Romgi the Enigma

Moving

2010-05-04T10:54:00.003-06:00

In an effort to see if anybody views this blog, this blog has moved. See me now here. thanks!

Season of Delicious

2009-11-11T08:48:00.003-07:00

Of all the season, I have always most enjoyed autumn. I love the brisk wind that you makes you wear a jacket. I love the bright colors that appear on the trees. Another of my favorite things is the food!

There is something about recipes that call for "fall spices" that is enticing. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are all such warm and inviting flavors it is hard NOT to like them. Recently, several things have happened to remind me of this.

Roni and I recently went to Spark. We love Spark for their well-balanced meals and interesting blends of spices and flavors. It is sort of a tradition that every time Roni and I go, we try one of their different drinks. So far I've had the mango mojito, pomegron, and bellini, all of which were amazing. On our most recent excursion, Roni decided to get the apple martini: it was delicious. It was made with fresh apple juice mixed with fall spices and magic. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it.

I am not sure why, but every now and then Roni and I get the urge to make something unconventional. This seems to happen a lot during the fall. One time we made our own donuts. Another time we made cup-pies. Recently, we were craving biscotti, so we decided to make our own. I think it was me that was specifically craving gingerbread biscotti. It wasn't really that hard (get it, biscotti, hard, it's funny, trust me), but they were absolutely wonderful! The warm ginger, mixed with the aromatic cloves and cinnamon made for quite the experience.

So take advantage of the season- do something fun with fall spices. If it turns out wonderful, let us know!

Law School Rants and Raves

2009-09-01T22:13:00.002-06:00

Now that I am a seasoned veteran of law school vet of two weeks, I have very strong opinions about the BYU law school. So here it goes.

RAVE

I figured it is best to start with the positive right? I love my classes. Yes, there is a lot of work. Yes, there is a lot of reading, but I really enjoy the way that the teachers go over the material. Most professors at the law school teach by what has been deemed "the Socratic method" (though as one professor claims, "Socrates would never know it."). The basic idea is that a student is singled out, and they are then asked a series of question which delve deeper and eeper into the theories behind the case that was studied the night before (sometimes the hour before). I really have enjoyed this type of learning, because it allows you to explore the concepts right there in the classroom, while interacting the professors.

That leads to the second reason I have enjoyed law school so far. The professors seem genuinely interested in us as students. There is almost a sense of camaraderie, as if the professors see us as potential equals. It is a rewarding experience to feel that you are valued by your superiors.

RANT

WHERE IS MY FINANCIAL AID? I have tuition that is due, rent to pay, etc. I applied for financial aid almost 4 months ago, and I have yet to hear a peep from the BYU administration beyond my estimate loan allowance. It is almost the exact opposite of the experience I have at the law school. I feel like there is no respect, and I am talked down to by the people I have spoken to at the financial aid office. Yes, I understand that they have a lot of people who call in quite upset about not having any of their aid doled out yet, but when the office sends an email saying "pay your tuition or else we will cancel all of your classes and redact your admission" people tend to get angry (especially when we are waiting for YOU, financial aid office).

Tale of Despereaux (Movie)

2009-08-05T21:23:00.006-06:00

I don't often do movie reviews. In this case, I am willing to make an exception.

Let me begin by saying that I really wanted to like this movie. Roni suggested I read the book Tale of Despereaux, and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it to anybody age 5 and up. It was an interesting take on the classic fairy tale.

Initial reviews I read of the movie were highly critical and seemed to unfairly compare the movie to Ratatouille, which was released about a year earlier. I felt, at the time, that reviewers were simply comparing the movie because both movies revolved around animated rodents. I now understand, however, why it is that they made the comparison. The makers of the Tale of Despereaux were not only inviting the comparison, they were begging for it.

It seemed to me that whoever did the Tale of Despereaux decided to not only borrow elements from Ratatouille, but chose to flat out steal characters from Ratatouille! Here is a comparison of two of the major antagonistic elements from each of the movies.

Anton Ego, the harsh food critic from Ratatouille

Botticelli, the main villain from the Tale of Despereaux

Please note the similarities. The elongated faces. The sour expression on the face. The hunched back. Even the voices for the two characters were nearly identical. It seems that the person who wrote the script for the Tale of Despereaux thought that if he combined the book and added elements directly taken from Ratatouille, he would have a sure success. Unfortunately, the combined elements are entirely superfluous, and end up muddling the story so badly that it bears little to no resemblance to the book.

The end result is a movie that is confusing for those new to the story of Despereaux, a brave but odd little mouse, and disappointing to those who are fans of the book. A truly subpar effort.

RATING (out of 5)

Visuals - .5 - the animation is sub par. I understand the desire to stand out from Pixar's animation style, but this isn't about style, this is about quality. The quality of the computer animation made it feel more like I was watching a made for TV movie.

Sound - 2 - The music was OK, as was the voice acting. Merely OK, is about the best thing this movie is going to get.

Acting - .5 - Voice acting seemed... forced. I especially disliked Sigourney Weaver's narration of the story. It felt rigid and emotionless.

OVERALL SCORE - .5 - I have rarely been so disappointed by a movie.

Love

2009-08-05T16:50:00.005-06:00

Hey Love1,

How are you?

I am so happy we are married.

Love,

Romgi

1 - Scott, Jordan. 2006. The Nocture. London: Blackstone Media.

Very Different Worries

2009-02-27T07:28:00.004-07:00

So, there is something I have noticed. Roni and I worry about very different things happening to the bwun. I think I have an example that perfectly illustrates the difference.

The night after the bwun was born, Roni and I both had dreams about the bwun where something went wrong. I'll only go through my dream here, but if Roni wants, she can leave her dream in the comments (I don't think I'd do her dream justice by me telling it). Here it is:

It is the day after the bwun was born, and it is still morning. Some of my family members are over to visit; they have come to see the bwun. Mika calls for the nurse, and asks that they bring the baby in from the nursery.

Everybody is really excited to see him for the first time. When the bring him in, the bwun is no longer the bwun. Somehow, he has turned into an iguana, diaper and all.

picture not related

The problem is that I am the only one who seems to have noticed! Everybody else is just going off about how cute he is, and how he looks just like us.

Finally I say something, "Guys, something is wrong here! He's turned into an iguana!" Everybody just looks at me all crazy, like they are thinking "of course he looks like an iguana." Then Roni scoops him up and coos in a high pitched baby voice, "but isn't he the cutest little iguana ever?"

Crazy, right? I woke up just after that. I guess you could say that I worry about things that aren't really possible.

Good Newses!

2009-02-26T09:23:00.003-07:00

What exactly is the plural form of "news"?

A couple of good things to announce here, I will go down in the order of perceived "goodness"

As I am sure many of you already know, and have read of my lovely wife's blog, we had the bwun! Here are all the juicy (do you catch that? because labor is messy... and juicy... so it is funny because... never mind) details that not even Roni probably remembers!

We arrived at the hospital around 6 AM (still a horrible time to be arriving anywhere, if you ask me), and they got Roni all set up to be induced. They started giving her the pitocin to get the contractions going. Roni has been having pretty consistent contractions for a while now, so the pitocin wasn't really doing much as far as we could tell.

The fun really started at 9, when the doctor came in and determined that Roni was far enough along to get her water broken (is it really her water, or is the the bwun's water that got broken?). After that, the contractions really started going, and Roni could tell that they were really doing something.

The nurse came back in around 10, and said that nothing much had changed, and shortly after that, the contractions got REALLY bad. By the time they checked her an hour later, she was fully effaced and dialated, and said that she was ready to start pushing, but that we had to wait for the doctor to get there around noon.

Around noon, a nurse came in and said that the doctor would be in soon, and Roni should start trying to push. After one push (not even one contraction), the bwun's head almost starting coming out, so the nurse decided NO MORE PUSHING, at least until the doctor came in. We waited almost another hour, and around 12:45 the doctor made it in.

When he entered the room, they started having Roni push again, and by the time the doctor had his gown on, it only took one and a half contractions for the bwun to enter the world! At 1:09 we officially had our newest addition to the family. Evan Tarleton was born at 7 lbs and 5 oz kicking and screaming. I thought he was cute right off the bat, but Roni reserved judgement until he was washed off to make her call. Personally, I think he is getting cuter by the day. Check out Roni's blog about the bwun to see pictures of the cute little guy.

The other good news?

Well, my interview with BYU went quite well. I thought it was going to be a very in depth interview with all sorts of trick questions. I was surprised, however, because it was fairly straight forward. The dean asked why I wanted to go to law school at BYU, and then he told me why he wanted me to go to law school at BYU. So hopefully, I'll be going to BYU in the fall to start my legal education!

Wish Me Luck!

2009-02-19T08:28:00.003-07:00

I was contacted earlier this week by BYU Law School, and they said they would like for me to meet with the Dean of Admissions. I asked my old boss if she had any idea what it was about, or if she could give me heads up on what the interview was for; she said she couldn't go into details, but that the interview is "good news." Wish me luck!

Morning News

2009-01-06T09:08:00.006-07:00

In ran into this story while roving the internets this morning. I thought it was just too cute to not share. You can read it at the original site here.

Child Eloper's Africa Plan Foiled

The budding lovebirds, identified as Mika and Anna-Lena, packed bathing costumes, sunglasses and a lilo and headed for the airport.

They even had the presence of mind to invite along an official witness - Anna-Lena's seven-year-old sister.

The three got as far as Hanover railway station before police intervened.

The young couple were "very much in love" and had decided to get married in Africa "where it is warm", police spokesman Holger Jureczko told the AFP news agency.

Sun-seekers

The idea for the getaway wedding was born as the children's families celebrated New Year's eve together and Mika regaled the two girls with stories of a recent holiday to Italy.

The following morning, as their parents slept, the intrepid trio walked 1km (0.6 miles) to the local tram station at Langenhagen, where they hopped aboard a tram for Hanover central station.

But the group aroused the suspicion of a guard as they waited for a train to the airport, and police were called in.

Officers persuaded the children they would not get far without tickets and money, but consoled them with a free tour of the police station, where they were shortly picked up by relieved parents.

Although any marriage plans have been put on hold for now, police did not altogether rule out the possibility of an African wedding.

"They can still put their plan into action at a later date," AFP quoted the spokesman as saying.

My favorite parts: 1. He wooed them with tales of his vacation to Italy, and 2. they brought a witness!

That being said, if the bwun ever wooes some girl with tales of our vacation, and then runs off at age seven without telling us, I will kill him. Not really, but still.

My Lucky Day

2008-12-23T12:19:00.002-07:00

Guess what reader? (I'm fairly certain I have at least one reader). Today must be my lucky day. I just received an email letting me know that my email address has been randomly selected to receive £450,000.00 in the British National Lottery!! Those generous Brits, aren't they great?

Can you believe it? It says that "e-mail addresses are picked randomly by computerised balloting," so I didn't even have to enter the drawing, and they picked me. Me, out of all the people with email address in the world! The best part is that this is all "powered by the Internet." I didn't know that things could be powered by the internet, did you? I bet we could use the internet to power entire cities. ENTIRE. CITIES. I'm definitely going to have to look into things powered by the internet, because the internet is what every energy source should be: cheap, limitless, reliable, and not at all dangerous!

You might be a little suspect of why the British National Lottery is sending me all this money (nearly the equivalent of 1 million dollars in useful currency!) but they completely explained it in the email. They said it was, "to enhance the utilization of the Internet." Of course it is! Because nobody uses the internet, we totally need to encourage that by giving away money in lotteries that you don't have to buy tickets for.

They tell me that all I have to do is give them my routing number and my bank account number, and they will wire the funds DIRECTLY to my account. Isn't that nice of them? I guess paying for law school is no longer an issue. Thanks internet!

Good News

2008-12-23T12:13:00.003-07:00

I have received my first letter back from a law school that I applied to. And it was good news! The University of the Pacific accepted me into their program, and they have even offered to fly me out to take a tour of the campus. UoP is one of my top choices for where to go for law school, so now I can at least rest assured that I can go to law school at a place I like.

They also mentioned a scholarship for half tuition, and they'll pay for my books the first year. I'm glad that my first response from a law school was a positive one!

No Particular Reason

2008-12-08T13:31:00.005-07:00

Here are some random facts about me. No particular reason, just a bit bored at work.

