Blog Blog Blog... BOOM!

I don't know about you, but life with a broken leg is... slow. I started doing yard work yesterday just because I was bored and I wanted to go outside. And you know what? I actually liked it! In fact, my parents are giving me lists of things to do! I almost enjoy being their little slave. :P haha

So what else... ? Oh! I'm reading the "E-Myth Revisited" by Michael E. Gerber. If you like business, you MUST read it. If you like self-improvement, then you should read it. I also bought "1984" off Amazon.com (Amazon is a drug) for some recreational reading. I haven't started reading it yet, but the description on the back ("1984 is still the great modern classic of 'negative utopia'") gives me chills (you know, the exciting chills, not the I'm-about-to-die chills, the "spiritual chills", or the chills you get when an attractive girl (or guy, for all you ladies) talks to you and you're taking notes in your head; "I've got one! I don't know what I'm doing, but it's working!") Needless to say, I'm looking forward to reading the book.

Which leads me to my next point, (well, not really, I just wanted to sound important and intelligent) So I created my South Park version of myself (even though you've probably already seen it on Facebook) and I must say, that is the best looking version of me to date. I mean, check me out. Yeeaaahhh..... P-I-M-P.... 

And heretoforthwith mine shepherdess doth frolickingly fetch the water pail forthwith which is thither, not hither.

Don't ask. I'm bored. :) You know, I've always wanted to write a book. I have no idea what it'll be about, but writing a book has been one of my life goals.

So here's an interesting bit of information: (I learned this about a week ago on the 4th) Boeing Advanced Systems has started System F6, 'DARPA's Future, Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft United by Information Exchange space technology program.' In other words: multiple, networked specialized spacecraft swarms that are intelligent enough to perform a single coordinated task together, like analyzing the crops or deciding to destroy humanity, Skynet-style." 

Basically, there's a bunch of spaceships that work together on a certain mission and don't need human help. My brother and I watched Terminator 3 last night (it was edited, haha) and Skynet is the autonomous homeland security system made up of robots that have all sorts of weapons. The evil lady terminator infects the system with a virus, so when they activate Skynet, Judgement Day happens (the end of the world) because the robots start shooting everything and launching nukes in order to destroy the enemy, the humans. 

And if you enjoy the end of humanity, I thoroughly suggest seeing the movie Cloverfield. Now THAT movie was intense! Check it out!

Heaven!

Okay, I promise I'll try to stop thinking about Angels & Airwaves and I'll give up my infatuation with them (maybe), but their song "Heaven" off their newest album I-Empire is probably one of the best songs I've ever heard! I LOVE listening to it because it just makes me feel good and I feel on top of the world when it's on (sounds cheesy? who cares?!) Anyway, here's my favorite song in the world right now!

"Heaven" - Angels & Airwaves

I will run the streets and hostile lands

I will touch the rain with all I have

I will breathe the air, just to scream it loud

My feet will never touch the ground

Because the days they feel like ancient clocks

Like when kids grow up and learn to walk

Because your life is full of pure desire

A place so gloriously wired

(Chorus)

The lights and sounds

Oh God this is such a mess

And it's like our world

But we're the last ones left

And the hair it stands

On the back of our necks

And I swear it shows

Heaven must be just like this

Do you see the hills beneath the clouds?

The star as trails to lead you out

Can you sense the pain? It's everywhere

And if you try, you'll never care

And the love you had

When you were young

Is right outside for all to come

Because your life is full of pure desire

A place so gloriously wired

(Chorus)

If you see the lights break though the clouds

And fire up at distant towns

Well the world will begin, exactly how it ends

When you call for love, when you are lost

For evermore or whatever it costs

And the world will begin, exactly how it ends

Please stay, don't go

I've got you now,

Are you curious? (x7)

Here I am

Missing Angels & Airwaves? Think again!

So I was pretty happy when I broke my leg because, "Hey, I'll be home for the Angels & Airwaves concert on the 4th of March." Well I get here and I check for tickets online and they're sold out (technically, I can still buy tickets... for $90 a piece!) So wo is me, right? I think not! I put a "wanted" add on craigslist.org last night for a pair of tickets and a guy name Cody responded to me. He said he doesn't have tickets for the show on the 4th, but he has two passes to their acoustic performance on the 5th in Taylorsville. So what did I do? I bought them, of course! There's a meet and greet afterwards, so hopefully I can get my picture with Tom Delonge! YES!!!                                                                          

I was listening to their song "Heaven" from their I-Empire album as I was finishing my errands today. The sun was shining, reflecting off the snow on Timp, and the lyrics just... worked. I drove an extra mile around town just to finish the song. :)

So yes, I'll get out of "high-school-student-obsessed-with-a-band" mode and return to reality. Thanks for joining me!

Positively Driven!

By the way, here's a link to my new community project "Positively Driven":

Positivelydriven.blogspot.com

Check it out! Come help us all like a happier, more fulfilling, more positive life! We rely on readers like you to keep it going. So come join us!

