At my work, for entertainment, my co-workers have been giving each other riddles to figure out over the course of the day (or some days for the hard ones). I thought that I would share some with you and see if you can figure them out. In three days, I'll post the answers. The first four have to do with death, because they are more fun (its like we're detectives or something!). You have to figure out how they died (except the fourth one). The last three are more kiddish but still kinda fun. If you look hard enough, you can find the answers on the Internet but please don't spoil it for everyone else if you do decide to cheat. Good luck...
1. A man is lying dead in the desert with a match next to his hand. He is nude.
2. A man is working at his occupation when he realizes there is a tear in his shirt. 15 minutes later, he is dead.
3. A man is lying dead in a pool of blood and water. He has wounds but there is no weapon.
4. A man must draw a piece of paper out of a hat. There are two possibilites. One piece of paper says "Life" and one piece of paper says "Death". If he draws "Life", he will live. If he draws "Death", he will be shot. An enemy, seeing this opportunity, switches out the "Life" paper with a "Death" paper so that both papers say "Death". The man, though knowing this, cannot tell his captors that he knows that it is rigged. How does he survive?
5. What is brown and sticky?
6. Why is six afraid of seven?
Go ahead and post your answers if you know it!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
I Can't Get Lost Even When I Try
On Saturday night, my wife and I met up with two other couples and went to the maize maze. For those of you in Albuquerque, the maze is just past Montano Bridge. We brought three flashlights for the six of us and were prepared to tackle the maze and come out victorious. Before entering the maze, we passed a group of three people who told us, "You're going to get so lost." Off in the distance, we heard screams coming from the maze. This looked promising. I was in a walking mood and was perfectly fine with being lost for a good two or three hours. Also, it wasn't very cold outside and the moon was bright. We could have probably done the maze even without flash lights. We were ready.
There was two different paths you could take. One path was short (about a mile) and the other one was long (2.3 miles). We weren't scared so we decided to take the long one. However, there was a problem. The weather had been really nasty all day, windy and rainy, and we realized this as soon as we stepped inside the maze. The ground was extremely muddy because the corn stalks are so tall that it blocked the sunlight from getting in and drying up the moisture. This was something that none of us were prepared for and we almost immediately resigned ourselves to the fact that our shoes would be really muddy and we couldn't do anything about it.
After about five minutes of walking through the maze, we came to a sign that told us that we had reached the end of the maze. How was that possible? We had only come to about 2 different forks in the road. The sign also posed a question and based on the correct answer, it pointed us on the correct path that led us out of the maze or for the wrong path, it would lead us astray. The question was "Did You Have Fun?" and "Yes" pointed one way and "No" pointed the other. It should also be noted that the correct path was the way we had just come, which all of us decided was a bit strange. Since we had only been there about 5 minutes and having paid the high price of $8 a person for admission, we decided to try to get lost again. We took the wrong path and set out again. We joked that it would be funny if the correct answer to the question was "No" and were actually on the right path instead of the wrong one. A few times, we would see people hiding in the corn waiting to jump out and scare us but we always saw them and pointed our flashlights at them before they could do so.
After about another 5 minutes, we came to the same sign again. Since we had only been there about 10 minutes at this point, we again took the wrong path hoping to get lost again. It was around this time that we contemplated stealing some corn. We decided that it would be really gross to eat and really stupid to keep as a souvenir so none of us did. After about 10 minutes this time, we arrived at a path that led out of the maze. We were frustrated. No matter how many times we tried, we just couldn't get lost in the maze. We went back the way we came and tried for the fourth time to get lost.
After about another 10 minutes, we arrived on the same path that took us out of the maze. We finally decided to give up. We had been there for about 30 minutes and managed to defeat the maze 4 times. We had a map that was given to us at admission, but nobody looked at it except Adam who was determined to find out where we were all the time. I told him that a map was useless if you didn't know where you were. He said he did know where we were, even though he didn't.
