jo-nathan vs. j-bear

ode to graduation

2009-05-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

we come here to learn. we learn about mathematics. we learn how to write. we learn about science. we learn how to research. most important, we learn how to learn, we learn how to work. we learn that we can.

elizabeth could. she can. and she did.

E in cap 'n gown. Isn't she lovely? i love to wear american eagle.

arm in arm.

eating pupusas at the el savador restaurant

e's graduation dinner. i didn't show my pearly whites because i was afraid i had broccoli in my teeths. it's a legitimate fear...notice how my head looks perfectly spherical?

embarrassing moment.

ode to the range

2009-03-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

where the deer and the antelope play.

jumpin' jonny.

pronghorn...

i was trying to jump over about 2,333,235,543 flies and scare them so they'd fly into the air, but instead it looks like i'm doing a michael jackson dance...

isn't she gorgeous?

yes...she is.

us.

hmmmmm.

what an acrobat.

theatre.

went to antelope island. saw some antelope. saw some bison. ate a gourmet picnic. went to pier 49 pizza. saw marriage of figaro. long weekend. fun weekend.

ode to the atticus

2009-01-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

atticus is a man of respect, a man of honor, a man of dignity. he is a man of restraint and a man of duty. he is a man who encompasses each of these strengths and is truly defined when he expects nothing in return.

the atticus are few in today's world. what happened? i do not know. what i do know, is that i hope to be an atticus one day.

ode to antennae

2009-01-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

antennae are so in these days. i love 'em...

ode to the hills

2009-01-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

i love the hills. it feels so much like home. a lot of people don't like the hills because they make them think of people who dwell on worldly things: money, fast cars, huge mansions, fame, plastic surgery. not me. they make me think of my friends. they make me think of how my friends are going places. that makes me happy.

ode to rodents...

2008-11-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

so, did you see my rat bite? we had a problem with rat infestation. i guess they were hungry.

ode to t-hales 20 mil

2008-11-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

so, this is t-hales. ode to him. he's an accounting major. in the mac. future intern for ernst & young. baller. gangsta. t-hales is a great roommate and a great friend. he loves to wear cut-off jeans. just loves them.
i think what i like most about t-hales is that he is real. he cares sincerely about his friends. he does what he knows to be right. he works hard. he knows have to have fun. so i send an ode out to him.

ode to carbon dioxide and nitric oxide

2008-07-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

some people want to build cars that don't burn gasoline. they say there is too much carbon dioxide emitted in the exhaust. they also say they want to save the ozone. we are all friends on this blog site, so let me be totally honest with you. carbon dioxide does not deplete ozone...
but let's first start at the beginning. do you even know what ozone is? ozone is a triatomic oxygen molecule (O3). it is formed in the atmosphere when uv light from the sun reacts with diatomic (O2) oxygen molecules (what we need to breathe in order to survive). a photon of wavelength less than 240 nanometers (nm) will strike the bond between the two oxygen atoms in O2 forming two free radical oxygen atoms. these will then react with other O2 molecules forming two O3 molecules, ozone. when ozone is struck with photons of wavelength 200-310nm the molecule will break apart, forming an O2 molecule and a free radical oxygen atom which could potentially react with another free radical oxygen atom resulting in another O2 molecule. we could metaphorically explain this as a battle between ozone and O2.
there's a chemical compound called nitric oxide (nitric oxide is a highly celebrated compound receiving recognition as molecule of the year in 1992). nitric oxide is emitted in the exhaust from gasoline-burning engines. it acts as a catalyst in the conversion of ozone back to O2. thus, the more nitric oxide present in the atmosphere, the less ozone and more O2 is present.
[i would add parenthetically that plants do not 'breathe' oxygen (O2), they 'breathe' carbon dioxide (in fact, they 'exhale' oxygen(O2)). they will not survive without carbon dioxide.]
well if i have learned anything from chemistry it's that ozone is a non-living, non-feeling chemical compound and i must add that it is poisonous to humans. ozone robs our atmosphere of our precious oxygen (O2). then we have these people wanting to limit carbon dioxide and nitric oxide emissions, and inadvertently, i am sure, stifling our poor plants, which are beautiful to see, and another source of our precious oxygen. limiting nitric oxide emissions will slow down the conversion of deadly ozone to lovely O2.
so let's sum this all up: people want to decrease O2 which we need to live and increase O3 which is poisonous...
we must act, and we must act now!! instead of these hybrid, electric, or hydrogen cars, i make a new proposal. save the trees, and buy one of these:

