Indy whips Lara!

Huh, Indy beat out Lara on the poll 6 to 2. I had kinda expected Lara to beat out Indiana. I don't know why . . . but I did. Personally, my vote was for Dr. Jones.

Better luck next time Lady Croft!

Graced by the cleaning fairy. . .

My son J-Bo stays overnight at some relatives. RED spends the day he is gone cleaning the house, including his room. The following day we visit those relatives for several hours and then come home late enough that I bring J-Bo into the house and into his bed asleep. The next morning J-Bo comes in for breakfast and says to his Mom:

"I woke up and my room was clean"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, sometimes it does that."

Aaaah, what a charmed life. . .

Good for something . . .

Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.

- Henry David Thoreau

Nate Note

Good is not just doing no harm or evil. Good is about genuinely and positively contributing to the larger world, trying to leave it a little better than you found it.

A few of my favorite things. . .

This is just a list of creature comforts I like . . . some I have, some I will have. Were I singing in an Austrian musical, I would probably look like a woos . . . oh well, here are a few of my favorite things.

• Warm water running over my hands
• Fireplaces with toasty fires in them
• Snappy watches, wrist and pocket
• Quite Gardens
• Wide brim hats (Indy style)
• Calf leather gloves
• Fancy and smooth pens
• Hot chocolate with hazelnut creamer
• New suit and everything that goes with it
• Convertible (especially in Autumn)
• My trench coat
• Thick pull-over hoodie
• New thick, nice socks
• Bare feet in soft grass
• Peeing in the great outdoors (guys, you know what I'm talking about)
• Nap under a tree on a cool sunny day
• Sunrise on a cabin balcony

Now, it's your turn. What are some of your creature comforts?

Confessions of wanna be gamer

My brother got me an X-box for the holidays, which was very cool. It has been so crazy I have had only one chance to try it out. A couple days ago I played a DVD on it just so I could use it. 

I have to set aside time if I want to play. Also, the truth is. I'm a social gamer. I love playing with family and friends. So, I am just going to have to set up a game day soon so I can use my X-box.

Oh the sacrifices I must make as a wanna be gamer. . .

Archeology 101

No archeology class could be considered credible unless it addressed the all important question . . . who is the greatest archaeologist ever? Indiana Jones or Laura Croft? This question should be weighed with some consideration.

Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. was an American archaeologist most famously known as Indiana Jones or Indy. During World War I, he used the name Henry Defense, and went by a number of aliases throughout his life. He was married at least twice, conceived a son and daughter, and had several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Throughout his career he found numerous famous mythological artifacts, including the Sankara Stones, the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, and the Crystal Skull of Akator, which placed him in conflict with different groups across the globe.

Born July 1, 1899 in Princeton, New Jersey, Jones' life was indelibly influenced when he accompanied his parents, Henry Sr. and Anna Jones on a world lecture tour from 1908 to 1910. Throughout his travels, Jones encountered many important figures in history that shaped his outlook on life. After the return home, his mother became ill and died. The death changed the family as father and son moved to Utah in 1912. Without her, their relationship became increasingly strained. As Henry Sr. withdrew into his studies, Indiana found himself in various locations as his father lectured once again.

By 1916, Indiana and his father had moved back to Princeton. While on Spring Break that year, Indiana quit high school, briefly participated in the Mexican Revolution, and spent the next three years fighting in World War I. Afterwards, he attended the University of Chicago, where he studied under Professor Abner Ravenwood, later transferring to France, where he earned an undergraduate degree in linguistics. In 1925, he began a brief relationship with Ravenwood's daughter Marion, which ended his friendship with Abner. Once a graduate, he briefly became an archaeology teacher in London where he met student Deirdre Campbell. Their romance led to marriage in 1926, but a plane crash took Deirdre's life.

In the years leading up to World War II, Jones secured a teaching position at Marshall College. In 1936, the US Government contracted him to find the Ark of the Covenant, which led him to be reunited with Marion Ravenwood. The relationship lasted until Jones left a week before their wedding. During the war, Jones joined the OSS along with girlfriend Sophia Hapgood. The Cold War brought the Soviets into competition as a new world power and Indy found himself the focal point of their quest for Akator. After Soviet agents kidnapped him he agreed to help his son Mutt Williams rescue his father figure and Indy's colleague Harold Oxley. Indy and Marion were reunited and their reconciliation finally led to marriage.

Jones' lifetime of adventures eventually took its toll, as he lost an eye in the process and was forced to walk with a cane during his later years. By the early 1990s, he was living in the New York City area with his daughter and grandchildren.

Lady Lara Croft is an 11th generation Countess. The Croft family was granted the title and rights to Abbingdon, Surrey by King Edward VI in 1547. The Croft Estates are comprised of three separate manor houses, two of which are maintained by the National Trust, and the third is home to Lady Croft.

