Here it is again with the entire text of our blog included. Sorry Bethany, apparently the primary blog author doesn't show up as anything but "I" which is removed as a common word. We love you anyway.

Word Cloud

Here is a world cloud made from all the words in our blog from the beginning.  The size of the word indicates it's frequency...Arwen wins again with Noah in close second.  Open the pdf link to view all the little words.  Make your own and post them.

Monograms

I want to see everyone's monogram. I've seen Aaron's and Sarah's but those that I haven't should post them or if you don't have one, come up with one. Here are some of mine (roughly sketched out, I need an art program to play around with textures and colors). I cant really decide on which to go with. They are all comprised of MWN. You should be able to find the MWN in all of them. Use your imagination for some.

Most of the time the MWN overlaps using lines from each other. Some are derived from Mt. Diablo, and the others from my line of work.

Book review: The Road

So I know this is a bit late as most of you have read this but...
I found this book to be powerful so I figured I'd write a quick little blurb. I figure it can't hurt.

So I am sitting at the dinner table tonight watching Dallin shove an over-sized hamburger into his face, as I sip some generic root beer and munch on salt and vinegar chips. And it hits me...wow what a feast. How fortunate we are and don't even know it. How beautiful this world, how much we have.

Most Post-apocalyptic stories are of surviving and rebuilding. Beating the odds and living to see a brighter day. Not so with this book. The world is dead, the environment ruined, and man clings to the dregs of our present, eking out a few more miserable years all the while feeding off other men, and not only figuratively.

I guess the powerful part was being faced with utter hopelessness, what is the point in going on? To perpetuate the species? That will end soon in such a world. For the first time ever in a book I found myself thinking that those that gave up had the right idea. The wife was right. Was it wrong of the group with the pregnant woman to do what they did? Was there another option?

Now this was from an outside perspective from a person who could see what it meant if all the plants were dead and all the fish in the sea were too, the sun blotted out with ash. I suppose, put in the middle of the situation I would fight on as the Man did. At least I would hope to. And who knows maybe some lived to see a brighter day after even such a catastrophe.

Anyways, from my limited knowledge of the subject I feel that this is one of the best books of American literature. The prose is spartan but poetic and so profound at times that I did could not fathom it. Read it if you have not.

14 Billion Years

Matthew's lyrics, my music. If anyone else wants to make a song just send me some lyrics and maybe sing them into a mp3 so I already have a melody (thats what Matthew did). I want to get a good lullaby about dragons and adventures and the like.

Oh, and I'm not to sure if I like the ending, I might change it up a bit. Too much of the same note. And I'm also not sure if I subconsciencly got parts of the tune from some where. At first it sounded original but now that I've played it and listened to it a bunch I wonder if I got it from some where or now it just sounds familiar to me. I hope its the second.

Strange and Amazing Places

1) 27°22'49.54"N 33°37'55.93"E

2) 40°27'26.69"N  93°23'33.86"E

3) 50° 0'38.20"N 110° 6'48.32"W

4) 19°56'56.41"S 69°38'1.38"W

5) 33°44'39.33"N 112°38'3.83"W

I thought these were pretty cool satellite images.  Google Earth them (or even google maps in satellite view).  They are all pretty big...the mosaic in China is the biggest I think at a mile to a side and 100 feet on the thick lines.  Please share more if you have them and your thoughts on them.

Calling all Family

Okay guys, here is the deal. I am trying to write a series of children's books about the nieces and nephews with all you lovely people featured. One thing the authors I meet keep telling me is write what you know and I know you guys. I do not know the nieces and nephews as well as I would like. I have my rough draft for Madelyn's story written but I am stuck so I thought I would write the rough draft of the rest of their stories first and maybe that will spark something. So, here is what I am begging for. Send me stories about the little ones and information like their favorite food, flower, genre (dinosaurs and such) so I can make a story for them, not just about them. Even if these never become popular I want to write these stories for the little ones we all love like mad. You guys will be featured eventually but I am inspired and I am running with it

Root Bridges

Check out this blog. These things are amazing

http://rootbridges.blogspot.com/

Lucas Plagiarized

The more I study martial arts the more I realize something. George Lucas copied the way of the Jedi from those who practice martial arts. Jedi's do not give into anger and they do not allow their emotions to get the better of them. In addition the Shaolin Monks remained celibate so as to focus further on their purpose in life.

