The Felt Family

So... My little sister asked me to take some pictures of her family.  

I'm no photographer by any means, by I thought it was fun...

Parents

I have an interesting question running around in my brain. I have heard it said that if you are a guy you generally look for a girl who is like your mother. And if you are a girl you look for a guy like your dad. Now, this makes sense as they (your mother if you are a guy, your dad if you're a girl) are most likely the most important person of the opposite gender in your life before you get married. Is that really a true thing though?
I had an interesting conversation with a friend a few days ago who mentioned to me that the guy she's been dating for a long time now just isn't the one for her. We talked for a long time and when it finally came down to it - there were just some little things that he couldn't do for her that she needed. She really wanted someone who would bring her flowers on her birthday (she had even told him this) but, he cooked her a nice dinner instead. She wanted someone who would tell her she looked beautiful all the time - that's just not his style. Not that he was a bad person or anything, he just wasn't what she needed. As I talked to her it finally came out - she wanted those things because she had seen her dad do those things for her mom. As she had grown up and thought about the man she would marry she had already placed certain qualities on him - and most of these had come from her dad and mom's relationship. Interesting.
Another case in point - I have another friend. This particular person dated someone for a long time - long enough to get engaged/married for sure. They broke up multiple times, got back together, etc. Why didn't it work out in the end? Well the person he was dating could never feel good about them getting married - and one reason was that he didn't have certain qualities that she had seen in her dad and brothers. Not that he was a bad person, or her expectations were too high, because I don't think either one of those is true - he just wasn't what she had seen herself marrying. Hmm.... interesting.
So...this makes me think. Maybe there was something to arranged marriages. I mean if my mom has the qualities I am looking for in a potential wife - who better to find her for me than my dad (who is married to my mom and found those same qualities) and my mom (who would be able to relate extremely well to this girl who would be just like her)?
Just some food for thought.

Decision Time

So, I've long thought that there was something weird about the dating game - well many things maybe. But, lately I've been thinking about this weird phenomenon that happens to me sometimes, and to many others that I know. There's this guy/girl that is mildly interested in a girl/guy so they take them on a date. The date is fun - they have a great time so they decide to do it again. Second date - much the same - fun time. Well this whole time the guy/girl is thinking to themselves: "I wonder if they are interested as well...I'm having a good time with them...hmm...maybe this could work out..." So they go out with the significant girl/guy again. Once again they have a good time. Then they get the post-date text..."Hey thanks for taking me out, I had such a good time! :)" The next day they get another text: "Hey, what are you up to today? Hope everything is going well! :)" That's it - game over. The blatant use of exclamation points and smiley faces gave it all away - your cover is blown. Now the guy/girl knows that the other is interested. At first they jsut suspect - they aren't sure, and they let their inner-selves talk them out of it. But, subsequent texts follow - each interlaced with more and more punctuation and smiling faces. Until the day comes - theres no room for doubt any longer. They know the other is interested.
They should be way happy right? The two of them should hook up now, and be happy, right? But, it doesn't happen that way. All of a sudden our initial guy/girl who asked the other out isn't that interested anymore. For awhile they respond to the texts with gusto, then slowly responding becomes more of a chore, until they don't respond at all. Initially they may take the other person out, but as the dates winds on they realize that they aren't nearly as interested as they thought they were before they realized the other was reciprocating feelings of interest.
Why?
Why does this happen?
Well, I don't really know - but I am prepared to propose an answer. When everything is vague and unclear it's easy to still be interested. Theres no commitment, no decisions, just interest and those exciting tinglies inside. But, the second the other party shows their interest all of a sudden it's D-day. Now you've got to decide - no more playing around. If you take her out again but you aren't really interested then you're leading her on - if you don't take her out again then you are breaking her heart because she is interested now. What do you do? Well you get all frustrated with the whole thing, and with yourself because you realize that you weren't really that interested in her in the first place. But, it took her forcing you into decision time for you to realize it. Interesting...isn't it?

Kids

Aren't little kids adorable?

Cause I'm going, going, back, back, to, Cali, Cali . . .

