To sell or not to sell?

so pete and i moved this past weekend, and we both realized we have way too much stuff. some of it, i really don't understand why we have it. i think some of it was sentimental. some of it was stuff we never got a chance to sort through before we moved the last couple of times. and the other part are probably gifts that we kept for a "grace period" so we wouldn't have to explain where they went to the person who gave them to us. you all know what i am talking about.

anyway, i have come across a personal dilemma. it goes back to the sentimentality of things. i have a lot of cds that i have purchased and collected, per se, and am having a hard time deciding to sell them still. even though i have an ipod and a mac and all that stuff. it's the artwork and thinking about all the times i listened to that cd. where i was. what i was doing. who i was with. whatever. even the great lengths i went to in finding about the band or shopping for the cd at the store.

but...i never touch them now. i buy them. upload them. and then they sit and collect dust. there have been 2 or 3 times over the past 3 years where i have actually grabbed a physical cd and put it into a cd player (mostly a car that i am borrowing, renting). so...yeah.

my question is should i/should i not sell them?

i could make a good penny for a lot of them, and then i could buy other cool things. why is this hard? someone help me?!

More Movies

75 - Austin Powers (The trilogy)
If you don't like this pick I will feed you to my sharks with laser beams on their heads...

74 - Pirates of Caribbean (Only the first one)
One of my favorite rides at Disney World. Liked the movie even better.

73 - So I Married an Axe Murderer
Mike Myers at his best. The Scottish father scene is one of the funnies scenes ever. The best part is that Anthony Lapaglia can't stop from laughing while they were filming the scene.

72 - Bourne Identity (The Trilogy)
I love spy novels. I love spy movies. I love Matt Damon as a spy. The chase scenes, car chase scenes, fight scenes. However, the second movie did make Amanda motion sick which I find funny and concerning at the same time.

71 - The Karate Kid
I was wrestling with my brother the other day and I pulled a paint the fence move and said it as I did it. If that doesn't indicate the lasting effect of the movie, I don't know what does. (yes I am 30 and I still wrestle with my brothers) If you disagree I might just have to put you in a body bag.

70 - The Goonies
Not the best movie ever, but watching this movie is very comfortable. Its like sitting in front of fireplace. Just feels nice. Its a campy, funny movie.

69 - The Breakfast Club
I don't know. Its a classic.

68 - Finding Neverland
My name is Peter. Guess how many times people called me Peter Pan? Well I don't really know but it was a lot. Sometimes I wished I could go to Neverland so people would stop calling me Peter Pan. Very touching movie. Some of the best child acting I have ever seen. The scene with the orphans watching the play was adorable.

67 - Batman Begins
I almost put the original Batman on this list. But I like this version a lot more. The original was great. The others ruined the Batman franchise, but Christian Bale came to the rescue. Although, I would prefer a cat woman Michelle Pfeiffer to Katie Holmes any day.

66 - Kill Bill I & II
I like revenge movies. Man on Fire was so close to being on this list. I like characters that have enough moral ambiguity to exact revenge on those that have harmed them or their family. I think that's why Porter Rockwell has always been a captivating LDS historical figure. Not to say that he would have done what Uma Thurman did...how did I get on this tangent? Ahh...the beauty of the Blog.

65 - Contact
Interesting movie about faith. Made me think. This probably should be moved back toward the end because I would rather watch Anchorman, but whatever.

64 - Field of Dreams
I didn't mean to put the faith movies together. I used Field of Dreams for one of my lessons in our priest quorum. It was a good lesson.

63 - Lost Boys
I like vampires. Well I don't like vampires per say but I do like vampire stories. And this is a good one. It also has the two Cories at their best during the 80's. There is a new TV show called Moonlight. It is about a vampire and I really like the show. One of my new favorites. I think it would be kind of cool to be a vampire. Not the Keifer Sutherland kind, but the Moonlight kind.

62 - Boyz N The Hood
I wasn't sure if I should include this but it was the start of a huge film genre with movies like Juice and New Jack City. It was also highly controversial. Now it seems tame compared to what's out there.

61 - Superman (The Original)
I don't know why he turned time back for Lois Lane. She wasn't that hot and she was kind of bitchy. I mean he knew how she treated his alter ego, right? Although I didn't think about it while making this list, Mystery Men is a hilariously underrated movie. The scene when they are talking about the main superhero and how he can't be his alter ego. "But he can't be, he wears glasses." Oh that's rich!

60 - Ghost Busters
Let's switch this spot with Magnolia. I agree with Mrs. Everything. Magnolia should be moved further up and I think Ghost Busters should be moved back a few spots.
New ranking - #80

59 - Blade Runner
This could really be a lot higher, but on rewatchability I have to leave it here. I like science fiction. I think this is a completely unique movie, but its not easy for me to watch very often. In fact I have only seen it all the way through once.

58 - Romeo & Juliet (The Leonardo Version)
I like Baz Lurman's style. And it has Michael from Lost before he became a bastard and betrayed all his friends...

57 - Stand By Me
Think Keifer had to act in these movies, or do his current personal problems reflect a life time of personal problems?

56 - Wayne's World (let's pretend the second one never happened)
I wonder if our kids will think the comedies we find funny will be funny to them? I suspect not. I don't have Animal House or Blues Brothers on this list. I have never seen Animal House so I can't put it on the list, but I guess I didn't really like Blues Brothers that much. Hmmm..I might have to rethink this. I actually did find it pretty funny.

56 - (A) Blues Brothers
Okay. Our kids might think our comedies are funny. Blues Brothers is a good movie.

55 - Jurassic Park
Great adaptation of the book. Very cool new movie technology. I had a film class at UVSC and this was one of the films we talked about as being one of the great movies ever made. I kind of agree. Not sure if it would make the best 100 of all time, but I'll throw it into this list.

54 - Terminator 2
Didn't really like the first one, and the third one was entertaining but not good enough to put into this list. Still a cool movie.

53 - Unbreakable
Huge M. Night Shyamalan fan. His movies are unique. I personally enjoy his pacing and story telling. I think with this movie it was either a love or hate thing. I loved it.

52 - Dances With Wolves
Beautiful movie. It makes you realize how badly we treated Native Americans. And probably Kevin Costner's best work.

51 - A Simple Plan
I have only seen this movie once. It may be one of the hardest movies to watch that I have ever seen. It shows the subtle decline of Bill Paxton's character as he continues to make bad decisions to keep a bunch of money that he found. It is heartbreaking and compelling.

50 - Rocky IV
I remember watching this when I was 8 years old. We lived on a farm in Michigan and it was the winter. I went outside and ran laps around our farm because I felt so motivated by the movie. No other movie has made me get out of my seat like that. I mean they have a statue of Rocky (A fictional character) in Philadelphia.

49 - Best in Show
Christopher Guest is also a genius. His movies are a good way to screen friends. If someone really doesn't like one of his movies, you probably don't want to be friends with them. If they don't get the subtle humor, they don't really have a very good sense of humor. Unless you don't like his movies in the first place, then you would want to be friends with the people that don't like his movies. But then you would hate this pick...by the way I think I could bench-press you!

48 - Adaptation
That Charlie Kauffman. This is probably Nick Cages best movie. I mean I did enjoy National Treasure, but...I was like totally wasted man J/K. The book the Orchid Thief was actually really interesting, but his adaptation is really really cool.

47 - Raising Arizona
Nick Cage again. Didn't mean for that to happen. Coen Brothers are hit or miss for me. They have some amazing movies, and then some not so amazing movies. What happened to Holly Hunter by the way? She looks terrible lately.Oh, and by the way people, Fargo is not in Minnesota. It is in North Dakota.

46 - Stranger Than Fiction
I really like this movie. This gets tough cause I could have this movie in my top 10, but its like 1 -50 could be my favorite movie depending on what day it is. But this is an excellent movie. Does anyone else think Maggie Gyllenhaal is kind of weird looking?

45 - The Shining
If you like Stephen King, or have read the book, this movie makes even more sense. Especially if you are big Stephen King fan. And in the book, the caretaker guy lives, the one who could communicate with Danny. I don't why they gotta have the only black man in the movie rush across the USA through a snowstorm and then die right when he gets there. What's up with that?

44 - Pieces of April
Really touching movie. Its amazing how small independent films can be so much better than than the big overproduced hollywood movies. (I don't capitalize hollywood cause I don't think they deserve it)

43 - The Ring
Scariest movie ever. I don't like slasher films and I don't think they are real scary movies. They just depend on people being stupid and a lot of blood and gore. The ring is just straight up creepy. Watching it alone in the dark is...I still get scared.

42 - E.T.
I haven't seen it in a long time. I'm afraid that if I do it will lose the magic I remember it having from when I was a kid. It might just seem cheap and silly.

41 - Hoosiers
I love basketball. Best basketball movie ever made. I can hear the music from the last basketball game montage..naaah nah nah na naaah nah naah na naah nah na na nah nah..

40 - Forrest Gump
Feel good movie. Great historical narrative. And I would like to someday live in Savannah, Georgia. That is where he is sitting on the bench waiting for the bus. Savannah is so cool. And if you live in the historical district and want to paint your house, you have to buy paint that is made they made paint from back in the early 1900's.

40 - (B) Dazed and Confused
I mean..Martha Washington was the coolest lady ever. She would have a doobie waiting for George when he got home...

39 - Sixteen Candles
I know this movie has been overplayed on the television and the whole bit, but it is a classic. And no matter how many times I have seen it, I can still sit turn this movie on and be entertained.

38 - Beetle Juice
Not sure what to say here except I think Tim Burton does drugs.

38 - (B) Empire Records
No way man, If Rex Manning were on the side of the road, Axel would grab the wheel and...

37 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Can still watch it and be entertained.

36 - Unstrung Heroes
Touching movie. A really under the radar movie that I don't think many people have seen but very well done and great acting. Michael Richards is in it.

35 - Lost in Translation
Good solid movie. Darkly humorous. Bill Murray is outstanding in this movie.

34 - Braveheart
My parents don't watch rated R movies and as a result they didn't want us watching rated R movies. I still did but my dad told me to go see this movie when it came out. Braveheart and A Few Good Men were the only rated R movies that I got the OK to go see. Naturally this was a great movie.

33 - Say Anything
Maybe the greatest romantic dramedy ever made. LLoyd Dobler is a classic character and every time I hear In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel, I think of this movie.

32 - Dead Poet's Society
Oh captain my captain. That scene makes me tear up every time I see it.

32 - (B) Almost Famous
Almost forgot about it. I really like the guest appearance of musician Mark Kozelek as the drummer for the band. Jason Lee is another actor who I like almost anything that he's in, ever since Mall Rats. The scene when the lead singer gets on the bus and they all start singing Tiny Dancer. I look forward to that scene the most, but you have to watch everything before it for it to be a really great scene. That's why it is such a great scene.

31 - Raiders of The Lost Ark
Okay. I wanted to be an Archeologist after seeing this movie. I don't what little kid didn't want to be. However, after The Temple of Doom (eating weird stuff and being stuck in a room of bugs) helped me get over that dream.

30 - Goodfellas
You know, this could move off the list. It was a good movie and well acted, but...I don't know. I don't really like watching it that much and I think I got swayed by the critics. So Almost Famous moves here and Goodfellas moves to Honorable Mention

29 - Secret of Nimh
Another movie that I have not scene for a long time but was magical to me as a kid.

28 - Starwars (I, II, III The Newer Ones)
The order I like these is III, I, II. They are good and I do like them, but they are not as good as the originals.

27 - The Jerk
Another good movie to judge your friends by. If they don't like it, they aren't that cool.

26 - Back to the Future (I & II - Let's pretend like the 3rd one never happened)
Where we're going we don't need roads...

Top 100 Movies From 1977 - Present

Okay....

This a Monster Blog.... I am going to post this one in a few different parts.
I started thinking about this over Christmas break. I know that everyone's top movies change all the time depending on what month and year it is and what new movies have come out. But there are some universal movies that are so awesome they should never move off the list. Obviously some do if a better movie comes along. The list is always in flux, but as of today 12/27/2007 here is what my top 100 movies from the year I was born to the present would be.

