Life and Juggling

If you had asked me during my senior year if I'd still be involved in theatre in college, I would have most likely told you no. But here I am almost 25 and I am working at a University production service. Sure I'm married and still writing. I even manage to play a fair amount of video games. But there are times where I have maybe a day a week off. Don't get me wrong, it is fun at times. Its just that I wish it could be a more regularly scheduled thing. Yeah, I know, its theatre and that’s just not how it works, but why not? Yeah, I chose this job so I don't have a lot of room to complain, but honestly sometimes it sucks. It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't married, but I am and I want time with my wife. That’s why I need to get published, so I can spend more time with my wife and less time working the problem is that writing takes time, and when I am so often pressed for time it becomes hard to dedicate much time to writing. Especially sense I still need to sleep and eat. If only there was a way to eat while sleeping, enough to hold me through the day. In high school I wrote a paper comparing life to juggling. In juggling, especially with objects of various size, you have to understand the weight of each object and the amount of force it takes to get that object into the air. Though admittedly far more complicated life is very similar. Each of us must strive to discover how much weight and importance each aspect of our life should have so that we can give it the appropriate amount of time and energy. It is something that we must make second nature. Just as a juggler judges, without a moments hesitation, the forces required for each new object as he lifts them. It is something I haven't mastered yet, but am working on.

P.S. I didn't draw the picture,

April 4, 2009

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity

This is a video that David Levine shared with me after a Facebook conversation we had about Muses. It is really interesting and I found it inspiring. So here it is.

Character Without A Story

Joe

Walking onto the stage arms spread wide, cane held a loft in his left hand, he eyed the crowd seeking to catch every eye. A tall man of average build, his mop of fiery red hair was only upstaged by his burning goat-t and brows.. The black button up shirt, trousers, and mirror shined shoes only worked to make his hair seem to dance like flame. His cane tapered towards one end with gold end caps and adorned with a swirling red orb on the top. After a moment, when the crowd quieted, he threw his cane high into the air. Spinning himself around, he caught the cane in his right hand and brought the point down hard against the stage with a resounding “crack!”
“Ladies and Sirs!” he shouted, “Sirs and Ladies!” Quieting only marginally he continued, “Tonight you will see daring feats of courage and exotic dances that will tear at your soul. You will hear a song to boil your blood, and finally, a tail of such astounding danger and mystery that you will not sleep peacefully for the rest of your lives.”
He bowed deeply, one leg stretched behind him. His cane held outstretched and his left arm folded behind his back. He held this bow, his face not a foot from the stage floor, for what seemed like forever before he stood back up and strode off the way he’d entered the roar of the crowd pulling at him to return to the stage.

Five Movies That Describe Me

Stranger Than Fiction
It reveals my semi-compulsive tendency and also my tendency to not only treat my life like a novel but also to view my life as a novel. I have some weird structures to the way I do things: like jelly beens, which I eat in twos; or skittles, I eat one of each color until I can't then I eat them in order of the color with the most left, I also do that with M&M's. I also do the whole step counting thing, sometimes with out knowing it.


Dan in Real Life
It is just really kinda scary how similar it is to our family. Watch it and you'll see.


Tron
Enough said.



Stargate
There are three movies and a ten season TV series all of which are just what they are. Think Daniel Jackson.



Martian Child
A quirky author whose only fit is a child with an extremely overactive imagination. I'm not sure how else to explain it.

December 16, 2008

Lego Creations

This is a Lego creation that I made about a month ago. It is the combination of a Lego creations set and some various castle pieces that I had on hand.

New Blog

Jess thought that if she made a joint blog for us that things might actually get blogged about. So she did with the encouragement of Jason who was in Utah doing research and spent some time visiting with us. Visit it and enjoy. She has already posted five times today. Post title is the link.

October 24, 2008

Caption Cal

The Standard Examiner in Ogden does a weekly caption contest. The image appears in the paper and, after a week, the winner of the contest's caption is used with the image in the next week's paper. Jess's biological father and his wife enter quite often and so they asked us about a caption for this image and we proceeded to submit it. We won so we got a t-shirt and a copy of the comic.

October 20, 2008

Computers Suck

Rubik's Cube

So, ever sense I first learned to do the cube I have been trying to easily move from fully solved to having crosses on each side. I have been able to quickly and easily make Xs on each side but could never make crosses. I had heard time and time again that it was possible and just could not figure it out. I have been able to make the cube look that way only when I solved it from scratch to look that way. So the other day I was just messing around with the cube when suddenly I had done it. It made my day.

Yes I am a horrible geek.

Sept. 3, 2008

The Singing Butler

By Jack Vettriano


The Singing Butler
by Me

The wind blows tugging at their clothes
caressing skin, clouds
threaten her red dress, and his dark suit.
The butler’s umbrella protects sheet music,
while the maid holds her hat.
The butler sings to the rhythm of the waves,
his deep voice floats across the beach
while the couple dances,
gliding in familiar step.
Her toes sink into the wet sand as they turn
he leads holding her close, her perfume
urges his heart faster,
she smiles, eyes closed.

Poem from Advanced Poetry

Call

Both soundly asleep.
Morning comes soon enough,
When we must leave our beds
And routine takes over.

Cream colored phone rings,
Jolts us awake. Pull
The blankets closer as he fumbles
For the phone, then answers.

It is crazy Carla.
She just cusses at him,
So I hang up on her.
Not tired we talk about her.

Sleep finally returning,
Ringing calls us back.
She is cussing louder.
Stumbling I unplug both phones.

Both soundly asleep.
Morning comes soon enough,
When we must leave our beds
And routine takes over.

Just a Random Poem

My Own Personal Rain-Cloud

Sometimes useful sometimes not
Keeps me cool on the hot days
Never lets me get a sunburn
Never lets me get a tan either
Keeps me always in the shade
Sometimes useful sometimes not

Jess and The American FFA Degree

Previously a I mentioned Jess receiving The American FFA Degree but I didn't talk much about it. So here it is, the description of The American FFA Degree.

In order to earn the The American FFA Degree She had to earn the State Degree and have completed 3 years of secondary education in an agricultural program (540 hours). And either one year of post secondary education or completed the program in the last school attended. You must also have graduated 12 months previous to the convention at which the award will be received. you have to complete a SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) during which you must have earned at least 1,500 and worked 2,250 hours outside of school. Also graduated from high school with a "C" or better.

For her SAE Jess raised and slaughtered twelve Turkeys and helped raise Albino Catfish. She sold the Turkeys for Thanksgiving. She received them at only a few days old in the summer and raised them till just before Thanksgiving. She entered three of her Turkeys into a contest, one of them weighed 24 pounds.

Only about six tenths of a percent of FFA members receive the American FFA Degree.

For more detailed information about the requirements.

Greatness and Fame

So I went to Indianapolis this last week with my wife where she recieved her FFA American Degree which is quite the accomplishment, but that is another story.

So anyways while we were there we heard a key note speaker that made a comment that really struck me. He said that being famous is about what you get and being great is about what you give. I had never heard it put that way but it made a great deal of sense. The Famous people of the world recieve all sorts of attention, money, and gifts. The great people of the world give these things to those that need them. Men like Gahndi, Joseph Smith, and so many others throughout history have given all that they had to help people in need.