#29 Sweet Revenge

Sorry I have been MIA for the past couple of days. I have been battling what I think is an inner ear infection that has REALLY screwed with my equilibrium. And as you know economists like to have everything in equilibrium (OK that was a bad Econ joke).

So back to the Blogs. Today I found a You-tube video that gave me a good laugh. This guy in Florida had his car towed and impounded by one of the oh-so-typical towing companies. His revenge?? He decided that he would pay the fine with US legal tender. Legal tender of the copper variety. That's right he paid his $88 towing bill with 8800 pennies. Check it out for yourself. I know how I am going to pay my next stupid ticket/towing bill.

#28 The Debt Car

So thanks to one of my very favorite authors, Brad Thor, for posting the link to this video. I am not sure I have seen a better representation for what Sheik Barrak Hussein Obama is doing to America.

#27 A REAL American Hero

I got an email from my dad today. This doesn't happen too often as I generally just call my parents or we converse over IM. But this one brought tears to my eyes. There is a Viral email going around the internet requesting a memorial service for one of the "Band of Brothers". I have not received the email but with a little Google research I found the full text:

Fwd: Band of Brothers Hero

One of the "Band of Brothers" soldiers died on June 17, 2009.

We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services.

I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.

No big event in Staples Center.

No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.

And that's not right.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

"A nation without heroes is nothing."
Roberto Clemente

The best part of the story is that its all true. This article on ABC goes on to tell us that the story is not just and urban legend. I'm not sure that it could be put better than how my dad ended his email.

"Every single citizen living in a democracy in 2009 owes a huge debt to the men and women of my parent's generation who sacrificed so much and then came home to quiet anonymity. Remember as you see the very elderly shuffling about that they were once young too and have given the best of themselves for the good of everyone."

Thanks Shifty! and every other TRUE American hero.

#26 A day to celebrate

I got a phone call from my baby sister this morning. The first words I heard? "I'm Engaged!!" My next question was "to Who??" actually no that wasn't what I said but it might have been funny had I. I am happy for my little sister and my soon-to-be Brother-in-law. I regularly call him goofy looking but he is a great guy and a great fit for my sister. Congratulations you two.

Today is also the birthday of a dear friend of mine. Regan Housley. Regan and I lived in the same apartment complex and became fast friends when we realized we share a similar whit and sarcastic sense of humor. We worked as life counselors for each other and we are great friends. She has moved back to Oklahoma and I miss our therapeutic lunches. I am grateful for friends like Regan and wish her the best today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY REGAN!!!

#25 Americans must be idiots.

It's official the president of our beloved country clearly thinks that we re all idiots. Tonight he is taking to the airways in an attempt to tell us how neat he is, why we should RUSH to pass a Health care reform bill that has little hope of reforming health care. Now we have all heard about this by now. And if you haven't then you have likely not been paying attention. The kicker here is that President Obama is going to try and tell us how "great" a job he has been doing since taking office 6 months ago. Now does he really think we are that stupid?? He is going to attempt to tell us that he has "rescued the economy from the worst recession" Seriously??? I know that his idiot economic adviser thinks its all over because we are googling the term "economic Depression" anymore, but pa-leeeez. Maybe he should have a nice chat with some of the people I speak with each day in Detroit where their unemployment is at 13% or in California where it is over 11%. The economy has not recovered. "spending our way our of Bankruptcy" is not the answer even if Obama/Biden would like for you to think that. I ain't drinking the Kool-Aid on this one. Even Mitt Romney the former governor of the ONLY state to have a "reformed" healthcare system thinks this is rotten Idea.

Personally I HATE being talked to like a 5 year old. And I really hate it when politicians assume that I am not intelligent enough to understand that they are picking my pocket. Don't Tread on Me.

