After 5 years of bliss-ish years of marriage (I kid, I kid–they’ve been great), Marina and I are expecting our first little man/womanchild!  I’m struggling to find something good to say, other than that we’re both terribly excited, and occaisonally, scared to death.  I had visions of making silly movie trailer posters saying “Coming Soon…” to announce this, but eventually my creative steam dissipated…so this is all you get!

Ok, now for the deets (that’s what kids say these days, right?…or am I already on the cheesy, Modern Family-esque Dad route).  Marina is about 12 weeks along, and the baby is due around October 27!  Part of me thinks it would be awesome to have a Halloween baby…but then I would also take Election Day or All Saints Day…or just October 27 would be fine!

We don’t know if it is a boy or girl yet–we’ll know about that towards the end of May/beginning of June.  If you ask us what we’re hoping to have, we’ll give you the line about either one is great–which is mostly true.  However, both my sisters are having girls this year, so I’m secretly hoping we’ll have a girl so they could be 3 girl cousins.  Granted, if my possible son reads this years down the road–don’t worry, we love you anyway!

Well, that’s about it!  If you have any good tips/tricks/advice/warnings/condolences, send them our way!

…since my last post.  And that’s OK, because I don’t really have anything to say right now.

I know I am!  My first car was a 1991 Honda Accord.  I loved it until I hydroplaned at 10mph, bumped into a Suzuki, and subsequently totaled it.  That was a sad, sad day.

Since then I have had 5 more Honda Accords, the latest having arrived last month.  I’m going to be completely pathetic now and post pictures of each model I’ve had.  Just think of me as the photo-obsessed parent of a baby posting pictures of their baby–except it is of cars, because I don’t have any babies.

My first was a 1991 Accord, as I said.  It was white, 5 speed, and way too much fun.  I even adapted the garage door opener to the high beams, so all I had to do was turn on my brights, and the the garage door would swing into action!  My 3rd car was a 1991 Accord as well, except it was brown like the one below.  I liked that one as well, but it just couldn’t replace the first.

My second car was a 1986 Accord.  That was an awesome car, mostly because it had flip up headlights.  If you turned them off and on fast enough, they would alternate, making it wink.   Fun times, I say.

My 4th car didn’t come for another 3 years.  I didn’t rightly need one on my mission or at BYU, but after my mission, I decided it was time.  When I went to buy it, I very nearly purchased a Honda S2000…but my Accord roots were too strong.  I bought a 1999 White Sedan, 5 Speed as usual.  It was my first car as a married person, and it served quite well.

In May 2008, we moved across the country, and decided to buy a new car–my 1999 Accord and Marina’s 1997 Civic just had had too much need for repair to keep.  We jumped a whole 5 years and got a 2004 Accord, with, let’s be honest, a kind of ridiculous spoiler.  I’m not going to show it here, for fear of random internet ridicule.

Now we’re up to the present.  Marina drives the 2004 Accord, and I have another new one!  We finally needed a way for us both to drive, so 1 car just wasn’t cutting it.  For many months, we toyed with the idea of getting a Nissan 350z.  We had test driven multiple, knew exactly what we wanted….so we bought another Accord.  This one is different, though.  It is a coupe–my first 2 door!  It is very rare, in that it is a 2006 V6 with a 6 speed manual (That’s a lot of sixes, no?).  For those that aren’t car people, that’s kind of a big deal–especially for a Honda Accord.  It’s quite speedy, and a joy to drive!

Now, that’s a lot of Accords.  Absurd?  Probably?  Loyal, definitely.  The first 3 I technically didn’t buy, as they were my parents in name, but they were my cars, as far as I was concerned (teenagers, amirite?)

Someday I’m sure I’ll inundate this with our first mini-Stanton, but that day is not today.

If the rest of the year is anything like the last 2.714285714285714 weeks, it is going to be a pretty wild ride.  Here’s some of the craziness in a nice and neat bullet style presentation:

• On January 5th, I went out for a typical spatula purchasing run, and nearly got clobbered by a drunk driver.  I had a small part in keeping things from getting out of hand on the scene before the police came, which was definitely an interesting experience.  As a result, I get to be a witness in a few lawsuits.
• I found a new job with the corporate headquarters of an east coast wireless retail company.  I’m very excited to start a new adventure and gain some new skills and experience.  Unfortunately, this means my work attire is no longer going to be pajamas.
• In order to get to my new job, Marina and I decided it was time for a second car.  We’ve had the Accord for almost 4 years, and it has been great; so, we got another one!  This one is different though; it is my ‘quarter-life-crisis’ car.  It is a 2 door coupe with a manual transmission–something I’ve really missed since I got rid of my first Accord in 2008.

