The Wondamus

There is a smell of turpenoid in the air...

2010-01-12T13:37:00.002-07:00

It feels good to be painting...

I am at the ugly phase of my painting...at least that is what I like to call it. When you block in everything and there are just shapes of goopie paint on the canvas...I am also getting the color balance correct...this is when people come up to your canvas take a look at it and give you a face of "wow that is not good"

Then I think "come back in 2 hours"

Animation VS Animator

2009-12-14T11:36:00.004-07:00

this is and awesome animation...

go ahead and enjoy

Click here

2009-10-20T15:55:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

BEST LOVE LETTER EVER!!

2009-10-08T11:51:00.001-07:00

Man I dont know why this girl does not want to date this CLASSY dude!!

This is just too cool!

2009-09-16T10:45:00.001-07:00

Has the Star Trek Universal Translator arrived? Kristin Precoda, a speech translation researcher at SRI International demos a new translation system. Originally designed for the military to mediate a conversation between English and Iraqi Arabic, the translator is being developed for civilian use in the fields of medicine and general conversation.

The Guild Video

2009-09-04T22:34:00.000-07:00

Petitioning your help

2009-08-26T11:24:00.010-07:00

Lena and I had a fun day yesterday. We traveled down to Temple Square and took some pictures.

In an effort to be more active and keep my creativity flowing I am going to paint a picture of the Salt Lake Temple. It will be a gift and most likley hung in there house. So I need some help on which picture to paint tell me what you think I will keep you updated on the progress of the painting.

Please comment. I need all the input I can get. To get a good feel on what people like or would like to hang in there home! Keep in mind it is a painting that will be done...

New Video! Love it....I am on a opera kick lately!

2009-05-05T20:12:00.001-07:00

Rejected Cartoons

2009-04-28T08:50:00.002-07:00

I laugh so hard every time I watch this. It is awesome.

Warning Some may find it offensive

Kempo

2009-04-17T15:14:00.004-07:00

Well I started taking Kempo. I thought it would be great and go nicely with my black belt in Tae Kwon Do! When I was a young lad my parents were nice enough to put me in Tae Kwon Do classes when I was about 8 or so...I really can not remember when I started. I took from a man named Mark P. He was awesome! He was a big guy he had to weigh 300+ and stood at least 6 ft tall. He had the dojo in a shed behind his house. I took it for about 8 or so years.

It is funny to see the simalarities in the styles I have only taken one classes but some of the terms are different kicks...I am going to have to get used to that. It feels good to be using those muscles again. Even if I am really sore.

Now I am taking from my Bro in Law Gearold! I am in the class with Noah, Kersten, Spencer, Nina, Josh and I think Kristin is taking too but I am not sure. Also Gearolds kids help him with teaching I am glad to learn from them.

I will admit I am looking forward to sparing again.

I only have one picture of me when I was a young brown belt. So I will post that! ;) We will have to get Lena to take some in the new black Gi :) That is a little strange too because I have always had a white Gi :)

Everyone is talking about House....

2009-04-07T16:09:00.005-07:00

On house last week Dr Kutner was found dead and it was assumed as a suicide. This sparked a lot of conversation as to why they would kill his Character. He was a fan favorite and a great part of the show.

WELL I FOUND OUT WHY!!!

The Obama administration has hired actor Kal Penn as a liaison between President Obama's administration and arts groups.

White House spokesman Shin Inouye said Tuesday that the actor who had a recurring role on Fox's TV show House would join the staff as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison.

Penn's political role will be to connect Obama with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as arts and entertainment groups.

In addition to his exposure on House, Penn is also known to many younger moviegoers as the wise-cracking, marijuana-smoking Kumar in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle and Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.

Penn backed Obama during the campaign. The White House says a start date for Penn hasn't been set.

AWESOME!

This is why 30 Rock is Awesome and Alec Baldwin is the Greatest Actor in the World!!

2009-04-05T16:13:00.009-07:00

You can double click on the video and it will go to YouTube to watch it in better Rez if you want!

Barack Obama for President of Brazil

2009-03-04T12:37:00.004-07:00

Once I found this out I had to share!

Six candidates in Brazil's local elections have "adopted" the name Barack Obama to help set themselves apart from hundreds of rivals. Brazilian politicians often adopt unusual names at election time. Candidates are allowed to either register in their own name or a chosen one. Many use their long-held nicknames but some adopt outlandish identities to grab attention.

I think this is awesome here are some other names that some people have used that I could find...

There are candidates named after animals (Cattle Ana, Elephant Without a Tail), vehicles (German in the Lorry, Jeep Johnny), kitchen utensils (Big Charlie Knives, Golden Fork), US presidents (Bill Clinton, Jorge Bushi) and infamous Middle-Eastern leaders (DJ Saddam, John Bin Laden, Chico Bin Laden, Luis Bin Laden). King of the Cuckolds, Kung Fu Fatty and The Second King of Prawns will also contest the polls.

I think I would name my self.....Pick Me Pick Me!! This is awesome!!

New Job!!!

2009-02-06T10:18:00.003-07:00

Time for a new Post...

I would like to take this time to say it is really hard for me to blog due to my new job. Which just happens to be the topic of this post.

Well as most of you know....or do not. I got a new job. Yes I have left the world of tech support and selling old ladies computers and upgraded.

First off can I just say I am living the dream. I am now working as a Model Maker at Lumenas Animation Studios. As a Model Maker I build sets and objects that will be used in the movie. While I can not tell you much about what we are doing here I can say the Movie is called "The Legend of Santa Claus" and is set to come out in Dec 2010.

Lumenas utilizes Stop Motion Animation and combines it with computer animation. Think Nightmare before Xmas meets Toy Story. It is pretty awesome. I am working with many awesome and interesting people. Emmy and Academy award winning directors ect. You can visit Lumenasstudios.com for more info if you like.

I have had a bunch of family members and friends come to the studio and if you want to come down and see the studio you can. Call me if you want to. When my dad came down to see me at work he commented saying "Nik you are just doing what you have done you whole life at home making projects, you really are living the dream!" Truer word have never been spoken. I LOVE MY JOB!

New Face of Change

2009-01-26T09:18:00.001-07:00

Scoutmaster Nik

2008-12-18T10:40:00.005-07:00

I have been a lame blogger lately. While many of you already know this I have been called as the Scoutmaster in my Ward. It is one of those callings that I always knew I would receive one day I just did not think it would be till I was in my Late 30's or 40's.

When I was young scouts was one of my favorite times, days spent playing football in the snow and making ice caves. Another time I remember was down in San Rafael when all the trees were so dry and we broke all the dead branches of pretending that we were knights or ninjas. I will stop there with the lame scout stories.

My Scoutmasters name is Steve Marshall. He is one of the most brilliant men I know. I learned a lot from him. He used to read us Pat McMannas Stories. He is also a master scriptorian. He would tell us stories of the Prophets and Pioneers that he has read is some pioneer journal or vague reference. I learned a lot from him.

Also all of my greatest childhood friends were scouts with me. I had 3 friends in particular that we all had our birthdays within a 2 week span of each other. We got baptized, received the priesthood, got our eagles scouts and went on missions all together. It was fun to have such close friends.

Well I hope and pray that I can be even close to as cool as my scoutmaster was.

Happy Anniversary to Calvin and Hobbes!

2008-11-20T09:37:00.002-07:00

Happy Anniversary to Calvin and Hobbes! It was November 18, 1985 (I know, I’m a few days late), that the precocious little boy and his sage stuffed tiger/real tiger first hit comic pages across America. So, I thought I’d hit you guys with a little C&H trivia… I know, it’s not nearly enough to fill the void Bill Watterson has left us, but it’s a little something.

Bill Watterson
Ever since he retired from Calvin and Hobbes, Watterson has been painting and “studying music”. He’s notoriously private and apparently hasn’t changed his lifestyle much. Up until fairly recently, he still lived in his hometown of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Now he lives in Cleveland, not too far away. He doesn’t do pictures or autographs, not for anyone, although he used to sign copies of his books and slip them into a little family-owned bookstore in Chagrin Falls. He found out that people were eBaying them instead of tucking them away in their own private collections, though, and stopped that practice.

Calvin’s Older Brother?
Originally, Calvin and Hobbes were supposed to be minor characters in the strip Watterson was trying to syndicate. They were both the same as they are now – a little kid and his tiger – but were supposed to be only occasional characters. When he sent that strip to United Features, they suggested that he rework the whole thing to center around Calvin and Hobbes. So Watterson did. And United Features rejected the strip anyway. It was eventually snatched up by Universal Press Syndicate instead.

Licensing
You know those decals you see on trucks sometimes that have Calvin taking a whiz on the Chevy logo (or the Ford logo, or the BMW logo, or whatever)? So not legal. Actually, almost anything you see with Calvin and Hobbes on it is copyright infringement. Here is the complete list of things Bill Watterson has approved for mass production:

Books
Two calendars (1988-1989 and 1989-1990)
A textbook called Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes
One t-shirt for a traveling art exhibit
Watterson issued a cease-and-desist. Some of the makers complied and substituted a different (but similar) boy for Calvin, some replaced him with a female Calvin, and some just ignored him altogther. “I clearly miscalculated how popular it would be to show Calvin urinating on a Ford logo,” Watterson once said. Go here for a rather comprehensive site of all of the fake Calvin logos. It’s pretty impressive.

