Hey all,
Life has been full and amazing lately.
I promise to fill you all in sometime soon.
Probably tomorrow.
I hope all is well.
-Brad
5.20.2009
5.10.2009
Nice to meet you unborn alien brother, how's my driving?
Hey all,
I hope all of you are well on this fine Sunday afternoon.
Do you know what today is, by the way? It's Mother's Day!!!
Sadly, I'm not home to be with my mom. I'm a little bummed out on that one, but life goes on.
Anyway, I got to thinking...where did Mother's Day come from? What's the history behind it? So I did some research.
This is what I found:
Mother's Day was founded in 1907 by a woman named Anna M. Jarvis to honor her own mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. She had to solicit to government officials and a lot of business men, but the idea caught on, and we now have the nationally celebrated holiday. The very first observance was a church service, and the day of the week has stuck since. World wide, the second Sunday of May is the most popular day to celebrate Mother's Day, although there is some slight variation.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share that with you.
So go honor your mom, and leave me a comment about how you spent your Mother's Day.
Now, some news.
I have come across a few interesting stories...this first one concerns the great city of New York. It's common knowldge that in large places like Denver, or Albuquerque, or New York, there is a hefty amount of homeless people. To help out with this issue, a lot of big cities will set up homeless shelters. Well, it looks like New York City officials are going to start charging rent at homeless shelters. This decree will only affect those that actually make money, but at this point, it looks like they may be charged up to 50% of their income. Initially, I thought about this and decided it was a bad thing. Then I looked at it again and thought maybe it was an okay thing. I went back and forth, and now I have decided to ride the fence. On one side I can see that this could be a good deterent for those people that exploit the situation and bum a free night's sleep...it would keep the lines shorter for those that actually need a place to stay. On the other hand, if there are people staying at homeless shelters till they can get back on their feet, you know, save up some money so they can get an apartment and feed themselves and possibly a child, I think that they are being placed at a disadvantage by this proposal. It really reminded me of the 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happyness, staring Will Smith. For those of you who haven't seen it, the basic premise is this: We have a man who goes from entrepanuer to homeless in the blink of an eye. He sleeps in homeless shelters with his son till he gets back on his feet in the most inspiring sequence of events. It's an excellent film, and the fact that it's biographic shows that sometimes these things really happen. I just don't know what to think about this situation. More here.
Here's a trailer from the movie.
Okay. Enough sappy stuff.
Apparently there was a minivan stolen from a Sarasota, Florida water treatment plant a couple nights ago, and when the employees showed up the next morning they noticed it was missing. Okay that was a really dumb sentence, but I'm going to leave it. :)
Anyway, a few hours later, in Manatee county, someone spotted the minivan speeding around town, topping 100 MPH at one point, and said person decided to call the number on the "How's my driving?" sticker on the back. The driver was aprehended shortly thereafter and arrested. The minivan suffered no damage, and no one was hurt, but I find this story absolutley hilarious for two reasons: For one, who wants to go joy-riding in a minivan? Secondly, I think it's awesome that someone turned him in using the "How's my driving?" sticker. It just cracks me up. The whole story can be found here.
Lastly, I have a very strange story for you.
The man to the right is named Gavin Hyatt. He is an ex-firefighter turned plumber. He is 30 years old, and in very good health. He is one of the most average guys on the planet, but Gavin recently had something very rare and traumatic happen to him...he gave birth to his own twin brother.
How?
Well, it turns out that in the third or fourth week of his mother's pregnancy, his twin brother died in the womb. Gavin's own fetal body absorbed his brother's body, where it stayed for the next thirty years. Gavin had been examined by multiple doctors to see what the little lump in his abdomen was, and there were never conclusive reports. Most doctors thought it was a minor cist, or possibly a badly in-grown hair, and he was otherwise a very healthy man. One day on the job though, he began to suffer from intense abdominal pain, and before he knew it, there was something actually being forced out of his stomach. He drove himself straight to the hospital (what a tough dude) and was promplty treated. Medics thought it looked like something from the 1979 film Alien. They reported back that the growth was Gavin's parasitic twin (which I think is a terrible name by the way), his 4 centimeter identical brother. Needless to say, Gavin was stunned at this news.
Gavin now keeps his brother in a jar, and calls him "Little Gav." Of the experience he said, “Then one said it could be my undeveloped identical twin that I absorbed at a very early stage. I feel absolutely fine now but it has not sunk in yet that I could have had a twin brother. I have him in a jar at home and I call him little Gav. I haven’t told many people. I feel like a bit of a freak.”
Gavin's doctor had never seen anything like it before, but has announced that Gavin is in just fine condition. I say good for him. I don't know what I would do if I had a dead baby pop out of my abdomen one day at work. Mad props to you Gavin.
More here. Photo credit: The Sun
Now I present you with The Grand Canyon Adventure, Chapter 3:
The next morning came early. 4:30 AM in fact. We packed up camp, drove to the backcountry office and caught a bus over to the South Kaibab trail head. At this point it was just about 5:15. We filled up our Nalgene bottles and Camelbacks and after a quick picture, taken by a pair of very nice European women, we started off down the trail. At the moment, it felt like the adventure of a lifetime...a feeling that didn't go away anytime soon. The initial leg of our hike was a seven mile switchback laden drop into the main canyon. Going downhill never really appears strenuous, at least not till you do it for seven miles straight. About 4 miles in my quads were burning like someone had thrown them on a charcoal grill. You know, not a searing burn, but a slow, steady, constant one. Anyway, after we got to the bottom, it was 115 degrees outside. We stopped at Phantom Ranch and decided to grab some lunch, one thing that could have not been better at the moment.
After lunch time was over, we decided to scout out our options for the next leg of our journey. One option was to up-climb the box canyon on Phantom drainage. The other was to ascend to the Tonto layer, and manuever around the box canyon and drop back in at the top. We tried out the first option first...and about 6 steps into the scouting expidition, I fell into the creek. My camera was in my pocket. It was a sad time. Anyway, we got about a mile in and found a 40-some year old woman lying on a rock, tripping mushrooms. We talked to her for a bit, and met her son, who was also tripping. I became slightly afraid when she wouldn't let go of my arm and kept telling me I had "good energy." After a little more conversation, we scouted a bit longer and decided to take the other route, as this one would be pretty hard to do with full packs. We said goodbye to our tripping friends, and headed back to Phantom Ranch.
We took a nice nap which was a welcome change of pace, and decided to tackle what we thought was going to be the last 3-4 miles of our day. The initial ascent was a butt kicker. It was very similar to summitting a mountain top, if you know what I mean. It was at this point that I began to hike in my underwear and a bandanna. The heat was incredible. We soon came to a place called Piano Alley, which gets its name from the curious formation of all the rocks. You guessed it! They are all shaped like grand pianos. It's a really awesome sight...huge slabs of sandstone that have flaked off the canyon walls, all in one shape...one of those things that you have to see to understand.
We left Piano Alley after a brief snack and headed out across Utah Flats. This is a place where it's red, and flat, and apparently looks like Utah. Anyway, this is where we began to realize that all of the maps/park service literature that we had recieved was wrong about distances. We were supposed to be at our destination, but from what we could tell, we still had 5 miles to go. It was getting darker by the moment too...what a doozy. We walked and walked and walked. Then it actually got dark. We had no choice but to go on. (Oh yes, I forgot to mention, this is an unmarked route that pretty much no one takes. Just a side note there.) We had to break out the headlamps at one point, but then the slight excuse for a trail took a downhill turn. This had to be it.
The three of us started to scrabble down the slope. Running into prickly pear and agave plants, we could not stop. It was dark and unpredictable. After another hour or so, we could hear moving water. We knew we were in the right place. As I approached the edge of the creek, I looked down at my pedometer and was blown away by what it read - nearly 20 miles. It was also 11:00 PM. Needless to say, it had been a long day.
The rest is to come.
Here is a slideshow of the pictures I took.
Wow. This has taken me two hours to write. Goodness. I hope you like it. :)
Lastly, here is your YouTube entertainment for tonight.
Bye. Have fun. Don't die.
-Brad
I hope all of you are well on this fine Sunday afternoon.
Do you know what today is, by the way? It's Mother's Day!!!
Sadly, I'm not home to be with my mom. I'm a little bummed out on that one, but life goes on.
Anyway, I got to thinking...where did Mother's Day come from? What's the history behind it? So I did some research.
This is what I found:
Mother's Day was founded in 1907 by a woman named Anna M. Jarvis to honor her own mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. She had to solicit to government officials and a lot of business men, but the idea caught on, and we now have the nationally celebrated holiday. The very first observance was a church service, and the day of the week has stuck since. World wide, the second Sunday of May is the most popular day to celebrate Mother's Day, although there is some slight variation.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share that with you.
So go honor your mom, and leave me a comment about how you spent your Mother's Day.
Now, some news.
I have come across a few interesting stories...this first one concerns the great city of New York. It's common knowldge that in large places like Denver, or Albuquerque, or New York, there is a hefty amount of homeless people. To help out with this issue, a lot of big cities will set up homeless shelters. Well, it looks like New York City officials are going to start charging rent at homeless shelters. This decree will only affect those that actually make money, but at this point, it looks like they may be charged up to 50% of their income. Initially, I thought about this and decided it was a bad thing. Then I looked at it again and thought maybe it was an okay thing. I went back and forth, and now I have decided to ride the fence. On one side I can see that this could be a good deterent for those people that exploit the situation and bum a free night's sleep...it would keep the lines shorter for those that actually need a place to stay. On the other hand, if there are people staying at homeless shelters till they can get back on their feet, you know, save up some money so they can get an apartment and feed themselves and possibly a child, I think that they are being placed at a disadvantage by this proposal. It really reminded me of the 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happyness, staring Will Smith. For those of you who haven't seen it, the basic premise is this: We have a man who goes from entrepanuer to homeless in the blink of an eye. He sleeps in homeless shelters with his son till he gets back on his feet in the most inspiring sequence of events. It's an excellent film, and the fact that it's biographic shows that sometimes these things really happen. I just don't know what to think about this situation. More here.
Here's a trailer from the movie.
Okay. Enough sappy stuff.
Apparently there was a minivan stolen from a Sarasota, Florida water treatment plant a couple nights ago, and when the employees showed up the next morning they noticed it was missing. Okay that was a really dumb sentence, but I'm going to leave it. :)
Anyway, a few hours later, in Manatee county, someone spotted the minivan speeding around town, topping 100 MPH at one point, and said person decided to call the number on the "How's my driving?" sticker on the back. The driver was aprehended shortly thereafter and arrested. The minivan suffered no damage, and no one was hurt, but I find this story absolutley hilarious for two reasons: For one, who wants to go joy-riding in a minivan? Secondly, I think it's awesome that someone turned him in using the "How's my driving?" sticker. It just cracks me up. The whole story can be found here.
Lastly, I have a very strange story for you.
The man to the right is named Gavin Hyatt. He is an ex-firefighter turned plumber. He is 30 years old, and in very good health. He is one of the most average guys on the planet, but Gavin recently had something very rare and traumatic happen to him...he gave birth to his own twin brother.
How?
Well, it turns out that in the third or fourth week of his mother's pregnancy, his twin brother died in the womb. Gavin's own fetal body absorbed his brother's body, where it stayed for the next thirty years. Gavin had been examined by multiple doctors to see what the little lump in his abdomen was, and there were never conclusive reports. Most doctors thought it was a minor cist, or possibly a badly in-grown hair, and he was otherwise a very healthy man. One day on the job though, he began to suffer from intense abdominal pain, and before he knew it, there was something actually being forced out of his stomach. He drove himself straight to the hospital (what a tough dude) and was promplty treated. Medics thought it looked like something from the 1979 film Alien. They reported back that the growth was Gavin's parasitic twin (which I think is a terrible name by the way), his 4 centimeter identical brother. Needless to say, Gavin was stunned at this news.
