Brandon's Brainwaves

Edwards Theater Uses Cheap Projectors and Blind Projectionists?

2009-05-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

I saw a movie this morning. Fun times with the family, OK movie, horrible image quality. First it was out of focus. Then it was in focus (after I notified the customer service rep), but still looked crappy. Most likely the theater is just using a cheap-o projector and some teenager to run it. I love the movies, but rarely have the chance to go to the theater. In fact it had been quite a while since I had sat in a theater. After today I'm not very motivated to spend $20+ to watch a movie in a theater again when it looks 100 times better on my HDTV (thank you Blu-ray). You would think that the film industry would be trying to find ways to add value and make themselves relevant in our modern age. Instead, they are using cheap projectors and overpriced concessions to keep people away. Oh well, I like my recliner better than a theater seat anyway.

Walking Around Discovery Lake

2009-05-17T23:19:00.001-07:00

I love to get outdoors and be around nature. That can be difficult with a busy work schedule. Fortunately, we have a nice little pond near our house where we can watch the birds, see people fishing and just enjoy the view. My favorite part is seeing all of the families out for a walk. I shot this video at the end of December using the new tripod that I got for christmas.

Discovery Lake from Brandon on Vimeo.

Where have all the people gone?

2009-03-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

Why is it so hard to think of things to write on a blog? Is it the long days staring at a computer screen at work? Is it the hour or two of horseplay with a toddler? Is it the hour or so of mindlessly watching the television before turning off my brain and heading to bed? I love reading and thinking and talking with other people. But when it comes time to share my thoughts with the world, I freeze up.

I wonder if it is a result of my social reality. Other than professional relationships, I live in a cocoon. My wonderful wife and son fill my life. But outside of ourselves, we often feel isolated. Most interactions with other humans take place through a computer or on a TV screen or on the phone. Frankly, most interactions just don't happen often at all.

I recently started working in Encinitas, right in the village. During my lunch breaks I started riding a bike through town, watching all of the people as I go. The hustle and bustle, the comings and goings. People actually walk, rather than drive. It's precisely what I feel has been missing from my life. The casual human element. The sense of community that comes from the physical interactions of humans. You don't get that in cars. You don't get it on the computer or on the phone. You get it standing next to someone at a crosswalk, or waiting in line at the taco shop, or watching the waves crash on the beach from the top of an ocean cliff.

I doubt I am the only one that feels this way. And yet, so many of us go about our lives, content to pursue fortune, fame or possessions, all the while missing out on the people around us. Sadly, I will likely go right back to my usual routine the moment I have finished writing this post, alone in my office...

New Job

2009-02-06T21:22:00.001-08:00

I recently moved on from my last job and have taken a position as an Online Producer for an advertising agency in Encinitas. I am currently helping to launch several corporate websites for international companies in the golf industry. I learned a lot in my last job, but this new opportunity was too good to pass up. I am very excited and think this going to end up being a great long term career move.

One of my favorite things about my new employer is that we are located right next to the beach. So, on my lunch breaks I often walk down to the beach and watch the waves break. It is so relaxing and helps me stay balanced and focused throughout the day.

More Surfing Fun

2008-12-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we visited the central coast where Lianna's grandparents live, While there, I snapped a couple of nice photos of the surf.
Also, this weekend we had a nice swell with great conditions. I grabbed a couple of shots before heading out into the water. Fortunately, the waves were as fun to ride as they were to look at.

I Wish I Could Print Money Out of Thin Air Too!

2008-11-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

Seven Trillion Dollars! Allegedly, that is the amount of money the US Federal Government has loaned/spent/given/(wasted?) to try to save the financial system.

While an actual recovery would obviously take more than a month or two, you would expect such massive government intervention to inspire renewed confidence in the average citizen.

It doesn't seem to be working. At least not for this citizen. I can't understand where the $7 trillion comes from? Did the government have $7 trillion sitting in a bank account somewhere? No, they decided to spend money that they don't have (also known as going into debt). How can they do that? Easy. They spend money they don't have, because they know they can just print the money and force us to repay the debt on their behalf, since we are the government.

Usually, when one goes into debt, it is to acquire an asset or some other item of value like a home, car or education. So far, no items of value have been identified in exchange for this massive amount of money the government has given to poorly managed and corrupt international corporations. While the idea of buying "toxic assets" to free up capital for these large banks was first presented as the most important part of the bailout, Economic Dictator Henry Paulson decided that wasn't such a good idea after all (you mean buying $Billions worth of "toxic assets" isn't a good idea?). Instead, he has been pumping money to countless banks and corps without any congressional oversight or transparency.

Considering that this entire mess seems to have been caused by bad borrowing and governmental manipulation (hello Federal Reserve), I fail to see how increased governmental debt will make anything better.

Enjoying the beach in November

2008-11-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

When we were newlyweds, my wife would come with me to the beach and take pictures while I surfed. It was lots of fun while it lasted. Now we have a kid and she can't afford to take her eyes of off him while I'm in the water. However, this past week she brought her point and shoot camera with us and snapped a couple of shots from the beach. The weather was great, especially for November. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place.

Adventures in Advertising

2008-08-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

I have procrastinated this post. I started my new job the day after we returned from our family trip to Wisconsin. We had a great time visiting with Steve and Marie. So far the job has been good. There was the typical transition time, but I am feeling pretty comfortable. There are about 35 employees at my company, which is nice because I am getting to know everyone I work with. I have had a lot of good opportunities to jump right into the job and demonstrate that I can do the job. I have had lots of learning experiences and I feel like I have already done a lot of things that will hopefully help me move up.

Moving On

2008-06-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

After 11 months at Sony it is time for my next career challenge. I have accepted a position with an interactive advertising agency, as a New Business and Account Coordinator. I will be spending part of my time working with the new business development team and the rest of my time supporting account services. I am sad to leave Sony because I made several good friends there and enjoyed the challenge of learning more about the retail and consumer electronics industries. However, I am very excited about my new job. I have wanted to get into advertising ever since college when I took my first marketing communications class. I am particularly excited to combine my love for creative work with my skills in business. Best of all, everyone I have met so far at my new job has been so nice. I have a feeling this is going to be a great place for me to learn, grow and make a difference.