Namesakes

You can probably figure out where Calvin and Hobbes come from (I’ll go over that in a second) but lots of the other characters are inspired by real-life people too – or not-so-real-life people.
Calvin, of course, is named after John Calvin, the 16th century theologian who was a huge proponent of predestination. We don’t know Calvin’s last name. Watterson has said that people often assume that Calvin is based on his own childhood, but he disputes this fact and says that he was actually a very quiet, obedient kid.

Hobbes is named after Thomas Hobbes, who said that the natural state of humans was to be at war. Watterson has said that he feels Thomas Hobbes had a “dim view” of people. Hobbes’ feline characteristics were based on Watterson’s cat, Sprite.

Miss Wormwood got her name courtesy of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. In the C.S. Lewis tale, Wormwood is the nephew of an experienced demon and is being advised by his uncle on how to damn men to Hell.

Susie Derkins received her distinctive last name because “Derkins” was the nickname of Watterson’s wife’s family’s beagle.

America's Treatment of George W. Has Been a Disgrace

2008-11-06T10:14:00.003-07:00

Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president.

AP
According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.

This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust."

Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.

The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.

It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.

Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.

Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."

To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history.

Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.

Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.

I really thought I should post this.

Politics in the Newsroom...and Family Guy?

2008-11-05T15:32:00.002-07:00

If you are like most Americans last night, you probably tuned in to CNN, analyzing everything that you saw—even those television screens about the Magic Wall. And if you're looking over the wall, you might catch Family Guy running on screens above all that red and blue. It wouldn't be the first time we'd catch these guys goofing off during politics. I wonder if this episode is the one where Peter becomes the president of his own nation? If so, it’s certainly fitting.

Why Men can not trust Women!

2008-11-04T12:13:00.003-07:00

I am a Lame Blogger Lately so here is a comic to appease you all for a while

Joke of the Week....

2008-10-20T09:00:00.002-07:00

I thought I would Post a Court Joke because of my last post :)

A man called to testify at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), asked his accountant for advice on what to wear.

"Wear your shabbiest clothing. Let him think you are a pauper," the accountant replied.

Then he asked his lawyer the same question, but got the opposite advice. "Do not let them intimidate you. Wear your most elegant suit and tie."

Confused, the man went to his Priest, told him of the conflicting advice, and requested some resolution of the dilemma.

"Let me tell you a story," replied the Priest.

"A woman, about to be married, asked her mother what to wear on her wedding night. 'Wear a heavy, long, flannel nightgown that goes right up to your neck.' But when she asked her best friend, she got conflicting advice. Wear your most sexy negligee, with a V neck right down to your navel."

The man protested: "What does all this have to do with my problem with the IRS?!"

"Simple", replied the Priest...

"It doesn't matter what you wear, you are going to get screwed!"

Nik goes to Court

2008-10-07T14:27:00.006-07:00

Funny thing that....

Lets start from the beginning. As most of my blogger friend know I work at a Apple Computer store called Macdocs. We have a lot of unsavory characters that always try and take advantage of the small business that we are. As try to get things for free. We take a lot of measures to make sure that we don't get ripped off.

When I first started working at Macdocs there was a Gentlemen that came into buy a few things....about 6k worth of things. He wanted to pay with an Out of State check so I went to my Manager and asked him what to do. He said just take the check and everything will be fine. Well it was a bad check. We both got written up for it and well if caused a lot of heart ache.

Unfortunately stuff like this happens a lot. But because this was a first offence and they made such a big deal out of it I have always remembered this specific case. I will not say his name or anything in fairness.

Well about 2 weeks ago my boss Russ opened some mail and I have been sapena'd and I have to appear in court. He commented that it was for Mr. Criminal and I immediatly said I think that was the guy from when I first worked here. He agreed and I did not think much more about it.

When I got to work today bright and early for the meeting I recieved a call from Russ. He said "Nik I am down at the court house and they lawyer said he wants you to come down here and testify." I mentioned my concern that I need my hours to get paid but if they want me to I will. He called back to say that I have a Sapena on me as well but they sent it to my old address. He came a picked me up and I went a few blocks down to the court house.

After we got through Airport Security I went to the Court Room and waited for the trial to start. It was like a fast food court process. There was maybe 3 other cases that the Judge did quickly. One dude pleaded guilty to charges of having Child Porn on his laptop. There was a Woman who wanted to change her name and another woman for something I could not hear. At that time the lawyer came over to us and mentioned that had plead no contest and that we could go home if we wanted we decided to stay and see if.

He came out in his Shackles and it gave me a small sense of pleasure to see him all tied up and in a prison jump suit. The judge said that they would schedule another hearing and that was the end.

The lawyer said the Defence was going to try a defence that stated he was "insane and could not write good checks" but I think they are grasping at straws with that one.

So I may need to appear in court later this month but I thought I would share my entertaining day with you all!

Feliz 18 de Septiembre!

2008-09-18T09:22:00.005-07:00

Today is Chilean Independence Day! It always brings joy to my heart. I will be wearing my chilean soccer jersey and going to the chilean deli here in Salt Lake in Celebration. It is always fun to remember the people dancing the Cueca and eating Empanadas. It was such a fun experience to see all the flags and banners covering the streets and showering us with its glory. In 1810 Chile joined other Spanish colonies in breaking political ties with Spain. On September 18 of that year, celebrated thereafter as the Chilean independence Day! Bernardo O'Higgins was a nationalist rebel that fought for independence from Spain. He is a National Hero in Chile

If you look at last years post you can see videos of people dancing the Cueca!

VIVA CHILE!!

Joke of the Week....

2008-09-12T08:14:00.004-07:00

A beautiful young girl is about to undergo a minor operation. She's laid on a hospital trolley bed with nothing on, except a sheet over her. The nurse pushes the trolley down the corridor towards the operating theatre, where she leaves the girl on the trolley outside, while she goes in to check whether everything is ready. A young man wearing a white coat approaches, lifts the sheet up and starts examining her naked body. He puts the sheet back and then walks away and talks to another man in a white coat. The second man comes over, lifts the sheet and does the same examinations. When a third man does the same thing, but more closely, she grows impatient and says: "All these examinations are fine and appreciated, but when are you going to start the operation?"

The man in the white coat shrugged his shoulders: "I have no idea. We're just painting the corridor."

I died a little inside today!

2008-09-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

The USANA Amphitheatre show in West Valley City, UT, originally scheduled for August 27, 2008 has regretfully been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone and appreciate everyone’s understanding during this difficult time. Refunds will be issued to all ticket holders at the point of purchase.

http://www.usana-amp.com/events/2008/8/27/36

In a world of movie trailers, Don LaFontaine was king

2008-09-02T19:34:00.005-07:00

Don LaFontaine, the man who provided the sonorous voice for more than 5,000 movie trailers, died Monday at age 68.

LaFontaine died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of complications from a collapsed lung. He had been taken to the hospital Aug. 22 with a blood clot in the lung.

LaFontaine was known as the "king of the movie trailers," having done the trailer voiceovers for films such as Terminator, Fatal Attraction, Cheaper by the Dozen, Batman Returns and his personal favourite, The Elephant Man.

His baritone voice and melodramatic delivery are famously associated with the oft-repeated movie trailer phrase, "In a world…"

Here is a video about him....it is long...but the first part is really awesome!

Michael Phelps Wins Olympics, Still Can't Beat Dolphins

2008-08-29T15:33:00.006-07:00

Michael Phelps has won the Olympics. Not just swimming events -- Michael Phelps has won the entire Olympic games (even badminton).

OK, maybe he didn't win badminton, but his accomplishments are still outstanding. However, Phelps has yet to best man's real competition in the water. That's right -- it's time to take on sea life.

FACT: Michael Phelps swims at approximately 6 mph.

FACT: Dolphins can swim up to 33 mph.

CONCLUSION: There are still hurdles to be cleared, Mr. Phelps (though we're pretty sure he won the gold in the 100m hurdles as well).

Enjoy your victories while you can, because if dolphins have their way, they'll be waiting to see you in 2012 with Team Atlantis tattoos on their backs.

Someone Built the Batmobile, Batty way to spend £150,000

2008-08-25T09:05:00.010-07:00

This Man is Nuts!

Entrepreneur Paul Garlick brought a touch of Gotham City to an East Yorkshire village this week when his £150,000 custom-built Batmobile made its first public appearance.

The 130mph car is one of just three working models and it stunned passers-by when it was road-tested in Holderness.

The vehicle took 18 months to build, is 6.5m (21ft) long and 2.5m (8ft) wide, and has a fibreglass body moulded from the original used in the 1989 Batman film.

It took 500 man hours to paint and needed 50 tins of body filler, said maker Z Cars. 'It's stunning,' said Mr Garlick, from Cheshire, who plans to cash in on the success of current film, The Dark Knight, with a string of VIP appearances.

P.S. It gets 2 Miles to the Gallon :)

LeRoi Moore we will miss you!

2008-08-20T11:35:00.004-07:00

Today I give Tribute to a Great Musician! LeRoi Moore Saxophonist for The Dave Matthews Band! He died yesterday at the age of 46. He was initially hospitalized in late June after the accident on his farm outside Charlottesville, Va. He had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin physical rehabilitation when complications forced him back into the hospital July 17.

