Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Yes it's boring. Read it anyway.

It's been a while since I blogged.  Thought I ought to at least say something.


You know, usually procrastination is not a good thing.  Normally you put something off till the very last moment and then you can't get it done on time.    Not for me.  I've had 4-5 papers to write this semester and 3 projects I've had to do.  Each time I kept putting it off, putting it off.  Finally I got down to crunch time and actually had to do it.  And guess what?  I got them all done with some time to spare AND I got good grades on all of them.  (Go me!)   Confession:  I have a bit of a lazy streak.  (I know, shocker!)  When it comes to things I really don't want to do, I have zero motivation to do it.  The only thing that motivates me to do stuff like that is time, or rather, the lack of it.  So by procrastinating, I find motivation and I sit down and do my work and get it done.  Is it a fun time doing it?  Oh no, it's hell alright.  I just lock myself in my room with my computer and start researching and typing away and hopefully a coherent paper comes out of it.  But I am now done with all my school for this semester so no worrying about that for a while...until next semester.

I've been working a decent amount lately.  Pretty fun too, except for the 5 am days.  Ugh.  The past two weeks I've been assigned to go and take the BYU men's basketball team up to Salt Lake for their games at the Energy Solution's Arena.   Taken some groups up to Temple Square to go and see the lights, picked up a group in Scipio on their way back from Disneyland, and this morning took the BYU football team to the Salt Lake airport so they can fly off to the bowl game.

Flying is still fun and live for it, though I'm running out of money so I shouldn't go flying as often as I want to.  Got to land at Salt Lake International the other day.  That was fun.  They had me land on runway 32 with a tailwind of about 7 knots so I couldn't get the plane to slow down and put in the last notch of flaps about 20 feet above the runway.  It was neat flying in because all the airliners where there waiting on me to land so they could take off.  haha.  Then we left Salt Lake and went up to Ogden for some lunch at Rickenbackers (awesome food).  The hostess there....wow.  I'd fly up there again just to look at her.  haha, kinda like the girl in Grand Junction too.

Crap...this entry just turned into a boring, no one cares kinda post.  Ending it right...............

NOW!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

With Heavy Heart

Today around 1:30 I got a call from my friend down at Southern Utah University.  "You're ok, right?" she said.  "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"  "I didn't know if you were flying at UVU or not."  Confused, I asked what was going on.  I was informed that an airplane from UVU had crashed in Payson and that both occupants of the airplane were killed.

I'm glad I was able to say that I was ok.  But what about my friends?  I quickly texted Heather to see if she was ok.  I got a text back from her very quickly.  She was fine.  That made me feel much better.  I later learned that one of the pilots on board, though not a close friend, was in one of my classes last semester.  I had a few conversations with him and he seemed like a really nice guy, always with something intelligent to say during our classroom discussions.

Throughout the rest of the day, many friends called or texted me to see if I was ok.  I truly appreciate those calls and messages.

The aviation community is a close-knit community.  Though many didn't know David Whitney well, his loss still affects us all.  Anytime a plane goes down, there is a feeling of reverence towards the pilots.  It's a very difficult feeling to explain.  The best I can explain is the feeling that we all felt as we watched 9/11 unfold.  The scene and those who died earn your respect and reverence. So it is with today's crash.  We lost a bright and aspiring pilot as well as a talented flight instructor.  May God be with them and their families.


Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!

Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with Thy saving grace.
Thou Who supports with tender might
The balanced birds in all their flight.
Lord, if the tempered winds be near,
That, having Thee, they know no fear.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Goodbye, Dear Friend

So yesterday I went out to my car to go to see Inception (incredible movie, by the way) and noticed that my dear friend, iPod, had been stolen out of my car.  Just a couple things wrong with this situation.

1) My iPod was stolen.  That's inherently wrong anyway.
2) I live in Mapleton.  Come on.  It's MAPLETON!  Who does that here?
3) My car was in my garage.
4) Nothing else was stolen.  Not even my $650 aviation headset.  Nothing was stolen out of the garage either.
5) Now the world will know about some of my secret musical tastes, which i tried to keep from the world, for reputation's sake.

But to the guy who stole it, good luck trying to convince someone it's yours considering my full name is engraved on the back of it.  And don't use the "I found it" line because that's just lame, and even if you did, a decent person would try to find the owner of such a thing.  You find and keep a dollar.  Not and iPod.

Moron

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Facebook & Basketball

Ok everyone, I know it's Basketball season again.  That's all fine and dandy.  But here's was annoys me about it.  The freaking Facebook statuses about it.  People comment on every new stat, every score, coach the team from their Facebook statuses, give them moral support, and the list goes on.

I DON'T FREAKING CARE HOW MUCH YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON BASKETBALL.  Post something real about YOUR life.

I promise, if basketball goes away, you'll still live.

Rant=over.

Monday, October 18, 2010

It just feels...right.

So for halloween this year I wanted to have an awesome costume.  For me awesome is anything dealing with flying and what not.  So I decided I'd dress up as an airline pilot.  So i went online and bought a real pilot shirt and first officer (meant to buy captain but clicked on the wrong button) epaulets. Over the summer up in Alaska, I had a random homeless guy throw a hat at me.  The hat was from Salvation Army, but take off the insignia and some other stuff and it is just a plain black pilot's hat.  Worked out wonderfully.  So then i went to Wal Mart and bought a jet black tie, and then borrowed a set of wings from my buddy Ryan.  When I put it all together it looked pretty awesome.



