Island Park = A quick vacation

the lack of snow in Utah hasn't been a damper in my world. Skiing costs too much for a poor college student, so the lack of cold weather has been quite inviting. However, it's no Southern California climate either. As a result, entertainment in the cold weather was a necessary evil and I was determined to make some dang good lemonade. So at 11p.m. on Thursday night, I decided to join Chris, Ryan, Melissa, Gangsta Meg, and Kerry for an adventurous trip deep in the heart of Idaho. Island park(where my uncle lives as well) is only place in Idaho I would want to live. The town claims the longest main street in America due to Idaho's previous alcoholic consumption laws and is the last town before West Yellowstone.

We started our journey to Idaho fashionably late due to Chris forgetting his wallet and needing a pre-dinner snack before meeting up with us. We all crammed in Ryan's spacious Chevy Trailblazer and headed out after a quick stop at Subway for a $5 footlong.

The drive was the shortest drive ever due to the lack of bad weather and the video entertainment system which stimulated our ADD minds for the duration of the trip. We finally arrived at Gangsta's cabin and let's just say we all went to bed....

The next morning consisted of riding snowmobiles in the backcountry of Idaho. Melissa rode on the back of the snowmobile I was driving and was having a hard time holding on. I successfully knocked her off of her seat and into the deep untouched powder a number of times.

After a fun filled day of riding snowmobiles, chile verde, guitar hero, double solitaire, video poker, KY Jellying, and sledding till I almost broke my foot slipping on the deck, we were not ready to go home, but unfortunately had to end our trip. We stopped in West Yellowstone to search for stone washed jeans I had seen there early and unfortunately, they were sold(or thrown away, I'll never know). I ended up settling for a bright yellow sunglasses leash and we headed home.

Chris, jealous of my handmade beanie with earflaps, wanted to stop at the store on the way home to pick up a crochet needle and some yarn so I could teach him my not-so-hidden talent. Melissa drove as Chris and I sat in the back seat proving our manliness by crocheting beanies side by side. The very bored Rexburg Police Department decided to pull Melissa over for going 65.5mph in a 65mph zone. I'm not quite sure what he though when he saw two men with facial hair "crocheting" beanies.

All in all, the trip was a good release from the stresses of school and the cold without the benefits. A return trip is in necessary demand and will hopefully be realized soon.

I'm a hero.....kinda

Summer finally graced us with its presence last weekend only to disappear just as quick as it came. I don't trust the weatherman now that I'm living in Utah, so it was time to take advantage of the hot summer weekend.

What better way to spend a sunny summer day than on the disc golf course in Millcreek. I dressed classy and for the occasion by adorning myself in my newly cut-off sweats and a t-shirt. Since Chris's dog Dinosaur doesn't get out too often, I decided to let him accompany us on the challenging 18 basket course.

The course includes many frisbee throws over Millcreek creek. The long winter we had and the hot temperatures, the water runoff was at it's peak. It wasn't just a small creek, but a raging one. Hole 7 includes a first tee box throw across the creek. Kyle and I made our first throws and walked across the bridge to prepare for throw number 2. As we approached the area where our discs were, there were a few baby ducklings along side the river. Dinosaur, who probably has never seen ducklings, decided to investigate and determined the ducklings to be something he wanted to play with. He jumped at the ducklings and ended up in the creek.

The creek's fast moving water was no match for Dinosaur's doggie swim. He looked up at me helpless and bound for the waterfall 20 feet downstream. Dinosaur's demise was inevitable unless something was done and quick. Plus, I didn't want to be the one to tell Chris his dog had become a victim of Millcreek runoff. I jumped in after the dog and grabbed him by his collar. The collar naturally slipped off and Dinosaur grew closer to raging waterfall. I quickly bear hugged the chocolate lab and carried him to shore.

My sweats were soaked and so was my phone which was located in the front pocket. After having to buy a new phone, I should have just let the dog go over the falls. He probably would have survived, and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Or does that apply to dogs?

LP 2

Back in September I was sitting at my desk randomly shuffling papers so I would appear to be busy, when the email came in. LP1 in the spring was such a success, it was time for a repeat and Lake Powell 2 began to take shape. Within just a couple weeks, we were driving across the hot Nevada desert en route to a weekend that will never be forgotten. Since my vacation at work was dwindling down, I showed up for just the last 3 days of the trip. Given my short time there, I knew I would have to go big every chance I got while on the houseboat which was nestled deep in West Canyon.

It was the last day of the trip and my fatigued body was ready for just a little more. We decided to take the foam boards out and see what kind of trouble we could get ourselves into. After getting pretty comfortable standing on the small bogey boards, I decided that I wouldn't hold anything back and attempt to swap boards out with the guy next to me. As the waverunner started to go, my heart pounded as I jumped over to the adjacent board. My chin made it to the board first and quickly connected with something hard. Blood oozed out of my chin as the waverunner pulled around to assess the damage. The gash on my chin merited a visit back to the houseboat to see what could be done about the battle wound.