There have been several other developments this month that aren’t quite internet appropriate, but suffice it to say this year is definitely going to keep me on my toes.  Here are some photos for each of the above for people that don’t like to read:

Howdy netizens!  I have had to spend the last week+ away from Marina, which generally makes me sad.  However, I was able to get some really fun times in!  Here’s some of the highlights!

My brother came down from Ohio to spend Christmas with me.  Seriously, made Christmas 1000x more enjoyable, for both of us I think.  We played lots of Forza 4, MW3, and GT5.  We ate lots of goodies, and I practiced somekiller pan-seared steak with my new cast iron Marina gave me for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we traveled to Wilmington and went to the Cape Fear Serpentarium.  I’ve posted about this before, but here are some new photos.  It was an amazing experience to watch Dean Ripa feed the bushmaster, King Cobra, and others (including a full grown Saltwater Croc!).

After my brother left, I started to play with my new toys–I got a new tripod (a seriously amazing Manfrotto 055XPROB) and then a new R/C helicopter.  Turns out flying the helicopter while trying to take the photos is quite difficult at night (or at all, really).  Here’s the result, though!

Tonight, I’ve been just sort of reading and I happened across a pretty interesting list of “Unwritten Rules of Life”.  Granted, they might be disqualifed because they’re ‘written’.  Let’s just say they’re typed and it counts:

•      We’re not here long enough to justify getting angry over trivial stuff.
•      If you aren’t thoroughly knowledgeable on a subject, don’t talk like you think you are.
•      Knock.
•      Just be nice to people in customer service. They’re there to help you.
•      If you’re not actively passing the car in the lane to your right, you should BE in the lane to your right.
•      Cough into your upper sleeve, not hand.

And, with that folks, I think I’m done with this most random of posts.  Hope you enjoyed my photos/shenanigans!

Recently I was reading on reddit about the facts that so many people get wrong–there were all kinds of interesting comments, such as “A panini is actually called a panino. Panini is only the plural” or “Darth Vader is almost always quoted saying ‘Luke, I am your father’ when really it’s ‘No, I am your father.’”

It made me think how often we perpetuate ideas and concepts without much scrutiny–it could actually be a dangerous thing to do.  Often we believe someone because they seem like an authority, whether or not they actually are–or their confidence is enough to sway us.  One of my favorite things about my mission and teaching the gospel was how we would ask people to not believe us just because they liked us or thought what we said made sense, but rather, to try it for themselves, to study it out themselves and reach their own conclusions.

So, in short, I challenge anyone to take a healthy check on new information or even old information before putting it in the ‘true/accurate’ column.  Otherwise, you might start thinking Mormons aren’t allowed to wear clothing with buttons*.

And, if you’re interested in reading a long list of misconceptions, check out this page on Wikipedia. Consider the source, though–what you read may require some critical thinking.

*An actual statement made in total seriousness to me by a man with an orange in one hand and a plastic spoon in the other on Fremont St., Las Vegas Nevada in 2005.

About 6 months ago, I saw a notebook online that I thought would be a really great journal.  It is made by this little Turkish outfit named Arwey.  I got one at a deep discount–but it took about 2 months to arrive.  Apparently mail from Turkey isn’t terribly reliable and/or quick.  I sure do like it, but I wish I would’ve ordered about 10 more, so I won’t have to wait for my next order.

See, I realized I’m a little bit obsessive.  One of my roadblocks to writing a journal has been finding a format that I can use consistently.  I’ve done websites, Access databases, various physical journals, random sheets of paper when I’m inspired, etc.  Well shoot–shouldn’t I do something uniform, so in 80 years my progeny can find my ‘library’ all in one place?  So, Arwey is going to be my medium of choice.  The books are durable, the paper is strong but thin, and I feel like I’m making it permanent when writing.  They even have some really cool info sections in the back like timezones and currency conversions and such.

Well, for tonight, I’m going to break the mold a wee bit and write here instead.  I’ll probably echo what I write here in my Arwey Library (TM Pending) later.  Here follows just a little bit of what’s new, exciting, interesting, or in large part, mundane.  Perhaps some of this is a bit too personal to share on the internet–but I think I’ll take the risk.

———————————————

About a year ago, I realized the end was in sight–the end of my nearly decade long pursuit to get a college degree was almost here.  My first college class was at the University of Cincinnati, Clermont.  Or, as I thought of it at the time, High School Part 2 (or Grade 13).  It wasn’t a challenge, and I skated through.  I really wish I had been more focused on making the most of that experience–it would’ve shaped my future academic career in a different way, and likely changed my whole life.  Instead, I had a severe case of senioritis.  See, that was my senior year of high school. I skipped out of the normal senior year experience (another regret) and went straight on.

