Christmas Fiasco

So this is kinda outdated, but oh well.

Christmas this year was possibly the worst Christmas I've had. All I really wanted for Christmas was to fly home and be with my family. I really missed all the kids, and wanted to be there for the Holidays. It was difficult to plan my trip home because I had just started my new job, and didn't really have any time off. I was scheduled to work on Christmas day, and was really bummed about it. Because I only work 4 nights a week, I essentially have 3 1/2 days off. So I planned to fly home Monday morning right when I got off work, and return Christmas day, so I could be to work that night. It would only be a couple days, but it would be worth it.

For Christmas Eve, my mom was putting together a little program for the family. She wanted us all to sing What Child Is This as part of the program. She told me she wanted me to play the guitar, my brother to play his violin, and my sister or sister-in-law to play the piano, and wanted me to find an arrangement for that. I was unsuccessful in finding one that fit, so I composed my own. I spend many hours each day for a week, composing and arranging my version of What Child Is This, for violin, guitar, and piano. I had it all put together and emailed out copies of the music to everybody so they could practice it. We were all really excited about it.

This is where the exciting things end! On Monday morning, I left work and drove to the airport. There had been an insane amount of snow in Portland, and many flights were cancelled that weekend. I was opitomistic, however, because reports were coming from Portland that they were allowing most flights in that day. I sat in the airport for a couple hours, and we were given the go ahead to fly to Portland. So we all boarded the plane, took our seats and buckled up. As they were closing the door to the airplane, a Southwest employee came running down the jetway to stop us. He got ont he loudspeaker and infomed us that Southwest had decided to cancel the flight anyway. People didn't move, they just sat there in dismay. I wanted to yell out to the guy, "you ruined my whole life!" but exercised some restraint. I gathered my things and slowly made the long depressing journey through the airport back to the parking lot. I called my family and told them I wasn't coming home for Christmas and they were pretty devastated. It was a horrible feeling. But to twist the dagger, I didn't have ANY money to get my car out of the parking lot. I had been working, but didn't get my first paycheck for a few more days. So I had to call the Bank of Dad. I sat there in the parking lot, depressed, and waited for my dad to deposit some money in my account so I could get out. The drive back to my apartment in Provo seemed much longer than usual, and I cried most of the way. I had talked to my sister, and when I told her, she was really sad. And that was the breaking point for me, cried all the way home. I would not be home for Christmas, I would not see my family, and we would not be able to perform the song I had put so much time into and we had all practiced.

The worst part about it, I was the only person in the entire city of Provo. The place is a ghost town for two weeks during the Holidays. All my roommates were gone home, so I was completely alone for Christmas.

A ray of hope came from some dear friends and their families. I was invited to spend Christmas morning with the Moses family in Highland, which was very nice. I felt very comfortable with them, and enjoyed my time. In the afternoon, I came back to my apartment to sleep, but my roommate's family came over and brought their entire Christmas dinner and cooked it in our apartment, so that I could join them. It was very good. In the evening, I went and spent a few hours at the bishop's house with his family. There was a lot of people there, and we had a good time.

So Christmas didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would be, but I was still very sad I didn't get to spend it with my family. However, I was able to move my flight to the following week. I spend a few days at home, and it was very nice. I was so happy to see the grandkids and spend time with my family and friends. The trip was short, and I soon had to come back to Utah and work.

Overall, the happiness was just enough to outweigh the incredible disappointments and sadness. It ended up a good holiday, but one I'd rather not have to repeat. I have always loved and appreciated my family, but I came to really appreciate the hospitality and love of other families.

Thank you to the Moses, Crandall and Yarro families, for inviting me into your family for the holiday, and even giving me gifts. Your love will long be remembered. Forever, thank you.

