"Go Italian"

So in review of my last post about the yak, I asked my wife if she had read it. She replied that she had and that she was embarrassed for me.

Catey: Garbage man?.....REALLY?......I can't believe you posted that. Nobody wants to read about that stuff. I am so embarrassed for you.

Aaron: Why not? I thought it was funny and everyone goes through that, its just a way we can all relate and commiserate.

Catey: Ugh.

Aaron: But hey, I did set you up with Pierre on a cruise ship for extended periods of time.

Catey: Yeah, next time you do that, go Italian. I'm not into French dudes. If you are setting me up with someone, always default Italian. Anything Mediterranean is much better than French. French guys may look nice, but then they open their mouth and that just ruins it.

I had no idea...all this time....


....and I brought that lady a 2lb party bag of M&M's yesterday...sheesh.


....Italian...who knew?

NOW I know why she liked Zorro so much, that Antonio Banderas.....he's a jerk. He's from Spain...but that is 'Mediterranean' enough.

Gripe #11 - Yak

Yeah....this is a blog about Vomit. but I don't like the word 'vomit' so to save you reading it over and over, I will refer to it as 'yak'. Those with weak constitutions, be aware that this post is funny.

I don't like yaking....I don't really know who does but they are troubled individuals. Yacking is your body's way of saying "Get the [blank] outta here!!!!" to whatever ails your stomach. It could be that the food did nothing wrong, it minded its own business, got chewed, followed the correct path to its rightful new home and the housekeeper was having a bad day and said "OUT!.....OUT I SAY!!!" When the housekeeper ain't happy.....nobody in the body is happy.

I can deal with a severe head wound or my arm cut off better than I can deal with nausea. The last time I was sick, Catey asked if I was pregnant....ept says no.....I am still unsure. If that is what pregnancy is like, I owe Catey a few months on a cruise somewhere, alone....without kids and a half naked massage therapist with rippling muscles named Pierre who rubs her feet 8 hours a day and brings her cold daiquiris alternating raspberry, strawberry, peach and pina colada every hour.

Pregnancy sucks....not that I REALLY know, but I can guess.

This last weekend was a particularly bad bout for me and the angry housekeeper. Not only did she win but she made the garbage man (yeah the dude at the other end) unhappy too. So not only were THEY in a fight, they decided to gang up on me. We were in a three way brawl on Friday morning from 1 am to 5:30.

I lost......they lost, everybody lost, and nobody is the better for it. Things are better now but everyone is sore from the all-out brawl and still recovering.

So what am I trying to accomplish with this yak blog? I don't know, maybe just a rant, just had to get it off my chest. Every time I yak I think about those little baggies on airplanes.....you know the kind. The dainty little "air sick" bag....right....uh huh. I don't know about you but I have been afraid of chipping the porcelain when I yak...its like a firehose. I imagine me on a plane, with the little air sick baggie...right....RIIIIIGHT. Who are they kidding, really?....People fourteen rows up would need a shower if I got sick on a plane. The pilot would think some terrorist has attacked the cabin door from the pressure release...it would not bode well for anyone.

Don't even get me started about kids and yaking.

But since you did get me started, I have a few things to say about this weird logic.

When my kids get sick, they want to be in bed. Fine, I am happy with that, in bed is where you SHOULD be when you are sick. However, my kids, when they are ill, don't Yak in the toilet or tub, they like to yak in their bed....all over their bed....down the walls, all over the carpet, up the stairs, down the hall....STOP!!!!!

I have told them over and over and over...if you are going to yak, YAK IN ONE PLACE. Don't string it all over the house, the couch, the kitchen, the hallway. I swear, next kid that gets sick, I am going to put a sleeping bag in the tub with a pillow and say "You are sleeping there...naked. Then when you wake up and yak, just yak where you are....its ok, I will just turn on the shower and throw the sleeping bag in the wash."

Then we have a couple kids who have yaked in their sleep and don't wake up. Then they get mad when they wake up and think someone ELSE yaked on them.....and left it there to dry on them....ugh.

