Blaque Sheep Inc.

Parry and Riposte

2011-04-27T12:14:00.000-06:00

A good new friend of mine was sick yesterday. She had a cold of some sorts. I went over to cheer her up and give her some company. I believe fully the best way to get over sickness is with laughter. I brought Tuberculosis (my 1.5 TB hard drive) over so she could relax and watch a couple of movies. I gave her Princess Bride (perfect for the sick seeing that Fred Savage is sick in the movie) and Labyrinth. Turns out they weren't really needed, cuz she came with me to Fencing practice.

Before leaving for the practice, our other friend that lives there came out to chat. She has been having some tough guy issues and I love to hear them. Turns out by doing so I keep learning more and more about how girls are. I know that each is different in their own way, but I found a similarity, last night, that has been common with all of my past interests. So this is what I learned:

I'm the kind of person that loves to hear what happened. you ask any of my ex girlfriends and they will tell you that I have made some sort of contact after we broke up and got answers to what happened and why. This is good marketing, I mean that the best person to learn from about how you are doing is the person walking out the front door. Why did they leave? But I digress. With that explanation for me, you must understand how I am after a break-up. I want to stay friends... unless you're psycho, then I want nothing to do with you. But for the most part, I liked you for a reason and I want to keep that good part in my life. To get over you, I don't want to go, I just need a redirection. I will still hang out, but just not that often. Now, a lot of the girls I have dated are the opposite. They need a break. They need to cut me out completely. At lease for a time. They need space to contemplate and get over me.

Now this is not all that I learned. The realization of those facts made me realize that I had been pushing my way of coping with a break-up onto those in which the parting happened. For instance, lately I have been really upset at my best friend because she needed to take time away from me. I wanted to keep in constant contact and talk about it. This isn't the way she does things. She was also getting mad at me for not wanting space to get over her. So we were both mad at the other, because the other person wasn't coping the way we thought they should. PLUS getting more upset for not allowing the other to cope the way they needed. I hope that makes sense, if not, here's the dumbed down version.

I wanted to talk about it and figure it out. She wanted to take a break. She expected, since that's the way she takes care of the relationship that I should be doing the same. I get upset because she's not allowing me to talk about it and I'm getting more upset because I feel the best way for her to take care of this relationship is to talk about it. And now she get's upset because I'm forcing my ways on her. Then she gets even more mad for not giving her the space she needs. So it spirals into an even worse situation and at that point a strong love which used to be there turns into a lack of trust, to a lack of compassion, to a lack of love that turns to hate!

So who bends? How do you solve this dilemma? How can both be satisfied?

The Challenge!

2011-04-26T12:31:00.001-06:00

Like I mentioned before this "challenge" really isn't going to be challenging. It's only going to take a bit of time out of your day. All you have to do is read a simple, short thing called a scroll. Here it is in the words of the Author, Og Mandino:

I will read each scroll for thirty days in this prescribed manner, before I proceed to the next scroll. First, I will read the words in silence when I arise. Then I will read the words in silence after I partake in my midday meal. Last, I will read the words again just as I retire at the day’s end, and most important, on this occasion I will read the words aloud. On the next day I will repeat this procedure, and I will continue in a like manner for thirty days. Then I will turn, to the next scroll and repeat this procedure for another thirty days. I will continue in this manner until I have lived with each scroll for 30 days and my reading has become a habit.

This only lasts for 10 months. One scroll for 30 days and there are ten scrolls. The first one is the longest so it gets easier from that point on. To help you out, I even made a fun way to do this. I made Scroll Cards.

Scroll Cards

Go ahead and download it.

Okay, the font is really tiny. The first scroll is 4pt font and the rest are 5. If you wish to download and use the bigger versions feel free. Here are the scrolls in PDF form:

Scroll 1
Scroll 2
Scroll 3
Scroll 4
Scroll 5
Scroll 6
Scroll 7
Scroll 8
Scroll 9
Scroll 10

I was trying to find the interview with Matthew McConaughey, where he describes his transformation by taking this challenge. He was studying to be a Lawyer in Texas when he read, "The Greatest Salesman in the World" (from which the scrolls are taken), and realized his love for acting was stronger than being a lawyer.

Each 30 days we'll all move on to the next scroll. I'm starting on May 1st. I would love for you to join me. We even have a facebook group and event. Join us and reach your dreams!

Buy the book by Og Mandino: The Greatest Salesman in the World

May Day!

2011-04-22T10:44:00.001-06:00

Can you believe we are almost over a third of the way through with 2011? On May 1st we will be. So how are you New Year's Resolutions going? I can honestly say that one of mine is going very strongly. I have slipped a few times, but that's okay. I don't beat myself up over it. If I did, I would have a broken rib and be missing an eye. ;)

I love May 1st. It's a great day to see if your goals are in check. As Dieter F. Uchtdorf would probably insert some great aviation metaphor for the use of the term "May Day," I will let you see the correlation. In my next post I am going to issue a challenge. It's going to take you 10 months to complete. It's going to take 1500 minutes of your life. That's 25 hours. That's a little over a full day. But would you be willing to spend a full day to see a change in every day after? Would you be willing to sacrifice a mere 5 minutes a day for ten months to reach your dreams for the rest of your life? The time is now to start a challenge and save your life. It's a May Day.

Not only is May 1st May Day and the first of the month, it also happens to land on a Sunday. I love it when this happens. I love goals and challenges that start on the same day as the beginning of something. And this one is Month and Week.

Are you excited to hear the challenge? I will provide you with almost everything you need to make it possible. There will be a few things you need to do on your end... like the work. But as I mentioned before. It only takes a little bit of time. And I mean a little bit.

So who wants to take the challenge with me? Comment below or on the Facebook post to this post.

Singles Beware

2011-04-20T12:43:00.001-06:00

Being single again has opened my eyes to a strange new world. Dating sites! I'm going to go on a quick gripe here. I stick with a few sites and have found some things that bug me. These are things girls do. I'd gripe about guys, but I don't look at their profiles and I don't care.

#1 Pictures of you and your niece. Really? I don't care about you holding on to your sister's baby. It kinda makes you look baby hungry. (You may be, but it doesn't need to be displayed)

#2 "I'm shy at first, but once you get to know me..." Can we as a community shorten this all too common phrase? ISAFBOYGTKM Or something more clever.

#3 Low Res or far shots. If your picture is taken by a 0.3 Megapixel Webcam, don't upload it. If it's a picture of you standing on the Space Needle, but taken from the ground... I don't care! If your picture is of nothing. Really like a building in Italy. Wow, really? You went there? Good for you. Don't care. This is a first impression. Even if you photo is washed out or something, go to http://www.aviary.com/ and fix it for free!

#4 Poor spelling or text talk. no. No! NO! Don't do it. As for me and my house, we use proper English! I will excuse you if you are from a foreign country to an extent. There is translate.google.com for a reason people. Grammar might be off a bit, but the spelling won't be and you'll be able to get the you're/your or their/there/they're correct!

