My Favorite Book

I have been on quite a reading kick lately, so this question is more difficult to answer than it would have been a couple years ago. However, there is one book that will always be my favorite. Always. Most people make have a pained expression when I tell them that this book is my favorite, but I have my reasons, I promise.
My all-time favorite book is "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. I think the reason most people get so uptight when I mention this book is because they were probably forced to read it for school. I had the privilege of reading the classic before it was assigned to me and it made all the difference. I would encourage everybody to revisit "Grapes", as well as any other piece of classic literature that may or may not have been ruined by unreasonable reading deadlines.

My favorite movie

Well, I'm a kid who just loves to watch movies. It's probably my second most favorite thing to do. So, choosing a favorite is just about impossible.
Recently, I have taken to liking the work of Quentin Tarantino. I could watch the Kill Bill Vol. 1 once a week if I was able to.
However, the blog aid didn't ask what my favoriteS are. . . just one. So, without further ado, my favorite movie:
Here's a hint, it stars five girls from England in really large shoes. . .



Enjoy!

Blog Aid - My Favorite Song

I got this list off of my dear friend Rachel's blog and I'm going to use it.
The first item on the list is to blog about your favorite song.

I have a couple favorite songs depending on my mood. When I am sulking, I like to listen to my boy Sufjan Stevens.


My favorite song to karaoke would have to be Madonna's "Vogue". Unfortunately, I can't find a video that will let me post it on this page. . . You should listen to it. I'm pretty excited that the Glee cast is releasing their own version of the song on April 20th.





Day 01 → Your favorite song
Day 02 → Your favorite movie
Day 03 → Your favorite book
Day 04 → Your favorite television show
Day 05 → Your favorite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobby of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video
Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy

My Summer Vacation

I have been itching to do something awesome lately, but I haven't come up with any plans that would be awesome enough That is, until the other night. . . .
I have decided that I am going to have one of the best weeks of my life sometime in June. I am planning on taking at least a week off from work, going to a random small town hotel/bed & breakfast in another state, and locking myself away from my world during that time. Sounds crazy, I know. But, the plan is for me to spend most of the time writing. I don't know what I will have to show for it at the end of my trip, but I think it will be therapeutic for me.
The only think I have to pin down is this. . . where can I go that is isolated enough to not have too many worldly distractions, but still inspiring enough to help me come up with some good stuff. I am thinking of staying somewhere like Salmon, Idaho. The only problem with that is that I have stayed there twice already. I would like it to be somewhere new, somewhere in the northwest.
I am open to suggestions :)

SoCo in SoCal

Alright ya'll. I'm going to attempt to add photos to a blog post. This is huge for me.

Last weekend, I went on an epic road trip with two of my dearest friends (who just happen to me brother and sister). Melissa, my c
oworker, and Richard, my roommate, accompanied me on the best road trip ever. Our final destination was the Bamboozle Festival at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, featuring Story of the Year, Orianthe, and most importantly - Something Corporate. My friends and I are starting to make a habit out of travelling to see any concert involving Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate's frontman).
I will now walk you through our trip.
Day 0ne:
We started our drive. My new car did a great job. We met up with Richard's coworker and her husband (who I went to high school with) in Scipio and caravaned with walkie-talkies the rest of the way to Vegas. Alissa was kind enough to let us stay at her parents house in LV. Her dad entertained us with some brilliant piano playing and singing.
That night, we wandered the strip aimlessly and ended up buying discount tickets to see the Blue Man Group. This show is amazing. Period. During our time on the strip, we made sure to catch a Bellagio water show. The song they played was "Singin' in the Rain." For whatever reason, it made me really emotional. I remember thinking that if the song went on any longer I might have shed a solitary tear.
Day Two:
The next day was Friday. We hit the road early so we could soak up as much of the California sun as possible. We drove straight to Newport beach. Melissa and Richard set up a blanket and played frisbee for a bit while I walked up and down the shops at Newport. I bought a t-shirt, a shot glass, flip-flops and a towel. You know, beach essentials. Unfortunately, none of us planned to bring our camera to the beach so we don't have any pictures. My favorite part about the beach was walking by myself into the water fully clothed and letting the waves hit me. It was an incredible experience. I only regretted it a little bit when I couldn't wear those clothes again for the rest of the trip.

Friday night we just played in our hotel room. Other pictures were taken involving make-up that I will not be posting. If you are curious enough, check facebook. I was mercilessly tagged in all of them.

Day Three:
Saturday was the day we had all been waiting for. We woke up early, enjoyed our continental breakfast, then hit the streets on our way to DISNEYLAND!!!
We were masters of the fast pass and had knocked many of the classic rides off of our list by the time the crowds arrived. It was enjoyable, of course. Unfortunately, my lame, old-man-ness made me get a little bit sick. I endured as long as I could, long enough to ride the Tower of Terror. Then we decided to call it a day.