New Job

After months of job hunting, and lots of cold leads, I finally was hired on at a company called DirectPointe, in Lindon, UT at the beginning of December. They are and IT Solutions company, building and managing networks for small to medium size businesses, specializing in the medical and education sectors. My job title is Customer Support Engineer. I do network support, mostly over internet chat, for our clients. Right now I am working on the night shift, 10-12 hours a night, 4 nights a week. I really like my job. Even when I am exhausted and want to sleep at night, I'm still happy to go to work. The money is good, and I have full benefits, with room to move around within the company. I really enjoy the work as well, and have learned quite a bit about networking. However, the biggest thing I've learned is that I have alot more to learn. My body is getting used to the new sleep schedule, but not the new eating schedule. I was surprised how stubborn my body is to change eating habits. I usually eat meals at 7pm before I go to work, between 2 and 3am for my lunch break, and a small breakfast before I go to bed in the morning (usually between 8 and 9am). It has been rather difficult to get used to this, as I am constantly sick to my stomach after nearly every meal. I have started to figure out a few things to prevent me from getting ill, but its trial and error. Hopefully I'll get a handle on it soon, as it is no fun being sick to my stomach all the time.

Besides work, I haven't been doing much. My social life has suffered, cause I work Thurs-Sun nights, so I miss out on a lot of stuff. But I am happy to be working, and to finally have money. I am quickly paying off my debts, and once I do, I have a few treats to buy for myself. However, I think I'll try saving money to buy stuff, instead of buying it with the bank's money. It sucks when they ask for it all back.

So work is good, life is good, and 2009 is looking to be a much better year for me than 2008 was.

Zune vs. iTunes

Simply put, the Zune music software is far superior to iTunes.

The problem was, Apple flooded the mp3 player market a few years ago with the iPod. I myself never cared for the iPod. Because of this, everybody is stuck using iTunes to organize their music. Problem is, iTunes sucks. Why would I want iTunes to make a separate copy of every song I have in my library, and turn it into an inferior AAC file? I don't. I don't buy single songs, and I don't do playlists. I buy full albums and listen to full albums. And if I'm gonna spend the money, I certainly don't want to download the album in a stripped down AAC version file. I prefer to buy CD's, rip them onto my computer in .wma lossless format, full CD quality. I want to take all my music with me, so I put them on my Zune and take them with me, all 50G of my music right there in my pocket, in full CD quality. I don't waste time with cheap "standard issue" headphones, I pay good money for a nice pair of inner ear, noise isolating earbuds. Through these earphones, I can clearly hear the difference in sound quality.

Now, the Zune software is only compatible with one digital music player, the Microsoft Zune. I prefer the interface much more over the iPod, personal preference. I paid only $250 for my 80 gig Zune, and love it. (As a special promotion, I even got my favorite Brand New lyric engraved on the back, for free).

The controls and interface within the Zune software is very easy to navigate and use, much more so than iTunes, and it doesn't try to control my whole computer like iTunes wants to. The "now playing" screen is amazing, with multiple animations. The newest version, pictures of the band fade in and out, with text overlaid with info about the song, the album, the band, etc. It even shows up with the number of plays that particular song has had by all registered Zune users. The Zune network is a community of music lovers, all connected by the music they love.

Now for purchasing music. iTunes has one option, you pay $.99 per song, or however much for the album. You may do the same through Zune, but they also offer a subscription model. For $15 a month, you can download as much music as you want, and have the media usage rights as long as you subscribe. For people who listen to a wide array of music, this is perfect. Also, the software is compatible with more audio file types, so it will gather and play all your music, whether its wma, mp3, wav, or AAC, as well as multiple picture and video formats. It gives more freedom than iTunes does, and it doesn't make a separate copy, like iTunes does.

