Rob's B.L.O.G.: 2010

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Buckle Up

'twas the blog before finals, and all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a Swens.

FINALS START TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe it. I hope that I am ready because i fell like so much of my future depends on my grades, and my grades depend so much on my finals.

One important factor in doing well with finals is getting a good nights rest, and so for that reason I am ending this blog short.

Slaap lekker bloggers!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Adventures at the Salem (Witch) Pond Adventure

My assignment, and I chose to accept it: Find someone more stressed than you are, and then do something nice for them.

In the beginning (of last week), there was no man, woman, or child more stressed than Robert Boyd Craig. So when Shayne gave me this assignment I thought it may be impossible to complete. Then came Saturday night and I heard Elder David A. Bednar give a fireside, where he answered questions for 2 hours. This completely relieved my stress and made me realize that all was well.

So this very night of December 5 I found a beautiful princess who happened to be more stressed than I was. Barely. She was a 4 on a standard 1 - 10 stress scale. And I took this damsel in distress to Salem Pond, that may or may not be the pond from the book entitled "The Salem Witch Pond" and had a great time with her there. It helped me relax before the stressful weeks of school that lay ahead, and hopefully it helped her too.

And I might not have been thinking about this assignment when I asked her to go with me.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

What happened to Fritz?

A little while ago, I wrote a B.L.O.G. entry about my great-grandfather Fritz Hjalmar Lundgren, but as I was looking over my blog, I realized that somehow it didn't post. The entry even contained a poem that big Fritz wrote about America after he immigrated here from Sweden. Unfortunately, I do not have this poem with me at the moment so I can't type it. Trust me though, it was lovely.

Currently, my life is occupied with something called Econometrics. Yes this is a real word, and yes, this is english. I have a enormous project due tomorrow morning in that class, and I still have loads of work to do on it. The project is interesting though. I am creating a model in STATA, an econometric software program, testing whether NBA players perform better in their contract year or not. And also if their production decreases after they have a multiyear contract in the bag. I am unable to make any conclusions yet, but so far it's looking like players don't generally perform better before they sign a contract, but do slack off after a deal is signed. Hopefully I will finish the project up by tonight. Wish me luck!

To be continued.......

Cann Cann, Can you do the CannCann???

Where is paradise on BYU campus? Lavell Edwards Stadium? The Marriot Center? The RB? The Harold B Lee Library perhaps? The cougar eat, this place is neat. How about the bowling alley? These are all great places on campus, but paradise, in every sense of the world is found near Helaman Halls: The Cannon Center!!

What a marvelous place, particularly when you have a younger sister that is what they call a "Freshman". And not just any Freshman, a Freshman with something called DINING PLUS. What this means, is that my sister has the blessing, privilege, duty, and honor of taking me to this blessed building for ALL YOU CAN EAT FOOD.

I appreciate this now, more than ever, because I eat as much in one meal and the Cannon Center as I do in a normal day at my apartment. Maybe even two. The quality of the food has improved since I was there in 2006, and it is a true delight to devour all food in sight. And spend time with my sister of course. Thanks Elisa!!!!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

I Spy With My Little Eye.....

Something flat
Something sleeping
Something black
Something red
Something white
Something short
Something tall
Something blank
Something pleasing
Something harmonic
Something messy
Something fragrant
Something pointed
Something with 5 toes
Something that goes on your head
Something under the bed
Something surprised
Something closed
Something wrinkled
Something folded
Something half-empty
Something half-full
Something on top
Something on bottom
Something toolish
Something written
Something lit up
Something red
Something blue
Something in a box
Something talking
Something alarming
Something with stars on it
Something yellow
Something old
Something funny
Something hard
Something scraped
Something awkward
Something unshaven

Where am i?

I am in Landon and Andrew's room.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Fat and Happy Hour

As a man who loves food, life can be downright miserable as a poor college student. I consider myself to be a frugal guy and feel like it is a waste of money to spend money on food. This semester I have been grocery shopping 3 times and spent a total of $45 dollars. It's a lot...i know. I eat by faith, and somehow it works out.

For these reasons, Sunday dinners at my house are the highlight of my week. Sure, the family is great and I love spending time with them, but what really is great is the food. My mother can cook like nobody's business and she goes all out on Sunday's. Here was tonight's lineup:

Swedish Meatballs
Mashed Potatoes
Creamed Corn
Salad
Roasted Carrots
Homemade Rolls
Pumpkin Delights

soooooooo lekker. Afterwards I was very fat and happy laying in the couch. And I have leftovers for the next few days.