I still don't know what happened. My opinion is that the workers of the maze told us to enter where the exit was since we came to that first sign and it pointed us back the way we came. We really never even put much thought into which path we should take. Most of the time, someone would just say, "I feel like going left" or "This way looks promising" or "We went right last time so lets go left now" as if that was a perfectly logical response in that situation. But, all in all, we still had fun and were glad we got to enjoy each others company. I still wish we had had a more frustrating (and therefore more memorable) adventure though. I find that the memories that are best in life are the ones that you laugh at because whatever situation you were in at the time was so horrible. Maybe next time I can have a more negative (so its more positive) experience.
There was two different paths you could take. One path was short (about a mile) and the other one was long (2.3 miles). We weren't scared so we decided to take the long one. However, there was a problem. The weather had been really nasty all day, windy and rainy, and we realized this as soon as we stepped inside the maze. The ground was extremely muddy because the corn stalks are so tall that it blocked the sunlight from getting in and drying up the moisture. This was something that none of us were prepared for and we almost immediately resigned ourselves to the fact that our shoes would be really muddy and we couldn't do anything about it.
After about five minutes of walking through the maze, we came to a sign that told us that we had reached the end of the maze. How was that possible? We had only come to about 2 different forks in the road. The sign also posed a question and based on the correct answer, it pointed us on the correct path that led us out of the maze or for the wrong path, it would lead us astray. The question was "Did You Have Fun?" and "Yes" pointed one way and "No" pointed the other. It should also be noted that the correct path was the way we had just come, which all of us decided was a bit strange. Since we had only been there about 5 minutes and having paid the high price of $8 a person for admission, we decided to try to get lost again. We took the wrong path and set out again. We joked that it would be funny if the correct answer to the question was "No" and were actually on the right path instead of the wrong one. A few times, we would see people hiding in the corn waiting to jump out and scare us but we always saw them and pointed our flashlights at them before they could do so.
After about another 5 minutes, we came to the same sign again. Since we had only been there about 10 minutes at this point, we again took the wrong path hoping to get lost again. It was around this time that we contemplated stealing some corn. We decided that it would be really gross to eat and really stupid to keep as a souvenir so none of us did. After about 10 minutes this time, we arrived at a path that led out of the maze. We were frustrated. No matter how many times we tried, we just couldn't get lost in the maze. We went back the way we came and tried for the fourth time to get lost.
After about another 10 minutes, we arrived on the same path that took us out of the maze. We finally decided to give up. We had been there for about 30 minutes and managed to defeat the maze 4 times. We had a map that was given to us at admission, but nobody looked at it except Adam who was determined to find out where we were all the time. I told him that a map was useless if you didn't know where you were. He said he did know where we were, even though he didn't.
I still don't know what happened. My opinion is that the workers of the maze told us to enter where the exit was since we came to that first sign and it pointed us back the way we came. We really never even put much thought into which path we should take. Most of the time, someone would just say, "I feel like going left" or "This way looks promising" or "We went right last time so lets go left now" as if that was a perfectly logical response in that situation. But, all in all, we still had fun and were glad we got to enjoy each others company. I still wish we had had a more frustrating (and therefore more memorable) adventure though. I find that the memories that are best in life are the ones that you laugh at because whatever situation you were in at the time was so horrible. Maybe next time I can have a more negative (so its more positive) experience.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A Question
I've been thinking about sharing some of the music I've done over the years with all of you. Does anyone know how I would do that? Could I even do that? I have it both on CD and in my Itunes (I think the format is MPEG or MP4 or something like that) and I know I could convert it to an MP3 if I needed to. If anyone knows how to do that, please let me know. Thanks.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
One Year And Counting...
Today is my wife and I's one year wedding anniversary. It really doesn't seem like a year. I've noticed ever since we got married that it seems like life has been moving in a damn hurry. It seems like everything is happening so quickly and is not moving as slowly as it used to. But enough of that. I want to share some memories I have from our relationship.
We were friends long before we started dating. We both had a mutual friend (Cory) and because of him, we met and often hungout together. We both agree that we don't really know how we first kissed. What happened was that we were supposed to hangout together with a few other friends and then, for one reason or another, they all bailed on us and her and I hungout alone together. I was attracted to her but (not that she was ugly) I was mostly attracted to her personality, her sense of humor and her optimism on life. We were hanging out and watching tv on the couch and talking until it got quiet. It was in that quiet moment, where it just felt right, that we first kissed. My wife still thinks it was one of our best kisses.
