Worlds Tallest Blog

After the Convention is the afterconvention and after the convention is the hotel lobby and....

2008-09-06T18:19:00.003-05:00

As the thousands of red, white and blue balloons, the tinsel and the tickertape descended from the rafters on the Republican convention moments after John McCain had finished addressing it, I at last worked out what had been the key difference between this event and the Democratic beano the week before.

The Democrats have a world view based (as Dr Johnson might have put it) on the triumph of hope over experience. The Republicans’ is rooted firmly in reality.

Republicans were given a real vision for the future of America, not empty promises

In Denver, speaker after speaker lauded and coddled one minority group after another and promised the largesse of the American taxpayer would alleviate their misery. In St Paul the message was about all Americans pulling together, getting government out of their lives, and making everyone richer and happier as a result.

When Mr McCain spoke, the faithful were still galvanised and awe-struck by the performance of his remarkable running-mate 24 hours earlier. In that sense anything he could say or do was bound to be an anti-climax. Yet his steady, measured, statesmanlike speech was the perfect complement to her benign but startling demagoguery.

Thus is the flavour of the next two months established. She will eat their opponents alive; he will be there to explain from the apparently limitless fount of his wisdom what will be done on the tree-strewn road ahead. It is a horrible cliché, but of the two men aiming for the White House, Mr McCain has more of the demeanour of a president.

This is nothing to do with his white hair, still less his white skin: it is everything to do with his gravitas and his record.

Some of us thought, and hoped, that he would win the nomination in 2000 over the manifestly inferior George W Bush. The qualities he had then are the same ones that give him the edge over his opponent now: a “story”, to use the campaign’s favourite word, of genuine heroism, service and leadership; coupled with what are now the first signs of a grasp of what it is possible to do to right America’s economic wrongs without first making them considerably worse.

Mr McCain has been on Capitol Hill for 26 years. He not only knows how the system works, he actively despises it and wants to reform it. He brings immense wisdom and good judgment to the table. It is that, rather than a beauty contest based on some celebrity X-factor, that should decide the election on November 4.

In his speech to the delegates in St Paul Mr McCain dealt only in the broad brush. In this, he was rather like Mr Obama in the Broncos’ stadium at Denver a week earlier. But unlike Mr Obama, Mr McCain littered his broad brush with odd moments of detail, and clear statements of vital principle. His delivery may have lacked the charisma and sonority of his opponent’s, but what he delivered will have connected with tens of millions of Americans, consolidating the shock of the new imposed on them the previous evening by Sarah Palin.

The biggest gap remains his economic programme: he cannot much longer delay explaining how he is going to cut spending, cut the deficit, and provide the tax cuts he promises.

No-one deserves to get a job on Buggin’s turn, or on the basis that he or she has been in the queue for it the longest; but that is not what qualifies Mr McCain for the White House. He drew attention to the most important fact about modern life: not the global economic convulsion, from which America has in the last fortnight started to show the first faint signs of recovery, but the fact that the world is a dangerous place, and getting more so. Mr Obama doesn’t know where to start on this, and the claims made for his good ol’ boy running mate Joe Biden being an expert on foreign policy are charitable to say the least.

In the next eight weeks Mr McCain needs to hammer home the perils to western civilisation not just of Islamic extremism but also of a new Cold War and a restless China. He made a good start yesterday, but this notoriously inward-looking country still needs more of a wake-up call. His television debates with Mr Obama, starting later this month, will be crucial in what must be his strategy of trumping charm and effortless superiority with raw experience.

The convention was a comparatively sober affair, not simply because of the shadow from Hurricane Gustav but because the revivalist hysteria that smothered the Democrats was absent here. But that, of course, is all about the connection Republicans have with reality, practicality running through their veins as idealism does through the Democrats’.

Post taken from the English Newspaper the Telegraph, Article title John McCain offered Republicans vision rooted in reality, not Barack Obama's empty promises. Written by Simon Heffer...Educate yourself further here.

Temporary Blog is UP

2008-06-11T04:11:00.002-05:00

http://worldstallesttraveler.blogspot.com/

New Blog for my trip... I leave soon, I am excited...I was also able to run into a fellow member of our little blogging community. Matt, I must say it was good to see you, I was surprised and I almost didn't recognize you. Look'n good buddy, I am sorry that we met under sad terms, but it was good to see you none the less.

I am off to London than to Salzburg, plug into the other blog, for frequent updates as I am sure my sleep schedule will be outta whack for a couple days, bonus for you, tired body for me.

And P.S. Celts in 6, I think everyone and there mother could have picked a game 3 win by the fake-show. Game 4 will be closer, but still a win for Kobe, Game 5 will be a thriller and Celts pull it out then close the door in Bean town...Bean-town baby BEAN-TOWN!

Celtic Pride.

Heeeeeerrrreeeeee We GO!

2008-05-20T22:39:00.002-05:00

Long absence, Deal with it, I would say sorry, but I have been busy so my blog has suffered. Finals are over, I have been on a two week break of nothing-ness, its been great. The first year of law school sucks, no ifs ands or buts about it, it sucks...I took two weeks of finals, after a month of studying, its finally over. I would tell you all about it, but I would bore you to tears, so I won't, just know it was the worst thing school wise I have ever done, yet some how I enjoyed it, go figure.

Now on to the rest of the summer, I will be heading, as the locals like to say, across the pond, and spend some time in both London and Salzburg. I will be taking some classes over there in London, I will be taking a terrorism and public policy and in Salzburg, I will be taking a foundations of European and American law taught by the honorable Justice Anthony Kennedy. Should be fun and interesting. I will be updating a different blog, worlds tallest traveler, soon, a more parent friendly blog, so stay tuned for that link. I will gone from June 11th - July 28th, and will enjoy many travels.

Now on to what this blog is really about, the draft lottery. The wolves true to form stuck with the 3rd spot, the didn't move up any but hey at least they didn't move down any. Sounds good right, WRONG, the 3rd pick might be the worst pick in this years draft, there are two front runners, after that you are looking at "potential" and with the wolves they are likely to take a flier on a little known kid out of the sunbelt conference who they are "really excited about."

Well, who is it gonna be Lopez, Mayo, some Italian, who knows, and who cares, there are alot of questions and the wolves, who need a new direction, are stuck with a player who could, I stress COULD be ready in a few years. As always, the wolves are a few years away from being a good team, awesome, they were a few players/years away from being a good team in '91. So with that being said, I am leaving the wolves organization, it has been a long time coming, but I was holding out hope that something good would come of this year/lottery, to change my mind, NOPE. So good bye wolves, and soon good bye twins, I am only hanging on to a thread with the vikes, but we will see, at least the are attempting to get better. I am tired of the mismanagement, the selling of hope, and the eventual disappointment. The wolves and twins are train wrecks, I am done, I wash my hands of the wolves now, and on Aug 19th, I will wash my hands of the twins.

