6 1/2 days

So when I left Lubbock last week for Dallas, I forgot my cell phone charger. I went to Best Buy to get a new one, but couldn't find the one for my phone... so I waited for my sister to bring me mine when she came into town. She arrived 6 1/2 days after I left town... and the phone was still working.

I think this is incredible. 6 1/2 days with no charge! Of course, since I completely drained the battery, it's no longer holding a charge of more than a few minutes, kinda screwing me up. And I'm about to check the Dallas metroplex for replacement batteries. Still, I think it was pretty sweet.

Tumbleweeds

So I drove home to Dallas today. Pretty uneventful trip, then got caught in the Dallas traffic, in a light drizzle. Super fun.

What did make the trip a little more eventful than usual was the tremendous amount of tumbleweed blowing across the road. Dodging tumbleweed can be difficult - especially if there's a significant amount of oncoming traffic. All told I'd say I dodged 20-30 pieces, but hit 2.

I think it's hilarious that there's actually that much tumbleweed. I don't think I'd ever seen tumbleweed in my life before moving to Lubbock.

Limits of power

If you're looking for a way to kill an hour, here's a very good, yet somewhat depressing way to do so. My brother Jeff sent me this video, which instantly sucked me in. But I think it's important, so I'm posting it, despite my resolve to try and be more upbeat a few weeks ago. Enjoy!

Part 1
Part 2

He brings up some interesting points about modern America...

The Adventurists

So I'm a fan of The Adventurists, a bunch of crazy Brits of the best fashion. Someday I'd love to have the abandon to do something like this. If I finish law school and the economy still stinks, that chance may come sooner than later... Of course, I also have this idea of canoeing/kayaking/rafting from Yellowstone to New Orleans... so we'll see which happens first.

Turnin' 30

So to celebrate my 30th birthday, I decided to go on a little road trip - to Roswell, N.M. - and see if I could find any aliens, and just to see what there is to see in Roswell.

The journey to Roswell
The trip to Roswell was pretty smooth, other than gale force winds blowing me around. This part of the country (including Lubbock) was once known as the Llano Estacado, or The Staked Plains, for the long blades of grass that grow naturally. This is what we fought the Comanche and the Kiowa for control over (that, and the fact that they wouldn't stop raiding our settlements). So I thought seeing this country was interesting - and bleak.

There was also the Goodnight-Loving Trail. I took a picture, and let you ponder why I thought 'Goodnight-loving' deserved a picture.

Roswell
When you think Roswell, you're probably like me: Good dairy.
Roswell itself was somewhat disappointing. I was hoping for way more alien stuff in the town - but really, that was just a few buildings scattered around downtown. I was expecting it to be bigger. It made Lubbock look like a huge metropolis. I actually drove around most of the town - hopefully I was missing something - like nice neighborhoods - on the outskirts.

Aliens
In truth, I wasn't sure what to expect when I got to Roswell, and wasn't sure how to go about 'seeing the sights.' Luckily, there was the UFO museum right on main street.

All the other stores looked pretty hokey dokey, so I thought I'd check this one out. Inside was a whole ton of stuff about the Roswell conspiracy in 1947, and basically continuing until the present day. I really didn't find anything convincing in the slightest, but there was a wack-job inside, also touring, who I could tell was a serious believer, so I kept my mouth shut. Of the museum my favorite two things were these:















So it's been a good birthday. I'm a little wary about 30 - that's all I have to say about that. Here's a pic of me turning 30.

Changes

So I decided to make some changes to the ol' blog. It's kinda a work in progress, so let me know what you think. Cleaner? Easier to read? Don't like it? Hate the colors? Want the old blog back?

More changes/upgrades to come over the next few days when I get around to them.

'Service'

When I was in high school, I hated the idea of being required to do 'service' for some of the clubs I was in. Hated it. The reason I hated it is because some activities counted for service, and others did not - who were these teacher's to judge if my service is adequate? Plus, there were hour requirements - who's to say that your 50 hours of service are more meaningful than my 30 minutes?

So it was refreshing to read this article, and have my basic thoughts on it well articulated by someone else.

Early Sunday Morning

If you want to remain my friend, don't text or call me early on Sunday mornings. Definitely not before 9, probably not before 10, and if you want to be safe, wait for 11. Central Time.

If you want to text me at 8 AM, when I'm sick, during finals, on a Sunday, for absolutely no reason, you are guaranteed to piss me off.

What are some acceptable reasons one might call/text Ryan early on a Sunday morning, without prior warning, you ask? Well, there are 2 reasons. Only 2.

1) You are going to give me something good. Information, food, kisses, etc.
2) You, or someone dear to you, are dying.