#24 The coolest plane on Earth now on the scrap heap

Today the Senate voted down a funding package for the F-22 Raptor. The F-22 (shown above) is probably the coolest feet of aeronautical engineering since the Wright Flier. The Pentagon, thanks to its new budget, will stop production at 159 aircraft. What the Dem's don't seem to be able to wrap their tiny brains around is that the Clinton Administration took similar measures in the late 90's to "streamline" the Military. And we all know what happened in September of 2001 as a result. The kicker here is that President Obama threatened to veto the entire budget should ANY F-22 funding be involved. Seriously if this guy can't control it he doesn't want it to exist. I guess that Obama can personally appeal to the workers in 44 states that he is putting out of work by canning this weapon system. You know with all the talk about "job's saved and created" why aren't we talking about the "lives destroyed by job loss" or "jobs sent to China"? That is a post for an entirely different day. R.I.P. F-22. You are still the best and baddest thing that has ever come to the Fighter plane world.

#23 Economic turn around

Recently I had a good belly laugh followed by smacking my head against a cement wall. What could cause such a reaction you say?? President Obama's chief economic adviser said that the economy was on its way back up. Now this normally would be great news. But lets just say that I like to take every thing that comes from the "Obamanation" with a grain of salt. Obama's chief economic adviser is Larry Summers. what are his credentials you ask?? Well according to Wikipedia;

"Lawrence Henry Summers (born November 30, 1954) is an American economist and the Director of the White House's National Economic Council for President Barack Obama.^[1] Summers is the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He is the 1993 recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal for his work in several fields of economics and was Secretary of the Treasury for the last year and a half of the Clinton Administration. Summers also served as the 27th President of Harvard University from 2001 to 2006."

So you see a Harvard professor and former University President. Former Secretary of the Treasury, this guy should be well suited to explain to us why the economy has finally hit bottom and bounced back. His deft explanation?

" The number of people searching for the term "Economic depression" on Google is down to normal levels."

Let me get this straight you are telling me that our President is trusting the likes of Larry Summers to drive our economy?? To put it simply: AMERICA IS SCREWED!!!
Now you can see why I have a headache from beating my head against the wall. I have a degree in Economics. And BYU is no slouch of a school either. Granted it is not Harvard, and I do not hold any advanced degrees, but I think that my daughter Shelbie could have come up with a better economic analysis than this. So please click this link, and this link, and this link so that Mr Summers can get a better grasp on reality by pulling his head out of the most southern orifice on his body. Or perhaps you would like to Google search "America thinks Larry Summers is an IDIOT" Either way if you are going to beat your head against a wall maybe choose one that is slightly less hard than the cement one I found.

#22 Summer Television

My television viewing habits have changed a bit since the "24" season finale in May. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. I am currently anxiously engaged in watching 3 particular programs on a weekly basis. Burn Notice, Royal Pains, and So you think you can dance. I will go into detail on each here below so that hopefully you too will find some enjoyable summer television.

Burn Notice
Burn Notice is easily the best show on television that you have never heard of. This witty action/spy show has a bit of everything. Michael Weston is the main character. Once you get past the fact that he is played by the same creepy guy from Hitch with Will Smith (Jeffrey Donovan), you realize that Michael is in fact McGyver in spy form. The guy can improvise just about anything to get the job done. Lots of stuff blows up, and generally speaking the bad guys get nailed and the innocents remain safe. I love the show. Heather was subjected to 4-5 straight hours of it one day when we were dating so she puts up with my watching it.

Royal Pains
Royal Pains is a very clever medically based comedic drama. The main character Hank is to doctors what Michael Weston is to spy's. Simply put he is awesome. He was an ER doc in NYC, engaged to a beautiful woman and then his life came crumbling down when a rich hospital donor died because of an accident. He was black balled, embroiled in a law suit, and thrown out of the traditional medical community. After being convinced to spend Memorial Day weekend with his social ladder climbing CPA little brother in the Hamptons, Hank finds a new job opportunity as an on-call concierge doctor to the Uber rich and well connected. The drama and hilarity ensues. Definitely a must watch.

So You Think You Can Dance
This is the on going Dance version of American Idol. It is quite entertaining and my Wife and Son love to watch it. Currently there is 1 contestant from Utah (before this week there were 2 and both are very good.) They are currently narrowed down from the top 20 to the Top 8.

Time to set your TiVo's people.

#21 Michael Jackson is DEAD people

Now I know that this is old news to most but some people cannot seem to just let the Dude be dead. And some people are holding on so hard that they seem to want to blame his death on someone other than him. Seriously the dude was more plastic than skin. You don't think all those trips under the knife might have seriously screwed up his boy in more than one way?

Once question I have is who should pay for the funeral??? Its a fairly obvious answer isn't it? THE CITY!.... er... wait... ummm... Every funeral that I have ever been too has been paid by Family. But in this article it clearly states that the City of L.A. is going to foot the $1.4 MILLION dollar bill for the sob fest that took place at the staples center. Now maybe you remember seeing this article about the state writing IOU's to pay bills instead of actually paying them. So is this ULTRA IMPORTANT event going to get paid for in cash or worthless pieces of paper ( and yes as a trained Economist I see how the argument could be made that both cash and an IOU are equally worthless, Thanks Obama!) This just goes to show how off base our country is. And just how much the state of California resembles a Cereal box. Its funny really...

Q. - Whats the difference between California and a box of breakfast cereal?
A. - Oh that would be the cardboard... you see both are already full of fruits, flakes, and Nuts.

Well California now has one less nut now.

DISCLAIMER: I enjoy Michael Jackson's music. I think that he was an extraordinary performer. Thriller was the first album that I ever owned, and on vinyl no less. I even have a Pandora radio station based on the album.

#20 A lack on inspiration

Today I can't think of anything particularly clever to write about. Even my cleverness has its limits it would seem. 10 things I Have found out today are:

1) Felix Hernandez could be a contender for the AL CY Young award this year
2) The Hamptons are located on the Eastern edge of Long Island, NY (for why I found this out you will have to wait for a forthcoming blog post : )
3) Carlos Boozer is a big aft idiot
4) If the Mariners can get to the World series they will have home field advantage. Thanks to the AL 4-3 win over the NL last night in the Midsummer Classic.
5) BYU football now has 20 recruits for the 2010 class that won't sign until February 2010.
6) Taylor Bean & Whitaker is one of the most poorly run mortgage companies I have ever had the displeasure to deal with. not only are they dead in the water to close anything else this month (yes it is mid month) but they are also having difficulty funding the loans that have closed.
7) My wife is the most amazing woman on the planet. 'Nuf said.
8) Making changes to your house after it is already complete and being lived in is a royal pain in the rear.
9) Yards are expensive
10) NOT having a yard is a royal pain too.

Now granted this does not constitute the the full scope of my learning for the day, but it does give you an idea of how my day has been. Hopefully tomorrow inspiration will strike. :)

#19 Find your dream and live it.

"Living the Dream", that's how a few of my friends have answered the question "how are you. Today I read the blog of my Buddy Ian. Ian and I have a storied history. We became fast friends while sitting at the back of our summer Drivers Ed. class as obnoxious 15 year old kids. We both share a love of baseball and we were both LDS which just added to the fun. we spent the summer carousing and harassing the teacher of our class. That fall I was a sophomore in High School and Ian was one of the few kids that i knew as I was the FNG. (FNG for those not used to military acronyms stands for "Freaking New Guy" or some derivation thereof) Because I swapped school districts between Jr. High and High School. I Digress... Ian and I were both in the MTC learning Spanish prior to laboring in South America. He in Venezuela and me in Chile. After returning from our missions I took the more traditional "Peter Priesthood" route and quickly got married while he enjoyed the finer points of bachelorhood. Somewhere along the way we both found the dream and are living it. I am blissfully wed to my sweetheart Heather and with 3 kids and one on the way I could not be happier. Soon my wife and I will be together for all eternity as we are sealed in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Ian is in Alaska. Now to be truthful I have never had much desire to visit Alaska on anything other than an extreme skiing adventure. But after reading Ian's most recent blog post (which you too can read here) I can see the lure in a very Walt Whitman sort of way. Now Nome Alaska may not be Golden pond, but he certainly makes a case. While Ian's dream seems pretty cool and I might like to visit for a while I am living my dream. But its also brings into contrast how dreams change. Back in 2001 my dream was to sit behind the stick of a fighter jet at Mock 2 with my hair on fire. And, again while this sounds like a great time (and I still hope my Air Force buddies come through on such a ride for me) after seeing some of my best friends away from their families for 6 months at a time I know that that dream would likely be more of a nightmare. I am thankful for what I have and for the people who surround me. I have a job that lets me provide for them and have fun along the way. I am truly living the dream.