#5 Captions: Make them useful. This goes back to the kid thing. holding a kid and no caption, I start to wonder if you lied. I'm not being judgmental. Make sure IF you have a picture of you and someone else, specify who you are and explain what you are doing. Not just, "Clair and I" That goes back to the grammar thing. I what? I What? you are subjects to an unknown sentence. You should at least put "Me."

Here are some tips for better pictures on Singles sites.

#1 Full body shot. C'mon, let's face it, guys are interested in looks. And be honest with yourself, if you aren't attracted to the person, do you even go to view their profile? Didn't think so. So get a full body shot or at least something that can prove you have all of your limbs intact.

#2 Halloween: Show what you were for Halloween. This speaks volumes about your character.

#3 Hobbies: Another option to speak volumes about yourself and shows what you love to do. Don't forget good captions.

#4 If you can afford it, or even do this. Go to a professional photographer. Have them take three pictures of you. You pick the ones you like. Have them host the pictures on their facebook page and tag yourself. This is free advertising for them and it doesn't take too much time. And you get a picture you can use. It will have their watermark on it, but that's okay!

Here you go. I hope you enjoyed my rant! Get going!

Self Aware

2011-04-20T11:59:00.000-06:00

My good friend Kylee said it best, "You have so much love to give, you need to find the right person to share it with." I have been realizing a major flaw in my character. I love to love. I love to be able to share my attention to certain people. As long as they are respondent to it in a positive manner, I will give it freely. I love to give my time, my energy and my talents to help them be happy and smile. How is this a flaw, you ask? Well I sometimes... ok most of the time, lower standards or rather change who I am just to be able to fulfill this NEED. I will go into a relationship with someone, even if we aren't completely compatible just so I can give love. Most of the time the standards I talk about are small things that I know I need. I've been realizing I need someone with decent motor skills. If it takes you too long to do a puzzle because you have the right piece and you can't seems to put it right side up... Good bye. I need someone comfortable on the phone. I miss talking on the phone till 3 am or even all night long. I need someone who isn't afraid of technology. I don't need them to be a computer engineer, but a bit of a tech savvy would be nice. Although I do love to feel like I can help when it comes to fixing your computer problems. Things like the list above I will put on hold, but when it comes down to it, if those weren't there, over time I would go insane.

Just recently I overheard a guy talking about his marriage. He was asked if he went to parties. His reply killed me, "Oh I'm married, we don't do things like that!" I was shocked. What does marriage have to do with going to parties and having fun? Screw that! I'm going to go to rock concerts, plays, movies, parties, and do adventurous stuff. I hate staying at home. Sure I love being on a computer, but seriously, I need to go for a hike. Take me shopping. Let's explore the neighborhood. I remember one Christmas with my ex-in-laws. They stayed home and watched TV. Lucky for me I had my computer, but after two days of that I had Cabin Fever. I grabbed a phone book and ran around the town looking at Pawn Shops. No, I wasn't in the country. I wasn't secluded to a mountain side. I wasn't trapped on a boat in the Pacific somewhere... I was in Tucson, AZ. I bigger city than I grew up in. There is tons to do and see.

I have made a list of things I will never compromise on ever again. I know it will end up in a broken heart if I do. Know who you are and what you stand for!

Fingertips

2011-03-24T13:56:00.002-06:00

Lately I've been writing a bunch of little song bits. they don't have any other parts to them, they are just a chorus or a few lines. They sound really cool and if I were more talented I could make them into full fledged songs. My first one was written a while back actually about being in the friend zone. I thought it was so clever and it got to use the name of a girl I once liked. Maybe I'll add the sound clips later but until then I'll give you the lyrics only.

Merrily-Go-Round

I'm on a Merrily-go-Round

Round and round I go

I'm on a Merrily-Go-Round

When I stop, nobody knows

The next one was a ditty about how I felt when I left the College program and a friend I had to part with. This one for some reason came with a strong Depeche Mode feel to it.

The Lift Doors

The lift doors shut

And severed a line

The lift doors shut

And crushed me behind

They took my heart

And plummeted down

The lift doors shut

And She left town

Clip for "The Lift Doors" can be found at http://twaud.io/qM3Q

After that one I found myself being influenced by Adam Young and realizing I love lyrics that have a fun play on words or are just fun ways of looking at things. This first one came as I was looking at an ant in a snow storm. The second came from how I feel bad for the worms that come out in the rain and then get dried to death in the sun afterwards. Sad but it got me thinking about love.

Snowflakes

If snowflakes caused earthquakes

Then Idaho would be the place to go

To catch a wave of some seismic activity

Love like Rain

If your love fell

Down like a summer rain,

Then I would bask

Like worms on cement terrain.

I've been having a hell of a time staying friends with a girl in California. We've been having difficulty communicating, but no matter what happens we both want us to stay friends. We have such a thick past that it's hard to just let it dissolve so I wrote this next one.

Best Friend

You are my best friend

We'll stick it out to the bitter end

I won't leave so easily

I need you right next to me

Clip for "Best Friend" can be found at http://twaud.io/qLLG

So last night I found myself biking around and came up with latest one. It's got a bit of a Violent Femmes feel to it.

Life's Too Short

Life's too short

Not to have some fun

You gotta make the most

When you're with someone

It's true

Somebody like you-hoo

I love writing these bits of songs and I'm currently working on one about how a girl just can't listen and how she's either constantly talking or she's thinking about what she wants to say while I'm talking. It's going to be called, "You're not listening" We'll see if I can get something out.

For those wondering about the title of this post. Fingertips comes from the few songs found on the They Might Be Giants album Apollo 18 where they had a bunch of songs that they created but they would just stop. No other intentions to make them whole. So these have been my fingertips. Maybe someday I can make a whole hand.

Does anyone else do this?

A...C....H....PHLEGM!

2011-03-15T12:34:00.000-06:00

I Kill You! I have this cough. What's ultimately more annoying is that my flat mate has the same cough, but his is chronic. It never goes away, so now we have coughversations. I'm almost done, but this is getting ridiculous. Luckily no one is at work today to hear my spitting all my phlegm into the trash.

I'm hoping it's officially gone by tonight or Thursday. We have some practicing that needs to happen. Here's the skinny. Bob, Mike, Blake and me have joined forces to create Bright Undertones, a barbershop quartet. Well we got invited to Burley, ID, to perform in a show. We accepted and got all excited. Another group also accepted and so they said we weren't needed. Then the other group backed out and now we're back on and will be performing this Saturday in our musical debut show. Our song line-up will be the following songs:

It's a Brand New Day
Only You
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
Heart of My Heart
Irish Blessing

We don't have a logo yet. I was trying to think of one on Sunday. Nor do we have a group shot. We do have a name and that makes us official.

As for our Chorus (The Rexburg Carousel Chorus) I've got to fix the logo here to an illustrator file and find ways to boost participation and membership. We are incredibly lacking. We got a few new kids and that has been awesome, but we need more. If you have any ideas, feel free to comment below.

Well Peace Out. I hope things get better in Japan. I really want to visit there someday.

Happy Fat Tuesday!