ode to geeks

2008-07-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

i am a chemical engineering student. i know, i know; the stereotype is that i am a complete geek, nerd, socially awkward weirdo. i mean, come one, who gets excited about hydrogen bonding? who gets excited about the high heating value of water, ∆H of formation of propane, or mechanical and internal energy balances? who sees an integral or a partial differential equation with love and anticipation? i admit, i am quite the nerd. but really i am cool. really, most engineers are cool. talk to us; you will see. unfortunately, as i will explain, this is not the case for all engineers and tech gurus.
i was on the internet the other day searching for a father's day gift for my father. he, too, is an engineer. i thought he might like special cases to carry his blueprints. i came across these pictures. these pictures define geekiness. these pictures are the reason engineers get a bad reputation. do not judge us all because of a few; i beg you!!

yeah!! stylin' case.

ode to my ride

2008-06-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

woooooohoooooooo!! jbear in the house!! for all you who want to get into the mind of jbear, today is your lucky day! i was just thinkin' the other day about my dream ride. i discovered i don't have A dream ride-there are too many to choose from. here are a few of them:

who doesn't love a vette? who doesn't love a vette with wheels like that??!!

oh baby!!

lemme hear yall say, "heck yeah!!!"

if my wife has to drive a minivan, it's gonna look like this:

toyota previa never looked so goooood!!!!

ode to good taste

2008-06-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

for all those who were wondering, this t-shirt is not cool, not in good taste, and is usually worn much too tight so the guy looks like a tick ready to pop.

ode to my motha

2008-05-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

this is my darling mother. i have the best mother a boy could ask for. i cannot say that i know how a girl feels, having completed the requirements for an academic degree from a major university, with hopes, the potential, and social pressure to fulfill an exciting career, when the opportunity for motherhood is presented. however, i do know this: all a child wants is a mother who loves her job as caretaker and teacher; a mother who loves her children more than herself. if a girl can do that, they have all the respect, love, concern, and support her child can give.
I am reminded of a story my mother read to me in my childhood. i do not recall the title of the story, but it was about a little baby bunny. the bunny's parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and family friends all had grand ideas of what the little bunny would end up being when he grew up. such occupations as firefighter, lion tamer, police officer, teacher, farmer were conjectured. but the little bunny did not want to be any of those. he wanted to be a daddy bunny. he wanted to play tag and chase his bunny children around. he wanted to tuck them in at night and tell them great bunny stories. he wanted to be their daddy bunny, and to be the best daddy bunny.
well, i know my mother could have been a very successful career woman. but she wanted to be my mom. i love her for it. she made a warm breakfast each morning before school. even when we had seminary at 6:30 in the morning, i could count on something good to eat. she always packed me a nutritious lunch. she encouraged me to be attentive, to pick things up. she encouraged me to be a gentleman. she taught me manners. she sang me songs and scratched my back before i went to sleep. she cut up my waffles for me (contrary to popular belief, she stopped well before i was 18. in fact, it was probably until i was 11). she let me turn her couch into a horse, apache helicopter, space ship, tank, etc. she encouraged me to read good books. she made me the best cookies in the world almost every other day. she was my cubscout master. she was my chauffeur to cello lessons into LA once a week. she was my soccer mom. she taught me to sing and love music. she taught me to love vocabulary. she taught me to write papers well and to be terse. she loves to snorkel. she loves to knit. she loves to garden. she taught me to love the savior and his gospel. she helped me prepare to serve a full time mission.
the list goes on. i love my mother.

ode to iowans

2008-05-10T23:41:00.000-07:00

so i just got back from iowa. iowa is quite a wonderful place. first of all, it is very beautiful. pretty green fields and some rolling hills make for pleasant scenery. plus, there are pheasants all over the place. whether you knew it or not, that is cool. plus, iowa is full of iowans. now, i like iowans. i like them a lot. there are many, nay, infinite reasons why i would like an iowan. but there are three main reasons why i like them.
first, they are so happy. they are so polite. that is hard to come by these days. not in iowa.
second, they love music. you're probably thinking country. well, that's true. they do love country. but they also love all types of music. they love a good mix. that's why they have highly trained djs that man their radio stations. these djs can very skillfully transition from a great classic from the supremes to lil' kim's hot hit from 2000 followed by my favorite band american hi-fi's flavor of the week. i didn't even have to change the radio dial once. how convenient!

