I be thankful

Today I am thankful for my return to blogging.  You are welcome!

Anywho, with the past few weeks of school and work and life I have suffered from writers block.  NOTHIN!  However, I am going to be victorious and push through it.  Just within the past week alone I have drafted some great posts in my mind, but we will see if they make it.  I find that blogging is like journal writing in the fact that a motivating sequence gets put into place (e.g., priesthood lesson) and you go home with all sorts of motivation to complete the task.  THEN you sit down and try to make up for lost time, become overwhelmed, and set the journal down until next quarters "motivational sequence."  SO I apologize if you don't get to hear about my thoughts on 8, or the "laughing post" and how my professor referred to Dr. Smith's b . . .  (Megan would kill me if I put it) and how much he loves them, and my comparison between the dentist and the I.T. man.  MAYBE if you show me extra love they will come to fruition.

AND being THANKSGIVING I would like to say how thankful I am for family, friends, spontaneous life situations, laughter, freedom, 5 day weekends, learning, a job, safety, conviction, and mostly my beautiful wife and her pregnant belly.  I really am overwhelmed with goodness, love, charity, and opportunity.  I hope all of you have a great day!

OH and not to forget my thankfulness for my little families new Thanksgiving night tradition (compromise is a beautiful thing):

This so happens to be the BEST Christmas movie EVER!  Let me indulge you in a few more screen shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now THIS is what JOY IS!

 

 

 

 

And lastly, I am thankful for finding my yearbook picture from 1970.  It's just the shot that keeps on giving!  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

. . .

AWOL, yes. I know a few of you are wondering where we have been. Let me explain.

Last week our laptop was hit with a nasty spyware virus and has YET to return . . .

I started a new job.

School is a little ALL-consuming.

AND the stomach flu has just decided to rear its ugly head on my dear wife and me.

We're coming back. Just allow us a little recovery time. BUT, be excited. I got LOTS to say!

Bachelor BLOWUP!

Last night I decided that I should attempt to embrace my temporary bachelorhood.  I asked myself, "Greg, what do bachelors DO?"  I came up with frozen pizza, a movie, and watching Japanese game show clips online . . .

A LIST OF LOSERS!

First off, FROZEN PIZZA.  Now, I'm not talkin' that fancy stuff.  This was legit, $2 frozen pizza.  HORRIBLE.  Why did this used to be good?  If ANYONE knows any way to restore my faith in frozen pizza, PLEASE HELP.  I am going through emotional shock.  It tasted like a perfect marriage between cardboard and sawdust finished off with "toppings" (aka freeze-dried "meat product")  I ate the entire thing . . .

Second, the movie.  This was supposed to be GOOD.  I have been looking forward to seeing I Am Legend for a LONG TIME.  Yeah, it was alright.  It was unique with  the occasional jump, but clearly I am a victim empty anticipation.  Word to the wise: If you want to see a movie, GO SEE IT!  Don't wait a year and then be saddened with the inability of your expectations to meet the demand.  I think I am going to give it another chance in a couple months.  I did this with The Truman Show and came out a winner.  I wanna like this movie.  It's my kind of movie.

Last, and DEFINITELY not least, the online Japanese game show.  Now, I love me a little Japanese craziness.  Those people will do just about ANYTHING when it comes to pranks and game shows.  The things they will have people do is HILARIOUS.  I thought would I end my night with a good laugh . . . AND WHAM!  That's when it hit.  A FREAKING JAPANESE (I am assuming) VIRUS/SPYWARE!  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Spyware is a big deal.  Basically, someone sneaks a virus onto your computer (via Trojan horse) through a downloaded file (i.e., the FREAKING GAME SHOW) and can then watch EVERYTHING you do, including inputting PASSWORDS and SCREENAMES to banking accounts, purchasing accounts, and email.  They can do some MAJOR damage, not to mention FLOODING your screen with so many pop-ups that you cannot do ANYTHING.  This is a big deal that walked RIGHT PAST NORTON ANTIVIRUS!  Long/stressful story made short:  I stayed up until 3 a.m. attempting to download removal software.  I was success to some degree in deleting 20 MAJOR spyware threats.  Today I took my computer into the computer doctor to remove the rest.  DAMN ALL JAPANESE GAME SHOWS!  Okay, so maybe not ALL of them, but I am bitter and want to throw a fit.

SO, in review, when you are trying to relive those "bachelor days" follow after me: Raise your right hand in the air . . . AND SLAP YOURSELF!  Nuf said.  

And sometimes when we touch, the honesty's too much.

Megan left me today . . . to go tend her sisters five kids for FOUR DAYS!  Brooke goes on an annual girlfriend trip and Dan had the unfortunate experience of placing his legs under the burning shrapnel of an airplane a couple months back so they need Megs help for a little bit. 

