So, there's two things I haven't done yet that I said I would.
First off, there's the matter of the David Hasselhoff in a rainbow speedo picture. (June 7, 2011)
Explanation is as follows: Our department at work is fairly tight-knit and we all enjoy a good ribbing now and then. Sometimes, when we leave our computers to get a drink or use the restroom or whatever, we forget to lock our desktops. Well, the popular reaction to this is to "Hoff" them. Pull up an awkward picture of the Hoff and just leave it on their computer so that when they come back, everyone gets to make fun of them for "looking at the Hoff". Well, this tradition has continued for quite some time now. As for the rainbow picture I posted, I was commissioned by a member of our team to make the best Hoff picture yet. So I did some photoshop magic and made it truly extraordinary.
After that, it was hard to outdo ourselves... so now we just post pictures of the "unicorn man". Don't ask, I will not tell. If you want, here's a link or two, and you can gouge out your own eyes later. Don't say I didn't warn you. ;)
Link 1
Link 2
The second thing I neglected was to post was pictures of the Windgazer Hike of Legends. They will follow this week... maybe...
29 December, 2011
21 December, 2011
That Last Four Months of My Life... So Far...
Wow! I have been too busy for my own good. Just ask Katie, she'll vouch for that. She told me last Summer that I should do something extracurricular. Well, careful what you wish for. :)
I, of course, am working at SecurityMetrics. I've been working there for just over 3 years and I'm currently working full time. At the beginnning of the semester, I began to do some extra things as well.
Fortunately,I was enrolled in two fairly easy classes, as far as work load goes. However, the out-of-class time spent in these classes is what occupied my free time. This is how I spent my semester:
Every other Friday night, I go to KPCW in Park City as an unofficial intern. I help out around the station with voice-overs, reading copy, DJ-ing, etc. This has been a blast. This radio station is incredible! They are very advanced in technology because Park City is a wealthy town and KPCW is a non-profit. This means they get big donations. ;) It's been way fun and educational to learn how the software and hardware all works and how a radio station is run and maintained. This has been in conjunction with my Radio Production class. In class, we learned about radio history and what-not. But the coolest thing was the projects. We created commercials, Public Service Announcements, and I even created material for a station promo that will be played on air at KPCW!
Alongside the Radio class, we decided to create a Radio Club at UVU! I was elected as the Vice President for the club, so now I'm in charge of helping with meetings, programming, DJ-ing, etc. This is going to be way cool. We're going to start out streaming our broadcast online at first. But sometime next year, we'll be putting up a Low Power FM Transmitter on top of the Computer Science building. This will enable us to broadcast all over campus! Exciting things to come from the UVU Radio station. :)
Then we come to my Studio Recording class. This has been one of the coolest classes I've ever taken! I won't bore you with Audio geekness and terms only audio geeks would care about... but suffice it to say this class has been way too fun for my own good. It has required a lot of after class time because by the time we get studio equipment up and working, class was over. So in order to actually do some studio time and RECORD the bands that came, we'd end up staying late. It's been difficult to divvy my time between class and my other responsibilities, but the class is worth it. We've been recording a band called Ultraviolet Catastrophe, and helping them get a few tracks laid down for a music video and an album. They're quite good for a young, local band and have a lot of promise.
I, of course, am working at SecurityMetrics. I've been working there for just over 3 years and I'm currently working full time. At the beginnning of the semester, I began to do some extra things as well.
Fortunately,I was enrolled in two fairly easy classes, as far as work load goes. However, the out-of-class time spent in these classes is what occupied my free time. This is how I spent my semester:
Every other Friday night, I go to KPCW in Park City as an unofficial intern. I help out around the station with voice-overs, reading copy, DJ-ing, etc. This has been a blast. This radio station is incredible! They are very advanced in technology because Park City is a wealthy town and KPCW is a non-profit. This means they get big donations. ;) It's been way fun and educational to learn how the software and hardware all works and how a radio station is run and maintained. This has been in conjunction with my Radio Production class. In class, we learned about radio history and what-not. But the coolest thing was the projects. We created commercials, Public Service Announcements, and I even created material for a station promo that will be played on air at KPCW!