third, they are such hard workers. they are always working. in fact, they work so much they don't have time to spend a couple hours at the tanning salon. don't fret. that is why they very conveniently install tanning stations all over the place. whenever you have a quick minute you simply walk over and catch some uvs. its great. less time spent, more tan gained. yeah!!

ode to factories

2008-05-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

have you ever been to a factory? a factory can be a very busy place. it can be noisy and scary. what are these things? i don't know...tehehe. i am in iowa. i am in a factory. i take pictures. i take notes. when i am done taking real pictures, when i am done taking real notes, there is not much to do. i begin to look at the factory from new vantage points. i see the factory in a new light. i see its symmetry. its precision. i see its beauty. so come, let's take a tour. be careful though! factories are dangerous. but don't fret, look at the cool get up you can wear!

ode to appearances...

2008-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

so let's face it. i admit i have been going to the gym. yeah, you could say i pump iron. i hit the weights. i work out. i get buff. beef up. get jacked. shredded. ripped. so it's no surprise that people would describe my appearance as nothing less than menacing. i mean, you see me in a dark alley, whatcha gonna think? 'hey, this guy looks like business. he looks mean. i betta run, eh?' well, the other day i was in the parking garage under the jfsb. it was late. probably around 11:30 pm. and what reputable kid would be in the jfsb parking garage at 11:30? so, i see this lady standing down the way. she's giving me the strangest look. staring, staring into my soul, i guess. she was standing next to one of those call boxes. you know, the emergency ones. the ones they tell all the freshman girls about so if they ever see a shady guy they can run to the box and call police. well anyway, she's standing right in front of this thing just staring at me. then, without removing her gaze off me, she very robotically shoves her finger onto the call button, and the light starts going off! i get in my car and drive by. she stares me down as she speaks quickly into the speaker. HEY LADY! I WOULDN'T HURT A FLY! COME ON, GIMME A BREAK.

ode to life

2008-03-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

ink

pals

shrunk

babysit

tough girls

dtown

baby text

hoody

me skiing

small patty

car blanket

me skiing

whitney skiing

some people like to love life. i think that's ok. in fact, i think it's a good thing. especially if they really mean it. but what do they mean when they say that? when i say it, i mean that i love to learn-i love to look at a situation and grow from it. most of the time things don't go right. sometimes they do. sometimes i feel like i can fly. sometimes i want to crawl in a hole. but i can always learn. i can always improve. as long as i am doing that, i guess i am living life.

ode to saint valentine

2008-02-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

- love is a paradox perplexing mankind-what will surely cause tears and sorrow will ultimately bring true, eternal happiness. -

love is a common theme. we find in love a topic of conversation, a genre for books and poetry, a reason for song, the cause of tears, the motive for joy. we celebrate love with anniversaries and valentine's day. love leads the sweethearts to wed, the couples to kiss, the boys to bring flowers, the girls to blush. we love to love. it is innate.
when the one we love returns affection, an invincible spirit evolves within. with a perpetual smile painted on our face, we find humor in just about everything. the jokes they tell seem funnier, the clothes they wear more stylish, those things they do oh, so romantic. close friends call us crazy, but we don't seem to mind, or even notice. truly love engulfs its members in a whole new world.
if misfortune raises its ugly head, the love might begin to fade. the kind words they once spoke become biting, their conversations seem boring, time shared is time wasted. friend's comments were never so insensitive, and everyone talks behind our back. love's rosy world quickly escapes us, and we are left isolated in cold, dark misery.
then, from behind the winter grey, emerges a promising spring. with trees full of blossom, birds busy chirping, and bees busy buzzing, nature reminds us of another sphere. the world comes to life, and hope is revived. we begin to smile, and speak with strangers again. we are aware of what goes on around us, and are constantly watching, waiting and hoping to love and be loved once more.
i extend this ode to saint valentine and his day of love. thank you for a reason to send boxes of chocolates, bouquets of flowers, and metallic helium balloons. let us love, and love a lot; for saint valentine's day comes but once a year.

ode to the utah

2008-02-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

so before i did say utah was ugly. but before i was naive. this is from a spring hike last year. beautiful, eh.

ode to nature

2008-02-03T12:26:00.001-08:00

so, the other day i was on my way to school, and happened by a little bit of nature's creativity. i don't know about you, but i think it's pretty cool.

