Top 10

Guilty Pleasure Songs. I know these songs aren't really that great. But I love them and listen to them all the time. Welcome to my shameful little world.

10. Hall & Oates: You Make My Dreams Come True



You're welcome for including the 500 Days of Summer video


9. Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now



Call me a hippie, call me whatever. Listen to the lyrics. Joni Mitchell knows where its at.


8. Missy Elliot: Work ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT



My friend Leigh once in high school printed out the lyrics for me, because i loved this song, and had absolutely no clue what she says in the chorus.
Is it worth it, let me work it
I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it
It's (I put thing down, flip and reverse it)*Backwards 2x which sounds like its your femma neppe vinette
If you got a big [elephant], let me search it
To find out how hard I gotta work ya
It's (I put thing down, flip and reverse it)*Backwards 2x* which sounds like its your femma neppa vinette


7. Mandy Moore: Only Hope



Okay, once every ten years I like to be a hopeless romantic, and I listen to this version of the song. Any other time you can listen to the better Switchfoot version and not have to feel guilty about it. Ahhh, Mandy


6. Ace of Base: The Sign



I don't know if I should admit this or not..........this is not the only time I have tried to find this video on youtube........


5. Natalie Imbruglia: Torn



There is so much I can say about this song and this music video. I wasn't allowed to watch MTV as a young teen, so when I slept over at my buddy's house that is all we would watch until three in the morning. This is one of those videos that made us keep watching...I used to have such a big crush on Natalie. Why did she have to be a one hit wonder



4. Vanessa Carlton: 1000 Miles



I am a product of 1999............somethings just don't ever go away



3. Outkast: Hey Ya!



I don't really know what to say about this one...........



2. Mary J. Blige: Family Affair



Ok we all know, I love me some Mary J. What makes this a guilty pleasure is how much I really love this song. Like, really love it.

1. Bonnie Tyler: Total Eclipse of the Heart



Yeah, if I am ever in the car for longer than two hours you can guarantee that this song will be on the playlist. It is my favorite roadtrip song and one of my favorite 80's song. Then I see the look in your eyes....................

You are now entering..............

THE FRIEND ZONE

I need to check something with you all. When a girl tells you that you are nice and that you are funny she has removed you from the possible interest pool and placed you in the friend zone. Correct? Like I am two steps away from being told about boy problems and four steps away from hearing stories about forgetting tampons and such, right? Because chicks don't like to date funny and nice boys.

Ahh why must you girls be so........cryptic............for lack of a word that could set the whole blog-o-sphere ablaze with hate comments................but if I did say it, You would probably all fall madly in love with me. There I go again........being nice.

Oh well.......I don't even know why I am spending time thinking about this, I don't really have time for any type of relationship right now, let alone one that has other obstacles that make it harder than just figuring you girls out.

Anyways, advice is welcomed. Sorry I have been bad at posting.........i hope to be better while at break........which is four days away......and then I will be back home!!!!!!!

May I recommend....

That you listen to this song.......it gets me. For reals, I just discovered this guy on a sleepless night playing around on iTunes. But this guy is Bob Dylan meets Gavin Degraw meets James Morrison meets my soul. Okay, a little over dramatic. But for reals, listen up kids, this guy has some real talent:



Song Title: Lawn Full Of Marigolds
Artist: Joshua James
Album: Build Me This

Lyrics:
I moved myself west to find a philosophy,
to learn my geography at best.
Where the mountains are cold,
the rain drops it's tears, I'm told.
Amongst the ashes a heart of gold, they say.
I guess it's best to imagine it that way.

So I bought me a book to teach me the ways of God,
to open my tarnished heart from it.
Started praisin' the Lord & talkin' in tongues & code;
I did repairs on that broken road back home.
I guess it's better than being alone.

And now to death: I'm dying.
To love: I'm trying.
To God: I'm lying again.
And to my Ma: I've failed you.
To my Pa: I [always] blamed you.
And to God: I have shamed you again.

So I moved myself out, I pictured a better home-
a lawn full of marigolds, I guess.
I headed back east, started thinking my hope away,
depression was the one to stay since then.
Now, I take pills to push it from my head.
Yes, I take pills to push it from my head.

