Jottings by Jess

Emily Ann Faulkner Jones - My Sweet Sister.

2012-01-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take some time to write about someone that inspires me on a day-to-day basis and someone who has shaped a lot of who I am and who I strive to be.

My sister Emily has been one of the people in my life that’s inspired me most. She’s always been there for me since I was a wee little lad and I’ve always looked up to her and wanted to be just like her.

Sure, there were times when she would torment me (because that’s what sister’s do) – but how can you no forgive someone who makes you suck your toe when you are two (it’s funny!) or who wouldn’t let you hang out with their teenage friends when you were eight?

My sister has had a lot of patience with me throughout the years. I always looked up to her, wanted to be just like her… wear her clothes, her makeup/jewelry, read her journal, etc. etc. I guess that’s why she gave me the name “Jess the Pest” for a while : ) but as we’ve grown older – we’ve developed a friendship and relationship that means more to me than most in this world.

She is one of the most giving, kind-hearted individuals I’ve ever known and she’s always taken the time to help mentor me to be a better person. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said “What would Emily do?” throughout my lifetime.

Throughout the years she’s inspired me to be a better wife, cook, scrap-booker, sibling, photographer, organizer, giver, worker, leader, mentor, multi-tasker, etc. – the ultimate woman in 2012 society requires a lot of balance… and she’s helped me to find this balance throughout the years.

As of late, Em has inspired me to be a mother… one of the biggest decisions of my life. But, watching Emily as a mother over the past four years has been so enlightening, inspiring and most of all CONTAGIOUS. She makes it look so fun and her children have lit up my life in ways nothing else can.

I wonder sometimes where I’d be without such a strong older sister to guide me through the ups and downs of life. In a world where sisters often annoy each other, compete, and backbite – I feel lucky to have a sister with whom I have a close loving relationship and with whom I have so much in common.

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life. ~Isadora James

Anchors or Motors? Your choice : )

2011-12-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

I’ve been lucky to have a lot of friends in this lifetime. Some of my friendships have remained intact throughout my lifetime, some have fallen by the way-side, and some are more casual friendships where we only chat a couple of times a year. With the new year coming, it’s got me to thinking about all the friendships and relationships that I’ve had in my life. I truly do value all of the friendships and relationships that I’ve had because they’ve all taught me something new about people, life, love, etc. etc. The new year also got me thinking about those relationships that have fallen by the way-side and why that’s happened.

There’s a quote that I have posted on my computer monitor at work -

"There are two types of people--anchors and motors. You want to lose the anchors and get with the motors because the motors are going somewhere and they're having more fun. The anchors will just drag you down." ~ Wyland Quotes

and as much as I’d say I like to live by it… it truly is hard to let go of those anchors, energy vampires or toxic relationships in your life. Everyone has encountered a toxic person in their life – whether it’s a friend, co-worker, or family member that can’t ever stand to say a positive thing about life, that is always taking advantage of others, or is generally abusive to themselves or others over and over again… everyone knows that person and wonders if they will change. I’ve always been the type of person to hope for change, but the reality is…. Some people just won’t change. If they do – great for them! But how long can we all wait around for that to happen?

“Better to lose the anchor than the whole ship.” ~ Dutch Proverb

The older I get, the more I start prioritizing where to give out my energy… I think of my mental, physical, spiritual and emotional self as a ship as the quote mentions above. Many of the times that I have felt the most down in life are because of anchors in my life (whether it’s a person or a negative thought) and the older I get, the more I realize that I have no choice… I HAVE to let these things go out of my life…especially now that I am bringing a new little baby into this world.

It’s funny how the world works too, because just in time for the new year, my forecast on astro.com sent me the following message about reevaluating my relationships…

“This influence signifies a time of severe testing in your relationships with others. The demands of your life will force you to reevaluate which relationships in your life are worth keeping and which are not. If you do not face this challenge consciously, the pressure of events will force you to do so, because people who have been with you for a long time will leave against your wishes. This may represent a temporary state of affairs or a passing mood. Or it may represent a serious breakdown in your relationships because of misplaced priorities in the past or because of associating with people who were wrong for you in terms of your personal goals and needs. The problem is that in terms of your direction in life, the people you associate with are a distraction or are actually opposed to your interests. In this case, no matter how much you love them, walls will form between you and them, and you will have to begin a new life without them. With this influence several significant relationships will inevitably end. But if you have a clear idea of where you are going, this will not be a great disadvantage. Whatever remorse you feel will be quickly displaced by a new sense of freedom, because you are no longer wasting energy in trying to maintain inappropriate relationships.”

Very interesting – eh?

Whether you decide to get rid of the anchors and stick with the motors in 2012, or not, I hope you have an amazing new year and hope that I can be a positive “motor” in your life in 2012. Love to you all!

This blogpost was inspired by this great blog http://montyrainey.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/anchors-away/ – thank goodness for good bloggers!

Things I have learned while being pregnant (so far).

2011-12-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

1) No one knows what causes autism… we can all speculate, but there's no clear answer.
2) What To Expect When Your Expecting says that if you are going to get a flu shot, you should try to get a Thiomersal-free flu shot. No one in the Utah valley even knows what that means (not even doctors), even though it's published in the top selling pregnancy book of all time. If you are looking for the Thiomersal-free vaccine, you can get it at the Nursing Station that is across the street and north of St. Marks Hospital.
3) Don't hesitate to ask your doctor a million questions. When in doubt, don't be ashamed to ask. That's what you are paying them for and wouldn't you rather get the questions off your chest so you aren't worrying about them?
4) Coconut Milk is good for pregnant women to drink. Here are all the reasons it's good for you : ) http://www.terawarner.com/blog/2008/05/pregnant-women-go-nuts%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6for-coconuts/
5) Certain teas you drink can cause you to go into pre-term labor. Even if it's herbal, make sure to check the herbs within the tea to make sure it won't cause you to go into labor to early.
7) Ginger Chews (you can get them at Whole Foods) are the only thing that made me feel better when I was nauseous during the first three months. My dear friend Jaymee got me some and they made me feel a lot better. They didn't completely cure the nausea, but helped more than anything else (ginger tea didn't help and neither did ginger ale).
7) Massage is okay, just make sure to get a pre-natal massage so you can have a custom pillow for your belly and so they don't press any pressure points that might trigger pre-term labor.
8) Yoga and exercise is okay as long as your doctor says it's okay. I've really enjoyed going to pre-natal yoga. It's not easy, but it helps stretch out my hips, lower back, shoulders, etc. so that I am not in so much pain throughout the week. It's really nice to be able to breath and take a moment for myself in the middle of the week as well. I am sure the baby appreciates it. The yoga instructor I go to makes us do a lot of challenging poses and squats to prepare for child birth as well... she always says "I can guarantee, labor is going to be a lot harder than sitting in this pose for five minutes..." - Definitely helps me get in the right mind-set for labor.
9) Every single person's pregnancy is different. Even if you are related. My sister and I have had a lot of different side affects. For example, spotting is normal and dark spotting after about a month of trying to get pregnant means you are probably pregnant. My mom told me this and I was completely clueless... Also - mild spotting is okay throughout the whole pregnancy, but if it gets heavier you should call your doctor.
10) Build a network. Find people who are pregnant or have been pregnant and ask them questions about what they've done during pregnancy. It will bring you closer and you won't be so lost about the process.

And lastly - have a laugh and don't take life to seriously... pregnancy is definitely hard (and according to this article - so is parenting), but it never hurts to have a sense of humor about it - http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2011/10/on-parenthood.html

So far pregnancy has been challenging but fun. Only three more months to go before I meet the little man. : )

Mentoring 101

2011-12-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

It’s funny how the universe sends you just what you need right when you ask for it – I mean, let’s be honest – the universe isn’t going to send you EVERYTHING you want, whenever you want it – but in general, I think that if you send the universe positivity and ask for what you want – it will send it right back at you in one form or another.

I’ve been feeling a lack of a challenge as of late and have needed to figure out something new that would bring some excitement to my world – Yes, I am aware that I am bringing a new life into the world in March or April of next year and that will be plenty of a challenge – but life is short – so why not find something new to experience in the mean time?

Westminster College, where I went to school, reached out to me about a month ago giving me an “alumni calling”. They asked if I would be willing to mentor an undergraduate student at Westminster for a couple of semesters. Not only was I flattered, but surprised that my qualifications made me eligible to be a mentor. I’ve always been interested in mentoring and really enjoyed mentoring the students I teached and managed at the Westminster Newspaper when I was editor-and-chief, but I haven’t had much of a chance to mentor as much as I’d like to the past couple of years.

I was nervous about our first meeting, because let’s face it – I am still young and wanted to be able to offer this person something great and memorable from this experience… so I started brainstorming what I wanted to give and get from this mentoring experience. I thought about all of the great mentors that I have had in my life – from teachers, to co-workers, to friends and family members.

One person in particular always sticks out for me when I think of a good mentor – Kevin McCallum. I worked for him when I first got into marketing at 1-800 CONTACTS. I’ve spoken a lot about Kevin in my blogs in the past, but it’s because I’ve never had a comparable mentor. I valued SO many things about him. He was unselfish – he always wanted those who worked for him to learn something new, to be pushed out of their comfort zone, to feel encouraged and supported beyond belief to do and achieve anything they dreamed about. There was never a dream that wasn’t achievable with him. He delegated challenging projects and opportunities to those who didn’t necessarily have the qualifications, but had trust that they could achieve and learn from the experience. No one wanted to disappoint him because everyone loved him and felt his positivity exude throughout our department – so everyone over-achieved and we met our goals without a problem. Also – he was extremely confident and well respected in the company and in the marketing world so he had a lot to offer and everyone learned something new every time they had a conversation with him. I think a lot of the reason he was so respected in the marketing community is that he hired people who were very qualified in various fields of marketing – and let them learn and grow through various projects and challenges and he learned from them. He didn’t assume he knew everything – he constantly felt he could learn something new from any individual he came in contact with.

I could go on and on about Kevin and how much of a positive impact he’s made on my life… but now it was my turn to be a good mentor… and what does that mean?

Looking back on what I learned from Kevin, I knew a few things right off the bat –
1) I don’t know everything about marketing, but I can help this person understand what I do know and learn from them as well. (Help the person I am mentoring learn something new – not only about work, but life.)
2) I can be a positive role model and share my passion for what I do and how I feel about life.
3) I can help with goal setting, and accountability.
4) I can motivate this individual to achieve what they’d like to achieve.
5) I can teach “the power of networking”.
6) I can work towards getting this person promoted in life and in work.
7) I can help this person focus on their accomplishments and strengths.
8) I can teach this person to behave like an owner and help them focus on mastering their projects, and delivering on what they promise.
9) I can teach this person to have an opinion and share that opinion.
10) I can teach this person the importance of accuracy and thoroughness.

How I started this process was by asking a few questions:
1) What are your goals in this mentoring process? What do you want to learn (please give me at least 10)?
2) Have you faced any problems in your work or school environments that you'd like to work through?
3) What are your strengths (please give me at least 5)?
4) What are your favorite successes in life thus far (please give me at least 5)?

I am really looking forward to learning from this experience.

"A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you."

Bob Proctor
Author, Speaker and Success Coach

A story that totally made my day - great for the holiday season.

2011-12-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician:

I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die - I barely managed to coast , cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the quickie mart building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay. When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel.

At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95.

I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying 'I don't want my kids to see me crying! ,' so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, 'And you were praying?' That made her back away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, 'He heard you, and He sent me.'

I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling, walked to the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little.

She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City . Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan. 1, and finally, in desperation, had called her parents, with whom she had not spok en in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there.

So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there.
I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, 'So, are you like an angel or something?'

This definitely made me cry. I said, 'Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people.'

It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong.

Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings....

Psalms 55:22 ' Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved'

'Father, I ask You to bless my children, grandchildren, friends, relatives and email buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace, In Jesus' precious name. Amen.'

'Friends are God's way of taking care of us.' Psalm 55:22 ---

"Drive" and "Leadership Lessons From Burning Man".

2011-09-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

Wow – this is a great article... I bought the book "Drive" because of this article. Looks interesting.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1775687/leadership-lessons-from-burning-man

Leadership Lessons From Burning Man
BY E.B. Boyd
Thu Aug 25, 2011

Think the annual arts fest in the Nevada desert is nothing more than a week-long bacchanal? Think again. It's a a master class in how to create awesomeness.

It’s easy to dismiss Burning Man as nothing more than a bizarre hippie love-fest that takes place deep in the Nevada desert every year the week before Labor Day. But doing so misses the fact that it’s an amazingly successful enterprise--and, as such, has a thing or two to teach about how to inspire creative people and create a great product.

Since it first began 25 years ago, Burning Man has grown larger every year (if you ignore the slight dip in recession-scarred 2009). It’s grown so much that this year, for the first time ever, the organization had to cut off ticket sales early, for fear of finally hitting the 50,000-person limit authorized by its federal land-use permit. And those tickets aren’t cheap either--they now cost an average of $300 a pop.

Granted, Burning Man's overall intention is not to create a "product," per se. (Not one for trite labels, it calls itself an "experiment in community.") But its growth numbers--in terms of customers and revenue--are ones any business could envy. So how does Burning Man do it?

It starts with culture

One of the first things to understand is that Burning Man isn’t actually just a festival. In many ways--in keeping with its mission--it’s actually more of a town. In fact, it's the 11th largest in Nevada during the one week of its existence. The horseshoe that makes up "Black Rock City" (named for Black Rock Desert) gets delineated into "blocks" and "neighborhoods" where attendees (dubbed "participants") set up their camps--often elaborate compounds complete with sitting areas and play areas in addition to tents, yurts, and RVs. The "town" even has its own post office (send a letter and it will reach its destination, complete with a "Black Rock City" cancellation mark), as well as an airport.

As a result, many of the people who choose to go to Burning Man do so not just for the revelries and the festivities but simply because it’s a place they like to visit, like the Eastern seaboard, the Gulf Coast, Las Vegas, or the Poconos.

And they like to visit it because of the overall atmosphere. It’s one of the friendliest towns you will ever come across. Most camps have an open-door policy. You’re welcome to stop in at any abode. Most people are also inordinately helpful. Other Burners will happily help you set up your camp or install your art piece. And it’s amazingly safe for a town of 50,000, many of whom are partying for seven days straight. If you’re a woman, you can walk home at 3 in the morning with little fear of harassment. Brawls are basically unheard of.

So how does Burning Man produce this culture? It’s a mix of top-down instruction and horizontal transmission. The organization itself produces a Survival Guide that spells out the ethos of the place and the guidelines that make it work. And the organizers, in all their communications, consistently reinforce the event’s ethos. But truthfully, the most powerful part of the cultural transmission happens from person to person.

The group I joined when I first started going consisted of some guys who had belonged to one of the hardest-partying clubs in college. And yet these same guys were the ones who diligently instructed me on the importance of--and firmly held me accountable for--picking up and packing out every piece of trash larger than a sequin so that, after all Burners went home, the desert would be as pristine as it was before we all showed up.

How does this happen? Ultimately it comes down to the fact that Burning Man does a phenomenal job at communicating how the culture contributes to the overall experience. And since participants value the overall experience, they work hard to adhere to the cultural principles. And equally hard to pass those principles on to newcomers.

Add a dose of trust and positive reinforcement

The other key component of how culture gets transmitted is through positive reinforcement, which itself is often bathed in a dollop of humor. There are no forbidding or bureaucratic signs at Burning Man telling you what you can and cannot do. Instead, where needed, signs are erected to remind attendees of things they might not know or might forget--but those signs are generally friendly and playful, like this one (right) reminding people not to bring their bikes (the main form of transportation) into a communal tent.

Organizers also imbue a huge amount of trust in the community. Volunteer Burning Man Rangers do patrol the town, but they’re there more to be of help than to lay down the law. Mostly, the organization communicates an attitude to the Burners that it trusts them to adhere to the communal rules and help propagate them.

All of which comes down to a fundamental principle of human nature: People want to be inspired, not lectured. They tend to respond better to humor and gentle reminders than they do to dictates or presumptions of guilt before innocence.

Motivate with autonomy

Unlike many festivals, Burning Man itself provides nothing more than the overall infrastructure—the city grid, the port-a-potties, the Rangers and other volunteers who keep the town running. But everything else is provided by the participants--the massive techno dance clubs, the yoga classes, the works of art, the merry little vehicles sailing across the desert, the makeshift restaurants, the seminars on technology and sustainability, the circuses, the chill spaces. Burning Man creates none of it. It all comes from the participants.

And the things the participants provide, which vary from year to year, are endlessly delighting and mind-blowing. A party bus outfitted to look like a giant rubber ducky. A “Mant Farm,” a three-story high human version of the old ant farms. A go-kart retrofitted to look like a fighter jet. A vaudeville performance. A violin solo deep out on the Playa. A lounge-like oasis on the edge of the desert right where you'd need a break. A fire garden. A seminar on lucid dreaming. A bulletin board where people are encouraged to leave jokes (sample: “I saw a wino eating grapes. I was like, 'Dude, you have to wait a while.'"). A pirate bar where the occasional ninja shows up to wreak havoc (per the Internet meme). Even the 40-foot, eight ton rocket ship that has since taken up residence on San Francisco’s Embarcadero. You can spend seven days on the Playa and still not see all the marvels and wonders participants bring to the place.

So how does Burning Man get people to create such marvels? Not by command and control. The organization simply sets a few guidelines, mainly for safety purposes, and then gives attendees permission to let their imaginations run wild.

Not everything is a hit, of course. Every year there are any number of installations, performances, and activities that just don’t seem to hit the mark. But there are many more that overshoot it far more than if Burning Man had given specific instructions about what it wanted created.

This is a secret that organizations that successfully harness the imaginations of their creative people have long known: You can’t order creativity. You can only create the conditions for it to blossom--mainly by setting certain prescribed boundaries and then giving your creative people a great deal of autonomy to execute as they see fit.

Reward people with appreciation, rather than money

Burning Man has a "no money" policy. Everything participants bring must be shared with other participants for free. (For an explanation of why, see "Decommodification" under the organization’s Ten Principles.)

So whether you just bring a set of hula hoops for people to play with, or a massive dance club costing tens of thousands of dollars to set up and run, you have to shell out all the money (and sweat equity) yourself, with no hope of ever recouping a dime for your troubles. Why would anyone do that, you might ask. The answer lies largely in Daniel Pink’s latest book Drive, which examines the science of human motivation (and how businesses often get it wrong).

Pink explains that you can’t motivate creative people with money. Certainly, you have to pay them enough to live on, he says, and pay them comparably to their peers so they feel appropriately valued. But after that, Pink explains, tossing more money at a creative person doesn't produce more creative output.

Instead, Pink says, creative people simply want the latitude discussed in the previous section (autonomy), as well as the opportunity to do something really well (mastery) and the opportunity to be part of something greater than themselves (purpose). And that’s what Burning Man provides.

No matter how whacky the thing bouncing around in your head (a party bus shaped like a duck, whowouldathought?), it will find a home and appreciation at Burning Man. And, more importantly, you will feel like you are doing your part to contribute to the overall experience. In fact, it's not unusual for newcomers--even those who felt slightly trepidatious about the whole enterprise to begin with--to leave the event toying around with ideas of what they might create to bring back the following year.

Much of the above probably sounds like common sense: Trust people and they will usually live up to that trust. Give people creative freedom, and they will surprise you with what they deliver. And indeed, it is common sense. And yet many organizations nevertheless fall down on one or more of these principles--structuring rules and regulations around a presumption of guilt on the part of employees, rather than treating them as trusted members of a community, or by offering only money rather than latitude in the effort to drum up creativity.

Burning Man, however, is a living example of how, when an organization lives by that sometimes not-so-common common sense, great things ensue.

[Images: Courtesy of E.B. Boyd; front page image by Mike Q. Victor]

Oprah

2011-09-02T14:13:00.001-07:00

I am such a dork... I love Oprah so much.

I just heard about this awesome event: http://mashable.com/2011/09/02/oprah-on-facebook-live/?utm_source=erocketfuel+feed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable%2FSocialMedia+%28Mashable+%C2%BB+Social+Media+Feed%29
... and decided to submit my question. Hopefully she will give me the time of day, but I won't hold my breath : )

Dear Oprah - I know you've started many philanthropic organizations and companies and that's one of the things I love most about you. I would like to know how I can get a philanthropic job or maybe start a philanthropic company. I would also love to learn how you think we can encourage people to work for and create more philanthropic companies like Tom's Shoes, Whole Foods, Seventh Generation and krochetkids.org. I think it's something that's changing the world and the way consumers think about buying goods. I also love the book - "Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid" and think you could do a cool show about that. I would love ideas on this from you. You are my hero! Thank you! - Jessica*

My Review of Westminster College

2011-06-23T08:05:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at DegreeSearch.org

Westminster offers a truly unique environment for learning. Outside magazine's rated Salt Lake City a 'near-perfect location for avid outdoor adventurers.' Deeply committed to each student's success, Westminster College is a comprehensive college that integrates a strong foundation ...

Westminster is the best!

