Let's Waste More Tax Payer Money

I would have to say for the majority of people out there therapists are a waste of time and money. At the group home where I work (government funded by the way) all the boys here are required to see a therapist twice a week, once in a group setting and once individually. As far as I understand it they are there to try and kick their drug habits. However tonight when I came to work I heard one of the most retarded things I have ever heard come out of a human being.

There's a boy here, lets say he goes by Danny. Danny's therapist believes that Danny is to childish of a name for him, which allows him to act childish. So we need to call him something else, but not Dan or Daniel because that's to grown up. So from now on we are required (yes that's right they are making us do this) to call him by his middle name, Albert.

For starters, what the hell does this have to do with him kicking his drug habit? The only reason he is here getting therapy is to get over drugs, not to make him feel/sound more like an adult. Second of all what's wrong with calling him Danny? I'm 25, and I go by Tommy. Does that make me more childish? NO!!! People do what they want, how they want because its what they want, not what they are called. Also how is Albert less grown up then Dan? If anything Id say it's more grown up sounding.

Sometimes I don't know why we get away with some of this stuff. If more people could see just how wasteful and worthless the therapy is here, I'd be out of a job. If its gonna be such a big waste of time and money, just put the kids in DT for an extended period and then set them free. Isn't that how the adult justice system is?

Life Is Complicated

Life throws us curve balls. Sometimes we can see it coming and hit one out of the park. But most of the time it gets the better of us.

Sometimes I wish I knew everything that would be happening to me. Or that the things that I want and plan for come to fruition. The vast majority of the time that just isn't the case. Sometimes I do get lucky, and its wonderful. But not often.

Oh well, nothing I can do about it but push forward and hope.

Technology: A Love, Hate Relationship

The modern world is an amazing place. We can communicate instantly across continents. We live longer, healthier lives (generally speaking). We have comforts earlier times couldn't even dream of. Everyday are lives are made easier and better thanks to technology. We depend on technology so much, but because of this dependence it's also our downfall. When technology fails, we and society along with us crumbles.

I bring this up because today my cell phone crapped out on me. Every time I opened it all that would come up was a blank, white screen. How annoying is that? I was freaking out a little. Like what if somebody had an emergency, and needed to get a hold of me? I was helpless in doing anything. Or so it felt. It made me think, we as a society depend so much on technology that when it isn't there or doesn't do what we need it to, our world comes crashing down around our ears.

What were to happen if technology failed on a wide scale, like across the entire world? It absolutely would be utter chaos. I think civilization would return to the dark ages overnight. We might be a little more sophisticated then that, but I don't think it would be by much. If technology wasn't restored, the world would return to the time of feudal lords and kingdoms. Not only that, millions would probably die because of a lack of food disbursement. Just think if supermarkets didn't have food. Their would be mass riots, since the majority of the population doesn't do food storage. They would literally kill each other over a loaf of bread in a matter of weeks if not days.

Yes technology improves our lives, and I am thankful for all that it does. I just think we as a society need to be a little more self sufficient and not lean on technology as a crutch. When it's gone, we are gonna fall hard.

Oh I did end up getting a new phone. I had a heck of a time trying to recreate my contacts list. But oh well, hopefully it won't happen again.

Telemarketing Should Be Illegal

I can't imagine telemarketing actually working. I've never met someone that's said, "Yeah I got a phone call for a new long distance plan and it worked out great!" Normally anytime, anyone talks about getting a phone call it's more along the lines of "I was right in the middle of something important, and had to stop to pick up the phone." Sometimes there are a few expletives thrown in for good measure.

It just seems that they have a nak for calling at the worst possible times. For me it's usually at like 11 or noon. I'm usually sleeping and then I get a call for something I have absolutely no need for, and then because I had gotten just enough sleep, I have the worst time trying to fall back to sleep, it's horrible. The only thing that gets me more annoyed when I get woken up by them, is if it's automated in spanish. Oh man that gets my goat.