To start this out let's go over the criteria.
1) I have seen the movie
2) I am the judge and jury. This list is completely subjective
3)Awesomeness - They blow you away. Some you can watch over and over and some you can't
4)Artistic Value - Cinematography, angles, lighting, etc...
5)Story - Original, not original, nor original but told originally...you get the idea
6)Breakthrough - Was it original? For example Citizen Kane is not that exciting of a movie. But if you take into context that it was completely new for its time, it makes sense why it rated so highly on AFI's top movies list. (Not our cat AFI, but the American Film Institute)
7) There are probably some movies that I forgot about that should be moved to the list. It is bound to happen so if it does ill try to change it later or ill post about it afterwards
8)Most of the trilogies I wrapped into one spot. Starwars has two spots, one for the first three episodes and one for the second three. Other movies like that I wrapped into one like The Bourne series or...I don't want to spoil too much.
9)These are kind of in order. I mean i tried to put the ones I think are better toward the front, but on Any Given Sunday one might be able to move up and another might fall a few spots. Too many are just as good as another next to it, so its more like 20 ties than 100 movies in order

Since I am starting in 1977, come great films won't be on this list. The Godfather, The Godfather II, American Graffiti. But those are the breaks. Also, here are some honorable mentions that didn't quite make the list but might have on another day.

Bottle Rocket

Shrek

A Time to Kill

The Silence of the Lambs

Twelve Monkeys

About A Boy

Blade

In America

Jackass (Both Movies)

Spider-man

Waiting For Guffman

Last Samurai

Batman

The Outsiders

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Flight of the Navigator

The Never Ending Story

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Red Dawn

Revenge of the Nerds

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Young Guns

I Heart Huckabees

Man on Fire

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

School of Rock

Blues Brothers

A Christmas Story

A River Runs Through It

The Power of One

The Fugitive Toy Story

This is starting at 100 and we'll go from there

100 - Pride and Prejudice (The Latter-Day Comedy)
So this is not the best movie, probably doesn't deserve to be in the top 100, but I met my wife on the set of this movie. I actually do enjoy the movie quite a bit and in the scene when Jack goes to jail and there is a guy moving behind him the background that is the real star of the movie...me!

99 - The Princess Bride
Fun movie. Good story and very quotable. Easily could have been an honorable mention, but I chose to include it.

98 - Army of Darkness
Sam Reimi at his best...well early best. And Ash is one of the great bumbling movie heroes of all time. I think it's great that Bruce Campbell is on the new TV show Burn Notice (which is also a fun show that I enjoy). This movie has some of the great quotes of our generation. If you have never seen it, I suggest you check it out.

97 - Anchorman: The Legend on Ron Burgandy
I love this movie so much I ate a whole wheel of cheese...

96 - American Beauty
I didn't really like this movie the first time I saw it. I didn't get why everyone thought it was the best movie ever. The weird guy from next door (the son) was a little too I'm so deep and artistic no one is as deep and artistic as I am...but then I watched it again and it made a lot more sense to me...Even though the kid was like that, I saw people like that all the time in high school and college, and I still meet people like that. It made me think and I think that was the intention of the movie...But this could have easily slid to the bottom of the honorable mentions pile, and it still might.

95 - Moulin Rouge
This movie was weird and quirky and I thought the soundtrack was great. It is a unique movie and still is.

94 - The Royal Tenenbaums
I have a thing for Wes Anderson films. The guys a genius. From set production, costumes, and dialogue he is a hip cat.

93 - Pulp Fiction
So this is one of those movies that I can't watch all the time. Only once every few years. The language and violence are a little much. However, it has maybe some of the best dialogue of any movie, ever. The way the story intertwines is very cool and the last scene in the cafe is...if you don't want to hear any swearing you shouldn't watch it.

92 - Gods and Monsters
Okay. I have only seen this movie once. It could be that I thought it was really intriguing when I saw it and if I saw it again I would think to myself, that was not as intriguing as I thought. It is a weird movie and has a very homo-erotic theme to it. You see weiners in the movie. Brendan Fraser is a gardener and strikes up this friendship with Ian Mckellan a very gay retired movie director. He directed old monster movies and the movie kind of makes this analogy between directors and gods and how they can become monsters. It was a really interesting movie. I thought about it for weeks after seeing it and a good movie does that.

91 - Die Hard (All of them except #2)
What can I say. I'm a dude and I have loved every minute of John McClane's crazy rides, except for the one at the airport.

90 - Saving Private Ryan
This is another movie I have only seen once. War movies are hard for me to watch. I end up crying like a baby and I don't like to cry. Watching a depiction of what people go through during wartime has its highs and lows. People rising to the occasion and people giving in to their fears. Seeing how war changes people and how if affects them. It always makes me wonder how I would react...and I don't want to have to find out.

89 - Ace Ventura Pet Detective
To those of us who were not allowed to watch In Living Color...ahem...this was an introduction to Jim Carrey. This movies is still hilarious and cracks me up every time I see it.

88 - Collateral
I'm not a huge Tom Cruise guy. As you might notice Top Gun is not on this list. I didn't really like the movie and didn't understand the big fuss. But this movie might be one of his best performances. Also, Michael Mann directed (Heat, Ali).

87 - Gladiator
Russell Crowe's character might be the biggest Bad A ever, next to Leonidis and his Spartans. That reminds me that I forgot to include 300 on this list. Might have to stick it somewhere. Love the fight scenes

87 - (B) 300
As I said, I knew I would forget something, so i'm popping it in here. This movie is so creative and unique. Se fantastique.

86 - X-Men (All the X-Men Movies)
If you don't like these movies...hold on while my adamantium claws cut your arm off...

85 - Brigham City
I know I know, Richard Dutcher is kind of crazy and he's not Mormon anymore, but that doesn't diminish what I though this movie brought to the table. The mystery crime drama was good, but the way he incorporated religion into dealing with the tragedy of a small community and the personal issues that went along with that were really well done. This is another movie that I thought about for weeks after seeing it and still think about on occasion.

84 - Before Sunrise
I saw Ethan Hawke once. I was driving through Santa Monica and I saw him walking on the street. I yelled "Hey Mr. Hawke I love your movies" and he flashed me the peace sign. That was big. Before Sunrise started me on my Ethan Hawke man-crush. He did a great job. There are a few actors that I don't really care how bad the movie looks, but I will still see it i.e..Ethan Hawke and John Cusack. But this was a legitimately good Independent movie. I did hate how they left it so open in the end. Then they made Before Sunset and I guess that helped clear it up...

83 - Garden State
Any movie that has a guy dressed up as a knight speaking cling-on is okay in my book.

82 - Being John Malkovich
I didn't really like this movie that much...but who the hell thought of this movie. Oh yeah it was that Charlie Kaufman guy. I don't know where he comes up with his ideas but they are so unique you can't help being intrigued by the stories. John Cusack played the most whiney narcissistic little man, and he did it superbly. I hated his character, but I think that was the point. If you've never seen this, gotta check it out at least once to appreciate how different it is. The other point here is that a lot of movies do the whole I'm so different check me out thing, but a lot of them end up being too "look at how awesome I am" and this movie isn't like that. It is just strange on its own merits.