Something I learned in a very intensive session of Ki development that being physically proficient at Martial Arts is really only 1/3 of being a true martial artist. You have to be careful what you let into your body, allowing only good and nutritional things to enter so that energy may flow out uncorrupted. Then there is living a good life. A man who has never stepped within a Dojo but has lived a good and healthy life is more of a martial artist than an experienced fighter who purely concentrates on the physical.

To focus Ki one has to meditate in a certain way. The monks and Samurai did it often but for college students certain strictures are relaxed (such as only doing it for an hour...) Their are eight main exercises in breathing in which the Ki of heaven, water, fire, metal, and earth are focused. By learning where the Ki centers of the body are one is able to perform martial arts to the greatest of their ability.

Anger is not a part of martial arts. The whole purpose is to master the body and retain that which is most precious, life. I am not learning this to destroy people but to be able to defend myself should the need ever arise.

So you see, the way of the Jedi has been practiced in this Galaxy since before the time of Christ. As I further my training I must be able to recite on command the lineage of my Dojo, a line of authority so to speak, and recite the purpose of my particular martial art.

Back to Ki development. The kiai (or grunt so to speak) brings our movements together with more force than we would otherwise be able to generate because it tightens all our muscles at once.

About a week ago I was doing Ki development with the rest of my Dojo and a strange feeling came over me. After an hour of meditating and breathing I started to shake and cry. Basically I started to panic. So, in classic form, my sensei came up to me and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that this releases all sorts of emotions."
Apparently it was common for inexperienced students to break down because the form of meditation unblocked emotional barriers within.

I cannot say that the experience was pleasurable but after I had calmed down I felt...light, as if some burden had been taken from me. Martial arts is teaching me how to let my emotions go rather than bury them. I never thought this experience would be so...spiritual in a manner of speaking.

We greet our sensei with a bow and before every session of Jujitsu we kneel and empty our minds of all outside influences. I get my yellow belt in a month but already I feel as if I have come leaps and bounds from what I knew when I started this training.

What would you do?

I am reading a book that touches the issue of moral dilemmas. I thought it was a very interesting read so I figured I'd recreate it here. Some of you may be familiar with these situations.

What follows is a little quiz of sorts where you answer each dilemma with a response of whether the given action is morally 1)Required 2)Permissible or 3)Forbidden.

The fun part is trying to figure out why you answer like you do. Try and answer each one without comparing to the others. I know this may be impossible, but the results will be more interesting. Go ahead and answer in comments then add whatever insight or ideas or questions you had.

OK here we go.

The runaway trolley/train
There is nobody on this trolley

Situation 1

You are at a switch and see a trolley is going to hit and kill 5 people down the track. However if you switch the track the trolley will be diverted down another fork and the 5 will be saved. Should you switch the track?

Situation 2

Same as the first but there is 1 person hiking on the other track that will die if you switch the track. Should you switch the track?

Situation 3

Same as the first but there is no switch now, however you are on a bridge over the track and if you can push a large weight onto the track you can stop the trolley and save the 5 people. The only problem is that the only weight is a sleeping fat man. Should you use him to stop the trolley?

Situation 4

Same as 3 but now that fat man is actually a villain that placed the 5 on the track and sent the trolley to run them over.


Situation 5

The track now has a loop on it that causes the train to loop around and then continue on to the 5 people. This way if you flipped the switch the people would still die but the train would travel the loop first. However there is a fat man on the loop that would stop the train but die. Should you send the train on the loop?

Situation 6

Same as 5 but now the fat man is replaced by a boulder on the track that would stop the train. However there is a random hiker that will be trapped between the boulder and the train and he will die. Should you send the train on the loop?

