I''m a pretty horrible blogger, as evidenced by the fact that I haven't made an entry in months, but instead of diving straight into an analysis essay, or debating the playcalling abilities of andy ludwig, I wanted to write a little about my life lately. Two weeks ago I got home from what was probably the greatest trip I will ever take in my life. 12 of us including myself took off Sunday Dec 7th from Salt Lake International with destination fun in mind. About two hours after boarding the plane at 6:55 am (Yes, Virginia, this IS the most ridiculous time to fly on an airplane!!! Thankfully I was saved by Jetblue and their directv for everyone) we were on the ground in Long Beach, CA, checking in and getting ready to set sail to the Mexican Riviera aboard the Carnival Pride. There is no way I can really describe or convey in words the amount of fun we had. Great group of guys, good times, and so many memories. It was the best, but it was horrible because we had to come home. i was tempted to just cash in on the amex card and see how long I could stay, but thought better of it. Hopefully in march we'll be making a pilgramage back to Cabo, seeing as how I didn't get to spend nearly enough time there, but we'll see...


In other life developments, I'm quitting my job at the car wash. Its definitely time, I realized. Despite the job paying decent money, it lacks benefits and at the end of the day, the biggest decider was that I'm not going anywhere with it, and I want to get school done already. Also, I just didn't enjoy it anymore. My bosses are great guys, and they have been really good to me, and I just wanted to say that in all honesty, Auto Spa Express is a great car wash, because the owners really are concerned with giving people the best wash they can for the money. I will miss it someday, just not right now when it is freezing cold and I spent half an hour trying to get the damn tarps to sit down in gale force wind. Obviously I'm not bitter....

Texas Fan Diary

This isnt exactly New, so I'm sure most of you have read it but none the less to this very day it continues to win the internet , and by a pretty wide margin. Given the spirit of the start of the new season, I figured this would be a good motivational piece as we prepare to get on our (tailgating) game faces.

And for those who haven't read it, you're welcome. 
-------------------------------------------

A chronology of events for Saturday, December 4, 1999, and the early morning hours of Sunday, December 5, 1999:

6:00 Arise, play the Eyes of Texas and Texas Fight at full-freaking blast

6:20 Get in car, drive to New Braunfels

7:30 Tee off (me and a buddy were the FIRST tee-time of the morning)

8:50 Turn 9 (crack open first beer)

8:53 Crack open second beer

8:58 Crack open...(you get the idea)

10:30 Finish 18 (holes, as well as beers), sign scorecard for smoooooth 95

10:35 Headed for San Antonio (Alamodome - Nebraska vs Texas)

10:50 Buy three 18-packs for pre- and post-game festivities

11:10 We decide we don't have enough booze, so we double-back to a liquor store and buy the good ol' 750 ml plastic bottle "Traveler" Jim Beam

11:50 Arrive at the tailgate spot. Awesome day. Not a single cloud in the sky. About 70 degrees.

11:55 I decide that we're going to kick the ********** out of Nebraska.

11:56 I tell my first Nebraska fan to go f!!k himself.

12:15 The UT band walks by on the way to the Alamodome. We're on the second floor of a two-story parking garage on the corner (a couple hundred of us). We're hooting and hollering like wildmen. The band doubles back to the street right below us and serenades us with Texas Fight and The Eyes of Texas. AWESOME MOMENT.

12:25 In the post-serenade serendipity, 50-100 grown men are bumping chests with one another, each and every one of them now secure and certain of the fact that we are going to kick the ********** out of Nebraska.

11:00 The Nebraska band walks by on the way to the Alamodome. Again, we hoot and holler like wildmen. Again, the band doubles back and stops right below us to serenade us, this time, however, with the Nebraska fight songs. Although somewhat impressed by their spirit and verve, we remain convinced that we are going to kick the ********** out of Nebraska.

1:30 I begin the walk to the Alamodome, somehow managing to stuff the "Traveler" and 11 cans of beer into my pants.

1:47 I am in line surrounded by Nebraska fans. They are taunting me. I am taunting back, still certain that we are going to kick the ********** out of Nebraska. I decide to challenge a particularly vocal Nebraska fan to play what I now call and will forever be remembered as "Cell-Phone Flop Out." Remember flop out for a dollar? The rules are similar. I tell this Nebraska jackass that if he's so confident in his team, he should "flop out" his cell phone RIGHT NOW and make plane reservations to Phoenix for the Fiesta Bowl. And then I spoke these memorable words: "And not those damn refundable tickets, either! You request those non-refundable, non-transferrable sons-of-b!tches!" He backs down. He is unworthy. I call Southwest Airlines and buy two tickets to Phoenix, non-refundable and non-transferrable. Price: $712. He is humbled. He lowers his head in shame. I raise my cell phone in triumph to the cheers of hundreds of Texas fans. I am KING and these are my subjects. I distribute the 11 beers in my pants to the cheering masses. I RULE the pre-game kingdom.

2:34 Kickoff. Brimming with confidence, I open the Traveler and pour my first stiffy.

2:45 I notice something troubling: Nebraska is big. Nebraska is fast. Nebraska is very pissed off at Texas.

3:01 The first quarter mercifully ends. 9 yards total offense for Texas. Zero first downs for Texas. I'm still talking **********. I pour another stiffy from the Traveler.

3:36 Four minutes to go in the first half: the Traveler is a dead soldier. I buy my first $5 beer from the Alamodome merchants. While I am standing in line, a center snap nearly decapitates Major Applewhite and rolls out of the end zone. Safety.

3:56 Halftime score: Nebraska 15, Texas 0. I wish I had another Traveler.

4:11 While urinating next to a Nebraska fan in the bathroom at halftime, I attempt to revive the classic Brice- ism from the South Bend bathroom: "Hey, buddy, niiiiiiiiice c**k." He is unamused.

4:21 I buy my 2nd and 3rd $5 beer from the Alamodome merchants. I share my beer with two high school girls sitting behind me. Surprisingly, they are equipped with a flask full of vodka. I send them off to purchase Sprites, so that we may consume their vodka. I have not lost faith. Nebraska is a bunch of pu$$ies.

4:51 No more vodka. The girls sitting behind me have fled for their lives. I purchase two more $5 beers from the Alamodome merchants.

5:18 Score is Nebraska 22, Texas 0. I am beginning to lose faith. This normally would trouble me, but I am too drunk to see the football field.

5:27 I call Southwest Airlines: "I'm sorry, sir. Those tickets have been confirmed and are non-refundable and non-transferrable."

5:37 I try to start a fight with every person behind the concession counter. As it turns out, the Alamodome has a policy that no beer can be sold when there is less than 10 minutes on the game clock. I am enraged by this policy. I ask loudly: "Why the ************ didn't you announce last call over the f**king PA system??!!"

5:49 Back in my seats, I am slumped in my chair in defeat. All of a sudden, the Texas crowd goes absolutely nuts. "Whazzis?," I mutter, awaking from my coma, "Iz we winnig? Did wez scort?" Alas, the answer is > > >>no, we were not winning and we did not score. The largest (by far) cheer of the day from the Texas faithful occurred when the handlers were walking back to the tunnel and Bevo (the Texas mascot) stopped to take a gargantuan ********** all over the letters "S", "K",and "A" in the "Nebraska" spelled out in their end zone. I cheer wildly. I pick up the empty Traveler bottle and stick my tongue in it. I am thirsty.