81 - The Prestige
Walked out of this movie and thought Wow! That was a great movie and I'm really glad I took time out of my day to see it. Even though you think you are predicting what is happening, the end is still surprising.

80 - Magnolia
Ok. This might be Tom Cruise at his best. He is so much better when we hate his character. P.T. Anderson is also a genius (At directing movies. I don't know if he can add 4+4 or solve complex algorithms in his head). But the man can tell a story. The stories intertwine really well and the acting is first rate.

79 - Glory
Great great movie! What else can I say about it?

78 - Home Alone
One of the best Christmas Holiday movies ever made. I watched it this holiday season. And even though I am a lot older now, it was still a fun movie and it was about family and how important it is.

77 - Harry Potter (All the movies)
Not all the movies are equal but I have to group them up. Up until this last movie i hadn't read a single Harry Potter book, but I needed to know if he lived or died ***Spoiler Alert*** He dies (Or am I lying?)

76 - Reality Bites
So this movie started my crush on Winona Rider. Maybe the same for a lot of other guys? And furthered my man crush on Mr. Hawke.

Keep your eyes out for 75 - #1. More coming soon...

Commentary on Humiston List of 65

One of Spencer's list items was that he has been arrested twice. I was there for one of those. He got arrested for an overdue speeding ticket (Provo cops obviously have nothing to do). So I went to bail him out, but our friend Blake beat me there. Then Spencer went on a date with the girl who brought the bail bond. Classic.

Spencer forgot to add this to his list and I feel really sad that he didn't, but he should have put...ran away from Provo cops and it was like a scene from a movie.

Let me set this up for you. So we (Spencer, me, his roommate Brian, Josh Dunn, Charlie?, Blake? can't remember now) were shooting off fireworks in front of his house in Provo. All of the sudden a car comes around the corner with it's lights off creeping real slow. One of shouts cops and we all take off running through the back of house and then we crawled through his back yard fence cause it had a few loose boards. So a few of us split up in opposite directions and we were all running through yards and trying to stay out of the street. I ended up at a party somewhere and then got picked up. Brian had the worse fate. He walked back to the house and the cops were waiting in the bushes. That sucked. I think I still owe him some money for that ticket he had to pay.

The Matrix

Hello everyone (This is Pete not Amanda)

The other day the Matrix was on TV and so I started watching it. After the first commercial break I decided that I didn't want to watch the Matrix with commercials so I got out our DVD and started watching the Matrix commercial free. I forgot what a freaking awesome movie it is! I hadn't seen it for a few years, but watching it I was reminded of how cool it was when it first came out (and how cool it still is); The camera work, the action sequences, and most importantly the story line. The story line is gooood. I remember being blown away when they pull Neo out of the machine energy plant and we figure out what the matrix is.

So after watching the Matrix, I wanted to watch the second one. Luckily, my wife is so bodaciously awesome that she bought me the Matrix box set a few Christmases (that's probably not a word) ago. So the next day I popped in the second one and that one is freaking awesome too. So after I finished that one (took a few days) I wanted to watch the third one. So i started watching the third one.

From what I remembered I didn't like the ending before. But this time I really liked it. I know all these people have issues with the whole Neo representing Christ thing, but I don't. It's a freaking movie about machines ruling the world.

But aside from all that, it was a compelling trilogy with a great story, fast paced action, and I hope they make another three at some point in time. As for all of you, go rent it and watch it again. The trilogy should be ranked, as one movie, in the top 10 greatest movies of all time.

ninja in training

so the baby started kicking and moving around a lot this past week. one day, as i was driving home from work, it felt like it did this karate chop to my insides. it was freaky and hurty and cool all at the same time.

i am guessing this baby is honing in on its asian-ness. but my craving of oranges, lemonade and honey bunches of oats is a good clue that it's a little white bread.

*btw, i kept the pregnancy secret for a long time 'cuz i am of the glass is half empty persuasion. i've been burned too many times to get excited and "boast" too early until i know i am in the clear.

plus, it's fun to watch people's faces as they try and figure out if i just got fat or am pregnant. it's an interesting to watch the social behaviors unravel.

pete's dragon

so a lot of you already know this, but we want to announce on the world wide web that pete and i are expecting a new addition to our family. and no, it's not another cat. it's a baby!

we call it pete's dragon, since it gives me lots of gas and heartburn from time to time.

i am almost 5 months along, and i will be (supposedly) due on april 28th. i was a large baby, 8 lbs 10 oz and pete is a big guy, so i am expecting a ginormous halloween pumpkin-sized child. (hopefully, its head will not be pumpkin shaped...) we are both super excited and getting psyched every day, even though i am getting uncomfortably fat. women who tell me that being pregnant was one of their favorite times in their lives must have had a different experience (or are lying to me) than what i am having so far. maybe it's because i have a short torso? i don't know. cuz even at 5 months, i find it hard to maneuver--like bending. this is all the reason to never get this fat unless pregnant.

anyway, i have taken some pics for you all to see my progression. i don't want you to see my face in any of the pics, cuz i am usually in my weekend-at-home-cleaning-around-the-house-not-showering-or-beautifying routine in the pictures. the belly is really all you want to see anyway, right? these weeks just represent the biggest changes in belly growth for me.




this is 13 weeks along. it's a little pudge. my sister-in-law was amazed at how much i had already grown. she said she didn't show this much until she was at 5 months. geez. kick me in the jewels, why dontcha?



this is me at 16 weeks. you can tell my pants are too tight for me, cuz they are really cutting into me.



this is the one i took tonight. i am 19 weeks. i don't know if this picture really shows how big my belly is now. it really is. i think it's because i have a bubble butt that it detracts from my front. pete chuckled the other night when he glanced over at me, and said it was getting so big. careful with those words, honey...

i will post more pics as i grow. my ultrasound will be coming up soon, so stay tuned!

The LSAT and My New Job

Hello everyone. Most of you don't know me, but I am the man that Amanda was lucky enough to marry! And if you didn't know, I am a little sarcastic. I took the LSAT today and that test sucks. I just got a new job too. It is great. I get paid every two weeks and get benefits. One big hooray for corporate America. I am the credit reporting administrator for a collection agency. So if you have an outstanding credit card debt now being collected by People First Recoveries and we show up on your credit report..yeah that was me.

