Friday, December 10
Sunday, October 17
A Psalm on being Single
I was just going through some of my old songwriting notes from past years, and came across this short piece I must've written a long time ago. There are very few if any editing marks on it, and it was written in pen so either this is a final draft I rewrote (unlikely, since I don't have any other copies) or it just came to me like this.
After reading over it this evening a couple times I really felt like posting it, so just before I check out for the night I've booted up my computer to share this little bit of my life. I hope you all enjoy it.
Words like worms wriggle through my mind,
No sense, no rhythm, no rhyme.
Only feelings none could express,
A meaning so deep only God could confess.
A prayer like leaven rises within
A hope of heaven, and a fear of sin.
Glimmers of beauty and snatches of starlight
My mind is melancholy through lonely night.
Visions of valiance, high noble deeds
Shining white horses, great gallant steeds.
Some times I cry, others I laugh.
I wonder in amazement
I feel so simple, so lost inside;
Yet somehow everything turns aright
It haunts me like tantalus' curse --
I reach out, and yet hold back
I yearn for comfort, but lack courage
I seek companionship and still am shy
As if it were a knot, my life is strung
Every thread a life which through mine has come
All tied in, no root unrelated
So much that I feel dissipated.
After reading over it this evening a couple times I really felt like posting it, so just before I check out for the night I've booted up my computer to share this little bit of my life. I hope you all enjoy it.
Words like worms wriggle through my mind,
No sense, no rhythm, no rhyme.
Only feelings none could express,
A meaning so deep only God could confess.
A prayer like leaven rises within
A hope of heaven, and a fear of sin.
Glimmers of beauty and snatches of starlight
My mind is melancholy through lonely night.
Visions of valiance, high noble deeds
Shining white horses, great gallant steeds.
Some times I cry, others I laugh.
I wonder in amazement
I feel so simple, so lost inside;
Yet somehow everything turns aright
It haunts me like tantalus' curse --
I reach out, and yet hold back
I yearn for comfort, but lack courage
I seek companionship and still am shy
As if it were a knot, my life is strung
Every thread a life which through mine has come
All tied in, no root unrelated
So much that I feel dissipated.
Tuesday, September 7
Wednesday, July 14
The joys of life
Last night when I got to my car the remote didn't unlock the door. So I unlocked it with the key. When I turned the key in the ignition, nothing happened. Literally nothing, no lights came on, no needles fluttered, and the engine might as well have not been there. The Pearl was dead in the water, so to speak.
Thus begin my adventures for the week so far. I pushed the button on the wall and called up security, and they dispatched a truck to come jump my car. I was planning to go to the temple with friends, but wasn't sure if the car would start again. After driving home, showering (we had been playing basketball after work) and changing my faith was rewarded when the engine sputtered to life without issue. After the temple it started for a second time on it's own; I decided to tempt fate and stopped to fill my empty tank, and it started on its own power for a third time at the gas station on the way home.
Once home last night I got my things together so that this morning all I had to do was roll out of bed and shave, then I started the three mile bike ride to avoid the construction on my street to get to work. Once at work I logged my ride as a workout, then used the showers at the fitness center to clean up and get dressed for work.
Once ready I walked upstairs to the cafeteria across from my work area and ordered an omlette for breakfast and bought a minute maid orange juice to reward myself. I feel like He-man today.
Thus begin my adventures for the week so far. I pushed the button on the wall and called up security, and they dispatched a truck to come jump my car. I was planning to go to the temple with friends, but wasn't sure if the car would start again. After driving home, showering (we had been playing basketball after work) and changing my faith was rewarded when the engine sputtered to life without issue. After the temple it started for a second time on it's own; I decided to tempt fate and stopped to fill my empty tank, and it started on its own power for a third time at the gas station on the way home.
Once home last night I got my things together so that this morning all I had to do was roll out of bed and shave, then I started the three mile bike ride to avoid the construction on my street to get to work. Once at work I logged my ride as a workout, then used the showers at the fitness center to clean up and get dressed for work.
Once ready I walked upstairs to the cafeteria across from my work area and ordered an omlette for breakfast and bought a minute maid orange juice to reward myself. I feel like He-man today.
Thursday, July 1
Texas.
It just happens to be my new home.
