Bubble Magic

The magic of Bubbles.

I think the pictures say it all

Are we becoming the Borg?

I do not consider myself a Trekkie but I have seen most of the Star Trek Movies and seris . (I am currently watching Enterprise on DVD from the library)
I do find it interesting that we are becoming more like Star Trek. Cell phones, the internet etc. With all this advancement we are also coming closer to the Borg.
Face Book, Twitter, email has brought us all closer to becoming part of the “collective”. My blackberry keeps me in contact with any one 24 hrs a day. I get updates on face book on what friends are doing.
Youth seem to be at a loss if they are out of signal range for even 10 minutes let alone longer.
Technology is good but I do think we are losing some of our basic humanity along with it.

The Classics

I have been searching for a great read lately but have not found anything that really catches me.
I think I will try out some of the classics that I vaguely remember from my youth.
So I will start with The Black Arrow by Stevenson.

I miss the excitement of anxiously waiting for the next Harry Potter or Terry Brooks new work.

Good thing the classics are always there to fall back on.

Hate to admit...my boys were right

For years my boys have been telling me that I should watch the TV show "House". I had caught parts of it every so often. Last week they were doing a marathon of house and I caught several episodes and liked it. Randy was kind enough to loan me season one which I have been watching.
I really like this show. The writing is great and the characters are very enthralling...I hate to admit it but they were right, but they were!

Cool Dude!

Every superstar has two sides to them...

Laughs and growls

Boo loves to read. (well what she thinks is reading) She will sit in the corner and leaf through books. For the past several weeks she has been holding a book and laughing then giving a growl. I finally decided to look and see what book she does this with. This is it. She will often sit through at least 2 pages as I read it with her in my lap.
It is a good book. I guess she growls at the monster...I get such a kick out of watching her love for books start.

Dreams of flying

No magic can replace the dreams

a child gets as they soar through the sky.

Bound to earth by a simple rope and seat but

having no bounds in their mind

as the joy of wind in their hair brings

a smile to their face and

a laugh fills their heart.

Thoughts on being a Grandpa!!!

I am now a grandpa! How cool is that! I look at it a bit differently than most...My daugther (the oldest child) is 25, 2 boys 22 and 19 years old. Then my second daugther just turned 15 months old one day before her nephew was born.

As I held Jaxon and looked at how small he was it was not too hard to remember Boo at that age and size and how fast the time has gone.

It is also not hard to give advise to Jo and Josh on things since we just went through things. I know not every baby is the same but as I have said before alot of things have chnaged since my 19 year old was a baby

I am so exicted as I think what lies ahead of our family...Boo and Jaxon will be close and of course Jaxon has the best Grandpa's in the world...( right Jack)

Boo Update!

It has been awhile since I posted some photos of Boo. Here are a few. Life remains busy...too busy some days but all the same good. This coming Sunday we are getting a new Stake President. This is unscheduled so I spent a week trying to find a building big enough...then on Fri night it was decided to just do it in our buildings and video conference it. (Good thing I spent the previous week setting up the Internet in all buildings). So this week I have spent time getting the equipment, figuring out how it works and running cable and deciding how to set it all up. Tonight is a test run of the equipment, hope my connections are all good. Anyway, here's Boo

Good TV is leaving?

A few weeks ago one of TV's best written shows ended. Battle Star Galactica came to an end after 5 years. It took me awhile before I got into this show but I have to say once I gave it a chance I was hooked. (I had seen the orginal in 78 when it was on)

Some have said that TV is dying and in some ways they are right. I hate the reality shows that come on. I have asked myself why do I watch TV? To be educated yes but mainly to escape an be entertained. With that in mind I still have several TV shows that I enjoy.

Big Bang Theory is a great escape and laugh since I relate well with the nerds. (No I am not that smart but I am nerdy)
How I met you mother is great because of Barney. Without him it would just be a Friends ripoff
The Mentalist makes me think and smile
Lie to me is good because of the stars.
Legend of the seeker is pure escape since nothing else like it is on. (I get tired of my copies of Hercules and Xena)
24 is good but not a must see the same is for Heroes. I have lost the intense interest I had.

That's about it...I seem to spend more time watching DVDs of old shows but still like a few of the new ones.

I can not wait until BBC America brings back Robin Hood and NBC finaly shows the BBCs Merlin this summer. (I have seen all of the Merlin that was already shown in England thanks to the magic of You Tube)

Magic does happen at Disneyland!

Had a great trip! More to come.

What A Great Life!

As I wrote on my grateful blog, today I am just happy to have the life I do!

I guess alot of it has to do with the fact that I made it to work in one piece. The roads are slushy and people were just going tooooo fast! I thought, better slow down a wreck is coming and sure enough before a mile the traffic slowed to a stop and we crawled along until we passed a 6 car wreck. People are so stupid. Any way more about being happy!

I am glad I have the job I do and the life I do.

I am way excited to become a grandpa! I have not told Jo and Josh how excited I am but I think they know...it is just a cool thought to think that the family is continuing on. Also, this kid is going to have the 2 most bestest grandpas that any kid could have. They have not announced the name yet but I think they know what they want. I have my favorite but am not saying, (if it is my favorite then my sons will immediately stop joking about the name or I will unleash my full power of making fun of them.)

Anyway, life is good. Last week while in El Paso I finished anew Pern novel and wasn't as pleased as I had hoped with it. But I will not give up on the story lines.

Battlestar Galactica ended on Friday. They did a good job, I was happy with the way they tied up loose ends and ended it.

