Untitled (but not by default, so really titled as "Untitled")

I've been getting that itch to write lately.  In the past I've tended to have pretty specific themes that I centered each blog post around.  Full disclosure, at this point I got nothing!  We're just going to open the metaphorical floodgates and see what pours out of my mind and soul.  If you're lucky it will be something majestic and inspiring like a cascading waterfall, if not it may end up more resembling waste run-off.  Eewww...let's hope for the former or at least something in between.  

I guess the biggest news as of late is that I just finished my 3rd of 10 four-weeklong clinical rotations for pharmacy school.  That's kinda the fancy way of saying on-the-job training.  We get to work one-on-one with pharmacists in a number of settings.  I guess the only difference between rotations and on-the-job training is that payment is flowing (much like the run-off...er, waterfall I spoke of) in the opposite direction.  I'm pretty excited though to think that here in the next couple of weeks I will apply for my last student loan ever.  I hate being in debt and the sooner I can start moving the needle in the opposite direction the better.  Rotations have been good so far.  I still can't give a firm answer as to what type of pharmacy it is I want to end up practicing.  I mean safe and effective are obviously good, but in what field?  That is the question.  I'm not worried.  I've always been notoriously methodical in making up my mind about big, life-altering decisions.  What to major in, what type of grad school to apply to...I was so unsure that I took the PCAT and the LSAT just to be safe.  In hindsight I'm glad I'm not a lawyer.  No offense lawyer friends, it just was not for me and I know that now.  Not to brag, but I think as far as school and career moves I've nailed it so far.  Okay, okay, yes that is bragging.  Fair enough.  I haven't nailed the relationship stuff quite so much, but that's a different blog for a different time.  Or probably for no time, I think it would just come off sounding bitter and pessemistic and thats not what Gary's Indiana is about.  (See how well that new blog title works out!!!).  Point being, choosing a path within the realm of pharmacy falls squarely into the career-related choices category, so I think we're good.

I attended a young single adult conference this past weekend.  Okay, quick timeout for friends of other faiths besides Mormonism.  Young single adult (YSA) is for 18-30 year old members of our church who aren't married yet.  Since marriage and family get emphasized a lot in our church, I guess it's helpful to approach the teachings about it from the point of view specific to those being taught (how to strengthen your marriage as opposed to how to prepare for marriage and strengthen it once you're there, similar, but not quite identical right?).  You can basically think of this YSA conference as a big Frat/Sorority party minus the booze and with spiritually uplifting messages.  Kind of...if you're curious if I'm embellishing, I am, but you should come check it out with me sometime just to be sure.  Okay, game back on, welcome back to the converstaion everyone else.  So anyway, I went to the YSA conference.  It was great.  Highlightling the event for me was listening to the new mission president in our area (and former BYU and Fresno State basketball coach) Pres. Cleveland speak.  He talked about the iron rod (a great story in the Book of Mormon for those of you unaware) and related it to a sports analogy.  If you know me, you know why this worked.  If you don't, we obviously don't know each other, "Hi, my name is Gary, I LOVE sports."  He shared an experience about a particular practice in which his players didn't seem very engaged.  To "help the players regain focus" he decided to have them start running.  If you've played basketball you've probably run what I used to know as "suicides".  He had a different name for them, but the routine is the same.  Run from one baseline to the free-throw line and back, halfcourt and back, opposite free-throw line and back, opposite baseline and back.  A good coach will make sure players are touching each line and not pulling up short.  Apparently Coach Cleveland's players were not touching all the lines and he went on to tell the rest of the story about how he got them to see the importance of being deliberate and not cutting corners.  It is the same way spiritually.  We can't cut corners, we can't forego "touching all the lines" and expect the greatest results.  The message he shared impressed upon me certain things I should be doing to "touch all the lines" in my relationship with God.

Before I wrap things up, and completely unrelated to the rest of this post, I feel compelled to tell you I made "Merica Bean Dip for a 4th of July cookout.  It was met with great enthusiasm, and if you are wanting to know how to do that yourself, I will be happy to provide instruction.  No, I didn't find it on pinterest.  'Merica Bean Dip was a product of my own ingenuity and intellect.  This isn't quite like being there but it's close....You're welcome!                Til next time, everybody stay classy!

My Funny Valentine...Top 10 list.

So, it's Valentines Day.  At least for another 20 minutes here in the Eastern Time zone (and that will probably have elapsed by the time I'm done writing).  With that in mind I say, Happy Valentines Day!  

WAIT!  WAIT! WAIT!  If you are one of those bitter single people that isn't about to read another mushy lovey-dovey valentines post, fear not.  Take a deep breath and keep reading.  It's going to be okay, promise!  

Now obviously, if you are indeed single and you are indeed bitter then you might be saying to me (or really just to your computer screen) at this point, "how can you even acknowledge this holiday created by Hallmark?", or "and what's happy about it?!?", or "Valentines?  No!  Happy Singles Awareness Day aka S.A.D."  I get it.  I've heard them all.  Heck, I've said them all.  Other than one year of an ill-fated long-distance relationship, I have managed to find myself single each and every Valentine's day of my life.  To recap, that's 27 out of 28.  So know that I speak from a position of understanding.    But this year, rather than bemoaning my lot in life, I've compiled a list of reasons that you should feel happy and perhaps even lucky/relieved, even on this day that tends to highlight things that others may have that you don't.  

10.  You don't have to claw and scratch for a ritzy restaurant reservation on the exact same day and time as...well, you know, everyone else and their mom!  

9.  The internal struggle between that cliche, overdone gift of flowers and chocolate vs. the high risk/reward lingerie gift vs. the original gift of ??? that will absolutely be hit or miss because it's never been tried before is gone.  No struggle, no stress, and we all could use less stress right?  

8.  Speaking of flowers, you are one person who will not be a chump and get taken to the cleaners by your "friendly" neighborhood florist when they double the price of roses for the couple weeks leading up to today. True story, I drove past a flower shop this morning and A. the parking lot was as full as I've ever seen it, and B. I chuckled as I watched men timidly take the walk inside to meet their floral fate.

7.  As the song alludes to, you may have 99 problems but a b---- ain't one.  That's not to say all women are that way, in fact, I'd say far from it.  But, you have taken control of this situation to where it isn't even a possibility, kudos.  

6.  What's that new romantic comedy that everyone is going to be talking about?...Oh wait, you don't know, you don't care.  Your relationship status officially exempts you from the requirement of watching whatever it is.  Which is great, because there is basketball on tonight.  There are also other not-romantic-comedy movies that can be watched if basketball isn't your flavor.  

5.  Sweatpants!  You can wear them all day and all night today if you want to.  Dinner-sweatpants, movie-sweatpants, other places-sweatpants.......flower shop? Sweatpants!  Sweatpants are comfy, and won't be a fashion faux-pas for you my friend.  

