replacement friend

what are you looking for?

2011-03-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

Do you keep waiting for this website to update? Well don't get your hopes up. All the original replace friends have moved on to their own blogs and such. But you can go over to replacementfriends.com to see what's going on with me... Rich.

As for now, this website will still act as a starting place to stay updated on "the above listed" blogs, which are all awesome!

new year, new website

2011-01-07T18:37:00.001-08:00

At some point I'm going to have this page redirect you to... REPLACEMENTFRIENDS.COM!!! I have uploaded every single post from this blog to the new website.

Here's the announcement I put on the new website:

Lisha gave me a couple great Christmas presents. First, a pair of manly boots. Secondly, she bought me my own website. This website. The one that you are currently on: replacementfriends.com.

I am so excited! It is something I have always wanted to do. So now let’s talk about the changes.

First, you will notice that I have moved the blog from blogger to tumblr. Second, you may notice that I have usurped the blog from Michael, Stephen, and Jeffrey. But really… they stopped posting on the blog like a year ago. Plus they can still post on this one… and so. can. you!

This is a feature I am very excited about! Anyone visiting this blog can be a replacement friend! Just click “become a replacement friend” and you can then post a thought, link, picture, video… anything. Then it will get sent to me for my approval and voila: you are replacement friend-ed!

Another feature I am excited about is “ask me a question”. Let’s say I don’t post enough to your liking. Just click ask me a question I will be emailed your question, to which I promise to respond, and it will become it’s very own blog post.

So Merry January everybody and a Happy New Year!

So go on over to replacementfriends.com!

dentists.

2010-11-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

So Lisha went to the dentist yesterday... it was an experience. Just look at what was "hanging" from the ceiling when she went to get 3 cavities filled... click here (kinda NSFW).

Not only that... the whole office was decked out. Pop art every where. Pure whiteness and modern furniture. There were iMacs at the front desk. According to Lisha, it is like they plugged my iPod into the speaker system and pressed play for all there patients.

Did I go into the wrong profession?

The only thing I hear while I'm writing SOAP (subjective. objective. assessment. plan.) notes is the CNA talking in a loud voice to old Mr. Jones (name has been changed for HIPAA), "DID YOU PASS STOOL TODAY... WAS IT LOOSE... WE NEED TO GET A SAMPLE".

And yet... we have this huge advantage over dentists. You know what I'm talking about ladies:

I saw McDreamy and I knew what I wanted to do with my life:
a) constant 5 o'clock shadow (check)
b) live in Seattle (check)
c) yell "Get out of my OR!" (probably will never get to do this because surgery is boring... seriously, if I have to stare at another jejunum for 3 hours...)
d) have a nervous breakdown after a failed clinical trial where I kill dozens of patients (I can only dream)
e) yell at someone named "Karev" (if only people actually had this ridiculous name)
f) get married on a sticky note (already did this... on the sticky note of eternity!)
g) win a malpractice suit against someone who will eventually come back to the hospital to shoot me... and then a resident (preferably Asian female) will save my life by carefully removing a bullet that is just touching my ascending Aorta...

A man can only dream. Except compared to dentists: I am one step closer to living that dream.

i'm in charge of the youth of tomorrow

2010-09-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

So the wife and I both have callings in YM/YW. This past weekend we were asked to hold a Book of Mormon read-a-thon at our house. What did this mean?

24 hr. Overnight. Read the entire Book of Mormon.

Long story short. By 4AM we were losing them. Hard core.

You might be interested to know what we tried doing. Basically, this was a small affair. We had like 8 youth. We started off with a pizza dinner and we watched the Book of Mormon Movie: Volume 1 - Lehi's Journey. This of course was epic and covered 1st and 2nd Nephi (basically, right?). Then the rest of the activity had peppered seminary and cartoon videos from every reading we could apply them too. The kids loved this... and the reason for this love was best summed up by this statement, "Put on a video so we can sleep some more."

Awesome. We are totally getting through to them.

But at the end of the day, I think we got through to them. And I think we had a fun time. And we ate a lot of junk food.

take this brain!

2010-08-04T18:57:00.001-07:00

This is SO much better than Lisha's dorm room 11-inch television. Seriously. When you have to run up to the screen and read aloud the subtitles to everyone else watching... your screen might be too small. However, I still feel like a sell out. When you buy a plasma television, you can't deny that some how you have become the "consumer". Right? It is a luxury. Totally, unnecessary.

But it feels... so good.

I love movie nights so much more! It looks and sounds SO much better. It was totally worth passing out while I sold my blood for autoimmune research.

Yep. That's how I bought it. I sold my body for research. I also did garden work. I sold old textbooks. And I put all the money I made in a jar; old school. Just like when I bought my Sega Genesis. By the way, I totally recommend this slush fund jar method. It is amazing how much money you can make when you just start looking around for odd ways to make it. And then you put it in your jar.

Double rainbow. Full on all the way.

lost touch with the common man

2010-08-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

Have we lost touch with you... the common people? It is as though we have a protective shell around us, like a hermit crab or a mermaid booby.

I know, I know… It has been forever. You probably thought this blog was going to end up like so many others. The one's where there is only one post that goes like "Well, I thought I would give blogging a chance. I'm going to write my day to day observations and my opinions on current events and post interesting links to blah blah blah"... and then there is nothing else.

Not so my beloved homeboys and homegirls. Where do I even start!? So much has happened.

Let's see. Well, the National Board of Osteopathic Medicine thinks I'm good enough to be a doctor (suckers). It looks like my "internet fast" worked... okay confession I totally used the internet for non-test purposes... okay another confession I totally got really good at this flash game called ragdoll tennis. But still I passed my first of many board examinations that I will take throughout my life... wait, why am I doing this again? To help people, ah crap.

What else? Well, after I took my test I retreated to the Motherland: Canada. Lisha loved it there so much that she said, and I quote, "Sure it's nice now, but it's so freaking cold in the winter." You here that Mom? She totally wants to live in Winnipeg! But for reals, in Canada we be dining on crab and sipping on sum sizzurip... Three 6 Mafia reference.

What else? Say what! My family was in the Emerald City! Including my elegible bachelor broseph that just got home from his Latter-Day Saint missionary work in Denmark. Highlights: clams and linguini, new Brooks Brother bathing suit not purchased by me (fist clenched. eyes closed. "yesssss"), and having my family visit us.

What else? North Carolina! Yes, and if you're wondering, I did take my shirt off, twist it around my hand, and spinned it like a helicopter. Once again, with the family. Where do I even start? Basically, it is a constant barrage of fun. I get to act like a kid. For example, my brothers and I dig ginormous holes at beach. One of our aunts was like, "Why do you guys do this?" And we were like, "We do it for the little cousins because they love playing in them."... but mostly, it's for us. We love digging them, getting buried in them, and pretending like we're digging trenches in WWI in Lille, France. And we would reach China if it we could somehow avoid hitting water. Okay fine, and the little cousins love the holes as well.

And now we're back in Seattle. Sun kissed skin, so hot we'll melt your popsicle.

for 40 days and 40 nights

2010-05-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

If you don't hear from me... it is because I am going to become a hermit. Now we all know kind of what a hermit is, but I would like to share a little more about what it means. Once again, I am going to rip something off of Wikipedia:

"In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament (i.e., the forty years wandering in the desert that was meant to bring about a change of heart)."

I don't know how to say this... I'm switching to Catholicism.

Just kidding. I am becoming a medical student hermit to bring about a change of brain. I'm going to make it smart. And instead of forty years, I have 42 days. Take that Israelites!

What does this mean? I am barely, if ever, going to be using the computer. Jesus went without food and bread for forty days, I am going without the computer (mostly, practice tests are online). So I just need to say goodbye to a few things: goodbye iChat with Mike; goodbye Gizmodo; goodbye NY Times; goodbye Slate; goodbye Engadget; goodbye blogger; goodbye Hulu; goodbye Netflix

But mostly, goodbye iTunes.

So in short, I will barely be updating this blog (if ever). Luckily, we have Mike, Steve, and Jeff updating this blog as well... hahaha, ah that's funny (that will never happen).

So goodbye. I leave you with a Bob Dylan playlist. I meant to post this a long time ago. It basically is a list of Dylan songs that I believe will make a convert out of anyone... unless you don't have a heart.

Moonshiner
Girl From the North Country
Love Minus Zero No Limit
One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)
One Too Many Mornings
Lay, Lady, Lay
Corrina, Corrina
Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
Drifter's Escape
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

siete de mayo

2010-05-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

It is time for my favorite day of the year: Siete de Mayo. It is the day that the independence of Greece was finally recognized via the Treaty of London. Then, as everyone knows, the Otto of Wittelsbach, Prince of Bavaria was chosen King.

It is still just dumbfounding that despite Greece's vital role in political theory and as, arguably, the centerpiece of the world for several centuries, the Hellenistic period was brought to a close two centuries later with the establishment of Roman rule over Greek lands in 146 BC.

I was talking about this with Mike and he made the argument that Greece's loss of control truly began with the Byzantine Empire in 330 AD around Constantinople.

This got my mind spinning and made me reflect on how Byzantium remained a major cultural and military power for the next 1,123 years, until the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. On the eve of the Ottoman conquest, much of the Greek intelligentsia migrated to Italy and other parts of Europe not under Ottoman rule, playing a significant role in the Renaissance through the transmission of ancient Greek works to Western Europe. Nevertheless, the Ottoman millet system contributed to the cohesion of the Orthodox Greeks by segregating the various peoples within the empire based on religion, as the latter played an integral role in the formation of modern Greek identity.

So happy Siete de Mayo to everyone!

i closed my eyes for a long time

2010-04-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Do we look homeless? It's like we are carrying all our belongings with us. In reality, we are on our way to the airport.

stare at the dot

2010-03-29T10:23:00.001-07:00

Blogger is being weird, so you might have to click on the picture to get it to work. But it's cool and so worth it.

2010-03-20T18:24:00.001-07:00

we lost.

throw me the rock, i'm in the paint

2010-03-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, the real March Madness will begin... the Renton Stake Basketball Tournament brought to you by the LDS church. Is there anything greater than watching the elder's quorum president spew profanities while he simultaneously fellowships the non-member 6'7" ringers?

Nay. There is nothing greater.

I have a confession about my team. We haven't won a single game. We have come close... but close does not win games. At first I thought, maybe when we get our uniforms we'll play more like a team. Well we got our uniforms, and I think it certainly helped us become a team (i.e. recognize each other on the court)... but the only sizes we got were XL, XXL, XXXL and... wait for it... XXXXL.