One other thing, our cat chunky loves it when the ice comes out of our ice machine on our fridge. He runs over when we are getting water and if ice falls on the floor he eats it. I love that cat! More to come in the future...

tag, you're it!

so i think i was really out of it on my last post about who i was going to tag. thank you to those who have already done so. i have enjoyed reading your lists. they're all great and so informative. i feel so close to you all now, we could be siamese...if you please...

i want these people to do the "8 things..." list, since ikumi, sarah m., and suzy either do not have blogs or was the one who had originally tagged me. yeah, duh amanda.

1. spencer and breckan
2. elizabeth
3. brigham

are you on?

crazy 8's

after jumping on my friend suzy's blog, i decided i wanted to make my own list. 2008 is fast approaching, and this will be a good way for me see what changes or stays the same in one year. none of this is in order of importance. enjoy...or not.

8 Things I am passionate about
1. my family
2. church
3. my friends
4. good sleep
5. good food
6. being a good example
7. education
8. reading all of your blogs and stalking people who i find bizarrely interesting/apalling

8 Things I want to do before I die
1. do my geneaology for my parents' families (mostly non-members)
2. serve a mission with my husband
3. have 4-5 children
4. travel to europe and asia with my family
5. knit a sweater (i'm an awesome scarf knitter, but let's move on!)
6. build houses for deserving families
7. complete my master's degree
8. own an alpaca llama

8 Books I have read recently
1. What is the What (this book is so amazing, despite how arrogant i think eggers is)
2. Book of Mormon
3. Softies
4. Water for Elephants
5. Systems Approach to Course Design (for my class)
6. Goose Girl
7. the Girls who Went Away (i didn't like this one, even though people told me it was good)
8. Deceptively Delicious

8 Things I often say
1. Cryminitley
2. What the...?
3. Chunky, get down!
4. Hi Bunny.
5. I'm hungry.
6. Don't fart towards me. Fart away from me. (ah, the joys of a flatulent husband)
7. Ugh, my nose. (response to my allergies)
8. Bye bunny.

8 Things that attract me to friends
1. good sense of humor
2. trustworthy
3. not full of drama
4. likes food as much as i do
5. doesn't mind my eccentricities
6. good hygiene (this is really important to me)
7. are genuinely good people
8. thinks Evil Dead II is funny

8 Songs and Albums I could listen to over and over again
1. anything by Sam Beam
2. anything by the Smiths
3. the lullaby album of the Cure, but also the original Cure
4. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
5. the Meow Mix jingle
6. How it Ends by Devotchka
7. Get it Together by Beastie Boys/Q-Tip
8. Who's Lovin You by the Jackson 5

8 Things I learned this year
1. maturity does not begin at any specific age. it is a learned skill.
2. i love heritage 1981
3. friendship and business do not mix
4. i need to visit my city more
5. my thumb is not green
6. you can't buy a good papaya in minnesota
7. japan is not what i always imagined
8. get some sleep, cuz it will not always be available when you want/need it

8 Random things about me
1. i've eaten blood stew, pig brains, and the infamous balut or fetal duck/chicken egg (duh, i'm half filipino)
2. i love extreme makeover home edition, and i always cry when i watch it
3. i probably almost died on a hollywood street with sarah d.
4. i had sushi a few tables down from salma hayek with sarah d.
5. i was put in in-school suspension once for dressing "inappropriately" to school (in my defense, i was not dressed inappropriately. my school was a fascist regime. you couldn't even wear flip-flops, because they said it distracted others.)
6. i used to think mormons were like amish people before i joined the church
7. i hate worms, clowns, marionettes/puppets, and roaches
8. i' not a good swimmer

8 People I tag
1. sarah b. (formerly d)
2. fritzes
3. veeda
4. eva
5. ikumi
6. sarah m.
7. suzy
8. cindy (she is so gracious to let me)

sometimes i wish i didn't have a nose

i've mentioned before that i have a sensitive nose, and i can pick up odors that others either cannot or just tend to disregard.

anyway, there were 2 people that i was around tonight that were pretty smelly. one person just smelled like stale cigarettes, old sweat, and (no joke) a walking fart. the person was nice, but that did not keep my nose from crinkling and me attempting to breath thru my mouth.

the next person had extreme body odor. i mean, the kind that burns and you would think you would get from doing vigorous exercise. this young lady, i'm sure, had not done any exercise that day...so i was confused. i tried to ignore that part of her "essence," until she got really close to my face and had major halitosis. i felt so bad, because the first thought that came into my mind was "how are you engaged when you often smell like this?"

that is why i wish i didn't have a nose. then, i wouldn't be so judgmental.

it's about time

so after 2 months of searching, being very picky, turned down a few times, offered a few times (by my last resorts) and then refusing those offers...i have landed myself a new job!

i will be the merchandise presentation associate at regis corporation under the mastercuts/supercuts retail division. i know, i know. sounds long, but it's pretty much part of what i did at borders when i was a manager there but on a corporate level. which means, no more nights and weekends. i am getting paid more, never have to take my work home (big bonus), and i can do my temple work and some volunteering/teaching for experience towards my master's degree.

basically, i feel like laura linney did in "love actually" when the guy she's had a crush on kisses her at her door and decides to stay...and then she tells him to wait a moment and she does this cute lil' dance on the stairs...but without the sex stuff later.

really boring christmas list, part deux

here are some other things i want. since i am still at borders part-time, i get an amazing discount to splurge on myself. it only means that the rest of the family will probably get books for christmas too. thankfully, they don't mind.


i want the book below, because there is a pattern for a "poo" plush. when i visited sarah and justin in japan this year, i learned that poo is cute. the dairy queen style poo, though. there were no splats or logs.


this book is supposed to be quite good too. i want to start sewing or learning how to sew, and what better way than to do it with lil' monsters. i mean, if i screwed it up i could feign that it was on purpose. right?


duh. i think i am the only person in the world that does not have this yet. i don't love video games, per se, but this console is super cute and has some games i think i would really like. plus, some of the games require you to stand up and do some physical action rather than sit and wiggle your thumbs back and forth which is much better for you. am i reaching?


pete and i want a camcorder, but i don't know what's good. i've never had one before, and this one was just priced low and compact. that is always a bonus in my book. does anyone know if this is worth the cash? sarah, miss consumer reports?

don't want to do the dishes yet

Which Office Character Are You?
	You are Ryan. You are extremely smart and perceptive, and it irritates you to no end when inferior people try to tell you what to do. Sometimes, though, your critical eye makes you come off as aloof and bitter to others, and it may take awhile for people to get to know you.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

i sort of figured, but i just wanted to make sure. i'm only bummed that ryan is not always in every episode now.

