Amazing Walkthrough

Yeah me either but hey, I am gonna try this again. Really I am. Probably talk about work, tv, church, and family fun. Enjoy the stuff, and feel free to bug me if you don’t see a post here now and again okay?

This weekend is Blizzcon which is a huge convention in southern California. It is all about my favorite video game company out there Blizzard. While I don’t put ALL that much about video games in here (as opposed to what I could put), this weekend could be different. I have Friday off work for this conference.

So to be nice, I will tag anything about this convention, #Blizzcon so any of the disinterested can just skip that post.

But then again, Ozzy Osborne is performing at the closing event Saturday night, so maybe it might bring some of you back to it again… haha.

Recently in an unfortunate stressful time, I squeezed my iPod on both sides of the case. I didn’t mean to affect anything.

Suddenly my iPod showed the frowny face of DOOM! It no longer worked. I had lost it all. Slowly, I started to lose my sense of calm. My peace was threatened. I found other solutions for some respite, but I had lost my control! I tried using Kayla’s mp3 player that she had lost and I had found and was holding onto until I felt she was more responsible for it, but it was so frustrating not having the control or my favorite music, or the playlists I had created.

Through a very generous gift of a friend, I recently got a replacement iPod for a time period. Ah the joys of controlling the music again. Makes me almost wish I was a DJ/KJ again. Sure I never had the cool name (my radio name was Matt the DJ but no one made the connection) or the hip hop style, but I had some of the more packed shows and less chatter as I understood the true art of a cross fade, and the beats per minute to match styles to get more music in. I think I got all A’s in my radio classes. Not that it wasn’t expected (most people called it a cruisin class but I enjoyed it).

So today and for the last few days, I have been rocking out to artists such as Blake Lewis (wow did the human beat box got tired quickly didn’t it?), the soundtrack to Wicked and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Take 6, and realizing just how much of an Apple iPod fan boi I have become. Long live the iPod… Living without it just isn’t the same.

Today is the first day of the rest of her life.

Today, my five year old, begins her next 13 year journey and beyond. Sadly, I am going to be at work today and so I won’t watch her take those steps. I didn’t really realize how much I will miss this moment. She seemed so excited last night as we walked through the halls she will spend her next few years in. She was singing and smiling. “I am going to Kindergarten tomorrow and I can’t wait.” Even as we went to grab some last minute school supplies, my heart strings were being plucked. She is a royal princess and tries every chance she can to show that to us.

The ten year old also starts her own journey today in going to Middle School. I suppose it isn’t quite as momentous occasion for her but she is growing up in my mind and I see that as a wonder for her. I also realize that my shotgun collection is SEVERELY lacking in the fact that she will ask soon to be able to go to a dance or some other socially awkward event which I will clearly have to dress up and “chaperon” which to means, keep a dictionary size gap between my daughter and any “dancer”. Not one of these flimsy school edition of the dictionary either… One of the Ye Olde English Proper English Dictionary which is at least 12 inches wide…

I know that Nancy and I can’t afford any more ankle biters right now, but I can’t help wanting one more. Now before Anne, MJ, H, Mo, Bridget, or any others in my illustrious readership start calling Nancy and making plans, keep in mind that wanting is often VERY different than planning. Many times it takes a hard slap of reality to show us that plans are much better investigated than depended upon. A recent attempt to look at getting more value out of our home has proven just how folly hoping for one plan and the reality of it (WHO THE HECK SELLS A HOME IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD FOR $69,000????) are completely independent.

I suppose the real victory in both of the kids being back in school is that it means that Nancy and I get at least one hour a day together without the kids. Holy pooh! I don’t know what I will do with that much peace and quiet.

Although it scares the poop out of my kids and pets, I gotta go with Eddie Rabbit on this one:
“I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT!”

Driving this morning to work in a pitch black night and having the rain come pouring down, just made my morning.

I read Mormon Times an awful lot. I enjoy most of their blogs and articles. I can read their articles while explaining a concept to a customer for the fourth or fifth time. They are fairly quick and yet, they give me a positive lift and a quick smile.

Today’s Orson Scott Card article, “Everyone Needs a Buddy“, shows again how he can tell a story so well and still teach a lesson. I will leave it up to you to read the article but rest assured, I will be calling the Elders quorum presidency or shooting an email to confirm who’s arm I need to be raising when the Bishop blows that window one Sunday.

• @likwidtek Nice! First iPhone? in reply to likwidtek #
• @QuiGonJinn Verdict? in reply to QuiGonJinn #
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• Whoops… TweetCraft is cool but… um … don't know if I like all of it. Sorry for that spam… #
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• @PrissyCook Heavens I hope there is more than just that… If not, you have some prison history apparently I didn't know of. in reply to PrissyCook #
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• @QuiGonJinn who?? Dm me in reply to QuiGonJinn #
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Each spring and summer, I get this desire to move to Utah. In light of some recent events, I have really wanted to get motivated to get it done, but since we just got the garage in and got a brick wall in to replace our old failing wood fence, I don’t see us moving soon.

That said, I heard a song this morning that made me remember a trip to Utah this last year. We went up there for Grandma’s funeral. It was a sad event of course, but it was a chance for Kayla and Sydney to play in the snow and was a blast to them. I then fell into a bit of a daydream.

I was imagining a day where the snow was falling. We had a fire in the fireplace. The afternoon sun was beginning to set. Nancy and I were standing at the back wall of the house looking out the bay window and doors, with my arms wrapped around her while she sips a cup of hot chocolate. The fireplace on the left crackling with a fire, and the children are in the backyard building snowmen and having a snowball fight. In the background, The Blenders quietly sing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and the smell of ham cooking in the oven fills the house.

I suppose I should hear conversations or have more to the dream, but it is an image I can’t get out of my mind. Even when my first Christmas in the snow was spent nearly alone (I was in the Navy and in training), it was still somewhat magical to see the snow and realize why Irving Berlin was dreaming of and why he was dreaming of it.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love wearing shorts Christmas morning. I love not needing a jacket in the afternoon, but there is an essence of the season that is missing here in Arizona. Yes, I could get much the same feeling by going north an hour or two and playing in the snow, but it wouldn’t be the same to me.

Also my family lives in both places. Nancy’s family here in the Valley. Mine lives in the Wasatch Valley (or nearby). We have been in the Valley for the past 7 years. Even now, in June, not being in the 100+ weather (well only for a few hours each day), is somehow making Phoenix seem less brutal (yes, I know, July and August are coming soon enough).

But somehow, that daydream keeps running through my head. It is a dream, but someday… somehow, I want to make it a reality.