4.  No awkward silences.  Awkward silence on a normal date=bad.  Awkward silence on a Valentines date=worse.  

3.  You can laugh at any and all love-themed commercials with no fear of retaliation.  Go ahead, do it!  Laughter is the best medicine-trust me, I'm almost a pharmacist.  

2.  The more single Valentines days you accrue, the more interest you can also accrue on that money sitting in the bank and not being spent on diamonds...

1.  You are a free agent in the dating game, and thus ready to pounce when girls break up with the guys they WERE dating who screwed up Valentines day, enjoy the day off, and happy hunting tomorrow!  

Resolutions 2013

My friend, Kaley, wrote down a bunch of 2013 resolutions on her blog.  She told me writing them down helps to solidify them, and that she will only write what she is serious about actually doing.  Seemed like a great idea to me, so naturally I'm stealing it!   Without further ado, Gary's 2013 resolutions!  

My first resolution is also stolen, albeit from a different friend.  A few weeks ago my friend, Taylor, posted on Facebook about turning off the video games and doing other things with that time.  He posted some of the things he did, and when I saw that, I said to myself, "Hey!  if you did that you could be a lot more productive than you currently are!"  With that, last Wednesday I unplugged the Playstation 3 and stashed it in the back corner of my closet, not to come out until Spring Break.  

Resolution #1:  No video games until the end of the semester!  (with an exception for Spring Break)

My second resolution comes from my age old struggle to maintain a good workout routine.  I've been feeling and (unfortunately) looking more sluggish and out of shape for a while.  Last year some of you may remember I was actively doing P90X and it was working great!...until I had some back issues, had to stop working out for a while, then just sort of continued not working out right through the Summer, Fall, and into this Winter.  No More!   

Resolution #2:  Complete P90X between 1-28-13 and 4-21-13!  This is precisely enough time to complete the 12 week course.  Additionally, I will begin again at the end of the cycle, unless I find another athletic pursuit that I can set a goal to complete at that time.  

The third resolution is something that, truth be told, I should be doing anyway.  But for some reason I have found myself struggling, so I have decided to set a goal to get back on track.  Scripture study is important.  I have always felt that way, at least post-mission days anyway.  With grad school and work and all the other stuff I find myself doing, I haven't been as consistent as I would like.  None of those should prohibit me from reading in the scriptures daily and yet that is where I find myself.  So...

Resolution #3:  20 minutes a day of scripture study, every day!  No exceptions!   

Lastly, I feel like I have been lagging in missionary efforts for a long time now.  In Utah, excuses were easy because opportunities were relatively scarce.  Here, the excuses are scarce, opportunities abound, yet I would be ashamed to admit just how little I have taken advantage of those opportunities.  

Resolution #4:  Invite at least 4 friends to attend church and/or church activities in the coming year.  

These, along with the ever present goals of doing well in school, finding a good job afterward, finding someone with whom to share it all, etc. should make for a fun and exciting and challenging 2013!  Additionally I reserve the right to add any goals to this list of resolutions as I see fit.  Just because New Years has come and gone, doesn't mean you can't continually resolve to improve!   

Mr. Bunker goes to Washington

Check it out, I have decided on the new name!  Who knows, in about a year and a half I will be graduating and perhaps moving and this new name may be obsolete, but for now, just soak it in.

So, since last we spoke, or rather I spoke and you read, I've had some great adventures.  I got to go to Washington DC for Thanksgiving, as I alluded to last time.  It was fantastic.  I saw the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, which is fantastic, but I guess I think that about all of the memorials and monuments down there.  I also toured the capitol building.  Then it was time to get ready for Thanksgiving.  Kyle and Janae (my brother and his wife) were there, as well as Brittany and Dane (my sister and her husband).  We held it at the house of Janae's cousin Murissa and her boyfriend Jay.  They have a great kitchen to cook in, and a couple of very large TVs to watch football on (the second one came in handy when the ladies in the house decided to turn on a "chick-flick").  I was spared watching that and instead moved seamlessly from the NFL games earlier in the day to college football in the evening.  So, in other words it was the perfect location for having Thanksgiving.  Also of note at this Thanksgiving I found out I'm going to be an uncle, so, super-stoked about that.

Of course, with all that going on I barely studied at all over the break, which would be fine if we hadn't had tests the following week.  The tests started the Wednesday following the break, so needlessly to say there were a few nights earlier in the week of "burning the midnight oil."  It all worked out, as I sit writing this I have checked my grades for the semester and all is in order.  This means I have one more semester of classes, then I go out on rotations during the last year of the pharmacy school curriculum.  In some ways I'm really looking forward to that.  I think hands-on is the best way I learn, so that'll be really exciting to get some more experience in settings where I might actually work after school is over.  In others I'm a little nervous.  It will definitely be a test of how much (or how little) I've retained from all the classes we've taken. I feel like I've come a long way, usually working at CVS these days, I at least know what illnesses the drugs we dispense are probably being used to treat.  And usually I can think of the brand name-generic name combinations...so that's a start.  On the other hand, people will ask me questions from subjects I've definitely learned about, and I will freeze and not be certain that I know the right answer.  All part of the process I suppose.

Anyway, I'm on a much needed one month break which will include trips to Utah and Arizona.  And as for right now, I think breakfast followed by some video games are in order.  Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!

New blog title.

So, first things first, it's been forever since I wrote on here.  Funny how 3rd year of pharmacy school will do that to you.  Well, that plus with all the relationship drama that transpired for me around this time last year, everything since then has seemed sort of...tame.  Not much material for the ol' blogeroo if you get my meaning.  Speaking of that, I'm super excited for a holiday season to transpire without someone telling me they are leaving me (for someone else even if it wasn't made abundantly clear at first).  Turns out holiday breaks are even more exciting without a psycho ex to think about...who knew, right?!  Side note, any relatives of said ex, I apologize, BUT, my blog, my thoughts and feelings, my honesty in print.  

Moving on quickly from that, in the blog as in real life, lets discuss what's been going on.  Well, for starters I've been super busy with school, hence the absence of any blogging whatsoever.  It is crazy to think that this time next year I'll be cruising right on through rotations and starting to think about going to work for realsies!    This semester we've had a statistics class where we read primary literature about drug research.  Then we look at the statistical analysis of each paper.  You are probably reading this and thinking, "yuck!  that sounds horrible!".  Maybe it's me being sick and twisted, but it's probably just my analytical mind at work, I've actually sort of enjoyed that class while most of my peers cannot wait to be rid of it.  All this brings me to my next point.  There are pharmacists that work for hospitals called drug information pharmacists, and that is what they do, read the primary literature about treatment options, analyze the information, and pass it along to everybody else.  I'm starting to think that might be a great way to find a niche in the profession, especially if our class is indicative of pharmacists as a whole.  If most of them hate statistics, and I like statistics...boom!  Opportunity knocking!   