I think we get bombarded with enough advertisements on tv, the radio, in the mail, and on billboards, that we shouldn't have to be subjected to it over the phone. I mean come on really, the point that I know its a telemarketer is the point where my brain has shut off and I'm just waiting for a pause so I can either; just say no, hang up, or chew them out (depending on my mood, and how tired I really am).

Let's call them at their busiest, and waste their time and see how they like it!

New Measurements

Like I said earlier I'm up to 160lbs. Alex and I decided to do some measurements to see how big I really am...



Neck - 14.75"
Waist - 35"
Bicep - 12.5"
Chest - 37.5"
Upper Thigh - 22"
Calves - 13.75"

So the goal is to see how big everything will be at 170lbs and then again at 180lbs. Any guesses as to what the final measurements will be?

Recap of the Month

Yeah it's been almost a month since I last updated. And since the one person that I spend the majority of my time with insisted I updated, I thought I probably should. Even though she hasn't updated in like 6 months... :)

I still don't have a job with a Police Department. Saratoga Springs turned me down, I'm doing some paper work for west valley, and I'm waiting to get an interview with Utah County Sheriff's Office. Luckily the group home is more then happy to keep me on for a little while longer...

I'm back up to 160lbs. That leaves only 10 more to go for me to win the bet, but I think Alex only has like 6 more to lose, so I don't know if I will win anymore. On the bright side I would say it's a lot more muscle then the last time I was at 160lbs. It probably has something to do with the workout program p90x. It kicks my trash every time I do it, but it feels so good to be putting some muscle on these bones.

I saw G.I. Joe last week. I LOVED IT!!! That movie was spot on with how the cartoons were. I know not everyone liked it, and thought it was cheesy. But it brought back the nostalgia of watching Saturday morning cartoons. You can't put a price on that.

Obama is still to crazy for my taste. The one stipulation I'd want to put on this health care bill, is that for those that receive it they have to provide proof of citizenship. I'm kind of getting a little annoyed of people who aren't paying taxes getting all the benefits.

Everything else is still about the same. Still dating an amazing girl, still living with Chris, still trying to live life to the fullest. I'll try to post more regularly, and get some pictures up. We will just have to see what happens.

Llama Fest

On Saturday; Alex, Aubs, Brady, Travis and I went to Llama fest. I had never been there and had no idea what to expect. It was super freaking hot, and it only had about an hour of interest for me, but that hour was pretty good. It was at the Harri Krishna Temple down in Spanish Fork.
The temple looked really cool, both inside and out.
We of course went and saw the llamas, but they also had some birds, and some tiny cows. The cows in my opinion felt better then the llamas. All in all it's not a bad festival, and is probably worth 3 bucks just to check the place out.

Birthday Celebration

It was Alex's birthday this last Saturday, but she was up at her parent's house so we couldn't celebrate it together until Monday. I however believe I made it up to her.

I got her a present that she really wanted, and would keep her entertained. It's a long board (a big skateboard), and a helmet (even though she doesn't wear it). I figured she needed flowers for her birthday. I knew her favorites were lilies and roses. I got both, now I'm not what you would call a flower person, so I had a little help picking out the arrangement. I did however pick out the vase that went with it. The whole ensemble was a big hit, I do believe her roommates were very jealous of that little bit. Then I took her out to her favorite restaurant, Los Hermanos. It's always good there, and wasn't busy. The next stage of my plan was to go to Comedy Sports and have this night be like our very first date way back in September, but Comedy Sports isn't open on Monday. So I gave her the options of a carnival, mini golf, or going to a dinosaur museum. She wanted to check out the museum, another back fire as it turns out the museum closed at 8 and we got there at like 8:10, bummer! We ended up going to an arcade, and then got some ice cream and watched a movie at my apartment. I had a lot of fun, and I'm pretty sure she did to. Isn't that what's supposed to happen when you celebrate your birthday?

Academy Update

I am done!!!

I finished my PT and my Certification test this past Monday. It feels so good to be done. The written test had me a little worried for a bit. I originally got an 87% on it which was the second highest in the class, with about half the class failing. The next day the Captain told us that up to 32 questions were being thrown out because they were messed up or had the wrong answers to them, and if after the test was re-scored and we failed we would have to retake it again! Oh my that got my goat pretty bad. But thankfully after the test was scored again I ended up with a 93%, which just so happens to be tied with the highest score in the class. I'll be ok with that.