Microsoft is much further along in the software functionality and features. In the most recent iTunes update, many of the "new features" were features that Zune has had for 2 years. But iTunes isn't "catching up," microsoft is pushing its Zune music software much further than any other music organizing software on the market, and they continue to be on the edge of development. Zune users are very happy, and very satisfied, with very few complaints, (the software runs a little slow if you have an old computer). I hear many complaints about iTunes, and even with a great system and the newest update, my iTunes still runs fritzy and slow. I am forced to put up with iTunes to sync my iPhone. It is a great phone, I love it, I always say it was the best purchase I ever made. However, when it comes to music, I still us my Zune, and always will. Nobody is even close.

November

Again, the month of November was primarily spend hunting for jobs. After the economy crashed, it became much harder to find employment. I have been working on getting a job at DirectPointe, for a couple different positions. Right before thanksgiving, I had an interview as a Network Operations Specialist. It went well, and I was invited back for a second interview, but because of the holiday, it hasn't happened yet. I am confident, and Clayton says I have a good chance.

The weekend of the 8th I drove up to Idaho for 2 weddings. My cousin Ace got married in Mud Lake, and my buddy Dave was married in Idaho Falls. Also, I stayed with some close friends in Rexburg. It was a little hectic juggling my schedule, but it was a great weekend. Spent time with my cousins, which was great, it had been a while. I fell in love with girl that was waiting tables at Applebees. She was cute, and she was wearing a Peyton Manning jersey, which was almost everything I've ever wanted in a girl. Problem is, I didn't even talk to her, cause I'm a big giant puss. So that's that. Anyway, the trip was fun, good to see family.

My birthday was pretty low key this year. No big party or anything. I went out to Tucanos for lunch with my roommates, then just kinda relaxed the rest of the day, watched a movie. I didn't ask for any gifts, because my parents have given me lots of money in the last couple months to help me weather the storm until I get a job and can pay my own bills again. It was still a pretty good birthday, and I still got gifts.

For thanksgiving, I wasn't going to be able to go home, because I couldn't afford it, and wasn't sure if I would have a job by then and have to work. But on the wednesday of, my brother told me he would pay for my gas to get home if I would watch his kids for a couple days while I was there. I accepted, packed my car and was on my way. I drove all the way home, good weather the whole way, and got there around midnight. I stayed at my brother Tyler's house for the weekend. Thanksgiving was great, the whole family was together. I had a great time. I babysat my nephews Alex(3) and Aiden(1o months) all day Saturday. It was enjoyable, harder than I thought it would be. I was up a couple times in the night with Aiden, but not for too long. I planned on leaving pretty early to drive back, but didn't hit the road until about 9:30am. Not 6 miles down the freeway I blew a tire. So I lost about and hour and a half while Walmart put a new tire on. They're the only tire place open on Sunday. So then I had to drive fast the rest of the day (not like I wouldn't have before). I made it back to Provo around 11:30, and went to sleep, I was exhausted, and sore. It was a really great trip though. I love spending time with family and friends. I got to play football, eat turkey, and go to a concert. Good weekend. Long drive though.

October

So the whole month of October was spent job hunting. I applied at many different places, but didn't hear back from them right away. The first bite I got was with a company that specializes in installing window coverings and treatments in hotels. It paid well, lots of travel, good company. I interviewed with them and worked one day, but then I heard back from all the other places and had 5 other interviews set up, so I put that job on hold. My dad tried to get me a job at a semiconductor place in Orem, great pay, great schedule, great company. I interviewed with them and it was very promising, but then all of a sudden it went cold, and they didn't hire me. I had all but signed a the papers at Sundance as a lift operator, but I think they wanted more references. They didn't hire me. Everything else went cold as well, except a for a possible job at DirectPointe.

Besides the job hunt, not too much else happened in October.