By Jessica Chase from Salt Lake City, Utah on 6/23/2011

Pros: Great group work, Great instructors, Number of degree offerings, Provided personal attention, Convenient locations

Cons: High tuition costs

I attended Westminster for my undergraduate degree in Communication and my graduate degree in business. If they had a Ph.D. program, I would be going back to Westminster for that program. The professors are great, the class sizes are small, there is a good balance of group work/individual work to prepare you for team work in a real work environment, the international trip in the MBA program was one of my favorite experiences of all time, and overall - Westminster is just awesome! The tuition cost is worth it.

(legalese)

Florence, Italy - The Conclusion To Our Italy Trip

2011-05-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

Day 6

So our final chapter in our Italy trip was based in Florence, Italy. We arrived in Florence and were extremely tired so we decided to take a nap. Our hotel room was gorgeous… the best one yet. After sleeping for a few hours, we woke up and got moving. It was around 5 p.m. so when we finally got outside, the city was pretty empty (most of the museums/churches close at 5 p.m. so that’s normal). We were a little disappointed that the city was so empty and didn’t think any city could compare to how much fun we had in Rome and Venice, so we decided that Florence wasn’t going to be as fun as the other cities right away… we were wrong : )

We decided to get some gelato and we found our favorite gelato flavors of the trip… Scott’s favorite was the coffee and chocolate mixed together and mine was tiramisu (the next day I got banana and that became my new favorite ) ; ) It seemed like the gelato tasted better in Florence… more authentic or something. We decided to walk around the Duomo and look at the Ghiberti doors while there weren’t very many tourists. We then decided to go to dinner near the Duomo. Right when we figured out what restaurant we wanted to go to, Scott looked over and Sammy and Dena from Jersey Shore were in the restaurant on camera filming the show. I quickly took a picture and we decided to eat at the restaurant next door so we could look at the reactions of people when they saw the Jersey Shore being filmed. Pretty random running into the Jersey Shore in the middle of Italy eh? The food was the best we had tasted in Italy yet. Not complicated - just spaghetti or pizza with a caprese salad, but maybe we just enjoyed it more because we started to finally relax and enjoy ourselves and take things slow.

Day 7

We woke up the next day to a beautiful view from our hotel room. The complementary breakfast at our hotel was amazing. It had the most beautiful view of all of Florence from the roof top. I highly recommend you stay at the Hotel Baglioni in Florence if you go. After breakfast we decided to head out to the city and walk through the main art museums and churches (lots of walking again – and it was HOT outside!).

First, we decided to climb the stairs in the Duomo to go to the top of the basilica. It was quite the workout! You have to climb a bunch of stairs that are going in a circle in a really small space… so you are exhausted, claustrophobic and dizzy the whole way up, but it’s beautiful when you get there because you can see all of Florence (which has some mountainside – Tuscany area) and you can see the painting on the basilica up close. According to Wikipedia, the basilica and church construction began in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi.

Picture from the web:

We heard that we HAD to see The David statue so we walked to The Galleria de Academia and waited in line (since we didn’t have reservations). We only waited about 45 minutes, but it was worth it. The David is amazing…. You just sit there in aw of how beautiful the sculpture is, how perfect it is. I can’t help but think that Scott looks like The David… they have the same body type and the same hair!

We were tired, but decided to continue to the Uffizi museum to see more Byzantine art, Da Vinci, Caravaggio and the famous Botticelli painting - The Birth of Venus. I would highly recommend that you eat lunch and get hydrated before you go into this museum because it is huge and there is a lot to look at. The Birth of Venus painting was amazing.

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When we left the Uffizi it started to rain (like it did in the afternoon at the same time everyday). We got some more Tiramisu Gelato and ran back to our hotel in the rain.

Day 8

We decided to go on a tour of the countryside near Florence (The Tuscany region) so we went to this cute little town called Shianti. I tried some blackberry gelato before we got on the bus and it wasn’t my favorite flavor… (we did eat a new flavor each day though!)…. I wish we had more gelato in the U.S.

Anyway, the tour included a tour of some small town countryside churches, a tour of a medieval castle, a tour showing how to make wine and how to make olive oil, and a wine tasting with hors d'œuvres. It was extremely relaxing and romantic which was just what the doctor ordered. We met some cute couples from Mesa, Arizona that told us they had a lot of trouble on their vacation (with taxis overcharging them, losing luggage and taxis bringing them to bad parts of town) so we felt very blessed that everything went smoothly for us. We tasted three different wines after we learned how they brewed them. One that was aged 1 – 3 years, one that was aged 5 – 10 years, and a desert wine that was aged for about five years that was a specialty wine where they had to first make the wine into raisins THEN squeeze it. Apparently they serve this wine in the churches as part of sacrament in their town.

A cool story about the medieval castle (Castello Del Trebbio) where we did the wine tasting before I conclude – The castle was built in the 1300’s and inhabited by the Pazzi family who was the second richest family in town. Obviously the richest family town was the Medici family who commissioned the artists to make Florence (and other cities) beautiful with their art. The Pazzi family was jealous of the Medici family and wanted to kill them so they could be the number one family so they conspired with the Pope at the time to kill the Medici family in this castle. The Pazzi family was successful in killing one of the Medici brothers, but not the most powerful brother – Lorenzo. Lorenzo found out about the conspiracy and killed everyone in the Pazzi family and seized their property (including the castle we were in).

For years the castle was empty, but they told us a cute story that an older man met a woman from Belgium on a train and immediately fell in love with her. She wanted to move to the castle even though it was cold ( you literally have to burn wood to get any heat in the place ), but she loved it. They had five kids in six years and raise their family in the castle. They revived the wine vineyards and olive trees and brought the place back to life. When the boys turned 20ish their father passed away and soon after their mother died in a car crash. The boys had to sell the castle because they couldn’t afford to pay for it. There is a modern day family that lives in the castle with a beautiful original Raphael painting in the living room. They cook in a wood burning stove, make wine and olive oil, and live in the most beautiful countryside of Italy. What a life!!!

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We came back to the city and went to dinner at the same café we dined at the first night in Florence (because the food was so good). When we were done, we saw three more Jersey Shore characters being filmed – Mike, Vinny and Pauly… MVP. It was surreal to see them in person… and in Italy no less?

The trip was absolutely fabulous and we hope to go back to Italy one day.

Venice, Italy - The Orange Full Moon

2011-05-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

Day 4 – Venice, Italy

We woke up early and ran (literally ran) to the train station with our giant backpacks on our backs. We got a late start and didn’t realize the work it would take when we got to the train station. Luck was on our side because we had already pre-purchased our train ticket and didn’t have to wait in any lines. If we would have had to wait in lines, I fear we would have missed our train. We were cutting it THAT close. We didn’t realize how big the train station was. There were 14 trains headed to different locations in Europe within the station. I guess we know how to get around Europe from now on! : ) Our train trip to Venice was three hours and we were delighted that the seats were comfortable – much more comfortable than a plane.

We saw some beautiful countryside on our way to Venice – it made us want to come back and visit some of the small towns in Italy one day. Maybe bike through? Maybe one day… there are beautiful fields of flowers and wine vineyards everywhere.

We arrived in Venice around noon and were excited that our hotel was right across the street from the train station. We had to take a short bus ride to get into the actual city, but it was much cheaper to stay in Muestre versus staying in the actual center of Venice. Plus, our room is really nice - a lot nicer than the one in Rome (even though it doesn’t really matter because we are only in our room to sleep).

We decided that the first thing on our agenda was to “get lost in Venice” because that’s what everyone told us we should do. We thought it would be a little harder to get lost, but turns out – it’s easy to get lost in Venice… and hard to read maps! There are so many small streets that are impossible to find on the maps.

After a couple of hours, we got the hang of where we were and enjoyed walking through the narrow streets. The streets are BEAUTIFUL. Before we came, there were people who told us that they didn’t like Venice… I am baffled by this… it is amazing. We found it very romantic and picturesque. The main part of Venice is a huge shopping mall with hundreds of stores. It’s a woman’s dream and a man’s nightmare! Haha, just kidding. Scott was actually tolerating it more than I thought he would ; )

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We ended up in the main square – Saint Marco Square and saw the beautiful basilica and Doge’s Palace. This is the famous square where people feed pigeons and take pictures (which we did, of course!). I LOVED it. People (including Scott) say that pigeons are trash birds, but I still had fun. There were some nice people who gave us some crackers and when we crunched them up in our hands, we immediately had a bunch of birds swarming us. Scott didn’t want the birds touching him, but he finally put a few crackers in his hands just to try it for a minute : )

We got some gelato (caramel is my favorite flavor so far… yum!!) and headed to the main bridge in the middle of the city – Ponte di Rialto. This is the oldest bridge in Venice and spans the Grand Canal. It dates back to 1172, and was in wood until 1557 when it was rebuilt in stone – according to our map. It is beautiful at sunset.

We got dinner at a beautiful, yet expensive, restaurant right on the canal. It was SO worth the money because it was surrounded by beautiful flowers and had the perfect view of the canal. People warned us that Venice was extremely expensive, and that is true. We’ve just been limiting ourselves to one sit down dinner/lunch each day. It’s hard to remember to eat anyway when there are so many beautiful things to see and fun things to do!

We saw the orange full moon on our way back to our hotel. It was HUGE! We tried to take a picture, but, as usual, the picture didn’t do it justice.

Day 5 – Venice, Italy

We went back to Saint Marco Square so that we could walk through the basilica (since it was closed when we saw it the day before) and couldn’t believe how beautiful the inside was. We couldn’t take pictures, but there were gold mosaics throughout the entire church. Apparently the basilica is the most important example of Byzantine Venetian architecture. It was built in 1076.

There is ANOTHER zodiac clock here… like the one in Prague. The clock moves based on what zodiac sign month are in. So right now it is pointing to Taurus. You know I am loving that!

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We decided to try to get some culture so we went to the Doge’s Palace (No, not Dog the Bounty Hunter’s Palace - the residence of the Doge “the supreme authority” of Venice Palace) to see some paintings/architecture. According to our map - it was from the Doge’s Palace that the Venetian Republic was ruled, and it is still the highest expression of Venetian art.

We saw a lot of Venetian art by Tinteretto, Titian and Bosch. We also saw a lot of old weaponry and the prisons of the palace. This building was where all of the politicians and city officials would meet and “The Doge” would live. It’s kind of like the U.S. White House for Venice.

We then went to get lunch in a beautiful little café by the canal. We had an amazing caprese salad and decided we need to make those more back home with our fresh grown tomatoes! Yum.

After lunch/dinner we went up a bell tower to look out over the entire city of Venice. The view from the top was amazing. We were a little scared for what would happen if we were up at the top when the bells rang (because we heard the bells are REALLY loud). The bells did end up sounding at 3:30 (yes, they ring at half past the hour as well as on the hour) and although they were loud, we were excited to experience watching them ring so closely.

Now to our favorite part of the day… the gondola ride. We heard the gondola rides were extremely over-priced (which they are), but we were able to negotiate a lower rate in a canal off of the main canal. It was fully worth it… it was extremely romantic, beautiful, and peaceful. We loved every minute of it.

Lions and masks are really popular here. Apparently they have a mascaraed festival during a certain time of year. That would be fun to attend, but the masks are a bit creepy... The lions are a symbol of St. Mark.

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"When In Rome" - Day 2 & 3

2011-05-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

We woke up to sunny skies and birds chirping outside of our window on Day 2. We dressed for warm weather (since Day 1 was HOT!) and headed out to the Colosseum.

About ten minutes after we left the hotel we realized we had dressed for to warm of weather and that it could rain at any moment. Luckily, right before it started raining, we took shelter in a near-by museum – the Mercati di Traiano – an ancient Roman market which also happened to be the place where Julius Caesar lived in the first century AD. There were many statues that were actually in Caesar’s Palace back on 150 AD. A lot of which were recovered from sewers within the city. The actual marble of the courtyard where Caesar is said to have said “Friends, Roman’s, Countrymen” and “Y Tu Brute” is still there. There was a piece of a statue recovered that was about six feet long that was just part of a hand of one of the statues in Caesar’s Palace so you can image how big the actual statue was.

It was a great place to go to get out of the rain, but we decided to buy some ponchos and head over to the Colusseum. Good thing we did because it started raining pretty hard for the next few hours (even though ponchos look awful…let’s be honest, they keep you dry). One thing about me and Scotty, we are troopers – rain or shine, we will stay on schedule. Plus, we are only in Rome once, and we had to see The Colusseum and Forum at least once in our lives right?

The Colusseum was huge. It was cool to see where the animals and prisoners were taken underground before they were let into the Colusseum to fight/be executed. You can see all of the passageways of the ground floor of the Colusseum because they have removed the middle layer. It’s surprising to me that so many people were so entertained by watching humans die at the hand of animals. According to Wikipedia, there was once a contest “involving 11,000 animals and 10,000 gladiators over the course of 123 days.” It reminds me of when people used to be hung or stoned to death in front of their entire towns. According to our map, “Its real name is the Flavian Amphitheater. It was begun under Emperor Vaspasian in 72 AD and finished under his son Titus in 80 AD. Back then - the amphitheater could contain more than 70,000 people. It is organized in three orders of 80 arches adorned respectively with Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns.” It had a great view of the Arch de Constantine and we ran into a random cat living on one of the sets of stairs. Truly random.

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Right when we were leaving the sun started shining again and we were excited, because the light was beautiful and perfect for us to go see “The Forum” which is a term for the Roman Ruins. A lot of the ruins have had to be uncovered because of harsh whether in the sixteenth century. The Forum was extremely peaceful… beautiful gardens, birds chirping, the smell of rain and orange trees… it was very heavenly. We got to see where they use to host chariot races and where they used to meet and have famous ceremonies. It is said to be the most famous place in ancient Rome. According to our map it was "damaged by a fire in 283 AD and restored under Emperor Diocletian. From the fourth century, it began to fall into decay, echoing the fate of Rome itself.”

Our favorite part of the Forum was the end because it was sunset and we got to see the second and third of the three main arch’s in Rome – The Arch of Titus & The Arch of Septimius Severus - and a bunch of standing columns from the ancient Roman ruins in the middle of a meadow. It was beautiful.

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Day 3

We decided to wake up early to head to the Vatican because we heard that if we got up early we wouldn’t have to wait in lines. We took a bus to Vatican City and decided to visit Saint Peters Basilica first. The square surrounding Saint Peter’s Basilica is beautiful…It is the biggest square in Rome and makes you feel as if you were living in Roman times yourself. There are 140 statues of Saints, works by Bernini, surrounding the square and beautiful fountains and columns surround the 340 meter area. Turns out, that lines are actually worse in the mornings and that we should have come in the afternoon for shorter lines. We are happy we got started early however, because the Vatican + The Sistine Chapel + St. Peter’s Basilica took us about eight hours to get through.

Our favorite part of the Basilica was the shear size of the basilica itself. Michelangelo wanted it to be PERFECT and didn’t listen to anyone when they told him what to do with it. Apparently he didn’t have many friends because he was a “my way or the highway” kind of person. We loved the “Pieta” with the Madonna holding Jesus – obviously… it’s only one of the most famous works of art in history. We also loved the Bernini bronze piece in the center of the basilica – it is a Baroque sculpted bronze canopy called a baldachin. There is a statue of St. Peter within the basilica where you are supposed to rub the right foot of the statue (but rub both just in case) and he will bless you personally. The renaissance art within the basilica is breathtaking and most of the art in the basilica is a mosaic… yes, little pieces of glass/marble making up the works of art. Talk about attention to detail. There are many saints that have been buried within the basilica and have been embalmed/preserved and made into wax figures so that they can be shown to the public. Scotty and I found this a bit creepy, but cool none-the-less.

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We keep feeling like we are living in the movie/book The Davinci Code/Angels and Demons. Apparently they filmed part of Angels and Demons in the St. Peters Basilica square. There is a secret passage-way between the square and the castle that popes have escaped to in war times.

The Vatican is extremely hard to explain… as are most things in Rome… you kind of have to see them in person to see how amazing everything is. It has been the Pope’s residence since 1377. Since 1377, 265 Popes have lived there. Vatican City is an independent state ruled by the Pope so it is technically separate from Rome and its own country with its own citizens. The Vatican museums have so many little details sculpted into the ceiling and walls and building in general. There are halls and halls and ceilings upon ceilings of amazing, brilliant art. It’s impossible to look at it all. There were thousands of statues, thousands of paintings, thousands of PEOPLE too. It’s hard to move and breathe. 40,000 people per day visit the Vatican.

We ended in the Sistine Chapel (Scott’s favorite part of the day) with the famous ceiling frescos Michelangelo painted in 1481 and “Last Judgment” painting by Michelangelo in 1535 (he painted this when he was 60). Apparently Michelangelo painted everyone naked within “Last Judgment” and the church did not like that so they asked him to paint clothes on the figures. Michelangelo refused, so the church left the clothes off until Michelangelo died. They then had another artist paint clothes onto the figures. I am baffled by the fact that they would deface the work of art like this. Michelangelo painted them naked because he said that on judgment day, we will all be naked before God. I think is very true and the piece is not the same without what was intended by the artist. I am personally just not a fan of anyone’s artwork being changed without their consent.

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We are having a blast.

More at http://jessicafaulkner.blogspot.com

Carpe Diem - Rome, Day 1

2011-05-15T03:25:00.000-07:00

We started out the day by taking a train from the airport to the Termini Station in Rome. When we got off the train we had assumed we’d be able to use our GPS to find everything we were looking to find, but the GPS wasn’t picking up a signal so we were o our own. No electronics reliance for us! So we went “old school” and got a map. It took us a minute, but we finally figured out where our hotel was on the map and started walking. On our way to the hotel, we were stopped by a cute old woman. She welcomed us in Rome and told us her story. She said she had lived in San Francisco for 15 years with her husband, but he had passed on so she came back to her home – Rome. She reached in her purse and pulled out a bunch of pictures of her past – when she was young, her house in San Francisco, her family… then she asked if I wanted a piece of candy. I know… you shouldn’t take candy from strangers, but I did : ) I am such a rebel! Then she says… “I don’t have a second piece of candy for your husband, but wait here and I will run to the grocery store to get one.” And we politely said “that’s okay, it was nice to meet you! Thanks for telling us your story!”

What a way to welcome us in Rome eh?

So we started the journey to our hotel and got there in about 15 minutes (after learning to read a map again). I feel so dependent on Google Maps and GPS systems these days.

Our hotel room is similar to what we stayed in in Amsterdam and Prague… small, but a place to sleep : ) The view outside is amazing, though, and we hear beautiful Italian bells all day long.

We were exhausted from the long flight, but eager to get out and see the city. We figured that we should not sleep when we got to Rome because we had to adjust to the time change – even though we REALLY wanted too : ) So we looked at the map and set out on our adventures.

We started walking and soon realized we would not need a map to see all the beautiful things in Rome. There are beautiful things everywhere…. Fountains, statues, beautiful architecture. The first thing we came across was an amazing fountain with four huge beautiful statues coming out of it. We decided to get some gelato and sit next to the fountain. My sister’s fiancé Sam went on his mission in Italy and he said the No. 1 thing to do is eat A LOT of gelato. So no need to hesitate, right? I had the strawberry gelato and Scott had the chocolate and I can tell you that I have eaten gelato in a lot of places in this world, but the gelato in Italy is by far the best.

We then headed to the Fontana di Trevi (The Trevi Fountain). If you don’t know what the Trevi Fountain is, let me tell you… It is a slice of heaven placed on the earth. In fact, I would say that about Rome in general, with its Byzantine art (known for the golden halo around the head in artwork), and renaissance architecture. Scotty and I sat next to the fountain for quite a while and just inhaled the beauty. The Trevi Fountain was one of the major aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome. It is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. There is legend that if you turn your back to the fountain and throw a coin over your left shoulder into the fountain that you will come back to Rome one day. You are also supposed to drink the water from the fountain (not from the actual fountain, but from the right side above the steps). We tried both : ) We were told that you shouldn’t have people take pictures of you because there are a lot of people that will steal your camera, but we just find people who speak English (mainly couples) and offer to take their picture first then have them take one of us. It’s working out well.

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We then decided to try to find the Pantheon and in doing so ran into a bunch of other famous architecture/artwork. I wish I could have brought my 20 pound art history book with me so that I could dissect all the amazing things we are seeing.

As soon as we walked into the Pantheon we got chills. There is a hole in the top of the Pantheon because the creator was trying to make the dome perfectly spherical (and using the Pythagorean Theorem and other mathematical calculations to do so). Everything here is mathematically perfect in proportion. I think that this hole which the creator considered a “flaw” makes it SO much better because there is sunlight that comes in and hits a new piece of art in the building at different times of day. Also – it feels like the rays of God are shining in on you and on the artwork. It is simply breathtaking. It is the only pagan temple in classical style still almost intact in Rome and was commissioned to be built in 27 BC and dedicated to the guardian deities of the Emperor’s family. After the fire the temple was rebuilt between 118 and 125 A.D. Today it hosts the tombs of famous people, like the artist Raphael (who Scott mentioned is his favorite ninja turtle haha!) and the kings of Italy. Scott said this was his favorite thing we saw all day because he was in aw of the sheer size of the building and the fact that it was still standing after 2000 years. He couldn’t believe that anyone would be capable of building it.