I was at my parents house watching the draft lottery, I convinced my mom to hold off on the finale of dancing with the stars long enough to see the results of the lottery. When the text of "here comes Brooke Lopez" hit my phone I went downstairs and grabbed an old, too small Chicago Bulls sweatshirt I had and threw it on. I am back on the Bulls bandwagon, I left with the mishandling of Jordan, and now return because I have nothing left to cheer for in MN.

Let's GO BULLS!!

What We Learned...Rd 1 & 2

2008-03-24T21:53:00.002-05:00

Recap of the first two rounds of the NCAA's....Where we have been, Where we are going, and How we are gonna get there...

EAST

Pretty ho-hum first days of action, no real surprises... UNC scored over a 100 in every game played, not sure I would want anything to do with them. Washington St. is better than advertised, they play good D which usually leads to deep runs in the tournament. Tennessee, I am still not sold on them, I just don't think its their year.

Indiana fulfilled its destiny and ended its collapse in fine fashion. Nice work Hosiers, any team that threatens not to make a road trip because of a mid season coaching change has its priorities out of whack. Your coach cheated, AGAIN, he is gone, deal with it. Eric Gordon good player but he has alot to learn.

Better than expected:
Butler, I picked them to beat Tenn. but I will admit it was a suspect pick.
UNC, not sure you can be better than a number one seed but they are scary.
Washington St, D and rebounding go far in the tournament.
Louisville, still not sold but the way they handled Oklahoma, I will give them props, their zone is tough.

Who didn't show up:
Indiana, Should have just called the season after the coaching change.

Where we are going:
UNC wins the East. Tennessee and Louisville will be a great game, but I am not sure either can hang with the 'heels. Gotta be disciplined to beat the 'heels and both Louisville and Tennessee struggle in that department.

MIDWEST

This bracket is shot, My final four team is still alive but that's about it. KU is playing good enough to win, but I like my pick of Wisconsin. Davidson is the surprise of the tournament, Curry is a baller, but I don't think the match up with Wisconsin is a good one for him.

Better than expected:
Davidson, the game against G-Town, wow, I did not think they could do it, but there they are in the sweet 16.
'Nova, Granted there second round opponent was Sienna, but they played their way into the sweet 16. Too bad they win the right to get run out of the gym by KU, losing your starting center is not a good start to this week for 'Nova

Who didn't show up:
Clemson, thanks, nice ACC tournament run only to crap the bed when the real lights are on
Vandy, Wow, Way to lay an egg in the opening round that 4 seed might have been a little high huh?
G-Town, Don't even know what to say
USC, what happened to all the athletes that they were supposed to have?

Where are we going:
I would love to see a KU v. Wisconsin game, I think that would be a good match up of fast v. slow, I picked Wisconsin mostly because I don't trust KU. Look for Wisconsin to represent the Midwest.

SOUTH

Not alot of seeding upset but I had a few picks that didn't pan out. I hate the Lopez brothers, and still don't understand why at the end of Overtime, Marquette didn't double. Blows my mind. I hate Memphis, I don't care how good you are if you cannot hit over half your free throws you will not win, they pretty much gave the game back to Mississippi St.

Better than expected:
Stanford, I hate them, and refuse to comment
Miami, who according to some had no business being in the tournament, gave Texas a run for their money.
Michigan St., The Big 10 is better than previously thought, Defense and Rebounding win. The game against a very good Pittsburgh team sold me on that.

Who didn't show up:
I think this was a pretty sound bracket, but maybe Pittsburgh, to only score 54 points is not gonna cut it
Memphis free throws, yeah sub 50% is not showing up. Just waiting for that to bite them hard.

Where are we going:
I have Texas advancing, I would love to see Memphis lose to Michigan St. and all because of free throws, I don't think I will be that lucky. Texas will represent the South, an elite 8 game in Houston spells trouble for the Tigers.

WEST

Kind of a Cluster, UCLA survived, Duke lost, and Xavier went about business as usual.

Better than expected:
Western Ky, Played their way into the sweet 16 by beating Drake at the buzzer, congrats, here's your pounding by UCLA
San Diego, I am not sure if they are that good or if UCONN is that bad
West Virginia, Any time you beat Duke its a good thing.

Who didn't show up:
Drake, the lights came on and they were blinded by them. Deer in the headlights, they made a game of it but still, this shouldn't have been a game.
UCONN, I don't feel bad for overrated teams
Duke, should have never been a 2 seed, but they way they lost just made me hate them even more. Starting 5 shooters who weigh an average of 135 is not a good way to win ball games. Live and Die by the three.

Where we are going:
My brackets want UCLA to win but my heart wants Xavier. If UCLA plays the way it did against A&M its possible. I think UCLA's bad game is out of their system. Look for UCLA to advance.

Over all thoughts:
The Big 10 is better than expected, Michigan St. is going to be a tough out, much like Wisconsin, they will slow the game down and beat you up on the other end.

The Big East is not overly impressive, many of the teams had all the hype, and I am still waiting to see a team that really impresses me from the Big East

The ACC, is what it is, one dominant team which is still alive. But, as always, they get all the hype.

Smaller schools teams are why I love this tournament, the first 4 days is what the madness is all about.

Higher Seeds should stay out of Tampa. I hope the people who bought tickets enjoyed the second round match ups.

18 Things A Grown Man Should Never Have....

2008-03-18T10:13:00.003-05:00

I read this in the most recent issue of Men's Health magazine and came to the realization that I am not a grown man quite yet... Take a look see where you stack up

1. A black eye. Unless the rim hits your face mid-dunk, your peepers should remain unblemished. You're smart enough to talk your way out of any fight you're going to lose.

--Safe to say I have not been in a fight in quite sometime, I am not sure if its my witty charm, or the fact that I am twice the size of the average d-bag in the bar...either way it works well for me.

2. A witty e-mail signature. Quotes and song lyrics should be heard during toasts and karaoke performances, respectively. Don't let your electronic correspondence become the digital version of a motivational poster.

--Does "Love like you have never been hurt, Sing like no one is listening, and Dance like no ones watching" count? Because that is my life motto...Not changing that.

3. An empty refrigerator. Your larder should be amply stocked, your pantry provisioned. Always aim to be ready to create an on-the-fly, three-course dinner for her...along with breakfast in bed.

--I have milk, OJ, Some Purple Stuff, and Pizza rolls, that along with condiments....I will not be aiming for a three course meal...I will be aiming to eat at her house.

4. PlayStation thumb. When they're relaxing, grown men can behave like children. But if you devolve long enough to cause calluses or button-shaped bruises, you're assuredly missing out on life.

--I have not played PlayStation in awhile...I am not a big gamer, I will play with others, but not alone. Drink, that's another story.

5. A key chain with a bottle opener. This bauble is both a gauche reminder of your college days and proof that you don't know how to apply leverage using available, impromptu bottle openers: a lighter, the back end of a fork, this magazine.

--My bottle opener not only opens beers, it also burps when I open, or says some witty saying, "Down the hatch," or "Here comes a blackout!"

