Thanksgiving

My favorite Thanksgiving food has to be pumpkin pie. I have to say, though, that not all pumpkin pies are created equal. The best type of pumpkin pie is homemade pumpkin pie. Mmmmm.
This Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law got a pumpkin pie from Marie Callender's. That was some good pumpkin pie. She also got a type of pie that I've never heard of before: cranberry apple pie. It was good too. But I just couldn't stop thinking of Brian Regan talking about cranberries getting into all the other juices. Now they're getting into all the other pies. I can see it now, cranberry shepherd's pie.
Anyway, I hope the tons of people who read this had a good Thanksgiving.

I love my arms that's where my hands live,

Dan

Vacación

My worst family vacation ever. I honestly can't think of what our worst family vacation was. I was a little kid for most of them and any emotions I'd attached to the vacations has long since been lost.

There is one that sticks in my mind though. It definitely wasn't the worst. In fact I really enjoyed it. When I was 13 or 14, I went with my Dad to Washington D.C. I hadn't been there since I was a little kid and I didn't remember much. We visited all the sites, walked a ton, and had a lot of fun. The most interesting part of the vacation was the fact that instead of staying in a regular hotel or motel, we stayed at the International Youth Hostel.

For those of you who don't know what a hostel is, it's like a hotel, except you don't get a room to yourself, it's more like a dorm. I'll just say right now that my Dad and I weren't the strangest people there.

Maybe my family can remember worse family vacations, if any of them are reading this, it might make a good e-mail conversation topic. Maybe I'll relay the best stories for the rest of the world to read here. That would be fun.

The preacher said, "richer or poorer",

Dan

Animál

If you were an animal what would you be?

I think I'd have to be a bear. I'm not mean or cantakerous (usually), but I am big and cuddly. This picture is a good representation of me in class.

Tomorrow can pay the rent.

Dan

Weird People

I'm supposed to write about the weirdest person in my family. I don't really like that topic and I don't want to offend anyone. So I'll just say I'm the weirdest (even though I know it's not true).

Here are some pictures of people who are weird. Or maybe they're just cool. You decide. I don't know who this guy is or why everybody in the background wants to be like him, but I'll have you know that if I had the chance, I'd be wearing, a tuxedo with saddle shoes, a red bow-tie, suspenders, and coke bottle glasses too.

This guy's name is Marco Salvetti. I only wish my upper lip had the power to produce such a mustache. Note the second appearance of a red tie.

Anyone crazy enough to use Sword Chucks should be avoided. But just imagine the damage that could be done to all in the nearby vicinity. Note there is no red tie.

I am an opera singer,

Dan

Toys!

When I was a kid, I didn't have many new toys. I'm the youngest of 7 kids and everything I played with was pretty much a hand-me-down. (At least that's what I remember.) As a result, I read a lot of books. I still like books and just wish I had more time to read. I've found out that books on tape are great especially when you have to commute.
Anyway, I digress. My favorite game when I was a kid was this marble game. I don't know what it was really called or who makes it. After search online for approximately 3.7 minutes, I was unsuccessful in finding the exact game I had, but there are similar things called "Marble Run" out there.
The premise behind this game was building a track upon which you put your marbles. Gravity would do the rest and your marbles would roll down your creation. I literally spent hours with this game. Just don't use marbles that are too big because they'll get stuck and that can be aggravating. Amazingly, my Mom kept it after all these years, and my nieces and nephews love to play with it when they visit my parent's house.

I will swim to you if you will swim to me,

Dan

Christmas Music

With Halloween over and Thanksgiving on our doorstep, I go to the store and am bombarded with Christmas decorations. I'm sure that while all the kids are out trick-or-treating, the hapless retail store employees are pressed into removing all the orange and black streamers and pumpkins while putting up red, white and green paraphernalia. I'm amazed at how quickly our society forgets the true roots and meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas while focusing on the greed oriented mentality of X-Mas. To top off the conspiracy, radio stations are already playing non-stop Christmas music. I for one, don't think it right to start listening to it until after the Thanksgiving leftovers are safely tucked away into tupperware in the fridge. Even then, we shouldn't listen to it exclusively. Anyway...

The flood that drowns the sailor is the the fisherman's delight,

Dan

Kellen

So there's this guy in my Geol 230 class named Kellen. Everybody thinks that he craves attention and goes to great lengths to get it. In my opinion, Kellen doesn't try to get attention any more than anyone else in the class like Jay, Miles, or myself. I just want to express my support for Kellen in all his endeavors and warn anyone who might be plotting his demise that there are many of his associates who are willing to give their lives in his defense.