Situation 7

5 people are dying in a hospital. They each need a different organ to live. They will go on to live long happy lives if they get this organ. There are no organs available. However, there is a healthy man in the lobby that is a match for all 5. If his organs were harvested the 5 patients would be saved. Should his organs be harvested?


You can search these dilemmas on the internet to get more discussion on them.

Mushroom logs

Mushrooms are pretty yummy and I think that finding them wild is very cool. The problem for me is that I'm not willing to stake my life or liver on a picture in a book that says these ones I'm looking at are safe to eat. But the next best thing I think would be growing them. Aaron told me about these mushroom logs. The logs (usually oak or another hard word species) are inoculated with spawn, then allowed to grow as they would in wild conditions. Fruiting, or pinning, is triggered by seasonal changes, or by briefly soaking the logs in cool water. Shiitake and oyster mushrooms have traditionally been produced using the outdoor log technique but companies that sell them are branching out. I think this would very fun and easy especially for those living in Oregon since the conditions are perfect year round. I think it would satisfy my bonsai gene, gardening gene and mushroom gene all at once. I'm going to try it when I get the right conditions. Just google mushroom logs, you tube even has some good videos on the process.

Photo Session at the River

I guess these first few shots are mostly performance art captured in photo.  This was a scary bridge to jump from.  We spent a long time looking over the edge before jumping each time.  I thought the composite of all the images taken during the jump captured the feeling the best.  The first is me and the second is Matthew.

~9.8m/s squared #1~

(photos by Matthew processed by Aaron)

~9.8m/s squared #2~

(photos by Aaron processed by Aaron)

~whorl shadows~

(photos by Aaron processed by Aaron)

~water bender~

(photos by Aaron processed by Aaron)

Rock Climbing

I think rock climbing is one of my favorite out door activities, though I don't get to go that often. When in Denver my brother in law John (wife's sisters husband) and I went up to Clear Creek Canyon to do some climbing. This was my first time lead climbing. Mostly I've done top rope and boldering.

We gave rout A a try. Here's the climbing map if any of you (or I) are ever in Denver and have the chance to give it a try (again). And it's just cool to look at. I didn't get a picture of the key but there were a few inverted places that were fun. Most of the climb was a 5.10c/d.

I only made it as far as the red X's go then...

I lost some skin trying to hold on. It dosn't look that bad after I cleaned off the blood, but it sure hurt.

Anyway being in shape would have been useful. But for not having been in years I did pretty good I think. I'd like to blame the altitude difference (me living at sea level) but I just need to do it more often. I figure when Arwen and Noah are old enough I'll take them climbing...but that doesn't solve the problem of having no one to belay me (I don't think Sarah is heavy enough, unless I stake her down). Oh well.

Budoshin Jujitsu

We all know the stories about the Samurai. They were incredibly honorable, brave, and extremely skilled with the sword. However, what happened when they lost their swords. Did they just quit? Commit seppuku? (which was common in many cultures when a warrior faced defeat) or did they learn another way to fight?

During the Meiji restoration Samurai were prevented from carrying swords but that did not stop their quest for the ability to fight for those to whom they were loyal. To prevent death in battle they developed a martial arts that eventually became Judo, Karate, and Jujitsu.

Jujitsu translated means the gentle art. It is a martial arts more suited to women in my opinion because it teaches one how to defend themselves and cripple an opponent with minimal force. The movements are graceful and the combat is brutally direct. Students of Jujitsu Are subjected to these holds, throws, and restrained versions of attack techniques. The holds help increase flexibility in the wrist which can be useful in a life or death situation.

Why am I fixating on Jujitsu? I joined the BYU club and, by extension, the American Jujitsu Association. You only have to get followed seven blocks by a creepy guy at night once before you are afraid of your own shadow. A few weeks ago I was watching a Jujitsu practice and now I am practicing how to roll when thrown by an opponent and get up and face them all in one motion. Now I am learning how to block a punch and get out of danger when someone grabs my wrists.