We started dating and it was not even one week into our relationship when she thought about breaking up with me. She went to Provo to visit our friend Shay at BYU, and it was while she was there that she told Shay that she was going to break up with me. It mostly had nothing to do with me, and more to do with things she was going through at the time. When she came back and hinted to me that she was thinking of calling it off, I convinced her that I could help her, that I would do what was needed to help her in any way that I could. She consented. I'm glad she did or else we probably wouldn't be together today.
About 3 months into our relationship, it was my Senior Prom. Stace-Ghost did not want to go and I didn't either so I decided we would spend a special night together. I had spent the past night staying up all night with my friends as we were basically camping out for Red Hot Chili Pepper tickets which would go on sale at 10 in the morning and so I had spent the entire night figuring out what I would do. I actually didn't have a clue till about 3 am. So after I got home from getting the tickets, I took a four-hour nap (since I hadn't got any sleep) and then woke up and made my preparations. I went and picked her up in my newly washed car, opened her car door and had the song set so that when she got in the car, her then favorite song (Shiver by Coldplay) would immediately begin playing. I took her to pick up the food, (I ordered Zio's) and went to my house to eat it. When we got home, much to Stace-Ghost's surprise, (and also much to mine) the table was very romantically set, with two candles, and a deep red tablecloth and nice silverware and dishes. I did not do this. To this day, I don't think Stace-Ghost knows that. What had happened, is I had told my mother that I wanted to set the table really nicely and I asked what ideas she had. She told me and then went about her business. I set the table as best as I could (which was not very good), and my lovely mother, came and re-set it, much much better than I had, while I was gone. I'm still very grateful that she did that for me that night. We ate our dinner, and then I tried my best to play guitar and sing her a few songs. After this, I told her I had an adventure planned for her. I drove her to the Wal-Green's and parked and told her that a few weeks before, I had driven to that Wal-Green's to get her medicine, and it was then that I knew that my feelings for her were as big as an Elephant. When I said the last word, I produced a CD for her that she wanted, which was "Elephant" by the White Stripes. We drove on and next I drove her to the movie theater and parked. I told her that a few weeks before we had seen a movie called "The Hours" and it was then that I knew I wanted to spend my hours with her. I then gave her a book she wanted, which that movie was based on, which was called "Mrs. Dalloway". Lastly, I drove her to the top of the mesa where we could see the entire city. It was then that I told her, for the first time, that I loved her. I told her I'd rather have her then the entire city in front of us. I knew what I was doing was really cheesy but my feelings were true and they needed to be said.
I don't think I've done anything THAT romantic since then, but I promise publicly to my wife that I will, and I'm glad that I have so much more time to do so. I'm glad I have the chance to spend my life with my best friend and my conscience, that we can grow old together and laugh everyday together. Here's to one year down and an eternity left to count.
We were friends long before we started dating. We both had a mutual friend (Cory) and because of him, we met and often hungout together. We both agree that we don't really know how we first kissed. What happened was that we were supposed to hangout together with a few other friends and then, for one reason or another, they all bailed on us and her and I hungout alone together. I was attracted to her but (not that she was ugly) I was mostly attracted to her personality, her sense of humor and her optimism on life. We were hanging out and watching tv on the couch and talking until it got quiet. It was in that quiet moment, where it just felt right, that we first kissed. My wife still thinks it was one of our best kisses.
We started dating and it was not even one week into our relationship when she thought about breaking up with me. She went to Provo to visit our friend Shay at BYU, and it was while she was there that she told Shay that she was going to break up with me. It mostly had nothing to do with me, and more to do with things she was going through at the time. When she came back and hinted to me that she was thinking of calling it off, I convinced her that I could help her, that I would do what was needed to help her in any way that I could. She consented. I'm glad she did or else we probably wouldn't be together today.