And now to death: I'm dying.
To love: I'm trying.
To God: I'm lying again.
And to my Ma: I've failed you.
To my Pa: I [always] blamed you.
And to God: I have shamed you again.
To God: I have shamed you again.
To God: I have shamed you again.
Again.


also, if you like, listen to these ones too:

A Hairy Theory

So, I have this philosophy, that as my hair goes so goes my day. I know that sounds what people may call gay, but I am comfortable enough with myself and my love for Alicia Keys to have this discussion. If I have a good hair day, my day seems to be just as good as my hair. If it is bad, well the day pretty much sucks. Does my hair make my day or my attitude at the beginning of the day shape my hair and the rest of my day? I don't know, I am not a scientist and or a psychic. I have just noticed the correlation, and decided to document it as proof. Here is my proof.

Day of Haircut: Not So Sure. I didn't style my hair, Monica at Knockouts did. Knockouts, or as I like to refer to it, Hooters Haircutting. It is a very fun place to get your haircut. Not only is that title well deserved, but each station has ESPN on on your own personal television. The only thing that seems out of place is that there is not hot wings. And the chicka, in my case Monica, asks which game you would like to watch, and then proceeds to tell you which games are on and who she thinks will win. I somehow always feel suspicious of this, like a happy ending proposal is only minutes away, but the two times I have been there it has not happened. Although, I have never gotten a massage there (yes they are offered) so who knows. I for one, am not going to try and find out. Anyways, I can never be sure of my hair after someone else does it. It usually looks alright, but never quite like me.

A few days later: Figured Out What to Do with It = Good, long, productive, day of going to court and meeting with judges, lots of reading and writing done. Good times for all

Then there was the bad day, where I went into the bathroom after showering to do my hair and said out loud, "Eff it. Not today folks, just not today" and that was basically my attitude for the rest of the day resulting in this tragic mess at the end of the day

And then today, I woke up and thought you know what, life- not too shabby, and this came about:

Why? This may or may not be a question going through your head at this very moment. Why is Brad blogging about this? Did he really take this many pictures of himself?

Well let me tell you. 1. I don't know. 2. I really don't know why I blog about the things that I do, just deal with it. 3. Yes, I really did take this many pictures of myself. Its called a webcam, it makes taking random weird photos of yourself very easy.

I have always had this hypothesis of as the hair goes so goes the day. And I wanted to share that random oddball fact, and see if anyone else concurs.

Also, I hate going to anyone that I don't know cut my hair, they don't know me or how much my hair apparently will affect my day. My friend Jamie used to cut my hair and always did an awesome job. Then my sister started cutting my hair, and does an awesome job. My hair was getting too long and couldn't wait until I went home for fear of a constant time of picture number 3. So I went to Monica, she seems to do a pretty decent job......but Katie is just as good and free. Luckily I go home for Turkey day soon and Christmas, and the free hair cuts I have enjoyed for the past few years will be back and hopefully so will more days like pic 2 or 4.

Top 10 Old Betty's

Okay, before I do the top ten ladies of 2010 I thought I would do one of the ladies that paved the way for the hotties of today. It should be no secret but I love old movies. Acting was just different then that it is today. It was classier. Today is more realistic, fast paced and edgy. But then it was just classy. As you all know I love movies, all movies, oldies, foreigns, indies, everything. If I wasn't wanting the surety and safety of a law career I would have loved to do something with the film. D-word practicality. Anyways, I digress. So with two exceptions, all these ladies hit their peaks in the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's. What else could they do? They could make smoking hot. No girl today can do this. None. But there was something about them back then that makes me understand why so many people die of lung cancer now.

10. Lucille Ball
You may just think of her as this:



The lovable, funny, accident-prone ginger from I Love Lucy. But before she was that she was this:



She paved the way for funny gals everywhere. I Love Lucy.


9. Jean Arthur
She is in one of my all time favorite movies, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. I would also recommend Can't Take It With You. She is a cutie, but I think it is her voice that gets me. This is her in Mr. Smith.