It would need stitches, but it wasn't deep enough to have to deal with immediately. The silver fox (proud inventor of the houseboat broat) slapped a couple butterflies on the flesh wound and we were wakeboarding within a half hour. The boat was so full that the hull wouldn't plane. As a result, the boat was kicking up a massive wake where catching big air was inevitable. I was enjoying my seat in the boat with a camera in one hand and a paper towel in the other hand to catch drippings from my constantly oozing chin. Our last night at the lake was approaching soon, so it was time to once again not hold anything back. I wiped one last drip of blood from my chin and jumped in the lake with wakeboard in hand.

The wake was snarling and I was catching some pretty good air. I've never had such a perfect ride with such a nice wake before, so I decided to do a backflip and land fakie. I cut as far outside as the rope would let me and headed straight for wake as fast as I could. I hit the wake off balance and knew right away the landing was going to be impressive to the spectators, but not for me. I landed toe first in the glassy water and as a result, the wakeboard connected with the back of my head.

Instantly, I put my hand back where the pain was and my finger could fit in the gash the wakeboard had inflicted on my head. It was about 2 hours after the first damage control was done, and once again, we were rushing back to the houseboat to see if the silver fox could do anything for my now plural open wounds.

Since it was our last night on the lake and it would have been a 2 hour ride back to the marina, we decided I would just ice my head, stick a towel on it, and get it stitched in town the next day.


I ended up getting 6 stitches in the chin and 14 in the head. The battle wounds are now just proof I didn't hold anything back and LP 2 was a huge success.

Tuesday Night Adventure Trip

So there I was...................no kidding:

Last night the air was crisp and an eerie feeling of adventure was brewing. I had previously volunteered to help my sister, Crystal, get her car from Paramount and take it back to my place to eventually sell it. Since the annual elk hunt trip is nearing, and finals for school are starting to take full swing, tonight was the only night I would be free to rescue the vehicle from the depths of Los Angeles.

Crystal was spending the evening at Disneyland and the plan was to meet her there, pick up the keys and then head up to L.A. Johnny, my roommate, volunteered to help me out and he invited along his lady friend so we don't do anything too stupid(the girl presence obviously didn't help).

The adventure started a little later than planned due to the fact that we felt inclined to watch a couple episodes of "Cops" to get ourselves in the mood. We finally started our trek just before 9p.m. We were driving towards our first rendezvous at Disneyland and were feeling like something on our trip was missing. Tow Straps?..check. Duct Tape?..check. Karaoke Music?..check. Sweatpants and a sweatband holding my hair up in an 80's fashion?..check. Junk Food? That was it. We hadn't stuffed ourselves full of countless calories before embarking on our trip. We quickly took the next exit and came accross the closest thing to fast "soul food": Chick-fil-a. With the chicken sandwich, chicken wrap, chicken nuggets, chicken strips, and a strawberry milkshake, I'll bet I consumed at least 2,000 calories.

With food sloshing in our stomachs, we were back on the road enroute to Disneyland. It took roughly an hour to make the exchange of a single car key and obtain an address of where the car was located. We arrived at the vehicles current resting place at around 11:30p.m. The vehicle was parked deep in the hills of Paramount. We quickly started the car and drove it to the nearest gas station to assess the mechanical problem, and determine if duct tape would remedy the problem. On a random side note...... I'm pretty happy with my vehicle repair innovations. I once fixed a motor mount with a Wal=Mart 99 cent flip flop. Anyway, the car was not duct tape fixable, so towing was the next option.

After hooking up the tow straps and convincing my counterparts that towing a car involves someone riding in the towed car(which had to be one of them and ended up being Krista), we were on our way. The trip was without too much hiccup except when the transit authority thought a midnight freeway closure was appropriate. As I slowed down the truck I heard screaching as the car I was pulling skidded on the towstrap for a bit until finally falling back in line behind me. Whoa...that was close.

White knuckled the rest of the way, we arrived at our destination and our mission almost complete. It was 1a.m. and, with all the excitement, strawberry lemonades and bean and cheese burritos from Del Taco were in order. Now it was time for a quick power nap before work the next morning. Mission "pickup crappy car" was over!

Road trip "Gone in September"

This is going to be a crazy week, but I needed to post up these things so I didn't forget. Similiar to "Hunting Trip" I'll write a story of this trip when I get a little more free time to do so. In the meantime, this is the "Cliff Notes" of the trip.