About 3 months into our relationship, it was my Senior Prom. Stace-Ghost did not want to go and I didn't either so I decided we would spend a special night together. I had spent the past night staying up all night with my friends as we were basically camping out for Red Hot Chili Pepper tickets which would go on sale at 10 in the morning and so I had spent the entire night figuring out what I would do. I actually didn't have a clue till about 3 am. So after I got home from getting the tickets, I took a four-hour nap (since I hadn't got any sleep) and then woke up and made my preparations. I went and picked her up in my newly washed car, opened her car door and had the song set so that when she got in the car, her then favorite song (Shiver by Coldplay) would immediately begin playing. I took her to pick up the food, (I ordered Zio's) and went to my house to eat it. When we got home, much to Stace-Ghost's surprise, (and also much to mine) the table was very romantically set, with two candles, and a deep red tablecloth and nice silverware and dishes. I did not do this. To this day, I don't think Stace-Ghost knows that. What had happened, is I had told my mother that I wanted to set the table really nicely and I asked what ideas she had. She told me and then went about her business. I set the table as best as I could (which was not very good), and my lovely mother, came and re-set it, much much better than I had, while I was gone. I'm still very grateful that she did that for me that night. We ate our dinner, and then I tried my best to play guitar and sing her a few songs. After this, I told her I had an adventure planned for her. I drove her to the Wal-Green's and parked and told her that a few weeks before, I had driven to that Wal-Green's to get her medicine, and it was then that I knew that my feelings for her were as big as an Elephant. When I said the last word, I produced a CD for her that she wanted, which was "Elephant" by the White Stripes. We drove on and next I drove her to the movie theater and parked. I told her that a few weeks before we had seen a movie called "The Hours" and it was then that I knew I wanted to spend my hours with her. I then gave her a book she wanted, which that movie was based on, which was called "Mrs. Dalloway". Lastly, I drove her to the top of the mesa where we could see the entire city. It was then that I told her, for the first time, that I loved her. I told her I'd rather have her then the entire city in front of us. I knew what I was doing was really cheesy but my feelings were true and they needed to be said.
I don't think I've done anything THAT romantic since then, but I promise publicly to my wife that I will, and I'm glad that I have so much more time to do so. I'm glad I have the chance to spend my life with my best friend and my conscience, that we can grow old together and laugh everyday together. Here's to one year down and an eternity left to count.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Our Costumes
Everyone wanted to know so much about mine and Stacy's costume ideas, that I decided to write a blog about. But first I warn you, Stacy and I are nerds. Our characters are from a video game called Bioshock. Stacy and I both agree that it is one of the best video games we've ever played (and thats saying a lot). The story of the game is that a mad scientist, frustrated with the morality of the world, and wanting to further his scientific work without the bounds of the law, decides to build a city under the ocean. He invites all scientists to join him, to continue their work and reach the ends of their imagination. They do and they make some amazing scientific discoveries....until everyone begins to go insane. Without going too far into it, what is valuable in this under-the-ocean world, is a substance called Adam which grants the user some amazing abilities. This Adam can only be harvested by little girls, and because of the danger from the insane people in the city, these little girls (or Little Sisters as they are called) are protected by what are called Big Daddies, which are men who are in huge armored diving suits, and carry big guns. So, that is what Stacy and I are going to dress up as, if we can figure out how to do my suit. Here's some pictures. Any ideas as how to make it?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Things I've Heard From People
I have compiled a list of various rumors and facts I have heard from various people and sources. They have no order and no relevance to each other.
1. Even if the government pays the enormous bailout of $700 billion, the country will eventually go into recession anyway. (From an economics student who almost has his degree)
2. The Beck concert was awesome (I can confirm this)
3. Ticketmaster's tyranny must be stopped. A $9 service charge? Are you kidding me?
4. Sarah Palin believes that dinosaurs became extinct 6000 years ago which fits neatly along with her belief in the creationism theory. (I heard this from a very credible conservative source)
5. Albums that have come out this year have been very mediocre.
6. The season premiere of Heroes wasn't that good.
7. The two-party system needs an overhaul.
8. The electoral college needs an overhaul.
9. I need a job. (This is from my wife, family, friends, and myself)
10. Two movies are going to soon hit theaters disparaging two different Republican presidents. One about George W. Bush directed by Oliver Stone. Another about Richard Nixon. There is not a coincidence that these are being released so close to an election.