Now, I have always been a pretty independent person.  I have been able to take care of myself and I enjoy alone time.  In fact, I think EVERYONE needs a little alone time every now and then.  It is good for the soul.  ANYWHO, Alabama and Nauvoo only enhanced my independence and I figured that I would be fine for a few days . . . I am already bored! . . .  She has been gone for not even an entire day.

My wife is FUN!  I love hanging out with her.  She laughs at my jokes and throws the occasional one herself that usually floors me.  She listens to my endless philosophies about life and makes me feel validated.  She talks to me about what our daughter is doing and keeps me organized.  She is one of my favorite people and she is gone.    

SO, to fill my time be prepared for some random posts.  Just a heads up.

Santa, is that YOU?

Halloween is OVER and we are onto bigger and better things: CHRISTMAS! I know you say "NO NO, THANKSGIVING (and Greg's birthday every 7 years) is next." BUT let's be honest, Thanksgiving is merely an appetizer to the Christmas main course. Speaking of, have you ever wondered what Christmas tastes like? I have, and I KNOW! . . . Peppermint Ice Cream and I GOT SOME!

So my motherly mother sent Megs and I a coupon for free Dreyer's Ice Cream! I am not a big ice cream eater and figured it would go unused, UNTIL I made eye contact with Christmas in the freezer isle. Now I have a handful of foods that tell me its Christmas (not to mention movies . . . to be posted later), but this is high on the list. It seems to taste even better when you read the "LIMITED EDITION" or "LIMITED TIME ONLY" on the container.

Just look at the swirled pepperminty goodness. This ice cream only comes out during Christmas and for those of you who have not yet partaken of this joy, GET ON IT!

Even our kitchen gnome loves him some peppermint ice cream. (the kitchen gnome has YET to be named. Submit your suggestions TODAY! We are looking to knight him with his name by Christmas)

So today I say "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

OH YEAH, and VOTE!

Just can't get enough

This is an ACTUAL picture I took of the BYU Police Force.  NO criminal is safe!

Public disturbance

June 30
Police followed up on a report of people being loud at 11:30 p.m. at Wymount Terrace. The loud people were asked to be quiet.

Criminal Mischief

May 27
Someone broke into a Heritage Halls building and plugged the toilet and the sinks with paper. It flooded the apartment. Police said it was probably EFY related. Maintenance was called . . . and they took care of it.

Welfare Check

April 8: A 6-year-old boy called the police when his 9-year-old brother would not let him watch television. BYU police checked the situation to make sure the boys were supervised. Both boys were fine.

Criminal Mischief

April 1: BYU police responded to a call reporting a tampering with the BYU sign on University and Canyon Rd. Students had placed paper letters over the sign "Enter to learn, go forth to serve" to make it read "Enter to date and to mate."  (What's wrong with this?)

theoretically speaking

You know, I have theories.  I have ALL KINDS of theories.  And I like to think.  I like to think and I talk to myself about what I think.  In fact, I talk myself through most blog posts. I like to try to make sense of life.  I like to answer questions that I ask myself about... MYSELF.  Some of these theories and ideas and perceptions are long.  And some of them are quite short.  All this helps me understand that NO ONE can be bottled into one single idea.  People are amazingly diverse and that is awesome.  People are made up of millions of memories, experiences, ideas, and perceptions.  This helps me to give people the benefit of the doubt.  Today, I have a theory about NORMAL.

Apparently, I am not normal.  I am a man.  I like to cook.  I like to be social.  I would prefer to talk to someone about how their day went rather than to "watch the game."  I laugh at socially unacceptable things.  Sometimes, I swear.  I care (most days) about what my hair looks like.  I don't understand most of what they are saying on ESPN.  I love to listen to and make people feel great about their life situations.  I enjoy watching most sports, but could never speak "stats".  I have a pink shirt that I look good in.  I can't think of anything greater than holding my daughter.  I have better handwriting than quite a few other women.  Competition can sometimes make me uncomfortable.  I would rather attend yoga or jogging on the treadmill than go lifting weights at the gym with the other muscle-heads trying to find any reflective surface to gaze in to.  I blog.  Apparently, I am not normal.

For a good chunk of my life, this supposed deviation made me hide.  BUT, today I have a new theory about NORMAL.  It is best given by a young man named Angus (or at least a young man who plays a person named Angus in a movie)

And so what to be normal? We all have to be like you? There are 400 people in this room that are nothing like you. Some of them are fat, some of them are skinny, some of them are tall, some of them are short, some of them have braces, some of them have birthmarks, or scars, or frizzie hair, or ears that stick out. But most of them probably walk these halls everday never telling anybody the truth about what they really want or need or believe. Because people like you, normal people like you have them terrified of being who they are. I mean if your normal what does that make them? So which is it Rick, are you normal or are you just one of us?

So there you have it.  I am not normal . . . thank goodness.