And this is my fave pic of her:






8. Goldie Hawn
Okay, I know she isn't that old. But I am talking young Goldie. Like Laugh In Goldie. And that started in the 1960's so she can stay on the list. She is also the MILF of a girl who has been a regular on my top ten list since 2004. Will she make it this year? You will have to wait and see. (Building Anticipation)

Goldie, on Laugh In



My fave Goldie:




7. Bette Davis
Those eyes inspired songs. All ABout Eve, good flick. But look at those Eyes. Also may I recommend youtubing Brandon Flowers singing Bette Davis Eyes, it is a good rendition of the song.



My fave Bette:



Okay I embedded the Brandon Flowers Bette Davis Eyes. You are welcome.




6. Julie Andrews
How could I leave this classic sweet heart off the list? That's right I couldn't. Is she attractive? Yes. Not the classic bombshell that some of these ladies are. But for every Eva Mendez there has to be a Natalie Portman, am I right? Still cute, much more talented, than the others, and often less recognized for their beauty. Julie Andrews, the Natalie Portman of her time?



My fave Julie:





5. Katherine Hepburn / Ingrid Bergman
Ahhh a tie. I needed to include both of these ladies in the top 5. Smart, sexy, and in some of the best movies of all time.

Ingrid Bergman
You probably know her best from the classic, and one of my fave flicks, Casablanca, or from the classics For Whom the Bell Tolls or Anastasia. She is the second most oscar awarded actress of all time. Second only to.......wait for it, wait for it....
Ingrid in Casablanca:


My fave:



Katharine Hepburn. You may know her from a billion different movies. She is the most oscar awarded actress of all time at a total of 4 best actress (out of 12 nominations) and according to Wikipedia is ranked as the best actress ever by the American Film Institute. I believe it. My favorite movie of hers is Guess Who is Coming to Dinner. Funny, provocative at the time, and good message. Although her other classics are Brining Up Baby, On Golden Pond, The African Queen, and The Philadelphia Story.

Classic Katharine:


My Fave:



4. Grace Kelly
So pretty she became a princess. Literally. Princess Grace of Monaco. But before she was that, she was in my second favorite Hitchcock movie, Rear Window. Probably best know for Mogambo, Dial M for Murder, and Country Girl, that is other than becoming a humanitarian and princess. Honestly there isn't a single bad photo of her. Here are two of my faves:

Classic Grace:




My Fave (You know I dig a chick in cool shades)



3. Audry Hepburn
Is there anyone classier than this chicka? The answer is no No there is not. My favorite movie of hers is Charade. Shut up, I know there are a billion others that are just as amazing and probably more praise worthy. Its just my personal fave. Deal with it.

Classic Audry:


Fave Audry:




2. Norma Jean Mortensen aka MF Marilyn Monroe.
Yeah, like she wouldn't be on the list. Say what you will about her, I love her. She really needs no introduction.

Classic Marilyn:



Fave Marilyn:



This is my fave because of how simple it is. Not a whole lot of dolled up, uber sexy, like she usually is. This is the Marilyn i picture as the real Marilyn. The off the camera Marilyn.



1.Twiggy
Ok, not a movie star. But really one of the hottest models of all time. Sorry Heidi Klum, but I put her just above you and just above Gizelle. You may unfortunately recognize her from my sisters favorite show, America's Next Top Model. But you should know her from changing modeling forever. I heart her.











Honorable mentions: Bridgette Bardot, Tippi Hedren, Ava Gardner, Jayne Mansfield


Okay, there are so many other betty's of yester year that could and should be on this list. These are just ten that came to me right now. Other suggestions?

Help

I need this song in on my ipod, like right now...............but it is not for sale anywhere that I can find................help



you may know her from this song



or from this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDbrur1Cs_Q&feature=related

Sorry it won't let me embed. But I highly suggest looking it up

This speech is very interesting

I want her story to be the next HBO movie starring maybe either Anne Hathaway or Idina Menzel. I think Idina looks and sounds a lot like her and would probably do better, but Anne Hathaway could pull it off just fine.

I miss.........

These guys:



My family on the day of my brother's wedding to Amy. I am grateful for them and for the building behind us that makes it so we are all together forever.

On the Floor..........