After I put it all on, I looked at myself in the mirror and just had the most amazing feeling.  I felt so good.  It just felt right.  I felt like I was a real airline pilot and that I was about to go head off to the airport to get behind the controls of a huge metal bird and guide it to some exotic destination and then return a few days later.

I definately picked the right career.

(Currently seeking skilled female applicant for permanent co-pilot position)

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Finally

I finally completed a life long goal.

I GOT MY PILOT'S LICENSE TODAY!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Yeah Service!

So yesterday I was just chilling at the airport when I get a call from my friend Tyler who lives up in Tooele.  He called to tell me that there was a wedding reception at Thanksgiving Point for his wife's cousin and that she has a cousin down in Provo that needed a ride up and asked if I'd be willing to pick her up and take her.  Since I had no other plans that night I decided that this would be a great opportunity to do some service and just get out and not be bored.  Plus I'd get to see Tyler who I hadn't seen in a while.  So Tyler gives me her number and all and we arrainge that I would pick her up at 8 from her apartment.

8 rolls around and I go to pick her up.  Turns out that I actually knew who she was.  I didn't know her, but she was in the Color Guard and since I was in the band, I had seen her many times. So Kathryn (that's her name) and I drove up to Thanksgiving Point and talked all the way up.  She's actually really really cool, and cute, so this is a double plus.  Get up to the reception and they drive us down to the actual shin dig in golf carts.  It was pretty sweet.  Get there and get to see Tyler, his wife, and baby girl.  Kathryn knows Tyler pretty well too so that was awesome.  We all talked for a while, and then the party ended, but not without the bride and groom walking out in a tunnel of bubbles blown by the attendees. We couldn't leave with half full things of bubbles so we stayed around for another 10 minutes blowing bubbles at each other until we ran out.  Then we went to the parking lot and talked again about childhood memories and stuff. (Tyler and I grew up together). Then we left.  Kathryn and I had a fun time driving home too.  She was super awesome and I was really impressed with her.  I think I will probably call upon her again sometime.

That was my Saturday night.  Amazing what service can do for you.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Ouch

Facebook comment string:

Me to girl:  Hey I saw that you are friends with Ben Truman, from the band Truman.  Do you like them?
Girl:  yeah i love them.
Me:  I just found out that they are playing this Thursday at 8 in Provo.  Want to go?
Girl's sister:  She loves the band Truman, not you...
Me: Understood

Harsh.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

You are so dumb. You are really dumb. For real.

Best videos on YouTube.  For real.







Cause i'm backin up, backin up, backin up....

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Soarin', Flying'

Back in Utah these days.  It's been fabulous.  Not near as hot as I anticipated.  Makes for wonderful convertible weather.  And coincidentally, I happen to have one.

You know what else cooler weather is good for?  Flying.  Number one reason: my airplane doesn't have air conditioning.  Number two reason: the air is denser so the airplane has a lot more performance.



Ok...so maybe my airplane doesn't perform quite like that.

I'm up to about 24 hours of flight time now. that means I only need about 16 more hours till I can get my license.  And i'm probably going to get about 10 hours of time next week.  I'm getting really close and it's really exciting.  After I get my license, (technically, you don't get a pilot's license.  You get an Airman Certificate.)  I'll be able to take people flying if they want to.  But before you all start flooding me with emails and Facebook posts, the first flight after I take my checkride has already been promised, and it goes to this girl.

(Why is she cleaving to a giraffe?)

After that I whoever wants to go can go.

People ask my why I like flying so much.  It's hard to explain really.  Why do people love sewing?  I'll never figure that one out. I think I love flying because it offers a sense of freedom that can't be had on the ground.  Ever look up and watch the birds soaring through the sky and just imagine how liberating it must be to get out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life on the ground and just be able to fly over it?  That's how I feel.  I can look down on cities and just feel free of all the chaos.



Also, all throughout my life, I've never stood out as being someone special or different (a good type of different.  I've been looked at as the bad kind).  Being a pilot gives me an edge over most other people.  I can do something amazing that not everyone else can do.  Anyone can learn to drive a car.  It's super easy and takes almost no effort to get a driver license (that's an issue i have a problem with, but not up for discussion now).  Learning to fly is not easy.  It is demanding, and some days just down right isn't fun.  But the rewards for sticking to it are incredible.  Being a pilot gives me some bragging rights.  I can do what most people can't.  I am special.

Lastly, it's a matter of faith.  If you've ever listened to the talk by W. Cleon Skousen called The Meaning of the Atonement then you will understand what I mean by all this.  I find it truly a miracle that an airplane can even fly.  Each element in the universe has intelligence and God can command those intelligences and the obey Him.  God has spoken to all the intelligences that make up the elements of the air and has given them an order, and a pattern.  And unless He commands otherwise, they always follow that pattern.  God, in his infinite wisdom, has commanded these elements that such that when struck by an object, they shall flow around the object in as smooth a way as possible.  Without that simple command, flight would not be possible.  A wing would simply strike the air and the molecules would scatter, rendering flight impossible.  So every time I go flying, I like to look out at the wings and witness the power of God as air flows over them.  I believe God inspired the creation of the airplane to facilitate the spreading of the Gospel throughout the world.  Because of the airplane, the prophets and apostles can travel to any place in the world within a day to organize stakes, dedicate temples, and correct matters of doctrine.  In the past this was not possible and the church fell into apostasy as a result.