Worlds Largest Roadrunner-----------------(Las Cruces, NM)
"Fat" work-out----------------------------(Las Cruces, NM)
Mountain of the Gods Casino---------------(Somewhere in New Mexico)
Mosh Pit in the Elevator------------------(Somewhere, NM)
Alien Museum------------------------------(Roswell, NM)
Peppers Cafe and a quick drop-------------(Roswell, NM)
Upside Down Blizzard and Meat Fries-------(West Texas)
Everything(even cars) bigger in Texas-----(West Texas)
23 cent water bottles---------------------(West Texas)
Lighting Storm and Windmills--------------(East Texas)
Texas Roads suck, spinout-----------------(East Texas)
Sprinkler in the car----------------------(Dallas, TX)
I'm a maniac blowdryer--------------------(Dallas, TX)
I'm so glad you're not a cactus-----------(Nationwide)
Pizza/hot tub at 2a.m.--------------------(Dallas, TX)
Six Flags Dallas--------------------------(Dallas, TX)
Texas shaped waffles----------------------(Dallas, TX)
REAL Leather boots at Wild Bills----------(Dallas, TX)
Eric the Rose man-------------------------(Dallas, TX)
Dallas aquarium/zoo-----------------------(Dallas, TX)
Freaks at CVS-----------------------------(Dallas, TX)
Fudge Shake-------------------------------(North Texas)
Leo the Gyros restaurant------------------(Little Rock, AR)
Wall of Rain------------------------------(Memphis, TN)
The Ghetto Ramada Inn Guitar shaped pool--(Nashville, TN)
Michelle-My-Belle-------------------------(Nationwide)
Sporty Spice car workouts-----------------(Every Gas Station)
Country Music Hall of Fame----------------(Nashville, TN)
Johnny Cash Rocks-------------------------(Nationwide)
Pizza and Mt. Dew Shots-------------------(Bristol, VA)
WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE Twitterpaited----(Virginia)
Woot

Spring Break "Oh Niner"

Before I begin, I had no idea anybody reads this, or that I was linked by any other blogger. However, Karen and others; you motivated me to write about my recent spring break trip instead of making phone calls at work. So here it goes. By the way, if you have a blog when you comment, you should totally let me know. I'm always interested in reading what junk other people write about.

Toga Toga Toga Toga was shouted as 20+ of us we’re storming down the narrow hallway on the Ghetto fabulous Carnival Elation. We headed to dinner decked out in Toga’s (borrowed from our cabins). Kyle shaved to make his mustache “Pop” while others sported the natural shag rug look upon their chests. As we approached the dining area, we noticed the hosts did not like our attire so we quickly rushed to our dinner seats playing it off as if the dress code of the evening was a white sheet. We lasted less than a minute and, as we were escorted out, we could hear children and retirees alike chanting “Toga” and cheering profusely. This wasn’t just a typical vacation. Oh no, it was Spring Break “Oh Niner”. Some traditions from Spring Break “Oh Ocho” prevailed such as: Toga Night, The Formal Wear Swim, and toooooo much Diet Coke. Our large group was noticeable around the entire boat and we made sure to be noticed. The pregnated vomit carpet brought back memories of the “Worst Date Ever”, but the strange stench didn’t deter us from having a great time. Of course, out of respect for the long unspoken rule of “what happens on spring break stays on spring break” I will briefly recap the few days to spark the memories of those who went on the trip and stimulate the non-participants curiosity.

The first half of the week wasn’t too exciting for me. I had to work and let the official Spring Breakers run free in my house or err…….garage. The night before the cruise, the majority showed up to my house. There was one conclusion made after half of the group decided to take the hotel route instead of B-Dizzle’s floor. My house is not a Hostel, and although I live in Orange County, we don’t care about eating somewhere where we can “be seen”. Usually those people who want to be seen have fake boobs or Affliction T-shirts.

The second half of the week spring break was in full swing as we boarded the Elation out of San Diego. Mexico was interesting and we brought souveniors bracelets that read “Sexy Lebian”, “Big Hary Ball”, “Big Hassole”, and “Fist Fuker”. Those Mexicans sure know how to spell. Back on the boat the excitement magnified.

Although I wasn’t the only one sporting the Euro-trash look, everywhere I turned I would hear someone yell “Speedo-Boy!” It might have been the participation in the hairy chest competition that deemed my Euro look to be quite famous. Well after: Togas, mustaches, Speedos, dancing, vomit, wrestling masks, amazing ice cream, 80 year old lap dancing, and 3 days at home sick recovering, it was time to go back to the grind of work, school, while my social life fell back into hibernation.