Gavin now keeps his brother in a jar, and calls him "Little Gav." Of the experience he said, “Then one said it could be my undeveloped identical twin that I absorbed at a very early stage. I feel absolutely fine now but it has not sunk in yet that I could have had a twin brother. I have him in a jar at home and I call him little Gav. I haven’t told many people. I feel like a bit of a freak.”
Gavin's doctor had never seen anything like it before, but has announced that Gavin is in just fine condition. I say good for him. I don't know what I would do if I had a dead baby pop out of my abdomen one day at work. Mad props to you Gavin.
More here. Photo credit: The Sun
Now I present you with The Grand Canyon Adventure, Chapter 3:
The next morning came early. 4:30 AM in fact. We packed up camp, drove to the backcountry office and caught a bus over to the South Kaibab trail head. At this point it was just about 5:15. We filled up our Nalgene bottles and Camelbacks and after a quick picture, taken by a pair of very nice European women, we started off down the trail. At the moment, it felt like the adventure of a lifetime...a feeling that didn't go away anytime soon. The initial leg of our hike was a seven mile switchback laden drop into the main canyon. Going downhill never really appears strenuous, at least not till you do it for seven miles straight. About 4 miles in my quads were burning like someone had thrown them on a charcoal grill. You know, not a searing burn, but a slow, steady, constant one. Anyway, after we got to the bottom, it was 115 degrees outside. We stopped at Phantom Ranch and decided to grab some lunch, one thing that could have not been better at the moment.
After lunch time was over, we decided to scout out our options for the next leg of our journey. One option was to up-climb the box canyon on Phantom drainage. The other was to ascend to the Tonto layer, and manuever around the box canyon and drop back in at the top. We tried out the first option first...and about 6 steps into the scouting expidition, I fell into the creek. My camera was in my pocket. It was a sad time. Anyway, we got about a mile in and found a 40-some year old woman lying on a rock, tripping mushrooms. We talked to her for a bit, and met her son, who was also tripping. I became slightly afraid when she wouldn't let go of my arm and kept telling me I had "good energy." After a little more conversation, we scouted a bit longer and decided to take the other route, as this one would be pretty hard to do with full packs. We said goodbye to our tripping friends, and headed back to Phantom Ranch.
We took a nice nap which was a welcome change of pace, and decided to tackle what we thought was going to be the last 3-4 miles of our day. The initial ascent was a butt kicker. It was very similar to summitting a mountain top, if you know what I mean. It was at this point that I began to hike in my underwear and a bandanna. The heat was incredible. We soon came to a place called Piano Alley, which gets its name from the curious formation of all the rocks. You guessed it! They are all shaped like grand pianos. It's a really awesome sight...huge slabs of sandstone that have flaked off the canyon walls, all in one shape...one of those things that you have to see to understand.
We left Piano Alley after a brief snack and headed out across Utah Flats. This is a place where it's red, and flat, and apparently looks like Utah. Anyway, this is where we began to realize that all of the maps/park service literature that we had recieved was wrong about distances. We were supposed to be at our destination, but from what we could tell, we still had 5 miles to go. It was getting darker by the moment too...what a doozy. We walked and walked and walked. Then it actually got dark. We had no choice but to go on. (Oh yes, I forgot to mention, this is an unmarked route that pretty much no one takes. Just a side note there.) We had to break out the headlamps at one point, but then the slight excuse for a trail took a downhill turn. This had to be it.
The three of us started to scrabble down the slope. Running into prickly pear and agave plants, we could not stop. It was dark and unpredictable. After another hour or so, we could hear moving water. We knew we were in the right place. As I approached the edge of the creek, I looked down at my pedometer and was blown away by what it read - nearly 20 miles. It was also 11:00 PM. Needless to say, it had been a long day.
The rest is to come.
Here is a slideshow of the pictures I took.
Wow. This has taken me two hours to write. Goodness. I hope you like it. :)
Lastly, here is your YouTube entertainment for tonight.
Bye. Have fun. Don't die.
-Brad
Long time, no talk...
Hey all,
So, I haven't made a post in ten days. For that I apologize. I have been all over the place. Since we last spoke, being April 29th, 2009, I have done a number of things worth noting:
- Study for finals
- Took finals from Friday, May 1st till Tuesday, May 5th.
- Tuesday was hellish. I started with Spanish at 7:30 AM. I finished with
History at 10:00 PM. What a day.
- Moved our of my dorm on Wednesday, May 6th.
- Headed to Fort Collins to see some old high school pals.
- Now I am in Windsor for the night. What fun.
Anyway, after I got here today, I played with my cousin Jack for quite a while. He's 11 years old, and is just full of energy and pep. We played with sidewalk chalk, and some whiffle balls, and made paper airplanes and all sorts of fun things. It made me realize that I hadn't drawn on a sidewalk in nine or so years. But I fixed that.
That's life right now. This coming Thursday I'll be taking my first plane ride out to Tennessee to see my cousin Sheridan for her graduation. It should be a fun time. Speaking of which, you can read her blog here: http://littlebitathis.blogspot.com/
So, I don't feel like doing news tonight. I'll do it later today.
I'm going to sleep now.
Bye, have fun, don't die.
-Brad
So, I haven't made a post in ten days. For that I apologize. I have been all over the place. Since we last spoke, being April 29th, 2009, I have done a number of things worth noting:
- Study for finals
- Took finals from Friday, May 1st till Tuesday, May 5th.
- Tuesday was hellish. I started with Spanish at 7:30 AM. I finished with
History at 10:00 PM. What a day.
- Moved our of my dorm on Wednesday, May 6th.
- Headed to Fort Collins to see some old high school pals.
- Now I am in Windsor for the night. What fun.
Anyway, after I got here today, I played with my cousin Jack for quite a while. He's 11 years old, and is just full of energy and pep. We played with sidewalk chalk, and some whiffle balls, and made paper airplanes and all sorts of fun things. It made me realize that I hadn't drawn on a sidewalk in nine or so years. But I fixed that.
That's life right now. This coming Thursday I'll be taking my first plane ride out to Tennessee to see my cousin Sheridan for her graduation. It should be a fun time. Speaking of which, you can read her blog here: http://littlebitathis.blogspot.com/
So, I don't feel like doing news tonight. I'll do it later today.
I'm going to sleep now.
Bye, have fun, don't die.
-Brad
4.29.2009
Little Quickie...
Hey all,
So, my cousin Sheridan was telling me the other day that she's dissapointed in the fact that she can't have any real outdoor adventures where she lived. I suggested she start doing some parkour. Instead of explaining this, I'll just let you watch the video:
I just think this is one of the coolest urban sports ever. :D
Oh, and I love the artist, Rob Dougan, who did the song.
Here's another.
Anyway, I think I'm going to bed now. To close, here is some more YouTube entertainment. This guy is AMAZING with keyboards.
There will be a news update and more of the Grand Canyon Adventures soon.
Goodnight,
-Brad
So, my cousin Sheridan was telling me the other day that she's dissapointed in the fact that she can't have any real outdoor adventures where she lived. I suggested she start doing some parkour. Instead of explaining this, I'll just let you watch the video:
I just think this is one of the coolest urban sports ever. :D
Oh, and I love the artist, Rob Dougan, who did the song.
Here's another.
Anyway, I think I'm going to bed now. To close, here is some more YouTube entertainment. This guy is AMAZING with keyboards.
There will be a news update and more of the Grand Canyon Adventures soon.
Goodnight,
-Brad
My ears will never be the same...
Hey all,
Here is the much awaited update, etc.
Okay...my life lately has been busy busy busy. These past few weeks have been full of paper writing, studying, and as of late, packing. I really had no idea just how much stuff I crammed into this little dorm room. I stayed up till about 2:00 AM yesterday morning packing up all my non-essential clothes and stuff. Also, I have fallen a bit ill...I probably have swine flu, but you know, finals first.
Oh yes, I wanted to be sure to tell you about fruit golfing. I experienced it last week. My friends Jack, Adam, Nick, Kyle and I all smacked some fruit from the dining hall into the pond out front. It was really fun. I recommend it to anyone needing to alleviate stress. Oh, and in our case, the turtles really dig it. :D
Anyway, it's about 2:00 AM, and here I am blogging. I just got back from one of the most intense experiences of my life. I don't know if you know, but one of my passions is live music, and I went to a concert last night...the line-up of which was like this:
(I've included a 30 second clip of each band, just so you can get a feel for their style. If you would like to listen further, simply click the "click here to hear full song" link in the box.)
Municipal Waste
Substitute Creature - Municipal Waste
Unfortunately, we showed up a bit late and didn't see Municipal Waste, but I wasn't too disappointed. The artists I came to see were on later.
God Forbid
Antihero - God Forbid
God Forbid threw down a good set of songs, and I really enjoyed them.
Children Of Bodom
Hate Crew Deathroll - Children of Bodom
Children Of Bodom have been a long time favorite of mine. They are a Swedish Black Metal band, and their frontman, Alexi Laiho has been rated as one of the worlds best guitarists, and to many is the figurehead for metal guitar. We found out early in their set that Alexi had broken his shoulder while being drunk on the tour bus, but he played the whole show, solos and all. I was very impressed.
As I Lay Dying
94 Hours (live) - As I Lay Dying
The above song was As I Lay Dying's closer, and the first full song of theirs that I ever heard. I really enjoy this group a lot, with their blend of American Metal and a little bit of California punk vocals. The set they shared with us was intense, and it was then that I really started to mosh. For those of you who don't know what a circle pit is, let me explain. A circle pit is a group of crazy hyper metal head freaks running around in a giant circle, pushing, shoving, and punching, depending on the show. This particular circle pit probably involved a solid hundred people or so, and I only stayed in for a single lap. I got elbowed in the back of the head and poked in the eye a couple of times, so I decided to hang on the edge and push everyone else around.
Lamb of God
Now You've Got Something To Die For - Lamb of God
Lamb of God is one of my all-time favorite bands. A lot of people don't know it, but I went through a huge phase where all I listened to was metal. I was sort of obsessed. Since the end of my junior year of high school, I have expanded a lot, and I listen to a lot of underground hip hop and some alternative rock now, but my roots still lie in metal. Anyway, Lamb of God have been a part of my life for a long time, and it was a huge privilege to see them in the flesh. The above song is one that they played midway through their set, and is one of my favorites. I'm also very happy to report that Randy Blythe has his hair back. :)
Anyway, that was one of the most exciting things I've done in a long time, and I don't know if I'll be able to walk tomorrow after all that moshing, but it was well worth it; a very good break in pace before finals.
Okay, that's life lately...here is the Grand Canyon Adventure, Chapter 2:
After the oil changing fiasco, it was time to head out. We left bright and early and the weather was phenomenal; a perfect day for a drive. As we left Pagosa and got out on the open road, our attitudes took a dive. We began to notice that the car's automatic transmission would not shift any higher than fourth gear. After the tachometer got to about 4,000 RPM, the car would buck a little, and just stay in fourth gear. This was a bit of a problem, not to mention a huge irritation. It required hills and a lot of time to reach actual highway speeds in this current state, but what to do? We couldn't go back now.