Languages I want to learn (at least conversational levels)

1. French - because it is French

2. Chinese - because it is sort of what Latin is for English, but for Korean

3. Japanese - Because it is similar to Korean

4. Spanish - I feel guilty about not remembering any of it from High School

5. German - I'm not really sure why...

Places I would like to live in, for at least a couple of years

1. Monterey, CA - Monterey may be the coolest city anywhere

2. Raleigh, NC - Weather isn't bad, houses are cheap, and I'd like to live back east for a while

3. Seoul, South Korea - I love the pace of life in Korea. Also, the transit, the fashion, the food of Seoul always make me feel at home. Sometimes, I feel more at home in Korea than in Fairfield.

Places I would like to visit (no particular order)

1. Ireland - Because I imagine it being very green

2. Paris, France - to use the French I'll be learning

3. Mongolia - I here it is ruggedly beautiful, and I've liked the Mongolians I've met

4. Beijing - the Forbidden City!!

5. North Korea - Because I can, even if it is only for one day.

6. Egypt - it is EGYPT... why NOT go there?

Things I want to learn how to cook

1. Dalk Ddori-tang - a spicy Korean soup with lots of chicken and potatoes

2. Abalone Bisque - Arguably the best use of abalone that man has yet to come up with.

3. Apple-cranberry pie - if you've ever had it, you would know

4. Chocolate Mousse - good stuff.

My Secret Ambitions

1. Become an Academic Decathlon Coach - it was most likely the most rewarding thing I did in High School

2. Teach - probably not at a public school, but I think it would be fun to teach or work in a school

3. Be able to ride my bike 20+ miles in one day - I've only done it once, and it was starting in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, it was hard, but rewarding.

Things I wanted to be when I was growing up

1. Marine Biologist - I think it was because my elementary school mascot was a dolphin, but it may have been because of EcoQuest.

2. Mathematician - Maybe because of Malcolm in Jurassic Park, and I used to really like math

3. Astronomer - again, I liked science, and let's face it. Space is the final frontier.

4. Lawyer - Perry Mason is pretty cool.

I think that is it for now. Feel free to admit any of your own random facts on your blog, or in the comments!

Movies I love that Critics Hate

2008-11-24T11:53:00.002-07:00

Every now and then there is a movie that I really enjoy. I think that it accomplishes whatever it was that it set out to do, and made me enjoy the journey. These movies are not always movies that critics enjoy, but you can't always trust what critics say!

1. Stranger than Fiction
I love this movie. I may have a slightly rosy view of this flick because of when I saw it. The night I proposed to Roni, we were on our way to see this very movie. This is a movie about a guy who hears voices. Not just any voices though. This is a person narrating his life, as it happens. It turns out that a local author is writing a novel about a person who she believes is fictional, but who is very much real. I like this movie because it is not your typical Will Ferrell movie. It is (I think) a very original idea for a movie, and does a very good job at making the movie not only fun, but somehow believable.

What they gave it: D (67%)
What I give it: A

2. Secondhand Lions
Family movies are a tough sell. You have to make it interesting enough for kids, funny enough for the older kids, and entertaining enough for the adults. This is a movie that I feel does all of those things very well. It is sweet without being sappy, and I think it has a great story. This movie is about a young boy whose mother drops him off to live with his eccentric uncles for the summer. It has humor, adventure and just about everything in between. If you want a family movie, this is one I strongly recommend.

What they gave it: F (52%)
What I give it: A+

3. Alien Vs. Predator
Action movies. Are they supposed to have plot? Barely. Are they supposed to be believable? Not Really. Should they have aliens, or better yet, TWO types of aliens trying to kill each other?? Most definitely. This isn't a great movie, but it is a great action movie. I don't think you can blame an action movie for be an action movie. In all honesty, I enjoyed this movie more than I enjoyed Dark Knight.

What they gave it: F- (29%)
What I give it: A- (as an action movie)

Do you guys have any movies that should go on this list? Movies that you love, but critics hate? If you do, then leave a comment!

Crazy 8s

2008-11-12T15:08:00.002-07:00

8 Things I'm obsessed with right now:
1. The Bwun
2. All things awesome
3. Getting my personal statement completed!
4. cup-pies (think cupcakes, but PIES)
5. Roni
6. Finding new ways to make my iPod Touch more awesome
7. This should really be called crazy 6s
8. Because everybody seems to give up around that point

8 Words or Phrases that I use daily
1. "the bwun"
2. "chief"
3. "I'm sorry, you can't cancel"
4. "Yes dear, I'm excited about the bwun."
5. "That's what she said."
6. "Have you even read the contract?"
7. "You are totally lurka-durking."
8. "You're a fidgeteer general!" (not really, but I feel like I should start saying it)

8 TV shows I love to watch
1. LOST
2. The Office (US version)
3. Pushing Daisies
4. Scare Tactics
5. 30 Rock
6. 24
7. Arrested Development
8. I think 7 is pretty good, considering we don't have cable and can't get reception in our basement

8 Things I did yesterday
1. Watch The Office
2. 3 hours of napping
3. sat at a computer for 8 hours
4. Ate 5 servings of fruits or vegetables
5. Worked
6. Really though, it was a weekday, and I work 8 hours a day
7. So there's only so much I can do
8. Play with my iPod

8 Favorite places to eat
1. Sam Hawk
2. Bombay House
3. Leatherby's
4. Brick Oven
5. Dave's Famous Heimburgers
6. Shadowbrook
7. Kimbap Cheon-gook
8. Hansot

8 Things I am looking forward to
1. The Bwun
2. Thanksgiving
3. Going home today
4. Possibly getting acceptance letters from law schools
5. payday
6. Painting
7. Getting rid of the mold in the bathroom
8. Having a clean house

8 Things on my wishlist
1. 1 million dollars
2. Getting Accepted to Law School
3. Rock Band 2 for the Wii
4. A healthy Bwun
5. A healthy Roni
6. A pastry mixer
7. I'm actually pretty content, and even the pastry mixer is pushing it
8. something amazing!

"8" people I tag
1. Everybody I know that has a blog has pretty much been tagged...
2. If you haven't been tagged, and you read this, consider yourself tagged

Totally Worth It

2008-10-19T15:00:00.004-06:00

At the end of the sales year, the company I work at throws a big banquet where the top sales representatives are acknowledged, and rewarded. I'm not really sure why people from the office are invited. It might be because they feel guilty having a big party and not inviting us, but regardless the reason, we were invited.

With the lure of free dinner, and the promise of door prizes, Roni and I showed up for what would become the longest evening ever. The setup looked quite nice, and as we entered, we got our ticket for the door prize raffle. The prizes included a range of items, from a camera to a plasma TV.

We were sitting close to where the food was being served, so our table naturally figured that we were going to be among the first to be served. However, we were not. In fact, I think that we were the last table to get our food for every course of the meal. It wasn't because the servers were trained to go to the farthest table first, because there were tables that were even closer than we were who got their food first. It was like the servers just forgot about us until somebody thought, "I wonder why we have an entire table's worth of extra food?"

Rotten luck, right? Well, Even at our table, I was consistently the last person to get my food. I kept telling myself (and everybody else) that I was just saving up my luck for winning one of the door prizes.

After dinner, the official End of the Year event started. Basically, this consisted of people going up the mic and saying "I just want to say a couple of things about (insert person's name here)." And then they would talk for 20 minutes. In order to make sure that nobody left early, they didn't hold the raffle for all of the door prizes at once. Instead, they spread it out over the course of the whole evening.

Around 10:30, Roni and I thought we were going to die. DIE. I am pretty sure the event was schedule to run until 9:30. The food (whic

h was actually quite good) had stopped coming out around 9:00. We were bored; we were hungry. The final speaker had given her "closing remarks" and was on her way back to her table, when another person stood up and said, "I would just like to say a few words more about (insert name of person that he ALREADY SPENT 20 MINUTES TALKING ABOUT).

All of the raffles had been drawn at this point, and Roni and I were about to make a break for the exit. We would have gone kicking and screaming if necessary. All of the raffles except for one. There was a 42 inch plasma TV that they had not raffled, and the slim hope that we might win it was all that kept us at our table.

Finally, the speaker stopped, and announced that it was time for the final raffle. They drew the number, and slowly read it. All the numbers matched! We won! We are now the proud owners of a $800 TV that we paid exactly nothing for! Needless to say, having to stay the whole time didn't feel quite so bad after that :). We also got a $50 gift certificate to PF Chang's and a free sweatshirt.

The moral of the story? I guess you could say it is just like that old man who lost his horse!

Longest Week Ever

2008-09-24T09:59:00.003-06:00

Is it just me, or does this week seem to just keep on going? Yesterday, I could have sworn that it was Friday. When I finally realized that it was not Friday, but it was Tuesday, it just about broke me. And today? My shift just started 1 minute ago, and I'm already ready to go home.

It Is On the Way

2008-09-11T10:23:00.002-06:00

I have had the money saved up to buy the iPod touch for a couple of months now. I could have gone out and purchased the 8GB iPod touch right then, but I wanted to wait. I know that Apple updates their iPod lineup every year in September. I figured I had been saving up for 9 months, and I could wait a few more months until the newest version comes out.

The new version of the iPod touch looks great, and as a couple of added features that I was really looking forward to. I think that the wait was worth it! My brand new 16GB iPod touch (thank goodness for the price drops!) will be arriving on Monday!

A New Job

2008-09-11T09:00:00.003-06:00

My time at the law school has ended. When I was hired full time, it was with the understanding that the job would only last until the end of August. I started my search for a new place of employment at the beginning of August. The trouble in being in a college town with a lot of college grads, is that you have college grads doing jobs that high-school grads are doing in other places. It really doesn't give you much of a leap ahead as far as job hunting goes.

That being said, I wasn't exactly able to find the greatest job in the world. I'm working in a customer care center for a security system company. There are a lot of interesting people working there, and despite the occasional call that I wish I didn't get, I think that I will enjoy my time working at the company.

Except for one thing. Some of my coworkers love to talk politics. I hate politics. It is the number one reason that I stopped studying it. Also, I'm just not wild about any of the candidates. I see equally compelling reasons for NOT voting for any of them. Here is my quick rundown.

1. McCain

Reason to vote - Years of experience in politics.

Reason to not vote - Years of experience in dirty politics. I just don't like him.

VP Palin

Reason to vote - ?

Reason to not vote - I think it is silly for republicans to say that Obama has no real political experience, and then pick Palin. She has only been mayor of a small town in Alaska (even the "big" cities there are small), and then governor of Alaska for less than two years.

2. Obama

Reason to vote - Very convincing speaker, and charismatic.

Reason to not vote - Feel-goodery doesn't mean you can run a country

VP Biden

Reason to vote - ???

Reason to not vote -I think is is silly for democrats to say that McCain is an old white guy who is out of touch with America, and then to pick an old white guy that nobody has ever heard of.

So there you go. Who do you guys think will make a better President? better VP? I don't even know if I will be voting this election because I don't think that an election should come down to who I dislike the least.

Scariest Thing Ever?? Quite Possibly.

2008-08-27T10:49:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, I am fond of looking at the news every day. Sometimes, I am shocked by what I see, other times I am uplifted. Today, I was horrified.

First, I think you need to know something. I hate cats. Hate. Them. People go on about how intelligent cats are and how independent they are, but does that really matter? I say they are cold and plotting. You know what else is highly intelligent, cold and plotting? Serial killers. A respected source (read: wikipedia) says many serial killers have above average intelligence, but you don't see people going on about how serial killers make great pets. Yes, i just compared cats to serial killers.

So what could be more terrifying than a regular cat? How about a cat with wings? Terrified? But don't worry, they don't exist... OR DO THEY?

How would you like THAT flying at you?

OK, so that isn't really what happened. I'm not sure how trustworthy this news source is but it looks like the story is legit. During a recent hot spell in the Sichuan province in China, a couple of cats began to have growths develop on their backs. They started as little bumps, and then grew into wings. You can read the article here (it even has pictures).

The cats can't fly... yet. But we already know they are agile, AND intelligent. How long do we really have until they figure out how to fly? Our greatest fears are about to come true. If global warming is really happening, and if all it takes for cats to sprout wings is a good hot spell, then I see a whole world of hurt coming our way. Just don't say I didn't warn you!

Pretty Long, But Worth It

2008-08-19T13:12:00.003-06:00

Every now and then (more often than you would think) we get spam faxes at the law school. I didn't know there was such a thing as a spam fax until I worked here. We got one today, and I just had to post it. It is long, but... well, you'll see. Here it is (spelling and grammar mistakes and all).