It was not immediately clear what the complications were.

The band formed in 1991 in Charlottesville, Va., when Matthews was working as a bartender. He gave a demo tape of his songs to Moore, who liked what he heard and recruited his friend and fellow jazzman Carter Beauford to play drums, and other musicians.

LeRoi was part of the heart and soul of DMB! and will be greatly missed!

Lego Olympics!

2008-08-18T10:23:00.004-07:00

300,000 Lego bricks and 4,500 Lego people were used to create the display, by the Hong Kong Lego User Group. This stuff is awesome! Bask in its glory and creativity!!!

Top 10 Cell Phone Etiquette Rules People Still Break

2008-08-14T11:16:00.004-07:00

1. Talking too loudly.

“YES! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW!” For some bizarre reason people feel the need to raise their voices while on their phones. I think we’ve come far enough, technologically speaking, to trust the phone’s microphone to adequately amplify and carry your voice. Your mouth couldn’t physically be any closer to the microphone, so unless you’re talking into it from a Captain Kirk distance or calling in an airstrike while under heavy machine gun fire, there’s no need to yell. Hell, even Kirk never raised his voice and he was communicating with an alcoholic Scotsman on a space ship!

Note: There are attention-seekers out there who speak loudly on purpose to “show off” recent accomplishments and victories to impress surrounding strangers. Do not hate on them too much, they were probably adopted and are cursed to constantly seek approval from anyone within earshot.

2. Holding inappropriate conversations in public.

No one needs to hear how wasted you were last night, or what color your boyfriend’s boxers were on the night the two of you, um, “played Scrabble.” Keep your personal conversations personal. If you don’t want people to see you crying in line at the bank or while ordering a stuffed-crust pizza, refrain from having emotional conversations in public. Offer to call the person back, step outside, or find a quiet place where you can openly and unabashedly describe your new foot fungus.

3. Rudely interrupting conversations.

Have you ever felt the only way to maintain a conversation with the person right in front of you is to give them a call? Ever arrive at the climax of a hilarious story, only to have the momentum ruined by “Sorry, I gotta take this”? Why is the disembodied voice of someone else more important than the flesh and blood standing before you? It’s very frustrating to stand around waiting while your “friend,” date, or family member gets into a phone conversation on your time. When this happens, I recommend simply walking away. Even when you’re sitting in a restaurant, if your date would rather chat with someone else, then you should get up and leave immediately to find someone else. Or, as I mentioned earlier, call them on their other line. “Hey, how’s it going? How’s your sea bass? Isn’t the wine delicious?” If you can’t beat ‘em, call ‘em.

4. Checking your phone at the movies.

Movie theatre announcements and people who are quick to “shhhh” have done a decent job of reducing reducing cell phone rings over the years. But people are still checking their calls and text messaging rfiends, silently, but equally annoyingly. There’s a reason why we spend an arm and a leg to watch movies in the theatre. When the lights go out and the screen lights up, we try to forget our everyday troubles and we submerse ourselves into whatever the hell world we bought tickets for. We escape. But when out of the corner of our eyes we see someone’s entire face light up while they check their phone messages, we’re yanked right back to reality and are reminded of how many jerks per square foot there are in the world. Turn your phones off, have a little consideration for the people around you. The world won’t stop spinning if you’re unavailable for 2 hours. “But what if there’s an emergency?” The odds of an actual emergency occurring are astronomical. Besides, if there was an emergency, it already happened. You already weren’t there, and chances are the people who could actually do anything about it, already have.

5. Texting while driving.

Somebody please get the “Darwin Awards” on the phone. Of course, if you’re driving when you do, make sure you’re on hands free or have pulled over before you start explaining how there are people who send texts while behind the wheel of a vehicle. According to a Harvard University study, cell phones cause over 200 deaths and half a million injuries each year. And that’s with eyes on the road! Laws are in place to make sure people aren’t talking on their phones, and yet people are typing?!?! (I very rarely use the double question mark with the double exclamation point at the end of sentences, but this is ridiculous) I would love to see the tombstone: Was LOL when he WCTTFW (Went crashing through the freaking windshield) Anyone caught texting while driving should be stripped of their driving license forever.

6. Texting while talking.

You ever have someone try to listen to your story while text messaging someone else? You want to give them points for making the effort as they clumsily insert “oh yeahs” and “un huhs” at all the wrong moments, cutting you off mid-sentence with a “no way” as they furiously thumb type in your face, but at the same time you want to volleyball spike their phone to the ground for being unbelievably rude. A third option is tell better stories.

7. Texting small talk.

Does our friendship mean nothing? Have we become so lazy and disinterested in each other’s lives that we’re asking people to sum up their days with a text? “How r u?” “What’s up?” “What’s new?” These arbitrary questions are annoying enough when asked in person, but at least we have the ability to fire back equally insignificant responses in one second or less. But expecting people to waste their time typing “not bad, u?” or “same sh*t” or heaven forbid “let me tell you about my day” is about as lame and pointless as your appendix.

8. Loud and annoying ringtones.

I was riding the bus to work one morning, when out of nowhere the silence was shattered with screaming. It was the type of scream a frat boy lets out when a serial killer is in the process of gutting him with a fountain pen. I just about had a cardiac arrest and many of the people on the bus jumped out of their seats. It was only when the repetitive screaming suddenly tripled in volume that we all discovered the culprit: a cell phone. Some jerk pulled the phone out of his pocket, embarrassed at how loud it was, and accidentally dropped it on the bus floor. The joke now on him, the whole bus watched in amusement as this dude’s face grew redder and redder, scrambling to pick up and silence the screams coming from his phone. While there are far too many stupid ringtones out there to mention here, the story makes the point: turn down your stupid ringtone! No one thinks you’re clever, or funny, or musically savvy when you’re little pocket jukebox interrupts their thoughts. That guy on the bus probably thought his scream-tone was hysterical, but the looks on everyone else’s face read loud and clear: “What a douche bag!”

9. Disturbing live performances.

Comedy shows, concerts, plays etc…Nothing boils my blood more than having art ruined by a ringing cell phone. I nearly gave a security guard a standing ovation when he grabbed a gentleman by the collar and escorted him out of a show for having his cell phone go off. You ruin someone’s comedy act or interrupt an actor on stage, in turn spoiling the experience for everyone around you who’s spent their hard earned money on a night out, and you’re an arrogant douche-monkey who should be put in the corner with the rest of the 5 year olds. But when you disturb a performer who’s very life depends on needle-point focus and concentration, you should be put in jail.

10. Location location location

There are countless locations where “taking the call” is inappropriate and extremely annoying to those around you. The first two off the top of my head as the most frustrating are in libraries, and fast food restaurant lines. One of the last places on earth, aside from an empty church or your own bathroom, where people can go to read, think, and study in silence, is under attack by people who refuse to disconnect from the outside world. Does the word SSSSHHHHH mean nothing to you? Take the call outside, before someone throws “War and Peace” or Stephen King’s “It” at your head.

While ordering food, there’s no need to explain how annoying a phone call can be for both the restaurant staff and for the customers in line behind you. Or any place OF BUISNESS FOR THAT MATTER!

I had to post this!

Bucket List

2008-08-11T11:35:00.005-07:00

So last weekend Lena and I went up to the Cabin. Wonderful weekend of relaxation in the beautiful Heber Valley. I have a good friend that has a plane. He keeps it down in the Heber Airport. He is very gracious and a wonderful person. Well because we were down there he invited us to go flying again. So we headed down early and went flying. It was pretty windy and it is a pretty little plane so Lena decided not to go up....due to my warning that is was really bumpy up in the air. I think her nerves would have been shot after the flight and I want my wife to be happy.

Well the whole reason for this post is I got to cross something off my Bucket List in doing this. As we were up in the air Mike asked me...."Hey Nik do you want to fly the plane?" Um yeah that would be awesome. So he folded his arms and I took control. Yes I flew the plane. I banked a couple times and flew around. He commented that anything I did from this altitude he would not be able to recover from. It was about 5-10 min I was flying. The he took control again and said...."you want to do a Barrel Roll" That was pretty cool too. They we got closer to the airport and I text Lena saying..."we are going to do a Loop" She went outside and we did a loop as well. It was a really cool experience for me. I will forever be grateful to my friend Mike for taking me up there.

So now I can take "fly a plane" off my bucket list.

Joke of the Week

2008-08-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

A big corporation recently hired several cannibals. "You are all part of our team now," said the HR rep during the welcoming briefing. "You get all the usual benefits and you can go to the cafeteria for something to eat, but please don't eat any of the other employees." The cannibals promised they would not. 4 weeks later their boss remarked, "You're all working very hard, and I'm quite satisfied with you. However, one of our Secretaries has disappeared. Do any of you know what happened to her?" The cannibals all shook their heads no. After the boss had left, the leader of the cannibals asked the Others, "Which one of you idiots ate the secretary?" A hand raised hesitantly, to which the leader of the cannibals continued, "You fool...! For 4 weeks we've been eating supervisors and no one noticed anything, but noooooo, you had to go and eat someone important!

Joke of the Week....

2008-07-21T10:21:00.001-07:00

A Texas Department of Water representative stopped at a ranch and talked with an old rancher. He told the rancher, I need to inspect your ranch for your water allocation.