Sorry ya'll I know I haven't blogged in far too long. It's been a crazy few weeks though. First of all - don't worry, I have successfully recovered from my run, and enjoyed 13 oz of top sirloin from Outback Steakhouse.
So, the other day me and my buddy Reedo went to California. No real reason - just needed a vacation of sorts. And, I mean - it's that time of life - I'm young (relatively speaking), single, free as a bird, and a college students - just seemed like the thing to do.
We drove out on Wednesday afternoon - getting there about 10pm that night. It was my first time ever driving through 'the strip' in Vegas. Interesting - that's about the only word I can think of to describe it. Sometimes peripheral vision can truly be a curse if ya know what I mean. Well bright and early things got rolling the next morning. We were in Westminster, CA so we drove out to Huntington beach for the morning. The morning was spent watching the AVP tour (that's the association of professional volleyball players) on the beach, and then played a game ourselves. What a sight it was to see the 4 of us, topless, and white as the day we were born, running around trying to get our 'sand feet' under us. We weren't very good, but it was a blast. On the way home we went to In n' Out - I am still at a loss for words to describe the way I feel about the Double-Double Animal Style that I ordered. Incredible doesn't do it justice at all. We were greeted by a very friendly who immediately told us that she was 'very happy' that we were doing 'just fine.' When asked what we wanted the driver of the car (Reed's uncle) answered: "How about a better attitude?" Anyway - the burgers were great. We then went home, showered, and headed out to the Semi-Finals of the Men's NCAA volleyball championship. The games were good - we were pleasantly surprised by Ohio State as well as Penn State - we went in assuming neither had a chance but they actually put up some good games.



The next day was once again spent on the beach, playing beach volleyball, watching the AVP tournament, and eating at In N' Out burger. We went to an Angels game that night. The baseball was good - but the people there were much more entertaining. First we have the double-fister's.

These were the people who for some reason unknown to me kept going back for more beer. It seems like each inning was a signal to our friends to get up and spend another 12$ on a glass of beer (12$ on a glass of beer! Holy cow - these people must be rolling in it) and then there were the teenage girls who got in a fight in the middle of the game and had to be escorted out by the police. And finally - there was the nice lady in the car next to us. You see at Angels games it's pretty much impossible to get out of the parking lot so we ended up sitting in the lot for awhile. The lady in the truck next to us was carrying on an extremely loud conversation with the man in the truck (her boyfriend or husband, or just some really realy unlucky stranger) about how bad she needed to go to the bathroom. Over the course of the conversation we learned that she had drunk 'just a few beers' and that before the game she had wanted to take a cab and he had wanted to drive. Well now there they were sitting in the lot and she was screaming at him - literally screaming. I think the following quote will illustrate the scene we viewed from our front row seats:
"You *&^%ing idiot. I told you to take a cab. But, No, we need to drive. I *&^%ing have to pee - and here we are sitting - I hate you you (*&^er. Get me the (*&^ out of here! Don't tell me to shut-up. *&^%! I don't (*&^ing care if the kids are watching me - I'm no (*&^in role model"
It was at this point that our friend (this guy was a champ - I figuratively raise my glass to him)
simply rolled up her window with the power window switch (thank goodness for power windows) amidst her progressively louder screams. Good times.
The next day we went to a Filipino market/restaurant and spent the day with the people I love. We actually met Ramiele Malubay, a Filipina who was on American Idol for awhile. Me and Reedo were the only white boys there who could speak Tagalog so we went up to her and asked to get a picture with her. She was fairly surprised but consented - so amidst the cheering of all the Pinoy's in the restaurant we got our picture taken with her.

That afternoon we went to the Men's NCAA Volleyball championship. I only took pictures during the first game because it was too exciting and I got tired of watching through the lens of the camera. It was incredible - if I could think of a better adjective than that I would use it (Dani feel free to offer suggestions). Incredibly close games, phenomenal spikes, awesome digs, etc. Good volleyball, ice cream, and cheesecake might be the three closest things to heaven found here on earth - well Lake Powell gets pretty close as well.
We got up the next morning and made the drive home. We knew we needed to be back in Provo bu 2:30 to make sacrament meeting. Without going into too much detail I'll tell you that we made it from Anaheim to Provo in 8 hours... Use your imagination...
From the ambrosial taste of In N' Out to the Jack-Johnson-feeling of Huntington beach, California was wonderful.
One day I'm going, going, back, back to, Cali, Cali...