ode to the not-so-fortune cookie

2008-01-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

so, i don't know what you are thinking, but i am fed up. i went with some friends to eat at chinatown restaurant in provo. its a great restaurant. don't misunderstand me. the food is great, well priced, they give you plenty to eat, and in fact, i recommend it to any of you. i am fed up with fortune cookies in general. let me ask you a question. when was the last time you got a real fortune cookie? and i mean a real fortune in the cookie. not the junk i am about to show you. if you have recently, great. but i will continue anyway. so let's assess the situation. what is an example of a good fortune? i don't know; maybe, "in two weeks you will meet the love of your life." or "you will find five hundred thousand dollars in the near future." something that tells you about the future. it's not an advice cookie, it's not a compliment cookie, it's a fortune cookie. but most importantly, it shouldn't make you feel bad.

this is what my fortune cookie said. i felt bad afterwards.

what the junk is this? your mind is instantly flooded with all the poor decisions you made in the past week. (funny story: so my friend got this actual fortune right after breaking up with his girlfriend.)

i don't even know what this is supposed to mean...

wow. someone really got gypped with this one.

oh yeah?

ode to oregon

2008-01-13T16:26:00.002-08:00

sunset

road

llamas

llamas

tractor

post

foggy sunset

abbey & lion

it was a lie. i didn't want it to be. but somewhere deep inside i knew it wasn't true. "to oregon?" mrs. cole asked. "yep, this summer. it's for sure." the lie was perpetuated year after year. every summer, after coming home from our oregon vacation, my hopeful childhood dream of moving to oregon was again renewed. do you blame me? even after the parents bought the seven acres? i even remember my mother making preliminary sketches of our house. my room was going to overlook the creek. and you must understand, a childhood dream- living in the country, blackberry vines abound full of nature's delicious treats, a creek to swim and fish in, the sweet aroma of a freshly cut hay field, and living down the lane from grandma's house that's full of tasty delights. was it a lie? i like to think that perhaps it was an earnest supplication, a hope of things to come.
now i am in my twenty-fourth year. my parents are finally going to move to oregon. well, my childhood is over. it has dissolved into young adulthood, but my boyhood dreams of one day living in oregon are yet alive. still, upon returning to oregon, those dreams become that much more real to me.
over christmas break i visited the beautiful oregon. i took these pictures to share some of it with you. isn't it beautiful? enchanting.

ode to the claus

2007-12-26T11:40:00.000-08:00

so what can be better than meeting santa claus in person? how 'bout meeting three santa clauss all at the same time? actually, the one on the left is technically father christmas. poor ashley had to be stuck next to father christmas. he has a potty mouth and wreaks of strong liquor. thank you santas, for bringing christmas cheer in the best way...

ode to beauty

2007-12-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

who art thou, beauty?
thou art a babe's first smile. the loving embrace of a mother and her child. a bedtime story, song, and "i love you" before sleep.
thy voice is the silence of freshly fallen snow. the peaceful, rhythmic breathing of a toddler fallen asleep. wind through a sea of grass. waves lapping against a rocky shore.
where art thou, beauty?
thou art in the excitement of a young one learning to read. the awkward hesitance of a first kiss. the joy in one's heart as he kneels across the altar, eyes fixed, lost in those of his true love. thou art in anticipation and confidence. in determination and triumph. loss and sorrow. love and forgiveness.
what art thou, beauty?
thou art the face of one who, though moves slowly, weighed down by the wisdom she carries, her face wrinkled by a life of smiles and frowns, laughter and tears, is yet quick and spry, full of faith, goodwill and cheer.
who art thou, beauty?
thou art life itself. thou art he, thou art she. yes, even art thou in me.

i often wonder what makes certain things in life beautiful. we could analyze this for days, years, or even all eternity. but i have limited my thoughts to only a few lines. the painting is one that i think is truly beautiful. it is located in the wilk and was once featured on the cover of the byu magazine. the other weekend i was privileged to attend the mormon tabernacle choir christmas concert with four very beautiful young ladies. even though i had to sit next to eric, it was a very enjoyable night. the choir sang with the king singers, and the music was splendid.
that sunday, our ward, along with several others, had their christmas programs. something remarkable happened that day. as i was trying hard to listen to a talk, something pierced my sole to the core. an angelic voice sounded from the sacrament meeting next door singing "oh, holy night." i was transfixed. i could no longer listen to the talk. i sat as the music filled me. i thought at that moment, that perhaps there are a myriad ways to describe beauty, but i knew that what i heard was true beauty. so, to that girl who sang, your voice is inspiring and refreshing. thank you.

