Sunday, December 28, 2008
My wife is way hotter than your wife.
So Becky and I stayed at my parents house for Christmas and while we were there my mom said that there were some boxes that I needed to take home with me. We packed them up and brought them home and when we got home we started going through all of this fun stuff that I had in the three boxes. We came across several envelopes of pictures from college when I thought that I would start a photography hobby. I have a lot of pictures of old buildings and cars but the fun find were the pictures of Becky and I. We came upon this picture which is one of my favorites. Becky is so HOT in here tie dye tank top sitting next to the Snake River in Centennial Park. No wonder I married this smokin babe and why I told her after our first date that she was "drop dead gorgeous". The only thing that I am wondering at this time is why she has such a problem with me wearing tie dye now? I have said for along time that Becky tricked me while we were dating with her save the environment talk and hippie tendencies. Regardless she is hot and I love her and this picture is going with me to work. Oh yeah!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
All is not lost!
On the other hand I have been holding out that TCU would beat BSU and make my bowl season at least half way decent. Tonight that dream became a reality and I can go on living in Boise. It wasn't the most pretty game but it was a hard fought and very exciting game. I am happy with the results but have come to the realization that BSU is a better team then I had thought. The big result is that I really think that TCU is the best team in the MWC and I don't know how they lost to Utah.
Going forward I can now look to next season and hope that BYU can find what they need to dominate the MWC next year. Also NFL playoffs are right around the corner and Hockey starts on NBC in January with a game at Wrigley field, that's right they will play that game outside on a baseball field similar to what they did last year in Buffalo when it snowed the whole game. I am excited to get out of the NCAA football season the way I did, it could have been a lot worse.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
BYU v Arizona Tonight
GO COUGS!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Office Pranks
This one is a favorite of mine. I did this one to Kevin again after we took his Billy Buttons. He ticked me off one night so I stole his favorite mug and took it home. Becky and I tried and tried to get it to fit in a bowl that we could fill with Jell-O so it would be completely covered but we didn't have any so I ended up filling the cup with four packets of Jell-O and one cup of water. The result was a very firm cup of Jell-O the next morning. I took the cup back with me and put it on Kevin's desk. He didn't notice until about 9:00am when he went to get his coffee. It was funny to watch him because he thought it was full of Mountain Dew at first and touched it really slow. When he noticed that it jiggled he turned it upside down and it didn't come out, it was so funny. It sat there for a couple days because he was being a baby and wouldn't go wash it out. Finally he did and it took a lot to get that Jell-O out out of there.
This joke was a great one because Kevin and I put it together while Landon was on vacation. Landon had a rock garden that we would mess with all the time and he would get so upset. It was really funny to watch him come in and see that we had put G.I. Joes in his rock garden fighting like it was a desert battle. The one time we got dinosaurs and put them in there with mini trees and more rocks. We also took all the sand out of it and just put the rocks in, that time was really funny. It was so funny that while he was on vacation we thought about what we could do to this rock garden. It took us a couple of days but finally it came to us, we would go buy a mini rock garden and shrink everything that he had so it looked like it had shrunk. This was the result and when Landon returned he thought it was pretty funny although he wanted to know where his rock garden was.
This prank wasn't the best thought out one but it used all the pieces from the other times that we had done things so it was pretty funny for us. This is Landon's desk and as you can see he has his rock garden in the corner with a bamboo plant. He left for the afternoon so we took everything that we had put in his garden over the last few months and glued them to his desk. It doesn't seem that funny but think about coming back to your desk and seeing all of this stuff and laughing because you have seen it all before. Then you go to pick it up and you find that they are all glued to your desk and you can't just pick them off. Also Landon is a neat freak so not only did he spend 45 minutes cleaning them off he also spent an hour scrapping glue off his desk. It was very entertaining for Kevin and I to listen to him swear at us for a couple of hours.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Sales Meeting
When entering a sales meeting you will notice that the tables are arranged in a variety of ways. Sometimes in a square sometimes a semi-circle regardless there is never enough seating and someone is always on the end and can't see. You will also notice that there is some sort of prize table. In my case this week it is full of office equipment and tickets to our suite at Qwest Arena. I have been to many meetings where they throw out company shirts, can cosies, mini balls, and various other items to keep you feeling like you made the right decision in coming to this meeting today. You will notice that they have set a place where everyone is going to sit, laid out with what you will be going over and usually a pen. In my case this week the pen is not provided, I guess that we are feeling the affects of the economy.
Everyone is going to sit at these tables except for management, they are obviously better than the rest of you so they are going to sit away from the common folk as to not get head lice, whooping cough, or a case of "non-management"itis (symptoms include befriending the staff, showing you care, not holding yourself on a pedestal, and increased morale which causes problems because then the staff is excited and the fear tactics don't work). The management usually sits against a wall or stands so that they seem cool and part of something that you are not. You will envy them if this is your first sales meeting, but if this is your 10th you probably know all about how your manager told you that they were going to fight to get every last commission dollar for you because "it helps their commission as well" but when it came time for commissions they sided with the company on why you brought in a business spending $13,000 a month but they are only going to pay you for half. It makes sense they can only pay you 50% on that because what happens when they stop spending, then you are going to want the company to take that 50% off of your goal right? We'll see about that.