6. A lucky shirt. Every shirt is lucky when worn by a man who knows that the harder he works the luckier he'll be.

--My Lucky shirt says "Please tell your boobs to stop staring at me," Its a good ice breaker for the ladies.

7. An unstamped passport.

--Does going to Emerson count? (but seriously my passport has seen more stamps than a post office.)

8. Olympic dreams. Exceptions: curling and archery.

--I like this one, every year I usually go curling about once, and involves beer...but I always leave saying man, this is my ticket to the Olympics, and then for the next week I get real serious about it. Flash forward a week, I again realize that its Curling, and no one cares about it.

9. Less than $20 in his wallet. Fiduciary nudity is negligence. A real man should always carry a business card and enough dough to pick up coffee, bagels, and the Sunday paper without whipping out the plastic.

--Only time I have cash is if I am going to Hub. If you get offended that I charge that .69 cent pack of gum, screw off, I get points. I only need 10,987 more till I can get a pair of cool Visa socks.

10. A name for his penis. Even if it's a really clever name.

--So Long 'Dick Tracy'

11. Any beer that costs less than $20 a case. And no exception for the grand-slam 30-pack that crosses that price threshold.

--I like my beer cold, and cheap...I don't drink it for the taste I drink it for the bad decisions that come with it.

12. The need to quote The Big Lebowski/ Caddyshack/Superbad. Reciting someone else's lines reminds people that you haven't the wit to write your own.

--Wow, Totally fail this one...but hey, at least I got that going for me, which is nice....

13. A futon. Sure, beds are for sleeping. But such a meager, slouchy spread has never, in the history of sex, inspired a woman to say, "Take me on your futon."

--I have a futon, its a classy option for both a couch and a bed...And I know that Horp knows one girl who said "Take me on your futon," Then wouldn't leave for 3 hrs.

14. Code words for ugly women. Actually, code words for anything.

--I don't get this one, code seemed to work well for the underground railroad. "The wind blows from the South today": A warning to Underground Railroad workers that fugitive slaves were in the area. I use code words because I love America and I am not racist, the question is why don't you use codes?

15. A Nerf hoop in his living room. Keep the adolescent accoutrements where they belong: in the rec room or above the wastebasket in someone else's office.

--Jim, this applies directly to you...

16. A secret handshake.

--Blow it UP!, Park It!, The Rocket!

17. Drinking glasses with logos. Especially those kitschy McDonald's Hamburglar ones.

--Beer tastes better out of my 'House Cup,' Detroit Lake 4th of July 2007...Zorbas on the lake...

18. A recent story with the phrase "So I said to the cop..."

--So I said to the cop, "I was coming here to meet a guy, and I dropped this box of ammo...."

Do I Smell Another ESPY?

2008-03-17T01:01:00.001-05:00

Thank God for the Big 10 network, the Minnesota v. Indiana quarterfinal game was just to good for alot of people to watch. I am sure the 7 people in Minnesota who pay for the package, LOVED the game but as for the rest of us we had to watch the play by on the ESPN bottom line...Thanks Big 10 Network, you are what Championship week is all about.

Side note: I was with a bunch of Gopher fans this weekend, we got the play by play from a brother of a friend of mine who was listening to the game on the radio. Best comment of the night after someone asked where are they in bounding the ball, "yeah they got 94 ft to go." Said in the most dejected tone I have heard, also the play that the announcers wanted to draw up was to put Blake Hoffarbar at half court roll him the ball and have make a half courter from his butt...Watch the video, it will explain it all.

All that aside, the highlights from that game were outstanding, Blake Hoffarbar's miracle shot was amazing, but wait, Blake already has an ESPY. Watch the video and think about how lucky one kid can be.

I had a great weekend, Grand Am was this weekend, played with all my buddies from Minnesota. The dream of a Patriot dynasty was halted in the finals, as we ran into a buzz saw of a team from St. Cloud/St. John's. Good times were had by all, the pregame breathalyzers, shocking to say the least, when someone blows a .10 pregame and goes on to hit 3 three's its note worthy, but when someone blows a .03 post game at 1:30pm its legendary.

Happy brackets! MVC got screwed, Glad we have a BCS at large committee...I guess finishing 7th in the 2nd/3rd toughest league is better than finishing 2nd in the 5th toughest league, go figure.

Shooting In GF Police Department

2008-03-05T23:45:00.000-06:00

Here is an article from the local news paper, must have been a slow day in news. I think we in the blogger world might know a person involved. This is a little slice of heaven.

Grand Forks Hearald Reports:

GF police release man who says his box of ammunition dropped in police lobby, one round went off
By Chuck Haga, Herald Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Grand Forks police have released a man held for questioning after police responded to what sounded like a gunshot in the lobby of the law enforcement building shortly before 10 this morning.

"We heard a shot go off in the hallway," said Capt. Kerwin Kjelstrom, one of about five officers who responded to the shot from the detectives' room.

"A number of us ran out and found sitting on the stairwell a gentleman who said he dropped a box of ammunition and one round went off," Kjelstrom said.

The man, identified by police as John Hammen of Grand Forks, was taken to an interviewing room.

Kjelstrom said police recovered a box of ammunition on the floor "with a corner blown off."

"At this point, that supports his story," Kjelstrom said.

Police also recovered a .45-caliber gun, which was returned to Hammen when he was released shortly before 11 a.m. Kjelstrom said Hammen told police he brought the weapon and ammunition to the police department and planned to meet someone who had authorized him to use the department's shooting range, located in the basement.

Kjelstrom and other officers said it is unusual for a round to go off if dropped, but something may have struck the firing cap.

Officers found the .45-caliber round behind seating by windows near the main entrance on the west side of the law enforcement building. It was undamaged and appeared not to have struck anything before settling behind the window seating. When a round goes off outside a chamber, the force behind the shell may be dissipated, officers said.

Still, the loud report -- Kjelstrom likened it to a clipboard falling hard onto the floor -- got hearts racing.

"This is a police department, and there are people who are not happy with us," Kjelstrom said, explaining the concern of officers who responded.

"You hear a round go off, and everybody wonders what are we going to find when we go out the door. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, there were no injuries."

Kjelstrom said he cannot recall anything like this morning's incident happening at the law enforcement center.

Police closed the lobby about 10:05 a.m. and used yellow tape to close off part of the lobby near the stairwell. Doors were locked at the main and Fifth Street entrances until about 11 a.m.

Kjelstrom said there will be "a review of how people come in (to the law enforcement building) and how weapons are secured and how they use our range."

Tripping Balls On Tylenol PM

2008-03-04T11:32:00.001-06:00

I figured this would be a good post to end my long absence from blogger world.

So its spring break, finally, I need this break. I am worn down from school and other things. Unfortunatly I am not going to Cancun or anywhere nice, I am staying in ND for the majority of the break, though I might swing to EGF, just to say I left the state.