6:16 Nebraska fans are going berserk as I walk back to the truck. I would taunt them with some off-color remarks about their parentage, but I am too drunk to form complete sentences. With my last cognitive thought of the evening, I take solace in the fact that if we had not beaten them in October, they would be playing Florida State for the national championship.

6:30 Back in the car. On the way back to Austin for the basketball game.

8:00 Texas-Arizona tip off. We can still salvage the day! I crack open a beer. It is warm. I don't care.

7:12 We have stopped for gas. I am hungry. I go inside the store. I walk past the beer frig. I notice a Zima. I've never had a Zima. I wonder if it's any good. I pull a Zima from the frig. I twist the top off and drink the Zima in three swallows. Zima sucks. I replace the empty bottle in the frig.

7:17 There is a Blimpie Subs in the store. I walk to where the ingredients are, where the person usually makes the sub. There is no one there. I lean over the counter and scoop out half a bucket of black olives. I eat them. I am still hungry. I lean further over the counter and grab approximately two pounds of Pastrami. I walk out of the store grunting and eating Pastrami. The patrons in the store fear me. I don't care.

8:01 We are in South Austin. I have been drinking warm beer and singing Brooks and Dunn tunes for over an hour. My truck-mate is tired of my singing. He suggests that perhaps Brooks and Dunn have written other good songs besides "You're Going to Miss Me When I'm Gone" and "Neon Moon" and that maybe listening to only those two songs, ten times each was a bit excessive. Perhaps, he suggests, Icould just let the CD play on its own. I tell him to ************ off and restart "Neon Moon."

8:30 We arrive at the Erwin Center. My truckmate, against my loud and profane protestations, parks on the top floor of a nearby parking garage. I tell him he's an idiot. I tell him we will never get out. I tell him we may as well pitch a f**king tent here. He ignores me. I think he's still pissed about the Brooks and Dunn tunes. I whistle "Neon Moon" loudly.

8:47 I am rallying. I have 4 warm beers stuffed in my pants. We're going to kick the ********** out of Arizona.

9:11 Halftime score: Texas 31, Arizona 29. I am pleased. I go to the bathroom to pee for the 67th time today. I giggle to myself because of the new opportunity to do "the bathroom Brice." There are no Arizona fans in the bathroom. I am disappointed. I tell myself (out loud) that I have a "Niiiiiice c*ck." No one is amused but me.

9:41 I walk to the bathroom while drinking Bud Light out of a can. Needless to say, they do not sell beer at the Erwin Center,much less Bud Light out of a can. I am stopped by an usher: "Where did you get that, sir?" I tell him (no **********): "Oh, the cheerleaders were throwing them up with those little plastic footballs. Would you mind throwing this away for me?" I take the last swig and hand it to him. He is confused. I pretend I'm going to the bathroom, but I run away giggling instead. I duck into some entrance to avoid the usher, who is now pursuing me. I sneak into a large group of people and sit down. The usher walks by harmlessly. I am giggling like a little girl. I crack open another can of Bud Light.

9:52 I am lost. In my haste to avoid the usher, I have lost my bearings. I have no ticket stub. I cannot find my seats. Texas is losing.

10:09 Texas is being screwed by the refs. I am enraged. I have cleared out the seats around me because I keep removing my hat and beating the surrounding chairs with it. A concerned fan asks if I'm OK and perhaps I shouldn't take it so seriously. I tell him to ************ off.

10:15 After the fourth consecutive "worst f**king call I have EVER seen, " I attempt to remove my hat again to begin beating inanimate objects. However, on this occasion I miscalculate and I thumbnail myself in my left eyelid, leaving a one-quarter inch gash over my eye. I am now bleeding into my left eye and all over my shirt. "Perhaps," I think to myself, I'm taking this a bit seriously."

10:22 I am standing in the bathroom peeing. I'm so drunk I am swaying and grunting. I have a bloody napkin pressed on my left eye. My pants are bloody. I have my (formerly) white shirt wrapped around my waist. I look like I should be in an episode of Cops.

10:43 Texas has lost. I put my bloody white shirt back on my body and make my way for the exits. I am stopped every 20 seconds by a good samaritan/cop/security guard to ask me why I am covered in blood, but I merely grunt incoherently and keep moving.

10:59 With my one good eye, I have located the parking garage. I walk up six flights of stairs, promise that when I see my friend I will punch him in the face for making me walk up six flights of stairs, find the truck, and collapse in a heap in the bed of the truck. I look around and notice that traffic is lined up all the way around the garage, six whole flights, and no one is moving. I take a nap.

11:17 I awake from my nap. I see my friend in the driver's seat. I lift my head to look out the bed of the truck and notice that traffic is lined up all the way around the garage, six whole flights, and no one is moving. I am too tired to punch my friend. I call my friend a "Stupid c**ksucker."

11:31 I lift my head to look out the bed of the truck and notice that traffic is lined up all the way around the garage, six whole flights, and no one is moving. I call my friend a "Stupid c**ksucker."

11:38 I lift my head to look out the bed of the truck and notice that traffic is lined up all the way around the garage, six whole flights, and no one is moving. I call my friend a "Stupid c**ksucker."

11:47 I lift my head to look out the bed of the truck and notice that traffic is lined up all the way around the garage, six whole flights, and no one is moving. I call my friend a "Stupid c**ksucker."

11:58 I am jostled. The truck is moving. I lift my head to look out the bed of the truck and notice that traffic is beginning to move on the second floor. I jump out of the truck, walk to the edge of the parking facility, and pee off the sixth floor onto the street below. My friend looks at me like I just anally violated his minor sister. I turn around pee on the front of his truck while singing the lyrics to "Neon Moon."

12:11 We are moving. We are out of beer. I jump from the truck and go from vehicle to vehicle until someone gives me two beers. I am happy. I return to my vehicle

12:26 We have emerged from the parking facility. We make our way to my apartment and find Ed sitting on the couch with a freshly opened bottle of Glenlivet on the coffee table in front of him. We are all going to die tonight.

12:59 We have finished three-quarters of the bottle of Glenlivet. We decide it would be a wonderful idea to go dancing at PollyEsther's. Ed has to pee. He walks down the hall to our apartment and directly into the full length mirror at the end of the hall, smashing it into hundreds of pieces. We giggle uncontrollably and leave for PollyEsther's.

1:17 The PollyEsther's doorman laughs uncontrollably at our efforts to enter his club. "Fellas," he says in between his fits of spastic laughter, "I've been working this door for almost a year. I've been working doors in this town for almost 5 years. And I can honestly say that I ain't never seen three drunker mother f**kers than you three. Sorry, can't let you in." We attempt to reason with him. He laughs harder.

1:44 We find a bar that lets us in. We take two steps in the door and hear "Last call for alcohol!" I turn to the group and mutter: "See, dat wasn't that f**kin' hard. Day don't f**kin' do that at the Awamo...the awaom...the alab...************ it, that stadium we was at today..." We order 6shots of tequila and three beers.

2:15 Back on the street. We need food. We hail cab to take us the two and one half blocks to Denny's. The cab fare is $1.60. We give him $10 and tell him to keep it.

2:17 There is a 20 minute wait. We give the hostess $50. We are seated immediately.