really boring christmas list, part 1

so...you know you are getting older and less tolerant of allergens and pollutants when this is what you put on your christmas list first. the itchy ear feeling and stuffy nose plus having cats that shed way too much is really one of the reasons, but i think these are cool. so. what?

anyway, have one of these or something like these (air filter and roomba-robot vacuums)? i want some feedback, before i decide which one will be best. oh, and red is not a must. it was just pretty.

thanks for the stories

mo, veeda, and sarah: thanks for the comments you left on my last post about your families and your experience. it made my lesson in r.s. go much more smoothly being able to relate something that i know happens with other faithful members.

the sisters were really grateful for my "new, young" perspective. i think this will be a good calling for me. i can certainly learn a lot from all of them, all of you, and of myself to help strengthen my own family in the gospel. it definitely is a step up from teaching in a singles ward at byu, because the women were much more interested in what i had to say and actually commented. i used to hear the sounds of sleep-breathing when i taught, which was always so frustrating.

as for sister beck's talk last sunday in conference, i certainly can benefit from the concept of at least striving to be a better homemaker, mother, and wife. i just hope that we, as women and sisters in the gospel, must realize too is that there is hope in the challenges that come about if you are not able to accomplish the "ideal" homemaker, mother, and wife. we are here to be tested, and we are here to work. the most important part of it all is to do what is right always, and the blessings will come....we just have to be patient and know where to look.

i'm now a teacher

...for relief society, that is. i just got sustained this past sunday, and it's exciting and nerve-wracking for me. this is the first time i have had such a "hefty" calling in a family ward, and especially from someone who has not had children yet.

anyway, i will be teaching my first lesson this upcoming sunday. it will be on "strengthening family." i will be using the manual, plus talks from previous publications and such. but i wanted to try something a little different and use my friends and readers as examples and support for this. i think it will help strengthen me spiritually, as well as give me an opportunity to learn more about each of you on a different level.

does anyone have some good stories or references for "strengthening family?"

**ooh, btw, what did everyone think of sister beck's talk at conference today? my mother-in-law had one reaction. i had tuned out when she made one particular comment, so i wasn't as affected by it. plus, it seemed to focus on mothers and their role a bit more which took me out of the picture. (i guess i could have thought of my mother, though.) anyway, i just want to know. i'm not meaning to argue or anything, because i think it is important to support those called by our prophet. but...i also think it is important to lead and follow by the spirit, and i got a weird meaning out of the message.

this is what i saw.

so these were some of the pictures from the arcade fire show the other night. my friend, missy, and i were up in the balcony of this place that is normally used as a hockey rink. except...it was as hot as hades in there with all the dancing bodies. and the weather here has not made up its mind as to whether or not it wants to be hot or cold, so i dressed for the cold. stupid, stupid, stupid.

anyway, the pictures really don't do the show justice. there was so much action going on, and the crowd was going nuts. i'm so used to very few people dancing at shows out in salt lake (too cool? or too scared to dance at shows?), and it was cool to see so many people on their feet. even in the balcony area.

so, if you missed these guys or if they did not come to your city...check 'em out the next time around. $35+ is worth what you will experience.

it's true, they are fraggles playing instruments

i think i read on one of veeda's friend's pages that she saw arcade fire and they were like fraggles playing instruments. she is so right.

i got to see the wonderful arcade fire tonight in st. paul, and it was awesome. pete was not sure he wanted to go, and i'm tired of missing shows all the time. so, i took a friend from work who likes a lot of bands i hate. she ended up loving the show as much as i did. all the camera shots and production and all the songs they chose to play were just perfect.

lcd soundsystem opened up for them, and they were pretty awesome too. however, the arcade fire sort of came thru like the fraggles and started tearing it up (like they would have if the lcd soundsystem were "the dozers").

i forgot to charge my camera battery, so the actual pictures from the show will be forthcoming. stay tuned. oh...and if they come to your town, you have to go. you just have to!

sense of smell

i have a super keen sense of smell. pete and i always argue that he can't smell anything, and i can smell the inner soul of people. it's helpful in that i never smell bad, but it's also a burden in that my nose makes judgments about people, places and things more than most. these judgments sometimes turn into headaches too...

so our house is super old. built in 1919 to be exact. it's a cottage of sorts, or that was the idea when the bushnell family (yup, that's right. i have the info on the original owners.) moved out here. you see, they wanted a getaway home that was close to a lake. even though...there are supposedly 10,000 of them in this state and you could probably live by one anywhere. whatev.

anyway, the point is that our house has an earthy scent to it. it's not bad. it just smells like an older house. to make it a little more aromatic, i have 2 cats who have to potty. and they do this in our basement. our basement smells, not just because the catbox is there, but because there are parts of it where years of movement or wild rodent intrusion has allowed other odors to permeate. plus, the basement is unfinished. not only is the smell down there pungent to my schnoz, but it scares the bejeezus out of me to be down there longer than it takes to throw the whites in the dryer.

so i have tried everything to take care of the odors. i vacuum and clean A LOT. i use my swiffer A LOT. i make pete change the catbox A LOT. i burn incense and candles A LOT. i don't allow things to sit for long periods of time for fear of rodent infestation either, which means i've got some more cleaning to do again. but...the other day i came across some cute little candles at target. they're part of the method line, and they had some subtle scents that i could handle for my oversensitive nose. it's a delicious vanilla apple scent, and it is heaven. and tonight when i walked into my house, i was elated. so after all that nonsensical information i gave you, the point of my story is that target has great-smelling candles. for $5.99.

the big three-oh

today was pete's birthday. he turned 30. he worked for most of the day (finishing up the house we bought to flip), and then we had delicious famous dave's for dinner. i let him play video games for his birthday, and then we had an ice cream cake later for dessert. it was pretty low-key, as you can tell by my post. as always, i forgot to bring my camera. i'm going to have to learn to just bring it everywhere from now on. i keep telling myself that, but it just hasn't clicked yet.

anyway, it was a good day. btw, ikumi watanabe's birthday was today too for those of you who know her. she is in japan, so we could not do a dual celebration. if we had, it would have been awesome. guaranteed.

hardened state...arteries, that is

today, pete and i went to the infamous minnesota state fair with his brother isaac, saleit (his wife), and lahave (their son). the state fair is a big deal here, because people from places outside of minnesota (iowa, wisconsin, both dakotas) come up here to celebrate all things farming. it's mostly cool for the food.