I have also come down with a flu/cold/shitty sickness. I have had a sore throat, cough to name a few symptoms. SO last night in order to get some sleep I took a dose of Tylenol PM sore throat + cough. MAN, that is som good stuff. I don't know if it was just me being sick or the medicine or what, but I started to trip out. I am not big into the drug scene, so this is my first real interaction with houlcinations.

It was a bad mix of the Big Lebowski, Clockwork Orange, and Roller Ball. I dont know how to describe it, but it was odd, I was laying in my bed and the walls started to change and move. I freaked myself out a bit, but I had the sense to know that its not real, and to just sit back and enjoy the show. IT was odd there is no doubt.

Stay tuned for a March Madness post, ITS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!

Random Acts Of Annoyance

2008-01-23T22:29:00.000-06:00

I apologize to those of you whom I told I was going to shoot for an update 3 days a week...I have been bogged down with school work and trying to get back into the flow of not having a life and reading, side note: it just seems as though this semester has alot more reading...either that or I am actually doing the reading...over under on pages a night is set at 40...

So much to write about so little time...

This weekend my window was shot out in my brand new 1996 Honda Accord...Needless to say I was not very happy...I was at my parents house on a sat night and came out to what I thought was a heavy frost on my window...NOPE...as I slammed my car door, *CRASH* in comes my entire back window, Awesome, its only -21 deg. perfect time to have a HUGE whole in your back window.

Called the cops. They are extremely helpful.
"Ummm...this is like the 8th report I have gotten tonight sooo..." cop says.

"So what is going to happen next?" My dad who also had his truck window shot out.

"Umm well if we get any suspects, we will compile all these reports and then bring them in for questioning, and when they admit to doing it, we will pull the report that seems to match up, then call you and re-open the case."

"So basically nothing is going to happen and we need to get the windows fixed as soon as possible" My dad says in a disgusted tone.

"That sounds about right, with the weather the way it is I would get it fixed as soon as you can."

"Thanks."

So yeah...Minus one window, Minus $395...Minus faith in society...Its stupid, if your bored on a Saturday night read a book, smoke a joint, drink some beers, I don't care. Why shoot out windows? speaking of which I am going to need to question everyone that I come across as to your whereabouts on Saturday night between the hours of 8pm and 10pm.

Random act Part II:
Every morning I go to class and get to the parking ramp in which I park at, about 10mins before class starts. This is to minimize my time spent outside the class room talking about what everyone did last night. Which consists of well I don't know went home made some dinner watched some TV and READ....

So anyway back to the story on this morning I come upon the turn to the ramp, and there is long line...In my mind I am thinking LETS GO PEOPLE its not that hard to swipe your card and get in the ramp. I look forward there is one car blocking both entrances. In said car are two people male and female. The girl drove the car to the ramp and now picked the time to get out and switch so she can be dropped off. Awesome, she goes around the car to get her bag takes her sweet time, the guy gets out and gives her a hug and a kiss...REALLY! is that necessary...I happen to know both people and they will see each other in approximately 4 mins. REALLY!

"I'm gonna miss you..."

"No, I'm gonna miss you more!"

Fucking save it...I got places to be, classes to attend, and I see enough PDA in a day to make me sick. Please I understand that new love is fun love, but please do us all a favor and save your smoopies, and miss yous for your own house. I am at school to learn not watch two people make out in between classes.

So please...to all of you love birds out there, get a room, get a clue...and this not because I am jaded on the whole love thing, its just called being an adult...I don't need to see your tongue.

There are two causes for PDA, imminent death, and extreme drunkenness. THAT'S IT.

I have no patience for that sort of thing. Which is why I'm thankful that we have actual laws against knocking the ever-loving shit out of people. Because if there were no such laws I would have cracked their heads together while shouting, "Do your parents know what you're doing? Do they? Huh? Do they?!"

Sigh. I appreciate love. I love love. But people should really keep their foul love at home, the backseats of cars or in bars full of drunk people where it belongs.

Part III:

UNI Panthers....Figure it out, hit some shots, find "it"...Its a sad day when on bracket-ology you are listed as a teams worst loss. Never happened when I was there. If any of you have any college eligbility left and play point gaurd, and can hit an open three I have a number for you to call...

I am done, gotta get ready for school...

Rollerball

2008-01-14T00:30:00.000-06:00

So last night, I stayed up late and was hooked on a bad movie, but I had to ride out to the end. The movie of choice was Rollerball. What a weird movie. A terrible game, that I assume is being played in the future, (it was another one of those 70s future movies where everyone is walking around in full body polyester suits, to bad that idea has never been realized). But this was a movie about one mans struggle against corporate society. He had it all, he was a member of the famed privileged class, but he threw it all way for love of a game. Which happened to involve riding around on roller skates, chasing a metal ball, while the other team some on motorcycles try and beat the hell out of you. What a weird, weird movie. Here's the trailer, I suggest watching just for the music, the editing and the game, its intense.

Upper Midwest Road Trip...

2008-01-10T13:49:00.000-06:00

I have just returned from a road trip that took me from Grand Forks all the way down to Kansas...I had a great time and was able to reunite with many old friends. The trip started on New Years day, and I couldn't have thought of a better way to start 2008 than driving 8 hours...It was a nice time to reflect on the past year and get my mind right for the upcoming one.

I went to Cedar Falls, and stayed with an old friend. I was able to watch a great basketball game (UNI v. Evansville) UNI won and actually played pretty well. Caught up with all my old coaches and all in all had a good time. One disappointment was returning to Pablo's my favorite place to eat when I was at UNI to find that it was not nearly as good as I remembered and I would now take Qudoba or Chipoltle over Pablo's any day. Disappointed. Highlights from Cedar Falls were watching the UNI game, going out to eat with my coaches and doing the bar crawl with Jeff Glas, no one was out and about on a Thursday night so it was a struggle.

From there I went to Ames, Iowa to see Coach Mac, and catch up with some of my old teammates from Germany. Again it was great to catch up with people that I have not seen and don't get to see on a regular basis. Getting to see my friends from Germany made me miss it more than I ever thought I would. Germany and I would think Europe in general is a different culture possibly more open and loving, and its weird to say but I love those guys, and that doesn't make me gay. Disappointments from the Ames Trip, the game in general it was men against boys as UND was awful, and Iowa State played well but they are a mid to low level big 12 team. It was awful, its not often that you can get beat by 30 and have people walking away saying the game should not have been that close. The lopsided score was not a true reflection of just how bad UND is. They have a long way to go. Highlights: Going up to Coach Mac's office, going from the MVC to the Big 12 is a big step and you can tell it in the money that they have to throw around, everything was top of the line. Went to Coach Mac's house after the game and his house is HUGE, I don't think he is missing his days in Cedar Falls much, I guess $600,000 a year will do that to a person. Then went out with my friends from Germany, I enjoyed my time there I just wish I could have seen them more.