The PT was a cake as I expected it to be.
Standing Jump - 22 1/2 inches
Push ups - 32
Sit ups in a minute - 46
300 meter sprint - 50 seconds
1 1/2 mile run - 12:46 minutes

I feel really good about all that. Now all I have to do is find a job.

A New Game, Well Kind Of.

Alex and I started another little competition. We are seeing if I can gain 20lbs before she can lose 20lbs. The loser has to pay to get the winner a massage. Then after we meet that goal, we see who can go the farthest gaining/losing by the end of the summer. We haven't figured what the reward will be for that, but I'm sure it'll be something good.

I'm fairly confident I will win. I just need to stay on top of my eating, and weight lifting. It's not like I'll have school anymore to throw me for a loop. :)

Sometimes Patience Pays Off

There are somethings that I have wanted for a long time, and for one reason or another I have been unable to get. So for like the last 10 months I've been working on one in particular. And just last Monday I got it!

It's one of those things that makes me just super duper happy. I don't know what to say, I worked so long and hard to achieve it, and now I'm there. My only hope is to keep it the way it is. You probably already know what I'm talking about...

The Glass House Shatters in the Storm

Our minds are beautiful, wonderful, amazing tools. But sometimes they can fool us into believing something that logically doesn't make sense. You get it into your head to build a glass house. A good solid foundation. Design it with the proper architecture, and engineering in mind. Place every nook and cranny in exactly the spot that you want it in. It's perfect in every way, shape, and form. You are ecstatic with it, you never want to leave, you wish you could be in there for ever, in absolute bliss. On the horizon you see a storm brewing. You think no big deal, I'll be safe in my house, what could possibly go wrong. Let the storm come, You fear it not. You've got the best foundation, and the perfect architecture. Let the storm come.

Oh how the storm does come. As if the very fury of the heavens is descending upon you, and your glass house. You sit and watch, helpless to do anything about it. The one thought crosses your mind, I'm sitting in a glass house. The storm strikes, with all it's might. Lightning, rain, wind all the power that it has crashes into your glass house. The glass house shatters in the storm. It falls down around your head, and as the storm blows itself out, you sit amidst the rubble, distraught that your perfect house is nothing more then broken glass. What could you have done? You made your house out of glass.

Life gives us hard lessons. Sometimes we need to find better judgment, and not listen to our own insane babbling. It's hard to pick ourselves up and get going again, but somehow, some way we must.

What would be the coolest continent to visit?

The world is a fantastic place, and I would like to see all of it before I die. That probably won't happen of course. It seems that people can't agree which place they want to see more. It's a tie between Europe and Australia!
Total votes : 9 - North America 0(0%), South America 0(0%), Europe 3(33%), Africa 1(11%), Asia 1(11%), Australia 3(33%), Antarctica 1(11%).

I voted for Europe. I think that Europe just has everything I want to see in it, in general terms that is. There is just so much art, culture, world history, ancient history, and natural beauty in that area that you could spend a life time looking and never see everything.


I will have to admit Australia would be my second choice. I'm not sure why but it just seems like Australia has this primal pull on me, just to go and see it. Maybe it's like the last tamed land on Earth or something that draws me in. Or maybe it's still got that old fashioned cowboy feel to it that calls to my masculinity. Either way Australia would be way fun to go check out.

And I don't know who voted for Antarctica, but the only thing I would want to see there is the Penguins, and you can find them in other places that aren't so barren and cold.

The NFL Queen Has Been Dethroned

So Alex and I kind of have this on going rivalry. We play a game called Madden NFL 2008, and for I think like the first 6 games we played she stomped me into the ground. However in the last week or so I've finally gotten my act together and given her a run for her money.

I've beaten her several games now, and I think she's getting a little annoyed. She knows how I felt. She claims I have an unfair advantage being able to play it all the time. I don't care, I'm gonna take what I can get. It's not like I haven't given her the option of comeing over and practicing.

