I Spent way too much time on this Entry

As i explained in my last entry, I came upon some of my Freshmen English class papers that i thought would be pretty awesome to put on here. The first of which, caused me all kinds of grief today. I wanted to just copy and paste the entire original file onto my blog, but this turned out to be much more of a chore than i expected, AND, it didn't really even work. Here is Why: Technology. The computer i had written ALL of these papers on, happens to be a ghetto old school desktop. Ok, not THAT ghetto...i mean it still runs, barely....i wonder if the hamster inside is dead? That could do with it running so slow...

So today, Saturday, I went through this huge ordeal to pull the computer out of my closet, actually the massive monitor and massive box containing the computer, JUST to find this document. I connect everything, even find the tiny speakers that came with it. (This computer actually happens to be the one my sister used when she first went off to college...so probably purchased back in 2000, or maybe 2001 at the very best..yeah, dinosaur.) I turn it on, and it's going so incredibly slow...i wait 10 minutes for it to finally finish loading. My roommate is a Computer person, so i ask him a couple questions. 1. Can i put more RAM in it to make it faster. I know we tried once before, but Best Buy told us it wouldn't work. He said i Can...but it's probably honestly not even worth it. Next, Wireless Internet: It just has a jack for a cable...and we only have one place in our house where the Internet actually connects to. He has a Wireless card thing, but after attempting to make it work. It does not. Right now, i am typing from said piece of ju....Computer....connected to the Internet through a cable running from my room to his. Great huh?

Since this computer is an antique, it has like Microsoft Word .97839 on it. It's pretty ghetto. So when i try to copy and past my paper thing over, the pictures don't copy. Of course i realized after, this had nothing to with the Hud i'm working on, just the fact i have to add the pictures in myself. So i searched for some pictures closely resembling the ones on my paper, and came as close as i could.

Lastly, The final picture on this entry has words written on it. I don't know how i did it for my report, but somehow i did. I couldn't save the picture from my original document, so i had to search a new one, use a photo editing thing from work (picknik...ever heard of it?) then re save it, and add it. So in all reality, the making of this Blog entry probably took...from start to finish, with many failed update attempts (it doesn't even have service pack 2 for Window XP on it....and then while trying to do the updates, to at least bring my windows up to speed, it told us/me my windows wasn't a registered product key....no idea how thats possible...unless my sister had someone install an illegal version...), and after some restarts, and downloading Firefox, new iTunes, etc. I got to finally writing the entry. SOOOOOOOOO You'd better enjoy this...actually, it wouldn't suprise me if no one makes it past all this mumbo jumbo about how i wasted my Saturday trying to setup a stupid Computer (Good thing this girl bailed on me....so i could end up having no life, AGAIN, on a Saturday night.)

The writing assignment we had, was to think of a "Grown Up Rule" that our parents always tried to enforce on us when we were young. I remember racking my brain trying to think of the best thing i could, and from any experiences i'd had in the past. Of course there were such rules as "don't swim until at least a half hour after eating" or "if you keep making that face, it'll freeze in that position." All Wives tales. I thought of one that actually happened to me, and my cousins on a trip to California

My entire Dad's side, meaning all of his siblings and all of their families, plus Grandma, Aunt Leora, etc. took a trip to California. We rented out a house that was basically sitting on the beach. There was a sand volleyball court in the "backyard" and the ocean was literally 100 yards away. It was pretty amazing...i think i took it for granted now that i look back on it. I remember staying up late and watching Comedy Central, mainly South Park was airing at this point in time. Sleeping on the hide-a-bed couch, waking up with a sore back from the center bar in the bed (why can't they make those more comfortable? I've never really quite understood this), going to Disneyland, going with Great Aunt Leora on the Jurrasic Park ride at Universal, and just having fun. I also remember listening to Third Eye Blind repeatedly throughout the entire trip. I still love that CD. One of the funniest experiences from this trip was going to Hard Rock Cafe. (which is where this entire post is coming from) There was the kids table, and there was the Adults table. If anyone hasn't ever been to a Hard Rock Cafe, it is exactly as it sounds. Hard Rock. It's pretty dang awesome. Actually, i really don't know how we even pulled off even going to the Hard Rock, now that i think about it, it's actually kind of shocking. During our meal, we noticed the volume of the music was turned down drastically. We asked the waiter what was up, and they said someone had asked for it to be turned down. We said "yeah right, this is Hard Rock, crank it" so they did. AND....it was turned down again probably 10 minutes later. This went back and forth throughout the whole time we were there. We later found out, it was our own adult table asking them to turn the music down. "The Decibals are too high for your ears" That was the reasoning.

