Blog Nott

Nott Block Movie

2011-05-25T07:55:00.002-06:00

Nott Block has been an awesome project for Matt, Adam, and I, but now we're ready to step it up.
We're making a Nott Block movie!
But we can't make this movie without the help of everyone out there in the internet village. We need your support to help fund this project.
Head over to Kickstarter.com to see what you can do.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nottblock/create-a-nott-block-movie

Nott Block Episode 7

2011-05-18T16:36:00.001-06:00

We're making more and more progress with our skills. Nott Block is getting better because of it. Here is Episode 7

Observations from a Fancy Hotel

2011-04-20T11:47:00.000-06:00

I'm doing some video work at a very fancy hotel in Park City and here are some of my observations.

• Rich people must love pooping in the dark. The bathrooms are incredibly dim
• Rich people are encouraged to litter. There are no trash cans anywhere. Do I leave my tissue on the floor for the staff to pick up?
• Rich people only use valet parking. This parking garage is the worst layout of anything I've every encountered. Constant turns, No labels, no arrows. I hope I find my car.
• Rich people only like coffee. Where's the hot chocolate? There's 2 feet of snow outside!
• Rich people are lazy. The staff helped me carry in all my computers and hardware. It was actually really awesome.

In closing:
This place is beautiful!
I want to be rich so I can spend a week here!

Job Interview

2011-02-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

We literally made this movie in a few hours, but it was all worth it!
We won "Best Comedy" at the 2011 X96 Film Festival.

It's about a job interview that goes horribly wrong before it even begins.

Shorpy.com

2010-08-22T10:33:00.003-06:00

only recently has digital photography caught up with the detail and quality that film and other photographic mediums were able to produce.
Several weeks ago I found this incredible site that collects old photography and scans it in at it's highest quality.
It's amazing to go back and see quick moments in history being preserved forever.
There are over 600 pages of pictures. I'm not a huge history buff (as stated here) but I could spend hours going through and enjoying each of these.
I highly recommend it.
http://www.shorpy.com/

Demolition Derby

2010-08-14T22:45:00.002-06:00

Just got back from the demolition derby in South Jordan.
I honestly didn't think that I'd have as good a time as I did. It was just raw redneck fun.
After several minutes of cars smashing into each other, I realized my face hurt from smiling so much.
Saw some great crashes! Next time I'll take my camera.

Camping?

2010-06-05T19:32:00.003-06:00

I went camping. Weird right?
It was a great time to learn more about my camera.
I'll post more pictures later

Nott Block Shorts - Quicksand

2010-04-24T22:10:00.000-06:00

Nott Block Episode 5 - FINALLY

2010-03-24T02:11:00.000-06:00

Finally got another episode made.
Here is episode 5

Lincoln

2010-03-12T04:10:00.002-07:00

I guess that I sometimes forget that I have a blog.
We made another movie last month for the X96 film festival called "Lincoln."
We didn't win, but we got some good laughs

Apple's Incredible Tools and Luxury Items

2010-02-02T10:22:00.004-07:00

I heart Apple

You can't deny that each of their products are incredibly engineered and designed, but that doesn't mean you need to go out and buy every one of them.

All this iPad hating made me want to put out this helpful guide to Apple products.
I have 3 categories

"Welcome to Apple" - simple products for those new to Apple or even technology
"Incredible Tools" - products that have incredible features, functionality, and are really "can't live without" devices
"Luxury Items" - Incredibly designed products that don't have enough going for them to justify the price (or in some instances are only meant for professionals)

Here is the list
Desktops

Mac Mini - Welcome to Apple
Biggest complaint of non-Apple users: Price. Mac Mini helps that... kinda. It's not cheap, but then again, it's not cheap.
iMac - Incredible Tool
Seriously, iMacs get more and more incredible with each new iteration. If you haven't yet, please do yourself a favor and get an iMac

Mac Pro - Luxury Item
So expensive! The iMac is quickly overtaking the Mac Pro customers

Laptops

Macbook - Welcome to Apple

It was my first laptop and my first Mac. I think that is the same for a lot of people. It's a great little thing

MacBook Pro 13" and 15" - Incredible Tool
If you need a laptop, there is nothing wrong with the MacBook Pros
MacBook Pro 17" - Luxury Item
Why are you carrying around that huge screen?
MacBook Air - Luxury Item
So Beautiful, so impractical.
iPod/ iPhone

iPod Shuffle - Welcome to Apple
Super cheap music player.
iPod Nano - Incredible Tool
Great music, photo, and video player. Also you can listen to radio or record video. All at a great price too
iPod Classic - Luxury Item
A year ago I'd probably put this under Incredible Tool, but honestly next to the Nano and Touch, it isn't very impressive. Sorry iPod, I love you!
iPod Touch - Incredible Tool
You name it, it can probably do it. I use my iPod Touch nearly 8 hours every day for music, video, facebook, e-mail, news, alarm, internet radio, and games. Only complaint, wish I could make phone calls
iPhone - Incredible Tool
Have you heard of the iPhone? Yeah, it's a pretty big deal
iPad - Luxury Item
It's a giant iPod touch, but I'd love to have it sitting by the couch so I could check facebook or imdb while watching TV. I'd also love to have it set up in the kitchen with a recipe app or playing a movie while I cook
Apple TV - Luxury Item
I've thought about buying one several times, but the cost isn't worth it. No Hulu? No DVR? No thank you.
Accessories

Airport Extreme and Express - Both Incredible Tools
Try setting up a linksys router. Now try setting up an Airport router. You'll never go back to any other router. Plus wireless printing, wireless automatic backups, and streaming music. Fantastic!!
Time Machine - Luxury Item
It's an Airport Extreme with a built in hard drive for a lot more money. Just plug an external drive into the Extreme and you're set
Magic Mouse - Luxury Item
Apple introduced some amazing features when they added buttons to their mighty mouse, then they took all those features away with the Magic Mouse. Whatever! Go ahead and get yourself a nice *gulp* Microsoft mouse.
Cinema Display - Luxury Item
If you want the best display out there, I guess you can buy one.

Go ahead and say what you want about Apple or any of their products, if you don't like it, get something else. But at least get yourself an iMac or MacBook Pro.

You'll thank me later.

Empty Fridge - Nott Block Shorts

2009-11-23T01:59:00.001-07:00

I guess I forgot to post this one on my blog

Talk Radio

2009-11-10T02:49:00.003-07:00

For years I loved listening to talk radio, but each radio personality I listened to, I ended up hating. I first started with Sean Hannity, then I listened to Michael Savage, and then I ended my conservative radio days with Glenn Beck. As I've been thinking about it, I can't stand any of them, all for the same reasons.