From there I went on to Kansas to see Jum and Danny. I have to say I was surprised at how much I liked Lawrence its a nice college two with alot to do, but yet still feels small. I liked it alot. Disappointments: I was only there one night, just the way things worked out but I would like to have seen more and spent more time. Oh and the stomach ache that the wings gave me. The heartburn was not worth it. Highlights: Strawberry-lime aide, watching American Gladiators, (and howling along with wolf), Dax Flame, Titian's Loss, tour of campus, and the outstanding welcome I got from Danny and Jum. Thanks guys your hospitality was outstanding.

From there I went back up to Des Moines, to have dinner and spend some time with Katie, it was great to see her and talk as we had not talked for along time, and given our sorted past, it was nice to get somethings out on the table and clear things up. The next morning I left for home after a week long trip.

All in all this trip was a huge success its nice to be back but I start school again on Monday so I am ready for class not ready for the drama. It was great to start 2008 and it was a nice way to get a start on one of my goals which is to be a better friend, Mission Accomplished.

Ready Break!

2007-12-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

Before I get into the popular "Top 10 ... of 2007" (which I enjoy). I figure I had better update the blogging world on the new happenings. First semester of Law School came to a thundering close, it was a month of hell, late night studying, walking into 3.5 hr essay tests not really sure you know what is going on. But all in all I am happy, its an accomplishment, regardless of grades I learned alot and have a new appreciation for the American legal system, not saying its a good appreciation its just new.

My break will be filled with waking up whenever I want and going to bed at anytime my eyes get heavy. Also I am excited to take in some college basketball and board games. Game day 2007 will be held at my place, and everyone is welcome, Dec 23rd, 2007. Come if you dare.

I will be taking a nice road trip, down to Iowa, to catch a UNI basketball game and see some old teammates, It will be nice to finally see the house that Godfread built (I don't call it that, but everyone in Iowa does). Then possibly on to Ames, to see Iowa State dominate UND, but still should be fun, as I will get to catch up with a few of my friends from Germany who will be in town. Then on KU, the skid mark of college basketball, to see Jum and Danny, hopefully Lane and Skye, and maybe even throw in Big Al if time permits.

To those of you who are diligent readers of this blog or at least stop by every so often there is a new link in my link section. Melodies of Life, his name is Patrick Hope, he is a fellow law student, he is amazingly smart, read and enjoy, He is a good human. I convinced him to join the blogging world, so read and enjoy.

The Next Papelbon?

2007-11-20T18:50:00.000-06:00

We have the same first name....Jonathan....Same Stunning good looks....and same wicked nasty stuff coming off the mound...

And coming soon to a Metrodome near you, I will to be pitching for a Major League Baseball team....(Ceremonial First Pitch Style)....

I recently won (at an auction) the right to through out a first pitch at a Minnesota Twins games, in 2008...This was an amazing package deal, 6 lower reserved tickets, authentic jersey, official MLB baseball, and the chance to throw some gas off the mound in the Metrodome....

On that fateful day I will join the likes of Johan Santana, Fransico Liriano, Brad Radke, Frank Viola, Scott Erickson, and Bert Blyleven to put on the home colors and go out and represent the home team...

You may be asking how much did I pay for something like this and my only response will be; How much would you pay to fulfill a childhood dream? It's priceless.

This could also set off a domino effect which could lead to me pitching for the twins. Once they see the heat I throw, how tall I am, and my willingness to be coached, they will have no other option than to sign me to a multi year deal...I will be the average Joe who turns into a major league pitcher...

I will give more updates as they come as for now I am studying for finals and training for my next opportunity to pitch as a big leaguer...

We're gonna win twins We're gonna score!

Where have you been?

2007-09-20T22:14:00.000-05:00

What I been doing these days you ask?? Well let me tell you...I have embarked on the wonderful journey that is Law School...I am now a fighting Sioux for the first time and as of right now I support the nickname...

Law School, I know not many of you are interested in hearing the formalities of what Law School is all about, so I will keep it short...Reading, LOTS of reading...Oh that and getting called out in class and subjected to the "Socratic Method," basically being asked why until you start crying...

Day one:
Real Law School, Real Classes, Real People, Real Questions...First class, Torts, 9:15am. We had some pre-reading to do it was a case about a two boys, one of which kicked another in the knee causing the bone disease to become reactivated and eventually causing the second boy to lose his leg...Its a real case folks from the 1800s...So I had done my reading like a good boy...and I am just getting settled into what is going to be an adventurous ride through the wonderful world of the American Legal System...I was getting my computer set up and introducing myself to my classmates around me, when it happens....

I hear the door handle turn, and before the professor is even in the room he is saying rather loudly, "Mr. Godfread, please recite the facts in the case Vosburg v. Putney," OK so at this point panic has set in as my computer is not even on, and I do not have my case brief (notes about the happenings of the case) of that case up yet on my screen...so I raised my hand because he was looking around for the poor soul he had just called on and he asks "Well, You are Mr. Godfread, aren't you?" To which I reply "Yes," and my computer still is offering me no answers (why didn't I just recite the case from memory? because at this point I was lucky to answer the question about my name right let along cite any legal facts.) So finally it comes up and I start in well no more than 3 words in I get "No, Who can tell me where Mr. Godfread went wrong?" someone answers and then its back to me, I continue and he moves on to his next victim...

WELCOME TO LAW SCHOOL!

I will forever be known as that guy who got called on the first day in torts...People in the class above mine even knew the story before class was over, it was absolutely amazing...In case you were wondering Law School is like High school all over again, but this time all the cool kids are working construction, so the nerds run the joint. And these nerds have something to prove, catty back fighting, jealousy and envy rue the day....Its fantastic.

Law School also re-introduced me to the wonderful world of flag football...I have not played flag football since 6th grade and I am happy to say it made its triumphant return last weekend and the annual Malpractice bowl was held....This is a heated rivalry between the Law School and the Med School...full of pranks, and hatred, Glorious...This is a serious game of flag football it was held this year at Cushman Field...We had 3 weeks of practice leading up to the big game...It was a hard fought battle but the Med School did prevail...This was the last chance for the weekend warriors in the class of 2008 to strut their stuff...Intensity won out over size that day...(there are funny stories about this game but to protect the innocent I will only tell them in person)...

You may be asking what kind of Lawyer do you want to be Jon? Good question there is a funny youtube video that can explain everything, watch and enjoy....

Comments are always welcome...oh and Jim I am sorry about my fantasy football teams mascot if this is why you are not talking to me please let me know and I will laugh hard because silent treatment is something chicks do...

Stay Legal...JLaw

Welcome to the Playoffs Boston...

2007-07-31T00:11:00.000-05:00

Boston finally has something to cheer about...Really? After 10 years of mediocrity the Celtics now have put together a team that will make a run deep into the Eastern Conference Playoffs...Congratulations you just kissed your sister...Being good in the East is like winning a pie eating contest, yeah you won, but hate to tell you are still fat and eventually they are going to have to cut a hole in your house to get you out...Boston just downed 18 banana cream pies in 60 secs you are the big winners today, you dump alot of talent that doesn't fit your new direction (minus Al Jefferson, thanks for him). Boston take your state fair first place ribbon all the way to the Eastern Conference finals for all I care...Now thanks to this trade I have to partially cheer for Boston, the only good thing of all this is that Jim likes the Knicks.