I went to BYU that fall, and if I’m honest, the only great thing to come out of that was meeting my wife, Marina.  My senioritis from the previous year was not so easy to shake–I barely made it to class and practically dropped out at the end of that first year.  I made quite a few friends, but nearly all have faded into their own lives, with the exception of a few that I talk to now and then.  I get pretty melancholy thinking about my BYU experience, so I think I’ll move on.

I went on a 2 year mission, and it was a fantastic experience.  I’ll never regret that–it was probably the high point of my life up to that point–I was doing things outside myself, not worrying about grades or girls (mostly…Marina was writing me…).  Those two years are priceless to me, and there are many a night that I dream I’m back.  It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t familiar–characteristics I think I will always need to feel fulfilled.

I returned to BYU, and things almost immediately returned to their previous state–I think there is just something about BYU that I don’t mesh with.  It is a fantastic school, there are wonderful people there, but it just wasn’t a great fit.  In retrospect, I think my education would’ve benefited by trying my hand elsewhere.  Instead, I got a part-time job which quickly turned into a full-time job, which then turned into a career.  School was suddenly not that important.

I married my sweetheart, and we sailed off in the sunset, so to speak.  But then the harsh reality of life hit, and I slowly returned to school.  6 credits here, 9 there.  Now, I’m 20 class days left ’til I’m done with my B.A. in Psychology.  I’m not sure that earning this degree will have taught me anything more important than A) The world is a place full of bureaucracy and hoops to jump through and B) Sticking through something for so long is very, very hard, and I must not be totally incapable if I manage to finish.  Sure, I’ve learned all about the functioning of the human mind and behavior, but I believe those facts in my head are secondary in importance.

So what is next, I ask myself?  I have no earthly clue.  It is difficult to see everyone around me with their stuff together–in advanced degrees, starting families, progressing through careers, and here I am with no answer to the questions about what my degree was for, what I want to do for a career, etc.  Currently, Systems Administration is the way to go for me, because I’ve already built up my skillset, experience, and so forth.  It is a good field with lots of opportunity, and it has provided a pretty comfortable lifestyle.  Every now and then I feel like something is missing–that may just be the human condition, though.

Alright, well, I suppose that is enough babbling.  If you’ve read this far, let me know and I’ll mail you a card for free Chick-fil-a* (I’m certainly not above bribery for a little attention :{D ).  I recently attended an opening of a store and I got all kinds of free chikin.

*Offer only good for the first 5 people–if there be that many!

A little early morning sun peeking through the dunes.

Most shells are a pretty chalky or muddy color–this is a notable exception.

Gorgeous golden sun.  It was a chilly day on the beach, but you might not know by just looking.

The other night, in a state of repose after a particularly demanding day, I fired up my newest toy, an HP TouchPad.  I hit the power button, and I began a quick game of The Birds Which are Highly Upset, when suddenly a wild wordpress notification appeared!  It read, “you need a new post”.

Well, my most wonderful of younger sisters, here you go.  I hope you like it.

Howdy folks!  I was looking over my Anti-Chunk page, and realized it was pretty outdated, so here’s an update!

It has officially been 6 months and 12 days since I started my quest to being more healthy and fit.  Let me tell you, it has been a long road–but at the same time very short.  6 months happens very quickly, especially when you’re working and progressing towards reaching a goal.

First, here’s the status.  I have now lost, and kept off a total of 47 pounds.  My goal was to lose 50 pounds by Feb. 2012, so I have done it almost in half the time.  I’ve been having a real battle with these last 3 pounds–people keep feeding me tasty things!!  I’ve dropped from a size 40 pants size to 36–and even that is starting to feel a little too big.  I went to buy a new suit, and realized I have gone from a 44 to a 38-40 depending on make.  It is pretty alarming–in a happy way.

….Well, I wrote a lot more for this post, and it got erased.  I blame it on weird syncing between the WordPress app on my Touchpad and the site.  Probably a good thing, because I think I got a little preachy.  I think my point is, if you want something bad enough, set some realistic goals, and convince yourself you can achieve them–and you will!

For my handful of readers out there, I apologize for my silence; I typically share things on my site that I find to be meaningful, enlightening, inspiring, or otherwise ‘share-worthy’.  However, aside from a few personal achievements, nothing really stands out.  I’ve been busy going through life’s motions, doing this, that and the other.  It wasn’t until today that I found something I really wanted to share to anyone who stumbles across this barren wasteland of a site.

