It pays to save (and backup!)

Well, last year about this same time, by coincidence, I woke up on the first day of school to find that my computer was inoperable... something had gone wrong with it that wouldn't even let it start up. It took about a week for me to finally arrive at the conclusion that the hard drive had crashed and needed to be replaced. I had it replaced... but still suffered the loss of almost everything I had put on there. There were only a few things which I had still saved in other locations... including the contacts that I had saved on my cell phone and was able to restore immediately. There was, however, an entire semester's worth of work / notes / files on there that I had saved. The hard lesson was: always ALWAYS back up what you are working on!

Anyhow, a similar thing happened to me just the other day. I was in the midst of updating some of the software on my computer, while sync-ing some data on my cell phone... when iSync suddenly stopped working correctly. I cancelled the sync and ended up having to force-quit the program -- and.... then discovered that all the contacts in my computer's address book had disappeared. I tried to sync it again in order to get the contacts from my cell phone into the computer. Presto! It made all my cell phone contacts disappear.... :-(

Here was the acid test... had I learned my lesson about losing data? Had I kept a back-up somewhere of all my contacts? :-D This is where the story has a happy ending. I had backed all my critical settings and important documents on my 80 GB iPod! I fished out the appropriate files, restored my computer's address book, and then synced them back to my phone. Three cheers for backing up your files!

Summer Adventures Summed Up!

This summer has been a long and enjoyable one in most regards, and I think I can say that I've packed a fair number of adventures in along the way. I had been going to school for about a year, and classes were taking up all of my time, leaving no time to "sharpen the saw" as Stephen Covey would say. Sure, there were small weekend getaways, and little fun things to do along the way, but I decided before the end of the summer semester to shake things up a bit this summer!

I guess the classes I took in Spring semester weren't exactly academically taxing to begin with. Mountain Biking, and Guitar class -- both were very educational, but highly replenishing to my spirits at the same time. I think some of my most hair-raising experiences in the spring happened while mountain biking. Utah has some spectacular hiking, as well as biking trails to explore, and there are literally scenes along the way that will take your breath away!
Bryce Canyon (pictured above) is only one of the many stops we made along the way - but it was an overnight field trip, and certainly a memorable bit of trail! Along one particular section of treacherous curves, dips, and drop-offs, I stuck my left foot out in order to catch myself should the bike come out from under me if it lost traction -- and my foot caught a small branch that was pointed straight at me. The edge of the branch hit the sole of my shoe, penetrated it, penetrated my sock, and for some reason (miracle? Guardian Angel?) stopped short of penetrating the skin on the bottom of my foot! I think I was a little shook up, or I probably would have taken some photos for show-and-tell!

All during the Spring semester, I had been looking at getting a motorcycle as my mode of transportation for spring, summer, and fall seasons up here. On May 29th, I found the motorcycle that would suit my needs, bought it with cash, and began to learn how to ride it. A 1996 Yamaha Virago, XV535cc -- a GREAT bike to start out with if I had to suggest one. To my knowledge, I think I might be the first person to own a motorcycle of this size in my family for over 40 years. It was something I always wanted to do, and now it was something that would be practical, as well as adventurous! The gas prices having topped $4 a gallon all summer long made the 45 mpg mileage for my motorcycle really appealing. In fact, it gave me a great reason to continue to find places to take my motorcycle! I guess you could say I'm self-taught. I'm a pretty cautious driver, and I believe I was equally cautious learning how to ride my motorcycle. I got my permit from the Driver's License Division in Utah, then started riding around on city streets. After riding around for 2-3 weeks, I went down to take my riding test at the same place, and passed it with flying colors (not that their road-test guarantees your safety as a rider in any way). After that, I started riding everywhere. I acquired the safety gear one needs to keep safe, and in no time I was out on the Freeway! In the last part of July and early part of August, I took a motorcycle rider's class from a local organization for $180. It wasn't bad, but if you are going to take one, I recommend that you take one BEFORE you get a motorcycle, and before you've ridden 500 miles on the streets on your own motorcycle. Anyhow, it wasn't long after that I decided to push my limits a little. I had some preventative maintenance done on the bike, and set out on a 500 mile round-trip journey to Idaho Falls to visit my Uncle Larry! That was quite the trip! First off, 500 miles on a motorcycle is a LOT longer than it seems in car! My seat wasn't designed for road-trips either, it's pretty hard! Second, there is a reason you see motorcyclists dressed up to the neck in gear, including helmet, gloves, boots, and rain suits. I hit rain about 30 miles outside of Idaho Falls, and let me say this, it's hard to call it gentle rain when it hits you at 70 miles an hour! Third, there are too many crazy drivers out there to ever get bored on the road on a Motorcycle. Fourth, drafting a semi on the highway might be fine in car, but it's NOT A GOOD IDEA on a motorcycle - you get continually buffeted by the 'baffle' of the semi, and it's just uncomfortable all-around! I learned a lot about motorcycling, myself, and determination on that trip!