Smile for the camera and raise your glass,

Dan

Worst Date Ever

I have to start this one of with a disclaimer. The reason that this was my worst date was not due to the person I was with. It was entirely my fault.

So a couple of years ago, I ate dinner at my sister's house. They had a big bowl of left over pasta stuff. It was very cheesy and very good. So I downed the whole thing and then left for my date with Faith. We went on a double date to see Saints and Soldiers at the dollar theater. I started feeling sick a few minutes after the movie started and by the time a half hour had passed, I knew I was going to have to take a bathroom break. I'm lactose intolerant and usually, I don't have violent reactions to milk products, but I guess the nervousness of the date really got to me. So anyway, I spent the duration of the movie in the bathroom, hurling my guts out. I didn't realize how long I'd been in there until the other guy on the double date came looking for me.

We went home and Faith said I didn't have to walk her to her door on the third story. I was very grateful for that. To make a long story very short, we got married!

Chocolate chip cookies for breakfast,

Dan

Little Questions from Viklas

What is your favorite band? Spin Doctors
What color are your socks right now? White w/ gray toes and heels
What was the last thing you ate? Dried apricots and tortilla chips
What is your favorite drink? Jugo de Parcha (Passion Fruit juice) it's good in a boba
What was your favorite childhood toy? The marble game
What is your biggest fear? Rabid platypuses ... platypi ...
What is the coolest, most interesting, boring, or aggravating job you've ever held? Building Dinosaurs
Do you lick rocks? Always.
Have you driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? I am a certified fork lift operator for BYU. This is not me in the photo, just in case you were wondering.

My 'a-ha' moment came when I realized that I cloned out a truck better than Kirsten did in class. Mua-ha-ha! This is most likely a very rare occurrence due to the fact that she's rushing and just doing examples in class, not real work.

I'm still confused about ... politics.

And the trumpet sings,

Dan

Practical Joke

I've never really been good at practical jokes, but I can remember a good one that was played on me in High School. I was spending the night at a friend's house and my Mom was coming to pick me up pretty early the next morning. We had stayed up late playing video games and I had fallen asleep on the love seat. I had put my glasses on the coffee table and while I was asleep, my friends put shaving cream on the lenses. Then woke me up saying "Dan, your Mom's here!" So all dazed, I wake up and put my glasses on and am all confused about why I can't see anything. Hurriedly, I clean the shaving cream off and run outside thinking my Mom is waiting. Then I stand out there for a minute trying to gain my bearings and start my brain. My Mom is nowhere in sight and it's way earlier than when my Mom was supposed to come.
It was a pretty good joke. I can't remember how I felt at the time, but I can laugh about it now.

My 'a-ha' moment hasn't come yet.

I really like Photoshop, but it just takes forever to do anything or figure anything out.

You know my boat has holes,

Dan

Costume

I'm pretty much a lameface when it comes to Halloween. I don't really enjoy dressing up. The only thing I really get excited about is eating candy. I'll probably go to the store tonight and get some discount candy because Halloween was yesterday.

I will say that my daughter was a cute little bear. I'm sure she doesn't realize much about it, but that's beside the point.

Dodging assassins,

Dan

Hair

I dunno if I've ever had a bad haircut. Well, yes I have. When I was twelve my Mom accidentally buzzed my head and I was devastated. Then on my mission, I had my zone leader buzz it again. I was excited about it because it was in the hot Florida summer, but it didn't look very good. I guess the worst haircut I had wasn't actually a haircut. It was when I didn't cut my hair for eight months my Senior year of high school. It was pretty bad most of the time. This photo is what it looked like when it was neat.

I've got a million plans but each one fails,

Dan

Joke

So there was this rabbi who went out as a missionary to teach a tribe of people called the Twids. The rabbi spent his time with them and was fully accepted and loved by them. Yet, the Twids were unresponsive to his message. He toiled with the Twids and taught the Twids, and they wouldn't convert from their Twid traditions.
The rabbi grew discouraged with his lack of success and decided to travel to the other side of the mountain where another tribe called the Frinests lived. The only trail that would take him over was up to the very top of the mountain and back down the other side. As he prepared for his journey over the mountain, the Twids told him of a wizened old man who lived at the top of the mountain. In order to pass him you must ask him a riddle. If he could answer the riddle, he would kick you off the mountain. You had to ask a riddle that he could not answer in order to pass him.
Feeling confident, the rabbi began his journey up the mountain. As he climbed, he thought of a riddle that the old man at the top of the mountain couldn't possibly answer. He picked up three small pebbles and put them in his pocket, the old man could never guess how many he had hidden in there. So he reached the top of the mountain and approached the old man who was cooking his hot dog on a little fire up there. The rabbi approached him and said "Old man, how many pebbles do I have in my pocket?" The old man replied without looking up, "Three." Astonished, the rabbi curled up into a little ball in an attempt to minimize any damage from being kicked off the mountain. And he braced himself for the big kick.
Nothing happened. The rabbi peeked out at the old man who was still cooking his hot dog. The rabbi asked "Aren't you going to kick me off the mountain? You answered my riddle correctly."
The old man replied, "You silly rabbi, kicks are for Twids."