5 Miles 45 minutes One big ole' piece o' Meat

So as many of you know I had a roommate who was challenging my physical finesse.
In January he came in our room and told me and Reed (my roommate) that he was willing to bet we couldn't run 5 miles in less than 45 minutes. Well the natural man came through and our ego wouldn't let us back down on this one. April 26th was set as the day and a steak dinner the prize. Of course as you can imagine we didn't even think about it again until about march when I began to go running 1, maybe 2 times a week. I would run anywhere between 1-3 miles depending on how ambitious I was feeling - each time promising myself I would never do something so stupid as this again.
I don't like running - at all. There isn't one thing about it that appeals to me. Some people do it because they want to lose weight, others because it 'feels good after,' and still others because they feel it's a stress reliever - yea, none of those apply to me. I don't like it - I don't hate those who do, I just count myself one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to go through it ever again.
So yesterday was the big day. We (Reed, Steve, and I) set out at 4:16 PM on the charted course (up 9th east around to freedom blvd, back down 5th north, and into the colony). We brought Steve along because we knew he would keep a good pace and he wanted to keep training for the football team. It was - well, I guess exactly as you would suspect - 5 miles of not a whole lot of fun - although we did have some good music (I put together a way awesome playlist). About 3.5 miles in Reedo stopped on us and we were afraid that he wasn't going to make it. We were low on time so me and Steve had to keep going. At 4.5 miles Steve had to stop as well (stomach cramps) and I'll be honest - it's a lot harder to run all by yourself. With no one there to push me that last 1/2 mile was by far the longest. Well, I came in at 40 minutes with Steve pulling in at 42. I was worried that Reedo wouldn't make it and so I got in the car to go pick him up - but, props to this guy. He came sprinting in just in time to make the 45 minute mark - he had run all the while by himself after taking a break in the middle.
All I know is this better one hecka good steak.
Oh, and it does feel pretty good to be able to say that I ran and 8 minute mile - I mean that's not like something to brag about but at least I know if I'm ever being chased by some lunatic murderer guy, as long as he doesn't run anything faster than an 8 minute mile then I'm off the hook.
Now the big question: Now that you've developed this habit of running are you going to keep running all the time to keep it up? I answer with a resounding: "Yea, right! I don't think I will ever run again. I'll just buy myself a steak the next time I want one." Well let me give two disclaimers to that blanket statement. I will run again to:
1 - Escape a psychopath murderer
2 - Possibly win over the heart of a young lady

Holes, feet, and pimples

Have you ever had one of those conversations where it starts out just great, and then when you weren't thinking you say something - something little, just a little thought, phrase, etc. - it slips out - you didn't even consciously think to say it. Next thing you know you're 10 feet under trying to dig yourself out of a mine shaft that's caving in with amazing speed.

Yea, I had one of those the other day - I said something that I probably shouldn't have. It wasn't anything bad or anything - just something that I had thought, but didn't necessarily need to say. I won't go into too much detail as the person I was talking to will probably read this. I look back now and it's almost comical to me. I mean what do you do? You weren't watching your mouth closely enough, and then woop, it slipped out. Now you gotta backtrack, run circles, douse fires, dislodge your foot from your mouth, and all those good things. All the while you're sitting there beating yourself upside the head thinking: "Gee flippin' whiz, why did I say that?"

For me it was sad because no matter how I tried to remedy the situation I could tell the damage was irreversible. It was like trying to glue back a shattered mirror - never can make it exactly how it was before. Even though the person I was talking to said they understood what I meant - I could tell that my simple slip-up was a mountain they were having a hard time scaling.
This post goes out to all who've ever had the uncomfortable situation of digging you foot of your mouth, grasping for air in a quickly filling hole, or any such situation. While I really like the metaphors we already have for such situations I propose a new one.
It's like when you have a pimple on your face. You know you shouldn't pop it, but you do anyway. But, it's not ready. So what happens? Well first of all it hurts like the dickens, and then every morning when you wake up and walk into the bathroom you're greeted by your own stupidity as it stares at you from the mirror.
Good morning sunshine, it's me. I'm that pimple you shouldn't have popped - now I'm huge, and ugly, and I'm going to stick around for awhile just to make sure you remember how stupid you were to pop me. (I think this is the point where it seems to laugh at your from the mirror)
So next time you see a hole, look at your feet, or resist the temptation to pop that pimple - remember: some things just don't need to be said.
Watch yourself, or you might be struggling in that proverbial hole, foot in mouth, staring straight at the swollen reminder of your folly.

Man's Search for Meaning

I just finished reading "Man's search for meaning," by Viktor Frankl. It's one of those books that changes your life, causes a paradigm shift, makes you re-evaluate what you're doing, etc. It was awesome. Included are some of my favorite quotes from the book.

• "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual."

• "Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary.

• We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

• "Nietzsche's words, 'He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.'"

