Garett's wedding trip

We had a long weekend of driving to get to Garett's wedding. Thankfully we were able to stop in Boise to see Erick and Tami and their toy store, Sam's Toy Box. We went to Eagle and found the bike park, and I would have been in heaven, but I didn't have my bike. It is a really big park with jump lines, dual slalom and a skills section. These two pictures are from the skill area.
















We also went to Powell's Sweet Shoppe, and they carry Brainwash. I used to drink this in California in 1994. It was the precursor to energy drinks. It has some interesting side effects.













Like this. It stains anything it touches.

All weekend I had been anticipating the seven foot gap jump on the Flintstone Trail in Eagle Mountain. I've watched Mike Both do it several times, but it was a mental block for me. I rolled the rock face, then crashed about 100 feet before the jump, hurting my knee and calf. My first thought was that I wouldn't be able to do the jump, and I had crashed by sliding off the trail. I worked the stiffness out of my knee, and after two failed approaches I let go and took the jump. It happened so fast that I wasn't able to pull up as I launched, and I landed front tire first. Thanks to a fantastic Marzocchi Bomber fork I rode it out without any problem. The approach to the jump happened so fast that I lost about a 20 foot section of the trail from my memory. I took the turn on the trail, and the next thing I knew I was in the air. Today I conquered the smoky monster.

370 days

We were at Lake Powell last week when I hit my one year anniversary since divorcing energy drinks. My last one was a Monster Lo-Carb on August 13, 2008. I still miss the taste, but I don't need it anymore. Now it's time to quit soda altogether.

Lake Powell was a fun time, with wake boarding, knee boarding, rappelling, cliff jumping, reading and hiking. Coming back to work and 399 e-mail sucks though. I need another vacation.

38 = 251

Today is my birthday, so I slept in. Work was hectic with all that has happened this week, and it has brought many changes in just a few days. I enjoyed a few moments of serenity with Deb, Jana, Amy and Terry while we discussed our future leaders and ate cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. My co-workers know me well. What they didn't know is that I have written in my Journal everyday for the last 18 years. They gave me a huge Sponge Bob birthday card, and I told them that it would still fit in my Journal. I quickly retrieved my Journal from my desk and showed them how I record my life. I worked late so I could catch up and fill the time until X-Men Origins: Wolverine started at 7:20 pm. I sat at my desk reflecting on the things that had happened today, and I truly felt blessed. I have a wonderful family and great co-workers. Being with my co-workers is the best part of my workday. Today I really felt like people cared about me. And lest I forget, Patricia sent me an e-mail from Manila wishing me a happy birthday. Wolverine was fun, and I came home to find this poster and "treat" courtesy of Lori, Hannah and Andrea. I love it.

Anyhow, today I'm 38 and I bench pressed the 45 pound bar 251 times. I got tired and slowed down at the end, so I want to be able to do it more smoothly, but 38 still equals 251. Chuck Norris is proud of me.

Moon landing was fake!

The moon landing was fake, and I have irrefutable proof. I don't believe for one minute that we can put a man on the moon when we can't keep my bright yellow highlighter from turning an ugly yellow color in two days. Case closed.

Skinny jump

Mike, Mike.com, Ben and I am rode the bike park and the Flintstone Trail. This is me on the skinny.


Mike Both.


Mike Engberson, aka Mike.com.


Ben Schmalz.

Bike Park action

I hit the Eagle Mountain Bike Park after work today. The teeter totter.


The three steps.


The 220 Trail table top.


My pride and joy- the 220 Trail drop in.

Goodbye, my friend

Today we sold the Corvette. I took #4 with me to drop it off. I thought he would cry like he has when we talked about selling it before. We owned it for just over two years, and it was a great summer ride. T-Tops rule. I hated to part with it, but it was the right thing to do. Hopefully it won't be our last Corvette. It was fun while it lasted, and it fulfilled a dream I held since I was in high school.

Hiatus

Tonight was my last night of teaching Karate for a while. My kids and I will be taking the summer off for financial reasons, but we hope to be back shortly. I'm not sure if I will be teaching at that point. I usually don't do the warm ups with the students, but tonight I wanted to fully participate. We did shoulder rolls and my shoulder wasn't a concern.














I will miss the experience of passing on the knowledge and applications that I have learned, but I will continue to teach it to my kids. Tonight was bittersweet because I really enjoy working with Jeremy and Tiffany, and I don't want to lose that association.