Needless to say, on a team where the average height is 5'8", we look like where are playing dress up in Daddy's clothes.

So what we are going in winless? That just means our win will be that much more awesome. Hopefully we are not playing the team with the median age of 45... because daaaaaang they know the fundamentals. The pick and roll so much it is like an ballet.

Hopefully we are not playing the team that has 5 awesome players and 5 bad players. I call that our accordion game. The awesome 5 would go in and they would be ahead by 15. Second string comes in, we close the gap to 3 points. First string in, 15 points. Second string in, 3 points.

Hopefully we are not playing the team with that ultimate two-face douche. You know the guy. He's swearing it up. Getting angry when you call fouls on him. BUT then after the game he's acting like your buddy, and complimenting you on specific moments in the game where you did particularly well. Little does he know... I KNOW I'm already totally awesome.

So throw me the rock. I am about to own this game!

P.S. I might even unveil something I haven't busted out since Junior High... the two hand slap-backboard lay up (Stephen will understand this).

from far and wide

2010-03-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

Yes. We made it. We won the only gold medal that mattered. Yes. It feels so good. In fact I was so proud, I grew a copper red hair in my beard (true story). Yes. I have been growing a beard off and on... all the time. I grow it. Then it bugs me and I shave. I like what I have going on, and I'm glad Lisha doesn't mind.

So what is up! I'm sure you didn't come here hoping to read about Canada and my beard. But maybe you did. How about this? So as you read on Lisha's blog she received a glowing evaluation from work. I was so happy for her. It is so awesome! So we went out to celebrate. We probably took an hour to find a place we both wanted to go to. But what did we find? We found noodles. Delicious noodles!

So good. So good, that we had to go again on Monday for take out. Trust me, this is very new for us. We eat out maybe once every two weeks. This place was just THAT good. Mmm, mmm, mmm!

Oh ya, it's called "In the Bowl". It has a billion glowing reviews on the internet. And they deserve it, BIG TIME. So next time any of you are in town we will take you there.

That reminds me. We need visitors. We miss everyone so much. I know, I know. It is probably our turn to visit you.

Wait hold on a second, this post is sounding like a married blog post. I was about to write about how we're looking for a new place to live. Yikes! How boring is that? Okay new direction.

So, I am playing church basketball. It is SO much fun. We totally have not won a single game. BUT it is never a blow out. Our games are usually really close. It is a little heartbreaking, but the league is really chill. There is a definite lack of the BYU douche-hards that would play intramural ball.

Maybe we would have more succes though if I started to get more in their face. Like, during the last game I totally stuffed this guy. But afterwards... I didn't do anything. I just went down to the other side of the court to play offense. But what, I should have done was wave my "Mutombo" finger. Or at least, yelled "Not in MY house!".

And maybe when I score a basket, I should leave my hand in the air as I back-skip-pedal down to our defensive end. Maybe some chest bumping. Maybe I should just full on rip my shirt off after I get a rebound.

I mean, these are all good ideas. So word to your mother, and enjoy the music I am posting below this. Maybe you will find some new gems for your collection. They are are totally downloadable! Just right-click and save as!

Local Natives "Wide Eyes"
Beach House "Silver Soul"
Grizzly Bear "Two Weeks"
I'm From Barcelona "UHOH"
Friendly Fires "Paris"

devastated, but still a canadian

2010-02-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, yesterday's game left me feeling... well I guess the only way to put it correctly: sad. But I'm still fiercely in love with my home country.

i am so glad i curled

2010-02-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

I was looking at our blog and wondering if I wanted to make any changes. Then I thought to myself, "what about changing our top graphic!".

So I started doodling around with different pictures and different fonts... but it turns out I'm not that good at this stuff. I wish I took a course in graphic design or at least had some innate artistic ability.

So what ended up happening is that I kept the Lichtenstein at the top... but I made a subtle, or not so subtle change. Can you spy what I did?

On another note, a bunch of people in class today were mocking / trying to grasp the intricacies of curling. I am so glad I was able to curl in High School PE and learn the rules of the game. Really the basics are not that difficult. Whoever is closets to the middle and within the circle automatically gets a point and then they get "bonus" points for every stone that is next closest as long as the other team does not have a stone that is closer.

Was that clear, or just more confusing?

Is anyone else loving the Winter Olympics? And on another note hates the way NBC presents the olympics (ie. not live most of the time)?

happy valemtimes day!

2010-02-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

I saw this today while surfing the information superhighway (remember when newscasters would call it that?). It made me think of my relationship with Lisha. I feel like Michael would want Whitney to feel the same way. But since I'm the one posting it, I dedicate the above sentiments to Lisha.

computer disks!

2010-02-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

At some point in the late-80s our family procured a video camcorder. It was used sparingly throughout the years, but the one thing that was always recorded was when we were opening up presents. We have barely any videos of grandparents, vacations, everyday life, sports games, recitals, or just of funny stuff we would do as kids. But if you want to see a video of us opening up presents we have a veritable catalogue from December 1988 to December 2001 of every gift opening, birthday or Christmas.

I'm going to share with you two of mine and Stephen's greatest gift moments.

I remember the day when Dad bought a $2000 computer. It had a hard disk drive and 640KB of RAM. Its operating system was a DOS tree program. Anyways, one year I got a present that caused me to raise it over my head triumphantly and yell "COMPUTER DISKS!" This makes me smile because some of that excitement stays with me. I love playing old arcade games (especially PacMan) and I still love doodling around on computers. But anyways, the computer discs in my hand were actually a trifector of the biggest games shows in the 80s: Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and Family Feud. Do these pictures bring back any memories for anyone else?

Now for Stephen. Probably some of the coolest after-pictures of Christmas day were Stephen's incredible poses with his Hot Keyz key-tar. Does anyone else remember Hot Keyz? I was going to get a picture from Stephen's Facebook... BUT Stephen deleted his profile recently. So close. So if you're there Stephen, try to wrangle up some of your Hot Keyz pictures.

But anyways, the Hot Keyz (the 'z' is important) was awesome. In particular I remember that if you held one particular key down it would play the melody for "Born in the U.S.A."... except it wouldn't play the whole song. It would actually just play the melody for the singular line of "Born in the U.S.A."... just "dow dow dada dow dow dow... dow dow dada dow dow dow... dow dow dada dow dow dow". Then you could change the tempo and key. Totally awesome!

i can breathe

2010-01-26T12:14:00.001-08:00

So, the organization of my education at medical school is way different than my education experiences of the past. We pretty much learn one thing at a time based on organ system. These organ systems include things like gastrointestinal, renal, musculoskeletal, neurology, endocrine, and cardiopulmonary to name a few. Then I learn all the basic science dealing with one specific system. The basic science includes topics like microbiology, biochemistry, pathology, immunology, anatomy and such. Then after a period of 3 - 10 weeks I take a final exam.

Well I just finished another one of these periods (dermatology). I love the day after these tests because I basically have a chance to breathe and relax as we begin a new unit (currently hematology). Thus I write on the Replacement Friend.

I have starting telling a few people that I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And what I mean by that is this. I actually believe that one day I will be a doctor... and what I mean by that is this. I think I might just be able to remember all this stuff.

So basically, I am not going to become a "Dr. Spaceman"... well except in the fact the government keeps stopping my research as well!

merry chiestmas

2009-12-25T08:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Chiestmas! For some reason my iPhone does not self correct "chiestmas" when I type it in, so Lisha has been wishing me a merry chiestmas ever since. Anyways, this took me a while to finish, but I wanted to leave you all with a list of songs that I loved this year. It is NOT a list of the best of 2009, this is just music that I found myself listening to. Some of it was rediscovered and some of it was discovered. So enjoy! I would love to hear about any ones that you really like from this list or ones that you have really liked this year, because I love listening to new music.

The Mary Onettes "Dare"
MGMT "Time to Pretend"
Yo La Tengo "Avalon or Someone Very Similar"
Fool's Gold "Surprise Hotel"
Discovery "Orange Shirt"
The Sound of Arrows "M.A.G.I.C."
The Pains of Being Pure In Heart "Higher Than The Stars"
Arcade Fire "Cold Wind"
The Zombies "Care of Cell 44"
France Gall "Poupee de cire, Poupee de son"
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas "Wild One"
The Pixies "La La love you"
Santogold "I'm A Lady"
Dusty Springfield "I'll Try Anything"
Phillip Glass "Dead Things"
Phoenix "Rome"
Memory Tapes "Plain Material"
Friendly Fires "Lovesick"
Lakes "Christmas Island"
The Clientele "Winter on Victoria Street"
Big Star "September Gurls"
Lykke Li "Little Bit"
St. Vincent "Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood"
Acid House Kings "Keep Your Love"
Black Kids "I've Underestimated My Charm (Again)"
Phenomenal Handclap Band "06 15 to 20"
Wilco "You And I"
My Morning Jacket "One Big Holiday"
Ra Ra Riot "Dying Is Fine"
Dirty Projectors "Stillness Is The Move"
Bob Dylan "Love Minus Zero / No Limit"
Islands "Rough Gem"
Atlas Sound "Walkabout (feat. Panda Bear)"
Stars "Undertow"
Jealous Girlfriend "The Pink Wig To My Salieri"
Jens Lekman "The Opposite of Hallelujah"
Surfer Blood "Take it Easy"
Club 8 "Someday"
Portugal. The Man "Lovers In Love"
The Dodos "Fables"
The Big Pink "Dominos"
The XX "Crystalised"
The Magnetic Fields "Papa Was A Rodeo"
Mojave 3 "Starlight #1"
Firekites "Same Suburb, Different Park"
U.S.E. "River Of Love"
Delorean "Moonsoon"
Bon Iver "Lump Sum"
God Help The Girl "God Help The Girl"
Ladytron "Ghosts"

quick question

2009-12-17T22:02:00.001-08:00

So I can't write a lot because I am studying for a test tomorrow. But I have been meaning to write about something... nay, ask something.

What's with girls? I mean, to be more specific. As Lisha, picks out outfits, chooses nail polishes, does her hair, etc, etc, etc... she will invariably ask wither "Which one do you like best?" or "Does this look okay?"

I respond with my honest opinion. For example, "Grey" or "Ya, you look awesome! I love that skirt"

But then something weird happens, she will almost always respond with "Mmm... I like the red better" or "I don't know, I'm going to wear my leopard print dress."

