six foot lobster

Freshly Squeezed

2011-10-17T18:03:00.005-06:00

Got a 92 on my tennis final today. Chyea, that's right. 92. Today was the last day of class and I'm sad it's over. There's one kid in our class who was extremely legit, and we nicknamed him Bryce the Shark. He won everything, all year long, he was the champ. There was a girl named Annie who thought it was funny to grunt real loud like a pro when she hit. J.T. was a big guy who was never quite able to get all his game going, and genuinely underperformed. There was another kid, whose name I forget, who was the classic villan. He would always hit these lame short slice forehands, and hit sizzling winners against girls, and use cheap shots to win. He even had a mega grizzly scar on his face to add to the image. We had a couple of lefty's, a couple of doubles enthusiasts, and a couple of others that may have found true love at some point. You kind of start to notice when a guy and a girl pair off frequently to warm up together. Oooh la la.

Bryce the Shark and I

Anyway, at the end of class it was starting to don on me that this was it. Tennis was over. Adios amigos. So, in the middle of our last game of 'around the world', I felt like it was appropriate to sing a classic parting song:

Graduation by Vitamin C

I got all the way to "As our lives change, from whatever, we will still be, friends forever" before anyone realized what was going on. It got a good laugh out of a few people.

It's not exactly God be with you till we meet again, but it's pretty close.

Intermediate Tennis, It's been real

I have it soooooooo good.

2011-10-11T21:50:00.003-06:00

Loneliness.

Loneliness is one of the most painful emotions. I'm not sure anything really compares to it. There is nothing quite as awful as feeling completely and utterly alone. People need to share commonalities, express hopes, dreams, fears to one another. People long to be understood. We all want someone to confide in, or at least someone to listen. No one wants to be alone. No one wants to exist singly.

And that's why I have it sooooooooo good. I have Nicole.

I get to come home everyday to someone else. I get to talk, make dinner, eat dinner, clean up dinner, do homework, read, get ready for bed, brush my teeth, read scriptures, pray, sleep, wake up, make breakfast, make lunch, pray, and send off to work all with someone else. If someone cuts Nicole off on her drive home and it really bugged her, she has someone to vent to. If I got a good grade on a test, I have someone to celebrate with. If she has an exciting idea for a new project, she gets to share it with me. I get to pick up her socks, she gets to wake me up in the morning. I get to live two lives in essence. Her successes are mine, my failures are hers. I get everything that my own life has to offer, and I get hers as well.

I have it so good.

This all comes from just getting home from tennis. I just got a new racket and really wanted to test it out and I was gone for almost 2 hours with Bridger at the BYU courts. When I got home Nicole was already asleep. I walked in and she started to wake and sleepily asked, "How was the new racket?" As eager as I was to tell her all about it, I replied "it was great." and let her drift back off to sleep. What impressed me though was that even though she was half asleep, she knew I was excited about it, and so she wanted to share in my excitement. Before I left she sat there and complimented my tape job as I put on the overgrip, telling me it looked "legit". It's just a stupid little racket, but it meant something to me, and so it meant something to her.

This is what marriage is all about. Heck, this is what life is all about. I will never experience loneliness. Ever. In it's place I have companionship, friendship, and love. If tragedy were to strike, I would still have her. Being married by the Priesthood in the Temple means that Nicole will be my wife for eternity, and it is the single greatest source of hope, happiness, and motivation in my life. I have no fear of loneliness, because I have the promises of eternity. I get to move confidently throughout life with the love of my life by my side.

That's why I have it so good.

REACT TO THIS!

2011-10-06T15:09:00.004-06:00

Thinking about "Reactions"

What does it mean to react? Something has to happen. I guess something doesn't necessarily have to happen, the important part is something has to be observed. You can't react to something that you don't observe... vacuously true. Reactions in that sense drive our existence. I've heard it said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it... and I'm thinking life is 100% how you react. The decision to act is in essence a reaction. Even an action that I would assume to be "out of the blue" has it's roots in an observation of some kind. No one does anything "out of the blue", that doesn't make sense.

A person can choose not to react in only one way, and that is to choose not to observe. I had no reaction to the cracks in the sidewalk today - I chose not to observe them. I did however react to the snow on the mountain, a result of observation. A reaction is not an instantaneous event according to my definition. My "reaction" to the snow came several minutes after observing. At first I thought - that sucks. Then I thought - I do enjoy the rain down here though, it reminds me of home. Then I thought - Oh no, the leaves in the mountains will fall off the trees because they're weighed down by the snow and now Nicole and I won't get to enjoy them as we had planned. Then I thought - well it just means we're moving along in the year, and soon Nicole will be done with her internship. Etc,. My final reaction to the snow was that I'm glad it reminded me of the Pacific Northwest, enjoying the rain, feeling refreshed, and optimistic about the future.