ode to class

2007-12-24T12:02:00.001-08:00

this is in response to brooke's post from last night. i would like to begin by saying that it is a very nice compliment to be told you look like a grandma, if youre a girl. the reason being, grandmas come from an era of class. i think a prime example of this is she who i consider to be the most fashionable, classiest, most beautiful woman in the last century. her name, audrey kathleen hepburn-ruston. now, perhaps one of the reasons she is so graceful is due to her excellence in ballet. plus, she had royal blood in her veins. but, more importantly, she comes from an era of beauty. it was in vogue to have manners and be well dressed. today if your clothes say hollister on them then you are in fashion. it's despicable. if you have manners people laugh thinking it is old fashioned. yeah, it's old fashioned! and as true classy people know, old fashioned is the most fashionable. some proof? well, here is a little visual proof.

well, if you haven't fallen in love with her after looking at these pictures, watch some of her movies. its her class, her style, her manners that you will fall in love with. i hope you are now inspired to get dressed up a little more. i hope you are inspired to go to the opera. i hope you are inspired to attend the symphony. i hope you are inspired to read good books, use correct grammar, speak politely, and have a little more propriety. i hope you are inspired to bring a little culture and class into your life. i hope you feel the same way i do when you see a picture of audrey hepburn. i am the only boy in my family. also, i am the only unmarried in my family. what a loser, you might say (that's what my family says, especially the brothers in law). well, i say whatever. i am just waiting for audrey hepburn's granddaughter.

ode to geo

2007-12-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

dU=T*dS -p*dV This is part of the first law of thermodynamics. ∆S(universe)>0. The second law of thermodynamics. S is entropy. Entropy is a measure of disorder. Energy is required to put things in order. For example, a gas is a bunch of molecules moving around in random order. There is not much order or entropy in a gas. However, if you compress that gas with enough pressure, and push the molecules together, they will arrange neatly into an order which turns the gas into a liquid. (That's the difference between a liquid and a gas. In a liquid the molecules are closer bound together, in a gas the molecules move around randomly) That pressure requires energy. So back to ∆S(universe)>0. Do you know what this means? It means that entropy will increase for ever. The particles in the universe will continue to become less ordered and will dissipate. Because dS=dq/T, it means that the universe will continue to transfer thermal energy, in the form of heat, into entropy. Thus, inevitably our universe will meet its fateful heat death. Don't worry, we won't be around long enough to see the actual heat death, though. We will have died long before that happens. It's all going to end in a cold, harsh, lonely death. So what does this life matter anyway? Well, don't worry. Two things make life worth living. First, since we may argue that the universe is infinite, this means that there is also infinte energy in the universe, so, even though dS=dq/T and ∆S(universe)>0, there will always be energy sufficient to perpetuate life. I was reminded of the second thing when I went to lunch and took a break from studying thermo.

That's right. Life is about awesome and cool, and who cares about thermodynamics when you can ride through town in a Geo Tracker.

ode to learning

2007-12-13T22:27:00.000-08:00

Knowledge is power. Knowledge is freedom. Knowledge bridges the gaps between poverty and wealth, depression and self-esteem, helplessness and autonomy. Be it in the midst of a college atmosphere from a professor lecturing at a podium, or in a timeless classic read for leisure on a lazy summer evening, I am confident that what I learn in life will enrich this experience I call my life. As I become aware of the world in which I live, I will be equipped to act in it, and not to be acted upon. I, therefore, become an agent to do good unto others. A beacon to guide. A mentor to trust.
So let not this pursuit of knowledge become mundane or short lived. Let it not be a bother. Let it not be an obstacle to my happiness in profession. But let it be an adventure. An eternal experiment. A study of me. Of who I am. Of what I can be come. Of truth itself. A study of divinity.

ode to the best

2007-12-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

have you ever had a roommate that you suspected would lie awake at night plotting how to annoy you the next day? or perhaps your roommate doesn't even realize he's being annoying, maybe he is totally oblivious to how much you can't stand him. it's as if his very core is made of annoying and everything he says or does screams in your face. you stop referring to it as a semester and unconsicously refer to it as a sentence...when my sentence is over, i am so moving out.
well, if you have felt that way, i cannot empathize with you, because i have the greatest roommate ever. brian is real. there is no facade about him. if he's thinking it, he says it. he is always looking out for the bros. he is a real rennaisance man. he is quite the artist, musically inclined, sings like a nightingale, well versed in literature, knows his dance moves, and knows how to be a gentleman. for all you single lady who reads my blog(yes, i meant to use the singular form of lady), know that my rommate is quite the catch. cast your line while you still have a chance.