Do you remember when your parents/friends/acquaintances would ask you as a kid, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  I do.  I have never had an answer, so I did the best I could to find the most practical thing that would sound like I’ve got a well rounded future planned.  Usually it was as an attempt to appease the ideas that were expected of me.  Using that as a fairly wobbly guide, I’ve found myself working on computers.  I don’t like it very much anymore.  For at least 2-3 years, I’ve been struggling to figure out how I can find a job that is more “my speed”.

I’ve read books, listened to lectures, spent years and thousands on a college degree, and more.  My conclusion is that I know less now about what I will find fulfilling as a vocation than I did then.  My wife is extremely talented and is starting out a flourishing career in something she enjoys, and is likely to provide a decent income.  I’ve become so frustrated with my own ‘search for self’ that I’ve entertained the idea of being ‘Mr. Mom” while she works–just because there doesn’t seem to be anything better to do.

Well, this is all pretty depressing.  Luckily, it doesn’t end entirely on a depressing note.  I’ll say right now, I haven’t figured it out.  I have, however, found something that I think will go a long way to getting it right.  There is a website which I love, called “The Art of Manliness”.  It has all kinds of articles about how to do manly things like wrestle bears, shave with a straight razor, and cut down a tree with a shoelace.  It isn’t all grisly, though.  I stumbled, accidentally, upon a series of 5 articles that I’m really digging right now.  Here are the links to each.

Finding Your Calling Part I: What Is a Vocation?

Finding Your Calling-Part II: The Myths and Realities of Vocation

Finding Your Calling Part III: Why Pursue a Vocation?

Finding Your Calling Part IV: Discovering Your Vocation

Finding Your Calling Part V: Obstacles to Embracing Your Vocation

There is a lot of worthwhile stuff in there–and you don’t even have to be a man to glean value from it.  Here’s what I hooked onto. The part that talks about ‘self-discovery’ and knowing your own passions and gifts.  I have to say, I don’t really know what those are.  I know I am good with computers–so that’s a gift.  However, I don’t really think it is a passion–at least not in the way that I’m currently utilizing the gift.  Of those who know me, I’d be really interested to know what you think–anything I’ve said or done that has stuck out?  I don’t know about you, but it is often difficult to form a self-perspective from inside your own head.  You don’t have to post a comment on the blog or anything, but if you think of anything, feel free to let me know.

On that note, I shall display a picture of some geese.  It is completely irrelevant and serves no purpose.

A Trip

I got off the plane in Chicago, and had nearly 3 hours to kill.  And kill them I did.  A little airport faux-talian food, a tour of every concourse and an escalator full of Japanese tourists later, and I was off to the land of Deser(e)t.  For the first time in 2 years I managed to find my way back to Lindon, Utah to visit my company’s headquarters.  I don’t think I got a single photo the whole time, but I learned/realized the following VIF (very important facts):

1.  Carrying on board all my luggage for a week stay has its ups and downs.  Next time, pay the 20 bucks.

2.  Things don’t stop happening when you leave a place for a long time.  Buildings are built, restaurants go out of business, people move into new houses; and suddenly, everything regains the appeal it might’ve lost.

3.  Test driving cars in a state 2000+ miles away from home is a tricky endeavor when it comes to the hard sell.  I have, however, decided that if fortune favors me in the next few months, this will be my reward.

4.  Once you put names to faces in a workplace, it gets much easier to work alongside your co-workers.  I don’t think I realized how much a toll working remotely has had on my working relationships.

A Weigh-In

Ok, maybe not just one.  Many, over the course of weeks, to be accurate.  I’ve had a much more difficult time maintaining my rigorous diet with all this travelling (we also went to Arizona in May).  That said, I’d say my success is still going.  This morning, I hit a number that I’ve not seen on the scale since I was a junior in high school.  I assure you it is complete coincidence that I now weigh the code number for homicide:  187.  That puts me at a total of 43 pounds lost.  That’s like a 3 year old, at least.  I’ve even started a separate page on my site dedicated to all this anti-chunking so that people that want to know more about my plans and such can find it easily.

ReallyAwesomePhotos™

“Happy 4th of July!” was the announcement made repeatedly 2 days ago, as we held our first 4th of July BBQ and Minute-to-Win-It party.  Marina planned nearly the whole thing, with lots of help from some great friends.  I stuck meat over an open flame.  I love this particular manly American tradition.  Everything was delicious, the desserts were amazing, and we had a lot of fun making fools of ourselves with the games.  Below are a few favorite photos–I will be making them all available for download in a ZIP file shortly for those that want to see all the blurry shots and awkward faces.

…… so it turns out most of the photos didn’t turn out great.  But, here’s the dessert table, which alone can stand as a testament as to how awesome everything was.

