10 of '10

So, I gave up on those 30 blogs. Oh well, the last two topics weren't anything special anyway.

Every year I blog about my favorite albums of the year. You know, just like Rolling Stone.

It's something I really enjoy, and i have a really great time doing it, so I'm not going to stop. Not even if you couldn't care less about the music I'm listening to.

Well... Here's the 2010 list:

1. Princess Dinosaur- A Goldfish and His Friends

I love this album... Well I guess, actually, it's an EP. Only 8

tracks. But those eight tracks are awesome. I been anticipating

this for a very long time. The demos for this albums were included

in my 2009 list.

I guess it's a little ironic that this album has the worst album art of

the year.

Get this album if you like Gatsbys American Dream.

2. Make Do and Mend- End Measured Mile

This is another album that I have been anticipating for

a very long time. And it's great. Everything I hoped it

would be. There are a couple rough tracks near toward

the center of the album, but the really great songs make

up for the not so great ones.

Get this album if you like Hot Water Music and great lyrics

3. Drew Danburry- Goodnight Dannii(&Grad School Ap)

Drew Danburry has probably been my favorite singer/songwriter

for the past two years or so. This album is nothing less than what I

would expect for him. I include Grad School Application with this

because it never got an official release, and it I wanted to, I could

have given drew 4 out of the 10 spots on the list, but I wanted to

be fair.

Get this if you like warm-hearted, intelligent, raw folk music.

4. Steel Train- Self-titled

I like Steel Train a lot. This album wasn't quite as good as their

previous full length, but it was still great. Very fun to listen to,

as always, and full of tracks that you just need to see performed

live. The band exhibits personality and tradition through these

tracks, and the songs never get old because of that.

Get this if you like guitar skills, rock and roll, and honest music.

5. I Can Make a Mess- The World We Know

I had very high expectations for this. Probably too high. This is

why I felt kind of let down by these songs. The previous I Can

Make a Mess Like Nobodys Business album (released in 05, I

believe), is one of my favorite albums, but this one has some

very uninteresting songs. That being said, it is easily the best thing

Ace Enders has released since 2005.

Get this if you like Ace Enders. The Early November, etc.

6. Touche Amore/La Dispute-Searching.../The Worth...

Yeah, this CD only has four tracks on it. But those four tracks are

really good! I just got into both of these bands at the beginning of

this year, and I'm pretty happy I did. It's a genre of music that I

don't go too deep into, but with bands like Touche Amore and La

Dispute, it's hard to not feel a connection to this style of

performance.

Get this if you like Post Hardcore.

7. Arcade Fire- The Suburbs

I think it's kind of hard to not like this album. Arcade Fire has

matured so much since Neon Bible was released, and this proves

it. The songs are catchy, meaningful, and fun. If you've never

listened to Arcade Fire, what are you waiting for? This would be

a good album to start with.

Get this if you like... Arcade Fire?

8. Trophy Scars- Darkness, Oh Hell

Every time Trophy Scars releases something, it blows me away.

I know I said this after Bad Luck was released, but this is the

best thing this band has ever released. The music has progressed,

the vocals have improved. It's great. I'm excited to listen to this

album more.

Get this if you like Post Hardcore, and can tolerate Satanic lyrics.

9. The Gay Blades- Savages

This is another album I've been waiting very patiently for, and I

love it! The full, rock and roll sound that this two-man band

produces knocks me back a few steps. This is fun to listen to, and

even more fun to hear live. The Gay Blades are one of those bands

that need to be seen live to be fully appreciated. Their stage antics

are great, and the music sounds better than when it's recorded.

Get this if you like rock, or the aforementioned Steel Train album.

10. Apache, The- Self-titled

Drew Danburry is a part of Apache, The, but Apache, The is

definitely NOT Drew Danburry. This music is darker, and more

raw electric rock. The lyrics are as good as anything you'd expect

from Drew, and the music is not what you'd expect. But, I love it

anyway!

Get this if you like Drew Danburry being a jerk or punk rock.

Honorable Mentions: Band of Horses, Infinite Arms; Bradley Hathaway, A Thousand Angry Panthers; Foxy Shazam, Self-titled; Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks; Pavement, Quarantine the Past: Best of Pavement; Places and Numbers, Waking the Dead; Portugal. the Man, American Ghetto; Punchline, Delightfully Pleased; Steel Train, Terrible Thrills Vol. 1; The Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt; USS Leland, Remembering Rutherford Garry; Vampire Weekend, Contra.

Day 28- One Year of Changes

A month ago when I read over the list of topics on the thirty day challenge, this topic was one of the three or four that got me really excited about writing for thirty days.

"Day 28-A picture of you last year and now- How have you changed"

Conveniently, I wrote a blog exactly like this last year. Maybe I'll make this an annual topic because I think it's a lot of fun to think about.

--------------------->

fuuuuuuuuuture jump!

There was a decade in my life were "change" was associated with fear, uncertainty, loneliness, and negativity. Now I welcome change, and I'm happy to say that my values, beliefs, goals, perspective and life has changed more this year than any other year of my life. I may not be completely satisfied with all the changes in my life, but feel like these things are pointing me in the right direction for my personal self-worth.

As far as my physical appearance goes, not a lot has changed. Other than my hair being a little longer now, losing a minimal amount of weight, and not wearing my mustache much anymore, nothing looks any different.