2:25 We order two orders of fried pickles, a Cobb salad, a bowl of soup, two orders of Blueberry blintzes, two Reuben sandwiches, a hamburger, two cheese stuffed potatoes, an order of fries, and an order of onion rings.

2:39 The food arrives. We are all asleep with our heads on the table. The waiter wakes us up. We eat every f**king bit of our food. Most of the restaurant patrons around us are disgusted. We don't give a ************. The tab is $112 with tip.

2:46 I'm sleepy.

9:12 I wake up next to a strange woman. She is a waitress at Denny's. She is not pretty.

A Few Words About Dee

Dee Sucks.

Reading Seth Godin's blog tonight, I came across a piece he wrote regarding the change in the economy. His reading is always entertaining and extremely insightful, and tonight was no different. He said that the way of the factory and being able to produce things locally is gone, and that business has refined the process to the point where it is near perfect, and therefore instead of looking to make it more obedient, that we should look into the direction that the new networked economy is heading. I think what he means is that we have gone from an age where being local was a strong enough reason to buy something, to where we can get it to here from anywhere, so the new trick has become how do we get customer x to us? It's an interesting thought, and makes me wonder why I never thought about it from that perspective. I had always assumed that it would mean that people would go back to more local, intimate products, but he is right. The new horizon is more connecting the dots, and finding ways to do that, as opposed to refining the manufacturing process. The question is this, what will be the process? What jobs will be created in order to "grow" the process? I don't have the foresight to answer but it is an interesting concept. Applying it to my particular field, social media is making it more difficult on both organizations and on reporters to get jobs done. So where is the field heading then? I'll be waiting for the answer, but, I think like Seth says, it is the start of the networking revolution.

Ready or Not, Here I Come

I figured it was time to write again. Had a few light thoughts to write down, hopefully later in the week I will get to do some real writing. Hard to find things to write about right now though.

-Of course I would start this off with a Jazz blast. The team has been as fun to watch as I can ever remember, eerily similar to the year they snuck into the Western Conference finals in 2006. The last two games were tough to handle though. When good, the Jazz are amazing to watch. When bad, I feel like every heartbreaking loss they have had over the last 20 years that I have seen is replayed underneath what I am actually seeing, like a terrible flashback montage. I question why I even care about them, think of how even keel my life would be without them. It just doesn't work that way though. You are who you are, and I'm a sports addict. Hope they win tomorrow.

-I've been reading the Tribune Jazz blog for some time now, but the last week has been absolutely phenomenal. Ross Siler is a super-talent of a writer, with "freakish" insight and huge upside. I am sure he doesn't get enough credit for having terrific writing, and if you want to question my judgement, I encourage you to read his stuff. You won't regret it.

-I've discovered a new addiction to add to NPR and sports in my life, and it just so happens to be talk radio. My favorite is Dave Ramsey. I like his financial advice. I love the callers even more. My favorites are the people who call the show that really don't have a question, so they make one up and halfway through admit that it was a dumb idea and just gush about how much they love the show. I'm not mocking, because Ramsey really is pretty cool, and he knows SO EFFING MUCH about finances and taxes and such.

-When I was living in Rebel Creek Apts last year, my roommate Sam and I came up with AABA, (All-American Bad Asses). The list was pretty short in the beginning, basically just John Runyan and on occasion Heath Miller, but I want to add Warren Buffet to the club. The more I read about Buffet, the more I realize that this guy is just a baller. Bought tons of shares of Goldmans when everyone was saying it was stupid, and turned it into a hugely lucrative investment. Plus he rocks the combover. You would think $40 billion US might influence a guy to change his looks. Not Warren. What a BAMF. He's my hero.


-Last week I put my tastebuds to the test and tried to tell the difference between Sprite and Sierra Mist. I lost, but it gave me the idea to try out a bunch of different stuff and see if I can tell the difference. This week I'm going to test Orange Juice. If you can think of something you want me to test, leave me a comment. I want to try and do at least one a week.

Life in a Nutshell

I am a storyteller. I love to hear a good story, and even more, I love to tell a good story. Looking back on the last few years, it feels like more and more the good stories have stopped flowing. I'm not sure if this is a part of growing older, and possibly being more responsible, or if I have simply run out of good stories, but I'm in a dry spell. So lately, I have taken to making up stories as my life is going on. Take tonight. I work at a chain restaurant that just so happens to deliver pizza. Currently you can see an ad for our $10 dollar deal on just about every channel or website you can find. This has led to what I can only describe as a frenzy for what I will deem "Crappy, oily, cheap" pizza. It has led to many a stressful night dealing with customer complaints, lack of tips, and general negativity in my workplace, and has led many of my coworkers to seek other employment. I had at least four tell me tonight how they had leads on other jobs. I couldn't help but imagine myself as an undercover consultant hired by the company to improve performance. I would go home tonight, change my clothes, shower, and in the morning wake up to a freshly pressed linen collared shirt, preferably with french cuffs, and maybe a stripe pattern, and grab my morning smoothie and jump into my midsize midclass luxury sedan. (Think Nissan Maxima or similar...) I would fire up the beast, as the latest mix between jock rock and nontrendy pop music blared from my satellite radio, and cruise on down to the Las Vegas company headquarters. Armed with cell phone pics and notes taken while navigating the mean streets of St. George, I would dissect live in front of a conference table of executive looking men and women exactly where things were failing. Calling my coworkers by codes like "Subject A" and "Manager X", I would lay out entirely the plan that I had pieced together over the last few months, adding the dramatic pauses and vocal inflections to prove my points. "THESE AREN"T JUST PIZZAS WE ARE SELLING HERE!!! dot dot dot.....then in a hushed tone...these are happier lives." The room would burst to applause and then I would get the dubious wink and handshake from the company head, as if to say, Atta Boy, Bryan, this is gold! Everyone would leave, and I would stare across the empty room much like Alexander probably did a battlefield, victorious and briefly satisfied by today's accomplishment. But, in reality, I delivered nine orders, had a rich old man ask for a free pizza, and tried to pull one of the waiters through the drive thru window in a fake wrestling match/fight while Creedence was blaring from my car radio. And I made a few bucks tonight in tips. I mean, it's not the good life by any means, but hey, it has its' perks.