The old rancher said, Okay, but don't go in that field over there.

The Water representative said, Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me. See this card? This card means I am allowed to go WHEREVER I WISH on any agricultural land. No questions asked or answered.

Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?

The old rancher nodded politely and went about his chores.

Later, the old rancher heard loud screams and saw the Water Rep running for the fence and close behind was the rancher's bull.

The bull was gaining on the Water Rep with every step.

The Rep was clearly terrified, so the old rancher immediately threw down his tools, ran to the fence and shouted out.....Your card! Show him your card!!

Cleanse your Sins away!

2008-07-16T12:26:00.001-07:00

this is just silly! I would not want a holy old man rubbing up against my naked body...

Funny thing happened on the way to the Forum....

2008-07-11T09:28:00.008-07:00

Sometime in the last week there was a very interesting woman that came in to the store. She was very dolled up for a 65+ year old woman. You know the kind that is still trying to look young by putting on a lot of make up and wear a lot of jewelry. She was the typical millionaires wife from Park City. We deal a lot with yuppies from Park City that think they own the world and we should be able to fix there problem right now....mainly because they believe they are entitled to anything they think should happen. This woman was no different. We are always really nice and try to help them understand what they can expect from us. But sometimes you just want to slap them across the face and say. "Look here senorita, you will get the same service as everyone else that comes in that door." Needless to say she was not happy with the fact it would take 1-2 days to diagnosis her computer. She decided to make and onsite appointment for someone to come to her house and fix the problem. This is the type of house call no one ever wants to go to, very demanding and unreasonable. Well Russ was the lucky winner. When he came back he had some interesting stories to tell. She had a huge wall of pictures and things she has done in her life. The one he started right of the bat was she was Playmate of the Month June 1959....WHAAAAAAAAAAT???? That was just funny to me. What a small world. She also was in the old 1960's Batman TV Series with Adam West. WHAAAATTTTT? Once I found that out I found the episodes she was in and knew exactly who she was. She was also on Bewitched. Russ said she was very nice and he was really surprised about that. One of the best is that she was in the movie The Brain That Wouldn't Die. There is a MST3k about this movie...and it is a big joke in our family. AWESOME!!! She married a Oil Tycoon here in Utah and he has since passed. But we had a little celebrity come into the store. She was not very nice to us....but still pretty funny. I will post pictures but not names...if you want to look up a name you can Google any of the info...

Lena Posted this without Telling me

2008-07-07T13:30:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Free genealogy websites - Free genealogy

Mission Impossible

2008-07-01T13:30:00.005-07:00

As most of you know I work at a local apple reseller. iPods are gold to most hoodlems. They are easy to move and there are millions of them all over the place so they are hard to track.

Well yesterday our Orem location got robbed. This is not the first time this has happened. About every year someone smashes the windows, runs in, hears how F***ing loud the alarm is and takes maybe one or two things and runs out.

Well this was not the case yesterday. This was like a freaking Mission Impossible heist. They cut the glass really low on the window and crawled under the sensors. The man must have been a really skinny batch and went to the back room and cut just the right wire to turn off the alarm which never went off. Then they proceeded to put anything they could fit in the small hole they cut and take it away. Needless to say they took all the laptops, including demos....and ipods....We got lucky they could not put all the computers through the hole or we would have gotten cleaned out.

So in the end....we have decided to close the Orem location. We were planning on moving it to American Fork any way. So this was just an excuse to do it a little earlier than planned.

CURSE YOU STUPID ETHAN HUNT....STOP STEALING OUR COMPUTERS!

Black Cab Sessions

2008-06-21T11:58:00.004-07:00

This is a awesome website that I found. They hail a cab and have the band play one song with one take in the back of the cab. It is pretty creative. It is called the Black Cab Sessions.

This one is with a band called Death Cab for Cutie

http://www.blackcabsessions.com

The Best of TV News Lip Slips

2008-06-21T11:33:00.001-07:00

I thought it was really funny thought I would share!

http://gawker.com/tag/clips/?i=396651&t=the-best-of-tv-news-lip-slips

Have You?

2008-06-12T09:15:00.004-07:00

Lena did it! So I did it! Here is a list of 200 things, bolded are the ones I have done.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without knowing their native language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite (I am sure that Cabo was a 5 star)
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog (duh!)
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Guilty Pleasures

2008-06-09T14:36:00.008-07:00

This is a tag from Lena's Blog I thought would be fun.

We all have them. Things we don't tell our friends or family that we do, or watch, or read, or think about. He are mine:

CARTOONS!

Duh Nik that was stupid! Yes I know I have already said something about this it a previous post. But I really love Cartoons. Mostly those of the superhero variety. See previous post!

WWE Wrestling

This is one that I hesitate to disclose. There is something about this that brings back memories of hanging out with my friend Blake in his basement cheering for Jake "the Snake" Roberts, Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Now it is just silly to watch and I love watching new stars like Rey Mysterio, John Cena & Finlay. It is like a soap opera for guys. Yes, yes, I know it is not real! But i still like it anyway! In fact I know all the in's and out's of how they do it. It is not previously choreographed...if you want to know the secret come and talk to me.

Wrestling with my Nephews and Nieces

I don't know if I really would call this a Guilty Pleasure but I love Wrestling with them. We have a whole competition going on. At first I started wrestling with little Spencer because he was being a really picky eater. We would tell him that he would not get super strength if he did not eat his food and I would win. Well it worked really well. We got him to eat many a vegetable that way. Now is has extended on to others in the family as well Noah, Kristin, Allie, Kara (a little bit) & Christopher. We all have finishing moves and special moves we use. We bought a belt at Toys are Us that we compete for. It is quite the involved event now. I look forward to any family party we attend that we will have a match and we prepare for them all week.

Christmas Lights

I have always loved christmas lights. When I was a young lad my parents did not catch the christmas light bug. I think it was mainly because the did not want to take the time to put them up. When I turned 13 or so I took it upon my self to get it done. I told my dad if he bought the lights I would put them up. He agreed and I came up with a system. I measured each strand and made sure they would fit on out roof. I labeled them and packed them up in a special way so it would be easy to put them up. Every year I would celebrate Christmas Light Day! After a few years other people on my street started catching the bug as well. Then there was a friendly competion that brewed between myself and a couple others on the street. Namely Steve Walker and Steve Ostler. It does make me sad that I can not put up lights anymore. Someday I will have a home of my own! For now I enjoy the lights at Temple Square!

if I think of some more I will add them at a later date!

The New Lappy!

2008-05-29T10:11:00.005-07:00

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I am fortunate enough to have a wife that love me so much and bought me a computer. But not just any computer! A Macbook Pro 15" the Zeus of Mac Laptops. It is so pretty and shinny and I just can not say enough nice things about it. I was so gitty when I got to take it home and looks at all the pretty button. How could we afford such a purchase do you ask? Well as most of you know Lena now works for Granite Credit Union. They have lots of little perks that make it so awesome to work there. One of them is a no interest computer loan. So when we found that out we both jumped at the chance. Lena got to upgrade her little lappy as well. We got her some ram and a new battery. I am so grateful we have been so blessed with good jobs and each other. Yeah for new toys!

Here are the specs for anyone that can understand them!

2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
3GB (two SO-DIMMs) 667MHz DDR2 memory (PC2-5300)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and dual-link DVI
250GB Serial ATA; 5400 rpm
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, two USB 2.0 ports, and ExpressCard/34 slot
Built-in iSight camera, DVI, VGA (DVI to VGA adapter included)
Combined optical digital input/audio line in, combined optical digital output/audio line out, stereo speakers, microphone
Full-size, illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor; Multi-Touch trackpad
15.4-inch (diagonal) antiglare widescreen TFT LED backlit display with support for millions of colors

Another "Great Kissing Versary!" 2 Years

2008-05-20T10:34:00.007-07:00

Lena and I were married 2 years ago last sunday. We had a celebration this weekend.

While I will leave the good part of the story to Lena. I will comment on a few things that stood out in my mind. We had a lot of Adventures this weekend. I have told Lena that she married me because she likes adventure. She quickly responded "that is true, but it is also because you are such a good kisser" So that sounded pretty good to me. So that is why we called this the "Great Kissing Versary!"

Lena also gave me some cool stuff for our celebration. I got a book (wink wink) and something for Lena to wear (wink wink) I think there is some other stuff...but I am sorry sweetie I can not remember what it was...GIfts are not the most important thing that happened....or the first thing on my mind. Oh it was an awesome picture frame that had a picture of us in it and Lena etched on the glass "Always" it was awesome!

Happy Kissing Versary Sweetie!

End of the Semester! And start of a new one!

2008-05-13T23:04:00.008-07:00

So it is the end of the Semester so I thought I would post a couple of the paintings that I have done over the past school year!

I added the one of Malefient and the Star Night in Gotham just because people love those ones and they are hanging in my home. The rest I did during this semester. All of the landscapes were done on location, Also the Darth Vader was done from life. The rest where still life photographs. The comic book page is not my favorite because I had to rush that project quite a lot but it is of 2 of my best friends. They posed for my and I was very grateful. The last one is from when we went to Zion National Park about a month ago.

Tell me what you think...and which one you like the best!

A Bloggers Request!