2011-03-08T13:02:00.001-07:00

Today I am a bit under the weather. I would love to answer people when they ask me how I am, "I'm way above the weather!" There are so many words and phrases in English that the opposite just don't make sense. Like for instance, if you are retarded, does that mean you've been tarded before? you don't hear too many people being underwhelmed. (but see that my computer didn't underline the word, it must exist.

Anyway, Mardi Gras is happening at New Orleans today. This mean Fasnacht is coming right around the corner. Oh you haven't heard of Fasnacht? It's super fun and shows how amazing Switzerland is at cleaning their streets. After the parades that go for three days, the streets are covered with Confetti. At least an inch thick in places. I would hate to see what happens if it rained. But, not to worry, the Swiss would have that cleaned up by the next day and you would never even know there was a party there. No joke. Not a single little piece of confetti can be found until next year.

This is me at Fasnacht 2000

Ok folks, this picture reminds me something I want to teach you about photography. Pull out any picture you have that was professionally taken. Where is your head in the picture? It's right smack dab in the middle of the picture, right? Loads of back-drop above you, they cut you off right at a joint or at the belly button, right? (This is sarcasm for those that can't read it, like I can't at times) The above picture was taken by a friend of mine in Switzerland. Our heads are in the middle of the shot. As much as I love the skull in the background, that wasn't the main focus. I was! In this case the picture should have been taken vertically and shown the other guy's full costume. Take a second while you're asking them to smile, to frame up the picture. Is the background important? If it is, back up or get a different angle. If it's not, fill that picture with the true subject. Here's another example of what not to do...

I blame myself for this one. I set up the camera with a timer. But aren't you glad you see we were conserving energy by using only a few lights? I didn't think so. I know that most older cameras had a center focus and you wanted to make sure the face was in focus, but that's old technology. Most digital cameras have face recognition or at least people's belt should be somewhere near the same vertical plane as the nose. You can easily focus on the chest or lower with the same clarity.

If space had allotted me more space to back up, I would have had their hands in this shot, but I'm not cutting out anyone. The action is right where it needs to be, hardly any "dead space".

this was spur of the moment, but I framed it so the two that were my main focus were taking up as much space as possible. I didn't care what was going on behind them, and I made it so you don't care either.

So there you have it, some ramblings today that came to a great point.

Redefining Terms

2011-03-07T10:59:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to put out here today. I just know it's been a while since I have been on here typing away. I've been learning a few things about time, communication, and relationships. So I might as well discuss those things.

Time:
I've been looking a lot into the relativity of time and how time really isn't anything. We have actions that take up time, but there really isn't time in itself. We are quoted to "waste time", but we are really wasting opportunities to do something in time. But then again, time really doesn't exist. The only thing that time really can grasp is the pin-pointing of a meeting time. For instance, "I will meet you at 4:00 pm" That is a time, but not really time itself. We call the flow of actions time. It's fairly mind numbing at times. But it's fun to think that you don't waste time, you just choose to waste an opportunity with something of less importance.

Communication:
I've been having heated conversations lately with a friend of mine. It's been interesting, especially when others are around to catch it. I've figured out the real problem in our debates... Definition! This seems to be happening everywhere. For some reason as we discuss things (now I'm talking about us as humans, not just me and my friend) we fail to make ground rules. We fail to define our ideas of concepts and then we go from there to debate. The problem arises early that we don't feel the other is understanding out point. This goes right back to Covey's First seek to understand, then to be understood. I, personally am going to take a step back and start asking questions. "What do you mean by that?" "How do you see that?" "Do I understand what your saying, by restating it this way?" If we all did this before getting a bit too heated, the conversations will go that much more smoothly.

Relationships:
I've been in a relationship with one of my best friends for a year and a half. We know each other fairly well. Likes/dislikes, tastes, family situation, dreams and aspirations. But lately we have grown apart. Due to some outside influences, trust had been lost. Busy times have taken hold. Communication has stopped. We hardly know the other person now. Once we would go out of our way to say good morning, what's new, how are things, and I miss you. Now we are reserved, backed-off, and calculating. I figured out the problem. This goes right back to the Communication aspect I mentioned before... Definition! We have redefined what the other person means to them. By doing so we act differently to each other. It's frustrating and we get mad at each other very quickly. All that needs to happen is we need to discuss what that definition is to us and how that definition will play out.

In Mormondom, we call that Determine the Relationship, DTR or in other words, communication of how one defines the other person to them. If they match up, then things are good. If they don't, then not so good, but at the same time, each person knows where the other stands.

Recently, this has been happening to another pair of friends of mine. She likes him, he thinks of her as only a friend. He doesn't see her as more than that. Be it emotional compatibility, attraction, or common interests, the feelings are just not there. She gets depressed that he doesn't like her like that, and he doesn't want to do anything with her, in fear that it will just develop deeper feelings in her. I've been here before. We somehow think that it could happen someday. We hope that she's like Elizabeth Bennett and will change her mind once she sees how great we really are. It can happen, but don't count on it. Move on. Who knows? They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I was in one of these types once, but worse. I liked her, she liked me, we couldn't be together. She redefined who I was to her. My definition stayed the same. She would distance herself hoping I could move on or try to redefine her. The distance meant zero communication. To her, that helped her definition of me, that I wasn't around, I couldn't be there for her. My definition hadn't changed. I wasn't given any different input. Or rather I wouldn't allow myself to redefine her. Maybe that was a bit closed minded (Büüntze) of me, or rose-tinted, but that was my side.

Conclusion: Relationship Definitions MUST be Communicated in order to effectively choose the best opportunity in Time.

Street Legal

2011-02-26T23:33:00.001-07:00

Friday, February 25, 2011
I went to Sammy's to see a show. On the way there I was singing my brother's "Let's Go To The Show". I was ready, except I looked a bit out of place. I was determined to keep sporting the white jacket. It was a bit out of place this time. I should have followed Chris' advice and worn my torn up jeans and Pearl Jam shirt (well I don't have one of those, but my "One Eye Open" shirt would have done).

Sadie
It took them a while to get going with the music, so Blake and I left to see how the crowd was for Rachel's Choir Concert and see if we could see her. That didn't happen, so we went back just in time for Sadie to perform. Her acoustic guitar and foot stomping rhythm was so amazing. Too bad the crowd didn't seem to agree and were talking a lot during her amazing poetry. I'm fairly certain she was inspired by Jewel. Her vocals were great. I got a picture with her, but can't find it on my phone. I hope to find it.

Street Legal
Next up was Street Legal. Now remember I haven't been to a groovin' show like this in over 10 years. It used to be one of my scenes since Chris and Alex (My brothers) were in bands and rocked the Tri-Cities like no one has in years. Street Legal had that perfect Post Garage Band sound. It's not grunge anymore. This was Rock-n-Roll in it's purest form. Kyle, the bassist, could have used some ants in the pants to get him to move a bit more. But after a few songs he was rockin' with the lead guitarist. Dan, the lead guitarist, had the girls swooning. His facial expressions and fast fingers on the strings enchanted the audience. Gabe, the drummer, was a bit rough in practice and warm-up. But once the show was on, you would never have known he had one full practice with the band and been with them for about a week. (I think that's what Dan told me) Jeremy, lead vocal and song writer, really is the glue of the band. His lyrics and melodies brought the crowd alive. He left us wanting more of the juxtaposition of rock ballad and Rock-n-Roll. This guy you can tell has a love for the music and I can easily seeing him going far. Over all, the music had taken me from the back of the room to the middle of the pit next to Kody, the band groupie. Later on him...