I should probably be in bed right now, but I had some thoughts that I really wanted to share and hopefully get some feedback on. I have a lot of pet peeves in life, things that just rub me wrong for whatever reason, but one of the bigger pet peeves I have is in church when RMs share "The Mission Story." I wouldn't say that the story is necessarily bad, or I dislike it, but the few guys who share it to grab attention as to how great a missionary they were or how righteous they are have ruined it for me for good. I had an unbelievable two years serving in Ukraine, and I would never, EVER, trade that experience for anything, but at the same time, I have realized that my mission was different from so many others. I was a first counselor in a small branch in Nikolayev, Ukraine, for nine months. There were times when the only priesthood holders at sacrament meeting were the missionaries and when we had to share impromtu talks for about half an hour because whatever member that was supposed to speak didn't show up, or we simply didn't have anyone left to speak. These oddities or rarities led me to learn a great deal about HOW the church is run, proper order and procedure, and in turn I think has ruined so much of Mormon society for me. I was reading a blog tonight where the female writer was perturbed that the Home Teachers had not asked her to assign someone to pray. I can relate to being the unnoticed one in life, despite being abnormally large in size for all my life, people, and more notably girls, have ignored me all my life, but I disagree with her on this instance. Men were set as the head of the household for a reason, and women were given to them to assist in the decision-making process. It has nothing to do with holding women back or anti-feminism, but it has to do with following the natural order God has set forth. I'm not good at keeping commandments, but that is more because I lack discipline as opposed to me being defiant to commandments. I do, however, understand that God has an order, and upsetting that order leads to confusion and disarray. Any of the recent Gay marriage debates or the rise in divorce rates are strong indicators of this, in my opinion. It is this lack of understanding of how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints works that I have a hard time overlooking. So many people make commentary or negative remarks about a certain principle or technique, and really miss what the point of what we are doing is, and that is learning. God doesn't need everything to be perfect, he needs us to learn, and part of learning includes making mistakes, but also knowing what the proper response or procedure is in a given situation. I have a major pride issue, i.e. I'm overly prideful, and I have seen myself over and over make these same sorts of assumptions. Realization of this has caused me some pain, but in turn, has helped me to better understand that everything has a reason and just because we don't know it doesn't make it wrong. Its late, so I'm not sure that makes sense, but I at least know what I am trying to say.

As long as I am ranting, another thing that bothers me is how so many people make church into their social life. Religion at its core was developed to provide people with support, but I think too many people abuse it as their primary means and support. I know not everyone is the social butterfly that I am, but it may surprise some people to learn that being social and open and conversational is actually hard for me to do, and that at my very core I am a shy person. I am seriously grateful for what I have been given in life because of my membership in the church, but I see these things happening, and it makes me sad because I feel like the true spirit of the gospel is being lost here. It shouldn't be something hard to fix, either. I'm not saying I'm the one to fix it, but I won't be the guy that pipes up in Elder's quorum to say, "I remember back on my mission..."

If I were to chart my time in the shape of a pie, or in other words, a pie chart, there would probably be two slices that everyone would want, and then the "donate to charity" sized remainders to what I do. The two big pieces would be work and internet, and I think with me going back to school this semester there will soon be a third piece. I usually spend most of my internet time reading other blogs, reading about sports, reading draft charts and short stories, and facebook. I can't lie about the facebook thing because anyone with half a brain can tell that, but I actually do spend a lot of time reading, because reading is what inspires me to write this, but the more that I read, the more I've started realizing how hard it is to find entertaining things to write about and how hard it is to stay motivated and fresh. I've given this a lot of thought lately due to my recent urge to actually develop either one of my movie ideas or one of my reality shows. It seems that almost everyone has a good idea for a reality show, I know I've claimed several, but instead of just thinking, yeah that would make a great show, I've started asking more critical questions. Why would people want to watch this? Is it duplicatable? How much could the production company make off of product placement? How do you keep it interesting? What about this show is unique and would convince someone to give you the money to produce it? This has led to a refinement of a lot of my ideas, mostly to the point that I end up throwing them away, which I'm not super depressed about, because if they really were that good, I'd be putting them to use. I feel like I have developed the skills lately that would make me good at this kind of thing, but at the same time, I'm not the kind of person who could do it alone, and typically my wingman at some point would be Jay, but he is in Salt Lake and our schedules rarely allow for us to talk and plan things, so for now I'll go it alone. I have no idea how you go about something like this, but I plan on spending a fair amount of time in it, because, and this is my segway to my second point for this little rant, I am losing the fire at work. I have a pretty great job for college, decent enough money, it isn't difficult by any means, flexible hours, but I'm still poor and it is BORING, and holding my attention to one task that holds zero interest REALLY sucks for me. Almost to the point that I think I have adult ADD.

(I looked up the symptoms online, and I have a lot of them, i.e. being forgetful, easily distracted, being late, which EVERYONE knows I have a huge problem with, anyway...)

In addition, we have a new manager, and like every new manager, this one is out to prove that he/she can change all the bad habits at the store and make things better, because the last three managers just didn't have the tools that he/she does, etc, which basically leads to firing half the staff and trying to tell all the current employees how to do their job. This bugs me to no end, because I've seen this happen three times now, and the outcome is almost always the same, manager gets burned out and the employees slack again. The whole process is getting frustrating. So I came home tonight to look at jobs, and honestly, it was bleak. I mean, really bleak. Like less than a hundred jobs TOTAL. That is pretty scary. I'm chalking some of that up to the fact that the new year just started, and some of it to the fact that a good portion of the jobs that might be open aren't listed in the places that I looked for them, but that may be a little hopeful. I want to say that I feel the same enthusiasm that everyone else does, that 2010 will be better, and I think that a lot of it will be for me because of my changes that I've made since last year, but there is still so much beyond my control that I'm unsure about. I guess in times of doubt you just need to buckle down and do what you can, and hope that things turn out for the best, because they almost inevitably do.

I think one of my biggest assets in this blog, and possibly in life, also tends to be one of my biggest faults. Most of the time when I write things down in the blog, it stems from some emotional moment I've had or something that pushes me, or motivates me to put my thoughts online. The more I thought about this, the more I started realizing that emotion drives so much of what I do. Common sense and level-headed decision making are almost the opposite of what I find to be interesting in my life, but recently I've begun to notice the beauty of calculation and of obedience and self control, again. My independence and need for freedom drove me in a different direction than what I think I really wanted to go in, because I felt like I was being forced to do things. In reality, and I think this fact has been played to death for all of us, it is mastery of self-control and the ability to adapt quickly to unexpected situations or, if you are lucky enough, to be over-prepared, that really lead people to successful lives and happiness. I guess if I were to make a new years resolution, that would be it. That I would continually strive for the self-control now that will unlock opportunities and blessings in the future, and hope that as it will be difficult for the first few months, that I can find the strength to continue and see some early reward for making the sacrifices now that I need to in order to succeed. That, and get my ass to the gym. I miss my muscles.

Too Long to be Without...

It has been too long since I've posted something here, but I wanted to get a few thoughts that I had tonight down, just because I really liked them and wanted to share or maybe even hear what everyone else has to say, if anyone reads this anymore.

-I'm the last one to leave the Thunderdome before Christmas. For a while I thought it was going to be for good, but it looks like we'll at least get to finish out the semester here, which is good. It feels like home, and when everyone is gone, I keep thinking that the house is haunted, but I'm realizing now that I'm so conditioned to doors slamming and music blaring and some kind of story or commotion going on that it is more my mind playing tricks on me in anticipation of people being home. For an only child, you would think I would be used to being on my own, but I still have a hard time sleeping knowing that I'm the only one here. Guess I've assured myself of having a relatively large family.