Open letter to Minnesota Timber Wolves:

To whom it may concern:

Why? Why? I mean could you please send me the directions to where this team is going I tried to type them into map quest and all I got was NOWHERE. Thanks for taking a team with at least one superstar and turning into a team full of mid-level talent. I know you (T-Wolves) are superb in developing mid level players (see Wally Szczerbiak, Mark Blunt, Ricky Davis, Mike James, Marko Jaric, Troy Hudson, Mark Madsen) into superstars but this is a little much for me to handle.

Welcome to Minnesota Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Mr. Telfair, and our draft pick...The only thing worse than your first Winter in Minnesota is gonna be their record...I guess Minnesota is where people go to die. See above listed names.

I think its time for McHale to go. He is a part-time GM with a retired attitude. He works half days at best during the season, he has a rough eye for talent and is obviously still on the Boston pay-roll. You have not given me anything to cheer for in the last 5 years. Thanks for nothing I will check back with you in 3 years and cheer for Corey Brewer, till then I might as well cheer for the Celtics, 'cause McHale obviously is.

Thanks for making the T-Wolves the best NBDL team in the Western Conference.

Hey at least I have the Twins and the Vikings...Is it time for college basketball yet?

Boston your welcome...You put a guys number in the rafters and that is something you can't ever repay even with a top 50 player. Welcome back to the conversation Boston or should I say Takeru Kobayashi

America's Grand Pappy

2007-07-22T23:27:00.000-05:00

The following was an open letter that Charlie Daniels Wrote...To me after reading this it makes me feel that Charlie Daniel's is America's Grand Pappy...he may not always be right and may not always have all the facts but he speaks with the voice of reason and common sense, things are black and white in his eyes, right and wrong, there is no grey area...I enjoyed this read and will comment on it later but please enjoy the following.

Charlie Daniels on Immigration Issues

4:55pm Thursday, Jul 19
I don't know how everybody else feels about it, but to me I think Hispanic people in this country, legally or illegally, made a huge public relations mistake with their recent demonstrations..

I don't blame anybody in the world for wanting to come to the United States of America, as it is a truly wonderful place.

But when the first thing you do when you set foot on American soil is illegal, it is flat out wrong and I don't care how many lala land left heads come out of the woodwork and start trying to give me sensitivity lessons.

I don't need sensitivity lessons, in fact I don't have anything against Mexicans! I just have something against criminals and anybody who comes into this country illegally is a criminal and if you don't believe it try coming into America from any other foreign country without a passport and see how far you get. What disturbs me about the demonstrations is that it's tantamount to saying, "I am going to come into your country even if it means breaking your laws and there's nothing you can do about it."

It's an "in your face" action and speaking just for me, I don't like it one little bit and if there were a half dozen pairs of gonads in Washington bigger than English peas it wouldn't be happening.

Where are you, you bunch of lily livered, pantywaist, forked tongued, sorry excuses for defenders of The Constitution? Have you been drinking the water out of the Potomac again? And even if you pass a bill on immigration it will probably be so pork laden and watered down that it won't mean anything anyway. Besides, what good is another law going to do when you won't enforce the ones on the books now?

And what ever happened to the polls, guys? I thought you folks were the quintessential finger wetters. Well you sure ain't paying any attention to the polls this time because somewhere around eighty percent of Americans want something done about this mess, and mess it is and getting bigger everyday.
This is no longer a problem, it is a dilemma and headed for being a tragedy. Do you honestly think that what happened in France with the Muslims can't happen here when the businesses who hire these people finally run out of jobs and a few million disillusioned Hispanics take to the streets?

If you, Mr. President, Congressmen and Senators, knuckle under on this and refuse to do something meaningful, it means that you care nothing for the kind of country your children and grand-children will inherit. But I guess that doesn't matter as long as you get re-elected. Shame on you.

One of the big problems in America today is that if you have the nerve to say anything derogatory about any group of people (except Christians) you are going to be screamed at by the media and called a racist, a bigot and anything else they can think of to call you.

Well I've been pounded by the media before and I'm still rockin' and rollin' and when it comes to speaking the truth I fear not. And the truth is that the gutless, gonadless, milksop politicians are just about to sell out the United States of America because they don't have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to face reality.

And reality is that we would never allow any other group of people to have 12 million illegals in this country and turn around and say, "Oh it's ok, ya'll can stay here if you'll just allow us to slap your wrist."

And I know that some of you who read this column are saying "Well what's wrong with that?" I'll tell you what's wrong with it. These people could be from Mars as far as we know. We don't know who they are, where they are or what they're up to and the way the Congress is going we're not going to.

Does this make sense? Labor force you say? We already subsidize corporate agriculture as it is, must we subsidize their labor as well?

If these people were from Haiti would we be so fast to turn a blind eye to them or if they were from Somalia or Afghanistan ? I think not.

All the media shows us are pictures of hard working Hispanics who have crossed the border just to try to better their life. They don't show you pictures of the Feds rounding up members of MS 13, the violent gang who came across the same way the decent folks did. They don't tell you about the living conditions of the Mexican illegals some fat cat hired to pick his crop.

I want to make two predictions.

No. 1: This situation is going to grow and fester until it erupts in violence on our streets while the wimps in Washington drag their toes in the dirt and try to figure how many tons of political hay they can make to the acre.

No 2: Somebody is going to cross that border with some kind of weapon of mass destruction and set it off in a major American city after which there will be a backlash such as this country has never experienced and the Capitol building in Washington will probably tilt as Congressmen and Senators rush to the other side of the issue.

I don't know about you but I would love to see just one major politician stand up and say, "I don't care who I make mad and I don't care how many votes I lose, this is a desperate situation and I'm going to lead the fight to get it straightened out."

I don't blame anybody for wanting to come to America , but if you don't respect our immigration laws why should you respect any others?

And by the way, this is America and our flag has stars and stripes. Please get that other one out of my face.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels

I mean are you serious "this is America and our flag has stars and stripes. Please get that other one our of my face."

I read this at work and I almost had to contain myself from standing on top of my desk and saying god damn right Charlie. He hit the Immigration issue right on the head for me, now I know there are those of you out there that will not agree with or let alone like what I say or believe and that's fine. This IS America and we are allowed to do that. But hear me out and please don't get defensive this is not personal its politics.

As someone who has been fortunate enough to travel the world and even live overseas for a short amount of time, all this talk about how the boarder is just to big or we don't have the man power to protect it, Makes no sense. When I left Minneapolis Mn heading for Germany via Amsterdam I couldn't sneeze without customs agents or officials checking to see if I was spewing hazardous materials. I was searched so thoroughly that I went through a brief moment of almost feeling guilty like at any moment I was going to be taken into a back room and good cop bad cop was going to do a number on me...I was searched when I entered the airport, I had to reclaim my bags in Minneapolis to have the checked again, then I had to go through the international flight security check point in MN, once in Amsterdam I had to again claim my bags and have them rechecked for a domestic flight to Germany...once in Germany I had to clear through customs, searched again...Now in no way shape or form am I complaining about all this...I want this to be done to every person, flying on commercial jets is a privilege not a right, no where in the Constitution does it say "we the people will provide you with cross continental travel with out hassle"...I encountered a few Americans who seemed to think they were entitled to that (different post different day)...So after all that forgive me if I don't blindly say yeah the boarder is too big, or the resources are too limited to manage...I know a direct boarder poses whole different set of obstacles but there is a way and the American people are demanding a solution.