Most of the rules Adults/Grown Ups use, are basically made up anyway, and even if they do have validity, aren't official Laws as some parents would make you think. Part of the assignment was to disprove the said "rule" and come up with some way to figure it out. Anyway, it'll probably just make more sense by reading it. Again, the pictures aren't as cool as the ones i had in the original, and due to the Blogging format, not really in the same spots either. But it'll do. Enjoy!

Grown up rule #136: Don’t listen to music to loudly!

Location: Warner Bros. Records Inc. Burbank, California

Date & time: January 2, 1998 11:56 p.m.

Log:
Break into studios in back of
Equipment truck, disguised as a large speaker.
Break into large file cabinet during rehearsal.
Find grown-up rule #136!! Escape in garbage truck,
Claiming to be broken speaker.

Grown up rule #136: Don’t listen to music to loudly!

Official grown up reason: You’ll blow your ear drums out!

Real reason grown ups are hiding: The louder you listen to your music, the more nearly invisible notes float into the public air, causing mass love for rock and roll music, which means more rock bands formed!

And who wouldn’t want that, why parents of course! We all know that as a young person growing up in a world so full of turmoil, we all need something to turn to get our minds off of all the bad. For centuries classical music was used as a way to calm the mind, and to help a person think well. As good as this works, for some people it just wasn’t enough. Early artists such as Beethoven, actually tried something different similar to rock, but the people disapproved. The electric guitar was invented, and caused a mass forming of rock groups. People flocked to these concerts, where it appeared this calming need was finally found, as well as more rock bands forming thus after.

Over the past 50 or so years, many many great rock groups have been formed, much to the parent’s disapproval. A group of parents hired a scientist named George F. Rockahater to find the reason for so many rock groups being formed. Rockahater found that in a high powered electric guitar song, many nearly invisible “Rock Notes” were sent into the listeners ears,



This giving them the ability, if so chosen, to form a rock band. As we all know, to ban rock bands is a crime against music, and must be stopped! Don’t ever let an adult tell you to “TURN IT DOWN!” Better yet,

Childhood Story #1 Jaguar Sunny D

I was looking for a binder the other day, and happened upon a bunch of papers and miscellaneous assignments from my Freshmen English class, and found a Paper entitled "The Hedge Hideout" Finding this, made me realize i should share more stories from my childhood on here so those that never knew me as a youngin will know....can experience who I was when I was in my youth. For those of you that are included in the stories, I'm sure you will appreciate the Nostalgia (I find that's one of my favorite words. It's quite amazing).

I had a best friend growing up, Jake, well technically only from 3rd grade until now. He is married now, but we still talk and remember everything we went through. Sappy I know. During those Elementary School years, he basically lived at my house. He probably ate dinner more at my house during those years, than he did at his own. Because of how often he was at my house, he pretty much knew everything that was going on, even down to people that called our house regularly.

All growing up, I can only remember my Dad having a Sports car of SOME kind. First it was Jaguars, then a Mercedes, then Porsche's, then Mercedes again. Of course he didn't have them all the time, or all at the same time, but usually he had a car of his own. (He owned a business and the business paid for the car) I remember more than anything listening to Garth Brooks and Tina Turner in the Convertible Jag, cruising to get a slurpee at the Sev on 7th East. Wow never realized the connection there. Anyway, along with Sports cars, along with any car for that matter, comes maintenance and we discovered Jaguars didn't have the best reputation for not having Problems....That was crappy Grammar, but i don't care.

During one particular Jaguar time period, the car was in the shop for a ridiculous amount of time (Hmmm...sounds familiar with me and my car...) All we knew was that about 4-5 times a day, we could expect a call from the people at Jaguar either updating us on the "Status" of the car, Telling us it wasn't done yet, or when it would be done. The main problem with this was in that Jaguar only had our home phone #, and in a day when Cell Phones really didn't exist, so we were stuck taking their calls. We got so incredibly sick of answering the phone and hearing it was the same people from Jaguar, and telling them that "No, my Dad hasn't gotten home in the last half hour, and i will tell him you called 19,000 times today, Thanks" We started making up what we could say to them when they called us back to annoy them as much as they were annoying us.