pete is having a taste of some deep-fried calamari. yeah. didn't you know we raised squid in our 10,000 lakes?



this is an array of fries, deep-fried calamari, fried crab cakes, and deep-fried cheese curds. did we feel sick after eating all this? sort of, but i was ready for something else.



because lahave is just a silly baby, he ate saleit's glasses. we're hoping he gets smarter...(jk)



this tasty treat was the london broil steak sandwich with melted cheese, grilled peppers and onions, and banana peppers if you wanted them. i would have shown you the one pete and i shared, but we ate it before i remembered to take a picture. i had the banana peppers, because i'm not a wuss like the person above.



just a random pic of pete and i. i'm not mad. just ravenous.



we waited too long to feed me...




pete and i are enjoying a delicious corndog. this was fried too. duh.



and...here i go. if i didn't look fat enough, i decided to just down all the fried treats in one shot. no contest. just hungry.

the following are the other foods we ate, that i forgot to take a picture of:
fried cheese on a stick, tom thumb donuts, fresh strawberries and creme, martha's chocoloate chip cookies, cotton candy, caramel apple, apple cider, and a couple of pops

we did share most of this stuff, but it's still pretty redonkulous.

unfortunately, i didn't have any room for the following (these are some of the fair favorites that people dream about all year):
fresh roasted corn, fried snickers on a stick, deep-fried pickle, foot long hot dog, homemade ice cream, honey ice cream with sunflower seeds, sloppy joes, 3 foot beef jerky, and chocolate milk

even though i professed to be so hungry, i really didn't want to throw up in front of thousands.

Sciurus Vulgaris...

...or also known as red squirrel or devil rodent here in the sticks. and vulgaris is so appropriate here. i mean, check out the picture of the one with "hair horns."

yesterday night, pete and i found one of these suckers in a storage container that held some of our winter clothing. i was in the process of moving it to another location and had not done so yet. i imagined it got in, since the lid was not put on top yet.

over the past few days, we saw our cat (chunky) digging around in this box and trying to pull stuff out. we thought he was just being silly, but turns out he was hunting. so...yeah. this devil rodent was in there for the past few days, nesting and making the sweaters look like they were alive. like alien or something. and probably doing #1 AND #2 on my sweaters! so last night, pete and i (mostly pete) caught it and put it in a little squirrel trap to take out of the house. btw, the squirrel trap is useless. we've had it for over a year and never caught any of the lil' buggers that have been hanging out in our roof scratching around doing goodness knows what.

anyway, we did not kill him. we drove him down the street to a safe lil' area that had beautiful trees and a lake view. unfortunately, squirrels can be territorial. i hoped that with his ferocious biting of our towel that he would be able to fend for himself and be the new king of his domain.

*i do not hate squirrels, per se. i actually enjoy them when i see them, usually. especially the albino one that lives in our trees. i just dislike their use of my facilities without proper welcome.

oh. you know. just some culture and stuff.

today i went to the walker art center with my 2 sisters-in-law, saleit and maggie. lahave (saleit's new bebe) was there too, and he was actually very good. some of the paintings he liked, and some of them actually freaked him out. smart kid. some of it was pretty "bleh" to me too.

saleit had tons of fun, since she studied art in florence. i had fun when lahave screamed in the big room with the smashed car thingie. maggie had fun when we ate food later. there was a lot to see, so we will have to go back. however, the infamous minnesota state fair is coming this weekend. and...sorry pablo. your art doesn't beat cheese curds or food on a stick.

*i forgot my camera, so i didn't take any pictures of us. i wish i had, cuz maggie had on white shorts that were unbelievably see-through and too small for her. "spandex--it's a privilege, not a right."

so dreamy

yesterday, i saw "becoming jane" downtown with some friends from work. it was entertaining, despite all the giggling and sighs emanating from the rest of the theatre-goers. i'm usually not one for victorian age movies, mostly because it takes me a little while to understand what is being said. but...this one was pretty good. and i say this because james mcavoy who plays tom lefroy (jane's actual romantic interest) actually made me swoon. when he said, "don't you love me?" to jane and she didn't reply, i wanted to scream "i do! i love you mr. lefroy!"

yup. me. i didn't do it, but i'm afraid i would have if i wasn't already married and wasn't afraid of inciting a scratch fest.

new beginnings

so i decided i would take my name out of the running for the gm position. with much thought and more prayers and lots of long talks with family, i realized it is best for me to pursue other opportunities in my career and school and family.

i want to be more available for my husband and the young women i serve in my calling. i want to be motivated to clean my house and work on a project that i've put off for 3 months. i want to sleep a full night and not wake up in the middle of the day, because i did a 12 hour shift the day before. i want to help my husband pay for significant portions of our monthly bills, and i want to be of assistance to him when he goes to school. i want to mentally and spiritually prepare myself for a child, and i want to learn more about being self-sufficient. i want to go back to school and teach and help people adapt and function in our society. and...so much more.

although i will greatly miss my job, i think this is for the best. i already feel relieved, and i know i will find something better suited for my needs and my life pursuit. meanwhile, the next 2 weeks are going to be quite challenging. with my gm transferring to another store, i will have a new gm very soon. i hope that the person who takes over his place will be just as great as he was to me. as much as i complained about his micro-management, he really was a great leader and mentor. he will be missed.

need some advice

okay friends. i am having a job decision crisis. i've prayed about this, and i've thought long and hard. i've discussed it several times with several people. and yet, i am still at a loss. here's the situation:

currently, i am a sales manager at borders books. i make a very decent wage, get great benefits, love the product that i sell, and i like a lot of the people that i work with (there are a few here and there that i have an immense amount of disdain for). i was originally going to be stepping down to concentrate on going back to school full-time in the fall for my masters. however, some certification logistics with the program have prevented me from being considered for the full-time program (gotta finish one more certificate class...which happens to be in fall...until i can apply to the program). so...i figured i would just continue to work. at borders. at a school district. somewhere. just working, finishing up that one class, and then get into the program.

yet (again), i had some realizations even after that first decision. after much prodding on my part, i convinced pete that it would be a great idea for him to go back to school. he had already been talking about it, but skipped his lsat test back in february. we decided together, that he should at least give it a shot again and see what happens. plus, our overall goal would be for him to be able to make more money than he is now in case i will not be able to work (family/baby planning). obviously, a graduating law student has more earning potential than a graduating teacher.

