My Random Thoughts

Letters From Work: II

2011-11-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

In case you missed my first letter in the series you can click here to look it up look it up. Here is letter #2. As always, all names have been changed and all spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors belong to the person writing the letter.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I, Harrison Ford, is now able to write. However, I am heart broken, which I know is personal. I am asking to please give me more time as illness struck my family; my daughter was in the hospital for months and medications of all sorts was needed. But, at the end I loss my daughter. I can send you a death certificate if needed. Whatever funds I put my hands on was in need.

She was doing good came home, and walking she fell out, in house and that was it. I thought I, was handling it, but, I was not, as I to end in the hospital. I am still not well but, I am trying to catch up on a lot of bills; Your company is one of them. I have a nurse at home and I have to hide, doing corespondence.

Thanks,
Harrison Ford

The first think I learned while doing collections is that everybody has an excuse. I'm not saying his is any less legit than anybody else's excuse, I'm just saying that you quickly learn to not let your emotions get the best of you. Somebody always has a reason as to why they can't pay their bills. Somebody died, they need a new water heater, they don't have a job, they spent the money on a vacation, or any other number of excuses.

Now it is definitely not a laughing matter that this person's daughter died. I just think it is pretty funny that he has to be hiding from his nurse. You'd think that a nurse is not something you need to hide from.

Twitter

2011-11-09T18:20:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't posted on here much lately. I've been lazy and honestly haven't had a lot to talk about. I'll try to do better though.

With my comeback I'm announcing my new Twitter account. As you can see on the side of the page, you can follow all of my Tweets on there. I'm sure I'll have nothing profound to say, but I'm doing it anyway. Enjoy!

My Business Ideas

2011-07-22T15:31:00.005-06:00

Have you ever been sitting around and come up with a business idea that you think would be the greatest idea ever? Well, I've come up with five solid business ideas, and here they are:

1 - Midgies

2 - The Taco Stand

3 - Grandfather Furniture

4 - Blue Sphere

5 - Sports Gone Wild

I might follow up this post with a little more detail on some of these ideas in the future, but since they are million dollar ideas I can't give too much away. If you really want to know about any of them leave a comment and I'll write another post in the future on that business idea. But if you want to steal one of my ideas I insist that we Rochambeau for it, and I get to go first. (That clip is a little long. Watch all the way through the 1:20 mark and you will see what Rochambeau-ing is.)

Letters From Work: I

2011-07-07T00:15:00.004-06:00

I work for a small company here in Logan. I handle their collections, along with working for a collections agency part of the time. While working in the collections business I come across many interesting people, whether I talk to them on the phone, receive an email from them, or a letter. Everybody has a reason why they aren't paying their bills and they want to tell you. Whether they are going through money troubles or just don't want to pay they will let you know. I often come across some pretty interesting letters and emails, and so I figured I would start a new feature on my blog. When I get an interesting letter I'll throw it on here so you can all see the type of idiots I have to deal with each day at work. The phone calls are always more interesting, but they are also more difficult to relay.

Here is the first of probably many Letters From Work. All spelling errors belong to the person sending the letter, not to me. This is exactly how I received it in the mail, except that I have changed all names and numbers to keep people anonymous:

I was misslrd by a letter so called contract to help me colect a refud of $1,02.09 from the departement of housing and urban development issue of trus
this company missled to help me to recive my refond and to sighn an agreement to help me recover a refunf that i could do on my own with a simmle ducument . I found out truogh federal trade commision at 1-985-655-2500 that i can do this on my own and should send a coppy of my closing of the house i owened 16 years ago directly to them witout having to go through a third party .They, in their letter never disclosed the fact that this matter can be done without any third partys help. All i had to do was to go to the clarks offic eof fayette county of lexington ky. where my house was located and ask for acopy of (ducument) that I have paid off this loan and have clode the deal of selling my house to another family.I was told and thretend by phone that if I do not use them they will turn my name and my wifes name to a colection office and hurt my credit record . the unbeliveable matter was that once I called for a conversation about their help, they automaticaly had all the information about us via computer and shaerd my confidential information repeting it on the telephon of my house. they had no rights to do so. they violated our family privesy by knowing alot of information abooy us. this company is dihonest and does not explain their intention vebaly or in the so called contact that they provid without any ones request. as senior citizion and a retierd person I have been violated adn i was discrminated as a some of that can not speach a good English.I do have an accent but I am well educated to know that this lady named Judy Garland is takeing advatages of others for a so called no need service specily to the elderly people like us.I strongly sugest rhat they should not be able to practice in such an ugly mann and take advatage of citizens of this country. I thank you for your cocideration of an action to stop this practice.

My favorite line: "I am well educated." This is a very good example of the type of person I deal with on a daily basis at work. It is hard to take them serious when they sound like this person. It makes for an interesting job though. Gotta love it!

Moving & a Futon

2011-06-01T00:33:00.002-06:00

About three weeks ago I moved, yet again. The lease ran out on my last place and so me and a friend moved in with some other friends in a different house. It has been pretty fun, and it looks like I should be here for as long as I can tell. Its a bigger place, with a much bigger room. At least much taller. It may not be much bigger other than that.

While moving I decided I needed to finally get a bed. I had been sleeping on an air mattress, but I figured it was time to get something a little better. As I was searching around the idea was tossed around of getting a futon. Well, it sounded like a great idea so I did it. Now I have a couch and a bed, in one! It is pretty comfortable, plus it has been a pretty big space saver. Here are some pics:

Things have been moved around to remove the clutter, but basically that is my room. It serves its purpose pretty well!

Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-02T00:38:00.002-06:00

Failblog

2011-04-20T01:16:00.009-06:00

One of my favorite websites is failblog.org. It never disappoints to get a laugh. I occasionally notice fails in life, whether it be people or ads, but I don't get around to taking pictures or doing what is needed to get them on that website.

Well, that all changed when I was reading a newspaper the other day and came across an ad. It seemed like a big enough fail that I ought to take a picture, so I did so with my phone. I submitted the add to Failblog, and it made it into the voting section. To vote for it go here and vote. The more cheeseburgers the better, so vote it five cheeseburgers. Here is a copy of it also:

The fail is the business name in the add. If it doesn't sound like a fail to you then you are probably a better person than me. But you can go to urbandictionary.com and look up the first word in the business name if you don't know and would like to figure it out. You won't need to read further than the first definition to know what is going on here.

Anyway, this is my newest claim to fame. If it gets enough votes it will make it to the front page of their website, so lets get out and vote!

Top Cartoon Characters

2011-03-31T01:40:00.001-06:00

In keeping with my semi-annual top people list, I now give you my list of the top cartoon characters of all time. To see my list of Top Dead People or my original list of Top People, follow the links. As my Top People list shows, Ralph Wiggum would win this award running away. But since he has already been used in that list I will exclude him from this one. And once again here is my honorable mention list, in no certain order: Baloo, Doug, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, Wile E. Coyote, Stewie Griffin, Mighty Mouse, Splinter, Giant Chicken, Marvin Martian, Woody Woodpecker, and Angela Pickles. And now, onto the list:

5 - Donatello

My favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. He never got the publicity the other ones did, and maybe that is why I like him. He just did his job without the fanfare of the others. Thanks for saving so many lives!

4 - He-Man

I grew up on this cartoon. I remember many a Saturday morning having to wake up early to make sure I caught it. Probably not as popular as some of the other ones, but just as great. I have the power!

3 - Peter Griffin

Not everybody may like this man, but I think he is hilarious. He is the star of Family Guy. That probably isn't a show for everybody as some of the humor may not be kosher, but I still love the man.

2 - Homer Simpson

Probably the most famous cartoon dad of all-time. Even though he may be a drunk and dumb, he still is a great dad when it comes down to it. And that is why we all love him so much!

1 - Optimus Prime

This man needs no introduction. From the cartoon to the big screen he has been kicking butt and taking names. Congrats Optimus, as you are now my favorite cartoon character of all-time!

Pawn Stars

2011-03-29T02:13:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to Las Vegas for spring break. It was quite the trip. Lots of fun! I watched some basketball, did some gambling, visited Hoover Dam (and made plenty of dam jokes), rode a roller coaster, and ate a ton. But the highlight of the trip happened the first day we got there.

We had just checked into our hotel and after getting settled in we were looking for something to do. Most of us (there were 4 in our group at the time) enjoyed Pawn Stars so we decided we should cruise on by and check out their shop. If you aren't familiar with it, Pawn Stars is a show on the History Channel. As you might guess, it is about a pawn shop.

We were strolling along looking at all the cool junk they had in there when a lady started yelling, "Everybody leave the store. We are about to film." As she requested, we began leaving the store. As we were doing so she stopped our group and asked us if we would like to be extras in the shot they were about to film. Of course we said yes! The next thing we know we are being filmed and put on cable television.

I don't know when it will air, or if it will air, but it still was pretty exciting. It isn't every day that you get asked to star in a TV show!

My New Team

2011-02-24T01:28:00.001-07:00

With the recent changes to the Jazz I would like to officially announce that I am taking my talents to NYC and becoming a New York Knicks fan. I'm not fully leaving the Jazz behind, but I decided I needed to cheer for a team that will cause me not to hate life while rooting for them.

You ask why I am choosing the Knicks? Let me tell you:

I like Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire.
I like their colors.
I like their coach.
And I like the system he runs.

It is pretty simple really. It came down to three teams; the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, and New York Knicks. Upon further pondering, I decided on the Knicks. And you know what? My life is already better. No more worrying about how many points the Jazz will lose by. No more worrying about what other franchise player they will trade away. No more worrying about how they will blow another lead. Life is good on the other side of the fence.