One significant difference in the way my body looks is something that many people don't even notice, unless I point it out to them. In the past year, I put two tattoos on my body. A fork on the inside of my lower lip (which is quickly fading away), and an anchor on my inner left leg. Both of them are hidden well, so you've never seen them, unless I've showed them to you.

As far as friendships and relationships go, during the past year I've realized, the people that want to be a part of my life, will stay in my life. "I know we won't alway keep around all we feel we need. Some are fading in frames, some were born to leave. "And I'm willing to meet most friendships 75% percent of the way (thats just the way I am), but I'm done contributing to 100% of relationships. Thats not friendship. This is a very refreshing realization.

During the past month, I've been trying to decide what my most significant experiences have been in the past year. This is what I have boiled it down to.

1. The end of my time at the Ammon Pool. I spent the last seven years of my life involved with that pool. All my memories of summertime involve the pool in one way or another. That place and those people have played a huge role in my life, and the fact that I can't go back there this coming summer makes my heart sink.

2. Babies. I'm an uncle, and I love it. First, Jaren and Joann brought Titus into the world, and I felt and saw the difference a tiny, newborn human can make in a person's life; whether that person is a mother, a father, a grandparent, an uncle, or connected in any other way. It helped me gain a whole new perspective on the value of life.

A couple months later, Geremy and Viola were blessed with the arrival of Grisham, and my perspective was reassured. It is astonishing to me to see the how much happiness a baby can bring into people's lives. I will never in my life forget slowly rocking Grisham to sleep, and watching him open his eyes every couple minutes, smiling at me, and closing his eyes again.

3. Losing "home" again. After taking a year off of school to spend in Idaho Falls with friends and family with the intent of gaining closure on my hometown, I'm still kind of sad to see my ties to that place fade away. Not only did I move away, but my parent's are also moving away in a week.

Idaho Falls will alway be the place that I grew up, and it will alway be somewhere that I can find comfort, but I've realized that I'm not tied down to that place. I'm tied down to the people. And that is also a very refreshing realization.

Day 27?- Finish what you start.

"Day 27- Why are you doing this thirty day challenge?"

Well, first of all, when I started this thirty day challenge two days after I accepted employment. I guess I didn't realize how busy I would be, and how much time I would need to dedicate to blogging to complete this "task".

Anyway, I decided to do the thirty day challenge because I really didn't have anything to do, or more appropriately, I didn't have anything to write about. I start blogs all the time. In fact, I have two or three blog beginning saved on my computer right now. But I can never finish them because I feel like they are only interesting to me... But then again, I guess thats kind of what blogging is about anyway.

Days 22, 23, 24, 25, & 26- I'm not too consistent

Last week was a holiday week, so I didn't do much of anything. However, I did manage to drive from Orem to Idaho Falls and back TWICE, work thirty hours, go to school, have Thanksgiving dinner with my grandma, and see most of my hometown friends and family. It was a good week, but of course, this "30-day blog" was put on hold.

IT'S ANOTHER CATCH UP BLOG!

"Day 22- What Makes You Different From Everyone Else?"

Better question: What makes me like anyone else?

"Day 23- Something you crave a lot"

I crave these on a daily basis. I try to limit myself to one a week.

"Day 24- A letter to your parents"

I'm not going to write a "letter" to my parents. Thats just ridiculous. But, I will write about my parents. This is actually something I'm been thinking about a lot lately, and it's convenient that this blog falls so closely to Thanksgiving.

I am beyond thankful that I have parents that are still completely in love with each other. They are so incredibly devoted to each other that it makes passersby sick to their stomach. I have the kind of parents that go on long afternoon drives just to "look at houses and listen to music." It makes me really happy.

"Day 25- What I would find in my bag"

Well right now, in my backpack, I've got the notebook that I use to take notes at school, I've got the blue folder that I keep handouts in from school, I've got my Health and Wellness textbook, I've got my laptop in there, I've got my external hard drive, my headphones, my Zune, a couple pens and pencils, and a 5-hour Energy. Ha ha ha.

"Day 26- What do you think about your friends"

I think highly of them. Thats why they're my friends. I wish more of them were closer.

Days 17, 18, 19, 20, & 21- I guess it's time to catch up.

Hi reader(s). Just in case you were wondering, I didn't care about posting for the past few days. I'm pretty far behind on my internet stuff for the week. I'm eight videos behind on my YouTube Subscriptions, three albums behind on my new music releases, five blogs behind on my blog (obviously), and I still haven't seen the box office numbers for Harry Potter (although I hear the numbers will disappoint me).

I've been "busy," but now I'm "unbusy." So, I'll try to write up some quick excerpts. Starting at 17:

"Day 17- Someone you would like to switch lives with for one day and why."

This is kind of tough. Should I choose someone I would like to know more about? Or should I choose someone that lives an exciting life?

I think I would choose the later. But I would be a little more selfish about it. I wouldn't just choose someone that lives a "lavished lifestyle," I would choose someone that could provide me (my real life) with great opportunities. Maybe someone as simple as Casey Bates. Casey Bates is a audio producer in Seattle that has produced some really great music.

