The Other Drummer

Yeah. Sorry. I’m alive. Just sorta been neglecting my digital duties of late. Despite the fact that my posts here have dwindled and I’m down to about one post per week on LivSimpl, for some inexplicable reason I’ve decided to launch a new project called Write In My Journal.

The idea of Write In My Journal is this: I approach people who look interesting – like they have a story to tell – and ask them if they, knowing they’ll most likely never see me again, will write in my journal.
They’re free to write whatever they want. I may give them a prompt to start but ultimately it’s up to them.

There are so many people out there with such diverse backgrounds and perspectives and it’s absolutely fascinating to me. Have you ever looked at a person and thought, “I wonder what their story is? How did they get to where they are? What are their dreams?” I do. All the time. (Is that weird?) This is my chance to get to know some of them, even if it’s just a glimpse, and share their stories that would otherwise go untold.

So I carry around my trusty Moleskine notebook (which is falling apart – more on that later) and ask people to write in it, right along side all my own scribbles, lists and thoughts.

Please take a moment to check it out, add it to your RSS feeds and leave a comment or two. Oh yeah, and please tell your friends.

I’m listening to President Hinckley give a talk to the youth for a special New Year’s Eve fireside. Whenever he starts talking I can’t seem to help smiling. What a blessing it is to have a prophet on the earth who loves us and has our best interests at heart. The fact that he’s sharp as a tack at 97 years old and has a great sense of humor doesn’t hurt either. :)

“You can be wise and happy or stupid and miserable. The choice is yours.”

Happy New Year. :)

For those of you who may not know, my wife and I are expecting our first child. We’ve known for a while now but haven’t made a formal announcement to anyone (except our families, of course). We’ve just kinda told people as we thought about it. Is that weird?

Well, tomorrow is the big day. OK, maybe not THE big day, but a big day nonetheless. Tomorrow morning we’ll (hopefully) find out The Bun’s gender. We’re really hoping The Bun isn’t feeling particularly modest, otherwise it’ll be off to Fetal Fotos in the mall and, honestly, the name of that place just creeps me out.

Dad, of course, is rooting for a boy and Mom is hoping for a girl. Really though, I’ll be thrilled as long as they’re both healthy and happy.

It’s short notice but are there any predictions? Boy? Girl? Any suggestions for names?

Dear Santa,
I’m sorry to say that global warming might kill you in the next 5 to 6 years. That’s what Mr. Al Gore told me in “An Inconvenient Truth.” Since that is the inconvenient truth I am going to need my presents ASAP. This year I would like A 2008 BMW M3 with all the options and a 42″ HD plasma tv. I still have not received the midget I asked for multiple Christmas’s ago, so how bout hoppin’ on that before you melt away into the soon to be warm waters of the North pole.

Expecting you arrival soon,

Bradford

Merry Christmas to everyone! I am truly blessed…

I was, of course, frustrated when my iMac crapped out on me. However, I decided to try and have an optimistic outlook. It would be a refreshing, liberating experience. Yes. I’d find that I could get by just fine without it, thank you very much. Kind of like when you go camping and remember there is life without the Internet and cell phones and it’s quite relaxing.

I was wrong.

It was terrible. For both my wife and me. Computer companies have done a very good job of getting us to center our lives around our computers (*ahem* iLife) and I have admittedly become very dependent. From music and podcasts to calendars and the Internet, it was a royal pain to be without a computer for a month.

What do I do about this habit, this way of life? Do I slowly adapt and find new ways to do things to become more independent? Of course not. I plan on buying a laptop as soon as I can.

*Sigh* I may never learn.

A more provocative question than, “If you could do anything, what would you do?”

I think I’d start my own business (perhaps around something I’d discovered/invented) and write a book.

So, what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

Rain in Oregon is not in and of itself an uncommon occurrence. In fact, it’s quite common. However, over the last three years it has never rained when my wife and I have been home to visit. That’s saying something since we’ve visited during some typically very wet months.

Today the lucky streak ended. It rained. Actually, it’s still raining. It hasn’t stopped raining since we arrived. Apparently my wife has lost her touch.

And just so you know, rain smells better when it has something to land on that’s not dirt or a building or Utah.

P.S. Yes, I did give a big hug to the tree in my front yard.

For most people that’s not such a big deal. In fact, most people don’t vote. However, in my case I find it particularly ironic. You see, I helped develop the above logo. I wrote the tag line too. I also wrote four TV commercials, two radio spots and a couple of print ads encouraging people to vote (and vote early).

But I didn’t.

It wasn’t a spiteful thing. I just didn’t register in time. In addition to normal feeling normal guilt over not voting, now I feel hypocritical too, like I should have set an example for everyone by being first to the polls.

So people, a good lesson to learn about me: do as I say, not as I do.