Alongside the Radio class, we decided to create a Radio Club at UVU! I was elected as the Vice President for the club, so now I'm in charge of helping with meetings, programming, DJ-ing, etc. This is going to be way cool. We're going to start out streaming our broadcast online at first. But sometime next year, we'll be putting up a Low Power FM Transmitter on top of the Computer Science building. This will enable us to broadcast all over campus! Exciting things to come from the UVU Radio station. :)
Then we come to my Studio Recording class. This has been one of the coolest classes I've ever taken! I won't bore you with Audio geekness and terms only audio geeks would care about... but suffice it to say this class has been way too fun for my own good. It has required a lot of after class time because by the time we get studio equipment up and working, class was over. So in order to actually do some studio time and RECORD the bands that came, we'd end up staying late. It's been difficult to divvy my time between class and my other responsibilities, but the class is worth it. We've been recording a band called Ultraviolet Catastrophe, and helping them get a few tracks laid down for a music video and an album. They're quite good for a young, local band and have a lot of promise.
The gem of our class though, was recording Sam Payne. He is AWESOME! Such a fun guy and he and his brothers are incredibly talented. It was so fun working with them and watching them work. (Here's an okay video of him for those of you who don't know who he is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQchRRmu4H4)
Okay, so moving on... I also was hired on at the UVU Review, the school newspaper, as the "Assistant Digital Media Manager". What does this mean? Well, my current responsibilities included recording, producing, and posting a weekly podcast of to news stories on campus. Not only is this a huge boost to my resume, but it's been a lot of fun and has proven a great networking opportunity as well. In the near future, my boss, Parker, sees a lot of growth in the "digital media" department of the newspaper. I put thise in quotes, because it only just began when he hired me. Haha, but he and I are very excited and we can see this becoming a huge part of the newspaper. For now though, we'll just stick to a weekly podcast. Please! Check them out!!!:
http://soundcloud.com/uvu-review/wolverine-minute-dec-7-2011
https://www.facebook.com/UVUreview
(Scroll down to find the others.)
So, these are just some of the things I've been up to this last semester. And next year? Well, it will only get busier from here. But the idea is that if I can get my resume built and my jobs lined up now, how much easier will it be for me to find a career I love and can support my family on, when I graduate?
Needless to say, I haven't posted in a while, but this is mostly the reason why. So forgive me, okay? :)
07 September, 2011
Windgazer Ridge Hike of Legends
Okay, so the most noteworthy item of the summer has to be the hike that Court and I went on last weekend. This, before any other hike, bike, walk, climb, prance, dance, promenade, or stroll, is the ultimate in using your motor skills to get from point A to B. Granted, point A is in an old parking lot, and point B? Well, let's just say it's about 3000 feet up and only about a mile or less away (As the crow flies, so they say.)
Long ago, two young men decided that they should find a way up to the top of Bridal Veil Falls to see the old tram house that was destroyed in an avalanche, and then burned down. Nathanael and I had explored every inch of Bridal Veil and had decided we'd have to find a less obvious way up there, as the falls themselves are not climbable for someone of our skill.
This dream lasted for almost 4 years, until Court and I found a way to do it. We drove 2 canyons to the east and found our ticket to glory. Court and I began exploring this canyon almost nonchalantly, just to see what the terrain would be like, and if it was passable. Well, it was, but only barely. We figured we could hike UP this canyon, OVER to Bridal Veil canyon, and DOWN to the top of the falls.
Two years ago, we decided it was time. We grabbed one pack, filled it with water and energy bars, and took off. We hiked past an old cougar den, 2 rock-slides, and a hidden waterfall/spring, before we realized this was going to take more than an afternoon to conquer. We went from the spring, into the steepest, thickest, coolest forest we had ever seen. The pine needles and soil were about a foot or so deep and hadn't been disturbed, it seemed, in millennia. As we grabbed at roots, branches, trunks, and brush, we pulled ourselves up the slope toward an outcropping of rock. As we rested at this outcropping, the full brunt of what we were accomplishing seemed to hit us. We were climbing a mountain without trail or gear.