Ok, one more.  We played a game where you have to get an Oreo from your forehead into your mouth without using your hands.  Tricky stuff, it is.

Alright, alright.  I know I said I didn’t have any pictures, but I had to include my interpretation of the famous Firebolt broomstick from Harry Potter.  I think the fire is on the wrong end, though.

Madames et Messeurs, my deepest apologies for a lack of posturing as of late.

I shall soon return to the parchment and quill.  I beg your patience until that time.

My name isn’t Fievel, but I should start telling people that for fun. Anyway, Marina and I went out to Arizona for a week to celebrate her brother’s wedding. I took, all told, about 880 photos. Most of them are plain or family photos that I think I ought to keep private. However, I am posting to Flickr all my favorites. I will be posting more in the coming days as I sort through all 22GB. Most of these are from driving around the desert in East Mesa/Apache Junction, the Phoenix Zoo, and a really great place called Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Enjoy! (Click the owl)

I love them both. When I learned of something called “Grooveshark”, I was sold. It is an online streaming radio service, which I find to be fantastic. I had to share what I came across the other day–users can share playlists with one another, and this one is currently my favorite. Oh, and did I mention you can listen for free, and you don’t even need to sign up for an account? And somehow it is legal…I’m not sure how that works, but I’m happy being ignorant!

One of the reasons I love my wife is her sense of adventure and spontaneity.  Friday morning, she suggested that perhaps after work that day, we should go camping.  We had made no prior plans–in fact, we were meeting up with some friends the very next day and would be somewhat time pressed.  Yet, we managed to get ready to go in the space of a few hours, meals and all.  We went to the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park in Seven Springs, NC.  It is about an hour from Greenville, and generally a very nice place.  We had a fun time with no major injuries, so that’s always a plus.  Here are some photos from our trip!

There are multiple trails in the park, and this is one of the views.  I had some trouble getting decent lighting, and all my shots were handheld, so overall these aren’t my best.  This is the Neuse River, which seems to mosey along very slowly and calmly.

One of the trails leads to the bank of the river.  It is very serene and looked pretty refreshing.  Not sure I’d be willing to jump right in, though.

As we were taking down the tent, Marina made me pose for a photo.  I look a little funny.  But hey, no one looks great after a night of sleeping on the ground.

We brought bacon, as is requisite by all natural law.  We failed to bring our frying pan, though.  The hobo pie and roasting stick thingy did juuuust fine.

Not just bacon….but muffins.  We’ll just call those blueberries our serving of fruit for the morning.

At about 2:30AM, Fletcher decided that whoever was sleeping on their stomach would make a nice pillow.  Not saying who this is.

Liz brought me this hammock all the way from Ecuador.  It is ridiculously comfortable, not to mention it’s spectacular camouflage abilities.

Ok, well that’s all folks.  We’re officially hooked on camping.  We welcome anyone inviting themselves to go with us anytime!

I read a good friend’s post today, and decided that I was going to re-post it.  It’s an excellent read, like all his commentaries. Do yourself a favor and head on over to Agabus Commentaries.

“Ladies and gentlemen, here is the result of event 9, the one mile: 1st, No. 41, R.G. Bannister, Amateur Athletic Association and formerly of Exeter and Merton Colleges, Oxford, with a time which is a new meeting and track record, and which – subject to ratification – will be a new English Native, British National, All-Comers, European, British Empire and World Record. The time was 3…”

Some years ago, as I sat in a zone conference on my mission, I heard a story that is familiar to many, but was brand new to me. In 1954, a young man named Roger Bannister achieved what had been thought impossible. For many years, runners across the world had never been able to run faster than a 4 minute mile. Some experts at the time thought it would actually crush the bones in a runner’s legs. There was a global mental block against the sub-4 minute mile.

On May 6, 1954, Bannister and several runners gathered at a track in the UK with 3000 spectators. He almost didn’t run that day, due to strong winds. But, soon before the race was to start, the winds subsided, and he went on to complete that race in 3:59.4 seconds. In the subsequent months and years, the 4 minute mile has been broken time and time again.

What is my point in all this? Perhaps some questions can help enlighten the matter: What kind of barriers do we set for ourselves? Are they legitimate, or just made up because they are nice round numbers? If we break the barriers down, who might we pave the way for in the future? When a task seems insurmountable, do we give up due to the windy circumstances, or do we hold on and have faith that it will subside? Food for thought.

Video footage and more info on Roger Bannister – You might have to use Internet Explorer for this one.

This post is a silly one.  (Surprise, right?)  Every word on this post is a link to some of my favorite things to read.  The interwebs are full of useful, interesting or entertaining things.