Day Four: Sunday was the day of the Bamboozle festival. Late Saturday night, we were joined in our hotel room by a couple of friends or Richard. The next morning, we all woke up and showered. Then we checked out of the hotel room and went to a park to hang out. I stopped at Target and purchased a book to read. "The Cather in the Rye" is the book I bought and I immediately fell in love with it. I lounged on the blanket with my cheez-its, ipod, blackberry, and book and was undisturbed for a good portion of the time.
Since I only went to the festival to see Something Corporate, I spent most of the time there reading my new book. I was definitely the only person at this punk-rock festival rockin' it with a classic novel. Something Corporate performed and is was incredible. Then we hit the road for our thru-the-night drive home. We got back to SLC at 9 the next morning.
The trip was exhausting but we did SO much. I had a wonderful time and am grateful for such great, adventurous friends. This is the sort of thing people my age are supposed to do. I liked it.

Ten Things I Couldn't Live Without

I apologize in advance. . . I was ambitious with the font size on this one. . . Still haven't mastered this website. . .
Okay, I admit it. . . . I stole this idea from the blog that I stalk the most (thank you Mrs. Jones).
Since, I suck at blogging of my own accord, I thought it wise to borrow someone else's idea. . . So here it is. . . My detailed list of the Top Ten Things I couldn't live without in no particular order:

1. Independence. . . not in a Glenn-Beck-creepy-patriotic way (don't get me wrong, I love America). . . but the independence to which I refer is on a much more personal level. I have finally reached a point in my life where I can say that I am completely independent.

1. Music. . . Without it, my heart has no beat.

1. Family. . . My new-found independence has helped me realize that my family is incredible! I have recently dropped some bombshells on my dear parents. Fortunately, their soft hearts have muffled any explosions.

1. Sandstone. . . Random addition to the list? I don't think so. . . Without sandstone, there would be no Zion National Park. . . without ZNP, there would be no holiday from real :)

1. Bowling. . . There are few games involving balls at which I excel. . . bowling is a part of this elite club.

1. The Beatles. . . Since the release of The Beatles Rock Band, I have taken my respect for the Fab Four to a new level. . . I could try to explain further, but you wouldn't understand.

1. Billy Joel and Elton John. . . My first memory of music that wasn't country goes like this. . . On several occasions, I would ride in the back seat of my dad's old chevy pick-up. (It had wooden drink holders, and a sticky spot on the passenger seat where he spilled a Dr. Pepper.) My dad had a Billy Joel cassette. The album was "the River of Dreams." Track number 9 ends with an inspiring rapid drum-fire. My dad would always make sure to halt whatever conversation was going on just in time to turn the radio up so we could feel the drum solo. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Billy Joel/Elton John concert. . . It changed my life, but not how you think it would. Billy didn't play the song that I remember most, but being there made me go back to that truck to salvage the memory. I have since purchased the CD of that album and I refuse to allow conversation for the last 30 seconds of track #9.

1. My feet. . . I've had to be quick on them a lot lately.

1. Brothers. . . a.k.a. best friends.

1. Minds (both open and closed). . . You can learn a lot about somebody by throwing something big at their head and waiting to see if the thing you threw is welcomed into their brain, or if it just bounces off a closed door.

Captain Jack & Tiny Dancer

This weekend, I achieved one of my life goals. There are few things that I absolutely have to do before I die and I did one of them this weekend.
I saw Billy Joel and Elton John in concert on Friday night and my life will forever be changed. To be in the same room, no matter how large, with people who have shaped music so much was amazing. To see the two gods of piano rock sit key-to-key was incredible.
To make things even cooler, I got to see the concert from a sweet suite directly above the stage. I have never been in one of those little-rich-people-boxes before and I'm sorry to say that I hope to never have to sit anywhere else at the Energy Solutions Arena. The seats had cushions, the view was incredible, and there was an unlimited supply of mozzarella sticks and coke.
Since my ticket was gifted to me, I justified the expense of buying a concert t-shirt ($40 . . . ) and a Billy Joel keychain ($10 . . . ). Expensive? yes. Worth it? yes again.
I am sorry that I never post pictures on my blog because the shirt is pretty sweet.
On my way to the concert, I mentioned that the only concert that could possibly top this would have to be Michael Jackson, after his death. Since that's never going to happen, I can officially say that I have seen the best concert imaginable.
Unfortunately, this means that all concerts from here on out will pale in comparison to my heroes: Elton and Billy.