Catching Up

So, alot has happened since my last post, a decade ago. Abridged version: In the spring, I was suspended from BYU until Fall 2009 for bad grades. I worked all summer as a Manager at a full service carwash and detail shop. I worked 6 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, and did nearly everything there. But then it all went sour and the place went bankrupt and closed its doors leaving me unemployed. Instead of avidly looking for a job, I decided to play instead. On a 4-wheeling campout at Little Sahara in central Utah, I jumped off a quad and messed up my knee. After x-rays, exams, and and MRI, I found out my Lateral Meniscus was torn beyond repair. My parents offered to fly me home to Washington for the surgery and recovery for a month. So I had the surgery the first week of September at Providence Medical Center in Portland. The recovery was rather easy and quick. I'm flying back to Utah on the 30th, because I have to be at a Yellowcard concert that night in Logan. Might not be the greatest idea since I'm still in recovery, but oh well, I have a reputation to keep.

Balloons and Bribes

I got home from work tonight around 7:30. Our FHE group meets on the lawn across from my house, so they all see me pull up and I am forced to join them. I got there just in time for the activity, water balloon tossing. It stayed in control for about 18 seconds before people were throwing them at each other. When that got old, we started looking for other targets. We decided that a mother pushing a stroller would be heartless, and that a moving target on a motor scooter would be dangerous. Then a pizza delivery car approached. Everybody had the exact same immature smile as I did, but I was the only one with the intent to actually carry out the act. Eric dared me to do it and placed the water balloon in my hand. It was rather perfect: the wind up, the release, the timing. Right in the center of the windshield, perfect. I prematurely thought that the fun was over. Then the driver slammed on the brakes and came to a skidding, screeching stop. From all the way down the street we heard the shout, "what the f*** do you think you're doing!!!" It was a deep, manly voice, but we soon realized it was a woman, a very angry woman, mid 20's. Jared was the only one who had my back, everybody else acted like they had never even met me. Before I could apologize, she and Jared were arguing about the funniness of the act. Jared was convinced that it was pretty funny, and she was vehemently adamant that it was in fact, not funny at all. She ranted about how that was her delivery car, and that she didn't appreciate the water balloon. Jared tried to point out that water was actually harmless, and would have no effect on her windshield. She was so mad that she was twitching and ready to fight. I butted in and told her that it was me that threw it and that I was apologetic. She accepted my apology but was still pissed that Jared was smiling still. By now she realized that she wasn't gonna make any headway with us, and left to deliver her pizza's. As Jared and I returned to the group, we were not greeted friendly, and I could tell that I was now a big A-hole in the eyes of many of the people in my ward. Not that I'm too worried about that though. Again, I thought that this was the end of the story, but I was false. About 15 minutes later, a Provo City Police car pulled up in front of us. I was the first to approach him, with Jared right beside me, and Eric close behind. Still, nobody had our backs. The officer asked us if we had been throwing water balloons and Jared quickly responded that we had not. Then the officer pointed out that our clothes were wet. I said, "oh, well I work at a car wash and I get wet. Hey, do you want a free car wash? I got a free car wash pass right here just for you. Can I get in trouble for that, is this bribery or something?" He said no, and said that he would like the free car wash. I said "yeah, I don't need you rollin around with a dirty squad car, all dusty, with these flashing lights covered in bugs and junk. That is a public safety issue, officer, I just can't have that. I won't allow it," and I handed him the card for a free wash. I told him where we were located and he was grateful. He almost forgot all about the water balloon incident. He said "oh yeah, were you guys throwing water balloons?" We told him that we had indeed been involved in some water balloon activities that had gotten out of hand and escalated into an unfortunate automobile-water-ballooning. He told us that they had received a call that we had almost caused an accident, and that it was dangerous. Jared said shockingly, "that does sound dangerous." We apologized for the unfortunate turn of events, and he thanked me for the free wash and went about his business. I was so "in the flow" while talking to him, that I didn't even realized that I had bribed him until after he left. And then I was even more excited. I informed all the onlookers that I had bribed him with a free car wash and he was satisfied. My fellow ward members opinion of me turned from looking down on me to looking up to me. It was a great personal victory. I can't wait for him to come into the wash tomorrow so I can share the story with my coworkers.