semi-interesting stuff

Trying to immortalize my gun before it is gone...

2011-11-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

Education

2010-01-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

So it's the start of another semester and this semester seems to be no where near as hellish as the last. I may actually have time to write a blog or two during this one. So I have some pretty interesting classes that have already got me thinking about a few things, mainly about my education and future endeavors in industry. I think it is interesting how that the more I begin to understand as I go through school, the more I realize that I know absolutely nothing. My perspective of what my education is and has meant to me is ever changing, but I can say that my point of view as to why I am going to school has changed a lot since I began my studies at the U back in Spring 2007. If you would have asked me in Junior High or High school why I was considering a career in engineering, I would have simply stated that, "the pay is good and what I get to do seems cool to me." Altough this same fact still stands as one of the motivating factor as to why I am in school, there are more reasons now that have unfolded. If you asked me today why I am still pursuing my education in engineering I would say, "I am here to understand and hopefully contribute. Engineering is probably the best place I can be to help society reach toward its full potential." Sounds idealistic right? I know, but it is the developing view that has become my true motivation for school. I want to contribute and understand better the world we live in. Part of this view is helping me understand that I need to not only seek for knowledge in today's writing, but in the writing of past scientists and philosophers. It is astounding to me how much earlier generations understood about our world, both socially and scientifically speaking. I think we live in a day and age of slothfulness. We seek after the 'quick buck' and so long as we have our personal entertainment, whatever that may be (television, vehicle, house, vacations, etc.), we stop our personal progress because we think we are content and we cease to further our understanding of our occupation or the world around us. This doesn't mean we can't nor shouldn't indulge in the entertainments that our lives may afford us, but above all, we should commit to furthering ourselves as individuals and how we can contribute to the rest. In other words, do not let self-acheivment be the method of meter, rather self-advancement be how we measure our lives. This is just the thought that has been going through my head today.

and her name is Juliette...

2009-06-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

On May 29, 2009, a new and beautiful life was created. Her name is Juliette and yes she is a snare drum. BUT NOT JUST ANY OLD SNARE DRUM! She is a 14" x 6.5" stainless steel Dunnett Classic with mirror finish, R2 swivel throw-off, and Hypervent I adjustable air vent! She is beautiful, but more than being beautiful is the real reason she became part of my family... THE SOUND! It is responsive beyond belief and resonates so clearly it is insane! And boy is she loud! She will bite your head off if you let her! And yet, for a stainless steel drum, she is warm which is just crazy for a metal drum. Anywho, I am sure glad I made the decision to make this purchase!

School's Out for.... SUMMER!

2009-05-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well, officially my summer has begun! I have to enjoy this now because I will never again have summers where I don't have to work 40 hours a week like any normal person. So I am going to live it up while I can! So what has happened since my last blog is that I actually have taken that instructor position with the Navy. It has been great considering now I can truly focus on school which makes it a lot more enjoyable. So there are a few things I would like to do this summer. The first is I need to review up on my electrical circuit principals because I will be taking a more advanced class in circuits and how to solve them. Second, I want to write an application for my iPhone. I have the SDK to do it and now I just need to learn some objective C. This will also help me for my program design in C class. So I am hoping I can in fact get at least those two things done. Oh, and it looks like that I may be going to Texas also for a few weeks. My PI at the University wants me to become the resident expert with a software package called Freesurfer. The software is an open source software that gives the user the ability to create different 3D surfaces from brain MRI scans. So we will see if that happens. If not, I will just learn it when Dr. King moves from Texas to here at the University of Utah. Well that is all for now!

A day in Charleston, South Carolina

2009-02-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

WOW! So it has been forever since I have written in this thing. But really, let's face it, my life is not THAT interesting and there is a reason why it is titled 'semi-interesting stuff.' So anywho, I am sitting here in a hotel room in Charleston, SC on a VIP trip (paid for by the US Navy) seeing what my life would be like as a Navy Nuclear Power Instructor. Up until this point, I am sold heavily on this program! The benefits are amazing and the experience I will gain will be priceless! So anyway, I will see how the things happen at the Navy Power School, which I will be touring tomorrow. Today has just been a lot of seeing the town and such and it has been great.