We had made it this far in previous hikes, but we continued on into uncharted territory. There was no way anyone else had made this same trek... We continued to climb past more outcropping, more forest, and more slopes. At some places, the only way to get up was to grab at a plant or scrub oak, and pull yourself up using only that plant to support your weight. Needless to say, it was treacherous at times.
We climbed past what we now call "The Jut", an outcropping of rock that juts out off of a wooded cliff, and is the steepest, scariest part of the hike. Keep in mind that the day we decided to attempt this, it was raining a little and the rock was also a bit slick. As we crested "Gazer Crest", we saw it in the distance... Windgazer Ridge. This Ridge has haunted our dreams since that day, as we were forced to turn back at this point. We were not destined to finish the journey that day.
And so it was last weekend, with much planning and excitement, we packed our bags and sent off again toward the Ridge. This time, we took a lot more breaks. Granted, we both had 40 lb packs with sleeping bags and food this time. We still made good time though and were at the ridge by lunchtime. We passed the cougar den, rock-slides, springs, forest, outcroppings, etc and found a place to eat. By this point two years ago, we were ready to turn back because we were shot. This time, we trudged onward and upward into another overgrown forest. Through thick brush, eons-old fallen trees, and even a spider web (The spider was the size of the tip of my thumb.) We climbed farther than we'd ever been, but it seemed that we would never make it.
After a good half-hour rest, we checked our coordinates and were faced with a decision. By this point, we were almost out of water. The only stream was still a good 5 hours away. We were tired... More tired than we'd ever been on a hike. Oh, and it was getting late enough in the day that we wondered if we would have enough daylight to make it to the river by nightfall (Where we would still have to FIND a place to camp and build a fire.) We also figured that, if we were this tired right now, how bad would it be the next morning when we would have to do it all over again on the way back.
That being said, we turned our backs yet again on the prize and began the long, arduous journey back down the mountain. Were we disappointed? Maybe a little bit... We've been looking forward to this for years... But honestly? We're pretty proud of ourselves. That was MUCH farther than we'd ever been, and this time we had heavy packs. We also decided there might be a better way up to the top that would take less time and energy next time. We still have next year or the year after, and now we know what we're facing and can train and prepare a little better.
Okay, story over? Not yet...
Well, Nathanael was going to come with us, as it was he and I that originally conceived of the idea. He felt bad about having to ditch us last minute, but we didn't blame him because he had an awesome job lined up instead. Well, as we were climbing back down (we could see our car from here) I got a call from Nith asking where we were and how it was going. I shared with him our lament, and he seemed to be very sympathetic. What I didn't realize until he told me was that he was planning on surprising us. He had gotten off work early and had quickly packed a bag and began running up the mountain. It was touching to me that he was planning on coming after all and had made every preparation to do so. It would have been killer awesome to have all three of us camping at the top of the falls. It would have worked, except for the fact that we weren't there... He was about as high as we had been from what we can tell (Which in and of itself is quite impressive) and it was getting dark.
Therein lay the problem. There's all sorts of cliffs and crags and holes on this hike and it's not exactly an easy grade. Well, we figured that, in order to ensure that he lived, we'd wait for him to get back down. We watched with bated breath and made him promise to text us every half hour with updates to make sure he didn't die (Neither of which, of course, did he do...) Anyway, he made it down from a height that would have taken us two hours, in roughly a quarter of that time.
It goes without saying that we are all very impressed with his fitness and dexterity, blah blah blah... Anyway, we'll just have to remember that next time, and maybe we'll give ourselves a nice head-start. Like... 5 hours or so?
(Pics to follow soon)
Long ago, two young men decided that they should find a way up to the top of Bridal Veil Falls to see the old tram house that was destroyed in an avalanche, and then burned down. Nathanael and I had explored every inch of Bridal Veil and had decided we'd have to find a less obvious way up there, as the falls themselves are not climbable for someone of our skill.
This dream lasted for almost 4 years, until Court and I found a way to do it. We drove 2 canyons to the east and found our ticket to glory. Court and I began exploring this canyon almost nonchalantly, just to see what the terrain would be like, and if it was passable. Well, it was, but only barely. We figured we could hike UP this canyon, OVER to Bridal Veil canyon, and DOWN to the top of the falls.