During the day that I spent as Casey Bates, I would set up (real life) Logan with an internship at my record studio. Then in my (real) life, I could drop out of college, move to Seattle, work with a great producer, meet contacts, network myself, and basically live my (real) idea of "the dream."

Yeah, I'm selfish, whatever.

"Day 18- Plans/Dreams/Goals You Have"

In a round about way, I answered this in "Day 17," but since I get asked this on a daily basis, I think I'll reiterate myself, and add quite a bit more detail.

Whenever I meet someone new, or talk to someone from my past, education is always brought up. Maybe because I'm in college, but most likely because it's easy "small talk." After I tell these people I am going into audio production, I get one of two comments: "Wow. Thats ambitious." or "Ohh... So what are you going to do with that degree?" I admit, both comments are appropriate.

Here is the uncondensed version of "what I'm going to do with that degree": As a senior in the Digital Media program at UVU, you are required to be involved with an internship. I plan to take this time to work with live music. Working for some sort of venue, stadium, theater, etc. At this point, it will mostly likely be with the Maverick Center in West Valley, but I'm not too set on that considering I'm a year and a half away from being a senior.

After that internship is over, and I have graduated as a result, I plan on getting far, far away from Utah Valley. (I would love to take a year here to live in Missoula, Montana. Great city, great atmosphere, great people; I'm just afraid there won't be any work for me here.) Ideally, I would like to live in Seattle (or Chicago if I must. I have never visited either of these places). Hopefully, once I'm in Seattle I can find a venue or (ideally) a record studio that will hire me or offer me an internship. I would climb the corporate latter from there, and someday have enough skill, enough contacts, and enough money to create my own record company. Then I would live happily ever after. (Keep in mind, this would be my "dream." I'm allowed to have high hopes when it comes to dreaming.)

"Day 19- Nicknames you have and why you have them"

Most of the nickname I have originated at the Ammon Pool. No one even ever called me Log until Jessica Hall and Stormie Hulet started the trend. I love that nickname. Other pool nicknames that I love: Log-in, Log-anne, Log-in diddly dog-in, Lifeguard Logan, and (my favorite) LoGOD.

Nicknames from my childhood (pre-Ammon Pool) that I hate: Loggy, and Loogy.

Nicknames from my childhood that I love: Hulk Logan.

More recent nicknames: Lobster Logan and Logzorz.

I've got good nicknames.

"Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future"

Oh. You may have noticed that in "Day 18" I completely neglected my personal life. Mostly because I'm not concerned with marriage at all. There definitely was I time in my life that being married fascinated me, but now, I'd rather not experience it.

One thing I do know is that I would love to be a father.

"Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy"

This guys a pretty good example:

Day 16- in-n-out boogers.

"Day 16- Another picture of yourself"

Day 15- Zune Shuffle

"Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle- first 10 songs that play"

I like this. It reminds me of Myspace surveys. When I used to do Myspace, I made it a point to do a "myspace survey" every week, because I think they're awesome. I mostly did them for myself- I like to reflect upon my own thoughts; I also did them for other people- I think people should have the opportunity to get to know me on a more personal level. Whether or not they take those opportunities is up to the person/reader. I think thats why I like blogging. Helps me remember some people do care.

If you're reading this, then I can confidently say that you are genuinely interested in me. Thanks! If you comment on this, I can confidently say that my opinions make an impact (or at least matter) in your life. So, thanks again.

Anyway, back on topic. I started a shuffle this morning on my way to school, so I'll start there.

1. Drew Danburry- Postponing Alaska -One of my favorite songs, by my favorite local songwriter.

2. Bank- Try To Be Brave -A decent song, by a decent band from Boise, Idaho. This song does hold odd significance in my life.

3. Mansions- Told a Lie -I like this song.

4. Vendetta Red- Lipstick Tourniquets -I haven't listened to this song in forever. It's one of those angsty songs I loved in high school. A good song, nonetheless.

5. The Beatles- Dear Prudence -Actually, one of my least favorite Beatles songs.

6. Band of Horses- Way Back Home -From their most recent album, I havent listened to it much.

7. The Sound of Animals Fighting -Act III: Modulate Back to the... -It's a fine song, I suppose.

8. Gatsbys American Dream -Theater -Definitely my favorite band from 2007-2009. I'm stoked that they just reunited!

9. As Cities Burn -Our World is Grey -Love this band.

10. Haydn -Symphony No. 94 in G Major - Classical music makes me feel intellectual.

Days 13 & 14- Ehh.

Yeah, I didn't blog yesterday. I though about it. I even sat in a laundromat for an hour or two and considered taking that time to write something down. But it didn't. The topic was "Day 13-A letter to someone who has hurt you recently."

I just can't think of anyone that has hurt me recently. At least not emotionally. I can't even think of someone who has hurt me physically lately.

Life is good.

So, on to day 14.

"Day 14- A picture of you and your family"

Fortunately enough, we recently had family pictures done. My favorite:

I look pretty "balla," and that baby is gottdam cute!

Day 12- Again...

So, again, it looks like I got a little ahead of myself last weeks.

"Day 12-How you found out about blogger and why you have one"

I already discussed this about ten days ago, and explained the whole story..

So... (Please refer to blog "Day 2")

Day 11- Ooh.. I wasn't prepared for this...

I should have looked ahead before posting all these blogs.