Life is good

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Meet the Parents

Today for Sunday dinner, we went over to my younger sister Lauren's future inlaws house. The Meyer family is wonderful.

It was fun to see Lauren interact with Paul's younger siblings. They loved her, and she totally fit in with the family. I think that a lot of people that get married are worried about having crazy inlaws, so Lauren is lucky that she doesn't.

I am so happy for her that she is getting married and that she found a worthy guy in Paul. He treats her like a princess and I have never seen her so happy in her life.

Paul works in cinematography and has done some incredible work. We watched his reel, that highlights some of his best filming tonight. My favorite shots that he has done are in Kenya. That place blows me away. I really want to visit there some day.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Cream on the Inside, Clean on the Outside

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Cutting the Cheese

Cutting the cheese = bloody hand and five stitches.

Thats right. Last week Wednesday I was using the only sharp object in our apartment, a 12-inch dull, serrated knife, to cut some Tilamook cheddar cheese.

I violated boy scout rule #1, and cut towards my hand. With a slip of my hand, the knife was off the cheese and into my left hand. Within two seconds my hand was red, and there was a pool of blood on the countertop. I couldn't believe what i just did, laughed, panicked a bit, and put my hand under water. Then I realized that running my hand under water was the remedy for burns, not deep cuts. Then i grabbed the roll of paper towels and by the time I tore off a piece to apply pressure on the fresh would, blood soaked through about half of the paper towel roll.

My good roommate Zander Nickle drove me to the emergency room and the good doctor stitched me up. Part of my thumb is still numb, and the wound is leaking a lot of fluid, but I am a live.

I'm never cutting the cheese again.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Gimme a Break, Gimme a Break, Break Me Off a Piece of That KitKat Bar!!!

My KitKat experience on Thursday night was almost as good as the KitKat commercials (which were a childhood favorite of mine). The story goes as follows:

I was at my usual spot on the 5th floor of the Harold B Lee Library and recalled that I had an assignment to buy a "coke" for a complete stranger. Well, I found the perfect stranger. She was a beautiful brunette all alone on the table next mine. So I moseyed over to her and the dialogue went like this:

Me: "Hey, I have a really random question for you. What is your favorite candy bar?"

Her: "KitKat"

Me: "Good choice. Thanks a lot."

Then I just walked away, leaving her bewildered. I headed to the secret vending machine on the 6th floor, but they were fresh out of KitKats so I had to journey all the way to the Wilk. I purchased the Kit-Kat and headed back to my lady in waiting.

There were two other dudes on her table know. Oh well. She was busy sending a text message so she didn't even see it coming. I plopped her favorite candy bar right in front of her, and she looked up at me with a confused, yet big smile. I explained to her the assignment. She thanked me and told me that it made her day. We chit-chatted for the next few minutes, and I made a new friend. Her name is Kendis.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Conference Weekend

Every six month The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathers to hear from God's living prophet and apostles on this earth. Congregations across the world gather to watch satellite broadcasts. Testimonies are strengthened, hope is rekindled, and revelation is received. Conference came at an opportune time for me this year because I was in need of more direction and focus in my life and I received that and more during conference.
One of the highlights for me was going up to the Saturday afternoon session with my good buddy Landon Quinten Edgington. We had outstanding seats, finding ourselves on the second row of the conference center. We were able to see the general authorities up close, and we actually met five of them!! Wow, it was such a powerful experience.
The primary goal that I set coming out of conference is to read my scriptures more diligently. Not just read, but truly feast and study. I am going to rise out of bed earlier, and I know that it will make a difference in my life.

Monday, September 27, 2010

You Gotta Love It Baby

Today my post is dedicated to the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz have been a source of both joy and heartache throughout my life. A highlight of my young life is when I attended a Utah Jazz practice and got autographs and photos with my heros Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Bryon Russell. I sobbed and ripped up my Michael Jordan T-shirt when my team was defeated by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals. The emotions have been mixed.