On a different note, I thought I would embed the following video... Apple thinks of everything! I am not trying to dis' Macintosh (because I own one) but this video is way too funny to pass up!

Waiting to move

2008-08-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, it has been like 5 months now that Maquel and I have been looking to move into my old, great grandpa's house. We are excited to get into the new place especially because of the increased room and the decent rent. However, with the house will come more responsibility like taking care of the lawn, paying ALL utilities, and more space to actually take care of. But it's cool because we were going to have to move up sooner of later. Here's the problem with this whole thing and a big portion of it is my fault. So, when I called Sheree (who is the current owner of the house and my grandpa's sister) I didn't really discuss a timeline as to when Corwin and Jeana (current tenants) would be out of the house and into the new house they were building. So, I tell our landlord that we will be out some time in August. Well, now it is August, Corwin and Jeana are just getting occupancy in their new house this coming week and my landlord wants us out by the 14th of August. So what I have done is created a mess mainly for Maquel and I. We now are probably going to have spend some time living with either's parents and we may not get everything fixed and up to par like Sheree wants to for the house. This is what happens when you are impatient I guess. Oh well though, you live and you learn. This will definately be a lesson to me for the future.

I feel kind of lonely

2008-07-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

So, my wife Maquel left this Sunday on a business trip to Wisconsin. She and a group of others are to man a booth advertising UVU's online aviation degrees at the Oshkosh airshow, which is the biggest in the world. I would assume it is a pretty big money generator for the school because otherwise, they wouldn't be sending such a large group and paying them to do this. She says she is having fun, which I am sure she is, but one thing is sure, I miss her a lot. You know, you take for granted those things in life that are always there until they leave for a period of time or are gone forever. But I guess things like this are good to remind you how much you care and love that person.

So what if I suck at blogging?!

2008-07-26T14:42:00.001-07:00

Yeah, so apparently, I am not very good at keeping a blog. I forgot I even had a blog for some time there... Rory said something like he posted some comments telling me to update my blog, but when you forget you even have one, the likelihood of updating it is somewhere between never and the Partridge Family. So... what is happening now in my life? Well, I am hungry right now. Maybe that is too specific. I officially cleaned up my drums and packed them away at my parent's house until Maquel and I finally get into our new place. I am really stoked about getting in the house we are going to move into because there will be SO much more room; I will even have a place to put my drums! It will kick any apartment's butt! OH! I am so sick and tired of my stupid US National Government class I am taking online through UVU! UGH! It is the bane of my existence right now. Oh, and just like a week ago, I crashed my scooter on some loose gravel and had to get some wicked stitches in my chin and my hand. Unfortunately I do not have the pictures on this computer but those who know me enough already saw what my face looked like. So that is enough for now. THERE Rory and Bridgett! I updated the *!$@ thing!

What to do with life?

2008-05-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

So what now? You know, I hate it when you feel like you have it all figured out and then, WHAM! You know nothing! I am talking about life people! Mainly, I am focusing on school. I still feel pretty strongly about finishing my Biomedical Engineering degree, but I can't help but think if this is something that is really going to help me do what I want to do? And what is it I want to do? I don't know! There are so many avenues and I just don't know where I want to end up. Now, I have a good idea of what I don't want to do, so I am using that as my guide for the time being. So I really think though that I want to end up in business, in the medical field, and more than likely make a decent living; ok, that's a start. So I have been visiting with different people from different companies and it is helping me get where I think I want to be, I just hope that the academic path I am on is going to be the boost I need to get there. This sounds confusing, as it should, because it is exactly how I feel. Oh well, life was meant to be confusing and torturous at times, I guess I just have to roll with it!

So what about gas prices?