We made a stop in Durango, CO, an hour away from Pagosa to buy stove fuel. Then it was off to Arizona. As we drove the mountain pass right outside Durango, it became increasingly evident that it was going to take us a very long time to get to where we wanted to be before the end of the day.
After we left Colorado, and all of it's cool airy-ness, we began to descend into the New Mexico/Arizona area. We decided with the current state of affairs that it would be bad to use the A/C, so we just toughed it out. I was in the backseat with the giant pile of gear next to and behind me, and I got very hot. Forrest didn't roll down the windows either, for the sake of aerodynamics, so I, being a large hairy male, got really sweaty. I ended up taking off all my clothes, short of my underwear and passing out. I think that Forrest got jealous of my slight comfort and whenever I would drift off into a nice, warm, peaceful nap, he would open all the windows and startle me awake. I got sort of angry at this, so I made extra sure that he knew just how much sweat I was tarnishing his interior with. It was quite the ride.
We drove like this for many hours out across the flats of Arizona, making a stop every now and then to use the restroom and buy a cold drink or a snack. We got to the Grand Canyon National Park at about 5:00 PM, about two hours behind schedule. Before finding that evening's camp site, we decided to visit the visitor center. By this point, I'd drank a lot of tea and/or Gatorade and quite frankly, I needed to pee. I had to run across and through the visitor center like a freak so as not to humiliate myself.
After our brief touristy visit, we found a good spot in a campground to stay the night. We set up our bedding under the stars and set the alarm for 4:30 AM.
To be continued in Chapter 3.
I'll talk to you soon!
-Brad
P.S. Here's your entertainment.
Here is the much awaited update, etc.
Okay...my life lately has been busy busy busy. These past few weeks have been full of paper writing, studying, and as of late, packing. I really had no idea just how much stuff I crammed into this little dorm room. I stayed up till about 2:00 AM yesterday morning packing up all my non-essential clothes and stuff. Also, I have fallen a bit ill...I probably have swine flu, but you know, finals first.
Oh yes, I wanted to be sure to tell you about fruit golfing. I experienced it last week. My friends Jack, Adam, Nick, Kyle and I all smacked some fruit from the dining hall into the pond out front. It was really fun. I recommend it to anyone needing to alleviate stress. Oh, and in our case, the turtles really dig it. :D
Anyway, it's about 2:00 AM, and here I am blogging. I just got back from one of the most intense experiences of my life. I don't know if you know, but one of my passions is live music, and I went to a concert last night...the line-up of which was like this:
(I've included a 30 second clip of each band, just so you can get a feel for their style. If you would like to listen further, simply click the "click here to hear full song" link in the box.)
Municipal Waste
Substitute Creature - Municipal Waste
Unfortunately, we showed up a bit late and didn't see Municipal Waste, but I wasn't too disappointed. The artists I came to see were on later.
God Forbid
Antihero - God Forbid
God Forbid threw down a good set of songs, and I really enjoyed them.
Children Of Bodom
Hate Crew Deathroll - Children of Bodom
Children Of Bodom have been a long time favorite of mine. They are a Swedish Black Metal band, and their frontman, Alexi Laiho has been rated as one of the worlds best guitarists, and to many is the figurehead for metal guitar. We found out early in their set that Alexi had broken his shoulder while being drunk on the tour bus, but he played the whole show, solos and all. I was very impressed.
As I Lay Dying
94 Hours (live) - As I Lay Dying
The above song was As I Lay Dying's closer, and the first full song of theirs that I ever heard. I really enjoy this group a lot, with their blend of American Metal and a little bit of California punk vocals. The set they shared with us was intense, and it was then that I really started to mosh. For those of you who don't know what a circle pit is, let me explain. A circle pit is a group of crazy hyper metal head freaks running around in a giant circle, pushing, shoving, and punching, depending on the show. This particular circle pit probably involved a solid hundred people or so, and I only stayed in for a single lap. I got elbowed in the back of the head and poked in the eye a couple of times, so I decided to hang on the edge and push everyone else around.
Lamb of God
Now You've Got Something To Die For - Lamb of God
Lamb of God is one of my all-time favorite bands. A lot of people don't know it, but I went through a huge phase where all I listened to was metal. I was sort of obsessed. Since the end of my junior year of high school, I have expanded a lot, and I listen to a lot of underground hip hop and some alternative rock now, but my roots still lie in metal. Anyway, Lamb of God have been a part of my life for a long time, and it was a huge privilege to see them in the flesh. The above song is one that they played midway through their set, and is one of my favorites. I'm also very happy to report that Randy Blythe has his hair back. :)
Anyway, that was one of the most exciting things I've done in a long time, and I don't know if I'll be able to walk tomorrow after all that moshing, but it was well worth it; a very good break in pace before finals.
Okay, that's life lately...here is the Grand Canyon Adventure, Chapter 2:
After the oil changing fiasco, it was time to head out. We left bright and early and the weather was phenomenal; a perfect day for a drive. As we left Pagosa and got out on the open road, our attitudes took a dive. We began to notice that the car's automatic transmission would not shift any higher than fourth gear. After the tachometer got to about 4,000 RPM, the car would buck a little, and just stay in fourth gear. This was a bit of a problem, not to mention a huge irritation. It required hills and a lot of time to reach actual highway speeds in this current state, but what to do? We couldn't go back now.
We made a stop in Durango, CO, an hour away from Pagosa to buy stove fuel. Then it was off to Arizona. As we drove the mountain pass right outside Durango, it became increasingly evident that it was going to take us a very long time to get to where we wanted to be before the end of the day.
After we left Colorado, and all of it's cool airy-ness, we began to descend into the New Mexico/Arizona area. We decided with the current state of affairs that it would be bad to use the A/C, so we just toughed it out. I was in the backseat with the giant pile of gear next to and behind me, and I got very hot. Forrest didn't roll down the windows either, for the sake of aerodynamics, so I, being a large hairy male, got really sweaty. I ended up taking off all my clothes, short of my underwear and passing out. I think that Forrest got jealous of my slight comfort and whenever I would drift off into a nice, warm, peaceful nap, he would open all the windows and startle me awake. I got sort of angry at this, so I made extra sure that he knew just how much sweat I was tarnishing his interior with. It was quite the ride.
We drove like this for many hours out across the flats of Arizona, making a stop every now and then to use the restroom and buy a cold drink or a snack. We got to the Grand Canyon National Park at about 5:00 PM, about two hours behind schedule. Before finding that evening's camp site, we decided to visit the visitor center. By this point, I'd drank a lot of tea and/or Gatorade and quite frankly, I needed to pee. I had to run across and through the visitor center like a freak so as not to humiliate myself.
After our brief touristy visit, we found a good spot in a campground to stay the night. We set up our bedding under the stars and set the alarm for 4:30 AM.
To be continued in Chapter 3.
I'll talk to you soon!
-Brad
P.S. Here's your entertainment.
4.26.2009
I am sick.
Hey all,
I will update you more on things, as promised, but till I feel like typing that much, I pose to you a question:
How crazy would a stampede of Furbies be?
As you may have inferred from the title, I have fallen ill. I have the beginnings of some sort of chest cold. Or it's really bad allergies. Anyway, I'll be able to tell soon...and in the meantime, I've been pounding back the EmergenC and Echinacea.
I'll update you more on things later today, when I'm not sleeping/studying for finals.
-Brad
I will update you more on things, as promised, but till I feel like typing that much, I pose to you a question:
How crazy would a stampede of Furbies be?
As you may have inferred from the title, I have fallen ill. I have the beginnings of some sort of chest cold. Or it's really bad allergies. Anyway, I'll be able to tell soon...and in the meantime, I've been pounding back the EmergenC and Echinacea.
I'll update you more on things later today, when I'm not sleeping/studying for finals.
-Brad
4.24.2009
Oh no, please President Obama, I implore, don't shut off my Internet!
Hey all,
So, I came across an interesting story recently concerning the internet. Being an avid user of the internet, this story struck me fairly hard. It seems that there is a bill working it's way through the house right now that woulde essentially allow government executives (mainly President Obama himeself) to turn off the internet at their (his) liking. I am not a fan of this proposal. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) issued a report called "Securing Cyberspace for the 44th President" in which they recommends the creation of the office of cybersecurity czar, called a National Cybersecurity Adviser, who will oversee national network security. "Thanks to the Cybersecurity Act of 2009, the cybersecurity czar will be advised by a panel stakeholders from government, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors, much like the signatories to CSIS’s report. Also under the longer bill, the President can order the disconnection of any federal or private critical infrastructure network during emergencies or for reasons of national security. “Critical infrastructure” could include the networks attached to financial, power, transportation, medical, communication or any other network deemed critical that could be the target of a cyber attack" (www.prowebnews.com).
Now, what does this mean for the average American internet user? This means that your internet banking can be shut off, your online hospital/medicare billing can be shut off, your bus schedules will be taken down, and you probably wont be able to email anyone. Well, that doesn't seem too bad at first glance, but think about this: If the government can shut the interent down, don't you think they can probably take a peek at what anyone in the United States is doing online at any given moment? Beyond that, don't you think that this power will be abused? It just screams, "Please congress! Please Mr. President! Abuse me!" Say...just hypothetically speaking, there was to be a mass uprising against the government, for reasons legitamate or otherwise, and the internet got shut down, how much communication would be cut off? Actuall phone services use the same technology that your computer does to communicate with other computers...so the potential for phone lines to go down is high as well. The government could essentially destroy a mass movement, which technically, is our right to perform as a people, should we see it fit. This is one of the most massive attempts to censor the American people that has ever been seen. The sad thing is, have you heard about it? I didn't think so. That should tell you something right there. More here.
Enough paranoia.
So...Chapter one of the Grand Canyon Adventure, just as promised.
Chapter one: Trusty Crusty
As you can probably infer, once upon a time, I went to the Grand Canyon. This particular occasion was my senior trip. My best friends, Chance and Forrest, and myself all decided to do a week long backbacking trip in that giant ditch in Arizona. Our story begins in Forrest's driveway. Since he volunteered to drive his beautiful car, a Subaru Forester named Trusty Crusty, on the adventure, I volunteered to pay for an oil change. I drove out to his house with all the oil changing amenities: oil, funnel, oil filter, rags, etc. We were out tinkering away when Forrest's dear old dad, Tony, decided to come out and "help." His helping in essence ended up with him taking the transmission filter off, draining the fluid out of the transmission, filling the oil pan up with the prescribed amount of motor oil and trying to start the car. Those of you who actually know what I just said will know already that the car didn't start, simply because there was no transmission fluid in the transmission. We couldn't figure out why the car wouldn't start for about an hour...and then it dawned on us: there were two filters under the car labled "oil filter." It didn't take long to figure out what had happened. Once we drained half the oil, essentially not changing it at all, but diluting it, and put more transmission oil back into the transmission, the car started once more. How joyous. We didn't know till the next morning just what the consequences of these actions actually were...
More to come in chapter 2, The Drive.
And now, here is an example of YouTube abuse.
Anywhoozer, I guess now that your are thoroughly disgusted it's time for a personal update.
Here is my life since my last post:
I wrote a lot of papers. I didn't sleep a lot. I got to the point where I decided I don't like college. Then I changed my mind. It was quite the week of ups and downs. If you can tell, I'm sick of typing. I'll fill you in more on my life tomorrow. In fact, that's all I'll talk about. I promise.
Here is the same YouTuber, again abusing YouTube, but this time it sort of reminds me of me. Enjoy.
Goodnight.