Girls are weird.

... I love you Lisha!

Also this came to my attention today:

It's about time

2009-12-11T14:13:00.001-08:00

For this... Be warned though, that if you click on this link, you will be exposed to greasy hair, metal ball chain necklaces, and the worst music perhaps ever conjured by man. BE WARNED!!

explaining how to throw up

2009-11-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my brother Stephen tonight. We ended up talking a bit about what I'm learning in school right now. I'm learning how we vomit.

It's actually a pretty complicated process with a lot of neural control. Just think of process of how we get food down. It's not like food we eat instantly gets to our stomach. Via peristalsis our food is gradually moved down to the stomach by our autonomic nervous system. Now think of throwing up. Our stomach contents travel that distance pretty quickly thanks to powerful abdominal contractions and relaxation of sphincters along our esophagus (among other factors).

Then we started telling throw up stories.

Man, telling throw up stories is so high up on my list of awesome conversation. I won't divulge the details, but my best throw up story revolves around going to Costco, buying a box of Wunderbars, and eating half the box (at least) in a period of a few hours.

I will only divulge the whole story in person... without any recording devices.

//Here are some songs//
The Hidden Cameras "In the NA"
Surfer Blood "Swim"
The Big Pink "Dominos"
My Morning Jacket "One Big Holiday"

it's raining here

2009-11-10T20:47:00.000-08:00

I love it. I love the rain. Literally if someone asked, "If you could only have one kind of weather the whole time you were alive, what would it be?" I would say rain.

When I was a teenager, I loved going out in the rain and playing basketball. Actually, my brothers and I all used to love going out in the rain to play basketball. We would all act super dramatic as we did lay ups and shot 3-pointers. I remember during my freshman year I loved doing laps around the Marriot Center when it was raining.

Then I went to England! That was maybe the only time I didn't like it when it rained... because being in a suit getting rained on, and then staying in that suit for 10 hours was not as fun. But still, the rows of brick laden attached housing to the backdrop of grey clouds... I wouldn't change it.

Rain makes everything better. Standing in the middle of the street. Sitting on a bench. Looking up at the sky... with your arms extended... and then yelling out "Noooooooo!"... and then slowly falling you your knees.

Plus it is also good backdrop for yelling "Wait, don't go!" and then to respond, "I have to..."

Ya, the rain is good for a lot of things.

Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer.mp3
Sea Wolf - Wicked Blood.mp3
Sissy Wish - Float.mp3
Xylos - In the Bedroom.mp3

dream world of magic

2009-11-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Mo and Josh were out here in Seattle for a family wedding. One night we were hanging out with them and Mo's family. A deep conversation of movies took place. It turned out. I had seen none of them. I chimed in my two cents, "Um, the Godfather was a good movie." That's like saying, "Hamburgers are pretty good."

It was then that I questioned myself... do I really LOVE movies?

For years, I have been putting "Movies" as one of my interests on blog biographies, Facebook profiles, and "About Me" sections at job training sessions.

All lies.

Because I don't think the word "love" should be taken lightly. For example, if you love music... I think it requires some dedication. You just can't wait for people to make you mixes, you have to make them your self. You have to find the music your self. You have to boldly declare "I like this", despite what anyone else says. And I don't mean you have to like some obscure artist. If you truly adore, and anticipate every release from Beyonce: awesome. However, if you like Nickelback... well you just don't deserve to have functioning ears.

But back to my main point. I don't love movies. Proof! If I ranked the Star Wars movies in order of me liking them, it would look like this: V, III, IV, I, VI, then II. That's not the list of somebody who loves movies! It should read: V, IV, VI and then the other ones shouldn't even be mentioned.

So I've downgraded my status. I "like" movies. I still want to hear about all your movie recommendations. But sadly, I don't have anything to offer you... except this: The newest Rambo movie that came out a couple years ago is the best movie of the decade.

Phenomenal Hand Clap Band "5 10 15 20"
Doves "Winter Hill"
Surfers Blood "Take it Easy"
Speech Debelle "Spinnin'"
Visqueen "Ward"
The Lonely Forest "We Sing in Time"
Langhorne Slim "Say Yes"
Grand Hallway "Raindrops"

para ejemplo

2009-11-05T22:36:00.000-08:00

I'm testing out this new way of putting music on the blog in an even more non-intrusive way than 8track (because hey, I ditto with Morgan over here when I say it is not fun automatically hearing music when you go to a blog.)

Lake "Breathing"
Yo La Tengo "Avalon or Someone Very Similar
The Jealous Girlfriends "Pink Wig to My Safari"
Fool's Gold "Surprise Hotel"

Enjoy! Is this better than 8tracks?

i could live in seattle

2009-11-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

Do you remember when you were in Junior High listening to the radio? Do you remember having a tape deck in your stereo? And now for my final question, do you remember running to the stereo when they were about to play the Spacehog's "In the Meantime"?

Okay, you may not have remembered running to the stereo to record Spacehog per se... but still, right? It might have been Age of Electric, Limblifter, or the Super Friendz... okay it probably wasn't them either (I just wanted to enlighten you with some bands that were way big in Canada but never cracked into the United States).

I was also running to the taper to record Soundgarden, the Offspring, and Bush X. And if I remember correctly, Stephen was running to his tape recorder to get Bon Jovi's "Thank You For Loving Me".

Either way. Remember when radio was something good? Ya, I stopped listening once Napster came out. Listening to the radio for new music became pointless. Well, at least in Winnipeg, Provo, and Mesa it was. Sure, sure. I listened to the college radio stations. But apart from a few shows on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon... they weren't that good (actually, shout out to "Afternoon Delight" on Utah's KCRL).

Okay, long story short: KEXP = public radio that plays great music all the time. It pretty much sums up everything I like about Seattle. There is a real effort to escape commercialism. Seattle's HUGE, and I swear I could count the amount of Walmarts and Targets on one hand... no joke. Yep, Seattle keeps it pretty real... except everyone seems to always trying to "out-hippy" one another. That can get pretty ridiculous.

Anyways, I just wanted to leave a note for all of you. I also want to let you all know know that you are free to check out a side project of mine and Lisha's at http://richpluslisha.tumblr.com.

Shoot Baskets Not Bullets

2009-10-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

My old math teacher used to wear a shirt that said that. But... just out of curiosity how many of you would sit down and solve this code if you came across it?

Yes I am a nerd

music?

2009-10-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

So, once Mike had sent me over some of the new Beatles on mono stuff... it reminded me how much I love music. I feel like lately I have been listening to a lot of music that is somehow electronically manipulated with a lot of synthesizers or neat computer tricks. I still like that stuff, but I love how the music I listed below is so alive. It is the kind of stuff a few guitars and a drum set can recreate... like when Mike and I used to jam out in the Chatham Towne basement. Do you remember that? Epic.

The Zombies, Love, Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan (electric), The Who, The Kinks, The Beatles, The Remains, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan (folk), Donovan, Rolling Stones

Medical School Survey

2009-10-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

So we were in class today on a Friday afternoon, and it was grueling. I can't even begin to express how hard it was to stay attentive. It was information overload. Arguably, it was information overkill. I mean, how much can you learn about Preeclampsia. I was google chatting with another classmate about how brain dead everyone in the class was, and I'm going to try my best to somehow include you in this inside joke. Our school and our school club ALWAYS use survey monkey to get our opinions about stuff. So it was really funny, so funny that I couldn't hold in my laughter... in class.

I think we have all had these moments on Friday afternoons at work or school. Did I mention we used Survey Monkey's various analytics to make conclusions on the poll results? Out of our statistically significant polling sample of four people, 75% said "No, I checked out 2 hours ago." 25% of the respondents are nerds with an abnormal attention span for a 32-week pregnant primigravida.

Family Meeting! We're having a family meeting!

2009-09-28T23:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, hold the phone! Lisha and I just watched the best thing ever. Wait for it. Troll 2. You can watch the whole thing at Hulu. I feel like I'm going to ruin the whole movie for you by showing you the end here, but... the ending is... how should I put this... CINEMATIC GOLD!

To quote from Wikipedia: "Joshua passes on the instructions he got from Seth and together they defeat Creedence and the goblins by touching the Magic Stone... and concentrating."

And just to give the clip some more sense, the goblins and their queen are AVID vegetarians. Kind of like Emma. In fact, this movie totally reminds me of Emma.

and... oh my goodness... so awesome... this

2009-09-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I know people would like to read a new post on the blog, but I don't have anything to really construct a decent post about. So instead I'll share a few songs that have caught my attention lately.

radio

2009-09-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

During Junior High, Stephen joined one of those music clubs where you get like 12 CDs for a dollar. And he's one of the few who dutifully followed the instructions from the records company to the absolute last period. He got 12 CDs for one penny + shipping/handling.

Among the Sheryl Crow, Marcy Playground, Hootie and the Blowfish, Counting Crows, and Joan Osborne... Stephen managed to order both Radiohead's "The Bends" and "OK Computer".

I remember listening to them the first time. I was confused. I was really into the Smashing Pumpkins at the time and I guess I was looking for straight ahead rockers like "Quiet" or "Bullet with Butterfly Wings".

And wait, before I lose you. I'm not saying Radiohead was revolutionary. All I'm saying is that after two listens, I probably went to sleep listening to Radiohead between Grade 9 and my freshmen year at BYU... every. single. night.

I know some of the people that read this blog experienced the same thing, right? What were your favourites? In the high fidelity tradition (corny lame), here are my top 5 (I have been sitting down by Lisha sharing this exact top 5):

1. Bulletproof... I wish I was

2. Nice Dreams

3. Let Down

4. No Surprises

5. Paranoid Android

TBA

2009-09-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the support of Richard and the generosity of the Bluth family I have overcome TBA. I need to keep fighting but I think I've made a big stride today.

Jeff is right!

2009-09-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

Jeff is right! He left a very poignant comment. Although playing Tetris on nintendo was great... there has to be something better. Of course, I have already learned that being married to the beautiful Lisha Wood. But can even greater things happen for the both of us? Yes.