I am SO glad I work at 6:30 am.

Anyhow....nobody is yaking at my house now. So anyone that wants to come over can play pool!

Never Doubt The Faith Of A Child

I have to write about this while it is fresh in my mind. Before I tell you the premise (as with most of my blogs) I need to give you a little background.

Background #1:

In our basement we have a set of bookcases that I had custom built for our home. A neighbor down the street did professional cabinet work for a living and I asked him if he was up to the task. He said if I designed them he could build whatever I wanted. I drew up the plans and he built them. He did an amazing job and for less than half what it would cost to hire a contractor to do it. On one side of these built in cabinets there is a 2 inch space that didn't get covered and there is a hole at the top. If something were dropped in there, it is gone forever, or until I pulled out the entire cabinet set. The neighbor actually dropped one of his tools down there after they were all assembled and said "Well, I guess I will never see that again...". There is a small hole at the bottom, underneath where you can fit three or four fingers in, but not enough room to pull anything out.

More on the hole later.

Background #2:

Catey bought me a pool table.

I have wanted one my whole life and when we bought this house, I had big dreams about putting a pool table in the basement. However, finances and space made that dream quickly fade. I gave up the idea until the kids move out and I combine two of their rooms to make a game room. Catey argued that we did have room and kept the dream alive. She kept looking until she found the perfect fit....and yesterday she found it. $150 bought a 1-year old table in perfect condition complete with queues, balls, table brush (more on the brush later) triangle rack and a cabinet to hold all the stuff. I was so giddy, I wanted to stay home from church, just to play all day. Of course I didn't, but I sure wanted to.

So....to the story.

Today (Sunday) after church, Catey and I were putting away the pool table. To keep all the stuff out of the kids way, I have been putting the balls, triangle and the table brush up on top of the bookcase. I had forgotten about the little hole in the side.

I dropped the table brush down the hole.....clunk.

Dang.

I was not too happy, but the kids were determined to find a way to get the table brush back.

Alaina piped up and said with all the enthusiasm in the world "I KNOW!, We can say a prayer!"

I don't believe it, but I laughed right out loud at that. I caught myself and apologized for laughing but then told the kids that the Lord won't make miracles happen for a pool table brush. He expects us to do the best we can with what we have, then when there is nothing else to do, then he steps in. I told her that the Lord knows, that I know, the only way to get the brush out of that little hole, would be to tear apart the bookcase, and since the bookcase was hundreds of dollars, and the table brush is probably $5, it was not worth tearing the bookcase apart. Then I went upstairs to tell Catey the bad news.

My kids and the Lord, decided to ignore me and teach me a lesson in faith.

Alaina and Taylor, (still undeterred) got down and said a prayer, despite their Dad's explanation, and they got to work. Taylor started fishing around in the little hole at the bottom to see if he could figure out where it was, Alaina got busy with a pencil and paper on plans to get it out once it was found. Jacob and Dallin got in the mix and Taylor and Alaina used them (smaller hands) to see if they could feel around for the brush. After several attempts by all of them putting their hands in there, Taylor was able to grab a bristle.

"I GOT IT!" he yelled up to Catey and I. I came downstairs to see that he had pulled part of the brush out of the little hole at the bottom, however the brush was too long in length to fit out the hole. I couldn't believe it. Alaina (smiling) came over to me and said (somewhat sarcastically) "Good thing I said a prayer anyway huh?!" "It sure is" I replied. "You are teaching your Dad about prayer, when I should be the one teaching you."

I figured out how to get the brush out, but I thought to myself that I shouldn't steal their thunder.

Dad: Alright kids, you found the brush and got it where we can reach it but now it won't come out of the hole at the bottom, how to we get this out.

Alaina: We could try to throw it up to the top.

Dad: Yeah, we could, but I would have one shot and two inches to throw, do you think that is best way to do it?

Alaina: No.....hmmmm.....I will go draw up some plans.

