Month: June 2005

  • “. . . Hey Andy, did you hear about this one? Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
    Hey Andy, are you goofing on Elvis? Hey baby, are we losing touch?
    If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
    If you believe there’s nothing up my sleeve, then nothing is cool. . .” (R.E.M).

    The song is in my head.

  • “It’s breathtaking to think of you and to learn with our fate that the sky isn’t as blue. It’s mindnumbing to think of yesterday. We’ll look toward the stars and dream that we’re airplanes. . .So here we go. Let’s show them how to live: Accept the pain; Always forgive; Watch the sun go down; Learn the sound of following all that is complete” (This Day and Age).

    Why is it that the things that I want to change never change and the things that I want to last forever always seem to come undone? It’s very perplexing. (If I can, I will try to replace these words with pictures over the next few hours.)

    Edit: Sorry, no pictures. I scanned them all and then something happened . . . I will have to do it again. Grrr. #43 (Emancipation) is a good episode, but I still think #32 (Traffic Ticket) is my favorite.

    Edit (again): Sorry I forgot to tell you about my Red Robin experience Saturday night. It was so funny. I went to Red Robin with Megan Rule around 10 or 10:30- we intended to get drinks. Well we ordered our freckled lemonades and then thought about getting an appetizer. We ended up getting whole meals, lol. Then Megan’s burger had a sticker in it, so it was free and we got a free milkshake that tasted like cough syrup. It was funny cause we were trying to drink it despite the fact that it was gross, and . . . you just had to be there. We also ran into Megan Blankey from junior high. She works there now and it was fun to catch up with her. She’s really nice. Anyway, that was my fun Saturday night date.

    “Finding myself in a place I’ve never been, where I don’t know myself or anyone else. I can dream about the past, or I can just let it go. I lost track of time five days ago. . . Don’t leave me now. We’ve come too far just to set our eyes on a new star. I’ll ride on clouds ’til you come down. Just promise me you’ll always leave the ground. . .” (This Day and Age).

  • “California! Here we come! On the stereo, listen as we go. Nothing’s gonna stop me now. California here we come. . .” (Phantom Planet).

    I am a million emotions right now. Yesterday I expected my mission call to come, and I was right, it came. I was at work, and my dad called me. My whole family came to work and watched me open it. Read it. When I read Arcadia, California, a thousand thoughts raced through my mind. I don’t remember any of them.

    I spent the day making calls and telling people at work and being giddy and excited. Some people asked me what I would be doing. I think that I beat around the bush. I said that I would be helping the people there and teaching them. That is correct, but what I should have said is this: I will be offering people a life-changing opportunity.

    There are so many people with so many different attitutes and needs and wants and hardships and trials. Some of them need to change, and I will be trying to convince them to do so. I will be trying to convince them to be better people. I will be persuading them to turn to God. I will be exhorting them to live the lifestyle I have chosen to live. Please don’t think that I am selfish or proud or self-righteous because of this. There are people out there who have known darkness. Some are abused. Some are caught in depression and low self-esteem. Some are tangled in pain and unhealthy living. Some are desperate for something to have faith in. If I can offer them a new lifestyle, one that will help them, then I will do it. If I can offer them something to believe in, then I will do it. I pray that I will find those people in California. I pray that I will be able to bring them a light they have lost or never known.

    I am going to be a missionary in California for 2 years. I still can’t get over it.

    Anyway, to celebrate this long-awaited news, we went to Walker Brothers with the fam, Grandma and Grandpa, Auntie, Dan, and Kelly (James’ girlfriend). Mmm. Pancakes. Then Collin came over and we bummed around the house and ultimately watched Charade with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.

    “I am certain now that I am vindicated. I am selfish; I am wrong. I am right, I swear I’m right, 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” (Dashboard Confessional).

  • Arcadia, California

    August 17. 2 years. 2 years.


    the Los Angeles Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

  • reminiscence.

    P.S. I hate the supreme court with a passion that burns like the red hot sun in the sahara desert. The judicial system of the U.S. of A. sucks.

    In addition to listening to Dragostea Din Tei I am watching Serendipity and counting down the hours ’til the mailman comes. eleven and four sixths. I’m currently entertaining thoughts of Spain. did you guess yet?