More Movie Madness

2008-05-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last friday Lianna's family had a little get together. I brought a camera that I was testing for work and I had all of the cousins dance around and make a little music video. We had a great time.

Backyard Rock from Brandon on Vimeo.

Making movies is fun

2008-04-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Things have been going OK in my world. I am a little stressed out because I only have several months left on my current work contract. Unfortunately, they aren't adding any new positions so it doesn't look like I will be staying with Sony unless a new position comes available in another group. Because of that, I am eager to find a new job. To take my mind off of everything, Lianna and I made a little movie last weekend. We didn't have a script, we are not good actors and we only took a few minutes to shoot it, but it was lots of fun. I hope you enjoy it!

Three's a Crowd from Brandon on Vimeo.

Its like a new car!

2008-03-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

I am excited because I got a new paint job on my car. What, it still looks the same? Ok, so I didn't change the color, but the paint on the hood started peeling several months ago so I decided to have the entire car repainted. While at the paint shop they removed all the little dings and dents. And since I was focused on my car for a little while, I decided to put on a new suspension. I think it all looks really nice. Next up, new wheels and tires.

Hanging out at Sea World

2008-03-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Lianna's friend Alli came into town with her daughter Emily. They came to celebrate Emily's birthday. So we all went to Sea World. We had a lot of fun. Sadly, it was cloudy and a little cold, but that didn't stop us from having a good time. We saw Shamu, touched dolphins, rode a water ride and played with sharks. Ok, so we didn't play with sharks, but that tunnel through the shark tank is really cool.

Sea World Adventure from Brandon on Vimeo.

Winter Sunsets

2008-02-27T12:33:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things in life is the sunset. Few things are as peaceful as an evening surf session watching the sun go down as the waves roll in. Here are a couple of sunsets from the last week.

Winter Sunsets from Brandon on Vimeo.

Winter in San Diego

2008-02-26T00:27:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we got a surprise storm. It was super cold (for San Diego) and very wet. The snow level came down to about 1000ft and the local mountains got covered. I decided to take some pictures. This one is a panorama that I tried to do. Its not perfect, but I love the fact that this is the view we get to look at when we walk outside of our apartment.

A Day at the Zoo

2008-02-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

On New Year's eve we went to the zoo with our family and friends. Our soon to be brother-in-law Richard got everyone tickets. He even arranged for a private show with some exciting and exotic animals. It was a great day!

A Day at the Zoo from Brandon on Vimeo.

I'm still alive

2008-01-31T00:08:00.000-08:00

While it may seem like I dropped off the face of this blog, I live on. Things have been moving along nicely. We had a nice holiday and things are good at work. Unfortunately, my family has been sick way too often lately. Lianna has been sick three or four times over the last 4 weeks. Seriously! Dean has had his fair share and I was even sick twice since Christmas. All of this has combined to produce zero blog posts. Lianna keeps giving me a hard time about getting started again, so this is effort numero uno. I'll be back again soon.

Surfing in Mexico

2007-12-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

Several years ago we went on a surf trip to Baja. I thought it would be fun to share the video of our trip. My brother Jordan had just returned from his two year mission to Argentina. He is easy to pick out because he is the surfer with the stinkbug stance and all the great wipeouts. The really good surfers in the video are the Rondos. We stayed with them at their nice little house on a cool point break 200 miles south of the border. Lianna was the awesome camerawoman. Enjoy!

Surf Trip to Mexico from Brandon on Vimeo.

The Neighbor - Emmy Award Winning Short Film

2007-12-08T20:04:00.000-08:00

You may or may not know that earlier this year I won an Emmy award for outstanding student achievement. I posted about the award previously, so I'm not going to go into details. However, I decided to post the video so my family and friends could see it. The video is about 10 minutes long. Feel free to watch it if you would like. The embedded video player will show the movie once you enter the password, which in this case is 'neighbor'.

The Neighbor from Brandon on Vimeo.

Dean turns One (Happy Thanksgiving)

2007-12-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

Our little boy is one year old. I can still hardly believe I am a dad. Dean turned one on Thanksgiving Day. Our families got together and we had a wonderful meal and celebrated his birthday. We also took advantage of some nice lighting to take our family picture.

Elaine made a great birthday cake for us to eat and Lianna made a nice sugarfree muffin for Dean.

Dean and I opening presents. In the background are Dean's grandpa Larry, his awesome girlfriend Elaine and Lianna's aunt Laura and of course, Lianna.

No, I'm not listening.....

I don't want to wear a bib! Give me my cake!

Mmmm, that's good!

Seriously, it's so good I think I'm getting dizzy
I think I'll give my aunt Amanda a big face smashing kiss
Grandpa Larry (the goat) and Dean's soon to be uncle Richard (the unicorn) celebrating

Happy Halloween

2007-12-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

My wife Lianna already put pictures up on her blog, but I wanted to join in the fun and I promised my friend Spencer that I would link to his blog. Lianna and I decided to dress up as a cowboy and cowgirl and Dean was our little horse. We went to a trunk or treat at our church. It was a lot of fun to hand out candy to all of the little kids and also to walk around with Dean.

Dean and I just cruisin' the parking lot

Spencer the CaddyThis is a member of our bishopric dressed up as a chicken

My friend BryceMy lovely wife with her horsey

The Army comes to Poway

2007-10-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

We went to visit my parents on Wednesday after they were allowed back into their house. However, to get into their neighborhood we first had to get by a road block with about 10 gun carrying soldiers. It was actually very intimidating. I never thought I would see the day that the army would be guarding the entrance to my parent's street. They were there to cut off all of the people that were trying to get into the neighborhood to loot (trust me, there were lots of those scumbags around). The picture only shows a couple of the guys behind the barricade taking a break. Either way, it was very odd to see assault rifles hanging around the street. I wonder if this is what it feels like to live in Iraq?

Our Fire Scare!

2007-10-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday night I went up to the top of the hill behind my house to take pictures of the Witch Creek fire. I was worried that the fire would sweep down into Poway and that my family's home would be in danger. This picture is facing east from San Marcos. The flames appear to have already reached the outskirts of the San Pasqual Valley. I was worried, but knew that my family would have plenty of time to gather their stuff and evacuate. I called them, told them to get ready and then tried to go to sleep. I had a very hard time falling asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about the fire and I had a very bad feeling that the fire would be coming in our direction.