To Whom It May Concern,
I, Sean Michael Tooley, Am Seeking Representation/Help For
Me As A Victim Of Crime In The United States By
The Central Intelligence Agency.
Richard Williams,
Belinda Mclees,
Jim Mclees,
Andrea Hopkins,
Chuck Williams, And
Charles Williams,
Are Operating Illegal Wire Taps On Me, And Using The Wire Taps On me They Are Operating L.A.S.E.R. Weapon Systems/Machines On Me In My Home, And Out In The Public, Shooting Me In The Liver Giving Me Liver Failure, Killing Me, In There Efforts to Kill Me, "Furthermore, The Central Intelligence Agency Is Using The Internet To Tell EveryBody To Lie and Paying People Off To Lie Regarding There Public Execution Of Me Being Viewed By The Public On Internet.

This Is A Public Execution By The Central Intelligence Agency And Is Not United States National Security. "In Addition The C.I.A. Is Using The Internet To Run A Parliamentary/Domestic Terrorism Operation On Me Out In The Public By U.S. Citizens To Secure There Public Execution Of Me With Ultra-Violet L.A.S.E.R.'s.

Please Help Me. I Need Protection From These Individuals And To Be Removed From There L.A.S.E.R. Weapons Systems Being Operated One Me, Shot Into My Liver, Giving Me Liver Failure, Killing Me.

I Need Help With The Fact That EveryBody In The U.S. Is Lying, And Being Asked To Lie By The C.I.A., And I Need To Be Put In Contact With The Covert People/Outside People Who Continue To Secretly Sue The Central Intelligence Agency Regarding The Illegal Operation To Publicly Execute Me.

Thank You,

Sean Michael Tooley

Isn't that great? We got TWO letters from this guy! The other one is about the same, but goes on about operation "PURPLE."

I've Been Tagged

2008-08-19T09:56:00.002-06:00

Roni tagged me for this bit of blogging fun. I am supposed to write 8 random things about myself, eh? Well, here it goes:

1. When I was little (probably around 8 or 9) I remember reading in a book that if you dig down far enough, then you can find fossils almost anywhere in the world (can you see where this is going?). So, I went out into the backyard with a shovel and started digging. I never found any fossils, but I did find an old action figure about a foot down. By the time I was done, the hole was about 5 feet deep and three feet across. Oddly enough, I don't remember getting in trouble for it.

2. I really like riding my bike to work every day. It makes me feel like I have accomplished something.

3. My favorite movie is Jurassic Park, I probably saw it 15 or 16 times in the theater. It helped that we used to have a 50 cent theater in town, and that Jurassic Park was in the theater for about a year.

4. Sometimes my boss intentionally buys too much food for staff meetings, just so that the people who don't go to the meetings can having some of the extra food.

5. I have a secret ambition; I want to be the coach of an Academic Decathlon team. It was one of my favorite things I did in high school, and it is one of the things that I feel prepared me the most for college.

6. This one time, my brother and I were outside throwing rocks at each other (we had been kicked outside of the house for being too rowdy). It was really dark outside, and we couldn't really see where we were throwing anything. The next morning, we found out that we had smashed our neighbor's car window with one of the rocks. That was the only time I remember getting grounded.

7. I ate dog while I was on my mission in Korea. It wasn't all that bad, and tastes a lot like beef.

8. I don't like a lot of vibrato in people's singing voices. It creeps me out, and I think a lot of people force it, and it makes them sound worse than they would NOT using vibrato.

There you go. Eight random things. I know I am supposed to tag people, but I really don't know who to tag. I could say something ambiguous, like the people who I'm tagging "know who you are," but... I don't even know who you are. If you read this, and had fun reading it, then go ahead and do it!

Of of the things to put into a can!

2008-08-15T16:13:00.003-06:00

People put some pretty weird stuff into cans. I've seen canned 'possum, a whole chicken in a can, and even a cheeseburger in a can. But, this one takes the cake.

I am not making that up. I could not make that up, even if I tried. Still don't believe me? Here is the website. Only the exceptionally brave should watch the demo video. But, it is organic, so it is all ok. (read the sarcasm)

Whose fault is this really?

2008-08-15T10:37:00.002-06:00

I like to read the news (i.e. the headlines) every day. Most of everything in the news right now is split between the conflict between Russia and Georgia (the country), and the Beijing Olympics. There was one article, however, that caught my eye. I will just copy the text here, because it is a short enough article:

"VENTURA, Calif. - The family of a gay teenager who was fatally shot in class blames the school district for allowing their son to wear makeup and feminine clothing to school — factors the family claims led to the death.

The parents and brother of 15-year-old Larry King of Oxnard filed a personal injury claim against the Hueneme school district seeking unspecified damages for not enforcing the dress code.

King, an eighth-grader at E.O. Green Junior High School, was shot in February. Classmate Brandon McInerney pleaded not guilty to the shooting last week. He was charged as an adult and also faces a charge of a committing a hate crime.

The family's claim, filed last week in Ventura County Superior Court, said administrators and teachers failed to enforce the school's dress code when King wore feminine clothing and makeup to school."

If you want to read it on the news site, so you know I'm not making this up, read it on MSN here.

Is it really the school's responsibility? I understand dress codes are meant to protect students, and maintain some level of public modesty. Most schools don't let students wear gang signs, for example. Many schools put a limit on how revealing clothes can be. But this doesn't seem to fall into either of the two categories. I'm no expert in law (yet), but I think it is pretty safe to assume that the school would be in really big trouble if they added "Don't dress gay" to their dress code.

This really seems like it is the parent's responsibility. Unless this was a private school with dormitories, I don't see how the parents could remain unaware of their son's activities. In an age where we flaunt personal choice as almighty, and we (by "we" I mean society as a whole) attack the government's ability to restrict choice, it seems all the more ridiculous to get mad at the government when they allow people to do as they please.

A Little Bit Late

2008-07-25T11:16:00.001-06:00

Today, I was a little bit late for work. Actually, I was a half hour late. But it was ok, I was still the first person in the office today. Yesterday was Pioneer Day, which is a real holiday here in Utah, and so nobody worked. I don't know whose idea it was to put a day off on Thursday, and then NOT give everybody Friday off... but it sure wasn't my idea. Pretty much everybody is gone from the office today, and the people that are here are having a "Christmas in July" party.

Anyways, back to the reason for posting today; I was late for work. I have a good reason, though (sort of). See, I thought I was at work. Does that make any sense? No? Let me explain.

Usually, I am very good at knowing when I am dreaming. A dream will get to a certain point, and I will be say to myself, "Wait a minute, why am I in Tahiti? And why did Roni just turn into a talking parsnip??" and then I will figure out that I am probably asleep, and that I am probably dreaming.

The problem comes when I have dreams where nothing is out of the ordinary. This morning the alarm went off, and I sat up to say my morning prayers. I remember finishing, having breakfast and then heading off to work. I arrived on time and starting doing stuff in the office. People showed up for the Christmas in July party, and everything seemed really normal.

Until somebody showed up with a pony. It may or may not have been purple.

Don't ask. Really, I don't know either. At that point I realized that I never actually finished praying, and that I was going to be late for work; then I woke up. Does that ever happen to you? Not the purple pony, but do you ever dream that you are doing normal stuff? I almost feel like I wasted a dream.

Whew...

2008-07-23T13:17:00.009-06:00

Do you ever look back at a fad and think, "Man, am I EVER glad that is over with!"? I was thinking about what fads I have been glad are over, and here is a short list that I have come up with. This is in no particular order.

1. Troll Dolls
Do you remember these? Here is a reminder of what they were.

Scared? Scarred for life? How was this ever popular? Drugs? I really don't know. What makes matters worse was that people collected them. This wasn't just some horrible gag that you hid in that kid you didn't like's backpack to scare him. People willingly bought more than one of these things. Personally, I think that collecting dolls is creepy enough (especially those porcelain ones...), but can you imagine a ROOM FULL OF THESE? Try not to. You will have nightmares. You really have to wonder though, who was the first person to say, "Hey, I know! Let's take one of these:

and make a TOY out of it! Toss some pink hair on it and that will make it cute!" News flash guys, it did not work.

Modern Day Version: ??

2. Beanie Babies

I guess that these are a step up from trolls. I guess. People went CRAZY for these things. There was this one lady on the news that had thousands of them in her house. Thousands! I remember thinking to myself that people will buy and collect anything. Anything. My favorite part of this is a description of a Beanie Baby on Wikipedia: "A Beanie Baby is essentially a fancy bean bag in the form of a stuffed animal." Need I say more?

Modern Day Version: Webkinz (Can I just say, putting a "z" instead of a "s" is not cool. It never was, and never will be)

3. Vanilla Ice

Bands come and go all the time, but has there really been anything as ridiculous as Vanilla Ice? Look at him.

LOOK at him! The shiny pants? The American flag jacket? Who was this guy? Why was he so insanely popular? At one point, didn't he even have a doll made in his image? I think about the only thing he did that I would be able to stand now is "Ninja Rap" from the end of Ninja Turtles 2. And that is stretching it. A lot. I might just end of movie early instead of watching that part.

Modern Day Version: Paris Hilton (Ok, so I just put that in there so that I wouldn't have two fads with "???" under "Modern Day Version," but now that I think about it there are some similarities)

4. Tamagotchi

Do you even remember these? They were these little toys about the size of a egg that had a LCD screen on it. The screen shows a little pet/creature that you get to raise.

It was all cool until it wanted to be fed every minute of every day, and then if you messed up, it would die. Talk about high maintenance. Doesn't that seem a little bit messed up? I understand the need to teach kids about death and responsibility of caring for others, but, seriously! "Oh Billy, looks like you were three seconds too late feeding Fido; he died because you didn't push the feed button fast enough." Doesn't that seem harsh?? Kids were so scared of letting these things die, that they would bring them to school with them, because what if Fido got hungry while you were in class? The whole thing was a bit creepy, and I was glad when it was over.

Modern Day Version: Nintendogs

So what do you guys think of my list? Like I said before, this is not a comprehensive list, and you are free to agree or disagree with it. Please leave comments about any fads you are glad are gone.

No Kidding.

2008-06-11T11:03:00.004-06:00

Not to make light of a serious matter, but I believe msnbc has a bit of a typo on their headline.

I think they meant that 2 hikers were rescued ON Mt. Rainier, not that two hikers managed to save the entire mountain, and then one of them died.

"So I Was Wondering..."

2008-06-05T09:30:00.004-06:00

We get a lot of calls here at the law school. Calls from people who feel they deserve free legal service because they are a BYU Student/BYU Alumni/Mormon/They were Mormon/They knew this Mormon guy once and he was "chill." Whatever the reason, people don't seem realize that the law school is only a law school, and not a law firm. We don't take on cases. BYU does have a legal department, and it is not associated with the law school. It isn't even in the same building.

Today, I wondered if people call the other colleges at BYU asking for help. Do they call up the school of nursing? I can see it now. Some guy calls up the office for the nursing program and asks "Hey, well, I have appendicitis, and I was wondering if you guys have any free medical services? Can I have one of your students do a surgery, could they just take my appendix out for practice? Because then it would be free."

Just like a doctor or a nurse practicing medicine before their training is complete, it is equally ridiculous to expect a law student to take on legal cases. They don't know enough. They aren't even real lawyers until they pass the Bar exam. In fact, they would get in trouble. Big trouble. I'm pretty sure they would never be allowed to become a real lawyer.

Kimchi Western

2008-05-28T09:51:00.003-06:00

What is a kimchi western you ask? You remember the classic spaghetti westerns right? Movies that were set in the Wild West, but were really filmed in Italy. Sounds like a crazy idea, but some of the most enduring westerns are spaghetti westerns. Where would we be without the likes of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" or "Fistful of Dollars"?

Apparently, Korea is trying its hand at making western-style film. Borrowing (none too discretely, I might add) from the Italian, the title of the movie is "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird." The title makes perfect sense... in Korean. The Korean word for "weird" means something more along the lines of deviant, but what kind of title is "The Good, the Bad, and the Deviant"?

I say the film is western-style because it is not set in the American west. One might rightly ask, "how is it a western if it is not set in the west?" and that is a good question. Look at the poster for the movie, looks pretty western eh? The trick here is that to Koreans, this IS set in the west. Think of what is west of Korea. CHINA! so the movie takes place in China, Manchuria to be exact. Clever, eh?

The movie is set in the 1930s during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The plot follows three outlaws as they run rampant- robbing trains, riding horses, and shooting things- everything that is typically done in westerns. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really want to see this movie. If you go to youtube, you can watch the trailer here.