These are the 3 that I came up with

1. They promote hatred/ inequality/ pride, or call it what ever you want.

Anybody that has an alternate views than theirs is "evil" or "stupid." Michael Savage is a perfect example, the title of one of his books : "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder"
How are we ever going to solve anything in this country when we just call each other names like we're in the 3rd grade?

2. Fear

Now more than ever, fear is the driving force behind these shows. And it is usually based on ridiculous, miniscule things. They hear or read some small part of a story, blow it out of proportion, and stretch it to fill their 3 hour show.
I know how difficult it is to create something compelling or entertaining, especially doing it on a daily basis.
Just like the regular news, it is much much easier to report on the scary and horrible, because nobody wants to watch the mundane and regular.
Fear is being created over matters that don't matter.

3. "I am your savior!"

How often do you hear -
"The main stream media won't tell you this"
or
"Nobody else is seeing these things that I am"
or
"This is the only place that is brave enough to bring you the truth"
Really? You're the only one?
Michael Savage has been particularly proud of the fact that he's been banned in Great Britain. They love when there is controversy. It is just another way to publicize their name, and a chance to show that they are right because, "The mainstream media is trying to silence them"

Recently I thought I'd give them another try, just to see how things were going... within 5 minutes, each of these 3 points were hit, and I changed the channel.

Now I want to make sure that I end this the right way

I LOVE that we have talk radio. I love that we can broadcast our opinions and feelings, no matter what they are. Every radio and TV show has the right to tell you whatever they want, and that is beautiful. It's incredible that we have the technology to share information over all the world, instantly. I just wish that those who had this great power would use it for good that could promote more peace, hope, and cooperation to help, not retard, the progress of this great country.

New Baby

2009-11-06T00:20:00.002-07:00

THE DOWNSIDE OF OUR HOSPITAL VISIT

An Oreo with NO WHITE STUFF!!

THE UPSIDE OF OUR HOSPITAL VISIT

A cute little baby girl that we love a lot.

Deb and little Nora are both doing great.
Now we have to deal with Merrill adjusting to being dethroned.

The Loan - Nott Block shorts

2009-09-29T13:53:00.002-06:00

Nott Block Shorts

2009-09-23T20:00:00.002-06:00

I've realized that there are many advantages to releasing each Nott Block sketch individually, rather than all in an episode, so I think that's what I'm going to do from now on.
Here are 2 new sketches. Kid Show and Matt's Sick

This is what I think about everyday

2009-08-24T21:41:00.002-06:00

http://foxtrot.com/

The Curse of Dickon

2009-08-03T07:13:00.002-06:00

My most embarrassing moment in high school was singing in the musical The Secret Garden. I played a fun loving gardener, with a yorkshire accent named Dickon that sang off key and off beat amongst an otherwise talented cast.
Since that time I've seen two other performances of The Secret Garden by other casts to see how Dickon was supposed to be done. One was a college production done at Thanksgiving Point by (I think) Weber State and the other was done this past weekend by professionals down at the Shakespeare festival in Cedar City. To my surprise, both Dickons were pretty awful. Although they were better than my performance, both were off key and off beat several times.
It made me feel a lot better about myself. I was a high school kid that pretty much had zero musical training, asked to sing, what I've since learned, are some very difficult songs. Singing, dancing, and maintaining an accent in front of an audience is hard. Seeing two other "trained" performers suffer the same downfalls made me feel a lot better about my past embarrassment.
So I'd like to issue a challenge. Let's see you try "Winter's on the Wing" in front of 100 people!

This guy does it well. The 2 minute mark is where it gets the hardest!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmHcsQJ-aVM

This guy struggles at the 1:50 mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJQHPFl-5SY

Besides that one complaint, the rest of the performance this weekend was incredible and it was great to see the show again.

Blu-Ray Review

2009-05-25T22:05:00.004-06:00

I'm going to use this as a way to organize my thoughts, but hopefully I can make it readable, informative, and free of expletives.
My cousin Zach was very kind to lend me his Blu-Ray player while he was away for the month of May. Blu-ray is still a new technology, and I was excited to get a chance to play around with it to learn more about it. Here is my report. (is blu-ray review a class I could get credit for?)

Just as a note: I have 50" 720p Panasonic Plasma - In English: Middle grade HDTV

Should you buy a Blu-Ray player?
If you have an older non-High Def TV - NO.
If you have an HDTV that is smaller than 42" - NO, an upcoverting DVD player will work GREAT for you.
If you have an HDTV bigger than 42" then read on.

What I HATE about Blu-Ray
#1 The confusion surrounding it. Yes it will play your old DVDs, even your CDs. (There are many other confusions, but this is generally the first question)
#2 The price. New technology costs money, there is no way around it. I actually spent $300 on my first DVD player. And there are DVD players out there that still cost significantly more than that today. Hopefully in the next year we'll see quality players at an affordable price (below $200 for me)
#2.5 Disc prices. Half.com or a Netflix subscription fixes that.
#3 No resume play. On some (not all) Blu-Rays, once you've turned off the player, or even pressed stop, you have to start the movie all over again. It does not automatically resume where you left off. My current DVD player remembers where you were, even if you've watched another movie. Once you put your disc back in, it remembers where you were and starts playing from there. Debbie put it best when she said that, "Even VHS starts where you left off!" Hopefully this can be fixed by a different player, but from what I understand, the Playstation 3 (aka: Best Blu-Ray player) has this limitation
**EDIT - I don't know how I forgot my biggest gripe with Blu-Ray**
#4 Load Times. The movies take 1-3 minutes to load and get started, then with any previews, it takes even longer to get to your movie. I'm willing to suffer with load times, but mixed with no resume play... I get get furious.