Problems in Facebook

2011-02-22T16:39:00.001-07:00

Let me begin by telling you a story. You can find it here. Have you ever had a friend request denied on Facebook? I'm sure we all have. It is nothing to get mad about, unless you are the lady in this story. She happened to be so mad that she ran her cousin over. Maybe not the correct way to handle it, but she didn't seem to care. She'd rather have assault on her record than be denied a virtual friendship.

This story raises two concerns for me. First, the fact that people can become so angry over something that doesn't matter. So that guy didn't accept your friend request on Facebook? Get over it. Or go talk to him like normal people used to do. Make a real friendship instead of a virtual one. Personal interaction with a person won't kill you.

And my second concern, the fact that Facebook isn't private. Or at least a lot of people haven't made their pages very private. If a New York Post reporter could get on this girl's Facebook page and notice that she enjoys "getting drunk" then there probably is a problem. Sure it is your page. Sure you can put whatever you want on it. But don't do it under the expectations that nobody is going to see it. Employers are using it more and more to check up on their employees. If you are looking for a job and just had an interview chances are that person is now going to stalk you on Facebook to see what type of stuff you have on there. Have a blind date tonight? Chances are the other person has already looked you up to find out stuff about you. If you are posting junk on there that the world can see chances are people do see it, and they are judging you by it.

Also on the topic of privacy, don't post your address, phone number, and that you are going to Hawaii on vacation for an entire week. People can see that, so don't be surprised when you come back to a home that has been stripped clean.

Anyway, that is my rant on Facebook. I've been using it for years. It can be fun. It is a great way to keep in contact with people. But it isn't for everybody. And if you ever get the urge to kill your child because he interrupted you while playing FarmVille, or you get extremely jealous over some photos posted online, then you probably should cut back on the Facebook usage. And see a psychiatrist.

Go Aggies!

2011-02-04T22:14:00.008-07:00

I know I've posted a few videos on here about Utah State basketball, but I figured it was time to get a few more. Utah State has been getting a lot of love from the National media, for our basketball team and for our fans. If you haven't attended a game in the Spectrum, you need to. You won't be disappointed.

I love a couple of things about the first video. First, that we are on ESPN. Second, you can clearly hear our crowd on TV.

I'm a little teapot:

Tai Wesley/Wild Bill:

What's New?

2011-01-27T12:53:00.006-07:00

Obviously I haven't posted anything on here in a long time. I've basically had nothing to say so I figured why post stuff? Well, now that school is back in session things are picking up a bit again, so I'm going to try and get some new crap on here before long. Until then, here is a brief rundown of what is new in my life over the last couple of months.

- On January 3, 2011 I moved into a house here in Logan. It was good to get a change of scenery, and nice to move in with some friends. I'm loving it there! The only drawback is that my room was created by a group of midgets. The ceiling is probably 6'1'' tall, and I'm just under that. I hit my head on the light fixture at least once a day, and I also hit my head on the door frame about as much. I'll take some pictures and throw them on here, because you really can't believe the smallness of the room until you see it.

- Google Maps sucks.

- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is great. I've been pwning a lot of noobs on there recently. My new roommates and I always have fun with that.

- Intramural basketball starts up tonight. Our team should make a pretty good run for the championship, especially considering I am on the team. We can't lose with me out there!

And that is about it. I'll get some pictures on here soon, along with some new and exciting posts!

My Weekend

2010-11-15T14:15:00.003-07:00

I don't feel like I post enough about stuff that happened in my life, just about really random stuff, so I thought I'd give you all a glimpse into a fairly normal weekend for me. Here is a log of events from Friday night to Sunday night.

Friday

5:00 p.m. - Get off of work
5:14 p.m. - Watch the Jazz game
7:06 p.m. - Go to dinner with my parents
9:17 p.m. - Go to the TSC to play ping pong
9:52 p.m. - Throw little pebbles at people from the roof of the TSC
10:21 p.m. - 100 meter sprint on the track
11:00 p.m. - Watch Family Guy
12:04 a.m. - Horchata Night

1:10 a.m. - Go to sleep

Saturday
8:25 a.m. - Wake up
9:00 a.m. - Work
12:00 p.m. - Get off of work
12:05 p.m. - Watch college football
2:42 p.m. - Go to Lee's for some free food
3:01 p.m. - Look for a house to rent for next semester
5:17 p.m. - Go to the spectrum for free chicken nuggets with the cheerleaders
5:52 p.m. - Sneak into the stands in the spectrum and obtain front row seats for the basketball game
6:02 p.m. - Get kicked out of seats for sneaking into the spectrum
6:03 p.m. - Get seats on the 8th row of the spectrum
7:00 p.m. - Watch Utah State beat Weber State in basketball
9:37 p.m. - Watch The Expendables
1:03 a.m. - Go to bed

Sunday
10:30 a.m. - Wake up
11:57 a.m. - Watch NFL
1:00 p.m. - Stake Conference
3:07 p.m. - Watch NFL
8:58 p.m. - Watch The Other Guys
12: 38 a.m. - Go to bed

And that was my weekend. For the most part that was a pretty normal weekend for me, minus the angry Sri Lankan yelling at me.

Real Salt Lake

2010-11-08T22:14:00.006-07:00

This last Saturday, the 6th, some friends and myself went down to Sandy to watch the Real Salt Lake soccer game. It was the second game in the first round of the playoffs, and they needed to win the game by at least two goals to move on to the next round. Well, if you've kept up at all you know they ended up tying the game 1-1, therefore they have been eliminated from the playoffs. It was still an awesome game to attend though! The fans were loud and the game was intense. Plus we had great seats! Here is a picture I snapped at the start of the game. It was taken with my phone, so it may not be the clearest picture ever:

Most all of the action took place on the goal right in front of us. Both goals were scored there, and the mad dash that RSL had to score at the end took place right there. It was pretty sweet! I definitely need to attend more RSL games in the future.

Horchata Night

2010-11-05T16:43:00.003-06:00

Every Friday night/Saturday morning a group of us has been going to Beto's. We usually get there around 12:00 a.m. or 12:30 a.m. and buy a cup of horchata, and just sit around and talk. It has actually been a pretty fun tradition of ours. If you haven't been to Beto's, you are missing out. It is a pretty good Mexican restaurant. And it doesn't get busy until after midnight. You could show up at 6:00 p.m. and nobody would be there, and then go back at 1:00 a.m. and it would be packed. A big reason why we go there is to see the type of people that show up there late at night. Let me fill you all in on some of the people we have met there:

- The first time we went there we met this dude. He had long, nasty hair and a pretty ugly beard. He also had a shirt that said "I ♥ ♥ ♥ Polygamy."

- There was also an Asian guy, probably about 30 years old, in his pajamas.

- The last time we went we met a guy who had just gone to three different Halloween parties. He was probably 50 years old, and completely wasted. He had a bandaged up foot, and a crutch. He said he had hurt his foot while partying too much. He hit on anything that moved as well. Probably the funniest man ever. Oh, and he was taking shots of the hot sauce they had there. He said he could do it because he takes shots of tequila all the time. I'll take his word on it.

These people are just a small sample of the people we've met. We meet all kinds of crazy people, which makes it fun. But its just a great time going and hanging out with friends, while drinking a wonderfully delicious drink. Go Beto's! If you are ever in Logan and want some enjoyment, come hit up Beto's with us on a Friday night. You won't regret it.

Stuff I Hate

2010-10-31T16:39:00.003-06:00

In a followup to my last post, I present to you a list of stuff I hate. Enjoy.

- I hate people who drive slow in the fast lane.
- I hate receiving one word text messages.
- I hate the girl upstairs who decides she has to walk around at odd hours in the night, making the floor constantly squeak.
- I hate BYU. And when I say BYU I mostly mean its obnoxious, self-righteous fans.
- I hate Nicolas Cage.
- I hate people who can't show up to stuff on time when they are supposed to.
- I hate Twilight.
- I hate people who wait until the last minute to get ready for something, and then get mad because you pushed them to get ready quickly.
- I hate NASCAR.
- I hate the newest Linkin Park album.
- I hate people who can't say no, but instead use the word maybe. We all know that maybe is just you trying to avoid any sort of contention. Just say no if you don't want to do something, it won't hurt anybody's feelings.
- I hate women's basketball.
- I hate the Dixie Chicks.

Stuff I Like

2010-10-25T01:48:00.005-06:00

Here is a list of random stuff I like. I'm making this list for no apparent reason. Enjoy.

- I like warm, sunny weather.
- I like Utah State University athletics.
- I like Robert Turbin.
- I like Moab.
- I like road trips.
- I like having a beard.
- I like the idea of having a mohawk.
- I like the Utah Jazz.

- I like commenting on internet message boards just to get people riled up.

- I like hanging out with old, and new, friends.
- I like Jack Bauer.
- I like happy people.
- I like black people.
- I like people watching.
- I like spending time with my family.
- I like random trivia.
- I like zombies.
- I like TV shows involving random trivia, such as Cash Cab or Jeopardy!
- I like motorcycles.

- I like driving much more than I like being a passenger in a car.

- I like free stuff.
- I like turtles.
- I like the beach.
- I like Pop Rocks.
- I like the mountains.

Coming soon: Stuff I Hate

I Like It

2010-10-11T23:18:00.003-06:00

Many of you may have seen the newest fad going around on facebook, for women. It is where they give an "I like it" statement. Here are a few direct examples from friends of mine on facebook, just to give you an idea of what I am talking about:

- "I like it on the stairs."
- "I like it on the floor next to the door."
- "I like it on the ottoman."
- "I like it on the floor, or on the table, or on the couch."