Desert Noises
After that came up Desert Noises. After a hard rockin' time from Street Legal, it was hard to mellow out with this group. Perhaps a different time, I might have been interested in sticking around, but over all not impressed. The White Trash look, the slower tempo and vocals a bit shrill. On top of that, the bass lines and rhythm made me think of other songs as if they weren't very original. I gave them a fair chance. Three songs, but during the second I tweeted this, "This band had better rock, or I'm a gonna walk!" Which I did.

After Math
I went to the next room and sat by the window. Up came to me was Kody (turns out Kody tours with Street Legal helping get the crown involved). He loved the white jacket and was happy to see me up there rockin' out to Street Legal. We chatted for a bit and Dan came over. He also wanted to thank me for rockin' out and he liked the white jacket. (Ok, now I'm boasting...) They invited me to hang out witht he band while they ate the great burgers and fries from Sammy's. They even asked me if I was interested in hanging out at a dance afterward. I would have but it was getting a bit late. I took a few pics and told them I would help out anyway I could to get them a better Google ranking. So if you were there, write up a review and link to their facebook page.

The White Jacket aka Back Stage Pass

Sammy's of Rexburg

2011-02-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

So I have been a fan of small businesses in general. I really can't stand a lot of the chain restaurants. Back in the Fall and new diner type place opened up in Rexburg in a run down part of town called Sammy's. The attractor factor is their Pie Shakes, but it turns out all of their food is great. Now one piece of warning. They are very popular and it can take quite a while for you to get your food after you order it. Now to be honest, if you're used to fast food, you won't get it here. They take their time, but it pays off, for the food is amazing. I wish it was faster, but oh well, more time to enjoy the other aspects of this place.

So I really started to get involved here through my job. I went to one of their shows put on at the Pinnacle Security Building a block over from their place. There I met Sam Schultz, aka Sammy! This guy is amazing.

So after missing out on all of the fun at the Pinnacle Party, I was determined not to miss out on all the other fun. So my first adventure was the Comedy Show. I took my friends Bryan, Blake and Rachel and we had a great time.

Here's me with Will Rubio and Stephen Jones

Here's me with Michael B. with the Take 5 candy bar I won from him for knowing the NBC Jingle.

You might wonder who these gals are... same here! They liked the white jacket and so it has become my "thang". These girls just came up to me and asked to take a picture with me. It happened again with another guy. This white jacket got me to hang out with the next blog post adventure...

Download Pictures From Facebook in Chrome and Firefox

2011-02-22T11:13:00.003-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a while and I found this to be very helpful.

How to download pictures from someone's photos on Facebook.

Step #1:

Find a photo you wish to download. It should be someone else's, seeing that you can redownload your own photo's. I chose a beautiful picture here of my friend Kylee.

Step #2:
If you are using Internet Explorer all you have to to is right-click on the image and "Save Picture As", but for us cool people who use Firefox or Chrome, that option is not available anymore with the new theater viewer. So like I said, you'll want to right-click on the image. Choose "View Page Source" or "Ctrl+u" on your keyboard. (This is helpful on many websites that don't allow you to right-click.

Step #3:

Ok so you're looking at a bunch of junk code either in a new window or new tab. Hit "Ctrl+f" on your keyboard. This will open a finder bar on the bottom for Firefox of a little drop down in Chrome. Type in "myphoto" with the quotes into the search. In both Firefox and Chrome, there will be a link before it that looks like this:

img src="http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/167594_10150347681135517_560142516_16133990_3456242_n.jpg"

(This link is purposefully broken)

Step #4:

Click on the link in quotes (make sure it says "sphotos" in the link or you are on the wrong one) or if you wish, open a new tab and and paste the link/url into the browser address bar.

Step #5:

Right-click and "Save image as" or hit "Ctrl+s" to save the image you wanted, and that's it folks.

It's a bit tricky, but it should help you when looking at galleries of great photographers or if you want a copy of a picture that a friend took of you.

Happy Downloading.

PS. Alternately you could just use a screen shot software such as MWSnap or Jing. But I don't like grabbing the black around it and having to crop it later in photoshop.

Comment below on reasons why you may want to use this help guide, or if you are a mac user, translate the steps for mac. Or post a link to your blog stating how.

To RFinity And Beyond!

2011-02-17T12:04:00.002-07:00

This is where I work. RFinity! A tech start-up based in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The History:

Idaho National Labs (INL) was working on a way to secure cell phones from being hacked. They came up with a wicked, awesome encryption process. At around the same time, Credit Card Fraud was up and many people were having their identity stolen. Then the bright idea came... Hey, let's use this on payment processes! Thus RFinity was born, using their super encryption process to save the people of Townsville... Oops, I went all Powerpuff Girls on y'all. So they decided to use Rexburg, Idaho and the students at BYU-Idaho as guinea pigs.

What Do They Do:

Rfinity is an emerging technology for which people can pay with an RFID sticker. Much like those weird stickers you find in expensive items at stores that when you try to take them off they spiral away with some wire ribbon. That thing! Well there's a random combination of characters (not cartoon characters... I've checked) stored on the RFID sticker and is only activated by a reader machine. But the numbers don't mean anything to the reader, nor do they to anyone. That code gets sent to the RFinity server faster than a sneeze and gets encrypted and read and *poof* Magic stuff happens and it becomes a secure transaction... Way more secure than a Credit/Debit Card. So we make it possible for people to have these stickers and connect them with cool merchants to buy things from.

Why On A Phone:

People keep asking me, why do I put the sticker on my phone? It's ugly and I don't want it coming off. True the sticker is fairly ugly. No one wants to have a dark blue and orange thing on the back of their phone no more than they want to wear those old 3D glasses all the time. Especially when their phone is either white, silver or black... Or heaven forbid a person have a red, yellow, or green phone. :P So why put it on the phone? Well the future is here folks, but not quite. iPhone is looking into following Google's phones and having the RFID technology built into their phones. So soon you won't even need a sticker. But until then, get used to swiping your phone over a reader and be done with your transaction. Most phones on the market have a plastic back to them. You can, sometimes, easily place the sticker under the back case or if you're smart enough to have a protective shell for your phone, stick it under there... Underwear? Yup! Plus people carry their phone with them even if they don't bring their purse/wallet. If you lose your phone, not a problem. No one could access your account by reading the sticker. They still need to know your pin (which can be 4-20 digits long... no one ever guesses a pin that more than 4 digits) in order to do a transaction.

Why Do I Want It:

Best question yet! Not only is it the "Way of the Future" as Leonardo DiCaprio so repetitively put in Aviator, it's faster and more secure than credit/debit cards where your information is stored completely on the magnetic strip. Plus right now with it being in "pilot" testing phase (excuse the pun), we have set up some amazing deals for the Rexburg area. We are working with the following merchants in the area and hope to have more.