You watched the trailer right? You want to see it right? Even if it gets horrible reviews, I will probably find some way of seeing it. Or maybe I can just wait for their next movie. "Fistful of Won."

Not Even 10 O'clock

2008-05-21T09:46:00.003-06:00

It isn't even 10 o'clock yet, and I have been taken three calls. Why is that strange? On the first call I took, the caller ID read "LDS Church Office." The second call was just your standard law school call, but on the third call of the day, the caller ID read "United States Government, D.C." This could be an interesting day.

The Article Translated

2008-05-15T23:55:00.002-06:00

Keep in mind that Koreans have a different idea of what makes in into an article. Here is my basic translation of the written about the Korean speech contest.

This year, BYU held its 21^st annual Korean Speech Contest. The Contest was held April 11^thin the BYU Conference Center.

The Korean Speech Contest was the brainchild of two of BYU’s most passionate and visionary professors in the Korean department, Kim Cha-Bong and Lee Ho-Nam. They created the contest as a way for students to hone their skills in spoken Korean.

Roughly 50 students of Korean, professors and various members of the Korea community gathered together as the meeting began. Kim Hui-Jeong, dressed in elegant tradition Korean attire, welcomed the group with her rendition of the Korean classic “Arirang” played on the kayageum.

Nathan Markel conducted the meeting, and welcomed everybody to the competition. He introduced the given topic of the contest, Korean culture. Many in the audience were pleased when he announced that after the contest, there would be a barbeque afterwards. In honor of the Korean culture, bother Korean-style ribs and kimchi were prepared.

He also introduced the judges for the event: Professor Heo Yang-Hoe, a professor at UVSC, Gwan Guang-Hak, a teacher at the local Korean language school, and Professor Julie Damron, a BYU professor of linguistics and Korean.

This year, the competition was split into three different groups: beginner, advanced, and open. Most speakers chose topics that reflected the differences between American and Korean culture they had observed in their travels to Korea, and continued study of the Korean language. Topics ranged from Korean etiquette, the flavors of Korean food, to the importance of friendship in our lives.

This year’s top honors went to Jarom Hillery with is speech titled “The Korean Alphabet and the Phagpsa Script.” His speech examined the origins and unique characteristics of the Korean alphabet. Jarom is currently majoring in Korean, and has been studying the language for over 5 years. In 2006, he traveled to Korea as an exchange student and studied at the Korean Language Institute at Sogang University. In the speech he commented that “King Sejong created the Korean alphabet with the idea that even a fool could learn it in 10 days, but even after 5 years of study, there is so much I do not know.” In a later interview he revealed his plans for the future: “I plan to continue my study of Korean, and I hope to some day work for a company founded in Korea.”

Original Article By:
Sung Daye

And So It Ends

2008-05-14T23:53:00.004-06:00

Well folks, the unthinkable has happened. Since my last correspondence with club live, I had been patiently waiting for an email confirmation that my zune had shipped; I never received such an email.

Apparently, that did not deter Live Search Club from sending it out anyways. My parents were confused when a package arrived for me a few days ago. They sent it home with Besta, and Besta tried to get a hold of me.

Sadly, I was at a LSAT prep class when they called. Happily, Roni was able to get the message. When I came home from my class, Roni said that Besta wanted us to go to their place. She did not allude as to the reason. I was very surprised, relieved, and happy to discover a package shipped from Live Search Club!

After nearly 8 months of waiting, I was finally able to get the zune. And my verdict? I've decided to keep it. Despite being made by microsoft, it is actually a pretty cool little mp3 player. I really like that they allowed me to update to the latest firmware without having to pay. I don't have a very big music collection, and so 30 GB is more than enough space to store pretty much all of my music. I guess it wasn't a scam after all!

I'm a Winner!

2008-05-14T23:28:00.002-06:00

Every year (for the past 21 years) the BYU Korean Language and Culture Club hosts a Korean speech contest. It usually happens during the winter semester. For two years, I have tried to enter into the contest. I have always found out about the contest after the deadline. This year, however, I was able to submit a speech in time for the contest.

There are quite a few native Koreans here at BYU, so they do have rules about who can enter teh contest. You can't be a native Korean speaker, and there are different categories that depend on the length of time the language has been studied. I entered the advanced division, which is basically the one for returned missionaries. The prizes vary from year to year, and have ranged from a trip to Korea to gift certificates at a local Korean restaurant.

The topics are supposed to be about some aspect of Korean culture, whether it be food, history, language or anything in between. My speech was about a possible relation between an alphabetic script written during the Yuan Dynasty in China and the Korean alphabet, written 200 years later (I know most of you are thinking, "wow... really interesting stuff there Romgi..."). You don't have to memorize the speech, but you kind of get bonus points if you do.

Speaking of points, each speech is rated by the judges based on content, relevance, difficulty of vocabulary, correct use of vocabulary, pronunciation and intonation (there may be some other categories... I'm not really sure).

So I memorized my speech, and I won! This happened almost a month ago, so you might be asking yourself why I am writing about it now. Provo has a fairly well established Korean community, and they have a newspaper that is published monthly. I am in the paper, as it talks about the speech contest. The girl Roni tutors is the girl who wrote the article. If anybody wants a translation of the article, just say so in the comments and I'll post a translation.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

2008-05-09T16:44:00.005-06:00

I estimate that most of you have at least a passing knowledge of star wars. It has been shaping the culture of nerds for quite some time now. Have you heard that they are making a new star wars movie? If you have, I am sure that you already know that it is going to be done completely with computer animation. I was skeptical of the idea at first, but had convinced myself that if would be OK. I mean, George Lucas founded Industrial Light and Magic!

I saw a preview for the movie today. I must say, I am underwhelmed. I understand that not all CG movies go for realism. But to be honest, the animation just looks shoddy. To me, it is like they forgot they weren't making a Saturday morning cartoon. This isn't Veggietales.

I also understand trying to create a stylized work. But style doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality (well... not always). For example, I think that the movie Flushed Away is a great example of using computer graphics, but maintaining a unique style. The characters keep the claymation look, but still look really good. Compare that to the poster on the left. Seriously, Look what they have done to Yoda! He looks like a twelve year old drew him! These graphics look like they don't even match up to the Star Wars video games.

What do you guys think? Am I way off base here? Or is this really as bad as I think it is?

A FITting End

2008-05-07T15:30:00.004-06:00

Probably everybody that would read this blog already knows, but just in case you did not know, I won the Biggest Loser (he he... I almost typed "lobster") competition. The prize money came out to $270 for the men's division. I've been at a loss as to what to do with the money. I have already saved up for an iPod Touch (I am waiting patiently for the next generation of iPod Touch to come out... I'm hoping for bluetooth). I already bought a Wii (complete with a great game thanks to Roni's parents!). I already bought a pretty awesome watch (thanks mom and dad). I couldn't figure out what else to get!

I finally decided that because I earned the money by losing weight, I might as well get something that will help me to keep it off, and to help me get fit (that is where the title comes in. Do you get it? FITting, like fit...). I've decided to get a new bike! I went out bike shopping the other day, and I hadn't ever realized that the price of bikes varied so much. I mean seriously, it can go from cheap to expensive with surprising ease.

I wanted something that was a step above walmart, but not something I could win the Tour de France in. I decide to go with a hybrid bike, which unlike a hybrid car, involves neither gas nor electricity. Rather, a hybrid bike is a bike that lies somewhere between a road bike and a mountain bike. They are deigned for comfort, and cost a whole lot less. I am waiting for the bike shop to assemble the bike, then I will be be the proud owner of a new bike.

And You Are Defining That How?

2008-05-07T14:55:00.002-06:00

I don't know how many of you read the news regularly, but there is one story that has been bugging me from the first time it appeared. An Austrian man lured his daughter into the basement of their apartment complex, drugged her, and kept her locked in the basement for 24 years. It gets worse. He fathered 7 children with her, and when one of them died, he just tossed the body in the furnace, as if it were a piece of trash.

He told everybody that she had run away with a cult, and nobody doubted it. He raised three of the children, and told everybody that his daughter had abandoned them on his front porch years earlier.

The man is now saying that he is not a "monster" and that the media is blowing this whole thing out of proportion. How exactly is locking somebody in a cellar for 24 not a monstrous act you might ask. His response? "I could have killed all of them -- then nothing would have happened. No one would have ever known about it."

This statement blows my mind! The saddest part about it is that he is right about part of that statement. Nobody would have known if he killed his daughter and her kids. This guy doesn't seem to realize that what he did was wrong, and I think that is perhaps the scariest thing about it all.

The Next Chapter

2008-04-29T07:49:00.004-06:00

Looking at that title, you are probably thinking that this entry is going to be about graduating from college or something. Well, sorry to disappoint, but that is not what got me to blog. Rather, this is the next chapter in my saga with Microsoft's Live Search Club.

It was brought to my attention a few days ago that Microsoft had once again put the Zune on the list of prizes for Club Live participants. This made me wonder if they were no longer out of stock, which they had previously claimed. So, I decided that this would be an opportune time to email them once again about the status of my order. I emailed Club Live on Friday, and to my great surprise, I got a response today. It said:

Dear Live Search Club Participant,

Thank you for contacting Live Search Club Support. We are pleased to announce we have your backordered prize back in stock and will be shipping soon. We are shipping out within the next 3 weeks, when your item ships you will receive your 2^nd confirmation e-mail will any necessary shipping and tracking information.

Kind Regards,

Live Search Club Support

The first thing I noticed that set this email apart from the others I have received is that there is nothing ominous about it. It doesn't say "if we decide you aren't the scum of the earth" or anything like it. This has gotten me pretty hopeful that I may indeed receive a soon.

Completely Random

2008-03-27T12:07:00.003-06:00

So I went to the BYU homepage today, and was greeted by this picture and caption.

Pepper spray may deter bear attacks better than guns.

The guy is holding two polar bear cubs with the mom knocked out next to him, and all they can say that it "may deter bear attacks"?! I think if the situation ends up with the bear unconscious, you can safely say it IS effective. Next time I go camping in bear country, I'm bringing whatever it is they are selling.

A New Link

2008-03-27T00:06:00.002-06:00

I have added a new link on my links list. It is a blog called "stuff white people like." It is a satire of trends in the upper-middle class white community. Maybe you have heard about it, maybe you haven't. I think it is hilarious, and more often than not I am guilty as charged. You should check it out, but remember that it is a joke, and that it should be taken as such.

An Amusing(?) Anecdote

2008-03-26T23:19:00.004-06:00

I am sure I am not the only person in the world that gets these emails. You know the ones that I mean. They are usually about some family relation, and are supposed to teach us some uber-valuable lesson that would have been impossible for us to learn unless we got that very email. I have put a copy of a story from an email forward from an old mission buddy of mine.

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth.

She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father.

He responded by asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and
didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.

Her father listened and then asked, 'How is your friend Audrey doing?'

She replied, 'Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over.'

Her wise father asked his daughter, 'Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.'

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, 'That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!'

The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, 'Welcome to the Republican party.'

If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between Republican and Democrat - I'm all ears.

So there are several reasons that I take issue with this kind of story. First, it is very obvious that this story is about as factual as Battlefield Earth. This whole thing probably never actually happened. The story was made up to simply prove a point. I am all about learning from personal experiences, and I will readily admit that well-written literature can be very convincing, but this kind of email forward is neither well-written, or true, and so it loses all persuasive ability for me.

The second issue that I have with this type of argument is that it takes a complex issue, in this case the difference between democratic and republican parties, and makes it into something where there is only one choice. I don't know much about politics, but I am sure that the democratic party is not all about the redistribution of wealth through higher taxes, and I am sure that the republican party stands for more than just letting people hold onto their wealth. If the parties were different in only one regard, then there would be no need for political or presidential debates to discuss different standpoints on issues. You can be a democrat that supports lower taxes, and you can be a republican that supports government aid programs. Isn't it our responsibility to make sure that everybody has a chance to get an education? I think that programs that support people that are making an honest effort are to be commended, not deplored.

Third, the story makes extreme assumptions. Not only does the author ignore important issues to simplify a complicated argument, but the analogy drawn between the hard working student and the party girl is very polarizing. You read the story and are left with only one option, to agree. You are made to think, "Well, she deserves those grades because she worked hard!" But there are flaws with the underlying assumptions for the argument. The argument assumes that everybody that works hard gets good grades, and that everybody with good grades works hard. It then equates grades to wealth. If everybody that worked hard was wealthy, then we would not having the term "working poor," and if everybody that was wealthy worked hard, then Paris Hilton wouldn't be wealthy.