Training camp for the '10 - '11 season gets underway today, and I don't recall a time when I have been more excited for the season to start. The offseason has brought a lot of changes. Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Wes Matthews, and Kosta Koufos are all gone via free agency and trade. There is also a slew of new players including Al Jefferson, Raja Bell, Earl Watson, and Fransisco Elson.

I predict that Al Jefferson will dominate the paint and will be an All-Star. He fits into our system like a glove, and with Deron Williams feeding him the ball his numbers should improve. Plus, his positive attitude is a breath of fresh air compared to Boozer's whining and complaining. Raja Bell is a veteran leader with tenacious defense, and Earl Watson should be a reliable backup at point guard for Deron.

It's going to be a fun season.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

St. Jeezy!

There is nothing quite like waking up in the morning, looking out the window, and seeing the rays of the early morning sun beating against the vivid red rock of St. George, Utah. There might be things better, but nothing quite like it.

I spent the weekend in St George with my family and had a blast. The adventures began with a trip to Tuacahn to see Tarzan, the musical. It was enjoyable and somewhat entertaining, and I learned something profound. I was thinking about how so many people spend so much money on tickets for plays, often times for productions they have already seen, all around the world. The same story applies for sporting events. I then discovered one of many reasons why viewing sports is better entertainment than viewing a play or movie - there is so much unknown and excitement in sports that plays lack. Theater is scripted and for the most part, predictable. Sports on the other hand, depend upon the decision making and athletic ability, of real people competing to win. True emotion is felt. Real tears are shed. Genuine smiles are earned.

The rest of the trip was fun too.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Sad Week in Cougar Town - Team Riley or Team Jake???

Greetings bloggers. As stated in the title of this entry, it is a sad week in cougar town. BYU fans across the globe weep because of a pathetic loss to a improved, yet inferior Air Force Falcons team. Our defense could not stop the Falcons option attack led by veteran quarterback Jefferson. Our offense got off to a decent start led by Riley Nelson, but once Air Force's defense figured out his rush-happy scheme, it was game over. BYU's supposed "two-headed monster" quarterback system, comprised of freshman Jake Heaps and junior Riley Nelson, was neither monstrous or two-headed for that matter. After throwing an interception near the end of the first half, Heaps was benched for the entire second half. The run was going nowhere, and Nelson's arm is nowhere near as impressive as Heaps'. The result of the game was not only an embarrassing 35-14 loss, but also the second lowest total passing yards for a BYU football team in the last 45 years. Sad, sad day.

I am still optimistic about the future of Cougar football, but a decision must be made, and made fast. Playing two quarterbacks causes disunity, confusion, and anarchy. Riley Nelson has some skills that Jake Heaps doesn't, BYU NEEDS JAKE HEAPS! His potential is enormous, his arm is incredible, and he just needs some experience under his belt. Team Riley or Team Jake??? Team Jake all the way!

Check out this article by Dick Harmon of the Deseret News:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700064837/It-is-time-to-choose-a-quarterback.html

Thursday, September 2, 2010

What is a B.L.O.G.??

Hello Blogging world! I am beginning this blog for my MCOM 320 class taught by Shayne Clarke, a man with a talent of making milkshakes on Sunday nights. I do not see my self as the blogging type of guy, but I will do my best to keep things interesting. After Shayne's lecture, I actually feel quite motivated and excited to begin writing more. In addition to this, I decided that I am going to start writing in my journal again finally.

The question of the week is, "What is a B.L.O.G.?" By the end of the year I hope to know what this stands for. Hopefully I will get some help from my followers. Any ideas? Currently, my blogging world consists of one loyal follower: Carl G. Dixon, but in the near future I will build an empire of followers.

Well, BYU has started and excitement is in the air and in my soul. Here are some of the highlights so far:

My classes are awesome. I love learning, and I am especially excited for my Econ classes. Econometrics is going to be a beast, but incredibly useful and interesting. I figure that if i can do well in this class then I will be fine for the rest of my major.
The Colony. "The Colony" is the name of my new housing area. Myself and thirteen other members of the crew moved into a small house, with four individual apartments therein. My roommates are Tyler David Hamilton, Andrew Michael Swenson, Landon Quinton Edgington, Stephen Alexander Nickle (aka Zander), and Todd Evan Marchant. Remember those names, you will hear about them in the future. We like to "dougie".
Beautiful girls all around campus waiting to be met. Either the the girls got a lot more attractive over the summer or they are all freshmen