As mentioned I'm incredibly excited for the holidays this year.  Tomorrow at the crack of dawn I'll be on the road headed for Washington D.C. to spend the week with my brother Kyle, my sister Brittany, and their spouses.  I went out there for Thanksgiving 2 years ago and had a blast!  So needless to say I'm looking for somewhat of a repeat, perhaps with some variation in the sightseeing I do.  After that it's study like it's going out of style for a round of "clusters" then finals a couple weeks later.  It seems really cruel, but hey, at least they can't cram a bunch of new material onto the final...right?...there is a bright side to this isn't there???  Oh well, even if not it's only a couple of weeks.  Then it's Christmas break for one glorious month!  Stops will be made in Leavenworth, KS(right by Kansas City and home of the most amazing BBQ ribs I've ever eatten); Provo, UT(fingers crossed there's some fresh powder to be shredded while there); and Mesa, AZ (for some quality cousin time, and to indoctrinate the newest additions to the family on who the best sort-of uncle is).  I say sort of because I don't know what relation I technically am to one of my cousin's children...but that's a minor detail, the main point is to hammer home that Gary is the coolest uncle no matter what the genealogical tree says!    

So that's the news from me at the moment.  No, the blog didn't go silent because I died and turned into a zombie...though some days I feel like a zombie after too many classes and not enough sleep.  No, I didn't start a side business using the slightly less legal drugs out there and then get forced to work for a cartel somewhere in South America.  No, I didn't drop out of school and forsake technology to embrace a life of goat herding on the Serengeti.  Nothing exciting, sorry.  I was just occupied.  I know, such a "blah" reason, but it is what it is.  

Oh also, as the title of this post suggests, I'm currently stewing over a possible change to the title of the blog...any ideas from...actually, first of all, did anyone actually read this far?  Okay, if you did, and you have a great idea for my blog name change, leave a comment and tell me what it should be.  If you come up with something I end up using you will win my undying gratitude and I will forever be in awe of your creativity.  Pretty stinking awesome prize, eh?    

"All you need is love."

So, it's been a while, blogosphere.  Hi, I'm Gary, in case you forgot.  So, I've been wondering what to write about for a while.  I'm of a firm belief that you don't choose the blog post, the blog post chooses you.  For those of you unfamiliar with that logic, it's kinda like the logic with which Mormon missionaries select ties, or at least the way we did in my mission.  Just let it hit you, then go for it.  So, it hit me recently what I wanted to blog.  It seemed a little strange, but here I am going for it.

I want to talk about a certain little four letter word...no not one of those.  Come on!  The word is love.  Now, I know what you're probably thinking...how is Gary qualified to blog about love?  Don't worry, I wonder the same thing, and I'm probably not all that qualified, which is part of what will make my take on the whole thing all the more interesting.  I also realize I'm a little bit late for Valentines, but give me a break, I was planning my birthday that comes 2 days after that.

So just to catch you up on the last little while in my life...back in September a girl that I dated, and who broke my heart once, decided it was a mistake and moved to Indiana to be near me.  Secretly, I got really excited for her to come, hoping things would be re-kindled.  She came, and soon thereafter we were dating again.  If you had asked me at that point if I knew what love was, I would have foolishly answered you, Yes!  Of Course!  You see, I felt like I loved her at that point in time.  In my mind the natural next step was engagement and marriage, since I felt like I knew what love was, and I felt that I had found it.

As often happens in life, the story took a different turn than the one I was expecting.  You see, she didn't want to get engaged, she didn't want to get married.  As much as I thought I was in love is as much as she was uncertain about the whole thing.  Within a week or two, we went from planning to spend the holidays together to nothing, no relationship, no plans, no future together.  It was so very painful, to have my heart broken a second time felt so horrible.  I was still certain I had been in love.  Otherwise how could it have been so very painful?

As is so often the case in life, with time comes added perspective.  I realized that I had not shown her just how much I cared while I had the chance.  I realized that perhaps some of my actions, or rather, lack thereof, betrayed the words that I had been saying and the thoughts that I had been having.  For any idea to take root, thoughts alone are not enough, thoughts and words come closer, but only thoughts and words coupled together with action truly allow an idea to take shape and become something more than a passing fancy.  My thoughts and words of love were not paired with the necessary actions.  And that caused the words and the thoughts to lose their potency after a while.

It's been about 4 months since the end of our relationship.  And here is the part that is ironic to me, and probably not all that surprising to some older and wiser than myself.  I have learned more about love in the past 4 months than I ever imagined was there in that simple word even during the happiest moments of my time together with her.  When we were together, it made me happy because of what the relationship did for me in my life.  I thought that was love.  Someone that made you happy to be around, to talk to, or to spend time with.  Silly me.  To truly love someone is to care about their well-being above any of your own wants or needs.

I have realized that when you love someone, truly and deeply love someone, you act out of concern for their well-being and their happiness without so much as a thought for what the consequences for you may be.  Now, the realization only took one epic breakup and months of fighting off selfish emotions and bitterness and pain.  That was the easy part.  It's the putting into practice that can be a bit tricky.  It is, no doubt, a work in progress for me.  I've gone from barely being able to speak to the girl I once thought I loved, to being willing to do anything for her...even if now that means doing nothing at all sometimes.  On the surface I realize that might sound like it would be horrible.  To love someone more than before and to not gain anything out of it.  But it's just not true.  You'll have to trust me on that.  On the contrary, I feel like this is the best I've felt in forever.  I have gained something out of it.  I have seen my capacity to love others increase exponentially and that has set me free from the pain, the jealousy, the bitterness, and any other ill feelings that arose in the past.

This all may sound convoluted and crazy.  It probably is.  It makes sense in my head, and the hardest transition when writing, for me, it to go from head to paper...or computer screen as the case may be.  And those are my thoughts on love.

Needed: One talanted interpreter of dreams.

So, most of you are probably familiar with stories from the scriptures of people having visions or dreams and then having those dreams interpreted.  If any of you know anyone with that skill living in the present, could you have them get in touch with me?  Because last night was a doozy. 

The dream started with me getting a job at a call center.  I don't remember exactly what the product was but we were supposed to call people to sell something.  Weirdly, everyone we called was expecting the call and pretty much everyone wanted to buy from us.  Yeah, not you're typical call center experience for anyone who's had the pleasure...

Anyway as the dream went on I got to know all of my co-workers who were figments of my imagination.  Nobody I know in real life or anything like that.  So far, pretty normal aside from the positive response of prospective customers.

But then things got crazy.

I went to meet my supervisor only to find out that it was none other than the man, the myth, the legend, the one, the only, Mr. Snoop D-O-Double-Gizzle.  The "Doggfather".  Yes, this guy...

 If you've ever wondered what it would be like to work for a rap music mogul at a call center, now you get an inside look.  Staff meetings were more entertaining than any other place I have ever worked.  I mean, I've had some good bosses in the past but did they rap about our goals for the week?  So yeah, no contest there.  For some reason I remember the dream as taking place a few weeks before Christmas.  Anyway, since our team's supervisor was Snoop Dogg he came around and gave us all a Christmas bonus out of his own pocket.   He did this despite management's disapproval citing the fact that other teams wouldn't be getting a similar bonus.  As you can imagine, it was a pretty hefty sum for being part time call center agents.  I was so moved by the gesture that when he brought me my check I was in tears and gave him a hug.  Yes, in my dream I hugged Snoop Dogg.  He smelled like smoke...but not the kind you're thinking.  Just standard tobacco smell, no scent of weed that I could detect. 