Truly flying is a manifestation of the hand of God.  I'm grateful that I understand how it works and can see his hand in it.

That's why I love to fly.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

The People I Miss

I miss these people.  Fortunately I will be seeing them shortly (with a few exceptions).

In no particular order:

Chantel Ockerman- this girl is my best friend.  She's amazing, and crazy, and a spaziod.  That's why I love her.  Words just can not describe how incredibly awesome she is.  She has helped me through some hard times and helped me to really discover who I am.  I can't thank her enough for everything she's done for me.


Lisa Mackley- Chantel's cousin.  She's just about the same as Chantel.  So much fun to hang out with.

David Phipps- one of the coolest dudes I know.  He and I have a lot in common- pilot, politics, freakin hilarious.  David is just an all around good guy.  I'm a bit sad that he moved back to Virginia.  I guess I can forgive him. haha


Heather Lombard- aka Tinkerbell.  Heather is one of my pilot friends.  Subway runs are our almost daily ritual.  She's a blast to hang out with.  She kept a nice female balance to our guy group at school.  Heather is awesome, even though she's now a red head.


Ryan Sherry- Ryan is the married dude, but is still the man.  He's a pilot too.  Hm...pilots are just awesome.  Intelligent guy and fun to discuss ideas with.  A little bit of a geek, but that's totally awesome.  If we were all the "cool" type, life would be so incredibly boring.  It's guys like Ryan that keep life awesome and fun.


Marlena Rabago- I've known this girl the longest of everyone on here.  We met when we were in high school. She's been a great friend for many years.  I don't get to see her too often due to the fact that she goes to school at SUU, but I try whenever I can to make it down there.  Now that I can fly, I can make it down in a lot less time.  I love this girl and miss her.



Kathryn McLane- Kathryn is fun.  She's part of the hang out group and is an awesome member of it.  Kathryn was a fellow band member at BYU so I've known her ever since she showed up at BYU last year.  Hung out a few times last year, but we became good friends once Chantel got in the mix and we all started hanging out together.  Lazer tag...awesome. haha.


Julia Phipps- Julia is David's sister.  She's super fly. haha.  No, but she's way awesome.  Really fun to talk to. I don't know her too well as I met her very shortly before I left for Alaska.  But she made enough of an impression that I miss her company and can't wait to hang out with her again.




So basically, I'm just excited to get back to Utah and hang out with all my awesome friends again.  Life will be good my friends.  Life will be good.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Jobs

So the summer is quickly coming to an end.  What does that mean?  My job is ending.  I'll be heading back to Provo soon.

I've applied for a few jobs.  The one I really hope I get is with the company that I currently work for.  If I get this job, I'd be driving all over the eastern United States in this:



Or it could be orange with moose or blue with a whale.  The purpose of this job would be to advertise for our company and to work with travel agents in booking people on tours in Alaska.  If I get this job, I would be gone for a long time...like 6 months or so.  I would terribly miss all my Provo friends, but I would really enjoy this job I think.

The other job I've applied for is at Million Air in Provo.  If i get that job I'd be doing stuff like this:



Moving airplanes around



Refueling airplanes.

That job would be a blast!  Doing stuff I love every day.  And...I get to stay in Utah and hang with all my amazing friends.

Which do you think I should do?

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Dyson Air Multiplier

I want this.



I want is bad.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The Dating Game (and other thoughts)

I really hate the dating game.  It's so annoying.  Seriously, why can we have arraigned marriages?  Haha, no, that'd be bad too.  As a guy, it's my responsibility to ask the girl out, and plan what we'll do.   Here's the problem.  In order to win the dating game, you have to be more interesting, more exciting, than the other guy.

Here's how I fit in this one.

Dinner and a movie.  That's not exciting at all.  Oh  maybe at one time it was exciting, you know, like back in the 1920's when you dressed up to go to the movies.  I won't do that.  At least not on a first date anyway.  Maybe like a 4th or 5th date.  You know, at the point where you aren't even counting anymore because you are in a relationship.

Disney World.  That's super exciting!  Unfortunately, I can't afford to go to Disney World.  I have a friend on facebook, and her status usually reads something like this: "Just got back from Disney World with my boyfriend."  "My boyfriend is taking me to Las Vegas to see Blue Man Group."  Holy crap woman!  What are you going to do when the money runs out?  Find another boy with a "disposable" income?  Guys like that just make me sick.  haha, they are usually tools.

I guess i'm somewhere in the middle, probably more toward the movie side.  What do I have to offer?  Uh....well I have a nice car.  That's about it.  I'm not super rich so I can't wow girls with my money.  I'm hoping that'll change here real soon though.  As soon as I get my pilot's license my rank on the interesting and exciting scale will go up quite drastically.    Hopefully that will work for me.  

On to other thoughts.

I'm really starting to realize how annoying being a bachelor is and not having family.  No, this isn't a rant about how I wish I was married.  Let me explain what I mean.  So I live with 4 other guys here in Alaska.  They are awesome and I couldn't ask for better room mates.  But being said, we are still 4 separate guys who just happen to live in the same place.  There is no real sense of "family" in the apartment.  Everyone is super possessive of their stuff, in particularly food.  There is only one car among us.  We all work at the same place.  