Dad: Anyone else have any ideas?

Taylor: We could drop some string or something from the top down and tie it on and pull it back up. Would that work?

Dad: That is just what I was thinking.

Alaina: I will draw the plans

Taylor: I will go find string.

Dad: I can't believe this is happening....

Jacob: Yeah Dad, we kids figured it out huh?

Dad: Yes son, you guys sure did......

So Taylor went out the garage, found the string and we tied my small flashlight to the string, so when lowered, we could see where the string was. I lowered it down and Taylor pulled it through the hole. We took the string, tied it onto the brush and Jacob pulled it back up through the hole at the top.

I couldn't believe it....but I think that is what is wrong with most adults in the world today. We don't believe or have forgotten how to believe. We get so caught up in 'knowledge' or 'knowing' we forget how to believe, how to be patient, how to think things through.....we forget to have faith.

A great lesson was taught to me today by my kids about faith, perseverance, tenacity and accomplishment. They were all so happy that they figured it out, and they were smarter than me. When we pulled the brush from the hole, and everyone had a chance to hold it, Alaina gave me a hug, put her arm around me and said "I'm glad I prayed so we could get ideas to get the brush Dad."

.........and so am I Alaina.....so am I.

A Brief History of 'LOST' Time

Everyone knows that I am a LOST nut. I love this show. It is a complex puzzle of emotions, character flaws, redemption, deceit, love, love lost, love found, confusion, mystery and science. A place where the boundaries of the known and unknown begin to blur.

I have talked to many since the season preiemere of LOST season 5 and many are so LOST that I fear they may lose interest. Before you do, I have decided to take on the task of attempting to explain a few items that may be helpful to the reader. Before I get started I will warn you that the following isn't like any of my former posts. This post is serious in its build, there will be some references to math but not without some sarcastic quips, but stay with me, some of it may seem a bit much to swallow, but I wanted to clear up a few things for those who love this show like myself, but may still find themselves confused.

Here we go (hang on...its a bumpy ride):

The first item you must understand is Time. Time is the fourth dimension of which we (as mere humans) don't seem to have ability to control. We tell stories and make movies about bending time, shifting it, because it is the unknown. The perceived ability to do such would seemingly place us among the gods.

Time is a huge part of the show.

Time is relative. (Here comes the math and confusing part...stay with me) Stephen Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time' (a book referenced in the show several times in passing) is an attempt for a basic understanding of string theory, and or time travel. It gets really confusing but in a nutshell it says space (all three dimensional space, not just outerspace) and time are relative to each other. When people say something is 'relative' to something else, usually it means that there is a constant and a variable.

A simple example is a basic algebraic equation:

2 + x = ?

The constant is 2 the variable is x. Whatever you do to the variable will directly affect the outcome. In order for the equation to work, one must accept that no matter what happens to the variable, the constant cannot be changed (see, and you thought you would never use your high school algebra).

Even one seemingly simple alteration in the constant will frustrate the equation. (Remember this....its important a few paragraphs down.)

An item or persons existence in time is relative (or dependent) upon its existence in three dimensional space. There are rules to the manipulation of time. Daniel Faraday explains to Sawyer that time is like a string, you can move forward or backward on the string, but you cannot create a new string. This is why he stops Sawyer from talking to Desmond because "If it doesn't happen, it CAN'T happen".

I know you are getting confused now...stay with me for a min more...

Let me give you an analogy of this theory of "rules of time". Imagine a wool scarf, plaid design, grey in color. If you pull really hard on the fabric in opposite directions, you can see the individual strings. If you were to take just one string and pull on it, it would simply snap, but woven together they become very strong, they hold heat, they last for years on end without fraying and falling apart. However, if I were to take a knife and cut even one string (e.g. Sawyer meeting Desmond before it actually happens) The fabric is broken, weakened and will fall apart quickly as its ability to hold to itself becomes impossible. Keeping this fabric woven is essential to the longevity of the scarf. The same is true about time.