Then I went back to work making calls.  We must have had a pretty high tech system because each call I could see a picture and description of the person I was calling.  The dream left off with me trying to get a hold of Tony Horton, who is the creator of the workout system P90X.  I have been doing the workouts, but still, why would I be calling him as a telemarketer?  I didn't get an answer so I made a couple of other calls, then tried him back.  The ringtone turned into my alarm going off and just like that I woke up to the reality that there was no fat check from Snoop Dogg waiting to help me pay tuition this year.  Oh well, you can always dream right? 

So back to my original point, any thoughts as to the interpretation of this dream, if not helpful, would at least be highly entertaining! 

Rapture fail as well as some Memorial Day thoughts.

Hello again blogosphere, my old friend.  It has been too long.  Seriously though, I think my last post was related to the NCAA Final Four.  I know Butler shot terribly in the last game, I know people, but trust me, it was still a fantastic weekend, the end result not withstanding.  So, here we go again with a long overdue post.  It also helps that I have a couple of big things on my mind at the moment. 

First of all, I've been thinking about the latest failed end of the world prediction to pass us by a couple of weeks ago.  When I first heard about the prediction I immediately dismissed it.  Like most Christians I read the Bible and feel like there is sufficient evidence that no one will really know the exact day and time of Christ's Second Coming.  I could point out specific verses and phrases but my goal here isn't to "Bible-bash" with anyone, plus most of you reading this probably already agree so it would be a wasted bash anyway.  What I've been thinking about is this: even if one felt they could predict the end of the world, and geared their time and effort towards that end, they would be missing the real point of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.  While we should be preparing ourselves for Christ's coming, that doesn't mean simply aiming towards a time when we feel He will come.  We should be following Christ's teachings all the time in all of our doings.  I'm not sure how good I am at conveying meaning, so I will fall back on something I am very familiar with, a good old football analogy.  So when I played football in high school and college we would sometimes run sprints in conditioning.  If, for example we had to run a 10-yard sprint, we knew that in reality we would be running about 15 yards.  It wasn't good enough to get close to the the 10 yard end line and stop right at it, that would mean we would have stepped off of the accelerator for the last couple of steps and that wasn't good enough.   You had to keep running full speed until there was no doubt in your mind that you had reached and surpassed the required distance.  I guess what I'm saying is that in our faith we shouldn't be looking for that moment when we can stop running full speed.  We should keep going and going, always striving to be a better person.  Those looking for an end point, are missing the main point of Christ's teachings.  We should always be looking for ways to serve and bless the lives of others not for a time when we can relax from doing that.  Hopefully that made a little sense because I'm switching gears..........Now!

Today was Memorial Day.  My family went for a drive up to one of the military cemetaries here in Leavenworth and walked around for a little bit.  It was an impressive sight to see an American flag in front of each headstone.  Some of the headstones represented those who had fallen in battle, some were of veterans who didn't die until long after they had seen their last combat.  Unfortunately, there are areas of the cemeteries here that are very active at the present time, too active simply for those veterans of wars long since passed.  I have friends from my old high school who have deployed in recent years and months.  One of my missionary companions drove an Abrams tank for the Marine Corps and was sent into combat a little while after returning from his mission.  To my knowledge, all those I know have returned safely home from thier service.  The cemeteries here are a reminder that not all are so blessed.  The cemetery today also reminded me of another experience.  Several years ago and half way around the world I remember walking past row after row of white crosses in Normandy, France.  At the time I could barely read the names on those crosses.  But they are the names of those who gave their lives for the many freedoms that we as Americans, enjoy today.  They were young men, near to my own age and in many cases younger.  They made the ultimate sacrifice.  They never got to see their homes, their family, or friends again in this life.  They never got to see the world at peace, the very peace that they were fighting to obtain. 
Today was Memorial Day.  While the lake, the pool, or the beach is a fun way to spend the holiday, while barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs are delicious, and while every car dealership in the country seems to get all decked out in red white and blue for their latest and greatest sale, let us remember what the day is truly about.  As the old adage goes, "Freedom is never free."  Let us remember our fallen fathers, mothers, spouses, siblings, and children.  Let us remember their noble sacrifices.  And let us remember to pay tribute on this special day set aside and dedicated to them.        

On the Road to the Final Four!

The title speaks for itself.  For the second year in a row, Butler has unleashed hell on tournament brackets everywhere...that line is from the opening scene of Gladiator in case you were wondering, and yeah, I'm watching that right now on my laptop in case you were wondering that too, and yeah, I'm blogging because our bus has wifi in case you were wondering about that too, too.  So anyway, student tickets went on sale last Monday for 25 dollars.  Anyone who knows anything about the Final Four knows that price is insanely low.  So I bought one just in case there turned out to be a way for me to get there to watch it.  Last year with the games being played right down the road in downtown Indy I am told that tickets sold out in a matter of seconds...everyone was waiting for the link to go up and when it did the Butler student body unleashed hell.   This year with a much longer trip as part of the equation they took a couple of hours to sell out.  Anyway, after that I signed up for a raffle the student government was having for 40 students to have a bus ride to Houston plus hotel for only 150 dollars.  Long story short, I somehow got drawn (even though it seems I never win anything when it comes to drawings or raffles).  So now I am literally on the road to Houston and the Final Four!  I'll just close with two final thoughts.  First, roadtrips have become so much more than what they once were.  Second, Go Bulldogs, "on my signal, unleash hell!!!"   

To the X-treme addendum

...and she's hilariously funny! 

To the X-treme!