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We decided to get lunch in a cute little café by the Trevi Fountain and needed to rest our feet… us two overachievers had probably walked ten miles at that point. We enjoyed the people watching and relaxation. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

One other thing that I wanted to mention about our first day – We were looking at another gorgeous monument when we noticed a bunch of police/swat teams swarming in and not allowing people to go in to the monument. We were scared that we were in the middle of a terrorist attack of some kind because traffic was stopped and helicopters were overhead. Then, out of nowhere, we were in the middle of a “Free Palestine” political rally. There were thousands of people marching on behalf of the cause, and a leader yelling through a microphone to “Free Palestine” – we felt like we were in the middle of a 1960s political rally in the U.S.

After the long flight and long day, we both enjoyed a long 11 hours of sleep and are ready for day 2!

More at jessicafaulkner.blogspot.com

Eating Animals

2011-05-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

Do you agree with this statement? “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.”

I read a book a couple of months ago that really inspired me and made me think about something most people do every day – “Eating Animals.” Jonathan Safran Foer, the author, discusses many topics surrounding eating animals and really makes his readers think about the decision to eat meat.

I am not sure if any of you are aware, but I was a vegetarian for about six years from age 17 – 23. I decided to eat meat again after marrying Scott (who was and is a meat eater). I didn’t want to cook two meals every night and genuinely started liking the taste of meat again. Recently, after reading the above book, I became a vegetarian again for various reasons that I will describe in my summary of the book below.

Since most of us have a dog that we adore… I think Foer makes a good point in his opening chapter. Foer starts the book by talking about his relationship with his dog. He admits that he doesn’t know what goes on in his dog’s [George’s] head and that he is “surprised by her lack of intelligence as often as [he is] surprised by her intelligence. The differences between [them] are always more present than the similarities.” But he recognizes that although “the list of differences [between them] could fill a book, George fears pain, seeks pleasure and craves not just food and play, but companionship.” Based on this, he asks various ethical questions such as “should we not eat companion animals”? “should we not eat animals with significant mental capacities”? “if we should not eat animals with significant mental capacities then wouldn’t that include the pig, cow, chicken, many species of sea animals and severely impaired human beings”?

“With all the factory farmers that are profiting from meat eaters around the country – ‘is it even possible to eat meat without ‘causing pain to one of Gods living creatures.’? I seriously want to know your answer to this question and think these are all good questions that we should ask ourselves. Controversial? Yes. Questions that might alter your life and the food you eat? Yes. Questions we may not be able to ignore, but out of laziness decide to ignore anyway? Yes. But hear me out anyway…

“On average, American’s eat the equivalent of 21,000 entire animals in a lifetime – one animal for every letter on the last five pages.”

I know there are a million things to stand up for in our country so you are probably wondering why I chose to blog about animals. Well – to put it shortly – this book inspired me to be a better person and I learned something that I wanted to share with others. “If I misuse a corporation’s logo, I could potentially be put in jail; if a corporation abuses a billion birds, the law will protect no the birds, but the corporation’s right to do what it wants.” Is this right?

Do we really even know what we are eating anymore? “Not a single turkey you can buy in a supermarket could walk normally, much less jump or fly normally before they slaughtered it for you to eat? Not the antibiotic-free, or organic, or free range or anything. They all have the same foolish genetics, and their bodies won’t allow for it anymore. Every turkey sold in every store and served in every restaurant was the product of artificial insemination. If it were only for efficiency that would be one thing, but these animals literally can’t reproduce naturally. What the industry figured out – and this was the real revolution – is that you don’t need healthy animals to make a profit. Sick animals are more profitable. The animals have paid the price for our desire to have everything available at all times for very little money.”

Remember that bird flu and swine flu outbreak we had last year? “Scientists at Columbia and Princeton Universities have actually been able to trace six of the eight genetic segments of the (currently) most feared virus in the world directly to US factory farms.”

Also - “Scientific studies and government records suggest that virtually all (upwards of 95 percent of) chickens become infected with E. coli (an indicator of fecal contamination) and between 39 and 75 percent of chickens in retail stores are still infected. Around 8 percent of birds become infected with salmonella (down from several years ago, when at least one in four birds was infected, which still occurs on some farms). Seventy to 90 percent are infected with another potentially deadly pathogen, campylobacter. Chlorine baths are commonly used to remove slime, odor, and bacteria. Of course consumers might notice that their chickens don’t taste quite right – how good could a drug-stuffed, disease ridden, contaminated animal possibly taste?”

“Chickens are laying ‘two or even three times as many [eggs] as in nature’” because farmers are changing the food and light deprivation of animals. Is this healthy for our animals? Is this healthy for us?

Now to discuss the environment… Is being a vegetarian better for the environment? The meat industry handles “so much [waste], [that is] so poorly managed, that it seeps into rivers, lakes, and oceans – killing wildlife and polluting air, water, and land in ways devastating to human health. Today a typical pig factory farm will produce 7.2 million pounds of manure annually, a typical broiler facility will produce 6.6 million pounds, and a typical cattle feedlot 344 million pounds. The General Account Office (GAO) reports that individual farms ‘can generate more raw waste than the populations of some U.S. cities.’ All told, farmed animals in the Unites States produce 130 times as much waste as the human population – roughly 87,000 pounds of [waste] per second. The polluting strength of this [waste] is 160 times greater than a raw municipal sewage.”

“John Tietz compiled a useful list of [stuff] typically found in the [waste] of factory farmed-hogs: ‘ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, cyanide, phosphorus, nitrates, and heavy metals. In addition, the waste nurses more than 100 microbial pathogens that can make humans sick, including salmonella, cryptosporidium, streptococci and giardia’ (thus children raised on the grounds of a typical hog factory farm have asthma rates exceeding 50 percent and children raised near factory farms are twice as likely to develop asthma).”

So since the meat industry is polluting the environment so much, you would think that they would be fined accordingly right? ”A few years after this deregulation in 1995, Smithfield spilled more than twenty million gallons of lagoon waste into the New River in North Carolina. The spill remains the largest environmental disaster of its kind and is twice as big as the iconic Exxon Valdez spill six years earlier. The spill released enough liquid manur to fill 250 Olympic-sized swimming pools. In 1997, as reported by the Sierra Club in their daming “RapSheet on Animal Factories,” Smithfield was penalized for a mind-blowing seven thousand violations of the Clean Water Act – that’s about twenty violations a day.”

“One violation might be an accident. Even ten violations might. Seven thousand violations is a plan. Smithfield was fined $12.6 million, which at first sounds like a victory against the factory farm. At the time, $12.6 million was the largest civil-penalty pollution fine in US history, but this is a pathetically small amount to a company that now grosses $12.6 million every ten hours. Smithfield’s former CEO Joseph Luter III received $12.6 million in stock options in 2001.”

“Conservative estimates by the EPA indicate that chicken, hog, and cattle excrement has already polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in twenty-two states (for reference the circumference of the earth is roughly 25,000 miles). In only three years, two hundred fish kills – incidents where the entire fish population in a given area is killed at once – have resulted from factory farms’ failures to keep their shit out of waterways. In these documented kills along, thirteen million fish were literally poisoned by shit – if set head to tail fin, these vitims would stretch the length of the entire Pacific coast from Seattle to the Mexican border.”

And you thought the Homer Simpson story about the pollution of the lake in “The Simpson’s Movie” was a made up story (remember when he had the pet pig and didn’t know how to dispose of the waste so he dumped it in the lake?) Hopefully the EPA won’t put a dome over the USA like they did with Springfield.

So, you all know how much I LOVE sushi… I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it… but after reading these stats… I realize how everyone in the world loves sushi and that it is taking a toll on our oceans – “One study found that roughly 4.5 million sea animals are killed as bycatch in longline fishing every year, including roughly 3.3 million sharks, 1 million marlins, 60,000 sea turtles, 75,000 albatross, and 20,000 dolphins and whales.”

Did you know that “thirty five classified species of sea horse worldwide are threatened with extinction because they are killed “unintentionally” in seafood production? (shrimp trawling devastates sea horse populations more than any other activity).”

So why do we continue to eat meat? Is it because we are scared to be an “unhealthy” vegetarian? Because it’s so much “healthier” to eat meat? Well, according to Foer, “Data suggests that excess animal protein intake is linked to osteoporosis, kidney disease, calcium stones in the urinary tract, and some cancers. Despite some persistent confusion, it is clear that vegetarians and vegans tend to have more optimal protein consumption than omnivores.”

Also, “Vegetarian diets are often associated with a number of health advantages, including lower blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of heart disease [which alone accounts for more than 25 percent of all annual deaths in the nation], lower blood pressure levels, and lower risk of hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Vegetarians tent to have lower body mass index (BMI) [that is, they are not as fat] and lower overall cancer rates [cancers account for nearly another 25 percent of all annual deaths in the nation].”

Do you think being a vegetarian is radical? According to Foer, “Our situation is an on odd one. Virtually all of us agree that it matters how we treat animals and the environment, and yet few of us give much through to our most important relationship to animals and the environment. Odder still, those who do choose to act in accordance with these uncontroversial values by refusing to eat animals (which everyone agrees can reduce both the number of abused animals and one’s ecological footprint) are often considered marginal or even radical.”

Why are vegetarians constantly being questioned about their behaviors, but meat eaters aren’t?

“We have let the factory farm replace farming for the same reasons our cultures have relegated minorities to being second-class members of society and kept women under the power of men. We treat animals as we do because we want to and can. (Does anyone really wish to deny this anymore?) The myth of consent is perhaps the story of meat, and much comes down to whether this story, when we are realistic, is plausible. But compassion is a muscle that gets stronger with use, and the regular exercise of choosing kindness over cruelty would change us.”

“Choosing leaf or flesh, factory farm or family farm, does not in itself change the world, but teaching ourselves, our children, our local community, and our nation to choose conscience over ease can. One of the greatest opportunities to live our values – or betray them – lies in the food we put on our plates.”

“Martin Luther Ling Jr. wrote passionately about the time when ‘one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular.’ Sometimes we simply have to make a decision because ‘one’s conscience tells on that it is right.”

For all of you critics out there, and I know there are and will be critics because almost everyone I talked to about this said “this book isn’t researched and I am still going to eat meat to matter what I read or hear or learn about” – check out the 60 page works cited/sources at the end of the book. Trust me, this is a WELL researched book. But, if you want to continue to live in denial/ignorance – to each his own : ).

Our nations debt crisis... what do YOU think? Put down the channel changer for five minutes and read this.

2011-04-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

What do you think? Can we as every day middle class citizens affect change? I would like you to think about the answer to that question before you read this blog post –

Scott and I watched the documentary “Inside Job” last night because it won the Oscar this year in the documentary category. Although the topic of the movie looked a bit brain-numbing, I was very interested to see it because I wanted an answer of why our nation is in the debt crisis it’s in… and wanted to know the cause.

When I got my MBA at Westminster a few years ago, we read an amazing book called “Conspiracy of Fools” about the Enron scandal. You may also be familiar with the documentary “The Smartest Guys In The Room” which is based on the book. We discussed white collar crime and all agreed that it’s essential to be an ethical leader in today’s society, because – let’s be honest – integrity is a rare thing these days.

You’d have thought that our nation would have learned our lesson with Enron or WorldCom or any other company that embezzled money or hid money in securities or posted their “future income” as a way of inflating their revenue numbers to inflate stock prices… but what we have to realize, is our government (republican and democrat) is in on the scandal as well… which is why things aren’t changing and why it’s impossible for any one citizen to affect change.

After watching “Inside Job” last night… my stomach sank. And it’s truly ironic that the day after I watched that movie I hear on NPR that the “S&P threatens to cut U.S. credit ratings on our deficit”.

What you need to know about our country if you don’t want to watch “Inside Job” (But I HIGHLY recommend that you do):

1)
After “The Great Depression” and the “Wall Street Crash in 1929” the government put certain restrictions and regulations on what the Financial Institutions in our nation could do. The industry became highly regulated because if it wasn’t regulated, the government had no idea if what the financial institutions were doing was legal or ethical or in the best interest of everyone in our country. These regulations were a good thing because we didn’t have any “ponzi schemes” for a long time after that and our economy grew back to a healthy state… then President Reagan de-regulated the financial sector during his presidency … why? Well probably because someone in the financial sector said they would pay him a ton of money to support his future political campaigns or probably just pay him off outright.

2)
There are financial executives who pay off politicians and economic professors at prestigious universities (and who knows who else) so that they can strategize highly unethical ways to FAIL companies and doop others (through fake PR and the public's trust in government authorities) to believe they have a legitimate business model. These companies and schemes are the very reason we are in the economic situation we are in… they give to the rich and take from the poor and cause the stock market to fail. They make the rich richer and the poor poorer. How these people live with themselves… I don’t know.

The fact that these executives pay off government employees (mainly the president) to hide the fact that our economy is in such utter failure is beyond me. And because they do this, we everyday citizens will spend more money to contribute to their fake companies.

An example of this is the mortgage crisis… these financial executives made it SO easy for all of us to get a loan (a home loan, a boat loan, a car loan, etc.)… even if we couldn’t afford it. These loan companies sold the loans to major financial institutions that didn’t care if the loan was paid off or not… they had already made the initial investment. They didn’t care if middle class people could actually pay off their loans. They didn’t care if middle class people lost their homes because the financial industry put them in a situation they couldn’t control… they just wanted to money.

The fact that this is LEGAL is baffling to me. These people don’t go to jail either… The government can’t prosecute people they were “working with” right? A lot of the economic advisers for Obama’s presidency were on the board of or executives of companies that contributed to the financial crisis in 2008 (this type of behavior has been going on since deregulation of the financial industry in Reagan’s presidency). It’s basically like we are rewarding unethical behavior that rewards the rich and hurts the poor. It’s like we don’t worry about “conflict of interest” anymore.

Speaking of “conflict of interest” the financial institutions also pay off companies like “Standard & Poors” who give them triple A ratings (which means they are stable) even if they are not. If we can’t trust these companies to give us ACCURATE ratings, how can we make good investments as a society?? If we can’t trust our government or professors at our schools? Can we trust anyone?

3)
Economic professors of our nation’s top schools write articles for financial institutions and the government that lie about the actual state of our nation’s financials (and other nations like Iceland). They will publish articles that have literal LIES in them so that the financial services industry looks better. They publish these articles so that people keep spending money and don’t worry about how insolvent our nation’s funds are. Wouldn’t you think that economic professors that teach our students about economics and publish articles that lie after being paid off by financial institutions is a bit of a CONFLICT OF INTEREST? Not to mention, journalism is supposed to be fair and balanced (it is supposed to represent both sides of the issue)… these reports not only didn’t represent both sides of the issue – they outright lied about what was going on.

Many of the education institutions as well as the financial institutions wouldn’t even comment on this film because they knew they were doing the wrong thing.

What happened to being a nation founded by God? What happened to a nation that had values and morals? It seems as of late that we are founded on greed. Is that what America stands for? If so, that makes me sad and I know we can do better. Why do financial board members and executives (and professors and government employees) get away with this? And standard every day citizens have to obey the law and pay the consequences. It all seems backwards to me.

So – when I asked you at the beginning of this blog post if you felt that you as an every day middle class citizen could affect change… you probably had hope… How do you feel now? How can we even begin to think about affecting change on this topic when most people would rather play a video game or watch reality TV instead of watching this documentary and caring about our country?

Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook): Why we have too few women leaders. Great presentation.

2011-02-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook): Why we have too few women leaders.

Background: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions -- and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite.

Great presentation, I highly recommend watching.

Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders | Video on TED.com

I woke up in the Bahamas and had a "Happy Face"

2011-02-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

I woke up in the Bahamas a.k.a. PARADISE! this morning and went for a run. I was listening to one of my favorite songs and truly enjoying everything there is to see and experience about life... I feel so blessed to be happy, healthy, loved... I am also reading an amazing book called "Jesus Career Counselor". It's truly inspiring me to evaluate every part of my career (and life!) and make sure I am putting my energy in the right place. What a great book - highly recommend it (even for non-religious people).

Here are the lyrics to the song I was listening too - if you haven't heard this song, I highly recommend you listen to it.

Destiny's Child - Happy Face
I woke up this morning,
The sunshine was shining
I put on my happy face
I'm living, I'm able,
I'm breathing, I'm grateful
To put on my happy face

Woke up and realized
This world's not
So bad after all
Looked at it through
A child's eyes, and
I saw these beautiful
Things that you
Never think about
Like the ocean, moonlight,
Stars and clouds
It's amazing how
We don't appreciate
Our blessings
There's plenty of people
Who don't like me
But there's ten times more
Who love me and
I love myself
Sometimes, it gets tough,
It gets tough
But I can't give up,
Can't give up
Just take a deep breath,
Close my eyes
Feel the love and
Give a smile

I woke up this morning,
The sunshine was shining
I put on my happy face
I'm living, I'm able,
I'm breathing, I'm grateful
To put on my happy face

I woke up this morning,
The sunshine was shining
I put on my happy face
I'm living, I'm able,
I'm breathing, I'm grateful
To put on my happy face

It's me,
I just wanna be happy
Uh, just be happy, uh,
Just be happy
Today is the day
I am willing to say
I will put all the
Past behind me,
No more enemies
Ready 'cause
(Ready 'cause)
I'm living in this world
(Lving in this world)
I wanna make a change
(Wanna make a change)
Gonna make a change
(Gonna make a change)
Put on my happy face

I woke up this morning,
The sunshine was shining
I put on my happy face
I'm living, I'm able,
I'm breathing, I'm grateful
To put on my happy face

I woke up this morning,
The sunshine was shining
I put on my happy face
I'm living, I'm able,
I'm breathing, I'm grateful
To put on my happy face

Everything's gonna be all right,
Everything's gonna be okay
Everything's gonna be all right,
Everything's gonna be okay
Gonna be all right,
Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right,
Everything's gonna be okay
Gonna be all right,
Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right,
Everything's gonna be okay
Gonna be all right,
Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right,
Everything's gonna be okay

I woke up this morning,
The sunshine was shining
I put on my happy face
I'm living, I'm able,
I'm breathing, I'm grateful
To put on my happy face

I woke up this morning,
The sunshine was shining
I put on my happy face
I'm living, I'm able,
I'm breathing, I'm grateful
To put on my happy face

I woke up this morning
With a happy face
I'm flying

A great poem and a great movie - Invictus

2011-01-02T18:35:00.001-08:00

A great poem and a great movie - Invictus...

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Seth Godin Rules.

2010-12-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

I love Seth Godin and I couldn't agree more:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/12/lady-gaga-and-me.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29&utm_content=FaceBook

**Message From Seth Godin - Thanks for the reminder man!!**

Lady Gaga and me

Do you think it bothers her that I don't listen to her music and wouldn't recognize her if she stopped by and said hi?

It shouldn't.

Even if you're a pop star, you don't need everyone to be a fan or a customer. And especially if you're not a pop star, worrying about whether everyone laughs at your jokes, buys your product or even likes you is counterproductive.

Unless you're running for something that requires a unanimous vote, it's a mistake to focus on the frowning guy in the back of the room or the dolt who doesn't get your subtle references or the miser who isn't going to buy from you regardless...

You're on the hunt for sneezers, for fans, for people willing to cross the street to work with you. Everyone else can pound sand, that's okay. Being remarkable also means being ignored or actively disliked.

BTW, I'm virtually certain that Lady (do her friends call her that?) doesn't read my stuff, so we're even.

Groupon is taking over the world...

2010-12-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

It's official - Groupon is taking over the world (I think that was clear when they turned down Google's recent offer to buy them... who turns GOOGLE down???).

I went in tonight to use a Groupon at Nordstrom Rack. The Groupon was $25 off $50 - which I purchased for $25 initially.

The purchase was $75 and I was stoked because I only had to pay $25. I didn’t think about the fact that I already paid $25 (so I actually paid $50, but in two payments) which I am sure a lot of customers forget about and think they are getting a SLAMMIN deal. Scott says “wow, where did you get that awesome coupon! Don’t they compete with your work??” I said, "kinda, but not really."

I asked the checkout guy how often people are using them – he said 1 in 5 customers have used a Groupon since they sold on Groupon a couple weeks ago and that when the Nordstrom Rack Groupon was launched on the site, they crashed the site.

Then I came home and this was on Facebook… they are taking over the world!

By the way, I will be taking Scott to Spa Lounge to use our Groupon's for a massage tomorrow : )

I love Groupon!

Kindness in leadership.

2010-12-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

I love this guys blog and I loved this post - I agree that kind leaders have a more loyal following. I think workers are definitely more motivated by positivity than negativity.

http://www.teamworkandleadership.com/2010/09/do-you-believe-leaders-ought-to-be-kind-does-kindness-matter.html?goback=.gde_2232816_member_28981550

Do you believe leaders ought to be kind? Does kindness matter? 09/07/2010 by Mike Rogers

There is no training program that teaches it that I am aware of. The skills of strategic planning, organization, sharp decision making and delegation don't require it. But yet the best leaders I have known possess it. What is it? Kindness. Is it a natural or learned skill that can be developed later in life? I don't know. But one thing I do know is that kindness is necessary if a leader wants to be as effective as they can be.