After about an hour of tossing and turning I finally fell asleep. My sleep was short lived as I awoke to the sound of my neighbor ringing the doorbell. I walked out the front door and saw this

I am not afraid to admit that I was really scared. The flames were huge and the fire seemed to be coming down the hill very quickly. My wife and I went into emergency mode. We packed up both of our cars with all of our irreplaceable possessions in a matter of minutes. Our little son woke up amid the chaos and seemed surprisingly calm. My wife put him in his high chair and gave him some Cheerios, which he happily ate while we ran around the house gathering things. Once we were prepared to leave I was able to calm down a little bit and assess the situation. Fortunately for us, every firefighter in the city was on that hillside. Although the flames were enormous and the wind was fierce, the firefighters did an excellent job of stopping the fire from coming down the hill. Thankfully, when the fire was at its worst, the wind seemed to die down for 15 minutes. This enabled the fire crews to completely halt the fires progression. Because the fire was dying down we decided to stay in our home and wait. I didn't want to make my baby sleep in a school gymnasium if I didn't absolutely have to. I stayed up the rest of the night while my wife and son went back to sleep. I was so relieved when we got the news later that morning that the portion of the fire above our home had been completely contained.

I was overwhelmed by the emotions I felt when I first saw the fire on the hill. The thought of losing all of my possessions was very sobering. More importantly though, my first reaction was a frantic race to make sure my family was safe. I am sure everyone can imagine what that feels like, but until you are facing such a real threat head on you just can't understand how it feels. This wasn't the first time I have faced a fire. I protected my parents house during the Cedar fire. I stayed with the home while the fire burned right up to the road in front of the house.

Even though that experience was overwhelming, it wasn't as real and scary until it was my own home and my own wife and child.

The other good news for my family is that even though the fire burned through my parents neighborhood again, it appears that their home was saved. I am very sad for all of the people that have lost their homes, and I thank heaven that my family is safe.

To taser or not to taser? That is the question.

2007-09-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about my previous post. I am grateful for the work that most police officers do. In many regards it is a thankless work. It is dangerous and difficult. Each day good cops put their lives on the line to protect and bring order to our communities. However, I am increasingly disturbed by the use of a supposed non-lethal weapon called a taser. I believe that this weapon is extremely important for use in subduing violent criminals. I would much rather have a police office stop a knife wielding mad man with a taser than shoot him with a gun.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with the use of this weapon. Many police officers seem to have decided that since this weapon doesn't usually kill people, it is OK to use it whenever they want to. Furthermore, they think it is OK to threaten to use it on bystanders who protest their apparent brutality. I have put up a couple of videos that demonstrate what I am talking about.

In the following video a handcuffed woman is tasered because she doesn't immediately obey an officer's command. The women hits her head on the floor and is knocked out. It seems to me that a large man should be able to control a handcuffed woman without having to violently assault her with a weapon. This fall could have killed her.

The following video took place recently. This woman was drunk and was ejected from a bar. A police officer showed up to arrest her. While it is not clear to what extent she initially resisted arrest, the cop mercilessly tasers her over and over again. She stammers around and at one point falls down and hits her head against a vehicle. Once she is place in the police car she freaks out and starts kicking the window. Instead of just taking her to the station like a normal cop would, the cop starts tasering her again, handcuffed in the back of the car. Finally other cops show up and the officer threatens her, "You're going to get out and walk over to that other car or I'm going to tase you again." The woman gets out and walks to the car in compliance with his demand. No sooner does she obey him that he tasers her again and she falls to the ground, smashing her head and knocking herself unconscious. She was taken to the hospital and later recovered. The police officer appears to be relishing his position of power. You will notice that in this video and in others, the tasing victim almost always flails around violently as if trying to escape the pain. It is at this point that the cop gives them some command and then act surprised that the victim doesn't immediately comply. Excuse me, I'm being tased with 50,000 volts, I'm sorry if I can't doing a jumping jack for you right now.
Watch the video:

Here is another great example of the loss of our liberty. Some stupid city passed a law saying men couldn't wear a hat in their city council chamber. A young college student trying to get extra credit is assaulted by the police and tasered for not removing his baseball cap. This kind of totalitarian control over our lives is wicked. The young man is proud and defiant, but he makes a great point about the stupidity of the law and of the use of force to enforce it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ2R6nGR9-g

In this video, the UCLA library has a policy of excusing anyone from the library after a certain time if they don't have school ID. This young man apparently didn't, and initially didn't want to leave. Then the cops were called in. Instead of escorting him out of the building they tasered him five time. I can't believe it when I see the cops handcuff a person, then tase them and then tell them to stand up. First of all, he is handcuffed. Second of all he just went through a violent attack on his body, give him a second to recover. The video is disturbing. If the man truly wasn't complying they should have just picked him up and carried him out. They didn't need to tase him. I got the sense that they were tasing him just to show him that they were in control and not him. They are power maniacs and they need to be stopped. When the other students in the library protested this abuse, one of the police officers threatened them by saying, "Back up or you're going to get tased too." Now isn't that nice. So in other words, if I see an officer doing something bad and I ask him for his information, he can just threaten to assault me. What a wonderful use of authority.

OK, so these are actually just a few of the many recorded incidents of the abuse of this weapon. I know it is an important tool to protect lives, but it is being abused and this must stop. The taser should never be used on non-violent offenders. Unless the person is threatening the police officer it should never be used. And furthermore, the police need to learn how to deal with conflicts without resorting to violence. In most cases I think they do a good job, but these videos show they have a lot of work to do to clean this up. Just my $.02

What freedom of speech???

2007-09-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

If you haven't yet seen the video of a University of Florida student being arrested by police at a John Kerry speech, please do so.

This video infuriates me. First of all, the student being arrested is annoying and appears to be a troublemaker. However, our constitution was written to protect troublemakers of his kind. This kid was annoying, but the first amendment protects his right to free speech. The police officers had no right to assault him as they did. He had committed no crime, and all of his efforts were to avoid physical contact with them, but they seemed determined to physically remove him from the meeting.