What I LOVE about Blu-Ray and why it NEEDS to survive and thrive
#1 High Definition!! It is one of those things that you read or hear about, but can't understand till you've seen it. Even seeing it played on 50 screens at Best Buy doesn't do it justice. You need to sit in a dark room with no distractions, a perfect setting to just bask and be amazed!
#2 Better audio. I don't have a completely up-to-date audio system, so I didn't hear all that Blu-Ray has to offer with audio, but I was very impressed with what I did hear.
*Side note* - If you don't have a surround sound system you need to get one. Without it you are missing out on a great experience. I liken it to covering up the bottom 1/4th of your screen. Sure you can see what is going on, but you're missing out on all of the fun.
#3 Classic Movies, Past, Present, and Future. Anybody that came to my house this month heard me explain this. I rented the movie Sleeping Beauty. This movie came to theaters over 50 years ago. In those 50 years it was very rarely seen by people in theaters, most people saw it on TV, VHS, or DVD. Without ranting a tremendous amount I'll wrap it up in one sentence. Only now with Blu-ray can the hard work, detail, talent, and dedication of artists been seen by everyone. Sleeping Beauty and Wall-E looked phenomenal! Without Blu-Ray we'd never see or appreciate what talent is really out there.
#4 Who needs the theater? I'll admit I love midnight movies with a theater filled with geeks, but beyond that, the experience I have in my home is far superior. I don't have to go anywhere, I can eat whatever I want, I can pause when I want, and the seats are way more comfortable. It was shocking when I realized that I have no desire to see any movies from this summer. I'm perfectly happy just waiting for the time when I can watch at home
#5 Everyone can benefit from Blu-Ray and High Definition. Whether you love movies, sports, music, or nature, I guarantee you'll be incredibly happy with Blu-Ray.

One last point that isn't really a pro or con
Disc vs. Download
You can buy and rent HD movies online through all different types of sources. Sure it is more convenient, but here are the facts. Downloaded or streaming movies cannot produce the same quality and experience as a Blu-Ray disc. Sure maybe someday we'll be able to download a full quality movie, but internet speeds for even the fastest of us aren't spectacular. It will be a long time before any person or company wants to pay to download 50GB files all the time. People could argue this, but I'm on the side of physical media.

Let's get this over with
So in conclusion I love Blu-Ray. It still has its fault (see above) which is why I'm willing to wait another 6 months to a year before I get my own player. As much as I don't want to, I'm going to suffer through upcoverted DVDs, patiently waiting for the day...

Nott Block Episode 4

2009-05-17T23:22:00.002-06:00

We had some great help on this episode
My sister Anna wrote the first sketch
Rain, Shovel Fight, Baseball, Ceiling Fan
Enjoy

Strange Return Procedure

2009-05-05T12:50:00.004-06:00

The iPod Touch Mic that I mentioned in a previous post was defective, so I e-mailed Griffin, the company that makes it, and this was their response

"First, destroy your defective product. Yes, really destroy it. A hammer works well for destroying most products however feel free to use whatever tool you are most comfortable with. This can be a great opportunity for you to express yourself creatively and take out some frustrations at the same time. Also, you may want to use eye protection and protect yourself from any flying debris that may result from this process.

Second, document the destruction. We recommend taking a digital picture of the destroyed unit while it is laying on a printed copy of this email so that the RMA number and other information are visible. Also, take a digital picture (or scan a copy) of your receipt.

Third, send us the pictures. Just reply to this email and attach the digital pictures of the destroyed product on the printed email and the receipt along with any other pictures that we might enjoy, such as you holding the destroyed product or the town where you live. Of course including the extra pictures is optional but feel free to include them if you want to. "

Awesome right!?
So here is my documentation of the destruction

Lehi

2009-05-01T09:40:00.002-06:00

I left for Canada in July 2002
I came back June 2004
6 months later I got married and moved to South Jordan
So besides that 6 month period, when we move back to Lehi next week, it'll have been 7 years since I've lived there. I don't know how I feel about it yet.
I feel like I'm coming home, but I also feel like I'm starting a whole new life. It is going to be weird being so close to family and friends. It's not a bad thing, just different.

Creating Nott Block

2009-04-28T07:58:00.005-06:00

When we first thought about Nott Block, Matt offered a camera from work, the Canon GL1 and we attached a Rode mic to it. We shot a few sketches with it and it seemed to work okay. It was just a lot of work to manually set everything, and the process of shooting and transferring from a tape was taking a lot of time too. Then one day I found a video podcast where I found out that they were just shooting with a Canon Digital ELPH

The ELPH was a camera that we each owned so we tried shooting with that and were incredibly happy with the results. The video was actually clearer with much better color, and the process of shooting onto an SD card was infinitely more convenient. No rewinding to find a clip, and transferring to the computer was way faster. The audio being picked up by the mic was even decent.

The audio sounded good when we shot inside, but when we shot outside it was hard to hear the dialogue, even with the nice Rode mic, so we had to find a solution for that. I didn't want to get a boom mic, because that means someone would have to hold it. The only other option would be lavaliere mics that we could clip onto our shirts. But individual mics are expensive.

Then I found the Griffin Smart Talk, a mic for the iPhone and iPod Touch (which we each had) So for just $15 bucks each we were able to get mics that would record surprisingly good audio into an app called iTalk that was incredibly easy to use and transfer audio from.

The whole process has been a learning experience for me, but I'm happy with the way it has turned out.

Nott Block Episode 3

2009-04-20T01:37:00.003-06:00

I've been so torn about Nott Block lately. I've lost a bit of the desire to do it, but on the other hand, the best is yet to come. We'll do as much as we can. Sorry that there is no release schedule for these. We'd rather they be funny than rushed.
please enjoy

The Magical Post Office

2009-04-16T23:19:00.005-06:00

A couple of months ago my friend Jen asked where I worked. When I told her that I sort mail for the post office, she got the idea that I worked in this magical room filled with tubes and conveyer belts. A place where letters fly across the room landing into bins with names of places like Albuquerque, Albany, and Alberta written on them. All the employees of course have a smile as they dance, sing, and sort the mail.

that couldn't be further from the truth.

It's all done electronically. Mail from all over the country is scanned in and the image is sent to our computers where we type in the zip, name, address, or whatever is needed. It is a HUGE room filled with computers and NO TALKING is allowed.

To prove how unmagical a place it is. I snapped a picture, and with my iPod, recorded some audio of me sitting at my desk, adjusting it, and typing. Listen closely and you can hear the occasional cough in the background.

See Jen, not magical.

Bees

2009-04-13T12:47:00.002-06:00

I have to share this story.
Our friends Ken and Amy had a neighbor ask them to watch their bees!!
Funny!
http://amynoyce.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html#5351312792255769252

Time Traveling Problem SOLVED!

2009-04-10T23:06:00.002-06:00

I am now safe to time travel with this handy cheat sheet that I'll carry with me when I go. It has everything I ... wait... no history dates... I'll write some important dates on the back

Time Traveling Problem

2009-04-08T00:07:00.002-06:00

This is exactly what would happen if I time traveled. This is from the Ben Stiller Show, a short lived sketch comedy show that, from what I've seen, was actually pretty funny.