You know those Sunny D commercials where the guy comes in from playing a hard game of Basketball, and is dead thirsty and looks in the fridge and finds "the soda, the purple stuff, the milk, YES SUNNY D!" This would have been the perfect premise and setup for a Sunny D Commercial. We LOVED Sunny D back in the day. Yes, it would have been perfect.

When you are with a group of friends and you just start laughing at everything, sometimes it's uncontrollable what happens to your body. My good friend was over, as usual, and we were laughing and making fun of the a fore mentioned Jaguar Service people, and of course Drinking Sunny D. What else would we be drinking? I honestly don't remember what was said, or who said it, but all i remember was as he was taking a drink of the yellow nectar, from one second to the next, there was sunny D ALL over everyone. But that's not even the worst. I look up, and see it continuing to spew from his nose. Of course all the rest of us lost it and jumped up out of the way to avoid the Sunny D shower. I can only imagine the burning his nose went through that day. Oddly enough, ever since that experience, Sunny D just hasn't had the appeal it used to.

I have a lot of Stories with Jake, and I'm sure if i asked him for more, he could give me more than my fair share. I'm planning on posting some of the assignments I found the other day, they're actually pretty awesome. I like writing.

The Job

Did i really expect to get the job this time? Well i thought i had a pretty good chance, but i wasn't getting my hopes up. Although, i still thought i had a pretty good chance. Nope. Didn't get it. I swear my manager hates me and tells anyone that wants to hire me NOT to do it, wouldn't surprise me at all. This is the standard email i got from HR (that i've seen countless times now):

Dear Jeff,

Thank you for interviewing for the Information Coordinator position here at Nu Skin. We appreciated the chance to get to know you better throughout the interview process.

We were fortunate to consider many talented applicants for this position. Although your skills and experience are impressive, we have elected to appoint another candidate whose qualifications more closely matched the requirements for this position.

We are truly pleased that you have considered furthering your career with us here at Nu Skin and wish you the best. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you along your journey, I am happy to help.

I know they have to send the same standard email to everyone, but for just once i'd like to get a personalized email from the person hiring me, telling me why i wasn't hired. I hate having to ask for it and then get a letter saying i'm crap (which is what happened last time). And what does "IMPRESSIVE" skills and experience mean? Seriously...if i'm impressive, HIRE ME!! I've been threatening to quit for ages now, and i'm pretty sure this is the last straw. You can only take phone calls for so long, and 3 years is just about enough for me. I'd love to stay with Nuskin, but it seems to be impossible without staying in my current position.

So if anyone knows of any good jobs, that isn't taking phone calls, and pays around 10-11 an hour, that'd be great.

Need I have a reason?

Need I have a reason to be watching my favorite movie of all time two days into the semester. NO! I don't have homework yet, and I'm waiting to get a code i bought off eBay for my Math class, so i can't even pretend to start yet. Plus Blackboard isn't working for my other classes. Nothing i can do. The Goonies will suffice. (I will be inserting Lines from the movie as i write this, as i hear them)

So i go to BYU. BYU did not have a stellar football season. They were over rated, and really came out too confident in themselves in going undefeated. Sure they went undefeated last year, but that's beside the point. I'm glad they had a "crappy" season, maybe it'll help them realize you can't promise perfection. Now, Need I have a reason to agree with Steve? (please click on Steve and go read and then come back here) I don't think i should. Utah did awesome. They deserve to be #1. I am a BYU fan, always have been, always will be, was raised one (and did not betray them like other people I know), and i'm just calling it like it is. Although Utah won't get deemed champions, maybe it'll prove something needs to change in the BCS...as if that were a mystery anyway.

(I know you're down here One-Eyed-Willey, I KNOW you're here!)

I mentioned in my last post I had applied for a job. This job is a different position within Nuskin. I'm pretty sure my life career is not going to be at Nuskin, in fact I know that is the truth. However, while i'm in school they provide pretty well paying part time job. Answering phone calls all day isn't the most glorious of positions, but it is doable. Especially when you have co-workers to laugh with about the idiotic people that call in.

