At the old ball game
June 15, 2010
I am sitting at a Salt Lake Bees baseball game right now and just noticed some of the most spectacular clouds I’ve ever seen.
Broken
June 6, 2010
Well, it has finally happened, and my oldest son, David is the official winner. He is the first of our kids to break a bone. He was riding his brother’s “rip stick” thing, which is essentially a two-wheeled skateboard, when he fell and landed on his upper back right on the toy. He has ended up with a broken collarbone.
Hopefully he’s feeling all better in five weeks when scout camp begins.
Notice
May 25, 2010
I gave my two week notice at work yesterday. It was a long time coming, and I’m hoping for a better environment in my next place of employment.
Traveling
May 16, 2010
Melanie and I took the kids on a trip last week. We went to Rexburg, Idaho, which is where Melanie went to college before heading to BYU in Provo. We also went to the Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls to see an exhibit on wolves and dogs, before visiting our friends in Driggs. In Driggs, the kids got to feed and chase chickens, collect eggs, feed hay to horses, have quiche for the first time, and meet all sorts of cool talented kids. It was really fun to visit with our friends, and it was nice to catch up on the last 8 or 9 years since we were all together.
After visiting the Jensens, we headed over to Jackson, Wyoming, and got to see where the rich people spend their time. We had dinner at some steakhouse that looked to be not-too-busy, and figured out why it wasn’t super busy. It was clearly the spitting image of Sizzler, just 30% pricier. The steak I had was subpar, like Sizzler, the salad was lacking, like Sizzler, and the service was unimpressive, also like Sizzler.
We visited Grand Teton National Park, then headed to West Yellowstone, Montana, via Ashton, Idaho, as the south entrance to Yellowstone was still closed. We saw a bald eagle, tons of elk, a few deer, and a ridiculous amount of bison.
On Thursday we headed to Freedom, which is on the border of Wyoming and Idaho. Melanie’s aunt lives on a 100 acre farm on the Idaho side of the street, and we got to ride four wheelers all around the farm. It was my first time riding one, and the kids got to ride on the back while Melanie and I each drove one. Melanie is definitely more comfortable at the wheel than I am.
We came home on Friday, and made sure to pass by Bear Lake on the way home. We had never been there, and I had always heard good things about it from my late friend, Ron, so I wanted to see it. We were still able to get home in time for me to make it to a 3:00 job interview!
All in all, we drove about 1200 miles in the six days of our trip. I’m still tired, but it was really fun.
One of the cutest photos I've ever seen!
Ryan and David ham it up in front of the antler arches in Jackson, Wyoming
Ryan is showing of his cuteness at Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park
Betsy is the most beautiful girl in the world.
The Tetons from US Hwy 20, just south of Targhee National Forest
The Rexburg Idaho Temple shortly before sunset
Irony
May 4, 2010
Does anybody else see the irony in this?
Widespread inbreeding between the Darwin and Wedgwood families was probably to blame for Charles Darwin’s ill health, and the childhood tragedies and infertility that blighted his family.
That’s the conclusion of an analysis examining links between ill health over four generations of the Darwin-Wedgwood dynasty and the degree of inbreeding between the families.
5k
April 17, 2010
I participated in my first 5k today. I finished in 1042nd place, at the 44 minutes, 14 second mark. That’s not bad for having not prepared for it. I think I’m going to have to do this again …
Donations
March 19, 2010
I just finshed donating blood. It was quick and relatively pain free. If you are able, please donate what you can. There are people who need whatever you can give.
Homework – Midnight Run
March 14, 2010
Judge Oddone made the assignment to watch the 1988 movie Midnight Run, and then do a write-up of it. Here’s mine.
Ah, what did I learn from Midnight Run? For starters, I guess I learned that bail bondsmen, bounty hunters, FBI agents, and Guido Mafiosi like to cuss. No, that’s not much of a surprise. I suppose that I learned that the Judge and I both find the same types of movies to be entertaining.
All joking aside, I watched Midnight Run trying to figure out why Judge Oddone wanted me to watch it. I think he wanted me to learn what it is that bail bondsmen do for a living. He wanted me to figure out how it is that they are willing to put money up to bail some lowlife scum-sucking flight risk out of jail, yet still be able to stay in business. He also wanted me to learn that the life of a bounty hunter can be pretty difficult and harrowing. Did he also want me to see that mobsters always end up getting caught at the end of a two hour chase? Cuz I already knew that.
Well, for our analysis, let’s take a look at what happens when a poor innocent schmuck gets thrown in the clink for possession. I hesitated to call the guy a criminal because everybody is technically innocent at this phase of the proceedings. The guy gets locked up and wants to get out jail for a little while before trial, but his bail is set for $100,000, 10% of which needs to be put down in the form of good old fashioned American cash. The problem is that he doesn’t have $10k just sitting around because he’s been spending all of his spare cash on blow. (Remember that I said he’s technically innocent, not that he’s factually innocent. There’s a difference.) So, he needs some cash to get out of the pokey, and that’s where we get introduced to the bail bondsman.
The bail bondsman, who has been advertising his services in the yellow pages, comes in and puts down the money for Mr. Technically Innocent’s release, with the understanding that if Mr. Technically Innocent does not appear in court at the appointed time, the bail bondsman is to fork over the remaining bail amount. In the case of Mr. Innocent (I mean, Mr. Technically Innocent), this would mean that Captain BailBonds would be out an additional $90,000, which is something that he would generally frown upon. If Mr. Technically Innocent appears on time, it’s no big deal. If he doesn’t, though, it’s bad news. To make sure that he doesn’t have plunk down additional funds in the event of a courtroom no-show, Capt. BailBonds makes sure that his guy is going to appear. If Mr. Technically Innocent skips town, the bail bondsman will send a bounty hunter after him.
The bounty hunter, who is also sometimes known as a skiptracer, is tasked with finding people who have skipped their court hearings. These bounty hunters were made famous-ish by Boba Fett, of Star Wars fame, and the guy known as Dog the Bounty Hunter and his “hit” TV show. They get paid by the bail bondsmen to bring these skips back to court. While the bounty hunter does have certain rights and authority, he is NOT a peace officer (generally speaking), and is subject to many limitations which vary from state to state.
The bounty hunter in Midnight Run put his life on the line numerous times in an effort to get his fugitive back to the right jurisdiction. It appears that the life of a bounty hunter can be fraught with danger and excitement. The life of the bail bondsman can also have danger and risk, but appears to be more related to financial concerns than physical ones. The life of the Guido Mafiosi, though, has danger and risk because their accountants all know everything about the family business. Everything.
One Short
March 9, 2010
I’ve been doing a bunch of work to finish my office at home. Last night I was installing the wainscoting and the trim. I could not believe my eyes when I found that I had exactly one piece of paneling less than I needed. Now I have to go buy a whole pack of the paneling just to get the one piece I need. Ugh.
Rotten
February 9, 2010
Word: rhabdomyosarcoma
Function: noun
Definition: a pretty nasty tumor found most commonly in children and adolescents
Spencer is seven years old and is a great kid. He is the love of my daughter’s life (as far as eight-year-old’s crushes are concerned), and has been diagnosed with a malignant alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. The golfball-sized tumor is located at the base of his skull and is wreaking havoc with his head. His parents, Nate and Holly, are fantastic, and are braving this thing as best they can. They are putting their trust in the Lord, as they know that there is nowhere else they should put it.
It appears that chemo and radiation therapies are on the horizon, and we are all praying that Spencer will get better soon. If you want to send prayers on behalf of somebody, Spencer is worthy of all of the prayers you’re willing to send.