Another "Poor Lauren" Moment

2009-03-31T23:34:00.002-06:00

After Effects

2009-03-31T15:17:00.003-06:00

After going to the LHS film festival last night, and then watching this little kid's video. I think I need to get Adobe After Effects, except for that fact that it's $999. Maybe I'll get an older version

Nott Block Episode 2

2009-03-31T07:08:00.001-06:00

Poor Lauren

2009-03-30T01:29:00.003-06:00

Poor Lauren. Did she know her name and image would be used for good and evil?

Things I learned in a night

2009-03-29T12:27:00.002-06:00

I hung out with a bunch of old friends last night and learned these things
-Garit had no idea what GameFly or The Palm Pre are
-Garit *might* have convinced me to get a Playstation 3
-Davy told me you can get a custom Muppet made from FAO Schwarz!
-Looking at Jen's record player and record collection, I want a record player now
-Mike hates Battlestar Galactica for no reason
-Mike said the show Kings is great... I'll never watch it.
-I'm no longer good at pool

Get a Job Lauren

2009-03-27T22:46:00.001-06:00

Get a job Lauren, and why did you go to the Mac store first? Because you really wanted an HP?
<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:0bb6a07c-c829-4562-8375-49e6693810c7&showPlaylist=true&from=msnvideo" target="_new" title="Laptop Hunters $1000 – Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion">Video: Laptop Hunters $1000 – Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion</a>

100,018

2009-03-20T03:53:00.002-06:00

In 2004, before Deb and I were married, I bought a Hyudai Elantra. It has been an incredible car with no problems at all. It has a 10 year/ 100,000 mile warranty (which ever comes first) we're down in Southern Utah right now and I noticed that the odometer says 100,018. I hope the Koreans aren't great with math and that we'll be able to at least get home before anything goes wrong.

Nott Block Preamble

2009-03-15T10:43:00.002-06:00

Several months ago I watched the movie Be Kind Rewind. At the end of it, a community gets together, and using their limited resources, make a movie about their history. Their movie wasn't a blockbuster, and it didn't win any awards, but it was theirs.
I've been putting off my movie ideas because I didn't really have any way to make them, but after seeing that movie I realized that it doesn't matter how perfect it is, so long as it is something that I could emotionally connect to.
Using just a simple point and shoot digital camera, getting help and ideas from my brothers, and music from my friend David Crockett, we've been able to make Nott Block.
It's not a blockbuster, and it won't win any awards, but it's ours.
We just hope it makes you smile even a little bit.

watch our movies on
youtube - http://www.youtube.com/nottblock
iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=303342159

Adam's Promo

2009-03-14T08:39:00.002-06:00

Nott Block Carrot Promo

2009-03-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

Vacation Time

2009-03-01T05:14:00.004-07:00

The annual trip to Ruby's Inn is this month.
Deb's side of the family has a retreat in June.
Along with that, I also want to take this trip to Canada.
The first two will happen, we'll have to wait and see about the third.

View Larger Map

LOST vs Harry Potter

2009-02-16T14:32:00.003-07:00

I've been thinking about this for a few days now. LOST and Harry Potter are similar in that they are both elaborate stories that take a long time to tell. What if Harry Potter was a TV series, and LOST was a movie series?
I've only read 1 -4 of Potter, so when I saw the 5th movie, the first I hadn't read, I was completely confused. So much was happening, and just like the first 4, a lot of story had to be cut out to fit in a movie time slot. TV shows like LOST or 24 have an incredible amount of time to tell their stories. We learn a tremendous amount about each character and their situations.
A lot of people complained about the middle seasons of LOST because the story never progressed. This is true, but as soon as the writers had an end date, each episode has moved the story along. If LOST had been a 7 movie series, We could get right to the point and not have to deal with the frustrating moments where we scream, "JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!!"
I think Harry Potter could have been better as a TV show. (each book as a season) Sure if you've read the book, you know "how it ends" But that's not what makes a great story. A great story is filled with characters that we want to get to know. We could learn so much more about each student, their families, and their past. I think it'd be fun to learn more about the mysteries and oddities of Hogwarts and it's faculty.
One thing that I don't know is what kind of money studios put into and receive from each production. Does a movie make more than a successful TV show?
The last point is an interesting concept to me. Most people that go to see Harry Potter have read the book and know the story, so why do they pay money to see only part of the story, retold by other people? (I know JK Rowling is involved, but you know what I mean) Would a FREE TV show that told the entire story, and more, be as successful as the movie? Maybe because we've read it, we're only willing to give 2 hours to the story. Would 20+ hours be to much?
PS - I REALLY LOVE THAT LOST IS A TV SHOW, I would not be happy with only a 7 movie story.(one for each season)

Nott Block Promo

2009-02-11T10:34:00.001-07:00

Nott Block coming March 16

Obama on Air Force One

2009-01-25T18:10:00.001-07:00

National Geographic filmed Obama's first flight on Air Force One from Chicago to DC.
It's always great to be reminded that even the president is just another guy. It's a pretty cool video, we learn how he likes a burger!

Coming March 2009

2009-01-22T16:42:00.001-07:00

Dislocated Knee

2009-01-06T10:23:00.003-07:00

I dislocated my knee on Sunday. It happened once before on my mission. It's weird because it doesn't happen when I'm skiing, playing football, or running. No, it happens when I do low impact stuff like hackey sack or "dancing" in the kitchen. It's a really strange feeling, also very painful. I'm doing fine, I'm just really slow now. It was nice to not go to work too! Thankfully I'm not a horse, otherwise I'd need to be put down. After the injury, my brother Matt showed me this comic.
PS - There is video of the event, but no video or pics of the actual knee (trust me, you don't want to see it- if you do, just search google images and have a barf bag ready)

Coca-Cola is written in Spencerian

2008-12-25T03:53:00.004-07:00

Rather than falling asleep at work I decided to see what effect caffeine would have on my body.
I bought a Coke.
Bleck!
How is this company still in business? You guys really drink this stuff everyday?
Perhaps if it still contained it's original ingredient of cocaine I'd want another, but right now I'm just tired and have a stomach ache.
I got off work early so I'm going to go to bed.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Family Christmas Card

2008-12-15T12:57:00.003-07:00

To save money, and to actually get it out on time, we decided to just post our Christmas card on our blogs. We hope you all have a very merry Christmas.

Merrill Helps Fix the Furnace

2008-12-07T09:56:00.002-07:00

I had to call my dad yesterday with some furnace advice. While I was working on it, Merrill gave me some more tips and advice. With everyone's help, we have heat again. (Featuring my new haircut!)