High School wasn't a total waste of time series

Sleeping on roof at the football field

The cool spring Utah breeze was beating on our faces as we headed to our destination for the evening, the Riverton High School Football Field. We gazed across the empty field contemplating where we would spend the night. The track mats that we slept on last week were put away forcing us to rescind on our initial plan. The 50yard line looked inviting until, like clockwork, the sprinklers began to moisten the dirt. Then a light bulb went on, and we simultaneously gazed at the announcer booth and noticed its roof was flat. We ventured closer and found a way to the top of the edifice. As we climbed to the top, we gazed across the Utah valley. The temples had just dimmed their lights and the stars were shining brightly. We settled into our sleeping bags gazing at the starry sky, when a bright line flashed from the parking lot.
Without making much movement we focused our attention at the light. It was a police officer looking at our strategically stupid-placed vehicle in the parking spot nearest the football field. We thought we were for sure busted. The officer stepped out of his police cruiser and began to venture our direction. He was a portly gentleman. I instantly knew I could outrun him if the opportunity presented itself. We were sure he didn't see us as we kept crouched down with our eyes fixed on him as if we were African zebras getting ready to run from our prey. The lazy officer did a quick look and determined the premises to be vacant. We all gave a sigh of relief as the cruiser left the parking lot.
The next morning, we woke up with the early sun beaming on our faces. The school parking lot was full and school was going to start in the next ten minutes or so. As we got up, nature called, and we decided to take advantage of our high vantage point. Our early morning school lesson taught us the science of streaming liquid and the effects gravity has on it. We were grateful the wind hadn't begun to blow. Just as we were making our way off our rooftop habitat, the school Principal came running out, we apparently didn't see the school surveillance camera's vantage point that morning.

Worst Date Ever #1

Most of this blog(which no one reads by the way) has been a series of complaints. Just like online reviews, most of the time they will be bad because the human mind likes to hear the "dirt". The bad things that happen to people. I've decided to write a series of my worst dates I've ever been on, starting with the worst to date naturally.

So there I was...........No kidding. I decided to take a young lady I had met recently on a casual 1st date. Get to know her and see if sparks fly. She was a very attractive blonde with what seemed like a good head on her shoulders, little did i know what the night would bring. The signs were clear of what she had the potential to be like. She was in the Military(strange for an attractive girl). Her voicemail was borderline annoying, and she prefered to text(no bueno). But not to judge a book by it's cover, I proceded with the plan of a dinner and go carts.

I picked her up and the first words out of her mouth were

"So when I was leaving my house, I tripped a little bit and peed myself"

I was speechless with the response and didn't really react. She continued;

"you see, I have this bladder problem where I have a hard time holding it in"

Are you kidding me, our date hadn't even begun and already I'm a little creeped out. However, my optimism prevailed. Maybe she was just very honest, I can respect that.

As we sat down to dinner, she did get up quite frequently to use the restroom, I started talking to her and getting to know her at dinner. Find out what her story was and how she ended up in the military. She proceded to tell me her story without sparing the details. After high school, she decided to spend the next year looking for a husband. No school, work, just husband hunting. She didn't achieve her goal and with no direction in life, joined the military. I know I know, another warning sign of a proposterious evening, but the night had already begun and there was no backing out. I could not rescind on the evening because I had already announced the plans.

After dinner she asked me another honest question.

"Can we stop at the supermarket, I need to get another maxi-pad because of my previous accident."

O.k. A little too much info, but no biggie, I've got sister's. After what seemed like an hour, she emerged from the Ralph's shopping center. She steps back in the vehicle and begins to describe her shopping experience.

"Sorry it took so long, you know if you change a babies diaper and you haven't changed them in a while, it kinda smells? Well I had a hard time finding the scented maxi-pads. I needed the scented ones, and I couldn't find them."

That was too much, optimism settled deep in the pit of my stomach and a "creeped out" feeling filled my soul.

I still can't believe this actually was real. Most people I have shared this with don't believe it. I guess it's all uphill from there.

Spring Break oh-ocho

Our annual spring break trip with whoever isn't married turned out to be a great success. We decided to take a cruise(booze cruise) out of California. The group has whittled down to just 4 of us this trip. With marriage and othere committments in the way, we have slowly turned less hardcore. Even myself was called "a softy" before the trip started, but I think I was redeemed by the end of the trip. With respect to the phrase we have used before "what happens on Spring Break, stays on Spring Break" I won't share too much detail.

Like my "High School wasn't a total waste of Time" blog, maybe I'll just list and if you want to know more, I might divulge.

- Kyle....No More Slumpbusters.

- Toga Night.

- We were all wet on Formal Night.

- Chris gets his own.

- In Palos Verdes..."Are those boobs Fake?"

- Tyler's friends determined Brian to be the least attractive

- Kyle....Stripping for the 40yr old??? No more slumpbusters!!

- Senior Citizens are party animals at dinnertime.

- Sportscenter makes any night a "man night"

The trip was a necessary get away. With the stress of the real life kicking in, it was good to feel like someone else for 5 days and 4 nights. A cruise ship is much like Vegas. You can be anyone you want to be. You'll never see the individuals on the ship again, and you can take on a whole new life, in which we did.

That time of the Month?

