Teams

I am sucker for any game that involves building up a team or squad. I think this is what lie at the root of my love for team sports. It is also what all of my favorite games are based on. Recruiting, developing and leading at team to accomplish some goal. Assault that downed UFO, win that basketball game or survive that wasteland.

Home Sweet Home

Nicole and I got back in Houston late last night. We were exhausted from a day in the sun and from walking all around Seaworld. Seaworld in San Antonio is pretty fun. They have two big roller coasters and bunch of water-powered rides. We thought it would be a good idea to get on the water ride after it got hot. The problem was that so did all the thousands of others in the park. The lines on all the rides that got you wet were about hour. So we just skipped them and saw the shows.

We saw the Beluga, Shamu and Sea Lion shows. My favorite was the Beluga show. It had human acrobats, dolphins and belugas. The coolest thing was these swings they had they used to launch people into dives about 20 feet into the air.
Here in Houston my office still has flooding damage so I might be working from home this week. Nicole is jealous of how much housework I will get done while she is at her job.

Awaiting Hurricane Ike

I am sitting in my apartment in NW Houston and awaiting Hurricane Ike. The forecasts for my area are high winds (70 to 80 mph) and rain from early Saturday Morning to that evening. Winds this speed are not considered dangerous for buildings with foundations. The most likely thing is staying inside for a day for two without power an inconvience.

The other thing happed today is that I went to the grocery store. The shelves weren't completely empty, but the parking lot, the aisles and the local roads were all packed. I swear that I could almost taste the tension in the air. After got some extra last minute water and a few odds and ends it too an hour to checkout. Next time something like this happens I am going to plan ahead and have all essentials days ahead of time.

A new week, being on-call

Being on-call has never bothered me very much. I suspect there are two reasons for that- first I am confident in my ability to rise to a challenge and second I am quite happy just reading a book. These two qualities help me overcome two common anxieties with being on-call. I am not worried about being stranded from my coworkers and having to solve a problem personally. Staying at home isn't a hardship for me. I like to catch-up on my reading, etc.

The downside of being on-call is it increasing Nicole's Apartment Fever(like Cabin Fever but more apartment-y). Nicole quit her job a several weeks ago due to working rarely and then only on evening shifts and ever since then she rarely goes out. She doesn't like to go many places alone and she knows few people here. So she waits for me and we usually go out at least a couple of times a week. But the one week a month I am on call she gets even more stir-crazy then normal. (The regular crazy is present at the regular level. Its the good kind of crazy.)

The other thing of note is this is my month of fasting from Basketball. Now that the Olympics have ended I have almost a month until the Utah Jazz training camp. It is enough to drive a man mad. Well at least crazy enough to watch extra chick flicks with your significant other.

I have completed almost a full month on the Wii Fit program. Unfortunately I have gained some weight. The aerobic options for the Wii Fit aren't nearly intense enough to fit my eating habits. But on the bright side my hips now move almost independently from my shoulders. The Yoga part of the Wii Fit is slow helping me gain strength and flexibility in all my neglected areas.

And for everyone worried about Hurricane Gustav- it is hitting so far East of Houston I expect will only get a rainstorm and some evacuees.

Oh the only other interesting thing I have seen recently was a NOVA espisode on EpiGenetics- how enviroment effects turn on/off genes. It was very interesting. EpiGenetics appear to be at the source of some cancers- markers for diabetes through 3 or 4 generations or exposure to pesticides. EpiGenetic treatments also appear to be a possible source to send some cancers into remission.

Until next time I bid you Adieu.

Kemah, More Wii Fit

Nicole and had a fun trip to Kemah. Kemah is a small tourist attraction on the Gulf of Mexico with restaurants, a few rides and stingray petting zoo. Nicole's favorite was the petting zoo. My was ride called the Pharaoh's something or other. It is like Lagoon's Tidal Wave: it rotates around a pole like giant swing. Giving you a little bit of weightless and straight look down. I couldn't stop laughing at Nicole. She was shrieking at this little ride and clutching my arm and side hard enough to leave a mark. I am now unsure how Nicole will do at Six Flags. You should see Nicole's blog for pictures. (To be added soon.)

Oh and the Boardwalk Bullet- a modern Wooden Roller Coaster- was the roughest, fastest and the least fun roller I have ever been on. It was a lot like I would imagine going into orbit would feel like, if you were launching through a tornado. It was significantly faster then the Colossus at Lagoon and each turn slammed you side to side in the car. Nicole sat to my right and her head hit my shoulder 3 times. In a way I glad that it worked out that way. Hitting my shoulder was probably better the hitting the hard plastic of the rollercoaster-car. Anyway don't go ride this coaster. Instead spend more time petting the stingrays. I am sure Nicole will expand on this experience. Anyway it was a lot of fun.

More on the Wii Fit:
I am still doing at and I am nearing a month of use. Overall my body tone has improved. Also my flexibility in my hips, lower back and calves has improved. So I would recommend it to anyone as a bridge from not exercising to have a physical base. Once you have developed your body it is easy to branch out to other things because it isn't such a big shock.

Beard update: I think the beard is dead for the time being.

Beard/No Beard and Wii Fit

Over the last two weeks not that much has happened. I did grow a beard twice. I like the way it looks but it only lasts for about a week and a half. It takes that long to start itching. And I can only stand about two days of itching. And once I shave I just stop thinking, "Man, my jaw looks weak."


The only other thing of note is using the Wii Fit for two weeks. I have to to say I like it. I think my lower back, hips and calves are little stronger and more flexible. So I don't know that I have lot more to say.

Being Busy and my return to Utah

So I haven't been dead. Just really quiet on the blogfront. I would claim a time crunch but the fact is blogging is #68 on my priority list. Naps, working out, reading and eating cheetos are all above blogging.