-Brad
So, I came across an interesting story recently concerning the internet. Being an avid user of the internet, this story struck me fairly hard. It seems that there is a bill working it's way through the house right now that woulde essentially allow government executives (mainly President Obama himeself) to turn off the internet at their (his) liking. I am not a fan of this proposal. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) issued a report called "Securing Cyberspace for the 44th President" in which they recommends the creation of the office of cybersecurity czar, called a National Cybersecurity Adviser, who will oversee national network security. "Thanks to the Cybersecurity Act of 2009, the cybersecurity czar will be advised by a panel stakeholders from government, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors, much like the signatories to CSIS’s report. Also under the longer bill, the President can order the disconnection of any federal or private critical infrastructure network during emergencies or for reasons of national security. “Critical infrastructure” could include the networks attached to financial, power, transportation, medical, communication or any other network deemed critical that could be the target of a cyber attack" (www.prowebnews.com).
Now, what does this mean for the average American internet user? This means that your internet banking can be shut off, your online hospital/medicare billing can be shut off, your bus schedules will be taken down, and you probably wont be able to email anyone. Well, that doesn't seem too bad at first glance, but think about this: If the government can shut the interent down, don't you think they can probably take a peek at what anyone in the United States is doing online at any given moment? Beyond that, don't you think that this power will be abused? It just screams, "Please congress! Please Mr. President! Abuse me!" Say...just hypothetically speaking, there was to be a mass uprising against the government, for reasons legitamate or otherwise, and the internet got shut down, how much communication would be cut off? Actuall phone services use the same technology that your computer does to communicate with other computers...so the potential for phone lines to go down is high as well. The government could essentially destroy a mass movement, which technically, is our right to perform as a people, should we see it fit. This is one of the most massive attempts to censor the American people that has ever been seen. The sad thing is, have you heard about it? I didn't think so. That should tell you something right there. More here.
Enough paranoia.
So...Chapter one of the Grand Canyon Adventure, just as promised.
Chapter one: Trusty Crusty
As you can probably infer, once upon a time, I went to the Grand Canyon. This particular occasion was my senior trip. My best friends, Chance and Forrest, and myself all decided to do a week long backbacking trip in that giant ditch in Arizona. Our story begins in Forrest's driveway. Since he volunteered to drive his beautiful car, a Subaru Forester named Trusty Crusty, on the adventure, I volunteered to pay for an oil change. I drove out to his house with all the oil changing amenities: oil, funnel, oil filter, rags, etc. We were out tinkering away when Forrest's dear old dad, Tony, decided to come out and "help." His helping in essence ended up with him taking the transmission filter off, draining the fluid out of the transmission, filling the oil pan up with the prescribed amount of motor oil and trying to start the car. Those of you who actually know what I just said will know already that the car didn't start, simply because there was no transmission fluid in the transmission. We couldn't figure out why the car wouldn't start for about an hour...and then it dawned on us: there were two filters under the car labled "oil filter." It didn't take long to figure out what had happened. Once we drained half the oil, essentially not changing it at all, but diluting it, and put more transmission oil back into the transmission, the car started once more. How joyous. We didn't know till the next morning just what the consequences of these actions actually were...
More to come in chapter 2, The Drive.
And now, here is an example of YouTube abuse.
Anywhoozer, I guess now that your are thoroughly disgusted it's time for a personal update.
Here is my life since my last post:
I wrote a lot of papers. I didn't sleep a lot. I got to the point where I decided I don't like college. Then I changed my mind. It was quite the week of ups and downs. If you can tell, I'm sick of typing. I'll fill you in more on my life tomorrow. In fact, that's all I'll talk about. I promise.
Here is the same YouTuber, again abusing YouTube, but this time it sort of reminds me of me. Enjoy.
Goodnight.
-Brad
Oy...
Hey all,
It's been too long. Far too long.
I've been trying to prepare my next post for over a week with no avail.
I promise I'll do it tonight.
I haven't even had time to keep up with Youtube. Which is pretty sad. Anyway, I'm not one to neglect my fans...So here's something fun for ya.
Anyway, int the next post you can find:
Some news.
Personal update.
Chapter one of the Grand Canyon adventure.
More Youtube.
Thanks for your patience and stuff. :D
-Brad
It's been too long. Far too long.
I've been trying to prepare my next post for over a week with no avail.
I promise I'll do it tonight.
I haven't even had time to keep up with Youtube. Which is pretty sad. Anyway, I'm not one to neglect my fans...So here's something fun for ya.
Anyway, int the next post you can find:
Some news.
Personal update.
Chapter one of the Grand Canyon adventure.
More Youtube.
Thanks for your patience and stuff. :D
-Brad
4.17.2009
ANGRY!
Hey all,
There is a poll over there on the right, just below that fun litle slideshow, for a reason.
It says, "Who are you?" at the top.
I would like to know who my reader demographic is.
I know that I don't have only 4 readers.
If that's all I have, 4 of you have viewed this blog repeatedly, over and over, until I somehow got upwards of 550 views. That's about 138 views for each of you. If you are doing this, you have no life.
Those of you who have not voted, please do.
After this polling period is over, I'm just taking the stupid thing down.
-Brad
There is a poll over there on the right, just below that fun litle slideshow, for a reason.
It says, "Who are you?" at the top.
I would like to know who my reader demographic is.
I know that I don't have only 4 readers.
If that's all I have, 4 of you have viewed this blog repeatedly, over and over, until I somehow got upwards of 550 views. That's about 138 views for each of you. If you are doing this, you have no life.
Those of you who have not voted, please do.
After this polling period is over, I'm just taking the stupid thing down.
-Brad
4.16.2009
Steam rollers, breasts, and Simon eating his words.
Hey all,
I'm just gonna dive right in.
First, please watch this. I almost started crying. Unfortunately, I can't embed it, so please click the link. Please.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
For more on this amazing woman, click here.
Now, onto some news:
First, lets talk about drinking. Now, if you've had a few to many at the local brew pub and don't really want to walk home, what do you do? Call a cab? Grab a ride with a friend? Suck it up and stagger home? Some would say that these are all viable options, but not one man from Pflugerville, Texas. Last night, Pflugerville police found 32 year old Ronald Howell driving a steamroller home from the bar. The $180,000 Dynapac Vibrator Roller was sitting at a construction site, and I guess Ron got cold and felt like he needed to drive home instead of walking. The police report states that the vehicle was actually weaving in it's lane of traffic, and to worsen the danger, it was 4:00 AM, and the machine did not have any lights on. Ronald was arrested for drunk driving. I think that's funny enough by itself. I don't have anything else to say. More here.
Next, a more serious issue. Yesterday was April 15th. Not only is that my darling Grandma Margy's birthday, it is also the last day to file your federal income taxes. Now, I have many issues I could talk about here, including just how unconstitutional it is to impose income taxes and the fact that there is no statute saying you have to pay your taxes, but I would like to instead discuss the highly debated TEA parties that happened all over the country. TEA in this sense stands for Taxed Enough Already, and the movement was lead primarily by Republicans. Essentially the point that protesters wanted to get across is that the government is spending our hard earned income irresponsibly. I have a few friends that were bashing these demonstrations, and I would like to counter with a few points. First off: This is a prime example of freedom of speech. I don't care what they were protesting. Every citizen of the United States of America has the express right to peacefully demonstrate their own point of view, and I stand by this right. Censorship leads to ignorance and narrow mindedness. Even though you may think something is stupid, at least it motivated you to think, or at least form an opinion, a practice that seems to be disappearing. Secondly, If you take a peek at some of the spending that the White House has already done this year, you will see that the earmarks put into the budget are downright absurd. $160 million dollars went to farms in the Midwest to study the odor caused by pigs. Why did this show up in our spending budget? Especially when we are faced with a giant recession...that our President keeps promising to get us out of? I have the answer. It's about who you know. Lobbyists in Washington can manipulate their demographics, and work their own agendas into national matters. I don't think this is necessarily wrong, but I don't think pig odor research is as important as saving our country's ass. On the flip side, where do we draw the line? If we institute regulation on these matters, we are straying away from what it means to run a democracy. Anyway, before I get too off-topic, this is what I think: The people that got out there and tried to point out that our government is not spending money as wisely as it should be are doing what they should do. They are expressing their thoughts and feelings as every American should.
More here.
Okay, enough politics. I have some advice for all you ladies out there: Don't get breast or buttock implants anywhere but a licensed implant institute. That may seem like pretty obvious advice, but read on...A man was recently arrested in Spain for running a small side business out of his home. He had been using veterinary injection instruments to perform the aforementioned procedures for ultra cheap. His house was found to be filthy and inhabited by three dogs, a parrot, and two cats. He was only caught because one disgruntled customer submitted a complaint due to her sub-par breast enhancement. More here.
Last news story for tonight...I think this is one of the most depressing things I've ever seen. I gave up all hope for humanity. Yesterday in Myrtle Creek, Oregon, a woman hit a teenage boy with her Honda. He was knocked onto the hood and windshield, and then the ground as she came to a stop. He didn't appear to be injured too badly, and the woman got out of the car. She then handed the boy a $5 dollar bill and told him not to tell on her. Then she drove away. Luckily, the kid wasn't stupid, and he called the police. He sustained minor back and knee injuries, and the Myrtle Creek police department is investigating the hit and run. More here.
Now, all I have to say is, "What were you thinking? You and the drunk steamroller guy! What is this?" I'm sorry that I report on stupid news stories like this, but I feel like sometimes it's better to acknowledge the idiots around us and learn from them to just ignore them. Oh well. I'm amused either way. :)
Okay. My life.
I declared an English major today. I'll let you know how that progresses.
I have started submitting some of my poetry, which can be found here to on online magazine called Illiterate Magazine. They are pretty cool. Check it out. I'm trying to get published. :)
And really, that's life at the moment. I have some new surprises coming soon for the blog, but you just have to wait. More on that later.
I love you all,
-Brad
P.S. Here is your entertainment for tonight.
I'm just gonna dive right in.
First, please watch this. I almost started crying. Unfortunately, I can't embed it, so please click the link. Please.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
For more on this amazing woman, click here.
Now, onto some news:
First, lets talk about drinking. Now, if you've had a few to many at the local brew pub and don't really want to walk home, what do you do? Call a cab? Grab a ride with a friend? Suck it up and stagger home? Some would say that these are all viable options, but not one man from Pflugerville, Texas. Last night, Pflugerville police found 32 year old Ronald Howell driving a steamroller home from the bar. The $180,000 Dynapac Vibrator Roller was sitting at a construction site, and I guess Ron got cold and felt like he needed to drive home instead of walking. The police report states that the vehicle was actually weaving in it's lane of traffic, and to worsen the danger, it was 4:00 AM, and the machine did not have any lights on. Ronald was arrested for drunk driving. I think that's funny enough by itself. I don't have anything else to say. More here.
Next, a more serious issue. Yesterday was April 15th. Not only is that my darling Grandma Margy's birthday, it is also the last day to file your federal income taxes. Now, I have many issues I could talk about here, including just how unconstitutional it is to impose income taxes and the fact that there is no statute saying you have to pay your taxes, but I would like to instead discuss the highly debated TEA parties that happened all over the country. TEA in this sense stands for Taxed Enough Already, and the movement was lead primarily by Republicans. Essentially the point that protesters wanted to get across is that the government is spending our hard earned income irresponsibly. I have a few friends that were bashing these demonstrations, and I would like to counter with a few points. First off: This is a prime example of freedom of speech. I don't care what they were protesting. Every citizen of the United States of America has the express right to peacefully demonstrate their own point of view, and I stand by this right. Censorship leads to ignorance and narrow mindedness. Even though you may think something is stupid, at least it motivated you to think, or at least form an opinion, a practice that seems to be disappearing. Secondly, If you take a peek at some of the spending that the White House has already done this year, you will see that the earmarks put into the budget are downright absurd. $160 million dollars went to farms in the Midwest to study the odor caused by pigs. Why did this show up in our spending budget? Especially when we are faced with a giant recession...that our President keeps promising to get us out of? I have the answer. It's about who you know. Lobbyists in Washington can manipulate their demographics, and work their own agendas into national matters. I don't think this is necessarily wrong, but I don't think pig odor research is as important as saving our country's ass. On the flip side, where do we draw the line? If we institute regulation on these matters, we are straying away from what it means to run a democracy. Anyway, before I get too off-topic, this is what I think: The people that got out there and tried to point out that our government is not spending money as wisely as it should be are doing what they should do. They are expressing their thoughts and feelings as every American should.