So I have to pack for a couple nights cause i'm going to be out of town.  My room mate with the car has to be at work a few hours before me, so instead of dragging a suit case 2 miles down the road, I just stuck it in his car.  He confronts me about it later a little frustrated saying that he's not my taxi service.  If we have to be at work at the same time, I still have to ask for a ride to work which he may or may not grant. 

Seeing as there is only one car, shopping can be quite difficult sometimes.  I normally just keep a box of cereal and some milk in the house for food.  But seeing as I haven't had a day off in over a month I haven't had much time for shopping.  So I went to get a bowl of cereal, and realized that my milk had gone bad.  There are about 4 other gallons of milk in the fridge so I took a little.  Wow, I totally got yelled at for that one.  Little things like that keep happening all the time.

I know we are all single, but seriously, can't we still considered the apartment as a "family unit?"  Should I really have to ask if someone can take my luggage or get a ride, when it's obviously not out of the way or causes inconvenience.   Should I really have to go without food when there is plenty in the house just because I haven't been able to go shopping in a few weeks?

So in the fall, I'm going to be living with James, and Dan down in Mapleton.  We have it worked out so that we are going to get a paper route which pays pretty well and we are going to share it so that all the money we get from it is community money, like a family.  that money will go to pay the rent, utilities, and buy food.  So when I go home, I don't have to worry about who's food it is.  If it's in the house, I can eat it.  Just like a family, even though we aren't. Any other money that we make from jobs is our personal money and we can do whatever we please with that. I think that'll work out a lot better than just being a bachelor, and I think it'll be a good experience for life, seeing as the majority of the rest of my life will be in a family.

I'm excited for the fall.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

It's like....OH YEAH.

Can I just say that this Hotel is freakin awesome?!  So I got assigned to a tour that lasts for 7 days.  It's pretty awesome.  The people are really cool too.  My tour director, Nancy, is really cool too.  You just have to look past the fact that she's a complete spazoid.  (Did i just create a new word?  I think I did)  But the trip itinery is pretty sweet.  I got to spend two nights at the McKinley Princess Lodge.  Not a whole lot to do there except look at a freakin' huge-ass mountain.  What MPL means to me is all the free food I can eat.

After two nights there, I went and spend another two nights at the Kenai Princess Lodge.  KPL=Free food, and free tours!  So I signed up for a kayaking trip.  It was pretty fun.  We got out in kayaks and went around the lake.  Took about two hours but i had a good time.  Spent the rest of my time either eating or sleeping.  What a life.

Today on our way to Alyeska, we stopped at the Crow Creek Mine and I got to mine for gold.  And i found some!  It was pretty much one of the proudest moments of my life.  I have about $30 worth of gold.  Then to Alyeska.  Oh my heck.  This place is FANTASTIC!  I walked into my hotel room and there were chocolates on the pillow. CHOCOLATES ON THE PILLOW!  I guess that's the norm for five star hotels.  My bed is so comfy.  It's like....love making comfy.  Oh yeah.  The only thing i'm missing tonight is a lovely woman.

At the hotel is a ski resort.  There is still lots of snow up on the top.  I went up with my group of people and played in the snow.  Snowball fights and body sledding.  It was pretty much off the hizzie.  I'm loving it.

And now for the best part.  Drum roll please......they payout!  In this trip is an included gratuity for the driver. 4 dollars per person per day.  28 people, 7 days.  The math works out to $784.  Cha Ching!

This has been the best assignment ever.  I hope i get to do it again.

Friday, June 11, 2010

The Fat Tax

So back during my junior year of highschool, my english teacher assigned us a paper to write, but this paper had to be a satire.  She told us that our satirical papers had to take two completely unrelated problems and find one solution that solves them both.  I came up with an idea that I thought to be absolutely brilliant.  Offensive, but brilliant!  I decided to solve the problems of obesity in America, and the National Debt.  How was this to be solved with just one solution?  Quite simple:  the Fat Tax.

Here's how it works:

At the checkout registers at each place of business in the United States, where would be a scale, height measurer, and body mass indexer.  The Surgeon General's office will create reasonable standards for what a person of a certain height and body mass index should weigh.  If a person comes up to the scales and weighs more than they should, a tax, proportional to the amount they are overweight, will be assessed and added to their purchase.  This tax would go directly to the federal government for the sole purpose of paying down the national debt.  Now, you're probably thinking, "what about the people who have legitimate health problems that make them overweight?"  Good point.  I will address that.  Those that feel they have a legitimate health reason to be overweight can go to a doctor and get a Fat Tax Waiver card, which must be scanned at the register in order to negate the tax that will be added onto their total price.  This is also the case for those individuals who are just naturally "big boned."  A new Fat Tax Waiver is required annually.

Ok, so this solves the debt problem, but how is this solving obesity?  Think about it.  Would you let yourself get overweight if you knew you were going to be taxed for it?  People hate paying taxes. People will do whatever it takes to not have to pay taxes, even exercising!  So as people begin to be taxed for being too fat, they will be motivated (we hope) to exercise and get within the prescribed weight standards so that they are not heavily taxed.

Think of all the benefits that could be reaped.  Health care costs will go drastically down because people will be generally healthier.  Diabetes (Diabetus, as Wilford Brimley would say), would be a less frequent occurance. If we paid off the national debt, perhaps the income tax would not be necessary, or at least lower the tax rates.  Better schools for children.  Shelters for the homeless.  No more homeless pets. World Peace! Maybe I should shake a few hands and kiss a few babies now.

