Blogging

Maybe blogging is losing its appeal for me, because I just can't seem to make myself post anything amusing or ranting any more. It's strange. I even have three or four 90%-completed drafts (mostly of rants) that I just can't manage to publish. Wonder why.

Things That Bug...

Daylight Savings. Really, it's 2009. Can't we do it differently? Changing clocks is so 1985! Not knowing if Arizona is the same time as me or not is just plain stupid. Now I'm all depressed because it's dark before I even finish work. It's nice to be light earlier in the morning, but I think we should stop playing like we control the light.

833!

That's right, the answer is 833!

I took my new GPS trainer on a mtn. bike ride today and now I know the answers to many of life's deepest questions.

1. How tall WAS that hill?
   1200 feet, baby, but with two loops at the top, it was 1700 feet vertical!
   
2. How many calories did that hill burn?
   Yep, 833! I like that number. Now I can eat garbage the rest of the day and feel good about it!
   
3. Was I really about to have a coronary?
   Yes. With an avg heart rate of 155 (including at rest), and peak at 176, I really was about to blow a gasket!
4. Did I look ridiculous at my pathetically slow speed, getting passed by all whole came after me?
   The GPS was hazy on that one, but I have a hunch...
   

Isn't it good to know? Of course. And now you know too.

Seriously, this mountain bike stuff is SOOOO good. Coming down that hill (at 23.2 mph, since you asked) is adrenaline like nothing else. If you live in CO, you must go ride Hall Ranch. It truly is wonderful.

Thanks for the bday present, Dad.

How Much Does Paint Cost?

So for the last couple months, I've asked this question nearly every time I drive to Denver. Turns out the answer in this case is ONLY $200K!

This is because CDOT has has a fairly robust restriping process going on. I was amazed when I saw that they removed the fogline stripes only to put new ones a foot away. Then, a few weeks later, I saw double stripes, followed by a removal of the new one. I figured this was typical government insanity.

In case you live local and care where our tax dollars are going, here's the official response from my inquiry to CDOT. (Yes, none of you is surprised that I actually contacted CDOT about it, I'm sure!)

The project in question is a striping project that is scheduled to be complete in the next couple of weeks. While we did remove and replace the stripes a couple of times, it was due to the fact that we removed the original striping, replaced it with temporary striping and then came back and put down the permanent striping. We have to do it in phases like this as it is impossible to get the entire process done in one night and we can’t leave the highway with no striping. The project is only $200,000.

Now you know.

Jiffy Pop!

You all probably heard about the goofy family that built their own airship balloon and whose little boy reportedly went for a trip in it. Now that he's safe, I can share my opinion.

It looks like one of those Jiffy Pop things floating around in the sky!


I bet The Onion could make a great headline out of this event.

Remembering 9/11

My sister posted this on her blog, and I liked it enough to repost. Cool story.

Returning with Honor

So as to not sound like I'm just ranting all the time, I'll depart from recent topics for this episode.

As Jolayne mentioned, we took the kids to the Air Force Academy last weekend. Whenever visiting a base or seeing a display, I'm in awe at the power of the US military. It's not because of the size of the guns they carry; it's because of what they teach. They teach lessons that much of America seems to have forgotten. There's much wrong in the military, as everywhere. But there's still some things they teach that are spot on. At the academies especially, they teach you to become better than you are.

While at the visitors center, we came upon a display about the Honor Code. It's a simple code: We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.

For some reason, it was a powerful thing for me to read. It reminded me of the honor code while I was at BYU. At the time, I often resented certain implications of the big-brother nature that came with such a code. However, as I now look back, I'm grateful for such a code and what it represents. Integrity. Imagine how different our world would be if each leader in government, if each person in a position of trust, and if each person in a business were to abide by such a code. The power would be awesome.

We took a moment to teach our kids what it meant to have honor and integrity. Though we've spoken of these terms at home before, the kids quickly forget. I taught them the importance of being different from everyone else; of leading where others would rather follow, and of choosing the right even when no one knows. It was intensely rewarding to see the flicker in their eyes, and I knew that they knew; that for just for a second, they got it. (Then they went back to being normal kids.)

Another phrase we teach at my house is "Where much is given, much is required." We are so blessed in our society. Indeed, in my own life I am blessed with everything I need and much of what I want. I'm in the smallest fraction of minorities, when you consider all who have ever lived and the conditions of their lives. And yet I often find it easy to get ticked off about little things like recycled napkins, continuous feed toilet paper, and voice-prompted phone trees. It's easy to lose focus and to look beyond the mark. It's a problem for our whole society, and keeps us from being better than we are. It's a plague that causes us as a society to blame things on others and shirk responsibilities ourselves. After all, we see it in the news every day. Nothing is anyone's fault. Political agendas seem to rule each day's headlines, and often, simple actions are misinterpreted and laid out as something much more nefarious than originally intended. Nearly everything can be considered a conspiracy if we look hard enough.

So here's a challenge for America. Be better than you are. Stop blaming others for problems and find a way to do something instead of simply complaining. Create yourself an honor code and then commit to live by it. When you leave home each day, commit to return with honor and then act to do so. The outcome will be extraordinary.

And your children will notice.

Things That Bug...

Recycled Napkins. Have you ever noticed that they're more like plastic than paper and that all they really do is squish the goo you're trying to wipe all over? Are we really saving mother earth by using them? Since nearly all paper is grown from trees specifically grown for that purpose, I have trouble understanding how we're barreling towards certain Al-Goreian destruction by using real napkins.

Educate me, please.