Nate's Stuff

Still mad at you Obama, but still impressed

2009-04-22T14:03:00.001-07:00

Now I've heard all you peanut gallery. I've heard scream foul play to those Democrats. I hear you having your "patriotic" Tea Parties being all disgusted about the newest regime. But hear me this! Obama has stopped an entire Latin American / Enemies of America war simply by a shake of a hand.
Chavez was the leader of that group of hoodlums the likes of which included Iran, China and Cuba. All of which love to mock and insult the USA for their personal gain. But the operative word there is 'was.' How can a man ever keep his streetcred with a photo like this? It is like the leader of the Crips shaking hands with the Pope. Never again can he give a speech about how the USA smells like pee and wants the rest of the world to bow at their feet. He is on our side now, let this photo stand the test of time and remind the world about Chavez's boyish grin as he, yes, he, the President of such a lowly nation as Venezuela gets to shake even the great and most powerful mans hand.

Now back to those Tea Parties. The Boston Tea Party is a famous event in USA history because IT WAS OUR FIRST ACT OF TYRANNY!!! These Tea Parties really really really.. really really worry me. It has been literally 30 years since the Democrats have been both President and Congress leaders. 30 years! Give them a chance. And if you are disgusted then protest, don't commit tyranny for goodness sakes.
When the Republicans held both branches sure there were those that truly hated America but they were generally crazy drugged up kids that meant nothing to our society. These Tea Parties are of normal 9-to-5 workers participating in a mock act of tyranny. Granted it is fake and for show but if you are looking for supporters by giving a name of Tea Party then you are running on the fence of doing some really scary stuff my friends!

The post I never wanted to make

2009-02-26T08:06:00.000-08:00

Obama, who are you! I may have been your greatest ally for there is not a single person I work, mingle, or shooting hoops with that likes you. I was your guy! I was your guy right in the thick of things with your worst enemies duking it out with them and telling them they were foolish. I knew you wouldn't be perfect but I was sure you would improve our country. I am still giving you the benefit of the doubt but my honeymoon with you is wearing me thin. I can't see another 100 billion spent every three days like this. This money spending has to slow down, I understand much of it is required but give me some time to intake it. Please! Give the market some time to digest the last 2 trillion dollars you have spent before we decide on the next couple tril. I need a break. I want to push for you, I want to tell my republican friends they are wrong and ignorant and all in all not as smart as me. I am starting to realize this just might not work and the joke might be on me.

I am giving a few more tries but if we are another $500 billion out before good results come back I am going to have to change sides and, gulp, say I was wrong!

2009-02-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

Ode to my Venezuela. How could you have done this to yourselves. Honestly, I saw you, I broke Arepas with you and painted your pastel pink houses, you have logic and reason, why on earth did you allow this??? Just this week Hugo Chavez won the ability to run the country until he dies with his socialist policies, in essense, to become just like his best friend, Fidel Castro.

This is really tough for me. I miss the culture there, I miss playing bottle cap baseball and the ChiCha sellers. I was whisked away from the country after 6 months of my mission with literally 3 hours torealize I has leaving, pack and say my goodbyes. I had absolutely no closure. Since then, Hugo Chavez never made it easy for American's to visit. I doubt it will ever be easy.

I was there when he was first put into power. Every American knew what was happening but the locals were ignorant. They are smart people but within 20 years had gone from a flourishing economy with a solid middle class to practically a third world country. I had a friend who bought a new Suburban for 10000 Bolivares 15 years ago, with inflation at such high levels today that amount is 7 dollars. They were desperate for an out and Sir Hugo stepped up.

And so to Archimetes, Josue, Paola, and Obispo Sanchez I must say goodbye. I must say goodbye to the Carribean sunsets, Jamacan style buses, Mango trees dropping fruit like acorns and luxurious Toddy chocolate. I always figured I'd be able to get a real goodbye but this is as good as it will get. I hope you continue to grow and find ways to prosper but most importantly I hope you keep that sweet loving sense about you. For nobody can love like a Venezolano!

Its all in the name

2009-02-13T04:23:00.001-08:00

Oh, I hate names! They can completely set my opinion on the thing they describe. Vaccination for example, what a horrible sounding name! I don't want my kids to get 'vaccinated.' My great grandparents weren't 'vaccinated' and they did just fine, they were brought up like a pure organic sunflower free from all 'fabricated' substances.

It is no wonder that so many parents these days are thinking about not vaccinated their kids. I hear the autism issues but I really think it boils down to its name, 'vaccinate.' What if we changed its name? What if we called it 'core cleansing' now THAT would be something I want to give me kids.

So what other names should be changed? These are the ones that just frazzle my bald head, you will probably be able to guess a number of my opinions in this..

Good .. Bad

1. Organic .. Bug Infested

2. Jail .. Evil Acts Think Tank

3. 'Bring them to Justice' .. 'Eye for an eye'

4. Herbal Remedy .. Untested drug

5. Pro Choice .. Con Consequences

6. Go Green .. Lower my gas price (notice in history the two times environment was important have been the only two times when gas was x3 its usual price)

7. High School History .. Oppression Studies

8. High School English .. Study of Fake Stories err fiction

This was fun, I think I might do this again

Growth

2009-01-31T18:20:00.001-08:00

My daughter asked to give the family prayer last night. She rarely prays even when I plod her into it but has prayed three days in a row now. She is doing it to help her aunt get better.

Tough times are what make us strong. My sister-in-law just gave birth to a beautiful boy last week, her first. This week she found out she has cancer. Now I know this will be a struggle for my sister-in-law to say the least but because of this my daughter has truly found a testimony. She truly believes that if she prays that Jesus will, 'not come down from the clouds like he does to the people in the movies but that He will give her peace and hope.' She wants to give that extra gift of hope to her aunt. She has no doubt Jesus will do it. For the first time ever this childish and selfish girl has learned how to truly love.