So I've come up with a conclusion about this sensitive subject. I grew up with three sisters, so as a child I had the upper hand with this subject then most men. Granted they are all from the same gene pool and may experience "that time" in a very similiar way. However my conclusion remains the same because of my close friends I've come accross. When she is experiencing "that time" I totally understand the pain and feelings that come with that. Even the attitude of "I don't want anyone around me right now" is understandable. But to straight up be bitchy and blame it on "that time" is no excuse. I mean, if you get that emotional and it takes a big toll on your emotions, then stay indoors and away. If you want someone to talk to or to give you a back massage, forwarn them about your current status, so(at least in the male community) we can be prepared for the situation.



It seems as I get older and hang out with my older generation, I've noticed this problem augments instead of the hypothesized decrease. If you've been dealing with it monthly since you were 12, why does it get worse? I would think you would become a little more immune to it and learn to live with it.

Good thing nobody really reads this blog, because I'd probably get a lot of flak for this one.

High School wasn't a total waste of time

So a few years ago, with help from some close buddies, we compiled the "High School Not Forget List". I've been wanting to write short stories of such to remember these times but do to life getting in the way, it hasn't come to pass.

The list has merely been posted for recording purposes and to show that High School wasn't all about Low self-esteem.

So without further ado, here it is,

________________________________________________________

Sleeping on roof at the football field

S.O.F.D.T.A.

Dinner Dance (kilts, hold up @ costume shop)

Meredith you're a ______

Train Tracks (gun pulled on us)

Bean's Mullett (Swiffer)

St. George
-Getting pulled over (headlight)
-Swimming and midnight
-Mindy, Sara, Robyn...mandarin chinese melted braille
-Amy (Kyle sloppy seconds)
-The Albinos-Furniture stack art
-Tennis
-Otter pops (side reaction)
-Fire breathing
-Humping deer stacking

Spring Break
-Grandma night of hell (curfew, park, etc...)
-Burritos and there strange side effect when mixed with otter pops
-ugly girls
-Temp Tats Playboy
-old man death threat
-breaking down (boulevard)
-boulevard (girls)
-running down freeway handcuffed
-streaking (movie theater, road, freeway)
-hiking/swimming

Track mats (random girls at 2a.m., WWF Baby)

Sleeping in field

Driving off the freeway

Big Dawgs (Kyle's head)

Horror murder movie (I need to send you guys copies)

Pumpkins out of truck

growing out facial hair

Ryan (What would you do if one of YOUR friends........?)

Stalker girls

Chip-n-Dales

Bean and the highway rape

Parties @ Kilo-G's (Porkies, Rootbear, Hot tub)

arrested in the park for sleeping (kicked in the head)

Crazy redneck kids in park at Copperton

Kyle running away from home to live in the streets with me

Homeless outreach program

golf ball accross the freeway

Lehi Bridge

Sliding rock

Waterfall in Toquerville

Boxing

Random girls Chris brought to California

Spring break Mexico (Burrito Bomb)

Longboarding

Sleeping on Sara's front lawn

DEAD DEER

Technology Officer "Is it illegal to pee on the side of the freeway?"

Deer Humping

Rabbit Hunting

__________________________________________________________

Well that is what I have for now, that is pretty much the list with a few things added that
happened to the crew most recently. If you guys remember anything else, let me know and we'll keep the list updated

If you need or want explanation to any of these, just drop a line and let the telling begin

Hunting Trip

So I recently took a week off and went on quite a hunting trip in the woods of Northern Arizona. It was quite a memorable experience and to remember it and save myself from telling other interested parties how the trip was, I will put it in writing.

It was an exciting four day trip which started a lil late leaving on Monday afternoon. I was a little tired from flying in from California around 2a.m., but the excitement superseded any kind of exhaustion.

Although I did it, I never understood why I would bring another pair or jeans or any change of clothes. We're camping in the middle of the woods. Showering, changing clothes, or even shaving is not an option. I am proud to say for the entire trip the same pair of jeans and sweatshirt were worn. The trip started out with a constant craving for Jack in the Box. Strange how that is, but I was really wanting a Sirloin Steak burger, and the pops was watering over a chicken sandwhich from the once gross establishment. Luck was not on our side from the get-go with no sign of Jack in the Box as we settled for Dairy Queen and headed up the mountain with the knowledge that the cooler in the back of the truck would now be our primary source for food and nourishment.

The first night(Monday) was interesting. We had no knowledge of the area and concluded where our hunting spots would be based on pops work buddy. With GPS in hand we set out on dirt roads looking for a good place to camp for the evening and where we could effectively "morning hunt" in search for a nice size cow elk or two. Once again our luck was running thin with us as we noticed the batteries going out on the GPS and the map not becoming any type of help for us. We ended up getting so lost thinking we were traveling north when we were actually traveling south and ended up in town. We bought gas, batteries, gas station pizza, and headed back up the mountain. It was about 11p.m. by that time and my head was beginning to bob. We finally gave up with our search for the perfect hunting spot and found a nice little area to park the truck and climb in the back to sleep for a few hours. Day one concluded with no elk and lost in the mountains.