  • So start making guesses. Where will I go on my mission? Click here for a list of all the missions. I could end up at any one of the 330. Statistically I will likely end up in South America or California, but who knows. Well I hope I will know tomorrow, so get those guesses in soon. If you guess right, I will e-mail you a cookie. Currently I’m feeling a vibe for Russia, but I shouldn’t jinks myself.

    By the way I’m speaking at Church this coming Sunday. 9:00 am. 15 Port Clinton Drive. It’s just a small speech. I will be giving a bigger, better one right before I leave on my mission. This one is optional. Come and get brownie points. The one at the end of the summer (my “farewell”) is not optional for many of you.

  • “But you gave me the best mixtape I have, and even all the bad songs ain’t so bad. I just wish there was so much more than that about me and you . . .” (Butch Walker).

    Anybody reading who . . . knew me in 1999?

    So I got pictures developed (finally) saturday. Wow I can’t believe how fat I was at school. Eek. I’m glad I lost it all . . . er most of it (13 lbs of it). I’m happy now at least. Anyway I’m doing some massive scannage with my crappy scanner. Be prepared for a huge picture post tonight or tomorrow.
    “So if I call will you be there? I miss the nights we used to share … up on the rooftop listening to punk rock. Nobody believed us this could be our one shot. That was all we had. The nights we wasted got us through the days that seemed never ending, always in a haze, but we just didn’t care” (Mest).

  • “What’s a dad for, dad? Tell me why I’m here, dad. Whisper in my ear that I’m growing up to be a better man, dad. Everything is fine, dad. Proud that you are mine, dad, cause I know I’m growing up to be a better man. . .”

    I long for the days of Lucille Ball, before feminism had ruined society.

    I just can’t stand the way fathers are portrayed on TV today. They always the stupid bumbling idiots who don’t deserve the smart women they are married too. I mean seriously, Homer Simpson (the simpsons), Hal (malcolm in the middle), Ray (everybody loves raymond), Peter Griffon (family guy), etc. It’s pathetic. There is all this pressure for guys to be stupid and for girls to be smart. That’s just not right. That’s a terrible burden for both men and women. Men are always having to be all apologetic and inferior, and women are always having to be right. They should allow themselves to be wrong sometimes, and we should be stronger role models.

    What happened to the Lucy Show where it was just as funny to see a bumbling wife? I mean everybody loved Lucy, but she was allowed to be stupid and Ricky Ricardo was allowed to be smart. Or better yet, what happened to Bill Cosby? He was allowed to be a good father and a smart man, but Mrs. Huxtable was every bit as good and as smart as her husband. They were equal, and guess what, they were still funny. Now feminism has gone too far and shifted the scales beyond equality to the point were males are inferior to the female ego.

    . . . Did the best you could, dad. Always understood, dad. Tell me I was right, dad. Opened up my eyes, dad. Proud to call you my dad. Thank you for my life, dad. (Yellowcard).

  • “If we weren’t so alike, you’d like me a whole lot more. . . I need to let you know you don’t have to do it alone. And it’s you when I look in the mirror, and it’s you when I don’t pick up the phone. Sometimes you can’t make it on your own” (U2).

    So years ago we saved up some money to remodel and refurnish our house. We remodeled, but the refurnishing part was delayed when we put the money we had saved towards helping my little brother. Well now my dad has had a good year and so we have finally been filling our (literally) empty house with beautiful furniture. Included with all this beautiful furniture are two huge mirrors, one for the dining room and one for the living room.

    I tell you this story because I think it is so funny to watch everyone go through those rooms. Everyone who walks through the living room stops at that huge mirror and gazes in it for five minutes until they remember they have somewhere to go. It’s funny.

    P.S. Xanga is broken and it makes me sad.

    “Can’t you see that you lie to yourself? You can’t see the world through a mirror.” (Avril Lavigne).

  • “Mom, my nose is bleeding,” whines Jonathan.
    “Well if you would stop sticking the marker up your nose it would stop bleeding,” my mom responds.

    For the record it was not actually bleeding. It was a red marker.

    Edit:
    Today at the pool:
    “How old are you?” (Matthew)
    “I’m older than 9 and a half” (Max)
    “So you’re 9.” (Matthew)

    P.S. I’m scared that old comments aren’t available right now. I’m glad old posts are safe, but still.