Simply Stunning

Here at UCSB one of the things that our sports information department does is select an athlete or two from different sports team and has them write a diary for the season. A lot of times this is in the form of how the season is going and the expectations for the season, etc. Then of course there is the case of the volleyball player selected.

"January 16, 2008
Santa Barbara, ring the bell, school is back in session. The New Year has arrived with new growth. The rains washed away all the ash and all the grit and grime, the Zaca Fire made our summer a caustic one. We fell as the days kept getting shorter and finally with Santa Ana Winds the ash fell one last time on Santa Barbara, just in time for the holidays. The sun reached its highest point in the Southern Hemisphere on December 21st and shortly after this solstice, nourishing rains came to Santa Barbara pushing the ash back into the soil. It is a time for new plans to be made for this new period of the elevating sun. Together we rise, together we fall.

UCSB is the best school in the world. How lucky we are to find ourselves here, now. For all you out-of-towners who come to Isla Vista, black out and bloody up Del Playa Street, get a grip, get a hobby, find a passion. We have had way too many weekend nights ruined by a corpse. Think of all the people it takes to raise a child proper and how fragile life is before you let go of the reins in our backyard. For all you visitors who come to I.V. give love and respect, we give it right back to you and we welcome your kind. For all you who hate on cops while they are working the grave shift reflect on this: Cops sprint to trouble and distress while everyone else runs away. For all you cops who write tickets for biking through a stop sign, I say to you: Get back to work�I guarantee there is harder crime out there. For all you sorority girls biking around with a coffee in your hand and a cell phone in your ear: Careful dear, talk less and say more. Your word is a currency and sadly many of your economies suffer from inflation. For all you young healthy beautiful people out there who burn time checking out pictures of yourself on Facebook: Check your egos, find a passion - someone out there may need your help, but they can't read your mind and they'll never find you if you live inside your own head. For all you bums who use our shower: I have nothing against people getting clean, but please respect our space. For whomever owns Pita Pit: Hire a manager. For all peoples of the world: Turn off the T.V., there is a thin line between boredom and fatigue. Maybe all y'all need is a little stimulation.

Ice cold blood courses through my hand, sometimes it goes dead to the world all ghostly pale, but we don't stop. Captain told me to damn all the torpedoes. This Gaucho holds his pistol with a cold dead hand and I only shoot to kill. In my territory, I am the law. To shake my hand on the court when it is cold is like shaking with the Grim Reaper, to shake when it is hot is to hold weaponry cast in the furnaces of Hephaestus and that's just one car in a steaming train twenty five deep, constantly building momentum. Each of us is just one link in a chain. Like the dirty dozen we are a rag tag group, a pack of Gauchos who ride together throughout the West picking fights with all comers and Santa Barbara, my love, we are always coming home to you, we fight for you and your children, to give them something to believe in. Our gym may be the dirtiest thing in sight, but it is our home and no one comes into our kitchen and pushes us around. Trust me, you don't want to bring a knife to a gun fight, son.
Peace, love, unity."
*courtesy www.ucsbgauchos.com

I'm still questioning how this got through Sports information and onto the website.

Congratulations Cindy and Chris

A very special congratulations to Cindy and Chris Guthrie on the birth of Madeline Grace Guthrie!
She's absolutely adorable!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

... I am pleased to present to you Mr. Rocko Turtle!

From the Portfolio of Ansel Adams

Cute and Cuddly Sunday

A very special cute and cuddly for Heather!

findyourspot.com

My good friend Heather and I were chatting on gmail this afternoon at work when she told me about this online quiz at www.findyourspot.com which once completed will tell you your top 24 ideal living locations in the United States. The quiz covers a lot of different variables that people take into consideration when deciding to settle down.

Here's the top ten from my list of 24:

10. Hartford, Connecticut
9. Providence, Rhode Island
8. Salem, Oregon
7. Corvallis, Oregon
6. Albuquerque, New Mexico
5. Baltimore, Maryland
4. Seattle, Washington
3. Little Rock, Arkansas
2. Eugene, Oregon
And the number one location is ...

1. Portland, Oregon

Before I Die: Curling

Watching the past couple of Winter Olympics I've been fascinated with four sports; the bobsled, the luge, the skeleton, and curling. Although, the sledding events would be awesome and super cool to do I think curling holds my best chance of becoming an Olympian.
What better way to stick it to Canadians than to beat them at their own sport! Not only does one not have to be in the best physical condition to curl it's a sport of precision and accuracy; all three play into my favor, as I am somewhat out of shape and a perfectionist. I hope to one day be able to live near a place that has curling classes, so that I can at least try it and who knows even become one of the premiere curlers in America. I must admit though the idea of moving to North Dakota where it is most prominent is not my quite my ideal living locale.

Cute and Cuddly Sunday

German Polar Bear Cub Edition:

Before I Die: Richard Petty Driving Experience

I know my Dad will probably share the want to do for this one. I've always had a fascination with speed and the thrill of pushing things to the limit, so what better way to do that than learn how to and then drive a car that has the potential to go over 200 mph. I think the thrill of going that fast would be freaking awesome. The only down side would be the potential for a gnarly crash. The adrenaline rush however would make it so worth it.