Two years ago, we decided it was time. We grabbed one pack, filled it with water and energy bars, and took off. We hiked past an old cougar den, 2 rock-slides, and a hidden waterfall/spring, before we realized this was going to take more than an afternoon to conquer. We went from the spring, into the steepest, thickest, coolest forest we had ever seen. The pine needles and soil were about a foot or so deep and hadn't been disturbed, it seemed, in millennia. As we grabbed at roots, branches, trunks, and brush, we pulled ourselves up the slope toward an outcropping of rock. As we rested at this outcropping, the full brunt of what we were accomplishing seemed to hit us. We were climbing a mountain without trail or gear.
We had made it this far in previous hikes, but we continued on into uncharted territory. There was no way anyone else had made this same trek... We continued to climb past more outcropping, more forest, and more slopes. At some places, the only way to get up was to grab at a plant or scrub oak, and pull yourself up using only that plant to support your weight. Needless to say, it was treacherous at times.
We climbed past what we now call "The Jut", an outcropping of rock that juts out off of a wooded cliff, and is the steepest, scariest part of the hike. Keep in mind that the day we decided to attempt this, it was raining a little and the rock was also a bit slick. As we crested "Gazer Crest", we saw it in the distance... Windgazer Ridge. This Ridge has haunted our dreams since that day, as we were forced to turn back at this point. We were not destined to finish the journey that day.
And so it was last weekend, with much planning and excitement, we packed our bags and sent off again toward the Ridge. This time, we took a lot more breaks. Granted, we both had 40 lb packs with sleeping bags and food this time. We still made good time though and were at the ridge by lunchtime. We passed the cougar den, rock-slides, springs, forest, outcroppings, etc and found a place to eat. By this point two years ago, we were ready to turn back because we were shot. This time, we trudged onward and upward into another overgrown forest. Through thick brush, eons-old fallen trees, and even a spider web (The spider was the size of the tip of my thumb.) We climbed farther than we'd ever been, but it seemed that we would never make it.
After a good half-hour rest, we checked our coordinates and were faced with a decision. By this point, we were almost out of water. The only stream was still a good 5 hours away. We were tired... More tired than we'd ever been on a hike. Oh, and it was getting late enough in the day that we wondered if we would have enough daylight to make it to the river by nightfall (Where we would still have to FIND a place to camp and build a fire.) We also figured that, if we were this tired right now, how bad would it be the next morning when we would have to do it all over again on the way back.
That being said, we turned our backs yet again on the prize and began the long, arduous journey back down the mountain. Were we disappointed? Maybe a little bit... We've been looking forward to this for years... But honestly? We're pretty proud of ourselves. That was MUCH farther than we'd ever been, and this time we had heavy packs. We also decided there might be a better way up to the top that would take less time and energy next time. We still have next year or the year after, and now we know what we're facing and can train and prepare a little better.
Okay, story over? Not yet...
Well, Nathanael was going to come with us, as it was he and I that originally conceived of the idea. He felt bad about having to ditch us last minute, but we didn't blame him because he had an awesome job lined up instead. Well, as we were climbing back down (we could see our car from here) I got a call from Nith asking where we were and how it was going. I shared with him our lament, and he seemed to be very sympathetic. What I didn't realize until he told me was that he was planning on surprising us. He had gotten off work early and had quickly packed a bag and began running up the mountain. It was touching to me that he was planning on coming after all and had made every preparation to do so. It would have been killer awesome to have all three of us camping at the top of the falls. It would have worked, except for the fact that we weren't there... He was about as high as we had been from what we can tell (Which in and of itself is quite impressive) and it was getting dark.
Therein lay the problem. There's all sorts of cliffs and crags and holes on this hike and it's not exactly an easy grade. Well, we figured that, in order to ensure that he lived, we'd wait for him to get back down. We watched with bated breath and made him promise to text us every half hour with updates to make sure he didn't die (Neither of which, of course, did he do...) Anyway, he made it down from a height that would have taken us two hours, in roughly a quarter of that time.