Twitter and the Rest of the World

I signed up for Twitter last night. It's all because of that Evan Williams guy! Him and his creating of Blogspot and Twitter and other technological social tools. We'll see if I even use it that much. Either way, I have created a new blog entitled "Positively Driven." I imagine it as a community of people from around the world who are dedicated to positive living; a place to share and learn from each other ways in which we can live happy, fulfilling, and downright positive lives! Come join us! Let me know if you want to be a contributer! That's what it's all about! :D 

Emotionally Controlled

2007 07 24

Some people can be too emotionally controlled. There’s controlling your emotions and then there’s emotionally controlled. The first is something I believe every person on the earth should be well-trained in. To be able to control your emotions can rid a person of potentially embarrassing themselves or acting out of hand in various social situations. The controlling of emotions can even make a miserable day seem a little better or get the adrenaline pumping through the veins right before a big race. It’s definitely a pursuit worthwhile.
People can also be emotionally controlled too. There are major advantages and disadvantages to being controlled by your emotions. Many great pieces of art, whether it be paintings, music, or the written word, have been created during an emotional surge. Without people surrendering themselves to their feelings, many creative people would be out of a job. They would have to resume their lives as a commonplace drone in society.
As I write this I think to myself, “This paper has a research paper feel to it. The fact that I just now called it a paper has tripled the value of Boring Points associated with this… this written work… or journal entry? I can’t think of the perfect word for it. Perhaps I should let myself be controlled by my feelings for a little bit.” So here I go.
Girls seem too emotionally controlled. Why is it that certain women are happy, giddy, and “Just great!” when they have a boyfriend? Yeah, life is good, but do they remember that they’re having these feelings about Joe right now when four weeks ago they had the same exact feelings about Billy? It’s as if they purchase different boyfriends on the first of every month. “New Model!” “Even Better Than The Last!” “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes, Just Right!” Do these boyfriends come packaged too? Are there giant twisty ties that hold them upright in their giant flashy cardboard box with a large plastic window to show their profiles and accessories? Different types of shoes. Sunglasses. Three or four outfits that makes a girl squeal, “that makes you look SO CUTE!” Yeah, cute. Like a puppy. Which is also purchased for the right price. Girls buy these Perfect-For-The-Moment boyfriends with cuddling and flirtatious looks. After three or four weeks, or even a month-and-a-half, these boyfriends expire and they are thrown to the wolves.
The girl awaits the next model like a leopard ready to pounce for the kill. “Where is he?” they think to themselves. “Is this the one?” “Maybe this is him.” “He looks like a nice guy… and he has a cute butt.” Time rolls on and the female is hungry for prey. They can’t wait much longer. Just when they’re about to explode and go on a murderous rampage on the males, a lone male will make his way towards this fierce creature and give it a little snack. “Hey baby. My name’s Slim Shady. You wanna go out for some ice cream? And then we could watch a movie at my place and get in a tickle fight. Sound good?” The female’s mind races at light speed contemplating the many outcomes of the endeavor. “Well he’s attractive and he says nice things to me, so he must like me!” And so the engagement begins.
When will girls, or even people in general, get a third-person perspective on their lives? It must be inevitable; the emotional rollercoaster that occurs in our daily life.

The Cook-Out

We had a BBQ tonight as a platoon. There were burgers and corn-on-the-cob and hot dogs and chips and drinks of every kind. They had A LOT of food. A couple of guys and I threw around a frisbee for a while and then we got a game of ultimate going. After a while our platoon sergeant, SSgt Lyman, joined in. It was really fun with him in there. He plays really agressively so that was fun too. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and we got sweaty and now I'm gonna take a shower!

The Dump Ex

We did a dump exercise the other day (a.k.a. Dump Ex). It was SWEET! Sunday and monday we were at a range shooting our m16s and what not and we brought around 75,000 rounds with us. Well by the end of our normal training exercises we had about 25,000 rounds left over. So what do you do when you have extra rounds? Sign them back in with the ammo people? Heck no! You shoot like it's the fourth of July! We did a bunch of different fun formations that you usually don't do, and it was sweet. I shot about 1,000 rounds that day. It was great!

Training's Almost Over

I just got done spending the weekend in a very nice room at the Hampton Inn & Suites in San Clemente, CA. It was great! I got a lot of sleep and just relaxed the whole time. This upcoming week is the last week of real training at the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton. I graduate June 12 and immediately fly out to check in at my unit in Riverton, UT. I'll get my deployment papers started and then catch up with my unit at Camp Lejeune, NC. Hopefully I'll get to spend a little time (overnight) at home, but if not, life goes on.
Training has been fun. It's been miserable, but that's what has made it an experience to remember. I'm doing something that I've always dreamt about. It's been an adventure so far and it'll only get better. Life is hard, but that's what makes it worth living.

Post-Semester Blog

Well, I'm all done with another semester. It was... interesting. My classes ended up being a little boring, but oh well. I did a lot of stuff with Neil. It was a lot of fun while he was around. I worked at Brick Oven for a couple of months, but that ended up not being as fun as expected. So now I have no job, school is done, and I spend all day doing random things (working out, working at my house, etc.)

For all of you who I haven't told (like anyone even reads this anyway) I go to boot camp for the Marine Corp on January 2. I'm going to be a mortarman (I get to blow stuff up by shooting explosives into the air.) I'm really excited to go.

As my roommates were saying their goodbyes to me, they were trying to give me advice. They couldn't think of anything too specific, but Russ said, "Just to let you know, for the next 2 1/2 years you're going to be physically and emotionally stretched." He's right. I have a big task ahead of me. Heavenly Father will help me through. The Book of Mormon is going to be my strength through these tasks. The peace, charity, and physical strength I receive from reading this book of books is the only thing that has helped me make it through the various adventures I've had throughout my life. That, and lots and lots of prayer.

I'm off to bed. The Church is true. The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith was a true prophet and Gordon B. Hinkley is the living prophet today. Have a great day!