So my life as consisted of work, sleep, eat and play for a little. Rinse and repeat.

Nicole and I returned to Utah for my brother-in-law Paul's wedding. Hotel Lynch put us up and provided some Wii Fit fun for us. I really, really like the Wii Fit. Apparently my Wii Fit age is 37. I have terrible balance according to Nintendo.

The other highlights of the trip included a really poor bowling outing by me. I bowled a 79 and then an 89. On about one of ten approaches to the bowling lane my release felt right. I think my fingers need a non-standard finger holes. The amusing part of this is Grandma Garlic beat me by 1 point in both games.

And finally thanks to Josh I got to experience ROCK BAND. It was fun but the strummer on the guitar was weird. You have to strum much longer for each stroke. It was fun and the best part was getting to spend a lot of time with Nicole and our families.

The only outcome of the vacation is now I want my own Wii Fit. So more on that later.

Oh and it doesn't look like me and Nicole will have enough vacation days to make coming home for Thanksgiving to make sense. We are planning on Christmas.

Not dead yet

Turns out I have a boring life at least from a blogging standpoint. Despite the many things happening to me on a daily basis I have not found the right perspective on them to make a worthy blog entry. So I am making this entry to say 'I'm not dead yet.' I am still married and still doing well. Maybe later today I can think of some clever to say.

Our expectations and perceived weirdness

Houston is starting to feel like home. (I suspect having a loving wife speeds up the process.) I am finding that my vocabulary is changing to match local norms. Houston's crazy transportation system feels natural now. I am starting to become more like people around here. All this changing is making me think about the people that I met in Utah that I thought "Hmm, well so and so is kinda weird." Well in Houston I am that weird person. Every time someone sees my Utah Driver's License they are like- wow I never have seen one of those before. Alway if you meet a 'weird' person remember to be kind. You might be the next 'weird' person someone else meets.

Currently

I am returning to Utah this week for sister's wedding and the prospect of snow is not a welcome one. Houston has basically two temperatures, hot and really hot. So cold will be a big surprise. I got to speak in church this week and I didn't polish up enough to go really smoothly. Well my life was really boring well week. So I will probably more next week.

"What do I want?"

What do I want? This question has been on my mind because my wife often has difficulties making small decisions. My parents raised me to take turns. Turns on who get to pick that evenings activity. Which movie? Where to eat and so on. She often doesn't know what she wants. (Of course I am very grateful that she instantly decided wanted me around.) All this thinking about her wants made me consider my own. What do I was now? What do I want soon? What do I want in the coming years? What do I want at the end of my life?

It interesting if you examine the history of self-made millionaires, actors or actresses, Olympic athletes or anyone else that accomplishes something. There is a point far before they had done anything that they decided they wanted it. They decided they wanted it badly. They wanted it more then almost anything. When the time came to make the small choices as to that day's activities, they chose activities that lead to what they really wanted. Money. Fame. An Olympic medal. There is another aspect to this. Each and everyone of the prophets in the scriptures desired "the things of God", "spiritual things" and "To know Son of God". (Look at Abraham, Mormon , Nephi, etc.) So if we really want it we can have it.

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/13/20#20

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

So what do you want?

Long time no see

Well, I had been without internet for quite sometime. I also had small life change called marriage. So my blog is not dead. I am not dead. But I found sometime to finally post a blog.

A friend of mine said before I was marriage that everything that annoys you about a person will become a hundred times worse after you get married. Well I would say that is true, but I must be luckiest guy in the world. Living with Nicole is wonderful. We have our differences in things that we want and or care about. But more importantly we agree on the important things.

I had several random thoughts throughout this last week but as thoughts do, I neglected to pen them to paper and they abandoned me. So all I got is people are different. People make decisions differently. Everyone thinks that the way they did it (often the way their parents did it) is best. It may really be the best or it really me not be. But in marriage or friendship or in any sort of relationships you have to open and understanding to different ways of thinking. This is also true of society at large. Driving in Houston has different norms then driving in Utah or driving in California.

Well I plan blog weekly from now on, so look for more random thoughts.

Writing Update

I finished but little writing with the small whirlwind of graduation from BYU, engagement and moving to Houston to start a new job. But ideas like felled timber to make a ship need to be dried and aged. My characters and ideas are slowly starting to mature to the point they are coming to life on their own. So hopefully I will be able to report good progress soon.

In Houston, Communication, Goals and Life

Well my blog is now coming from Houston, TX. It is startling to walk around without coat in January but it was 75 today. The weather reminded me that if someone lived in Houston their whole life they might never see snow. They might never see ice. Each person is an island and through words we can only communicate something we have seen. On our own little personal island we might have a small tree, a cedar. If someone else's island has no cedar but a cottonwood tree, it is reasonable to expect they will hear tree and think cottonwood even if we meant a cedar. So communication by words alone is easily misunderstood, misconstrued or purposefully maligned. There is a medium that communicates clearly. It speaks clearly across language barriers and gaps in our personal experience. What could do this? The Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost. It speaks directly to our souls, to our hearts. We feel it rather then hear it. When we have charity for those around us the Holy Ghost transports our love to their hearts. Sin can harden our heart so we will not feel this but repentance always lets God's love back into our hearts.

It can also be daunting to consider goals like "being a disciple of Christ" or "graduating from College" or anything else. The thing to remember is "A journey of a ten thousand steps, begins with one." So take your Goal, figure out the next step and take it today. Take the next tomorrow. Also remember this Chinese Proverb " Fall down seven times; stand up eight." If you find yourself off your plan or the path that leads where your to go, simply start moving towards what you want. So if you want it, go get it. In time and the aid of the divine all good things are possible.