Kindness can create trust, respect and can even help a leader become loved, maybe adored and possibly revered. In my lifetime I have had the pleasure of working with leaders who were sensitive, empathetic, caring and gracious - all important attributes of kindness. On the other hand I have worked with "leaders" who were selfish, thoughtless, rude and self-centered - each being an opposite attribute of kindness. Were leaders such as the latter effective? Yes, some of them got good results. However, and this is important, they were never able to engender the type genuine loyalty, trustworthiness and steadfastness that results in the higher retention rates, innovative employee ideas and dedicated followers of kind leaders. In fact I would argue it was never even close!

Of course kindness is not the magic pill of leadership; other important skills in management and leadership must be practiced as well. But great leaders are aware of it and practice it as part of their positive arsenal of leadership luster. So, what do you think? Is kindness necessary in leadership?

Amsterdam Part 2 - Dankavelle! Je Quee.

2010-10-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

So, I’ll just start this out by saying that this is one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. Very eventful, very full of adventure, very fun… I’d like to thank Rob for everything. I know the five of us will be friends for life.

We are on our way home (in the middle of a 14 hour flight) and quite exhausted. We are trying to stay awake so we can get a good nights rest tonight and get back on the time schedule for the U.S. As much as we’ve loved traveling for nine days, we have to get back into the groove of the U.S. lifestyle. Work!

The last couple of days in Amsterdam, Holland were brilliant. We went on the bike tour that we had originally scheduled for the first day. We were very happy we did this because the rain went away [I think it’s because of our sun dance ; )] and we were able to enjoy the trip much more than we would have if it were raining the whole time.

Our tour guide’s name was A.J. He was a very down-to-earth guy who obviously enjoyed living in Amsterdam and taking people on bike tours for a living. Even though the bike tour was four hours, it seemed like it went by in five minutes (actually, the whole trip felt like that!). He showed us around the entire city (which was much larger than Prague) and we all wondered why we didn’t get bikes the first day. Our legs were killing us from trying to walk the entire city. He showed us the “I Amsterdam” sign, the various beer breweries, the famous fry shops (people like french fries in Amsterdam… that was new to me), the “coffeeshops”, the art museums, and yes – even the red light district.

It was fun to experience the biking in Amsterdam since everyone does it, but it was a little scary because cars + bikes + walkers + big city intersections required master maneuvering skills. It was an adventure, that is for sure! The majority of people in the city bike, so they carry their kids in bike seats and park there bikes everywhere. I wish people were more like that in the U.S.

We were hoping to go to one of the beer breweries to see how they brewed local beer, but we couldn’t fit that in to our schedule. We will definitely hit that first thing when we go back.

After the tour, we went to a pizza shop and had AMAZING pizza… the best pizza of the trip right near Dam Square. Did I also mention that the coffee is great in Europe as well? We shopped for souvenirs in the hundreds of shops on our walk home to the hotel then decided to go out for dinner with just Scotty and I and do some people watching. We ate dinner at a restaurant where we could look right out into a main square and watch the people walk by/watch the musicians. By this time, we had three layers on with gloves, so eating outside wasn’t half bad.

While we were eating we met a 71 year old man named Roman. We talked with him for about an hour. He told us to be happy, eat lots of garlic and take good care of each other. He was married to his wife for 25 years and missed her very much (he was a leo and she was a libra). I think we were definitely meant to meet him. : )

The next day, we woke up – had amazing croissants for breakfast, then walked to the Van Gogh museum. I have a passion for art history and art was my minor so seeing Van Gogh was a must – especially since they have the largest collection in the world in Amsterdam (because Van Gogh was from there). We didn’t get to see the Starry Night painting because that is housed in New York, but we did get to see the still life of the Sunflowers, some of his Japanese print-like stuff, and his famous “Wheatfield With Crows” picture that was said to be the last piece he painted before his death (though there are a lot of opinions about which piece was his last).

I didn’t realize what a miserable man Van Gogh was… he was very troubled. He cut his ear off because he got in a fight with his friend Gauguin (who loved him dearly I might add). He admitted himself into a mental institution and did a lot of his best pieces there. He used to take art pieces from artists he loved and copy them/bring out the thicker brush strokes/ bring out the complementary colors. He had no scholarly art training, and mocked those that did – he said those who had that training didn’t see art and colors the way people wanted to see them. He was very critical of himself because he didn’t sell any of the paintings he created. He ended up killing himself after struggling with anxiety and mental illness. His artwork wasn’t famous until after his death.

He loved painting pictures of landscapes, working people, nature, anything natural/realistic. He was very close with his brother and painted this picture for his nephew which I thought was beautiful –

After the museum, Scotty and I went to a beautiful bakery and got some sandwiches. I can’t wait to post pictures of this place because it was right out of a storybook.

We then decided to go to Dam Square and ride “the swings” in this carnival like square that looked like a mini Disneyland in the middle of the city. There was a huge Ferris Wheel, a haunted house, swings that went higher than any of the buildings in the city, rides, etc. Scott is afraid of heights, but I got him to go on the swings with me and he was really happy he did it. We got some great pictures of the city at the top : ) It was cold though!

We decided to walk through the Red Light District because everyone says you must do it. Right when we got in the area, we saw thirty beautiful swans in the canal. I had never seen so many swans in one area! The red lights were cool and it was very surreal to think that people were actually window shopping for people there.

We had our final dinner with “the crew” at a cute little spot called the Palladium. The food in Amsterdam was definitely better than Prague. I had a delicious vegetarian lasagna and Scotty had the authentic fries with a hamburger.

It was an amazing trip and we feel truly blessed to have experienced it. Thank you universe!

Best quotes from the trip:
“De Quee, Yo Queue, Ye Quey…” – Rob/all of us trying to say “Thank You” in Prague.
“Let’s Keep It Poppin’.” – Eddie
“My body is shutting down. I need bed.” – Jeff
“Dankavelle.” – Jess trying to say “Thank You” in Amsterdam and perfecting it ; )
“Watch out for the bikes!” - Scott

Amsterdam Part 1

2010-10-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to go on a bike tour around the city on the first day in Amsterdam, but it was raining pretty hard so we asked if we could postpone the ride to the next day. It was a great decision, because it literally rained cold miserable rain all day. We had coffee/drinks at a nice little Irish Pub ( I know, again… not sure what our obsession with the Irish is) and watched soccer for an hour or so.

Our friend Eddie introduced us to a native named Jesse, and he invited us to go up to his loft to checkout his art. His loft was very nice and I really loved the concept of his art. He took recyclable boxes and painted Rembrandt-like pieces on them. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a loft in Amsterdam that you dedicated solely to art making?? Jesse then proceeded to tell us that he is an actor and showed us some of the commercials he’s been in world-wide. He was in a McDonalds commercial, BMW commercial, banking commercial, etc. and had won an award from Warner Brothers for a project he helped them with. We were hanging out with a true celebrity here and he was extremely down to earth and hospitable.

After leaving the loft, we decided to go to the Anne Frank house. Most of you have probably read “The Diary of Anne Frank” when you were in grade school/middle school, but this house/exhibit was exquisite and I highly recommend you visit if you come to Amsterdam. Scott’s mom had recommended we go (thanks Becky!), and I am happy we did because it was one of my favorite adventures in the city.

Besides the fact that Anne Frank and I share the same birthday and that we are both writers, I felt a weird connection with her. I ended up being the same height as her as well (her measurements were on the wall). I can’t imagine what it would be like to be stuck in an attic for years while being hunted by Germans and not being able to breathe the fresh air/run around/be free. How claustrophobic! I also can’t believe that after all that, they were actually caught by the Germans and only her father survived. It was nice to have the story brought back to us to remember a) how recent WWII is to us in our history and b) to remember that we never want something that hellacious to happen again. We must love one another.

The one part of the museum that I thought was truly sobering was watching a video of her Father’s thoughts after the whole ordeal was over and after he read Anne’s journals about the incident. He said that after he read Anne’s journals he was surprised and how little he actually knew his daughter and what was going on in her mind. He had no idea that she was so critical of herself and wished he could have known that so he could have been there for her more. It’s amazing how little we actually know about our closest friends and family members.

That’s something only our journals know…

That night, we went to dinner at a very “posh” place for a five course meal and entrance into an exclusive night club. The food was delicious… goat cheese salad, miso soup, vegetarian ravioli, chocolate strawberry ice cream dessert. The dinner that night was one of my favorite dinners of the trip. The night club was okay… it had a great D.J. (ACE) and Eddie kept saying “Let’s keep it poppin!” so that is what we did : )

Prague Day 3/4, Holland Day 1– “I Don’t Speak Freaky Deeky Dutch.”

2010-10-23T02:51:00.000-07:00

We started out the evening going to a really nice restaurant in downtown Prague. I had the vegetarian risotto and Scott had the lamb. We had great conversation and laughs with the people we were traveling with then went out to hit the town for a couple hours.

The next day, we decided to take the advice of my friend Teri and go see the Lennon Wall. While on our way we passed over the Charles Bridge and looked at all of the souvenirs on the bridge. The first day when we saw the Charles Bridge, it was raining so not very many vendors were out. When we saw it for the second time – the bands, musicians, vendors were out and it was a truly beautiful experience. There was a musician who was playing us Mozart on crystal glasses. It was pretty brilliant.

We then made our way to try to find the Lennon Wall and found a beautiful, quiet little area by a river. The fall leaves were falling over the river with perfection. We found a wall of “locks” near the river and found out later that if you have found true love, you are supposed to add a lock to the fence (to bad we didn’t have a lock with us!). You are also supposed to carve your names near the locks and throw a key in the river/canal behind it. Apparently there is something similar to this in Paris.

Right after we saw the locks, we made our way to see the Lennon Wall. It was a truly great experience and one of my favorites in Prague (got some great pictures! – thanks Teri!). It is a tribute to love after John died. It has lyrics from The Beatles all over it and represents peace and love in Prague. When Prague was run by a communist dictatorship, the leaders did not like the wall because they saw it was their citizens being hypnotized by western capitalism/mental derangement. Isn’t that ironic? All these people wanted was the word of love to be spread. Does that make you mentally deranged? If so, I am proud to be mentally deranged! : ) I loved that no matter who you met at the wall, you were instant friends because you could sing Beatles songs with them and you instantly had that in common. Even if you spoke different languages, you could still connect through the lyrics.

After the wall, we decided to climb a bell tower near the castle (with about a thousand steep steps). Apparently Prague was one of the main places where bells were made before WWI and WWII. They melted down all of the bells to use for the wars, but before that time – they had 256 bells that sounded off all over the town to alert citizens of what was going on around the city. All of the bells around the city sound different and mean different things.

We got pizza in a realllly weird little place that had “Neverending Story” like fantasy paintings. The place was supposed to be a cave… it was weird, but had great service which is rare in the restaurants in Prague. By the time we got out of the restaurant, it was sunset and a beautiful time to cross the Charles Bridge again to take pictures.

We tried to find the Communist Museum for a couple hours while shopping, but couldn’t find it and couldn’t find anyone who spoke English to tell us how to get there. We decided to climb the clock tower that has the Astrological Clock in it and when we go to the top, both of us found that we were afraid of heights with how high it was off the ground! The view was beautiful at night though and we are happy we did it. We then decided to go get a massage near our hotel. The massage was just what we needed to rejuvenate ourselves for a couple more days in Europe (especially since you walk everywhere – our legs were killing us!). We decided to go out for a night on the town (it was our last night in Prague), so we met up with the people we were traveling with and went to a couple night clubs.

We met an Irish couple there who we totally clicked with – Joe (Josephine) and Liam. Liam and Scott had an instant “bromance”, and Scott said that if Liam lived in the states that they’d be best friends. We found out that they are both Leos (of course I asked) and then it all made sense as to why they were getting along so great ; ) We danced, walked the streets, and had generally just had a great time with them. We were very sad we hadn’t met them earlier. Anyway, Liam and Joe said we can come visit them in Ireland anytime (and vice versa) so we may just take them up on that offer!

We traveled about four hours on flights through Warsaw, Polland yesterday and arrived in Amsterdam, Holland late last night. We went out to a place called WagaMama for some Japanese noodles (weird pick eh?) and checked out the city late last night, but for the most part – we were exhausted and decided to get our first eight hours of non-jet-lag sleep. We are now plotting what we will do today, but we are for sure going to go on a “bike tour” which I am VERY excited about. Everyone rides bikes here and I absolutely love it.

I keep watching out for Gold Member (you all know what a big Austin Powers fan I am) and “the very toit” Austin Powers “Fasha”. I think I may run into Dr. Evil at any moment and here him say “I don’t speak freaky deaky dutch.”

“I vant everyone to have an Amsterdam good time.” - Goldmember

Prague, Day 1 and 2 - Manifesting Happiness

2010-10-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

I cannot even tell you what an amazing year it's been so far. I am a true believer in manifesting your own happiness through the power of positive thought and sending positive energy to the universe.

It's been one of the luckiest years of my life, and let me tell you how that started.... My mom and step-father brought me up going to all different types of churches (which I am very grateful for because I feel blessed to have a background in all different types of religious faith and truly have a respect for all). One year, they took me and my little brother to the Unitarian church on New Years Eve to a ceremony called "The Burning Bowl". I know that may sound a little "shady" to you all, but it was something that has changed my life for the better.

What you do (and what I've continued to try to repeat with either friends or family each year on New Years)- You write down all of the things you want to get rid of about yourself and your life from the past year on a piece of tissue paper. You then burn it in a bowl of fire with all of your friends, releasing that energy and putting that energy behind you. Then, you write a letter to God (or whoever you believe in - heck, it could even be one of your mentors if you don't believe in a higher power), it's all about getting out what you want to manifest for yourself in the next year... To be clear - you write a letter with what you want to accomplish in the next year and try to be as descriptive as possible.

I invited some friends over to my house for this ritual last New Year's and let me tell you the things that have come true for me...

1. I have a new job with great co-workers and leaders that mentor me, believe in me, and want me to grow professionally and personally.
2. I got a new car (I've been avoiding this for years... what a cluster experience!).
3. I am happy, genuinely and fully. I feel full of life, love, energy and health.
4. I've been doing more service for our community. Be it volunteering for races raising money for different charities, donating for causes, helping friends and loved one's move, and have a plan to make blankets for Primary Children's in Nov.
5. I'm traveling to a country I've never been to with Scotty (something I thought wouldn't come true, but I've recently been blessed to have this come into my life).

So...this brings me to where I am at now - Prague.

I won a free trip to Europe through work. I know, how does that happen right?! Well, it has been a true blessing and one of the funnest experiences of my life so far.

Day one was filled with a lot of travel. 13 hours on a plane and about an hour car ride to our hotel. We are staying in a hotel near Old Town Square right by the Astrological Clock. If you haven't researched the clock, you must. It's one of the coolest things in this world (in my opinion). It's nice that we are in they city, because last time I went to Prague (which was also an amazing experience), we were out of the town about 20 minutes and had to take a train in.

I REALLY tried to sleep well on the plane so I wouldn't be jet-lagged, but that didn't work very well and I made the mistake of taking a nap in my hotel room when I got to the hotel so I didn't sleep at all last night. Oh well, hopefully I will sleep better tonight? ; )

Even thought I didn't sleep well last night, the first night before I tried to sleep was a success. We are here with a great group of people (five of us).

We all made a bad tourist mistake right when we got in (because we were all delirious from the time change and long flights). We dropped a lot of money on bottled waters at an Irish, yes, I said IRISH pub (why we decided to go to such a place in Prague for breakfast versus an authentic Prague pub or restaurant, I do not know). Oh well, we learned from it and the food wasn't that bad.

We took a tour of the city today and saw the beautiful Gothic castle/cathedral. Our tour guide was a doll. She said that people on average only make $18,000 a year here. Us American's are blessed whether we'd like to believe it or not. As mentioned, the astrological clock is one of my favorite landmarks that I've ever seen (you know what a geek I am about astrology) ; ] Our tour guide was a Libra by the way and she got a kick out of the fact that I knew all about the clock. She kept saying "you are so smart with this stuff and looking at me funny". Well, that's what most people do when I talk to them about astrology, so I am used to it : )

It is a bit cold, but we are making the best of it. The fall colors are beautiful and I feel very blessed that I've been able to see Prague in the spring AND in the fall.

I am also very lucky to have Scotty here. I came to Prague without him last time (when I went for school), and it was very hard to be in one of the most romantic places on earth without him.

We are off to Amsterdam soon, I've never been there, but I am looking forward to see where Ann Frank lived (she's one of the only historical figures I know of that has the same birthday as me and her story is truly inspirational). I am also looking forward to seeing Van Gogh's art gallery and more Gothic/Baroque architecture. Pictures soon.

Much love - J*

Dilbert.

2010-09-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

Surprise, surprise...

Dilbert wrote a comic about my life:

http://www.dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/100000/00000/0000/100/100155/100155.strip.gif

and p.s. - the Progressive lady scares me...

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001176825/progressive_girl1_answer_3_xlarge.jpeg

The Looking Glass Wars

2010-08-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading "The Looking Glass Wars - Book 1" - I was really disappointed that Tim Burton didn't use this story for the new "Alice and Wonderland" movie. I was really hoping Tim Burton would have been a little bit more creative with the "Alice and Wonderland" story and that is EXACTLY what "The Looking Glass Wars" does. This book/series is a mix between Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, all of the musicals (Oliver and Annie), etc. It starts out with Alice being mad that her friend wrote her version of the story completely different... Alice didn't like the new version of the story... but I did.

This book is extremely creative and fun to read. It teaches you to never stop using your imagination and to never stop believing in the unbelievable. I highly recommend this book.

Favorite quotes:

"He was the least sullen, the least prone to depression... the one who, with his lively, confident attitude kept everyone's spirits up when there weren't enough crusts to go around, when it was cold and wet and they'd been chased out of too many sheltered doorways to count. In other words, Quigly Gaffer gave them hope when life seemed particularly hopeless. And he had suffered as much as anybody."

"The more time Alyss spent in this wet dreary city, the less she believed in her imagination. ---{it's not as strong as Mother thought, Probably never was...}---"

"He offered to take her in the carriage, but Alice said that she'd prefer to walk. 'You see so much more of the town when you walk - a little curiosity shop or a snatch of garden where you wouldn't think it possible to have a garden, choked as it is by city things. In a carriage, you hurry past these treasures without noticing them.' She didn't take the slightest quirk of mankind for granted, but viewed it as a small miracle and cause for celebration."

"Black Imagination feeds on anger, Alyss. Give in to your anger and you merely become a pawn of Black Imagination, which may triumph for a time but never for eternity."

Can't wait to read the second book in the series.

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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

2010-08-30T19:58:00.001-07:00

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: And Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Short and sweet... as a Gemini I can obviously relate to man and man's duplicity. Although everyone assumes that only Gemini's have duplicity - I think Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde helps us understand that all men have duplicity within them. The moral of the story is... try as much as possible to embrace the good parts of yourself (even though we all know there is a dark side too). If you embrace the dark parts of yourself too much - you make get lost in the darkness.

"Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me and take stock of my progress and position in the world, I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of me. Many a man would have even blazoned such irregularities as I was guilty of; but from the high views that I had set before me, I regarded and hid them an almost morbid sense of shame. It was thus rather the exacting nature of my aspirations that any particular degradation in my faults, that made me what I was, and, with even a deeper trench than in the majority of men, severed in me those provinces of good and ill which divide and compounds man's dual nature."

"That man is not truly one, but truly two... It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man. I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both...."

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Eat. Pray. Love.

2010-08-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Best book of all time, best movie of all time. I loved the movie, (and as you are all aware) that's rare when you read the book first. For all of you who see this movie and love it, I highly recommend you read the book because the book delves through a much deeper journey.

The movie and book are about finding yourself - being okay with change and finding balance (in love, life, spirituality, etc.). Liz meets many friends in her path to enlightment - all of which become part of her life "family". I've been through a lot of the same journeys and have been touched by "family" much the same way... so it was easy to relate to Liz.

I think we are all on a beautiful, yet tough, path and it's nice when you meet people who remind you that "Ruin is a gift... that ruin is a road to transformation... that if you can't master your own thoughts, your in trouble... that you DO have the capicity in you to love everyone/the whole world... that you will meet many friends/many connections/enjoy many learnings outside of a scope that you thought you would... that waiting for people to forgive you is a damn waste of time, that you must FORGIVE YOURSELF... that we must take care of our families wherever we find them (and we find them everywhere)... that sometimes to lose balance in love is to live a balanced live... that we should ACCEPT EVERYONE we meet as a teacher."

And last but not least... my favorite quote from the book (and favorite quote of all time) -
"On happiness: ...people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descent upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, you strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't, you will leak away your innate contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight in its good attainments." - Eat. Pray. Love.

The Road

2010-08-05T20:47:00.001-07:00

The Road

Attention: Beware of the Ephraim-Manti La Sal Forest Mountains…

I’m mainly kidding, but seriously – have I got the story for you…

So last weekend I decided to go on a camping trip with my two best friends - Scotty and Jordan Beckstead. We decided to go camping with a group of our friends for my dear friend Lindsey’s birthday. The directions we received were to head to Manti and turn at 500 South when we hit the “Manti La Sal Forest” sign. So, we headed to Manti with the GPS’ help and when we were in Ephraim, on 500 South we saw the sign that said “Manti La Sal Forest” – so we thought – “hey we better turn here.” Not only did we think that, the GPS was telling us to turn.