Why? What did he do? This refrain was echoed dozens of times by the victim, without ever being given an answer. Later, the police informed him that he was being arrested for trying to incite a riot. You watch the video. Since when did asking uncomfortable questions become the same thing as inciting a riot? If the police officers would have just turned off the microphone and asked him to leave, he probably would have walked out of the building without any confrontation.

There is a part of me that faults the student for resisting arrest. Maybe he shouldn't have resisted them so strongly. At the same time I ask myself if I would have acted differently if I was being falsely arrested. I bet many of us in the same situation would have been freaking out and fighting for our freedom. The kid was probably scared and so he overreacted.

The thing that makes me most angry about this incident is the use of a taser gun. Many people have died after being shot with a taser. They have a horrible safety record. Yet, here was this student with 5 or 6 officers on his back, handcuffs holding his arms behind his back and they shot him with a taser because he wouldn't be quiet.

How sick has our society become that we stand by and idly watch the abuse of power witnessed on this video. The police are not above the law and should not be allowed to lay their hands on people just because they don't like their speech. This kind of tyrannical, authoritarian abuse of power has been taking place all over the country and it is time for it to stop. Shame on those police officers and shame on the University of Florida. I hope they are held accountable for their reprehensible actions. Most of all, shame on those people who sat by and watched the police attack and silence this young man.

2007-09-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants a shot at driving my new BMW

A New Car for Brandon

2007-09-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

I am excited because I just bought a car. Its not new, but its new to me and that makes it awesome. I was really nervous before I decided to buy it, but now that I have pulled the trigger I feel great.

A little worn out...

2007-09-02T23:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't had anything great to say lately. I think I am a little worn out from thinking so much about politics and philosophy. I have found that I get these great kicks of energy during which I spend long hours studying and thinking. Unfortunately, I think I am at the end of one of those periods. The last day or so all I have really cared about was getting home from work and relaxing. I also am focused on possibly buying a car. Mine is doing alright, but its defintely not the car it once was.
One great source of satisfaction came this weekend in the form of a BYU football victory over Arizona. I really don't know why, since I didn't attend there (my parents and my brother did, but not me), but I am a huge BYU football fan. It started a little bit before I served an LDS church mission, and really blossomed after my mission. The funny part is that my love of the cougars developed at a time when they really were awful. But despite their ineptitude over a three year period, I really wanted to be a fan. Fortunately for me and them, they now rock. I am so excited to see them take on UCLA this next weekend. I would love for nothing better than to see them annihilate UCLA only to help make Ben Olsen wish he had never abandoned BYU. It should be a fun game.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

2007-08-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

My dad is turning 50 on Monday. I remember when he was turning 30. I thought he seemed old then. It is amazing how fast life goes by and yet it feels like an eternity sometimes. Fortunately, my dad still seems as young to me as he ever was. I am grateful for him. He always worked hard to take care of our family. He was kind and compassionate and has really grown to be a great man. Here's to 50 more birthdays. I love you Dad!

Life at Sony

2007-08-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

I started a new job almost two weeks ago. The decision to leave my job and take a new one was both difficult and easy. The truth is that I was scared to give up the relative comfort of my old job, with the flexibility and relaxed atmosphere. I have grown used to having lots of free time and laid back atmosphere both in work and school. I knew that working for a large corporation would be the complete opposite of what I was used to. However, I really needed a change. Even though I liked the relaxed atmosphere, I knew that it wasn't helping me be the best I could be. I really wanted to be somewhere that I would be challenged. To that end, Sony seemed like a perfect opportunity.

My first day on the job was like a whirlwind. I showed up, my boss handed me a laptop, helped me set it up and then walked off to go to a meeting. I had no clue what to do or what my boss expected me to do. An hour later he came by and told me to go to a meeting that all of the product marketing managers would be attending. He wanted me to practice taking notes, as that would be one of my responsibilities in the future. I went, I listened and I didn't understand a thing. Even though I'm pretty sure everyone was speaking english, they might as well have all been speaking japanese. They used so many acronyms that I was starting to think I was at a Mormon church.

I left the meeting completely overwhelmed and a little intimidated. The next two days were a combination of meetings just like the first one, and alone time trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. I spent most of that time setting up Microsoft Outlook. At one point I had a serious panic attack because it seemed that all of my new job responsibilities added up to being an executive assistant (not that there is anything wrong with that, its just not what I thought I had signed up for). Once I calmed down and had the weekend to relax I realized that it didn't really matter what tasks I was asked to do, I just needed to do them well.

With that in mind, the next week went very smoothly. I came to work each day and went around my group looking for things I could help with. Fortunately, the business leaders who I am supporting have given me several exciting and important tasks. I am sure that as I do a good job at these tasks, I will be given other more important things to do. The crazy thing is that my boss is leaving for vacation for the next two weeks. He really didn't give me much instruction on what he would like me to be working on while he is gone. Fortunately, I have been given some projects by the product marketing managers that should keep me busy the whole time.

I am glad I have stuck with it despite some of my initial doubts. As each day goes by, the happier I am with my decision to work for Sony.

How could China cause the dollar to crash?

2007-08-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

I just saw a headline on Drudge Report that says that China is threatening to cause a dollar crash if we push too hard on trying to get them to revalue their currency. The basic idea is that China has over a trillion US dollars sitting in reserves. They have said they will flood the market with those dollars and demand payment from the federal government for their treasury bills. I am not an economic expert, but I think this whole thing is a bunch of hooey. First of all, how can china hold so much of our national debt? Its because we borrow like there's no tomorrow. The worst part is that those dollars that China has collected do not represent any kind of real wealth. It is largely imaginary wealth created through the manipulations of the Federal Reserve. The more I learn about our economic system here in our country, the more I am convinced that we need to return to a free market economy. And for those of you wondering, a secretive central bank with no accountability to the people can never be part of a truly free economy.

These girls could kick your rear end (in tennis)!