Later that summer, towards the end of August, Towards the end of August, on Memorial Day weekend, some friends and I decided that w would attempt a pre-dawn summit of Mount Timpanogos, here nearby Provo. At almost 12,000 feet at it's peak, we would be climbing about 6,000 vertical feet from the trail-head to reach the top. I had tried this once before with another friend of mine, a little later in the season. Alright, it was WAY late in the season, getting on towards the end of October. We... didn't quite make it to the top. We reached about 8000 feet and had to turn back! It started snowing and raining on us about 5:45AM, and the snow was thick enough that it started covering the trail, and severey reducing visibility - we were both wearing cotton trousers, and neither one of us had water-proof boots. Luckily, we both knew our limits and decided against trying to make it to the top. Anyhow, I felt like we got spanked, and told to go home.

This next time, I would refuse to turn back.

On August 23rd, 2008 we left our apartment at 12:15 AM to head for the trail head at Aspen Grove up Provo Canyon past Sundance Ski Resort. It was dark, of course when we started climbing, but we had the luck of clear skies, and a half moon to light our trail in addition to our flashlights. We moved steadily, and reached the summit at 5:45 AM, just a while before the sunrise!


We were bone-tired, but it was still a great feeling to be able to look down on what seemed like the whole of Utah Valley from "way up there". We could see the spread of city lights all the way from Spanish Fork to the Southern parts of Salt Lake City! As we huddled near the summit hut, we paused to take it all in, and then find a good spot to watch the sunrise from!

In the middle of August, it was cold enough to make us shiver through a jacket, gloves, cap, jeans, and boots. I would always recommend that climbers dress in layers to get the job done properly, because we were sweating beads again by the time we got back down to the trailhead at 10:30 AM. Also, if i were ever to do it again, I would definitely try and spread it across two days, and camp at the meadow just below the trail to the summit.
Oh -- a little earlier in the summer we also made it up Stewart Falls from the same trail head - and that was another small adventure - my photos for it are on Picassa and Facebook I think. :-)

All in all, it was a refreshing summer! I feel like I made my mark this summer, proved myself in someways, discovered myself in others, and left myself ever so much better prepared to make this world a better place. I have settled on a major, recharged my batteries to take on classes - it was good to take time off to make my time "on" that much more effective!

Ahhh... what a summer!

Spring Fever.

One of my favorite times of the year is the spring season - not just for the weather, but also for the silent renewal of most every living thing. Add to that the bi-annual occurrence of the General Conference of the LDS church every spring and fall, and it becomes even better!

For the first time in my life, I was able to attend General Conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City - which was an experience to behold! I was glad to be able to attend there - and at the same time is was a different experience than the one that I had envisioned. I suppose I expected that everyone there would be paying close attention to what was said, but I was surprised to find that many people appeared to be only half-interested in what was said, and the other half of them was engaged in conversations with their neighbor, and sending text messages. This while people outside who had traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles would have eagerly paid wrapt attention to the proceedings, but didn't have a ticket to enter. I suppose I shouldn't have let the irony distract me - it just seemed un-necessarily unfair.

Aside from that this spring looks to be a good one! That's one thing that I've had as a first in Utah this year, watching the change of seasons. Arizona and Texas had a quasi-winter season - and Nicaragua was a perennial summer with wet and dry being the only tangible variables. Utah, on the other hand, has a bit of everything, including flowering trees, which I don't recall seeing much in Nicaragua. I've been here for a year now, and I'm getting used to the idea of having hot and cold at different times of the year, all over again!

I've been going to school for over a year straight now, and I think that I'm doing myself a favor by taking a break from the intellectually taxing classes, and carving time out for social livelihood, and to work and save up some money. As I'm looking for work here, I'm trying to find somewhere that I can learn something practical and useful, not just something that is a proprietary singularity - like Verizon's filing system, or UPS's pre-load system for packages... something that will actually be a useful life-skill! If I can find something involved with real estate or banking, so much the better!