"Day 11-Another picture of you and your friends"

On the last "friends/picture" post, I posted around 10 photos. I don't think I have anymore photos... Or anymore friends for that matter...

I'll go check... Wait here... This will only take a minute...

Oh here, I love this one.

Day 10- Music is my b/f. LOL!

Finally a topic I don't mind too much.

Hopefully "blogger" stops messing up my fonts. Has anyone else noticed? I've never once changed my font on blogspot, but for some reason my past few blogs have had two or three different fonts within the post. I don't get it.

"Day 10-Songs you listen to when you're bored, happy, sad, mad, hyped"

I listen to music daily. I'm also bored daily. I'm happy daily. I'm sad weekly, or so. I'm mad sometimes. And I'm hardly ever "hyped." Mostly because I don't understand "hype" (unless it involves Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince being released in a couple days).

So, when I'm bored, I listen to music. I don't listen to any particular songs... I just listen to music. That usually subsides the boredom a little.

When I'm happy, I listen like to listen to music in a major key, obliviously. This morning on the way to school I listened to Flight of the Concords, and I was pretty happy about it. I also like to listen to the Beatles, Band of Horses, Drew Danburry, Counting Crows, Steel Train, The Gay Blades, Modest Mouse, Portugal. the Man, and even some Pavement when I'm happy. This category is pretty loose because, for the most part, music can lift one's emotions. I think that might be part of the purpose of Music Therapy (Arianne).

When I'm sad I tend to listen to either really soft music, or relatively hard music. La Dispute is a constant, as well as Trophy Scars. Bradley Hathaway tends to fall into this category, and so do We Were Promised Jetpacks, As Cities Burn, and The Cranberries.

When I'm mad I usually don't listen to music. When I do, it's Maylene and the Sons of Disaster.

And, when I'm hyped (which I'm going to translate as, "when I go running"), I listen to a lot of hip hop. Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, The Cool Kids, POS, and also some Foxy Shazam.

Thats enough.

Day 9- Resisting the food

As some of you may know, I don't have much money at this point in my life. My student loan got lost in the mail, and I just started a job that won't pay me for another two weeks.

"Day 9-Something you're proud of in the past few days"

I'm proud that I've stayed on budget this week. Every week I feel the "temptation" of eating fast food at least once a week. This week, since I don't have any money, I haven't fallen to the pressures of the restaurant.

Well.... Actually... On Sunday I convinced Michael to buy a Hot-n-Ready Pizza for the two of us... On Wednesday I talked him into buying a banana cream pie... And yesterday we went to Burger King...

Never mind. I don't have anything to be proud of.

Day 8- GOOOal

"Day 8-Short term goals for this month and when you'll accomplish them"

1. Find my Student Loan that was apparently lost in the mail.

>> ASAP.

2. Attend class as much as possible (at least 80% of the week).

>> On going.

3. Learn everyone's name, and get to know everyone at work.

>> On going.

4. Make it to Idaho Falls sometime during Thanksgiving Break.

>> Between Nov. 23rd and Nov. 28th.

5. Buy a heater so that it's warmer than 50 degrees in my apartment.

>> ASAP.

6. Clean the toilet.

>> ASAP.

7. Finish these blogs.

>> On going.

8. Eat at Zupas.

>> ASAP.

9. See Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Part One

>> ASAP (But after Nov. 17th).

10. Not die.

>> On going.

Day 7- Some People Walk in the Rain, Others Just Get Wet

The last few days have been kind of rough. Maybe it's because I have no money. Maybe it's because I just started a new job. Maybe it's because I'm feeling a bit homesick. Maybe it's because the semester is coming to an end... But most likely it's because it's cold outside.

"Day 7-A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you"

The other day at work, a girl told me she LOVES the snow! I just sat there and looked at her with a blank face. She said, "Oh, do you not like the snow."

I replied, "Ehh, well, it definitely doesn't make me feel good."

She then asked, "Does snow really make people depressed around here? I'm from California, but I've heard that people around here get really depressed in the winter time. Is that true."

I looked at her and emotion-less-ly said, "... Yeah, it's true..."

...Then I quickly thought about what I said and about the situation I am in. New job. Potential friends. So, I hurried and made a joke. I don't remember what I said, but she laughed.

Something that has the biggest impact on me is the weather.

I don't even have it that bad. There isn't even snow on the ground yet.

Day 6- John, George, and Conan

Day six involves superheros. I'm not one of those college kids that still wears the Superman logo, nor do I think Spiderman is the shi(z). I'm just not really into super heroes anymore... Unless they're part of a well-made summer blockbuster (e.i. The Dark Knight).

So, as usual, I'm going to mold this topic into something a little more "me."

Day 6-Favorite super hero and why

My favorite super heroes?

Day 5- Hangin' Around

I really hate day five's topic.

"Day 5-A picture of somewhere you've been to"

There are a lot of reason why I hate this topic. The number one reason is because the topic itself is grammatically incorrect. "A picture of somewhere you've been TO." Please, just drop the "to." It's so unnecessary. The other reason I hate this topic is because I've been a lot of places. And since I've been there (multiple times in most cases), it's just not that interesting to me.

So, here is a Google Street View Image of the place I go the most these days.

My apartment. How pretty.