2007-08-07T23:14:00.000-07:00

In a totally random post, I thought I would mention that I went to my first ever tennis match this past weekend. I went with my dad to watch the Semi-Finals of the Acura Classic. We watched Maria Sharapova beat another Russian named Anna Chakvetadze. I like to play tennis, but I haven't ever been much of a tennis spectator. It was actually very fun. Unfortunately, this was the last time that the tournament will ever take place in San Diego. I'm glad I saw it before it was gone.

Why do Mormons support Mitt Romney?

2007-07-31T02:44:00.001-07:00

Admittedly I am biased. I have already made up my mind. However I am really bothered that I hear Mormons constantly talking about Mitt Romney. I understand that it is intriguing to consider someone from a minority religious group being elected to lead the country. But almost every mention I hear of him insinuates that Mitt is the only person they would consider voting for, and the basic reason why is because he is a Mormon. I'm a Mormon and Harry Reid is a Mormon, and yet I wouldn't vote for Harry Reid in my worst nightmare. So what makes Mitt Romney so different? It must be his solid policy positions, right? Oh wait, it can't be that. Given that Mitt Romney has changed his mind on every significant issue within the last two years, people can't possibly be attracted to his issues. How in the world can we know that the position he holds today will be the position he holds 6 months from now? It must be something else....Maybe it's his good looks. I mean Harry Reid is an old wrinkly man and Mitt is a good looking old guy. That must be it. OK, all sarcasm aside, I am very troubled that so many religious Mormons are planning to vote for Mitt based upon his religious affiliation. I believe that any conservative minded person that looks at Mitt's record and considers his current policy proposals would have to conclude that the Mitt Romney of today is no different than the liberal Mitt Romney who was governor of Massachusetts. More importantly, he is no different than the liberal we have running the White House right now in George Bush. The only true conservative in the race is a champion of the constitution who is being ignored by the GOP establishment. Fortunately, he has an army of supporters laying the groundwork for a 2008 surprise. My friend Connor had a good post about this same subject: http://www.connorboyack.com/blog/why-do-latter-day-saints-ignore-ron-paul

Insomiac in the making?

2007-07-31T02:32:00.000-07:00

I have never been a morning person. Recently it seems that not only am I not a morning person, but I am becoming a night owl. Sometimes I feel like I can't get anything done during the daytime. But once it gets dark and especially late my mind starts racing and I have all kinds of energy and ideas. The worst part of it all is that I want to go to bed earlier, but 10:30 or 11:00 rolls around and I just can't make myself go to bed. I feel like there is so much to do and I can't stand the thought of going to sleep while I am still so wide awake. As I mentioned in my last post, I am starting a new job. I am hoping that having to get up early for work with help me get into a better routine. Here's to hoping.

Are the Dog Days of Summer Over??

2007-07-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been looking for a new job. As of today, I think my ship has finally come in. I was offered a contract position with Sony Electronics after a very pleasant interview this morning. The pay is comparable to what I am making now, but the networking opportunities and chance to be a part of a worldwide company are very exciting. After talking things over with Lianna, I am planning on accepting the job. Unfortunately, since it is a contract position, I won't be a direct employee of Sony. This means I won't be receiving all of the benefits of a full time employee. However, the two previous occupants of my new job have both gone on to be offered positions with full benefits. I am super excited and think this is going to be a great chance to learn and grow.

Why Do We Blame the Iraqis?

2007-07-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

I have noticed lately that a lot of energy is being spent by politicians and media trying to frame our failure in Iraq as the failure of the Iraqi people. I have been thinking about this a lot and wonder, is it true? There is a part of me that thinks, of course. The Iraqi people cannot have a peaceful and successful nation unless they want it, unless they fight for it. Every nation in history that has had a sliver of peace has had to fight for it. The way the politicians here put it, the Iraqis aren't fighting for it. They make it sound like the Iraqi politicians are just a bunch of country club members who aren't willing to do anything difficult to solve the countries problems (hmm, that sounds a lot like our congress...).
Now there is another part of me that thinks, how dare we blame the victims of our crime (so to speak). Now that it has become apparent that we invaded Iraq under questionable pretenses and we have spent four plus years mismanaging the occupation, how could we possibly blame them for our misdeeds. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming our troops or anything like that. I'm simply saying, it was a mistake for us to invade a foreign nation that posed no direct threat to our national security. Yes, they were a pain in our neck. Yes, they were an inconvenience for our so-called economic interests. But, no they were not a direct threat to our security. So if we are the one's that made a mistake, why is it their fault that the form of government that we have forced upon them is not taking hold so easily?
In reality, I think there is a lot of blame to go around. The Iraqis may be everything bad that our politicians are telling us (probably not though), but I can't help but feel that something else is going on. It seems to me that these same politicians that got us into this mess are just trying to cover their rear-ends. In 6 months, a year or whenever they actually decide to pullout for political expediency, they now have a bad guy they can point to. It wont be, "Gee, I'm sorry I helped get us into this awful mess. I should probably resign since I put our nation into an immoral situation." Instead we will get this, "Bush is bad, the Iraqis are bad. We are pulling out of Iraq because they are bad. I had nothing to do with this." No Mr. Politician, you had everything to do with this!

Ron Paul Made a First Time Donor Out of Me

2007-07-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. I just made my first financial contribution to a political campaign. To be honest, I didn't think I would ever donate money to a politician. And if I did, I figured it would be later in my life when I was loaded with money and was looking for something to spend it on. Fortunately, I found a cause and a man that I could get behind. The cause is Liberty and the Constitution, the man is Ron Paul. I have become extremely excited over the past month as I have researched Dr. Paul. I have come to realize how far from the principles of liberty our nation has strayed and I am determined to help our country realize the vision that our founders had.

Donating a few dollars may be just a drop in the bucket, but it is important to me. Whether or not Ron Paul wins (and I believe he can), I feel great knowing that I am standing up for something wonderful. I just hope I can influence others to realize what a national treasure we have in Dr. Paul.

The Dog Days of Summer

2007-07-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

OK, I am forcing myself to post today even though I don't have anything specific to talk about. I just couldn't stand the fact that it had been several weeks since I last posted. My life has been fairly crazy lately. Things at home are wonderful. My wife is awesome and our baby boy is growing like crazy. He is tons of fun, and I love playing with him and seeing him grow. My outside of the home world is a mixed bag. I have lots of fun activities that make my life great. I play on a softball team, I play basketball every week, I've been going surfing on a regular basis. Unfortunately, my work life has been suffering. Not because of my hobbies or anything like that, but because of a job and company that I don't seem to be suited for. And even though things are going great in all of the other areas of my life, being out of balance in the work department is really throwing everything else off.