This is America my flag has stars and stripes, please get that other one out of my face...

(I am too tired and my thoughts are somewhat scattered on this topic so forgive me as I could write on this topic all day but at the moment I have neither the energy or the clarity to finish my thought process...I may continue later but for the time being enjoy Charlie "Grand Pappy" Daniels and post your thoughts...)

Chuck Larry...and a Few Randoms

2007-07-22T22:59:00.000-05:00

Where to start this weekend was to put it mildly uneventful...I went to another movie on a Sunday night with 2 other dudes...I may need to take a step back and figure out what I am doing with my life as the last 3 movies I have seen have been in the company of men...Let alone the last one was about 2 friends faking a gay marriage to reap the bene's from it...Piss poor Jon...(I know 3rd person, but hey Rickey Henderson made it cool)...

Chuck and Larry was a good movie good enough to rent but not good enough to attend in a theatre...My suggestion wait until it comes out on video and pregame to it. I also saw the movie Bobby this weekend, good flick, check it out if you are a history buff...

I will now do the here's the people from my link side post as it seems to become popular and it has helped me get to know a few people that I did not already know...ie the infamous "le french"...

Little Slice of Hammen: His name is Jim or as I call him Jum, knew of him through high-school became much better friends over flippy cup...that game brings people together...He was able to match wits with my sarcasm and enjoys arguing over meaningless topics...I enjoy him and his witty banter it makes me laugh and his posts are enjoyable to read.

Enjoy These Words: His name is Ben and I have been great friends with Ben since the days of high school...highlighted by two wonderful incidents one involving Ben, Lawn Darts, Kelly, the "Lynx", and an old yellow truck...The second involves lunch, pizza, a very well preheated pizza rack, crispy crust, and an older man's disregard for pain and his severely calloused hands...Shared alot of memories with him...

Thank You from DVJS: His name is Dan. I know Dan but not as well as I would like to...I enjoy reading his posts and his insights. He shows a strong passion for the well being of others and that in itself is enough to earn a spot on my link list.

Johnny Tremain's Lessons: His name is Lane. He is on here out of pure fear of Johnny Tremain hand. Favorite memory of Lane is his outlandish cheering during basketball games, so much so he made a player from the other team walk off the court and quit in the middle of a play...That has to be a record and will never be forgotten.

Its all French to me: He goes by French...I am assuming he is, I do not know him I have read his posts and find them very entertaining. Plus I have always had a thing for Boston...I would not be upset if I settled there, although I would have a hard time becoming a Sox's fan solely do to the fact that I would then have to cheer for the same team Jim does...That would be tough for me to handle as some of our best tirades have come due to the fact that whatever Jim likes I like the exact opposite out of pure spite.

Aces Corner: Newbie to the circle his name is Andrew...I work with Andrew or Drew as he goes by at times. We use company emails at times like it is instant messenger his knowledge of useless information keeps me entertained...I hope he takes to the blogging world, it often takes time to get into the routine but I hope he takes to it.

That is all on this topic I will be posting another heated debate soon stay tuned...

More Than Meets the Eye

2007-07-16T00:32:00.000-05:00

Just left the movie Transformers...A little back story on this I was a transformer kid I had the action figures watched the show and even watched the movie (cartoon version (thanks Ben)) when I was a little too old to be watching cartoon movies, but I enjoyed it none the less...For whatever reason I was not excited about this movie as I was sure it was going to disappoint me because a child's imagination has yet to be captured on the big screen. I am happy to say that this movie did not disappoint. Looking at the big picture of things this movie was made very well it was and should have been directed at an older generation (the one that grew up playing with Optimus Prime) and not at the today's kids who to be honest have a million other things to play with...At the same it might breathe new life into the Transformer Enterprise...

On to the movie the special effects were excellent and for me it tugged at all the right strings, I found myself getting pumped during the right parts and I was completely drawn into this movie....I am a pretty skeptical person and for a movie to that it has to be good (see back to the future)...The story line was exciting and it was wrapped up but left you with a little teaser and open door at the possibility of a second flick...
Now if you are like me you are sitting there saying I have seen all the comic book movies as of late (spider man, x-man, what have you) and they are entertaining but not great I was not willing to pay $9 to see a movie that I could just as well rent...I agree and had it not been for a few friends telling me how good this movie is and offering to attend the showing with me I would have done the same...

This movie is full of action and is very entertaining...Now its not a thinker or a tough plot line to follow so go into to it with the that mind set...Nothing makes me more mad than when someone sees a movie (ie Dumb and Dumber) and says man that movie was so stupid, what did you expect its called Dumb and Dumber...Same applies here its called transformers for a reason...

This movie had me wishing my '96 Honda with 160,000 miles was secretly a transformer and I was going to be shocked when I came out of the theater that I was now the proud owner of a '96 huge freaking alien robot...I was sadly disappointed as I am still the owner of a '96 Honda with rust colored racing strips due to the barbwire fence "incident"....

This movie is worth the 2.5 hrs and the $9...Its more than meets the eye...

WWW in all its glory

2007-07-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

I was tooling around the Internet and found a great tool that I thought I would share with all of you. Now I know most of you out there are much more Internet savvy than I but this is a helpful tool and I was proud of myself that I found it. First watch this video...

Second get a Google reader account at www.google.com/reader, Third add worlds tallest blog to you list then you can see when I have updated or posted some new thoughts on my world...Its a great tool, Give it a try and thank me later for simplifying you world.

More to come.....

the internet......nice to see you again....

2007-07-01T23:41:00.000-05:00

I am dusting off my new computer and putting it to good use....I finally have Internet again after 6 months of 1) using my parents (used only for email and purchasing of things I felt I had to have) or 2) work Internet...neither of which are ideal for blogging....

My life in a nutshell for the last 6 months.....Healing of a broken arm, fun process if you have not broken a bone of great importance I suggest doing so its amazing....Getting into a couple of Law Schools.....Choosing UND for my next step of studies.....Moving, I hate moving....and continuing to live the Dream as a Lead Personal Banker/Customer Service Supervisor (titles are for people who need an ego stroke, you can just call me Jon the Banker if you want)...

I have made one big purchase in the last 6 months its a new laptop....Purchased at best buy.....I bought a model with a 17.5" screen how big is that you ask too big....When I looked at them in the store it was not overwhelming and looked like a good size, I am a big guy I need a big screen..Well I got this purchase home only to realize that its more screen than I anticipated...Oh another great point is that best buy had one bag that was big enough to hold my big screen laptop awesome, I am not complaining but I just don't want to be the guy with the HUGE laptop, too late I am that guy....