And so to my sister-in-law I say thank you. Thank you for being strong enough to be given this tough struggle. For my daughter surely couldn't live through such a struggle but will, in the end, grow from it to a level she would not have done otherwise.

My time

2009-01-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

This was what was going through my head as I shopped for a new pair of jeans today. I realized something, I don't have style anymore. My 90's style wants to hate the 80's clothes but everything in the store looked like it was from 1986. Oh, they were so blue that only Kmart brand could have made them or so trashy faded it was despicable. And then the holes?!?! So I went after the worst looking pair I could find, because of course that would mean they are cool now.

So I guess its time to wear whatever I think is ridiculous. Here it goes, first stop me and my bros at the Eagles game...

My daughters violence education every Sunday morning

2009-01-15T05:16:00.000-08:00

The other day I was driving my 4 year old daughter Frilly Princess Fireball (name has been changed for security reasons) and a policeman flew pasts us with his lights a blarin'. Frilly says 'oooooo pretty.' (this is right after Christmas and those red lights sure looked like a blazin christmas tree. )

Anyway this started a conversation about why policemen exist which some how made its way to the reasons for jail and thus her fears of being taken away by the gestapo and sent to jail because she occasionally hits her brother.

This of course makes sense in her world because she has never seen anything more brutal and harsh than a toddler hitting. She didn't understand that worse things happen in this world. I tried to explain that there are much worse things that people do and those people are the very bad people who go to jail.

Surprisingly this made a lot of sense to her. 'You mean Daddy like those people in our church movies (the Living Scripture variety) that are very not nice people'

Yes Frilly Princess Fireball, like those people in those movies. You know, those Sunday movies that we watch only on Sundays to bring that peace of Christ in our homes on that sacred day.

Ladies and Gentlemen, my Living Scripture movies

Podcasts

2009-01-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

So those who hang out with me these days have all heard my soap box. Podcasts rock! They are free, easy to set up and they update automatically. Most importantly, there are a hundred different podcasts for every interest. I never listen to the radio anymore and will even sit in my car an extra minute to hear a punchline. The only downfall is there are so many that it is overwhelming to get into them.

As individualist as they can be there are some Must Listen To podcasts. I don't care who you are, you will thank me after you listen to these. Start with these and move from here..

This American Life- If there is only one podcast to listen to it is this! I even gave a donation to this NPR podcast, I've never done that before. You will laugh, you will cry, you will want to tell your friends

TedTalks- Some of the worlds greatest thinkers get 20 minutes to explain their life's work with unlimited resources to entertain. Not just educational but quite entertaining.

SuperWhy. Alright, they haven't updated this one for over a year but you get 2 seasons of Super Why on your computer.

BYU Recent Talks- To be honest, I can't recommend this one. The content is fantastic but it takes literally an hour on a broadband connection to upload one episode. If you can deal with that time committment then this is great. It is the devotionals and big talks (building dedications by the Prophet or FARMS or other things) presented at BYU during the week.

A Christmas Miracle!

2008-12-30T08:24:00.001-08:00

To the parking meter guy who took off work yesterday while I ran over my meter time by two hours. Thank you.

Lets get the issue straight

2008-12-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Everywhere I turn in the LDS world people are screaming for a playoff. But lets be honest here, its not the playoff you want. You want BYU to have a chance. They deserve a chance, they deserve the better money. In general, they should be in a better conference. That would solve all issues.

College football would lose so much excitement with a playoff, that 14 weeks of crazy excitement would become quiet and peaceful until the final 3 weeks. Just like March Madness. But for some reason Mormons aren't into college basketball.

It isn't because they aren't into basketball. They played it every mutual as teenagers and everyone has a story of jerryrigging the church front door to play on a day off school. The Jazz are the only NBA team followed by caucausians. The Jazz are the only NBA team followed even when they stink.
I think it is more than just the fact that they don't like college basketball. I think it is because college basketball isn't exciting. BYU goes out and plays their first round game and loses and thats the season. How fun is that?

'But to play in the championship is so arbitrary'
Ok, I will admit college football needs some work. But lets not break the worlds last important regular season just because at most 2 of the 119 teams have an argument that they should've been playing in the championship.

Best regular season - College Football
Best Award - Heisman (its not to the best athlete, it is to the guy we all want to personify the season)
Best Championship - College Football (name one other sport that pits arguably the two best teams together in the championship and not who got hot late in the season. The answer is none)

BCS Playoff 2008

2008-12-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

So for all you BCS Playoff advocates, this is your mock BCS Playoffs for 2008-2009 season. Today is the Saturday that they would start, would you watch these matchups this weekend? Would you care about the results? Would you think everyone playing deserves a shot at the title?

1. Oklahoma 12-1 v. 8. Penn State 11-1

4. Alabama 12-1 v. 5. USC 11-1

2. Florida 12-1 v. 7. Texas Tech 11-1

3. Texas 11-1 v. 6. Utah 12-0

Supreme Court overturns Bush v. Gore

2008-12-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

This was the headline from the Onion today. I love it! I saw it as I was walking down the street today. Think of the possibilities of that. I am totally for the Supreme Court to look into this

Why this blog exists..

2008-11-18T05:47:00.001-08:00

because my wife told me so. I've officially been kicked off 'our' blog. The thing is, sometimes I just need to get stuff off my chest.

Rules:
I spent a year wanting my own rant page but it never felt right. I hope to be honest, intelligent and non-descending and I hope you are too.