-I had a conversation with my friend the other night and realized something about myself. I get extremely terse and angry with people who judge. I also get upset with people simply commenting or noticing the things that are wrong or that I am doing wrong or people in general are doing wrong. I guess shortly, I hate people noticing the negative and the bad in my own life and with others. I think I usually interpret that as cockiness or arrogance on the part of the offending party, because of my own shortcomings and dislike for the feelings I've felt from people like that in the past. I've made plenty of mistakes in my life that others have not, not because I'm a bad person or I like bad things per se, but because I am curious and I always want to see what something feels like or how to do it, and that is at least one reason that I tend to get into trouble. For those of you who have never had to deal with the pain of making mistakes or paying the price for mistakes made down the road, have never had to feel the hurt and disappointment and pain, have never had to fight your way back to the good road, when it seems like you've been on the bad one, and haven't felt away from the things that you once had but lost, I just ask for your patience. Some of us aren't built to handle things the way you are. We struggle, learn, fall, struggle some more, and try to get ahead but it just doesn't always turn out to be rainbows and gumdrops and puppy dog kisses every day. That doesn't mean we don't have rich, fulfilling moments, or dreams and happy lives, just that we do things differently. I hope we can all be just a little more understanding, especially myself.

-I've been thinking about definitions a lot lately, and when I get some more time, I want to really put my thoughts to paper. My biggest hope and desire with what I write here is that people will read and be inspired, or led, to thoughts that they can in turn share with me and others. I firmly stand by the idea that Creativity begets creativity, and we can all use some of that in our lives.

-Working at Pizza Hut is both a blessing and a curse. I feel like the work I do is so menial and inappropriate for capitalizing on my strengths, but at the same time, I make good money for a part-time college gig, and I have a lot of time to be creative and think up random things to do at work to make it more fun and also continue to think up new ideas for my outside life. Creativity is my new favorite theme in my life right now, so much so that I am really looking hard into what I want my career forays to be in. You would think that at 27 I would have this figured out by now, and I thought I had, but now I don't know.

-If I had a word of the day calendar, the big ones this week/month would be balderdash, haberdashery, shenanigans and tomfoolery, kibosh, hijinks, and there was one more that I heard today that I can't remember. Foo. Oh well. Until next time I guess.

So anyone who knows or talks to me on a semi recent basis knows that I chose to live in St George this summer and try and knock out some school so that I can get it done more quickly. While in the beginning, I thought this was a great idea, it has turned out to be much more difficult than I imagined, but, as I see now, much more necessary. Which has led me to blog more than I ever have before, which I actually think is huge. My love of writing has never betrayed me, but I certainly have not shown it the time or attention that it deserves, so maybe this "Summer Of One" will have some benefit to it. As always, I'm just posting thoughts, sorry, but until I start taking a class on how to blog more effectively, it is what it is.


My iPod must be possessed, lately it has been playing a few songs that just make me want to go someplace big and energetic, like Vegas, so I think I might start a Vegas mix here tonight. Not that I really want to go, because Vegas is really overpriced and kind of less fun now that I am older and have to pay for everything myself, but I just like the idea of having that go-to mix for a good night. Yes I am a music geek. Feel free to judge me all you like.

I think that right now I would love to write for a show like Entourage, one where I could put together these semi-ridiculous ideas that only super rich and powerful people can really get done. Not that I don't believe that they might happen, but I just have the feeling that they wouldn't be as satisfying as I might hope they are. On-screen everything looks better anyways.

I have to chime in on the Jazz today. I think Memo, Booz, and Korver opting-in will be fine. I love Millsap as much as anyone else, so I hope he stays, but if we lose him, it's not the end of the world. Having $27 million dollars in expiring contracts leaves the Jazz a lot of flexibility at the trade deadline for next season, and the offseason that EVERYONE is preparing for, 2010. Plus, we still get the chance to see how the team might do healthy, and if they struggle, or we need an extra piece later in the season, we have the flexibility to do so. I think having open options is a nice thing to have right now. If you wanted to connect this to our current situation with the economy, you could say having options is good for everyone because there are more opportunities to achieve your goals. So far, despite being kind of melodramatic, the off-season for the Jazz has been effective I think. Not really a whole lot out there really makes us a better team unless it is through some trades.

I'm feeling much older these days. 26 is still young, technically, but I've definitely been bitten by the "environment" bug that is Utah. I know I've taken a random winding path in my life, but it has been the right one for me to get to where I need to be, and to learn the lessons that I need to, so it can be hard for me to hate it. Yet, I get the feeling that my young days of play are ending. I notice a lot of things ending that used to be a big deal to me, a lot of transition with those around me, and a lot changes within as well. I think the thing that scares me the most I guess is facing all this without my closest friends there with me from day to day. I never realized how much I relied on them for pretty much anything, and now that I am kind of on my own in almost every respect, the world seems much bigger and more lonely, and harder to conquer. I guess I just assumed that there were great friends like mine all over, but that might have been a great exaggeration.

I need help learning more about computers. Maybe taking a class would be a good idea, but I just feel less than prepared than I should be.

I'm on a hunt for good things to read. If you have any, just comment below this post. I love reading and I will give just about anything a chance.

The Roundup

It's about time that I posted something new here, and since I've decided writing exclusively about sports is probably a waste of time when I have lots of ideas to write about in general, I'm just going to free flow this bad boy for a bit. Starting with a list;


Things I Don't Get:
-Why everyone thinks the Jazz had a bad draft. My poor friends have lost YEARS of their lives because A, Brevin Knight can't hit a jumper, which I can't do either Brevin, so no hard feelings, and because Jason Hart wasn't exactly the right fit, to be polite. Please, Let Dylan MacLeod live to see 40. Just accept it. The only other player who could have made a real difference in this draft was Blake Griffin, or maybe Stephen Curry.
-Why girls take so many pictures of their shoes. Really? You love feet that much?
-School. I just suck at it. Period.
-Why more pop stars don't try to fake their deaths. This may be totally inappropriate, but Michael Jackson is cleaning up in sales right now. Maybe it's my cold heart, I don't know.
-Why people in Asia are following my twitter...
-What happened to RocknRolla. Was I the only one who saw this movie? Was it not great? Did someone slip a happy pill in my coke before the show and I just dreamt it all? Go rent it right now, please, I need the sequel.
-Girls. I'm sorry, I just don't see it ever happening.
-Why country music just feels so good. Even Hootie had to switch. I love you Darius Rucker....


I've started a new job recently. I deliver pizzas for Pizza Hut. It's really fulfilling. Kids on the street love me, I'm known worldwide as "The Pizza Guy" or "Pizza Dude" and I feel like Fall Out Boy at a rock concert whenever I show up to a party, because honestly, when you're drunk and hungry, who doesn't love to see some pizza? Alas, that does not always leave me fully satisfied as having really pushed my limits, and having GPS on my phone has taken the fun out of the game I used to play called, Find The Street. SO, in order to combat the impending boredom and soon to be hatred of doing dishes when there are no deliveries, I've invented some World's Strongest Pizza Guy style events that I try to compete daily in so that I stay motivated. They are....

-Garbage Bag underhand carry and toss: Carry as many full trash bags as possible to the dumpster in as short a time as possible, then proceed to toss them OVER the fence and land them in the LEFT dumpster from a distance of fifteen feet. Bonus points if you can throw a box and a bag, points deducted for dropping anything else in your hand or for being French. Unless it was that really hot blonde girl who sat next to me on my way to Ukraine. She wins at everything.

-Hand Toss Carry: Stack as many COMPLETELY PREPPED pans of hand tossed pizza dough on top of one another, and carry them from prep table to the freezer, where they are stored overnight. Included in this challenge is the task of opening the door while NOT setting down the pans, and placing all pans DIRECTLY on the racks in the freezer. Two divisions, medium and large. My record is thirteen for each, seeing as how that is the number that will fit on the rack. I'm still working on a technique that will slide a larger stack onto the racks.