But what about "gut" reactions? They aren't made in the same way, so why should life be in some sense defined by these as well? I argue that a gut reaction is a second, third, nth iteration of a prior reaction. We've made a reaction with respect to something similar before, and thus are able to react more quickly. I think this is why people may "freeze" up in tense or unique situations; they have either not been presented with a similar observation, or have chosen not to observe a similar situation. If they had observed a similar situation, they would have reacted. This is not to say that they haven't been presented with opportunities to observe, like I said, people need to actively observe in order to react appropriately.

That's why being an active observer is such an important part of life. Life is all about forming the right set of reactions to observations, developing a healthy habit of considering what we observe. The best part is that reactions are truly an individual choice, and that reactions directly influence happiness. By my logic we can (after careful consideration and active observation) actually choose happiness. Sure, observations can and should lead us to feel sorrow, loss, depression, anger, and confusion. Understanding these allow us to empathize. But, we can always extend the reaction and choose to right wrongs, lift those who are depressed, seek help for our downtrodden feelings, and ultimately choose progress and happiness.

Thinking this way gives me hope to overcome any set of misfortune I should observe or experience, especially since I have a firm conviction in the observation of Gospel Truth. That added observation gives me access to a set of reactions that aren't inherently obvious. Take death for example. An immediate reaction is grief - and how appropriate a reaction it is! The reaction is extended upon careful consideration of the Truth of resurrection, and ultimately I can choose to react in a positive way and exercise patience and hope. This method of observation, consideration, extension from negative to positive, and ultimately choosing to react in an uplifting way has been a huge blessing in my life. And is utterly impossible in some situations without Gospel Knowledge.

What's an education for?

2011-04-06T22:39:00.002-06:00

Back in the olden days, academics consisted of three disciplines: Medicine, Law, and Philosophy. If you were a mathematician, you were focused on the philosophy of Mathematics. Hence the title PhD., Doctor of Philosophy. And Philosophy encompassed the Seven Liberal Arts. Originally, the Liberal Arts were :

1. Grammar

2. Logic

3. Rhetoric

4. Arithmetic

5.Astronomy

6. Music

7. Geometry.

These seven areas of study were necessary in order to make one "free", or liberal. The way an education was viewed was not in terms of vocational or economic worth, but in the intrinsic value of knowledge so as to liberate an individual. Instead of a bachelors degree being pre-requisite to being considered employable, it was an elective decision in search for intellectual freedom. Instead of a stepping stone on the way to professional pursuits, it was a diversion from the material world and a conscious dedication to formation of intellect. Instead of a necessity for temporal success, it was a necessity for individual progress. Today it's "I have to go to college to get a good job." When the original intent would be more like, "I have to go to college, I just can't handle not taking 4 years out of my life to dedicate to learning for the purpose of learning."

That's what universities were intended to be, and that's what universities should be. If learning is only useful inasmuch as it prepares for a profession, then why does BYU have a religion department? There is danger in collapsing the objectives of a four year university down into technical ability and memorization. Technical and vocational institutions exist for just that reason. They prepare a portion of the population directly for employment and production without the university experience of the liberal arts. This is needful, useful, and helpful for both individuals and society.

My qualm is with the necessity of a bachelors for employment. A bachelors degree is an incredibly imperfect indicator of ones employability and professional potential. It was intended to be an indicator of an understanding of the liberal arts with a focus on one or more in particular. Do I need a bachelors degree to be a writer? Do I need a bachelors degree to be a Nurse? Do I need a bachelors degree to be an Accountant? Do I need a bachelors degree to sell or create advertising? To me the answer to all these is a resounding No.

I understand I'm not breaking any new ground here.

There should be technical training for accountants, nurses, and other specialty skill based professions. Those who have a knack for advertising should advertise. Those who sleep with a pen in their hand at night should write. And those who can't go through life without the liberation of intellectual pursuit and education should go to college.

For Daniel

2011-03-02T12:28:00.002-07:00

You know what......

shoot.

Today I wore a purple Armani shirt to work today and felt great about it. The fit through the arms and shoulders, the ability to stay tucked in.... mmm. Felt like Pharrell circa 2006.

In other news, Hersey Hawkins and Bo Jackson were caught laundering money from a Joann Fabrics in Flint Michigan over the weekend. Sources say they were using the store as a front for their underground cocaine trafficking network. Rumors have it they supply Macaulay Culkin, Johnny Depp, Gloria Pritchard, and Nicholas Cage on a regular basis.