Out to the Movies: Cloverfield

The first trailer for this movie came out last July creating quite a stir and a lot of buzz. "Cloverfield" was finally released this past Friday. The entire film is one hour and twenty-four minutes of shaky video camera work that made me wish I had taken some dramamine beforehand. I actually thought that I was going to need to leave the theater to vomit about halfway through because of it, but stuck it out.

I would not suggest paying the price of admission to see this film; you would be better served to wait for it to come out on dvd. Unfortunately, this film did not live up to the hype that initial trailer instilled in just about everyone.

Cute and Cuddly Sunday

Alaskan Malamute Edition:

Before I Die: Whitewater Rafting

I've heard from many different people that Whitewater rafting is an awesome experience. So,whitewater rafting is definitely high on my list of things to experience before I die.


I wonder if I'm a closeted adrenaline junkie? My guess is probably!

Out to the Movies: Juno

I've been wanting to see this movie since I first saw the trailer. I was disappointed when it first came out in limited release and Santa Barbara was not one of the locations, and then basketball season got in the way for the past week or so. Well, I finally made it to the Theater to enjoy this cinema event.

I was not disappointed! The humor was smart, funny, and unique. Ellen Page was damn near sublime in her portrayal of a pregnant teenager. In other words, I really enjoyed this movie! It may not be for everyone, but I feel it is worth the price of admission.

Cute and Cuddly Sunday

And contrary to some people's belief I am not doing this to torture my parents.

Reading Corner

In the quickest cover to cover read in my history I finished reading "The Kite Runner" late last night after beginning it on Wednesday. "The Kite Runner" has been by far the most interesting book I have read in a really long time. I found myself so engrossed in the story that I didn't want to set it down for a second. For anyone who is looking for a great book to read I strongly recommend "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.

Next up is "Auschwitz: A New History" by Laurence Rees.

The Simple Pleasures

I miss a lot of things about living in Ohio and Oregon, but the sound of rain is the one thing that doesn't find it's way to Santa Barbara very often. I've been fortunate this week in that it has rained 2 of the last 3 days helping me unwind from some pretty disheartening and irritating days of work. It's been nice and relaxing coming home, reading my book and listening to the rain outside.

Before I Die: Alaska

In the spirit of "The Bucket List" set to release in a week or two I've decided to share with all of you in weekly installments things and places that I would like to see and do before I die. Up first is the state of Alaska!

Ever since I was a kid I've had two obsessions; Marine Life and Nature! Afterall, I initially wanted to be a Marine Biologist till I watched Jaws thirty times and Discovery Channel's Shark week. It was at that point I decided I couldn't handle the whole shark aspect of the job, and thus moved onto Architecture and then Athletic Training.

Alaska has always fascinated me and I find myself envying people who grew up there. The beauty of the landscape, the diversity of wildlife, the miles of uncharted wilderness, and of course the Huskies! Here's a taste of what I find so enticing about Alaska:









Ultimately I am hoping one day to be able to afford a vacation to this great state and experience all it has to offer!

Reading Corner

I have to admit that I've been slacking on my reading here lately and only reading when on the road with the basketball team.
I vow to be better! I finished "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom this past weekend while I was in Spokane, Washington. This book was a fairly easy read; this most likely was because I ended up getting the Large print edition in which anyone 10 feet behind me could have also read the words with ease.

"The Hiding Place" is a true story about the ten Boom family during the German occupation of Holland in World War Two. The family; particularly Corrie joined the Dutch Resistance and aided Jews into hiding and stealing ration cards to allow passage of Jews to homes in the country and attempt to save them from persecution. Things were going well for the ten Booms till one day their home got raided and each were imprisoned. Most of the family was later released, except for Corrie, her sister Betsie, and her Father who died a week after being incarcerated. Betsie later died after her and Corrie where transported to a concentration camp in Germany.

Overall the book was good and right up my alley. I truly enjoy reading books about true life events and thinking about if I was placed in the same position would I have the same courage to do what they did. I like to think that I would, but I don't think any of us truly know what path we would take until confronted with the situation.

Next on the list:

"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Happy New Year's

The ball has dropped, people have been kissed, and resolutions have been made; it is officially 2008! In true New Years fashion I have come up with a list of some resolutions; I guess these would be more like goals than anything else, that I hope to attain and work toward this year. My hope is to use this blog as a way to measure my progress in achieving the results that I want to get out of my resolutions. The progress may not always be pretty but I hope that this year helps me grow as a person.

So with no further delay here's the list:

Number 1: Reach target weight of 160lbs and/or waist size of 32.
a: Eat Healthy
b: Exercise at least a hour 5 days a week.

Number 2: Be Better at keeping in touch with past, current, and future friends.

Number 3: Reconnect with my brother

Number 4: Buy a bed

Number 5: Be more honest and stand up for myself at work

I know there is a lot of things that should probably be on my list of resolutions (goals), but I think this a good list to start with.

To everyone who reads my blog I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and that 2008 treats each and everyone of you with respect and honor.

Happy New Year!