Day 4 (Posted on Day 5)- Oooooooookay…

I have a lot of habit. I suppose I even have some habits that would be considered “bad habits.” But I’m completely content with all these little antics. Behaviors like biting my nails don’t bother me at all. In fact, I MUCH prefer biting my nails over using finger nail clippers. I hate the sound, and I hate the feeling of getting my finger nails clipped. I don’t know why.

“Day 4-A habit that you wish you didn't have”

I’m going to stretch this post topic a bit. Rather than dealing with a habit I don’t like, I’m going to talk about something I do that I really should be able to control. I guess maybe that is a habit. Maybe not.

In a lot of situations, I wish I could control the tone of my voice better. With a lot of what I say, the way I say it means a lot more than the words that are actually said.

I’m sarcastic. I’m hilarious. I’m hilarious because of my sarcasm. But a lot of times, I’ll use my sarcastic tone when saying something serious, and this has caused a lot of tension in some conversations. My tone makes me sound like I’m disregarding the meaning, when really, I’m just saying a word or sentence in a way that it shouldn’t be said.

The best example I can think of to illustrate the importance of voice tone is the word, “okay.”

“Oooooookay…” said Jessica Grimaud (This means you just said something awkward, and she feels embarrassed for you).

“Oh, okay.” said Michael House (He says this quickly. It means you’re being sarcastic or joking, and he’s writing it off as just that).

“Okayyy” said Logan Meyers (This means you just asked me to do something, and I made it sound like I complied with your request, but I’m not really going to do a thing).

Important stuff.

Well, I’m off to my first day of work at my new job. I’ll try my best to control my tone. But, I can guarantee that more than half my conversations will be at least moderately sarcastic.

Day 3 (Posted on Day 5)- Where Everybody Knows Your Name

I realize I am a very fortunate person when it comes to friendships. Not only do I have some of the greatest friends, but I have friends all over this general region (and beyond). It’s a given that I have friends in my hometown, Idaho Falls, but I also feel like I’ve got a decent group of people that I call friends in Boise, Idaho; Missoula, Montana; Logan, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Orem/Provo, Utah (I realize the semi-colons aren’t grammatically correct. It’s just looks confusing to list different places).

The reason I bring this up is because day three’s topic is “a picture of you and your friends,” And there is not a picture in existence that includes me and all of my friends. So, I think I’ll just post multiple pictures. Here we go:

“Day 3- A picture of you and your friends”

I've got those high school friends...

I've got those swimming pool friends...

I've got those cousin friends...

I've got those hometown friends...

I've got those Snake River friends...

I've got those late-night friends...

I've got those Utah State friends...

I've got those artist friends...

I've got those Boise friends...

I've got those mountain-top friends...

I've got those hill-top friends...

...And I've got a lot others. I really am a very fortunate person.

Day 2- OH MY LANDS!

One blog down. They only get worse from here, so don’t get too excited.

“Day 2-The meaning behind your Blog name”

My blog name is omylands because ohmylands was taken.

Is that good enough?

No?

Okay.

Well, when I first had the idea of creating a blog, I had no idea what I wanted to write about. Shortly after having this writer's block, me and my girlfriend at the time “called it quits.” I suddenly had something to write about. Something that shouldn’t be shared on the internet. So, I thought, “I’ll just create a secret blog!”

Essentially, I wanted a blog name that had minimal ties to me, but very indirectly. I wanted to make it so that if a friend stumbled upon this site, they could use the clues to figure out that it was me, but not be able to prove it.

“Oh my lands” is a phrase that I adopted during my sophomore year at Utah State, and said it at least 55 times a day. Everyone hated it so much… Or at least everyone wanted to hate it. It was just too funny to hate.

After about five posts in this secret blogging realm, I got sick of writing for no one but myself, so I deleted the personal posts, and posted my URL on Facebook.

Day 1- The Ordinary Obscurities of Logan C Meyers

So apparently, this “thirty day blogger” thingy-majigger has been going around and a lot of people are “jumping on the band-wagon” and blogging about specific topics for thirty consecutive days. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I only follow a total of four blogs, so I was completely unaware of this “goal.”

Lately I’ve wanted to write very badly. The problem is that everything I want to blog about is either too personal for the internet, or things that people just don’t care about. So, I guess I’ll do it, at least until I get sick of it.

“Day 1- Recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself”

I don’t take many pictures these days, and I’m in even less. I don’t know why that is.

This picture was taken I few weeks ago at Lagoon. It was a great day. I even ate an Oreo, and I don’t even like Oreos.

Now. The 15 interesting facts about me. Huh? Looking over the list of future blogs for these next thirty days, it looks like it’s going to be hard to not mention things now that will be mentioned in later blogs. I’ll try:

1. Ever since I move the Orem, Utah, I can’t help but notice how attractive people are. It’s crazy. Now, I’m not saying that I’m sexually attracted to every person I see in Utah Valley, or even that I’m sexually attracted to anyone in Utah Valley. However, what I am saying is that everyone in this area takes good care of themselves. Everyone’s jogging, everyone’s eating salads, and everyone’s spending thousands of dollars on clothes every year… Either that or this really is “Zion.” I just feel bad for the uglies.
2. Right now, I’m long boarding more than ever in my life, and I give 100% of the credit to being in college. All I need are some thick(er) rimmed glasses and love for BYU football, and I’ll be a part of every local social circle.
3. Lately, I really like doing puzzles. I mean, I’ve always liked doing puzzles. The problem was that no one would do them with me. But now that I’ve convinced Michael of the benefits of putting together puzzles, it’s an activity of growing popularity. I like doing puzzles of cats, dragons, dinosaurs, and Jesus.
4. Speaking of Jesus. Ever since I moved to “The Bubble,” I talk about Jesus a lot. Not in the way that everyone else is talking about Jesus though. I like to push the limits, and see what I can say about Jesus (while only being partially sacrilegious) before people start to get uncomfortable. This is definitely my favorite thing about living here. This is ENTIRELY Rachel’s fault. Thanks.
5. As many know, a lot of my time is occupied by leisurely listening to music. Not just in my car either. One of the most used electronic accessories in my home is the computer speakers in my living room. It’s not unusual for me to sit on the couch and do nothing but listen to music. Maybe it’s because I don’t have cable television or internet access…
6. I wish I had more time to draw. Actually, I wish I had more motivation to draw. I’ve got plenty of time. I think it’s kind of too bad that once I became an art major, I stopped caring about my art. Mostly just because art became an assignment. I hope that won’t happen with audio production, but I’m sure it will.
7. I’ve been very fortunate with employment. I’ve also been very fortunate with unemployment. But anyway, what I’m getting at is that I’ve loved almost every job I’ve ever had. The Ammon Pool, Best Buy, and even the Aquatic Center. They were all pretty great. The only job that I’ve ever had that I absolutely hated was Shopko. It was terrible.
8. I’ve got two tattoos that only a handful of people know about. One tattoo is my homage to my time at the Ammon Pool, and the other signifies my dedication to my friends. I like theme (I meant to write “them”… But I also like “theme,” so I’ll leave the typo). During my early to mid-teen years, I always wanted to get a tattoo. During my late-teen years, I wanted to wait to see which direction my life would take before I got a tattoo. By the time I turned twenty, I knew that someday I would have a tattoo. Now I have a couple tattoos.
9. Some nights I get really scared. I guess you could say that I’m afraid of the dark. I hate lying in my empty, silent room at 3:33am. It’s the worst. I usually just close my eyes and ignore the time.
10. My “bucket list” is comprised of things that I’ve already done. I just want to do these things again so that I can appreciate them more the second or third time around.
11. When I visit my home town I still feel like a “townie”, even though I’ve lived outside of Idaho Falls for two years since graduation.
12. Another new development since I’ve lived in Orem is my love for Independent Newspapers. I love them. Weekly, I read the independent school news paper (The V), City Weekly, Provo’s The Vanguard, and Salt Lake Underground (SLUG). If you know of any other good local, independent newspapers, send them this way!
13. I really hope my mom reads my blog.
14. I’m still obsessed with Lost. The series ended eight months ago, but I still like watching it noticing things I didn’t notice the first time around. I also read Lost literature. This makes me feel like the Lost equivalent of a Trekie. However, embarrassingly enough, I can’t imagine me watching Lost more regularly than I watch The OC.
15. For the past two years, I’ve been VERY into PostSecret (www.postsecret.com). When I meet someone that also loves PostSecret, I automatically love them. I save the PostSeccrets that I feel relate to me in one way or another, and when I’m feeling down, I go through my hundreds of PostSecrets and consider reconciling my relationships, but obviously, I never do.

How’s that? Good enough? That’s what I though.

Uninspired

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with one leg perched; the other, semi-crossed with my ankle resting on my knee. Does my body really hate sleep this much? Even during the silent hours of the early morning, my legs must desperately attempt to wake me up? I just doesn’t make any sense. Sleep means sleeping.

Living in a new city is odd. And it seems like every city brings different, odd feelings. In Logan, Utah, the odd sentiment was loneliness. In Orem, Utah, loneliness isn’t so odd any more (which is kind of odd, in and of itself). Here, everyone tries to show you how (and encourages you) to be just like them… But that doesn’t even seem as odd as I anticipated. I don’t know exactly what it is, but something is just unusual.

I feel completely uninspired, and I don’t even know what that means. Although I’m happy everyday, everyday has the same routine, the same location, and the same meaning. I suppose this isn’t a bad thing; there should be meaning to each day. But where’s the spontaneity? When I wake up comfortably around 9:30am or 10:00am, I know exactly how the day will play out. The cerebral security is almost unfortunate.

Because of these habitual days, I try to make it a point to get lost during the evening. The other day, I wandered the neighboring roads on foot for a couple hours of the night. I’ve never taken refuge in wandering, but in a new town it’s almost exhilarating. While walking down roads I’ve never been on and seeing houses and businesses I’ve never seen, I feel as if I’m becoming acquainted with my own life. It’s fine.

I want so badly to make good friends. Because of the small, tight-knit group of friends that was created while I was attending Utah State, I envy a “proper” college experience. Friends, parties, beer pong- the usual. When I was at Utah State, I gave up on making friends after the first four months of each school year, but here at Utah Valley, because of this jealousy, I’ve been going to every social outing I can get myself into. Concerts in the Courtyard, University Malls, Dance Parties, Open Mics, and even Pancake Parties.