Some Old Guy

2008-12-05T08:45:00.004-07:00

I was listening to a bit of The End morning show this week. It consists of three people: Cort, Chelsea, and Chunga. THEY ARE IDIOTS AND SHOULD NOT BE IN RADIO!
Cort said some stupid things, but not as ridiculous as the other two, so I'll leave him alone.
CHUNGA: Chunga openly admitted to liking the band Hanson more than Pearl Jam. Hanson? Really? The three sisters who had one hit song that was just an annoying onomatopoeia is better than a band that was part of the Seattle grunge scene that changed rock music?
Chunga, you should not be in radio!

CHELSEA: Chelsea and Cort were talking about this week's Grammy nominations and Chelsea, recounting the nominations from memory, said that Alison Krauss was nominated for Best Album for the album she made with some old guy. SOME OLD GUY!!?? Robert Plant... that name doesn't ring a bell? The lead singer for one of the most popular/ influential/ talented bands in modern history, Led Zeppelin is just "some old guy?"
YOU ARE AN IDIOT!! How did you get a job working for a radio station without knowing who that old guy is? You should quit and go work at IHOP!
Is it really that hard to find good DJs? Hire me, I can do it way better than those arrogant idiots.

too mean?

Surfing for Seniors

2008-12-02T14:10:00.002-07:00

I post this as a public service. We could all use a refresher course on how to use the internet, no matter what age we are.
You may need to play this video and practice many times.

BEAR! (With illustrations)

2008-11-26T21:59:00.002-07:00

We live in a condo complex. One of our neighbors have a big black dog who only does one thing, and that's follow people. Anytime their dog follows people, they take a quick break from smoking to yell at it. We live right next door, so we hear that dog's name more than anything else. The dog is fine, I want to shoot the owners.

Secret Question

2008-11-23T21:50:00.003-07:00

Many times when you sign up for things online they make you put in a "Secret Question" so when you stupidly forget your password they will present your secret question that "only you know the answer to."
"What is your mother's maiden name?"
None of you know the answer to my secret question!
Great security geniuses. They obviously weren't expecting me to have over 100 cousins.

Written By a Girl

2008-11-17T02:48:00.002-07:00

According to genderanalyzer.com

Dan - 44% chance he's a girl

Davy - 32% chance he's a girl

Garit - 44% chance he's a girl

Mike - 17% chance he's a girl

Thanks for ditching me on Saturday jerks.

I'll forgive Branden because he had a "headache" but FYI - 26% chance he's a girl

Red Cameras

2008-11-13T06:59:00.003-07:00

I will try my best to contain my excitement in this post.
A few years ago, the owner of Oakley Glasses started a new camera company that has changed digital cinema.
Today they announced even more cameras. I won't go into the details. Basically in a few years for under $3,000, I'm planning on buying a camera that shoots greater than 1080p high def. It also doubles as an incredible SLR camera.
Their site is overloaded right now, but hopefully later it'll be up and if you care, you can see the other mind-blowing cameras they announced. Like one that shoots at a 28K resolution (that basically means 1080p HD will look like it's from the 1800's)
www.red.com
My head is going to explode.

Hey, I did a good job at keeping that short and contained!

Sun Chips

2008-11-09T09:41:00.001-07:00

Read: This is why you paid more for these Sun Chips

Exploding Casserole Dish

2008-11-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

Conspiracies

2008-11-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

Avoiding Office Situations

2008-10-31T13:41:00.002-06:00

For English we needed to make a presentation to help improve an office setting.
We made this video about how to avoid others.

Happy Birthday Merrill

2008-10-30T02:58:00.004-06:00

Exactly a year ago from this very moment, I was sitting in an uncomfortable hospital chair, holding Deb's hand, and listening to the heart monitor beep, waiting for our little baby.The first ultrasound said we were having a girl. Later that morning when he was born, I was probably more surprised than anyone to find it was a boy.
Baby's don't do much, but after a year, Merrill is finally getting a personality and becoming a lot of fun. Today he and I were laying on the bed. I was just listening to him jabber and watching him kick his feet in the air. He can be so cute. Then he turned his head, looked at me, and just smiled. It felt like he, for the first time, saw me. We just kept looking at each other, smiling.
I can't believe it's been a year! I love him so much, it's amazing how Deb and I have changed and adjusted to this new life, but with such a beautiful family, I think it's worth it.
Happy Birthday Merrill

Every Music Video EVER!

2008-10-29T14:36:00.005-06:00

Does anyone remember what MTV stands for? I don't.
But they just put up a website that has every music video EVER on it.
No more hunting on youtube for low quality videos!
To celebrate, here's an anti-piracy song from that very site
*EDIT* As I've been going through the site, I've seen several videos missing from some bands. So I guess it's not "every" video.

Weird Al Yankovic |MTV Music

Ron Howard for Obama

2008-10-29T03:02:00.002-06:00

I'm not a huge Obama fan, but I am Ron Howard fan. I thought this video was funny. Like this whole campaign, there aren't any great points, it's just fun when celebrities poke fun at themselves. Hopefully this will be the last thing I mention about elections, if you're like me, you were sick of it months ago.

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Deb's B-Day

2008-10-22T03:32:00.002-06:00

I don't know why it isn't on her facebook profile, but It's my wife's birthday tomorrow (Thurs Oct 23) So why don't you go to her blog or facebook page and wish her a Happy Birthday

Any suggestions of what I should get her? I'm not a procrastinator! How dare you judge me!

MONKEY ON A SEGWAY!!

2008-10-20T23:09:00.002-06:00

I never thought animals doing "cute" or "funny" things was ever interesting. I'm usually just annoyed.
But right now I'm crying laughing at this one. It's a monkey on a segway. That's not all, the best part is that he crashes again and again, all while his owner is chasing him. Hilarious!
WARNING: Japanese Characters that I don't understand.

A Contest?

2008-10-17T05:26:00.002-06:00

Dan and Davy, I love you but seriously?
This whole contest is ridiculous, I'd prefer quality over quantity. I'm not reading any of these. I'd challenge you to get the most comments on a post. I got 9 comments for just 20 words. Not bragging, just saying.

Save the Planet??