Lady Croft herself has suffered several personal tragedies, including the deaths of both parents on separate occasions before she came of age. Reputably an accredited genius and Olympic-standard gymnast, Lady Croft is the focus of wild speculation and intense debate in both the scientific and political communities in addition to the popular press. Idealized and vilified in equal measure, she is perhaps one of the most fascinating and enigmatic figures of our time.

Lara Croft was born in Surrey's Parkside hospital to Lady Amelia Croft and the notorious archaeologist Lord Richard Croft, the late Earl of Abbingdon. Between the ages of three and six, she attended the Abbingdon Girls School, where it quickly became clear that she was an exceptionally gifted child.

At the age of nine she survived a plane crash in the Himalayas that took the life of her mother. In perhaps the first story of her prodigious indomitability, she somehow survived a solo ten-day trek across the Himalayan Mountains, one of the most hostile environments on the planet. The story goes that when she arrived in Katmandu she went to the nearest bar and made a polite telephone call to her father asking if it would be convenient for him to come and pick her up.

For six years following the plane crash, Lara rarely left her father's side, traveling around the world from one archaeological dig site to another. During this period she was ostensibly given a standard education from private tutors, but it would probably be more accurate to say she was her father's full time apprentice.

When Lara was fifteen, her father went missing in Cambodia. Extensive searches by the authorities and Lara herself turned up human remains that could not definitively be identified. Since Lord Croft's body was not officially recovered, Lara could not directly inherit the Croft title and Lara was thrust into a bitter family feud over control of the Abbingdon estates with her uncle Lord Errol Croft. Lara eventually won the legal battle, and took possession of her inheritance but at the cost of a deep rift in the Croft family that left her estranged from her living relatives.

Lady Lara Croft has already eclipsed her father's career; as of this writing she is credited with the discovery of some fifteen archaeological sites of international significance. These sites are still yielding new and exciting insights to the past on an ongoing basis. No one can deny Lady Croft's incredible contribution to the field of archaeology; however she is not without her detractors.

Lara's methods have been frequently called into question by government officials and other practicing archaeologists. She has been described variously as anything from cavalier to downright irresponsible. Some scholars have suggested that her notorious lack of documentation and brute force methodology have contaminated countless sites and done more harm than good. There have even been (unsubstantiated) allegations that Lara actually takes items from these sites before informing the international community of their locations, and that she is nothing more than a glorified treasure hunter.

Despite the tabloid press' infatuation with her, Lara Croft guards her privacy with complete determination. She has never granted an interview nor made any personal comment to any of the rumors associated with her, preferring to express herself through brief formal statements given by the family solicitors, Hardgraves and Moore.

I'm calling the election early. . .

There are a couple days left to cast your vote on the M&M vs. Reese's Pieces poll I am calling it early. . .with 5 votes to ZERO! (and only five people read this blog) . . . M&Ms is the candy of choice for marooned survivors on deserted islands!

I had to include the image below because it was just too funny!

Hey! Who turned out the lights?!

This happened a little while ago. . . 

Zifardeah wakes up from a nap and her hair is in a tangle up over her head and down in front of her face. She is desperately trying to part it with hands but the hair is just not cooperating. She runs in crying, "Mommy! Mommy! Help me! My hair is on backwards and I can't get it back right!"

Feeling a litte foggy. . .

Yet another foggy day in London. . .er, I mean Salt Lake City. It has been really foggy in the Salt Lake Valley for the past two days.

As you can see, you lose visibility after about a hundred yards and less in some places.

I think fog is emotionally stirring. Serene, nostalgic. . .mysterious. . . "Retard the Sun with gentle mist" as RF would say. I have never been gloomy due to fog, quite the opposite actually. I have impulses to write, to get a fireplace roaring, grab hot coco, read a book, stuff like that. I might feel differently if it were foggy all the time but as is, I thoroughly enjoy being foggy.

M&M and Reese's Pieces face off

M&Ms and Reese's Pieces tied in my recent poll. So here is the face off question. . .if you were stranded on an island and could only eat M&Ms or Reese's Pieces which would it be?

Conscious endeavor. . .

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. - Henry David Thoreau


Nate Note - For me, this quote is about forgiveness. While we should learn from our past mistakes it is more important to realize you have an opportunity to change your thinking, words, actions, habits, and behaviors. Moment by moment, day by day, week by week, throughout your life you make the choices. Too often we mistakenly believe our past choices decide our future choices. Are there consequences to choices? Absolutely! But you get to decide if you will take responsibility for them and do what is right, right now. From this moment, choice by choice, we may by conscious endeavor elevate our lives and forgive ourselves for our past choices.

A new favorite move. . .