So what does this sound like? It sounds like a bunch of girls are announcing where they like to have sex. Or at least that is what it sounds like to most guys. Well, they are supposed to say "I like it" and then put where they put their purse in the house. And all of this adds up to making people aware it is Breast Cancer Awareness month, somehow. Here is my question, how is making a sexual reference supposed to make any guy aware of breast cancer? Is he supposed to think of your breasts, and then think of breast cancer because of that?

Here is what I think they should put on their facebook status, and in my opinion it would help make many more people aware of breast cancer:

- "It is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Go to http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/ to read up on it, and while you are there donate a little bit of your money to help out!"

Wouldn't that provide more awareness, plus actually help out more? It just seems logical that if you want to raise awareness, that you would be direct and to the point. It would raise awareness a lot more, plus it wouldn't make each guy out there think you are a slut for just a few minutes. Win-Win for all of us.

Top Dead People

2010-09-10T14:05:00.008-06:00

As you may recall, back in January I made a list of my favorite people. Well, I decided it was time to do it again. I'll call this my semi-annual top people list. As I have already done a list of currently alive people (assuming you can call some of those people alive), I'll step back in time and do a top dead people list. I present to you my top dead people. (Honorable mention list, once again in no certain order: Theodor Seuss Geisel, Tupac Shakur, Prince Hector, Colonel Sanders, Manute Bol, Billy Mays, Damon Macready, William Wallace, Bob Marley, Boromir, Robert Neville, & Steve Irwin)

5 - King Leonidas

This is the man famous for leading his 300 Spartans into battle to fight Xerxes, and his Persian army. Whether that movie was true or not, it was still pretty sweet. And for taking on an entire army with just 300 soldiers, and holding them off for quite a while, he makes my list of top dead people.

4 - Tsutomu Yamaguchi

If you don't know who this is, and chances are you don't, then click on the link above to read up on him. He had an amazing life! Anybody that can survive not only one, but two atomic bombs, is pretty freakin' awesome.

3 - Maximus Decimus Meridius

Once again, quite the life he led. He went from basically being the ruler of Rome one day, to having his family killed and being a slave the next day. And for continuing to battle and not give up, and for giving us many a great fighting scene, I think he deserves a spot on this list.

2 - Merlin Olsen

I had to throw a fellow Aggie on here somewhere, and Merlin Olsen ranks up there as arguably the top Aggie of all-time. Not only did he have a great college career, but he also went on to have a stellar NFL career, eventually ending up in the NFL Hall of Fame. He also become part of what was called the "Fearsome Foursome," one of the best defensive lines ever. A great man that Utah State now honors as they play each home football game on Merlin Olsen Field. Even Ron Burgundy admired this great man.

1 - Bob Ross

Most everybody knows who Bob Ross is, and the happy little trees that he would always paint. He always made it look so easy as he painted a masterpiece in his 30-minute time slot on PBS. And he always came off as a genuine, happy, nice guy. I like that. So in honor of Bob Ross, and that wonderful head of hair, I name him my top dead person of all-time! Congrats Bob!

End of the World: 2012

2010-09-07T13:43:00.003-06:00

Has anybody else put much thought into how the world is going to end in 2 years? We've all seen the movie 2012. We've all read about the Mayan calendar. We all know the world ends in 2012, it is just a question of how it will end. I have a couple of different guesses as to how it is all going to go down:

- Oil spills continue to happen throughout the world, causing our oceans to basically become oil. Once that occurs, a meteor will shoot out of the sky and land in an ocean, sparking a giant fire that will eventually consume the entire earth.

- The Zombie Apocalypse. This really is the most likely scenario, in my opinion. The only thing stopping the zombie's from taking over the world will be that my generation is prepared. We have been learning about the zombie apocalypse from movies for years, so we will be prepared. Still, the world ends in 2012, so I guess we won't be prepared enough to actually stop it from occurring. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on this scenario happening.Those are my thoughts on the subject. This is in no way supposed to be a downer. Just a random thought I had today. I figure we had better be prepared since it is only two years away. Anyway, how does everybody else think it is going to happen?

National Anthem Etiquette

2010-09-03T16:14:00.003-06:00

College started up again this week, and with that it brings along college sports. Its a wonderful time when you can sit back and enjoy some college football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, or any other sport that you may particularly like. Attending these events is fun, but each time it brings me back to one of my biggest pet peeves. That is when people scream during the National Anthem. This usually occurs when a singer reaches a high note near the end of the song. Just watch for it the next time you hear the National Anthem being played while at a sporting event, if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Proper etiquette states that you should remain silent, with your hand over your heart, during the playing of the song. Honestly most of it doesn't matter to me. Don't stare at the flag, I don't care. Don't put your hand over your heart, I don't care. Don't take off your hat, I don't care. Don't stop talking to your friend, I don't care. But for some reason when people scream near the end of the song it just annoys me. When was the last time you saw a veteran of any war scream while the National Anthem was being played? I just ask that people quiet down and show some respect to our country for a couple of minutes. It isn't going to kill you or make the sporting event any less fun.

Top 5 Movies: Summer 2010

2010-08-24T22:44:00.003-06:00

I haven't written on my blog in a while, so I figured I'd do another list for the moment. Here are my top five movies I've watched this summer. Not all of them are new releases, just movies I've finally gotten around to watching. Some of these may be Rated-R (meaning Really, Really good), for violence and language. I know that I shouldn't justify it, but oh well. They are still good movies. If that bothers you, then don't take my recommendations. (Honorable mention list, in no certain order: Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, The A-Team, Law Abiding Citizen, Shutter Island, and Green Zone)

5 - Zombieland - This one didn't look all that great when I saw previews for it, but it actually turned out to be a pretty good movie. A funny movie, with your fair share of zombie killing to go along with it. And who knew Twinkies had an expiration date?

4 - Kick-Ass - This is a funny action movie, spoofing on super heroes. A group of people dress up to fight crime, without having any super powers. Possibly Nicolas Cage's best movie ever.

3 - The Book of Eli - What's not to like about Denzel Washington killing people? This movie was well done, and throws in a twist for you at the end.

2 - The Hurt Locker - A good movie about a group of soldiers in Iraq. This movie won a lot of awards when it came out, and is definitely worth seeing.

1 - Inception - This is a thinker. If you haven't seen it, you still may not be too late to catch it in a theater near you. Just be ready to have your mind blown.

The Taco Stand: Part Deux

2010-08-02T10:20:00.002-06:00

We had our meeting up on campus this past Friday to pitch our idea of a taco stand to USU, and I have some bad news. It doesn't sound like it is going to happen. Basically there are some state procedures that they would have to follow in order to allow it to happen, and it sounds like it would be a lot of trouble. They would also have to see a 'need' for it, and there really isn't a need for delicious tacos on campus. There was more to it, but that is the main reasoning behind the idea being denied.

The dude we met with was really cool though and gave us a lot of good information. We are still looking at other possibilities, but it doesn't sound like we'll have a taco stand anytime soon.

The Taco Stand

2010-07-28T10:37:00.007-06:00

A couple of friends and myself have come up with a great business idea. We have decided we want to open up a taco stand on the campus of Utah State University. Wouldn't this be a great business? A cheap, tasty option for lunch. Who wouldn't like that? Plus having 20,000 USU students would provide for quite the demand, I do believe. I know if there was one on campus I would swing by occasionally to grab a cheap taco.

We figure once it reaches lunch time we would sell the tacos on campus for a reasonably cheap price. It seems like a great way to make some money, open up a business, and provide people with a wonderful treat. On a scale of 1 to Chuck Norris, this has to be a roundhouse kick.

Sure this is just an idea, and it may not pan out to be anything, but it still is a wonderful idea. We have a meeting set up with a member of the USU Auxiliary Services staff Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. in order to pitch our idea to them. They don't allow many, if any, vendors on campus. Thus it would be an uphill battle to get them to allow us to sell our goods there. But if it works out, just think of all the magical possibilities!

Cruisin' to Mexico

2010-07-22T22:04:00.000-06:00

Back in November of 2009 I took a cruise with my brother, Darrin, and my parents. We went down to the Mexican Riviera. It was definitely a good time! I loved the beach, spending time with my family, relaxing, and seeing the sights of the area. I figured there is no better time than almost a year later to finally put some pictures of the trip up and to write about it, so here is the shortened version of my cruise ship adventure.

We started out on our trip from L.A. We had some time out at sea, and then arrived at our first destination, Cabo San Lucas. We decided to go snorkeling. The water was blue, and you could see many, many different types of fish. I had a blast doing that and would love to try it again another time. We also took some time to explore the area, and eat some amazing Mexican food.We then hopped back on the cruise ship and took off for our next destination, Mazatlan. We decided to just explore the area a little bit and hang out on the beach, so after some shopping we found a nice beach, and played in the ocean until it was time to hop back on the cruise ship.
Our next stop was Puerto Vallarta. We decided to do an adventure here up in the forest. First, they put us on a boat and took us across the bay to a remote forest area. We then hopped aboard an old army truck and drove high up the mountain. From there we were geared up and given a few instructions. We then hopped on a burro and rode it even further up the mountain. Once we arrived at the top we rode zip lines and rappelled our way down the mountain. It was quite the adventure! It was the highlight of the trip for me. We got to see the area in a variety of ways.
After that adventure we hopped aboard our cruise ship and sailed our way back up to L.A., with a few days at sea mixed in there as well. It was quite the adventure, and I'm glad I was able to spend it with some of my family!

Lava Hot Springs

2010-07-21T10:47:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday I went with some friends up to Lava Hot Springs for our 4th annual trip up there. Since it is the middle of the summer, and very hot, we didn't actually hop in the hot springs. We floated down the river there, which is pretty sweet. It isn't a river you'd take your grandma down. It has some good rapids, and every time I have gone there we have had people get injured. Anything from torn up legs and knees to a concussion.