This song by Brandon Flowers gets to me. It is one of those songs that when I first listened to it I kinda blew it off because it is a little slow, and moved on to a few of my other songs that I really really love on his cd Flamingo. Then one day after talking to my mom and hearing her worried about my grandpa's health and feeling soooo helpless being 700 miles away and being homesick for most of the week I let this song play out in its entirety. Brandon Flowers has one of the most hauntingly amazing voices of all time. You combine that with lyrics that are so beautifully written in this understated way that somehow speaks volumes and juxtapositions something so ugly with something so grand and you get this song: On The Floor. It kind of reminds me of where I need to be more often.

Play the video to listen to the song and I pasted the lyrics below it. I hope you enjoy.



Lyrics
When the lights go down in the city, getting real low
Settling in my room, I’m unnoticed
When the still comes in through my window, letting me go
I feel a calm, come over me, on the floor

On the floor
Where the rats all come away clean
There on the floor
Where the children all stomped and screamed straight out the door
Well I find myself on my knees
Begging please

When the lights go down in the city and everyone goes, to their room
Walking the trail to dreamland
When the lights go down in the city, something is roaring
I find myself waiting to believe

On the floor
Where the mice call shots in the corner that’s where I’ll be
When the crickets come home and sing their symphony
Well I find myself on my knees
Begging please

On the floor
Facing the things I’ve done here on the floor
Where the years have gathered and run that’s where I’ll be
And I find myself on my knees
Begging please

This is what I have been doing for the last 2 hours

I outlined the creation of the Erie Doctrine:


Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins
304 U.S. 64, 58 S.Ct. 817, 82 L. Ed. 1188 (1938)
Parties
Plaintiff: Tompkins; resident of PA
Defendant: Erie Railroad Co.; corporation in NY. (Erie)

Procedural History
A. Tompkins was injured while walking on a path along the railroads right of way
B. Tompkins brought an action in Federal Court in Southern NY
-Fed Court in So. NY had jurisdiction because Erie was a corporation of that state
-Trial Judge refused to rule that the applicable law precluded recovery.
-Jury brought in a verdict in favor of Tompkins for $30,000.
C. Erie appealed; judgement affirmed by circuit court of appeals
-Circuit Court of Appeals claimed: Where general law is applied, as it should in this case, federal courts are free, in absence of local statute, to exercise their judgement as to what law is.
D. Erie appealed to SCOTUS. Supreme Court granted cert
- Because of the importance of the question whether federal court was free to disregard the alleged rule of the PA common law

Facts
A. Tompkins was injured by an Erie train while walking along a path in the along the train’s right of way
B. Tompkins Argument:
- Accident happened by Erie’s negligence
- He had a right to be where he was walking because it was a commonly used beaten foot path and there was no statute claiming otherwise.
- He was struck by something that looked like a door projecting from one of the moving cars.
C. Erie’s Argument:
- Its duty to Tompkins was no greater than that owed to a trespasser.
- It’s duty/liability to Tompkins should be determined in accordance with PA common law as declared by the PA highest court that says people using pathways along railways are trespassing and that the railroad is not liable to undiscovered trespassers accidents resulting from its negligence.

Question Presented
A. Whether the oft-challenged doctrine of Swift v. Tyson should be disapproved
- Main ruling in that case stated the “laws of several states” in the Rules of Declaration Act does not include state common law.

Holding
A. Yes, the Swift v. Tyson doctrine should be disapproved and federal courts should apply state common law. (The creation of the Erie Doctrine)

Rule
A. Swift v. Tyson = federal courts are free to exercise an independent judgment as to what the common law of the State is or should be because of section 34 of the Judiciary Act of 1789.
- More recent research by a scholar examining the original document shows that the construction given to it by the Court was erroneous, and the purpose of the section was merely to make certain that in all matters except those in which some federal law is controlling, the federal courts exercising jurisdiction in diversity of citizenship cases would apply as their rules of decision the law of the State, unwritten as well as written.
B. Experience in applying the doctrine of Swift v. Tyson had revealed its political and social defects; and the benefits expected to flow from the rule did not accrue.
- It introduced grave discrimination by non-citizens against citizens
- Made rights enjoyed under the unwritten “general law” vary according to whether enforcement was sought in the state or in the federal court, and the privilege of selecting that court was left to the non-citizen. This rendered the equal protection clause impossible
C. Except in matters governed by the Federal Constitution or by Acts of Congress, the law to be applied in any case is the law of the Sate. That includes law made by the legislature of that state or the highest court of that state.
- There is no federal common law.
- Congress has no power to declare substantive rules of common law applicable in a state.
- SCOTUS declare that in in applying the doctrine of Swift v. Tyson this court and lower courts have invaded rights which in their opinion are reserved by the Constitution to the several States.