I just remember on the mission people would always ask: "Why do you walk around everyday? People turn you down all the time, it's hot, and it's got to be tiring... Why?" I never really knew how to put into words the answer - but I think Viktor Frankl taught the principle fairly clearly. If our "why" for living is strong enough, we can and will go through any "what" and "how" that it takes to get there. Passion, vision, discipline, and conscience are the keys to success.
Passion - drives you
Discipline - controls your passion and focuses it
Vision - inspires you
Conscience - Keeps it all in check

Spring

Well it's that time of year again. The time when stress abounds, finals get taken out one by one, tears flow, and good-bye's are said. It's also the time when flip flops start appearing, the lock on the pool disappears, and me and my roommates start singing Grease songs. What a great time of year it is. I'm sad at this season as once again I need to say goodbye to so many people who I have grown to love. I'll miss things like Garrett's laugh (which is raucous, violent, and quite entertaining if you've never heard it), Chase's voice (which I heard many a morning coming through the vent from downstairs), Bob's puns, Bouch's ability to connect me with the real world, Brusky's laugh and random noises whenever I would massage his shoulders. Good times, good memories.
But, once again - it's time to move on. On to bigger and better - new people, new roommates, new experiences. Isn't it weird how that happens? We meet people who we swear we'll never forget, who we consider some of our closest friends, and inevitably the time comes when we all have to move on. People graduate, go home, get jobs, or just move to another ward. We go our separate ways, and try as you might - you can't ever really go back to how it was. You can't ever re-live all those old memories. But, you know what? I think maybe it's supposed to be that way. We couldn't possible function if we always had all the people we have ever known or loved around us at all times. It would be chaos - way too many people to talk to, things to do, etc. I guess the only thing we can take with us is the memories and the lessons learned. But how cool is that? We get to start over again, meet a whole bunch of new people, and make a whole bunch of new memories. Only this time - you've got the added experience from the things learned previously.
So, while I am sad at this time to say goodbye to so many friends, I'm also pretty darn happy. Bring on the warm weather, the long warm nights, the stars, the new friends, and the new experiences. I'm sure that I'll get to see a lot of them again - that's the way life works - real friends always seem to show up again at random moments. Usually right when you need 'em.

Parenting

I have always wanted to have 12 kids. It's been something that I thought would be awesome for some time now. Tonight I had an experience that is causing me some serious reconsideration. I love kids, always have, but...
Well it all started about 5:30 when my little sister showed up at my apt. She had asked me if I could watch my nephew (5 months old) for a little bit while her and her husband went to the temple. Of course I agreed - I love my nephew. He's a way good baby, and I thought, hey this will be good practice for the future. Well he was asleep when they got here but woke up before they left. He was really good for the first 1/2 hour. He just sat there playing and when he got a little fussy I just put him on my lap or played with him. About 7:05 he started getting really fussy - so being the renaissance man I thought I was, I decided to change his diaper. No big deal - I've changed heaps, so that wasn't anything too exciting. After the diaper I gave him a bottle which he gulped down. By now it was about 7:15 and I even remembered to burp him. I thought - I'm doing pretty good - this isn't too bad. Well come 7:20 it was a proverbial November 9th for me as my own wall of self confidence came crashing down (Nov. 9th was the day the Berlin wall fell). He began to cry, then to really cry, and finally to scream. I tried everything I could muster up. We walked up and down the stairs, we walked around the apartment, I rocked, bounced, swayed, cradled, cuddled, rubbed, patted, tickled, and blew on him. Nothing worked. I was truly up a creek of tears without a paddle. I finally ended up rocking him on a chair while he finished off the bottle and finally went to sleep. I was so exhausted by this point that I actually fell asleep as well. I woke up about 15 minutes later and put him on my bed where he slept for another 20 minutes. I thought that the worst was over, his parents would be here soon to get him, and that I had performed my christian service for the day. Little did I know. Hah, really little indeed. At about 8:15 he woke up again. This time he was returning in all his glory. He didn't even lull me into a false sense of security - he just started screaming - no games or false pretenses this time buddy. Well I tried the diaper thing again - nothing. Then the bottle - nothing. Then the walk, the stroll, the bounce, etc. Nothing. it got so bad my downstairs neighbors were asking who was dying upstairs. I finally just sat on the couch and let him scream in my ears - all the while being on the very verge of tears myself. If only I knew what was wrong. I was beat, humbled to the very depths, a truly broken man. As I sat on the couch in this exhausted state I couldn't help but ask myself - Do you really want 12 kids?
Interesting indeed. This was a good experience for me. I learned many lessons. When his mom and dad finally came back (9:30) I was so tired I could barely see straight. I told both of them that I would never make fun of them again - I was a new man, blessed with a new found respect for all mothers and fathers. I also called my mom and thanked her for raising me. Man, it's a miracle anyone can make it through it at all.
I finish where I begun. I really do want to have 12 kids (my wife agreeing of course will be a must) but I think I need a good dose of practice, and humility first. I have never felt so humbled in my life as I did while holding my nephew while he screamed. You want me to tell you the resistance across a 470K ohm resistor hooked to a 12 volt source with 100 watts pounding through it? Done. You want me to write you a 12 page paper comparing Hitler to a Book of Mormon character? Done. You want me to teach 12 elders how to speak a foreign language in addition to basic English? Done - no sweat. But, you want me to calm Mckay Felt after he's been crying for 35 minutes - can't do it. No idea.
Here's to all the parents out there who stay up late and get up at all hours of the night. To all those who get humbled everyday with the unsolvable problems. To all those reduced to the state of tears while trying to stop the tears of another.