This time actually was pretty safe. The water was a little higher than past years, but even with that nobody was injured. I got even more sunburned than I already was, but still had a great time.

And I have now realized I really need a new camera. The one I have isn't all that great. I would take more pictures and put them on here if I had the capability to do so. I guess that will have to be my next big purchase.

Lagoon: It's What Fun Is

2010-07-15T10:51:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending Lagoon. My friend has a brother that works there, and the past few days have been "Employee Appreciation Day." Because of this he had a coupon that was able to get 8 people into the park for a low price of $10 a person, plus a free parking pass. Well, the tickets were not going to get used by their family, so my friend graciously offered them to me.

There ended up being 7 of us able to go to the park, so we loaded up the cars and headed there yesterday for a day filled with fun and joy, and joyous fun. It was a hot day, and it was tiring walking around and riding all the rides, but it was still a blast! I remember going to Lagoon when I was younger, and I was able to arrive at 11:00 a.m. and leave at 10:30 p.m., and still wanting to be there longer. I have grown old in age, and am not able to do that anymore. We arrived at 11:00 a.m. yesterday, and ended up leaving around 7:15 p.m. By that time I was all tuckered out and ready for a nap.

With that being said, it was still a great time. I love amusement parks! I think roller coasters are the bomb. Plus it is always fun to take a day off of work and spend it with some great friends!

Twilight

2010-06-30T11:23:00.003-06:00

With the release of the newest Twilight movie I thought I'd give my 2 cents on the topic. The books have mediocre writing that hit on a subject that 13-year old girls and 50-year old women like. I may not agree with any of it, but it sold a lot of copies so I can't argue with that. Stephenie Meyer definitely is smart when it comes to picking a topic that would become popular. The movies have horrible acting and horrible special effects, but there is enough of a following that it doesn't matter. People are so caught up in how hot Jacob's abs are that they can't see past that to notice the acting sucks. It might have helped had they spent some money on acting lessons instead of blowing it all on altering Jacob's abs or buying sparkles for the vampires.

If you like the books and/or movies, that's cool. Hopefully my opinion on the subject doesn't offend you in any way. It's just that anytime you hear stories of women who see the movie 300 times, who want to have their wedding Twilight themed, or start naming their kids Edward Cullen, it scares me a bit. At that point things cross from normal into screwed up. It isn't real, it never will be, and the sooner people realize that and stop living out all their romantic fantasies through a sparkly vampire, the sooner they can move on and have a normal life.

Anyway, I was looking around on the internet today and came across a video that has to do with Twilight. Actually, its Twilight meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For those of us who grew up watching Buffy or Blade, this is how it should have played out:

UofU to Pac-10: Part II

2010-06-25T12:13:00.002-06:00

In a continuation of my last post, here is a funny video I saw that goes along with it. Watch as Hitler reacts to Utah getting invited to join the Pac-10, and not BYU:

To explain a little, the "magic coins" the video is referring to go back to the 2008 season. Here is an article that explains them a little bit. The part about living right on and off the field goes back to a quote from Austin Collie, one of their wide receivers at the time. After beating the U he basically claimed that the reason they won was because they were more righteous.

Anyway, enjoy the video. And if you are a BYU fan, don't take it too serious. We all know how you like to do that. It is called having a sense of humor.

UofU to Pac-10: Part I

2010-06-22T11:09:00.005-06:00

I decided I would throw my opinion into the college football conference realignment stuff that is going on. As many of you know, the University of Utah has been invited to join the PAC-10 conference. This is a huge step up, and will bring them more money (like $8 million more a year) and more recognition. Not only will it help them out, but it will also bring recognition to the entire state of Utah. But not all people in Utah see it this way. Many people (namely BYU fans) are saying it is bad for them. They are saying that the MWC is as good as the PAC-10. They are saying that BYU should have been invited instead. Reasons stated, from BYU fans, for why they weren't invited range from "We are affiliated with the LDS religion, so that is why they didn't invite us" to "If we would play on Sunday's they would have invited us over the U."

Well, these reasons suck. The reason BYU wasn't invited, and the U was, was because BYU just doesn't win enough. To put it simply, they aren't good enough to join a bigger conference. Don't believe it? Let's look at the last 15 years, and the records of both of these schools in the 2 big sports during the post season (Men's Basketball and Football):

Basketball:
- BYU: 1-7 in the NCAA tournament.
- Utah:13-10 in the NCAA tournament, including being the 2nd best team in the country in the 1997-1998 season.

Football:
- BYU: 4-5 in bowl games, with their one semi-big win coming in 1997 against Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl.
- Utah: 9-1 in bowl games, with a 9 game winning streak, and 2 of those wins being in BCS bowl games.

Clearly, Utah has had more success. This also includes a #1 pick in the NBA draft (Andrew Bogut) and a #1 pick in the NFL draft (Alex Smith).

Now I wish it was USU and not the UofU moving up to join a better conference, but I'm also not going to cry about how it should have been us. The U has had great success, and I congratulate them on that. I'm not a Ute fan, but I can say I'll be rooting for them as they move on up.

Texting

2010-06-10T12:26:00.004-06:00

Let me begin by saying I'm ok with texting. It is handy at times when a quick question is needed to be asked, or when you are in a situation where you can't talk on the phone. Heck, I'm ok with it most anytime. Sometimes talking on the phone is better, but texting isn't bad.

But there is one thing that is part of the texting world that bugs me, and that is the one word text. It just isn't needed. Let me give you an example of a texting conversation so you can see what I'm talking about:

- Me: Do you want to play basketball tonight?
- Fake MJ: Sure man, what time and where?
- Me: 7:00 at the Aztec
- Fake MJ: Ok

First, why even send the last text? I'll just assume that it is ok unless you tell me it isn't. Second, that still doesn't really tell me much. A better response would be "Ok, I'll see you there." It looks better, plus it gives me some more information. I say spend the extra time to type out something that gives more information, or don't send anything at all if it isn't needed.

That is all, for now.

Shot to the Testicles

2010-06-03T12:03:00.004-06:00

I have another story for you all to read. Just click here to check it out. Normally shots to the groin aren't funny. That just isn't something to joke about. But its hard not to laugh at this idiot. Here is a tip for everybody: Don't shove a loaded gun down your pants. It never turns out good. Just ask Plaxico Burress.

2010 FIFA World Cup

2010-06-01T10:02:00.005-06:00

In case you haven't heard, let me let you in on a little secret. The 2010 FIFA World Cup starts on June 11, 2010. Not excited for it? You should be. It is only the biggest sporting event on Earth, and it only comes around once every 4 years. In order to get you a little more excited for it, let me present to you a couple of commercials promoting this great event:

Featured in this Nike ad are many of soccer's greatest stars:

Landon Donovan, the star player for team USA, in an ESPN commercial:

And here is just a classic soccer video:

Anyway, get excited. It is going to be a great few weeks!

My Midget Plan

2010-05-20T12:02:00.010-06:00

Here is my brilliant plan. If I were to own, or coach, a professional sports team then I would hire a midget to play for my team. No, it wouldn't be a publicity stunt. It would be because I feel a midget would help my team win games. Let me explain:

Baseball - Let me paint a scenario for you. It is the bottom of the 9th inning, the bases are loaded, and it is a tie game. All you need to win is for the next batter to walk. My plan would be to send in the midget. No pitcher is good enough to get it into his strike zone 3 times, so the pitcher would walk him and the game would be won. How is this not a good plan? In 1951 this actually occurred. (See Eddie Gaedel). It was done as a publicity stunt and not to actually win the game then. But it still worked! He got the walk.

Football - Let me paint you another scenario. You are on the 1-yard line, and all you need to do to score a touchdown is to gain that 1 yard. My plan would be to send in the midget to play running back. I would do a direct snap to him, and when he caught it I would have 2 of the strongest players back there to grab him and toss him as high and as far as they could. You know that it would be unstoppable. Any goal line play like that would basically be an automatic touchdown for your team.

Anyway, I think it is a fool proof plan. Not only would I be an equal opportunity employer, but I would be praised for being such a genius. It seems like a good plan to me!

Favorite Names

2010-05-17T14:37:00.011-06:00

If you haven't been able to tell by now, I'm a fan of making lists. I like to put things into a list, like my list of worst movies or my favorite people. And here is another one. I give you my list of some of my favorite names, in no certain order. I may even try to talk the future Mrs. Olsen into some of these names. Maybe. For those of you with children on the way, feel free to use any of them:

- Syd'Quan
- Anastasia
- Emily
- Vontavius
- Portia
- Ashlynn
- Seven
- Zeshaun
- Scarlett
- Abigail
- Pepper
- AnnaBelle
- Shelby
- Tyjon
- Evelyn
- Raymar
- Breeanne

I'll continue to add names as they come to me, but that is a start.

Another Year Gone

2010-05-07T13:48:00.005-06:00

Today brings the end of finals week here at USU, which also means the end of the 2009-2010 school year. Tomorrow people will be moving home, moving to a new apartment, or moving on to start a new career.

This time of the year is always bittersweet. Its nice to have another year of school out of the way. Its nice to get a new start on things in a new apartment. But at the same time it is not so nice losing the friends I have made over the last 9 months. Few people stay in Logan for the summer, which means the majority of the people I have been hanging out with are all of the sudden gone. Sure most of them will be back next fall, but that still doesn't change the fact that I may not see most of the people I've been seeing daily for the next 3 to 4 months, or possibly longer.

Thus the beginning of summer is also a beginning to an entirely new set of adventures with a new set of friends. I'm excited for what the summer has in store for me, for what is waiting for me down the road of life. But at the same time it is a bittersweet feeling with so much change occurring.