-Sink Lift- How long can you hold a sink up while someone else cleans underneath it? If you saw my dishwashing station, this would make much more sense, I promise.

-Salad Cart Push (cancelled): Designed to see how fast you can push the salad cart from the freezer to the salad bar station with all loose condiments remaining on the cart. Cancelled after I almost killed a retired couple and covered a five year old in ranch dressing. Okay, not really, but I don't really want to try it when customers are present and get fired. I need my job. Really. Stop Laughing. IT'S A TOUGH ECONOMY!!!




I'm trying to become more addicted to twitter, not because I really want people to see what I am doing, I could care less, but I like using it as kind of a notepad. I tried this on my mission to Ukraine about a million times, but pens, pads of paper and trying to get all that out while doing a plethora of other things, along with not sitting on my notepad and just beating it to death in my pockets is pretty cumbersome, so I'm seriously hoping this twitter thing pays off for me. As if I didn't text enough already.

I think I could probably write more here, but this is a good start for me. I really could go off for about an hour on more sports topics, but I think better to leave that for another day.

I haven’t written here in forever, which is my own fault, but with football season being done, I lost a significant amount of motivation, so I’ve decided to just switch this to a regular blog that most likely will be dominated by sports posts. If you don’t like it, I apologize, but I have little more of noteworthiness or good report than what I glean from the world of sports.

-The jazz frustrate me to no end. Basically what it comes down to are the same things that frustrate me about life and myself, and to an extent, other people. They play with little or no heart from time to time, lack consistency, and often times, effort altogether. Anyone who has talked to me lately knows that my biggest kick right now is doing things in my life that I feel passionate about. Sadly, because of the wealth of information and material, my love for reading usually leads me to spend hours at a time on the computer, and my need or desire to bounce ideas off of other people and to generate conversation means my facebook account is almost always logged on, which is not the absolute worst thing, because I gain knowledge and love to read. I can’t say that I blame people who have no dreams, or have outlying reasons for not pursuing them, but I can blame the Jazz for lacking heart or desire. If basketball is such a big chore for you, how about you give back the $12,000,000 that you made this year and go bust hump looking for a job at your local fast food restaurant, because to the rest of the world, this is all we can do. If you have a special talent, it is your responsibility to use it to the best of your ability. I think we’re all guilty at some point, but that should set us on a proper course to correct. I don’t see that happening with the Jazz. Win or lose, they lost heart, which is something I just can not stand.

-I think its wrong, but spring to me means that football is just around the corner. Yes, I know baseball is typically a spring sport, but in all honesty, I enjoy it more in the summer when there is little else to talk about more than in the spring.

-My matchup of the spring, like so many others in the glorious state of Utah, is Corbin Louks v. Terrance Cain. I haven’t been able to see much, but just from what I personally believe and have read, I think that Louks will get the nod. He has a little more experience in the current system, and familiarity can mean a lot to any athlete. Clearly both sound very capable.

-I’d love the chance to build my own team from scratch in any sport. With salary cap setups its not like you can just put together a team of nothing but pro bowl or all star caliber players, in anything but baseball, but it would be interesting to see how successful they would be on the field, and not just in fantasy style leagues. Would your schemes work? How about the chemistry? Could you really survive with mostly team players and contributors? These are all questions I’d love to see answered for my own picks.

-I’m a Padres fan, end of story. I have respect for the Twins and the Angels, mostly because I grew up watching their minor league players, but I’ve seen more Angels games than any team but the Padres, and I like the workmanlike style of the Twins, but I have to say, few things in this world beat eating a Dodger Dog while hanging out at the toilet bowl. One of those things, however, is any game at Petco Park ;)

Throwback

This is a piece that I wrote when I had just gotten home from my mission about Utah Football and the state that it was in. Kind of interesting to see what has transpired since that time, and also interesting how much of this is still true.

A True Utah Man

The Utes lost last night.

Welcome to Utah Football.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is Utah Football. Not losing, mind you. The Utes are definitely going to be title contenders every year in the Mountain West Conference, and no doubt will win many championships in the years to come, but let’s be realistic. Urban Meyer did a great job of hyping a program that 2 years ago underachieved so badly that even the New York Yankees would have been jealous. I enjoyed riding Renewal as much as the next guy, but Man Down South has moved on to sandy beaches and mai tais and power football programs. Urban Meyer is not Utah Football. Utah Football is what it is because 45,000 people paid $35 a ticket so that he could get a paycheck every month, and while he did a lot to build the program, the heart of it is in the fans. Kyle Wittingham is a great coach, one who is fully capable of duplicating the success that Meyer enjoyed in his two years here, but it will take time. He has a sophomore quarterback, who last year spent more time signaling plays than calling them in the huddle. Besides, Remember last year in the third or fourth quarter when we would put the second team in and every team made a charge against us and the starters had to come back in? Well, guess what? Those guys are now the starters. Perhaps we are still riding the wave of love that the “Biggest Show on Turf” (aka Urban Meyer) brought last year. We should only be so grateful that the Football Gods smiled on Utah Fans long enough to give us some sort of a comeback to all those stupid BYU fans who always say “We won a National Championship in 1984.” Straight up, I am proud to say that I am a Utah Man. When I hear the fight song, no matter where I am, I want to stand up and start to clap my hands. I don’t really know what we expect, considering that the student sections knows two lines to the fight song, and we have a real struggle just trying to keep our clapping in rhythm. My point is this, if you jumped on to the Utah bandwagon last year, don’t jump off just yet. Will Utah ever become a Michigan or Notre Dame or Texas? I surely hope not, because I love it when stupid talking heads like Trev Alberts (by the way, I hope the unemployment checks are giving you enough respect, Trevie) and the BCS disrespect us and we end up forcing them to give us what we deserve and reward them by filling the Fiesta Bowl with Red and dominating what really was a pathetic Pitt team. This isn’t a rant about Utah Football, or calling for Andy Ludwig’s head, this is a call to arms for every person who has a red sweater in their closet, for every person who prayed for Chris Yergensen to make that field goal, for every fan who cried when Ryan Kaneshiro missed wide right, and for every Runnin’ Ute who laughed for three years straight as Ron McBride beat the Team Down South 34-31, 34-31, 34-17. Next week when Air Force flies into town, I hope that the stands will be full and rocking, that as soon as Brian Johnson leads the team out of that goofy little tent, his heart will skip a beat because he will feel it. Utah Football needs the Fans. The defense needs the MUSS on third and long, Quinton Ganther needs that extra burst of screaming from the north stands, and we need to show these Utes that we haven’t given up on them, and we never will. Don’t give up on these Utes, they still have a lot to show us, and I think now they have something to prove not only to themselves, but everyone else as well, and that may be the best thing of all.

Its Time!!!

If the juices aren't pumping, throw some AC/DC on the iPod, pop in some highlights, and get yourself in the mood. I'm dropping my season in review blog right now. I like making points, so this will be all in bullet form. Forgive the lack of classic organization, but I have way too much in my brain to do this in any other format....