I'll add more information as I get it, but I think it's time for me to wrap this up.

Until next time,

A. M. Taylor

You're Pre-Approved*!

So, I'm one of the only guys in my apartment that regularly gets mail - which normally would be something that makes me excited to get the mail everyday. Who wouldn't want to get mail, right?

Well, when I see on the outside of the envelope "Dated Material - Respond Immediately" I sensed the urgency of whatever it held, so I hurried inside to carefully open it and discover a letter head with the text "YOU'RE PRE-APPROVED*" I resisted the next urge I felt, which was to crumple up the paper, blow my cold-stricken nose on it, and toss it in the garbage. To my own chagrin, I kept reading out of morbid curiosity. "No way! My very own fake credit card with MY name on it!?!? You must be insane!" I giddily add it to the collection of fake credit cards with 5555-5555-5555-5555 across it (which make great book marks by the way, and it already has your name on it!).

It seems that Visa wants to give me $350 to spend... minus $100 for an "Account Origination Fee" (read - "We like ourselves so much, that WE'LL spend your money for you!") and a $50.00 Annual Fee (read - "Nope, we're not done yet.") and an optional $20.00 for them to expedite the abominable card to your door. So... basically, I get taxed a minimum of $150.00 for being foolish enough to send this thing back in! All of this charged to the credit card before it even gets to me... at (get this) a 23.99% interest rate.

After a good laugh, I was about to throw the whole stack of dead tree into the garbage when I saw the most brilliant piece of marketing in the whole package. On the outside of the envelope to send the application back, they put "PLEASE RUSH." Man, they must think this world is full of people just WAITING to do the bidding of this company - first, they want me to sign up for one of the worst credit offers I can imagine, then on top of that, they want the US Postal Service to RUSH something?!?! These people must be closely related to the guy who puts the "Take One" sticker by the sauce packets at a fast-food joint, or the guy who puts up the 55 MPH Speed Limit sign on that long empty stretch of highway between you and your destination - they just can't seem figure out the art of "pick your battles."

So, now I'm left with a precarious decision... What exactly should I put in their envelope to send back to them? All the confetti I can fit in it? A random crayon drawing? All the used tissues from my cold this past week? Something as a token of my respect for their considerable effort to impress me? Maybe a Pass-along card? I'm open for ideas!

Computer back -

So, this morning, literally almost less than 24 hours after I sent it off, my computer was back, and in working order again. That's the good news -- the bad news is, I was unable to recover any of the data that had been stored on the other hard drive. :-( That was a hard lesson to learn - I think I lost about 150 pages of typed notes... which I was none to happy about... as well as having lost months of journals entries. For those of you who have never had a hard-drive crash without a back up, I hope it never happens to you, but rest assured you'll want to back things up just in case!

My losses are, thus far:

150 pages of notes from class, plus essays...
A couple thousand photos... only a few of which I was able to put online, as some sort of back up.
Journal entries since April of 2007.
Financial records and spread-sheet calculators
Dozens of other items of sentimental and intellectual value to me.

In short, life goes on - you can't let silly stuff like this drag you down - the best you can do is keep moving forward, so - Hakuna Matata... I'm not going to let it bug me!

New Semester, with a bitter twist?

On the 7th of January, the winter semester started here in Provo, and the first thing I notice when I woke up is that the music I had playing on my computer the night before, has somehow been muted. I went over to my laptop to see what was the matter, and found that it had frozen. Worse than that, it wouldn't respond to any command that I gave it... so I just turned it off. I turned it back on to let it re-boot, and left to take a shower. When I got out of the shower 10 minutes later, it was still a blank white screen... and the fan was blowing like crazy... and what sounded like the hard-drive was making a soft rhythmic syncopated clicking noise. I was mildly alarmed... I didn't ever remember teaching it that trick! Trying to coax it into good behavior produced no result... even trying to boot it off of the OS DVD that came with the computer. I just left it at home for the day, figuring I'd just deal with it later. So, the VERY first day of class, I was without my computer, with which I usually take notes. It was an odd feeling!

Now, almost two weeks later, I'm finally sending it off to the manufacturer (after having a few friends try to tinker with it, having the logic-board replaced, and now the computer won't even turn ON!) to have them replace what needs replacing under the warranty, which is still good.

Now, the guessing came comes in... is it something to do with the memory, the logic board, or the hard drive? I'm praying it's not the hard drive, because I had unwisely NOT backed the majority of that information up. Luckily, HAD backed up my music from iTunes on a DVD, but my class notes, my journal, and several pictures that mean a lot to me are on there... and if those are gone, I'm afraid that I'll be very, very sad.

