Me and my idiot-box

I’ve always liked to watch TV. “People” always say that too much TV will fry your brain. As long as I am entertained while my brain is being fried then I’m totally fine with that.

I recently started buying the seasons of my favorite shows because I want to watch them in full, from start to finish. Here are some of my recent purchases along with some personal reviews:

LOST

I bought seasons 1-5 and watched them over Christmas “break” before the final season 6 started. I’m definitely not as lost (pun intended) as most people are because I watched all seasons in quick succession. The main reason I love this show is because there is so much character development, especially the villains. One thing I really hate about most shows, movies, or books is that they focus on the hero. The hero usually has a trial, over comes the trial, and then beats down the villain. But what about the villian? What’s his story? What made him into a bad guy? Does he consider himself a bad guy?

This show is complicated and a lot of fun to watch. I would recommend not spacing out the episodes too much though.

Seinfeld

This show (along with FRIENDS) is always on TV and I’ve seen 95% of the episodes prior to buying the entire series. Seinfeld is made so you don’t have to watch it in succession or know the background story in order to enjoy an episode here or there. I think a big reason why I didn’t like the series finale is because I didn’t watch the show in succession and I didn’t know the main, secondary, and other characters as well as I should have. I just finished watching this series and I loved it. I loved watching the characters develop through out the 9 years. I love all the crazy background stories (relationships, inside jokes, families, etc) that make the show so much funnier.

How I Met Your Mother

I was flipping through the channels one night when I came across this show. It happened to be the “Naked Man” episode and it caught my attention. I laughed through the entire episode and then I was hooked. I bought the first 4 seasons and watched whenever I needed a good laugh. I think this is one of the most underrated shows currently on TV.

FRIENDS

I’ve always loved FRIENDS. I watched the last 3 years of the show religiously and I’ve been hooked ever since. I think over the last 2 years I’ve watched the entire series through twice. I just can’t get enough of it.

Arrested Development

Another completely underrated show. If you love socially awkward situations and messed up families you will LOVE this show. It only lasted for 2.5 seasons but every episode is classic.

X-Files

I remember watching this show with my dad when I was really young. When I moved into the P-Hut, my senior year of college, I met Coleen. We quickly discovered that we had many things in common, one being our love of EBEs (extraterrestrial biological entities). Over the course of my senior year Coleen and I watched all 9 seasons of X-Files. The show was originally created as a “monster of the week” show; each episode was made to stand-alone. Shortly after starting, the mythology part of the show (aliens, government conspiracies, etc.) was introduced and stuck around for the rest of the series.

Next on my list:

&

What’s your favorite show? Do you have any suggestions for me?

**And feel free to borrow any of these from me! I love to share! : )

Adventures in Tooele

A few weeks ago my boss Dave came into my office to tell me that we were going to Tooele for a survey. Most people would be upset upon hearing this news. I was not... and here's why...

(1) I needed to get out of the office and start hiking again.
(2) I use to live in SLC and I knew I would be able to see some of my old friends again.
(3) I knew Malorie was living in SLC with her husband and she would likely be coming out on survey with us. Roommate!
(4) Park City is close by.
(5) Six awesome people from the Tucson office were coming up to help with the projects (5 of them I haven't seen since the UNEV excavation last summer).
(6) The Haunted Kirk Hotel!!

Little did I know that we would be hiking between 13 and 17 miles a day...

For reals!

I'm not gonna lie, the work days were long and hard. It snowed, rained, hailed, and was sunny all within 30 minutes... multiple times. The terrain consisted of large drainages, 45 degree slopes, snow, sand dunes, rocks, and forest so thick you had to sometimes hike 60 meters just to find a way through the trees.

But did I complain?

Yep!

But not too much.

The nights and weekends are what I really looked forward to.

Sushi Night:
I got a call from my old roommate inviting me to come over and make sushi with her and some friends.

We went to the store, bought all kinds of veggies and meat, prepared the food, and then waited... and waited... and waited...

Apparently rice takes a REALLY long time to make.

We were all starving so Lisa made us some appetizers: toaster strudel and mozzarella sticks!

[Austin, Lisa]

[Lisa]

Finally the rice was ready! Apparently you have to fan it as you add other ingredients to make it more sticky... who knew?

[Brooke, Me, Austin, Lisa]

Now we were ready... first you prepare the roll,

then you roll the roll,

then sharpen the knives,

and Voila! Awesomeness!


Homemade sushi is the way to go! So much cheaper and a ton of fun!

Park City:
What would a trip up north be without a little Park City action?

This was a great opportunity to try out my new camera.


Bonneville Salt Flats:

I've seen them. A million times. But, being the awesome tour guide that I am, I decided to take my coworkers out to the Bonneville Salt Flats.

If you haven't seen them they are worth seeing... once.

The summer is by far the best time to go out onto the salt flats. On a clear day you can actually see the curvature of the earth!

Kirk Hotel:

The best part about the trip was staying at the haunted Kirk Hotel. Dave and I found this hotel the last time we were up in Tooele and we decided, then and there, that we would stay here again if we ever made it back to Tooele.

The hotel was built before the Great Depression and it is still up and running.

The out side is old and creepy but the inside is pretty rockin! There is a community kitchen and living rooms and most of the bedrooms have recently been redone.

The hotel is still heated by an old coal oven, a ghost dog roams the halls, and my bedroom lights turn on and off by themselves... but I'm not complaining! This hotel rocks!

10 Things

I've been tagged by my cousin-in-law, Bekah, and now I get to write ten things about myself and tag 4 others to do the same.

Ready?

(1) I LIVE for sports.
- Lakers, Angels, Chargers, Hockey (I’m half Canadian, remember?), The Olympics, March Madness!

(2) I love to quote movies and TV shows.
- I can relate FRIENDS to any social situation.

(3) I'm addicted to traveling.
- Do I really need to explain?

(4) I’ve lived in 4 different cities in Utah (Salt Lake City, Provo, Cedar City, St. George). It’s been good to me but I’m ready to leave.

(5) I made a choice last year that has completely changed my life.

(6) I’m blunt but not to the point where I will hurt your feelings.

(7) I am a loyal friend and will do anything for the people I love.

(8) My favorite meal is pancakes with bacon.
- Brinner anyone?!

(9) I have been accused of being a cynic or a pessimist. I am a realist.

(10) Bill Simmons is my favorite sports writer.


I tag Coleener, Adam, Malorie, and Lacey

Oh Canada!

As I watched the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympic games I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed.

Canada is seen as a joke sometimes here in the US.

People say that Canada is Americas hat or attic or we make fun of the way they talk (eh?!) or how much they like Maple syrup or gravy with their fries or if we were ever in a war they could provide us with an unlimited supply of snowballs and rocks...

But I LOVE Canada!

I love the way the opening ceremonies portrayed Canada. It showed that Canada is diverse, beautiful, and strong.

I think the world needed to see that and I think I needed to see that.

I have pride in my 1/2 Canadian blood. I love that I've been able to spend some time in the true north. I love that during the Olympics I can cheer for the US and for Canada.

Here's to the Olympic games!

Cycles

Friend: "Hey kid, you don't look so good. What's going on? Wanna talk about it?"

Me: "Do I ever?"

Friend: "Haha, no, but you should, right?"

Me: "Yea, I guess."

Friend: "Okay, so sit down."

I did.

Friend: "Now, what's up? What's going on? What are you feeling?"

I bowed my head and starred at my hands. I guess I was hoping they would give me an answer.

I sat in silence trying to think of a way to answer him.

After a few more seconds he asked me again...

"Court, come on, you can't keep it in. It's gonna destroy you... eat you alive. So what is it? What are you feeling?! Don't think about it. Just answer!"

Finally, I looked up. He was starring at me. I could tell he was concerned so I decided to give him an honest answer... something I don't do a lot.

"Nothing... that's it... I feel nothing..."

This isn't the first time I've been like this. It's happened a few times before... a long time ago.

It comes in cycles.

First, I'm happy. I'm usually happy.
[That's probably why people like to be around me]

Next, something bad happens. Something scary. Something traumatizing. Then I become sad. If I can't get out of that, which I usually can, I slowly slip into depression.

Then comes the anger. I become angry with myself and with the situation. I become angry at the fact that I've let myself come this far. But usually I can pull myself out of this. I allow myself to hate, to feel anger, to feel pain. And then it's over...

If I can't get it together in time my body decides that its time to feel nothing.

I see it as a kind of defense mechanism. My body wants to protect me. No more pain, no more sorrow, no more... anything...

Nothing... I feel empty. Even as I write this I feel nothing. I'm not sad. I'm not angry. I'm just empty.

As I said, I've been in this situation before and I know how to get out of it. But do I want to? You know, I've actually wanted this before.

Have you ever been so sad or so hurt that you wish you had no feeling so it wouldn't hurt anymore?

I have. I'm sure I'm not alone.

But I regret it. I'd rather feel pain and sorrow then feel nothing. At least feeling pain still makes me feel like I'm human.

My life is about to change. Change a lot. Change in a way that I need to mentally and physically prepare for.

[Change is good, right? Its the only thing that's constant... as a realist I need that. I crave that.]

So, I gotta get it together, right?

No more of this.

I'll snap out of it. It just takes time.

I know that.

I've been here before.



"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature." -Anne Frank

Done and done

Remember how I went on a dig?

And found thousands of these (artifacts)?

And how I've spent the last 6 months analyzing them?

And how I'm now done?!

Superbowl XLIV

I'm going for the Saints!

Game on!