Plus Fatcats and All 3 Subways

New Things:

For a long time we were working with the student iCard accounts, then we brought on a local bank to do other types of transactions in the community. But now... Drum roll please... we can connect to PayPal. That's right, PayPal, which you can attach to any bank you're currently banking with and track it on your budgeting software like I know you religiously do. ;)

There's more coming through the pipeline... Keep posted on Facebook and Twitter for when they come out. Also for more light reading go to The RFinity Website.

Wait! What Do You Do:

I'm tech support. In a nutshell, I answer the phone, help users with simple problems (which we don't experience much) and anything they want me to do... test hardware, software, merchant - customer interaction, create graphics, reports, and brain storm marketing ideas.

There you have it. What I do for a living right now.

What would you like to know about RFinity, or what would you like to see done in the future?

Online Fascination

2011-02-16T16:52:00.002-07:00

I thought I'd post a few of my favorite places to go online.

Facebook: I wouldn't say I'm addicted, but I do keep my facebook page open while I'm surfing elsewhere. I like staying connected and disconnected at the same time.

Youtube: I guess everyone spends time here... or rather wastes time here. I subscribe to a few things. D23 Official Page. I love watching Jeffrey's Disney Geek. I miss Disney so much and it's nice to know the news away from home. And Rhett & Link. I found them a couple of years ago on a page making fun of the economy and have become a huge fan of their talents.

Google: I am always searching for the next new thing for me to learn. I love learning loads of crazy facts.

Deal Sites: Yugster> YUG or Yours Until Gone has shown me some great deals. It's fun to see what's new, but you have to be a member to see one of the deals. 1 Sale A Day> This one not only shows about the same kind of deals, but it also has a joke and two fun facts that I love to read each day. Daily Steals> Not only do they good deals, but on facebook they have contests. I've won twice on there. Ben's Outlet> This site brings a list of great deals all on one page. Woot!> Who can forget Woot!? They usually have the best of all the pages I mentioned before, but I still go to them individually. Others are Dynamite Time, IceMonkey, and Slick Deals.

Android Fun: Appbrain> Great place to find new apps for my phone. Then when I find one that's too expensive (over the price of Free) of go to my app I downloaded from Applanet. Hopefully they have it. If not I can find it back on Google.com

Tours Departing Daily: This website is all about HDRi photography. The pictures that come out of here are amazing and all from DISNEYLAND!!! I love them all. I have a copy of each picture sitting on my hard drive.

That's it for now.

New Journal

2011-02-16T15:35:00.002-07:00

From June to about October I wrote in a journal. It was a therapeutic letter to my best friend. I used it to vent all of my thoughts and concerns about how things were going. Well, things changed in that department, and I didn't need to write in the "letter" anymore. Plus I no longer own the journal anymore. So Blaque Sheep Inc. has been renewed! I will be getting a new skin. And explaining more about what's going on. Plus I have a sweet phone that will allow me to post simple posts and pix on the go.

A friend of mine that I finally got to hang out with starts each new journal with her family tree. It turns out that it's a daunting task to document each half sibling and not even blood relative that is part of her family. I'm glad I don't have to do that but I suppose I should at some point document my history.

At another point I should document what really happened with my life when it came to Disneyland and the aftermath. It's not a fairy tale story by any means. Especially how things are right now in regards to my relationships, but it may be worth while to jot down a few thoughts to sort it all out.

For now: I'm going to look for a new skin. This old blue scheme is killing me with boredom!

What do you think of the new skin?

2008-11-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

We sometimes forget the power of prayer. We sometimes think that our prayers can only protect us or bring us those things we need, like in the case of Hannah wanting a child.

1 Samuel 1:1-20 (Old Testament-Bible)
1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:
2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.
4 ¶ And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.
6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.
7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
9 ¶ So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord.
10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth.
13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
19 ¶ And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her.
20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.

We sometimes think that prayer can help only those that are righteous enough to merit the help of The Almighty. For example: when prayer helped Peter escape prison by a miraculous visitation of an angel.

Acts 12:6-12 (New Testament-Bible)
6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

We even sometimes forget that the power of prayer can also help those that do not understand the truth or outright oppose it.

Mosiah 27:8-17 (Book Of Mormon)
…And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities.
9 And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them.
10 And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—
11 And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood;
12 And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them.
13 Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people.
14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.
15 And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God.
16 Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off.
17 And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed.

We sometimes forget these things, but I wish to bring to your attention our duty as those who believe in God. We may believe in different doctrines or interpretations of scripture. We may live in different parts of the world, be it in peace or at war. There is one thing that I hope we all believe, that there is a God who does love us and wants the best for us. He does hear our prayers and He will answer them.

Now there is a great need in this world for righteous leaders. This could be the ruler of a nation down to the father of a home. Like the story of Alma that was recited earlier, our prayers can have amazing impact on those we pray for. I ask you to think of your leaders. Add them to your next prayer. I would hope that you not only pray once, but daily for these leaders to be guided by God in their pursuit to do what is best. I write this in mind of the recent election in the United States of America. I am not saying that Barack Obama is unrighteous or going against truth, instead, I am saying that he is a leader of my nation. That he, like George Bush, needs our prayers and guidance from on high.

Please forward this on to anyone you know that will benefit from the things written here. You may not like the examples given, but the point is the same nonetheless. Let us really look forward to change and a new hope. Let us do our part with prayer.

-Anonymous

I am doing my...

2008-10-18T13:49:00.001-06:00

I am doing my blog right now by my phone using dial2do. Really neat little program. I recommend it to everybody to check it out. It's really fun little ol' thing to do. Can't say much more than that. Real nice. Just talking to my cellphone and have it done for me. Check it out.
Powered by . Mp3

2008-10-09T00:00:00.002-06:00

Welcome everyone to the first time of coming to this site. I know most of you are here because I got you all fired up for a fight. I welcome your thoughts and insights. It was brought to my attention today of Prop 8. Many people are fired up over this and are on three sides of this so-called battle. Yes, No, Don't care. For me I actually care a lot. My reasoning for this is that I go to a church run university. I also get money from the government for school due to a lay off. If this is to be hit with too many "No's" then this could butterfly affect my grants. As in take them away.

I posted this on one of the "No on Prop 8" facebook pages.

So my question on this is, does this mean that after this passes, that those who want to marry their cars or dogs can? Who is to say where love should stop? I'm not saying that this is ridiculous, but when does it get ridiculous? And when does it hit the point where marriage shouldn't happen? The statutes have been following age old laws based on laws of the Bible and other holy books. Those laws have done pretty well in my opinion. I think everyone needs to read a bit more C. S. Lewis on the matter of LOVE. I'm sorry that there wasn't the love needed by both parents. It's just sad. It really makes me want to cry for you.

If there is to be blame to go around I blame parents two generations back. the ones too strict to keep things in the nuclear family, shunning those that didn't fit in. the kids of those families saw their parents and said, "I'm not going to be so mean, I'm going to be a good friend to my kids and let them do anything they feel like." This trickles down to present day. The grandchildren are now "friends" to their parents and yet have no guidelines, no idea of morals and accountability. They feel like are entitled to anything. So sad.