Christmas Party

So we had a Christmas party tonight with the branch - dinner, conversation, then many stayed and watched Elf. I came home and uploaded this sweet pic. Despite clear instructions to dress up, very few did... but I got many laughs, threw out many winks, rubbed the mustache a little bit in a creepy fashion, and asked some girls if they mind "going through the forest to get to the picnic." It was great!

Sick during finals

So I've been as sick as I've been in years for the past week. The last time I can remember feeling this crappy was when I had bronchitis in 2004 (and kept playing soccer anyway - Intramural Champs!). Studying for finals while this sick has not been fun. Two down, 1 to go.

One of the consequences of being this sick is simply how tough its been to breath. Most of the time you don't think too much about it, but when you wake up every 1 1/2 hours, every night for a week, gasping, it ain't much fun. I'm on antibiotics now, and feel like I'm getting better - but my voice is still shot. Hopefully another day or two and I'll be fine. Being sick during finals sucks - I've done the best I could with a poor attention span.

On another happy note: I'm turning 30 a week from today (next Saturday, the 13th). I'll be the first to admit that turning 30 and being single wasn't how I saw myself 10 years ago. The ride's been fun, and I don't regret any of it - but 'man was not meant to be alone.' Sometimes, say when you wake up at 4 AM gasping, and super hungry, it'd be nice to have someone eat cereal next to you.

And frankly my dating situation here in Lubbock is frustrating - I certainly don't think that's a news flash to anyone. There are few date-able girls here (sorry if that's crazy talk to anyone reading this), and just because they may be date-able does not mean there's interest from me or vice versa. And I have neither money nor time to consistently date beyond Lubbock. And I'll be 31 when I leave Lubbock, which means no more single's wards. So dating is awesome.

So what am I going to do? I have no clue. But I do know that celebrating my birthday in the Texas Tech Law Library is not an option. After all, the ride's been fun so far, and I'm going to make sure it stays fun all the way.

Stories

So I was reflecting upon a question a friend asked some time ago, "Do you like to read?" Pretty standard question, and of course the answer was "Yes, though I find it difficult to do with law school, because after reading all day long the last thing I usually want to do is come home and read more."

But I'm going to try and find more time for it. I think I can find 20 or 30 minutes a few times a week to not watch TV and simply relax with a good book.

Even more than simply reading, I just love good stories. Movies, books, songs, word-of-mouth, even video games. The medium doesn't really matter. The tone can be sappy or technical, the story straightforward or convoluted. As long as its good and I don't finish feeling like I just wasted my time - though sometimes that wasted time itself makes for a good story...

Hulu

Did everyone but me realize that Hulu.com offers movies? I realized this today, and I think it's great. They don't offer the newest movies, but some of them aren't too old, and oh yes, they're free. Kinda. You have to watch advertisements. But not many, especially compared to normal television. Redbox is cheap, but free is even cheaper.

So I've been thinking that if I were to buy a new desktop computer anytime soon (read: after law school), I'd want one with a high power video card, capable of outputting a hi-def signal to my TV, so I can find movies like these on the internet for free (or TV shows) and watch them on my TV.

Fun in Lubbock

My week was a roller coaster ride. Some good, some bad. In keeping with my new attempts at optimism, here are the good things:

1) I finished my paper. 28 pages on Government sponsored incentives for renewable energy, or efficient energy products.

2) This morning before church I went on a walk-about at the Lubbock Lake Landmark. It was a little noisier than I had hoped, but it was nice to get out and go for a walk. For those of you curious, I came across some tumbleweed - it really does exist.

3) My nephew (with my sister & brother-in-law) came over for a bit tonight. I don't have a lot of toys for a 2 1/2 year old. He played with my bean bag chair, my ab-roller, a headlamp, and then I gave him my harmonica, which he loved!
Here some pictures of him. Ladies, marry me and you could get one of these for your very own!


Yes, I did clean the slobber out of the harmonica when he was done. Yes, there was a lot.

Funny stuff

So I'm almost done with this monster paper I've been spending my time on, listening to Maggie Walters, but I came across some funny stuff today and wanted to share. Specifically, I got thinking about how awhile ago there was this website where you could see how you would fare against a bunch of 5 year olds. (31).

Well, I looked up the webdesigner, and it turns out he's done a bunch of really cool graphics for stuff, some of which I felt like sharing...

How to turn your car into an unstoppable murder machine - in 8 easy steps!
Reasons to grow a Giant Beard
How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you.
The History of How to Impress a Girl

Why so pessimistic?

So I was reflecting upon my life, and subsequently my blog, and I feel like I've been in a pessimistic rut. And that needs to change. First of all, we all know that the world is changing at a crazy pace right now, and there's lots of bad stuff going on, and there's going to be some hard times ahead. So its easy and perhaps weak that I've been focusing on that stuff. And B) Life is good.

(side note - I really think that's why Obama won the election: because everyone knows its bad, but he presented Hope and Change, two things we all want. I hope he brings those qualities back to not only the White House, but America.)