Day two(Tuesday) had it's share of interesting events. A quick dry bagel caked with cream cheese and we were off driving around in search for a nice herd of elk. We weren't mindlessly driving in circles looking for elk(road hunting). We were road hunting on our way to a destination. With the coordinates plugged into the GPS we headed off in the deep muddy ruts of the dirt roads. The highlight of the day was definately changing to color of the truck from Chevy white to spotted mud brown. That day was a continuance of many sign of elk but no visual conformation of elk or any wildlife whatsoever. To sum up day, one would really only have to say one word "lost". We "road hunted" the whole day and found a few spots that we were planning on checking out later but didn't mark them on the GPS so there was little hope to finding them. One place in particular became the goal of the trip to find again. After hunting the afternoon (complete with dry sandwiches for lunch), we set out on a mission to find the "prime" hunting spot we had seen earlier. Although determined and headed for the general direction of this so called "hot spot", we didn't find it by nightfall. We had a good day of combination hiking and road hunting keeping our eyes peeled for any signs of wildlife, but once again, we were skunked out. The night ended in another late night of driving not know exactly where we were at. We ended up back in town to pick up more batteries, some condiment packages, and back into the mountains to find a place to sleep. We stayed closer to town and set up camp at a muddy campsite. Luckily it was late enought that the ground had frozen enough to not have to deal with the sticky mud that covered the entire camp. We set up a fire and roasted spicy italian sausages over the fire.

Day Three(Wednesday) was an eventful day to say the least. We headed up the road to find a good spot for the morning hunt. We found a steep canyon with many signs of Elk and decided that place would be as good as any other spot in our clueless search to where the Elk are. We hiked up the canyon and over a ridge with no avail to any type of wildlife. The morning hunt was nothing less than rewarding with a found Elk shed of a nice Bull Elk. I proudly scooped up the shed and took it back to the truck ecstatic knowing that we wouldn't go home empty handed. For the late morning, we impatiently watched a clearing and cooked up some eggs and sausage to compliment the manly morning we had. The afternoon consisted of more hiking up a few draws and subconsciencely headed to our "hot spot" we had found the day before. By some miracle and the old mans incredible navigation skills we came across the long-awaited spot we were sure we'd see some elk. we hiked up to the top of a ridge to view the valley below and spend the evening hunt hoping for a chance at a shot. As we hiked up to the top of the ridge, a bobcat scurried in front of us and hurried into a den close by. Nearing the top of the ridge a few deer ran through the valley which augmented our hopes of finding an Elk. That was the most wildlilfe we had seen all trip, and despite of the cold wind piercing our light sweatshirts, we were excited. The excitement wore off after a good half hour when our impatience got the best of us and the steaks in the truck were calling our name. Unsuccessfull, we decided to call it a night and try the morning hunt in the same area. We set up camp early and cooked thin steaks, and cooked carrots, while enjoying the brisk evening by the fire.

Day Four(Thursday) we had high hopes in at least seeing an elk in the distance we set off on foot along this ridge looking for any sign of Elk. The ridge ended at a point and a nice draw where we could sit at the point and watch it for a while. A storm was brewing on the horizon and the cold north winds mixed with the high elevation brought an unexpected chill which depleated our patience quite rapidly. Dismayed and still no sign of Elk, we continued on the road looking for a hopeful clearing with a herd of Elk grazing. We sighted a nice ravine in a more desert looking area and decided to stop and check it out. I run over to the edge of a small gully to see what's on the other side when I saw a furry creature run down into the center of the ravine. I looked more closely and saw that the animal was almost catlike. The creature crouched down at the bottom of the ravine in "pounce" mode ready to attack and sat there staring at us. Pops peers over the edge and shouts "that's a mountain lion." Those were good enough words to get me moving back to the truck. Our hopes were becoming more depleated as we headed back to our first area to try the evening hunt there and then decide whether we'd go home empty handed, or stay for one more night of camping and a quick morning hunt before we had to head back home.

As Day four starts to come to a close Pops sees a giant brown figure on the edge of the wooded trees. I slam on the brakes and we back up. Pops puts the giant animal in his scope and shoots. It moved just before the shot was delivered as the Elk hurried away, a near miss from death. We run into the forest in search of the Elk or it's herd but with no avail. As we drive down the road no more than a quarter mile, three more elk come bounding accross the road. I jump out and try to get a shot, but again without much luck. Bummed that we had our chance and we missed, we continued down the road with our eyes peeled looking for more elk. We turn the corner and sure enough a herd of elk come running down the ravine. I jump out of the still moving truck and prop myself up ready to shoot. With so much excitement running through me I could barely hold my gun still. I shot and saw the cow elk drop. Soon after pops came running down and shot one as well. With pure excitement in us, we began the process of cleaning both elk and getting them in the truck and on our way home.