ode to looking like your dog

2007-12-08T20:26:00.001-08:00

have you ever heard someone say that a dog tends to resemble its master? i don't know if its true or not, but just in case, be a little careful about what dog you get:

ode to technology

2007-12-08T20:08:00.001-08:00

so, i have always been a fan of technology (well except for a brief moment upon returning from argentina when i was anti-technology...how foolish of me). what can i say, i am an engineering student, so applied science is ultra cool. so i am studying for my p-chem test, and have been all day, so i am a little fried in the brain. i was finding that every couple of minutes i would turn my head to look at the long row of bookshelves and wonder what it would be like to fly into one of them, thus, knocking the whole row down like a giant set of dominoes. i decided a quick photo shoot and a little experimenting with after effects would be a great remedy. what would i do without my 1 megapixel camera phone? it takes pretty good pictures, huh?

ode to man's best friend

2007-12-01T23:53:00.000-08:00

so what makes a man's best friend his best friend? well, he greets you with excitement upon arriving home, he likes to go on walks, he doesn't complain about much, he is a good listener, he hunts gophers with you, he sleeps with you under the stars at grandma's house, he eats dead, decaying seal carcusses and you have to clean it up, but he doesn't seem to mind much, he lets the cats get into the garbage but then takes the blame for it, he likes carrots as treats, he can do cool parlor tricks, he stands guard at the front gate, he lets you pet him constantly, he puts up with munchkin grandkids crawling all over him, he lets maggie love him to death(almost literally), he doesn't care if you yell at him because, well, he's deaf, he loves the cats and plays with them...well, the list goes on, but let me get to my point. i'm just sayin' that i miss my best friend while up here at school. i was reading megan's blog about how she found her puppy. i was looking at a book of dog breeds. i just got kinda lonesome for my bud.
some people have to look for the best dog. well, my family's best dog found us. we're probably pretty boring people to him. i mean, look how bored he looks on the happiest day of the year. but he loves us. i know he does. he's getting old. one day we might have to say good bye. but this dog is going to heaven and our friendship will continue there. for now, here's an ode to otis.

ode to the sweet bro

2007-11-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

i just thought this scene was kinda cute; two bros, matching dos, matching jeans, shirts identical except for color, collars popped at exactly the same angle, walking in perfect stride. now that's unity.

ode to cool

2007-11-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

Early Friday morning, before the sun peaked from behind the towering provo mountains, a young lady in the University of Michigan School of Dentistry office of admissions picked up the receiver of her desk phone, and dialed a number with a Virginia prefix. The phone rang in her hear not more than three times before a young man's deep voice answered on the other end. "Hello?"
"Is this Robert Hilton?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"I just wanted to congratulate you on your acceptance to the University of MIchigan Shool of Dentistry."
"Oh, cool. Thanks."
This is Rob. Rob is the definition of cool. See the tatoo? That's for the ladies. It's temporary. That's for the lds ladies. He was accepted to all of his top choices for dental school. He plays the drums. I said he was cool.

one of these kids is not like the others...

2007-10-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

so the sad reality hit me the other night. i never receive phone calls from my lovely sisters-i can't imagine why. their blogs are the only connection i have with them it seems. anyway, i admire my sisters so very much. they are such talented, domestic, classy, beautiful, fun, kind, motherly girls. it makes it hard for a man to find a girl he likes when he has such a high standard as my sisters. so i sat on the couch and looked over their blogs. ashley recently moved and has very aesthetically decorated her kitchen. she made some delicious looking homemade grape juice not long ago. kathryn recently made a tshirt for maggie with no pattern and sewed a halloween costume for cash. erin has quite the green thumb in her garden and just blogged about her wonderful recipes. sarah is quite the seamstress herself with the new fall edition of her baby bibs and is always in style with her clothing and hair. then i clicked on a link to my blog, and hung my head in shame. indeed, one of these smith kids is not like the others.

at least its a post...