To all of those people who made this year one of the greatest so far, I say thanks and have an amazing summer!

The Handless, Legless Ultimate Fighter

2010-05-01T16:00:00.009-06:00

Check out this link and read the story before continuing on with this post. It will be worth it.

Finished?

First, domestic abuse is no laughing matter. Second, groin shots aren't either. Third, this is still a funny story. My favorite quote, "She'll...choke me with her nubs." How can a dude not defend himself against a quadruple amputee? And if she does this often, why is he still dating her? Why is she still dating him if he beat her? It makes no sense.

It looks like they are trying to work through their problems and still plan on getting married. That is one relationship that is headed for disaster.

The KBC...Again

2010-04-30T16:18:00.012-06:00

I have some more good news concerning the KB Curse. Yesterday, after my update on the KBC, more news broke out of Provo. The newest word is that BYU's backup point guard, Michael Loyd Jr, is leaving the school. He is most famously known as the dude that helped them finally win an NCAA tournament game, their first one in 17 years, so this is a big loss for them. Loyd is not LDS, and his ideas didn't always fit in with BYU's "honor code." He was last seen sporting a mohawk (you can kind of see it in the picture to the right), which definitely doesn't fit in with their ideas of what a person should look like. This has been rumored as the reason for him transferring from there, though they aren't saying exactly why. A black, non-LDS kid in Provo may not feel like he fits in, so it seems logical.

Anyway, go KBC! Keep working your magic down in the bubble they call Provo!

Edit on 4 May, 2010: In hopes that bad things keep happening to people I mention on here, I wish the Los Angeles Lakers the best of luck.

The KB Curse Strikes Again

2010-04-29T13:00:00.001-06:00

I have some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first? Ok, here is the bad news. I had a post earlier this week where I mentioned Modou Niang, a basketball player here at USU. Well, the KBC struck again as word broke that he is no longer going to be playing for Utah State. Basically, they were able to obtain a player who is superior to him, so he was forced out. This is not good news as he was a fan favorite, even though he may not have been the best basketball player ever. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Now for the good news. BYU sports has taken a little hit as of late. The first time I posted about the KB Curse I tried to use my powers for good and mentioned the BYU athletes. As I had hoped, it worked. First, Harvey Unga, BYU's star running back, left the school due to an honor code violation. This is a major hit for the BYU offense as he was the only good player they had returning. Second, Max Hall, their star quarterback, went undrafted in the NFL draft this past week. This one may not have been on me, but more on him just not being a good quarterback, but I'll still take credit for it.

Anyway, that is the update. It looks like the KB Curse is real, so I definitely need to be careful with how I use these powers. As the quote says, "With great power comes great responsibility."

Great Aggie Related Moments of 2009

2010-04-27T00:28:00.011-06:00

This past year I had some great moments involving USU sports. They may not sound like much to the casual fan, but believe me they were great moments. Here are my top 3 Aggie sports related moments from the past year:

3 - Modou Niang - For a little background, Modou is a player on the USU basketball team. He may not be the best basketball player ever, so he doesn't play often, but he is a fan favorite. Well, I attended the Blue & White scrimmage here at USU back in October. After the scrimmage the entire basketball team stuck around to sign autographs. Being the fanatic that I am, I stuck around to get autographs. As I was going through the line I was talking to a few of the players, when I cracked a simple joke. Well, Modou thought it was funny and gave me a nice little chuckle. Getting Modou to laugh was the #3 Aggie related moment of the year!

2 - Stew Morrill - Stew is basically a god here at USU. He is the men's basketball coach, and loved by all. This story occurred when I attended the WAC basketball tournament out in Reno, NV back in March of 2009. Utah State ended up winning the tournament, and the students that followed the team (affectionately known as the Spectrum on Wheels) rushed the court in excitement. As I was standing on the court Stew Morrill started walking towards me. As he walked by I gave him a high-5. Giving Stew a high-5 was the #2 Aggie related moment of the year!

1 - Robert Turbin - If you haven't kept up on my blog you may not know who Robert Turbin is. He is the starting running back for the USU football team, and the man who will carry us to the promised land that is a bowl game. Well, during this school year there were opportunities to attend what they call the Coach's Show. This is basically a chance to eat cheap food while listening to the coaches and a few players talk about football. I attended one, and Robert Turbin just so happened to be there. At these shows they also had an opportunity to enter your name into a drawing to win a free t-shirt. It just so happened that at this very show that my name was drawn by none other than Robert Turbin. He called my name, I said probably 2 words to him while getting my shirt, and then sat back down. But Robert Turbin calling me by my name checks in as the #1 Aggie related moment of the year!

The Life of a Hobo: Part IV

2010-04-19T14:52:00.001-06:00

I never realized how tough the small things would be while being homeless for 4 months. Where would I shower? Where would I brush my teeth, shave, or comb my hair? How would I store food? What would I eat? Where would I spend my spare time when I wasn’t working or with friends? These thoughts never even crossed my mind when I was beginning my summer. I had always thought if I could find a place to sleep each night that being homeless would be easy, that there wouldn't be much else to it. Man, was I ever mistaken!

Even though I was living the life of a hobo, I still tried to maintain some sort of cleanliness. I’m sure my co-workers or friends would not have been too pleased had I never cleaned myself up! During the summer I had to work at 7:00 a.m. Since I had to be there when the office opened, I often showed up a few minutes early and used the restroom to brush my teeth and comb my hair. It was convenient, plus it gave me a good, reliable place to go each and every day.

But what about showering? That proved to be more difficult. I occasionally would shower at a friends place, but that only happened once in a while. I was a hobo, and I wanted to survive as a hobo would. It seemed like cheating to me if I were to rely too much on other people like that. For most of the summer the most reliable place happened to be up on the Utah State University campus, the HPER (Health, Physical Education, and Recreation) Building. For those who don’t know, it’s the equivalent of a local gym or YMCA building. I would go running after work, or go there and play some basketball, and then would use the showers afterward. It provided me with exercise, plus a place to shower up each day. Unfortunately campus was only open Monday through Friday, so I had to use a friend's shower or just go without a shower for the weekend. I also often found myself at home for the weekend, so that worked out great.

The most common remark people say when they find out I was homeless is “at least you saved money doing it that way.” After having thought about it I doubt I saved much money, if any at all, by living the life of a homeless man. Since I didn’t stoop to the level of digging through garbage cans for my food, and since I had a vehicle, there were additional costs a normal homeless man would have not normally incurred. I didn’t have a fridge to store anything in. I had to spend more money on food than I normally would because of that. I was eating out or going to the grocery store daily to buy some more food I could eat. I was also driving more than normal since I had nowhere in particular to go each day. And as we all know, gas prices weren’t too amazing a couple of summers ago. These were additional costs that I didn’t factor in initially. I may have saved money initially by not having to pay rent, but I’m sure over the summer the money I spent equaled out.

I tried to spend as much time as possible with friends or at work in order to quell the boredom I would often feel when I was alone with nowhere to go. By the end of the summer I was working 10 or 11 hour days. Those people who have worked at Cap Rec can understand just how difficult that was! It definitely is not the most exciting job ever. But it gave me something to do, and people to associate with daily. My boss would joke that she never thought she would ever employ a homeless person, but here I was!

Luckily a lot of buildings on campus were open, so I was able to go there often. The engineering building seemed to be open 24-7, so I found myself there using the internet or reading a book. The library also served as a good building to relax in, though it wasn't open nearly as often. There were plenty of things to occupy my time there. Anywhere I went I was just thankful for a well air-conditioned building to relax in!

I also found myself out exploring Logan and the surrounding areas. I was out finding some old basement on a side of a mountain filled with graffiti, almost stepping on a rattlesnake as I was hiking, discovering the tunnels underneath the University, or exploring every inch of the football stadium. I was able to keep myself busy and come to know the local area much better by doing this. One of my most frequented spots turned out to be a local tower that I came across. I spent many nights on top of it, thinking about life while enjoying the cool evening air.

Through my experiences as a homeless man I came to appreciate the small things in life such as running water, air conditioning, a fridge, a couch, or even a bed. It was a great experience, and something unique about me that I will always remember. I may not want to ever go through it again, but I can now proudly say I survived a summer as a hobo!

The Life of a Hobo: Part III

2010-04-16T13:07:00.001-06:00

Over the summer while I was homeless I had multiple run-ins with the police. Most of these were simple little things. They would tell me I couldn’t park somewhere, I needed to get moving, or simply just wondering why I was at a certain place. Most anybody in Logan understands that the police here can be a bit overbearing, but the number of times I ran into the cops still seemed large. What was it about being homeless that attracted them to me? I never did quite figure it out, but just the fact that at times I was in places late at night where people normally aren't probably drew them to me. Most of the time nothing exciting happened with the cops, but one particular time was fairly exciting, at least for me.

It was late at night and I was trying to come up with a place to stay for the evening. I decided I would stay in my truck, and I chose the parking lot at my work to sleep in. I figured since I had to be at work at 7:00 a.m. I might as well just sleep outside there and then wake up and go right to work.

I was driving into the parking lot and I noticed a van sitting there. As I looked at it I noticed the two tires on the driver’s side had been slashed. I looked at the van as I drove by and thought nothing more of it. As I pulled into a parking spot I noticed some headlights in my rear view mirror. They soon turned into a flashing lights and a siren. A cop had pulled up right behind me. As the police officer got out of his vehicle and approached me my mind raced, wondering what I could have done to be in this situation. The only thought coming to mind was that I may have been speeding, but I doubt that since I try not to speed late at night, in the dark.