Case in point. I am going to share with you a dream. A dream that died once. But not without learning many a great lessons. The dream, which is dead, is pictured below:

This is my 1982 Honda Sky. It has a cool 49cc... of raw horsepower. I bought it for $240 off of Craigslist. And between August and October 2007 nothing made me happier. Then it broke. It was hard to work on in the Winter. Then in Spring of 2008 I fixed it again... well Carina's connection at the Scooter lounge fixed it. And it was glorious! Then the belt broke. For shame. But an easy fix. Unfortunately, I was heading off to medical school soon and didn't have time to fix it. So I decided to sell it on Craiglists for much less than I bought it. Unfortunately my brother Jacob THREW OUT the centrifugal clutch in the garbage... something I still haven't forgiven him for. And now it is worth 0.0.0.0.0 dollars.

The lesson I learned. Don't buy a scooter that was made and sold only in Japan and Russia. Buy a scooter that actually was sold in English speaking countries or at least one that you know you can get replacement parts for.

Now for the dream!

Jeff's dream involves France. Mine is this.

Coming home from work, I'm a pediatric endocrinologist. Kissing my wife, Lisha, and whispering something cute in Spanish... because I speak it fluently by then. Getting a big group hug from my 3 sons, and one daughter... Eugene, Fitzgerald, Beauregard, and Veronica. Eating an awesome dinner in big, white, sunken in plate/bowl things. And then working on my old Vespa.

If somehow those things come together. I will be a happy man.

2009-09-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

These were golden years men. Golden years.

Happiness is...

2009-08-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

You see R.E.M. is cool

2009-08-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

I have been having an ongoing argument with Lisha in that I'm trying to prove that R.E.M. actually was really, really cool. This is from 1983. Are you watching it now Lisha? See I've proven my point. This is cool.

Okay, I give in

2009-07-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, July has been an especially slow month for the Replacement Friend Blog. Of course this does not mean our lives are slow. Steve is getting married August 5th to a surfer girl he met in Hawaii. Mike is taking the MCAT. Jeff... I don't really know what's happening. I know that he is maybe not going to law school this year. Maybe there are more details on his blog. I can't remember.

Either way stuff is happening. Oh! And I passed my first year of Medical School! And, Lisha and I are doing very well.

I know this post is lame and boring. You know what, don't even bother commenting. But hey, something is better than nothing, right?

Oh July, I thought you would never come.

2009-07-04T19:12:00.001-07:00

As per usual, I love sharing with people the music that I love. So it is always my hope that you will find something awesome in this little 8track I created. I am loving Passion Pit recently. They sound a lot like MGMT... but that's not a bad thing. Other highlights for me also include the Stars track, and the Jealous Girlfriends. But it is all awesome, and is all really catchy.

I would love to hear if you actually like any of the music I put up. Also if you want to download the tracks I put in this mix, just leave a comment and I will get them to you somehow.

oh life...

2009-07-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

Three parts.

Part one... Lisha and I have supposedly mastered Craigslist. We decided that most likely we wouldn't have a patio in Seattle so we sold our Ikea patio set for just a little less then we bought it. Then we sold our Ikea bed frame in lieu of whimsical dreams of constructing our own headboard... plus the bed sits a little too low for my liking.

A few other things are spinning around in our heads to unload on Craigslist.

I kind of like it. I love eliminating the unnecessary. I like a clean desk, clean counters. I remember when I lived with Stephen how he would have all his books and mission memorabilia thrown all around the room. Me on the other hand, I like putting that stuff in boxes and accessing it when I feel the urge.

For the most part, Lisha is very much the same. She is really organized.

Now I'm not saying I'm clean, I am just stating my ideal. I don't like it when little bits of peanuts, or other food stuff are in a big jar or bag and left in the cupboard or fridge. So I combine things that are similar. This was done to the disgust of Lisha when I combined the honey roasted peanuts with the salted peanuts.

I also like a really organized computer. I hate it when there are things on my desktop (plus I swear it makes your computer run faster). I also like organizing all my documents in folders rather than throwing everything in "My Documents". I uninstall every unnecessary program.

Now on to part two... Lisha is in Canada. I started missing her right when she left. But this will mark her first time to Canada. You know, a lot is riding on this. I would really like her to say, "Wow, Canada is spectacular!" I'm not saying "I hope she likes it so we move there." I just want her to appreciate Canada.

Part three... so I just finished studying the immunology of diabetes. Did you know that research has been done to show us that we are more likely to choose mates who will compliment our immune system make-up? Yes, it is true!

Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! Aack!

2009-06-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

I'm on a diet.

Does that sound girly?

Well how about this, "Could I get a salad? But could I get the fat-free vinaigrette... and could I have that dressing on the side?"

Yes, I said those actual words on a date with Lisha.

So for the last 3 months, almost, I have been counting my calories with a food diary, on my iPhone, and this last week I have been on Phase One of the South Beach Diet.

Counting my calories was easy. I still ate all the things I loved, it was mainly portion size that was changing. But the South Beach diet (phase 1) means no carbs, no sugar, and very (very) little fat.

Really, it is not that bad. But man, sometimes you get that craving for REAL dessert and you can't satisfy it... cheesecake.

But wait, I'm getting off topic. The point is my life has turned into a Cathy cartoon.

But you know, I also want to share something else. It has been working (I beat Mike in a little weight loss competition... and I get a prize for it... yes).

Plus I feel way better about myself. The South Beach Diet totally works AND the gym of course helps a lot too.

So although I feel like I deserve to have lost 30 lbs, I am really happy that I have lost some weight.

Just trying to get ready for swimsuit season... like my hero... Cathy...

Ya, it is kind of sad sometimes.

Raising TBA Awareness

2009-06-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Replacement Friends,

It brings me great sorrow to break this news to you. But Michael, Stephen, and Jeff have all been diagnosed with TBA. Scientists do not know what TBA is but they believe it is sexually transmitted.

This is why Stephen, Michael, and Jeff have not been able to even put up one post in the last 4 months... the disease causes them to forget how to use computers.

So please, join me in finding a cure for this horrible, horrible ailment. I have created a commemorative slide show with...*sniffle*... the song we all sang for Michael when he left Provo for his job in Seattle and since... *sniffle*... then have played every time one of us left the other. Please keep Jeff, Michael, and Stephen in your prayers.

P.S. I am available for wedding slideshows... hint hint, Stephen.

rampage of cleaning

2009-06-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Life is good my friends. Life is good. I passed my previous unit in medical school! Lisha is back from working in Denver and visiting her family in Utah.

So anyways, in my preparation for Lisha's homecoming I deep cleaned the house. It was a mess! And this mess was due to almost complete lethargy over the weekend, due to Lisha being gone and also the stress of the final I had just taken really, really wore me down. I couldn't be bothered with dishes or anything. So everything kept piling up everywhere. Trust me it was horrendous.

But whatever, on Tuesday at 5:00PM I went on a "cleaning rampage". In fact it may have been my best one ever. I cleaned everything. The inside of the fridge looks beautiful. The cabinets were organized and I ran two loads through the dishwasher. Just name something to clean and I cleaned it. Man it felt good!

It felt so good. I walked through our small apartment maybe 20 times admiring how clean it was. Then I wondered, "I wonder if other people do this? You know, just revel in the cleanliness that was ushered in via their hands and sweat."

In fact, the endorphins were so high from the cleaning rampage I needed to get all my energy out. So at 10:00PM I went to the gym for an hour. I'm getting all flustered just writing about it.

This must be how Bret Michaels feels like when he is on stage rocking with his rock band Poison.

June! Wait!

2009-06-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well, June is here. School is almost over... and by that I mean my school year does not end till July 10th. I know, it's crazy huh? Well every medical school is different. Right now I am studying but I couldn't help myself, I had to quickly post a little sample of the music that I'm listening to right now. I love it.

So please enjoy this wonderful music! And I would also really really appreciate it if you left a comment telling me if you enjoyed any of the tracks. It always makes me happy when I share a song that someone else falls in love with.

On that topic, I feel like I used to hide my music from people. For some reason I thought that my music taste was refined, but now I find myself in a different position. I love getting people turned onto sweet tunes. Being a music snob is no fun... well it is a little fun. But that problem with that is that you get caught up with competing with other people. Finding obscure bands. Forcing yourself to like pre-krautrock rock groups like "Neu!".

Well, whatever. Again, let me know if anything catches on (by leaving a comment).

The Mustache

2009-05-20T09:17:00.001-07:00

I made a lot of new friends on Sunday, thanks to my mustache. So I have been growing my beard. It's a funny story actually. Every time I shave I swear that I won't grow my beard again, because it is itchy and I don't like how it looks with my long hair. But somehow it makes its return, slowly but surely.

Anyways, my mustache. I shaved off my beard and unveiled the mustache. I wish I got a good picture of it. The only picture I got was right before I shaved it off. And I had just got back from playing basketball with some of my classmates. In addition, I had a big shadow around my mustache. Conditions were not perfect.

Anyways, my mustache. So on Sunday, I walked into the chapel and instantly got some weird glances. I'm sure some people hated it (hey I'm not crazy about it either), but what was funny was the amount of guys coming up to me saying things like "Man, I wish I could grow a mustache like that" or "Man, my wife would never let me grow a mustache. Your wife is cool" or "I couldn't stop smiling in church, just thinking about your mustache."

Trust me... my mustache was nothing to boast about. It looked ridiculous... and yet sometimes I liked it. But overall, it wasn't me.. and it didn't look good. I didn't look like Brad Pitt, as I hoped for (I think it is because my figure is more chiseled. Arg! If only I was less chiseled).

So the mustache experiment was a success. By the way, I found the photo above trying to find a cool looking picture of a baseball player with a mustache. Thus I happenstance fell upon the Library of Congress collection of "really old" baseball cards. The pictures are really, really fun to look at.

mayday!

2009-05-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

Oh May. I don't know quite how to say it... so I'll say it in medical spanish: Digame si duele. Respira hondo. Voy a examinar los genitales. ¿No tiene alguna pregunta?

May was always one of my favorite months. The riff raff at BYU would leave for the summer to do sales. The girls who cried in testimony meeting about missing their family would go home. Streets were empty. Pools were begging to be broken into. People wore less clothes. Classes were easier. The weather in Provo was perfect... like it was in Arizona during February.

But this May feels different. I'm in school, and it is still hard. People break into my pool. It's 103 degrees... and old people are wearing less clothes.

Lisha is here, which makes every day fantastic, of course. But I do wish we could transplant our selves to the easy breezy days of Provo living. Here is some music for you to play... for the month of May... I do say.

Lisha doesn't read this blog

2009-05-13T09:29:00.001-07:00

So you would think that Lisha would read my literary creations... okay blog posts that I write on a whim. When I mentioned to her the ideas of a blog post I had written a a couple weeks ago she was like, "What are you talking about?"