The second largest state in the union both by geography and population (but let's be honest, it's the biggest truly inhabited state in the union) with a total of 268,601 square miles and 20,851,820 inhabitants as of 2000 (second only to California, but probably not for too much longer). Two presidents (Eisenhower and LBJ) were born here. The state motto is "Friendship," stemming from the original tribes of eastern Texas who called their collective nation "Tejas" meaning "those who are friends."
Dinosaurs that have been found in Texas include Acrocanthosaurus, Alamosaurus (no joke!), Brontopodus, Camptosaurus, Coelophysis, Deinonychus (my favorite), Dimetridon, Edmontosaurus, Hypsilophodon, Iguanodon, Kritosaurus, Megatherium, Orinthomimus, Panoplosaurus, Pawpawsaurus, Pluerocoelus (this is the state dinosaur), Protohadros byrdi, Quetzalcoatlus, Shuvosaurus, Stegoceras, Technosaurus (the nerdy species), Tenontosaurus, Texascetes (even dinosaurs had pride in this place), Torosaurus, and of course Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The state animals are the mockingbird, the Texas longhorn, Armadillo, free-tailed bat, monarch butterfly, Texas horned lizard, and the Guadalupe bass. The state shell is the lightning whelk. The state flowers and plants are the bluebonnet, prickly pear cactus, pecan tree, and chinese crepe myrtle. The state fruit is the grapefruit, the vegetable is the onion. The state fiber is cotton (which I am proudly wearing at this moment; probably you, too). The state grass is sideoats grama. The state stone is petrified palmwood and the state gem is the Texas blue topaz.
San Antonio itself was named after the Portuguese Saint Anthony by Spanish explorers (must have been before nationalism?) in 1691 and served as the capital city of Texas until sometime after the Mexican-American war. There are nine different sister cities to San Antonio, including two in Spain, two in Mexico, one in India, one in Japan, one in Taiwan, one in South Korea and one in Israel. One city in Germany is listed as an alliance city, but I'm not sure how the Germans could help San Antonio very well in the event that we needed an ally.
There are four military bases inside San Antonio, and one just outside the city (although with its aggressive annexation policies, it may one day be inside the city as well). About three-fourths of the city's area has been annexed since 1960. In effect there are no real suburbs, as any that did exist are now completely enveloped by the city limits and act as little island townships within the city. There are over 100,000 students and 31 higher-education facilities in the San Antonio area. San Antonio also boasts the most inexpensive public transit systems in the nation.
United Services Automobile Association (USAA) was founded in 1922 by military officers who were unable to procure insurance due to the perception that they were high risk. The company was one of the pioneers of direct marketing from the start, selling insurance directly to customers instead of working through agents. Headquartered in San Antonio, USAA operates five other offices in Phoenix, Tampa, Norfolk, Colorado Springs and Frankfurt. The main campus occupies 286 acres of a former horse farm with one of the largest single-occupancy buildings in the USA, rivaling the Willis Tower and the Pentagon. Technically the insurance arm of USAA is not a corporation, but rather an inter-insurance exchange, which allows it operate differently than almost any other Fortune 500 firm at Wall street. Also by working on this basis recently USAA lobbyists were able to push through an amendment to the Volker rule that allows the company to continue its unique operations. Also because of their unique member owned organization, the company returns unused profits to the insureds at year end, similar to dividends for stockholders.
Isn't it great what you can learn from the internet?
The second largest state in the union both by geography and population (but let's be honest, it's the biggest truly inhabited state in the union) with a total of 268,601 square miles and 20,851,820 inhabitants as of 2000 (second only to California, but probably not for too much longer). Two presidents (Eisenhower and LBJ) were born here. The state motto is "Friendship," stemming from the original tribes of eastern Texas who called their collective nation "Tejas" meaning "those who are friends."
Dinosaurs that have been found in Texas include Acrocanthosaurus, Alamosaurus (no joke!), Brontopodus, Camptosaurus, Coelophysis, Deinonychus (my favorite), Dimetridon, Edmontosaurus, Hypsilophodon, Iguanodon, Kritosaurus, Megatherium, Orinthomimus, Panoplosaurus, Pawpawsaurus, Pluerocoelus (this is the state dinosaur), Protohadros byrdi, Quetzalcoatlus, Shuvosaurus, Stegoceras, Technosaurus (the nerdy species), Tenontosaurus, Texascetes (even dinosaurs had pride in this place), Torosaurus, and of course Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The state animals are the mockingbird, the Texas longhorn, Armadillo, free-tailed bat, monarch butterfly, Texas horned lizard, and the Guadalupe bass. The state shell is the lightning whelk. The state flowers and plants are the bluebonnet, prickly pear cactus, pecan tree, and chinese crepe myrtle. The state fruit is the grapefruit, the vegetable is the onion. The state fiber is cotton (which I am proudly wearing at this moment; probably you, too). The state grass is sideoats grama. The state stone is petrified palmwood and the state gem is the Texas blue topaz.