But, because we have to be politically correct and not offend anyone, this will never happen.  Heaven forbid we tell the world how it is, instead of sugar coating everything.  No, you do not have a disability due to the gravitational force.  You are just fat.  You are a Fatty McFatFat. FAAAAAAT!

Fat people, you've made my insurance premiums skyrocket, now pay for it!  Because I can't.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Screw you BYU

I've been giving a lot of thought recently to my transfer to UVU.  I must say, I'm so grateful that I did transfer.  There are several reasons for this.

1.  My GPA from BYU didn't transfer over.  When I left BYU I had a 2.98.  Yeah, not the greatest.  I just got tired of doing classes that we required and I didn't really enjoy.  So naturally I became lackadaisical and didn't get good grades.  So when I transfered to UVU, all my earned credits transfered, but not the GPA.  For an entire semester I had a GPA of 0.0.  That's pretty bad.  But after just one semester at UVU taking classes I really enjoyed, my GPA has gone from a 0.0 (BYU 2.98) to an impressive 3.68. I even got a letter from the Dean's office congratulating me on my excellent GPA.  Thank you UVU for allowing me to start over.

2.  I realized that BYU was full of a bunch of fake.  Fake friends to be more exact.  I'll take band as my melting pot of friends, because that's really where I spend most of my BYU social life.  So we have Bret and Tyler and their little clan of friends.  I thought they were pretty cool.  They were sorta my friends last year and I was ok with that.  I didn't care too much really what anyone thought about me last year as I was feeling utterly distraught about a girl I dated. (It didn't work out).  Anyway, I decided to do band one more year before I transfered over to UVU.  It started out great.  We had a trumpet section party before band camp started.  There was this really cute girl named Skyler that was in our section this year and I kinda hit it off with her pretty quickly.  She's super out going so she naturally attracts a lot of people and has lots of friends.  That's cool with me.  Her and I started to spend a bit of time together.  Even better.  She was also becoming pretty good friends with Bret and Tyler too.  Eh...didn't bother me.  Bret's married and Tyler is just....well....physically, not her type.  Bret and Tyler had never EVER invited me to come hang out with them at all.  However, I was started to get phone calls and text messages from them inviting me to come do stuff with them, and to bring Skyler along.  How naive I was.  I thought they wanted to hang out with me.  Heck no!  They wanted to hang out with Skyler, but realized that I was just part of the package deal.  This went on for a while and I kind of enjoyed being in that group of people.  Let's be honest, they were fun people.  Always had a good time.  And now for the kicker, literally.  Skyler broke up with me on October 25.  I haven't received a single invite to hang out with them ever since.  In fact, there was even a trumpet party hosted and held by them.  Guess who never found out about it?  That would be me. Everyone else knew, but not me. I was completely kicked out of the social scene in our trumpet section.  Perhaps that's another reason why I took the break up so hard.  I lost everything else with it.

 I would say that I really had one or two people in band that I could actually consider good friends.  Kyle and Nick.  They've on many occasions chatted with me to check in and see how I was doing.  They're good guys.  I was friends with a couple of freshmen, but they're off on missions now and that can really put a damper on friendships.  And even out of band, I didn't have friends.  I made friends in classes, but that's really as far as any of those friendships went.  As soon as the bell rang, so did the friendship.  I was never invited to hang out with anyone.  Now, not all BYU people are bad.  In fact, I have some really really good friends that go to BYU.  But the funny thing is that I never actually met them at BYU.  I met them in the left hand lane of State street in Orem.  And from that friendship I have made even more friends that I truly consider to be friends.

Then I transfered to UVU.  I made friends pretty quick with a group of people, David, Ryan, and Heather.  David is just awesome.  I've only known him since January, but he's quickly become one of my best friends.  We calls me up and texts to see what I'm doing and if I want to hang out.  We have lots of things in common and really enjoy each other's company.  He's a good friend.  I'd do anything for him, and I'm sure (at least I hope) he'd do the same for me.  Ryan is a cool guy.  He's married so his hang out time is kinda limited, but it's completely understandable.  But no matter, he's more than a classroom friend.  We chat about airplanes and such because that's what we both love.  Really good guy.  Hopefully we'll share a cockpit together someday.  The there's Heather.  She's fun.  She's the more disciplined of our little friend circle, always encouraging us to actually do our school work.  She takes interest in what we're all doing and we do the same with her.  We always have fun stories to tell about flying and such, and other things.  Haha, we tease her a little bit, but what do you expect when you're the only girl in the group?  You're gonna get teased a little. But it's all in good spirits and we enjoy each other.

So I actually have friends now.  It's fantastic.  I couldn't be happier.  When I first transfered I was super afraid that I would miss BYU so much. I was sad to be losing me "friends."  Transferring has just made me realize that I had no friends and that UVU is much friendlier to me.  Maybe it's because I'm in a group of people in the aviation program that all have the same interests as me.  Airplanes and flying.  It's a pretty good common ground to start with.

So screw you BYU with your no beard policies and fake people.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

BATHING....

...some people need to do it more regularly.

THE END

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Bucket List

So I found this cool bucket list thing that I did quite a while ago and was just looking through it and realized that there were quite a few more things I can now check off of it.  So i'm going to repost it, and you can be envious of all the cool things I've done.  haha.