More here.
Okay, enough politics. I have some advice for all you ladies out there: Don't get breast or buttock implants anywhere but a licensed implant institute. That may seem like pretty obvious advice, but read on...A man was recently arrested in Spain for running a small side business out of his home. He had been using veterinary injection instruments to perform the aforementioned procedures for ultra cheap. His house was found to be filthy and inhabited by three dogs, a parrot, and two cats. He was only caught because one disgruntled customer submitted a complaint due to her sub-par breast enhancement. More here.
Last news story for tonight...I think this is one of the most depressing things I've ever seen. I gave up all hope for humanity. Yesterday in Myrtle Creek, Oregon, a woman hit a teenage boy with her Honda. He was knocked onto the hood and windshield, and then the ground as she came to a stop. He didn't appear to be injured too badly, and the woman got out of the car. She then handed the boy a $5 dollar bill and told him not to tell on her. Then she drove away. Luckily, the kid wasn't stupid, and he called the police. He sustained minor back and knee injuries, and the Myrtle Creek police department is investigating the hit and run. More here.
Now, all I have to say is, "What were you thinking? You and the drunk steamroller guy! What is this?" I'm sorry that I report on stupid news stories like this, but I feel like sometimes it's better to acknowledge the idiots around us and learn from them to just ignore them. Oh well. I'm amused either way. :)
Okay. My life.
I declared an English major today. I'll let you know how that progresses.
I have started submitting some of my poetry, which can be found here to on online magazine called Illiterate Magazine. They are pretty cool. Check it out. I'm trying to get published. :)
And really, that's life at the moment. I have some new surprises coming soon for the blog, but you just have to wait. More on that later.
I love you all,
-Brad
P.S. Here is your entertainment for tonight.
4.13.2009
Three Little Birds
Hey all,
Life has been very busy lately and I really haven't had much time to update you on things. First lets talk about some news!
First, I would like to relate a story to you about a certain consequence that came about due to the ban put in affect by President Obama against the use of torture at places like Guantanamo Bay to obtain information (holy cow that sentence is long and really confusing, but I'm not changing it). Essentially what has happened is PETA is looking to find a way to make this ban apply to animals. I quote: "Thousands of live animals are shot, stabbed, dismembered, burned, and poisoned every year in Department of Defense (DoD) training exercises designed to train medics and infantry in how to treat various human battlefield injuries. PETA is asking President Obama to issue an executive order requiring the DoD to replace animals with non-animal methods. These methods are readily available and already in use at several military installations. The non-animal methods include rotations in military trauma hospitals and the use of the DoD's own Combat Trauma Patient Simulator." Now, I understand that it is sort of inhumane to do these kinds of things to animals, but I must say that this is sort of a stretch. Most of the "testing" done on "live animals" in a military setting is actually done on dead pigs. They simulate human flesh very, very realistically. Anyway, that's not really the point. While it still remains true that there are animals used in military tests and they do usually die in somewhat cruel and unusual ways, but it is my personal opinion that its better for these tests to be done on animals than on humans. I mean, how would you feel if the US military was actively testing new weapons, such as, say...automatic grenade launchers, on humans? I think that's even more inhumane. PETA really wants you to write about to your congressman about how bad it is that goats and pigs are stabbed and monkeys are poisoned instead of humans in a polite, short, prewritten e-mail. If you feel like you would like to do that, please click here.
Next, I'd like to address a religious issue. It seems that a man in England has recently become dissatisfied with his baptism. John Hunt is a 56 year old resident of Croydon. He stopped believing in God at age 11 and stopped going to church. Now the atheist has asked the church to basically un-do his baptism on the grounds that the ceremony was not contestable by him in his infantile state, and he wants that pesky baptism thing off his chest. The church said that a baptism can't really be deleted because its a part of history...but the National Secular Society (NSS) shot back with a "de-baptism" certificate. It reads: "I reject all its creeds and other such superstitions in particular the perfidious belief that any baby needs to be cleansed of original sin." This form has now made it's round, and a lot of people have managed to get ahold of one...what a trend. More here.
Another amusing story I found involves a library in the Schaumburg Township District in Chicago. They are putting a ban on offensive odors. It's probably the most transparent attempt to eliminate homeless people from an establishment I've ever seen. Basically, it seems that there have been some people there that smell so badly that it has induced vomiting. I really doubt this fact, but anyway, the library is adding to its list of policies an ordinance on odor. I'd call that discrimination, especially in a public space, but hey, that's just me. More here.
My last news tid-bit involves the Finch Arboretum in Spokane, Washington. It seems that the place has recently been overrun by ground squirrels. The squirrels are known to dig tunnels that innocent folks can step into and fall down, as well as eat or damage tree roots. In response to this rising problem, the agency has brought in the big guns. A special machine called the Rodenator Pro is going to be used to "detonate" the squirrels. The Rodenator Pro works like this: it pumps the tunnels full of oxygen and propane and then sends in an electrical shock, igniting the gasses and killing the rodents. The residents living near the arboretum have been warned not to be alarmed if they hear sounds similar to gunshots or experience minor shaking or vibrations in or around their property. The company that makes and distributes the Rodenator is based out of Midvale, Ohio and claims on it's website that their product will take care of even the most serious problems, including but not limited to "Sabertoothed Gophers." You can find more here.
As for my personal news, I would like to recap my birthday events. As I recently mentioned, all of my friends up here threw me a little surprise party that even included a cake! It was a good time. Thank you all again! I also forgot to mention last time that while in Fort Collins, my Aunt Julie (who I call "aunt" here, but in reality she's my cousin) made me a batch of down-right fabulous cookies! I've eaten them all up by now, but they were wonderful down to the last bite.
As the week went on, I received quite a few birthday cards from the family. I decided to share them with you.
This first one, although a little odd was very funny. It came from my uncle Aaron and aunt Christina and their kids Samantha and Zoe. The gift that came with it was very very cool too, but I'm gonna come back to that in a later post. You'll see why.
This next one actually came with the aforementioned cookies, and is related to a previous post about my heritage. :) (please forgive me for the excess white space, the scanner was finicky...this is one of those cards that makes noise (toilet flushing), so the speaker got in the way a bit and didn't allow for smooth scanning)
This one came from my grandparents on my mom's side, Grandpa Harvey and Grandma Margy. :)
This one came from my other grandparents, Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Red. I love the Mercedes reference. :)
This one came from my Aunt Emily. :D
This one came from Emily's sister, Sheri, and her husband Jason, and their daughter Sarah. :) This one plays very serene music with chirpy birds.
This last one came from my parents. I love it. :)
Anyway, now that I've shared all those with you, this is the rest of my week....
Friday, I headed up to Denver to see my best buddy, Chance, and his girlfriend, Ginny, as well as a couple of other friends, Carolyn and Kelsey. Ginny baked me another cake, which was AWESOME! I think this is the only birthday that I've actually had two cakes. I was stoked. Needless to say, we had a good time. Thank you again Ginny for your hospitality. You are a wonderful girl, and I'm super duper excited Chance found you.
Saturday morning, well actually afternoon I guess, I caught I-25 up to Fort Collins to see some more friends. I had the opportunity to see my friends Cameron, Maddy, and Mike on campus at CSU, and we had an awesome time. After I left there, I headed over to my friend Alaina's house and got to meet her roommate, who she just happened to be having a dance party with in the kitchen. It was a fun time. We watched Fight Club and had wonderful angel food cake. So...here's a shout out to Alaina: THANK YOU SO MUCH! She even let me use her Wall-E pillow! I was super excited. :)
The following day was of course Easter! I went and saw some family, namely Aunt Julie, her husband, Scott and my little cousin Jake. We headed over to my cousin Mara's house and hung out and had lunch with more family and friends. More thanks goes to all my family, but especially to Julie and Scott, who I've really taken a liking to. Julie and I hadn't seen each other, at least not really, for a number of years, and I hadn't seen Scott in over 13. Its been really good to get to know them a little bit, and I hope to see them a lot more over the next few years.
After the Easter festivities, I headed back to Boulder. Yay for school!
Anyway, I think you all are up to speed by now.
There's only one thing left to do.
I have a really good friend out there, who also just happens to be my cousin. Her name is Sheridan, and she's Julie's daughter. I've recently had the privilege to get to know her as well, but it's just a wee-bit different: she lives in Tennessee. We got back in touch after about 7 years through good ol' Facebook, and now I don't go a day without talking to her. Right now she's going through that rough but wonderful time in life called "Graduation." She's all stressed about the ceremony, the family, and about college. Well, having lived through it, I'd like to dedicate this song to you Sheridan.
Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Just remember: One foot in front of the other. Breathe...it's condusive to living. You're gonna come out of it just fine.
With that said, I think I'm gonna go to bed.
Goodnight,
-Brad
Life has been very busy lately and I really haven't had much time to update you on things. First lets talk about some news!
First, I would like to relate a story to you about a certain consequence that came about due to the ban put in affect by President Obama against the use of torture at places like Guantanamo Bay to obtain information (holy cow that sentence is long and really confusing, but I'm not changing it). Essentially what has happened is PETA is looking to find a way to make this ban apply to animals. I quote: "Thousands of live animals are shot, stabbed, dismembered, burned, and poisoned every year in Department of Defense (DoD) training exercises designed to train medics and infantry in how to treat various human battlefield injuries. PETA is asking President Obama to issue an executive order requiring the DoD to replace animals with non-animal methods. These methods are readily available and already in use at several military installations. The non-animal methods include rotations in military trauma hospitals and the use of the DoD's own Combat Trauma Patient Simulator." Now, I understand that it is sort of inhumane to do these kinds of things to animals, but I must say that this is sort of a stretch. Most of the "testing" done on "live animals" in a military setting is actually done on dead pigs. They simulate human flesh very, very realistically. Anyway, that's not really the point. While it still remains true that there are animals used in military tests and they do usually die in somewhat cruel and unusual ways, but it is my personal opinion that its better for these tests to be done on animals than on humans. I mean, how would you feel if the US military was actively testing new weapons, such as, say...automatic grenade launchers, on humans? I think that's even more inhumane. PETA really wants you to write about to your congressman about how bad it is that goats and pigs are stabbed and monkeys are poisoned instead of humans in a polite, short, prewritten e-mail. If you feel like you would like to do that, please click here.
Next, I'd like to address a religious issue. It seems that a man in England has recently become dissatisfied with his baptism. John Hunt is a 56 year old resident of Croydon. He stopped believing in God at age 11 and stopped going to church. Now the atheist has asked the church to basically un-do his baptism on the grounds that the ceremony was not contestable by him in his infantile state, and he wants that pesky baptism thing off his chest. The church said that a baptism can't really be deleted because its a part of history...but the National Secular Society (NSS) shot back with a "de-baptism" certificate. It reads: "I reject all its creeds and other such superstitions in particular the perfidious belief that any baby needs to be cleansed of original sin." This form has now made it's round, and a lot of people have managed to get ahold of one...what a trend. More here.