2008-05-13T15:42:00.002-07:00

Now that I have entered the realm of blogging, and have sold my soul to the interweb there are a few things that I have noticed and have been on my mind.

First-

If you read my blog....Leave a comment. I have the Anonymous option set on my profile so if you feel silly or do not what other people to know that you posted you can remain anonymous. A comment is a bloggers bread and butter. We want them and love when we get them. I makes us feel like we are actually accomplishing something. In the last month I have realized there are a lot more people reading my blog than I thought. So make yourselves known friends!

Second -

Well there is no #2 I just want people to leave a comment! Come out of hiding!

I am IRONMAN!

2008-05-02T11:31:00.005-07:00

Yesterday Lena and I went and saw Ironman. And I have to say it was Excellent! Most superhero movies as of late have been lacking! But they really raised the bar on this one. They did a very good job with this movie. I dont want to give anything away so I won't go into to many details. Robert Downing Jr was perfect for this role. He was incredible. Afterward Lena said she now has a crush on Robert and Ironman is now one of her favorite superheroes. In short GO SEE THIS MOVIE IS WAS AWESOME!!!!

60 Things you never wanted to know about me

2008-04-30T09:03:00.005-07:00

I got this from lou's blog.

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? A whole lot of Painting Stuff. Easel, little chair, backpack full of my brushes and canvas etc...

2. When was the last time you threw up? When I got something stuck in my thoat.

3. What's your favorite curse word? I use chilean swear words all the time.

4. Name 3 people you made smile today. Lena, Noah, Lou

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Waking up to go to work.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Dancing because I wanted to

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? Hopefully have a beautiful wife in my arms.

8. Have you been to a strip club? Funny story that. I was taking a figure drawing class and I could not find anyone to pose for me...so I went to a place where I could. The drawing sessions at kings cottage were only one a week and I missed my chance....so I went to the only other place I could get girls to pose for me.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud? Fuddy Meers

10. What is the best ice cream flavor? I would say Mint Chocolate Chip

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Naturally we called it "Gatoraid"

12. What are you wearing right now? Work clothes

13. What was the last thing you ate? Hamburger and fries at Leatherbys

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No I wear the same thing everyday...I dont need new clothes (work clothes)

15. When was the last time you ran? Playing Basketball

16. What's the last sporting event you watched? Jazz Playoff Game....the last live event was the Bee Baseball Game

18. Who is the last person you emailed? Email is so last year I blog now and IM

19. Ever go camping? We used to go camping all the time as a family....not so much anymore...I would like to but Lena is not much of a camper....

20. Do you have a tan? No the sun has not come out all year!

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? Only if the straw is a wide straw...like the McDonalds ones...

25. What did your last IM say? Love you Baby (to Lena at Work)

26. Are you someone's best friend? Yes everyone loves me....I am an Angel!

27. What are you doing tomorrow? If weather permits playing Softball...

28. Where is your mom right now? At her house most likely or her store working on a project.

29. Look to your left, what do you see? State St....and a homeless guy walking down the sidewalk.

30. What color is your watch? No watch I use the sun to know what time it is...or my cell phone

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Fosters AUSTRALIAN FOR BEER! Also my friend Jason Wright who went there on his mission.

32. Would you consider plastic surgery? I did when I was little to remove my Bonk on the back of my head but now I like my Bonk so I will keep it.

33. What is your birthstone? No idea I will look it up on the Interweb...Topaz is the hardest silicate mineral and one of the hardest minerals in nature. Topaz crystals can reach incredible size of several hundred pounds. Topaz can make very attractive mineral specimens due to their high luster, nice colors and well formed and multifaceted crystals.

34. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? I usually go in....I like talking to people face to face if I can...plus I dont like eating in the car

35. How many kids do you want? As many as my wife wants.

36. Do have a dog? No but I have froggies!

37. Last person you talked to on the phone? Lena

38. Have you met anyone famous? Many times...but my favorite is TV's Adam West!

39. Any plans today? Playing Basketball tonight with my ward buddies and going to the store.

40. How many states have you lived in? 1 Utah....and I was in Maryland for a summer....dont know if that counts...and I lived in Chile for 2 years.

41. Ever go to college? SLLC High

42. Where are you right now? Work....sitting in a chair from IKEA listening to Pirates and watching cars drive down State St.

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Gilmore Girls

44. Last song listened to? LOL ummm....Pirates theme song.

46. Are you allergic to anything? too many things....I am allergic to most fruits...Melons are the worst...Dust...Grass clipping in the air after I mow the lawn....stupidity....

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? My New Balance Classics.

48. Are you jealous of anyone? I am jealous of lenas phone because it gets to be with her all the time. And I dont...

50. Is anyone jealous of you? I have Lena as a wife....HECK YES I DO!

51. What time is it? 10:40 am Mountain Standard Time

52. Do any of your friends have children? Sure do!

53. Do you eat healthy? My wife does not cook...so what do you think....

54. What do you usually do during the day? Paint...play games...work on the computer...and have pleasant conversations with close friends!

55. Do you hate anyone right now? I hate that Bob Barker

56. Do you use the word "hello" daily? too much...I am a friendly person

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 208 Years old I lived in never never land for 180 years

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Sure have when I went to the National Scout Jamboree in 1997

60. How did you get one of your scars? I have a lot of scars...most of them came for when I was competing in Karate Tournaments....I cut my hands a lot on peoples teeth and fingernails....

Sorry if this post was boring...I was bored at work....so here you go....another reason to waste time and learn usless info about nik

A Momentous Day!

2008-04-29T08:16:00.005-07:00

I am happy to announce that my wife Lena has now see Star Wars IV. She finally bit the bullet and sat down the watch one of the greatest movies in the history of mankind. She has tried many times before and has always fallen asleep. But Sunday afternoon while eating dinner at her parents house we finally got the right environment to help her stay awake. So I say to you Lena....CONGRATULATIONS and now we need to help you with the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Also we need to watch the Indiana Jones Trilogy before the new one comes out. She has not seen those either...

Top 10 Animated Films

2008-04-17T10:51:00.022-07:00

In an attempt to try and get more people to read my blog more often I am going to post again. Maybe it is my complete lack of writing ability that repels people away. But the matter of the fact is I enjoy posting things.

Today's post in about Cartoons...As many of you know I am a avid watcher of cartoons. I am also studying to become an Animator. But I do warn you I am a huge critic of them on many levels. I watch them for the Artwork, the story tell ability, the message and just the entertainment value.

So here it is....IMO the 10 best animated films of all time.

Honorable Mentions : Finding Nemo, Toy Story, The Batman, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Corpse Bride, Shrek,

10. Samurai Jack - an Emmy-award winning animated television series created by animator Genndy Tartakovskyy. I love this guy! His story tell ability is excellent. He also did Dexter's Laboratory. This show ranges from dark and epic to light-hearted and comic.

9. Afro Samurai - a Japanese manga series created by Takashi Okazaki. The anime series features Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of the titular character, as well as one of the co-producers, and also features Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu as character voices. This show is not for the faint of heart. It is and Adult Cartoon for Blood and Gore. It is one of the most original ideas for a show I can remember.

8. Cars - an animated film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and the late Joe Ranft. This film was very original and fun to watch. Great animation and a great production quality!

7. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002 TV series) - a modern remake of the 1980s series. This show use art techniques in its animation that are never used. Some of the ideas and theory in the artwork date back to the time of the masters. The use of temperature, color and harmony is awesome! The fact that they used them and did it very well makes any painter/animator proud to call it art!

6. Avatar: The Last Airbender - is an award-winning American animated television series co-created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The reason I put his on the list and it made the top ten are as follows. The animation is good...now that being said most television series now days have horrible art (Sponge bob, Ed Edd and Eddie, Camp Lazlo, Ren & Stimpy) it is almost as if they just scribble something down on a paper and try to make it as different as possible to make it seen, and this is working and ruining the industry. I am tried of crappy artwork. But what makes Avatar shine is the fact that it is a good story and teaches kids good values and Morales. It does not resort to poop and fart jokes to make it appealing.

5. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - Another one for the art work. The use of light and shadow and posterization makes this film shine. Also they are dead on when it comes to the perspective on the building ect. It was released with a PG-13 rating which was rare in the US. It shows violence and the side of the joker that most people don't see in cartoons. He truly is insane and the comic books are the only place you get the true feel of that. Great Film!

4. The Incredibles - a American Academy Award-winning computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. This movie was brilliant on so many levels. It has a little bit of something for everyone and connects with the audience on so many levels. Also they touched on a original idea about superheroes and there role in society that has rarely been touched on before. Loved it!!!

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas - an animated musical film produced and written by Tim Burton, directed by Henry Selick and scored by Danny Elfman. The film was based on Burton's characters and original story. This film really opened up many doors for all type of animation. This movie marked the first time that a stop-motion movie had been attempted at this scale. The actual production of filming was a very slow and grueling process, taking over 3 years to finish. And the music is awesome!

2. Star Wars: Clone Wars - Genndy Tartakovsky was Director, character design, story, and producer with George Lucas doing characters, story, and executive producing. The original series consists of 20 three-minute installments for Seasons 1 and 2 (later known as Volume 1), and five 12-to-15 minute installments for Season 3 (later called Volume 2) This is a show I can watch over and over. It is awesome. The way Tartakovsky tells a story is second to none. I love his imagination and vision. He takes a classic story that everyone knows and loves and shows it in a new way.

