My birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. I am actually not surprised to be any age any more. 26 is a good age. I went out and bought $50.00 worth of Tolkien books with the money Mandi's parents gave me. I'm sort of on a Tolkien craze right now. I'm sure it will end when I finish them all. Kind of like my Harry Potter craze. Once those books ended I had to find something new to go to.

Mandi made me some dinner last night. It was really good and she did a little experimenting with spinach, chicken, and Parmesan. I've been wanting something with spinach for a long time. We then watched Munich. It was good but probably the most different Speilburg movie I have seen. It's amazing how terrorism starts, and builds.

Adding on to this list I also got some money from my parents to put towards my vacation fund which puts me above my goal for the month. woo hoo

Book Report

Fellowship of the Ring...Many people have told me if you want to read any of Tolkiens books good luck. Most people who have read The Hobbit told me it was good but the Lord of the Rings trilogy was a little too descriptive and slow. I decided to take the challenge after reading the Hobbit to finish reading the books of Middle Earth because I love Tolkiens writing style.

Fellowship of the Ring is an amazing book filled with characters that I care about and some of the most descriptive history of the world they live in. The story moves forward very well and branches off with so many tales I want to look into. I really thought the movies were some of the best movies ever made but if you really want to know the whole story pick up the books. I am now in the middle of The Two Towers.

I plan on making a visit to the bookstore this week to buy some more books on the history of middle earth. Never has a book series swept me off to far away lands that seam like a long lost home to me...

I know many of you do not agree with my views but I believe that we need someone running this country that does not run away from questions, people who they have been affiliated with and their own past. Someone who can explain himself. In this speech Barack Obama lets everyone know what his goal is for this country. Pretend it is your favorite person running for office and then choose weather you liked this speech. It is 36 minutes long but if you listen from beginning to end you will fully appreciate and understand what he means.

I just thought I would update you on what's going on with the car. I'm half way done with sanding the paint off. Here are a couple of pictures that show the ugly brown maroon vs the shiny silvery metal. Once I get it completely sanded down and some dents filled in I will take it in to get painted. Woo hoo!

DANCING. It aint what it used to be...

Hellsapoppin 1941. Have you ever seen anyone lindy like this group.

Congradulations James!!!

This is my best friend James being interviewed for a film he made that was entered into a shorts film festival. For those of you who don't know James and I have been best friend since high school.

Book Report

Not many of you know this but I have a goal to read 24 books this year. That's much better one book or none at all. I took on this challenge because I plan on being a Teacher in the future. It has been pretty hard to keep up with this challenge but so far I have read three books. 2001 A Space Odyssey, Contact and a few days ago I finished The Hobbit. If you have not had a chance to read the Hobbit I think it is time you've picked it up. It was one of the funnest books I have read.



Poor Bilbo can never say no even when his heart isn't in it. A Group of 13 Dwarfs show up at his door one day and tell him he is going to be their burglar on a long and dangerous journey. Guided by a wizard and not very well prepared their journey takes them through forbidden lands with Trolls, Goblins and Elves. When enslaved in Dungeons or threatened into being squashed into jelly, Bilbo always comes out the savior of the dwarfs with a little luck from a ring he comes across.

You are never too young to pick up this adventure. Bilbo was about 50 when he had his ;)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Who else is excited???

Who Wants to Go to Space?

Last month I read the book "2001 A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke and this month I am reading "Contact" by Carl Sagan. Through the years of my life I have developed a keen interest in the ways of the universe. I bought a cheap telescope when I returned home from my mission just to look up in the sky and see what is up there. I've seen the craters on the Moon, the rings of Saturn, and even the moons of Jupiter and it's famous,"Red Spot." The only nebula I have seen is the Orion Nebula for my telescope is very low power.

In the past few years I have discovered the private space industry is achieving what only three nations have in the world. Putting a man into space. Right now Virgin Galactic owned by Richard Branson is in the process of building a fleet of spaceships designed by scaled composites Burt Ratan. You may not know this but Burt Ratan's "Spaceship One" completed the first sub orbital flight by a privately funded space program back in October of 2004. The first 100 tickets were sold at $200,000 each.

Bigelow Aerospace has launched two trial inflatable "Space Habitats." Thats right, inflatable. He plans to have a fully functional space habitat for humans by 2011 and years following the habitat will be available for commercial use. A one month stay at
the space habitat will cost $15 million. Not a bad price considering a ten day stay at the International Space Station costs 20 to 30 million.

There are many other space endeavors in the private space industry. Alamogordo New Mexico is building a spaceport for the private industry. The Spaceport will be home to company's like Virgin Galactic and other privately funded space programs.

Who hasn't looked up at the stars at night and said,"I want to go there someday."

The following link is where you might someday make your first spaceflight.

http://www.spaceportamerica.com/photo-gallery/

One of a kind MIKA Show!!!

Oh my gosh. Mandi and I went to the coolest concert ever in salt lake city this weekend along with her cousin Margot and my brother Bobby and his girlfriend Jenny. All of Mika's equipment was stuck in Wyoming and his insurance company told him to cancel the show. But he said "F-it" and found a bunch of instruments and rocked out for us. He may have been two hours late but he didn't upset the crowd at all. He even refunded $10 of everyones $25 tickets back. Nice guy. We all sang at the tops of our lungs and he played like a mad man on stage along with his awesome band. I said if he ever comes anywhere close to Utah we would be there. Lucky I got a one of a kind show and I was right up front:). Thanks MIKA.





All of us cold as heck outside!!