It goes without saying that we are all very impressed with his fitness and dexterity, blah blah blah... Anyway, we'll just have to remember that next time, and maybe we'll give ourselves a nice head-start. Like... 5 hours or so?
(Pics to follow soon)
07 June, 2011
20 April, 2011
27 March, 2011
Day 31 - Best music videos of all time
Here at last, the final day of this blog series... You all should realize, that this means I may not be posting as often anymore... I know, I know, "How can he post any less often than he already is?" Well forgive me that I have a bit of a hectic life. :)
Anyway, as promised, here are the most amazing music videos ever made, in my opinion, that I have found at least. They are powerful, fun, well-made, intense, creative, and sometimes even make me emotional. Music videos are such a great creation, mixing two of my favorite mediums to create a fantastic product. Sometimes people tend to abuse music videos and make them lame or sketchy, or just too weird for their own good. Of course, some of those might be, in your opinion, on this list as well. Well get over it! It's my list, not yours! :P
Enjoy! (Keep in mind also, that I may add tot his list from time to time, so check back every so often.)
Anyway, as promised, here are the most amazing music videos ever made, in my opinion, that I have found at least. They are powerful, fun, well-made, intense, creative, and sometimes even make me emotional. Music videos are such a great creation, mixing two of my favorite mediums to create a fantastic product. Sometimes people tend to abuse music videos and make them lame or sketchy, or just too weird for their own good. Of course, some of those might be, in your opinion, on this list as well. Well get over it! It's my list, not yours! :P
Enjoy! (Keep in mind also, that I may add tot his list from time to time, so check back every so often.)
25 March, 2011
Day 30 - Your favorite song at this time last year
My favorite song at this time last year was Welcome All Again by Collective Soul. That song is already posted, however. So let me think of something else...Hey, don't rush me, I'm thinking!
I've got it! This song is one of the greatest songs of all time. It has been my favorite for years, but I believe I can recall being on a "kick" for it around this time last year.
I've got it! This song is one of the greatest songs of all time. It has been my favorite for years, but I believe I can recall being on a "kick" for it around this time last year.
Day 29 - A song from your childhood
I will be openly honest and forthright. I used to love *NSync. A lot. Haha, funny enough, I hated the Backstreet Boys and wanted them all to die... Anyway...
Here is a song that reminds me of the times that my best friend, Andy, and I spent listening to the best boy band of our time. We would spend hours dubbing from cassette to cassette so that we could both have their music. Haha, good times my old friend... good times.
Here is a song that reminds me of the times that my best friend, Andy, and I spent listening to the best boy band of our time. We would spend hours dubbing from cassette to cassette so that we could both have their music. Haha, good times my old friend... good times.
Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty
Okay, can I just say this is the lamest day yet? I think one reason this 30-day experiment has turned into 6 months, is that some of these prompts, namely this one, are pretty dumb.
I mean, if a song makes me feel guilty, I'm'a not listnin' to it! Duh! So... instead... Here's a really awesome music video for you!
Woot!
I mean, if a song makes me feel guilty, I'm'a not listnin' to it! Duh! So... instead... Here's a really awesome music video for you!
Woot!
15 February, 2011
Day 27 - A song that you wish you could play
The list goes on... ask my wife... I say that about every song that comes on.
Day 26 - A song that you can play on an instrument
I can actually play this on the guitar, the upright bass, AND the piano. (Not that it's saying much... The chords are as follows: A A D D E E D D A A D D E E D D A A, etc.)
I can also ALMOST play this song on the piano:
I CAN play this one, but again, simple chords make for easy playing:
I can also ALMOST play this song on the piano:
I CAN play this one, but again, simple chords make for easy playing:
Day 25 - A song that makes you laugh
Here's one:
TMBG is just such an odd band with so many great gems of music that it's hard to pick one, but I do chuckle at that song.
Here's another: (stupid video, but great classic humor)
Moving on, I'm obviously a few months behind, so excuse me if I don't take my time.
TMBG is just such an odd band with so many great gems of music that it's hard to pick one, but I do chuckle at that song.
Here's another: (stupid video, but great classic humor)
Moving on, I'm obviously a few months behind, so excuse me if I don't take my time.
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