I have a desk!

OK, I have a riddle: What do you get when you combine a generous grant from the Brent D. and Janet R. scholarship fund, 9 hours of assembly time that I did not have this weekend, a drill, hammer, and a couple of cuss words? A desk that I can actually feel like a student while sitting in front of, that's what! Check it out in all its majesty. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty confident that I'm a little bit smarter just for having it in my room



Having a desk means a couple of things for me:

1) I can finally unpack all of my stuff from the boxes its been sitting in since I sold my condo in May, 2005.
2) My fly tying stuff is back out in the open, where it rightfully belongs. Not that it will get used any more this year than it did last year, but it's the principle of it.
3) I had to unpack those boxes, and I was reminded what a sentimental pack rat I am. You wouldn't believe the stuff I found when I unpacked these boxes. Here's a sampling:
3a) My binder from Space Camp in Huntsvill, Alabama. Yes, I went to Space Camp approximately 16 years ago, and I still have the binder, a polaroid of me in a space suit, and the picture I took of a counselor there (I also got his autograph) because our counselor told us he was Mike Tyson. He didn't look a thing like Mike Tyson. The similarities were that he was black, and he had a gap in his teeth. Other than that, they didn't look a thing alike. But because I was very trusting at that age, and having grown up in Provo, could count the number of black people I had seen to that point in my life on my hands and feet, I thought, "Wow, the T.V. really does make people look different. After all, our counselor certainly wouldn't lie to us..." and took a picture of the dude and got his autograph.

3b) A regular sized cassette tape and a microcassette tape. I have no idea what is on these tapes, but I'm pretty sure I made them while I was a missionary. Because I no longer own a tape player, I can't find out what is on them, but for some reason, I can't make myself throw them away.

3c)About 8 old binocular lense cleaning rags. Hey, you never know when you might need 8 soft rags to clean optics.

3d) Speaker wall mounts for speakers I no longer own.

3e) TONS of letters people wrote me on my mission. Most of these are from people I haven't heard from since then, bt I still would feel rude if I threw them away.

The list goes on... Meanwhile, I'm still stuck with a ton of clutter, and a small apartment that seriously lacks closet space for putting such things. It's driving me crazy b/c I hate having lots of stuff filling up floor space. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and throw it all away, but you never know when someone might ask me a few questions about the space shuttle's solid rocket boosters, and I would hate to be without my only reference book on the subject.

Live Big.

I'm just not sure there's anything I can add to this.

Star Struck

So I was just up at Sundance to watch a concert. I was walking up to the ampitheater with my parents when I noticed Ben Stiller and his wife standing in front of us. We were trying to play it cool, because that's what we do in our family, and not stare, or act like gushing morons seeing a movie star for the first time. Or at least, I like to think that's the case. The truth of it is that we were trying to play it cool, but we all rubbernecked at one point or another. At one point, my dad turned around to look at them again, and then turned back around and said, "Huh. He's not that big of a guy, is he?" Nothing too bad about that I guess, except for the fact that I'm fairly confident that they heard him say it. Good one, dad. Good one.

It made me stop and think though. I'm glad I'm not a celebrity. Stuff like that would have to get old. I mean, I'm in the limelight enough as is for being unbelievably gorgeous. Imagine if I not only had that attention, but the attention of everyone wanting to look at me because I was a star, and not simply because I'm as good looking as I am. I just don't think I could handle it.


Believe me, when you look as good as this, life is much rougher than you might think.

Back in the U.S.A.

OK, so I totally loved Africa, but I was realizing the other day that it's good to be home. Here's a list of things I miss and don't miss.

Miss:
-Being the only white guy around.
-Getting to see incredible new places and things, and meeting new people.
-Having nothing to do and all day to do it while in a foreign country.
-Going on cool safaris every week.
-The people.
-Not having a cell phone in my pocket.
-All the incredible friends I made with the other students in the program.

Don't miss:
-Garbage burning in the streets everywhere.
-The lack of vehicle emissions standards.
-Being treated like I'm rich and stupid because I'm white.
-The crisis of conscience you get when you have a dirt-poor 9-year-old beg you for money, but you know that s/he'll just buy super glue to huff with any money you give him/her.
-Catty in-fighting between some of the girls in our program.
-Being on the other side of the world as my friends and family.
-Malaria medication.

So there you have it. Great to be back. I think it was the most fun summer I've ever had. I highly recommend going to a foreign country with a group of incredible people. --Particularly Kenya. If you get the chance, jump all over it.