Then I said, "Oh no I have become So-and-So's blog that you never read anymore because it is boring". Then she said, "Actually, I read that one all the time now."

I was so butt-hurt.

You know, I don't know how Carina does it. She updates regularly with interesting and funny posts. I guess I was just not blessed with ability to story tell. Of course, I can relate situations. For example, I was text messaging Lisha about letting me play basketball with my friends. Send. And then I was about to send another with a goopy "I love you so much my twiddle bird. I wan't wait woo wee woo"

But before I sent that text I realized... this was all going to a man. A man sitting on the other side of the classroom. Luckily I caught myself after the basketball message. Phew!

On another note. I don't know if anyone else besides me misses the random thoughts of Stephen about the wonder-ments of the world around us. Or Mike's updates about something cool he has discovered. Or Jeff's updates about how he will never get into law school, or get married.

I know I miss them.

tweet tweet tweet

2009-05-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

Why do I like Twitter? When I signed up last year, I thought to myself "This is useless". But there was so much hype that I just needed to check it out. So what has happened as a result: hilarity.

I only follow 5 people on twitter: Lisha, Mike, Whitney, Carina, and Kellen (a friend from medical school). Oh! And Acid house Kings. Unlike Facebook, which has just gotten too "busy" for me I can get my online amusement by reading hilarious and informative updates from a few people.

I like Facebook in that I can still keep in touch with friends from the UK (probably one of the only reasons I'll keep my Facebook account) but really I just don't like all the power I have given Facebook with my information.

Anyways... this is such a bad post. I'm just trying to break the monotony. I always like it when other people update their blogs. And it has been hard for just me to update this blog continually with medical school (which by the way I am really enjoying, in fact I have my microbiology in front of me right now... I just needed a break).

I'm sorry, so sorry

2009-04-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry that things get so slow on our blog sometimes... it's like one person is the only one posting. So before I get back to studying I thought I would share one thing with you:

A Song for April

2009-04-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day! April fools, everyone knows I don't care about the earth... and yet I do. These conflicting feels finally made sense today as I read THIS ARTICLE from Slate talking about kids who are sick about hearing people harp about the environment but still are very conscious when they litter and when they should recycle.

That's kind of like me... except I have this weird thing where if I put garbage UNDER my car tire so I run over it in reverse it's okay.

But mostly I like recycling and not littering. Before our current apartment we had a recycling bin and I would make sure the recyclables made it in there. Also, I don't like hunting. Also, I want to bring up another environmental issue... or at least I think it is an environmental issue: zoos. I don't like zoos. It's like we're stripping animals of their dignity. They should be running wild.

Probably the environmental issue that gets me most angry is whale hunting. I love Japan, but I really hate that there is a market in Japan for whale. I have no sympathy for whalers, and they can all die.

On another issue, I don't mind seal-clubbing.

To celebrate I put together some music which has been on repeat for me this month. I put it together using an awesome site called 8tracks.com. So in the tradition of Ruth McLean, here is a song for April.

April! April! April! City! City! City!

2009-04-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

The City! Although the Phoenix metropolitan area is HUGE... it doesn't feel like a city. It feels like a giant Provo. It doesn't even feel like a Salt Lake. Maybe I'm not looking in the right parts. I mean I am in Mesa. But still, I've been down to Phoenix. But it still doesn't feel like Winnipeg downtown, let alone Los Angeles or New York.

I love Arizona, but to me the whole place is a development. It is comfortable, convenient, and nice looking. I know. These are not bad things. But after a while, you get bored of the same-ness. That's where Seattle and Chicago come in. I don't know if it is just merely being in a new place for a few days, but I love these cities.

Lisha has no idea where she wants to live, maybe San Francisco if any where. But I know where I want to live... and it's several places. It is Seattle, Washington D.C., Salt Lake City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Vancouver... the list goes on. It includes pretty much anywhere in Europe.

I love how everything is available at your fingertips: good shopping, good food, museums, architecture, people, history, public transportation, etc. I don't have to live right in the heart of the city. But I want to at least live near. I thought at one time I could be a farmer. But cross that off my list because I need polluted air and bums asking for change.

Does this post pretty much reveal my whiteness... link.

Inspiration

2009-03-30T14:39:00.001-07:00

Lisha works a job where she sits at a desk and grades the same math problem over and over again.. over and over. She is constantly "riding the bull". Luckily it's only for a little while, but my heart goes out her during this time of tribulation.

But luckily, I have a solution. Back in the day Stephen and I made our own motivational posters and hung them on our bedroom doors. I don't know how funny this will be to you but at least it will bring back good memories for Stephen. While this isn't one of our creations, the message is the same:

Bishop Allen

2009-03-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Provo Friends,

I am in Mesa, Arizona. Things are great here and married life is wonderful. However, one thing that lacks about Arizona is the music scene. It is lame. No one good comes around. Maybe it is just that I don't know about the small clubs and venues like I did in Utah. I don't know for sure, but I write with urgency over a matter you have the power to attend.

Go see Bishop Allen play their music at 8:00PM... today (March 27, 2009). You will not regret it. Perhaps you already know about them. Perhaps they're a "big deal". All I'm saying is that, if I lived in Provo I would be canceling all plans to see this up and coming group play.... in Provo.

Bishop Allen - The Ancient Commonsense Of Things
Bishop Allen - Dimmer

A Song for March for the Waverley Saints

2009-03-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

We all have a unique taste when it comes to music and that's why I think it is one of the best windows to a person's personality. For example, Lisha likes the Clash and Blur... but she also love Paris Hilton's album. This tells me that Lisha has an opinion on things and will argue her point of view... unless you buy her accessories and clothes, then she will believe whatever you say (El Generalissimo laugh: "Ah ah ah").

I joke. I could attempt to break it down more, possibly, but I don't have time. I am in medical school you know?

Anyways, here's an 8-track of some music that I have been listening to this March. I had a hard time choosing. I don't really know if the music I put in there represents my personality, but hopefully you find something you like. One track needs explaining: The Magnetic Fields - Washington D.C. . This is from their infamous "69 Love Songs". Lisha hates this album (or rather 3-disc album). The songs are simple, arguably poorly sung, and not that great.... however I see them another way: to me, they are pure. I remember writing songs, or rather attempting to write songs on my guitar but obviously they were simplistic both lyrically and musically. So Washington D.C. along with all the other tracks on the "69 Love Songs" bring me back to the days of trying to write emo music in Helaman Halls.

Seattle Soy

2009-03-23T22:29:00.001-07:00

Lisha and I just finished family night, filling up our wedding photo albums. Now we are looking at places in live in Seattle. The clinic I'll be working is in Renton, but it actually right as close to Seattle as you can get. In fact we're looking at places in Beacon HIll. I don't know too much about that area... but we are loving what we are seeing. In my opinion, I could really see us living there. Seattle just seems like the perfect fit. It is BEAUTIFUL there. I'm sure Mike could chip in on this subject.

Plus it's closer to Canada. I miss my homeland. And flights back to Salt Lake City are a really good price. I have no intentions on leaving the Hoskissons out.

But who wants to listen about this boring stuff coming to the "Replacement Friends" blog. So on a more exciting note: Stephen wrote a post a long time ago about his lactose intolerance. As some of you know, Stephen had hideous gas... just kidding... but not really. Somehow we linked this terrible smelling gas, jk... but not really, to milk products. Long story short, Steve switched to soy and something wonderful happened. Long story even shorter, Steve has a girlfriend now.

Anyways, long story EVEN shorter... I fell in love with soy. I just prefer it. I would still rather drink a glass of milk, but it is vanilla soy in my cereal and pero from now on out. Then! Lisha and I found a inexpensive dessert option that involves soy: Soy Cream! It's like ice cream but it is made out of soy.

So anyways, I was thinking about how I could make this blog post more boring, then I thought that I could talk about how Facebook is lame. But I'll stop here...

St. Bernardine: Patron of Compulsive Gambling

2009-03-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

In lecture today, a professor was teaching about Pneumonia and referred back to the black plague. On his powerpoint slide was a picture of St Chad, the patron saint of plague. That got me thinking... how awesome is it that there are saints for pretty much every aspect of life.

Okay, okay... I don't believe in praying to saints BUT I'll be honest I find the idea of saints pretty nice. For example, pictured above is St Cosmas and Damian, the patron saints of physicians. It makes me feel like I am part of a group, or like having an inside man who can talk to God for me. Although I know I can speak directly with God and he is directly part of my team, it's nice to have some iconography that I can look at.

Was this post blasphemous?

Travailler plus pour devenir bête

2009-02-26T11:20:00.001-08:00

I was reading "Le Monde" today, a popular french newspaper, and I came across this headline. Loosely translated, it reads, "Work more to become stupid." I love France.

Shaq, I think we shouldn't be friends

2009-02-25T07:36:00.001-08:00

Dear Shaq,

We both moved to Arizona about the same time. It's pretty nice here, huh? Summers are hot, but you have to love the mid-70 winters, right? It's not as humid as Orlando or Miami. Plus, don't you remember Los Angeles? The city is full of fakers. One day you're sleeping on a giant circular bed with superman logos plastered all over your bedroom, the next you're in the gutter. But we made it.

However, Shaq. I think our friendship has run its course. We have been Twitter friends for a few days now. Things have been going well, but then someone showed you how to upload photos to twitter using your google phone, and now you update 12 times a day. Plus you forget to use vowels... all the time. I mean what is this:

"GOODNITE, IM WATCH GP AND C WEBB, WOW, EBONICS SUPREME LOL"

Don't get me wrong, you had your good posts, like this riveting discussion about movies:

"WHICH MOVIE WAS BETTER KAZAAM OR STEEL, HOW ABOUT, NEITHER, LOL"

And what about that hilarious time we had in that... ha ha! Well, I'll just let you tell the story:

"I HAD A NOKIA E90 BUT IT FELL N DA TOILET, NOW I HAVE A SHAQBERRY LOL"

L-O-L indeed! But Shaq, you have to face it. We have drifted apart... plus you're a Leprechaun-racist. Has Obama taught you nothing! You gave him your shoes!

"I HATE LEPREKONS LOL"

So it's over Shaq, just go. Leave me! Don't turn around. Don't look back...don't... speak... I know what you're thinking... and I don't need you're reasons... don't tell me cause it hurts.