There are all kinds of different people in the sales meeting. Those who are answering questions because they want everyone to know how smart they are. There are some who are going to throw out answers that have already been given but they say it differently and get praised for this new idea. There are even some who want to relate everything to an experience they have had like no one else has come across this experience before. These last people will be the ones standing on the wall in a few months. Those experiences are what management is looking for. Something that shows you have been to battle with a client and come out victorious. Lastly there are those who have been to these meetings a million times and feel that grown adults don't need to chant in unison the catch phrase of this meeting. These very same people are the ones that will sit back and observe the surroundings and see that there are those that think they are better. Oh sure they will listen and be polite but they are noticing that there is a distinction between these groups of people. They realize that you the instructor didn't really mean it when he/she asked who is your manager and then said (in that voice that you know is mocking you and they are trying not to laugh) "you are". This last group of people notice that everyone in the room just brightened up thinking that "yes, I am my own manager" but try not coming in on time and see if you are the one who disciplines yourself. I am guessing that you are not the one telling you that your production is low.
These sales meetings all seem to be the same. They are implemented to get a sales person focused and excited about working and overlooking the things that have made them upset for the last 4 to 5 months. They are instituted to make the sales person think that there is NEW information that they need so they can get out there and close the deal. Really the information is the same across the board and these meetings don't come close to covering what a good sales person already knows. Sales people need to build relationships with there clients so there can be trust. Most of managers out there want to tell you how to do things yet they haven't been in the field in years. The best manager I have ever had was my dad. He continued to work in the field and train. He knew the problems that were going on out there because he was having the same problems. He was and still is a great sales rep who could see what you were going through and understand better then any upper management. He didn't use scare tactics to get you to sell or close the deal. He just helped you to become a great rep yourself all while running his own business. For that dad I am grateful. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to work with you and learn from you. Without your guidance and training I would not be where I am today. Thanks for all you have done and continue to do for me.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Simply having a Wonderful Christmas Time
Thursday, December 4, 2008
It's Christmas time!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
BYU, Boise State, and Bowl Games
Boise State has spent the past week trying to get Ball State to come to Boise for the Humanitarian Bowl and today Ball State said that they were not going to do that. I think that is smart, Ball State should not have to play BSU on their home field. I think that a neutral site would be better. That being said that game would still be a blow out with Boise State winning by at least 21 points. I hate Boise State and I don't want to be telling anyone what they should be doing but I don't think that playing a non-BCS team in a crappy bowl game is the way to gain respect. It would be better for Boise to play in the Humanitarian Bowl against a BCS conference team like Florida State than to play a ranked Ball State. I am sick of people here in Boise saying that BSU needs to play Ball State pitting two undefeated teams together. That is a great idea but it gets you nowhere. Really the best idea is to play TCU in San Diego since they are ranked higher and would give BSU a lot more respect if they beat them (which they wont, see above). I am just saying that everyone needs to stop being so stupid and look at what is best for the team in the long run not which team they can beat.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
5 years and counting...
How time flies when you are having a fun. Sometimes it seems like we have been married only a few months and other times it seems like 5 years is such a long time. I thought that Becky did a great job with her anniversary post and there isn't a lot for me left to say. We have had some fun times and some really bad times. We have laughed and cried together (even though she told me when we started dating that she never cried). We have held each other tightly and have had to go for drives separately. The last 5 years have been a great compilation of what marriage really is and really should and could be. How great is this life when you find someone that is willing to take you for what you are, yet continues to push you to be a better person without you realizing that is what they are doing? It seems like all we ever do and have ever done is talk. We can talk about anything from politics to music, we truly enjoy each others company. 7 and 1/2 years ago this relationship was started by our in depth discussion of trivial theories and ideals. I bring this up because this is how I fell in love with a tall blond girl from Wendell Idaho. We talked about everything and anything, and just genuinely enjoyed spending time discussing whatever might come up. A lot of friends and relatives thought that we were crazy having huge fights about politics but it was a staple in our relationship. Now after our 5th anniversary, an adoption, 6 moves, two lost jobs and countless tears and laughter we continue to make time just to talk about our theories and ideals. Audrey has no chance of growing up normal.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Well...that stunk or there is a bright side.