My sensei is very patient in helping me learn my rolls, blocks, strikes, and throws. I would recommend Jujitsu to anybody but especially women because it just makes me feel safer and more confident. That would be reason enough but I am learning to protect myself. I am learning to use someone's superior strength and force against them and learning to hold my own. It is amazing. I am entry level now (not even a white belt) but I plan on working my way up to a black belt.

Now, a little known fact about many martial arts. They teach pressure points for healing as well as attack. To earn higher belt levels we are required to know how to heal various pain using massage and pressure points. Who knows, next time you all see me I'll test out my new skills :p. Anyway, for all the ladies in the family and the boys, look into jujitsu.

Book Review-Longitude

This is a great little book about the race of discovering a way to measure longitude while at sea. It is interesting and a quick read. I think everyone would enjoy it.

Book Review-In Defense Of Food

Another good read from author Michael Pollan. Admittedly not as fun as The Omnivore's Dilema and a bit more disheartening. It seems it is harder than I originally thought to find actual food but nevertheless it is possible! I enjoyed learning a great deal more about the food industry and food itself in this book. My small criticism is that he encourages not to eat alone but what about the single adult Mr. Pollan? I read this book in a few days, easy, fun, educating!

Circumhorizontal Arc

We saw one of these in the sky while driving through the mountains in Colorado. I've never seen one before (a little research said they are very rare).

This one is not mine as I didn't have my camera but looks the same.

These clouds are caused by light passing through cirrus clouds. They only occur when the sun is very high in the sky (more than 58° above the horizon) and the hexagonal ice crystals that make up the cirrus cloud must be shaped like thick plates with their faces parallel to the ground.
When light enters through a vertical side face of such an ice crystal and leaves from the bottom face, it refracts, or bends, in the same way that light passes through a prism. If a cirrus's crystals are aligned just right, the whole cloud lights up in a spectrum of colors.

I'd add this to my short list of cool things to try to find in the sky:

Sundogs or Ice Halos (can be seen in day or my favorite at night with a full moon)
Moonbows (I saw one of these once at night with a full moon rising on distant storm)

Have any of you seen some rare natural phenomenon?

Art Dump

Here are some thing I worked on for fun in the years past. Picasso I am not, which is a bit depressing really as I really enjoy drawing.

One of my favorite Adventures

Going along with Michael's fun post on Nostalgic places I think it would be fun for us to each share a memorable adventure. The one I would like to tell is the time I hiked the Thousand Island Lakes Trail with Joesph, Matthew, Emily, Whitney and Nevada.


Hiking Thousand Island lake was definitely an adventure. I don't think any of us could forget the merciless mosquitoes! Poor Whitney seemed to get it the worst and had to hike around with a make shift burqa covering! After it was all over Emily and I had a competition to see who had the most bites. I don't remember who won but no joke I had 100 bites just on one side of my right calf. Even these wretched mosquitoes weren't bad enough to take away from the absolute beauty of this place. The greatest visual was walking over the crest to see the glimmering turquoise lake with the hundreds of tiny islands inviting you down.

The first night we camped we were all convinced there was a bear outside our tents only to find out it was fat Nevada snoring. When we reached the snow we all took turns dunking our heads under run off nearly passing out from the shock of it, then going back for seconds! Emily was brave enough to swim in the lake but I wasn't; it was so cold just touching it burned my skin. One of the brothers and Nevada switched off carting up two huge cans of Denizens Chili only to have it burned beyond eating because of the thousands of mosquitoes attacking me. I felt so bad, but it was still pretty funny. It was so much fun crushing the high altitude snow for my first time and watching it turn pink from bacteria. I think it is great how most of us had to put SPF cherry chap stick on our faces because none of us had sunscreen and we were so burnt. I loved hearing Matthew tell us his great idea for a science fiction story as we sat exhausted around the campfire. I think I remember packing a sleeping pad only to have it "borrowed" by Matthew both nights :), but to be fair he was carrying all my food. Thanks for the memories, I Love you big Brothers!