Still unrelated: As of late, when I try reading and my full attention is no longer on Queen Z, she shuts my book and says, "Amen!" She is magically something, wouldn't you say?
We have been a lot of places together, haven't we.? San Francisco, Boston, Amarillo, Mesa Verde, Dinosaur place (Vernal?), and Manassa too many times to count. What is your favorite memory of our travels together??
Man, that's a tough question. San Francisco was my first vacation without adult supervision and Alcatraz was one of the most facinating places that I've ever visited. Mesa Verde and Dinosaur Land in Vernal are very fond memories of my childhood. (I wanted to be a paleontologist when I was very yourng.) Our most recent trip to Amarillo was my long anticipated first taste of Texas. One of my favorite trips has to be our visit to Boston. It was my first time on the east coast. We got to see Cheers, the site of the Boston Massacre (I'm suprised more people don't know what that is), and we got to stand just feet away from the grass at Fenway Park without paying $10 for the tour. Plus it's always fun to hang out with Charlotte and Jake and their kids.
Have you ever forgiven Sylvia and I for not letting you ride the trolley in San Fran? Be honest.
I feel like I need to give some background on this. In 1869, San Francisco resident Andrew Hallidie witnessed an accident involving a horsedrawn streetcar and had the inspiration for a cable driven railway. He designed a system where a streetcar would grip a steam driven cable beneath the street's surface and be propelled along the tracks. No more need for horses which had a tendency to be unpredictable in city environments and sometimes had poor footing on the steep San Francisco streets. It was an engineering marvel that was replicated accross the country and around the world. It was a shining example of American ingenuity. The San Francisco Cable Cars are literally a national monument. They are something unique to San Francisco. You wouldn't go to New York City and not see the Statue of Liberty; you wouldn't go to San Antonio and not visit the Alamo; you wouldn't go to St. Louis and not see the St. Louis Arch; so why would you go all the way to San Francisco and not ride on a Cable Car? It's not your fault, nor Sylvia's. I should have done a better job of educating you.
Why do you have such an incredible memory? Is it your gift in life?
I don't think I have that great of a memory, I just remember things that most people don't. I find it easy to remember lines and facts from certain movies and TV shows, but only the ones that I really like (ie. O' Brother Where Art Thou, The Three Amigos, Shanhai Noon, The Office, King of the Hill, and maybe a few others). What you might not realize is that I've watched these shows repeatedly. I also spend a lot of time perusing http://www.imdb.com/ for facts about shows or actors. (Did you know that two or three of the main actors in The Office grew up in the same area of Massachusets where Charlotte and Jake lived?) I know you're impressed that I remember the joke that Jake told us while we were driving around San Francisco (How do you say constipated in German? Farfumpoopin.) but that was a great joke, I'm suprised you don't remember it. Basically I am a fount of useless knowledge. Do you think I can remember a single equation that I will need for my upcomming Hydraulic Engineering exam? No. Good thing it's open book.
What are your feelings on PETA?
Let me answer this question by telling you my feelings about animals in general: Do I think that animals should be abused? No. Do I think that animals should be used for the benefit of man? Absolutely. I think that anyone who teaches anything other than that is pretty misguided. (D&C 49:18-19: And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God; For, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance.
What is your prediction for BYU's football season this fall? And how many games do you plan on attending?
When it comes to BYU Football I have a hard time being anything but optimistic. We have finished the last four seasons with 10 or more wins and ranked in the Top 25, we've won three out of our last four bowl games, and we just signed the best recruiting class in school history. The program has gained momentum and is poised to continue to rise steadily, not just be a flash in the pan. There are a few question marks for next years team, most notably at quarterback. But I remember just a few years ago when John Beck was graduating and Cougarnation was practically beside itself wondering how we would ever replace the legend of "The 13 Second Miracle." A sophmore named Max Hall stepped up and the very next year led us to an 11-2 season capped off by the famous "4th and 18" play and an exciting win over UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. He also became the winningest quarterback in BYU history.
The 2010 schedule hasn't been finalized, but I'll be at the home games for sure. There will be two instate road games at Yewtah and Utah State which I may or may not go to. (The Yewtah game is a tough ticket to come by unless you want to shell out, and if I decide that seeing the Cougs beat up on the Aggies is worth the drive to Logan and putting up with Utah State fans, then I'll probably make that trip.) I'll be finishing my undergrad degree next fall and will probably be pretty busy with classes; otherwise I'd probably make a trip to Ft. Collins or Colorado Springs for a game. It will depend on three things, money, time, and finding people to make the trip with me.
Please make a convincing argument on why anyone should watch King of the Hill?
Let me tell you about a show that I like to watch. It's about an average guy named Hank who lives in a normal size house and drives a regular size pickup truck. He is a hard worker, he's honest, he loves his wife and is faithful to her, and he only wants what's best for his son. He is a loyal friend, attends church regularly, and is an Eagle Scout. He loves his mother, the music of Willie Nelson, and the United States of America. He takes great pride in his emaculately manicured lawn, his community, and the great state of Texas where he resides. In his spare time he likes to watch football, play golf, and pick his guitar. Hank Hill is about as American as one can get.