- Things are getting tight in the rankings right now. Texas, Bama, and Joe Pa U all still remain unbeaten, with the Nittany Lions easily owning the easiest of the three remaining schedules. I'm going to straight up call them overrated. Barely beat an Ohio State team that is not the powerhouse they have been in the past, haven't beaten a team of consequence in their own conference, and look vulnerable to me. To put it this way, they are in the exact same spot that Utah is in, but seven places higher. You can't tell me that they would still be unbeaten in the SEC or Big 12. Hopefully they lose one of the next three, otherwise we'll end up with a mismatch in the title game.

- Texas or Alabama have to be the two teams to beat. Bama has their thorough beatdown of Georgia as evidence to go along with having to play in the SEC, which is probably one of the top conferences in the country. Texas has to run the gamut in their remaining games, which include a tough Texas Tech team, and possibly a rematch with a slightly embarassed Missouri team. My money is on both teams losing one before its all over. Its simply too hard in either the SEC or Big 12 to go undefeated. Bama has looked terrific at times, and inexperienced at others, and if it weren't for the presence of Nasty Nick Saban, I'd count them out alltogether, but Saban has this team playing with confidence and toughness, and the offensive line has been dominant at times this season, which is almost always a good indicator of how things will fall out. Texas has a tough, tough schedule, and was proven by their last three week stretch. Oklahoma State definitely showed that they aren't invincible, but you better have your A game when you come to play the Baby-Faced Assasin, Colt McCoy. Anyone who still has an 80% completion rate this late in the season is legit, regardless of how good his receivers may be. Tough to call

-OK State is for real!!! I told everyone they had the offense, but lately even the defense is for real. I've never seen a defense that creates turnovers at critical points the way theirs does, at least not outside of Snow College, ha ha. Probably will lose at least one more game, but with the possible return or Dez Bryant, and Zac Robinson, look for them to continue to succeed. Oh, and I hear they have some pretty good tackles as well...

-The old addage that defense wins championships is old for a reason. Its withstood the test of time. Texas Tech may blaze across the turf offensively, but they still have to face some talented offenses. I think the Red Raiders may lose at Texas, and possibly Stillwater, but stranger things have happened. No one expected Ok State to be where they are now, but I still think that Texas Tech just simply does not have the horses to maintain their top ten position.

-If I had to select some matchups to see in BCS bowls, hmmm, that would be tough, but my list would probably look like this...

Rose- USC v. Penn State: As unlikely as it is that Penn State will lose, I want it to happen because, as I explained above, I just don't think they deserve it.

Fiesta- Utah v. Oklahoma State: I just want to see it happen. I have zero evidence or information to support it.

Orange- Oklahoma v. Florida: I think its on in this one. Two great coaches, quarterbacks, and traditional powerhouses.

Sugar- Boise St v. Georgia: Obviously, the chances of this happening are zero, but for this game happens based solely on my need for a real playoff.

Championship- Texas v. Alabama: Hook 'em Horns; Roll Tide. Does it get any better???

Remember, these are just the games I'd like to see. Obviously the chances of it happening are zero.

Big College Football Weekend

I just had a few thoughts about the world that I live in right now, which has been completely engulfed by football, and a little bit of Baseball. Fall is just perfect for football. Its getting colder, everyone is in hunter gatherer mode, and we all need a release and a way to just blow off steam, and while the pool is too cold, the stadium is just right. Its a great time of year, I get juiced to the point that I start to shake because I love it so much. Anyways, I had some points I wanted to make.

People are still jabbering about how the Utes offense has been inconsistent. Understandably so, its important to be firing on all cylinders, but as any idiot can figure out, the key to winning championships is to peak at the right time. So, while they haven't been perfect, I will accept being UNDEFEATED, and the fact that defense and special teams are capable enough to make plays for us even when the offense can't. Would you prefer we play mistake-free, well executed football against wyoming now and risk playing poorly against TDS, or would you rather have a team that clearly has the components to make plays no matter what the problem? Uh huh, me too.

Oklahoma State is for real. Offensively, I knew they were good, but lately their defense has turned up some critical turnovers when needed. They did it against A&M and then again against Missou, which is what really surprised me. I knew they were good offensively when I saw them play against Troy, but if the defense keeps making plays like they have, watch out. Bedlam could be off the planet. Biggest concern is how they will handle the high ranking. We'll see how good the "MAN", Coach Gundy, really is...

Oklahoma fan is going ballistic right now about "Big Game" Bob Stoopes not getting the job done against Texas, and the last two years in the Fiesta Bowl. Ridiculous fiction in my eyes. The man turned around what had been a lackluster program and took them to the pinnacle of college football in 2000. I think he has been hit by a stigma that is VERRRRY common in the media today, where as soon as someone or some team establishes itself, immediately hundreds of media members hop on the bandwagon without really looking into the deeper issues surrounding the team. Most just read the scores or watch the highlights and don't really analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a team, or the opposition it had faced. And, to be honest, sometimes in football things just don't go your way. Fact of life. I see the same thing happening with the Cowboys. They won a few games and people were "crowning they asses" as the proverbial super bowl front runner. Now, apparently the wheels have come off and they'll be lucky to make the playoffs? What? Are you serious? There is clearly a lot of offensive firepower in big D, so before we predict the iceberg, let's just wait and see how they respond. The trade for Roy Williams could inject the necessary new life they need.

A Quick Update

So I'm on the ground here in Oklahoma. Other than the three hour layover in Dallas, I'm having a blast so far. Biggest difference I've noticed since getting here is how much people love their football here. I wish that Utah could catch a little bit of that disease. Back home, its where did you serve, or where did you go to high school, or all sorts of dumb little questions like that. Here, cut and dried. You OU or you STATE? My dad is already getting into it with the OU fans. Keeps grumbling, watch out for those horned frogs, every time he sees an Oklahoma shirt. Obviously I will be adding more after my game experience tomorrow, so look forward to that, but for now I just wanted to give a quick update. I won't make a prediction on the Utah game, other than to say they better be ready to play. As Oregon State just proved on Thursday, anything can happen between the sidelines. Go Pokes tomorrow, and Go UTES!!! I'm out.

A few thoughts on my day off

So I didn't really stick as tightly to my plan as I thought, but I'm still getting a blog in this week!!! Thats a big step for me. Being on time may just be around the corner, but I'm not getting my hopes up. By the way, I'm wearing my Michigan Big House shirt right now, not because I'm suddenly a Michigan fan, but come on. Maize and Blue looks good on everyone. And I really like this shirt. Anyway, on to my observations.

-I only watched the second half of the game, but Utah looked lost, out of sync, and like they had their hands full with the Michigan Defense. I'm not sure how this has gotten overlooked, but that was a pretty nasty defense. I think the reason they held the Utes in the second half was, A, they may have been overlooking how fast and talented the skill guys on that team are, and B, they simply weren't used to the speed of Utah's offense. All season long they've been practicing against what we now see was a mediocre Michigan offense. Give them some time, I think they'll cause some serious damage, yes, even in the glorious big eleven.
-Utah is really, really, REALLY fast in the defensive backfield. Just look at how quick they cut off Michigan's attempts to get to the corner, using mostly linebackers. My goodness.
-Matt Asiata is as legit as I thought he was. I remember watching him at snow and thinking that his acceleration from his drop to the line of scrimmage was incredible. There were a few passes that he should have reeled in, but if he can stay healthy, I think he has a great chance of becoming a part of the great backs we've had in the past.
-Michigan is going to be better than people think.
-Utah has a long way to go before anyone needs to make reservations in Tempe.
-UNLV is playing very coy in the media right now, but I think they have to be wary of the fact that Utah is coming in with a lot of focus, which, if it leads to execution, could be deadly. I still haven't seen the killer step-on-their-throats mentality of the Urban era, except against Wyoming last year. This would be a good game to put together four quarters of rough 'em up football so that the team gets a feel for how hungry they really have to be.
-I haven't been this jacked to go to a Utah game since 2006 when Eric Weddle was at the U.
-B Johns needs to barrel over someone and not get hurt before he really can turn the corner and be the stud he was in 2005. He still runs hestitantly, not good for the new school hybrid option quarterback that Utah has embraced since Urbanization.
-My fantasy team has the look of a champion this year, I can feel it.