All I really wanted to say is that she can no longer lord over me the fact that I hadn't beaten her in the game. I have and will continue to do so. (Hopefully) HA!!!

My First PD Testing

This past Monday I was invited to test with the Cedar City Police Department. The testing started at 6:30am, that kind of sucked. But I got my arse out of bed at 2am and drove down there. I passed all the physical stuff. Then we had to do a report on a video of a DUI arrest that we watched. I think I did pretty good on that one, I did write a 3 page report. Right after that we had an 80 question test to take. The test was kind of retarded. It was more of a what would you do test, then anything that really had to do with the law. I think I did fine on that. Around 2pm is when I had my oral interview. That I know I did freaking awesome at. It was a way relaxed interview. I was telling jokes and some funny stories, while at the same time answering all of their questions. They were at least laughing with me, it felt more like a bunch of friends talking around the table instead of an actual interview.

All in all, I felt like the day went pretty good. There were 30 other people that showed up for the job, but I gave it my best, and that's all that I could ask for. And even if they don't offer me the job, the day wasn't a waste. I learned a lot about what to expect from future interviews.

Chocolate It Is

You know I can't really blame people for voting for chocolate. I mean its chocolate!
Total votes 6. Chocolate - 3(50%), Vanilla - 1(16%), Neapolitan - 2(33%)

I however like a little variety. Chocolate is fantastic, but even that can get old for me. I like to go for the Neapolitan because every bite doesn't have to be the same flavor. The way to get around that with chocolate is to get the kind that's got lots of stuff in it. MMM good!!!

Stars

What is it about the stars in the night sky? It's like one of the most amazing natural wonders. I can stare up at the night sky for hours at a time, every single night. I never get tired of it. I work down in the middle of no where, and it's pitch black out many nights affording fantastic views of the night sky. I can't get enough of it.

Does looking up at the sky invoke a deep sense that there is so much more out there? That there is a greater power in the universe? That I am but a spec compared to the infinite dimensions of the cosmos? It could be all these things. Maybe everyone feels a little bit different, but I believe everyone feels something when they look up at night. The power of creation is there to behold at just a glance towards the heavens. Yet sadly many don't get to see the beauty of it. Light pollution has caused a diminishing of our ability to see the sky. Nothing we can really do about it. But the next time you get a chance, when you are out away from civilization take a minute to look up. How do you feel when you look at the stars, what do you think about?

I Lost A Bit More Weight

I don't know what it is about my body, but it seems that if I don't keep up on the whole trying to put on weight, it all goes bye-bye.

I'm back down to about 150lbs. That annoys me. I spent all that time and all that work putting that weight on and in just a couple of months its gone. ARRR!!!!

On the plus side, I'm at quite a bit more toned then I was before. So I guess all that work wasn't a complete waste.

I Got A New Plant...By Hitting It

I was coming back from church on Sunday with my friend John. I turned behind this truck that had a uhaul trailer. The dude apparently didn't care about the cargo because the trailer was open and full of plants. He went around the corner at a pretty good speed and a bunch of these plants fell out. I was pretty pissed because I didn't have time to swerve and ploughed right over a couple. Luckily I didn't see any damage to my car when I stopped. I was gonna go chase the truck down and get his plates to turn him in, when John turned to me and said "Hey, you want a free plant?"

At first I thought no, that's stupid I want to get this guy. But instead of spending my Sunday getting involved in this and waisting my time, I figured a free plant was ample payment for having it hit my car. So I got a new plant, all it took was hitting it with my car. I don't however know what to do with it, cause it is like 7 or 8 feet tall.

It Feels Good

A lot of the time I feel like a complete idiot when it comes to girls. Like I don't know what to do or what I'm doing is the "right" thing. Girls just confuse me. I was having a conversation with Alex, you know just talking, saying what was on my mind. (Sometimes that gets me into big trouble) But then she gave me one of the funniest and greatest compliments I think I've ever gotten.





"Its guys like you that make most guys look like pigs."





You know I might not be the best or do everything right, but when I hear something like this it just makes me feel good. I figure hey, I must be doing something right.