Power deodorant and the Great Aloha Run

2009-02-17T21:32:00.000-08:00

Power. What does power smell like? According to deodorant makers, power smells like awesome. Why did I buy it? Because it was the cheapest one. Ideally, I would like to purchase no-smell deodorant. Side story that happened in Victoria during my month long construction work escapade. My brother Jacob and I were eating at a family's house from the local ward and the conversation turned to odors. They were talking about how there was a lady in the ward that was really sensitive to odors and how she had really bad reactions around perfume and strong-smelling deodorant. Then the tone got pretty serious and someone said, "Well, the odor industry is a dying industry anyway. Pretty soon everything will be odorless." Then everyone nodded their heads looking shamefully at their plates. Really? I had my doubts, but then I saw a commercial a couple days later about a new Nivea deodorant that was... odorless. If you have any stocks in the odor industry, please sell. End side story.

So anyways, my deodorant purchase. I really like this deodorant. I often smell my armpits when I'm sitting at my desk in the library and even sometimes while on my bike waiting for a green light. I had a chance to really use my deodorant yesterday during the Great Aloha Run, which leads to another story.

I was doing the Great Aloha Run (an 8 mile run for cancer I think, or maybe it was TBA), and right after starting I heard this mother speaking to her son who was running behind my little group. She said, "just follow the big guy the whole way." I thought, oh man, I don't think this kid will be able to follow me for 8 miles. To my humble surprise he stayed behind me! His little legs were sprinting the whole 8 miles! And this is the more impressive part of the story. When there was a little under a mile left, he started sprinting! His mom asked me to follow him and keep him in my sight. So I ended up sprinting after him and we sprinted side by side the whole way right across the finish line! I almost threw up, but the kid was so happy! He was just smiling and jumping up and down giving me high fives while I tried not to puke all over him.

By the way, I didn't puke. I actually chowed down 3 packs of donuts, 4 bananas, and 5 energy bars at the free food station several minutes after finishing. I gotta get my money's worth.

Personalized Licensed Plates

2009-02-14T12:39:00.001-08:00

Oh man, Lisha and I are sooooo sore. Although both of us work out regularly, we woke up last morning feeling sore everywhere after going to this weight class together. We were at a group date thing last night, when we got a call from Lisha's sister, Jen, that she had arrived in glorious Mesa, AZ. Thus we left the group date early in the midst of home games, and ran to the car.

This "running to the car" consisting first of a few good strides but it quickly turned into limping. We were both laughing at each other because we both started to "run-limp" at the same time. Anyways, I could not leave without taking a picture of the truck that was parked in front of us...

I can not hold it anymore. Arizona has an irrational amount of people driving around with ridiculous license plates. I can't put my finger on why there are so many here. I have never actually met the actual people that own these vehicles, but I found an accurate description such car owners would appreciate...

Irrelevant

2009-02-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

It is hard to think of something more irrelevant than the Grammy Awards. Have I been under a rock this whole year? But I did not even know Kid Rock put out an album or was even alive, and yet he is nominated for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance".

At the same time I am not complaining. Music thrives in the underground. It is more cultural. It is fashion and style. It is fads and trends. You can't award this type of stuff. The record of the year was awarded to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, but I promise you the work of even a small group like YACHT (basically a guy and a girl rapping over computer made music) will be more influential than this Grammy winner.

So, basically the Grammy awards still intrigue me, only because I have no idea how they even choose nominees. I see no rhyme, and no reason. It is a waste of a good night of television.

Well well...

2009-02-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

I just thought I would write a quick post because something momentous has just happened. Every blog post on this front page of our blog is written by me. I have mixed feelings about this. Of course, the accomplishment means a lot, but it also means it has been forever since I have read hilarious posts from Michael, Stephen, and Jeff.

However, the blog is far from dead. If you look at the list on the right. You will notice that the Mesa/Chronicles of Jitta blog has not been updated since "Happy (Belated) Valentines Day". But for some reason when you click that link the blog post is missing...

Well in celebration of this momentous event. Please witness the greatest moment of cinema! It is from the epic "Once Upon a Time in the West":

Couples Only Skate!

2009-02-02T15:44:00.001-08:00

So Lisha and I had a big moment this past weekend... our first couples date. It consisted of dinner at a restaurant called something like "Barnyard Grill" and then a round of Wii Sports at the house of one of the couples who were with us (there were 3 couples).

Okay, now that I have used the word couples a million times, let me talk about the night. Okay, Barnyard Grill sounds worse then what it actually was like. It was actually really cool. The food was of course just classic American comfort food (burgers, pizza, milkshakes), but the place had a clean look and we were able to eat outside under a heater because I cannot deal with the freezing cold 60 degree temperature at night...Anyways, the highlight of the night, other than being the oldest couple yet shortest married, was the BATHROOM. You know the show "Thunderbirds"? The one with the puppets? Well, it was playing non-stop above the urinal and the action figures were in various spots by the mirror and above the toilet. Great idea! Here's some pictures:

Then we played the Nintendo Wii. It was my first time. I've played Rock Band on the Wii but I have never used the motion sensor controllers to do stuff. It was pretty fun... except if I boxed with Lisha in real life I would totally win.

What I learn in medical school

2009-01-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

So we were learning how to treat chronic sinusitis and a treatment was mentioned that caught my attention. I asked myself, "What is a Neti Pot?". Then, prepare to pee your pants, I found this... (I was in class, thus I couldn't listen to the audio... I highly recommend turning off your computer's sound!)

I suppose I'm "buy" curious.

2009-01-15T15:50:00.001-08:00

So I put a dollar in a box yesterday. Usually I don't like putting dollars into boxes because boxes don't compound returns on your investment. On my bike ride home I saw a row of houses that had little fruit stands. I quickly purveyed over the produce and chose the stand offering 10 pieces of grapefruit/lemons for a dollar. It was actually the last house on the row, but the picture I took was of the first stand I saw. They were offering 4 grapefruits for a dollar. Ummm... rip off.

So I packed my 8 lemons and 2 grapefruits into my knapsack and headed home. Luckily Lisha bought some lemons at the grocery store, and we have enough lemons to throw at people or to squeeze in each other's eyes as an act of love. Maybe we could use it to disinfect wounds? I don't know, they're not teaching us this in medical school, but I have a magical feeling it could work miracles.

It is like there's a party in my mouth, and everyone's invited

2009-01-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

Mushrooms. Tomatoes. Non-iceberg lettuce salads. Pesto. Spaghetti squash. Salmon. White fish. HEALTHY pizza. Panini sandwiches. Tomato soup. Tortilla soup. Homemade chicken pot pie.

I forgot that a person could eat like this. Before Lisha, I would come home, Foreman grill some chicken, sautee some green beans, and make some rice in my rice cooker and call it a day. I know, it doesn't sound bad... but I would do this everyday. I actually had a very good system to make this meal as quick as possible. Then I would eat it alone. Cry. And then go back to the library and study.

The list could go on about the things Lisha does to make life sweet, but I feel like I should post something more "replacement-friend-y". So here's something I have wanted to do. Here are a of my favorite listenings of 2008! These bands definitely did NOT all have releases this year. These are songs you would have heard if you took my headphones off and put them on your ears. And since I married a Spanish woman, I call it "¡Atención, Ocho!"

Tracklist:
Fleet Foxes - English House
My Morning Jacket - Look at You
Sloan - Worried Now
The Most Serene Republic - Present of Future End
The Clientele - Since K Got Over Me
The Beach Boys - Vegetable
Vampire Weekend - Walcott
Bruce Springsteen - Jungleland

I love you tower, but I hate who you are. You make bad choices.

2009-01-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

I had a great visit to Provo over Christmas break. Everything was going great, I had just dominated in monopoly and I was heading to the car to head back to the Gs's house. Then... Jacob and I noticed the car was gone, and we saw a towing sign. I was so angry. I called the guy and I yelled at him pretty bad. He kept on saying, "call me back when you have calmed down" and I shouted back "NO I WANT MY CAR!!!" We had parked in a completely empty parking lot next to an apartment complex. We didn't park in the complex because University parking was controlling that lot so we thought we would be safer in the adjacent lot. It was outside of their jurisdiction but it was inside Express towing's jurisdiction. Once I got to the compound where our poor Hyundai Accent was wondering where it had gone, I approached the tower guy and started arguing some more. This is unconstitutional! They deprive you of your property without Due Process, it's plain theft! I wasn't getting anywhere, this guy was not going to give. What can you do? He has your car locked in his compound, and if you don't pay, you can't have your car. He kidnapped my car!! I ended up after that trying to just talk to the guy, see where he's from, what kind of experiences he has towing. I thought, hate the sin, love the sinner. Treat this guy like a homo. I thought, "you're a good guy probably deep down inside, but I hate so much what you do." That night I dreamed about throwing a brick in his window and burning his whole compound down. I was going to put a picture of a towing truck on this post, but I'm still pretty sensitive about the whole happening. This blog post is part of the healing process I think. I want to forgive you towing truck man, you are such a horibble person, but I would feel bad if somebody burned your compound down, however, only if you were in the compound as well and you died.

congrats

2008-12-31T11:19:00.001-08:00

Have I ever laid eyes on a classier bride and groom? I assure you that I have not. If I had, it might have been this one:A smashing couple indeed, but I wasn't invited to their wedding, so Rich and Lish take the cake.

Besides having to bail early, the only downer to the evening occurred when I was completely demasculinized by the sight of this:

I had previously felt so great about my recent camera purchase. Now, only envy and conniving plans of obtainment rack my once-full heart.

As Stephen said, "Richard has accomplished the impossible. A Wood is married."

While the fates of the remaining bachelors are uncertain, one thing is for sure:
No more looking for friends to replace Mrs. Lisha H. Wood.

Ah, true luxury...

2008-12-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

So I just realized something a few moments ago. I like my space in the bathroom. Sure you are thinking to yourself, "Of course, everyone does." But I think I have something a little unique. Maybe some of you share my love? I don't know, I can't read your brains.

I made this discovery when I had a number 2 emergency. I walked in the bathroom and started heading to my number one choice when it comes to taking number 2s: the handicapped stall.

I love the handicapped stall. It just gives you room to breath. There is even a stool in the ones here on ATSU campus. I put my bag on the stool hang up my jacket. Maybe pull out my iPhone and check my email. You know, take a little me time... on the toilet.

Anyways, the point is... I never knew it was an obsession ENOUGH to actually go to two other floors until I found a suitable handicapped stall in good condition. The first two had toilet paper strewn all over them. Seriously, what is this a GAS STATION! NO, it's a college of health sciences! I was appalled. One would think I would just give up the first time and use a "general boarding" stall, but no! ... I demand first class.