I have not done anything of consequence this summer which is disappointing but I still have a few months to make up for that....More to come...

don't panic my corner of the web is dusted off and ready to go.......

Life From The Left Side

2007-01-11T01:28:00.000-06:00

Christmas, New Years, and a great wedding have passed since I have typed to you last and what do I have to show for it?? I watched a rented copy of failure to launch, I played catch phrase, I saw two people who are crazy in love with each other tie the knot and last but certainly not least a BROKEN HUMORUS. Let me start off by saying that there is nothing humorous about a broken humorus ( I should make funny T-shirts).

When I think of christmas I think of family, friends, food, and Santa. Usually Santa is pretty good to me treats me right and in return he gets a good boy for the other 364 days of the year. This year Santa and I DID NOT see eye to eye. To me great presents consist of dress work clothes, gift cards to best buy, and maybe a pair of shoes thrown in to even things out a bit. I guess santa thinks great gifts are rented copies failure to launch (awful movie by the way), socks, the game catch phrase, leather gloves that still have yet to come in the mail and broken arms. Now mind you I do know the true meaning of the season, but COME ON!

Now to the kids in love. I hope someday to find someone who compliments me as well as skye compliments Lane. Great match and they know it. I have been to weddings before but this is the first one were I didn't get the sense that the couple was scared/worried, it was refreshing to see and iwish them nothing but the best. As for my partcipation on the dance floor. I am 6'11" i already draw enough attention to myself. There are certain things I don't do, and dance is at thr top of that list. short people don't get things off high shelves, fat peopke shouldn't wear spandex, cats don't love dogs and tall white guys don't dance its a law of nature. I don't make the rules I just follow them.

On to my arm. Let's just say it damn icy out there. So it's the night of Lane's wedding, fun is being had by all, due to past experiences I am not a huge fan of weddings, but I am having a great time at this one. Since, as stated earlier I don't dance I ducked out of the wedding after the dance had been going for awhile and before the matron of honor comes and asks me to dance AGAIN! (she must be familiar with natures Laws, I wonder what she has a dog who loves a cat?). So I head to a local bar continue the fun, 2am comes bar closes and dumb Jon is not ready to stop. I go to an after bar party that consists of 4 guys 4 girls and an old couple. PPPAAARRRRRRRRTTTTTTIIIIIIEEEEEE. All the girls have boyfriends, but the 3 other guys I am with hit on them. Hows that going for you? Any way 3 hours of a Journey DVD, Fleetwood Mac DVD, and watching unsuccessful attempts at "getting play" is enough for me so I figure its time to leave. Do I call a cab? Nope. I would rather walk the 3 miles home. .......walking................walking...........walking. half a block from home it happens the ice monster grabs my feet and says be gone with you. WOW. So after a couple of mins sitting on the ground with out being able to move right arm I realize that I did more than hit my funny bone. I thought I dislocated my shoulder, nope trying to pop my shoulder back in hurts ALOT. So i pick up my arm and drive myself to the ER. X-rays show my shoulder is fine. I go to take more og arm and after the first one the tech says "OOOhhhh no" not what I want to hear mind you. I ask what did I break something she says to me "I cant tell you" while holding up the X-ray which I see looks like some one cut my bone with a dull butter knife. So back to the room the Dr. says "Jon you broke your humorus". Thats when magic happened and the wonderful line was born. I say "there is nothing humorous abou that" (what can I say I was in a zone comedically, MJ has been there, its a goal of all competitors to be there) to which I get nothing but blank stares. It would be alot like MJ dropping 63 in a playoff game and only his mom clapping as he left the floor. It was atough crowd. Needless to say I am trying to figure out this forign object that many of you call a left hand because Mr. Righty is on the DL for 6-8 wks.

This blog took me about an hour to type and every letter was typed by my left hand, so spelling and grammer police out there Cram It!

Life comes at you fast You best keep Up

2006-12-06T00:39:00.000-06:00

To those of you who wanted an update here it is read, enjoy and comment.

Pride is a funny thing, it can give you a sense of self worth and at the same time make you feel about an inch tall. I have swallowed my fair share of pride in my day and looking back on it I wouldn't change it for anything, its a humbling experience if I do say so myself. I was fortunate enough to learn VERY fast to stop worring about what other people said or thought. It's not worth my time or effort to prove myself to everyone in this world. This lesson is easier said than acheived. There are always haters out there.

Its funny, looking back on life you have defining moments, you can choose A or B and what you choose is forever going to change how you are as a person. My big change came my freshman year in college, I was 18, on my own, in the morman capital of the world the Mecca of Morman. I can remember it like it was yesterday, sitting in my room after I had talked to my mom about transfering from Utah. Was this really happening? Was everyone who had told me that I wasn't going to make it out here right? How was this going to look to my friends, my family everyone who knows me? Am I coming across as a failure? Here is where A or B comes into play. "A" I choose to look past this pretend that nothing happend, go about my business, stay in Utah, never see the light of day because I am burried so deep on the bench that I can't breathe. "A" would make me look good, it would make me somewhat of a success because I stayed I would get mins as a senior, I would get some glory out of the whole deal, but most of all no one would be able to say you didn't make it. "B" come right out and tell the world that I am leaving because this isn't the best place for me, make it or not the next 4 yrs would have been hell. But I lose pride because I admit to the world that I made a mistake, I chose wrong. Well for those of you who know me I chose "B", I swalowed my pride went to po-dunk Iowa to be in a good situation. Was it perfect? No, nothing ever is, but it was the better of the two.

Why am I talking about all this? Because, daily I see pride consume people. I need this hummer because I am making x amount, or I have to take this job because of the title. Everyone is guilty of it, but not everyone knows what they are sacrificing when they make those choices. Families are consumed by one partners unwillingness to let go of something purly because they are afraid to say 'yeah I failed, so what I tired' Few things embrass me and the one thing that I am most proud of is that failure doesn't. So to the few of you that read this, I want to say thankyou, you are reading this because you care, you are a friend, you have never once made me feel that what I do defines our friendship its about who I am so thanks.

So what do you choose "A" or "B"?

FAQ's

2006-10-11T23:36:00.000-05:00

I am 6'11.

Yes I did/do play basketball.

No I have not "always been tall." Believe it or not I too once was a baby.

My parents are tall, thats where I get it from.

My siblings are tall as well, but not tall for our family.

Yes, finding clothes is hard.

No, I don't hate being tall, its the hand that God delt me and it's pocket aces.

I wear a 16 shoe.

Yes, it is hard to find shoes.

No, I don't have "some sort of super long bed."

Yes, tall people get automatic shotgun. It's a rule, deal with it.

Yes, flying does suck. No, my arms don't get tired.

If you choose to ask me "How's the weather up there?" You will get in return for your stupidity, a shower of spit and I will say it's raining.