Greater or Less Than

At my house growing up we had some sort of machine that helped us learn to do math. It would talk and ask us in a very computer like voice "5 is greater or less than 15?" So as i learned what <> actually meant, although sometimes it is still unclear to me because I always remembered which arrow thing to use by knowing the little on eats the big one. so 1<4>1. See? Its like a little open mouth, hungry for some numbers.

All of this reflection has made me want to use these little signs to determine other things that are greater than other things. Let's Play!

Whopper > Big Mac
Hershey's Syrup < NesQuick
Facebook > MySpace
Right Ankle > Left Ankle
Nike < Adidas
Henry Weinhards > IBC

That's just a start. This makes me want to rank things. Maybe my next post I will rank some food related things according to my preference. Until then, gimme some of yours!

Tiger Woods Ya'll

I know I know. Its played out and dumb. All I gotta say on the subject is that ALL of these alleged mistresses or whatever they are called knew this guy was married. I don't know how it all played out but SHAME ON THEM for pursuing him or accepting his advances. He isn't the ONLY person to blame. They knew as much as he did.

Dashboard Confessional Concerts

A couple weeks ago I went to 2 Dashboard Confessional concerts. One was in San Fran. I had to use a Southwest Voucher that I had earned by the end of the week and I didn't really have any thing else I could get to in time. I had planned to use it to go to AZ for a DC concert there but that tour got canceled so I had to change my plans. I flew out there Wednesday evening and my sister Kara picked me up at the airport. WE drove into the city and went to the show. It was a great concert! After that she took me to my dad's place and dropped me off. We left for the airport at 5:30am so I could catch my flight. The trip cost me a grand total of $42. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Two days later I went to my 2nd concert of the week in Salt Lake. It was at the same club I saw them the for the very first time about 7 years ago. Back then I was just a NKOTB and didn't realize what I was getting myself into. This time I went by myself because in several previous attempts I had bought an extra ticket hoping to take someone that I really wanted to go with or at least really wanted to see the band. So this time I went solo so I could just take it in and not have to worry about some other person that didn't want to be there as much as I did.

It was another great show. Chris loves playing in Salt Lake for some reason. I won't complain. I never get sick of seeing them perform. And I take some comfort in knowing that I won't have to pay a couple hundred dollars to see them. I say them. Its a bit of a misnomer. Chris Carrabba started the band on his own back in 2000. He called it Dashboard Confessional so he could expand the band at some point. Now there are 4 solid members but every once in awhile Chris will go on a solo tour (like this one) when it is usually him and John Lefler, the other guitarist. They'll play smaller venues and bust out the acoustics and let us have it.

This round they are doing something a little special. Check out DCBootlegs, someone involved has been recording all the shows and posting them free online to listen to or download. Now you can see what you are missing or at the least, what I am loving.

Maui Wowie!

So last week I spent a week in Kapalua, Maui with my Dad. Let me say that the accommodations were tremendous. I had a great time with the old man.

Our days consisted of a homemade breakfast on the balcony/patio of our 5th story condo at the Ritz Carlton Resort. I admit that I stole several shampoos, soaps, and lotions. I somehow found the strength and left the robe.
After breakfast we got ready in our respective rooms (this is what mine looked like)

and proceeded to our 9:30am tee time at one of the premier golf courses. The Bay Course
Dad teeing off on the 2nd hole. (You're gonna want to keep your drive right.)


The tee box of the 4th hole.This is me putting on the 4th hole.


This might be the 14th or 16th hole. Over the water, up the hill, and in the hole.

and The Plantation Course. The Mercedes Open is a PGA tour stop in January that opens the golf season.

When we finished our golf, we usually ate a light lunch and sat around the pool sippin on Pina Coladas or other various non-alcoholic blended fruit-centric beverages.


The pool was vast and empty which made it very relaxing. There were pool attendants itching for anything to do so when we showed up we had a barrage of towels laid out for us when we got back from a cooling dip in the water.

On Tuesday and Thursday we were treated to deep tissue massages. This was my first experience with massages and now that I know what I am missing I feel like I have missed out on a big part of life. :)

After our massages we'd get cleaned up and ready for dinner. We ate a various array of restaurants where we ate different local fishes and other fine cuisine.

When the trip was coming to a close I had to drop off my dad at the airport at noon and my flight wasn't until 10:30pm. So I went back and golfed 9 more holes, went to the Lahiana Mall and bought my new favorite piece of clothing; a furry lined zip-up hoodie that says Honalua in furry lettering across the front. Since I was on my own at this point I stopped at Panda Express and found a secluded beach area where I ate, watched the sun set and read a few chapters out of the Book of Mormon.
It was quite an experience. I loved every minute of it and didn't really want to leave that life and come back to Utah where it snowed today...

I must thank my Dad for his generosity in taking me out and pampering me more than I probably deserve. But just FYI, I will happily go again if you need some company.