He approached me and I rolled down my window. The first words out of his mouth were “So you noticed that van with the slashed tires, did ya?” He obviously had seen me looking at them. I avoided my instinct to make a sarcastic remark to him and just simply stated that I had noticed them. He asked for my license and went back to his vehicle to run it, making sure nothing was wrong with me. When he came back he said everything was fine with that, but that it was suspicious of me to be in the parking lot that late when there was a van there with slashed tires. I guess he thought I slashed the tires and wanted to come back to look at my excellent work.

Once he figured I probably hadn’t gone and slashed anybody's tires he asked for my telephone number and address in case he had any more questions for me. I gave him my cell phone number, but then came the awkward part. What address do you give somebody if you don’t have a place to live? I simply told him I was homeless, and as all the crap in my truck showed, I had no place to live. Here is a picture of how the inside of my truck looked:

This caught him off guard so I had to come up with some story about how I was getting a place soon and I was currently staying with friends, though none of that was true. But at least it satisfied him. He hopped back in his car, I left the parking lot, and that was that.

I never did hear back from the cops on the situation, but it still made for a good story. Anybody who knows me well knows I’m not one to get in trouble with the cops. But for some reason being homeless attracted them to me much more than usual, and made for some good stories.

The Life of a Hobo: Part II

2010-04-15T13:15:00.005-06:00

Where does a hobo sleep here in Logan, Utah? That's a question I had to answer every night over the summer, and quite often I had a hard time coming up with an answer. If you think about it there aren't a lot of places to just go and sleep at night where you won't get in trouble for being there or where you don't have to pay for it. Most every night I didn't even know where I was going to sleep until about 10:30 or 11:00, when I would finally make some sort of a decision and go for it. Like the song says "Anywhere I roam/ Where I lay my head is home."

Unlike most homeless people, I had the luxury of having a job and a truck. So despite the fact I was homeless, money was not the issue. I guess if it ever came down to it I could have got a place to stay and I would have been just fine, but I still wanted to give it a try. But finding free places to stay proved much tougher than I had thought, and so my truck became my greatest asset. I knew at all times that if I couldn't find a place to stay for the night I always had my truck. I would just need to find a parking lot where I could park for free and I would be set. In hobo terms, my truck turned out to be my personal "cardboard box," my place I could stay no matter where I was.

By my count I stayed in 14 different places over the summer, not counting the times I went home or on vacation. Those places ranged anywhere from the back of my truck in a random parking lot to sleeping on a random person's couch. To tell you the truth, most people had no idea where I was really sleeping. When people, such as my parents, asked about where I was staying I often told them with friends. I wasn't about to worry people by telling them I was sleeping up the canyon in my truck, in a random parking lot, or at a person's house whom I had just met earlier that week. I wasn't going to tell them that the cops had come up to me multiple times also while I was out and about (which that's a story for another time).

I learned a few different things during the process of sleeping in different places during the summer. First, I learned I was able to find places to sleep no matter what my situation was. I never even once lacked for a place to stay, though it may seem like I did to other people when I told them I was sleeping in my truck. Second, and more important, I learned the kindness of other people. Countless times I had people offer to let me stay at their place. Even people who I didn't know very well, mere acquaintances, were offering out their couches or spare bedrooms to let me sleep at their place. Most of the time I didn't take the offers because I wanted to make it on my own for the summer, but I'm still thankful for the offers. So to all those people out there who offered me a place to stay I say thank you!

I had one friend who left town for about three weeks to go on vacation. Before she left she offered out her apartment to me and said I could stay there as much as I wanted during the time she was gone. She had the apartment to herself, so roommates would not have been a problem. Though it would have been nice, I still did not want to make it that easy on myself. I wanted to be homeless, and living in somebody's apartment for three weeks seemed like cheating. Once again, I was thankful for the offer. But as weird as this sounds to other people, I would have rather slept in the bed of my truck on a cold night than sleep on her couch for three weeks. If I was going to be homeless I for sure wasn't going to cheat myself out of experiencing homelessness for the entire time!

The Life of a Hobo: Part I

2010-04-13T18:03:00.004-06:00

For those of you that don't know, a few summers ago I decided to not rent an apartment and go the entire summer as a homeless man. It was quite the experience. Shortly after, I wrote a few of my experiences/thoughts down. Some of you may have read them before, but for those of you that haven't I'm going to throw them here on my blog. (They have been slightly changed from the original, but not very much) This is the first post in a 4-part series:

A few summers ago I decided I was going to live the life of a hobo. So for basically four months, from the beginning of May until about the last week in August, I was homeless. I had nowhere to live, no place to store all the junk I had accumulated in the past, and nowhere to store or cook any food. This began as a brief experiment, just something I had always wanted to try. I told myself from the beginning that I would only be doing it for a couple of weeks, and then I would find myself an apartment here in Logan. As time went on I found myself continually saying I would get an apartment in the next week or two, until finally it was mid-July and there was no point in getting a place to live since I would be moving into my new place for the school year soon after.

Going into the homeless life I didn't quite know what to expect, but I never thought about the small difficulties of being homeless. I thought it would be pretty easy and it would save me a lot of money. But then I learned quickly that there was more to being homeless than just not having a regular place to sleep. Where would I store all my clothes and other belongings? What would I do in my spare time when I wasn't working? (Have you ever thought about what you would do during the spare moments when you didn't have a TV to watch? a couch to sit on? a kitchen to go and eat in? a bed to take a nap in? roommates to do stuff with?) What would I do about food? Where would I even be able to take a regular shower or get ready in the morning? Things such as shaving, combing my hair, and brushing my teeth became much more difficult. It quickly became apparent to me that I was in much deeper than I thought when I began my summer experiment!

I now look back on the summer and wonder how I made it with most of my sanity intact. It was a good experience, something I enjoyed at the time, but also an experience that I would not want to do again. Being homeless for one summer was plenty! It made for some good stories and an experience where I learned things about myself and about other people, but I still would not want to go through it again.

USU Basketball

2010-04-12T21:43:00.001-06:00

USU basketball takes up a lot of my life. Actually, it takes up a lot of the time of most everybody in Cache Valley. People get behind their team and love to support the Aggies in their winning cause. As of the last few years, the crowd has been getting a lot of positive feedback from different media outlets across the country. For those of you who haven't seen or heard much about our fans, then check out these videos:

Winning Team, Losing Team:

I Believe That We Will Win:

Wild Bill:

And here is just a good video featuring Aggie basketball, and the Spectrum:

Basically, Utah State is the bomb. Sadly I now have to wait until October until there is any more Aggie basketball. I'll just have to survive off of rumors and videos for a while.

Tiger Woods

2010-04-09T20:36:00.001-06:00

So this is the newest Nike commercial featuring Tiger Woods. If you haven't watched it yet, check it out. And if you have, check it out anyway:

In case you don't know, the voice is that of Tiger's father, Earl Woods. Now, I'm not sure about the rest of you but I find this commercial very creepy. First, Tiger doesn't even say anything. He just continually stares at the camera for 30 seconds. Second, and most important, Tiger's father is dead. He passed away in 2006. This commercial is supposed to make us think his dead father is speaking to him from the grave about his recent transgressions (It is actually a clip from a 2004 documentary). Anyway, I just find this commercial creepy and I thought I would share it with all of you. That is all.

The Walrus in Logan

2010-04-03T17:27:00.006-06:00

This story occurred last spring here in Logan. May 4, 2009, actually. For some reason I've been thinking about it lately, so I thought I'd share it. It is a good one, at least to me it is:

I had just got off of work at Cap Rec, and was driving home. I took my usual route, going along Canyon Road. As I was driving I glanced to the right side of the road, and there stood a walrus. One thought ran through my head: Why is there a walrus on somebody's lawn in the middle of Logan? Never in my life would I have thought there would be a walrus just chillin' on somebody's lawn.

As I got closer I took a better, longer look and realized it was just a women doing some gardening out in her lawn. Now, you may ask how I confused a women gardening for a walrus. Well, lets start by saying she wasn't the smallest lady ever. She was also wearing a brown shawl over her head to protect her from the sun. And finally, she had a brown garbage can in front of her. From a distance, and with a quick glance, all I could see was a large brown object moving around, and my mind came up with a walrus.

And that is the story of the walrus in Logan. The end.

My Guilty Pleasure

2010-03-31T12:58:00.002-06:00

I'm going to share with you all something that very few people know about me, if anybody. As most of you know, I'm into the rock or alternative style of music. Its what I enjoy listening to the most. But like most everybody, I have that one musical group that I enjoy listening to but am embarrassed to say that I enjoy their music. For me, that just so happens to be the one and only Michael Bolton. Yes, I just said Michael Bolton.

It just doesn't seem to fit in with what I normally listen to: Breaking Benjamin, Linkin Park, Smashing Pumpkins, Metallica, Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Acceptance, 30 Seconds To Mars, and....Michael Bolton. I can't say that I'm proud of it. Its one of those things that just happens and you don't have a lot of control over it.

For some reason I enjoy his songs, such as How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, When A Man Loves A Woman, and How Can We Be Lovers If We Can't Be Friends. It really is weird. They are sappy songs, not my usual type at all, but I still enjoy them. I guess I can't say I like all of his music since I haven't heard a lot of it. I'm to ashamed to buy any of his music, so I just go off of what I've already heard in the past.

In my defense, do you realize Michael Bolton once sang for a rock band named Blackjack? This occurred back in the early '80's. So maybe its not all that weird that I enjoy his music, because in all actuality he was a rock star. Or then again, maybe I'm just trying to justify it. Who knows?