Dieting.........

I believe the hilarious Kelly Kapoor can best summarize how I feel right now....








ahhhhhhhhhh. I tried everywhere to find the clip where she passes out and the one where they are in the conference room and Michael makes her stand on the chair and she says "I hate dieting.......and I hate this worm that is inside of me." But they seem to be missing on youtube and other various clip related sites and cannot find it to save my life.

I have finally incorporated some gym time back into my life. Which has been soooooo good. It really hasn't helped the weight loss as much as I was hoping but it does make me feel good. So I guess I will continue on with it. Dieting isn't as bad as Kelly Kapoor has been making it out to be. Luckily with school, studying, the US Open, and the gym occupying most of my time it has made it easier to not be tempted to eat as badly because I have the goal that I have to burn off at the gym on the treadmill all the calories I ate for breakfast/lunch. We'll see how long I can keep that up.

MILF Island

So my definition of a MILF for all intents and purposes is going to stand for a Mother I Wanna (get bow chicka bow wow) Fro-Yo with. Listen pervs Fro-Yo as in frozen yogurt. Where are you from a stupid rock? Fro-Yo is the biggest craze to hit since sushi. Anyways here it is my long awaited and much anticipated MILF top ten list. Let me clarify, these hotties are all moms over 40, not your Jessica Albas or Jennifer Garners. We all know I love to flirt me up some middle aged mommas. No harm no foul, just good old fashioned fun times.

Honorable Mentions: Not chosen because they are way too obvious: Sandra Bullock, Jada Pinkett Smith, Halle Berry, Julia Roberts, Selma Hayek and Meg Ryan (pre plastic surgery)


10. Michelle Obama



Are you really that surprised she is on there? She is classy, smart, and has nice arms. I am glad she shows them off. The hottest first lady since Jackie-O.

9. Molly Ringwald



I fell in love with her in one of my all time favorite movies, The Breakfast Club. I named my high school tennis racquet after that character. And she still kinda as it goin for her. Way to go Claire.

8. Dianne Lane



Dianne is the oldest on the list coming in at 50 years old. I know I was going to keep this in the 40s but I threw her in there because, she is still pretty hot at 50. I first fell in love with her when she played Cherry Valance in The Outsiders. But she has kept it going on.

7. Julianne Moore



She never ceases to amaze me. Amazing actress, nominated for 4 oscars, in great movies, and always seems to be getting down in them. Her guest appearances on 30 Rock sealed her fate on this list.

6. Sheryl Crow



I love this folk rock star turned pop rock star turned country rock star.

5. Naomi Watts



Duh, look at that picture. And she is 41 and at one point dated Heath Ledger so you know she must be legit

4. Nicole Kidman



Nicole was once upon a time #2 on my real list of hottest celebrities. But that was back in 2003. She still has it though. She is the kind of classic klassy hottie.

3. Tina Fey



I love this liberal comedic genius. She is the new Lucille Ball but with edge. And hot. She made glasses hot.

2. Tea Leoni



I fell in love with her when she had this little known show and even less watched show called The Naked Truth. It was hilarious. You probably know her from Family Man or Spanglish. In all three things she was HOT. and hilarious. I love the show Fun With Dick and Jane.

1. Betty White



C'mon look at that Golden Girl and tell me you would not wanna get Fro-Yo'd with that. And by Fro-Yo I actually mean frozen yogurt this time. I don't know why I think sexually suggestive jokes about Betty White are overly hilarious but I do.










1. Mary Louis Parker



Ok the real number one goes to hotty Mary Louise Parker, of Weeds. I love her. I want to quit my life and go on the run with her. She has made this show into something I can't get enough of and did I mention she was hot? Because she is.