I am happy that I was able to download for free onto my iPod quite a few books from Robert Howard, (Conan, Solomon Kane etc) They will be a joy to read while in line at Disneyland.

ebooks are great!

As I was growing up, all through Jr High and High School and even after that, I could usually be found with a paperback book shoved in my back pocket. As I entered the work force and the Franklin day planners hit it big I always got a binder that would allow me to have a book in it.
When the Palm hit the market I got one of the first ones, a whole lot of memory of 56k!!!! I upgraded as I could and each time I would add books on the memory. Now that I am using my iTouch I was excited to see the programs they have using books! One called classics has 12 of the great classics, Frankenstein, Count of Monte Cristo, Time Machine etc. In addition I have all of the works of Shakespeare and I found a new program called Stanza, it was free and has unlimited amount of books that can be added, many at no cost. It also allows you to add your own files.
Now I know I won’t read all the books at once but I am glad to have them.

Broadway on DVD WOW

Check out my grateful blog for some thoughts on Broadway on DVD

Love of books!

Maggie has discovered part of the magic of books. She will all of a sudden be quiet and we will look over to see her surrounded by her books and going through them.

What a great blessing a love of books and Reading is!

I also had to include the last picture because she looks so darn cute.

Things from 2008 I don't want in 2009

While I have a lot to be grateful for from 2008 there are a few things I will not miss and hope not to see as much in 2009.

Political ads and comments
My broken wrist (Working in the garden stunk)
Gas over $3
Replacing the engine in the Honda
Trips for work to Juarez Mexico. (I will miss the steak house just out side of El Paso.)
Being Jealous of iPod touch (Nat gave me hers as part of my Christmas)
Cody living in Denver
My daughters miscarriage (I will be a grandpa come May)
Violent news and problems (I no longer turn on the news)
Waiting for the comic book geek summer. (Hulk, Iron Man, Dark Knight) (Now it is the wait for Harry Potter 6, Iron Man 2, Wolverine, etc.
Trying to read Twilight (I tired and tired…I even tired on cd but only got ½ way through)
Wondering how Terry Brooks was going to finish the latest book The Gyspy Morph. (I love the anticipation and am sad that this was my last “wait for book” I now have no books I am dying to come out)
Having a goofed up laptop

Just to name few

Old Time Adventure

For my birthday I got a DVD set of a Robin Hood TV series, from the 50’s.
Even though it is in Black and White and the quality is not as top notch as some of the new dvd sets I enjoyed it. There are no special effects, the fights are sometimes funny, (Several times while Robin is fighting 2 men one will swing his sword and stop mid air and wait while Robin moves to hit it. The Story lines are good and the writing is godd as well, the acting is sometimes funny and it is neat to see where the same actor is playing 2-3 parts.

Some times I think we forget the magic TV was back in the day.

You know you are getting old when...

In turning 50 last week (I had hoped to keep the number a secret but…) a lot of thoughts went through my head. (I forgot most of them…after all I’m 50)
Here are some that I do remember

You remember people getting upset when gas went up to 25 cents a gallon
You cried when Davey Jones was going to leave the Monkees (on the TV Show)
Walking on the moon was really cool.
You played army with sticks for guns and the honor system for dying
You always wanted to ride in the back of the station wagon so you could be bounced around more
You would worry being bounced out of the back of a truck if the driver took the bumps too fast
The idea of a square hamburger (Wendy’s) was unheard of.
Paperback books cost under a buck
Drive in movies were cool
Watch videos at home what’s a video?
Every home movie started out with dads head looking into the camera to see if it was on.
Johnny Carson starting on the tonight show
Gilligan in Black and white
Sesame street was the hit with the JR High crowd.
People dying in Vietnam
Quad was the greatest way to listen to music
Grandma refusing to get a micro wave afraid it might blow up
Pocket calculators being as big as a book
Carrying books to and from school without a bag or backpack (they were huge and only for hiking)
The thrill of Major Matt Mason
Every year watching the special announcing the new Saturday morning cartoons.
They wisdom and Joy of Top Cat or Johnny Quest
Arguing over what TV shows we would watch at grandmas since they had a color TV and we did not.
Tuning in the TV by turning a dial
Remote what’s a remote
Neighbors’ actual sitting outside at night and talking
Not worrying if you left your car unlocked or not.
Getting upset that the party line person would not get off the phone so you could use it.
Not being afraid to answer the phone since telemarketers had not been invented yet.
Always having change in the car in case you broke down and had to walk to a pay phone to call.
Knowing you could fix your truck with wire and duct tape if needed.
You remember the first time each of your children smiled and you get emotional about it.


Wow I’m tired from all this thinking, guess I better take my medicine and have a nap.

Peace in the family

I really don't care about sports....but I am grateful that the U beat BYU or my kids would not be in good moods this week...............

The future

Mid November, it seems weird that the year has gone by so quickly.
Maggie is 9 ½ months old…wow. It is hard to remember our life without her and it is very exciting to think of our life ahead with her in it.

Natalie, Randy and I went and did dance pictures for one of the local high schools Sat night. We have been doing this along with Jo and Josh for a few years now.
The kids are an interesting bunch. As I hear people talk on how worried they are about the future and how bad the kids of today are I just smile. They are not that bad, well, at least not all of them.
Each dance we see the same types or groups of kids; the want to be tough kids, the very popular kids, the geeks, and those that are on their first date. Sometimes very definite gang kids. Some of the gang type kids are scary, but I don’t think they will be around long if they keep to that course. At each dance a few stand out that you can tell these are great kids.

I don’t worry about the future. We will survive.