Best of the Worst

2010-03-30T13:21:00.008-06:00

I've seen my fair share of bad movies in my lifetime. Sometimes they are laugh-out-loud bad, and sometimes they are throw-up bad. Its not that I choose to watch bad movies, it just happens sometimes. Anyway, here are my bottom 5 movies:

5 - Batman & Robin - George Clooney as the worst Batman ever. Chris O'Donnell as his possible gay lover. Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. This was just a horrible, horrible movie. Do yourself a favor and never, ever watch this movie. The director even apologized to fans for the movie, so you know its bad.

4 - Stealth - This is possibly the only movie I have ever turned off halfway through and never finished. I can generally sit through a bad movie, but on this occasion it was too much for me to handle. Horrible acting mixed with a horrible plot did me in.

3 - Rocky V - Easily the worst of all the Rocky movies. Its like they just decided to make another Rocky movie to make some money, but they decided to not try writing a decent storyline or have decent acting.

2 - Waterworld - At the time this movie was made it cost $175 million, which with inflation would equal roughly $236 million today (to compare, Avatar cost around $280 million to make). Waterworld grossed $88 million here in the U.S. If my math is correct, $88,000,000 - $175,000,000 = -$87,000,000. Yes, that is correct, it lost $87 million. It was supposed to be great special effects, and for the time period I guess those weren't bad. But with all the money spent, couldn't somebody pay to have a decent plot written? If you haven't seen this movie you should at least give it a shot, because as bad as it is I actually kind of like it.

1 - Anything by Nicolas Cage - Ghost Rider. Knowing. Next. Face/Off. National Treasure 2. Ghost Rider 2 (Its in the works so I'm already putting it on this list. Don't believe there could be a sequel to a movie this bad? Look it up). Do I need to keep naming them off? He very rarely makes an even decent movie. Its almost like he is making movies just because he needs the money. Oh wait, that is exactly the case.

Fake MJ

2010-03-23T16:47:00.007-06:00

Let me tell you all a story about one of my top 3 moments of 2009. First, I'll give you a little background so you can all better understand it.

There once was a great basketball player named Michael Jordan. This great player dominated the game of basketball for years, winning MVP trophies and championships along the way. Finally, it was time for him to hang up his Air Jordan's and call it quits. After a period of time this great player was inducted into the Hall of Fame. During his induction ceremony he gave a speech, where he decided instead of thanking people that he would call out people and basically let everybody know, once again, just how good he was. During this speech he called out Bryon Russell, who is most famous for being the one that MJ made his game winning shot on to win the NBA championship.

Well, Bryon Russell didn't necessarily like being called out like that so he decided to challenge MJ to a game of one-on-one basketball. Seeing a good way to make a quick and easy buck, Brandt Andersen, the owner of the Utah Flash, decided to pony up some cash to try and get them to play this game here in Utah. He offered out some money, and whoever won the game would be able to donate that money to a charity of his choice. Time went by and still nobody had heard from MJ on this subject. Was he going to come? Would he accept the challenge?

This is where my story starts. I have a good friend who, in order to protect her identity, we will call Blemily. Blemily happens to have a brother who works for the Utah Flash. When it grew close to the date that this event was to occur, her brother told her that it looked like MJ would be showing up. To make a longer story shorter, Blemily was able to obtain a few free tickets for us. So on the date this game was to occur a carload of 5 of us headed south to Orem to watch the Utah Flash play, and hopefully see MJ in person. As we were driving we heard that there were MJ sightings in the area, which could only mean that he would be there!

After driving 2 hours we arrived in Orem ready to watch some basketball. Not only were we there, but also 7,500 other people, up from the usual 27, were there to see this event. The first half of the concert, I mean game, went by and the time came for MJ vs. Russell to occur. Bryon Russell came out, and after several minutes of him talking the lights dimmed and MJ's intro music was turned on. The crowd went wild and many pictures were snapped as a bald, black man came strolling out surrounded by bodyguards. Soon it was realized by all in attendance that this was in fact not MJ, but a fake MJ. This 5'4'' person looked nothing like MJ, but that is a whole other story.

The crowd booed lowdly and was not amused at the trick Brandt had used in order to get fans to attend the game. In order to try and cheer up the crowd t-shirts were thrown into the stands. I guess they decided nothing cheers people up like free crap. Well, this also backfired as they had now armed the angry mob with ammo to throw. T-shirts rained down on the court, and within 5 minutes the crowd had dwindled back down to its usual 27 members, and then the 2nd half of the game started. We stuck it out until about the end of the 3rd quarter and then headed off for our drive back to Logan.

After being blasted by the media and fans, Brandt Andersen issued an apology. I never fully expected MJ to show up to Utah to play in a pick-up game when he had nothing to prove, especially to Bryon Russell, so I wasn't offended by this stunt, but many people were. It was a clever way to build publicity, but done in a horrible manner. It was later explained that they had sent out a fake MJ, along with a video camera, to shoot some videos and put them on the internet. This was done to con people into believing MJ was really in town.

(Begin rant: If Brandt had spent half as much time on improving his team as he spent on this whole scheme, then maybe people would actually go to the games because they care about the product being displayed, not because they were conned into going. Nobody wants to watch crappy basketball, i.e. the WNBA, and tricking people only drives them away. Sure he made a quick buck on that game, but he probably lost a lot more in the long run. Not only did he end up handing out refunds and free tickets to future games, but he also drove away many of the fans he already had by lying to them. He could have spent some money on a marketing team instead of on a fake MJ, and it would have gotten him much, much more. End rant.)

Anyway, as much as it may sound like a horrible experience, it really wasn't. As I said, I never expected MJ to be there so I wasn't disappointed. I had a good time, and it gave me a much needed break from studying for my finals. I also got to spend a few hours with some good friends, I gained a fun story to tell, and I gained another reason to hate the Provo/Orem area. What more could a person ask for?

Year In Review

2010-03-04T11:52:00.002-07:00

Here is the last year of my life, or at least a few of the adventures I've had, in picture form:

The KB Curse

2010-03-01T21:45:00.006-07:00

It finally struck. The first case of The KB Curse has hit. The KB Curse is, of course, short for The Kaylen's Blog Curse. From here on out I'll just refer to it as the KBC. The KBC is another curse in a long line of curses in this world. Those better known would be the Sports Illustrated Curse and the Madden Curse.

Well, I fear that I have started up another curse not unlike those two. On January 28, 2010, I posted that Robert Turbin was "set to have an even greater impact [next year] for the Aggies, leading them in their turnaround from crappiness to greatness." A week later, on February 5, 2010, it was reported that Robert Turbin had torn his ACL, and would likely be out for most of the following season. What have I done? Have I doomed the Aggies to yet another losing season? Lets all hope and pray that he heals quickly, otherwise my conscience will be heavy with guilt. I also fear what may have happened to Bigfoot, as he was #1 on my list made that fateful day.

In hopes that the KBC is real, I would like to acknowledge the entire school of BYU right now, but more specifically the football and basketball teams. Jonathan Tavernari, Jimmer Fredette, and the rest of the BYU athletes, I wish you the best of luck in the future.

My New Kicks

2010-03-01T15:49:00.001-07:00

Roughly 5 years ago I bought a pair of basketball shoes. They were good shoes, but 5 years of running and jumping in them wore them down. So it was about time that I bought a new pair of basketball shoes.

For a long time I had wanted a pair of shoes that you could pump up, if you remember those shoes from back in the '90's. Dee Brown, an NBA basketball player, made them famous when he pumped up his shoes to participate in the '91 slam dunk contest (About 45 seconds in you'll see what I'm talking about).

Well, I finally did it and got myself a pair of Reebok Pumps, and I can honestly say I'm already better at everything I do in them. Whether it be basketball, racquetball, singing, or homework, I am better at all of the above when I am wearing my new shoes. Its pretty amazing how it works. All I have to do is pump them up, and it automatically makes me do things better. If you don't believe me then go out and get a pair, it will change your life!

Poptry Music

2010-02-09T17:38:00.005-07:00

Have you ever been listening to the radio, to a station that plays alternative/pop music, and all of the sudden wondered why you were listening to something that resembled country music? Have you ever been listening to said radio station and wondered why Taylor Swift, a country music star, was being played on a pop station? I have come up with a new genre of music for all the groups that somehow mix up country and pop music. This new genre is called poptry music (Pop+Country=Poptry). This is simply a genre of music that blends country and pop music.

Here is a short list of the offenders that I personally have noticed. If you know of more artists like this, and I'm sure there are more, then please let me know so I can add them to my list.

1 - Taylor Swift

I'm not certain she even believes she sings country music, much less does anybody else. Its more the songs of a 15 year old girl in pop form. Any 'country music' star who appears on VH1 and MTV isn't an actual country music star in my book. She also has been known to appear on the radio station 94.5 here in Logan, Utah. This radio station normally plays the music of Ludacris and the Black Eyed Peas, not people like Kenny Chesney or Garth Brooks. This to me clearly shows that she is not a country music star, and there isn't anything anybody can do to change my mind on that.

2 - Rascal Flatts

Now they have a little more to stand on than Taylor Swift. At least Rascal Flatts doesn't appear on MTV, and they are only heard on country music stations. I'll give them that much. But still, are they really country? Everybody has a friend that hates country music, but seems to like Rascal Flatts. I know each of you can think of at least 1 person right now like that. And why is that? Its because they really aren't country! They belong in the poptry music genre. Sure they have a little bit of a twang in their music, but it still sounds an awful lot like pop music to me.

3 - Daughtry

Daughtry is opposite the other two in that he is more of a rock/pop music star but some of his songs tend to have a country twang to them. If you don't believe me just listen to Home by Daughtry. That song definitely has a country, or poptry, feel to it. At least it does at the beginning, and occasionally throughout the song, in my opinion. Daughtry just needs to quit living a lie and become the flag-bearer for the new genre of music called poptry music!