Another amusing story I found involves a library in the Schaumburg Township District in Chicago. They are putting a ban on offensive odors. It's probably the most transparent attempt to eliminate homeless people from an establishment I've ever seen. Basically, it seems that there have been some people there that smell so badly that it has induced vomiting. I really doubt this fact, but anyway, the library is adding to its list of policies an ordinance on odor. I'd call that discrimination, especially in a public space, but hey, that's just me. More here.
My last news tid-bit involves the Finch Arboretum in Spokane, Washington. It seems that the place has recently been overrun by ground squirrels. The squirrels are known to dig tunnels that innocent folks can step into and fall down, as well as eat or damage tree roots. In response to this rising problem, the agency has brought in the big guns. A special machine called the Rodenator Pro is going to be used to "detonate" the squirrels. The Rodenator Pro works like this: it pumps the tunnels full of oxygen and propane and then sends in an electrical shock, igniting the gasses and killing the rodents. The residents living near the arboretum have been warned not to be alarmed if they hear sounds similar to gunshots or experience minor shaking or vibrations in or around their property. The company that makes and distributes the Rodenator is based out of Midvale, Ohio and claims on it's website that their product will take care of even the most serious problems, including but not limited to "Sabertoothed Gophers." You can find more here.
As for my personal news, I would like to recap my birthday events. As I recently mentioned, all of my friends up here threw me a little surprise party that even included a cake! It was a good time. Thank you all again! I also forgot to mention last time that while in Fort Collins, my Aunt Julie (who I call "aunt" here, but in reality she's my cousin) made me a batch of down-right fabulous cookies! I've eaten them all up by now, but they were wonderful down to the last bite.
As the week went on, I received quite a few birthday cards from the family. I decided to share them with you.
This first one, although a little odd was very funny. It came from my uncle Aaron and aunt Christina and their kids Samantha and Zoe. The gift that came with it was very very cool too, but I'm gonna come back to that in a later post. You'll see why.
This next one actually came with the aforementioned cookies, and is related to a previous post about my heritage. :) (please forgive me for the excess white space, the scanner was finicky...this is one of those cards that makes noise (toilet flushing), so the speaker got in the way a bit and didn't allow for smooth scanning)
This one came from my grandparents on my mom's side, Grandpa Harvey and Grandma Margy. :)
This one came from my other grandparents, Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Red. I love the Mercedes reference. :)
This one came from my Aunt Emily. :D
This one came from Emily's sister, Sheri, and her husband Jason, and their daughter Sarah. :) This one plays very serene music with chirpy birds.
This last one came from my parents. I love it. :)
Anyway, now that I've shared all those with you, this is the rest of my week....
Friday, I headed up to Denver to see my best buddy, Chance, and his girlfriend, Ginny, as well as a couple of other friends, Carolyn and Kelsey. Ginny baked me another cake, which was AWESOME! I think this is the only birthday that I've actually had two cakes. I was stoked. Needless to say, we had a good time. Thank you again Ginny for your hospitality. You are a wonderful girl, and I'm super duper excited Chance found you.
Saturday morning, well actually afternoon I guess, I caught I-25 up to Fort Collins to see some more friends. I had the opportunity to see my friends Cameron, Maddy, and Mike on campus at CSU, and we had an awesome time. After I left there, I headed over to my friend Alaina's house and got to meet her roommate, who she just happened to be having a dance party with in the kitchen. It was a fun time. We watched Fight Club and had wonderful angel food cake. So...here's a shout out to Alaina: THANK YOU SO MUCH! She even let me use her Wall-E pillow! I was super excited. :)
The following day was of course Easter! I went and saw some family, namely Aunt Julie, her husband, Scott and my little cousin Jake. We headed over to my cousin Mara's house and hung out and had lunch with more family and friends. More thanks goes to all my family, but especially to Julie and Scott, who I've really taken a liking to. Julie and I hadn't seen each other, at least not really, for a number of years, and I hadn't seen Scott in over 13. Its been really good to get to know them a little bit, and I hope to see them a lot more over the next few years.
After the Easter festivities, I headed back to Boulder. Yay for school!
Anyway, I think you all are up to speed by now.
There's only one thing left to do.
I have a really good friend out there, who also just happens to be my cousin. Her name is Sheridan, and she's Julie's daughter. I've recently had the privilege to get to know her as well, but it's just a wee-bit different: she lives in Tennessee. We got back in touch after about 7 years through good ol' Facebook, and now I don't go a day without talking to her. Right now she's going through that rough but wonderful time in life called "Graduation." She's all stressed about the ceremony, the family, and about college. Well, having lived through it, I'd like to dedicate this song to you Sheridan.
Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Just remember: One foot in front of the other. Breathe...it's condusive to living. You're gonna come out of it just fine.
With that said, I think I'm gonna go to bed.
Goodnight,
-Brad
4.10.2009
Sorry...
Hey all,
I just want you to know that I've been meaning to make a post for like a week now...but things have been very busy. I promise I'll give you an update soon.
:D
Thank you,
-Brad
I just want you to know that I've been meaning to make a post for like a week now...but things have been very busy. I promise I'll give you an update soon.
:D
Thank you,
-Brad
4.03.2009
Cake and Beetles...
Hey all,
First of all, I want you all to see this bug.
This bug is named Floggart II. He is the second beetle found in some desertous region that one of a nortorious trio (Forrest, Chance, or I) has named Floggart. The original one was found in the Grand Canyon in a place called Sumner Wash. The aforementioned trio was tired and hungry and in need of a good nights sleep when they stumbled upon a small beetle burrowing in the sand. Even though he was small, he was mighty and thriving in the harsh desert. The trio named him Floggart the Destroyer as they watched him quickly scurry about and then dissapear into the warm sandy bottom of the wash. They never saw him again, but they will always remember his efforts. As they hiked out of the canyon in the next days, one of the boys seemed to be hiking harder and faster than the rest, thus earning him the nick name of Floggart the Destroyer, this time as a human.
I hearby dedicate this edition of my blog to all the Floggarts out there...whether you work hard in school, at your job, or just strive to do your best at whatever you do. You see, here are countless men and women out there who do amazing things everyday...and we never give them the respect the deserve, just like this little beetle out in the desert. There are people out there across the ocean fighting for causes that are so diluted that no one is sure what's going on, but they stick to it. There are people out there working through the night to keep your lights on and your home secure. There are people out there that work all day at jobs that no one would want, but have to be done nonetheless - trash collectors, street sweepers, night stockers at the supermarket. They all work to make everyone's life a little easier and more enjoyable, and I don't think they get nearly enough credit.
That being said, I'd like to share a story of a man who has lived up to his potential, even at 97 years old.
George Moyse, of Great Britain is believed to be the worlds oldest person to complete a 120 mph skydive at 10,000 ft. Mr. Moyse will be turning 98 on Wednesday. Even at his age he says, "I do not sit around, I get about, I go for a walk every day and I do my own cooking, washing, ironing, everything. I have just been lucky to be so agile." This is an awesome attitude for anyone in my opinion, especially someone that has lived nearly a century. He did the jump to raise money for charity and ended up liking it very much. He claims that he wasn't in the least bit scared and has decided to do another jump for his 100th birthday. I think this just goes to show that life is what you make it.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSrL4YrIWv8
Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7983045.stm
I for one can't even imagine living such a long life, let alone be able to provide for myself at that age, let alone skydive. Actually, I can't imagine skydiving period. I really want to do it someday though. :D
Now for some depressing news.
Recently in Magnolia, AK, a woman started a brawl at a funeral service when another attendee allegedly walked in carrying a can of beer. Anna Sindelar, who is 52 years old, and Cynthia Hall, 46, are facing third-degree assault and battery charges after Sindelar marched into the service as mentioned above and refused to leave. She then supposedly grabbed a mans face, leaving bloody scratches, and Hall, who apparently was the man's mother, slapped her. Hall then went on to kick another woman in the chest. The police report ironically claims that Ms. Sindelar became very passive aggressive and said, "no backwood country cop" was going to take her to jail.
More here.
In other news, I went to Windsor this weekend to see my family. My mom and sister and brother were in the area looking at colleges and stuff. (My sister is probably going to go CSU. Grr.) I also got to go birthday shopping with my mom, which was waaaay cool. I got a lifetime membership to REI as well as a new camp stove and a compact rain jacket. I'm pretty stoked. :) Click here to see my new stuff: Stove, Jacket.
I got back here today and got settled in...went to dinner...and then my friends threw me a surprise birthday party!!! It was so exciting!!! My friend Katie made me a cake!!! It was sooo good!!! I'm putting exclamation points on everything!!! Exclamation points!!! WOO HOO!!!
Okay. Enough of that.
Anyway, I don't really have much more to report for now.
But I have one other question...Do any of you want to hear the rest of the Grand Canyon story? Leave me comment and let me know.
I love you all...
-Brad
First of all, I want you all to see this bug.
This bug is named Floggart II. He is the second beetle found in some desertous region that one of a nortorious trio (Forrest, Chance, or I) has named Floggart. The original one was found in the Grand Canyon in a place called Sumner Wash. The aforementioned trio was tired and hungry and in need of a good nights sleep when they stumbled upon a small beetle burrowing in the sand. Even though he was small, he was mighty and thriving in the harsh desert. The trio named him Floggart the Destroyer as they watched him quickly scurry about and then dissapear into the warm sandy bottom of the wash. They never saw him again, but they will always remember his efforts. As they hiked out of the canyon in the next days, one of the boys seemed to be hiking harder and faster than the rest, thus earning him the nick name of Floggart the Destroyer, this time as a human.
I hearby dedicate this edition of my blog to all the Floggarts out there...whether you work hard in school, at your job, or just strive to do your best at whatever you do. You see, here are countless men and women out there who do amazing things everyday...and we never give them the respect the deserve, just like this little beetle out in the desert. There are people out there across the ocean fighting for causes that are so diluted that no one is sure what's going on, but they stick to it. There are people out there working through the night to keep your lights on and your home secure. There are people out there that work all day at jobs that no one would want, but have to be done nonetheless - trash collectors, street sweepers, night stockers at the supermarket. They all work to make everyone's life a little easier and more enjoyable, and I don't think they get nearly enough credit.
That being said, I'd like to share a story of a man who has lived up to his potential, even at 97 years old.
George Moyse, of Great Britain is believed to be the worlds oldest person to complete a 120 mph skydive at 10,000 ft. Mr. Moyse will be turning 98 on Wednesday. Even at his age he says, "I do not sit around, I get about, I go for a walk every day and I do my own cooking, washing, ironing, everything. I have just been lucky to be so agile." This is an awesome attitude for anyone in my opinion, especially someone that has lived nearly a century. He did the jump to raise money for charity and ended up liking it very much. He claims that he wasn't in the least bit scared and has decided to do another jump for his 100th birthday. I think this just goes to show that life is what you make it.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSrL4YrIWv8
Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7983045.stm
I for one can't even imagine living such a long life, let alone be able to provide for myself at that age, let alone skydive. Actually, I can't imagine skydiving period. I really want to do it someday though. :D
Now for some depressing news.