I learned a new favorite move in my BJJ class, a Kimura from a north/south position. This video does a good job of showing the basics of the technique. Our teacher showed us a wicked addition to this technique if your opponent starts trying to roll out . . . put your knee across your opponent's cheek and kneel on his head. Your opponent will pop up on his side where you want him just nicely, then trap the head.

Inauguraiton Day, a day for gratitude. . .

Whether you voted for Obama or not, whether you think he will be a great President or not, in my opinion, Inauguration Day should be a day for gratitude. It is remarkable that our great country has a civil and peaceful transfer of power. There are so many ruled by despots and dictators, men who promise to bring change and democracy but then end up becoming the evil they themselves overthrew. America has a fine tradition for criticizing our politicians, as we should, but regardless of our views we should all be grateful they are honorable men and women who step down when they are voted out.

I may not agree on many things with our new President but I pray for him and hope he will be given inspiration and judgement in his new role.

Got MLK?

Happy MLKJr Day

A man's best friend. . .

Here are some breeds I might think of owning when I am in a better phase of life to love and care for one. . .

A Black Lab or Black Lab mix - Had one come into my life named Tracie and would love another one just like her.

A Whippet - I took one of those online breed matching tests, after all the questions (it was seriousely long. . .) the number one suggestion was. . .

A third option would be a Boxer. This was also a suggestion by the breed matching test.

Favorite Card Games

In no particular order here is a list of my favorite card games.

Mille Bourne - A very clever race car game I played with my Dad and siblings growing up.

Hearts - This is still a tradition in my family. Everyone will get in on this one, my family, Mom, Dad, siblings, Grandparents. Just a great game!

Spite and Malice - This is one that I play a bunch. The art on this deck is particularly fun. The number 10 card with the cat and the bomb is my favorite. . .

Up and Down the River - This is a new one that my brother taught us and it is one we usually play now.

Guillotine - This macabre game is about collecting the most austere heads of the French Revolution. Love playing this with friends and family. . .we end up laughing our heads off!

Future Director of EPA?

Here is a suggestion for Obama's new director of EPA. . .

A call to action. . .

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting. 

- Henry David Thoreau

My favorite board games. . .

I seem to be into lists lately, oh well, here it goes. . .

Monopoly - I love this classic game! Like most well loved games it comes with a ton of great memories. When I was young, my best friend and I would play Monopoly all the time when we would go to his cabin in Brighton and his cabin in Idaho. I played the game occasionally with my family. And I play it now when I get the chance. Many don't like it because "it takes too long!" If you stay focused and play by the rules, most games finish in two hours or less. However, I don't mind a leisurely and long game with food, good friends and great conversation.

Risk - This is the game I loved playing with my Dad and brothers! Dad would usually win. Then the siblings got smart and renamed the game Eliminate Dad. I had a brother in law who would get two or three games of Risk going at the same time during a family holiday get together and that was a lot of fun. I have had hours of fun playing this game.

Chess - My Dad taught me chess. I went on to compete in the Roland Hall St. Marks School and win for my grade (but not overall). I won first place at the Bryant Jr. High chess tournament. I loved helping out the deaf students in New York with the "Chess in the Schools" program. In fact, the coordinator for the program (former CEO of NBC) gave me a tournament mat and chess set which is my favorite to this day. I do have a cool collection of chess sets including an Aztec design from Mexico and a skull army with a hand made board. It has been too long since I have played, much less played seriously, so I don't know how I would do. . .but perhaps we should play a match.

Stratego - I played this with my brother all the time when I was growing up. I could occasionally get my Mom to play me a game. Gotta love the bombs, the spy, the scouts, the bluffing, boasting, and blowing up. The game is more dynamic than you might think and lives up to its name.

Settlers of Catan - I was only introduced to this game a few weeks ago but what a great game! I am excited to get it for my family.

Connect Four - I am great at this game and played it all the time with my cousins in Arizona at the family reunions. This game of Tic Tac Toe on crack is simple but a master at teaching the subtle art of misdirection and double jeopardy. A great precursor to same principles in Chess.

Thank God for Guns, eh. . .

Here is the Shatner's take on gun controll. . .

140 Pounds to Humility. . .

Just before the new year I weighed in at 272, today I weigh 261. This is due in part to my MMA (Brazilian Jui-Jitsu, Boxing, Wrestling, and Kick-Boxing) workouts four times a week.

Today I did some light sparring with 140 pounder named Zack. To be clear, I weigh 120 pounds more than this guy. Zack handed me my lunch with a extra serving of humble pie! Twice he picked me up completely and dropped me on the mat. I have only been doing MMA for a month but my BJJ is ok and I usually can give my opponents trouble or at least make them work for the tap. . .this guy was a crazy spider-monkey and bending me in ways that make a pretzel blush. I was absolutely handled.

Zack was really gracious though and taught me a couple of great techniques. It is pretty clear I have much more losing to do before I start winning.

Happy Birthday Rebekah!