My Fortune

2010-02-08T13:53:00.001-07:00

Saturday night Utah State University held their annual Mardi Gras party. At this party there were many things you could do, one of which happened to be a visit with a fortune teller. I thought I would give this a try, and I'm glad I did. It was quite the experience. I learned a lot about myself that I never knew! Here is a list of the few main points that Deloris told me:

1 - "I have this feeling that you are going to be working for the FBI" - Right...am I going to be doing their taxes? I guess that's a possibility, but probably a long shot. I don't see myself working for the FBI, but I better keep my options open since the crazy lady told me that.

2 - "I'm feeling that you study a lot, like every night. You hate putting assignments off until the last minute" - I'm glad she told me this one because I didn't even know that. And anybody that has seen my study habits probably didn't know it either. I've been putting assignment off until they are due, but I guess I hate that and should change. I'll get right on that.

3 - "You hated where you grew up. You always felt like you didn't belong in Utah" - Once again, I didn't even know this about myself. I always thought that I did enjoy Morgan, that I did enjoy Utah. I'll have to totally change my opinion on my entire childhood.

4 - "You hate the snow" - This was her best prediction, yet still not 100% true. I wouldn't go as far as saying I hate snow. I enjoy it, but I would rather have it be warm year round. At least she found something that was kind of true.

5 - "You'll go back to school later on in life. Maybe to get a business degree" - I always thought accounting was a business degree, but I guess I'm wrong. I better start trying to figure out what I want to go back to school for later in life.

Anyway, this is what I learned from the fortune teller. She obviously knew her stuff.

The MKL

2010-02-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

The Mini Kickball League (MKL) was founded in the spring of '09 in Logan, Utah. The league is based on a variation of kickball, designed for a smaller, more enclosed playing area. The MKL has grown from its humble beginnings into a sport enjoyed by many.

You may be wondering what makes the MKL different than regular kickball. Here is a rundown of a few of the main differences:

Players must use their non-dominant foot while kicking the ball, and their non-dominant hand when throwing the ball in an attempt to hit the opposing player. This more or less evens out the playing field. Everybody is equally as awkward kicking or throwing that way.

While a pitch is approaching the kicker they may not gain a running start to kick the ball. They must remain stationary and kick the ball when it gets to them. Since the playing area is limited this ensures that not as many kicks are knocked out of the park.

Once the ball is kicked it is considered in the air until it comes in contact with the ground. It may bounce off of buildings, bikes, hand rails, cars, or whatever else is around, and if caught before it comes in contact with the ground then the kicker is out.

The MKL is designed for smaller teams of 4-6 players. Since this is the case, a catcher is generally not used. Thus, all kicks must travel at least half the distance to first or third base, or the pitcher.

For more information feel free to check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wekickballs

Top People

2010-01-28T17:51:00.009-07:00

I have decided to compile a list of my favorite people of all-time. In order to not take up a lot of space I'm limiting it to my top 5. (Here is my honorable mention list, in no certain order: Natalie Portman, Fake MJ, Bill Cosby, Optimus Prime, Bear Grylls, Zoe Saldana, Djimon Hounsou, Madmartigan, Jack Bauer, Wicket W. Warrick, Usain Bolt, and Scarlett Johansson) Without further ado, here is the list you've all been waiting for:

5 - Ralph Wiggum

The boy who brought you great quotes, such as "Me fail English? That's unpossible!" and "I bent my wookie," leads off my list. Those of you who have watched The Simpsons know just how great he is. He is always good for a quote. And his very, very child-like behavior brings out the child in all of us when we watch him.

4 - Santa Clause

Do I really need to explain this one? Anybody who brings presents to people all over the world is obviously awesome. Plus he takes time out of his busy schedule to make public appearances at local malls and stores. That, my friends, is a very good person. I can only hope to be half the person Santa is.

3 - Eowyn

Basically an orphan at a young age, she grew up to become the person who destroyed the Witch-King of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgul. That is something no man was able to do, so it rates as pretty freakin' awesome in my book. Any woman that can handle herself like that has to be near the top of any list.

2 - Robert Turbin

For those of you who don't know who Robert Turbin is, you should definitely figure it out soon. He is poised to become a household name to college football fans across the country. He just finished up his Sophomore year at Utah State, leading the team in many categories as the main man. Heading into his Junior year he is set to have an even greater impact for the Aggies, leading them in their turnaround from crappiness to greatness.

1 - Bigfoot

This dude totally amazes me. He has only been caught on camera a few times, and even those accounts are disputed. He is also yet to be captured, dead or alive, by anybody. For somebody so large, this seems like quite the accomplishment. Out of anybody in this world I would most like to meet him, which is why he is named my favorite person of all-time. Congrats Bigfoot!

This Is Me

2010-01-25T11:02:00.006-07:00

Since I'm new to the blogging world I thought I'd introduce myself. Here are some possibly random, unknown facts about me. Enjoy!

1 - Growing up I had a highly irrational fear of birds. I really had no reason to fear them, but for some reason I did. At this point in my life I think I'm over that fear, though I haven't encountered many birds as of late to test it out.

2 - Two of my role models in life are Jack Bauer and Bear Grylls. If you don't know who they are, then shame on you. When I grow up I hope to be a cross between the two. I'll let you all know how that goes.

3 - If I could go anywhere in the world I would love to go to New Zealand. And no, it has nothing to do with walking the trail to Mordor, or anything of that nature. I just love the scenery, and would love to take a week or even a month and go backpacking around the country. And who knows, maybe I'd stop off in Mordor just for a visit.

4 - I once chipped my big toe on my left foot by kicking a tree, while playing soccer. You may ask how I kicked a tree while playing soccer. My only response is that I really am that amazing.

5 - I was set up on a blind date a couple of years ago. This guy from work set me up, and wanted to go to the drive-in theater to watch a movie. As many of you may know, movies definitely aren't a good first date idea, especially a blind date. To this day I couldn't even tell you the girl's name, much less any other information about her.

6 - I lived an entire summer as a homeless man. I didn't get an apartment for the summer, and basically just lived out of my truck. It made for some good stories, along with some long days wondering what to do to pass the time, along with wondering where to sleep.

7 - I am, and always will be, a huge Utah Jazz fan. Even though they never win it all I'll stick by them forever and ever. And every once in a while a good moment like this or this occurs, and it makes it all worth it.

8 - I'm at least a little allergic to bee stings. When I get stung I swell up, and get hives all over my body. I don't think I'll die from getting stung, but it's still not too pleasant.

9 - At work I use an alias when talking to people on the phone. I go by James, which just so happened to be the first name that popped into my head when I answered my first phone call. I have used that alias for almost a year and a half, and now whenever I hear that name I turn my head thinking somebody is talking to me. So yes, if you call me James I'll probably answer.

10 - I wish that they still made the drink Orbitz. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, check out this. You can also check out a picture of it, along with some more information, here. I actually have no recollection of what it tasted like. But for some reason I remember this drink, and want one.

11 - I once taught myself how to drive a motorcycle. I had never done it before, but I saw one sitting around and went for it. I survived the experience without wrecking. And now I would really like a motorcycle, though I can't get myself to go out and buy one. One of these days I just might go out and do it.

12 - I have a goal to eventually run a marathon. I'm pretty sure I could do it, even though that would involve me not being lazy and actually going running sometime. But eventually, I will run one.

13 - I am also a Detroit Lions fan. Yes, those Detroit Lions. I know they are horrible, but I've liked them since I was young and I'm sticking with them. One of these years they just might win a game, and at that time it will all be worth it.

14 - I dislike Louisiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, and most of Nevada and Wyoming. Oh, and the entire Provo/Orem area.

15 - I have a weird fondness for the name Portia (pronounced like the car). I doubt the future Mrs. Olsen would ever go for it and I'm not sure I would even like to name my child that. But I'm just throwing it out there as a possibility. For some weird reason I like it. If that doesn't fly then the next name on my list is Seven.

16- I avoid Walmart if at all possible. And it has nothing to do with the usual reasons people don't like Walmart. The entire reason I don't like it is because of all the people that are there. There are thousands of people all over. You can't even drive through the parking lot because of all them. I would much rather go to a store and not have to fight the constant crowds. And that is why I've only been to Walmart a few times in the past two or three years. Its just not worth the fight.

17 - I am a master at remembering random, useless facts. None of them will probably ever help me out, but I have tons of them. Unluckily, this doesn't apply to useful facts. I just remember the random, weird one's. But because of this I want to make it on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Unfortunately, the last time I looked into it the closest auditions were out in Tennessee, which is too far for me.

18 - I wish I was roughly 7'5''. This most likely would assure me of a full ride scholarship to college. Plus if I'm even slightly coordinated (see Shawn Bradley) I can play in the NBA for 10 or so seasons making millions of dollars for just playing a game.

19 - One of my dreams is to fill up a swimming pool, add a ton of jello mix, wait for it to harden up, and then jump on it. Would you bounce? Would you break through it? What would happen? These are questions that need to be answered.

20 - I love cereal, basically all kinds. I would say on average I eat cereal one to two times a day. Partly because it's easy, and partly because it's amazing.

21 - There are very few things in life that I actually have a favorite thing in. I have a relaxed and easy going attitude, so I'm good with most anything. When you ask me where we should eat, what music I want to listen to, or even what I want to do and I tell you I don't care, I'm just being honest. I really, truly can be happy with just about anything. And because of that I'm a horrible decision maker when it comes to small decisions that really don't matter. It's not that I can't make a decision, it's just that I honestly don't care either way. I'm happy with most anything.

22 - I would love to go swimming with some Great White Sharks. I obviously would want to be in a cage of some sort while doing this, but I just think that would be such an amazing thing to do. That is all.