So, like the electronically addicted people that we are – we listened to the GPS. We started up the canyon and still had cell phone service. After 20 minutes, we decided to call the people we were meeting up with and make sure that we were supposed to be on a dirt road. They said, “yes” so we figured we were on the right path. Good thing, because cell phone service went out about 10 minutes later on all of our phones. When we were on the phone with our friends they told us to turn right at the reservoir and they were in campsite 1 so we figured we would be there in about 10 minutes.

About 30 minutes later…no cell phone service… we are literally on THE TOP of the mountain. We haven’t seen human life/camp sites in about 40 minutes. We finally come upon a sign at the top of the mountain that was very small… it said “to Manti and ‘Snow Lake.’” We were elated… celebrating that we hadn’t headed an hour in the wrong direction. So, even though we were on the top of a mountain with no one in site – we thought – “hey! Our friends are outdoorsy… they MUST be up here.” Man were we wrong…

While in celebration, we continue on the dirt road and after about 20 minutes we see a very, very small lake called “Snow Lake” with a glacier (nooo freaking joke) – a glacier next to it. This is when our instincts came in and we really started to think we were in trouble (the top of a mountain…glaciers…snow on July 31??)… BUT, instead of listening to our instincts, we decided to continue on the dirt road *why waste an hour and a half driving to the top of a mountain? There had to be SOME way out – riiight?* ; ) So… we continue on the dirt road and pass about three more lakes and five more glaciers.

At this point, I started to get nervous… and what better thing to do then joke around when you are nervous right? So I start to tease Jordan about horror movies (we both love them)… I started saying “Jordan… I think I just saw the Texas Chainsaw Massacre guy over there and I think he had skin on his face.” And… “wow… this is turning out to be a Hills Have Eyes” night. It was really scaring him : )

We actually found out that the thing that I thought looked like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre guy was a tree… haha… so … after that we keep going for another 45 minutes on this dirt road. The road kept getting skinnier and skinnier. We had turned the GPS off an hour ago because we figured that the roads wouldn’t be updated, but we started to get scared so we turned it back on. Luckily it did have a path highlighted so we decided to follow the highlighted path. (We were pretty desperate at this point). The GPS took us to the sign we were hoping for – it said… “Manti Canyon – 17 miles this way…” – we celebrated again!!! We started heading back down the road and followed the GPS track – we had to trust it because it basically just saved our lives right??... so we follow the path, but we start getting to skinnier and skinnier roads… we were pretty sure we were on ATV trails, but the GPS hadn’t failed us up to this point, so we kept following it.

Pretty soon – the road started getting REALLY bumpy and skinny and the GPS was taking us off cliffs *literally* so we had to keep following this shady skinny path. We ended up going down a pretty big hill and at the bottom of the hill there as a huge lake-like puddle. We had hit a dead end… AGAIN… Again, our faith was torn down. So after Scott said “should we take it!!” and I said… “noooooo” (sometimes you have to bring men back to reality right??) we turned around and started going back up the hill.

The hill wasn’t as easy as we thought it was. Scott’s right tire got stuck in the mud/ditch on the way up and we thought the axle was going to break… we kept backing up and the ditch kept getting deeper. (Keep in mind that it had been two and a half hours before we have seen people at this point and it was pitch black outside [10:30 p.m.] – we were freaking out…) So finally Jordan pushed him out and Scott decided to try the hill one more time. We were scared because we didn’t want to have to get towed out of the mountains (plus – who would we contact? We didn’t have service). So he tried it again and we got up the hill.

Jordan just so happened to be flashing his flash light out of the car and we saw a glowing stick in the distance. We followed the glow-stick and ran into some hill-billy’s who finally lead us to the path out of the crazy mountains. We ended up at our friend’s campsite five minutes after being on the right road and had a great time on the rest of the camping trip,

But really….
Thank the lord we got out of there. It was scary.
Beware the Ephraim/Manti La Sal Mountains.

The funny thing is – I gave Jordan “The Road” movie for his birthday that day before we started driving up. Little did we know we would be ON “The Road” for the next five hours lost as can be….

This story is dedicated to my dearest Scotty and Jordan… We are lucky to be alive boys, but I am happy to have shared that adventure with you : ) <3

"The Help" Book Review

2010-07-04T11:28:00.002-07:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book. It made me realize that it's often really easy to get caught up in what every one else thinks, what everyone else believes to be true... and that's it's often hard to get people to think in another way when they've already decided how things should be. It made me realize that you should NEVER give up on standing up for what's right - regardless of if that's going to make you a social outcast. The people who help mankind progress forward are those who are constantly questioning what's right...letting love guide them versus conformity. Skeeter, one of the girls in the book - was one of those people that I admire... always pushing the envelope of what is socially acceptable. She didn't care what others thought of her, she still knew that it wasn't right to treat others differently because of their skin color or sex... she still knew that even though she was a woman - she could be somebody... she could be whatever she wanted to be!

Favorite quotes from the book:
1) "Cause that's the way prayer do. It's like electricity, it keeps things going."
2) "See, I think if God had intended for white people and colored people to be this close together for so much of the day, he would've made us color-blind."
3) - When the women are telling their stories... "Angry stories come out, of white men who've tried to touch them. Winnie said she was forced over and over. Cleontine said she fought until his face bled and he never tried again. But the dichotomy of love and disdain living side-by-side is what surprises me. Most [of the maids:] are invited to attend the white children's weddings, but only if they're in their uniforms. These things I know already, yet hearing them from colored mouths, it is as if I am hearing them for the first time."

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Eclipse Book Review

2010-07-04T11:28:00.001-07:00

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am so excited that I finally finished this book so that I can go see the movie. I have to admit, the beginning of this book was hard to get through with all the dialogue, but the last 300 pages of the book were amazing. I actually liked this book better than the second book. Some of my favorite quotes from this book 1) "It's so hard to describe. It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like... gravity moves. When you see her, suddenly it's not the earth holding you here anymore. She does. and nothing matters more than her. And you would do anything for her, be anything for her... You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend, or a brother." 3) "He started to hum my lullaby , and I knew it was only a matter of time till I succumbed, so I closed my eyes and and snuggled closer into his chest." 2) " When you live for the fight, for the blood, the relationships you form are tenuous and easily broken."

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Good leadership is important: Ducks Quack - Eagles Soar

2010-06-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

I truly am blessed to have great leadership. The COO sent this out to our entire company the other day, and I couldn't agree more. Jim - you rock!

Ducks Quack - Eagles Soar

No one can make you serve customers well....that's because great service is a choice.
Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey .

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, Harvey read the card.. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment....

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice..' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today..'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts...

'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.

He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself.. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers.. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

How about us? Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.... The ball is in our hands!

A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up... Let us do good to all people.
Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar.

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Destiny's Child, Happy Face

2010-05-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Woke up and realized this world's not so bad after all...Looked at it through a child's eyes, and I saw these beautiful things that you never think about like the ocean, moonlight, stars and clouds... It's amazing how we don't appreciate our blessings. There's plenty of people who don't like me, but there are ten times more who love me and I love myself. Sometimes, it gets tough, it gets tough...But I can't give up, can't give up. Just take a deep breath, close my eyes...feel the love and give a smile.

- Destiny's Child, Happy Face

Google Earth view of Gulf of Mexico oil spill...

2010-05-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

Google Earth view of Gulf of Mexico oil spill... makes me a little nauseous... feel bad for my ocean animal friends : ( http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/keeping-up-to-date-on-gulf-of-mexico.html

Reminds me of the Ben Harper song - Excuse Me Mr.

"Excuse Me Mr."

Excuse me Mr.
do you have the time
or are you so important
that it stands still for you

excuse me Mr.
won't you lend me your ear
or are you not only blind
but do you not hear

excuse me Mr.
but isn't that your oil in the sea
and the pollution in the air Mr.
whose could that be

so excuse me Mr.
but I'm a mister too
and you're givin' Mr. a bad name
Mr. like you

so I'm taking the Mr.
from out in front of your name
cause it's a Mr. like you
that puts the rest of us to shame
it's a Mr. like you
that puts the rest of us to shame

and I've seen enough to know
that I've seen too much

excuse me Mr.
can't you see the children dying
you say that you can't help them
Mr. you're not even trying

excuse me Mr.
won't you take a look around
Mr. just look up
and you will see it's comin' down

excuse me Mr.
but I'm a mister too
and you're givin' Mr. a bad name
Mr. like you

so I'm taking the Mr.
from out in front of your name
cause it's a Mr. like you
that puts the rest of us to shame
it's a Mr. like you
that puts the rest of us to shame

and I've seen enough to know
that I've seen too much

so Mr. when you're rattling
on heaven's gate
let me tell you Mr.
by then it is too late

cause Mr. when you get there
they don't ask how much you saved
all they'll want to know, Mr.
Is what you gave

excuse me Mr.
but I'm a mister too
and you're givin' Mr. a bad name
Mr. like you

so I'm taking the Mr.
from out in front of your name
cause it's a Mr. like you
that puts the rest of us to shame
it's a Mr. like you
that puts the rest of us to shame

I guess it's time...

2010-05-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

So I guess it's time to write a real blog entry for once since all I've posted recently is a bunch of movie/book reviews : ). Although those are great - I have a lot to talk about (as usual) so I guess I will use this as a venue to talk about the awesome things that have been happening in my life in the past couple of months.

As many of you know - I changed jobs two months ago which was quite a dramatic event. I was working for 1-800 CONTACTS for about 6.5 years which is A LOT of time for a 25 year old. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to work for such a great company that mentored me and helped me to become the woman I am today. I miss all of my friends and co-workers, but it was time to make a change and I know that the friendships that were supposed to last, will last.

Sometimes - although it is EXTREMELY hard to admit it - change is what is best and needed in this world. I was given an amazing opportunity to move to a new company with tons of opportunity for growth (personally and professionally). I now work for Access Development in partnership marketing. I know - can you imagine me working in "partnership" marketing with "people"? That doesn't sound like me at all ; ) No, but seriously - this job is perfect for me. I was doing a lot of the same things at 1-800 CONTACTS, but now I work on the affiliate side and am learning new metrics for success in a company that is growing faster than they can keep up with. Here's a cool article that talks about how Access is one of Utah's fastest growing companies: http://www.accessdevelopment.com/AccessNamedUtah100.HTML

Along with making the change to a new company, comes the challenge (or as we optimists like to say "opportunity") of meeting new co-workers and friends and seriously... I have met some of the greatest people in the world at Access. I can already tell that a lot of these people will be friends for life and, as a people lover - I can tell you that good people are EXTREMELY hard to find... and there are a lot of fantastic people at Access.

That's the thing about change... it's scary, and most of the time we all tend to run from it when we shouldn't. If we embrace change, we can come across amazing opportunities we never would have thought possible.

All in all, life lately has been peachy keen and I have absolutely no complaints. I am grateful for all my many blessings.

Peace. Love. and Namaste.

Movie Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats - 3 1/2 stars

2010-05-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Mother Earth... you are my life support system. As a soldier I must drink your blue waters...live inside your red clay and eat your green skin. Help me to balance myself as you hold and balance the earth, the sea and the space environments. Help me to open my heart, knowing that the universe will feed me. I pray my boots will always kiss your face, and my footsteps will match your heartbeat. Carry my body through space and time. You are my connection to the universe and all that comes after. I am yours and you are mine. I salute you."

This movie seriously surprised me. Although it wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, I thought the concept of the movie was original and inspiring. I've never thought about joining the army, but I wouldn't mind being part of the army division of psychic intervention a.k.a the New Earth Army. A job where being competent in energy work, karma/aura work, and yoga practice are the main requirements sounds great to me!!

Loved this quote: "We are Jedi's man! We don't fight with guns. We fight with our minds." - George Clooney

Review of Rachel Getting Married Movie - 4 out of 5 Stars

2010-03-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

Even though this movie was different (original topic/original storyline) ... I really liked it. What it meant to me: what matters in life is your family. No matter how crazy and dysfunctional life is or family members are or family situations are - you are there for each other through thick and thin. If a tough situation comes up - you get through it and your honest with each other the whole way. I liked that it brought out the fact that no family is perfect and no relationship between siblings or parents/children is perfect - but you get through the hard times because you love each other, and well, in order to survive (and there's nothing that makes your relationships stronger than getting through the hard times).

Also - you have to forgive people (especially family), and you have to forgive yourself... no matter how hard it is.

The Lovely Bones Book Review

2010-03-22T20:37:00.001-07:00

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
You know, for someone as open as I am to a lot of things, you are all probably going to be surprised when I say I thought the ending of the book was a little odd and over the top. I mean.... I just didn't think it fit with the rest of the book for some reason. I really liked the book until a bunch of body/soul swamping occurred and I still think that overall, the book was good, but .... I just couldn't stomach the ending.

I really liked the main girl and I felt that I could relate to her a lot. I specifically loved this quote: "I loved the way the burned-out flashcubes of the Kodak Instamatic marked a moment that had passed, one that would now be gone forever except for a picture. When they were spent, I took the cubed four-corner flashbulbs and passed them from hand to hand until they cooled. The broken filaments of the flash would turn a molten marble blue or sometimes smoke the thing glass black. I had rescued the moment by using my camera and in that way had found a way to stop time and hold it. No one could take that image away from me because I owned it." This to me, explained every reason I love photography.... the experimentation, the trapping of time.... loved that quote and I found that there were a lot of hidden jewels like this within the book.

I wish I would have read this book with my book club because there were some really interesting discussion questions in the back of the book. One of the questions asked if the family went through a harder time dealing with her death than she did - I do think they had a harder time with it than she did and it made me think about the times in my life that I've had to deal with death... maybe sometimes it's just better to let go and move on. I know that sometimes this is impossible, but if we hold on to the past - how can we live in the future?

View all my reviews >>

A Golden Age

2010-02-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It was very interesting to learn about the Bangladesh Liberation War and to learn about living in Pakistan in general. I liked the discussion about the ethical dilemmas mother's run into when protecting their children or finally letting them go off to follow their dreams. It has some great points about love and the different kinds of love everyone runs into during life. I'm not sure about the fact that she didn't forgive her brother in law in the end, because I'm a strong believer in forgiveness... Favorite quote: "No there had never been another time; their lives were populated by Lenin and Castro and Mujib and Anwar Sadaat; there wass only this time, this life, this fraught and crowded era, which they were bound without choice, without knowledge, only their passions, their loves, to lead and sustain them."

View all my reviews >>

On The Road By Jack K

2010-02-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is like a constant poem to me. It made me want to travel and be with friends – love when books do that ☺ “Because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and the middle you see the blue center light pop and everyone goes “awww!” Also, I don't care how many people hate Dean. I liked him and thought he was a good example of how people definitely aren't perfect in this world, but that no matter what, maybe there is something about them.... you love them for their imperfections regardless of the mistakes they make.

View all my reviews >>

Thanks Mom. You always know best.

2010-02-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

My mom sent this to me and I love it...

HANDBOOK 2010

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come...
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Love you mom.

Leadership

2009-12-14T08:36:00.001-08:00

I am part of a group called " Internet Affiliate Marketers Association (IAMA)" on linkedin.com. A man named Kris de Leon posted something great this morning that I wanted to share with you all. I completely agree that "the three keys you can use [as a leader] to motivate others are optimism, encouragement, and enthusiasm."

Here is what he posted:

The Seven Inherent Steps for Every Leader

1) Connect your passion for success with a common moral good. You must focus on connecting with other people, and create a vision that is rooted in win-win. If you focus on providing others what they need, success will eventually follow. Knowing that your product or service is a win for others creates a deeper and more legitimate passion for you to strive.

2) Become a student of your work and industry, not just a servant to it. This involves acquiring knowledge, developing ideas, and improving your skills. With increased knowledge and skills, you are more valuable to others, which is a necessary trait of a leader.

3) Avoid extreme shifts in mood, focus, and determination when building your foundation. We must be careful not to let our emotions get the better of us. When faced at a low point or stressful situation, we must exercise calm and patience.

4) Learn to endure hardships and inconveniences with a positive spirit. Complaining about a situation will not encourage others to help you. Maintaining that positive spirit will rub off on other people, and they will be more inclined to help you get through the hardships.

5) Improve yourself more than you grow your business. Spend time on personal development, read books, listen to CDs and podcasts, and find successful mentors. If people are attracted to you because of what you achieved in personal development and the value you can offer, they will naturally follow you and eventually follow your business.

6) Foster interaction with others by renewing your faith in the inherent ability to rise to the occasion. Have the belief that people can succeed no matter what. The three keys you can do to motivate others are optimism, encouragement, and enthusiasm.

7) Understand that the greatest avenue of creating success in others is love. Always give more than you take and create a culture of generosity.

_______________
I agree completely.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween all!

Halloween is Scotty and my favorite holiday and we love dressing up. Scotty was Uncle Sam and I was Rosie the Riveter (We Can Do It!!)

Here's a picture of our costumes this year:

Most of my awesome family came out to celebrate. Here are some cute pictures of the family : )

Scotty's parents:

We had a little party at our house and there was a costume contest. Scott as Uncle Sam won the contest, but because he lives in our house, he was disqualified from winning the prize. Therefore, my friend Danielle won first prize as the Salt Lake Tribune (the Utah newspaper - she made a dress out of it!!) and my brother Jeremy and Shepp (The Matrix Twins) won second prize. What a great night! Thanks for all that came out! Happy Halloween!

The contest winners:

Scotty-bear as Uncle Sam:

Danielle, Salt Lake Tribune Girl:

The Matrix Twins (Jeremy Faulkner and his friend Shepp):

Creepiest Vintage Ads of All Time? Happy Halloween.

2009-10-20T13:57:00.001-07:00

Want to see the creepiest vintage ads of all time to get in the Halloween spirit? Go here:

http://retrocomedy.com/2009/07/01/the-15-creepiest-vintage-ads-of-all-time/

My faves:
1)
Drink that cocoa, or this clown will murder you in your sleep.

2)
“Is it always illegal to kill a woman?” This is a truly important question and makes us want to buy a new postage meter.

3)
It’s enough to make you want to eat Kosher forever.

Thanks for sending Anthony!

For all you artists.... this is neato.

2009-10-02T13:42:00.001-07:00

Crossing Another One Off The Bucket List

2009-08-31T19:02:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to go skydiving because a) I've always wanted to do it [needed to check another item off on the bucket list] and b) we could all die tomorrow so why not?!?! Well, it turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Here is some video:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=509168082794&ref=mf

Here are some of my fave pics:

and.... a safe landing... : )

It was one of the best times of my life. Scott wouldn't do it with me, so I went with Jamie and Candice for Candice's 18th birthday. If you are too scared to go - go indoor skydiving in Ogden. It feels pretty much the same without the actual 13,000 foot drop.

Maybe I should take up being a skydiving instructor? It didn't scare me at all and I loved it!!!

Extremely Accurate Horoscope Today

2009-08-06T16:41:00.001-07:00

Diligence
With this influence you have a clear idea of what you are doing and where you are headed. You feel that you know who you are and are therefore confident that you can achieve your objectives. But with this influence also comes a knowledge of and mastery over the necessary material resources and techniques for achieving your ends. You need more than mere self-confidence to achieve anything, as you are well aware. So you will work diligently at whatever task you set yourself today, paying great attention to detail and making thorough use of all the material that will help you accomplish your task. You feel pride in knowing that you have done good work as well as in knowing that you have moved one step closer to your goals. Therefore you will also gain the respect of others today.

15 Awesome Books

2009-07-22T08:19:00.001-07:00

15 Books That Will Stick With Me

Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. List 15 books you've read that will always stick with you. They should be the first 15 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends, including me, because I'm interested in seeing what books my friends choose. (To do this, go to your Notes tab on your Profile page, paste rules in a new Note, cast your 15 picks, and tag people in the Note, upper right-hand side.)

(This is not in order of how much I liked the books).