San Antonio itself was named after the Portuguese Saint Anthony by Spanish explorers (must have been before nationalism?) in 1691 and served as the capital city of Texas until sometime after the Mexican-American war. There are nine different sister cities to San Antonio, including two in Spain, two in Mexico, one in India, one in Japan, one in Taiwan, one in South Korea and one in Israel. One city in Germany is listed as an alliance city, but I'm not sure how the Germans could help San Antonio very well in the event that we needed an ally.
There are four military bases inside San Antonio, and one just outside the city (although with its aggressive annexation policies, it may one day be inside the city as well). About three-fourths of the city's area has been annexed since 1960. In effect there are no real suburbs, as any that did exist are now completely enveloped by the city limits and act as little island townships within the city. There are over 100,000 students and 31 higher-education facilities in the San Antonio area. San Antonio also boasts the most inexpensive public transit systems in the nation.
United Services Automobile Association (USAA) was founded in 1922 by military officers who were unable to procure insurance due to the perception that they were high risk. The company was one of the pioneers of direct marketing from the start, selling insurance directly to customers instead of working through agents. Headquartered in San Antonio, USAA operates five other offices in Phoenix, Tampa, Norfolk, Colorado Springs and Frankfurt. The main campus occupies 286 acres of a former horse farm with one of the largest single-occupancy buildings in the USA, rivaling the Willis Tower and the Pentagon. Technically the insurance arm of USAA is not a corporation, but rather an inter-insurance exchange, which allows it operate differently than almost any other Fortune 500 firm at Wall street. Also by working on this basis recently USAA lobbyists were able to push through an amendment to the Volker rule that allows the company to continue its unique operations. Also because of their unique member owned organization, the company returns unused profits to the insureds at year end, similar to dividends for stockholders.
Isn't it great what you can learn from the internet?
Monday, May 24
I have problems with authority
Apparently I have too much respect for it.
This last week I was in San Francisco for the Google IO developers' conference at the Moscone Center West. It was tons of fun, super nerdy and pretty much everything I hoped it would be; but that's a different story.
Instead, today's look into the life of B-Rob comes from his voyage out to San Francisco. You see, instead of fly (boring!) and then have to find my way around the peninsula relying on other people for transport and so on, I decided to drive. This last Monday I was chugging along through the Reno Nevada area on the phone with Mom and Dad, when suddenly I noticed a police marked SUV hovering around me. Naturally he started making me nervous.
To make a long story short, he pulled me over for "following too closely, changing lanes without using a turn signal, and weaving within my lane." He also mentioned that he didn't get me on radar, but had a feeling I was going too fast. Good thing they can't give out tickets based on their feelings. He said he was going to let me off with a warning this time (third time in my life I've been pulled over, and I still haven't been ticketed).
He couldn't get over the fact that I was nervous for some reason, though. I suppose I look like suspicious when I don't shave or something. He wanted to ask some more questions, and so I obliged. The conversation went something like this:
"Why are you going to San Francisco?"
"I'm going to a developers' conference for google."
"Where will you be staying?"
"With my cousins in San Jose."
"Are you carrying anything for anyone?"
"Well, yes...I guess I am, I am helping a friend of mine that is attending the conference move some stuff because he's starting a job in Sacramento and didn't have room in his car for it."
"Do you have anything illegal in your car?"
"No, (of course not, I think, I'm a mormon boy). "You can search it if you really want."
"Are you volunteering?"
If you're asking, yes. "If you want."
Then he handed me a form to sign, and I started filling it out right there. "Did you read it?" Why do I care? I didn't do anything wrong. "Oh, ok, well let's see...looks good." Signed. Then he made me stand a good 50 feet away while he went through my trunk and pulled out all my friend's baggage, hangers, clothing, and other odds and ends. After about five minutes he seemed satisfied and told me not to be so nervous, that he thought I looked like I should be in trouble. I told him I'd probably take a break there in Reno for a bit, get some gas, then head back out onto the road.