I could go on about this for days (just ask Roni), but I think you get where I am going here. This email doesn't make me want to run out and join the GOP, it makes me glad I am associated with no particular party. Then again, maybe that is just my college education polluting my way of thinking.

You Know What Else?

2008-03-25T10:11:00.004-06:00

So my last post got me thinking about elementary school, and all the things that were great about it. I liked how in elementary school you always get to go to assemblies. They happened so often! Everything from Doctor Seuss Week to Saint Patrick's Day got an assembly. My favorite type of assembly was the student of the month, it was hard to compete with that. Not only do you get a certificate, but I think you got pencils and stuff too. Maybe even candy. What else can a kid need?

The Bday

2008-03-25T08:18:00.004-06:00

So you know when you are in kindergarten, or first grade, and it is your birthday, you get to bring cupcakes to everybody in your class? I wish we still did that when we are grownups, because it pretty much made you the coolest kid. I'm sure it was a horrible time for the mothers that had to make the cupcakes, or cookies, but I think the awesomeness makes up for the sacrifice.

Things I Will Never Understand

2008-03-19T11:14:00.008-06:00

As my four year stint at BYU comes to and end, I am left with a few things that still boggle my mind.

Pink for Guys- Now, I understand that originally pink polos were popular because it was showing everybody that you were secure in your manliness, kind of like being cool with giving a guy friend a hug. But like many fads, things quickly degraded. It was not long before life was like a scene from a very pink horror story. Pink belts, pink backpacks, pink shoes, and yes, even pink pants for guys were to be seen. I was glad when the pinkification of men's apparel slowly faded, but I am still amazed (read appalled) when I see some people clinging desperately to their pinkness. Big weightlifters wearing pink somehow seems more o.k than emo kids wearing pink. (I was going to say scrawny emo kids, but that seems a bit redundant)

Shirts that say things like "I pooed" - Do I really need to explain why this is confusing? Unless this is some sort of major achievement, then why announce it to the world? Wait, even if it is a big accomplishment, I don't want to hear about it. I'm not against humorous shirts; there are a lot of shirts that say weird and funny stuff, but then there are these types of shirts. I am sure you know what I mean. Maybe these people are trying to seem "unique" at a very conformist BYU, but... if pooing is what makes them unique... I dunno about that.

PDAs - And I don't mean personal digital assistants. I am not even going to bother with the cliche "go get a room" response here, because, let's face it they can't. I also want to make it very clear that I am not talking about a peck on the cheek from your significant other before you head to class. I am talking about full-on making out in the quad. Why do people do it? If theyreally need to reach their daytime make out quota, then why don't they go somewhere secluded on campus? Don't they know that the art garden is WAY less trafficked than the middle of campus? There is a time and place for everything, and the middle of the walkway in the middle of campus in the middle of the day is not the time OR place for making out. Oh, and get a room.

Mustaches - I get it, these guys don't like the honor code, but they have to keep it. And I think we all know that people can get away with having a mustache at BYU. But, people need to realize that there are several types of mustaches. Not all of them are created equal. Some people look dignified with a neatly trimmed mustache, while others look like they need to be locked away. Very far away. If someone really must have a mustache, then please keep it tidy.

HFAC people - The HFAC is the Fine Arts College at BYU. I admire the artwork that students are allowed to post, and I enjoy BYU's many performances which occur in the center (maybe not so much for the modern dance routines). But you have to admit, there are some weird people in there. I am glad that these people are really "into the art" or whatever, but when they walk by me playing air guitar, and singing along at the top of their lungs to whatever rock opera they are listening to on your iPod, well... it kind of creeps me out.

I could go on for a while longer, but really, there could probably be an entire blog about BYU oddities.

"5Buck" Pizza

2008-03-14T20:54:00.006-06:00

Dear 5Buck Pizza,

I am writing to you today in an attempt to help you see how little sense you make. The name of your company is "5Buck Pizza" and the slogan, which appears on every coupon, every store front, and every sign, is "All Toppings Free." When I first came to Utah and saw your store, I thought that it had to be some kind of gimmick. There was simply no way that you could get a "super premium pizza" for 5 bucks.

I was pleasantly surprised when I ordered Pizza from you, not only was it really 5 bucks, your stores used fresh toppings, and tasty dough. This was a win win situation. Not only could I get a top notch pizza, but I could get it for 5 bucks plus tax. I thought I would be a lifetime customer (well, at least as long as I was stuck in Utah).

Then the unthinkable happened. 5Buck pizza was no longer 5 bucks. I understood that the rising price of corn drove up the cost of milk (cows have to eat right?), and I thought it would be only a temporary price hike. After all, a one topping pizza was still 5 bucks, and if you wanted more toppings you would have to pay a dollar more. Not to mention the obvious, but your company name was still "5Buck Pizza." So what if you were no longer "home of the free toppings," you still made a great pizza that was worth the extra dollar for fresh toppings.

Then the DOUBLE unthinkable happened. Even though the price of milk in the grocery store had gone back down, you did not lower your prices. In fact, you raised them again. Doesn't this seem a little ridiculous? Now, the basic pizza (one topping) was 7 dollars. 7 dollars?!?! But the name remained "5Buck Pizza!!" It is even more ridiculous when you realize that you don't have a single pizza on your menu that is 5 bucks! Your small is 4 bucks, your medium is 7, and your large is 10!

Even this great injustice was palpable, because we still got coupons with every pizza. These coupons allowed us to get a large pizza for 7 bucks, which was great. But now, what may be the greatest injustice of all. We called to order a pizza today, and were told that you no longer accept coupons. In fact, I believe you said that the coupons we had were expired. When we mentioned that they don't have an expiration date, all you could say was "those expired 5 weeks ago."

So, how does your company make any sense? You used to be the best deal in town because "5Buck Pizza" was 5Bucks. But now you cost as much as Domino's pizza. I am now so disheartened with your company that it is doubtful that I will buy your pizzas any longer. It is like going to your favorite burger place, only to find out that though the name is "Burger Czar" you now only sell dirt. Nasty dirt. Nasty dirt that costs more than a burger.

Please go back to the good ol' days when you name made sense, and your logo wasn't a lie. Or change your company name. Either way will work.

Sincerely,
The Romgi

Vactor 21000 series

2008-03-12T10:37:00.003-06:00

Today, I saw something truly amazing. I was working on a school assignment when I heard something loud this morning. Very loud. Now, today is trash day, so I first thought that it was just the trash getting picked up. The noise continued for minutes, it sounded like a some large street sweeper, but it was taking much to long to be a normal street sweeper. In fact, it was taking too long to even be a garbage man. I then realized that the trash had already been picked up nearly an hour earlier.

It wasn't until I walked outside that I saw the Vactor 2100.

This beast of a machine was moseying down the street. The huge pipe that you see at the top of it was swung out, and a large tube was attached to it. A guy was holding the tube, walking down the street sucking up all the dead leaves that have been around since October. In essence, he was vacuuming the road. As I walked to school, I could hear this thing sucking away from almost two blocks away. I couldn't help but think, "I wonder what this thing could do for my carpet!"

The next time a kirby vacuum sales guy tries to sell me a vacuum, and he tells me that the kirby is the best vacuum around, I am going to look him in the eye, and say to him, "Really? But how does it compare with the Vactor 2100 parked in my living room?"

Live Search Club Saga Continues (indefinitely)

2008-03-11T14:57:00.002-06:00

I don't know how many of you have been following my Club Live story. I have been periodically emailing Club Live, in hopes that I will someday be allowed to get an update on my order. Well the latest email from them isn't really any more satisfying:

Dear Live Search Club Participant,

Thank you for contacting Live Search Club Support. Unfortunately, your prize(s), due to popular demand, is/are on back order and we have no estimated shipping date. Please note, after an order is placed, it is then processed for compliance with our Terms and Conditions for fair game play. After an order is processed and found to be in compliance, you will receive a second shipping confirmation email with any relevant shipping and tracking information

Kind Regards,

Live Search Club Support

So, I picked a popular prize. I really wonder when (and if) I will ever be getting my Zune. I placed my order about six months ago now, and they are just now telling me that they have no idea when it will actually ship. I guess I should count my blessings though, at least they didn't accuse me of being a cheater.

Still Life With Rice

2008-03-03T11:29:00.004-07:00

I am taking a Korean History class, and as part of the work for the course, we are assigned to read a book about Korea. We were given great liberty in what we could read, and a good friend of mine recommended Still Life With Rice by Helie Lee.

I really liked the book, and I highly recommend it to anybody who is interested in learning about how the role of a Korean woman has changed in the past 100 years. Actually, I would recommend it to just about anybody. It covers the life of the author's grandmother, from her birth during the Japanese occupation, through the liberation of Korea and the Korean war, and up to her life in America.

I liked the book for two reasons. First, it reminded me of how much the Korean people have gone through in a relatively short period of time. Second, it made me realize how much life and society can change in the course of a lifetime. It made me wonder what life will be like when I am 80.

A Matter of Pride

2008-02-28T15:34:00.003-07:00

Consumer reports put out their list of the top ten cars for 2008. Of the top ten cars 7 were Japanese cars, 1 was American, and 2 were Korean!The Hyundai (which by the way is pronounced hyun-day, not hun-die) cars to win the honor are the Elantra and the Santa Fe. It is a big step for Korean automakers. It wasn't too long ago that they weren't exactly known for their build quality in the US.

NIMH?

2008-02-25T21:57:00.003-07:00

So... he looks WAY bigger than P2 in this picture, but he is really only about half the size.

So now we have a new rat-friend. I'm not as generous as Roni, so I'll skip straight to the last step and let you vote for my favorite names.

- NIMH - because the book is awesome, and so is the movie. As an added bonus, "nim" in Korean means "beloved one"
- Nicodemus - because he is one cool rat in the book "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH"
- Boris - I dunno... I think his fur color is like those Russian hats (not so much in the picture, but in real life)

Maybe Just a Little Bit Judgmental

2008-02-15T21:59:00.005-07:00

I know that it is a little judgmental of me to think this way... but I can't help it. Whenever I see a teenage girl carrying around an iPhone, I hear in my head, "spoiled brat, spoiled brat, spoiled brat, spoiled brat." I am OK with adults having them, even if they are mostly a status symbol. But there is something wrong with a teenager having a toy that at a minimum costs $1800 (if you factor in the two year contract).

Forget London Bridge, the South Gate is Burning!!

2008-02-11T10:59:00.001-07:00

Korea's number one national treasure was burnt down on Feb 10th. How do I know that it is the number one national treasure? Because Korea numbers each of the national treasures by rank, and the South Gate of Seoul was number one! This would be akin to somebody going and blowing up the Statue of Liberty in America. The structure was over 600 years old, and marked one of the historic entrances into Seoul. The government estimates that it will take three years, and over 20 million dollars to rebuild the gate. I've never been there, but I have been to the East Gate of Seoul. Now I wish I had listened to my friends and gone to the South Gate...

Happy New Year!

2008-02-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not a month late for the New Year. Today is the lunar new year! (I think more Americans know it as Chinese New Year) It is once again the year of the rat. I was born in the year of the rat, so I have always had a special affinity for this year. This isn't just any rat year though, this is the year of the Earth Rat, so I'm sure there are some sort of special connotations that come along with that.

And the Winner is...?

2008-02-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

In honor of "Super Tuesday," one of my professors held a sort of "what if.." election. He paired candidates form each party, and then asked the class who would we vote for. The results were interesting.

First in the lineup was Obama against McCain. He asked the class who would vote for Obama, and almost the entire class raised their hands. McCain, received absolutely no votes.

Next up was Hillary against Romney. He first asked who would vote for Hillary, and nobody raised their hands. When he asked about Romney, everybody's hands shot into the air (not really surprising right? Of course the Mormons vote for the Mormon.)

He then pitted the two favorites against each other, Romney and Obama. This time the class was split about 50/50.

The final match up was Hillary and McCain. He first asked who would vote for Hillary, and one person raised their hand. However, McCain again received no votes. When asked why they had chosen to not vote, most people said they did not want to be part of a decision that put either of the two in office.

A Spoiled Consumer

2008-02-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

I was planning on my this blog entry being about the follow up email from Club Live, but (not surprisingly) that email has not yet come. So, I have decided to write about something else. I real feel that as a consumer of the entertainment industry, I have been largely spoiled.