#18 In case of Boredom STUMBLE!

I have a very interesting job that can consist of moments of boredom followed by mass hysteria. In those times of boredom I have come to rely on the little "Stumble" button on my Firefox browser. Stumble upon is a very useful browser plugin that allows you to see random internet web pages and then quickly review them (Thumbs up/down) so that Stumble can better tailor your internet surfing experience. On the Stumble website you can tell it what sorts of things you like to see. what you don't care to see and any other preference to fit your needs. For all those who find themselves with time to spare on the web I highly recommend.

#17 Inspiration and wisdom from childrens' books

I'm a dad as you all know (or you are the least observant person on the Earth, as a picture with my wife and Kids is just above) So I read a LOT of children's books. What I was impressed to find was that one of my favorite authors for kids books was really quite inspirational. Check this out:

1. A person's a person, no matter how small.
2. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.
3. Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.
4. From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
5. Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
6. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.
7. If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.
8. I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent.
9. So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.
10. And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.
11. Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
12. All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you'll be quite a lot. - Dr. Seuss
13. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
14. Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!
15. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.
16. I'm afraid sometimes you'll play lonely games too, games you can't win because you'll play against you
17. I'm sorry to say so but, sadly it's true that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you
18. From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
19. I know up on the top you are seeing great sights, but down at the bottom we, too, should have rights.

Now as I'm sure you have surmised these are from none other than Theodore Geisel A.K.A. Dr. Suess (1904-1991).

Now my little sister won't ever forget "Rosie Robin Ross riding on her red Rinoserross", and I am a big fan of "Oh the places you'll go", the Star bellied sneetches, and "Green eggs & Ham" but who knew that these silly rhymes would be so filled with logic and real life... I think I need to buy a few more of these for my kids.

#16 I Fought the Lawn

So the other day the City of Riverton sent us a mean little piece of mail. The hate mail came in the form of a letter requesting that we knock down the weeds on our property. Now normally I would consider myself pretty good at keeping the lawn cut... But there in lies the inherent problem. We don't have a yard. What we have is a lot a dirt, which at this point is chucked full of weeds. We have all intentions of making our land into a near paradise but all that comes with a price tag. and this year the price tag was just a bit too much to swallow. So we have some really nice Natural landscaping. But because I have no desire to pay the City any more money than they already take from me I spent last night behind a Brush cutting mower knocking down the forest that our yard had become. After about an hour and a half I was finished and you could actually see the patio in the back yard. This weekend the excavation of my basement walk out begins, as well as preparations to pour our RV pad along the side of the house. Lots of work to do. I think this round of Lawn wars went to me... but who is counting? This war will rage on for years.

#15 Headaches are no fun

So as I sat down today trying to think what blog number 15 should be about I found myself with a headache. I don't like headaches. they are pesky and I prefer not to deal with them, yet today I find myself at work dealing with a particularly pesky one. It started out very slowly. but now at 2PM its a full blown doozy. I think the worst part is that I get to continue staring at computer screen when what I would prefer to do is take a nap. Granted this is not the worst that I have ever dealt with, but still! Why is it that just when I need a clear head I get a nice headache... Headaches stink!... and now that I reread this... so does this post. here's hoping better things to come. :)

#14 Pardon me while I wax philosphical

I don't usually use the my blog as a place to talk about my testimony, but today I will. As I went to bed last night I felt impressed to reread Enos (shown above) in the Book of Mormon. Now in the past verse 2 has been the focus of much of my study;

"And I will tell you of the ^awrestle which I had before God, before I received a ^bremission of my sins."

