Joe Strikes Again

Well, I thought that Obama was keeping Joe Biden on a tight leash with all of the gaffes that he is prone to make, but in the past couple of weeks they have let him loose. This is one of the best ones ever, right up there with the Stand Up Chuck moment. The Irish Prime Minister was visiting and Joe pronounced a blessing on his late mother, who was actually still alive. God bless your soul Joe!



Then at the "historic" signing of Obamacare Joe apparently forgot that he was at the microphone when he dropped the F-Bomb to the President of the United States. "This is an #@*!ing big deal." Man first he threatens him with his Beretta, now he is cursing at him. Anyway, I think he actually meant to say that Obama care is actually a "#@*!ing" raw deal. It puts us on a slippery slope towards universal health care, which sucks by the way. The best thing is that before the major changes take place three years from now, we'll still be paying taxes until then to fund. Do you actually think that Congress is going to hold onto that money until then?

Purim

So today was Purim, the Jewish holiday honoring Ester, and Owen and I decided that we should celebrate. Nothing says a Jewish holiday like gravy and biscuits. We made this potato soup last week with our friend Amy. We had some left over and Owen thought that it would make a good gravy. I had biscuits and we went to town. It was so amazingly good. I was pleasantly surprised. Best of all, it was kosher!

What Would Jimmer Do?

This week has been absolutely crazy. I had two papers due, a ton of reading, a film log due and thank heavens I only had one midterm instead of two (thank you Dr. Hudson who allowed the group one writing group members to take their test next week. That was an answer to a silent prayer), plus work as well. By the time I got to Thursday I was ready for a break/celebration. Coincidently, Jimmer Fredette’s birthday fell on the same day. Needless to say I made a cake to honor that amazing basketball player.



“WWJD,” contrary to popular belief actually stands for What would Jimmer do? So, I had some friends over and we even sang to him, even though he wasn’t here. I’m sure he was here in spirit though. Then we spent the rest of the time visiting with friends. It was a jolly old time! But I think we all could benefit by asking ourselves this question, especially when we are in a tough spot. What would Jimmer Do? He would take the ball and score. We need to do the same when life throws us the basket. Let’s follow Jimmer’s example and when life hands us the basketball, let’s take it to the basket!

Valentine's Day

So this Valentine’s Day weekend was actually a pretty sociable one for me. Friday night I went with a bunch of friends to see “Valentine’s Day.” It was really good. I was surprised at how funny it actually was. It had a really good plot too. I highly recommend it. Then on Saturday I went the BYU Basketball gave with Savannah. It was kind of boring because we ended up beating Air Force by like forty points (I hope they do better once they get on the battlefield!). Anyway, the highlight was probably when they did the BYU Idol where they have two people sing a song in front of everyone. The first guy was really good. The second guy prefaced his attempt with “I’m Sorry.” He was pretty bad. He didn’t even know the words. But to make up for he unzipped his jacket which revealed an “I hate the U” t-shirt which was awesome. Oh, and I’m found this really cool shirt which I am so tempted to buy.


Then in the evening, we went to our stake dance. It was a lot of fun. Good times with good friends and doughnuts. I’ve got a busy couple of weeks ahead. Hopefully I can get ahead on President’s Day.

In-N-Out

So the new semester has started and things are going. My classes are good and I officially start my internship on Monday so that should be a lot of fun. It was nice to make it to the weekend so I could take a deep breath and figure out what I need to get done. Friday evening we went over to the Honey Shack in the new “red light” district of Provo and played games with Savannah and Melissa. We had a lot of fun, which included calling a Chuck E. Cheese in Hawaii. We now know what the E stands for though. Becky came home smelling like Outback which was a nice treat. K-Money also stopped by and told us about the crazy people that come into the Provo Marriott.

Saturday found me doing a lot of reading and laundry. I did get to use my new drying rack that I got for my birthday. It is really nice and durable. Thanks a lot parents!


Then right before diner time Owen suggested that we go out and get something to eat. I was so grateful he made that suggestion. I still really don’t have anything to eat because when I went food shopping I thought that I had a lot more things than I really did have. So, we decided to go to “In-N-Out.” For those of you not from the west, In-N-Out is a burger place that has its origins in California. For years, all that I’ve heard about from Californians is how good In-N-Out is. Ever since it opened in Provo, it has been extremely crowded. I even wore flip flops in honor of the occasion.


Us waiting in line. It actually didn’t take that long. I guess that is why they call it In-N-Out. They really did move people in and out.


A double-double. It was really good. The fries are made from fresh potatoes at the restaurant. You can actually see the guy slicing them in the back.


Steven devouring his hamburger.


Owen enjoying his double-double.


Me enjoying a shake.


It was a good cultural experience. Now I know what all the Californians are raving about. Give it a try if you get a chance. I also got to see the Cougars in action at the Marriott this week. They beat UNLV at home and UTEP on the road. They are now ranked 25/23 in the nation. Props to them. Oh, Jimmer is sick. In what was first strep throat, then the flu, has now become mononucleosis. I hope he gets better soon. We’re praying for you Jimmer!

I Love Me Some Potatoes

So the semester is coming to a close. Finals are making everyone crazy. Everyone is ready to be done with this semester. This time of the year makes it the perfect time for some comic relief. Thuy is a great source of humor. Everything she says makes me laugh. She has theories about marriage, dating people in the ward and Facebook. She is pretty much a genius. She also has funny jokes/stories. One such story involves a potato and a certain body part that we don't need to mention here. Anyway, we have a lot of potatoes that need to be eaten lying around the apartment. So, Owen decided to carve a potato for Thuy. It said "Merry Christmas Thuy." She really enjoyed it. We had a nice chat too and even learned how to speak some Vietnamese. Did somebody say Geico? Well, finals are almost over. Owen leaves today. How sad! Only another day for me!

The Holy War 2009

The end of the football season means war in Utah. HOLY WAR that is. The rivalry between the University of Utah and BYU is like no other. There are so many competition it is not even funny. Blood drives, food drives, even ice cream eating competitions. It’s nice to know that even with all the bitter feelings some good things come out of it all. The battle began at three in the afternoon. There was even a U of U fan that dressed up as the Pope, which I thought was actually pretty creative. Anyway, it was a hard fought battle till the bitter end. We had this cool guy sitting in front of us giving us commentary the whole time. The best was when he announced that it was time for the Cougars to stick a dagger into the hearts of our fellow Utes. Figuratively speaking of course. In what was looking to be a repeat of our Freshmen Year, when the Cougars lost to the Utes in overtime, the dagger finally came on a pass to number 88, who ran it into the end zone in overtime to secure a victory for the Cougars.


At the end, all of the fans joined in the spoils of victory. It was so intense. I have never seen a field stormed before in person. It was pretty cool A momentous occasion and victory for BYU. I will certainly never forget it and neither will the Utes.


Max Hall continued the battle off of the field. He wasn’t shy about his feelings concerning the Utes. “I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, I hate their fans, I hate everything. So it felt really good to send those guys home," Hall continued. "They didn't deserve it. It was our turn, and our turn to win. We deserved it. We played as hard as we could tonight. And it felt really good, again, to send them home, to get them out of here, and so it is a game I will always remember. I think the whole university, their fans and their organization is classless. They threw beer on my family and stuff last year, and they did a whole bunch of nasty things, and I don't respect them, and they deserved to lose.” All I have to say is that if the shoe fits wear it.