The thing that I think bugs me about Utah Valley is that everyone is so ordinary. It seems like nobody has a story. Nobody can explain why they are the way they are, except for saying, “It’s the way my parents and my God want me to be.” It’s really unfortunate, if you ask me. At times I feel like I’d be a better fit in places like Boise, Missoula, or Seattle, and the fact that I didn’t discover this sooner really upsets me.

I’ll continue my endeavor to meet interesting people. I won’t give up after a few short months this time. Look at me finally trying to “be bold.”

Now, despite the peculiar timbre of this area, I do kind of enjoy it here. Things are so mellow. I live with one of my best friends, and it’s been easy for me to be passionate about school. Also, I seem to be losing weight, which seems to be the neo-American Dream. I’m happy to, at least, be happy most of the day.

The end of an era

As many know, on Friday August 13, 2010, I worked my last day at the Ammon Swimming Pool. To most this isn't a big deal, but for me it was a very emotional ordeal. I worked at the Ammon Pool for seven years. It was my first job, and effected my life greatly.

As a "thank you" to my boss, I wrote a nice little story, and told her how the pool has changed my life. This will mean nothing to almost everyone in my life, but I know that some people want to read what I wrote, so I'll post it here.

It is very long.

"I wish my head could remember all the amazing pool stories that were created during the past seven summers of my life. There are many experiences that I look back on today and smile because of the happiness that these moments still bring.

In 2004 when I started at the pool, I immediately hit it off with Jessica Hall! Throughout the next two years, she and I were best buddies! We created many inside jokes and even started a few traditions that I continued to the end; one of those traditions being the “Pool Jamz Diskz!” Everything about these mix CDs were very specific, from “Pool Party” being the first track, down to the way we spelt “discs.” The CDs contained songs that reminded us of summer, in general, and song that reminded us of each other. Jessica and I both take music very seriously, so we spent a lot of time thinking about what songs would go on to these mixes, and we spent even more time listening to these CDs on repeat, over and over again! I continued this until the very last summer, and always love it when people compliment my choice of summer music!

Something that Jessica liked to joke about was the fact that when I was going into my sophomore year of high school, she was going into her sophomore year of college. We always talked about how in an alternate universe, we were both the same age and both attended the same academic level. This is where the idea of Pool Prom came from! Since she would be a senior in college when I was a senior in high school, we would just have to create our own prom at the pool. At this prom, we would have Ocean Water and Tots from Sonic as refreshments, we would use pool rings as crocuses and boutonnières, and the dance flood would be a giant sheet of plexi-glass over the deep end!

During my first few years at the pool, I also became very close friends with Arianne Chadwick. Arianne and I didn’t just work together, but we also practically lived together during the first years of college, and influenced my life greatly. We have countless jokes that no one else in the world would laugh at or even understand. One of my favorite pool stories with Arianne happened in 2007. It was during one of those nights that we decided to have a sleepover at the pool (which is a great story in itself!). Very early in the morning, aroung 4:00am, I woke up because I heard absolutely nothing. Typically, the sound of nothing would be very refreshing, at the pool however, it means something is wrong; it means the pump shut off! I shook Arianne who was sleeping a foot away from me, “Do you hear that?” Arianne woke up slightly, and looked me in the eyes. “No, I don’t hear anything…” “EXACTLY! THE PUMP IS OFF!”

Arianne just stared at me for a second and laid back down. This left it up to me to get the pump up and running again… But, I had no idea how to turn on the pump, at the time, and I was half-asleep. I managed to get the pump on, and then I went back to sleep.

When we woke up in the morning I sarcastically thanked Arianne for helping me with the pump, but she had no idea what I was talking about. She didn’t even remember me waking her up!

Another thing that comes to mind is when I created “Walter Melon.” We had an extra watermelon from the week before that had just been sitting in the office for almost a week. At that point I decided that I need to put this melon to good use. First, I put the watermelon under a basket at the bottom of the deep end, and let it sit there for a class or two. After this lost its novelty, I brought it back into the office, stuck a pencil in it, and drew a face on it. It was a safety day, so I just carried the water melon, now Walter Melon, around with me to all my classes, and even put it in the boat with my classes! At the end of the day, I decided that the only for me to properly dispose of Walter would be to smash him on the ground in the back of the pool. All the staff gathered around, and I smashed him on the sidewalk!

Some of my favorite memories were created every other week on Safety Day. It’s no secret that, “Safety Day is my favorite day!” During my first few years at the pool, I would always get excited for Safety Day! I tried for hard to be funny, from the way I would deliver “the Dave talk,” to the way I would teach the reaching and throwing assist! It’s always been a lot of fun for me, and up until the last Safety Day, I would always have kids request me to direct the rescue breathing discussion.

After a seven year run at the Ammon Pool, you think that I would be bursting out every seam with pool stories of mishaps, awkward situations, and hysterical experiences. Unfortunately, I cannot recall too many tales from my personal Ammon Pool era. What I can recall, however, are the thousands of memories that were created with the help of all the wonderful people that have entered my life, thanks to the pool.

I owe the Ammon Pool for far too many of my significant life experiences. When I started at the pool, I was fifteen years old. Seven years is a long time; one third of my life. The pool helped me become comfortable with who I am, it helped me take pride in stepping out of my comfort zone, and it helped me feel accepted among entire demographics that I otherwise never would have been in contact with. I’ve met hundreds of parents and thousands of children, and, maybe because of my self-gratifying personality, I like to feel like I’ve made a difference in a lot of these lives. Additionally, and more significantly, the pool is a place that I associate with building life-long friendships, falling in love, and being greatly influenced by mentors like you.