A Bathroom with a View

It's a little tough to see out that window but trust me, its nice. Look for more photos as my trip to Maui progresses.

The breakfast of champions...

...About 3 minutes later.

Ready, Go!

The breakfast (or in this case dinner) of Champions. And by champions I mean, Caleb.

Nature @ 75mph

A quick shot in the rearview...because I appreciate nature.

Dusk and Summer

This song (probably playing or on my playlist) holds a bit of nostalgia for me. I wrote a poem called Down By the Shore because of this song. When I hear it I am taken to several different moments in my life. A concert or two where Chris Carrabba, of Dashboard Confessional, had everyone hold their cell phones in the air to represent the stars that were out when he was writing this song on his rooftop overlooking the ocean in South Florida.

The first and most powerful memory that enters my mind is being at the beach below the Carmel House. It was a moment of bitter sweetness now. While it was one of the best weekends of my life, though too short, now it represents all the things I want and wish I had in my life.

I spent this weekend with the only girl I have ever said "I Love You" to. And I meant it with all my soul when I said it. At this point, I hadn't yet emoted to her that this was the case but I felt it and I knew it was real. I finally had something worth losing. These were good feelings and I cherish them.

Eventually things transpired and our relationship didn't last. But this song, in its beauty, will remind me of that weekend where I spent it with the only girl I have loved. And though it didn't work out I have a hope that there will come a time when I can feel those emotions and hear these words and I won't think of her anymore but of the new love I have found. I know what I am looking for. And I know I am waiting for something new, something that will be more than a weekend. I don't know who she is or where she is but she's, to cop a line from An American Tale, somewhere out there.

Falling to Pieces

Good day my friends!

I am coming apart at the seams. This past year has been taxing on my poor body. Let me tell you about them.
1. Midcarpal Instability - this ailment that occurs in the wrist happened when I was playing football last October on Conference Weekend. Somehow, something went wrong when I either tackled someone or got tackled by someone. This causes my wrist to pop out of place whenever I put pressure on it. This has ruined my ability to throw a football and anything larger than a softball. The motion causes it to pop. It is painful and chronic. I was in a cast for 6 weeks which resulted in several hundred dollars of useless. It is extremely rare and nearly incurable.

2. Left Ankle - This has been an ongoing condition from my surgery back on 2007. The joint has be deteriorating slowly and the pain increasing. I need to get it scoped. In the meantime, because I can't afford it, I have been paying doctors $50 a pop to get steroid injections into the joint to alleviate the pain for a few weeks at a time. I've had 5 since November.

3. Torn Ligament/Tendon - I think I tore something in my right elbow at the end of June. I had to stop playing 3rd base on my softball team because I couldn't make the throws. I was resigned to playing catcher and opted to not play on an intramural football team because I didn't want the temptation. It is still on the mend.

4. Cellulitis - Some how in June I got cellulitis in my left elbow. Another random occurrence indeed. I think this may have been caused by some old lotion that I used to cure my exceedingly dry elbows. Any how, I ended up at the hospital getting an IV and spending another several hundred dollars. But I was cured.

5. Vertigo - I came down with a random case of Vertigo about 10 days ago. I was consigned to my bed for a long 4 days. I couldn't walk around with out nearly falling over and getting nauseous. I am finally over it 100% thanks to Rick Sampson MD, who provided me with some Meclizine. What ever it is it helped.

The question now is, What's Next? Hopefully someone else causes it so I don't have to pay for it. (like what happened to my car) I do have insurance but with Obama out and about trying to change everything who knows what is going to happen.

Car Status

Its been too long and I want to catch everyone up with my car.

Here is the story.

I'm minding my business driving north on Timpview Dr in Provo, heading to play some pick up soccer. All of a sudden, the Silver Toyota you see below, who was headed south on the same road, decided to make a left turn right in front of me. No blinker or anything. I see him turn and I react. I am passing 2780 North, where this guy is turning on to and I decide to try to turn right and miss him.

I didn't. Hit hits me on the driver's side doors which tosses me into a car that is stopped at the 2780 stop sign. I smash him on the back door driver's side and come to a stop. The Toyota hit the front end of the Black Honda. So all 3 cars are damaged in 2 places.

There were a ton of witnesses that will attest to the fact that the kid who decided to turn in front of me was at fault and that is what the insurance company decided as well. Luckily no one was hurt in the accident.

So I am still in a rental car because the repair shop is having trouble locating parts and will be for another 10 days probably. I got the quote the other day and damages came to $5,500!

The good news is that all the parts of the car that were damaged from the accident were parts that all had little dings and bruises on it to begin with. So when I get my baby back baby back baby back it will be in better shape than before the accident. I already got my deductible from the other insurance company so I am in good shape.

The only problem is that I miss my car.

This is the dude that turned in front of me and hit me.

That's his car. He was stopped @ the stop sign.

Then I hit a dude...

Just got hit by a dude...