Family Home Evening!

For FHE yesterday, we went up to Bridal Veil Falls (a waterfall that lies halfway between Provo and Sundance.) Check it out:



I've been here a couple times before, but this was the first time we actually hiked up the trail to reach the top of the falls. Along the way, the trail was replete with families riding around on bikes and skateboards and teenagers toasting marshmallows. I guess other people had the same idea we did.

Once we reached the top of the trail, we took a group photo of our FHE "family.":



These are some cool kids.

Some of us even ventured all the way to the top of the ridge. It was amazing, especially the cool steam from the waterfall. Here's me posing at the top:





Once perched at the top, I got this great view of the whole valley:

Road Trip!

One hour after I finished my last final, Drew and I were on the road heading down I-15 towards Las Vegas. Once you go south of Utah Valley, it's...vast. Seriously, there was nothing there 'cept an occasional podunk town and truck stop. After four and half hours of driving, we saw Las Vegas:



We spent the night at the house of our former Young Men's President (for those of you who aren't LDS, that's roughly the equivalent of a youth pastor.) He's retired from the Air Force and now works as a dermatologist. He and his wife are super-nice and the kids are amazing (they've grown quite a bit.)

On the morrow, we continued our journey through the Mojave Desert and finally arrived in sunny California. I should probably mention that the main objective our trip was so that Drew could visit his fiancee, Erin. She's on an internship in Glendale (a suburb of LA.) This is the house she's staying in:



Yes, I did feel a little awkward being the third wheel...but, Erin is way cool. We spent Friday afternoon walking around old Pasadena, including the park (which was full of bums.) Speaking of which, we did a little bumming around ourselves:



Wow, aren't we some brazen law-breakers?

We stayed in Drew's aunt's house down in Mission Viejo.



Nice place, huh? For four days we just crashed on their couches late at night and left early in the morning. Most of the time, I don't think they even noticed we were there.

We checked out San Diego on Saturday...including the USS Midway (a WWII-era aircraft carrier that has since been converted into a museum.) If we were sailors, this would be our living space:



If I were a bad sailor, I'd be in here:



This is my favorite part of the ship, the aircraft:



Isn't that cool? I should join the Navy (just kidding!)

We also checked out the Sunset Cliffs by the beach:



I was surprised by the number of fishermen present.

The best part of the day, however, was stopped by the San Diego LDS Temple on the way back:



What a majestic edifice. LDS Temples are a photographer's goldmine (even for those who aren't members.)

On Sunday we went to Church. Erin's chapel looks unlike any other LDS meetinghouse I've ever seen:



It's got that California/Western motif going in its style and color scheme.

On Monday morning, we piled back into the car and rode back on up to Utah Valley (in one day.) On our way there, we stopped by Las Vegas and got In-And-Out:



...and there was much rejoicing.

The End.

Finite Element Analysis is a pain, but at least it won't last forever!

My engineering classes are maddening.

I'm also taking a history class. Last week, we had to present a "creativity project" featuring a modern take on something from the ancient world.

As an engineer, I opted to do something with Roman aqueducts:



These babies are the reason why the ancient Romans had indoor plumbing (even though my great-grandparents didn't.) I used this aqueduct (located in Segovia, Spain) as an inspiration for my project: an aqueduct waterslide! It uses the same hydraulic technology as a normal aqueduct, but it can used for fun!

I used AutoCAD to model my idea:




...and here's the final 3D rendering:




I also made a video so you can get an idea of what it looks like:

A lot can happen in two years

Two years ago yesterday, I climbed off that plane in Atlanta to return home from my mission in Uruguay. I've been off my mission longer than I've been a missionary...and, all the missionaries who were in my mission (or the MTC, really) are now home. Dang.

Much has happened since my return. I've worked as a salesman, CAD instructor, physics instructor, custodian, surveyor and bus stop attendant. I've taken 80 credits of college classes at BYU, most of them science, math and engineering. In a mere 18 months I should finally have a diploma in hand.

Finals next week. This may be my worst term/semester yet. I definitely bit off more than I could chew with 9 credits and a part-time job...but hey, over in a week!

Chocolate rations are up!

On this day sixty years ago, George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 was first published.



I usually don't read fiction, but this book is a classic. It's oft-quoted and referenced in politics and pop culture. The title of this post is one of my favorite quotes from the book...The Party's method of brainwashing people through propaganda is sickening (and kinda funny.)

With totalitarian governments still in existence around the world, the novel is still relevant.

Make a difference

Last year, the Heritage Foundation came out with an interesting study on the "economic demographics" of enlisted personnel in the U.S. military. One fact that surprised me quite a bit was the fact that 75.5% of enlisted recruits come from homes with incomes of over $40,000, and that the upper and middle-class are over-represented in total number of enlistees.

I was always under the impression that military recruiters targeted low-income kids with little economic opportunity, since the military could offer a stable job and a place to stay. My dad and uncle (who both enlisted as teenagers) came from a lower working-class background and didn't have how going for them coming out of high school. Still, I think the military influenced both of them for the better. My dad ended up making a career out of it, serving 21 years in the Air Force (he still works for the military as a civilian.)

I also know of many who chose to enlist even when they had other (arguably better) options. Take, for example, the cases of Pfc. Track Palin (son of Governor Sarah Palin):



or Lance Cpl. James McCain (son of Senator John McCain, pictured here with his older brother Jack, a recent Naval Academy graduate.)



Both young men came from well-to-do, successful families and opted to skip college in order to serve their country. Now that's an admirable sacrifice. People can blog about terrorism and the war all day, but the ones who really make a difference are the ones who wear the uniform.

I guess that's the reason why I'm joining the Army. That, and the fact that I'm already used to the lifestyle of moving around every few years. The Army is paying for my education, which is nice, but I could probably make more money as an engineer in the private sector. The Army is a good career though. It's got great benefits. When I finish my active duty commitment after four years, my base salary will be about $60K a year, and that's not including housing allowances, medical coverage, etc.

Will I want to separate from the Army once my obligation is up...or will I want to make a career out of it? It's way too early to answer that question.

Right now the big question is what branch I will request upon commissioning. More on that later.