Well, it was my birthday a week ago.  February 16th I turned a whopping 27 years old!  Every time I see that number in print I sit and ask myself something like, "Have a I really made it this far?" or "27?  Really?  Where did all that time go?"  Times like that I hearken to the advice a senior missionary gave me once while serving in the Baltics.  As Elder Stevenson told me, "Age is just a state of mind, you're only as old as you feel."  So yes, numbers-wise I'm a little weirded out...I mean, I'm closer to 30 than I am to 20!!  That's never happened before.  Except when I turned 25 and 26 I suppose, but those were in the middle enough not to stand out that much.  27 is well on my way to the big 3-0.  But overall, my state of mind is great right now.  So in general I still feel young and full of energy!
I think there are many reasons for that.  First, in case you didn't read, I have an amazing girlfriend.  She's sweet, caring, spiritual, smokin hot!  Seriously, I couldn't ask for anything better.  But as if that weren't enough, school is going well and I'm excited about the prospects of becoming a pharmacist.  In my studies I've found a pattern that prompted me to give myself a rather extreme birthday gift.
Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for just about every chronic condition that you hear about on the news.  Hypertension, type II diabetes, heart problems of several varieties, just to name a few.  All count having an unhealthy weight as a major risk factor.  Now I'm not writing this to condemn anyone, their weight, or their habits-eating or otherwise.  I also realize that there will be a certain incidence of these diseases no matter what we do to stop them.  But sitting in class after class and hearing about the problems that being overweight can cause to your personal health and the burdens that these chronic diseases put on our health care system and ultimately on taxpayers (us), I decided that I needed to make a change.  Preventive health care is the best kind.  It saves people from physical suffering, time spent on treatment, and most of all expenses for doctor bills.  I realized that if I was going to preach the benefits of healthy lifestyle and preventative measures to patients, I needed to lead by example. 
When I first got to Butler I was 6'3" and about 280 pounds.  Now I've always been into sports and lifting weights, so some of that was muscle.  And it should be noted that weight in and of itself is simply a number and doesn't tell the whole story.  But I won't kid myself because I also had about 30% body fat.  That's classified as overweight, just outside of becoming obese.  I started going to the gym a little bit and at the Christmas break I weighed about 275.  That's okay improvement, but this semester I've decided it's time to really get focused in.  So, on my birthday I started the workout program P90-X.  For those who don't know what it is, it is a 90 day diet and exercise program that is designed to cut fat and convert it to lean muscle at a quick pace.  No gimmicks, just intense workouts and a healthy diet, targeted at the goal of burning fat while gaining muscle.  
I don't know yet exactly what the results will be, but I can say this.  After one week of workouts and strict monitoring of my daily diet I have more energy, my body, although sore, feels great and I can feel a real change in where my health is headed.  Now, I'm not going to sit here and give you an infomercial for P90-X (I guess in some ways I already have.)  However, I do like one of the phrases used in some of the workouts.  "Do your best and forget the rest."  That means that if you've been reading this and saying to yourself, "you know, I could use some healthier habits myself."  the good news is You Can Do It!  It doesn't matter if you are already pretty fit and just want to take it to the next level or if you have been out of shape forever and need baby steps in the gym or on the diet at first.  What is important in this, or really any positive change is not to compare yourself to others or become discouraged by small gains.  Just do your best, the change will happen.  I was sitting in institute tonight and we read a verse from the Doctrine and Covenants.  Section 98:12 says "For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept..."  I have found this to be true when it comes to studying the gospel, but it hit me tonight that this line could have a broader meaning in our lives.  Most positive changes come gradually, but if we are faithful and stick to whatever cause it may be that we are striving for, then we can achieve our goals.   
I'll update from time to time my progress for the next 3 months, I'm looking forward to it.  So that is my X-treme birthday gift to myself.  A healthier body and a continued youthful state of mind. 

The Official Gary Bunker Holiday Report Part II

As I write this I'm jamming to the music on my own blog.  I have good taste if I do say so myself.  And I always do. 
So, when we left off on part one of the OGBHR (look at the title and you'll know what the acronym means...I know, I know, explaining the acronym took longer than just writing out the title...deal with it.)  Gary and his family had just enjoyed a wonderful Christmas day.  And that's when Gary remembered that only pro atheletes and politicians refer to themselves in the third person.  Enough of that.  Anyhow, for Christmas my parents gave me a trip to upgrade my wardrobe.  I have fashion consultants (aka my sister, Brittany, sister-in-law, Janae, and my mom, Lynette) so I decided to take them along.  Or maybe that part was mandatory...either way. Now, in general I like to think that I like clothes shopping maybe just slightly more than the next guy...but only just slightly.  Unless the next guy happens to be "metro."  Then I have no chance of going toe-to-toe and outshopping him.   So, suffice to say that with the help of my consulting team we found out that Banana Republic was having a rather huge discount on pretty much everything in the store, visited two different locations and basically cleaned up.  New wardrobe in place I was ready for my next big adventure.

The 29th of January I flew out to Oregon.  Coincidentally it was on a layover during that very trip that I wrote the teaser for my official holiday report.  Anyway, I flew in via Seattle to meet Rachel.  Now unless you are Rachel or you are someone who knows Rachel you might now be asking yourself, who is Rachel?  I'll tell you (don't ruin it for everyone else if you already know!).    

As you can see, Rachel is a girl that likes to eat crab that has been wrapped in newspaper.  She also likes spilling said crab on her shirt, but thats a story for another time.  For you to really understand, let me rewind a little bit.  So during the summer after I graduated from BYU my friend Ian and his wife, Brittany moved to Provo for him to attend law school.  So, Brittany suggested that I add someone on facebook and I wondered who it was.  She told me that it was her cousin that she wanted me to meet, so I agreed, no harm in that right?  The only problem with meeting was that Rachel lives in Oregon.  For a long time Rachel and I were just facebook friends.  She randomly started chatting with me online once and it was entertaining, so next time she was online I started chatting with her.  We started talking more and more, and the more and more we talked the more I thought to myself, "hmm, if this is her personality in real life I sort of like it."  Anyway, long story short, after a year or so of talking on the computer and on the phone we decided to meet.  And that is how I ended up on a plane heading for the Pacific Northwest just a few days after Christmas.
I flew into Seattle the 29th and met Rachel for the first time.  Before meeting, since we'd never actually met in person, I decided to pull a prank.  For several weeks before I met her I let my facial grow, and grow, and grow.  By the time I was ready for the trip I was working on something between stubble and a full beard.  I've never let it grow that much before, so needless to say, any picture she'd ever seen of me (on Facebook, etc.) didn't include facial hair.  I added a beanie pulled down low to the ensemble once I landed before walking out to meet her and the prank was in motion.  I texted to say I was on my way out and to look for me.  As I walked out I saw her looking for me.  I walked right past her and walked over towards baggage claim.  She had texted earlier saying I had to recognize her since she didn't have a sign or anything (I did.)  so after walking past I texted back, "the real question is DID you recognize me?"  I saw her reading her phone, being puzzled, then went up and introduced myself.  Complete success! 
Since I had just flown a bunch and she had just driven up from Beaverton, OR we hung out in Seattle for a while.  First, we went to the Pike Place Fish Market.  I loved it!  A bunch of vendors were selling all sorts of good looking food.  For all of you Starbucks enthusiasts, we saw the original, where it all started.  We didn't get anything because the line was even longer than your typical Starbucks, plus I don't drink coffee nor really like the smell of it.  I mean, there is a reason they use coffee beans to clear your nose when you are deciding on cologne or perfume.  And since no one has explained the real reason to me, I'm going to guess that it's because the coffee fumes kill all the receptors on the surface of your nose that have picked up the previous smell from a fragrance.  You heard it here first people, coffee kills!!!  We also passed a shop selling pirozhki.  Pirozhki was one of my favorite things to eat on my mission.  I ended up with three different flavors since I just couldn't decide on one.  They were all delicious!  I don't remember the name of the place, but it's down the street from the original Starbucks and it is legit!  We also went to the actual fish market counter (that made the place famous), and watched them throw a couple of fish.  We decided on a dungeness crab and some shrimp to eat for dinner that night.  After the fish market we headed to see the Space Needle.  I got a couple of pictures in front of it, and then apparently forgot about my camera for the rest of the trip since these are the only other pictures I have from it:

Now you see me



now you dont.



    After the space needle we headed back to Oregon.  I slept on Rachel's couch while she did some stuff (I don't know what, I was sleeping).  Then we ate our "catch" from the market.  And that's how I ended up in Beaverton, Oregon hanging out with Rachel. 

One version of the next couple of weeks goes like this:  We went to a Blazers game which was way fun, they won, scored over 100 and we got free taco bell.  We spent New Years Eve sledding at Mount Hood with several of her sisters plus a brother-in-law plus a family friend.  We celebrated New Year's playing Wii at her parents' house.  Rachel and I also went back to Mt. Hood for some snowboarding later the next week.  Aside from that we ate a lot of good food.  Sushi Track was my favorite.  You sit at the bar and the sushi comes around on a little conveyor belt and you can grab whatever looks good on the belt and eat it.  Each plate has a price and you just add em up when you're done.  We also visited the best Russian store I've been to since being back in the States.  It made me really excited to eat a bunch of delicious Russian food.  All in all a very busy and fun couple of weeks.  

The other version of the next couple of weeks goes like this:  I wasn't sure what to expect at first.  I knew I liked Rachel's personality online, but I wasn't sure how that would translate to hanging out in real life.  I also thought she was cute in pictures, but again, didn't know what the verdict would be in real life.  What I found out is that she has the personality she did online.  This made it really easy for us to communicate with each other.  I also found out that she is even prettier in person (even though she's still cute in pictures).  I also found out she thinks I'm cute too.  So that worked out better than I could ever have anticipated.  Now, I found out lots of things about Rachel while I was there, one of which is that she dislikes PDA.  I don't know if that extends from real life to the written word, so I'll just say this...I have learned over time that kissing, holding hands, and such are important forms of communication.  I've also now found that Rachel is a very effective communicator (wink).  Ok, so that wasn't very subtle, but it'll do.  

On my way back to the airport to leave we got to hang out with my dad who just happened to be in Tacoma on business that week.  It was fun, and a good way to end the trip. 

A couple of weeks from now is Spring Break.  I'm driving home to Leavenworth, Rachel is flying in to see me.  I couldn't be more excited!  To all of you "attached" people who are knowingly nodding and smiling I say, this has been like a breath of fresh air when compared to dating in the past.  To those of you who are thinking, "We just had Valentines/Singles awareness Day, and I'm already tired of hearing about other people's mushy crap," I say, I was there not so long ago...I know your pain.  And thats how my Holiday Break went.  

There was another week after Oregon that I came back home and got to hang out before school started again.  There really isn't much to report.  I stayed home and played my brother's Xbox when he was at school and my mom was at work.  We did get to go to the Harley-Davidson plant in Kansas City, so that was pretty cool.  Then, all to soon (even though I had a whole month off) it was back to the grind.      

The Official Gary Bunker Holiday Report Part I

Yep that's right, after that tantilizing teaser that like 3 people read, it is time for the official holiday report.  So according to the school website, the last day of finals at Butler this past Fall was Dec. 18th.  I found, much to my delight, that my last test would take place the morning of the 15th.

The afternoon of the 15th, there was much rejoicing in all the apartment (okay mostly just my room) as I set off for Chicago.  But...wait..."Gary, your parents live in Leavenworth, KS, why Chicago?"  It turns out my friend Elizabeth was going to be coming home from BYU the same day I was leaving Indy for the break.  So, in our awesomeness we concocted a plan by which we could both savor delicious Chicago deep-dish pizza and bask in the Windy City Winter Wonderland (yeah, it's alliteration, keep up folks) that is downtown Chicago in December.  So I drove up to Chicago and picked up Elizabeth from the airport.  From there, we went downtown and ate pizza at an awesome place called Giordano's.  Then we went to the Christkindlmarket, which is a German Christmas market.  I must say that based on my memories of childhood and the Netherlands it was pretty authentic, plus they had one of my favorite treats from my mission to the Baltics, a Nestle Lion bar.  Good Times! 

After walking downtown and such, we headed to Aurora just to say I've been to Aurora, Illinois.  But...wait..."Gary, what is so special about Aurora, Illinois?"  If you were born in the decade between the mid 70s and mid 80s you should probably see where I'm going with this.  If you don't, then you are ignorant of one of the iconic films that shaped American culture.  Okay not really, but still, Aurora, IL is the setting of none other than Wayne's World.  If you haven't seen that movie, then you've missed such classic lines as, "If she were a president, she'd be Babe-raham Lincoln."  and "I'm having fun...not...".  Anyhow, party on Wayne and Party on Garth and I will move on to the next adventure.
   

The day after my Chicago adventure, as well as dropping like $20 in tolls on I-80 and I-88, I headed down to the Kansas homestead.  I spent a relaxing weekend just undwinding from tests and such.  Then a couple days later Brittany and Dane got into town. 


  

This would have been my favorite building had I lived in Old Nauvoo...the bakery



We decided to take a trip to Nauvoo since Brittany and I are the only immediate family members who hadn't yet been there.  Don't spread this around too much or it won't be our little secret any more, but I think Christmas time is actually the best time to go there.  But...wait..."Gary, why would everyone go there in the summer if Christmas time is the best?"  Let me explain.  First of all, there are no crowds!  You can see whatever you want at any time.  The senior missionaries in each of the historic buildings were so happy to have people to talk to! 

 

Ye Olde Apothecary Shop

 

Note the lack of cars and people



Since there are no crowds, you can just show up to "the Rendezvous" that they put on each night.  Apparently in the summer they do multiple showings and you have to have a ticket.  They practically begged us to come even though we had just randomly showed up the day that we were there.  For me another highlight was the old pharmacy/apothecary shop.  Being the pharmacy student that I am, of course I got all excited when we went to that building and heard about my future profession-old school style.  I get the feeling though that had I done it back then the training would have cost me slightly less...oh well. 

The things in the window signified that this was indeed the place to buy your drugs, the blue part represented blood in your veins, the red, your blood no longer in your veins but spurting out of you. 

Also, and on a more serious note, it was very striking to stand at the edge of a frozen Mississippi River and think that that is probably similar to the scene that lay ahead of those early Saints as they departed from their homes and into an uncharted wilderness.  As I stood and took it in, I tried to imagine what it must have felt like to leave warm homes and give up so many of their earthly possessions to embark on a journey that had so many unknowns at the outset.  I don't think I can quite describe here the newfound appreciation that I gained for what my ancestors and many others endured to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience.  While in Nauvoo we also attended the Nauvoo temple.  If you haven't been, it alone is worth the trip.  I realized after being home for a while, that we actually visited old Nauvoo and went through a Temple session on the prophet Joseph Smith's birthday.  How cool is that! 