A sad farewell

Shawn Clark moved to Louisiana today. He and I worked together doing collections at Wilkinson & Sood in 1995. When DeLana moved here we all started to hang out. Shawn and I quickly connected and spent most of that summer roller blading and trying to pick up chicks. We grew closer through the years, and were able to pick up where we left off during his deployments. We often talked about the things that we thought were cool, like fountain pens, cufflinks and hats. We often read his gentleman’s book to learn how to tie new knots for our neckties, or dress professionally according to London standards. We wished we could fly to Italy and England to get custom-made suits. We really connected on that issue, and it was Shawn showing me the way. I’ve always admired his style and fashion sense, and I got what he already understood. I’ve never had that connection with anyone else, and I hope we can keep that going. He definitely influenced the way I dress at work, trying to be the professional example to those I lead. They will be greatly missed, but I know we will do all we can to keep the friendship going.

Sweet Saturday

I played softball with the ward this morning. I haven't played for years, and I haven't thrown a ball or swung a bat since before my surgery. It was so fun. The weather was perfect and it was nice to hang out with those guys. My shoulder is sore, but I think it's muscle and not cartilage.

I went to the Eagle Mountain bike park with Mike Both, Tim Shaw and Shawn Peck. We rode the jump sections, pump track and the new wood sections. Then we headed up and rode the single track. I hit the jump at the north exit of the trail and it felt great. Perfect line and perfect landing. Then I went and hit this ramp five times.

This is a good jump because the trail takes a hard right, so I have to land the jump and make the turn immediately, which freaks me out.

This table top is up near the top of the jump section. I had to hit it a few times to be able to launch it.

Today was a great jumping day. I felt so good with everything I did. I love mountain biking.

One year later

Today is the one year anniversary of my shoulder surgery. My doctor told me I would be back to 100% at one year if I avoided injury. I'm still a little nervous about grappling, but I sparred at Karate tonight. I felt good, and I didn't think about my shoulder while I was avoiding attacks and dishing it out. Grappling would still be higher risk because of the torque in a key lock or chicken wing. I went old school with my original white Gi top and heavy weight black pants, and my back didn't bother me very much.

Since it was a special day I wanted to do something to overcome myself, so I did a set of 3000 body weight squats. My goal was 2000, so I'm pleased with that. That's two things completed on my 2k9 List.

I also finished reading Leadership and Self-Deception. That is a great book, and I thank Patricia for pushing me to read it.

2k9 List update

I completed my first task on my 2k9 List tonight. I read Revelation 1-22 to complete the New Testament. It's been years since I read it cover to cover. That was a good choice.

So far I've been able to do 1500 squats and 150 push ups. I haven't tried ab bridges yet this year. It's time to start.

I love my bike

St. George was a great mountain bike road trip, but I couldn't use my middle chainring at all. The gears kept slipping, and it was obvious that I needed to get a new drivetrain. I thought a new chainring set, chain and cassette would do it, but the set was wobbling last night. I elected to replace it with a new set that included the cranks and bottom bracket.

My bike.














New cassette.














New Race Face chainrings, cranks and bottom bracket.














We are going to the Eagle Mountain bike park in an hour. I can't wait to hit the trail. Then it's off to St. George on Sunday for Spring Break.

Change is good

These are the murals from our old dojo in Saratoga Springs. This is Jeremy Sanderson- 3rd Dan.














Steve Smith- 2nd Dan.














Sidnee Smith- Red belt


Tonight was our first night in the new dojo. We spent a little more than three years in the first building. Everyone was excited to be in the new building. It's a wood floor and the room is much bigger. We have mirrors again, and a great view of the valley. This is a great change. I was so glad to be there tonight.

St. George bike trip- Day 2

Shawn Peck joined us Friday night for a huge ride on Saturday. We started the JEM Trail outside La Verkin. This is me and Agent Peck standing over the Virgin River.














This is me and Tim Shaw riding the cliff over the Virgin River.














Mike and Tim at the beginning of the ride.














Our beautiful scenery.














Scenery.














More scenery.














Overlooking La Verkin. This wasn't even halfway on our 27 mile ride.















We took the Hurrican Rim cutoff and rode passed this La Verkin lookout to the parking lot where Shawn, Bevan, Evan, Kevin and I stopped last year. It was a challenging climb, but the downhill to the parking lot was worth it. We crossed Highway 59 and climbed the fireroad for qyite a while before taking the cutoff to Gould's Rim. We rode that part for several miles on Gould's Rim when Shawn got a flat tire. We fixed that and stopped to rest at Highway 59 when we noticed he had torn the sidewall on his tire. My friend Rob Brown told me you can stick a dollar bill over a tire hole until you get off the trail. We were about to do that when Mike suggested we try using the Cliff Gel wrappers. We didn't have any other problems with the tires. We flew down from Highway 59 passed the Hurrican Rim cutoff and continued to the car. The trail was in great shape and I let go of the apprehension I had from Friday. That section is probably my favorite section of trail. It was a great trip and we put down some good miles. No one got hurt and the mechanical problems were minimal. And we learned a lot about Tim and Mike's moms.