Moral of the Story: Back up your data, however you can, and do it OFTEN!

Hopefully, within a couple of days, I'll have my computer back, and be able to write, at the very least, a bitter-sweet ending to this story.

Politics and "The Mormons"

With the Iowa Caucus finished, I have been reflecting a great deal on the importance of the decisions that are soon to be upon us in the coming elections. Choosing a candidate may be easy for some people, but the more I learn, the more difficult the decision becomes. I guess some people wait until after all the caucuses are done, and the Republican and Democratic National conventions have chosen their candidates, and then make their choice about which candidate they will support. I can see where that approach would make sense, waiting to see which candidate actually "makes it to the playoffs", but at the same time, it bothers that people treat elections like a spectator sport until the very last minute.

I have a lot of different friends with a lot of different political leanings, and I've tried very hard not to let politics get in the way of our friendship. Personally, I lean towards Mitt Romney as a candidate. Before you assume that I choose to support him for the simple fact that our religious convictions align, I want to point out that the reasons I have for not supporting the other Republican candidates (whose platform I agree with more, in general) have nothing to do with religion.

Several people I know in the local area have a thing for Ron Paul, a congressman from Texas - but after examining his stance on several issues, I find that some of his proposed actions are idealistic, but not very practical. He suggests that we eliminate the IRS (effectively wiping out the income tax nation-wide), and possibly the Federal Reserve - and not replacing either of them with anything. His solution to the SIGNIFICANT drop in revenue? Decrease government spending. Where? He doesn't say, but that could mean dropping government-sponsored student loan programs, decreasing spending on Social Security, decreasing defense spending... things are generally considered to be "good" and a wise investment.

Rudy Giuliani just doesn't do it for me -- his solution for immigration doesn't sound practical to me... issuing an ID card for every foreigner who crosses the border just doesn't seem to do much, and would really only increase the incentive to dodge immigration, and enter illegally. Think about it, why would most people have a strong desire to comply with that sort of legislation? As long as our borders are as porous as they currently are, then it's not going to work out in practice as envisioned in theory.

Mike Huckabee lost a lot of my respect when he started running a negative campaign... and he started doing negative campaigning long before he was open about it. Ordained minister or not, I don't think he has any business bringing up religion to discredit any candidates, doesn't matter which party, or what office is in question. When he attacked (he later apologized for this) the Mormon faith, he lost a lot of points with me. The same thing would have happened had he criticized Senator McCain, or Senator Obama for their religious beliefs. I wouldn't feel confident if such a man were to lead our country, and represent our nation to the world. Though I'm sure his own religious beliefs might make him a moral man, and his willingness to defend the Second Amendment make him a Republican in good standing , I wouldn't vote to give him the Executive Office.

As for the other Republican Candidates, I don't consider most of them viable. Barack Obama seems to be a principled man, and someone who I believe could be trusted with the execution of the duties of the Presidential Office, I'm not entirely confident of his intentions with regard to taxes, how he intends to influence monetary and fiscal policy, what he intends for medical care in this nation, and how he will approach the matter of second amendments. I would vote for Obama for the same reason that I would vote for Romney - simply because I believe him to be trustworthy, and most able to fulfill promises that he makes.

On a side note - this campaign has brought to light a number of critics of the Mormon faith - and I find the amount of disinformation available to be incredible. One of the chief critics is Ed Decker, who I wouldn't trust with a squirt gun. Please read about his past before you believe everything he says. Yes, he was once a Mormon, but he was excommunicated for adultery - I don't think his moral compass "points North." It seems reasonable to me, that if you want to get good information about a faith, ask someone who is a member in good standing of that faith. For example, if you want to find out what a Catholic really believes, would you first turn to a Southern Baptist? If you want to find out what a Muslim believes, would you ask a Jew, a Hindu, or a Sihk? Similarly, if you want to find out if Ford makes a good truck, would you ask the guys at the Toyota dealership? If you want to find out what Mormons really believe, find one and ask, or visit the website set up by the Church to answer common questions -- Mormon.org.

Family Ties

Well, it's been a while since I moved to Utah, and it's been an adventure living up here -- I often feel like a stranger in a strange land. Compounding the "strangeness" of situation is living on campus at BYU, a unique institution and in a category all it's own. The experiences I have had are rewarding, and I feel like I've made several large forward-strides towards where I see myself in 5 years.