Nauvoo Temple 12/23/2010










Brother Joseph and his brother, Hyrum



 And speaking of Joseph Smith, I gained a new appreciation for his divine calling and work in the early days of the LDS Church.  The morning of Christmas Eve, before we hit the road for home I took a jog.  I passed the temple and ended up back in historic Nauvoo.  Eventually I came to the Smith family cemetary.  It was a frosty morning, but as I stood there in front of his gravesite, the cold seemed to dissipate.  I had a hymn sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir playing on my ipod (I thought jogging in old Nauvoo, church music would be best).  There was not a sould in sight so other than the music there was no sound from anywhere else.  As I read the placque that has been placed at the site to commemorate the life of Joseph Smith I felt the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit.  I knew at that point that this truly was the resting place of the Prophet of the Restoration.  After meeting back up with Mom, Britt, and Dane we had breakfast and went to the old Nauvoo cemetary, where one of our ancestors on Mom's side is buried.  That place further bore witness to some of the hardships the early Saints endured to believe and worship in the way that they chose.

We hit snowy weather headed back across Missouri.  Other than one little spinout we made it back without much incidence...although, it must be said that I feel that we were watched over when the spinout happened, for as far as we skidded it is amazing we didn't end up in the median or worse.  Despite that and the weather we made it back within 5 hours.  I wonder how long it took the pioneers to get across Missouri?  Christmas Eve dinner was our traditional Chimichangas.  But...wait..."Gary, why chimichangas?"  Because that's all I can remember doing for Christmas Eve and to deviate from them would just feel unnatural.  Also because chimichangas are delicious!!!

Christmas morning was fun, I think I've mentioned before that I get more of a kick out of giving than receiving presents and that held true.  We draw a name each year and get stuff for that person in the family, I had Brittany this year.  Plus I got a couple of things for my parents.  And just like always, I got excited when someone picked up what I got for them to open it.  (Maybe if I start giftwrapping my homework before turning it in I'll get more excited about doing it first...just a thought.)

And that takes us through Christmas morning.  Since this post is getting pretty epically long, we'll add another part or two to cover the rest of the break.  You know, since this was just the highlights from week one of four.           

Holiday Report Teaser

So, I'm sitting in the Denver International Airport right now on my way to SeaTac and then a scenic drive down to the greater Portland area.  I didn't get patted down this morning and I didn't get naked photos of myself leaked to the net...I feel a little let down by my friendly neighborhood TSA agent, or is the photo thing like the paparazzi, hiding in the airport security...bushes...?  Did it happen without me even knowing?  I guess someone who watches TMZ or similar shows will just have to keep me informed on the "Gary Bunker streaks through airport" story if/when it breaks.

Airport food is expensive.  Airport food is gross.  I've decided against purchasing airport food.

I feel like such a high-tech traveler with my laptop out accessing the airport's WiFi.  The fact that this makes me feel special proves I am a dork.  I know it was already official, but what's better than proof?  More proof. 

At the beginning of this trip I'd never actually seen someone use the barf bag on an airplane before, I realize they are probably very discrete about it and don't announce to the world when they are about to blow chunks.  But I've been on a good number of airplanes, all of them had barf bags, so I wondered where the market for those things was.  This morning that all changed.  Thank you person in 16B  for laying my questions to rest (I was in 16C just fyi). 

As promised this is a Holiday Report Teaser.  So here goes...Chicago Deepdish, Sketchy Whitecastle, the Ole Kansas Homestead, Several wardrobe additions by my fashion consultants, Saying no to gross airport food,  Seattle, Portland, Snowboarding, and more!!!  Be ready world, when this monthlong adventure that we at Butler call Christmas break is over, it should make for some good story material.  Maybe not the stuff of legend...but Maybe the stuff of legend! 

Til then, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, a Festivious Festivus, Happy Hanukkah, Kool Kwanza, and Happy Holiday to everyone.    

God Bless Us, Everyone!

It's that time of year again.  And seeing as it is my first Christmas with a blog, I'm super excited to do a Christmas blog post!  Christmas is and always has been one of my favorite times of year.  First off (I'll say it) it's nice to get presents.  I feel like we sometimes avoid saying that for fear of appearing shallow or something along those lines.  Sometimes it's nice to receive nice things and not to have to do much of anything to receive them.  However, I will agree with the generally held sentiment that that is but one aspect of the holiday and far from the most important.

On the flip side, more than receiving gifts, I absolutely LOVE giving gifts at Christmas.  I remember being a little more excited at my siblings opening the gifts I got for them than the other way around.  I think that is what they are getting at with the old cliche, "tis better to give than to receive."  There is a certain joy that comes from seeing that your efforts on someone else's behalf have been worth it, and that they are grateful for those efforts.  I feel that joy whenever I give something to someone else that I care about. 

I also love Christmas carols.  I think my current playlist on the old blog should make that abundantly clear.  I think that has to do with the themes of Christmas songs.  Obviously, the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, is the first big theme.  I'll get into that more later on.  Giving and receiving gifts, see above.  Spending time with family and  friends, when you've got friends and family like mine this is always something to look forward to.  Santa Claus, how could you not like a jolly old man who brings toys for kids and provides job opportunities for the largest elf demographic on the planet?  My point being, the themes of the vast majority of Christmas songs are either grateful, hopeful, or something else uplifting.  They make you think happy thoughts, and that is why I love Christmas songs.  As a side note, I understand not wanting to hear them all year long, but to those who have an aversion for Christmas songs before Thanksgiving, I say to you, where are all the Thanksgiving carols?  Until you can answer that mystery, I say "jingle all the way" through November and December! 

Another great thing about Christmas time, at least at this point in my life, is no homework!  It is so nice to wake up each day during the break without being stressed about the next paper, exam, presentation, you get the idea.  I think my fellow students will agree, after that last final exam one of the best things about the Christmas break is just soaking up the freedom and doing whatever it is you normally do while procrastinating school work...but doing it completely guilt-free.  For me that is watching sports and playing video games.  I'm sure you've all got your own favorite activities, but I have to think that the no-guilt feeling is mutual. 

Finally, I told you I would get back to it, Christmas is the time that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  Whatever your religious persuasion may be, you must admit that with all that has been written of Christ he must have led a pretty amazing life.  Someone like that is an example and an inspiration of how we should treat others.  For me the conviction runs deeper.  I truly do feel that Christ is my Savior and the Savior of the world.  I am so grateful that so many people take this time of year to celebrate His birth and the beginning of His earthly mission.  The teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ bless my life continually, and I am grateful to have a knowledge of his divine role in the plan of happiness for all of God's children.  The title of this post quotes the words of Tiny Tim in Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  "God bless us, everyone."  In so many ways He already has by sending us His only begotten son.  May God bless you and everyone at this Christmas season!   

Music on the Blog!

So, there is now a playlist on the blog...we'll try to make a preemptive strike here and answer some questions that could possibly be asked about it...

Yes, Ian, I did steal the idea of having a playlist from your blog, just remember, mimickry is the sincerest form of flattery. 