I have been spending lots of time exploring other work options, but so far nothing seems to be falling in place. I really love creativity and want to work in a creative environment. However, since most of these types of jobs pay very poorly, I have also been looking in marketing and business. To top it all off, I have even been considering a few small businesses that I could start up and run myself. Basically, I am starting to get desperate for a stable career. It seems to be the only thing holding me back from having a perfect life (that and that dang spare tire I got wrapped around my belly). Anyways, that's my post for the day. Thanks for listening.

I won an Emmy!

2007-06-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

I know that is a really weird title, but it is true. At the risk of blowing my internet anonymity, I will announce that I won an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter. I was honored for a short film I produced and directed which received an award for 'Outstanding Student Achievement: Program'. I normally wouldn't toot my own horn, but to be honest I never win anything so this was pretty exciting for me. To top it all off, I didn't even know that I had been nominated. The college where I was taking classes nominated my film and failed to tell me that they had done so. In fact, not only did they not tell me I had been nominated, I didn't even know there was an award ceremony I was expected to attend. And of course just my luck, I end up winning something I didn't know about. To add insult to injury, this is the same film I entered into a film festival at the end of last year, only to lose out to a film made by a ten year old. I'm serious, a ten year old. (Don't worry, his film wasn't that great, he was just way cuter than I am. Plus, isn't it fun to see little kids win things?)

To be honest, I was very surprised about the whole Emmy thing. First of all, I didn't have any idea I had won. Second of all, I really didn't think my film was that great. Don't get me wrong, I worked hard on it and it had lots of potential. Unfortunately, the shooting schedule ended up coinciding with the birth of my first child. You see, my kid decided not to come on his due date, and to complicate things further, my wife started having false labor on and off for several weeks before he came. This threw everything into chaos and I ended up shooting the entire film in about ten hours over three different days. The accelerated schedule meant that I had to settle for first takes on several important scenes even though they still needed lots of work. I asked my professor (who accepted the award on my behalf, since I was oblivious to the entire event) if we even had any competition. She said that the competition was actually very tough, but that the subject matter of the film made it stand out.

I was gratified to hear that. You see, I wanted to try to tell a story about prejudice. But, I didn't want to get on my high horse and be all judgemental about other people's prejudices. So I told a story that was inspired by something that had happened in my life.

I live in a very nice apartment complex. However, when we first moved into our current apartment I noticed that one of our neighbors in our building looked like a thug. He was pretty big, had a shaved head and tattoos and basically looked like a latino tough guy. I guess because of his rather tough appearance, I thought he was probably not a good guy and I was basically afraid of him. I never really said anything to him and basically ignored him when I saw him. However, one Sunday after several months had gone by I saw him with his family at my church. I asked one of my other neighbors about him and they said that he and his family had been studying with missionaries and were going to be baptized. I was really embarrassed. I went and met him and found out that he and I had a lot in common and we have become very good friends (we play basketball and softball together twice a week). In fact, after he and his family were baptized I was assigned to teach them in their home more about our church. It was awesome.

However, the whole episode got me thinking. I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood. I had friends of every race and thought God loved everyone no matter what they looked like. I even speak Spanish and love Hispanic culture. And yet, here I had misjudged someone simply because of the color of their skin and because of the clothes they were wearing. And to top it off, he is one of the nicest guys you could ever know. If I could succumb to a racist or prejudiced opinion of someone, imagine how difficult it must be for people who have never had the chance to interact with or get to know people of other races or cultures. I decided that this experience would be the inspiration for my film.

Even though I feel like the film left a lot to be desired, I am glad that the academy recognized the challenge of telling a story that deals with a problem facing not only our nation, but all societies. So now that I get to call myself an Emmy award winning director/producer (I promise I won't go around calling myself that), I can't wait to start working on a new project. Any ideas? ( I have several, but I'd love to hear what some of you think would be a fun project).

Enhanced Interrogation Techniques = Torture!

2007-06-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have had something on my mind today. I was thinking about how Ron Paul seems to be getting buried in the press despite the fact that he has won all of the post debate polls on the internet. While thinking about the debates I kept dwelling on something Mitt Romney said. The question posed to Mitt was whether or not he supported the use of torture to extract vital information in a hypothetical emergency described by the moderator, such as from a terrorist at Guantanamo Bay. Being the ever slick politician that he is, he decided to use a nicer sounding word. Instead of saying yes, I support the use of torture in this situation he said he advocated the use of advanced interrogation techniques. In this context, it is obvious that what he meant was that he believes it is OK to use torture light, or torture with limits, or maybe even torture done nicely.

Amazingly, Mitt was not the only one of the candidates that said they supported the use of torture. In fact all of them did, with the exception of Ron Paul and John McCain. Even more amazingly, the moderator did not push further with this questioning. In fact, he seemed unimpressed that nearly all of the presidential candidates from one of the mainstream parties were advocating the use of torture. What the hell happened to the Republican party? When in the world did torture become permissible? I remember being a child and thinking that other nations were bad because they did things like torture people and that was why the United States was such a great and free place. And now in my short lifetime, the whole situation has changed and now we are the ones advocated torture against people that we claim are trying to hurt us. Isn't that the same rational used by past perpetrators of torture? Didn't the Soviets claim that dissidents were threatening their country? Didn't the Vietcong and others practice torture to the disdain of our country? Now, here we are advocating it because it suits our interests.

Either Torture is wrong or it isn't, there is no middle ground in my opinion. Now, I can understand leaning hard on a suspect during interrogation. There has to be moral and human means available to discover vital information from criminals or terrorists. Interrogation is fine, but torture? Never!

Amazingly, at one point I thought Mitt Romney seemed like an attractive candidate. Unfortunately, I don't see how I can support someone who believes in torture, even if he calls it by a different name.