So ends my latest encounter with law enforcement. I'm not sure what to take away from the experience, honestly. Am I not supposed to be scared of being pulled over? I guess I have too much of a criminal look; hopefully I never get framed.
This last week I was in San Francisco for the Google IO developers' conference at the Moscone Center West. It was tons of fun, super nerdy and pretty much everything I hoped it would be; but that's a different story.
Instead, today's look into the life of B-Rob comes from his voyage out to San Francisco. You see, instead of fly (boring!) and then have to find my way around the peninsula relying on other people for transport and so on, I decided to drive. This last Monday I was chugging along through the Reno Nevada area on the phone with Mom and Dad, when suddenly I noticed a police marked SUV hovering around me. Naturally he started making me nervous.
To make a long story short, he pulled me over for "following too closely, changing lanes without using a turn signal, and weaving within my lane." He also mentioned that he didn't get me on radar, but had a feeling I was going too fast. Good thing they can't give out tickets based on their feelings. He said he was going to let me off with a warning this time (third time in my life I've been pulled over, and I still haven't been ticketed).
He couldn't get over the fact that I was nervous for some reason, though. I suppose I look like suspicious when I don't shave or something. He wanted to ask some more questions, and so I obliged. The conversation went something like this:
"Why are you going to San Francisco?"
"I'm going to a developers' conference for google."
"Where will you be staying?"
"With my cousins in San Jose."
"Are you carrying anything for anyone?"
"Well, yes...I guess I am, I am helping a friend of mine that is attending the conference move some stuff because he's starting a job in Sacramento and didn't have room in his car for it."
"Do you have anything illegal in your car?"
"No, (of course not, I think, I'm a mormon boy). "You can search it if you really want."
"Are you volunteering?"
If you're asking, yes. "If you want."
Then he handed me a form to sign, and I started filling it out right there. "Did you read it?" Why do I care? I didn't do anything wrong. "Oh, ok, well let's see...looks good." Signed. Then he made me stand a good 50 feet away while he went through my trunk and pulled out all my friend's baggage, hangers, clothing, and other odds and ends. After about five minutes he seemed satisfied and told me not to be so nervous, that he thought I looked like I should be in trouble. I told him I'd probably take a break there in Reno for a bit, get some gas, then head back out onto the road.
So ends my latest encounter with law enforcement. I'm not sure what to take away from the experience, honestly. Am I not supposed to be scared of being pulled over? I guess I have too much of a criminal look; hopefully I never get framed.
Friday, May 14
There's a new guy at work now.
He's here to replace me, since today is my last day at work here in Provo. Based on the following chat from yesterday, I think he'll do fine:
Conversation with Drew - 257 on 5/13/2010 3:41:05 PM:
(3:41:07 PM) Me: hi dres
(3:41:10 PM) Me: *drew
(3:41:10 PM) Drew: dres?
(3:41:12 PM) Drew: Gotcha
(3:41:15 PM) Drew: I am so offended
(3:41:20 PM) Me: fine, I quite
(3:41:22 PM) Me: *quit
(3:41:32 PM) Drew: You can't quit...
(3:41:34 PM) Drew: YOU'RE FIRED
(3:41:43 PM) Me: you don't have that authority
(3:41:48 PM) Me: ...yet
(3:41:51 PM) Drew: Brian asked me to tell you
(3:42:01 PM) Me: hey, just fyi, your pants are on fire
Conversation with Drew - 257 on 5/13/2010 3:41:05 PM:
(3:41:07 PM) Me: hi dres
(3:41:10 PM) Me: *drew
(3:41:10 PM) Drew: dres?
(3:41:12 PM) Drew: Gotcha
(3:41:15 PM) Drew: I am so offended
(3:41:20 PM) Me: fine, I quite
(3:41:22 PM) Me: *quit
(3:41:32 PM) Drew: You can't quit...
(3:41:34 PM) Drew: YOU'RE FIRED
(3:41:43 PM) Me: you don't have that authority
(3:41:48 PM) Me: ...yet
(3:41:51 PM) Drew: Brian asked me to tell you
(3:42:01 PM) Me: hey, just fyi, your pants are on fire
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