We had a few problems with our successfull kills. Since we both haven't ever gotten an elk before, we didn't take into the account on how large such an animal is. By digging holes so the tailgate could be a little lower and making a ramp out of our bed boards, we concieved a plan to pull and push and do what was necessary to get both elk in the truck. a few hours later we were cold, dirty, tired, and excited at our kills. We celebrated our success by stopping at Jack in the Box for a long awaited meal.

The trip was successfull in every way and will be one of the most memorable ones ever. There is really nothing like spending a week out in the woods with your best friend, guns, and one set of clothes.

Bandana Mormon

A lot have thought has been put into this. I don’t know how good of thing that is. I guess I have too much time on my hands. At least for the time being.

So I was introduced to a new phrase the other day by a fairly new member of the church. He was defining the genre of a certain type of church member. The topic setting phrase was “bandana mormon”. When I initially heard his definition, I referred it to be synonymous to the more popular phrase “jack mormon”.

According to the urban dictionary, a highly reputable source to find correct information, states a “jack mormon” to be… “A person who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but seldom or never practices their religion. Unlike ex-Mormons or anti-Mormons, Jack Mormons usually support the goals and beliefs of the church and maintains friendships with practicing Mormons, but for reasons of their own, choose not to attend church services and activities. Jack Mormons may also indulge in activities discouraged by the church, such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and premarital sex. Jack Mormon equivalents in other religions are "Christmas and Easter Christians" and "Yom Kippur Jews".

I find this type of individual to be more socially into a sect rather than doctrinally influenced. However, a “Jack Mormon” is dynamically diverse to a “Bandana Mormon”. I define a “Bandana Mormon” as the following…
An Individual who may believe to have “Jack Mormon” traits or simply believes in the concepts of the church, but refuses to follow. One who wishes to find a partner from the said religious background and brings him/her down to their level of corruption. They may be worthy church-going individuals, but their selfishness emotionally destroys the others confidence, attitude, and ultimately personality.

Now with that in mind, I find "Bandana Mormons" to be a whole lot worse than "Jack Mormons". Too many times I hear "I'm not dating because all guys are stupid". Of course seeing that the opposite sex has their own language, I will define what that phrase really means. "I'm not dating, because the last guy I dated was a Bandana Mormon, and now I'm an emotional wreck". I don't blame her, I blame the Bandana Mormon for her emotional discomfort.

News?

So I've become quite the "googler" lately learning about all kinds of new and pointless stuff. For example, did you know that a Cerebral Vascular Accident is just a long way of saying having a stroke? Also, did you know that Yanni spent a night in a Florida prison for a domestic dispute? These are the type of things that keep my day entertaining and myself a little bit smarter in stupid facts. Well, seeing that I'm quite the charitable guy, I've decided to at least share with you a few of my choice websites that recieve a daily visit from yours truly.

http://www.woot.com/

What more could you want from a website? the famous "deal of the day" site where people over-assess how much the daily special offered is really a good deal. Not only have I been a purchaser of a few pointless electronics from woot, I find the weekly Photoshop contest pleasing to view as people from the Boondocks all the way up to the Hollywood Hills share there photoshop skills to win a measly 100 bones.

http://www.somethingstore.com/

Now this is an intriguing site because of the simplistic stupidity that brought about such an idea. If only I could have been there when 2 kids from Brooklyn decided to start this one up. I would imagine it to go a little something like this

Genius #1 "Hey #2, I'm sick of Ramen for dinner, let's go to White Castle"

Genius #2 "Forget about it, we don't have cash to go treat ourselves to a box of square burgers"

Genius #1 "Well let's sell some of our useless things on ebay to make some money, real jobs are for suckers"

Genius #2 "Are you kidding me #1? No one will buy this useless crap"

Genius #1 "Let's put it in a mystery box and sell it all for 10 bucks"

Genius #2 "Sounds like a great idea"

Genius #1 "But let's not call it useless crap, let's call it something"

Genius #2 "ok something it is.....something in a box for 10 bucks"

Now I haven't yet spent 10 bucks on a "something" box merely because I'm in the "Ramen" stage and 10 bucks would give me a months worth of lunch and dinner, maybe in the near future I will order a "something". That would be worthy of it's own blog.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/

Now this is a site I highly reccommend. A simple collection of actual police reports and other official documents portraying exactly what the court said instead of what the news said. The mugshots are entertaining. Real mugshots of hollywood stars and New York gangsters at their finest. I highly reccomend checking McCauly Caulkin(the Home Alone kid).

http://www.drudgereport.com/

Now here's a quality site and the only connection I have with the political world. The site is based mainly on political news and views, however there is a few odd-news articles to keep me checking up on regularly. I would have to say I'm political thanks to the drudge report.

http://www.damninteresting.com/

With titles likeThe Remains of Doctor Bass and Undark and the Radium Girls, ones curiosity cannot be stimulated for at least a mere moment to find out more behind the catchy headings. After investigation of the site one becomes at a loss for words and the only acceptable explanation for what he has found is "that's damn interesting"

http://www.wikipedia.com/

Helping me get through School, what more can I say. I'll let Wikipedia define itself...