I know you are now probably asking yourself, "How can he do that? Imagine the disdain if a handicapped person was left waiting whileyou use THEIR toilet. Imagine the shameful bows and apologies as you leave the stall against their penetrating glance of disdain."

Well, you know what. Never happened. Ever. And I've been handicapping it up since my sophomore year at BYU pretty consistently... plus I have my polio back story. You've got to have a back story.

You Play Ball Like A Girl!

2008-12-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

Today is Chad Michael Duford's birthday. He's a shy guy and doesn't want people to know but I'd be a bad friend if I didn't give Chad his recognition he deserves. Chad is by far one of the best friends/roommates I've ever had. I've never know anyone who is so selfless and caring as Chad is. He is a wonderful person and I feel honored to call him my friend. Chad I wish you a happy birthday!

PS. Ladies doesn't Chad look great in a tux???

Stuck in my head

2008-12-12T08:43:00.001-08:00

For some reason, I cannot get THIS song out of my head. I don't know where it came from. One day I just started humming it. One thing for sure, is that it is incredible. I melt at the beginning of the song when Willy Wonka is singing with that eery xylophone (or whatever that instrument is) is still going on with that quasi-leitmotif (if I can call it that). It is so creepy!

I'm your handyman

2008-12-08T07:04:00.001-08:00

So I have moved into THE new apartment. It is a nice place. It has pools and a workout center, but I like it because it is still a unique place, and is surrounded by restaurants and places to go shopping. But this post really isn't about that. It is about my Ikea bed making ability. Yes your going to learn how I turned the above home office/Bedroom (notice sleeping bag) into my Ikea bed.

First, you have to appreciate that Ikea's instructions do not come with words. They only come with pictures. And notice how the graphics indicate to get someone else to help you. But I did it myself. Ya sure, it required some pretty sweet moves involving balancing the other end with my feet. But when it comes down to it, I'm like two Swedish men combined. All I need are two Swedish women, and we could form "Abba: The Next Generation" with less overhead.

So in the end. Here's the bed. Now I'm just waiting for the mattress to be delivered. Pat on the back to me. In other news! I meant to post about how my ear got cut off. Ya sure, I probably mislead people with my Facebook status. They cut off my ear, but was more like a fillet off the back. Check it! (My what a picture post it has been.

Happy Birthday My American Jewish Canadian Friend!

2008-12-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Richard,

Today is your birthday and I didn't have a new picture of you in a speedo so I went with one a little less classy this year. Nevertheless this last September the gauntlet was thrown down with your birthday rap for me so I responded in the best way possible. A Song! So Mr Richard Michael Wood Happy Birthday and enjoy this little song.

Apples to Apples = I'd rather be waterboarded

2008-12-01T00:27:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else cringe when someone says, "Let's play Apples to Apples," and then other people chime in, "I LOVE Apples to Apples!" I hay hay hate Apples to Apples!!! This game blows apple-y chunks all over the place! There is nothing funny about Apples to Apples. I can't even force a fake laugh when someone puts the card 'ham sandwich' down for 'furry.' Am I alone here?

The Perfect Storm

2008-11-23T16:23:00.000-08:00

I saw an ad today from Best Buy. This ad featured the man pictured above. Now we all know wearing bluetooth headset is a crime against humanity. And we know that wearing your phone on a clip is asking for trouble. Then having a PDA attached to your belt alongside your phone is asking for even more trouble. Combine that with multiple pens in your pocket and too much stuff on your fingers and wrist... it's like the perfect storm of true awkward dorkiness.

Photo journalism

2008-11-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

I decided to bust out the iPhone camera. I do not take very many pictures. But I have always been meaning to take some pictures of my bicycle ride to school. First look at the fishes! Usually it is not that sunny when I ride my bicycle to and from school, but I was on my bicycle around noon today and made a startling discovery. The canals running through Mesa are loaded with fish. Well to be honest, not LOADED but still in some parts there were lots of fish. So this is dedicated to Lisha, who loves swimming with fish and feeling there scaly bodies against her legs and getting stuck in her one piece bathing suit.

Then once I got to school, I noticed that there was some kind of preparation for a conference of some sort. At one booth a local photographer was showing of his wares. This picture captivated me. To me it says, "Isn't nature wonderful. This is best being here with my family. And just so you know for sure that we are a family, we are all going to dress alike. And just to make sure you know we are stylish, we are all going to wear khakis and dark shirts." Lovely.

You gotta unzip your butt to take a leak

2008-11-21T00:46:00.000-08:00

Warm it up Steve! I'm about to! Today, I had such a great idea: download some Kriss Kross! I wanted to see if Kriss Kross was as so off the hook as I had remembered it to be... and it is! And get this, I even remembered the words to some songs! During the chorus of Lil' Boys in Da Hood, I clocked in right when it started. Listening to Kriss Kross reminds me of Ottawa, aka the ghetto and where I really learned to play basketball. At this point, I'm considering wearing my clothes backwards, but I don't want to miss the bus because that is something that I'll neva eva eva do again! Get ready to bum rush the show everybody because Kriss Kross JUST reunited and they are working on an album! Daddy Mac will make you Jump, Jump!!

Hey we are a kissy family...

2008-11-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

Let me take you back... back to 361 N. 800 E. in Provo, UT. I don't remember what happened exactly, but either way the conversation elicited the fact that the [sic] Stephen and I kissed our parents, siblings, grandparents, and various other relatives "Hello". This, of course, only takes place when we haven't seen each other in a while so REALLY it is not that big of a deal. However, I couldn't help thinking of this conversation when I caught a glimpse of this:

Bicycle! Bicycle! Bicycle!

2008-11-13T21:19:00.000-08:00

Let's hope this works better than my scooter... KNOCK ON WOOD! But I just bought a bicycle off Craigslist for $80. I rode it around tonight. It was like a dream. Isn't she beautiful? I call her "Little Horse".

Can I say also that I have been so tempted to tie a chair off the back of it Michael Bluth style... or a television. I am really excited about my bicycle. I have already planned out my route. I ride along the canal all the way to school. I know, if this works... it could be the finest bicycle ride in all of history.

I was so excited that I went out an bought a back AND front light for when I ride it at night. You should those puppies. LED lights baby!

Free Breakfast = I Love American Drug Companies

2008-11-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

So I woke up at 6:45 this morning, but as Stephen well knows I love me my snooze button. So after hitting it twice I got out of bed, showered, got dressed and stuff and rushed out the door grabbing a granola bar for sustenance. This is sad, however, because still fresh in my mind was the article I read in Reader's Digest concerning breakfast and its benefits towards weight loss and health.

So I rushed up stairs to my class, when I saw someone carrying a plate a eggs, bacon, sausage, and a bagel. I was like "Oh man, where did you get that?". She replied, "A drug company is providing breakfast." My first thought's were, okay what is the catch. But that was it, they were just giving out breakfast... and papclips... and mugs.

As much as a I hate the windfall profits of drug company CEOs, and and direct to consumer advertising... I was surprised at how easily my beliefs can be curtailed by free breakfast: "Money laundering... I don't know isn't that wrong... wait there's free breakfast! Well, I'll check it out." "Genocide... I don't know many of my ancestors... wait there is free breakfast! Well I guess it depends who you 'cide'."

Mike + Whitney

2008-11-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

Michael. I know. It is a wonderful, wonderful day for our boy Michael Lau. He is married, and as evidenced by his NEW BLOG he is living it up in the wonderful city of Boston. How I long to be gracing a big city one day. I can only hope Seattle, or more specifically Renton, can offer an Olive branch of local shops as compared to highway Mecca that is Phoenix.

Michael, Whitney is lucky to have you. And vice versa. Man, last year this time we were all together laughing at stuff like this.

Sir I Do Not Have Time To Listen To Your Spin Doctors Mix Tape

2008-11-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Tonight the missus and I went to see Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist (thanks for the recommendation Tara). It's a good movie, much better than I was expecting. It got me thinking though about the mixes I've made for people in my life.

I've been making mixes for people as long as I can remember. At first it was the old fashion mix tape. Me sitting there pressing the record button and waiting for the right moment to hit the stop button. Just out of curiosity did anybody hit the pause button really quickly to edit out swear words so you could play the mix in front of your parents and not get in trouble? As technology progressed CD burners that took an hour to burn a CD were the new awesome. Now a days you could just make a playlist and put it on an ipod but there's no fun in that so I still make CDs.

Getting back to the main point. I've made tons of mixes for friends, for birthdays, holidays, seasons, girlfriends (they were very few, girlfriends that is), and I'm currently working on one for my wife (side note new blog). I'm happy to say though I've never made a mix to get a girl back and I'll never have to.

I think the reason I love making mixes for people is it's fun. There's an art to it. You just can't randomly throw some songs together and call it a mix there has to be some structure. I like sharing with people the music that I'm listening to at the moment. I feel that if I'm enjoying it why should I hog it to myself. I'm going to say though I don't just make mixes for random people so if you've received a mix from me it's because I like you. I really don't know where I'm going with this but it's been a bit since I've made anybody a mix so I'm in a mixing mood. Plus if anybody has the desire feel free to send a mix my way. I'm always looking for new music.

And yes for those of you who are saying to yourselves wait didn't Rich put up a post like this a couple months ago the answer is yes. I just realized it now.

To your left... Saturn

2008-10-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

Just a warning to everyone that this is going to be one of the biggest Stephen posts I have ever posted. What if you were ejected into space, and could survive somehow, just floating around getting farther and farther away from earth? What would you miss the most in the beginning? And then after that and so on? You would see some pretty amazing things no doubt floating around in space. What would you feeeel? I think lonely is the most obvious answer. How would you spend your time floating around? And finally, what does all this meeeaaaan? (Irene - I really want to watch power yoga).

It stirreth deep within me

2008-10-23T12:26:00.001-07:00

Listen to this singer from Portugal. Her name is Amalia Rodrigues and she is singing a style of music called "fado." Rarely have I heard anyone sing with this much passion, and it touches the soul! It's like when you listen to Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye and you start moving your head along with the music like a jazz trumpet player.

Another singer I enjoy listening to is Miriam Makeba from South Africa. I found out about her when Sam brought over some records he got for free from the BYU library. I put her record on and I was captivated. She has a powerful, yet playful, voice.