2008-10-14T08:46:00.002-06:00

Dear PBS,
Turning off lights and reusing paper will NOT save the world.
Quit lying to my kid.
Love,
Mark

Prize Pumpkin

2008-10-13T03:38:00.002-06:00

I love procrastinating. I generally don't do homework assignments till the absolute last moment. It's 3:40 am and I just finished my chemistry homework.
We were assigned to find "Chemistry in the News" and write a quick report about the article, showing how chemistry is all around us.
This is my report of a pumpkin contest that happened at Albertson's in Lehi. (the original Daily Herald article can be found here)

Mark Nott
10/14/2008
Chem 1210
Chemistry in the News

We Americans love things stronger, faster, and bigger. Especially when it come to pumpkins. Whether it’s state, county, city, or town, this time of year you can always find a good pumpkin contest. The Utah County Daily Herald reported on one such contest in my hometown, Lehi, UT.
To get a pumpkin to mutant sizes, lots of things need to be done. The seeds need to be planted at the correct time, the soil has to have a cocktail of secret fertilizers, and the growing pumpkin needs to be watched and tended to vigilantly. With this love and care, a prize winning pumpkin can grow to be 300 to 400 pounds.
At this year’s contest held at the Albertson’s on Main Street, the prize for biggest pumpkin went to an 8 year old girl named Sydney. She won $100 for her huge pumpkin.
And what was the secret that made her pumpkin so large? The article says that she did nothing special. She didn’t use any special fertilizer, she just used water and mulch to grow her 104 pound pumpkin.
104 pounds? Isn’t that small for a “prize-winning” pumpkin? It is. The article says that there was a low turn out to this years contest because of the year’s early snow that hindered the growth of mammoth pumpkins.
Little Sydney’s mom says that Sydney loves living in Lehi and is looking forward to next years competition. Sydney better look out, I’ve got a hunch that if anybody actually tries next year, her dreams of winning two consecutive pumpkin contests will be crushed.

Mr. Corbett

2008-10-07T01:43:00.002-06:00

Anyone that took a computer class at Lehi Junior High in the late 90's (maybe even since then) heard Mr. Corbett's lesson about piracy. I'll sum it up - piracy is bad. The best part of the lesson was the wiggity wiggity wack movie that he showed. "Don't Copy that Floppy!"
I forgot that 5" and 3.5" disks once existed, until I was reunited with that great film via youtube.
Please. Enjoy.

Scam

2008-09-18T03:01:00.002-06:00

Branden introduced me to the podcast/radio show This American Life. Each time I listen to it I'm incredibly fascinated by the interviews. This weeks episode is about Enforcers. I'm only half way through it, but I just finished listening to a segment talking about e-mail scammers, specifically the Nigerian scammers that need your money to unlock their millions, which they of course will share with you for your help.
Garit has a great blog called In Response to Scammers. Anytime he gets some weird e-mails from his KSL and craigslist postings, he totally harasses them for trying to scam him. This episode looks at some people who got back at a scammer in an incredibly crazy over the top way. You can get the mp3 from iTunes or the website here (just for you Garit)
It's only available for download till the end of this week, after that you have to listen online or pay to download it.
They're pretty harsh to the guy, but maybe he deserved it.

Sept. 12, 2001

2008-09-12T03:09:00.002-06:00

Thinking back 7 years ago on 9/11, I'm sure I'm just like everyone else, who can remember where they were when they heard the news. My mom woke me to tell me, and later I had an interview for a job at Thanksgiving Point. But I also have other memories from the next day, the 12th.
Branden,Jen, and I had been planning for months to go see They Might Be Giants in concert. But it wasn't local, they were performing up in Boise, Idaho. All flights had been cancelled, but that morning, we called the venue to see if the show was still on. They said it was, so we drove up there.
I remember stopping at a Taco Bell with a TV hanging from the wall. We were several hours from home, I realized that these people have been affected too. That's when I comprehended the scope of it all. I told Deb today that Merrill won't ever understand what happened. Much like Pearl Harbor and any other wars that happened before I was born, I don't feel an emotional connection to them. This was different.
We made it to the venue. The show was cancelled.
I hate terrorism.
We went to the cheese shop in Nampa. We had been there before when we had made the same journey for Pearl Jam several months earlier.
I've been to a couple TMBG shows since, but I want to go to another show soon, just so I can see my old friends again.

word verification

2008-09-10T12:28:00.001-06:00

Okay, after making several comments the past few days, I see why some don't like word verification, so I'm taking it off.
But I don't want spam, so I'll start moderating comments.
just FYI.... you don't really care do you?

Me An Olympian?

2008-09-08T15:28:00.002-06:00

This is why I could never be an Olympian.
I could never pose with a taco shell!
Oh, and I never exercise.
*update* - stupid garit

Perfect Recipe

2008-09-05T12:54:00.002-06:00

I've always been fascinated with things I can't do musically, like singing (josh groban), playing piano (billy joel, elton john, jack's mannequin, ben folds), and beat boxing (this guy) - sorry if you've seen it before. I thought it was brilliant.

Beatbox Fame Game
by loranger

Paintball Guns

2008-08-29T03:43:00.002-06:00

I'm not entirely sure of the context of this. But it's the Mythbusters with some automatic paintball guns. IT'S AWESOME

"Earplugs and Podcasts" or "Things I Put In My Ears"

2008-08-27T02:58:00.003-06:00

While work and school have pulled me away from important things like TV and sleep, I'm still getting by okay. The TV problem is solved by TiVo, my shows wait a few days, but they're there when I'm finally ready. Sleep however doesn't wait. I just need to jump on that anytime that I can. Because my kid is very vocal about his feelings at all hours of the day, I've learned how great earplugs are. I've got a stockpile of them. I'm always ready to go shooting.
Also, another great thing that I've recently rediscovered is podcasts. I'm able to listen to my iPod at work and it's been great finding all sorts of cool (and FREE) content on iTunes. Of course I've found some pretty lame ones as well, but I thought I could share a few of my favorites.

HOME THEATER PODCASTS
HT Guys - These guys taught me a lot about home theater. Just two guys in California talking about what they love, HDTV.
AV Rant - Occasionally they have something good to say
Dolbycast - Dolby's official podcast. Dry, boring, but informative.

TECH
Buzz Out Loud - Latest tech news. Just one of Cnet's many podcasts.
TWIT (This Week In Tech) A bunch of old guys talking/ complaining about new tech. Pretty good, sometimes boring.
Macbreak Weekly Same guy that does TWIT, but dedicated to all things Apple.

LOST
Official LOST podcast - the producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse answer and debunk myths and questions about LOST. No new recent ones, but even old episodes have great information.
The Transmission - a husband and wife that live on Hawaii. They recap the show, give out their opinions, and because of their location, have insights to upcoming episodes.

EVERYTHING ELSE
Dave Ramsey - Money management guru.
Geek Show Podcast - Kerry Jackson from X96 discussing all sorts of cool comic/ TV/ Movie geek stuff
Radio From Hell - X96 morning show. It's weird listening to a morning show at night, especially knowing that they're going to start broadcasting a new episode just 3 hours after I leave work.
This American Life - Branden recommended this to me. I love it. It's seriously some of the most interesting stuff I've ever heard in my life.