I think it funny by most of the posts by the gay a lesbian community, that they are offended by the fact that those that oppose them are always bringing up religion. I'm sorry to say but this is a religious matter. Ask the Catholic church how allowing Gay priests affected their way of life.

I don't think that the world has gone down hill solely because of acceptance of homosexuality. I think men have a lot to blame for not taking responsibility for children they father.

But overall, it is getting late for me and I pose this new topic. If you believe in a higher power/force or if you don't, I think this is an experiment that is worth trying out. Let's say, hypothetically, this world was created by a "god-type" character, and that He is as they say, "all-knowing". Logically speaking He would be the only thing that would know the truth about anything. If there is an argument about say what the meaning of "Separation between church and state", wouldn't it be logical to say that "God" knows what it means? Would it be possible to ask about it? For those Liberals reading this, I think this might be ironic to say but, "If any of you lack wisdom (not calling you stupid by any means) just ask God, who will give answers to you liberally and won't leave you empty." Try it out. I ask you to find a quiet place and just ask if God exists, ask about anything. Do you think that you could do this with just a bit of faith or hope that something might just happen? Don't just dismiss this as the ramblings of a weird guy. I dare you to try it. What is it going to hurt? Only ten minutes max is needed. Please post your experience.

Thank you for your time and I hope to meet you someday.

2008-07-09T02:22:00.003-06:00

Before Ye Seek For Riches:

So I had a conversation with a dear old friend yesterday and posed a question. She gave me a lot to think about and I was wondering what people have to think about how one can fulfill the commandment to Seek Ye The Kingdom Of God before seeking for riches. Here are the questions I would like to ask:

What is Wealth to you?
How does one seek the Kingdom of God before riches?
What was your pivot point of seeking the Kingdom of God vs. Riches, if any?
What advice would you give to people on how to better seek the Kingdom of God vs. Riches?
May I publish your thoughts?
May I accredit you for those thoughts?

I may want to publish this information. I think it would help many people, including myself. Thanks again and I will hopefully hear from you soon.

2008-05-31T16:16:00.003-06:00

Pointless Brainwashing vs. A Good Work:

I was recently watching a show that got me thinking about my own religious beliefs. Some people think of my religion as a cult. Many have attacked on that basis for almost two centuries. I have two things I would like to explain and pose a question to anyone who may read this. Please explain to me how and why the service that takes place in the temple is a bad thing for the members of the LDS faith. The second is about money.

Temple "Work":

So a faithful member of the LDS church is requested to perform certain tasks in the temple. One of which is baptisms for the dead. Let me explain the process as far as I know it. Members take time out of their, ever increasingly, little time and search out the members of their families that have past on and compile pages of family trees. Countless names are then submitted to the church to have these certain tasks in the temple. Again a member has to, through paying for their own way to the temple and this can be quite a trip for most, to take time to do the tasks. Now I am taking baptisms for the dead as my example as one of the the things done there. A person then with a list of family members, gets full immersed for each name. (You may argue the fully under the water baptism another time.) The person, with gratitude in his heart, returns home.

My questions for the public are as follows: What does the church expect to gain by this? The money for the trip is not going to the church. The church doesn't have a voting system where the more names you have, the more power you have. I suppose to the masses it appears that this is just brain washing. The problem with that thinking is that most, if not all, brain washings are done for a reason. If it's mindless drones, or to gain more power over the other, this doesn't seem to be working in that way. I have never heard of a brain washing that told the recipient to start stamp collecting and make trips to annual conventions. Why would there be? In other words, the church has nothing to gain by this.

MONEY:

Now each temple costs money. If you have seen any of them you will have noticed how fancy they are. This is no JW Kingdom Hall or convention center for holding mass born again rallies. These building are made with top notch materials and craftsmanship. How is it funded. By the member's money of course. The church is one of the richest organizations out there, when comparing religions. Why are they so wealthy? Let's look at some of the things the money is used for... Missions, buildings, education, travel, housing, and service (such as help to Katrina victims). Now I am not going to claim the church never had financial problems, that would be foolish. I know the history as anyone. But ever since the "Law of Tithing" was instituted again, the church has not had problems with money. You have never seen a Mormon Telethon have you? Don't get me wrong, the Law of Tithing has been talked about at least once a year by church leaders, but we have never had a drive to reach a certain amount. The church has yet to go into debt when building anything. Now that's some feet in the economy we live in today. By that standard, the church probably has really bad credit if any.

My personal thought on the matter is that the church's financial standards are overseen by God. Why is it that other churches, especially the catholic church, has had problems with money for years? I am not knocking any other church, just stating what seems to be apparent in classic literature and even movies such as, "The Bells of Saint Mary". This and the LDS Church has fewer members than the Catholic church.

I hope you enjoyed this blog. Please do comment. I want to see what people think. Thank you.

2008-05-26T18:36:00.003-06:00

PART VIII

That's right, if you haven't read the other parts, you are missing out. As I have been reporting, windows, doors, gateways, and even mountain passes have been opening up for me, if I but report it. ( I think that's how it's working) I got an email from the College of Business and Communication Chair, Craig Bell. Here it is in its full:

Dear Students,

Beginning this fall 2008 the required CIT 350 course for business majors will no longer be offered. If you have not taken CIT 350 the following courses will substitute.

1. Any 3 credit CIT 200 - 400 level course

2. B 250 Web Business I -- a new 3 credit course beginning this fall. (This course will be an hands on experience in which students will learn how to build and optimize a web-based business.) This class may also work as part of your cluster. The course will require a laptop.

3. B 399 Special Topics (Fall Semester Only) -- the topic will be Entrepreneurial Management. The course is currently being taught at the Harvard Business School. The course has been rated as the top course for first year MBA students. Brother Clark Gilbert a former Harvard professor --who helped develop the course will be involved in teaching the course along with other BYU-Idaho faculty. The course will consist of several case studies related to managing an entrepreneurial venture. Several of the cases deal with technological issues.

If you have lived in a foreign country for at least one year B 399 will also sub for Econ 358 ( fall semester 2008 only) This course could also be part of a cluster.

Students will need to fill out a substitution form which are available in Smith 227 (the advising office has moved to the other end of the hall)

Hope all is going well.

Regards,

Brother Bell

All right, so the important part is #2. I was going to be taking CIT 350 for my major, and now it's not available. Here is what CIT 350 was:

CIT 350 Managing Information Technology (3:3:0)
Prerequisite: CIT 240 ***I wasn't planning on taking ***
This class is not for information systems majors.
Introduction to the management of information technology with
a focus on current and emerging technologies and their
relation¬ship to business organizations.

Sounds okay I guess, but I am going to love B 250 instead. This is exactly what I was hoping to accomplish in my studies. I was even looking to find companies that would help me do this on and internship. This is supposed to happen.

2008-05-17T18:12:00.003-06:00

Try this out sometime:

If a person comes up to you and asks, "Can I ask you a stupid question?" (as if that wasn't a stupid question in itself.) Reply with, "Well I have a stupid answer." To which they will ask their question which usually isn't stupid at all. to which you reply, "[insert stupid answer]." After a good laugh, you can answer it truthfully, but it sure makes life more fun. ex.

Lady:
"Can I ask you a stupid question?"
Me:
"Well I have a stupid answer."
Lady:
"Why is Forbidden Kingdom rated PG-13?"
Me:
"Green Beans!"

2008-05-17T16:08:00.014-06:00

Introducing the MexiSushi™:

MexiSushi™ is a vegetarian burrito formed into a sushi roll. Follow my pattern or mix it up that way you want. It's easy to do and great tasting. Here are the things I used:

Spinach Wraps:Cut into RectanglesRefried Beans:
Brown Rice with "spanish" flavoring:Green Onion:Cut the white parts:And the green:Jalapeno and green pepper (I would have gone with red or orange for color's sake):
Let's cut 'em up:Here comes the putting together part. I forgot to get a shot of the cilantro, but it's in there. Also I'm piping Schwan's guacamole onto it.
Just follow these steps:
Thin layer of rice on wrapNice and ThinFold Wax Paper OverCarefully NowFlip it OverSushi PalletPlace vegies down in a rowPipe guacamoleAdd beans, Cilantro, Black Olives, etc.Roll the wrapNice First SideRoll other sideHold and form into RollThat's the RollCut it into even piecesOur finished plate of six pieces and Salsa and GuacamoleAnd there you have it folks. the first ever MexiSushi. It was really good to eat. Especially dipped in the salsa and the guacamole on the side.

2008-04-17T12:54:00.001-06:00

PART I

A while back I had written a scathing email to my Mother-in-law about me going back to school. The reason for my email was in response to the attitude we were given by my Mother-in-law about hearing from someone else that we were moving for sure and she wasn’t told by us. In my defense, we didn’t know for sure, we were still in planning stages. Back to my email. I had told my Mother-in-law to either get behind this and stop kicking against the pricks, or miss out on the miracles that were about to manifest themselves. Overall, my reason for this blog is to open your eyes to the “Miracle” that is the move from Tucson, Arizona, to Rexburg, Idaho.

First things first. When we left Rexburg abruptly in August of 2006, we felt this was a good thing to do. Maybe it was. A lot happened in one year, and to give you an idea, here’s the recap.

September 2006: Got a job selling frozen foods with Schwan Foods. (Yes the cool yellow “Inca Gold” trucks.)

Pros: Great pay. Great people. Ok perks. Great chance to reflect on self while driving. Introduced to Glenn Beck and the political mind I never knew I had. Started to get cable and found “The Big Idea” TV show and decided it was time to really go for making Digital Elegance a real thing. Sundays off. On the long drives to work I would listen to books on tape and have done that ever since.

Cons: No family time. To do my job right I had to be away from the house from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm or even later. I also had to sacrifice many a Saturday. Plus, if anything was happening at home I had to be there for (i.e. An emergency) I would have to take the truck into work and then drive another 45-60 minutes back home. I was subject to all types of weather, (handling frozen goods in freezing weather or driving a truck with no AC in 110 degree weather) snow, rain and thunderstorms.

April 2007: After finding out we were having a boy, I wanted to be closer to home and have an inside job. Got hired by First Magnus Financial Corporation. I was selling, or at least trying to sell, mortgages to people who contacted Lending Tree. I did sell one, but it only paid for the draw I was taking monthly so I could support the family until I sold more mortgages. This was phone sales, and I never felt I knew enough to come off competent enough for people to believe in me. There were a few things I didn’t agree with there. I was given a script of how to lead the conversation. Now I thought the way we were to use it was more like a guide, not a word for word script. I was told otherwise after I was told that we should put it in our own words so it didn’t sound canned. I never liked the way they had us not answer questions right out. It feels so dishonest. Also they wanted to have a specific number of calls a day. Well after I had made my calls for the day I still needed a bit more, so I would call Kinko’s in Las Vegas to make my call record look good. The funny thing about the Kinko’s answering machine is that it would ask me this one question every minute, “Are you still there?” Now I know it was meant to say, “Hey idiot get off the phone or I’m just going to repeat the same options to you again.” But, in my discontent with my situation at First Magnus, it sounded to me like this: “Hey idiot! What are you still doing in that place if you know you don’t like it at all?”

Pro’s: Inside job. 9-5 hours. Holidays off. Great lunch room.

Con’s: I was unprepared for the type of selling. That script thing.

2008-04-17T12:53:00.003-06:00

PART II

August 2007: The day before I was going to quit First Magnus, I took the day for the family. I took a few of my personal things that day as well. That day was exactly one year from the day we left Carmike Cinemas. Ironic, huh? The next day was where I know God had intervened. I got to work and found a guy, who was usually dressed in a suit and tie, dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt. He said to me, “We’re closed, go home.” I asked, “What was that?” and he said the same thing. I finally got the word from another co-worker who dumbed it down for me. “First Magnus went bankrupt, we’re unemployed.” Some of you might wonder how a loving God could allow a company to fold and destitute so many people. I have two reasons for this in my case: to humble His children to trust in Him, and to point me in the right direction. Seriously, God never instructed His people to live beyond their means and I do feel bad for people like Rich, who had it really rough from the get-go. On the other side of the spectrum was a guy named John. He had been putting a lot of his money into investments. He was working because he wanted to, not because he had to or he’d be living in a cardboard box. If you really want God’s instruction on how to use money, look in the parable of the talents found in Matthew chapter 25:14-30.

Pro’s: Laid off rather than being fired or quitting. Unemployment checks and benefits. (i.e. State paying for education.) Also Tristan was born and I had nothing better to do than be by Arienne’s side the whole time.

Con’s: No job. Unemployment doesn’t pay that much. Nothing to do. Trying to find a job again.

August 18^th 2007: Every week in Priesthood opening exercises in church, we would recite the “Purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood.” Every week I would feel guilty about leaving school and being down in Tucson, when I should be “getting as much education as possible.” So that morning, in the shower, I had the unmistakable feeling of clarity. I thought to myself, Maybe I should go back to BYU-Idaho and finish my degree. At that moment I felt so peaceful. My soul felt like it had finally aligned with what I was supposed to be doing, much like that way you feel when you put the right puzzle piece into place or after being lost in a crowded place and you finally find something that looks familiar enough to let you know you are on the right path. Just multiply that feeling to your whole soul and you’ll know how it feels. Ask anyone who finally realized what they wanted to study in college, or the woman that accepts the calling of motherhood. I knew I needed to get back to Rexburg. The big question was how was I going to get there?

2008-04-17T12:53:00.001-06:00

PART III

Planning: At first, I had thought that the best way to get back there was to go it alone. Get a job in Rexburg and pay for myself and let financial aid cover the rest while Arienne got a job and worked in Tucson. Some of you might be asking yourself, “Why Rexburg? Why Idaho? Why not transfer to University of Arizona?” Those are great questions that I knew I would have to answer because they were the questions I had myself. I soon realized that I would still have to find a job that I could do both study and support. Tucson’s economy was not going to allow both. Second, if I’m going back to school for my degree, why move to a new place? Rexburg was something familiar and I had all those pesky religion credits. So after realizing that going alone was a stupid idea, financially speaking, the plan had then changed to me going with the family to Rexburg. But how could I pay for such a move?