9/11 Conspiracy Theories

2007-06-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

I remember about two years ago when I first saw someone come on a message board and start throwing about wild accusations that the United States Government was actually responsible for the 9/11 attacks. This of course was stupid and ridiculous. I had seen all the same pictures, videos and evidence everyone else in the world had seen. The only person that could possibly believe in such a conspiracy had to be psychotic.

First of all, I lived in Toronto, Ontario from 2000 to 2002. I lived in the same neighborhoods where some of the alleged hijackers came from. I remember one morning in the late winter and early spring of 2001. I had made friends with a local street preacher. He actually called himself an international evangelist, but I only saw him preaching in the street, so I guess by international he meant he taught all over the neighborhood. Well, one day I saw him at the mall where I was shopping. He was walking down the hallway at full speed with a very concerned look on his face. I stopped him and said hello. He replied that he didn't have time to talk because he had just learned that people were planning an attack on the United States and he was on his way to the United Nations to warn them. Of course I thought he was joking around, but he assured me that he was dead serious.

You see, the neighborhood had a very high concentration of Muslim immigrants. We both knew that, and he assured me that he had been told of a plot that would take place involving airplanes attacking the U.S. I believed that he was serious, but I also believed that he was nuts. Unfortunately, 5 or 6 months later I saw the planes hit the towers and immediately returned in my mind to the conversation we had in a rundown mall in Etobicoke.

Later, the news reported that the hijackers had been living in the neighborhoods where I was living both before and around the same time my friend and I had that conversation. For this reason, I do not doubt that there were Muslim extremists that took part in the 9/11 attacks. ( I know it's anecdotal, but its mine, so I can believe it.)

So back to the conspiracies. I was very reluctant to even give the conspiracy theorists a chance when they first started getting media play in the fall of 2006. But I decided that for the sake of open mindedness, I would at least listen. I looked up a seminar given by Dr. Steven Jones. I watched it and read his paper about the collapse of the Twin Towers and WTC 7. To be honest, I was stunned. I didn't even know that there was a third building that had collapsed. In my defense, I was working all day every day as a missionary when the attacks happened, so my access to news was pretty limited. I was shocked when I saw the video of the WTC 7 collapse. It made no sense. I had always felt uncomfortable about how the Twin Towers had collapsed, but after seeing WTC 7 I was horrified. Was it actually possible that there was more to the story than what had been told by the media and the government? I decided that I had no idea what had happened, but I wasn't going to take the truth for granted any longer. I may not be able to know everything, but I was definitely going to be open to hearing everything.

I have spent plenty of time over the last 6 or 7 months reading blogs, websites and listening to commentators. In truth, most of the internet community seems convinced that there is a massive conspiracy which is coming from the government. I don't know if that is true or not, but I am absolutely convinced that the Twin Towers and WTC 7 could not have collapsed the way they did without some kind of controlled demolition being involved. Am I nuts? Not even close.

I remember how I felt when I watched the Towers collapse for the first time, pure horror. But I also remember feeling confused. How could they possibly collapse like that? And both of them, one right after the other, it seemed so improbable. But I'm not an expert. Who am I to question the physics of such a disaster? I put it out of my mind and didn't think about it again until recently. But as it turns out, my instinct was very right on. How could two building like that collapse in such an identical manner? In fact, in a manner in which no other steel structure has collapsed, save in the case of controlled demolitions. And then throw in a third building which didn't even get hit by an airplane and you have me scratching my head at the odds of that happening. It seems pretty impossible to me.

To be fair, I also went in search of commentators and experts who were working to refute the conspiracy theories. Sadly, their work and arguments are largely pathetic. I can't even describe how turned off I was by the many so called conservative radio personalities who lambaste anyone who is willing to even consider the possibility of a conspiracy. In fact, what many of these people thought were compelling arguments to turn people away from the conspiracies, only pushed me further in my pursuit of truth.

I began to see how blinded by party loyalty people can become when confronted with uncomfortable claims. I realized that I feel no loyalty to a party, only loyalty to my country. I believe that loyalty demands that each of us take the time to consider the unthinkable. We must confront the possibility that our own government has abandoned its role as the protector of our liberties and has become instead the tool of wicked and conspiring men to dominate and enslave our nation. I hope this is not true, but it seems to me a very real possibility. Here's to the truth, and may I be blessed to find it, even if it means I am labeled a conspiracy theorist.

The County Health Clinic

2007-06-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time for a new post but I am a little scatter brained lately. I have a lot of things on my mind. One of the first one's has to do with the health clinic in my city. You see, my wife and I aren't the richest of folks which means I can only afford catastrophic health insurance. That means my insurance covers virtually nothing and we have to pay pretty much full price any time we need to see a doctor. It sucks, but that's life.

Anyways, because of our lower income my wife and baby qualified for MediCal. That basically means that they have access to doctors that will accept MediCal. That was all great until the doctor we chose for Dean decided that he wasn't going to accept our MediCal provider anymore. So the only place in our city that would accept his coverage was the county health clinic. This wouldn't be a problem except for one thing, the health clinic stinks. My wife has had to go there many times, and every time she has to wait for several hours just to be seen. The worst part is that the facilities feel like they are in a third world country. The doctors barely speak English, the nurses barely speak English and most of the social workers are really rude.

Why the long wait and poor conditions you might ask? It's simple really. Every illegal immigrant in the entire area knows that they can get free health care there. Why should they care if they are causing long waits and poor conditions for American citizens. They are getting it free because the clinic accepts everyone. Now, I am not a heartless man. I want everyone to be healthy and I wouldn't want to deny medical attention to those in need. However, I still feel cheated that there are thousands upon thousands of people in my area who came here against the laws of our land and are lowering the standard of living for those around them by using up the local resources while giving very little back (and no, I don't believe that artificially lowering wages counts as giving back).

Like I said, I am not mad at these people for taking advantage of medical care. I am mad that as a country we have let the situation get to this point. I hope the leaders of the country will find a way to deal with this problem in a fair and just way. I believe that we must always be full of compassion on a personal level, but on a macro level it is important that we seek justice. To be honest, the current situation doesn't seem fair or just for anyone, especially not for the citizens of the United States.

Next post coming right up.

Ron Paul Really Isn't Crazy.