St. George bike trip- Day 1

Mike Both, Tim Shaw and I went to St. George on Friday for a mountain bike road trip. We rode for several hours on the Bearclaw Poppy trail, then rode part of the Zen trail. This is Tim and Mike on Bearclaw Poppy.














Tim on a double jump on Bearclaw Poppy.


This is me on the Bearclaw double. I was really nervous about crashing and hurting my shoulder. It's been 10 months, but I have to get passed one year for it to be totally healed.


Mike on the third Finger of Death. I missed his landing. I suck.


We followed the riverbed to try and get out to the Zen Trail. That sucked. We had to bike/hike quite a bit, but we caught the trail and started our climb above Bearclaw Poppy. This picture is the Three Fingers of Death from the Zen Trail.














Close up of the Three Fingers of Death from the Zen Trail.














The riverbed approaching the Three Fingers of Death.














This is me and Mike overlooking the Three Fingers of Death from the Zen Trail. We lost the trail and come down too soon, so we went to our Trendwest timeshare to get more water. We hit several jumps on the way back to the car and felt pleased with what we had done.

Defensive Handgun

Today I did the Defensive Handgun class with the Counterterrorism Institute of America. We practiced speed reloading, tactical reloading, clearing jams, advancing and retreating, shooting from cover, and shooting from three prone positions. We had a shooting contest on steel targets from about 20-25 yards. I won. It was well worth the time and money, and was a great way to learn and practice new skills.

Chuck Norris

Today is Chuck Norris' birthday. It should be a world holiday. I saw him a few years ago in Las Vegas and he is in great shape. Most people in their 30's are not in shape like him, and he is 69 today. Say what you will about Walker, Texas Ranger, but he is a great martial artist, and he counted to infinity twice. And he can believe it's not butter.

Jack Bauer approves of my new phone

I renewed my Verizon contract and received the Jack Bauer approved Casio Boulder phone today. It is built to military specifications to be shock, dust and water resistant, allowing for car crashes, drops and brawls. The flashlight can be used during a power outage. The digital compass can be used to track enemy movements. The speaker phone and Blue Tooth capabilities allow constant communication with home base. Standby mode is 67 hours, allowing for multiple seasons. Pretty much this phone rules.

Journal #56

I just finished Journal #56. I rule.

We took Jill to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate her twinage. Fish tacos are great. I can't wait to go back there with Shawn in a few weeks.

The Best Inventions of All-time

In no particular order, except the first one:
Chuck Norris
Color
Casio G-Shock watches
Mint chocolate chip ice cream
Martial arts
Guns
E-Bay
Italian
Cufflinks
National Parks
Bicycles
Leatherman multi-tools
Camelbak hydration packs
Tin foil dinners
UFC
Cheese
BBQ
Bacon
Journals
Knives
Crepes
Fireworks
Fountain pens
Olympics
Motorcycles
Loofa
Gun shows
Magnets
Ice
Flashlights

The Worst Inventions of All-time

In no particular order:
McDonald's
Snakes
Coffee
Gum
Hyphenated names
Japanese animation
Hippies
Emos
Rap
Carrot cake
Candy corns
Gravy
Mimes
Clowns
Marching bands
Dallas Cowboys
LA Lakers
Mushrooms
Mullets
Trailer parks

Broker training

It's been a long and exhausting week, but I was able to teach four classes for our Broker training. Broker training allows our newer reps to be trained to place stock, option and mutual funds orders for our customers. I really enjoyed the time to be in the classroom. It was a change of pace from my normal duties, but it's also something that I really enjoy doing. I have one more class to teach on Tuesday, and hopefully some classes on the next round in February.

2K9 List

I don't like New Year's resolutions. They only last for eight days anyway. I like making goals that I can achieve any time during the year. My shoulder surgery wiped out two of my goals for 2008- five minute ab bridge and the splits. This year will be different. Here is my 2K9 List-

Purity
Read the New Testament cover to cover
Splits
Ab bridge- five minutes
Push ups- 250 consecutive
Squats- 2000 consecutive

Bike park work

I helped build some jumps at the Eagle Mountain bike park. Here is one of the jumps we made. I can't wait to hit it in May when my shoulder is healed.














This is me showing the kids how to ride a ramp.


And check out my new Fail Blog under Links.