There you have it, a peek into my iPod. I'm sure it's no where near as fascinating as Michael Phelp's iPod, but I like them.

Facebook?

2008-08-16T23:59:00.002-06:00

I finally gave in. I was really excited about Twitter, till my wife explained that facebook does what twitter does, and MORE.
*long sigh*
So I have a facebook page/ account/ website/ revelations of deep dark secrets (that last one will never happen)

RIGHT HERE!

friend me and I'll totally write on your wall <--- LAME!

Wallace and Gromit

2008-08-13T03:14:00.004-06:00

I've been a fan of Wallace and Gromit for a long time. At one point I recall even having a t-shirt. The creator Nick Park was a huge influence to my creativity. The first movie I made was a stop motion. Well it looks like they've made more shorts. (Really short, only 1-3 minutes long) You can watch them here.

PS - Someone named Julian Nott does the music for all of the Wallace and Gromit cartoons. I've always wondered how we're related.

Batter Blaster

2008-08-10T03:05:00.003-06:00

I used to think Bisquick was the fastest way to make pancakes, but I found this on someone else's blog
It's called Batter Blaster! It's aerosol pancake batter! It'll save so much time and mess. Plus it's organic, which means it's healthy?
You've got to check out their site.

Batter Blaster
WARNING: SITE CONTAINS REALLY AWESOME JINGLE AND DEMO VIDEO!

Olympics

2008-08-09T02:52:00.002-06:00

For some reason, this is the first time I've ever cared about the Olympics.
I hope you were all able to see the opening ceremonies. Deb and I kept saying stuff like
"NO WAY"
"THAT'S CRAZY"
"Bob Costas is still around?"

Unbreakable

2008-08-05T03:15:00.003-06:00

I liked Ironman, Batman Begins, and Spider-man, but the greatest superhero origin story is Unbreakable. Sure M. Night hasn't had all winners, but that movie has always amazed me.
It was his next movie just after The Sixth Sense, so everyone had high hopes for it. I first saw it on Mike Monson's birthday. (Mike didn't tell anyone it was his birthday, so no one knew until that night. We just pulled all the friends together that we could at the last moment and went)
I love the movie because it's this guy that has gone his whole life, not really knowing that he had something special. Shyamalan says in the special features that he had written more to the story, but that the characters beginnings were interesting enough that it could be a self contained movie.
Part of me wants him to make another David Dunn movie, but I think that this one is so great, no need to go screw it up (Spider-Man 3)
I just finished watching it and thought I'd share that with you.

Twitter

2008-08-02T04:44:00.001-06:00

I've heard enough about twitter that I'm trying it out.
I'm at http://twitter.com/marknott
I'm following some of you already.

I need friends

Toyota Scooter

2008-08-01T14:02:00.002-06:00

Toyota released info about their new Segwayish line of scooters. It looks like we're just a few developments away from a Wall-E society. I say bring it on! Who cares how dorky we look?

Shark Week!

2008-07-27T03:19:00.002-06:00

"Live every week like it's Shark Week" - Tracy Jordan
Shark Week starts today! There's a new Mythbusters tonight. Woot!

ROBO SHARK!

Christian Bale

2008-07-25T05:01:00.002-06:00

Christian Bale is the ONLY celebrity that I will EVER feel sorry for.
He's in the news right now for being arrested. As the dust is settling, it sounds like the whole thing was blown out of proportion. (From what I can tell, this is the first time the media has ever exaggerated, they've released an apology and promise to never do it again)
After Heath Ledger died, everyone kept going on and on about how great he was in this movie as the Joker, and they're still going on about it. So even though Christian Bale is Batman/ The Dark Knight, he's barely getting any recognition. I suppose it could be the fact that even though he is the title character, he doesn't seem to have a lot of screen time. The movie follows several different characters, but still... HE'S BATMAN! We all know Heath Ledger died! Move on!
The same thing happened to him when Batman Begins opened. It opened just a short while after Tom Cruise professed his love to Katie Holmes by jumping on Oprah's couch. So at the premiere, very little attention was given to Bale, instead it was all focused on Cruise and his girl riding in on his motorcycle. (I personally believe this is why they switched to Maggie Gyllenhaall in the sequel)
So poor Christian Bale, even though he's done an incredible job recreating an iconic super hero (minus the weird Batman voice) I don't think that he is getting anywhere near the recognition he deserves!

Maybe it'll just help with future character development. And I'm sure he got a nice paycheck too.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-20T03:43:00.002-06:00

The new Batman movie did not disappoint! I'd give a review, but it won't be any different from this one.

Now I must say that I am so happy that I didn't watch or read ANY reviews or commercials before I saw it. The link above shows some quick scenes, more than were in the previews and more than I wanted to see. I might do this more often. I enjoyed seeing the scenes for the first time in context.

So if you haven't seen the movie, don't click on that link, just go see it. If you have seen it, you don't need to click on the link either, because it'll just say the same thing that you and everyone else leaving the theater said.

So why did I put that link there?

PS - It's violent and disturbing, Deb wisely didn't join us.
PPS - On the way home, Matt noticed a gross ad for Garbett homes

Anna and Syesha

2008-07-18T10:44:00.002-06:00

When my sisters saw the American Idols, Anna gave some of them notes.
Well Syesha read the note on the news.
Here's the link
http://www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=42CF5971056FA82D2CE804E1E9DE3472?contentId=6982900&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

The Wii Fit is a little too real

2008-07-16T02:01:00.002-06:00

It's true! The Wii Fit is a little snarky sometimes! Also, another thing I noticed that creeped me out is the fact that my "trainer's" hair grows! I noticed it was long one day, then the next day I thought maybe he had it cut. No! It was just pulled back in a ponytail. I've been searching the settings to see if there is a barber I'm supposed to send him to. No such luck.

My Lucky Sisters (and Mom)

2008-07-14T18:03:00.010-06:00

The American Idol concert is tonight at the E Center, but my anxious little sisters, rather than going to the show, were outside for 4 hours, waiting for the tour bus, hoping to get a glimpse of the Idols.

They got a bit more than a glimpse! They got to meet and talk with each of them. (For some reason Michael Johns and a few others, never came out ) I'm actually jealous!

Here's Anna's account of the events.

when the american idol's came out it was awesome!! i found out lots first off i use the same chap stick as david archuleta. jason is acctually pretty cool so is ramiele. i found out that david cook wears really nice jeans!!! now remember this is anna talking not mark. haha well it was pretty much awesome they also signed my pink converse!!