On the good side with a Utah win that as all but knocked BSU out of the BCS and that makes me happy. Now they will have to stay home and play a 6-5 ACC team or hope to get an invite to the Las Vegas Bowl, which I don't think they will, or an invite to San Diego which is more likely. I hope they have to stay home and play some crappy team from the ACC. That would serve them right for going to Hawaii last year when they should have stayed home.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Rivalry Week
This week is Rivalry week in NCAA football. There are a lot of teams playing rivalry games this week but the one I am most concerned about is the BYU vs Utah game. This game comes down to the wire every year and I am always concerned for it even when one or the other teams are down. They just get up to play this game every year. This year Utah is 11-0 and BYU is 10-1 which makes it a big game for the conference. BYU could earn a piece of the MWC title with a win at Utah and keep Utah out of a BCS bowl game. There is a lot at stake and even when there is nothing at stake this game is crazy. The reason for me writing about this game is to get some things off my mind since I have not been sleeping so well the past couple of nights. Both nights I have dreamt about this game. The first night BYU won 38-24 as they pulled away in the second half of the game. Last night Utah won 17-14 as BYU missed a 38 yard field goal that would have tied the game. That is what this rivalry is all about. It bothers me that people in Boise are saying that Idaho is not their rival because they don't put up a fight. I have seen a lot of BYU games against Utah and sometimes they are not fights either. The problem is that BSU fans think that their rival is anybody who might be better then them. The year that Becky and I came up to Boise to go to school the rival was Oregon State, the next year was Fresno, last year it was Hawaii and this year it is Nevada. I don't think that a rivalry game can change and if it can then it can't be very good. The things that makes the BYU vs Utah rivalry so good is that they have played for along time, they are in the same conference (which doesn't make a good rivalry), and the big one, they are in the same state. It is always huge and that is what makes it so much fun.
I am looking forward to the game this week. This week as been going so slow and I know that it is because I can't wait for this game to start. I was at the game last year and rushed the field when BYU won the game and clinched the MWC title for the second year in a row. I watched in 2006 as John Beck and Co. marched down the field and scored to win the game for the Y (ask Becky about that game as I almost killed one of our cats). I am so excited for this game you don't even know.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Remembering the classics.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Expensive Hobby
I think that I have always been into music, I can thank my family for that. For as long as I can remember we would go to the Vipperman Reunion and all of my uncles and my dad would play music and sing. We would have such a great time and I have learned over the years to really pick out the good in all types of music. My music tastes of changed over the years but when I was in my early teens I found a genre that I haven't been able to let go, jam bands. Now this post is not about what music I like or what I think that you should listen to. It is however about a hobby or collection that I would love to start and this stems from that love of music and super cool bands. I would love to collect concert posters of some of the great bands from the 60's and 70's. I have talked to Becky about doing this and in the beginning she was on board, but as we have looked into it we have found that these posters are very expensive. There must be a need for them since they are so much money. When Becky and I were at Haight-Ashbury we ran into a couple of little shops that sold reproductions of these posters but they were around $40.00 to $50.00 and I thought that was a little too much for a reproduction. Now I know that this was a pretty good deal because you can't find a reproduction of a Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, or Jefferson Airplane poster for less than $100.00. I continue my search for these but only at work as to not get that look from Becky that I shouldn't even be thinking about it. I have put a few of my favorites up here. They are all Grateful Dead posters but I do have some other bands that I would like to have, these were just the ones that I have on my work computer.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
My wife is hotter than your wife!
Monday, November 10, 2008
More BSU hate.
Friday, November 7, 2008
TCU vs Utah
As usual Utah found a way to pull this game out in the final minutes of the game. Matt and I watched this game at my last night. It was fun but the problem that we both had, was rooting for Utah or TCU. I have grown up hating the U since I am a BYU fan and Matt just hates the Mountain West Conference. I was thinking as Utah was driving in the final minutes that they are similar to BSU in the way that they seem to always find a way to pull out a win. It doesn't surprise me that TCU couldn't move the ball and it just backsup my thoughts that BYU should have blitzed more and gotten more preasure on Dalton. He is not very good when he is preasured. What does surprise me is that Utah scored like they did in the final minutes of play. How does a defense that is dominating a game allow a score at the end of the game when the game is on the line. BJ made some dumb throws into double and triple coverage that last drive (I know that Mad Max does this all time and it drives me crazy there as well) and TCU still couldn't stop it. Even the touchdown wasn't to the open receiver but to Brown who had a TCU defender all over him. As much as I hate to do this I must congragulate Utah on a good win. I also have to say that after watching that game last night I am much more confident that BYU could come out of Rice-Eccles with a win.
I also want to thank Matt for a great game experience last night as well. There was no BYU bashing and neither of us wanted to root for Utah but felt that it was the best thing for our respected teams. We had a good time and even a great discussion on politics, which I know is a party faux pas but it was really good.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Why I hate Boise State...continued
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Man Crush!
Bronco Mendenhall is at the top. He is one of the best coaches in college football right now and the best coach for BYU. His drive and determination is what makes him a great coach and I think that it is great that he can be such a great coach at BYU without the 5 star recruits. He has a great way of coaching that gets the very best from his players. He has taken the program back to the days of glory and that means a lot to the fans (like me) who have been living BYU football all their lives. The last thing is his dedication to the church, he has to get his players to play they way they do without practicing on Sunday and by living by the honor code. He quotes scripture to the team and media. What better man would you want for a roll model, really?
Josh Gates has to be one of the coolest guys on the planet. He hosts a show called Destination Truth where he looks for weird creatures all over the world. I will have to thank my mom for my like of the paranormal and weird creatures. On his show he is always funny and having a good time. He is so passionate about hunting down these creatures and that is what makes his show so fun to watch. In case you didn't notice he is holding a mold of a yeti footprint which he found last season. Just ask my buddy Art about me and bigfoot, some day we are going on a trip to hunt for bigfoot trust me.