The Fall semester has just ended, capped by the stresses of the Final exams, and all the stigmas attached to them. Now I'm taking a break here in Provo, with family members having flown in from California, and having driven from Texas.

It has been just over 24 hours, and already my laughing muscles are going to be sore. We have a knack for finding the humor in just about any situation, and making light of serious situations. It's one thing that I truly love about my family - we are never together without having had a good laugh either at ourselves or about a funny situation that has happened to one of us during the past few months.

The funny thing is, that I haven't given a lot of thought to what it is that I want for Christmas - my focus and feelings have been centered on family, and how much I've missed being able to laugh with them. I think that spending time is one of the most renewing things that I could possibly do - and it's all about the small moments... the almost indefinable feeling of belonging somewhere. I can't imagine what it must feel like to lack that feeling - either to be a refugee from war, or an orphan.

I'll count my blessings, and thank my lucky stars for the family that I have, and the tremendous opportunities that I've been given for having them them around!

Change of Address forms please?

I've changed locations... from Keller, Texas, to Provo, Utah -- and at the same time I've changed my job location from "Tax Preparer" to "Student."

There have been a number of significant changes in my life in the past few weeks. Starting on the 19th of April, I flew to California, to undergo a procedure known as LASIK to correct my somewhat flawed vision. 2 days later, I flew from California, enjoying 20/15 vision in both eyes (Dr. Ellis was the surgeon - whom I highly recommend to everyone who is considering LASIK). I landed in Salt Lake City, bags in hand, ready to begin a new chapter of my life... that of Student at a University, which would be a first for me.It's been two weeks, and my vision has only gotten better... I can't tell you how nice it is not to have to bother with glasses or contacts! Even better, I can wear any pair of nice-looking sunglasses I like!

Another first for me is living in a dorm situation, with a number of roommates, all of whom come from relatively different back grounds. On top of that, I am now employed by the University as an RA... which means i have the added privilege and responsibility of watching out for another 20 or so people. It's been a lot to take in, for such a short amount of time.

I'm taking 2 classes during this term... which is about limit for an RA... and for a short term like Spring. CHum 284, is a Web-Page Building class... they teach you how to make your own web pages, and take them to a more professional level. It's really enjoyable for me, and I look forward to class. Spanish 321 is a different story for now. As I mentioned before, this term is a bit short... and Spanish 321 is designed for fluent Spanish speakers. This is all well and good...except for the fact that the majority of the class is returned missionaries... only SOME of whom actually bothered to learn proper grammar (the why and wherefore of speaking like a Latin). I spent more time learning that than anyone else I knew in the mission... and still I feel like I'm at the edge of my abilities. I'll reserve judgment on this class until I get a better grip on things!

So the first week of class has gone by... and tonight is the first time that I get "desk duty" as an RA -- another facet of this adventure that I call "College." The dimensions, the depth, and the breadth of my world have all increased... I feel a bit like a fish who has been kept in a tank all his life, and just got dumped in the ocean. Water is water... but the environment takes some getting used to.

For the mean time, I think it'll be a good long while before I can get some

The Beginning

As rotten as my track record has been with writing in my paper journal, I'm tempted to think that I might not fare much better among the bits and bytes of the Internet... but you can't really put a price on the attraction of having the ability to publish things in a world wide Agora of Ideas. My own Jouranl is a bit more personal -- written to a different crowd.

I returned just over 4 months ago from a trip overseas to Nicaragua -- it was a 2 year experience which I would repeat at a moment's notice without having to think twice. I did it knowing, however, that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ... and so it was. It can't be repeated; that's just how things are meant to be sometimes. A parent can only see his first child take his first step once. Not that I'm trying to get philosophical -- just commenting on the poignant nature of certain events in the course of our life -- they really only have one chance to make an impression on us. Fortunately, this experience made a tremendouse impression on me. I won't EVER be the same again :-)

Nicaragua IS still a part of the third world -- you don't find down there what you'll find in the US, and inevitably you find yourself "missing" something that you wish you could have. What did I wish most? My family. Snickers bars, Dr. Pepper, clean streets, and the rest quickly faded into the background. You can be happy, if you choose to, wherever you are -- but part of my happiness will always be tied to having my family within arms-reach. I'm often surprised to find people who don't like to admit that they love their family members... even in private. I consider myself lucky to have gone away and come back, having changed my outlook. I DO love my family, and wouldn't trade them for anything. Some people might believe other-wise... but my personal belief is that Family falls into the category of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.