Here's some from Mary

Ok so pretty much it was awesome!!! All of the idols were extremely nice. and David archuleta's hair is really as soft as it looks! yes thats right I just had to touch it. pretty creepy but worth it!

Here are some pics (video will come later)

Mary and Anna Waiting

Anna, Mary, and Brooke White

Anna and Syesha

Mary and Ramiele

Anna and Ramiele

Kristy Lee Cook and Mary

Anna and Archuleta

Archuleta signing Mary's Shirt

Mary touching Archuleta's hair

Carly Smithson and Mary

Anna and Carly Smithson

David Cook and Mary

Anna with her signed shoes

Brooke White and Kristy's(?) signature

David Cook's signature

Archuleta's Signature

To Adam and Garit...

2008-07-13T22:17:00.002-06:00

To Adam, Garit, and any other motorcycle driving nut.
If anyone tells you how unsafe driving a motorcycle is, just say, "Hey, I'm safer than this guy."

Preparation

2008-07-13T16:32:00.003-06:00

The new Batman movie "The Dark Knight" comes out this weekend. To get ready for it, I put "Batman Begins" on my iPod and have been watching it on my breaks at work.
It's strange to watch a movie just 5-10 minutes at a time, but I've enjoyed it because I can pay more attention and think more about each scene. It's a well made movie.
I've also been preparing by avoiding any previews or media coverage of the new movie. I don't want to see any of the scenes out of context or make my own my conclusions about what to expect.
I'm very excited.
I could go on and on about how much I love Batman and the new direction these movies are going but I'll keep this short.
I'm very excited.

My Wife's Blog

2008-07-03T03:14:00.001-06:00

Guess what my wife did today? She started a blog!

She's getting so hi-tech!

Here's a link.
http://debnott.blogspot.com/

Bowling Pins

2008-06-30T12:51:00.002-06:00

Sometimes you work really hard on a movie and it just doesn't turn out.

But other times, without much effort, it turns out way better than you originally thought.

This is one of them.

To Garit

2008-06-25T11:25:00.000-06:00

We're all waiting

Binaural

2008-06-17T07:03:00.002-06:00

Binaural was the name of a Pearl Jam album.

It's also a cool stereo effect.

Here's your task
A) Put on some headphone
B) Go to this site
C) try to not turn your head while listening

PS - It is NOT some gag where there's going to be a loud sound to scare you, it's just a cool short audio clip

Don't you hate that you have to live with the fear that you might click on something like this?

The Happening

2008-06-14T23:46:00.003-06:00

Let me preface this by saying that I am a HUGE M. Night fan! Yes, I even liked/own Lady In The Water!

On Friday night My dad, Matt, Adam, and I all went to see his new movie The Happening. We all hated it.
Unlike any of his other films, there was zero depth to any of the characters. There is more character development in an episode of Home Improvements. The plot... well... let's just say the plot doesn't move past the title of the movie. Something happens, then keeps happening for 90 minutes. Seriously, I've never seen a title be such a spoiler for a movie.

I've loved the stories that he's told in the past. They are incredibly entertaining, all while we learn more about his characters, and in the end, also learn a great moral message. None of that is present in The Happening!

HOWEVER!

Besides the writing and acting (two big things I know!) but besides that, it was very very well made. I love James Newton Howard's music, the cinematography was great, but most importantly I WAS CREEPED THE HECK OUT! It was incredibly disturbing! At one point I realized that all 4 of us were hunched down in our seats, covering our faces, but peeking through our fingers. There was some gross, messed up stuff going on the entire time. There was a particular scene with an old lady that I can't get out of my head.

So should you see it? It depends.
If you want to be moved and amazed at a perfectly woven story, then no.
If you want to see lots of people get killed in lots of different ways, then yes... and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Scary Toys

2008-06-03T12:41:00.002-06:00

Merrill is a very happy kid. For toys, he mostly just plays with measuring cups and shampoo bottles. We have a few toys that others have given us, but Deb and I thought it was time to go out and buy him a new toy. We spent a bit of time trying to pick out just the right one that we thought he'd like. We must be bad parents.

Get a Life!

2008-06-02T04:41:00.001-06:00

Is this you? It's not me... I swear it's not me...I'm fine.

Great Photo

2008-06-01T09:39:00.002-06:00

My brother Matt recently got a new camera (a Nikon D80 for those who know or care) and he's taken some awesome pics of Merrill. This is by far the best one. The best part is his cute flannel shirt and overalls.

A-Team!!

2008-05-26T20:07:00.002-06:00

Hey did you know that NBC.com now has old episodes of The A-Team that you can watch whenever you want? Amazing right? I just thought I'd share that great news with all of my friends!

ps - I've never watched a single episode before

Wii Fit

2008-05-25T08:43:00.002-06:00

I've waited a few days to post this, just so I could be sure about it.
For my birthday this year I just asked for money, and with that money I could of bought a lot of things, but I decided on the Wii Fit.

I was able to get one the day it came out on Wednesday morning. Deb actually used it first, then I tried it out later in the day. Overall we really like it.
I was debating on getting something else like Boom Blox or some other party game like Guitar Hero, but after listing the pros and cons, I figured that the Wii Fit wouldn't just be a game, but an actual exercise program... which it is!

It's not the type of game where you want all of your friends in the room to watch you play it. I look especially goofy during the hula hoop game. But it's the type of game you want to own so you can play it every day, and that's just what I've done.

I won't go into a huge review about all of the different games and functions, just know that Deb and I have used it a lot already, and unlike any other game, we usually work up a good sweat. It's really easy to just keep going because you're more focused on the "game" than the fact that you have been jogging for several minutes.
We both have gotten into it, but we each have different exercises that we like. I really like the balance games and strength training, while Deb does more of the aerobics and yoga. It's really motivated us both to try to be healthier and exercise more. What video game has ever been able to do that!?

Now they need to create Wii Massage Therapist, my legs are still sore.

You're the Voice

2008-05-21T18:51:00.002-06:00

My brother Matt introduced me to the movie Hot Rod. I recommend it. I bring it up because our little Archuleta sang the song "You're the Voice" a few weeks ago. When he was singing, I knew that I had heard it somewhere. I couldn't place it until a few days later when Matt told me that it was from Hot Rod. Here's that scene from the movie. If you haven't seen it, it might not make sense... actually it doesn't even though I have seen it. Funny stuff.

Canada vs America

2008-05-20T05:41:00.002-06:00

When I lived in Canada for two years, I learned how an 'Apostrophe M' could completely change the meaning of a sentence.

I miss America.

I'm miss America.

See? Big Difference!