1. The Lion King - a animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. This was close to the end of Disney's Golden Years. I see this movie as the best that Disney has ever released. Every aspect of this movie left me breathless. All the actors did a brilliant job. This movie is 3rd on the list for most money made by an animated film under Finding Nemo and Shrek 2. That being said, all the numbers aside it is just a good movie. You will be hard pressed to find someone who did not like this movie even a little bit. There are always exception to the rule. It has made a huge impact on pop culture and defiantly will go down in history.

Well that is my list. I have thought about this more than a sane person should. But the matter of the fact is I LOVE ANIMATION and LOVE CARTOONS.

Another Chile Day

2008-04-11T13:29:00.004-07:00

8 years ago today I flew to Chile. One of the things that stood out in my mind more than anything else was after about 13 hours on the plane we were almost there. We flew across the Andes mountains and when the sun peaked over the mountains it was the most Brillant Red light beamed through the windows of the plane. It was like pure red....it was really cool. Almost like Lasers trying to fry off peoples heads...that is a nice visual.

Anyway I will be wear my Chilean Jersey again in celebration. Also I went to the Chilean Deli here in town and ate Compeltos and Lomitos...yummy. Well Happy Chile Day one last time this year. I will think about when I rode a Llama...awe those were good times!!!!

Adventures of a Desperate Painter

2008-03-21T22:03:00.006-07:00

As many of you may now I am back to school, back to school to prove to Grandma Shepard that I am no fool. (Steph I am referring to grandma at Carmelle) And while this has been an awesome experience for me it also adds a little bit more stress in my life and quite a bit more adventure. I am also happier when I feel like I am using my creative talents.

Lets start from the beginning...

I had a painting due Tuesday right after spring break and because of the work load of this class I was unable to start it until spring break started this week. So I have set a goal for myself to paint every night so I don't have to bare through a 24 paint session Monday night. Tuesday night I started the painting on a piece of Masonite board left over from days past. It was primed and ready to go. It seemed the right size and so I took some scrap (artist term for reference material) and started painting. I was having a lot of trouble getting going. Somedays you just have an off day so I shrugged is off after a few hours and went to bed. The next day I got home from work and between a full day of work and a late session the night before I fell asleep on our couch so I did not work at all. That night I laid in bed and asked for help from Lena and Heavenly Father to give me strength to get some done. At this point I needed all the help I could get. Lena later commented that she prayed for the same thing. Funny how that works out. Let me continue before this gets to spiritual.

So I started painting, painting and painting some more, the more I painted the more I got angry. The paint would slide of the canvas, or board in the case. I would lay down a layer of paint put a little water on and it would slide right off with the water. So my only conclusion is that this board must have been primed with OIL base gesso. Think of putting oil in a glass of water...they do not mix.

So I tossed the painting across the room jumped in my car and went to Micheals to spend way more than I wanted to on a pre-built, pre-gesso'd canvas.

To make this long story shorter. I got 3 times the work done in the time it took to paint the previous painting. It looks really good as well I am happy with how it turned out.

I just had it framed and put it in the student show of at Redwood High. Maybe someday I will get around to posting the painting here.

name meaning

2008-02-19T14:33:00.002-07:00

What Nik Means

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.

You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.

You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life.

You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip.

People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

If you write in the blog! It will come to past!!

2008-02-13T14:37:00.002-07:00

They Listened to me! OH the power of the blog!!!

Happy Mission/Chile Day!!!

2008-02-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

As many of you may have not realized today in the year of our Lord 2000 on this very day was they day I entered the MTC and embarked on an adventure that will never be forgotten. Today I always wear my Chilean Soccer Jersey in Tribute.

When I left to the MTC is was a bitter sweet day! There was a lot going on in our family during that time. So it was hard to leave but yet I knew it was the right thing to do.

My mothers favorite story to tell is about when we finished the orientation. We had all adequately moistened our faces. We all went to our separate exits, one out one door the rest out the other. Right before I went out the missionary door to not see my family for another 2 months (at the airport). I jumped onto a chair high above everyone else and waved goodbye one more time. Good times!

Tired of TV

2008-02-05T12:10:00.001-07:00

Can I just say that I am extremely tired of the Writers Strike and horrible Television. It has come to the point that I flip through the channels and there is nothing to watch so I flip on the ol' xBox and a play game. I am so tired of Reality Television whether it be Flavor Flave looking for love from a bunch of Huchies or someone getting a make over for free. It just gets too old to fast. There is nothing new to bring to the table there for it is just so boring. I need my mind to be challenged to be entertained.

Writers I am proud of you for fighting for your rights. But please please please come back so I can enjoy TV again. Bring me back The Office, My Name is Earl, Heroes ect...

I will love you forever if you do!

4th Anniversary Fun

2008-01-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marks the 4 year anniversary of they day Lena and I met. It is really a bit crazy to think that it has been so long but at the same time I can not picture how life would be without her. She is amazing and I am so lucky to have her.

So thinking maybe that Lena did not remember I tried to surprise her with a few things. I got off a few hours earlier than her so I went home and cleaned up the kitchen and was going to cook dinner for her. Due to the enormity of the task I did not start dinner until close to the time she would be home. She called me just as I was starting and expressed her desire to go out to eat and the she was thinking about our anniversary. So I cleaned up the little I had done and agreed it would be fun to go out.

We decided to go to Famous Dave BBQ because that is where we went on our first date. I was a fun night for both of us. Afterward we went home and relaxed.

3 Days in Heaven is better than 2 Minutes in Heaven

2007-11-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

The Hassan Chop!

2007-11-06T17:05:00.002-07:00

Today I was pondering the finer things in life. One such thing is playing with my little nephew, his name is Spencer. For the past couple years we have had an ongoing wrestling tournament. It is just for fun and play. It has provided hours and hours of entertainment and exersize for the both of us. Being that I am in my mid twenties and he is about six it was fun to watch him start to figure out stratigies and learn new moves. He has come up with a lot of really funny and creative moves, such as the Hulk Smash, The Claw, Double Knee Smash and the Spider Monkey Choke. But the greatest and most devisating of these moves is “The Hassan Chop” Now when he first turned back and yelled HASSAN CHOP and wacked me right in the chest I fell down and took it like a man. I thought to my self “where did he get something like that” Well today I found out. I had always wondered and after 3 years of wondering I did a google search and this is what I found.

Warning it is a 7min Cartoon.

Hassan Chop Video

It almost makes it so much cooler knowing he got it from!!

PS there is also a crappy Rap Band named Hassan Chop...but I am sure Spencer did not get it from that!

This is the awesome video

2007-11-01T19:34:00.001-07:00

Well this is a link to an awesome video!

It is posted on our website!

Enjoy!

Unnecessary Force!

Dumbledore?

2007-10-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

I did not know if everyone has seen this but I thought it might interest some of my family...

Dumbledore was Gay

Harry Potter still making headlines!

Happy Bday to my Favorite!

2007-09-24T18:04:00.001-07:00

Today I would like to make a little tribute to the most important person in my life. My favortie, my love and my wife. She is so amazing and I am very...I repeat VERY lucky to have such a wonderful wife. I can truly say the best day of my life was the day I stood on my knees in the middle of that ice skating rink and she said "yes." Why she did, or how is happened still baffles me to this day and I am grateful every moment that it happened. I am the luckiest!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Chilean Independence Day

2007-09-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

I would just like to write a small tribute to Chile and its day of independence. Today is the day Chilean's gained their freedom from Spain. The streets are full of celebrations and the people are eating Empanadas like there is no tomorrow. There is a flag in every window and a broom on every porch. Elderly are dancing the Cueca (waving many a handkerchief) on every street corner. Wait, is that the circus coming around the corner? No! It's the Chilean National Anthem blasting from windows near and far! I hope this provided everyone with a small taste of what its like in Chile this time of year. Thanks for sharing this special day with me!

I found a pretty good youtube video for anyone who wants to know what the Cueca Dance looks like...click on the title

Comcast...

2007-08-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

Well well, what a crazy day this is. Nik blogging? And now I will tell you my story...

This last couple weeks we have been living in a internet free world. And while this was blissful in someways, the burden of not being able to do he simple things such as look up an address to a wedding reception was starting to blare its ugly head. So we bucked up and called Comcast. At first Lena talked to them and they gave her a deal that was not what the land lord had told us...so we looked a little closer at the papers that they had given us and called the number they gave us. An answering machine picked up immediately and said "Thank you for calling the VIP comcast line leave a message" that seemed a little odd to me. But I left a message anyway saying "call me back I want you service." Two days late a very nice man called up very excited and helpful. He said that I could get Digital Cable, On Demand, 8-Gbit Internet and free HBO for a year, no contract for $85 and free installation" THAT IS AN AWESOME DEAL! So he asked about DVR and they said it was an extra $15 so I said hook that up too...We set a appointment for 4 days later for them to come and install it. Lena and I where both very excited.

So the next days were spent cleaning and moving boxes trying to get the house set up for the arrival of comcast. Lena took the day off from stained glass to be there at the alloted time of 1-5pm.