College Students

So last week I didn't have the internet for 5 days. Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous - someone better have lost their job, or at least been sorely reprimanded. Anyway. Why is it that everyone seems to think they can take advantage of college students. Sometimes I feel that we are the scum of the earth, the bottom of the totem pole (save only junior high kids) to everyone. When I called to ask them to come and fix it all I got was the run around. "Oh, sorry - there's nothing we can do." Or, "Well, we might be able to send someone out there to fix it by next week." Are you kidding me - if I called and told them that I was the CEO for NuSkin I don't think that's the tune I would have heard. What about me being a college students equals out that I can be taken advantage of? Another example, the really annoying people who drive around and boot/tow cars from parking lots. Nothing in the world can be counted on to be as punctual as the dang booters - 50$ here, 100$ there. Preying off college students trying to visit friends, significant others, or family who are 3-4 minutes late. Just like that your 35$ date just got a whole lot more expensive. One more example - landlords. They stink - they treat you like dirt. Somethings broken - oh, it's okay. They all served missions in 3rd world countries - they probably like not having flushing toilets, running water, or heating in their house. Yea, sure, we'll get around to fixing it next week. Oh, and we're upping your rent next month - Why? Just because we can that's why.

Text Messaging

My internet has been out for like a week. I'm not happy about it, so I won't go into it. So, I've been thinking about text messaging. I know, you're probably thinking to yourself - who is this kid, and why does he have time to think about things like text messaging? Maybe he should get a facebook account or something to fill his time - to this I refer you to my previous post. Anyway, text messaging. . .
I really like text messaging - it's a great medium that allows us to pass information quickly and efficiently. Simple statements such as: "Hey, I'll be home at 3," or "The jazz lost again" are perfectly conveyed through text. Things like this might be weird to say over the phone - I probably wouldn't call someone just to tell them that the jazz won, and if I did the whole conversation might last all of 29 seconds. This is one of the great joys of text messaging. Comments that don't necessitate a response are perfect over text, and those that need a simple one word answer are equally fitted to text.
Dating - I think that text messaging adds a whole new dimension to dating that was never there before my mission. A simple text from someone you have a crush on can go miles. To this day I can't think of anything quite as effective for a girl to do after a date to let a guy know she's interested as sending him a post-date text. Text-flirting is great - it knows few bounds - during class, while your roommate is sleeping, and other small moments are perfectly suited to text-flirting. One cannot but help getting the willie bejillies when the phone is pulled out and the screen reads: "One new message." It's almost like Christmas morning or sometime - is it from her? What does it say?
But, I do see some problems with text messaging. First and foremost - you sacrifice voice inflection for silence and ease. With the loss of voice inflection, a large dose of ambiguity is added. A simple message: "Hey, and don't be late this time." could be interpreted: 1) Hey, you were late last time, don't do it again (said in a stern, serious tone), or maybe 2) Hey, remember that one time we were joking about how you are always late, and now I'm bringing that up again just to be cute and hopefully make you smile, or maybe even 3) This is just a nice friendly reminder that we need to be on time.
This can be the cause for confusion at times, but at the same time I think it has it's awesome benefits as well. Just something interesting to think about.

