i hope

that your thanksgiving was all you dreamed it would be and more

a day with the BRITS, wot wot

okay so it was really two days..
DAY ONE:

we went to the London Market and bought some of our favorite english goodies. then we snacked at the cafe: a warm sausage roll and some earl grey tea (we'll be back for the beans on toast). i also dropped a few quid on some new burberry glasses.

DAY 2:
Harry Potter 7.1 premiere!!! it was brilliant

and while we waited for our 1:30am showtime, i went to see "Never Let Me Go"

Only because I love Carey Mulligan. i hadn't read the book, but found it to be very thought-provoking. not the best film, but still worth seeing I'd say. i enjoyed it.

some new soul

so long samuel..

My little brother just left for a two-year religious mission to rome italy. my mom had a bunch of old pictures of us out and i had fun reminiscing. two years is a long time and i'll miss him, but can't wait to start getting pictures and hear about his experience back in europe. i can't wait to go and pick him up when he's finished.

arrivederchi!

"Now don’t squat with your spurs on.."

 I almost forgot to post about this..
About a month ago, one of our neighbors who owns a ranch in southern Utah invited my dad, my brother and I to herd some cattle out of the mountains. Ha.. yeah. When my dad first proposed the idea, I have to admit, I almost instantly declined. I'm extremely allergic to horses, the event required waking up at 6am (on a saturday), it was 32 degrees, and well... I just ain't no cowboy. But I've been trying on the whole, "say yes to life" philosophy, and it was reluctant one, but the yes somehow appeared.
And I'm glad it did.

By the end of the day I had a rash of hives, clogged sinuses, my eyes were nearly swollen shut, I could barely walk (9 hrs on horseback is lot).. but it was a pretty awesome day. We herded about seventy "doggies" and guided them probably twenty or so miles back to the ranch. The scenery was incredible, and I had a great time with my dad and brother. I got to wear chaps, crack a whip and yell HEYAWH; really connected with my inner-cowboy.
After spending the summer in west yellowstone, I'm still confused as to why the universe is throwing all these cowboy/western experiences at me. But I think I'm learning to like them..

goodcoversong: MUNICH

Great song by one of my favorite bands (Editors), and how can you complain about C.B.Rae's voice?

An Arduous Elation

Sometimes I overwhelm myself with too many burning questions about life. I want to understand it all. Now. The material, the psychological, the emotional, the sociological. All of it.
Da Vinci the Great did say, "The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding." And, I would normally whole-heartedly agree. But it struck me today, as I ran on the treadmill, that if there were no questions to ask in the world, where could one find any sense of wonder? Or experience that tantalizing, vast inner-intrigue when faced with the mysterious? In a hypothetical world (or mind) containing all the answers, there could be no curiosity, no adventure, no suspense; no fascination, no astonishment, no awe. So I asked myself, Why must I elude these effects of questioning -are they painful? mmm.. I pondered.. Not at all. In fact they can be pretty awesome! Pun intended. 
What is beauty compared to formulas, definitions, and logical explanations of it?
Pretend this "Everything-Answered" mind were possible. Would there be an every thing to comprehend? What would be the exact number of things to know? 69 trillion, 24 thousand, and two? Seems improbable.
Consider the reality of a universe solely consisting of mental facts. I say, très ennuyeux.
It was then, with sweat dripping down my cranium, that I began to fall in love with the brilliant multi-facetted-ness of our existence. There are some questions that have simple answers, some that have (as long as there's people to argue) endless explanations, and some that dumbfound even the wisest -whose answers may never grace a mortal mind.
I'm fairly relieved to be convinced there is no ceiling to understanding. For if there were, the top would certainly be disappointing.
I feel now a bit more associative with Mr. Rilke, "Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers."
Answers can be ecstatic, but questions I wager, can be just as fulfilling. I feel there is much peace in this realization.

11-09-1989

TODAY IN HISTORY:

21 years ago today -the inverse date of 9/11- (9 November 1989) East berlin opened its borders and the Berlin Wall came down. And with arguably less international significance, I was born this day.
The Berlin Wall was a symbol of communism and oppression.  It's destruction was a brilliant liberating event for all Germans, and most of the world who watched. 4Full history click here.