1. Eat. Pray. Love. By Elizabeth Gilbert – Just a very good book. Who wouldn’t want to travel to Italy to eat, India to do yoga, and Bali to find love?
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It reminds me of my best friend Jordan Beckstead. Also, it’s different, and I like different. “... And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”
3. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey – Obviously it sticks with me because of all the controversy it caused, but it’s just a very traumatizing/interesting book too.
4. Conspiracy of Fools by Kurt Eichenwald – Great book about how a few people can ruin the lives of many people by being greedy, arrogant and just plain stupid. It’s the story of Enron.
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Love the irony, fate, “don’t judge a book by its cover” themes in the book. Sad, but loved it.
6. Life of Pi by Yann Martel – The book claims that it will make you believe in God – and if you already believe, you will believe even more. Interesting eh? “I must say a word about fear. It is life’s only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a cleaver, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy.”
7. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee -- Again, a good “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” theme. I like the thought of standing up for what is right even though it may not be socially acceptable.
8. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka -- Kafka uses a creative way to describe the pressures of life and how they can turn on any of us at any given time. Not to mention, I had the best English teacher of my life when I read this.
9. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -- The whole thought of starting over from scratch with a society to make it what you want it to be was interesting. No matter what the strategy, humans are still humans. Humans still have flaws. Society will never be perfect no matter how many times you try to re-structure it.
10. My Sister’s Keeper or Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult -- She asks the hard questions: What would you do if you were a mother and your kid had cancer? Would you have a child just to save the other child? If you use one child’s organs to save another’s, is that right? Are you being selfish? Would you take a death row inmates heart to save your child? What if that death row inmate was innocent but he's still being put to death? Would you fight for him?
11. Good to Great by Jim Collins -- Definitely helped me understand what type of leader I hope to be one day. And helped me gain respect for the only level five leader I’ve ever known – Kevin McCallum. It’s rare to come across them, but the business world wouldn’t function without them.
12. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell -- This book defines how trends become trends. How these trends hit their boiling points - be it suicide, products, crime rates… and how you can stop the boiling points or continue to make your product “sticky.” It’s easy to read and I always learn something from Gladwell.
13. On The Road by Jack Kerouac -- This book is like a constant poem to me. It made me want to travel and be with friends – love when books do that ☺ “Because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and the middle you see the blue center light pop and everyone goes “awww!”
14. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – Why do I always confuse this book with 1984? I need to re-read both of them so I can differentiate them in my brain. Don’t you think it’s weird that it mentions people being obsessed with watching reality TV (in the future) so they stop reading? The future is now. ☺
15. Choke or Rant by Chuck Palahniuk -- He’s a very raw/dark/creative writer which always makes for good books (and definitely “stick” with you as the theme of this note requests). Most people know him because he’s the author of Fight Club.

He's Barack Obama

2009-06-23T08:52:00.001-07:00

This is absolutely fabulous: He's Barack Obama

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

In the words of Tenacious D, this is a tribute....

2009-06-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

What is it about dad's? They just have this way of making you feel like everything is going to be okay (no matter how terrible or traumatizing the situation may be). I've been lucky to have two amazing dad's in my life. Thank you for all you do for me. Xoxo. <3

Happy mother's day to all you beautiful mothers out there!

2009-05-27T20:03:00.001-07:00

We had a great mother's day. I got to hang out with most of my favorite mothers -- Mom, Em, Grandma and Ang (We missed you Jacey!!). Just a great family day in the garden.

P.S - I have the cutest nephew in the world.

Scott and I want to get some new family pictures taken....

2009-05-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

I found this amazing photographer so Scott and I really want to get some family portraits taken of us and Ike -

Some of my faves:

JUST KIDDING!!! haha I got these photos of a HILARIOUS website:
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

Good points about Miss California...

2009-05-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

I think he makes a lot of REALLY good points.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Random Thoughts from Jess on May 9th

2009-05-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Scotty and I scheduled an anniversary trip to Moab. We plan to go to arches, ride bikes on slick rock trail, go canyoneering (which is basically rock climbing through the narrows) and just site seeing. Neither of us has been there and we just wanted to get away, the two of us, to spend some well needed quality time with each other for our anniversary. Any suggestions for where we should go?

Also, Nicole’s (My cousin on my Dad's side) wedding was fun. It was good to see all of my Dad’s brothers and sisters. Aunt Linda is hilarious. I was asking her what sicknesses run in our family and she was like “I have done nothing but do harm to my body and I’m not dead yet so what does that tell you?!” haha. She’s a riot. Brandon (Laura's son) is getting big too… I played guitar hero with B.J. and him for a while which was fun. Brandon can play with his back to the screen (and still get a perfect score)… what is up with that?! Man, kids these days – ... Apparently they have to much time on their hands to play guitar hero?!?!? Uncle Frank was as cute as usual, just so quiet, yet so loving. He’s pretty much the only aunt/uncle I have that will tell me he loves me.

The Passion of Sister Dottie S. Dixon

2009-05-04T07:52:00.001-07:00

I saw the BEST play on Saturday in downtown SLC, UT - The Passion of Sister Dottie S. Dixon. Go see it! It runs from May 1 - 17, 2009 at the Rose Wagner Theater and is only $20.

I think this is a play everyone should see. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll come to awesome realizations about judgment, love and religion.

http://www.sisterdottie.com/

Here's the synopsis on the website:

Sister Dottie: Fearless and Funny
By Michael N. Westley

The Passion of Sister Dottie S. Dixon gives a bold, humorous and poignant look into the mind and heart of a mother with a gay son.

The fact that Sister Dottie just happens to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints works as the perfect vehicle to drive a slew of irreverent and ever-sa-true jokes about the culture and situation fate has given Dottie.

Coolest video I've seen in a LONG time. It will hurt your brain.

2009-04-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Great music, great videos, great life!!

2009-04-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

2009 has been awesome so far. I've already completed three goals that I set out for myself to accomplish!

1) I've been to a place I've never traveled before (Hawaii!)

2) Confidential, but I can tell you if you really wanna know : )

3) I finished the SLC half marathon (13.1 miles). Life is good.

Here are some great videos/music. This is one of my favorite artists, Metric:

My life as an art piece. ♥

2009-04-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to make it bigger.

Directions:
- go to google image search.
- type in your answer to each of the following questions.
- choose a picture from the first three pages of results.
- use this website (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php) to make your collage.
- save the image.
- post.

Questions:
1. what is your name?
2. what is your favorite food?
3. what is your hometown?
4. what is your favorite color?
5. what is your favorite movie?
6. what is your favorite drink?
7. what is your dream vacation?
8. what is your favorite dessert?
9. what is a term you often use to describe yourself?
10. how are you feeling right now?
11. what is one of the things you love most in the world?
12. what do you want to be when you grow up?

Let me know if you do this cuz I'd love to see your collage.

Good story, not sure who wrote it, but awesome.

2009-04-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

Long one, but worth it…

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd. I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him.. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives. He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!'

There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.

He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said “yes.” We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday?! He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.

On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!' He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. 'Thanks,' he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. 'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends..... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.' I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable. I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.

God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.

Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. There is no beginning or end. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.

Mom's birthday. : ) I love you mom.

2009-03-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

My Mother… By Jessica Faulkner Chase – March 4, 2009

My mother...
Light,
Love,
Energy,
Positivity,
Strength,
Faith.

My mother...
The Zen,
Shaman,
Mormon,
Christian,
Wiccan,
Mystic.

My mother...
The star.
The sun.
The ascendant.
In alignment.
The Pisces
accepts all energy
Earth
Air
Fire
Water
That cup is half full
The moon is full
Aquarius moon.
Sagittarius rising.

My mother...
Gave me
Fate in my fingers
And hands.
Life line
Head line
Heart line
Unite for
Perfection of
Individuality

My mother...
Gave me
The power of animals
Those that rule
North
West
South
East
Dolphins, Swans,
Killer Whales
Butterflies
My protection.

My mother's water
Calming my wind
Stirring my spirit
Stimulating mind
Imagination.
Helping me sing
Helping me laugh
Helping me reach for the crossed stars
Teaching me respect
For all things.
Loving me.

My mother...
Lights
Up
My
Life.

Tagged!

2009-02-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

My Aunt Bonnie has a cool project - now I am passing it on to you. Go to your my pictures/my doc file and find the sixth picture. Blog about it and tag six people.

My picture:

This is the most beautiful cathedral in Prague - St. Vitus Cathedral. After studying art history for years, I was able see this Gothic Cathedral in person. So amazingly beautiful *as everything was in Prague*. For more details about my Prague trip - I wrote a post about it last May : ) scroll down below. XOXO.

Tagged: Sara, Dad, Jeremy Faulkner, Emily Faulkner, Nate Faulkner, Mom

Love my horoscope today : )

2009-02-06T09:47:00.001-08:00

Meaningful encounter ***
Valid during many months: This influence can bring with it a deeply satisfying, liberating experience; perhaps you will simply enjoy yourself with more gusto and freedom than usual and take pleasure in life. In any case this quality of time is beneficial, whether profoundly at the psychological level, or pleasurable, exhilarating and short-lived in the external world.

There may be a very meaningful encounter during this time - with your partner, someone close to you, or someone whom you have never met before. This encounter will be so deep and personal that you will have the opportunity to perceive and possibly even discuss things about yourself that you have preferred to suppress up to now, and not reveal to anyone. These things are discernible again and again, whether we care to believe it or not, especially in close, intimate relationships. They hinder our natural expression of ourselves, our being in harmony with our own bodies and other's; they make us unsure of ourselves, and cause us to anxiously avoid certain situations.

The present quality of time allows you to deal with these earlier experiences. A deep personal encounter, bringing understanding and sympathy with it, gives you the chance to behave differently and, for once, to act out of character. With such an encounter now, you can acknowledge and reveal your injury or sensitivity, without being hurt or rejected once more. This calls for great courage, as in just such a situation the old fears are resurrected and certain, well-practiced defense mechanisms come into play. That is why it is important that you allow this encounter to take place, and are able to commit yourself with all your nakedness and injury. Then you will have a deeply satisfying, healing experience that will show that you too, with your weaknesses and sensitivities, are desirable and worthy of love.

This is long, but it's a MUST read. When No News Is Bad News.

2009-01-28T10:03:00.001-08:00

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200901u/fate-of-newspaper-journalism/2

When No News Is Bad News

Best Snipits -

Newspaper penetration—the number of households looking at a paper—now amounts to less than 18 percent of the population, compared with 33 percent back in 1946. In its home market, The New York Times has a dismal 7 percent penetration. The New York Times Company, which, like the rest of the industry, used to reap tremendous profits, is one of the many publicly traded newspaper companies that have lost well over half their market value in the past two years.

Just this past year, shareholders of publicly traded newspaper companies have lost 83 percent of their investments, according to Alan Mutter, an astute industry analyst, blogger and former newspaper city editor. Papers are throwing out employees almost weekly, cutting national and foreign bureaus if they have them, and slicing the actual size of the product, since newsprint is a huge cost.

Meanwhile, websites are not obligated to spend money on newsprint, printing plants, or union drivers to drop their product at readers’ doorsteps. Yet they benefit from linking to all that work they’ve not done or paid a nickel for. And they supplement this borrowed reporting with user-generated content and material produced by freelancers who are paid a pittance or nothing at all. They’ve also opted for chat rooms and ongoing dialogues among their adherents—a laudable, democratic impulse, but one that often devolves into an unedited legitimization of stupidity and bigotry.

Why should we care?
This matters because of the unique role journalism plays in a democracy. So much public information and official government knowledge depends on a private business model that is now failing. Journalism acknowledges and illuminates complexity, and at the same time prioritizes, helping us to evaluate the relative significance of developments playing out all around us. A very shrewd journalist-entrepreneur I know, Steve Brill, asks that one just imagine walking into a library and seeing the pages of all the books scattered on the floors and stairwells. To be sure, editors are human and subjectivity plays a role, but a newspaper places those pages—and thus the news—in some sensible order.

And, importantly, there’s a sense of social mission. Good journalism keeps public and private officials honest and helps citizens make thoughtful decisions. It does this by systematically gathering, processing, and checking relevant information, and by doing it with a spirit of independence. It’s how two previously unknown Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, put together the Watergate puzzle that forced the 1974 resignation of President Richard Nixon. And as they pursued their investigation, they, like all good reporters, followed certain commonly accepted ethical norms: You don’t take money from the people you’re covering. You don’t bow to special interests or to the economic interests of your employer. You confirm and reconfirm the accuracy of assertions and supposed facts and quotes. As an old saying used to go at the City News Bureau of Chicago, a now-defunct training ground for decades of reporters, “If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out.”

In 2005, David Jackson reported on the growing problem of home mortgage fraud in Chicago’s poorest communities. His piece, which shed light on loopholes in the system that gave birth to the sub-prime mortgage debacle, warned that the problem “now threatens to become a national financial epidemic.” If only more people, including regulators, had paid attention.

And last year, prior to a wholesale change in the newsroom’s hierarchy and my exit, The Tribune won the Pulitzer Prize for its investigative reporting on product safety hazards for children, including lead-painted toys from China, and a dangerously flawed type of baby crib. The reporters’ painstaking research and the expensive testing they commissioned by independent labs resulted in major product recalls and changes in manufacturing policy. Lives were surely saved.

Coolest music video ever!

2009-01-16T10:25:00.001-08:00

And... I love this song.

Don't buy stuff you CANNOT afford. Hilarious.

2009-01-16T09:06:00.001-08:00

FIVE MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

2009-01-16T07:46:00.000-08:00

FIVE MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.' After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'Who was that?' 'It was Bob the next door neighbor,' she replies. 'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'

Moral of the story:
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2:
A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.' Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'

Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.' 'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.' Puff! She's gone. 'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.' Puff! He's gone. 'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'

Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?' The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.' So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull. 'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.' 'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.' The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:
Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there..

Lesson 6
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

WHAT'S worse than dreaming about going to work naked?

2009-01-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

WHAT'S worse than dreaming about going to work naked? Losing your pants on a ski lift and having the photos carried on news websites. What a way to lose your job!

It’s the pic with endless punchlines, but really WTF? We went to the trouble of checking our inbox and here’s what the photographer Marty Odom had to say:

http://snowboarding.transworld.net/2009/01/06/the-story-behind-the-vail-chairlift-photo/

“Hello, my name is Marty Odom and I live in Vail, Colorado. I am/was a photographer on the mountain for Sharpshooter imaging. On my day off I pulled up to the lift line to see a naked man hanging from the chair lift. I happen to have my own camera with me and I shot a few pics. It was Jan. 1st and I shot the best photo that I’m going to shoot all year. I then sent it in to the Vail Daily, where it got printed the next day. Today I go into work to find out that I’m “suspended until further notice”, because the man is now suing Vail mountain and my photo makes their lift operations seem bad. The liftie forgot to put the seat down on the chair and somehow the man got stuck in the position that he was in. The chair wasn’t even stopped by the liftie, someone in the lift line had to punch the button. And even though I never mentioned the company I worked for, Vail Resorts pulled my pass and it looks like I’m going to lose my job over a photo. But the photo is worth it.

“The reason for all my ranting is that I hope you guys might enjoy this photo a whole lot. And if there is any kind of contest for “super gaper” or something that maybe I could submit it. And I thought u guys might enjoy the story behind it, the fact that it was enough to lose my job over.”

What a way to start the new year. Thanks to Marty for sending the pic our way. It’s safe to say that this would never have happened on a snowboard. Let the clever comments begin …

Tags: Vail Chairlift

LOL!

Favorite quotes at the bottom:

1) "That looks like a wang-danglin’ good time."

3) "What’s so funny? That’s how I take the lift everytime"

Wuahahahaha

Better Know a District - Utah's 3rd - Jason Chaffetz... hmmmmm

2009-01-07T08:30:00.001-08:00

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Better Know a District - Utah's 3rd - Jason Chaffetz

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Top 10 Quotes of 2008

2008-12-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

The Top 10 quotes of 2008, as compiled by the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations:
1. "I can see Russia from my house!" — Comedian Tina Fey, while impersonating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on the TV comedy show "Saturday Night Live," broadcast Sept. 13.
2. "All of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years." — Palin, responding to a request by CBS anchor Katie Couric to name the newspapers or magazines she reads, broadcast Oct. 1.
3. "We have sort of become a nation of whiners." — former Sen. Phil Gramm, an economic adviser to Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, quoted in The Washington Times, July 10.
4. "It's not based on any particular data point, we just wanted to choose a really large number." — a Treasury Department spokeswoman explaining how the $700 billion number was chosen for the initial bailout, quoted on Forbes.com Sept. 23.
5. "The fundamentals of America's economy are strong." — McCain, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, April 17.
6. "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency." — the Treasury Department's proposed Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, September 2008.
7. "Maybe 100." — McCain, discussing in a town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, how many years U.S. troops could remain in Iraq, Jan. 3.
8. "I'll see you at the debates, b------." — Paris Hilton in a video responding to a McCain television campaign ad, August 2008.
9. "Barack, he's talking down to black people. ... I want to cut his ... off." — Rev. Jesse Jackson, overheard over a live microphone before a Fox News interview, July 6.
10. (tie) "Cash for trash." — Paul Krugman discussing the financial bailout, New York Times, Sept. 22.
10. (tie) "There are no atheists in foxholes and there are no libertarians in financial crises." — Krugman, in an interview with Bill Maher on HBO's "Real Time," broadcast Sept. 19.
10. (tie) "Anyone who says we're in a recession, or heading into one — especially the worst one since the Great Depression — is making up his own private definition of "`recession.'" — commentator Donald Luskin, the day before Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, The Washington Post, Sept. 14.

Christmas Carols For The Disturbed.

2008-12-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR THE DISTURBED

* 1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?

* 2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Kings Disoriented Are

* 3. Dementia --- I Think I'll be Home for Christmas

* 4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

* 5. Manic --- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and.....

* 6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me

* 7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

* 8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

* 9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?

* 10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - - - Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle,Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,

The Hills in a Nutshell...

2008-12-16T13:24:00.001-08:00

Analog Vs Digital

2008-12-08T15:27:00.001-08:00

Funny

Devotees Say Teen Is Buddha Reborn

2008-11-14T07:24:00.001-08:00

This is so rad...

http://news.aol.com/article/devotees-say-teen-is-buddha-reborn/244051

Devotees Say Teen Is Buddha Reborn By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA,AP - posted: 5 HOURS 24 MINUTES AGO

RATANPUR, Nepal (Nov. 12) - The teenage boy revered by many as a reincarnation of Buddha sat silently in the jungle as he blessed his devotees Wednesday with a light tap on the head, which they consider the touch of the divine.

His face was still, his long hair spilled over his white robe, and he never said a word.

Thousands of devotees have been flocking to a remote area of southern Nepal to see this teenager, whom they believe to be a reincarnation of Buddha. Ram Bahadur Bamjan emerged from the jungle on Monday. Followers believe he has spent the last three years meditating without food and water.

The followers of Ram Bahadur Bamjan, 18, believe he has been meditating without food and water since he was first spotted in the jungles of southern Nepal in 2005, when believers say he spent months without moving, sitting with his eyes closed beneath a tree.

Bamjan re-emerged this week to meet his followers, who have come by the thousands to see him in the jungles of Ratanpur, about 100 miles south of Katmandu.

"I got a chance to see God today," Bishnu Maya Khadka, a housewife, said after receiving Bamjan's blessing Wednesday. "They say he is Buddha, but for me he is just God."

Bamjan was expected to address his followers on Nov. 18 and then retreat again into the jungle for meditation, said Kamal Tamang, a Buddhist priest.

Bamjan received the pilgrims from atop a podium covered in yellow cloth and placed before a massive tree. He looked healthy and strong and showed no signs of starvation or dehydration.

Buddhism, which has about 325 million followers, mostly in Asia, teaches that every soul is reincarnated after death in another bodily form.

The Reincarnation of Buddha?

A teenage boy revered as a reincarnation of Buddha sat silently in the jungle as he blessed his devotees Wednesday with a light tap on the head, which they consider the touch of the divine. (Nov. 12)

But several Buddhist scholars have been skeptical of the claims that Bamjan is a reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in southwestern Nepal roughly 2,500 years ago and became revered as the Buddha, or Enlightened One.

"Being Buddha means the last birth and the highest level that can be achieved. There can be no reincarnation of Buddha, even though Buddhists believe in life after death," said Rakesh, a Buddhist scholar in Katmandu who goes by only one name.

"Meditating without food does not prove that he is the reincarnation of Buddha," said Min Bahadur Shakya of the Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods, a Buddhist research center in Katmandu. "There is much study needed to be done."

Bamjan has never addressed the subject in any of his speeches.

The devotees who have flocked to visit him have fewer doubts. Colorful prayer flags fluttered and incense filled the air Wednesday as the pilgrims silently approached Bamjan, who was surrounded by a line of Buddhist monks.

"I have no doubt in my mind he is a god," said Meg Bahadur Lama, a local farmer. "He has been meditating without food and water and no human can achieve such a feat. I used to hear about such miracles in the past but now I got to see one."

Also, this is VERY scary...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1954933468700958565&hl=es

So Inspired

2008-11-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

Wow...

BEST Quote:

Tonight we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation - not because of the height of our skyscrapers or the power of our military or the size of our economy - our pride is based on a very simple premise.... summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago - "we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights - that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..." that is the true genius of America. of faith in simple dreams of insistence on small miracles...

Love this too..

They [his parents] gave me an African name - Barak - or blessing, believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.

Full Moon in Pisces

2008-09-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

........CURRENT MOON..

..moon cycle........

Full Moon in Pisces
Harvest Moon
Monday, September 15, 2008
2:13am PDT

The Full Moon in Pisces is a celebration of tireless dedication to the enlightenment of all sentient beings. This effort is undertaken through two paths of action: the Bodhisattvic vow to seek wisdom and apply compassionate action toward self and others. Two truths: We are all connected and there is no security; for all things are uncertain. We are nothing and everything; full and empty.

It is time we relearn to care for each other and start living communally in love and peace. Pisces wants to transcend all perceived separations. This is an evolutionarily demanding Full Moon. But you tell me, what huge challenges in your life have not, in the end, provided the most profound growth? So I ask each of you to consider the necessity of rising to the challenge of this Full Moon by reading on with serious intention.