I'm not saying that everybody is spoiled, I just think that I have been. An example of this is the Harry Potter series. Unlike everybody else in the world, I did not have to wait years between each of the books to find out what happened next to the characters. I was able to read all of the books within a fairly short period of time, and The Roni feels that because of this I have missed out on theorizing on what stuff means, that I have also missed out on part of the experience. I did not have to guess what the title of the next book meant, or guess when Ron and Hermione would get over themselves and just admit that they liked each other.

Recently, I have again been spoiled. We don't have a TV, but that doesn't mean that we cannot watch TV shows. Broadcasting companies such as ABC, Fox, CBS and the like have been putting full episodes of shows on their websites. I had been watching shows online on the nights that Roni was off tutoring, or going to evening classes. I mostly watched newer shows, like Pushing Daisies, but such a good thing was not to last. The writers strike prematurely killed many new shows. Because new shows had so few episodes written for them before they aired, it was only a matter of time until new shows ran out of new episodes to play. So I began to look for other shows to fill the time.

I remembered some people in my major talking about how much they liked to watch LOST. They kept talking about the "Korean element" of the show. So I figured that I might as well watch LOST. ABC put three previous full seasons up for viewing, and that meant that it could keep me busy for a long time. When I had heard of the show before, I had always just written it off. It all seemed too ridiculous to really believe. Seriously, a bunch of people crash onto an island and they get attacked by "The Others?" But from the first episode, I was surprised at the ease that they show allows you to suspend disbelief. I found that I was watching 2 or 3 episodes at a time, just because I really wanted to find out what happened next. About halfway through season 2, Roni also got addicted to the show.

The reason that I feel that I have been spoiled so far, is that like with Harry Potter, I was just able to watch the next episode to find out what happened next. I didn't have to come up with my own theories about what was going on. But now we are caught up to the most recent season, which just barely started. I feel deprived now that I will have to wait a full week between episodes! I really have been spoiled. Now I find myself wanting explanations that simply are not there. It is a little fun, and a little frustrating at the same time.

Bad Scam or Just a Bad Idea

2008-01-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Some of you may recall my brilliant idea of getting a Zune through the Live Search Club sponsored by Microsoft. You may also recall that I earned enough points through their system to cash them in for a Zune.

Though I did earn the points required, and spent nearly six hours a day for a month earning those points, it now seems that I may never get the promised product. The Zune was supposedly to ship from Club Live on, or around, November 5. Well, when November 5th came and went without so much as a peep from Club Live, I figured I would wait a little longer. After all, it did say that it could take up to 12 months for the Zune to arrive at my house.

By the time 12 weeks had passed, and I still had no news about the Zune, I figured I would investigate the matter a little further. It turns out that I was supposed to get an email from club live when the Zune shipped. I contacted the lovely people at club live to see what the deal was with my order. I was greeted with an automated response to my inquiry.

Now, I really started to get a little suspicious. So I googled it, and it turns out that a lot of people have had the same thing happen to them. A lot of people legitimately earned the points required, and ordered the prize they had been hoping for. When these people emailed Club Live asking about the status of the order, they got an email that basically said, "Thank you for your interest in the Live Search Club games. Your order has been canceled because you cheated to get the points."

How lame is that? I was really worried that I would get a similar email as a response. A few days ago, I noticed that I had an email from Club Live in my email inbox. I opened it, fully expecting to be notified that my order had been canceled.

Dear Live Search Club Participant,

Thank you for contacting Live Search Club Support. At this time, we are contacting our supplier for the status of your order. Your patience is appreciated as we will get back to you as soon as possible. In some instances, this may take up to 10 business days.

Please note, after your order is processed and is found to be in compliance with our Terms and Conditions (http://club.live.com/TermsAndConditions.htm) for fair game play as well as no duplicate software or hardware order, you will receive a confirmation email with any relevant shipping information. Upon review, all orders that are not in compliance with our Terms and Conditions, are cancelled. As noted in our Terms and Conditions, please allow 12 weeks for delivery of any prize order.

Kind Regards,

Live Search Club Support

I guess that my order isn't completely hopeless after all. But it still seems a little bit shady to me. I'm not going to get my hopes up until I get that email from them confirming that they have shipped my Zune. To me it seems as if they are saying, "We haven't found a reason to cancel your order yet, but we are trying to find a reason. Give us about 10 days and we will get back to you."

One Big Puppy

2007-12-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

Readers of Roni's blog will know that our pet rat, Puppy, died a few weeks ago. Well I was looking through the news, and among stories of Britney Spears's little sister being pregnant, and "don't tase me bro!" being the top quote of the year, there was something actually interesting!

In a region of the Indonesian rain forest that is rarely explored and has been called the "Lost World" a team of scientist found a giant rat.
Now, keep in mind that this isn't some new breed of rodent, but this is actually a BIG rat. Apparently the rat had no fear of humans, and would wander in and out of the camp on a regular basis. They think that this rat might be a new species of rat altogether, a larger than average rat.

One disappointing omission in the article was when these guys will become commercially available. Why just settle for naming a rat Puppy, when you can have a rat that is the size OF a puppy?

A New Hobby

2007-12-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

No, the new hobby is not making lobster bisque. I am taking a student development class this semester. This past week we talked about stress and ways in which we can deal with stress more effectively. One of the suggestions was that you take up a hobby. I thought that I could use a good hobby, and thought if the Roni and I could share a hobby, it could be something we enjoy together. That way we could have something that we can do together.

Roni and I talked and we came to painting. She mentioned that she had a watercolor paint set (not just one of those awesome crayola ones either) and so we went out and bought some brushes and some stuff to paint on. I haven't painted in a long time. I think the last time I used watercolors was when I was in elementary school, maybe even the first half of elementary school.

So we got home and each picked something to paint. I figured that a bowl of fruit is pretty safe, and traditional, so why not try that for my first attempt. I picked this picture to go off of.
I started with a simply sketch and then just kind of went for it. Since blogs are all about putting yourself out there for everybody else in the world to see, I thought that I might as well post my finished picture on my blog. Here it is (don't pay attention to the stuff on the sides, that was just my color testing area):

Adventures into Bisque

2007-12-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

I was first introduced to the word "bisque" in an episode of Seinfeld. It is actually one of the most famous episodes, The Soup Nazi. I think it is Jerry that orders the crab bisque and says that it is so good that your knees buckle, so you have to sit down before eating it. I don't know why, but I can remember sitting there on the couch, and wondering what bisque was, and why it was so good that you had to sit down to eat it.

I never really had a chance to eat a bisque until fairly recently. I think it isn't really something that is all too common in the type of restaurant that I went to growing up. I always imagined something rich and hearty with a strong tomato-ish flavor to it. Kind of like minestrone, but it would actually taste good, and have bits of sea food in it.

Fast forward 11 years, to my honeymoon; Roni and I went to Monterey. We had already decided that we would eat out at better than average places pretty much every night (especially after our experience at the worst restaurant of all time... Norma's Res ran!), because we wouldn't be able to do so again for a very long time, maybe ever. So in the spirit of 'living it up' we went to the Sardine Factory. Now, I bet you are thinking, "Sardine... Factory...? I thought you said that you were living it up?" But in all reality, it is a really nice place, and I really doubt that they serve canned sardines at the Sardine Factory. It is often said to be the nicest restaurant in Monterey, and that should be saying something.

[funny sidenote from while we were there, maybe Roni has blogged about the lady with the cat plate? If not... I will request that the story be put up soon, it is pretty awesome.]

I figured that since we were at a really nice place, we might as well order some really nice food. I just about died when I saw "abalone bisque" on the menu. Here was my chance! The waiter assured me that it is world famous, so I figured I would indulge my childhood fantasy and order the world famous abalone bisque. When it came out I was surprised. It looked like he had brought out a bowl of thick cream. Where were the chunks? How was this going to have any flavor that was worthy of the title "world famous?"

A first impression has never been so wrong. It was a wonderful soup. A soft, almost velvety texture with a most amazing flavor. Best. Soup. Ever. No kidding people. If I am ever in Monterey again, I might go to the Sardine Factory and just order a bowl of the abalone bisque. Maybe two bowls. It is that good. I was in love with bisque, and I suddenly understood that yes, this soup is so good you had better be sitting when you have it.

A few weeks earlier, I had eaten, for the first time, lobster. Mom and Dad took Roni and I out for a congratulatory dinner at the Buckhorn, a few days before our wedding. I figured that I would try lobster, and it was SO GOOD. I thought it would be like a big shrimp, a jumbo jumbo shrimp if you will, but it was so much better than any shrimp.

So as I sat there eating my bisque, contemplating the creamy goodness of it, an idea struck me. LOBSTER BISQUE! I became obsessed with the idea of it, and finally, this past week, my opportunity came. The local grocery store was having a sale on lobster tails, and I somehow talked Roni into putting it into our budget for the week.

I searched online and found an easy, but still tasty sounding, recipe for lobster bisque. It took a while to do, and it ended with me dumping the hot soup into the blender and then straining it. Well, it wasn't as good as the mind altering experience at Sardine Factory, but it wasn't bad either. My appetite for bisque has been satiated once again... for now...

Street Pirates and Gypsies

2007-11-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, yesterday was black friday, the biggest sale day of the year! People go out to get things that they otherwise would not need, because "it is a great deal." Well, Roni and I fell for the we-don't-really-need-it-but-it-is-a-great-deal-so-we-have-got-to-get-it trick. Best Buy put out an add for a $229 laptop. In our apartment we have one computer that is 5 years old, a janky laptop, and an old tablet PC. We don't really need another computer, but we thought, let me rephrase that, I thought it would be a great idea to get a working laptop.

In order to obtain said laptop, we went to wait through the night at Best Buy's doorstop. We had a list of a bunch of different Best Buys in the area, thinking that if the line were too long at one, we could simply jump over to the next one. We ended up just going to a Best Buy in South Salt Lake. What time did we go? Well... we went at 10 P.M. on Thanksgiving. What time did they open? Well... they open at 5 A.M. For those readers who are not math savvy, that is 7 hours. When we got in line we were within the first 100 people, so we thought that we might have a chance at getting what we wanted.

Not long after we showed up, other people fell in line behind us. We soon learned that interesting people show up for door buster events. Of the two girls directly behind us, one had only dressed in a hoodie and a pair of jeans. Let me emphasize how cold it was that night. On the way to the store, I decided to wash the windows of the car as we filled up the gas tank. Within seconds of putting the window washing fluid on the window, the fluids froze. I ended up scraping off ice more than actually cleaning the window. So, back to the story. The other girl behind us was a chain smoker, and would only go about 5 feet away when she smoked; I think my clothes still smell like smoke.

The chain smoker was very talkative. VERY talkative. She kept on going and going and going; she was the energizer bunny of conversation. I don't know how many times I heard her say "I'm going to be fine all night long. I am wearing 5 shirts, 4 pairs of pants, 5 pairs of socks. Yeah, I'll be just fine. No way that that I'm going to be cold." And then she told us about her life story. Three times. Three hundred thousand times. Maybe more. When somebody stops talking only to breathe, you get to hear a lot from them. Including an hour later, when she, while pacing to keep warm, said, "I'm so cold. I don't get it, I am wearing 5 shirts, 4 pairs of pants. . . (etc)." I wasn't really surprised she got cold... she was very waif-ish.

So around 1 A.M. this guy on a skate board comes up and starts talking to everybody around us. We ask him was he came for and he said, "Bum rush. I'm here to see somebody get trampled." To which, the waif again told us how she got trampled at Walmart two years back when she was trying to put bikes back standing up.

After talking for a while, the skater, who was dressed in all black, and was wearing a black leather jacket with metal studs all over it, starts asking us if we have seen the gypsies. I was very puzzled. Gypsies in Utah? I thought gypsies, or Romani, were more of a European thing? He then tells us about how whenever you see a green light in a van, or in the front of a house, you should go up to them and ask to trade stuff, because that means that they are gypsies, and they have stuff to trade. He called it the "green light movement."

He then told us that he is part of a lot of movements. He then extolled the "straight-edgers" and denounced the "hate-edgers" (who beat up old ladies who have pills in their purses). He told us about drum circles and how the cops are cool with it. This was all pretty normal compared to what he said next.

He said, "There is one thing that I don't see much of in Utah. The Jolly Roger." I could only blink. Did he just say "jolly roger?" As in the pirates? As in "Yarr me maties!"? No, no, I must have heard him wrong. He can't have really just said the jolly roger. He then pointed to a jolly roger patch on his jacket, and said, "You know, the sign of the pirates."

Now I really don't know what to think. I am dumbfounded, at a loss. He then goes on to explain to us about street pirates. They used to be hard core pirates I guess. Robbing, mugging and plundering all they encountered on the streets. He then went on to say that they have calmed down a lot, and how there are all sorts of "rules and regs" now. I wanted to ask if they are more of "guidelines." So there you go. Street pirates, gypsies and waifs. That was my Thanksgiving, what do you think about that?

Harry Potter

2007-11-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so if you thought that I was a late arrival into the world of blogging, then you are definitely are going to go into a state of shock when I say that I just finished the last Harry Potter book. I started with Sorcerer's Stone and moved up from there. I swore up and down that I would never read the books, and then I got married. The Roni is an avid fan of the series and she was sad that she would not have anybody to discuss the final book with when it came out. So I told her that I would get as far in the series as I could before the release of Deathly Hallows.

Well, in the week and a half before the book came out I got through book 1-4. I stopped after the book came out, because I figured I had missed the deadline, and... well... I had just seen the movie for Order of the Phoenix and it really didn't make a lot of sense to me. The movie just seemed jumbled together. For people that had already read the book (and probably re-read it leading up to the movie) I'm sure that leaving out so much of the book was necessary; It took two hundred pages just to get through the first two weeks of the story. However, the point is that the movie was really just confusing, and I wasn't too keen on reading the book.

Again, enter the Roni. She began to read the book out loud to me any time we were making a trip up to see parents, grandparents or other relatives. This made me see that the book made a whole lot more sense than the movie. So in the past 4 days I finished books 5-7. So here are my favorites of the series.

Favorite Character: Without a doubt, Luna Lovegood. I laughed more at the parts with Luna in them than any of the rest of the books combined. She is such a great character. It makes me wish that I had friends like Luna growing up.

Favorite Villain: I think most people will agree with me when I say Dolores Umbridge. Sure Voldemort is the main bad guy, but he knows he is bad. He takes no joy in hurting others, he does it just for power. Umbridge, however, takes a perverse pleasure in the pain of others, and to make matter worse, she thinks that what she is doing is for the benefit of society. To me, that makes her worse. Plus she is just so easy to hate!

Favorite book: The book that I enjoyed the most was Half-Blood Prince. In that book I was the most involved in the story. The characters seemed to be people that I could relate to. Also, who doesn't like it when Luna does the announcing for the quidditch game?

Least Favorite Good-guy: Hermione Granger. Especially in book 7 when she keeps harping on Harry about occlumency. I just skipped over those parts because I wanted to start yelling at her. And when you want to start yelling at a fictional character, it is time to move on.

My First and Last Day in Customer Service

2007-10-29T12:10:00.000-06:00

I work, or rather worked, at a security system company. We don't take calls from customers who have had a break-in, or dispatch the police to save a person's life. In my department, data entry, we simply take calls from the sales representatives and from the installation techs. We just make sure that all the signals are coming from the various devices installed around the house, and run credit checks on people to make sure that they can afford the monthly bill.

A few weeks ago, near the beginning of October, our company finally closed down the last of the sales offices. This meant that there was even less for the morning shift (6-10 AM) to do. Personally, even during our busiest days in the summer, I never got many calls before 8 o'clock, and since school started, I have only been getting about one call every day before my shift ends. I barely noticed when they closed the offices, because honestly, I wasn't that busy to begin with.

Well, the higher-ups thought that it was unacceptable to have so many people working data entry that early in the morning when all of the sales offices were closed. They began to think up new jobs for us. My manager emailed everybody in data entry a list of about 50 existing customers and their phone numbers. She told us to call these people, and ask them for the names and numbers of people they know that might enjoy the system.

There are two things that are horribly wrong with this idea. First, I started work at 6 AM. Even if I spend all my time calling people on the east coast, I would calling them at 8 AM eastern time. That is early. If somebody called you at 8 AM and tried to get a referral from you, would you be happy? I sure wouldn't be!

The other thing that you need to realize is that these people have no idea that they will be contacted for referrals. On the contract there is no check box that says, "it is ok to contact me for business purposes" or anything like that. They had no idea, when they signed up for a security system, that we would be calling them at ridiculously early times so that we can con their friends into the same junky system!

So, mostly due to these two reasons, everybody on the morning shift for data entry decided to pretend like we never got the email. We decided that if it came down to it, we would rather quit than continue working for a company that would go to such great lengths to annoy its customers. Another reason for our defiance was that in our mandatory script we were basically forced to lie to the customer. We tell them that if they refer their friends, then their friends will be able to receive the exact same system that they did. However, this is not true. If the person that we got the referral from got a lot of free extras with their system, then it is very doubtful that their friend will get a system half as good. The only system available for our referrals would be the basic system, which is very limited, and very expensive.

That same day, however, I found out that I would be moved over to customer service, along with a few other people from data entry. Customer service deals with people that realize they have a system that is basically worthless, and want to cancel. These people did not read their contract, and failed to see that unless they cancel their service within three days, they are unable to cancel their contract. Well, let me rephrase that, they can cancel, but they have to buy their contract for 80% of their remaining payments. At $45 a month for 3 years, that quickly adds up.

I worked there one day, and then quit. I kept that job because it allowed me to study and do homework. The customer service folk talk to a lot of people. A lot of people. I spent the day listening people angry that they cannot cancel their contracts. Realizing that I would not be able to study, and if I was not studying, I would rather be sleeping, I quit.

I did get, however, some funny stories from my one day in customer service.

a hot chocolate kind of day

2007-10-16T18:43:00.001-06:00

There is something about fall that makes me long for something. Maybe it is because I have spent 3 of my last 4 falls in Korea... Whenever I am walking around and I look at the colors of the trees, and feel the coolness of the air, in short, those days when it is especially autumn-ish, it makes me feel really nostalgic.

Now I now what you are thinking, "hey, who is this kid, he's like not even 25 and he is talking about nostalgia??" But I think that you can feel nostalgic at almost any age. How you feel that nostalgia might differ over time, but I believe that even a 7 year old kid can be nostalgic for the days when he didn't have school.

Back to nostalgia, it seems that when I look at the myriad of colored leaves that autumn has to offer, it reminds me a lot of my freshman year of college. Back in California, I don't especially remember trees changing colors, and all the leaves falling off the trees. I think that trees feel this "fall" nonsense is superfluous when the coldest they are going to be is about 60 degrees. So when I came to Utah in fall 2002 and the leaves started changing colors a few weeks later, I really began to notice.

In particular, there is this big tree with broad leaves that I passed every day on my walk from the dorms to campus and back. When I noticed that the colors were changing on the tree, I thought it would be fun to get a leaf for each color. So about once a week, I would pick a leaf from the tree. By the first snow I had yellowish green, yellow, orange, red and even brown leaves gathered in my dorm room.

So now, to this day, when I see the leaves beginning to change color, I am reminded of this. And for some reason this makes me want to have hot chocolate. Really good hot chocolate. In fact, I think I can hear the Ghirardelli hazelnut hot chocolate calling my name right now...

TRAVESTY!!

2007-10-09T08:57:00.000-06:00

Though this isn't exactly breaking news, the company that makes the Pop'ables brand candies, Masterfoods, has decided to no longer produce these delectable little morsels! They have been out of production since 2006, which could explain why they have been so hard to get a hold of. This is truly a cause to mourn! These malt-ball sized treats were easily the best of the snickers line! I feel robbed as a consumer because I have been denied the pleasure of ever again tasting the soft nugget and caramel mixed with just the right amount of salted peanutty goodness! They were just the right size, and were amazingly addictive. Maybe the company cut production because the sweet little guys were just too good to be true...

Leaping Lizards!

2007-10-04T07:02:00.000-06:00

Roni and I have had Mu for over a year now and he still seems to be doing new things all the time. Last night Roni wasn't feeling well, so she went to bed early. I stayed up and fed Mu, Remington and Puppy their food. I like to let Mu run around because he is pretty easy to spot not matter where he goes. Remington is still a bit small to let him run around all day. Mu, however, is big enough that I can let him wander without worrying too much about how to find him later.

Anyways, back to the story. I took Mu out of his two-story condo in order to feed him. He was REALLY hungry today, even though he ate yesterday. Usually his appetite goes in waves. So after downing about 20-30 crickets, I let him wander around the living room while I brushed my teeth and looked up ways that we could grow our own food for him (if he keeps eating 30 crickets a day, we will have to buy about $3 of crickets a day in order to feed him and Remington).

I started to get tired so I hunted Mu down and put him back in his cage. He went in without much of a struggle this time. Mu is a bit emo and can get a bit upset when you pick him up to put him back in his cage; he likes to run around. So I put him back, and then go to turn off the computer when I hear what sounds like a bird chirping. Now, you may be thinking, AHA! it was just the crickets! But Mu ate almost all the crickets, and the only ones left weren't big enough to be able to chirp. So I looked over to Mu's cage, and he is sitting there moodily looking out of his cage. Then, while I am looking at him, he opens his mouth, tilts his head up and moves his throat while he makes the chirping sound again! It was pretty wild. I've never heard him chirp before, and everything that I had read up to this point had never mentioned chinese water dragon vocalization before. I kind of hope he does it again when Roni is not dead asleep, so she can hear it too!

End User License Agreement

2007-09-30T19:52:00.000-06:00

So you know that contract that comes with pretty much anything that you buy? It even comes on the software that you buy. Well, do you ever actually read what it is that you are agreeing to? I'll be honest, I don't ever really pay attention unless I have to start entering in credit card information. I just assume that if they don't have a way of directly taking money from me, they must not really care.

Well, I was really bored before my class, and I had nothing to do. So I began the ritual of rummaging through my backpack to see what all was in there. I came across the End User License Agreement for the SanDisk Cruzer Freedom which Roni and I had purchased on during the beginning-of-the-year-sale at our university. Mind you, I was really bored, so I thought "what the heck" and gave it a read. Here are some of the highlights. (oh, here is the key, so you know what is going on. Device = the thumb drive. Product = the thumb drive + all programs on it. Licensor = SanDisk. Documentation = paperwork that came with the drive)

1. "Do not click on the "I accept" button at the end of this document until you have read this entire document."
- OK, so this is a piece of paper that I pulled out of my backpack. It is not on a computer screen. Unless this is a VERY high tech piece of paper, I cannot "click" on any button after reading this paper because it is a piece of paper. Does this mean that I cannot agree to the EULA, and that I am not bound by it?

2. "You may print and keep a copy of this License Agreement."
- Again, this is not a computer. It would be awesome if I could print a piece of paper from another piece of paper. That would be like... getting the paper to clone itself, and I could sell that for a pretty penny. Now, you might be saying that this is being nit-picky and that I could just as easily copy the paper with the EULA printed on it, and save that for my records, but then we must keep in mind our next item...

3. "You may not copy the Documentation."
- Now hold on a moment... I am allowed to print it off, but not to copy it? Really, what is the difference between me printing this thing or copying it? Especially considering that it is a piece of paper and cannot print a copy of itself.

4. "You shall promptly report to Licensor any Product that is damaged, stolen or lost or reported as damaged, stolen or lost."
- Keep in mind that "product" means not only the flash drive, but everything that comes with it, including the EULA. So, technically, if my dog pees on the EULA, then I need to report it to SanDisk. If somebody steals the drive, then I have to report it to SanDisk. Isn't that crazy? Why should they care if somebody steals my usb drive? Are they going to replace it for me?

5. "Upon termination by Licensor, you agree to destroy, or return to Licensor, the Software, Information, and the Documentation and all copies and portions thereof."
- Again, why? Are they paranoid that I will be naughty and make photocopies of it? And where and I going to get these "copies and portions thereof?" I'm not even allowed to make copies of it in the first place. If I don't care about the rules enough to the point where I am willing to make copies of it, why would I listen to them when they tell me that I have to destroy the copies?

6. "By using the Product, you are agreeing... and warranting that you are not located in, under the control of, or a national or resident of [Cuba, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Iran, Syria] or any other country to which the U.S. has embargoed goods."
- Wow... I guess they are serious. I like the part about "under the control of." Like I am a robot or something. And I don't think that anybody that is from those countries and under the control of some wild regime will care about the EULA... Maybe they are worried that the North Koreans will get a hold of the EULA and ::gasp:: photocopy it! Yeah, I bet that is it. Or maybe they don't want the servicemen in Iraq to use usb drives?

Do you have any fun stories about EULAs?