so...i went into my district manager's office and spoke with her about general manager opportunities. i figured i would make the most out of it, if i was planning to stay with the company full-time. interestingly enough, there were 2 general manager positions that opened up that same day! i was excited and freaked out, because i was definitely not expecting that at all. anyway, i went home and spoke with pete about the opportunity. i spoke with my family. i spoke with some close friends, and i made the decision that it would be a good idea to go for it.

so i interviewed almost 2 weeks ago now. quite a few other people have interviewed along with me in the district, and i had some stiff competition and then some lackluster. i was pretty psyched at first about the idea of being the boss over the whole store, and then all these future events and plans and the idea of working another retail holiday and all the crumbums that we sometimes have to hire...it was just all so overwhelming.

i've been feeling really down and sort of sick to my stomach about it over the past week, and i don't know what to do. i've prayed about it, but i don't know if i am too stressed or distracted cuz i can't seem to get a straight answer for myself. pete won't tell me what to do, because he wants me to be happy and make my own decisions (easy way out--makes me hate him and love him at the same time). i'm gonna have a family counsel about it soon, but i would love your feedback friends! help me! what do i do?! here, i will break it down again:

take gm position (if offered): potentially make up to 15k more a year, work with books (which i love), have an interactive job, make quarterly bonuses, be able to afford a little bit more than i can now, great benefits, support pete thru school (i would go later)

DO NOT take gm position (if offered): would have to find another job (which sucks), new job could bring new career development, benefits (?), bonuses unlikely unless i work in a sales job, support pete thru school, work in the city with other cool city folk, possibly make what i make now (which is still pretty darn good), possible cool new co-workers or lame ones (all jobs have lame people)...basically lots of uncertainty

please respond, if you can. i would love any feedback you can give.

so scary

today, at work, one of our regulars came in and told us that one of the bridges over the mississippi river collapsed a few minutes ago. a few other people came in and talked about it, and i went around and spoke with all my employees to make sure that they could call their loved ones if they needed to to make sure they were safe. i didn't see any pictures until i got home at 10:30, and the goosebumps i got earlier turned into a stomach ache.

my heart and prayers go out to the families who lost a loved one in this horrific accident. i am also grateful to the many heroes that risked their lives to save those who went down with the bridge.

what the...

so this guy who looked sort of like quasimodo came up to me today and wanted my district manager's phone number. normally, we do not give out her # unless it is something that we cannot handle at the store level. i kept trying to explain that her # was private, and asked if i could help him. he wouldn't say anything but he would stare me down...perhaps trying to stare me into submission? i don't know. it was weird and kind of creepy. i wasn't really buying the scare tactic though.

he continued to ask for the number, and i continued to say "no" and asked if i could help. he said something about hiding things and corporate b.s. and politics...and some more staring. i stared back and waited for him to tell me what i could do to help. then, he left.

ah, the joys of retail.

chill out

i understand that harry potter creates a certain kind of mania, but "chill out" people. our store and my employees did an amazing job of taking care of you. think of it as christmas in july, because that's what it was like. expect a line. expect to wait to get your book. don't yell at us, because you decided to come on the night that 1500 other people were going to be at too.

all i can say now....is "i'm glad it is done." my feetsies and my legsies hurt a lot afterward. and i probably smelled like a bear in the wilderness.

nice dream

the other night, i dreamt that i was in high school again. it's sort of a reoccuring dream for me, but i think it was mostly sparked by the upcoming 10 year reunion.

anyway, i was back at my old high school. except...it didn't completely look like my old high school. you know how those dreams go. so i was walking up to the lockers, and i stopped in front of a row of lockers blocked off by some velvet rope. i stop and do some weird turns, and then i start speaking. i mean, people are asking me questions and i am answering them. and then i give this speech about what i will do for them....yada yada...if i were elected. by this point in the dream, i am assuming i am running for class president.

the weirdest part of the dream, though, was that everyone that was in the audience was not anyone i recognized from high school. it was more like going to high school with a bunch of people that were really good friends with tim burton and helena bonham carter.

well, whatever i said appeased the people. i won. senior class president. eat it.

so it is

i sort of figured, but i wanted to make sure...

Your Score: Joe Normal

43 % Nerd, 43% Geek, 47% Dork

For The Record:



A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.


You scored less than half in all three, earning you the title of: Joe Normal.



This is not to say that you don't have some Nerd, Geek or Dork inside of you--we all do, and you can see the percentages you have right above. This is just to say that none of those qualities stand out so much as to define you. Sure, you enjoy an episode of Star Trek now and again, and yeah, you kinda enjoyed a few classes back in the day. And, once in a while, you stumble while walking down the street even though there was nothing there to cause you to trip. But, for the most part, you look and act fairly typically, and aren't much of an outcast.



I'd say there's a fair chance someone asked you to take this test. In any event, fairly normal.



Congratulations!





Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

for laura

this is the most recent picture of our house that i took. it was in march during that freak snowstorm in the midwest. can you say "suck?"

why wasn't it like a john hughes movie?

so my class reunion is nigh. this summer actually. when i first heard about it, i was so turned off by the idea. but now...i am intrigued. one of the girls i went to high school with is in charge of it, and she started a myspace page for it. i am amazed at freaked out by what everyone looks like and does now. some went really far and others stayed in the same place.

anyway, to tell you the truth, i really hated high school. it was all the stereotypes of a john hughes movie, but with no happy ending where the popular girl falls for the criminal or the jock for the freak. if only. there were just a lot of mean people, administrators & teachers included, and it was tiring. at one point, i just gave up on trying with most people. i just concentrated on getting out of there--focusing on just school and watching lots of movies by myself.

but now i am torn. should i go? should i keep away? there are a handful of people that i'd like to see, but at the same time i feel like it would be completely weird. anyone else go to their reunion yet?

maybe, just maybe...i should pretend i invented something...like post-it notes...

good lesson today

today at church, i was reminded of the parable of the prodigal son and the commandment to write in your journal. i'm really bad at writing in my journal, and i could definitely compare some of my behaviors to the prodigal son...except eating from the pig trough thing...

so, i decided i would do better. that is, not be so wasteful. one of the first things that i am going to do is get better at writing in my journal. even if it just a little bit at a time. one of the greatest things about having blogs is that this sort of counts too. but...what would happen if i didn't have a computer anymore? i would always have a piece of paper or something else i could write on. tablets? maybe.

one more in japan

here you go. more. and....i'm spent.