Jenn, I will never forget the time that I spent at the pool. It was absolutely amazing and I have you to thank. I am so thankful and happy that I was able to meet you and create a friendship with you that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Your positive way of thinking has effected and influenced me greatly.

So, as I leave the pool office for the last time on August 13, 2010, it will not be hard to keep nothing but positive feelings in my heart. I miss definitely miss the memories that were created and the feeling that arise when I step into a ninety degree swimming pool at 8:00am on a cold June morning, but I have gained so much during these past seven years. Thanks for letting me tag along."

what's the opposite of writer's block?

All I want to do right now is write. I want to write about my days, I want to write about my summer, I what to write about my ideal future. It's strange where I can find inspiration. Tonight it comes from the siblings, acquaintances, and my daily routine.

Almost every day starts with a top 40 hit. Sometimes it's Lady Gaga singing about Alejandro, sometimes it's Hailey Williams singing about airplanes, and sometimes it's even Justin Beiber naively reminiscing his first "love." What can I say? I live in Idaho Falls, and therefore my alarm clock is set to z103; I'm not ashamed. No matter the song, volume, or content, my constant lack of R.E.M. forces my heart to skip and my head to jolt up with overwhelming anxiety.

"OH LORD! WHAT TIME IS IT!?" ... It's only 7:16am.

As I lay back down to collect my consciousness, the temperature becomes very audible. Cold. The pro and the con to having a bed in the basement. I curl into the orthodox fetal position, continue listening to the songs that, as likely as not, I cannot stand to listen to. This is all part of the tactic of getting myself out of bed, and although it never works in the beginning, it always ends up being my final motivation to get on with the day.

Every few minutes I'll look at the clock. Those red, digital digits can inform me of what time it is, but they can never remind me when it is that I need to be out of my house and in my car. "7:28am"... "What time did I leave yesterday?"... "7:32am"... "What time did I get to the pool yesterday?"... "7:37am"... "Ugh. I really need to get out of bed. I need to be to work in... Uhh... 23 minutes."... "7:40am, okay, that it, I'm going to have to rush myself; let's go."

I waver out of bed, strip down to absolutely nothing, put my swimming suit on, and walk out of my room. To the left I notice Cameron, still asleep; television still on from a few hours ago, tossing and turning on the leather couch. I'm not conservative with the amount of noise that I make as I walk up the stairs. "I hope I woke him up." I presumptuously think to myself, "he kept me up all night, and he needs to know how early I wake up every morning."

On my way out the door I quickly stop to urinate, and then I walk out th

e door, get into my car, turn on my music (this time something I prefer to listen to), and I drive away.

I make the turns required to leave the drowsy subdivision I woke up in. Driving is the same everyday. Less people on the roads than you'd think there would be this close to 8:00am. "But look, there is a jogger, there's an old man on a bike, and oh, I'm pretty sure I saw that girl walking yesterday at this time! I sure hope drivers don't pay attention to me when I run down this street on those few, impulsive evenings..."

It's 7:44am. "I swear I looked at the clock at this exact time yeste

rday! Except yesterday I was about 300 feet behind where I am now. I must be making good time!" At this point in the day, my mind is feeling more dynamic, and I can now take satisfaction in these small victories.

Consistently, I arrive at the pool between 7:48am and 7:51am. "Perfect!" I seem to be one of the first cars in the parking lot, but at least I'll have enough time to make a few jokes, neglect my sunscreen, grab some Ocean Wonders, and motivate myself to jump in the pool.

At 8:00am... Or more typically, 8:01am, I put on my happy tone and yell "COME ON IN AND FIND YOUR TEACHERS! ... Uhh... But... DON'T GET IN THE WATER UNLESS YOUR TEACHER IS THERE!" I watch the anxious children run to there classes, and the remaining teachers saunter out of the office to get in the water. Hey, they much be

just as excited as I am to teach this morning. As I command my "minnows" to do eight "bobs" (yes, I realize that you don't know what either of those terms mean.), I bask in the glory that is being a swimming lesson teacher. And not only that, but being a seven year veteran of this morning routine. I can hardly believe I'm the one "callin' 'em in", and denying the sanction of turning on the pool heater. Seven years ago I was a fifteen year old that thought I knew what I was doing. I moped out of the office at 8:00am, but craved the respect. I loved the job, but never thought I'd spend the better part of a decade doing it. I've had this job longer than I've had most of my friends. I've had this job since before my first day of high school. I've had this job since before most of these kids were born. It seems surreal.

Going through the motions of teaching elementary backstroke is familiar, but always has it's differences. I tell these kids to resist the blunder of breaking the surface of the water, and the importance of hooking their feet. As I allow the last swimmer the embark of the journey across the pool, I look up at the clock and realize it's only 8:16pm. One hour since I was startled by my alarm clock.

It's going to be a long day. And while taking comfort in knowing I'll do the same thing again tomorrow, I can't imagine spending the summer any other way.

summer, every other day

please, just hurry up and get here already

the capitol of idaho: boyzee

meeting new friends from all over the state

best friends, gettin' married

i'm practically a professional photographer by now