Recently in Magnolia, AK, a woman started a brawl at a funeral service when another attendee allegedly walked in carrying a can of beer. Anna Sindelar, who is 52 years old, and Cynthia Hall, 46, are facing third-degree assault and battery charges after Sindelar marched into the service as mentioned above and refused to leave. She then supposedly grabbed a mans face, leaving bloody scratches, and Hall, who apparently was the man's mother, slapped her. Hall then went on to kick another woman in the chest. The police report ironically claims that Ms. Sindelar became very passive aggressive and said, "no backwood country cop" was going to take her to jail.
More here.
In other news, I went to Windsor this weekend to see my family. My mom and sister and brother were in the area looking at colleges and stuff. (My sister is probably going to go CSU. Grr.) I also got to go birthday shopping with my mom, which was waaaay cool. I got a lifetime membership to REI as well as a new camp stove and a compact rain jacket. I'm pretty stoked. :) Click here to see my new stuff: Stove, Jacket.
I got back here today and got settled in...went to dinner...and then my friends threw me a surprise birthday party!!! It was so exciting!!! My friend Katie made me a cake!!! It was sooo good!!! I'm putting exclamation points on everything!!! Exclamation points!!! WOO HOO!!!
Okay. Enough of that.
Anyway, I don't really have much more to report for now.
But I have one other question...Do any of you want to hear the rest of the Grand Canyon story? Leave me comment and let me know.
I love you all...
-Brad
3.31.2009
Poetry, camping, etc...
Hey all,
I have a few things to tell you. Firstly, I have joined a blog that was previously unadvertised to the public to this one. It is for Lucid Dreams Inkorporated, a blog I started under the pen name Darwin Cosk. It was dedicated primarily to my poetry, and I have since decided to declassify it primarily because I'm working on getting some of my poetry published, so I can't really have my work out there under two names, if you know what I mean. The link for this blog is here: http://ldink.blogspot.com/.
Alright, with that said, lets do an update:
This past week I went home for spring break. I had a really really good time. I worked a lot on my car and that sort of stuff. Unfortunately, my parents had to leave for a family emergency and I spent most of my break at home alone. That was okay though, I spent some time with my grandparents, which was good. I also didn't work at my crappy job at the supermarket either, so that was good too. The big epiphany for me while being home was the fact that I really miss where I come from. Forrest and I were driving home from a camping trip, which in itself was wonderful, but as we drove, I noticed a man driving the other way in an old crappy truck. He had a gun rack in the back window full of rifles and fishing poles. I had a startling realization (sort of in contrast to the previous post) that while I immensely enjoy living in Boulder, I really miss my redneck heritage sometimes. I mean, I come from a place where I can go out with my fishing pole pretty much no matter what season and fish pretty much wherever I like. I can go shoot giant guns out in the woods and no one really cares. I can camp wherever, whenever. It is one of the best places on the planet. We get a lot of crap for being hicks, but here's what I think: Sure you drive a European import, but can you fix it? Yeah, you might own an Italian leather sports jacket, but have you ever worn leather boots? Or shall I put it like this: you go to a tanning bed, I go outside. You have beautiful smog induced sunsets, we have clean living at a high elevation. All in all, I am happy to live in Boulder, but I must say that I am dang proud to have come here from a little place called Pagosa Springs, CO.
Anyway, to tell you more about the aforementioned camping trip, basically Forrest and I went down to the Navajo Lake area for a one-nighter. It was an awesome time. It just got really cold. Probably down below twenty degrees. But that's okay. Camping is camping, no matter how you put it. And yes Lissa, I made sure not to go alone...just for you. :)
So, now I'm back at school, doing what I do. Study, eat, blog, stuff like that...you know. So what's in the news today...?
Here's a good one for ya: A woman deliberately blocked the entrance to the driveway she shared with her neighbor, prohibiting the ambulance that was taking said neighbor to the hospital to receive medical attention for his severe chest pain. The man ended up dying an hour later. The background here goes like this: 62 year old Malcolm Burdett was being wheeled out of his house on a stretcher when Gillian Birdsall, the man's neighbor, pulled into the driveway, blocking the ambulance that was to take him away. When asked to move her car, she sarcastically asked, "Has anyone died?" That was all she had to say, and well, she didn't move her car for ten minutes. This caused the man to die. I hate people who do things like this. Basically, she is being charged with his death. She is fighting the claim, and it looks like the case will go on for a long time. More here.
In happier news, my hair has gotten so long that my friends don't recognize me. Boo.
Anyway, I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. You all have a good night and what not.
-Brad
Oh yes, this is what I learned about in physics class today. Listen to the noise this guy makes with this throat. It's trippy.
And also, I want to make a dedication to my cousin and good friend Sheridan who seems to be having some car trouble. Let's hope it doesn't get this bad. I wish you all the luck in the world cuz!
I have a few things to tell you. Firstly, I have joined a blog that was previously unadvertised to the public to this one. It is for Lucid Dreams Inkorporated, a blog I started under the pen name Darwin Cosk. It was dedicated primarily to my poetry, and I have since decided to declassify it primarily because I'm working on getting some of my poetry published, so I can't really have my work out there under two names, if you know what I mean. The link for this blog is here: http://ldink.blogspot.com/.
Alright, with that said, lets do an update:
This past week I went home for spring break. I had a really really good time. I worked a lot on my car and that sort of stuff. Unfortunately, my parents had to leave for a family emergency and I spent most of my break at home alone. That was okay though, I spent some time with my grandparents, which was good. I also didn't work at my crappy job at the supermarket either, so that was good too. The big epiphany for me while being home was the fact that I really miss where I come from. Forrest and I were driving home from a camping trip, which in itself was wonderful, but as we drove, I noticed a man driving the other way in an old crappy truck. He had a gun rack in the back window full of rifles and fishing poles. I had a startling realization (sort of in contrast to the previous post) that while I immensely enjoy living in Boulder, I really miss my redneck heritage sometimes. I mean, I come from a place where I can go out with my fishing pole pretty much no matter what season and fish pretty much wherever I like. I can go shoot giant guns out in the woods and no one really cares. I can camp wherever, whenever. It is one of the best places on the planet. We get a lot of crap for being hicks, but here's what I think: Sure you drive a European import, but can you fix it? Yeah, you might own an Italian leather sports jacket, but have you ever worn leather boots? Or shall I put it like this: you go to a tanning bed, I go outside. You have beautiful smog induced sunsets, we have clean living at a high elevation. All in all, I am happy to live in Boulder, but I must say that I am dang proud to have come here from a little place called Pagosa Springs, CO.
Anyway, to tell you more about the aforementioned camping trip, basically Forrest and I went down to the Navajo Lake area for a one-nighter. It was an awesome time. It just got really cold. Probably down below twenty degrees. But that's okay. Camping is camping, no matter how you put it. And yes Lissa, I made sure not to go alone...just for you. :)
So, now I'm back at school, doing what I do. Study, eat, blog, stuff like that...you know. So what's in the news today...?
Here's a good one for ya: A woman deliberately blocked the entrance to the driveway she shared with her neighbor, prohibiting the ambulance that was taking said neighbor to the hospital to receive medical attention for his severe chest pain. The man ended up dying an hour later. The background here goes like this: 62 year old Malcolm Burdett was being wheeled out of his house on a stretcher when Gillian Birdsall, the man's neighbor, pulled into the driveway, blocking the ambulance that was to take him away. When asked to move her car, she sarcastically asked, "Has anyone died?" That was all she had to say, and well, she didn't move her car for ten minutes. This caused the man to die. I hate people who do things like this. Basically, she is being charged with his death. She is fighting the claim, and it looks like the case will go on for a long time. More here.
In happier news, my hair has gotten so long that my friends don't recognize me. Boo.
Anyway, I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. You all have a good night and what not.
-Brad
Oh yes, this is what I learned about in physics class today. Listen to the noise this guy makes with this throat. It's trippy.
And also, I want to make a dedication to my cousin and good friend Sheridan who seems to be having some car trouble. Let's hope it doesn't get this bad. I wish you all the luck in the world cuz!
3.25.2009
Why dynamite fishing is bad...
Hey all,
Well, as stated in my last post, I'm home. Pagosa is just the same as ever...small and boring, but full of friends and familiar faces. Instead of working at the store, I've been doing some odd jobs for family and friends...as well as a lot of work on my car. So that's all been fun.
I must apologize for the lack of posts recently, but I got home, and CenturyTel seemed to be having some issues, so I didn't finish off last week. To fill you in, basically all that happened was after my giant midterm of doom on Wednesday, the week just slowly petered out and by the time Friday rolled around, I was ready to head home. Saturday I left relatively early and met Forrest half ways...about Poncha Springs. Let me recommend something to you - If you are ever in the Salida area, DO NOT eat at the Windmill Bar and Grill. It was overpriced and not too quality. And the fact that it's in Salida is just bad enough.
Okay...fun news time.
So, apparently it's a pretty common, although illegal practice in Vietnam to fish with dynamite. It actually sounds pretty fun to me, but yesterday things went very wrong for 4 Vietnamese fishermen. They looked over the edge of their boat to find large bubbles coming up from below and assumed it was a big ol' fishy. In response,they dumped some lit TNT overboard and after the explosion the went under to find their catch. After careful examination, they found that they had not killed a giant fish, but in fact it was a diver. This is why fishing with dynamite is stupid and illegal. More here.
What else....
Oh yes, I was talking to my dear cousin Sheridan today about the web service Twitter...and I came across an article that reviewed a new curriculum for schools in Britain. Basically, instead of history and literature and the like, the plan is to teach kids to use web sites like Wikipedia, how to tweet on Twitter, blog, and make podcasts. Sex education would be completely compulsory, and children as young as nine would be taught about making informed decisions about drugs and alcohol. English will be eliminated, and "media texts" will take over, meaning emails, IMs, Tweets, and Wikis. I'm not sure how to react to this. Leave me comments. More here.
In other news, yesterday a woman was ticketed by police when she stopped her car to resuscitate her severely disabled son on the way to the hospice. She had stopped to help little Freddie who has a breathing disorder and the police pulled up, issued a ticket for the traffic impediment...and Freddie recovered as the ticket was issued. What a crock. More here.
Lastly, I have come across another story about an Italian brain surgeon who had a heart attack while performing a brain surgery. Instead of stopping like a normal person and grabbing his chest, falling down and gasping a bunch, he continued on and successfully performed the life saving surgery. Props to you, Mr. Italian Brain Surgeon. More here.
Anyway, I think that's it for tonight. I'll catch you again soon. :D
-Brad
Watch Ms. Scarlet fall down. It's funny.
Well, as stated in my last post, I'm home. Pagosa is just the same as ever...small and boring, but full of friends and familiar faces. Instead of working at the store, I've been doing some odd jobs for family and friends...as well as a lot of work on my car. So that's all been fun.
I must apologize for the lack of posts recently, but I got home, and CenturyTel seemed to be having some issues, so I didn't finish off last week. To fill you in, basically all that happened was after my giant midterm of doom on Wednesday, the week just slowly petered out and by the time Friday rolled around, I was ready to head home. Saturday I left relatively early and met Forrest half ways...about Poncha Springs. Let me recommend something to you - If you are ever in the Salida area, DO NOT eat at the Windmill Bar and Grill. It was overpriced and not too quality. And the fact that it's in Salida is just bad enough.
Okay...fun news time.
So, apparently it's a pretty common, although illegal practice in Vietnam to fish with dynamite. It actually sounds pretty fun to me, but yesterday things went very wrong for 4 Vietnamese fishermen. They looked over the edge of their boat to find large bubbles coming up from below and assumed it was a big ol' fishy. In response,they dumped some lit TNT overboard and after the explosion the went under to find their catch. After careful examination, they found that they had not killed a giant fish, but in fact it was a diver. This is why fishing with dynamite is stupid and illegal. More here.