Lenguas

I speak English. As you can see, I can also type it. Somedays, if I'm lucky I'll even be able to read it.

I also speak Spanish. I was actually born and raised in Puerto Rico. As a little kid, I supposedly spoke pretty good Spanish, but I didn't use it nearly as much as I should have in later years. I spoke English at home, church, and school. I finally had the opportunity to relearn it when I became a missionary and was called to speak Spanish and teach people in Florida.

I'm also proficient in Efe.

For good or for awesome,

Dan

Restaurante

I'm gonna have to say that my favorite restaurant is Fuentes B.B.Q. in Rio Piedras, PR. It's been so long since I've been there, but I can still taste the chuletas y arroz con habichuelas; not to mention the tostones. So if you're ever in the area, I strongly recommend this place.

My 'a-ha' moment was ... I honestly can't remember a thing from any of my classes yesterday except for Structure. My entire memory is overshadowed by the ridiculous monster test we had to take. That and Guitar Hero.

The more it rains the less I know,

Dan

First Love

I must say that my first love was my wife. I had crushes and stuff before, but my first real love was Faith. When we were first dating, I would ask myself if I loved her, or just like her. I wasn't sure, so I decided to conduct a scientific experiment. As we said goodnight to eachother, I would end with a "Love ya." I didn't find out until much later that this caused her coniption fits. On one date, we went to see the movie The Incredibles. During one of the scenes, I realized that I loved her for real, so I leaned over and told her. Maybe it was in the car afterwards, I can't remember. But the rest is history.

My 'a-ha' moment for today was when I finally realized how the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator works. It's a little tricky.

I'm confused at exactly how I'm going to make a graph for my paper. But it'll be done this Saturday, so I'm not worried.

What is the secret of your power?

Dan

Scary

"When is you the most scar-ed?" - Kirsten Thompson

The time I was the most scared was probably when I was a missionary in Immokalee, FL. My companion, Elder Smith, and I were riding our bikes home late one night, when we rounded the corner and passed a dumpster. Neither of us had lights of our bikes so the racoons feasting in the dumpster didn't hear or see us until it was too late. Elder Smith was infront of me and hit the last racoon with the front wheel of his bike. He flew over the front of his handlebars and smashed his face into the asphalt. I thought he was really messed up and was really worried. But we got him to the nearest hospital (an hour away) and he was fine. It was fun seeing everybody's looks of gaping horror when they saw him as they entered church the following day.

My 'a-ha' moment for today happened when I realized that I know nothing about making good figures. I can interpret most of the bad ones, after a few minutes of intense pondering so I don't see the problem. :-> I am excited to get to know how to use Adobe Illustrator, though.

I'm still confused about Adobe Acrobat Professional. I was late to class today and missed some important stuff. I really didn't understand using bookmarks, but I have to admit, I wasn't paying much attenion for that part.

Scar

I don't have any cool scars. I have a little one on my left index finger where I cut myself with an X-ACTO knife when I was cutting a tennis ball open.
Uh...I like the song Scar Tissue by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
But if you do a Google image search for scars, you can see some gross stuff and this guy. Anyway...

Geologic Sample

My favorite Geological sample that I've ever seen is the world! Well, I'll also say the mineral danburkite, I mean, danburite. Though I've never seen it myself, in gem quality it's quite beautiful. Geology is so cool, when I learn more, I get more and more excited when I go outside and see stuff in the real world.

My 'a-ha' moment for today was just learning a few tips and tricks in Excel.

I'm confused about some of the terms we're supposed to learn for the test, but I'll be okay.

Everybody to the limit,

Dan

Cartoon Show!

My favorite cartoon show right now is Homestar Runner. It's not on tv, but that's okay. When I was a kid, I really liked Animaniacs and Gargoyles. In high school, I discovered The Tick and The Simpsons.

I've spent large portions of my life watching these cartoons. I strongly recommend them.

My 'a-ha' moment for today was when I realized that I just barely learned on my own most of the cool stuff you can do in Excel.

I'm confused about the test and what kind of stuff is going to be on it.


The system is down,

Dan