Today is your Birthday! I would serenade you but my voice is awful so I hired this guy to do it for me. . .


Thanks for being a wonderful wife and mother. I love you and happy birthday!

Pachelbel's Rant

Too funny. . .check it out. . .

Pachelbel's Rant

My 100th Post!

It is important to celebrate the little milestones in life. . .this is my 100th post!

Why do you labor?

Henry David Thoreau
Walden

I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of. Better if they had been born in the open pasture and suckled by a wolf, that they might have seen with clearer eyes what field they were called to labor in. Who made them serfs of the soil? Why should they eat their sixty acres,when man is condemned to eat only his peck of dirt? Why should they begin digging their graves as soon as they are born? . . . The portionless, who struggle with no such unnecessary inherited encumbrances, find it labor enough to subdue and cultivate a few cubic feet of flesh.

Who made you a serf of the soil? Why do you labor? Do you pick up plow as an inherited lot in life? Or do you have a conscious purpose? Thoreau later goes on to give his take on the question but what is your answer?

I labor to fulfill my covenant obligations to provide for my family, help those in need, and build up the Kingdom of God on Earth. I also view my labor as an opportunity to serve my fellow man and refine myself.

Body World . . . the naked truth

I went to Body World 3 with the other leaves of my tree. It was amazing! Havalah had a great time and learned a bunch. J- Bo liked the full form displays but was significantly less interested in the individual organs and parts. It was also great for letting our two oldest ask questions and get concrete and tangible answers from their parents. I walked away with an increased sense of awe for the majesty and complexity of the human body. I would recommend it for anyone 8 years and up!

Solitude. . .

Occasionally, I need solitude. I think most people probably do or at least would benefit if they took some. Every couple of months I take some time and just do something I want to do. I'll take myself out to dinner and a movie. I will go hang out at the library or a museum.

I think part of this drive is recapturing the feeling of being "free", accountable only to myself . . . if only for a couple of hours. Another aspect is the soul cleansing effect of quite solitude. I don't know how or why, but a couple hours of shutting out clutter, stress, and outside influence can do volumes to restoring perspective, resolve, and balance. I think it also helps tap your deeply creative side.

For all these reasons and more, I love occasional solitude.

Look Mom!

So today my son J-Bo is getting a new suped up splint for his buckle fractured right arm. The children are in a room where a man is doing some physical therapy. Apparently, the man had quite a beard going because my daughter Zefardeah turns to her mom and says, "Look Mom!"
"What?"
"It's Heavenly Father!"

And wisdom shall proceed forth out of the mouth of babes. . .

Faith and Food

I have always thought faith and food mix well. One of the central ordinances of my faith is a covenantal meal called the sacrament. Today's Sunday School lesson brilliantly supported my point and gave my children obedience training. . .

The family giving the lesson passed out very yummy coconut cookies to all the children in Sunday School but told them not to eat it just yet. Then they gave a lesson on having a good attitude when following Heavenly Father's commandments. The whole time the children are salivating and yearning for their cookies. After the lesson the father of the family comes up and asks if the children want to eat their cookies and they all raise their hands. Then he asks if they really want to eat their cookies and they all stand up. Then he has them all take one bite and chew it slowly. He explains we should all hunger and thirst after righteousness with the same eagerness and anticipation we did for the cookies. If we do, as the Savior promised, we will be filled.

I thought it was a great object lesson and my children loved it.

My Favorite Restaurants

I have been fortunate enough to eat at a bunch of great places and here a list of my favorites.

The Hearth (NYC)

The Garden Restaruant (top of the JS Memorial building)
Olive Garden (Times Square, NYC)

Tios (great little mom and pop tex-mex spot)
Allstar (Times Square, NYC)

Red Banjo Pizza (Park City, Ut)

What are some of the places you have been?

Resolutions. . .

I don't think I will put down all my resolutions. . . but here are a few that I will track on my blog with your support.

1. I will weigh under 205 by May 31, 2009 (I'm 272 now)
2. I will participate in at least one BJJ competition in 2009
3. I will complete NaNoWriMo 2009
4. I will run a 10k in 2009
5. I will blog everyday

I am going to see if putting it on my blog and accounting to the readers will help motivate and encourage me to complete these resolutions.

Thursday Thought with Thoreau. . .

Each Thursday I'll be reflecting on a quote from Thoreau. Why Thoreau? Why not? I find his reflections as a falling leaf remarkable. The quotes will come from any of his works, although I will initially focus on Walden and Civil Disobedience. I hope you will enjoy . . .

"I should not talk so much about myself if there were any body else whom I knew as well." Walden

Nate Note

Some might view this as the statement of a narcissist. I ask, how well do I know myself. . . my thoughts. . . my needs, wants, ambitions, dreams. . . I don't think this should become all consuming and at the expense of others - however, do I really know myself?