THE BUCKET LIST
The Bucket List. Place an "X" by all the things you've done.

THINGS YOU HAVE DONE DURING YOUR LIFETIME:

(x) Gone on a blind date
(x ) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
( x) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(x ) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
( ) Been to Iceland
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
( x) Gone to Washington, DC
( x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
( x) Ran away from home
() Recently colored with crayons
( x) Sang Karaoke
() Paid for a meal with coins only
( x) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(x) Read one book more than 3 times
(x) Watched one movie more than 3 times
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
() Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
(x) Walked more than 20 miles in one day
( ) Been deep sea fishing
(x) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
() Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
() Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
() Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(x ) Seen the Statue of Liberty
(x ) Gone to the Grand Canyon
( ) Seen a space shuttle lift off in person
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
() Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
( ) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco Cable Car
(x ) Been to Disney World
(x) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been in a rain forest
(x) Seen whales in the ocean
(x) Been to Niagara Falls
( ) Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
(x) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
( ) Been parasailing
(x) Been water-skiing
( ) Been snow-skiing
() Broken a bone
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
( x) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
( ) Been to a college level gymnastics meet
( ) Installed a toilet
( x) Been the first to say "I love you"
() Been to Jamaica
(x) Shot a bow and arrow
() Played tetherball
( ) Done a tobogan run
(x ) Played tennis
( x) Been to the San Diego Zoo
( ) Been on an African Safari
( ) Been jeeping in Aruba
( ) Won money in Las Vegas
( ) Lost your "cookies" on a boat
( x) Been white-water rafting
( ) Conversed with a "dead" loved one
( x) Driven a tractor
( ) Been to Paradise Island in the Bahamas
() Been 4-wheeling
(x) Been to a Native American Pow-Wow
() Seen an angel
(x) Sang beside a campfire
( ) Melted a cloud with your mind
() Gotten a foreign object stuck up your nose
( ) Been to Senior Frog's 's in Mexico
() Been touched by an angel
( ) Owned your own home
( ) Driven through the Tetons in the middle of the night
(x) Received a professional massage
( ) Seen a UFO
( ) Seen a David Copperfield magic show in person
( ) Run a marathon
(x ) Floated in the Great Salt Lake
( ) Manifested a "miracle" using Law of Attraction
() Watched the birth of puppies or kittens
( x) Piloted a real airplane
( ) Done a firewalk
(x) Built a snowman
( ) Seen colors in a person's aura
( ) Touched a stingray
( ) Witnessed the birth of a baby
( ) Healed from an "in-curable" disease
(x ) Been to a hot air balloon festival
( ) Been to an ice sculpture festival
( ) Been to an "Oldies Fest"
( ) Had your computer break down without backups
(x) Skipped a rock across a lake, pond, or river
(x ) Been canoeing
( ) Been kyacking
(x) Completed a "ropes course"
(x) Been the first to say "I'm sorry"
( ) Had a psychic/metaphysical reading
(x) Hit a hole-in-one (mini golf anyway)
( ) Been to a professional golf tournament
() Attended a Beach Boys concert outdoors
() Ridden the Matterhorn at Disneyland, CA
( ) Driven around the real Matterhorn in Switzerland
( ) Eaten turtle meat
(x) Played on a set of drums
( ) Been to Germany
( ) Been to Austria
( ) Been to Switzerland
( ) Been to Spain
( ) Been to Africa
(x) Jumped on a trampoline
( ) Climbed a 50 ft. "telephone" pole an stood up on top of it
(x) Been rollerblading or rollerskating
( ) Been inside a real European castle
( ) Healed a broken bone in record time
( ) Healed from a dis-ease in record time
() Caught a fly between your hands
( ) Caught a fly with chopsticks
( ) Been bungee jumping and survived
( ) Avoided a heart attack while watching your child bungee jump
(x ) Witnessed an active volcano in person
( ) Made a "cake" from everything in the kitchen cupboard
( ) Participated in a World Peace ritual
( ) Prayed for world peace
(x) Jumped off a diving board
( ) Participated in a Drum Circle
(x) Grown a crystal at home
() Fingerpainted with pudding
( ) Got rid of a pain by tapping acupressure points
(x ) Camped out for a week or more
( ) Been to visit the pyramids of Egypt
( ) Been to Lake Powell
( ) Received Deeksha
(x) Played a musical instrument
( ) Ridden in a gondola
( ) Been to Rio de Janeiro
( ) Driven through the tunnel under the Hudson Bay
( ) Used a pendulum
( x) Been in at least 30 of the 50 US states
( ) Been skinny-dipping in the daylight
() Opened your door and was greeted by a wild animal
( ) Tried to catch a bird by putting salt on its tail
(x) Played a fast, hot game of Ping-Pong
( ) Sold some art that you created yourself
( ) Received a Reiki Energy Treatment
( ) Asked for a raise and got it with a smile
(x) Used a lathe or band saw
() Kept a reptile as a pet
( ) Been to South America
( ) Seen a burlesque show
(x ) Danced a Tango with someone cute
( ) Been to the West Indies
(x) Played Frisbee with a dog
(x) Let a dog or cat sleep in your bed, under the covers
(x) Thrown a grape into a friend's open mouth
( x) Caught a thrown grape with your mouth
( ) Played Pictionary and laughed so hard you cried
( x) Found a $20 bill in the bushes
() Built a tree house
(x) Swung on a homemade swing
( ) Belly danced in a Greek restaurant
(x) Sent or delivered an anonymous gift
() Won a stuffed animal at an amusement park
( ) Been sailing in the Caribbean
( x) Driven through a herd of buffalo
(x ) Raced a car on the the salt flats
(x) Run through the sprinklers
( ) Created a sculpture you were proud of
( ) Visited the pyramids and ruins of the Yucatan
( ) Played Poker, with or without $
(x) Eaten vegetables you grew yourself
( x) Seen an authentic crop circle
(x) Bought something you wish you hadn't
() Made homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch
( ) Re-upolstered a piece of furniture
(x ) Climbed to the top of a 10,000 ft. mountain just to watch the sun rise