Doesn't Hank sound like a great neighbor? Someone you'd like to be friends with? I think that everyone can relate to Hank in some way. Sure he has his weaknesses: he can lose his temper once in a while and he is known to knock back a few beers in the alley with his neighbors, but nobody's perfect.
I hear people say: "Why don't they make a show about a regular guy?" "They should make a show that reinforces traditional family values." Well, they have. It's called King of the Hill. You can catch reruns on Fox and Cartoon Network. Check your local listings.
Do you relate better with Dwight, Michael, or Jim on The Office??
I think it depends on which season of The Office that I'm watching. In seasons 1 and 2 Michael was extremly awkward, Dwight was overbearing and annoying, and Jim was the guy that everyone liked. In seasons 3 and 4 we all want to be happy for Michael for finally finding "love" but end up feeling bad for him because of the crappy relationship that he's in. In season 4 Jim is still likable but we don't have much to root for since he finally hooks up with Pam, but we find our hearts reaching out to Dwight for the misery he is going through over hes breakup with Angela. Season 5 is more of the same, except we think that Michael might have finally found happiness when Holly enters the picture. So far it seems that in season 6 The Office has returned to its roots: Michael's never ending quest for companionship, Dwight is the quirky antagonist, and Jim is the guy that you can't help but like (unless you're Dwight).
There are certain things about all of them with which I can relate: Michael's search for love, Dwight being misunderstood for his obscure/unique quirks and interests and his fierce loyalty, and Jim just being an all around nice guy. In the end I'm going to have to say Jim just because I hope that I'm not nearly as awkward as Michael or as annoying as Dwight, and I'd like to think that in the end this nice guy will finally get the girl.
I hear you are planning on homeschooling your future kids, what are your reasons for this?
Nice try, that satement couldn't be further from the truth. Let me explain: I have known several people who were home schooled and 95% of them are weird. I know there are homeschooled kids out there who turned out just fine (or worse, think they turned out just fine), but those people are the exception not the rule. I think that for the most part homeschooled kids get a decent education (book smarts) but they usually end up developmentally disabled socially. I think the most common reason is that they want to protect their kids from things that they might be exposed to at school. They think that if they can sheild their kids from all of the undesireable things that go on in public schools that they will turn out better. But these kids are going to have to go out into the real world someday, how will they handle things then? Think of Brenden Frasier's character in the movie Blast From the Past. He had the most intense homeschooling imaginable (he was born in a bomb shelter that his dad had built underground in their back yard and lived there until he was in his twenties, his only contact with others being his parents). He gained plenty of book smarts (his dad was a scientist) and he was very well refined (he had a dancing lesson from his mother every day of his life), but when he finally had to go out into the real world he didn't know how to react so well. And unlike in the movie, I don't think that a sheltered, homeschooled, twenty-something's innocent naivety is going to score him a girl friend of Alicia Silverstone's caliber.
Bottom line: I agree that a child needs to learn very important things that can only be taught in the home, but I also think that there are vital life skills that can only be learned among one's peers, and if a child is deprived of these life lessons he will have difficulty later on (and there will be a lot more weird people out there).
I find it fascinating that you are taking Mandolin lessons from Ryan Shupe and kept it a secret from many of us for so long! What's up with that?
I wouldn't say I was keeping a secret, I just wasn't broadcasting it to the world. It has been pretty cool though. I have a lesson once a week for a half hour and sometimes we chat about music for a few minutes after. On a related note: Just before Christmas Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband had a drawing on facebook where they would come caroling to the winners house. Mine was one of two names that were drawn out of the hat. We tried for a few weeks to set up a time but the band's schedule was so crazy that we could never find a time. Ryan gave me three options: they could try to do it by phone, they could come sometime after Christmas, or we could think of something else. I already had something in mind so I pitched it to Ryan. I said that we could call it even for now, but when I do eventually get married he (and any other members of the band that wanted to) could come and play their song "1,000 Times" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUtKZac-sBE) at my wedding. Ryan thought about it for a second and said that he thought it was a great idea. So ladies, if you want Ryan Shupe to play at your wedding...
Are there any future plans to reunite Fine Line? (Former highschool band)
Fine Line is long gone unfortunately. No one has heard from our bass player in years, our lead singer has moved to Texas for school, and the rest of us are scattered accross Utah and we rarely get the chance to talk. Being in a band is a huge time commitment, and if everyone isn't invested to the same level it can become really stressfull for those in the band that are more invested than others. On top of that I know my musical tastes have changed and I would imagine that my bandmates tastes have changed as well. Taylor and Scottfunkel still get together every once in a while, but the Fine Line fire has long since burned out. Oh well, we'll always have the memories.
Any thoughts, advice, statements that you would like to add?
A few words to live by:
"You're not making Christianity better, you're making rock and roll worse!"--Hank Hill
"Only a fool tries to find logic in the chambers of the human heart."--Eulyses Everett McGill
"If my girl don't like corndogs, then she ain't the girl for me!"--Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband
Thanks Scott!