Anyway, so now I'm trying to be more optimistic, and I thought I'd point out some good things that have been going on in my life.

• Saw Quantum of Solice, the new Bond flick. Best movie I've seen in months.
• My friend Jennifer Jackson, whom I met at Law School, was baptized
• I'm the Gospel Principles teacher, and I love it
• I got the new Gears of War video game, and it's awesome
• I'm almost done with my papers for the semester
• I really like the TV show Burn Notice (you can find it on Hulu)
• I think Maggie Walters' music is incredible. She's kinda along the same lines as Ingrid Michaelson.
• It's finally getting cold in Lubbock, and I love the biting cold in my lungs in the morning. It makes me happy.
  

Following the Prophets

So there's been all sorts of crazy reactions in California to the Prop. 8 vote, which passed, thereby defining marriage to be between a woman and a man only, i.e., no homosexual marriages. People, who claim to want tolerance, are rioting & complaining because they lost the election. My buddy Tyler wrote an excellent post on his blog about Prop. 8.

But what I want to point out is this: That those Latter-day Saints (Mormons) who disagree with Prop. 8 need to get their head checked. Or maybe their faith checked. Because they are directly disagreeing with the church's stance on what marriage is.

Here some quick points...

1. The Prophets have declared marriage between Man & Woman essential to God's plan.
2. The Church pressed for the passage of Prop. 8.
3. Members of the Church, prior to being able to enter temples, are asked the question "Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?" Guess what? Gay marriage is against church teachings. If you are LDS and think it should be otherwise, go tell your bishop you disagree with church policy and give him your temple recommend.
4. As was pointed out to me earlier today, this has all been discussed before. Elder Maxwell, in 1978, gave this devotional at BYU. Read & Re-read Paragraphs 3-6

Now, some people might call me a bigot or whatnot after this. That's actually not true at all. I don't really see any problem with equality regardless of sexuality, but I propose that it can be done in a common law fashion, just as if a hetero-sexual couple doesn't marry, yet can qualify for marital benefits.

Regardless of that, this post was pretty much just directed to those LDS who think they can respectfully disagree on this topic. So sorry, you can't.

Everyone deserves $$$

This article asks, where do we stop with bailouts? My answer: we shouldn't! Everyone deserves for the government to pay for their failing businesses. Isn't that what the pursuit of happiness is all about? I mean, just because your business sucks and people don't want to buy your product, that isn't your fault. It's probably Bush's fault, I mean, if we want to be honest about it.

For example: The automobile industry. Just because they continue to build automobiles that run off hyper-compressed ancient vegetation (fossil fuels) that get the same mile-per-gallon as cars built 20 years ago, and don't even provide factory radios with an mp3 audio jacks, we should keep buying lots of cars. And it's Bush's fault we're not.

Luckily, Obama, savior of American values, is here. If I had my way, the Federal Government would provide money to all the failing Circuit City's, Starbucks, automobile companies, mortgage companies, people who made poor decisions on their mortgages in the first place, Wall Street financial companies, Old People, Israel & Palestine, and Africa (just because they're poor). Oh, and art majors that make $20k a year. Because they're poor too. It's not their fault that artists get paid squat. It's Bush's fault.

*You probably shouldn't take anything written here seriously. It's meant to be sarcastic.

Treated like crap

So every once in awhile, we all get treated like crap. Most of the time we just take it on the chin, we roll with it. After all, we don't want to be the one treating someone else like crap.

Well, last night someone said something to me that kinda bothered me, but then this morning I woke up pissed off that someone had said that to me. I'm all for being nice and easy to get along with, but frankly, I think too often I just get pushed around by people that have absolutely no business pushing.

The new plan: Take it on the chin once. 1 time. 2nd time, ask them to adjust their tone, and make sure they understand I don't appreciate being spoken to that way. 3rd time, inform them of what a frickin' retard they are, how their mom is a frickin' retard for raising them that way, and tell them they probably shouldn't treat people that way. A 4th time would be bad.

To DC & back

I flew out to Washington D.C. yesterday for an interview. I loved it - the cool weather, the fact that the firm is right next to the Patent Office, seeing the Jefferson & Washington monuments as we taxied to the terminal. I saw the other Washington monument as well. What other one?!?

It turns out the Masons built a monument/temple in Alexandria VA, right across from where this firm's office is, and dedicated it to George Washington. So I looked at the thing all day long.
Anyway, so after my interview I took the metro clear across town and met up with Ken & Jim. We ate some good food, shared many laughs, and caught up.

Then I caught a flight back to Lubbock this morning. 2 Red-Eye's in 2 days isn't good for the body. I'm exhausted. But it was super fun - D.C. would be an incredible place to live.

Get Fuzzy

My friend Jenn sent this to me the other day...
Link to the Original.