Freedom has always been a concept to which I've personally had a strong interest and passion for. I've always been proud to have been born on a day which signifies this notion. Soooo.. inspired by the events of this day, because songwriting is a form of self-expression I like, I concocted this:

The song's titled, Freiheit, the German word for freedom. It also begins with a sound byte of Ronald Reagan's famous "Tear Down This Wall!" speech given in 1987. The attempted genre: contemporary electro/industrial/pop/rock. For more of my music CLICK HeR!e!!

Anyways, cheers to freedom, the germans, and the chocolate cheesecake I'll be consuming later today.

in steam room, SPIRITUAL experience?

For the past couple years, after my routine workout at the gym, I've escaped to the steam room to relax and meditate. I wouldn't consider myself an exceptionally spiritual person, but I have found that present, thought-clearing mediation helps bring my cares and stresses back into balance. Sometimes you've just got to brush up your yin, and smooth out your yang to function properly. I do at least.
Anyways, as I've been gone all summer, I've delinquently strayed from my habit of meditation due to a busy work schedule (and lack of steam room). So the other day, I went to the gym with my brother, and naturally decided to "steam-room-it-up" after our workout.
There was nothing unordinary about how I changed into my towel, or what I was thinking. I was probably thinking about what I was going to eat/drink when I got home. But upon entering the steam room, it was like I was hit by a cannonball of joy (along with piping hot steam). It was as if the cloud of steam was a trillion molecules of happiness engulfing and zapping my body. I sat down on the wet tile, and it was the strangest experience. The walls, the steam, the floor, the glass door were laughing at me. Or with me I should say, because a moment later, laughter came exploding out of me. I couldn't keep it in. It was as if I was surrounded by a bunch of friends that had been highly-anticipating my arrival. My brother walked in a few minutes later and asked why I was laughing. I had to tell him I had no idea why.
Could it simply have been a trigger of my subconscious--just a positive association with the steam room? Maybe.
Could have been a glimpse into the much sought-after state of enlightenment? Possibly.
Could I be crazy? Likely.
Or perhaps my steam room just missed me.
Whatever it was, I liked it.
(Those of you that have a hard time focusing with meditation, I highly recommend trying it in a steam room. A little intense heat can help with the concentration.)

movie: catfish

so i saw this movie the other night and had to recommend it. it's one of the best movies i've seen in a while. the style is cool, because it's all real footage. it wasn't exactly the movie i expected, which is the reason i liked it. the movie poster says, "don't let anyone tell you what it is," so i won't. but it's worth the view

OCTOBER:

Family-time in autumn is mostly the best. Hayrides, pumpkin picking, mom and sisters' freshly baked goods, halloween candy, and thanksgiving dinner, on the horizon! MMM

(and biting ruth's cold rosy cheeks)

fresh blueberry muffins mom made today

It's really good to be back in Utah. Good to see family and friends again. Good to sleep in my own bed again. Good to live in civilization again. Good to be alive at this moment of time in the universe.

GREAT NEWS: cure for the common cold??

God bless the Brits. The one thing about this time of year that I always detest, is colds. After two weeks of sneezing, sniffing, snorting, and snotting, my immune system finally K.O.'d my cold.  I was just thinking to myself the other day, how in the world have scientists not discovered a cure for the cold yet?! When, I came across this article.
Apparently some english scientists figured out a way to salvage already virus-infected cells. "The study, which is reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that antibodies can enter cells at the same time as the virus invades, triggering of reactions which allows a protein called TRIM21 to eject the bug."
I found another article on this story which said this treatment becomes effective (in eliminating a virus) within only a few hours! Which would be incredible.. 
But, because of the simplicities of pharmaceutical industries, a sellable drug or nasal spray may not be available for another decade. huzzah..
However, another recent American study found that those who are involved in rigorous physical exercise on a routine basis are twice as less likely to catch a cold (something about exercise boosting the level of immune system cells..). So anyways, there's a tip for avoiding them while we await the miracle pill.