11. We should be grateful that pretty dresses survived the Great Flood. (from my niece)
12. Splenda is not good for you. (from my wife and mother)
13. V8 is good for you but tastes disgusting.
14. The Cowboys shouldn't have a problem against the Redskins on Sunday.
15. The new layout of Facebook sucks. (from everyone)
16. Nothing will ever change, no matter who we elect. (Sadly, I've heard this from a great deal of people)
17. Gas is going to skyrocket soon.
18. Our bank accounts are going to plummet because of the skyrocketing of gas.
19. Joe Biden thinks paying higher taxes is patriotic.
20. Gamestop takes the word of their managers without even a slight inquiry, even though those managers are treating their employees like crap.
21. People will vote independent this year just because they do not want to support either of the other two candidates.
22. Obama supports partial-birth abortion, which is horrible.
23. McCain supports no abortion, even in the case of rape or incest, which is also horrible.
24. The topic of abortion is irrelevant because it will neither be banned nor be totally freed with the election of the next president.
25. All congressman, senators and representatives alike, should not ever be allowed to be re-elected, so that they might always do whats best for the states they are serving rather than doing what is best to be re-elected.
26. It is scary that our nation is staring at a recession.
27. It is good that we will soon hear a Prophet speak.
28. The recording of my friend and I's CD is going well.
29. Tacos al pastor is a delicious dish from Pastorero's, but only if you squeeze lime juice onto the tacos.
30. My wife and I's costumes for Halloween are going to be awesome provided that 1)We can pull them off and
2) We actually have something to wear them to and
3) At least some people understand who we are trying to be.
There it is. Take it as you will. And remember, these are not my thoughts but things that people have told me.
1. Even if the government pays the enormous bailout of $700 billion, the country will eventually go into recession anyway. (From an economics student who almost has his degree)
2. The Beck concert was awesome (I can confirm this)
3. Ticketmaster's tyranny must be stopped. A $9 service charge? Are you kidding me?
4. Sarah Palin believes that dinosaurs became extinct 6000 years ago which fits neatly along with her belief in the creationism theory. (I heard this from a very credible conservative source)
5. Albums that have come out this year have been very mediocre.
6. The season premiere of Heroes wasn't that good.
7. The two-party system needs an overhaul.
8. The electoral college needs an overhaul.
9. I need a job. (This is from my wife, family, friends, and myself)
10. Two movies are going to soon hit theaters disparaging two different Republican presidents. One about George W. Bush directed by Oliver Stone. Another about Richard Nixon. There is not a coincidence that these are being released so close to an election.
11. We should be grateful that pretty dresses survived the Great Flood. (from my niece)
12. Splenda is not good for you. (from my wife and mother)
13. V8 is good for you but tastes disgusting.
14. The Cowboys shouldn't have a problem against the Redskins on Sunday.
15. The new layout of Facebook sucks. (from everyone)
16. Nothing will ever change, no matter who we elect. (Sadly, I've heard this from a great deal of people)
17. Gas is going to skyrocket soon.
18. Our bank accounts are going to plummet because of the skyrocketing of gas.
19. Joe Biden thinks paying higher taxes is patriotic.
20. Gamestop takes the word of their managers without even a slight inquiry, even though those managers are treating their employees like crap.
21. People will vote independent this year just because they do not want to support either of the other two candidates.
22. Obama supports partial-birth abortion, which is horrible.
23. McCain supports no abortion, even in the case of rape or incest, which is also horrible.
24. The topic of abortion is irrelevant because it will neither be banned nor be totally freed with the election of the next president.
25. All congressman, senators and representatives alike, should not ever be allowed to be re-elected, so that they might always do whats best for the states they are serving rather than doing what is best to be re-elected.
26. It is scary that our nation is staring at a recession.
27. It is good that we will soon hear a Prophet speak.
28. The recording of my friend and I's CD is going well.
29. Tacos al pastor is a delicious dish from Pastorero's, but only if you squeeze lime juice onto the tacos.
30. My wife and I's costumes for Halloween are going to be awesome provided that 1)We can pull them off and
2) We actually have something to wear them to and
3) At least some people understand who we are trying to be.
There it is. Take it as you will. And remember, these are not my thoughts but things that people have told me.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Another Night With Nerds (I can't help myself)
Last night, despite what I have said in previous posts of days gone by, I attended another midnight release of a video game. But not just any video game. It was a Star Wars video game. Many of you might not know this but the Star Wars nerd is a different kind of breed from other nerds like D&D nerds, World of Warcraft nerds, or Trekkies. There are certain things which distinguish them from others which I will soon explain.
I arrived at my local Gamestop at about 11:15. There was a good amount of people there but it was not as bad as other midnight releases such as Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, or Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This is a good thing. It made the wait much easier to bear. As I walked up to the store, I saw that there were various Stormtroopers spread throughout the parking lot, a Jedi with a purple lightsaber, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader patrolling the streets. I expected myself to be disgusted by this, but frankly, it was just too cool. Their suits were amazing. They were of movie quality, and when the stormtroopers talked they even had that raspy radio voice that they do in the movies. Vader never spoke but he did have the breathing spot on, and his suit had various lights on it that would light up. All of them were really nice, even posing for pictures with people, with them in poses torturing men or even children. It was really funny. What I later found out is that the store booked them to come to this event. Apparently, they do a lot of Star Wars events.
The store was offering free pizza for the event, and there were people walking around the crowd offering it to us. One of them offered some pizza to Vader. He looked at it with a finger to the chin of his mask, and after a moment's hesitation, pointed to his mask, shrugged his shoulders, and moved on.
I went and stood in line and because I was by myself, I got to thinking. Star Wars nerds aren't that bad. Because the Star Wars canon is always expanding, most Star Wars nerds have to read the books constantly to keep up. This is one reason its puts them at a stock above the rest. They read! And they want to! Most of the ones you will meet in your life are thoughtful and calm, (though annoyingly, if you say anything that is out of step with Star Wars canon, they will greedily jump into correct you). And they don't smell too bad. I base this not off of any scientific data I have collected but merely what I smelled when I was standing in line.
At midnight, I collected my game and went home. Honestly, it was one of the best midnight releases I've ever been to. The crowd was not unnerving like it was for Grand Theft Auto IV, where you wondered if the people gathered there were actually trying to live a life similar to the criminals in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was not filled with kids like it was at Super Smash Bros. Brawl, running around screaming, all talking about how good they were. This one was fine. Everyone was in good spirits and nobody was trying to be mean to each other just to be funny, most notably, myself.
I arrived at my local Gamestop at about 11:15. There was a good amount of people there but it was not as bad as other midnight releases such as Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, or Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This is a good thing. It made the wait much easier to bear. As I walked up to the store, I saw that there were various Stormtroopers spread throughout the parking lot, a Jedi with a purple lightsaber, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader patrolling the streets. I expected myself to be disgusted by this, but frankly, it was just too cool. Their suits were amazing. They were of movie quality, and when the stormtroopers talked they even had that raspy radio voice that they do in the movies. Vader never spoke but he did have the breathing spot on, and his suit had various lights on it that would light up. All of them were really nice, even posing for pictures with people, with them in poses torturing men or even children. It was really funny. What I later found out is that the store booked them to come to this event. Apparently, they do a lot of Star Wars events.
The store was offering free pizza for the event, and there were people walking around the crowd offering it to us. One of them offered some pizza to Vader. He looked at it with a finger to the chin of his mask, and after a moment's hesitation, pointed to his mask, shrugged his shoulders, and moved on.
I went and stood in line and because I was by myself, I got to thinking. Star Wars nerds aren't that bad. Because the Star Wars canon is always expanding, most Star Wars nerds have to read the books constantly to keep up. This is one reason its puts them at a stock above the rest. They read! And they want to! Most of the ones you will meet in your life are thoughtful and calm, (though annoyingly, if you say anything that is out of step with Star Wars canon, they will greedily jump into correct you). And they don't smell too bad. I base this not off of any scientific data I have collected but merely what I smelled when I was standing in line.
At midnight, I collected my game and went home. Honestly, it was one of the best midnight releases I've ever been to. The crowd was not unnerving like it was for Grand Theft Auto IV, where you wondered if the people gathered there were actually trying to live a life similar to the criminals in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was not filled with kids like it was at Super Smash Bros. Brawl, running around screaming, all talking about how good they were. This one was fine. Everyone was in good spirits and nobody was trying to be mean to each other just to be funny, most notably, myself.
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