"Its name is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a type of collaborative website) and encyclopedia. Launched in 2001, it is the largest and dominant general reference work currently available on the Internet. Wikipedia's community has been described as "cult-like," although not always with entirely negative connotations, and criticized for failing to accommodate inexperienced users."

http://www.oddnews.org/

Now this is a website that is checked at least on a daily basis. A relief from the common news about Iran, Elections, and whatever else. Oddly enough, most odd news comes from Nebraska, Tennessee and other southern states. Ironic.....I think not!

Best Friend Status Sucks?

This is more of a wanted opinion from multiple people to help draw some sort of a conclusion on the subject. A simple “social experiment” if you will.
Here’s the background,

I’ve always wondered why a relationship needs to have any type of physical attribute. Sure I’m human, and physical affection is probably going to happen, but I think ideally it doesn’t have to. The physical part of a relationship should compliment the existent relationship, not define it. That being said, the following was brought to my attention, which influenced my initial theory

A girl that I would consider a respected friend said to me, “I know why you don’t have a girlfriend”. Now coming from my past experiences with the opposite sex, I know why too, but there is no way she could have known “that” reason. She further elaborated on her statement and told me that I’m “good friends” with all the girls I know, because I show the same affection to them. I agreed, seeing I do come off as somewhat forward, but that’s who I am. She told me that it was the lack of showing sincere interest in the opposite sex more than a mere friendship was the reason to my lack of relationship.

I agree with her statement to an extent. If the concept of “you marry your best friend” is a valid statement, is there a line between “friendship” and “relationship”? Or are people with my same view just insecure?

A State of Mind

Originally Posted Monday, November 13, 2006

I learned something new this month, a new "state of mind" or attitude of oneself. This state is defined by many as a "blah" or an "idol" state. I would have to carry the definition to something further. A good, but not complete definition of this frame of mind would be: "not really happy or sad, just kind of there. So it's good that you're not depressed, but what's terrible is you're not ever really happy either". Ones emotions during this state are neither happy nor sad, however, their mind is being chistled into something more concrete, knowledgeable, and refined.

On a side note, I would like to add that nothing can be refined without extreme heat or pressure. Based on that, one must end up in this state after being subject to extreme or stressful events that didn't pan out as expected.

As this state of mind becomes part of ones life and begins to take a toll on them, it also begins to open ones understanding. It also plays a big roll on personal progression and charity towards others. After much contemplation over the matter, I would define this state of mind as the following...

A temporal hater to the mainstream world, humbled, charitable, with an emotional status of "blah". A state in which realization and revelation exist. A state where simplicity is reintroduced. A state where it seems like not a good state to be in but afterwards, one is grateful of the experience. This state of mind is known as....

The Great Funk.

Impersonal Impersonators

Originally posted Friday, October 27, 2006

So there I was the other night waiting for a friend who had just called me to CALL me back about the plans of the evening, when instead of the phone call, I got a dreaded text. You know one of those text messages that say bad news in which the textor doesn't want to verbally tell the textee that he/she has to cancel.

What is this world coming to? We have become so impersonal. If you like a girl but yet don't know if she likes you...well a harmless text will work. If you need something from a co-worker but do not want to interrupt your mindless web surfing of wikipedia and woot...why a simple e-mail will suffice. And if you want to vent but not sure if you're friend really wants to listen.....why a blog of course.

The most depressing thing is that I've become one of those where laziness and convenience takes precidence over sincerity and personal contact. I still strive to be one who is more personal, but it takes two to do that and some are too set in there "impersonal" ways.

Dating finally makes sense

Originally posted Thursday, February 02, 2006

So I heard something today that I agree with at least at the moment.
Dating is the same as kicking yourself in the crotch and giving her 50 bucks.
What more need I say????

"I guess my idea has changed on this one, but I've heard it's a curse if you quote Eddie Murphy or the likes thereof and delete it out of opinion change or a heightened maturity level. Besides, I still find it humorous, and to add to my selfish laughter, I will ad a few more qoutes to this blog, enjoy and don't judge!

"There is a thin line between Love and Nausea!!!"

"I need a women who can stimulate both my mind and my Loins!!!"

"If you can't keep your boys in line, than I'm not going to stand in it!"

"I like to go to the park... because nature doesn't judge me!!"

A sarcastic Initiation

I've actually been writing a blog for sometime now as a simple matter of recieving opinions and experimenting socially about personal and distinct situations. I have decided to transfer my posts from a more secured sight to blogspot where public humilation has a potential to be in full swing. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not so much of a "blogger" but it seems like the cool thing to do and those who know me, know that's what I really care about.