Now anyone who has ever read Enos knows that it is all about repentance. Lately this has been on my mind as I have made great leaps spiritually of late. But last night was altogether different. I was instead drawn in my Verse 4;

"And my soul ^ahungered; and I ^bkneeled down before my Maker, and I ^ccried unto him in mighty ^dprayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens."

But more specifically I focused on the very beginning, "And my soul hungered". In dozens of reading of the Book of Mormon I had obviously read this passage before but never before had it touched me in this way. So I did what I do when I am touched, I pulled out my journal and began to write, so that I might capture the thoughts and feelings as they came to me. Even this morning as I write this, new understanding is coming to me with regards to these four words. My soul has hungered for a very long time. I feel that it is finally BEGINNING to get the nourishment that it so desperately craves. In the coming week I will attend the Temple again for the first time in nearly two years. I cannot wait. I am so very anxious to feel the spiritual power boost that is there. I have promised myself and committed to a friend that I will attend each and every week for the next year. This will come as a bit of a sacrifice (to my sleep mostly) but the reward will FAR outweigh the price. It has been quite some time since something this spiritual has excited me, but it is doing just that. I don't ever again want to be as Spiritually malnourished as I have been over the past few years. A friend told me a quote that I liked;

"Church is for those who are afraid to go to Hell. Spirituality is for those who have already been there"

I have been there. And I don't EVER want to go back. That's why I need both. The future today looks bright, VERY bright.

#13 Lucky 13 would be an unlucky event.

For blog #13 of 100 I have some unlucky news. Last night my youngest, Shelbie, was diagnosed with Influenza H1N1. More commonly known as the "Swine Flu". She was running a 103 Degree fever and was quite miserable. Heather also likely has it as Shelbie has been a mommies girl for the past few days. Last night while we were attempting to give Shelbie her medicine she decided to first spit/cough it back in my face then what we eventually did get her to swallow she threw up all over daddy. Needless to say sick 2 year olds are not fun, but sick pregnant mommies are even more cause for concern as the anti-viral medicine is not safe for pregnant women. I just hope the the prayers and blessings work and that all three come through none the worse for wear.

#12 Let Freedom Ring

This weekend is July 4th. The day that we celebrate our nations independence. This year I am feeling a bit more patriotic. Feeling like I should get out and do something other than blow stuff up. We really do live in the greatest country on Earth. We are blessed to have freedoms that others don't have. But with that freedom comes great responsibility. We are morally bound to make sure that we stay free, by electing officials that actually stand for what we believe in. If we don't, we forfeit our freedom. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!! LET FREEDOM RING!!

#11 The real reason I am Alive.

This is a picture of the Oquirrh Mountain LDS temple. My wife Heather and I are hoping to be sealed there on our anniversary September 1st. We have recently submitted all the required paperwork to make this dream, a year in the making, a reality. The Temple is God's home on Earth. Each one has inscribed on it "Holiness to the Lord, the house of the Lord". We are looking forward to attending the dedicatory services on August 23rd with our son Parker. It will be a great experience for all involved. I highly recommend ANYONE to go through the temple open house that is ongoing until August 1st. It is a beautiful building and represents things that are sacred and even more Holy. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to live with my wife into the eternities through the sacred act of sealing. This is the reason that I am alive. To live forever with my sweetheart and our kids. I cannot think of Heaven without my wife there, and when I want to feel what Heaven is like while I am here I attend the temple. I am so grateful for the opportunity to feel my Saviors love there. HE is the reason I live.

#10 Bumpers stickers.

A co-worker of mine sent me an email with a bunch of bumper stickers. These are all quite funny (as long as you are not a Progressive liberal) and I thought they needed to be shared with the world at large.

WARNING!!: Bumpers Stickers may be rated PG-13 and require a sense of humor. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!