As I said before, even one seemingly simple alteration in the constant will frustrate the equation.

Just as the analogy of the scarf, if the fabric (or equation) of time is compromised, so are both the future and past. I believe this is why Locke and Ben are so adamant that Jack and the other survivors don't leave, they know how it will affect the string of future events. Why they don't just come out and tell us that, I don't know, but that adds to the mystery. Locke keeps telling Jack what he is 'supposed' to do and that makes Jack mad. Jack, remember, is a man of science and Locke is a man of faith. Jack won't believe in miracles, I think he soon will, just like in the earlier seasons, Locke was an unbeliever of miracles too.

So....how does all this talk about time and space relate to the show? Simple, the constant in this show is the island, therefore all other events are relative to the Island and its place in space and time. Instead of getting confused about a specific year of any event that happens off the island, (i.e. flash forwards, or flash backs) lets call those events 'Alternate Time' or 'AT'. Any events that happen on the island (real time) we will call 'Current Time' or 'CT'.

Everybody with me so far?

Everything, since the very first episode of the first season, that has happened on the island has happened in CT. Every flashback we have seen has been in AT. Whether those events happen in the past or future, they are AT time to the constant. Since we don't know the order of the events in AT, they can become confusing. As the show moves along, we are revealed more and more about AT events of our characters, usually in the past, which tells us more and more about their character and why they make the decisions they do.

Everyone still with me?

Everything that happens on the Island is CT.....since the very first episode of the first season, that has been consistant in the writers storytelling. Which brings us to the season 5 opener. I think many have forgotten that the events we are seeing are happening in separate dimensions of time. (Don't get confused yet) Let me make this easy to understand.

First lets define who is on the Island:
Locke
Juliet
Charlotte
Sawyer
Daniel
Miles

If the show is constant to the storytelling, these characters are in CT. This is VERY important to remember.

Lets now define who is off the island:
Ben
Sayid
Kate
Hurley
Sun
Jack
Desmond....(more on him later)

Again, if the show is constant to the storytelling of seasons past, these characters are in AT. This, also is very important to remember. Lets reacap: Aaron is 3 years older, Jack and Kate are 3 years down the road of their rocky relationship, Sun's baby is about 2 1/2, Jin has been assumed dead for 3 years, Sayid found Nadia, married and she was murdered, Ben has seemingly leaped over all that time and has ended up about the same time as the rest (remember he didn't know the year when he made the leap after turning the wheel), Hurley has been in a mental institution for years and Desmond found Penny.....more on Desmond later.

Watching season 5 gives the illusion that all the events are happening in CT when in fact (just like all the other seasons) you are seeing events in AT and CT. The lines are less blurred and less defined as in past, but I think this is done for a reason.

OK....still with me?

Look at the picture I posted at the top (I found this online and think it is perfect to the explanation). Each group is divided from each other, literally, in three dimensional space and time. You will notice that Desmond is almost right in the middle, somewhat covered by both.....I don't think this is an accident.

Desmond is unique (as Dr. Faraday suggests) to the space time continuum. For some reason, he bridges the gap, or can travel backward and forward on the string of time mentally. Space and time seem to be relative to Desmond to some degree which is why he suddenly has a 'new memory' three years into the future (or AT) about meeting Faraday outside the hatch (CT). Desmond is somehow the link between them all which is why the old lady tells him (in season 4) that the most important thing he will ever do in his life is push the button in the hatch for three years. One can only guess what pushing the button actually did.

There is one more piece that is confusing. If the events on the Island are CT, why is Richard Alpert and the rest of the "Others" unaffected by the shifts in CT to the survivors characters.....I don't know. I am sure the writers and producers do.