September 2007: I got a job through a temp agency at a company called Misys. I was put in as a database coordinator. I scheduled hospitals’ database projects to be created by Misys programmers. I was fascinated. I was in my element. I sat behind a computer all day and had to reorganize their system.

Pro’s: 9 to 5 job, great pay, computer work, room for advancement, if I got hired on full time I would have great benefits and access to the on campus gym.

Con’s: The computer thing actually drained me from wanting to be behind the computer when I got home. Training sucked. I was trained by a lady who was leaving in two weeks from the point I came on. I had to fix their broken system. Communication sucked as well and I was never clear of what I was supposed to do.

October 2007: Right before Halloween as I was getting my signature for my weekly paycheck, my boss told me I should grab all my stuff and turn in my badge. He wasn’t sure if they needed my position anymore. This coming after they told me they were working to get me hired on full time with a base pay of $35,000 a year plus all those benefits. I realized that I guess I should have just told them I wasn’t going to take it. Here’s where I know God had His hand in my life again. I was supposed to be going to school and I told them that I would accept a full time position and postpone going to school. Wrong answer! So I found myself forced by God to go back to school. I still needed to get a job to pay for the move. That’s what I get for going against the will of God.

2008-04-17T12:52:00.000-06:00

PART IV

November 2007: Two weeks before Thanksgiving I found myself looking again for a job. I knew seasonal positions were ideal. I could easily find a job and be done before the move. UPS had already got all their people. So the mall was where I went looking. I applied at very few places. The theatre, KB Toys, a game store, some place selling flip-flops, and The Sunglass Hut. The next day I went out again to see if the Temp Agency had anything. Nothing! Not even anything for seasonal. I felt discouraged. I didn’t know if I was going to find a job in time to pay for anything at all. Arienne shook me out of it and told me she was worried that I didn’t care to find a job. So I went back to the Mall. I went to Sears and applied on their computer. At the end of the application it asked if I wanted to have an interview right then. I agreed to do it. In 60 minutes of entering the place I had done the long application, interviewed and was hired on selling three S’s and one N. Sewing, Sucking, Sleeping and Nuking. I was strictly commission for selling sewing machines, vacuums, mattresses, and microwaves. During my orientation, I got a call from my wife explaining that I got a callback to KB Toys. So I went and talked to the manager there and got my second job for the season.

Sears Pro’s: Great potential to do very well in sales, chance to work with people face to face, new knowledge in 4 new areas, indoors.

Sear’s Con’s: Too many people scheduled in one department on certain days, commission only, mall hours.

KB Pro’s: Fun atmosphere, no pressure to sell, work around Sears’ schedule, decent pay for seasonal work.

KB Con’s: I just wish I could have timed it right to make more money in both places.

2008-04-17T12:51:00.000-06:00

PART V

Generosity and Inspiration: While working at Sears, I decided (or I was inspired) to listen to audio books/lectures on sales to up my skills. Strangely enough, those days I listened to the sales training, I did better than those days I listened to other audio books. I did learn a lot about selling and how to treat a customer. I wish I had done the same while at First Magnus, but I wasn’t given much time to try it out anyway.

One day my mom called and I had explained how I felt about moving back and she was excited. So much that she offered to give us a portion of her Christmas Bonus to pay for the move. She told me it was not a loan, but I’m pretty sure somewhere down the line I will be able to pay her back for that and for some of the other stuff she has done for me and my family.

Ever since my time at First Magnus, while I was waiting for my commissions to kick in and during all my time with unemployment, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stepped in to help with our physical and financial needs. The church welfare system is truly inspired. We were helped with food and even some of our larger bills.

2008-04-17T12:50:00.001-06:00

PART VI

More doors open up: After figuring I was on the move back to the frozen wasteland of America, I started looking for a place to live and for a job to help with those things that financial aid was not going to cover. At first, I was looking for the smallest place. When the plan changed to get the whole family to move, we started looking for a bigger place. Everything was going to be way too expensive for a college student’s “salary” or all full up. I gave a call to the Rexburg Housing office and they had mentioned that a place had just switched over to married housing from men’s housing and that they had three bedroom apartments open for pretty cheap. We called and secured one of the very few places.

I also started looking for a job and called up people that I may have had connections with. I called up Lance Wickham, who was running the new theatre in Rexburg to see if he knew of any openings. He told me to call back later and he would know better soon. I also called Vanessa, who was a manager of the theatre right next door to the Holiday. She said they were looking into buying the new theatre in town and hoping to put me over there to manage it. Well weeks went by and I didn’t hear from either of them and I even tried calling Ken from Wells Fargo to see about a job at the bank. I didn’t get too far into that. More time passed and I called Lance back and he hadn’t figured out anything yet. Two days before the move I get a call from Vanessa. She asked if I had heard the good news. I told her I hadn’t. She explained that they had bought the Holiday and that they were interested in having me manage that one at night. Crazy! I would be back in Rexburg, managing the same theatre I left but with better upper management. Needless to say I accepted that offer.

Even the moving truck was a miracle. I tried fairly hard to get rid of some extra furniture to help make room in the truck. I had ordered a 12 foot truck with no extras (hand trucks or pads) except for a few extra days. My receipt, which I have a copy of, shows exactly that. When I went to the place to pick it up, the lady gave us the keys and marked a few places on the truck to show some existing dents and scratches. I get out to the truck and it’s in pristine shape and much larger than I had expected. 10 feet to be exact. We got a 22 foot diesel truck with hand cart and pads. We needed it! 12’ would not have been enough room. It appeared to be the only size they had there. We got a free upgrade. Even though it did eat a bit more gas than I had expected, it was a Godsend.

2008-04-17T12:38:00.001-06:00

PART VII

Conclusion: For those wondering if Miracles still happen or if God exists at all. In my life there is no way it is possible for them not to be so. You might think it just freak circumstance that all these things played out. Or you may think that I am reading more into this than there is at first glance. If you are one that feels that way, I ask you to look into your heart right now. What do you feel? How do you feel? Is it a feeling of, “man this guy is so lying?” or “yeah right, there is no way!” Or do you feel a sense of truth is what I have been declaring here? What I suggest is this: try this experiment on for size and see what happens. All I ask is 30 more minutes of your time and a quiet place. Go and close your eyes, ask this simple question, “Is it true? Did God really do all that for Matt?”

For those that may have concerns about doing that, let’s think about this logically. What do I really have to gain from your personal experience? I’m not in a Pyramid scheme asking for your money and I get a huge commission off of you. I’m not interested in your house or first born child. I am certain that if you try the experiment, you will find a feeling of peace. And if a world such as the one we live in, who doesn’t want a little peace?

As the Johnson family would say, “Coincidence? … I think not!”

2002-10-23T15:23:00.000-06:00

Welcome to LAN's End, a Page devoted to my ramblings. I babble, and go on and on about nothing, even now I'm typing about nothing at all and you can't do a thing about it. 1, 2, 3, CRY!