2007-05-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

My first post on this blog indicated that I was happy that Ron Paul had caused a stir at the Republican debate. In the post I said that I didn't think I would or could vote for Ron Paul. Let me say loud and clear, I WAS WRONG. I have spent some time the last couple of days reading about Ron Paul's positions and his record and watching him give speeches on youtube. I have to say that I am now convinced that he is the most conservative and excellent candidate for president in the Republican party. In fact, not only could I vote for him, I believe I will if given the chance.

In my previous post I said that people think Ron Paul is crazy. The truth is that most of us are crazy. We are the one's who have become desensitized by decade after decade of unconstitutional rule by our federal government. In fact, we have become so out of touch with the constitution that when a candidate starts talking about actually following the constitution he gets labeled as crazy and extreme by his own party. I am convinced that Ron Paul is sincere and correct in his desire to follow the constitution. I also believe that there is no other way for our country to overcome many of its current challenges, than by returning to the more proper role of the federal government. That role is one of protecting the liberties granted to us by the constitution and more importantly by God.

The president of the United States should never be allowed to send our country off to war without our permission (ie.. congress declares war, not the president). The president should never be able to suspend our rights and liberties (ie.. accuse citizens of being terrorists and thereby suspending their due process rights). The president should never be allowed to get away with failing to secure our borders. And most importantly the president should uphold the constitution and protect the rights of the US citizens instead of protecting the special interests of corporations. In my estimation, the man most allied with my beliefs is Ron Paul.

The Living Wage and Illegal Immigration

2007-05-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

A while back I was listening to some guy on the radio talking about the so called living wage. He was advocating that the city of San Diego only award contracts to companies that provide their employees with a living wage. The radio host lambasted this idea and said that if companies are forced to pay higher wages then many companies will go out of business, and that would be bad for the economy and everyone.

While in principle I agree with the radio host, the living wage guy got me thinking. His response to the radio host was that he believes those companies that are being profitable by exploiting cheap labor should find a way to be profitable while paying the employees a wage they can survive on. I mean lets be honest, the guy does have a bit of a point. Anyone that has ever worked a typical high school graduate type job knows that you can't survive in most parts of the country on those wages, let alone support a family.

Is it ethical for a business owner to make a great living while paying the employees a pittance? Is there not a case to be made that we should be striving to employ a business model that is good for everyone and not just for the people at the top? Now I am obviously not in favor of imposing intrusive regulations to control private industry. But I do think that as a society we should be willing to admit that there are many parts of our economic machine that take advantage of and exploit the lesser educated people in our society.

These thoughts troubled me as I read a recent article about illegal immigration and southern Utah. The article said that Washington county is the fastest growing urban area in the nation. A construction business owner said in the article that without the illegal immigrants coming and working in the construction industry, the growth boom would dry up. This bothers me. To me it seems that this person is saying, "if we couldn't artificially lower our labor costs by using workers who will work for half of what we would have to pay an American born worker, we wouldn't see as much growth because people couldn't afford to build their McMansions in the dessert at the higher labor rates."

Isn't this wrong. I hear this same thing thrown about in the media all the time. "Immigrants do the jobs Americans won't do", "The economy depends on the supply of cheap labor" and so on and so forth. I have concluded that maybe growth isn't always good, especially when the price we pay is that of eliminating high paying jobs for American born workers and replacing them with lower paying jobs for foreign born workers who happen to have come into our country in violation of our own laws.

I obviously understand the desire of corporations to lower their costs so they can increase profits. In most ways that is a good thing and should be encouraged. However I find myself agreeing with the idea that maybe we need to adjust some of our ideas about exploiting cheap labor for the benefit of corporate owners.

Now, I believe there is a lot more to this subject than I have touched upon, but I have definitely been thinking about it. I'd love to know what you think.

2007-05-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

Now that I have started my blog I am not exactly sure what should be the focus. I am not a big believer in getting too personal on the Internet, so I doubt I will be spilling my deepest secrets here. However, I think it fair to give a glimpse into who I am. I have often believed myself to be a very broad person, a jack of all trades if you will. Sometimes I can't help but laugh when I think about all of the different things I enjoy doing, seeing, learning about and talking about.

For example some of my favorite hobbies include: playing with my son, talking with my wife, surfing, playing the guitar, the bass, the piano, the harmonica, the tuba, riding my bike, swimming, singing, composing, recording and editing songs, video editing and film making, motion graphics, photography and photo editing, studying and debating politics, studying religion, studying real estate trends, reading the news (for hours every day), watching movies, watching television, reading books (I admit that I am a huge Harry Potter fan), hiking, driving/off roading, snowboarding, playing basketball, football, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, badminton, racketball, foosball, pool, ping pong, wakeboarding, skateboarding, shopping at the electronics store, playing on the computer and writting on this blog. Oddly enough, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface in describing the things I like to do.

So if you ever read this blog and can't understand why I am discussing the pitching rotation of the Padres in one post and the pros and cons of immigration reform in the next, just remember, I like a lot of things.

Is Ron Paul really crazy?

2007-05-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

If you follow Republican politics or watched any of the recent debates, you now know that Ron Paul is crazy. At least that is what the talking heads seem to believe. I can see how the unthinking masses could easily believe this. However, I can't seem to come to the same conclusion. Don't get me wrong, I doubt that I would vote for the guy. However, I can't seem to shake the feeling I get when I hear him talk. It's so refreshing to hear someone speaking ideas that don't sound like they came straight off a talking points bulletin. I don't agree with everything he is saying, but geez its fun to hear someone that doesn't sound like everyone else for a change. In fact, I have to admit that most of the things he has said ring true to me. I often wonder if I am the only conservative minded person who feels that way. I doubt it. It seems to me that most people like myself agree with the things Ron Paul is saying.

Unfortunately the established power brokers don't like having a nobody come in and make them look bad. So they do things like threaten to remove him from the debates, or they get their pals in the media to talk about how Ron Paul is out of step with the conservative base. By my estimation, McCain and Giulliani are the ones that are out of step with the so called base. In fact I think having Ron Paul in the mix will help some of the better prepared candidates (like Mitt Romney) step up and take hold of the nomination. Here's to hoping that Ron Paul gets a chance to help the Republican party realize how far from its roots it has drifted.