Well I wasted enough time doing this when I should have been studying. Oops...........I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Life

Ah life is a little different for me now. I am in Arizona now. Living in Gilbert with three other dudes. I haven't had roomates for over a year and am getting used to it slowly but steadily. Luckily for me all three have proven to be cool guys. I have played tennis, gone to the movies and to a party with them. All in all I can't complain. Well I can, but only about the heat. 110 is a little hotter than I thought it would be.....116 is hotter than it should ever be anywhere....except in hell, it can be 116 there. But what makes it bearable is knowing that in January where it is snowing and cold and freezing in most places in the country I will be enjoying sunny and 75.
Also, I wasn't going to publicly share my weight loss goals but I am kind of proud of myself and thought I would share. Since my birthday in March I have lost .......drumroll....... 22 pounds. I was really terrified to jump back on the scale when I moved down here. When I moved to my parents house for the month of July I stopped weighing myself. And I also stopped running 10 miles a week. And I was taken out to eat so much that I really was so afraid to step back on the scale. Luckily for me I still managed to drop three pounds. How- I don't know. Now I am back on a pretty good diet and since being here have dropped another 2 pounds. So if I can finally get myself back on a solid exercise routine combined with this diet the next 30 pounds should hopefully be off before Christmas break. That is my goal. That would put me about ten pounds less than I was when I came home from my mission. I came home in really good shape. And I maintained that for like three months. Then slowly by slowly the pounds came creeping on. Then after a year and a half they came on a little faster until it kind of put me into a slight state of depression I was depressed that I let myself get this way and depressed that I was lacking the motivation to do anything about it. Then I sprained my ankle and then a few months later did it again. Each brought on bad eating and no exercise. Then came the holidays and finals and blah blah blah a lot of other excuses. Then my birthday hit and I began to analyze my life and what was making me a little blue. The largest answer was my weight. I didn't want to date because I didn't feel good about the way I looked. I felt like I had to compensate for the unattractive state I was in by being funny. Yeah I made myself the fat funny friend. Which in case you have never been this person is a depressing state to be in. Because when you don't feel in the mood to be funny you feel like you have let down the one thing that makes you valuable to a friendship or a group of people. I became kind of disconnected to a lot of people because I didn't know what else to do. Also people treat you much differently when you have extra lbs than when you don't. I have noticed it first hand. People care more about what you have to say, about you in general when you weigh less, and take you more seriously. Friends who are fit and good looking start making you plan B. It is sad. If I have ever done this to anyone I want to apologize now because it is one of the worst feelings in the world to watch people who you care about and who you know at one poing really cared about you treat you differently because of the way that you look.

So to make a long story short, I am tired of feeling blah and not good enough. So I began hitting the gym really hard and dieting. I have had a few setbacks of weight fluxuation but I am finally to a point where I don't feel like I can go back to where I was four months ago. So the next 30 lbs will put me just at the ideal weight for where I think I need to be. Just got to get my fitness and diet to work together.

As a side note, next post will be a top ten milf post. I am very excited. I hope you are too. Thanks for listening.

Things I have learned this week

- I somehow have a way of disappointing a lot of people without ever meaning to. Like I can literally make people really upset with me and not know it until boom it is blowing up in my face. Your thoughts?

- That my nephew and niece love me as much as I love them. I just said goodbye to them because they are going back to their dads for the weekend and today was the last day I would see them before I moved. I spent most of the day with them at the water park swimming and going on water slides with them. It was a blast. Then they came over to eat bbq at my parents house. I played Wii with my nephew as my niece told me stories about her boyfriends Finn and Puck (yes the ones on Glee). Then it was time to say goodbye. My niece turned four not too long ago and is only kind of comprehending what me leaving means. But my nephew is 6 and we have always been really really close and he got it. He came to give me a hug and didn't let go. The hug lasted like two minutes and he had tears in his eyes when he was done giving me the hug. Which of course made me start to tear up a bit. Which made him give me another hugg because he thought I was sad. Then my sis in law text me later and told me that when her and my bro got home my nephew was really quiet and when they tucked him in she asked him if he was okay and he started bawling and then my niece came in and she started bawling and then my sis in law started bawling because I was leaving. She never said if my brother was bawling but I am just going to assume he was as well. Man am I going to miss them and am so glad that google is as amazing as it is and has a video chat so I can still watch my nephew and niece grow up.