They day arrived and the excitement and sense of anticipation cause me to almost explode. I was working and was very excited. Midday I noticed a voicemail on my phone and checked it. It said that the tech had come to our house and no one answered so they left a door hanger. I immediately called my Bride. She looked on the door and looked around and could see that no one had been there. She also had been sitting right next to the front window and no one had come to the door. So she called back and the people were very defensive saying that he had been there. We tried to explain he had not because there was nothing indicating that on our door so he must have the wrong house. They said they would send the next available tech and agreed that he would call us before he got here to make sure he had the right house.

Well by this time is was 4:30 and there was still no call or word from Comcast. So Lena in her infinite wisdom decided to call them again to find out any updates. Well the man said that the woman that she had talked to before was gone for the day and had not left any notes about what we had previously talked about. And also that the Tech had notes that he had gone to the house again with no answer! So they agreed on the same thing that they would call us before they came and we would get the next tech.

I got off at 5 so on my was home called them...and I will have to say it was not my finest hour. They had made me mad...Something was not right. I talked to this guy and he told me that I was a wrong that I had been there and the tech was there. I was furious. he told me that it was "my word versus his" and basically called me a lier. Oh that made me mad. I requested free months service and he told me that would not available etc....it was not pretty. I felt sorry for the guy...it was not his fault but still he called me a lier. He told me we could reschedule for a week later.

Anyway they never showed up...6 o'clock rolled around and we went to a wedding.

A week later and we were worried. Lena called them the day before to make sure they were coming and that they had the number to call. Well they came and it took them a long time to set it up. Lena was awesome and they got everything set up.

The next few days passed and due to the much time being spent by my wife playing Viva Pinata I had not had a chance to test all the features. Plus we had family plans that impeded my play time. Yesterday we also noticed that the menu was not diplaying any of the titles of the shows....it just said "to be anounced." the DVR was not working and none of the On Demand would come up either.

Sigh

Lena called Comcast again....(that is better because I would yell again) and they said they did not install the DVR they did not know that they were suppost to...they wanted to wait another week to come again....but we were not going to do that again. So today lena is going down to the Local Comcast store and switching out the box.

In conclusion...if it was not such a good deal we would have said....ADIOS a long time ago. But hopefully today it will be resolved!

The End

4 things about me blah!

2007-07-30T10:31:00.001-07:00

4 Jobs You've had:
Cub Country - Sherwood Forest for the BSA
Carmelle
Laser Quest
MacDocs

4 Places I've Lived:
East Mill Creek
Santigao, Chile
My Car
Midvale

4 Favorite TV Shows:
The Office
Iron Chef America
Batman "the Animated Series"
My Name is Earl

4 Favorite Foods:
Nachos
Chocolate Milk
Country Fried Steak
Fish and Chips

4 Websites you frequent:
IGN.com
apple.com (because of work)
facebook.com
google.com

4 Places I'd rather be right now:
With my wife
Playing games
Chile
Performing on stage

4 Movies you love
Desperado
Princess Bride
Batman Begins
Serenity

4 Bloggers you tag to be it next:
whatever you do what you want

Super Hero Lover

2007-05-25T16:15:00.001-07:00

I thought this was funny...just because one of Lenas favorite heroes is Wanda!

Go Jazz!

2007-05-15T10:52:00.001-07:00

Regular Season Record: 51-31
Round 1
Jazz-4
Rockets-3

Playoff Series
Game 5: Tuesday 10:30ET TNT
Jazz vs. Warriors
Jazz-3
Warriors-1

Maybe I should wait till the end of the game tonight to post, but, I have just loved watching the jazz in the playoffs. If always seems like when there is nothing really going on in sports one of our Utah teams will come out of obsurity and show us that we can be proud to be a Utah fan.

The Utes got to the fiesta bowl. The Jazz kick but in the playoffs. It makes me proud to say GO UTAH!

Sorry this was a bit of a random post. But I had to show my love!

Time Me

2007-05-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

11 years ago:
I was working at Cub Country up the canyon.
I had a super crush on Shayla.
I rode my bike up the canyon everyday.
I bought my mini cross bow.

6 years ago:
I was half way through my mission in Santiago Chile.
I weighed the most I have ever weighed in my life.
I was the Zone Leader to 12 sister missionaries.

2 years ago:
My mustang was near totaled from a car accident.
I was homeless. (homeless...like the Christ child was...)
Just got home from last Encore Tour.

Yesterday I:
I worked at MacDocs, it was the first time I have closed by myself.
I went to Nates and watched the Jazz game.
I also went to Arctic Circle and got taco salad.

Today I:
Got of work early.
Went to my brother in law, Jeff's 14th birthday party.
prepared for my wifes graduation.
Watched the Marx Brothers.

Tomorrow I will:
Eat BBQ.
Got to Lena's graduation.
Party like its 1999.
I will visit a friend in from Nashville, hopefully.

2007-05-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Strange News!

Tylenol has a generic name of Acetaminophen.
Aleve is also called Naproxen.
Advil is also called Ibuprofen.
Amoxil is also called Amoxicillin.
The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra. After careful consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced that it has settled on the generic name of Mycoxafloppin. Also considered were Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin, Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.

Pfizer Corp. announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one. Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of "cocktails", "highballs" and just a good old-fashioned "stiff drink". Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of: MOUNT & DO.

Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

2007-04-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a family get together and so I thought I would post an Ode to my favorite food.

RIBS!

What can I say about them. When you start eating you just can not stop. There is something about the tender goodness as it falls of the bone into you mouth that makes you dream about them.

My mother and her husband have mastered the art of the Rib. They were smoked for 5 hours then cooked for 2. They were saying to feed our family it took 20 lbs. of Ribs and 2 Gallons of sause.

But I will tell you. It was all worth the time.

Step over Chile's I want my Mothers Baby Back Ribs!!