What else....
Oh yes, I was talking to my dear cousin Sheridan today about the web service Twitter...and I came across an article that reviewed a new curriculum for schools in Britain. Basically, instead of history and literature and the like, the plan is to teach kids to use web sites like Wikipedia, how to tweet on Twitter, blog, and make podcasts. Sex education would be completely compulsory, and children as young as nine would be taught about making informed decisions about drugs and alcohol. English will be eliminated, and "media texts" will take over, meaning emails, IMs, Tweets, and Wikis. I'm not sure how to react to this. Leave me comments. More here.
In other news, yesterday a woman was ticketed by police when she stopped her car to resuscitate her severely disabled son on the way to the hospice. She had stopped to help little Freddie who has a breathing disorder and the police pulled up, issued a ticket for the traffic impediment...and Freddie recovered as the ticket was issued. What a crock. More here.
Lastly, I have come across another story about an Italian brain surgeon who had a heart attack while performing a brain surgery. Instead of stopping like a normal person and grabbing his chest, falling down and gasping a bunch, he continued on and successfully performed the life saving surgery. Props to you, Mr. Italian Brain Surgeon. More here.
Anyway, I think that's it for tonight. I'll catch you again soon. :D
-Brad
Watch Ms. Scarlet fall down. It's funny.
Oops....
Hey all,
The Internet situation at home has been sort of spotty lately.
I DID not break my new years resolution, there have just been extenuating circumstances that have prohibited me from updating you on my life.
So, to counteract this, I promise to update you all very soon.
Thanks for the patience. Not that anyone cares.
Goodnight.
:D
-Brad
The Internet situation at home has been sort of spotty lately.
I DID not break my new years resolution, there have just been extenuating circumstances that have prohibited me from updating you on my life.
So, to counteract this, I promise to update you all very soon.
Thanks for the patience. Not that anyone cares.
Goodnight.
:D
-Brad
3.19.2009
Catch up time...sort of.
Hey all,
So it's been quite the week and I haven't had time to blog recently. Fortunately for you though, that means you'll get a new post tomorrow and the next day!!!
Here's what I've been up to:
Sunday: My alternator crapped out in Golden while visiting Chance. That really sucked. I had to leave my car there for the night in a liquor store parking lot, and limp it back to Boulder the next day.
Monday: Had class all day as usual, but spent the afternoon getting my car back here. A special thanks to Chris for the help.
Tuesday: Installed the new alternator. It was a big pain in the butt as the alternator is located directly under my rather large AC unit. Oh boy. Then I had class. I spent the evening in the library doing a theatre paper, a Spanish composition and a 12 page study guide. Barf.
Wednesday: Took a history midterm. Kicked it's butt. Then more class.
Thursday: Class all day, but now I can relax. Here I am. :D
Anyway, after tomorrow's classes, I'm home free. Literally. I'm coming home to Pagosa Springs on Saturday. I'm very excited. :D
That's all I've got for tonight. I'll gather some funny news stuff for tomorrow.
Have a good night and enjoy this offensive comedy.
Love to you all.
-Brad
Thursday:
So it's been quite the week and I haven't had time to blog recently. Fortunately for you though, that means you'll get a new post tomorrow and the next day!!!
Here's what I've been up to:
Sunday: My alternator crapped out in Golden while visiting Chance. That really sucked. I had to leave my car there for the night in a liquor store parking lot, and limp it back to Boulder the next day.
Monday: Had class all day as usual, but spent the afternoon getting my car back here. A special thanks to Chris for the help.
Tuesday: Installed the new alternator. It was a big pain in the butt as the alternator is located directly under my rather large AC unit. Oh boy. Then I had class. I spent the evening in the library doing a theatre paper, a Spanish composition and a 12 page study guide. Barf.
Wednesday: Took a history midterm. Kicked it's butt. Then more class.
Thursday: Class all day, but now I can relax. Here I am. :D
Anyway, after tomorrow's classes, I'm home free. Literally. I'm coming home to Pagosa Springs on Saturday. I'm very excited. :D
That's all I've got for tonight. I'll gather some funny news stuff for tomorrow.
Have a good night and enjoy this offensive comedy.
Love to you all.
-Brad
Thursday:
3.14.2009
Mary sings.
Hey all,
I just want you to know that I feel like this girl sometimes.
Have a good day.
I'll post later.
-Brad
I just want you to know that I feel like this girl sometimes.
Have a good day.
I'll post later.
-Brad
3.12.2009
Personal update.
Hey all,
Well, it's been a while since we talked about anything but news, so this post is just going to be about me. :)
So, firstly, I want to tell you that the newest beta version of Safari is a wonderful thing. I have a PC, but I still use it as my dominant browser. My friend Pat turned me onto it the other day, and I absolutely love it. It has pretty much all the same features as the latest beta version of Internet Explorer, but it's just way cooler. If you'd like to check it out, click here.
I also found this really wonderful candy at Walmart the other day. It's called Reese's Whoppers! They are pretty yummy.
Also, I just want to tell all of you that have concerns for my newly gained college weight, I have lost some of it. Muffy, as I've been calling the separate entity that is my gut, has shrank lately and that's a good thing. I've been trying to eat smarter and run when I can, and it's slowly but surely paying off. :)
What else...
Oh yes, school. School is going very well. Last week I had two giant midterms, one of which I've gotten back, and got a B on, and the other is still in the air. We'll see. Let me tell all of my readers who are still in high school: COLLEGE IS HARD!!! I just thought you should know. And while I'm on that line...here are some other things you might find valuable:
1. Never pass up a free t-shirt. Even if it's too big. You can always use it as a rag later if you don't like it.
2. Never pass up coupons for free food. You will use them. I promise.
2.5 Get a junk e-mail account and sign up with all the restaurants in your area so they give you free stuff on your birthday.
3. Getting help from a friend or a tutor is never bad. Don't let pride get in the way of getting good grades. I learned that the hard way.
4. Getting a little crazy now and then is a good thing, just don't let partying dominate your life.
5. Make friends with your RA. They have lots of resources and knowledge that they can share with you.
6. DO NOT CHEAT. It gets you no where, and while it may work, it always comes back to bite you in the ass.
7. Stay in touch with your parents. They love you and want the best for you. It's easy to forget about them, but keep them updated. (That's half the reason I run a blog :D )
8. Gaining weight is a traumatizing experience. I would know. Just don't let it get you down if you become victim of the freshman 15. Late night studying is always made better with a pizza or something, but consider the alternatives too...Oh and exercise never hurts. :)
9. Having fun is important, and there will be many fun things to do, on and off campus, but school always needs to come first. Procrastination will kill you every time, and so will rushing through work just so you can do something else. This is the rest of your life you're forming here...take the extra 10 minutes and make that paper worth it.
10. Money management is very important. Whether you have a job, live off student loans, or get an allowance from your parents, be careful what you do with your money. It's not something, especially in our economy, to take for granted. I work when I go home, and supplement my spending with the student loan refunds I receive, but I also have started paying back my student loans.
All in all, there just needs to be balance in everything. Financials, school work, parties...they all are part of college and you need to regulate them.
Okay, enough of that.
This week has been very good. I've had some down time to catch up on homework and study for my next midterm, which is this coming Wednesday. After that, it's Spring Break!!! I'm going back home to work at good ol City Market and make a couple bucks.
Really, that's life for right now.
I might do a news recap later, but we'll see. Do you guys even like that?
Let me know.
-Brad
Well, it's been a while since we talked about anything but news, so this post is just going to be about me. :)
So, firstly, I want to tell you that the newest beta version of Safari is a wonderful thing. I have a PC, but I still use it as my dominant browser. My friend Pat turned me onto it the other day, and I absolutely love it. It has pretty much all the same features as the latest beta version of Internet Explorer, but it's just way cooler. If you'd like to check it out, click here.
I also found this really wonderful candy at Walmart the other day. It's called Reese's Whoppers! They are pretty yummy.
Also, I just want to tell all of you that have concerns for my newly gained college weight, I have lost some of it. Muffy, as I've been calling the separate entity that is my gut, has shrank lately and that's a good thing. I've been trying to eat smarter and run when I can, and it's slowly but surely paying off. :)
What else...
Oh yes, school. School is going very well. Last week I had two giant midterms, one of which I've gotten back, and got a B on, and the other is still in the air. We'll see. Let me tell all of my readers who are still in high school: COLLEGE IS HARD!!! I just thought you should know. And while I'm on that line...here are some other things you might find valuable:
1. Never pass up a free t-shirt. Even if it's too big. You can always use it as a rag later if you don't like it.
2. Never pass up coupons for free food. You will use them. I promise.
2.5 Get a junk e-mail account and sign up with all the restaurants in your area so they give you free stuff on your birthday.
3. Getting help from a friend or a tutor is never bad. Don't let pride get in the way of getting good grades. I learned that the hard way.
4. Getting a little crazy now and then is a good thing, just don't let partying dominate your life.
5. Make friends with your RA. They have lots of resources and knowledge that they can share with you.
6. DO NOT CHEAT. It gets you no where, and while it may work, it always comes back to bite you in the ass.
7. Stay in touch with your parents. They love you and want the best for you. It's easy to forget about them, but keep them updated. (That's half the reason I run a blog :D )
8. Gaining weight is a traumatizing experience. I would know. Just don't let it get you down if you become victim of the freshman 15. Late night studying is always made better with a pizza or something, but consider the alternatives too...Oh and exercise never hurts. :)
9. Having fun is important, and there will be many fun things to do, on and off campus, but school always needs to come first. Procrastination will kill you every time, and so will rushing through work just so you can do something else. This is the rest of your life you're forming here...take the extra 10 minutes and make that paper worth it.
10. Money management is very important. Whether you have a job, live off student loans, or get an allowance from your parents, be careful what you do with your money. It's not something, especially in our economy, to take for granted. I work when I go home, and supplement my spending with the student loan refunds I receive, but I also have started paying back my student loans.
All in all, there just needs to be balance in everything. Financials, school work, parties...they all are part of college and you need to regulate them.
Okay, enough of that.
This week has been very good. I've had some down time to catch up on homework and study for my next midterm, which is this coming Wednesday. After that, it's Spring Break!!! I'm going back home to work at good ol City Market and make a couple bucks.
Really, that's life for right now.
I might do a news recap later, but we'll see. Do you guys even like that?
Let me know.
-Brad
3.09.2009
Inappropriate
Hey all,
I don't have much time tonight, but I wanted to leave you with this.
I don't have much time tonight, but I wanted to leave you with this.
"LEXINGTON PARK, Md. (WUSA) - A Southern Maryland woman was seriously injured in a mishap involving a sex toy over the weekend. The case was first reported on BayNet.com, and Saint Mary's county public safety sources confirm the information to 9NEWS NOW.
The accident was reported to local fire and rescue personnel about 1:30 a.m. on March 7, from an address on Rogers Drive. The man who made the 911 call said he had placed a sex toy over a saber saw blade, and then used the power tool on his partner, but the blade cut through the plastic and injured the woman.
The victim, a 27-year-old woman, was reportedly injured and bleeding. She was flown to Prince George's hospital center by Maryland State Police.
County law enforcement officials who were familiar with the media report about this case said although they were not initially called to investigate the incident, they would likely follow up to determine it was just an accident and involved consentual behavior."
Written by Bill Starks
9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com
I just couldn't resist.
However messed up it my sound.
:D
You all have a good night.
-Brad
Oh, and since this edition seems to be so inappropriate, here's this too:
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