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Recently

Thousands of airplanes buzzing about, an no one wants to rent one to me.  I'll just have to go to a flight school and rent one from them and use their instructor most likely.  That'll cost me more than I had hoped, but I want my private pilot certificate before I go back to Utah in the fall, so I'll do what I have to do.

Right now for some reason, Billy Joel is rocking my socks off.  Especially this song


VH1 had their 100 top songs of the 90's on today.  I was giddy with anticipation as they mocked and praised the songs of my childhood.  Their number one song was Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.  I can see how that is the number one song.  It was definitely a song that defined music.  I don't particularly like it, but it was influential nonetheless. 

Argh...I want a job as an airline pilot soooo bad.  Not only will I be doing what I love, but girls love pilots too.  Maybe then I can get a girlfriend.  Haha...I do feel that's going to be the only way.



Thursday, April 15, 2010

Going North to Alaska

Got my plane ticket for my trip to Alaska today.  I'll be flying on a Boeing 757.  For those of you not familiar with the different types of airplanes, this is what it looks like.



These planes are freaking awesome.  Unless you are right behind it in the traffic pattern.  Then you hate it with a passion.  It's notorious for creating huge wingtip vorticies which means lots and lots of wake turbulence.  No good.  But I want to fly one.

More in the news.  I've started flight training.  I'm up to 8.7 hours now.  It's a lot of fun and I can't wait till I get my private pilot certificate.  If you want to go flying, just let me know and I'll take you.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

On Tuesday we had some excitement down at the Provo airport (KPVU).  The BYU basketball team, cheerleaders, and pep band left to Oklahoma City for the NCAA basketball tournament.  So when BYU athletics goes on long distance trips, the charter and airplane.  No, not a small airplane, but an airliner.  BYU football usually flies on a JetBlue Airbus A320.


However on Tuesday we had a Boeing MD-83 in Provo.  I was there so I took some cool pictures of it.


This picture gives you a good idea how big this thing is. You can actually walk underneath it without having to duck.  And by the standards of the airlines, this thing is small!

And then the most exciting part of all.  The takeoff.


There is just something about flying that awes me.  It's such a liberating experience.  For centuries man was destined to live a life confined to the ground.  Gravity was the enemy of all who dreamed. 


 Even Sir Isaac Newton himself, the man who "discovered" gravity, could not escape it's grasp.  Ironically, because of his studies in the laws of physics, man is able to break free of the invisible hand that has held man down.  

Here's how it works: Newton's third law says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  
As the wing travels through the air, the moves the air around it. Stationary air is met by the leading edge of the wing and forced to flow over the wing.  When two objects collide, the force applied to each object is the same, due to Newton's third law.  Momentum from the airplane is transfered to the air molecules.  Momentum  equals mass times velocity. As the airplane strikes the air molecules they are accelerated to a very high velocity, and flow smoothly over the wing. At the trailing edge of the wing the air comes off and is traveling in a downward direction at a very high speed.  The wing forces the air downward, and because of Newton's third law, the reaction to that is that the wing must be forced upward.  And there you have it the phenomonon of flight.  We call it LIFT!  I looks something like this.

It took thousands of years and two brilliant bicycle makers, Wilber and Orville Wright to finally make mans dream of flight a reality on December 17th, 1903.


Flying is amazing.  It can take a miserable, cloudy, rainy day....


...and turn it into the most beautiful day you've ever experienced.


I can't imagine having any other job.  I will love going to work every day if this is my office...


...and these are the only papers I have to push.


Salt Lake City Intl Salt Lake City, UT (KSLC): NSIGN ONE (RNAV) (DP)   Salt Lake City Intl Salt Lake City, UT (KSLC): LEEHY THREE (RNAV) (STAR)  Salt Lake City Intl Salt Lake City, UT (KSLC): ILS OR LOC RWY 16R (IAP)  
I can not wait for the day that I get to add one of these to my wallet.


I was not born to stay on the ground.  I was born to fly.  I am meant to fly spend my days in the skies above this world, taking in the beauty and wonder of God's creation.

"The duty of a pilot is to fulfill the disires of his earthbound ancestors who could only look towards the heavens and dream."











Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Vengence is MINE!!!

So, back during the summer during band camp, Skyler and this girl, Kelsey,  decided that it would be incredibly fun to toilet paper my car.  They did a pretty good job of it.  The wrapped it around everything and then tore more into little shred and filled the floor of my car with it.  I was still finding bits of it for weeks afterwards.  Anyway, I told Kelsey that I would get her back.  I would get Skyler too, but she doesn't have a car or anything that is easily accessible to vandalize. haha.  So now that its been a good 6 months or so and Kelsey's forgotten all about it, I decided it was time to get her back.  And here's a couple snapshot of the finished product.





