movies
Everything Twilight: Books, Movies, Merchandise
Especially that ugly fo they got to be Edward in the movies- Robert Pattinson

More to come

Check this:

For a new segment to my blog, I have decided to try something unusual. I will have periodic posts called "See no evil", which will feature good songs with terrible music videos. This song by Queen is one of my favorites, and I like pretty much every remix of it ever. I even liked it in that Coke commercial. What I don't enjoy, is this video, which I found locked away on the hard-drive of a random computer in Peru. Why it was there I have no idea, but here it is for you to... enjoy.

I'm sooooo tired.

It's been awhile.
I have been having a deuce of a time sleeping lately. I am actually sitting here at 10 AM and wishing fervently that I was sleeping. But I was laying in bed and I just couldn't. Maybe it's the fact that our AC doesn't work and that Malu sleeps with the windows closed when I'm not here making the house a comfortable eleventy billion degrees. Maybe it's the jackanapes mowing the lawn outside the bedroom window for the better part of an hour and a half (he obviously gets paid by the hour). Maybe its the fact that I slept 9 hours yesterday night for the first time in weeks (with the aide of some crappy sleeping pills.) Whatever it is, I am not a cheerful camper. I wish my job weren't so easy and didn't pay so well for doing absolutely nothing. Then I could justify quitting. The only downside- regular sleep deprivation- is quite a downside.

ANGER!!!

This is what I feel towards the referee for the US-Slovenia game today. Why? well, here is the humorous article about him on Wikipedia that I found moments after the game:

"Koman Coulibaly (born 4 July 1970) is a Malian football referee who currently resides in Mali. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 1999.

He was selected as a referee for the 2004 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia, the 2006 African Cup of Nations in Egypt, and the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana.
Unbalanced scales.svg

**The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.**
(Author interjection, the neutrality of this article as suspect as the neutrality of Koman in his officiating.)

He was preselected as a referee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[1] His officiating in the game between USA and Slovenia was roundly criticized by television commentators at the time. Coulibaly negated a late U.S. goal with an offsides call, which replays have shown to be inaccurate. The goal would have capped a US comeback from a 2-0 halftime deficit to Slovenia; instead the game ended in a 2-2 tie. Coulibaly is rumoured to hate the United States of America with the burning passion of a white hot sun.

Speaking on the game, Chris Moyles said: "I've just seen that disallowed goal for the US again - and not only was there no foul by a US player, there are probably two penalty-kick offences being committed by the Slovenian defenders. Shocking decision." Coulibaly's exploits have drawn comparisons to such sporting pariahs as Jim Joyce, Don Denkinger, Tim Donaghy, and even BP CEO Tony Heyward.

Koman even gave out a yellow card to Robbie Findlay (of the US) in the same game, after he was hit in the face with...the ball? Koman definetely stole the show in the US-Slovenia game."


He may have born on the Fourth of July, but he's no friend of Uncle Sam. Here are my thoughts on the matter:

There once was a man from Mali,
who was as dumb and blind as could be,
he hated the States,
so FIFA said, "Great!"
and then made him the damn referee.

World Cup...

I was planning on writing a detailed analysis of all my thoughts and feelings about the great event that is the world cup. But then it dawned on me that most of the 3 people that read this don't really give a fig about the World Cup. So... Well. I guess I got nothing.


(GO USA!!!)


(... AND CHILE!!!)

Some R&R Fruitland style

I like Fruitland. It's quiet, free laundry, homecooked meals, and sweeping landscapes. I took some snazzy pictures and am now putting my name on them so people don't rip off my photos. Check these out:







On a side note, my brother and I planted a garden, so there will be updates on how that is going.

My bucket list so far.

I realize it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. About a month actually. But hey, I felt like I needed a blog vacation. That’s right, I figured that I blogged up a storm in Peru, so I took time off.
High points of my time back: I’m back at Heritage making sure the at-risk youth of tomorrow are safe. Malu and I purchased a car. It’s a golden Kia Rio, which averages 30 miles to a gallon whom we named C-3PO. And we’re back in the dance group. That’s it.

I have recently been inspired by my friend Gluch to make a bucket list. His is pretty long. I’m going to see how far I get, and be warned, a few of these I made a while ago and have accomplished. So no worries.

1) Dance in the Candelaria and master at least one Peruvian folk dance.

2) Go to Spain (or whichever country) and get involved in the out-of-control tomato fight.

3) Actually get in shape enough to see some stomach muscles (six-pack action).

4) Walk the Incan Trail and see Machu Picchu.

5) Jump out of a plane and parachute.

6) Drive a 69 Corvette Stingray really fast (and own one if possible).

7) Ride in a helicopter.

8) Visit Hawaii, and drink Hawaiian Punch on the beach there.

9) Paint a large Star Wars Mural.

10) Film a funny video with at least 10 friends.

11) Photograph a cougar in the wild.

12) Visit the African Savanna.

13) Visit all 7 Continents (or five if you are from S. America… BAZING)

14) Learn how to break dance.

15) Have a child (or 4 if everything goes as I wish).

16) Serve a LDS mission.

17) Meet a famous person and act indifferent.

18) Walk on the Great Wall of China.

19) Learn another foreign language (Japanese?).

20) Participate in a Marathon or, if I become suicidal, an Ironman Triathlon.

21) Shoot a fully automatic weapon (AK-47 or M16 would do … or perhaps an Uzi).

22) Learn and master all of my mother’s Latin songs.

23) Attend a major Star Wars convention; with a complete and cool costume (I’m thinking Darth Maul because of the whole bald thing).

24) Perform in a musical (already done this, but I’m thinking in an actual theater company).

25) Drive across the USA.

26) Start a **NICE** living center for high functioning mentally handicapped folks where they could have minimal on site management and could lead a decently independent lifestyle.

27) Write and record an album of guitar songs with at least 10 tracks.

28) Learn a cool trick on a snowboard (some kind of 360 or flip at least).

29) Attend a MASSIVE rave (with minimum homosexuals … and therein lies the challenge I suppose. That is to say, not a rave SPECIFICALLY for gay rights)

30) Take a strobe picture of a bullet going through a pop can filled with water.

31) Own a really nice custom made round table with a Risk board inlaid in different colored stone on the top. With this awesome board, I wand to take time lapse overhead pictures of a long and brutal six player game, then to be strung together with music to show.

32) Learn how to custom paint ‘hovering flames’.

33) One day restore to glory the purple Ford Power Stroke (preferably the same one that is now dead).

34) Visit Iguazu falls.

35) Check out the Grand Canyon.

36) Go backpacking/camping in Souther Utah.
37) Visit Madagascar.

38) Buy a Samoyed or Japanese Akita puppy and teach it to be awesome.

39) Write a book and get it published.

40) Get 20/20 vision without contacts or glasses.

41) Relearn how to do a gainer on a diving board.

42) Learn the basics of various types of martial arts: Shotokan Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Brazilian Capaiera, Judo, Thai boxing.

43) Own a nice pool table and have a house large and nice enough to make it feel welcome.

44) Shoot 70 or under in 18 rounds of golf.

45) Golf on St. Andrews in Scotland.

46) Get good at soccer.

47) Visit the Philippines.

48) Visit Rome.

49) Run across Starvation bridge naked (strange I know, but many a friend and corruptor has done it and the reports are that it's a blast).

50) ....

I got nothing for 50. It'll come to me.

Until next.


PS> Here is a link to Gluch's Bucket list:
http://jgluch.blogspot.com/2010/01/100-things-to-put-on-resume.html

Friendship Test

If you don't think this is at least somewhat amusing, we can no longer be friends.