Now I know that everyone always claims that they have the cutest nephews and nieces but c'mon look at this picture and try to argue with me on this one.

- Also I learned that my serve in volleyball is back and almost better than ever. Just need a little more power in it so it hurts to hit back and then it will be there. Hopefully my new singles ward has a weekly volleyball night happening because I am going to miss playing volleyball with my friends every wednesday here in F-Town. That means Farr West you sickos.

Gavin Degraw -Recreating Chill Music

Of the many types of music I listen to chill music is one of the most constant. I like music that makes you feel something, and real chill music does just that. One of my favorite chill artists is Gavin Degraw. I love the songs Belief, We Belong Together, and probably my fave More Than Anyone, the stripped versions of the songs, the other poppy versions don't do it justice. I also love old motown songs. Smokey Robinson is king, if I could sing like anyone, he would be one of those that are at the top of my list, also Sam Cooke. My favorite Smokey song is Tracks of My Tears and one of my fave Sam Cooke songs is Cupid. I can't sleep and am playing on youtube and discovered this little gem where Gavin Degraw mashes both songs together in the best chill mashup I have heard in a long time. Enjoy

Tonight I Wanna Cry

So I learned today that two people that I love and look up to and helped make my mission what it was passed away. Hattie Smith and my Grandma Rosie, Rosie Shelton.

Hattie Smith


Those of you who know Hattie knew there was something special from the get go. She was a horrible smoker for years. Started meeting with the sister missionaries and tried to quit so she could get baptized for a year with no success. Then she had a stroke.......and then she had another. And then she gave up smoking and considered the two strokes a blessing because it finally allowed her the opportunity to get baptized. Such a strong example of making the best out of a bad situation and recognizing blessings in the most obscure ways. I served in her ward for a year and went back to visit since coming home. Two weeks before I went home I was able to go with her to the temple for the first time, which for mormons is a huge deal. Everytime we left her house we had to sing I am a Child of God. The strokes left her with limited speach and in a wheelchair and when she sang along you really knew that she was just that, a child of God. Her smoking caught up with her and lung cancer hit and combine that with another stroke and Hattie returned to her Heavenly Father two months ago. I wish I would have known sooner so I could have tried to be there for her funeral.

Rosie Shelton



The next one really hit me hard. Rosie Shelton is one of the greatest people I will ever know. She took me in my first night in the ghettos of Chicago and reassured me of what I was doing and that I would be safe. My first 7 months of my mission I was in the cornfields of Indiana and then the ruralish suburban city of Oswego IL. Then I was transfered to the southside of Chicago. I was amazed at the poverty, the dirtiness, and empty feeling I felt as I made the drive from the mission home to the southside. I was scared. I suddenly became very aware how white, how privileged, and how niave I was. Luckily I had a companion, Shane Hall, who will always be a brother to me, show me the ropes and on that first night he took me to Rosie. I walked into her small apartment in a senior citizen high rise tired, scared, and beat spiritually, mentally, and physically. Shane was still a fairly new missionary and I wanted to give the spiritual messeage to show him A that I was a good missionary and someone he could learn from and B that he could trust me to deliver. Rosie was personable from the very beginning and contained the perfect blend of sass, love, and hilarity. After my spiritual thought she gave me a hug and told me that we were going to get very close while I was serving in her area. Little did she know that I was going to be there for 7 and a half months and she would be seeing my face at least once a week for that. We had a special connection from day one and when I call her Grandma Rosie I mean it. I viewed and loved her like she was my actual grandma and I know she felt the same for me. Her sass toughened me up, her love gave me the sense of family I missed, and her hilarity kept me going when I wanted to give up. Her cooking was out of this world and I will never have cornbread that will compare to hers and I will be having some corned beef and cabbage in her honor. There is so much more that I want to and can say about this woman, but just know she has left permanent footprints on my heart and her death has broke my four year absense of crying. She had MS and after I left dimentia began to set in and she forgot almost everyone. But in my dreams I would have long conversations with her that felt so real. I have missed her ever since I left Chicago and will miss her everday until I get to see her again. Grandma Rosie I love and miss you.

