Journal

I was thinking of digitizing my journals so that I could "search" them for topics I may have written about. I think it's a great idea, especially since I just finished writing in it and just as I thought, i turned to a year and a half ago and I wrote that I've learned the same thing. If it were digital I could find all journal entries about the same topic and then monitor myself to see how and if I am truly learning to change or if I just keep going in circles. Right now it seems I keep having to learn things over and over again! It would take time to re-type all the words, but may be worthwhile in the long run. Big issue: what format to use (.doc, .txt, etc., or database).

I just got up from a nap which wasn't really a nap at all. I wanted to rest before doing lots of homework but things kept coming to my mind. Old things. So instead of resting I started pondering and asking myself why these old things still bothered me today. I ended up writing them down in my journal and that is how I got this idea to digitize the whole thing. I wanted to see if my current worries were merely repeats of the past or if they were truly new and fresh in my life as I sometimes think. But with a paper journal I have to thumb through the pages manually and scan the writing. In a digital journal I can link to pictures to go with people or even songs. So later in life, my posterity can see and hear and read my journal. How cool is that? I wonder if there's already a program that does this. If not, I should make it and sell it or something. If you are reading this and you would use such a journal program (It would be able to be "secure" so only you could access it on your computer) please leave a comment and let me know.

So I have a lot of school work to do. I finished the December "Out and About" (the Outdoor Newsletter) today and submitted it to the Press. We should have it ready by the 1st. I like improving it each semester and I'm really proud of the way it looks this time. The outside has a close up picture of an Ice Climber and on the back there are "Winter Tips." The inside is a calendar of events with a cool snowboarder pic.

Now, for those of you who like the long - drawn out blogs, here's what I have yet to do in school:
- 15 page research paper on Ice Climbing Facilities
- Minimum 10 page Research and Evaluation on the results of a survey I'm doing for RL487 (realistically it will be about 20 pages).
- Finish editing small video for Group Dynamics
- Make an e-Portfolio, and edit the World Gym Training Video for my Senior Capstone project
- Still group meetings, only 2 a week now instead of 2 like every day!
- The rest is small stuff like daily homework assignments and reports.

Oh yeah, did i mention my LIFE? I am going Airboarding this Saturday, but I just hope I can spare the time - out from getting school work done.

Scienformation

Mmm... the taste of knowledge.

I just got an iPod and since then I've discovered something just as good as putting music on it... Podcasting. Podcasts are pre-recorded news, stories, comedy, and information that you can download onto your iPod and then listen to just like you would a song. Compare it to Neo, in The Matrix, when he plugged his brain into the computer and downloaded "Kung-Fu".

So far I have subscribed (for FREE) to these Podcasts:

• 60 Second Science
• ABC World News
• CNN News Update
• Comic Strip Live: Stand Up Comedy
• Harvard Distance Education Program
• Learn Spanish
• National Geographic
• The Philosophy Podcast

Well, it's still cold outside, but the roads are ice-free. I think I'll go Longboarding :)

Mobile Blog

May I draw your attention to my Mobile Blog? It is a cool feature on Blogger where I can send pics from my cell phone to go@blogger.com and it will automatically post them. You can see a link to it on the right side of this page, under Links. (Note: Since I switched to the Beta Blogger, and the Mobile Blog is not a Beta Blog I am unable to make it post onto this blog, so I have to make a link).

Quick News

Here's some quick news in my life:

* I was accepted to the "Meso America Tour 2007" !!! Way cool!
* I like marketing the Outdoor Program for BYUI. It's a great job - responsibility, creativity, flexibility, and working closely with the Outdoors.
* I rode my longboard from the Rexburg Temple to 2nd South without stopping. I even rode by a police car and an Ambulance who couldn't stop me as I zipped through campus.

P.S. Here was my Halloween Costume:

Drum!

I went to a show on Friday called "Drum!". It was really cool. Quick explanation: a visual and acoustic message about culture and people, and how we come together. The drum is the heart beat of Mother Earth. They had some awesome singers and musicians. I had one of them, with the deep voice, record a message for my voice mail. I also got the producer's email and he's going to send me a copy of a poem that was recited as part of the show. When I get that, I will post it on my blog so y'all can read it.

Moose Tracks

I received a phone call from my friend yesterday telling me that there was a moose skin on the side of the road. Really? (it fell off a truck who was hauling animal skins from a factory or something).

To the average person, this would be a disgusting artifact and should be left to decompose. However, to people like me (outdoorsy and nerdy), this is a valuable piece of material. It can be tanned and made into nice leather worth 200 dollars or more. So I made a trip to the location and luckily found it on the side of the road. It was huge! It's too dark to be Elk so we're assuming it's Moose skin.

I called my friend Connie (who is married and has a house) and her backyard is already set up for tanning hides (note: "already set up for tanning hides" ... true outdoor nerds). I live in a small apartment and do not have the space or tools, so I have to enlist the help of others.

And then Katt. So Katt. Well. Katt. Hmmm. Katt. We'll just leave it at that. Don't really know what to say other than I probably shouldn't make my dating life a public matter. Eh?

So I wrapped the skin in a thick trash bag and stuffed it in my freezer...

MC Ground Breaking Ceremony

Elder Bednar came to campus today to speak in Devotional as part of the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Manwaring Center at BYU-Idaho. His message was short and bold: about why we gather. I watched from the Kirkham area.

His message was bold in the fact that he left an Apostolic warning to all of us: Students, Faculty, and the City of Rexburg. Since we have such a great blessing here at school with all of the facilities being expanded and build, Rexburg's future definitely has extreme potential. However, Elder Bednar stated that, 'in the very day that we have and allow Intellectual Arrogance to exist among ourselves, the Spirit of the Lord will be withdrawn and the Spirit of Ricks will be near extinct.' Wow, I was humbled by that promise and I truly hope that years from now, when BYU-I is still doing great things, that we can remain humble and remember what blessing we have here. Elder Bednar also said: "Please be grateful for the singular opportunity you have to learn and work here - and for the responsibility that rests upon you as one who has been the recipient of great blessings."

(From The BYUI News Release:) Elder Bednar concluded with a promise to students, faculty, employees, administrators and the community that if they were to be intellectually modest, humble, grateful, obedient, and frugal "this university will shine forth ever brighter as a beacon of righteousness and of inspired educational innovation."

One cool thing was that after the dedicatory prayer they let the students participate in shoveling the dirt. Sterling and I bumped into each other: