Holiday Torture '09: Fifteenth Time's A Charm

Charlie Brown has crossed the threshold.

Same Old Lang Syne

In case you haven't noticed, to the right I have a list of notable Christmas songs and the number of times I've heard them on FM 100 since I started listening on Monday, November 9th. Why Charlie Brown is breaking away from the rest, I'm still not entirely sure.

Happy Veteran's Day.

Holiday Torture '09: Third Time's A Charm

Oh Charlie Brown, die a slow painful death.

Holiday Torture '09: First Repeat

Around 4 PM yesterday I heard Burl Ives' Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer for the second time.

Now today, after a killer band practice last night, I am refreshed and ready to subject myself to another workday filled with Christmas-themed drivel.

Has anyone else heard the "Christmas" song performed by a child in which he refers several times to "Mr. Jesus" and he's singing about how his parents beat him? Not exactly Frosty the Snowman, is it? Bizarre.

FEED THE WORLD! LET THEM KNOW ITS CHRISTMAS TIME!

*twitch, twitch*

It was only a matter of time.

Feliz Navidad... 1 and counting.

Last Christmas

We've just had our first Wham sighting of Holiday Torture '09. I will definitely be keeping count.

Holiday Torture '09

FM 100 is already playing Christmas music. Yeah, I know. It's only November 9th. To bring in the holiday spirit this year, I have decided to listen to FM 100 non-stop at work from now until Christmas. About five minutes into this and I'm already sweating.

I really really love Christmas... but come on... November 9th?

Oh Burl Ives, How can I resist your sweet Christmas magic?

Time Traveling Racial Stereotype

I don't have a lot of ti...!

Music 1010

I hate fine arts.
I hate 8 am classes.
Welcome to my hell.

Iron and Wine Was Suck-tastic

I'm not in the business of complaining about free shows, but that was by far the worst show I've ever been to. I love Iron and Wine, so you know that the crowd had to be particularly awful to warrant that distinction. But the crowd exceeded the limits of my imagination in utter crappiness.

People were being loud and boisterous and everybody was boozing. It was so crowded that you had to get completely out of range of the sound to get any breathing room, and that far out it was just one giant mass of people drinking and talking. Was this an Iron and Wine concert, or a frat party? What did I miss here? How many people actually came to listen to music?

In short, it was a sad day for concerts.

Iron and Wine

I am stoked for the show!

I'm A Red Vine Mule

Yesterday I went to a movie with Garit, Mark, Jen, and Ben Tuttle. On the way to the theater, I stopped at the Maverik to pick up some Red Vines. You must understand however that for guys, sneaking candy into the theater is no small feat. Women have purses that they can easily use to smuggle in contraband, but men have no such luxury.

I remember a particular candy smuggling incidence quite fondly. A couple years back a group of us guys(I can't remember everyone in the group)decided to hit a dollar movie. We went to the grocery store next door and each bought a pound of candy from the bulk bins. We were then presented with the age old question, "How can guys effectively sneak candy into a movie theater." Quickly, we formulated a plan. We each hung a bag of candy down the front of our pants, banking on the fact that if a ticket taker noticed an unnatural bulge in our nether regions, they wouldn't call us out. Awkward? Yes. Juvenile? Definitely. Effective? Quite. As I recall, my pants were slightly tighter than everyone elses, and without a jacket to provide cover, my bulge was a little more pronounced. Still, our mission was a success and we enjoyed a cornucopia of gummy treats.

So back to yesterday. I picked up my Red Vines, and made my way to the theater. There was only one problem. My pants were kind of short on crotch space so I had to improvise. Thankfully I was wearing a jacket, and was able to tuck the bag of candy into the back of my shirt, and the jacket hid any noticable protrusions. I just had to shuffle around because if I moved too quickly the plastic crinkled. In short, I am an expert theater candy mule.

Horses Look Weird.

They have long faces and weird skulls. Also if they break a leg they die. How crazy is that? I don't care how much Garit respects them, I say horses are weird.

It Has Been Four Days.

You all thought that I was slipping into the abyss didn't you. Well just because I haven't posted since Monday doesn't mean I have nothing to talk about. It just means I haven't had time to sit down and blog. I have a post in mind. Scathing, controversial, edgy,... equine.

The Jackson Family Pet Holocaust

Over the past year my family has been rocked by a massive pet scourge that has left our yard an eerie shell of its former lively self. Around a year ago our yard was home to two dogs and three cats. A fourth cat came later. Allow me to expound upon the demise of each pet.

Robin, the dog. He was an old mutt we adopted ten years ago and must have been a year or two old when he showed up at our door step... He went blind last year, got lost, and ended up getting creamed on the highway... poor Robin.

Shortly after Robin's demise a new cat entered our household. He was named Honky Cat.

Shortly after Honky Cat joined the family, our oldest pet, Meow, the senile cat, disappeared. Months later I found her staring at me, frozen in the bottom of our window well. Thus ended Meow the senile cat.

Months later Todd the cat took a journey from which he has yet to return.

Around the same time, my brother Thom began preparing for a mission. On the way to his farewell there was an unfortunate incident involving my mother's vehicle and Honky Cat. The vehicle won. I sprayed his blood off of the driveway and buried him after sacrament meeting.

Finally this evening Sam, our ten year old german shepherd died underneath a shade tree.

Only the elusive cat Pucky remains. Now my family enters into the twilight of pet ownership. Its been a long and fateful journey. While I don't really allow myself to get attached to animals, there have been some good memories. Maybe someday if I ever get a nice big yard I will get a dog and start the cycle anew.

Until then, goodbye to all of my dead animals.

Youtube Remix Alert!

I can't help myself. Generally I try to keep from embracing the random internet memes that are constantly bouncing around Youtube. But I love these remixes...

Not a game, not a game, not a game... we talkin bout practice.

Paris Hilton's Dog House

I fully anticipate this post to send Garit into seizures of rage. Davy however might find it interesting.

Paris Hilton has built a $325,000 mini-mansion.... FOR HER DOGS. ROFL

She's gone to a lot of effort to lavish creatures who would just as soon live in a urine-soaked cardboard box filled with sawdust.

RIP John Hughes

I'm Ready for Autumn

Summer sucks.

It feels good to be blogging again.

Will this work?

For some reason Garits sprint email is somehow attached to my phone. Why is it that the more technologically advanced we get, the more complicated things get?
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Where is my blog stamina?

I have been perusing my previous blogs, particularly those from the fateful month of October 08, and I can't figure out where my blogging stamina went. I was producing blogs at a superhuman rate. Over 230 blogs in 31 days. Granted I had no job, and limited contact to friends and family, so I had no shortage of time, but I also had nothing to write about. No points of interest. Why is it that now, when I have much more going on, I am having an epic case of bloggers block?

Also, why can't I figure out how to blog with my phone?

Okay, this is it. Don't get scared now.

Well well well. I have blogged poorly this year thus far. I blame it on Facebook. I blame it on gainful employment. I blame it on filthy lucre. I blame myself! Alright?! ARE YOU HAPPY?! IT'S MY FAULT! MINE! What, what? Are you just going to walk away? You just going to leave me here? Fine. Just know that I believe that this is a blog worth fighting for. Just remember that in the end you were the one that gave up on me. That's right. YOU gave up on ME! Or we can try and type this out. Just give me one more chance...

So yeah... blogs and stuff.

I am living in Orem now. I have been since May. I am in a student apartment with a bunch of dudes. I graduate in the spring. I work full time. I am poor.



I am in a band. The Indecision. It has been the name of my solo work for a couple of years now, and it is a solid name. So we kept it. We played two satudays ago. Playing my music in front of people is pretty terrifying. I get more nervous than I can explain. But, there is nothing like the high you feel after you walk off a stage. So we are solidifying our band lineup and will be playing more shows in the near future. I bought a beautiful new guitar which I will show documentation of at a later date. American Fender Telecaster Custom. Bands are fun.

I am feeling this blog thing again. Hopefully I'll be around for a while.

May God have mercy on my soul.

Back in November when I was still living in Cedar City, I was issued a speeding ticket. The circumstances were questionable at best. I was going 40 in a 30, on my way out of town, fully believing that the speed limit was 40. By the time I was pulled over I had already passed the 50 MPH sign outside of town. That being said, I have come to expect a ticket every time I am pulled over.

Officers hate me. Why, you ask? I am friendly, helpful, respectful, and apologetic. A model citizen. I am also male, college aged, and long-haired. So basically I might as well be riding in a white Bronco with bloody floorboards.
I accepted my ticket with as much disdain as I could get away with, and continued down the highway. I was determined to fight this ticket to the end.

I went to the courthouse and entered my plea of NOT GUILTY anticipating a speedy hearing. A month passed and I moved back north. Another month passed and I called the courthouse to find out what was going on. Finally I received a letter in the mail, informing me that my court date was set for 3/5/09, over four months after my traffic violation.

For the next two months I debated whether or not to drive the six hour round trip. I would miss work and school without any guarantee that I wouldn't be paying the 80 dollar fine anyway. Finally, the day before the scheduled hearing, I began to feel true remorse for the terrible infraction that I had committed. I had a change of heart. I called the courthouse to formally change my plea.

The receptionist told me that they needed my plea in writing. I sat at my work computer with a heavy heart, ashamed at my wanton disrespect for the laws of this great land. I pressed my hands to the keyboard and slowly let my soul spill out into a Microsoft Word document. I immediately felt the burden of my crimes being lifted as I began typing:

"I, Daniel Jackson hereby change my plea to GUILTY for the traffic violation with which I am charged. May God have mercy on my soul."

As I carefully attached my signature to this solemn document and dialed in the Iron County Justice Center fax number, I had a distinct feeling that He would. He would.

exit hibernation

This winter blog-sleep is slowly falling from my eyes.

I am coming out of blog-tirement.

After October's epic showdown I lost a whole lot of steam and I had take a hiatus to renew the joy of blogging in my soul.

Now I am back in full force.

Last week Branden, Kevin, Tom, David Jay and I were all congregated in the hall of flags. Yes, I have a hang-out group in the infamous hall of flags. We watched as several communications students attempted to conduct an experiment using chairs as barriers. As people approached the roadblock, if you will, the students would document their various reactions. Every several minutes some tool would walk by and make a scene by going against the grain and pushing through the chairs. Could we sit by and let the test be conducted, unmolested? I say, we could not. First David Jay stormed through the chair barrier, crashing through rows and rows of chairs. upon reaching the final row, he grabbed a chair and spun it around so it faced the opposite direction. He continued straight to class. Then five minutes later Kevin walked through, picked up a chair, carried it to the end of the hall and slammed it down loudly. By then Branden and I were laughing so hard we couldn't participate, we had totally blown our cover. I hope our efforts are included in the experimental results.