The Bodhisattvic intention represents a revolutionary call to bring awareness to the condition of your emotional mind in an effort to uplift all other minds on this planet. With Mars/Venus/Mercury conjunct in Libra, trine the transpersonal conjunction of Neptune/Chiron/North Node in Aquarius, the great triune of personal action, love, and intelligence can be applied from a spiritually awakened concern for the welfare of the other. Add the Uranus (awakening)/Moon conjunction in Pisces, and we have ideal conditions for natural enlivenment of the awakened, compassionate mind.

This awakened compassionate mind requires that we understand the true nature of our emotions. Every emotion is sourced in the mind and mediated primarily through the production of neurotransmitters and enzymes in the brain. Thankfully, the human body is wired so we feel our emotions in the heart. But actually the quality of what we feel rests solely with how the brain’s synaptic and neuronal pathways are wired. The good news is the brain is plastic. Mindfulness opens the pathway to the wise heart, through the moment-to-moment recognition of our internal condition and it’s interaction with eternal causes. So mindfully attending to the quality of our thoughts, feelings and interactions actually enlivens compassion, empathy, and depth of intention—and rewires the brain.

In fact, the Uranus/Moon conjunction creates the conditions for a beautiful ritual to direct the power of mind toward the most evolved form of the Pisces/Virgo axis: sacrifice, service and enlightenment. Pisces is known for its desire to let go of self-identification thereby allowing the soul to merge with its source; pure consciousness. What a finish to the last two weeks of waxing Moon work on our individual desire for health, healing and service to others. This is the night to put into action all of your intentions for health and well-being and to offer this effort in service to the enlightenment of all other sentient beings.

So, no messing around with those devolved Neptunian/Piscean hedonistic fantasies of getting wasted on drugs or alcohol. This is the Full Moon to join with others and be lifted out of denial and ignorance. The world is suffering and we all need to wake up and do what we can to relieve suffering. Take responsibility for your own suffering and the suffering of others. Love yourself by loving others. Do what you can to stay in the present and in your heart.

This Full Moon comes at the height of our harvest season. On this Full Moon it is important to recognize the fundamental relationship between gratefulness and non-attachment. Use this Full Moon to look at what you cling to and your fear of letting it go. Do you spend most of your time grabbing and craving for more things; trying to fill your inner emptiness with a multitude of possessions? We come here with nothing and leave with nothing. Why then do we hold so tight to things that will not last? This is a great time to ask, “What can I freely give away? What can I share?”

Tackling the issue of non-attachment makes a great group ritual. Ask your guests to bring something they truly love that they feel ready to give away. During the ritual allow each person to openly express his or her desire for, and attachment to the object they brought, and talk about what it will mean to no longer have it in their lives. Some groups decide to exchange items with each other, while others donate everything to a favorite charity or thrift store. Either way, this giveaway ritual becomes a wonderfully freeing and very Piscean experience for everyone involved.

Use this Full Moon to create a group ritual for your family, friends, and/or community that centers on healing anger and pain. Acknowledge your own anger and pain, take it in your arms like a baby, wrap it in compassion and let love work its healing magic upon your soul. Know that your pain does not define you. Find your true self in your compassionate heart and create the conditions for peace to grow within and without. Then seek to acknowledge the pain of others while acknowledging your part in causing them to suffer. Wrap them up like a baby with your compassion, allowing love to work its healing magic. Go to them; tell them how sorry you are. Allow them to reciprocate these compassionate feelings to you. Realize that what is done to one is done to all, and create the conditions for peace to grow.

The Pisces Moon uses an intuitive recognition of truth; a direct (finally!) Jupiter in Capricorn gives us the ability to face our fear of what is painfully true about ourselves and our relations with others.

This is the Full Moon to practice compassion and selflessness by radiating peace and calm through group prayer and meditation. Unlike Virgo, its opposite sign, Pisces knows no distinctions or differences: it perceives the unity within the diversity. Pisces acknowledges our essential connectedness and realizes it through the practice of unconditional love and unwavering compassion. Because Pisces represents unconditional love and compassion, it must also deal with anger and hatred. If we waste our lives holding onto anger, resentment, and hatred, we will continue to create a world that reflects our own inner violence. Be aware that the hatred and anger in your heart is helping to feed the violence we see all over the world.

It is time to stop the senseless killing we create all around us. Give up the label of victim and embrace your own part in continued killing. It is the first step to becoming a peacemaker. If you fearlessly open your heart and let compassion be your guide, you will automatically become an active peacemaker. Love is the language of selflessness. If each of us would practice this language daily, violence would surely end.

Here is the Bodhisattvic practice of the Eight Verses of Though Transformation to help open your mind to the full meaning of compassion and humility. If you wish to read more about it, I recommend the book “Transforming the Mind”, by HH the Dalai Lama ©2003. The Eight Verses Soundartwork ©2007 Lisa Dale Miller can be downloaded for free.

The Eight Verses on Transforming the Mind

With a determination to achieve the highest aim
For the benefit of all sentient beings,
Which surpasses even the wish –fulfilling gem,
May I hold them dear at all times.

Whenever I interact with someone,
May I view myself as the lowest amongst all,
And, from the very depths of my heart,
Respectfully hold others as superior.

In all my deeds may I probe into my mind,
And as soon as mental and emotional afflictions arise,
As they endanger myself and others,
May I strongly confront them and avert them.

When I see beings of unpleasant character,
Oppressed by strong negativity and suffering,
May I hold them dear—for they are rare to find—
As if I have discovered a jewel treasure!

When others, out of jealousy,
Treat me wrongly with abuse, slander, and scorn,
May I take upon myself the defeat,
And offer to others the victory.

When someone I have helped,
Or in whom I have placed great hopes,
Mistreats me in extremely hurtful ways,
May I regard him still as my precious teacher.

In brief, may I offer benefit and joy
To all beings, both directly and indirectly,
May I quietly take upon myself,
The hurts and pains of all beings.

May all this remain undefiled
By the stains of the eight mundane concerns (gain and loss; pleasure and pain; praise and blame;
fame and obscurity)
And may I, recognizing all things as illusion,
Devoid of clinging, be released from bondage.

Can you imagine if everyone committed to practicing this humble, heart-opening, mind-transforming way of being in the world? So much would change. The Eight Verses Soundartwork can be downloaded for free.

So on this Full Moon, join with others to pray and work for peace. Allow Uranus, the awakener, in Pisces, to open your mind to alternatives. Utopia is a mindset that finds it source in the transcendent bliss of the nothingness/everythingness. This is your source; call it what you wish, but use this Full Moon to dive deep into source and open yourself to the interconnectedness of all things.

©2008 Lisa Dale Miller
All rights reserved

Also, this is hilarious:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/34465/saturday-night-live-palin--hillary-open

Political Rant... haha... Rare coming from Jess.

2008-09-12T09:55:00.001-07:00

So I know everyone is so "politically talked out" but I was so confused when I watched Gov. Palin (republican VP candidate) interview on ABC last night. By the way, if you haven't watched this yet... you should...

Anyway, so she was talking about her opinions about war and such and the guy interviewing her really had a lot of great questions like why does Gov. Palin say that we are fighting "God's war" in front of her church?

I mean, I may be REALLY stupid, but isn't there supposed to be a separation between church and state? And she said, "our country deserves the right to *LIFE*. Liberty. and Freedom." Well why the hell are we going against one of the ten commandments that says *THOU SHALT NOT KILL?*. If she is going to bring God into this whole political argument then I don't understand why she is deliberately going against one of the ten commandments?

I don't know how I feel about war... I know it's important for us to be protected as a nation - but is war really the answer? Or does it make everyone more hostile and aggressive?

Are all politicians hypocrites?

Sincerely,

Confused political observer
a.k.a Jessica Faulkner

I Believe

2008-08-04T08:44:00.001-07:00

A birth certificate shows that we were born; a death certificate shows that we died; pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat . . . Relax. And read this slowly.

I believe - That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe - That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe - That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe - That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe - That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe - That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe - That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe - That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe - That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe - That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe - That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe - That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe - That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe - That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe - That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe - That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe - That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe - That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe - Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different

I believe - That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe - That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe - That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe - That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I believe - That you should send this to all of the people that you believe in. I just did. The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

"Ya’ll Be Cool" - A Tribute to Kevin McCallum

2008-06-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

I’ve had a really hard time writing anything about this or talking about this with anyone, but I figure I should get some thoughts written down just for venting sake and so that all of you don’t just think I am sad or not responding to you for no reason. I had a very, very close friend pass away about two weeks ago. He was my mentor, my hero (and yes, he was and has been listed in my hero’s section on Myspace for four to five years).

I worked for this man as his administrative assistant for two years and in that time got to know his family and his work ethic well. The more I knew Kevin, the more I wanted to be just like him. He was incredibly optimistic, strong, passionate, loyal… his work ethic matched the work ethic of a thousand men combined. I graduated with my undergraduate degree after working for him for two years and immediately told him I wanted more responsibility. He mentored me into a new position at work and helped me deal with moving up in the organization. He always wanted my skills to grow and change and above all, always wanted me to be happy.

He truly has helped me reach all of my goals… whether it be graduating with my undergraduate degree then with my master’s degree… I always had Kevin in mind when completing these goals. Whenever I wanted to go after a new goal, I’d go sit down in Kev’s office and chat with him about what I had in mind… he’d give me his honest opinion and tell me that I can achieve any dream I set my mind too. He’d tell me that he believed in me and that he never wanted me to change the person I am today.

Five days before he passed away, I sent him this clip (which I may have sent some of you) and said… “Thanks for making me a dreamer…” because he truly did help me dream on a day to day basis:

When I started my MBA at Westminster three years ago, it was truly inspired by Kevin… Like I said, I wanted to be just like this man! I would read books about dynamic leadership and leadership that beats out all leadership and I would think of him… this man was charismatic, inspirational… he was one of the best men I will know in this life. I gave him the book “Good to Great” and told him that he reminded me of how the book described GREAT leaders. He was a great leader, a level five leader.

The main thing I loved about Kevin is that he was real… he didn’t let the every day robotic hum drum of work make him something he wasn’t. He was still himself… he was still an imperfect, perfect man about town. I loved that he was from Georgia and had this accent that made me laugh every time he said “ya’ll” – he liked to make people laugh and he hated to see people work to hard or be sad. He would always walk by our desks and say “Ya’ll Be Cool.”

He made this mix called Kevin’s Southern Funk Party that I thought you’d all enjoy ( I know I sure love listening to it ) … here are the tracks:

1-Love Rollercoaster
2-In my House (12 Inch Mix)
3-Jungle Boogie
4-Let It Whip
5-Proud Mary
6-Mustang Sally
7-Tell Me Something Good
8-I’ve Been Everywhere
9-It’s Not Unusual (The Wise Guy Remix)
10-French Connection
11-Shattered
12-It’s Your Thing
13-These Boots Are Made For Walking
14-I Can’t Wait
15-I Will Survive
16-If You Try to Save This Marriage Again
17-Keep Your Hands To Yourself
18-Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)
19-Liquid Love, Pts. 1 & 2
20-She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)
21-You Never Even Call Me by My Name
22-Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line
23-Call Me the Breeze
24-I Feel For You
25-Shakin’
26-Machine Gun
27-It’s Raining Men
28-Got to Be Real
29-No Parking (On the Dance Floor)
30-Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Single) [Short]

To the family… you’re in my thoughts and prayers. Much love to you.

I will never forget you Kev.

Prague, Vienna, Budapest MBA Trip

2008-05-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

All the pictures are at the bottom of this in a slide show : )

Europe was so amazing. Our first day was spent in Prague where we immediately go on the subway and went downtown. We saw so many amazing statues and the streets are full of beautiful architecture that can only be described in pictures (see below). We walked the streets for hours, took pictures and ate at a cute street café.

Since we were on an MBA business trip, our trip was full of many business visits. I must say, although business isn’t conducted TOO much differently than in the U.S. in Europe (besides our different currency conversions and inflation rates) – they seem to move at a much slower pace and actually leave work after an eight hour day over there. If business is done, they close up the doors (even if you are in line for a bus ticket!) haha. The second day in Prague we visited an old school steel factory that had huge pieces of steel swinging back and forth over our heads. These huge steel blocks were put in heating rooms then formed into things such as trolley cars, buses, trains, car parts, etc. It was pretty neat (we couldn’t take pictures in most of the business visits though – understandably).

We went to a beautiful cathedral in Prague (which was my favorite part of the whole trip). The cathedral is in the Prague castle complex and is called Cathedral of St. Vitus. It’s seriously the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen! And ironically enough, my camera completely lost battery for the first and only time on the trip right when I stepped in. I did manage to steal some pictures from other people on the trip though, see below. The stained glass windows and art within the building is something that you could look at for days. I’ve been studying art history for years, so seeing a Gothic church is one of my dreams. The architectural design is so amazingly ornate – it’s not really something you can explain unless you are actually there. Check this out Prague St. Vitus Cathedral.

While we were in the cathedral we climbed this massive tower which was quite the adventure because a) it was over 500 steps (OK, I may be exaggerating a little) b) there were people going up and down in very tight quarters within the tower which made for a quite uncomfortable trip up and down the tower c) you are going in circles for about ten minutes in small, tight quarters haha! But when you get to the top – it is sooo worth it. What a beautiful view of all of Prague!

The culture in Prague (and in Europe in general) is interesting…It was nice to be in a place where people are so free spirited. FYI though, Prague people don’t have much of a tolerance for people from the U.S. that don’t speak Czech.

We went on another business visit to Amati-Denak, who manufactures wind and percussion music instruments and parts. That was interesting, but we didn’t get to tour their manufacturing factory, so that was kind of a let down. We did gain some interesting business incites as to where they stand in the marketplace and what their competitive advantages (or lack there of) are.

The next place we went, after spending four days in Prague, was Vienna, Austria. We spent a lot of time on the bus on this trip because we had many business visits to go to and we traveled by bus to the other countries within Europe. So, I got to see a lot of the European countryside and forests and I have to say, the country sides are soo amazingly beautiful.

When we got to Vienna we had a business visit at Pitney Bowes where we discussed their European business ventures. It was interesting to learn that they don’t have much competition in the mail sorting business. They said they own above 80% of the market share in their industry! Amazing.

We went to an adorable restaurant (with way to many koo-koo clocks in it) in Vienna. The lady who owned the restaurant was extremely hospitable and bought us all drinks. It was such a nice dinner with all the great friends I met on the trip. It was quite a delight to come in contact with someone who actually liked Americans in Europe haha! After dinner, we mainly just walked around, took pictures and went with whatever adventure fell into our laps.

We went on another business facility visit in Vienna – AKG Acoustics (they manufacture U.S. brands such as JBL speakers and headphones and many many other electronic items for European and other markets). We had the opportunity to take quite an extensive tour of their manufacturing facilities and their marketing and research and development executives gave quite extensive presentations. It was the most detailed business visit we went on. Very neat.

We arrived in Budapest, Hungary for our last four days in Europe and I was just thankful for plugs that actually worked (we stayed in a much nicer hotel) haha! We went to a bank called ING which was really interesting. They are number 13 in the top 20 global financial institutions. We got to learn about banking in Europe which didn’t really seem TOO different since they mainly work in a global market anyway. But, as mentioned above, they’re economic situation is much different from the U.S. We also visted the U.S. Embassy in Hungary which was pretty interesting – we mainly learned about the history in Budapest (Amazing to hear about the Stalinest era (1949-1956) Stalinest Era 1949-1956

That night, we went to some Romanesque style bathes that were soo relaxing and beautiful. It was one of those nights where you sit back and say “Wow, I am in one of the most beautiful places on earth.” and really being soo thankful for it. The bathes are kind of like Lava Hot Springs in Idaho except they have amazing architecture around them and statues that look like they were formed in the 13th century (and probably were). You must do this if you go to Budapest.

We went to a really fun pub in Budapest with really cool signs and just a really neat atmosphere. Many of us sang karaoke which was fun. Hungarians seem to take karaoke very seriously haha. They sang many songs from the U.S. with a few Hungarian songs mixed in now and then. It was just a great night.

I didn’t get to go to too many art galleries (which I expected I would do the entire time). But art is literally everywhere on the streets, in the buildings, everywhere you go – so I think I got a fair share of that. I really hope to return to Europe one day and I suggest everyone go! It’s an amazing experience you will never forget and you can’t really understand until you go. So seriously, book your trip now! You could die tomorrow!

I am so thankful for all the people I met and all the experiences I had. Thanks to all of you who made it amazing!

Also, research this - Prague Astronomical Clock you know how much I love astrology!

This is just hilarious.

2007-11-21T12:33:00.000-08:00

YOUR SCENE SUCKS DOT COM

GENERIC EMO GIRL.

HOT TOPICCORE.

THE MYSPACE WHORE.

THE SCREAMO FRONTMAN.

MORTAL COMBAT CORE.

HALLOWEENCORE GOTH.

#1 PETE WENTZ FAN.

SXE MOSH WARRIOR.

WILLIAMSBURG HIPSTER.

HXC TOUGH GUY.

PREHISTORIC EMO.

FAUX HIP HOP.

SCENE QUEEN.

POPCORE DORK.

ORGCORE PUNKER.

UP THE PUNX.

RUDE BOY.

BROOTAL KID.

BLACK METAL KNIGHT.

YOUR SCENE SUCKS

Random Poems

2007-11-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

So it looks like I haven't posted in over a year. Wow, I need to get back on top of this.

Here's a few poems I've wrote lately:
Don't Look Back
By Jessica Faulkner

So, here I am, being pulled in so many directions,
Trying to reach ultimate perfection
When all I need is a little bit of affection and to meet the intersection
Of life's true meaning
It would be so relieving if
I knew that I could just be believing in
Something.

We all sit here with our material things
Nobody sings
Or dreams
Or lives for anything these days
We live in a haze
That's drifting us further away, away, away…

Since when were we true to ourselves…
Did we listen to the light that dwells…
In our hearts?
We choose to embrace contamination
and the corrupted damnation
And forget to capture spiritualization
and inspiration.

Love is living in simple things
Learning from lessons life brings and sings through our delusions and confusions.
Death is around the corner
so cross the border
of barriers that carry you into whats safe.
Leave a trace
of a meaningful face
in this inspirational space.

And don't look back.

It's All You…
By Jessica Faulkner
Dedicated to Scott Chase

Detached from all the chaos and confusion of standard days of haze…
There's one thing that makes my heart beat and leap and love seeps into every deep retreat.
The tingles mingle with every single thought of his presence his essence, his…. Light.

Beaming light that shines so bright, takes flight through any deep, dark emotion…. this notion of someone so unbelievable… it's inconceivable and I never thought that he… would love someone as imperfect as me…
It makes no sense, this intense sense of…Clarity.

His golden locks flock around my anxiety filled blocks, he walks all over my downs and frowns with passion for life, forgets the strife, embraces rational thinking can't stop from day dreaming about his…Compassion.

Loving you is effortless it leaves me breathless and yearning for another kiss in our simple bliss… a passion filled wish, come true…. It's all you… Love.

Halloween 2006

2006-11-08T10:01:00.000-08:00
Halloween was awesome. Scott was Count Chocula and I was a witch. Scott got second place at the Halloween costume contest at his parent’s house. He was really mad that he didn’t get first and says that the voting was “rigged.”

I wore a really ugly nose for part of the time – but it was really hard to breath in and was REALLY over the top ugly… eh… I guess I decided to be a good which part of the time and a bad which part of the time haha.

Ike did not like his custom very much, but he wore it for a few hours:

Scott’s parents looked really good this Halloween. They were mountain man and woman and Becky was wearing a real wolf on her head!!

I had a pretty big party at my house on Halloween. There were some great costumes and I made witches brew which was a hit! I made a few people pose in a dance picture type format. It cracks me up.

All in all, it was a great Halloween 2006 and I can’t wait for Halloween to come again!

Back to school - AGAIN!

2006-10-18T21:30:00.000-07:00
So, school started again today and started off on a fantastic note! I walked into the classroom to find that one of my good friends from my undergraduate degree was in my class! I was greeted with a surprised “Hi, Jess!” After I dragged my butt out of work and drove 80 MPH to school, so I could get there on time, it was very delightful to see a friendly face. Much to my surprise, my Business Ethics teacher was hilarious! He’s an ex-lawyer who decided he wants to be a manager (how interesting?) Anyway, this man was hilarious and that made the three hour class SO much better. It also made the “Ethics talk” a lot more bearable. One of my assignments this week is to ask people controversial questions about life and analyze their answers (are you a Kantian? Are you an Aristotelian? OR are you Pufendorfian? Well… whatever you are – I will find out! And unless you read this stupid blog of mine, you will never know why I am asking you all these controversial questions… wuahaha… OK. I am done being a dork now.

Anyhoot… Life is good. Scott and I are going to Bali, Singapore and Hong Kong in November over Thanksgiving. I can’t wait! Mainly, I am excited to take pictures for 10 days! I am counting down the days!!!!

I have been getting back into photography lately and have joined a work photo contest. Some of my photos can be viewed here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicafaulkner/

If you like creative books, I suggest the book I am reading for my “Language of Strategy” class. It’s called “Orbiting the Giant Hairball.” I know it sounds weird, but it’s actually really cool and if you are looking to “open your mind,” like different books with half serious reading and half comic strips, or if you just want to read something refreshing, this is the book for you!

Here are a few photos I've taken lately to preview what you will see if you click the link above:

P.S. – Life is good! Remember: “Orbiting is following your bliss!”

"Early" life crisis?

2006-09-11T08:16:00.000-07:00
Life is so strange. I always sit here and think – about what? – more like, what not about? My mind moves a million trillion miles an hour at all times and if I could think of a way to make it stop – I would.

I recently purchased a VERY large book of Suduko puzzles… Yep, 264 pages of "Easy to not so easy challenges" a.k.a constant mind stimulation. Do you know what this means? This means it's time for me to get a new hobby! Haha.

The past year has been an interesting one. I got through my first year of graduate school, met tons of people I will never forget and probably will never see again, had challenging experiences, had doubt in myself, spent time with a wonderful man that I adore, been to a lot of fun parties, camped in a lot of fun places….

It seems like just yesterday the leaves were turning different colors and the storms were rolling in for the start of the winter season. I can't believe summer is already over. It's so depressing. I hate the days after summer equinox when the days start getting shorter and everyone starts going into hibernation (including myself). I keep having the strangest dreams and feelings and can't help but think it's because I am going through withdrawals from summer.

Am I the only one that worries about getting older? Losing more and more friends each year versus gaining them? Everyone's getting older, building their own lives, spending time with their new single friends or new significant others… It makes me sad because if anything, one goal for me in life is to hold on to good friendships forever, because you never know when your clock will stop ticking - you never know when will be the last time you will see one of your closest friends. Everyone takes everything for granted – including me.

Time is unpredictable and I hate it. You could say I am a control freak – yeah, probably, but is it so much to ask to keep in touch with old friends? I guess people change. I've changed and will continue to change probably more than ever. I guess I am just going through an early life crisis… is there such a thing?

Random CD and Movie Reviews...

2006-09-01T10:20:00.000-07:00
Random CDs you Should Listen too By Jessica Faulkner

AFI DecemberUnderground -

Wow, this is my favorite AFI CD yet as it sounds like AFI has moved in a more mature direction. The Killing Lights is my favorite song so far…but the whole CD is worth listening too/memorizing in my opinion. The guitar in each song is soothing, emotional and powerful. I definitely recommend this CD to anyone who loves experimental guitar and something a little different from AFI.

IndiaArie: Into the Lovely -

Although this CD isn’t as good as IndiaArie’s first CD, Voyage to India, it’s still pretty dang good. If you are looking for uplifting, "I love Jesus" music, this CD is for you. Plus, it’s always nice to get in touch with different beats, flavor and African American culture that India.Arie does a great job of mixing into her songs. India.Arie is a very talented artist worth checking out. My favorite songs on the album so far are "Good Morning," a perfect song to listen to when you wake up, and "There’s Hope," which I was playing on my myspace profile for way to long – haha.

Dashboard Confessional: Dusk and Summer -

I’ve been a little disappointed with this CD so far, but who knows, after I listen to it for a while it might be my favorite CD in the world. Don’t expect anything different from Dashboard – sounds like the same thing they’ve been doing from the beginning. This may be refreshing for you if you like their older stuff, but I was hoping for something a little bit more innovative.

Random Movie’s You Should See By Jessica Faulkner

Porky’s:

I know it’s a big shame, but last night was the first time I saw the movie "Porky’s" (yes, it was made in 1982 and I was born in 1984 so I guess it’s not that shocking). At least I saw it sooner then later. If you’re in for a lot of sexual humor, you should rent this film. Although the movie was older, I found myself cracking up uncontrollably during a few parts. Half way through the movie I was amazed to find that Kim Catrall (yes, your favorite girl, Samantha, from Sex and the City) was one of the teachers. It wasn’t surprising to see that Catrall’s role was sexual as a role for her wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t that way. It was delightful to see her in her younger years. Actually, the whole film was delightful.

V for Vendetta:

Moving back to the current generation, I had the opportunity to see V for Vendetta the other day. I was a little apprehensive about watching the film based on the name and the cover (it looked like some jacked up action film) - but when I actually got into it, it was quite intriguing. I really admire Natalie Portman’s ability to transform herself into such different roles and express such different emotions within those roles. V is fascinating, intelligent and an avid art lover who, behind the mask, just wants to make the world a better place. He realizes that "A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having!" And takes action on every chance he has to dance.

The Ikester...

2006-08-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

The Ikester is almost a year old now (In October). Bryce from work reminded me that I should probably post a blog about Ike since he is my pride and joy :) Thanks for the reminder B-money! For some reason blog spot won't let me add a rock you slide show, so if you want to see the slide show I made, go here: http://blog.myspace.com/jessicafaulkner
Baby Ike
Cuddlin with mom...
Ike's first swim and camp in Summer 2006
He really should be a model... I am not bias or anything.

Medulla Oblongata

2006-08-28T14:13:00.000-07:00
Medulla Oblongata is a pretty cool blog. You should check it out. It's my friend Bryce (a.k.a. B-money) from work

Busted...

2006-01-20T14:58:00.000-08:00
OK...cheesy I know, but I call dibs on the cow bell shirt... LOL!
http://www.bustedtees.com/

2005-07-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

These torch relay photos were in today's Draper/Sandy zone edition of the Deseret News. I look like a geek.

Deseret Morning News, Friday, July 29, 2005

Anniversary celebration

Tyler Sipe, Deseret Morning NewsJessica Faulkner, at right, releases 10 white doves at Draper City Hall this past month at a celebration to mark 10th anniversary of 1-800-Contacts. Below left, Joe Zeidner, general counsel, addresses crowd. In background is Draper City Manager Erik Keck. Below right, Keck runs in the relay.
Tyler Sipe, Deseret Morning News
Tyler Sipe, Deseret Morning News
© 2005 Deseret News Publishing Company

GOOD NEWS!!!

2005-04-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

I just got this e-mail from my professor:
Dear Jessie Girl,
It is with great pleasure and pride that I inform you that you have been selected as one of two seniors in the communication program to receive an "outstanding student" award at the Arts & Sciences awards program. The program will be art 5 p.m. Friday, April 29 in the Vieve Gore Concert Hall in the Jewett Performing Arts Center. You have shown great dedication to the program with your service on the Forum and have distinguished yourself in the classroom. I really will miss you. I hope to see you in the MPC program.
Fred
OH MY!!! I can't even believe this... It is honestly SURREAL. I hope those of you that go to Westminster can make it to the award ceremony! I want to thank everyone for their support---honestly, without my friends and family, I wouldn't have made it through college.

Electronic Portfolio/Senior Art Show

2005-03-29T06:54:00.000-08:00

I made an electronic portfolio composed of some of the articles I’ve written for the Westminster newspaper, my photography, and my graphic design. It is in the “rough stages” but if you want to check it out click this link--> My Online Portfolio

For anyone who is interested-- I am going to be in the senior art show at Westminster next week. Here is the info:

Senior Art Exhibit
The Senior Art Exhibit showcases the best work of our graduating Art majors. The exhibit will be in the Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory. All exhibits are open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM, and free to the public.

Opening Reception: April 4, 2005; Noon
Exhibit: April 4 - April 22
Love you all!

Trip to Florida

2005-03-02T13:47:00.000-08:00
So Florida was a blast! I got to hang out in the sun for six days… what else could a girl want?! We went to Disney World Magic Kingdom, Disney Epcot, Universal Studios, Universal Island Adventure, and Sea World… Yep… all five parks… OPEN to CLOSE… haha..

It was fun and all but it was definitely a trip vs. a vacation but I got to go on some awesome roller coasters!

The resort we stayed in was beautiful. It had four pools, two hot tubs, a lake, tennis courts, a gold course, etc. It was amazing. I wish I could have spent more time at the actual resort.

This week is Spring Break for Westminster and it has been nice to sit back and relax although there hasn't been any action… I wish there were some parties or something going on. It has been nice to be able to catch up on homework and misc. things. I'm getting a nice amount back for taxes so that is a good surprise. I want to find out more about investing my money. Does anyone know anything about investing? I think I am going to buy some books on the subject.

Anyway, I want to start my own business. In what? I don't know, but I am sick of working for other people and Scott's dad told me that being a business owner is the only way you can make any good money. I'm going to start looking into a few different businesses I can start. Anyone have any good idea's?

Everything in life has been going great (knock on wood).

The Internet...

2005-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:00
Yesterday, in my electronic communications class, we watched this movie about the Internet. It talked about how the Internet started, and why Bill Gates is so rich (I always love learning about how people get rich!). I learned that Bill Gates plan was definitely not fool proof though. I remember seeing him be in trouble for something on the news, but I wasn’t sure of why he was being sued.

Come to find out, he illegally offered Internet Explorer for free to compete with the first MAJOR Internet Service Provider (ISP) Netscape Navigator (unfair competition in the marketplace). This is why Bill Gates had to forfeit over a billion dollars in legal costs.

I’ve really been intrigued with the marketplace lately. I’ve been paying attention to monopolies, and fair commerce. I’m reading a book that you should all check out. It is called “The Tipping Point.” It is about how epidemics and trends start. I like reading books like this because I have the opportunity to figure out how to start my own trend. Hopefully I will be a billionaire one day.

I am happy my teacher made us watch that movie in class today. As a communicator, I think it is essential for us to know about the Internet. After all, that is the medium most of us will be communicating and working through for the rest of our lives. The movie also talked about how American's will have a lot of competition in the future, and already do have a lot of competition from other countries. For instance, many Indians learn from grade 8 how to do computer programming and speak English. Many American Internet companies hire Indians to do their computer programming because they will work for lower wages. Although we are technically the super power country of the world now, I am not sure that we will be in the future (based on the growth of the internet).

Other things that were included in this movie were interesting too:

-History of the Internet (How it began, WWW beginning, Hypertext, Networking)-E-commerce availability, browsers, JAVA (Netscape first big ISP, E-world, Excite, sex drives internet)-Advertising (the Montley Fool, books on Amazon.com)

I am loving school this semester. I am such a geek, I swear.

Update on social life:

Scott and I are doing VERY well. We are both excited to go to Florida in about two weeks. Scott is working on remodeling some of the rooms in his house. They are looking VERY nice. He is seriously one of those guys that can achieve anything when it comes to home improvement. Don’t you just love guys that can work with their hands?

Anyway, my sister Emily’s birthday is tomorrow. HAPPY B-DAY Emiline! I am looking forward to the weekend, but I have LOTS of reading to do.

I’ve been really impressed with my staff writers at the Westminster newspaper this semester (www.westminstercollege/forum). We have had some GREAT stories hit the press. Our readability is up, and the stories are getting better. I am so proud… so proud. To bad this is my last semester on the paper! Oh well, maybe you will see my name on Utah newspaper by-lines one day.

I love you all!

Electronic Communication

2005-02-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love my new communications class! It is seriously so interesting. Here is a paper I wrote about how we communicate as a society in this day and age.
The topic to write about was the printing press. My professor wanted us to talk about how the printing press affected people's communication in the 1450s, how the invention affects us now, and how the impacts of electronic communication are changing the way we communication in the world today.
Let me know what you think... I always love constructive criticism.
The "Message" is the Key
By Jessica Faulkner ©
In the 1450s Johann Gutenburg developed the printing press. In this paper I will discuss how the printing press affected it’s time, how the printing press affected the world’s communication and history, and how getting the “message” across in today’s society is the most important aspect of communication because of the new/different types of communication we deal with each day.
The invention of the printing press allowed the printed word to be distributed to the masses. Before Gutenburg developed the printing press, all that people had to communicate the written word, were wood-engraved letters. Gutenburg’s machine was used to advance communicated technology further for years to come.
After researching the topic a little more, I found that according to thinkpress.com, “Rome developed a printing press in 1465, but, because the rulers of many countries felt that the printed word encouraged people to rebel against their authority, they strictly controlled the amount of material that printers were allowed to produce.”
This made me think—if people were so concerned about how the word encouraged people to rebel against their authority back then—think about how shocked they would be if they saw how many ways we communicate with the printed word today! Thanks to the first amendment, only laws can control what people write today (such as libel, copy-write, and slander). And come to think of it, these laws really aren’t limited compared to what writers had to deal with back in the 1400s. Today, we don’t have the government controlling our journalism or writing.
J.D. Biersdorfer from The New York Times said, “cyberspace is a constellation of printing presses and bookstores, and these fundamental entities solidly covered by the First Amendment should not be shoehorned into broadcast-style Government regulations.”
Communication was able to grow and flourish because of Gutenburg’s invention. Like I mentioned above, it also paved the way for future communication inventions. Today, there is a new electronic communication invention every day. Whether it’s cell phones, game boys, palm pilots, blackberries, etc., there is new improvement and emphasis in communicating.
Rather than being concerned about the population getting “rebellious” with their communication (like in Gutenburg’s time), now the concerns for communication are if we are actually getting the message across. With how fast everything moves in today’s society, it is hard to know if people are communicating their message effectively. We have all of these outlets for communication, and yet we take them for granted by not communicating effectively with each other.
According to ecie.org, “Communication and information are the keys to understanding and knowledge.” So, if we as participants in a society don’t communicate effectively, is our society bound to have less knowledge and understanding? I say yes—based on the message we are trying to communicate. With the way our technological society is growing, we tend to lose grasp of certain topics because we are only choosing to communicate through certain mediums or with certain inventions. As communicators, it is essential that we make sure we are communicating as effectively as possible and remember that the “message” is the key.
In conclusion, electronic communication mediums are growing, and more electronic communication inventions are being developed each year—that is no reason to let the message that you are trying to communicate get weaker. We, as a society, need to strengthen our messages. In doing this, we will have a better knowledge and understanding of our surroundings and be able to take advantage of all of the new inventions we have the opportunity to use.

P.S.--

2005-01-21T07:12:00.000-08:00
P.S.--Some other incredible things have been happening in my life lately. I spoke in front of the SL Sugar House Authority Board and a huge audience last night. I am the chair of the 10th anniversary committee at my work, so I was there to get approval for using the park for our celebration. The presentation was at the SL county building, and it was SO exciting… my first real world speech J I thought you would all be proud haha…

P.S.S.—I just found out that I get free passes to the Sundance Film Festival since I work on the Westminster newspaper. We get free press passes as long as we write an article about one of the films. I am SO excited!

Art... Vegas... Life

2005-01-21T07:04:00.000-08:00
I am going to Vegas this weekend with Scott!! For the first part of the trip, Scott and I are just going to do whatever—hopefully go on the roller coasters, go swimming, hang out in the hot-tub, and just relax. On Saturday we are going to see his grandpa, and hang out with his family who is driving down tomorrow. I haven't been to Vegas for a LONG while, so I am SO EXCITED! Too bad I am not 21 yet :(… oh well, six more months and I will be 21! This year will be a good one (lots of 21st birthday parties to go too)! I graduate before I turn 21! How crazy is that?! I seriously need a vacation so this is definitely a good thing!! I am also going to Florida at the end of February for a week. We are going to Disney World, Epcot Center, etc. The hotel is amazing!!! I am so excited; I haven’t been on a REAL vacation (meaning anything but camping) in SO long.

I really love my classes this semester. I am taking Art History-Impressionism to Post Modernism, Newspaper Editing, Electronic Communication, the school newspaper (of course!), and photojournalism… I really like my art class since it is somewhat different from all the classes I have been taking in the past few years (my major requirements).

I went to the fine art museum up at the U yesterday and found this amazing painting about the riots in LA in 1991. It was a mixed media piece with amazing color, historical meaning, and feeling… you should all check it out if you get a minute. There are also some great photographers being displayed. The exhibit is currently spotlighting african-american culture. It is simply amazing.

I forgot how much I love art galleries. I love getting lost in other people’s art—it only helps my art get better, stronger, more meaningful… plus, it’s so nice to learn about history through art.

That I would be good....

2005-01-06T13:56:00.000-08:00
In the famous words of Billy Madison, “Back to school! Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool! I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight! Ohhhh, back to school! Back to school! Back to school! Well, here goes nothing!”

Yeah…. I am now back in school, and goodness, it seemed like a SHORT break… all of my friends who go to the U or SLCC are laughing out loud at me because I had to go to school a freaking WEEK earlier than them…I’ll show them when I get out of school a week earlier than them! Wuahahaha…. What in the world… I am in the weirdest mood today. I have to go to my two hour long art history class in 20 minutes. I really like that class except for the fact that it is TWO HOURS long… what the heck is up with that?!

Oh well, better just grin and bare it since it’s my last semester. Anyway, I am going snowboarding this Saturday if my life depends on it! I haven’t even been up to the resorts yet, and it makes my stomach cringe! There is such beautiful snow up there right now so if you call me and I answer my phone on Saturday any time between noon and 4 p.m. tell me to go snowboarding!

Any hoot, my classes this semester seem like they will be pretty easy. I just have to ready my gargantuan art history book every night and be a good little student and then ALL IS WELL because I will be done with my undergraduate degree! YAY!

I am going to a really cool art gallery on Friday presented by my friend Chris Bailey. If you want to go with me you should call me because I guarantee there will be some breath-taking art there. I am also going to my friend Andrew’s show afterwards, so you should all come hang out this weekend! I miss you, and I am a social mood… so let’s go get coffee, or make out…which ever you prefer.

I hope you are all doing well! I love you!

B*A*N*A*N*A*S

2004-12-27T13:18:00.000-08:00
I thought I was going to get a break for the holidays (as far as running around like a chicken with my head cut off) but I was wrong… I have still been running around like a chicken with my head cut off… I had to do all my Christmas shopping last minute because I had finals and such for school, but now that Christmas is over, hopefully I will get to relax and enjoy life for a few days.

I got back to school Jan. 5. It is my last semester for my undergraduate degree, but I am planning on going to get my master’s right after I graduate. I was contemplating whether I wanted to go to law school or get my master’s, but I feel like getting my master’s is a better step for me right now. It’s been a WAY hard decision, but I decided that I just need to do SOMETHING, or else I will be stuck in a rut…and I hate being stuck in ruts.

I got some AWESOME stuff for Christmas…. It’s all about the D*D*R mat, with the D*D*R game… I love dance dance revolution… I don’t care how much you all make fun of me while I play… I LOVE IT!!

I hung out with a bunch of my friends on Christmas and I have to say, it was the BEST Christmas ever. Thanks to all of you who made it that much better…

Last Final Today!!!

2004-12-13T07:29:00.000-08:00
I am so sick of studying. I can't wait for my last final to be over today at 3 p.m. After that --It's PARTY time!!!

Seriously though, I am so excited to relax and not have to worry about school for a few weeks. It is surreal that I am so close to graduation....

I've been so anti-social lately. I think it’s because I've been so stressed out with school. I'm also getting sick of doing the same thing every weekend. I wish I could do something fun, new and adventurous...

I miss taking pictures. I miss walking aimlessly around downtown while searching for my next photo. Now that I have a break, I am going to shoot like twenty rolls... It's the only time I have time to enjoy myself (when schools out).

I was happy that I made it to the Willem Dafoe concert on Friday. Those boys can sure rock out... It was good to see Ed too. I got to give him a big, well-deserved hug (since he’s been going through a hard time lately). I wish I could have given him $1,000 but I’m a poor college student…

I also got to see my old best friend Joey. I hate seeing my old friends because it makes me realize how much I miss them. I love all the people I hang out with now too, I just wish we could all get together like the good ol’ days.

I’m almost done with my Christmas shopping J At least that’s good news! I can’t wait to see my family over the holidays…

Finals Week--Ah!!

2004-12-07T15:19:00.000-08:00
Life has been good lately—good, but stressful. I finally have two class finals out of the way so I can study for my last two finals (which are the most important of all of them). On Thursday night I have my final Web site design presentation. Yes, your very own Jess designed a Web site. Here is the URL http://people.westminstercollege.edu/students/jlf0612/Index.html/
if you want to check it out. It is still in its rough stages but it’s pretty close to the final product J

I am totally getting in the mood for Christmas… my favorite holiday of the year! I don’t like the stress that comes with Christmas, but I do love the cuddles by the fire, time with friends and family, sipping hot cocoa/cider and just relaxing for once in my life.

I went to see my sister-in-laws master’s piano recital on Saturday. She is so talented! I couldn’t even follow her fingers on the keys! It was cute to see her so happy, and my brother so happy.

I am trying to get my Christmas cards finished so I can send them out to my friends and family. All it will take is a whole ten hours of dedication on my part. I love making them, but it’s hard to find the time to fit in everything I want to do.

Good news though, my work (1-800 CONTACTS) just gave me a new company cell phone and they are paying my bill every month! That means I am gaining more respect from the company I work for, and that means I am one happy little girl. Honestly though, I’m REALLY excited to be so young, and already in a challenging, fun work environment. I love the people I work with, I love the company I work for---what else can you ask for?

Scott and I are doing very well. We’ve just been working hard, and getting ready for our Christmas vacation by putting up the Christmas decorations. I am happy he loves Christmas as much as I do! I am so excited to be going to Disney World in February! You have no idea how much I need a vacation…and I will be gone for a whole week!

I hope you are all well. I love and miss you!