2007-10-28T23:08:00.001-07:00

so maybe you didn't want to see this. at least its a post. one day brian randomly decided it was jbear day; the day everyone in the ward was to call me jbear. the counselor in the bishopric decided to announce it over the pulpit, and well, for some the name stuck. my halloween costume, well, it never really did come to fruition; i wore the wig, but not the outfit. if you can't guess, i am supposed to be fabio. of course i wouldn't go out like this. we were joking around and eric snapped a photo. before i knew it he had created this image.

2007-08-02T19:55:00.001-07:00

so he sez to me, "come on little bro, whats wit this jdawg, what kine a name is that for a curley headed noodle like ya self?" so i sez to 'im, "hey there buster i am cool. i wear sunglasses. i am a basketball player." but the truth is, i dont even play basketball. but the truth is, im not even gangster.

2007-05-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

So, I just lost everything I had done. Anyway, I have several more pictures, but these are all I am able to post. The first picture, I believe, is one I took of myself while sitting on a shelf overlooking the beautiful valley below. I am not sure if you are able to see Heber City in the photo, but I could see it from where I was sitting. There is also a picture there of an old lodge. I think they call it a refuge lodge or something like that. It is sitting at the base of Timpanogos' Peak. There is also a picture there of a small avalanche coming down the face of Timpanogos. It wasn't large at all, nor was it dangerous. We purposely maintained a safe distance from the walls in case anything like that might happen. I might add parenthetically, directing my comments to mother: nothing we did was dangerous. We took all necessary precautions and we followed someone else's tracks the whole way. They were wearing snow shoes so they were able to make it up the face and we were not so we would sink to our waists. There is also a picture of me with some mountains in the background. This is just after we decided to turn back.
I must also say that the TImpanogos Wilderness area is absolutely gorgeous. It is teeming with life. Even on the snow field. As we hiked in the snow, all up past the lodge and to only two hundred yards from the ridgeline, there were hundreds of bugs in the snow. There were large ladybugs, flying ant type bugs, moths. It was weird. We were above the timberline. There was no vegetation anywhere near. What were those little bugs doing? I was a little bothered by their presence. Several times I would urge in an audible tone, "Come on little guys; I don't think you are supposed to be here. You will never find food in this snow. I think you should return from where you came." But my admonition fell on deaf ears. They perished there in that barren tundra, their lifeless, congealed corpses littering the snow. How cruel mother nature can be at times. How stupid bugs are always.
We also saw a cute little marmot being devoured by a raven, and later the bones of another unfortunate marmot soul.
So, we turned back and pretty much skiied with our shoes the rest of the way back. It was the most fun. It took about 6 hours of hiking to get to our last point at which we failed and only two to get back to base. I hope you all enjoy the pictures.

The Timpanogos blog continued...

2007-05-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here are some more pictures. You can see the valley below us as we hiked up. You can then see a dome shaped peak, thats not the peak of Timpanogos. You can also see a ridge, a bowl shaped looking rim covered in snow. We hiked for a few miles in the snow. See, we were on a trail but due to the snow we kind of lost that trail after a while. It's not easy to hike in the snow when you are in shorts and have cruddy shoes. Each step would put us up to the top of our shins in snow. We began to hike up closer to the rock faces so we could may hike between these huge sheets of snow and the rocks. However, we soon learned this is impossible; there is a space between the snow and rocks but it's more like a chasm and we just felt it was dangerous so we steered clear. Anyway, we ended up getting to where we needed to go.

To Top of Timpanogos, Trial One

2007-05-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

So, I told you I would never use this thing; but here we go. So my friend Willie and I made an attempt to hike to the peak of Mount Timpanogos. We got close but due to deep, soft snow we were unable to quite make it. The second attempt will be shortly underway, just as soon as some of that snow melts off. So, I am totally foreign to how this will all turn out, I am just posting pictures but I don't really know how to tell you what is going on in which picture. Poorly laid out, this blogger thing.
Well anyway, you can see that less than an hour into the trip my shoes, yes both of them, were busted, cheap fake hiking boots. I found them out in the garage and they died. Anyway, so I had to tie my shoe laces around the soles of my boots before tying them. It was bothersome at first but I soon couldn't tell a difference.
I can't really see the pictures so what else do I say?

2007-03-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

my cool sister sarah is helping me figure out how to use a blog. since im so blog illiterate.

beginnings

2007-02-23T22:59:00.000-08:00

I have a blog now. this may be the last time i do anything iwth it.