Example from today:
Me: Thank you for calling Nuskin, my name is Jeff, how can i help you? (All in one breath)
Customer: I've been taking the Cartilage formula (self explanatory) and after just one week i've gained 10 pounds.
Me: I'm pretty sure our vitamins will not make you gain weight. (Thinking in my mind....did you realize it was Christmas and i'm sure you pigged out...?)
Customer: I can't take any vitamins, they all make me gain weight.
Me: Oh ok. Let me setup that refund for you *meanwhile talking to Product Support on Instant Messenger and finding out its not possible, but whatever*

That's what I deal with all day. I interviewed today for the new position. I don't think the new one is anymore glorious or great, but at least it's off the phones. Basically i would be the "assistant" to the girl that does all the daily updates, gathering information, making sure everyone has the things they need for the day. Hence the title "Info Coordinator." I felt good about the interview, as good as one can feel i suppose. Although last time i had an interview for a different job internally, i was told after i didn't get the job that i was arrogant and prideful. Whatever. No one is perfect, but i don't know how that guy read into me that way. Oh well.

School. School started this past Monday, yesterday i guess it was. I hope this semester is enlightening for me. It really needs to be. I am starting my major, Communications Disorders (where i will later go into Audiology or Speech Pathology). I'm discovering something i really didn't know before...apparently this major is a pretty heavy female major. In my Speech Anatomy class, there are 48 girls and if you include the instructor, 6 Guys in the class. I didn't really know this, but honestly i dont' really care. I feel good about this major and It feels like it fits me and just feels....right.....so i'm sticking with it. I want to get into it and figure out at least if it's what i really want to do. I'm hoping though there will be a different direction i can go in rather than being just a speech therapist. In pretty much any major, that option is normally viable, and i'm guessing it'll be the same with this.

My Classes This Semester:

COMD 320 - Speech Anatomy - Supposedly this class is pretty hard. I heard some people talking about it in my ASL class, but they are in it now as well, so you can only really go off of what they have heard. The teacher seems like a pretty cool guy, and he was honest about the difficulty of the class. I loved Anatomy, and with that i think the learning will come easy/better to me than say...Chemistry.

COMD 133 - Introduction to Speech-Language pathology and Audiology- Online course. Hear it's cake.

ASL 101 - Class today wasn't held with my teacher. My teacher is being hired...not sure what that says about the program. The guy that taught us today is deaf and the head of the department. I took a semester in High school, and i think that will help some. It was kinda fun already being back in that environment. Kinda looking forward to it.

Math 110 - With my past un-excitement of Chemistry (AKA Math plus chemicals), I'm not sure how i feel about Math 110. I went to an orientation today and they basically said if you hadn't had math for more than 4 years...or in my case since High school....which i have not....then the class will more difficult than it normally would be. They suggest opting out of the class and taking Math 97. I really don't want to delay getting classes done anymore....I have a friend taking it, Eric is a math genius, So is Caitlin, So i think i should be fine.....Pray for me.

Christmas and New Years were good i suppose. I ended up having to work all the way up til Christmas Eve, but then had the 25th-28th off, which was a nice little break. After that, i worked graveyards the 29-31, which didn't suck terribly bad. I got paid extra, and just watched the Office. Got through the first 3 seasons...yep didn't get one call from Spain the whole time...actually i take that back. I did get one, but she wanted to place an order in Italy...so i told her to call back later, where i got her again and proceeded to transfer her to the Europe lines....Back to the Holidays. I spent the majority of the time with my family, whether it was my immediate or cousins or uncles, aunts, grandma, etc. All my friends were basically gone or busy with their own families. It was just a nice time to relax. New years was kinda lame....i kinda felt like being alone, so i was (plus i was catching up on sleep because of the graveyards.) Then Caitlin and Eric convinced me to come hang out, so i did and it ended up being fun. Not the most exciting holidays of my life though.

"Oh wow!! GUYS LOOK!! It's a BEAUTIFUL WATERFALL!!!" (One of the corniest and best lines of the movie)

I really don't have much else to write on right now....that's the basic update. I know i should write more often, but who wants to read nothing? I guess this isn't nothing....

"GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE!!!"