So.....to wrap this all up, lets ask a few questions:
- If the Oceanic 6 (and Ben and Locke) actually make it back to the island, what time will it be?
- If they find a way back to the island, will they have actually ever left?
- If they make it back and it is CT, will they remember the events in their AT future? Will that play into their relationships?
- Is Jin really dead or is he floating out in the ocean? If he is floating somewhere....what time is it? Where would he be in three dimensional space?
- If they make it back to the island, and their place in time and space is CT is Sun still expecting?
- Locke is seen alive in CT and dead in AT. If they correct the time shift will he still need to die in AT to keep the string in CT?

So many questions, it can send your brain humming.

I don't know of any other show that can do that. The writing, the stories, the unknown, the producers truly have outdone themselves. Now, knowing this, maybe it will help you understand what is happening in the show a little better.

Here are some additional thoughts not really relative to the space time discussion:

Charles Widmore = Dharma initiative. Tried to take the island by force to produce some sort of experiments that he could use for his purposes. We don't really know if they were good purposes or not.

Ben Linus = Others. People who inhabit the island. They have lost the ability to reproduce and therefore recruit people to come to the island but never let them leave. Very protective of the island and willing to give all they have to protect it.

Other than that, I know about as much as everyone else.

Catey keeps telling me to "just sit back, enjoy the show, don't think so hard about it."...maybe she is right....................nah....

The Boyz are back

Yes....we in fact did.

Catey was away at a class on Saturday and one of my jobs was to give the boys a haircut while she was gone. I told Dallin that he was the first, and he whined and moaned about getting his haircut and finally said:

Dallin: Dad - I hate haircuts, just shave it off.

Dad: No, I value my life.

Dallin: Daaaaaaad, please?

Dad: No

Dallin: Please, please

Dad: No

Dallin: Please

Dad: Allright, if you can get all the boys to agree to do it, then I will shave your head (of course thinking that he wouldn't get all the boys to agree.....)

As you can see, they did agree and I kept my word.

Here is the video and Catey's reaction.



That will be the last time I make that promise

Kung Fu Panda

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!

It has been a long time since I saw a movie that I wanted to stand up and cheer when it ended....this one made me do just that.

Another ick-free movie. No agendas, no political undertones, a true underdog story. Jack Black and Dreamworks outdid themselves.

"Legend tells, of a legendary warrior, who's Kung Fu skills was the stuff of LEGEND!!!"

This show is great for the kids and the adults....of course, you need to realize that your kids will Karate (or Kung Fu) each other every time they watch it. One little girl in our neighborhood had to get staples in her head after her brother decided to give her a little taste of Kung Fu Panda...poor kid.

Anyhow, I won't spoil the movie for you by quoting lines, but I will tell you that it is a great story that can be applied to life in so many ways.

Two thumbs way up.

Gripe #10 - Drama

I love drama, but the theater is the only place drama should happen.

Can't stand others who live for it. Gotta make something out of nothing. This person said this....that person said that.....blah blah blah.

Those who read this blog know me (I hope), and know what kind of person I am. I like to joke around, be playful, make fun of myself, make fun of others, but I don't ever mean offense, never have. If I want to offend you, you won't wonder.

I made an off comment about a friend that was taken the wrong way (by someone) and exploited for drama, (yeah, you know who you are..I don't know who you are, but you do).

Please understand, with all sincerity, I am not one to call people out, put them down, or make them feel inferior. I suffer (believe it or not) from a huge inferiority complex.

Shall I list my personal inadequacies and issues....oh why not, since I am bearing all....

I am never good enough at work
not good looking enough
not a good enough dad
painfully difficult husband
could be a better friend
I am too fat and out of shape should work out more
I don't read my scriptures enough nor do I fast or pray enough
my language is bad and needs to be better
I need to control my thoughts and actions better
I lose my temper too much with my kids
I wish I had a better education
I have no talents that are worth anything to anyone


This isn't a pity party for me and isn't meant to be. I know where I need to improve. Whether you agree or disagree with any of these, nothing anyone says can change how I feel. I press on, I work it out, I try to do the best I can.