Facebook

So, as many of you know, I finally succumbed and got Facebook. It wasn't a choice I was happy to make, I am part of the senior class and we are planning our 5-yr reunion right now. It just so happens that there isn't any other way to get a hold of people as easily. I know, I know, sob story - anyway, I just wanted to share a few of my thoughts of facebook now that I've used it.
First of all, what the heck is a 'poke'? I got people poking me right and left - what is that supposed to mean? Is that like the equivalent of a text message, except you are too lazy to write anything? Or is that a flirtatious gesture of some sort, but you only do it, when you have nothing productive to say to the person you are trying to flirt with? If people were really poking me we might have some lawsuits flying. I mean what is the deal with that? Maybe that's just their way of letting me know: "Hey, I'm still alive here, just wanted you to know. So here I am poking you so you know."
Well to all of you pokers out there - thank you, I now know you are still alive.
Next, what's with all the groups? I mean come on - what on earth would possess someone to join the "We're fans of Betty Crocker's 13 oz yellow cake mix that you can buy at Smith's for $3.99 on Saturday's on aisle 9" club? Isn't there some better way of letting people know what things you like? And, once you are a member of this club what then? Do you have meetings, or ever even talk to the other people in your club? Maybe it's a social networking tool to find contacts, or those with similar interests - or maybe you are just so incredibly bored that you have nothing better to do than sit on facebook and look for clubs that you can join? Well, good news, I think I will start the "I am on facebook because I have nothing better to do, oh yeah, by the way, I am looking at all 398 of your pictures, and reading all about you right now - why? Well, I've got nothing better to do" group - please feel free to join, all are welcome - and hey, who knows, we might even have a group meeting next week to discuss our stand on the upcoming election.
Third, what's with the gifts? So somebody 'gives' you a bottle of axe deodorant on facebook. WHAT does that mean? Is that a subtle hint? Is that because they are simply too cheap to give you a real one? And when you get these gifts, what do you do with them? Can you sell them, or reject one? Maybe one day there will be a facebook sub for santa and all of us can give all our bottles of axe deoorant, dead monkeys, and cardboard boxes to the local shelter - I'm sure they could use some electronic excitement.
Fourth - what's all the scandalous ads on their for? Just because I am on facebook doesn't mean I'm a sicko and want to 'meet 93 girls in 3 minutes' or 'get to know 47 hotties in 2.97 minutes with absolutely no work at all on your part.' Sad.
Fifth - So I actually like this feature of facebook - kind of. You can change how you are feeling so that everyone you've ever met can immediately know how you are feeling. I think we've definitely come a long way in this technological world we live in - we are now at the point where with one simple login to facebook I can know exactly how every person I ever met, and about 78 people I've never met who just added me as friends, feels.
Speaking of adding friends - what's with all these people who I haven't talked to for 17 years adding me as friends? Not that I don't want to be your friend - I just haven't seen you for 17 years, obvioulsy neither one of us made any sort of effort to keep being friends in the past 17 years, so what makes either one of us think that we are going to start now? If we have never talked in our entire lives, what difference does it make if we are actually friends of not on facebook? Is there a competition to see how many friends you can get - cause if there is, I'm sad I wasn't informed. I think I'll login to blackboard and send mass emails to everyone in every class I've ever taken and make sure they add me as a friend. By the way I looked this little bitty up on dictionary.com just for clarification purposes:

Friend:
1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.

2. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.

Next time someone adds me as a friend I do think that I will ask them if they really feel that they can trust me - maybe I'll ask to borrow their car before I'll confirm their request. Or I guess I could just ask them if they will join me in battle and fight side by side with - willing to take a bullet for me, and die for our cause. If they can answer affirmatively to either of those - hey sure, let's be friends.
Well, this post is getting to the point where it's long enough that I'm sure many of you looked at it and thought twice before reading the whole thing, but there is one last thing that kind of strikes me as add about facebook.
Everyone seems to love facebook because "it's a way for me to keep in contact with people who I don't see." Here is my thought - and I could be wrong on this one, but just hear me out - If you really wanted to keep in contact with someone wouldn't you call them or something? If this person is really that important to you, wouldn't you find a way to keep in contact with them other than poking them or sending them electronic door hinges?

Moab Tourney

A few weekends ago me and some buddies went to Moab to play in a volleyball tournament. It was awesome! We stayed in the Lazy Lizard Hostel

The manager was completely drunk, we stayed in a room with 8 bunk beds - but hey, it was less than 80$

We didn't do as well in the tournament as we had hoped. It was the first time we had ever played together as a team and it took us until the second day to really mesh.




We played from 6pm to 10pm friday night, and then again on saturday from 7am to 3pm.






Good guys, awesome sport, beautiful place. . . What else can a guy ask for?