2007-03-03T21:30:00.002-07:00

100 Random things about me

1. I have 4 sisters in my family, 3 Older 1 Younger. I am the only boy.
2. I met Lena (my wife) at Stake Volleyball and from the moment I met her I knew that there was something special about her.
3. I have never liked Red Heads till I met Lena.
4. I love to paint and draw. And wish that I could make enough money just doing that and provide for my wife.
5. My first name “Nikolaus” comes from my great great grandfather Nikolaus Xavier Fransikis (don't know how to spell that) Sonntag. My middle name “Charles” comes from my Father.
6. Video games are the joy and curse of my life.
7. I have a fear of Beads. I don’t like touching them, looking at them, or even being close to them. I ask my wife to take of her pearls 90% of the time before I will cuddle with her.
8. I have a photographic memory. I can watch a movie 2 or three times and have most of it memorized. But it only works with things I want to remember.
9. I love Nachos and Chocolate Milk.
10. I served a mission for the LDS church for 2 year in Santiago Chile. And I am fluent in Spanish.
11. I am a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and earned it when I was 15 years old.
12. I am loud
13. I have always wanted to work for Disney or Pixar animating motion pictures, or drawing comic books for Marvel or DC.
14. I have never studied for a test in my life, and if I did, I would have received a lot better grades. (I did assignments etc...but never studied for a test) I got a 3.3 average in High School.
15. I have slept in a pubic park because I was homeless. (it was in the parking lot inside my car)
16. Watching WWE Wrestling is one of my guilty pleasures. It’s like a Soap Opera for guys.
17. I hate having my finger nails long at all. I cut them before they can get anything in them.
18. The very first video game I completed all the way through was Mike Tyson’s Punch Out.
19. I love to sing. I am a true bass.
20. I really do hate that Bob Barker.
21. My favorite color is Light Blue.
22. I love Ford Mustangs. I owned my first one when I was 17 (1967) and now I own another one (1998) . And I will own more.
23. I am a Chicago Cubs, Utah Jazz and Utah Utes fan. And I am liking the Seattle Seahawks more everyday (that is Lena’s Family’s Team).
24. My favorite Bands are named the “Barenaked Ladies” “Dave Matthews Band” “Jason Mraz” and “John Mayer”
25. I have many nick names. Including “BoyWonder” “Boy” “Badger” “Silly Duck” “August Christopher” “Telham” “Wonderboy” “Death Breath” “Trabeck” “Handsome” “Little Brother” “English” “Lish” “Elvis” “Niko-Lowse” “Kaleb McKay” “Bret McKabe” “Nik the Knight” “Scruffy” “Blast Furnace” “Saucy” “Iron Chef Nikimoto”
26. I don’t wear cologne. I just wear my deodorant “Old Spice Pure Sport” and all the girls say it smells really nice. Plus, my wife loves it!
27. I have hobbit feet. They are a bit hairy. (that is just what I like to call them.)
28. I did not kiss a girl until I was 18 1/2 years old and I had graduated from High School.
29. I have only kissed 2 girls in my life.
30. I have not been able to breath out of my nose as long as I can remember.
31. I am an Eagle Scout.
32. I wish I was more motivated.
33. I am very ticklish.
34. I have never had a Bloody Nose.
35. I have never broken a Bone.
36. I have a huge birthmark on the crown of my head. It is about the size of a Silver Dollar. I call it my Bonk. It is in the shape of a heart. No hair grows on it, and I have to have my hair cut long so it does not show.
37. I have met the real Batman. Tv’s Adam West!
38. I normally don't eat the sharp ends off of my french fries…if you have questions ask lena
39. I always spill. Everytime I sit down to eat it always ends up on my pants.
40. My eyes are green when I am naked!
41. My wife married me for my money...then she found out I spent it all on her ring.
42. I have my own Nik-Language and Amy was the only one that could understand it when I was young. Lena is getting proficient at it.
43. I wear a size 9 1/2 shoe...size 42 in Chile
44. The most I have ever weighed is 183lbs. and it was when I was on my mission. I average 150-160lbs. now.
45. My favorite animals are the sea otter and the birds of prey (Eagle, Hawk, Falcon ect)
46. I have a disease called Gilbers (??? Something like that) Syndrome. That makes my eyes yellow all the time. Does not do anything else.
47. I can not eat fruit. I am allergic to 90% of them. Melons are the worst but I just steer clear of most fruits anyway.
48. I voted for the first time in Nov 2006 when I was almost 26 years old
49. I like to shower in the dark. Mainly because I don't like the feeling you get in the morning when you flip on the light and your eyes dilate. So I just turn on the light in the other room and let my eyes adjust slowly.
50. I usually sit down in the shower.
51. One of my toe nails on my big toe is abnormally thick.
52. I learned how to type fast by playing video games.
53. I always have bad breath.
54. Most sports come natural to me. But, my favorites are Basketball, Baseball, Golf and Tennis.
55. My favorite holiday is Christmas Light Day. The day after Thanksgiving when I put my lights up.
56. I love Mountain Dew.
57. I hate doing dishes more than most anything in the world.
58. I collect swords and weapons from the Age of Chivalry.
59. Unlike any of the other siblings in my family I have perfect vision.
60. I don’t care how many children I have. As long as I have one boy to carry on the English name.
61. I saw a piece of artwork drawn by Adolf Hitler while I was in Chile.
62. My gag reflex is triggered very easily.
63. One of my favorite things to do is go golfing with my dad and brother-in-laws
64. I painted most of the Murals on the walls at Laser Quest.
65. I trust people to easily.
66. I have never been Skiing or Snowboarding and I live in the ski capital of the world.
67. I will never own a pc again. I will only ever use a Mac computer.
68. I have 2 fire-belly toads and one beta fish in my house. They are named “Harry,” “Lloyd” and “Shish Shish.”
69. I like Boobs. (I had to do something naughty on number 69)
70. I had never traveled out of Utah until I was about 12 years old when my family went to Disney Land for the first time.
71. I have a vivid imagination and when I was a kid all my stuffed animals were super heroes and part of a “Super Animal Team” I also made capes and costumes for them all. I have a picture of them hanging up in my office.
72. I like Batman and Robin a lot. When I was in Jr High me and my friend used to say and call each other “Bruce” “Dick” and “Commissioner” I also collect the comics and a lot of memorabilia.
73. When I was in high school I had a pair of really thick dark rimmed glasses with no lenses in them with tape on the bridge to wear during tests. I called them my smart person glasses.
74. I have the thickest hair of most anyone I know. My hairstylest jokes that she has to sharpen her scissors after every haircut.
75. My hair was strait as a board till I hit puberty.
76. When I was a kid I would not were sweaters or stripes.
77. I have really long eyelashes.
78. I still remember the combinations to all my lockers in Jr and High school
79. I started writing music on the piano so my mom said I should take lessons. That lasted about 6 months. And I am still writing music.
80. I want to learn to play the bag pipes.
81. When I was a kid I used to call my camoflauge pants….” My Firefly Pants”
82. I can sing all the countries of the world thanks to the Animaniacs.
83. I make up words to songs all the time while they are playing on the radio. Lena does not always like it. She will usually tell me if it was a good one.
84. Norman Rockwell is my favorite painter.
85. I have flat feet.
86. 7 is my favorite number.
87. I eat peanut butter with syrup on my pancakes, waffles and crepes.
88. I hate the movie “Little Women” but I like most all other chick flicks.
89. I have been in preforming groups all my life including “Zing” “Up-with Kids” “School Plays” and in college “Encore.”
90. I used to work as a DJ for company parties and school dances.
91. My friends are very important to me.
92. I loved watching Ninja Turtles, Duck Tales, Tailspin, Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck and He-man when I was a kid.
93. Peter Pan is my favorite disney movie.
94. My best friends when I was little were named “Beno” and “Blake” and they both had mental disorders/downsyndrome but I loved them anyway. And they said the prayers at my farewell.
95. I dont call any of my friends by there real names.
96. I dont wear a watch.
97. I think this has taken way to long to come up with 100 random things about me. And in reality it makes me sad that is took so long.
98. I am the luckiest man in the world to be married to Lena she is perfect for me.
99. I am sleepy
100. Good night...

2007-02-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

For you Lou!

A – Available or Single: Neither, I am a Married Man. And I have the most beautiful wife ever. (you should all be jealous)

B – Best Friend: Well I have lots of best friends it just depends on what I am doing on what friend is the best for it. But to throw a couple names out I would say "Nate Stock" "Burrito" "David" "Spencer & Jake" "Fat Jeron" "Ten (although he is a Bro)" and of course my best friend ever LENA

C – Cake or Pie: I would have to go with Cake. Most pies I can not eat if they have fruit in them. But I Love french silk ahhhh!

D – Drink of Choice: Chocolate Milk (duh)

E – Essential Item You Use Everyday: Computer it is my life force. I love my puter!

F – Favorite Color: Light Blue...that is my grandmas favorite too

G – Gummy Bears or Worms: I prefer Chips...I dont really like candy only on special days.

H – Hometown: Salt Lake City (or in spanish Lago Salado)

I – Indulgence: The GAMES. I love playing video games

J – January or February: Febtober

K – Kids and Names: I really like the name William. But that is about it. Lena has lots of names it mind so I dont really think about it.

L – Life is Incomplete Without: My wife, games and food.

M – Marriage Date: May 18. 2006 We pick that day because it was the day before star wars came out. (Just kidding that was just a cowincadence.

N – Number of Siblings: I have 3 older sisters, Emilee Jeanne (Em), Audrey Lynn (Baba), Laurie Elizabeth (Lou), then comes me, and the baby Amy Renee' (Mimi) yup I lived in a house of estrogen.

O – Oranges or Apples: Well I cant eat oranges...but i love them. But I can eat apples. But when it comes to the juice. It is a toss up.

P – Phobias or Fears: I have a phobia of Beads. (dont ask)

Q – Fave Quote: I have lots. If you around me more that a day. You will hear a lot of movie quotes. A few good ones. "see how is works is the train moves not the station." that has to be one of the top ones.

R – Reason to Smile: I am married to the most beautiful and best wife. And I tell her everyday

S – Season: Spring I love the flowers, but, hate the hayfever

T – Tag 3 or 4 People: Whatever you do what you want!

U – Unknown Fact About Me:

V – Vegetable You Don’t Like: corn

W – Worst Habit: I don't know ask Lena!

X – X-rays: Sinus

Y – Your Fave Food: Nachos, Chocolate Milk and Moms Ribs

Z – Zodiac Sign: Scorpio Watch out or I will sting you

2006-12-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

We live in a world that is just too sad. A Pepsi guy drinking a Coke, what is the world coming to. We live in a world with no loyalty. Sports stars, company CEO's and customers. It is almost like we dont care about anything or anyone but ourselves. Everyone hates Walmart but yet everyone shops there. Now I understand the it is cheaper so we are forced to shop there. I just needed to vent for a moment.

2006-11-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is one of the Funniest Telemarketing Pranks I have ever heard. Courtesy of Bob & Tom.

Copy and Paste the link. I have not figured out how to post links yet.

http://joshualowry.vox.com/library/audio/6a00c225203796f21900c2252ab8c18e1d.html

2006-11-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a funny story. I don't know if it is appropriate but I liked it. It reminds me of the joke in deperado.

A guy goes over to his friend's house, rings the bell, and the wife answers.

" Hi, is Tony home?"

" No, he went to the store."

"Well, you mind if I wait?"

" No, come in."

They sit down and the friend says "You know Nora, you have the greatest breasts I have ever seen. I'd give you a hundred bucks if I could just see one."

Nora thinks about this for a second and figures what the hell - a hundred bucks. She opens her robe and shows one. He promptly thanks her and throws a hundred bucks on the table.

They sit there a while longer and Chris says "They are so beautiful I've got to see the both of them. I'll give you another hundred bucks if I could just see the both of them together."

Nora thinks about this and thinks what the hell, opens her robe, and gives Chris a nice long look. Chris thanks her, throws another hundred bucks on the table, and then says he can't wait any longer and leaves.

A while later Tony arrives home and his wife says "You know, your weird friend Chris came over. "

Tony thinks about this for a second and says "Well did he drop off the 200 bucks he owes me?"

2006-09-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

I was surfing the web and I came across this fantastic artwork from a 1967 game of Battleship.

While traditionally considered a 2-player game, it turns out Battleship was meant to be enjoyed by 4 people.

As long as 2 of them were women and they were in the kitchen scrubbing pots.

Look how happy these little ladies are, navigating the soapy seas! It takes a special gal to captain the finest ship in the fleet: the S.S. Sponge.

2006-09-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well...I have been sucked into the blogger. Yes, I have friends and family that are on this sight and because I want to post comments. I have created my own blog. Anyway a little about me. Well my name is Nik and I just was recently married to a beauiful red-headed angel named Lena. Anyway we will see what develops here. Enjoy.