I have apologized to my friend and his family for the off comment....in review, I shouldn't have said it. In all sincerity I am sorry for causing them any frustration. My 'gripe' isn't toward them at all, if I offend, I want to know so I don't do it again. I value their friendship greatly. I don't hold my friend in anything but the best light and honor and the comment was something that was honestly said in jest, which I didn't know was hurtful.

My issue is with the meddling few who like to take something as innocent as an off comment and blow it out of proportion, turn it into drama and cause dissension and contention.


Take a look inside folks, if everything in your life is drama....maybe it isn't the world...maybe its just you.

Some adivce:
Grow up.....
Smile.....
be happy.....
come what may and love it.

Step off the stage and stop having so much drama....leave it to the pros in Hollywood or Broadway.

High School Musical - We gotta work this out....

I love High School Musical. Yes, I know I have just opened myself up for a ton of ridicule (maybe Steve Hanks can take this and beat me up a bit for my last comments) but I don't care, I love it.

High School Musical is fun, it is yuck free and great music. It is quite obvious that their production budget more that tripled between the first and second movies and then tripled again for the 3rd movie. Great movies to watch with the kids, funny for Mom and Dad to watch because it will remind you, high school was as dumb as we all remember it. I decided to post this after my wife bought me the first two movies this past weekend. She said she was tired of finding me scouring YouTube for the segments I liked, so she gave them to me as a "Happy Saturday" gift.



The first one is where our beloved Troy and Gabriella meet by chance at a ski vacation over New Years their Junior Year in High School..........{sigh} how romantic. The show pits them against each other and anyone over the age of 20 realizes that this is a cheap re-write of Grease. It's ok, it is different enough but roughly the same story. In this one they are the center of the commotion, Troy has friends, Gabriella has friends but none of them mix much until the end where they all work together to help Troy and Gabriella.....awwwww. Go Wildcats!!



The second one picks up where the first leaves off, they are out for the summer and they all get jobs at the local resort. Troy must decide between his future at University of Arizona and his Wildcat friends. Sharpay (annoying) rich and glamorous has it for Troy and has all the money and connections to get his attention away from Gabriella. Troy has his usual (sing by myself, running around, pulling my hair, screaming to the sky) solo about how his life is not his life. (Reminds me of the song in Footloose when Wren went nuts in the barn.) Of course all ends happy and summer is saved.



The third installment was released in theaters (the other two were Disney Channel exclusives) and it delivered the full and final blow of Musical outrageousness. With the boys back playing the final game (scholarships on the line) they battle and win the trophy while the boosters and scouts are watching, solidifying their spots in college, playing together in the UofA. But wait.....Gabriella gets an early in to Stamford and leaves High School early, dashing the dreams of the last blast at East and destroying the High School Musical. Troy has another (I don't know what to do, I am so confused, I think I will go to the Gym and kick balls around while I scream lyrics to music over and over) solo. He also has a very "after school special" moment with his Dad about "Its the life you have chosen for me Dad....maybe I want to go to Juliard and be a thesbian" kind of argument. Troy drives all the way to Stamford to be with Gabriella and bring her a taste of home, then she decides to ride back with him and sing in the Musical (Awwwwwwww, nothing says love like an overnight 1500 miles drive in a pickup that seems to break down every time Troy turns it off).

Anyhow, I don't want to give you EVERY detail, but if you have not watched these, you should.....with your kids. It is a lot of fun and you might just smile a bit, laugh at yourself, and tap your toes.

FYI Best songs are: Start of Something New (1) I Don't Dance (2) Work this out (2) Boys Are Back (3) and I Want It All (3). There are many others that are really good, but I like those ones best I think.

Great flicks, great songs.

Two wildcats way up.

The Perfect Storm

Seriously....I don't know what I have done to offend the heavens, but I must have done something.

I have not felt well for weeks, and today was the straw that broke this camels back. I finally went to a Dr., A REAL Doctor, not one of those P.A.'s at an Urgent Care center but a real physician. (If you are a P.A. reading this, don't be offended...just finish school, do the residency and become a real Doctor....its like I always tell Steve Hanks...he's not a REAL pilot, he is just the CO-Pilot.)