Back to Iraq and stray thoughts

Shawn left to return to Iraq today. He will be done with his deployment in about three months. We were able to visit for about an hour today before he flew out. This was our private conversation about Apache helicopters. More to come on that? It's nice to see that we were able to pick up where we left off. I will be doing a better job of e-mailing him this time. It's time to do a better job on a lot of things. I've been off work since Tuesday, and it's been a nice break. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to relax because I have to go back to work on Monday and start writing 17 reviews in five days, but I've done pretty well. Hopefully some things will work themselves out over the next 4-5 months. In any case, it should be interesting. That's one of the reasons I keep a daily journal, so I can go back and see how things developed. It could be big, or it could be a non-event. Either way, I have what I need with my family and friends, and things seem to be getting clearer.

Did you get your tickets to the gun show?

We went to the Crossroads of the West gun show in Sandy this morning. We got there early to get a good parking spot. The parking lot was fairly empty, so I was shocked to see how long the line was. I went from the north end of the expo center to the middle, then back around. I bet there were over 250 people in front of us. The ammo flew off the shelves. I guess people are worried about January. We were able to get a butane stove, rescue tape and several other things on our list. It was a successful trip.

100 days

It's been 100 days since I've had an energy drink. I've been going to bed earlier and trying to eat healthier. I am master of my own domain, as it were. I win.

Election 2008

The 2008 Election is finally over. I've got to say that I was sick of seeing a two year campaign. It was nice to see an increase in voter participation. I don't understand how you can live in this country and not cast your vote. People in other countries would kill for that privilege. I remember a picture that I put in my journal when voting was opened in South Africa. It was an aerial shot of thousands of people standing in line. Things didn't go the way I had hoped, but we definitely made history as a country by electing a black President. Having missed the Civil Rights movement, I can't fully appreciate what everyone experienced at that time, but it says a lot for our nation. I remember talking to my dad about the Berlin wall. He said he never thought he would see it come down in his lifetime. Times have definitely changed. I wish it meant that racism had been defeated, but that isn't the case yet. I'm afraid that it will take several more decades to make that change. I hope I can see the day when a Jew or a Mormon can get elected, and that their religion won't be held against them. We gave JFK the benefit of the doubt.

I hope Barak Obama can make the changes that we need as a country, but there is a lot of hard work. As I watched the crowds in Chicago last night, I got the impression that many people expected that things will change immediately. Big problems take big solutions, and that takes time. Many things need to be fixed, but not all of those are the responsibility of the government. I refer you to The Proper Role of Government by Ezra Taft Benson:

http://www.zionsbest.com/proper_role.html

I hope things get better under Obama. He is not the man I wanted for President, but I do not wish him ill will. I hope the econmy will turn around and we will be able to protect ourselves from our enemies. I hope our elected leaders will make choices that bring the most good to the most people. I hope we can find other ways to meet our energy demands. And I hope we can remember that it was a belief in God that created this great contry.

I suck

On October 8th we had a wellness screening at work. My blood pressure was good, but my cholesterol was high. I made an appointment to have a physical today. Blood pressure was still good, but my numbers came back high again.
Total cholesterol was 238. This should be below 200.
Bad cholesterol was 169. This should be below 100.
Triglycerides was 173. This should be below 150.
Good cholesterol was 34. This should be above 40.
I have to decrease the fat in my diet and increase my fiber and Omega 3's. I have to go back to the doctor in 3-4 months. If my numbers don't improve I will probably have to go in medication. Screw that. I will be a diet nazi and bring it down myself. But I still suck.

Summary- Boise and 169 days later

We returned from our Boise trip on Monday. Coming home from vacation always sucks. We were able to help Erick and Tami at their new toy store called Sam's Toy Box. It's exciting to see their progress. We went to Big Jud's for dinner for their one pound hamburger. It was huge. One burger fed most of us. I want to take my brothers up there and watch them put that thing away.We went roller blading in Ann Morrison park, visited Williamson's orchard and Givens Hot Springs for a mineral bath. We also took the kids to Boise Zoo to see the penguins, which are the coolest bird in the world.
Work was much calmer than I expected on Tuesday. I only had to work for two days before my four day weekend. It's rough. I start my Monday to Friday shift next week. I haven't worked a normal shift for 6.5 years.

I had my last follow up appointment for my shoulder. The surgery was 169 days ago. I can mountain bike and play volleyball they way I have been doing it for the last two months. I will be back to normal in May, which means I can spar and grapple in Karate again.

Mike Both and I rode Corner Canyon in Draper this afternoon. We rode up Traverse Ridge, then down to Ghost Falls. It was a great Autumn ride with colored leaves covering the trail. I love to ride, and Corner Canyon is a great discovery.