Special thanks to the Wilson's for giving me the 15 pound roll of shrink wrap.

Completely off topic, but I think I will become a more frequent customer at the Coldstone by the dollar theater.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

To be 6 again...

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his wife, who was looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she'd like to have for her birthday..'I'd like to be six again', she replied, still looking in the mirror.

On the morning of her Birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything there was. Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park... Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure!

Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted. He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, 'Well Dear, what was it like being six again?' Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. 'I meant my dress size, you retard!!!!'

The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Total Awesomeness

Billy Joel and Elton John were amazing.

The End.

Monday, February 8, 2010

I'll have my friendship on a Facebook platter, please.

Somethings, no matter how hard you try to make them right, just never change.  But it's no big deal.

I learned what some people's definition of friend is today.  To some being your friend means Facebook only.  You think that that friend might enjoy something that you are doing so you invite them along.  Sorry, facebook only please.

But like I said.  It's no big deal.  Somethings will never change.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Urban Dictionary

So someone posted this thing on facebook where you go to Urbandictionary.com and type in your first name and post the first entry as your facebook status.  I hate crap like that on Facebook, but on a blog?  Bring it on baby!

So here we go.

Timothy:

1. a person with a high degree of confidence. :D

2. a.k.a. mr. congeniality

whenever you are with him,you never have to worry about getting lost in a far-away place ! he can actually pop a conversation with almost all kinds of people. i guess everybody knows him!

3. means FAST, swift, agile, exhilirating
maybe because he's too skinny. ahaha:D you will be surprised with how fast he moves. his swift motions are crazy!

4. undoubtedly kind and sweet.
he makes everyone feel good and he treats everyone nicely.

5. eats absolutely more than an average teenager could ever digest. surprisingly, he never gains a pound!

6. he is simply funny and fun to be with. you will never be bored whenever you are with a 'timothy'.
just beware because at times, he can be a very very weird geek. haha.

7. smart and charismatic.
he has the traits of a great entrepreneur in the future. "timothy" will be surely rich! 



Hm...that's surprisingly accurate, minus one or two of them.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Bucket List (partial)

A few things I really want to do in my lifetime.


I want to go to the beach right outside of Princess Juliana International Airport

Princess-Juliana-Airport

I want to break the sound barrier



I want to drive a racecar



I pretty much just want to do anything that involves speed.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Vindicated

I am Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
I swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself



Thank you Dashboard Confessional.  You have a way saying exactly what I think sometimes.


I WIN!  It's all over now.  Thank goodness.






Slight hope
It dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption...

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Productivity

You know, being a bum sucks.  It's boring and it makes you think about things you'd rather not think about.  And the harder you try to not think about it, the more you think about it.

So I did something productive today.

1. Cleaned my room.  Haha, I hadn't unpacked anything since coming home from Las Vegas and my room was getting so messy that I couldn't even see the floor anymore.  So I cleaned it.  Found some things I didn't know I had anymore either, like my freaking awesome Gerber knife.  Found some old brake rotors and tie rod.  I decided I didn't need them so I chucked them.  Literally.  I stood about 20 feet away from the dumpster and chucked them in.  It was fun.  I also discovered that my suitcases would fit under my bed, creating oodles of space in my closet.

2. I went to class.  Don't know what it is, but something about going to class and talking about airplanes all day just makes me all giddy inside.  Heehee.

3. I broadened my cultural horizons by watching "classic" movie, and eating muffin mix right out of the box.  If that's not a cultural experience, well, nothing is.

I think tomorrow I might venture into the unknown and clean the kitchen.  I might not make it out alive.  If not, I hear by bequeath the following items to the following people:

Chantel Ockerman- 2001 BMW 325Ci
James Ogden- my tools
Krystal Scoresby- both my computers
Jared Knight- my guitar
Skyler Dunford- my trumpet

And...that's about all i own.  Wow, I really have...nothing.

Yes, Productivity is fantasmagorical.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Sometimes

Sometimes I really miss her

Sometimes I couldn't care less

Sometimes I want to take her picture to the shooting range.

Sometimes, it's a mix of all of it.  Woah...weird.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Things I learned over Christmas Break

1. I can go 48 hours with only eating 1 meal.  Thanks Skyler.


2. BYU football rocked OSU.


3. I possibly may never play my trumpet again.


4. My -5 degree sleeping bag really does keep you warm


5. BMW headlights cost $57.00 a pair


6. People with four wheel drive SUVs are idiots in the snow.


7. Driving in snow is not as fun as it used to be.


8. Eating trail mix is a great way to stay awake.


9. My Dad is Santa Claus 


10. There is a town in Indiana called Santa Claus


11. There is no such thing as too much football.


12. I'm not as good at Ping Pong as I used to be.


13. The Health Care bill isn't a bad idea, if the republicans were in charge of it.  


14.  The hood of a car falling down on your head hurts pretty bad.


15. A car can jump off a pier, fly 250 feet, and land on a barge.


16. That I have been alive for 22 years and 23 months and have lived in 4 decades.


17.  It feels good to get things off your chest by writing a 4 page letter.


18. Utah has expensive gas


19. Utah to Virginia really is a long drive; I think i'll fly next year


20. I have some great friends.