Where was I.....oh yeah, perfect storm...

#1 - Influenza
#2 - Oral Thrush
#3 - Strep Throat

Good times here at my house. I also have (to add to that list) a fever of 102.1, body aches, a headache, throbbing ears and my butt hurts from the cream cheese shot they gave me in the clinic......ouchie.

I had posted pictures (cause I am like that) but I took them off at the last min to spare you the visual details. A literary description should suffice.

#1 - Flu - Don't bother. If you don't already know how this feels, get on your knees right now and praise the heavens you don't and leave it at that. I seem to recall something along the lines of "....Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God...." Not sure where I heard it, but its probably good advice.....just say NO.

#2 - Oral Thrush - This is a yeast infection in your mouth and throat. Your tongue turns white, gets these pimple looking things on it that burn when anything but ice touches it. You can't taste anything and even something pretty even keel like bread hurts. It coats your throat with the lovely white things and if you can manage to get food past the tongue, it lodges in your throat because it is so swollen, even ramen noodles don't slide past very well. Painful, very, very painful. How do you get this....they don't know. How can you avoid it....they don't know. Babies get it a lot when they are little.....I have been called a baby once or twice so maybe that is how I got it.

#3 - Strep Throat - This alone will make the inside of your throat swell so add it to what was already discribed and you have a double whammy. You get a fever (also accompanied by the aforemention flu) and you think your head is going to explode off the neck.

Were those graphic enough for you?.....Think of what the accompanying pictures would have been.....see I am nice, I spared you the visual.




P.S.
I want to save you another post so I will add this....Go Utes. I don't care BYU or UTAH for the most part, when they play each other I always root for the Y....it was born into me. But for today, I would wear red and say to the UTES "Way to finish an undefeated season by seal-clubbing Alabama in their homeland!" There is no question, by anyone who thinks logcially, 'U' are the National Champions." (Do U like how I used the 'U' instead of 'you'? It's almost like I am 'U'sed to it!)

BCS = Bull Crap System

There, I said it....back to bed.

First post of 2009

Wow, I have been out of the blogging mode for a couple weeks because of the holidays so let me explain what you missed.....

.....no time to esplain....let me sum up...

Christmas (I blogged about it)

New Years - We had a party at our house and it was fun (or so people tell me). I had a good time and it seemed folks had a good time, I hope they really did and are just not telling me they did.

New Years day I packed up with the Young Men in our ward and took them up the canyon with a few other leaders to my family's cabin. We (boys and adults) built a huge snow cave in the back of the cabin for the boys to sleep in, which they did and lived. They were actually very warm all night. We saw a huge cow moose that came right up to the cabin to have a look inside. Of course she saw me and took off.....ugly as I am I scare large and small animals.

We took them (boys) sledding and nobody died and no obvious permanent damage...some of the tests are not back yet so we are crossing our fingers.

Catey, Malia, Alaina, Taylor, Jacob and myself have been fighting colds, flu, sore throat for a couple weeks and hopefully we will get better. Seems like I will always be like this. Living with 7 germ factories does not help. I could send them over to Iraq and America would be sited by the Geneva Convention as using weapons of mass destruction.

So what about the New Year.....2009.

Someone asked me last week how I would rate 2008 and I gave it a '7' on a scale from 1-10. It was a pretty good year. Despite the world falling apart, the Ball family has done pretty well this past year. Other than the usual things you want to do better in the new year (loose weight, get in shape, read scriptures more, be more patient) I have decided I have one major goal for this year and that is get a wood burning stove in the house.

I have felt a push to get myself in a position of self sufficiency and if we were without power we have no heat. Everyone thinks I am nuts, but if it is February and it is 10 degrees outside and no power for an extended time, I will have heat and a way to cook. Besides, it will save a grundle on my heat bill in the winter. I calculate it will pay for itself in 3-5 years. So that is my big push....oh and the triathlon...August BABY!!!!