Since no one is reading this, I'm going to throw a quick political jab in here. John McCain is not one of my favorite choices to become the next president, but I did like one part of his speech last night. To paraphrase, he said if you want your country to be better, take responsibility and make it that way. It was almost said with an aire of chastisement as well. I think he makes a solid point about that. We cry about how miserable things are, but how many of us have actually done something about it? Granted, I think he has a responsibility to lead the way, and one way of doing so obviously would be to freaking figure out how many houses he owns, but also to not just say one thing while we all know he's not planning any real changes to those who are feeling the hurt the most. I'd love to hear someone say, ok, we're all stuck in this together, so we gotta help each other out. You rich people need to part with some of your overspending and make sacrifices just like everyone else. Poor people, quit being so dependent upon everyone else for your handouts, and lets give some more money to teachers, please. We do these things, most everything else will work itself out. Oh, and Exxon Mobile, ya'll are toast. Government was established to protect the people, so we're going to protect them for now, until we can figure something else out and help you all lose your jobs for being greedy. I doubt many people would disagree with me on this.

Lastly, the Snow College Badgers are back at it again, having recently thumped the Air Force Prep Huskies 56-17. If anyone deserves your attention this fall, its the Badgers. They continually do things the right way and achieve unbelievable success. September 13th is their first home game. I know I'll be there!!!

Bored At Work

For anyone who has called my phone in the last few months, you probably heard that I'm working at the car wash. (If you haven't heard my ringback, shame on you for not calling me; but not really:)) Today is an especially slow day because I woke up at sevenish to come to work, and right now I just really want to get to the gym, so the day can't go fast enough. Something about fall brings out the gym freak in me, and I'm pretty sure its the fact that football is in the air. This is the first fall minus two years in ukraine that I will not be involved in anything related to football since I was eight. The last two years in badgerville playing for snow were something I could never have predicted in a good way, so many good memories and good friends and things that I miss right now. If you haven't ever seen a Snow game, put it on your list of things to do with high priority. If you need a road trip buddy to go down, I'm always in. This year, I have the privilege of traveling to Stillwater, OK; Ephraim, UT; St George, UT; and hopefully either Las Vegas or Tempe to see football games this year. Next year, I plan on doubling that list if it becomes possible. Why? My own personal conviction is that Football is the best spectator sport in America, period, end of argument. If you haven't found your love for the game, I've come up with a top ten list so to speak, of things to do in order to become involved in football. Without further ado....


1. Pick a Team Carefully- A few years back, I decided to become a Bengals fan, mostly because they sucked and I didn't want to be let down anymore, after seeing the Titans fall nine inches short of winning the super bowl. In my hastiness, I neglected to weigh several critical measures. One, location, because you'll want to be able to watch your team often enough, and utah and cincy are nowhere near each other. Two, history. I love the san diego padres, and part of that reason is they have a lot of former players and success that I can look back on. Plus, dope old school unis. Three, fan following. Its one thing to go to the extreme like michigan, but if you are going to commit to a team, you better hope that their fan base is as devoted as you are...

2. One and Done- Once you pick a team, stick with it. This is the hardest part for me because I like seeing success, and right now most of my teams seem to enjoy the bottom half of their divisions more than the top. Plus, I get attached to players, so right now I like watching the Angels because I see Reggie Willits and Howie Kendrick, both former bees players. I like the Chargers because of Eric Weddle, and the Minnesota Twins because they remind me of the Jazz, small market, good guys, and dedicated fans. But when it boils down to it, I still love my bungles and my padres above all.

3. Game Experience- Few things can rival the experience of being in the crowd of the team that you are cheering for, either home or away. I can still vividly picture the scene of Rice Eccles stadium the day of a Utah-BYU the one time that I got field passes. The sounds, the smell, pregame tailgate, all of it combining with a literal energy of excitement that at times feels like you could reach out and grab it. At this point, the love of football will become contagious. Test me on this...
4. Buying Apparel- Now that you have the game experience under your belt, its time to really commit. Hats, Jerseys, Shirts, even Wristbands, are symbols of your commitment, kind of like wedding rings. Much of who you are and how people perceive you will come from what you are wearing. A quick recommendation, don't wear a jersey unless you are A, at a costume party, B, going to the game or watching it with a group of people, and C, are under the age of 14. Any other situations, no matter how convincing your drunken buddies may be, are completely restricted. No exceptions. I'm telling you, stick to this rule. Otherwise you'll end up being the dumb ass grown up with the glove that miffs the foul ball and everyone boos at. I'm not even joking. No. Not even that. Just stop thinking about it.

5. Join a Fantasy League- Personal philosophy, competition makes everything sweeter. Also, every game takes on new meaning because one way or another, your team will be involved in the game. Its a whole new level of football.

6.The Dover Effect, or I I-80ed in my pants???- I would never ever encourage anyone to do anything that they feel compromises their morals, but for those of you like me, whose morals somehow get lost at the Utah-Nevada state line, betting on games can really increase the thrill. Football is an emotional, adrenaline-driven game. What better way to get yourself emotionally involved than to lay a few benjamins down and pray that they find their way home?

7. Kick it Old School- Nothing will teach you the basics of football like a little league or high school game. Its Utah, so there's no way you can use the excuse of not knowing anyone who plays either little league or high school. Besides, if you're like me, you don't have shit else to do on a friday so why not?

8. Turkey Bowl- Football is a terrific spectator sport, if not the best of all time, but most people who watch football at one point in time acutally played the game. For those of you who missed out on your high school glory years, fear not. A yearly ritual requires little more than a fiery attitude, a cheap pair of cleats and some good non-tear sweats. That's right, Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowls are far and wide across the country Thanksgiving morning, and there is no better way to show your thanks for our freedom than using it to put someone on the turf. Whats even more fun is watching as all the has beens pull hamstrings, tear crucial ligaments, and bloody their faces, all in the name of thanksgiving glory. If that doesn't whet your appetite, I ask you to please punch yourself in the stomach, because you deserve it.


So I said it was a top ten of sorts, but I lied, there are only eight reasons here, but just the same, each one is worth like ten in and of itself, so you can't really complain. Besides, its a free blog and if you disagree most likely you'll either tell me, or just stop reading, but either way, my hope with this little piece of electronic parchment is that more people will come to understand my obsession, and yes, it is an obsession, with football. I know not everyone will love it the way that I do, just like I don't understand dance or baseball with the passion of a former dancer or baseball player, but even the non athlete can enjoy and love the game of football, and that right there might be the best reason of all.