Real/Funny Parody Videos

The Harvard Sailing Team comedy group is seriously the best thing to happen to me in a long time. Ok that was a little dramatic but seriously I could watch these videos a million times and never get sick of them. Here are my four favorite. The first three are parodies with a lot of overexaggerated life truths about the difference between men and women. And the last is a joke on people getting together who do not know how to play poker. Please watch, enjoy, and let me know what you think.









You're Welcome. Now when I say totes or where are you from- a stupid rock? you will know why.

Another Post about Sunrises

Ok I know I posted a long time ago about how I dig sunrises and sunsets. I am going to repost why I enjoy them:

Sunsets/rises are one of the great equalizers in our society. I derive this partially from one of my favorite books, The Outsiders and partially to my own thought. If you have read this book or seen the movie you may remember how Ponyboy and Cherry and later how Pony and Johnny talk about sunsets. During Pony and Cherry's discussion Ponyboy talks about how he likes to watch sunsets. After ranting about all the breaks rich kids get Cherry says something like, "Pony things are tough all over." Ponyboy disagrees and she asks, "Can you see the sunset on the southside?" Pony replies, "yeah." As she leaves she says, "Yeah, you can see them real good from the north side too." Later on in the narrative you have on the run criminals Pony and Johnny hiding out in an old abandoned church in the country on a hill. One morning they wake up early and see the sunrise. It is the first time Johnny has ever taken the time to notice one. He says that it is golden. Then Pony recites a poem by Robert Frost, that to this day after reading this book so many times I have memorized:

Natures first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf a flower
But only for an hour
Then leaf setside to leaf
And so Eden sank to grief
As dawn goes down today
Nothing gold can stay.

As sad as it is, these moments of the true granduer of God are fleeting and are at an apex for such a limited amount of time that it is so easy in the hustle and bustle of modern day life to miss it. That is what makes Johnny's request of Pony at the end of the book to stay gold so poignant because the ability to stay gold is so universal, so tangible, but so often and easily missed that one needs to be reminded that "things are tough everywhere," but the ability to overcome lies in all if we allow it to. If we choose to stay gold.

I have not been to a lot of places in my life but the few places that I have been are tantamountably different. One common theme in all is that they all have killer sunsets/sunrises. Whether it is watching the sunrise over a snowcapped Mt. Ogden from under a blanket on my parents deck to watching the sunrise over Lake Michigan and the city of Chicago. Or watching it set over the cornfields of Indiana,or from the twelth floor of a fenced off balcony of a housing project in the inner city, or watching it set over a lake in the serene mountains oustide of Cedar the common theatric visage is possible to see everywhere. Echoing the true physiognomy of God, that he is there and the silenced plea to stay golden, to endure well, is echoed in the chromatic hues so effortlessly spread across the sky.

So sunrises, the one thing that we all got to remind us to keep on keepin on.

Two weeks ago I went down to visit ASU Law School to check things out and on the drive down me and my friend Christa stopped by the Grand Canyon to watch the sun rise over the natural wonder. We were the only two people there in that part of the park that early. Here is what transpired:























Once the Sun was up this is what we were able to see















This experience was easily one of the most incredible things to ever happen to me. We got there when it was pitch black, only the moon and some stars to light the path to the edge of the canyon. Then the sun slowly began to rise and every minute illuminated on something new. New colors blew up across the sky in front of us and it slowly painted the most incredible background behind us. It reinvigorated me, physically and spiritually. Physically it opened me up to new senses and visages that blew my mind. Spiritually it confirmed to me that God is there. I had a moment sitting there on the ledge. A moment where I felt very connected, connected to something so real, so tangible. It was incredible. It reminded me who I am, what I should be doing, and that life is for lack of a better word, good. I was reminded of what it is like to be golden, or at least to feel it. Ponyboy and Johnny's conversation hit me hard. Nature's first green is gold. And that gold can come and go so easily. This whole experience lasted for less than an hour. Then the sun was up, the gold was gone, people started to enter the park. Life was back to normal. But I still have that moment in my mind's eye. Where things were golden. I have gotta stay gold.