Yes, there are two country songs on the list, now you know two of the five that I actually enjoy listening to.

Yes, there is a rap song on the list.  There are a few more than five that I will admit to liking, there are probably less than five that I felt were appropriate for all audiences (trying to keep the blog PG or at least a questionable PG-13).

Yes it seems like a very random jumble of different songs and genres, I prefer just to say that my tastes in music are very eclectic...another example of how word choice helps you put the right spin on a statement.  Some others:  "It's not you, it's me..."(is it?), "I did not have sexual relations with that woman..." (so much for the PG), "Yes we did!" (uh-huh, did what exactly?), "no offense, but...[fill in offensive statement here]" and the closely related "[fill in offensive statement here], I'm just saying...".  So in order to put the right spin on how I'm feeling right now and  to once more mimick...or should I say flatter? you Ian, let me just sum up this post by saying, "Damn it feels good to be a gangster!"

DC, Thanksgiving, and other random thoughts.

My fans have been clamouring for it, my followers have been waiting in tense anticipation, I've been thinking it's about time for it as well.  Okay, so only one of those is true, I'll let you be the judge of which one.  But, yes, I am a firm believer in giving the people what they want, so for the sake of the masses of my adoring readers, it is time for another post. 

So I drove out to Washington DC to visit my brother, Kyle, and his wife, Janae, for Thanksgiving.  It took about nine and a half hours each way, but for me it was well worth the drive.  The first few days I was out there I spent time catching up with friends who are out there for school/work/or just because who would be heading home later in the week for Thanksgiving.  (Oh, yeah, Butler gave us a whole week off for the break, so I drove out the Saturday before.)  My sister-in-law took me to see the zoo.  I really liked that, what can I say? there is a reason I chose biology as a major.  I also saw most all of the monuments that one must see while there.  I went to a couple of Smithsonian institutes that looked really interesting too.  My favorites were probably the night tour that included the Lincoln, FDR, and Jefferson, as well as the Korean War Memorials. 

 A couple days later I hit the other big ones, WWII, Vietnam War, Washington, as well as going by the Capitol and the White House.  The amazing thing about DC is that while I hit the major "must-see" sites, I could go back, and fill another couple of weeks with really cool attractions and never hit the same one twice.  Wednesday night, we had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with Kyle and Janae's friends Jeff and Trina who are in their ward and live not too far away.  We had brisket, which was outstanding, as well as salad, potatoes, desserts, etc.  Just stretching the stomachs for the main event, you know! 

One of the coolest parts of the week for me was the turkey bowl we played Thanksgiving morning.  Now, I've had my fair share of turkey bowls, and I love football, so they are usually pretty awesome in my mind.  However, this one beat them all because not only were we playing football, we did it on the National Mall, in the shadow of the Washington Monument.  That was pretty sweet.  It was kinda funny to see all of the Asian tourists A.) walk through the middle of our game, probably not realizing they were on our playing field and B.)take our picture, maybe they will tell the story over and over until the details get embellished enough that we weren't just random people playing a pickup football game, but that we were NFL stars who just happened to be on the Mall playing when they strolled by...  (They were about the only ones out looking at sites that day, due to the Holiday that most of the Americans in town were busy getting ready for.)  Thanksgiving dinner was great.  We went to another couples' house that Kyle and Janae know, Jeff and Trina and their baby Xander(sp?) came too.  Plenty to eat and a big screen with football on is the equation for a great turkey day, in my opinion.  Now, almost as fast as it came, the break has passed and it's time for a very hectic couple of weeks to wind down the first semester of pharmacy school.  A round of "Clusters" at the end of this week, so 4 tests in a 3 day span, a 4-page paper due tomorrow (no I have not written it yet, and yes, I am procrastinating it to write this post instead), and then just one more week of class after that before finals week.  It'll be a blur, but at the end I get to watch Butler take on Stanford here in the Hinkle Fieldhouse then I get to go home, so I'm looking forward to it all!  Anyway, that's the news from Indianapolis, Indiana, my new hometown, where all the bulldogs are butler blue, the tests come in clusters, and all my final exam grades are (hopefully) above average.  (Any Garrison Keillor fans out there???)         

So, as you may or may not know, I'm living in the "Hoosier State" of Indiana now.  Well, today I got my first taste of Butler Bulldog basketball.  It was just an exhibition, so I'm sure later this winter it'll be even better, and today was pretty good so I'm excited.  They took a few minutes to get going in the first half, but after halftime the lead went to twenty and didn't get much smaller the rest of the game.  Also, quick history lesson for the unaware, The Hinkle Fieldhouse is where they filmed the movie "Hoosiers".  "Hoosiers" is one of my favorites movies ever, so to be where they filmed the final in the movie was way cool!  It's a really cool venue.  I'm really looking forward to watching a lot of games there the next few years. 

So, being here is also my first real taste of the Midwest.  This week I also got an introduction to another part of life in this part of the country.  To set the scene, Tuesday morning I got dressed to go to class.  It looked overcast outside so I grabbed a jacket before heading out the door.  When I got outside it must have been close to 80 degrees.  By the time I got to class the jacket was off.  As I was approaching the building the wind started picking up.  It was blowing like crazy by the time I got through the door.  20 minutes into class the siren started going off, and just like that I was in my first tornado warning.  We had to go sit in the basement for the next 40 minutes.  That was about it.  No "Twister" moments.  No chasing storm cells in RVs.  Pretty bland I know, but I'd never been in a tornado warning before, so it was interesting.  Anyway, this next weekend is our white coat ceremony.  I didn't even know that we had one before orientation.  I'm looking forward to the pictures.  As for the ceremony itself, I'm more looking forward to the one at the end of the next four years.  Like I said, the pictures should be good, as long as there isn't another tornado warning going on.     

I don't think we're in Provo any more, Toto...

So, since enough pageviews have happened since my first post I figure it's worth writing things on the blog.  "I just want to thank all of my readers who made the first day of this blog a success..."  Anyway, the biggest change in life for me lately has been the move from ultra-conservative Provo, UT and BYU to Indianapolis, IN and the liberal arts college atmosphere of Butler University.  Without further ado, I give you the top ten ways you know you aren't in Provo anymore:

10. An 8 minute walk on campus went from standard practice to something I hear people complain about.
9.  There is a girl smoking two steps outside the residence hall door as I move my things in.
8.   Lavell Edwards Stadium(Provo) seats 64,045; the Butler Bowl (Indy) seats 5,647.
7.  "Wet Wednesdays"
6.  One of my professors (male) has a life partner (also male).
5.   "Thirsty Thursdays"
4.  Homecoming Saturday included a 6:00 AM trip to the bars in Broad Ripple, apparently the normal weekend drinking isn't enough on Homecoming, so they squeeze in a little bit more in the morning to get things going...
3.  Fraternities...nuff said
2.  Sororities...nuff said plus sometimes they find reasons to dress like skanks
1.  Our Basketball team actually wins tournament games.  GO DAWGS!!!