Love

the 5th post

2009-12-13T19:14:00.003-07:00

This is my 5th post. Check it out for all to see.

Here is your quote of the day

"A life lived in fear, is a life half lived"
~Strictly Ballroom

There you have it! I have a final Monday Morning at 7:00am. Someone kill me with a glue gun.

the original j5k

2009-04-01T23:01:00.003-06:00

this is the original, making gold records like push pins in a hitler push pin pad.

Spanish Fork... Mumbai... you decide

2009-03-29T16:57:00.010-06:00

I'm not going to be the first and most certainly not the last to create a facebook album specifically dedicated to this weekends Festival Of Colors in Spanish Fork. I'm anticipating by Monday afternoon that I'll recieve a notice on my homepage that at least 15 of my friends have been tagged in someones album or have changed their profile picture to something involving the festival of colors. I'm going to be no exception.

The picture below was taken while waiting for the festival to begin. I couldn't help myself while sitting on the lawn in an 'ever-so-in-touch-with-my-inner-hindu-criss-cross-applesauce fashion' from poking my little finger into a plastic baggy of chalk and get my face prepped for the excitement (notice the pink stripe going under the eyes and across the nose, grr baby).

Here is a brief explanation of the festival:

A bunch of BYU students in EFY t-shirts and jeans mingling with one another about how "fetching awesome" the event is. Sprinkled in are a few token actual hindus and a smattering of dreadlocked barefootees keeping themselves far more composed. When time came to begin throwing the color a prominent member of the local Hindu community stepped on stage to explain the historical and religious influence of the ceremony while no one even made a semblance of an attempt to be polite and listen to the background story. The colors soon began to fly with such intensity that within seconds all involved were speckled head to toe with vivid blues, violets, pinks, oranges, greens, yellows, and reds. Random strangers would throw handfulls directly into the face of anyother, to which the reciever would smile widely and exlaim "Hey thanks!" This ensued for nearly 15 minutes while a Rock Band played fast paced music and chanted the Hare Krishna chant over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. Soon a mosh pit had developed and sometimes 5 to 6 people at a time would be crowd surfing atop the chalk caked audience. This level of excitement lasted for well over an hour as more and more students poured into the venue, anxious to get in on all the action. Most people had a walk to the temple upwards of 20 minutes. Cars lined country roads in all directions for about two miles.

All in all, it was gernerally exciting and actually quite a blast. Here are some of the photos to prove it.

Skype... all that is skypey

2009-03-27T00:39:00.007-06:00

Skype... A combination of the words "Sweet", "Kool", "Yeah Baby", "Pimp", and "Electricity". Soon to replace facebook is the oddly entertaining, semi-neat-o, slightly inching towards 'dirty' video chat. I say bordering on dirty because there is just some slimey connotation to the phrase 'cyber web cam video chat', although there's hardly anything gross about the service. That is of course unless you're using the term gross like those contemporary youngsters do as synonymous with more outdated terms like phat, tight, dope etc,. NEVERTHELESS..... I got to talk for FREE with a really good friend all the way down in CHILE for about 45 minutes with little or no technical problems. I hadn't talked to that guy since my mission and it was a blast to catch up. All my friends had been like Skype this, skype that, skype walks my dog and does my oChem homework. Poppycock you say? Not so fast my friend. I have friends studying abroad and family all over the place that I CANNOT wait to stalk down on skype and have a 'cyber web cam video chat' with. I'll put the water on now...

The etymology of the title

2009-03-26T19:20:00.003-06:00

The term "six foot lobster" has been in use since antiquity. Josephus is quoted as describing the Roman Army during their seige of Jerusalem as "A fire army of Six Foot Lobsters". More resently it was used to dub the stellar stage prescence held by a childhood friend named Brett Young.

It was the Cedar Heights Junior High talent show during 9th grade and the hit band F.A.P. was slated to headline the star studded event (Oprah politely declined attending). During F.A.P's set the hit number "Brain Stew" by Greenday was reverberating through the commons as an unassuming Lobster made his way toward the stage. The Lobster climbed on stage, danced around, jumped off the drumstand, and proceeded to make godzilla-esque noises into the microphone amidst luscious powerchords and wailing. He was forever dubbed the Six Foot Lobster.

There you have it. Hopefully whatever ends up in this micro-universe is as interesting as 14 year old 130lb weight class all-star trouncing around on stage in a lobster costume. Enjoy.