2008-05-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I never did think of that thing that I was trying to think of last post... oh well, I am sure it wasn't that amazing anyway. You know, there has been a lot of talk about "gas prices this and energy costs that," but really, what are we complaining about? Let's talk about that black gold we call petroleum. Now, when we talk about a barrel of petroleum, we are talking more than just about combustion fuels, oh no, we are talking about our everyday lifestyle. And no I am not alluding to global warming. In fact, I could really care less about it right now! Oh no, I am talking about paying hundreds of dollars for simple medications like pain relievers; I am talking about paying more money for a computer not because it has the latest technology boosts, but because the plastic that encases it costs more because it is so scarce! You see, we use petroleum for more than just our cars, yet that is the biggest use for it right now! We burn it up like there is no tomorrow and I am sure the idea is, "Let's just use it all up and THEN we can find an alternative!" But finding the bottom of the bucket for our oil supply doesn't just mean finding another fuel for our cars, it means we lose an easy resource to create the very things we use everyday and take for granted. I am glad fuel prices are rising, in fact, I hope they go to $10 a gallon, not because I care so much for the environment, but because I want to be able to afford medications, use "zip-lock" bags, buy computers, and wash my dishes - this is my reason for wanting to find alternative fuels!

Here's how the government is handling this; the Balsa wood Blackhawk has some merit...

In The Know: How Can We Make The War In Iraq More Eco-Friendly?

If finals were people, I bet they wouldn't have very many friends

2008-04-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well, today was my last two finals and at least they weren't that bad. In fact, I finished my Cell Biology final with an hour and 15 to spare! Of course, it is easy to finish something when you just don't care anymore! So I am sitting here just passing the time away in the computer lab and I really don't have any intelligence posts today (you know, secret briefings about people's whereabouts). There was something I thought would be good to write about last night at like midnight, but it got lost somewhere by that strange camping trip where everybody was wearing a mask and they wouldn't give me one! Maybe I will come back today and edit this post when I finally think of that awesome thing that will change the way we view poop-slinging physics!

My First Blog

2008-04-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

So, Rory convinced me to get one of these blogspots, which in fact did not take much convincing. I guess I am the reflective* type and I thought this would be a good way for me to put in writing what goes through my head SOME of the time (big emphasis on 'some'). So lets get right to it. Maquel just fell asleep so I ended up taking her to the bedroom leaving me to contemplate the mysteries of life. Forget the mysteries for now though, I want to vent! Something I would like to vent a bit about would be what has been happening lately in my online philosophy class. The class itself is coming to a close, but to end the class, we have been taking a dive into ethics and morality. It truly is an interesting subject to study from a philosophical stand point and not a religious one. Many of us it would seem say we develop our sense of right and wrong from what we are taught, but really is that the case? Well, the whole point of the last exercises in the class were to derive from where we get our sense of duty... and saying that it is just the way I was raised was NOT an option because it alludes to relativism (for further clarification on what relativism might be check out wikipedia "relativism - philosophy"). Anywho, without fail, we get students posting on the class discussion board about how their parents, church leaders, and God gave them their sense of duty. Some would post how tithing, a mission, and going to church were all good things that we should all do, etc. Now, I am a fan of these things myself, however, the exercise was to develop concrete evidence of why EVERYONE SHOULD also do these things, or in other words, what makes these things moral and where do we get our sense of duty (and believe me if you think about it for longer than a minute, you might start to realize that you have solid reasons why you act the way you do). I really don't do justice to the lack of depth the entire class has or how pissed off our instructor got (and it happened more than once). I believe strongly in my faith and would never waiver from it, however, it does not kill anyone and nor do I think that God minds, if we step out of the shell we call religion and really think about why people and ourselves act the way we do. Why should we believe in God? Why is it wrong for me to lie when I am only looking to protect myself? These kinds of questions really can be answered more than just with, "because it is what I have been taught."

* no, I am not the special tape that goes on clothing so that you don't get creamed by an automobile wandering around late at night. What are you doing out at that time anyway!?