North Korean Blog?

2007-09-27T06:36:00.000-06:00

So, as a few of you know, I have fully joined the blogging bandwagon by creating yet another blog. This one is for my Korean friends, so don't be surprised if it is all in Korean. Blogs are pretty standard in Korea, so I thought that I might as well make one in Korean to keep people up to date on what is going on in my life.

Well, I didn't want to use the exact same color scheme as this blog, so I chose a different template from the options, shown here.

I then sent out an email to all of the Koreans that I have an email address for, and told them that I had created a blog and that they were welcome to take a look at it if they so desired. One of my Korean friends, a man that I met near the end of my mission and was baptized a few months after I left, sent me an email about my blog.

It started out with the usual formalities of "how are you? I am great." and then he began to talk about my blog. He said that he was glad to see that I still miss Korea, and that the blog was generally well made. He had only one complaint. He said that the design of the blog reminded him too much of the North Korean flag, and so it made him feel "rigid" and uncomfortable. The North Korean Flag (or as they would like to say the flag of The Democratic People's Republic of Korea) looks like this.

So, what do you think? Do you think that google is trying to send subliminal messages about our unfriendly neighbors to the east?

Lack of Study

2007-09-24T08:36:00.000-06:00

So, as many of you know, Roni and I are rather fond of our reptilian friends. We want to be good pet owners, we really do. I spend a lot of time looking up information in books, and online about the best way to care for Mu and Remington. I am always surprised to find out how little is really known about the animals we keep as pets.

Chinese water dragons are not all that uncommon. You can find them in pretty much any pet store, from major chains like Petco, to the little pet shop down the street from where you live. But not much is really known about these guys. I haven't run into one scientific study on them, in or out of their natural environment. Most of the information that is available on water dragons is anecdotal evidence that owners have come up with in their own time. A lot of owners disagree on what is best for the lizards, and with no evidence (beyond "my lizards like it when I...") to back up what people say, it is hard to decide who is right and who is wrong!

Even companies that make products for reptiles seem to know very little about the creatures that they make the products for. We recently spent about $60 on a lighting system that broke down in a few days. The bulbs alone where $16 each, and were supposed to be guaranteed for a year. I stumbled on a website that went out and actually tested these bulbs and found that they are almost useless after 4 months!

Utah Driving

2007-09-18T08:20:00.000-06:00

Dear Utah Driver,
I have lived in your state for a few years now, and would like to attempt to explain a few rudimentary driving rules which, up to this point, seem to have escaped your grasp. Some of the things I talk about will be difficult for you to understand, but please try.

1. The fast lane
Are you aware that the freeway has a fast lane? In other places throughout America the slower traffic stays to the right, and the people that want to go faster stay in the left lanes. I realize that you are filled with a righteous desire to "sustain and honor the law," but some of us have places to be. I don't know how the driving test for Utah is, but in CA, they teach you that the the safest speed to go is the speed that everybody else is going at. The lane farthest to the left is not the lane for you if you want to go 55 miles per hour. If you are going 55 in the fast lane, do not be surprised when the people behind you get angry. They want to be going at least 75mph. If you want to go 55mph then go to the farthest lane to the right, and the big rigs will laugh as they pass you, thus making at least somebody happy. Nobody is happy when you stay in the fast lane.

2. the carpool or HOV lane
Yes, Utah has created a special lane for cars with 2 or more people in it. This does not mean that if you have more than two people in your car that you are legally required to go into this lane. If you have 2 people in your car, and you do not want to go faster than 55mph, then I suggest that you stay in the right lane. Even though you are not riding alone, I think that the "slower traffic keep right" signs on the freeway should apply to you. The HOV lane is also called the "Express Lane." Look at the signs when you are on the freeway, I'm really not making that up. Express is defined as "Of, relating to, or appropriate for rapid travel." "Rapid Travel" means fast. 55mph is not rapid, when taken in context of freeway travel. It is fast for a city street. The freeway is not a city street. If you are having difficulty with the idea of going fast on the freeway, please see the item titled "the fast lane" above.

3. The freeway on ramp
The on ramp is the place that you enter the freeway. 35mph is not an acceptable speed for entering the on ramp. I do not have a good car. I know that your Lexus can accelerate faster than my car, and yet you seem to have trouble gaining speed for the freeway. Again, maybe it is different in the Utah handbook that the DMV hands out for you to study, but in CA, it tells you to put your foot on the accelerator in order to reach and appropriate speed for entering the freeway. Going slowly onto the freeway does not make it easier OR safer to get onto the freeway. It makes it so that the rest of us have to swerve out of the right lane so that we do not hit you.

4. lanes
Now I sympathize with you, in that the government of Utah seems to be completely inept at building roads. In California we have shiny little markers that help you see where the lane is. Now, people here seem to think that this is impossible to do in Utah because of the snow. This may come as a shock to you, but it snows in California. The tallest peak in the lower 48 in in California. California has mountains with snow, but we still have decent lane markers. Regardless of how the lane is marked, you should be able to get the general idea that the dashed white line in the road is the border of your lane. Your car should not straddle this line. The line is not a suggested guideline. When you start to drift into my lane in your chevy suburban that is scary. I do not want to die, and I would appreciate if you could somehow figure out a way of paying attention to the road and your surroundings long enough to not kill me on the road.

See, was that too hard? Simple right? If you listen to this, then you will be able to make the rest of us very happy. Thank you for understanding!

- the Romgi

Success!!

2007-09-11T07:11:00.000-06:00

Well, after several weeks of being entertained at work by Microsoft's Club Live, I have finally earned enough points for the zune. It really did not take as long as I was expecting, only a few weeks. It actually happened yesterday and I am quite relieved to be done with the whole process. Or am I?

Last week, Apple announced the new iPod touch. Now, I am not one to be easily swayed by Apple's latest gizmos, but I will admit to a certain fascination with the iPod touch. Not only does it look amazing, but it has such great potential! I'm sure that as new applications are released by 3rd parties, the iPod touch with transform into the next generation of PDA/mp3 player. Some might say that he iphone already IS the next generation, but I'm really not interested in a lot of the features that are present in the iphone. I know there are a lot of people out there that are disappointed with the iPod touch's 16GB of max storage capacity, but let's face it, all of the music on my computer currently takes up about 6 GB. I could probably fit my entire music collection onto the 8GB version of the iPod touch, and still be happy. Though it would be impressive to say that you have 160GB of storage, what would you really fill that up with? My hard drive isn't even that big on my computer. Also, I like that the iPod touch uses flash memory, making it more suitable for exercise activities and the like.

Now, even the 8GB model at $299 is a bit steep for me (as a starving student). And after Apple's $200 price drop in the iphone after only a few months, I am certainly not going to be the first person in line to get one of these guys, but how I want one! So here is the plan that I have schemed up in my head, let Microsoft pay for my iPod touch. And just how do I plan to make this work? Well, I have already explained club live, and how you can get all sorts of prizes for playing games that run the Microsoft search engine. I have earned the zune and it should be in my hands by mid November. There are a myriad of other prizes that are still available to me- bluetooth headsets, xbox 360 controllers, and the like. I figure if I win enough prizes from club live, I will be able to sell the prizes to earn money towards my real goal, the iPod touch. So what say ye? What do you think of my plan?

Freshman Fashion Show

2007-09-06T18:37:00.000-06:00

So, one of my favorite parts about the new school year is watching all the freshmen. They all look like they are 12 years old. I have put off a lot of my general education requirements because... well... they aren't very interesting. However, this being my last year, I really have no choice but to take the ones that I have been putting off. The upside is that Roni and I get to see what is in fashion.

A young face and lost expression isn't the only way to tell who is a freshman, and who has been at BYU a few years. Judging by the amount of parents that have been floating around Provo this past week, one can assume that there have been quite a few freshman that had their parents drop them off. Anyways, for whatever reason, it seems that parents wanted to buy their kids new school clothes "just one last time" (though I don't think my parents bought ANY of my clothes since freshman year of highschool). As a result, ALL of the freshmen look remarkably similar. They are all wearing BRIGHT flower print shirts. I mean BRIGHT. Now, maybe they think they are in high school, and people actually care? But wearing garish flower print is like putting a huge sign on their heads that says, "LOOK AT ME, I'M A FRESHMAN!" Just give them a couple years, they'll get over it.

Worst... Food... Ever...

2007-09-04T10:27:00.000-06:00

So do you all remember the Tracer, it was old, it blew smoke, but still could get from a to b. On the it died, over a year ago, I went to meet up with Roni in Concord. There was a festival or something going on in a nearby park, so we walked around and enjoyed the music that was playing. As we were walking around we saw this Korean restaurant, and decided to check it out. Maybe we had even decided ahead of time to go there, I can't really remember. Anyways, the point is that we had never been to this place, and so we didn't know anything about it.
First, you must understand there are several criteria that I use to judge how good an ethnic restaurant is. 1. Does the person greeting you at the door have an accent from the same country the food in question is from? 2. are there people from that country eating in the restaurant? 3. Are people from that country in the back cooking? So, for example, if you walk into a Chinese restaurant and the person at the door speaks with a British accent, there are elderly white people eating in the restaurant, and it looks like some kid that got fired from McDonald's is working in the kitchen, it is best NOT to eat there. The food is probably sub par.

My first warning should have been that the door greeter was not Korean, and did not even understand the Korean greeting. My second warning should have been that there were no Koreans, or even Asians, eating in the restaurant. And, the place smelled more like a taqueria than a Korean restaurant. Nevertheless, we were hungry for Korean, so we just thought we would order something simple. I asked for bulgogi, which in all honesty, is pretty hard to mess up. This place found a way. Bulgogi means "fire meat" and it simply marinated meat cooked on a grill. My order of bulgogi came out with more vegetables than meat, and tasting like it has been seasoned with a packet of taco seasoning instead of korean pear and soy sauce (the way every bulgogi should be). Worst... Bulgogi... Ever...
However, I would have gladly traded the meal on that fateful day over the food I got yesterday. I think we can all agree that a fajita is pretty hard to mess up. But the good people of Delta, Utah sure found a way. On our way back from camping in Nevada's Great Basin National Park, we all stopped in Delta for some food. Dad was in the mood for Mexican, so we pulled into a Mexican restaurant. Now, Mexican food in Utah is hit or miss, and this place already looked like more like Denny's than a Mexican restaurant. But hey, I wasn't the one paying, so my vote didn't count for much. I was the first one to order, and I ordered fajitas off the menu. Everybody got their food before mine. When the waitress came out from the kitchen, I could hear the sound of sizzling meat and I could see the cast iron skillet she was bringing over. My hopes were high.

However, when she put it in front of me, I almost wanted to ask her if she had heard me right. I think of fajitas as looking like this. However, the mass of mush in front of me looked like peppers and onions that had been boiled in equal parts of grease and tomato paste. Everything was limp and mushy, except the chicken. The chicken looked like it had been grilled, then fried, and had the flavor and texture of slices of wood. You know how paper looks when it has oil spilled on it? That kind of translucent property it takes up? That is what happened to this poor, poor piece of meat. Add to that the fact that some of the pieces of meat still had the fat and skin attached, and it did NOT look appetizing.

I somehow managed to eat three small tortillas worth of the mush before I had to stop. Everybody seemed to wonder why I didn't finish the whole thing. The Be of Besta even offered to finish off my uneaten portion, but after one bite of the chicken he put the rest down and said, "Well, now we know. Order the beef." My stomach was sick for the rest of the day. Honestly, worst food ever. Maybe I will just have to lower my expectations for Mexican food in Utah...

Busiest Day of the Week

2007-08-27T16:22:00.000-06:00

So the company that we work at is sales based, so not surprisingly, our busiest day of work is on saturday. Saturday never seems to actually be our busiest day though... In lieu of having saturday off, we have monday off. Even though monday is supposed to be our day off, it always seems to be our busiest day. It is the day we shop, get haircuts, bake cookies, and cook more complicated meals. It always feels busier and shorter than the days that we spend in front of a computer desk waiting for the hours to tick by. It is one of the cruel twists of fate.

Blogomgi

2007-08-25T06:47:00.000-06:00

I have pretty much been able to avoid the whole blogging scene all my life. When I lived in Korea, everybody had a blog. Everybody. I thought it was kind of strange then... but then I came back, and everybody here had a blog too. I have managed to hold out. I mean my wife has her blog and I figured because we work at the same place and live in the same place, I was safe... I was lulled into this false sense of security. But now people want me to blog, so... here I am.