I haven't seen something this funny since cats that look like Hitler

2008-10-21T19:03:00.001-07:00

In one of my classes there is a girl that sits in front of me that always has one of these cat posters as wallpaper on her computer. In the words of Rich, "laaaame". I don't even secretly like this.

I Do Not Like Them Sam I Am

2008-10-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Who knew the man who gave us this
Also gave us this
Yesterday while Whitney was in California and I was kicked out her apartment while they sprayed for bed bugs I thought I'd kill some time over at Barnes and Noble where I stumbled upon this gem.

It was still a little to much for me to buy so I just sat there and went through the pictures. When I got home I figured there had to be some of this stuff online. After a quick google search I came upon this website. It has a lot of his war cartoons. It's pretty interesting to see the stuff that drew up. Thoughts anybody?

My Shredder Slammer is Lucky: The History of Pogs

2008-10-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

Guess where pogs were invented? Hawai'i! This is how I found out. I first noticed a drink here called POG (Passion fruit, Orange, Guava). I then heard a story from a classmate that a man shot his brother-in-law over pogs. I was talking about that story at branch potluck last sunday with the EQP when he informed me that Pogs was founded in Hawai'i! It started with a math teacher on the north shore of O'ahu who would use the caps from the POG drink cartons in the '20s. It was brought back into popularity by none other than a Canadian games company. You can read the rest on wikipedia.

How did pogs ever become popular? What was it about pogs that attracted kids all over the world to embrace the simple game? Maybe it's just the urge inside of all of young children to gamble. That's why I loved pogs. I would even make 'trick' pogs by ripping off the colour side so both sides were white. That way, I would at least have one pog in play to insure victory. I had a shredder slammer too, it was like a ninja star, but it was a slammer.

I Saved Latin! What Did You Ever Do?

2008-10-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I apologize for my lack of blogging. I really don't have any good reasons for not blogging. Well I guess I have been busy with the whole MCAT and med school applications. Oh yeah and that whole wedding thing. Less than two weeks till the unlimited juice party which is going to be off the hook!

Speaking of hook...

Tonight I'm going to be bait. Bait for what you might ask? What exactly are you fishing for? Well folks we're going fishing for bed bugs. Over the past two weeks Whit has been getting these red bumps and we're convinced they are from bed bugs seeing that they show up in the morning. This morning the bug dude came and looked around and didn't believe us. He thinks that it's a "dermilogical" thing even though we told him we found a dead bug that according to the pictures on wikipedia to us looked like a bed bug (unfortunately we lost it so we couldn't show it to him).

So tonight we're going fishing for bed bugs and I'm going to be the bait. Since I haven't been bitten we should be able to see if I get any bites tonight. Whitney says she's going to come bust in in the middle of the night and try to catch the bugs red handed. We really hope that there aren't bed bugs cuz it's going to be a pain to get rid of but if there are we want to get rid of the ASAP so we don't come home from our wedding to a bug filled bed.

UPDATE: Right before I was about climb into the bed we noticed one crawling at the head of the bed. Right now that sucker is sitting inside a ziplock bag to await it's fate in the morning.

Mom's awesome, maybe we should call her

2008-10-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

How often have you caught yourself doing this. You're studying. Doing something completely effective, but then all of a sudden you need to watch Sunny in Philadelphia on Hulu, look at things you won't buy, or attempt to break your own record on expert minesweeper.

Ya, I don't know what it is. But I HAVE to beat my record. Is this just nerdy... OR am I secretly training for the moment when I have to navigate a group of war torn survivors through a mine field "Wait! Don't step there... I've done this before. There are 5 mines in this area but over there it just says one. Both proximities share that same mine. We can step there, there, there, and there"

I have noticed something else happening to me. After my mission, I remember watching Pirates of the Caribbean and feeling completely mind blown - "Woah! That was the most intense action ever!". Now that I practically never have time to sit and watch movies, I made an oath, I would watch a movie Saturday night. I watched "War of the Worlds" (part of my roommates collection) and I had that same withdrawal feeling - "Woah! This movie is INTENSE!" Even though I KNOW "BYU me" would have been "Laaaaaame."

You look like Michael Phelps... but better looking

2008-10-05T23:11:00.000-07:00

I'm getting, "you look like Michael Phelps" a lot since the Olympics. I'm not sure I saw the resemblance until someone pointed out that I was like a BETTER looking version of Michael Phelps. I understand now, I only have his best features. Rich isn't the only one who looks like celebrities! Check out the evidence, what do you think?

Those abs look pretty accurate to mine, though my nipples are a wee bit smaller

Yes, I see it... do you? Note my head tilt...

You like... karaoke!?

2008-09-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Karaoke started at some unknown moment in Japan and started to reach American shores in the 1970s, although karaoke did not become very popular until the 90s. Karaoke is fun. I like Karaoke. I was on a bus last week going to a beach pretty close by and I saw some Japanese tourists. They were asking some people where this one landmark was and I told them "I'm going near there, I'll help you." I started talking to them all and then I had this wonderful picture in my mind.... Them, me.....karaoke.
They were struggling with English but we were having a nice conversation anyway and the whole time I was thinking, "how can I make this happen...?" I had a good idea, so I asked them what they did for fun in Japan. They said, "ohhh sopping, par, peach...", and I hinted "kara...", "ooh, karaoke!" Awesome! Then I was thinking of a way to get them all in a karaoke bar with me. I found out they were leaving tomorrow morning so this had to go down soon! We continued talking about karaoke and how much we enjoyed it. Then I asked if they wanted to do karaoke tonight!.... And they all giggled and said they couldn't. Next time...

The Best Superbowl Ever!

2008-09-28T21:57:00.001-07:00

I can't wait for the Super Bowl! I know this surprises many of you. There must be a catch. There is. Watch the videos to find out THEN click this LINK.

A lasagna... for one

2008-09-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

There are probably a lot of you who come to this site for general amusement to pass the day. I thought that I would post a link to a hilarious piece I read on McSweeney's. Here is the LINK.

mormon myth confirmed!

2008-09-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

i don't know if christina aguilera was born into a mormon family and i would bet 5-1 that snoop dogg has never read the BOM, but while i was in bucharest this august, i confirmed, with my own eyes and camera, that ricky schroeder is ONE OF US! seeing as you might not know who he is, his credits include 'silverspoons' (the 80's sitcom), 'scrubs,' 'nypdblue,' '24,' and 'scrubs'--to name a few. you can check him out on imdb. he's in romania directing some sort of greek mythology based movie for the sci-fi network.

when i saw him at church i thought, hey, that romanian dude looks like a worn-out version of that guy that was on that 80's show about that rich kid.

my biggest claim to fame remains happening upon the set of mariah carey's music video on the champs-elysees at 3am when i got locked out of my host family's house. again, the evidence (i don't know if she's mormon or not, but i wouldn't put it past her. i could totally see her as a primary chorister):
being back in provo, i haven't seen anyone famous, mormon or not. i finally found an apartment--it's by UVU (not UVSC) and i don't have any roommates yet, but i got a sweet deal on rent. so, if any of the former housemates drop out of med school, law school or engagement, you can come live with me!

To Michael: My American Friend

2008-09-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well, as we all know it is Michael Lau's birthday. It is hard to know how to correctly honor Michael Lau. Thus, I have written a rap entitled "To Michael: My America Friend".

PAVEMENT! Stones mixed with gravel
We love this Chinese kid like we love Mexisicles
RIDING! In his Donatello Outback
Hanging in the park, try to walk to line of slack
NERDY! He's degreed in Physics
Explains thermostatics, like Chad doing backflips
MUSIC! Yo, his taste is ill
It's like I'm eating coxinhas at Brazil Brasil
MARRIAGE! Whitney's coming up soon
I've seen him semi-naked = lots to look forward too
CAMPING! We've started lots of fires
Mike "Should we go to the top?" Rich "No I'm getting kind of tired"
BETOS! At Fast Sunday Dawn
Man-bonding over plates of Asade Chimichangas

MICHAEL LAU! On this day of flair
I move my hips round, with my hands in the air!

Politics... what politics? What's a politic?

2008-09-10T22:52:00.000-07:00

Why do Politicians name call? Why do they bicker like little playground kids? Why can't they just lay down the facts about their policies instead of speaking so incredibly vague? Change! Change! Like probably everyone else, I'm so tired of American politics. Even after following the two parties for quite a bit, I still don't entirely understand what the heck they plan on doing, so right now, I'm leaning towards Obama because he body surfed at Sandy's beach. If you can body surf at Sandy's beach, you can lead America. Did the republicans pick Sarah Palin just so they could call Obama a sexist? No doubt, they must have been waiting for the opportunity.
Honestly, I have no idea what each party is REALLY planning on doing, but my guess is that things won't change much. Prove me wrong people!! Hope in America!!

Oh ya.... my beard pictures!

2008-09-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post these. I had some good fun styling my beard a few times before I shaved it completely off. The shaving adventure was furious though! Luckily, I had my Barbersol Beard Buster (no finer shaving cream on the planet) and my Gillete Sensor... not excel (I'm not made of money!).

So without further a do, and without much fan fare or explanation, here are my results of the GREAT BEARD EXPERIMENT! First, the Hell's Angel. Second, the young Utah father. Third, the Mario mustache. Last, the nude.

Garfield - Garfield = Jon

2008-09-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

Emma H. turned me on to these most excellent comic strip: Garfield minus Garfield. It's not a completely original comic. It just takes all other characters besides Jon out of the strip. This week they put up two ones that I really wanted to share with you.

stephen miss friends

2008-09-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

I don't want anyone to think that I don't miss you all in Provo because I do! Hawai'i is so sweet but having you all here would make it even sweeter. I miss studying about French stuff too, though I do enjoy studying the dynamics of law. Somehow I will have to combine these two things into one...

Gotta rocket in your pocket? Keep cooly cool boy.

2008-09-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here is what I REALLY wanna be when I grow up in order. First, a renegade cowboy for hire for whom ever pays right price, but at the same time has a moral compass hidden deep within. Second, I want to be a doctor. Third, I want to be a Jet. No not a Fighter Jet, even though I can draw those really well. I want to be A Jet. I want to snap my fingers, fight dance, and sing my thoughts and words advice to fellow gang members and sometimes to an audience of no one.

Just look at this clip. It is like violent, sexual, and pent up frustration all rolled up into one in everyone single person's face, especially Action as he slams on the car "Easy Action!" So in other words... I wanna BUST!