General Conference

General Conference is almost over. I don't know how it's possible, but every six months it seems to get better. The highlight for me was yesterday when President Thomas S. Monson announced there would be five new Temples, and one would be in Rome, Italy. I couldn't believe it. Neither could the audience at the Conference Center. When I served my mission in Italy someone told me that the Italian police could enter any building at any time. I didn't think Italy would ever see a Temple. I can't wait to see what it looks like. Progress.

Meltdown

The U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass the bailout plan, giving the Dow it's biggest one day point loss in history.
Dow: 10,365 -778
NASDAQ: 1984 -200
Citigroup bought Wachovia Bank as it collapsed. I've seen reports that 75% of Americans oppose the bailout plan because they don't think Wallstreet should be saved. What they fail to realize is that if we allow Wallstreet to fail, Mainstreet will be right behind it. We don't get to watch big financial firms fail and then go about our business like nothing happened. The credit market has been nearly frozen for two weeks. If these companies are allowed to go bankrupt, the money supply will dry up. Companies like General Motors, Ford, Caterpillar and Boeing won't be able to borrow money to continue to operate their businesses. Companies won't be able to make their payrolls. As this happens these companies will have to lay people off, which will seriously increase the likelihood of more foreclosures. People will no longer be able to borrow money to buy houses, cars, or send their kids to school. The entire US economy will collapse in to a depression. We are beyond talking about a recession at this point. We are back to 1929, when the government stood by and watched it happen. You can call it a bailout of Wallstreet, but it's really a bailout of our economy and way of life. Now is not the time to point fingers and talk about what should have happened. It is time to take action to protect ourselves. We are at a point in time that most of us have never experienced. Hopefully our government can diffuse this nuclear bomb before it's too late.

Ricordi

It amazes me how certain tastes and smells can take me back to specific times and places. Tonight I mixed mozzarella, basil, tomatoes from our garden, olive oil, salt and pepper. It tasted just like it did when I spent the summer in Bologna with some of my closest mission friends in 1991. I made the same dish several times a week during that summer, and it will always hold fond memories for me. It makes me wish even more that I could return to Italy. Chissa'......

CPR certified

Things haven't worked out as I had hoped lately, but today I was able to become CPR and AED certified at work. It was something that I've wanted to do for a long time, so I jumped at the chance. I am part of our emergency response team, which is right up my alley. Some things were different from when I was certified as a kid, but the process is easy and straight forward. I had never used AED, but the machine tells you what to do at every step. This is something that I will try to keep current every two years.

Catching up

I've been a slacker when it comes to my blog, so I need to catch up. I haven't had an energy drink for over three weeks. The Beijing Olympics are over. It was cool to see Michael Phelps tear it up in the pool. Especially when the men beat France in the relay. It was a great performance to get the gold in all eight events in such a short time. Great prediction Ian Thorpe. Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball was exciting, as well as the Men's Indoor Volleyball beating Russia and Brazil to bring it home after a 20 year hiatus. Mountain biking and BMX was exciting, especially since I couldn't ride this Summer. Here is the medal count for the top five countries:
2008 Medals

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
USA	36	38	36	110
CHN	51	21	28	100
RUS	23	21	28	72
GBR	19	13	15	47
AUS	14	15	17	46

Mike Both and I have been riding the new singletrack trails in Eagle Mountain over the last two weeks. It's great to see new trails out here. We are constantly plotting where to build the next one. I'm glad I can do some riding and hope to pull off a St. George bike trip in November.

I've also played volleyball twice in the last two weeks, and I'm better than I expected when it comes to serving with my left hand. Blocking is difficult when I only have one arm above the net, but I don't want to risk a hard shop that would injure my shoulder. I'm just glad I can play.

Chuck Liddell fought Rashad Evans in UFC 88 last night. I fully expected Liddell to win the fight, so I was shocked when Evans knocked Liddell out cold. They exchanged at the same time, but Rashad landed first and hit Chuck on the button. I've seen too many fights where Chuck keeps his hands down, and he's paid for it twice in 18 months. Quinton Jackson knocked out Chuck on Memorial Day weekend in 2007 and took the UFC Light Heavyweight title. Chuck's next fight was against Keith Jardine, and he looked like he was afraid of being knocked out. Jardine took control, pressed the fight and got the decision. Chuck bounced back and manhandled Wanderlei Silva, and it appeared The Iceman was back. Chuck looked focused and ready last night, but he made the fatal error of leaving his hands down again. I would expect a fighter at that level to master the basic skill of protecting your head and face. I really hope he can bounce back from this defeat.