John's One-Liners

"It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him."

"Man has a choice and it's a choice that makes him a man."

"Being at ease with himself put him at ease with the world."

---John Steinbeck

Heath Ledger

I really miss my brother.

Glasses are the greatest invention.

Glasses--both the drinking and prescription kind.

Think just for a moment if the drinking kind did not exist.

Sure, we could drink out of our hands, or bowls, or spoons.

Dogs have survived.

But they make drinking things so much easier.

And the prescription kind.

Do they even need an argument to be formulated

in their favor? I really don't think so.

And while we're on the subject,

I'm going to say something really crazy.

Glass in general---greatest invention ever.

Maybe you're one of those people

who loves to drive in your car with

wind blowing your hair in a wild

carpet bomb-like frenzy around your face

and everyone else's faces. And maybe

you love it when bugs are vacuumed onto your cheek bones

and into your eye sockets as you're driving home.

And maybe you also love shivering yourself to sleep

on a cold winter night because your windows don't have glass panes.

And maybe you prefer cheap, tacky, plastic christmas tree ornaments

that you found at Family Dollar.

But I don't. 

I don't know everything about glass.

But I know enough. 

And I drove across the country and stopped at lots of diners.

In the end,

we regret the chances we did not take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make. 

Speaking of Stories from the Mountains.

We're experiencing some seriously beautiful 

weather here in the great state of Utah.

It has been an excellent way to wrap-up

a near perfect Autumn season. 

Also, I'm pretty into these web spaces right now:

And my favorite:

The mountains are calling, and I must go. 

"I don't know what lies around the bend,

but I'm going to believe that the best does."

-- Anne of Green Gables 

"Be the one who nurtures and builds.

Be the one who has an understanding and forgiving heart, one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them." 

---Marvin J. Ashton

My spirit shall be in your hearts.

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

D&C 84:88

"There are several kinds of love.

One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. 

This is the ugly, crippling kind. 

The other is an out pouring of everything good in you---of kindness and consideration and respect; not only the social respect of manners, but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. 

The first kind can make you sick & small & weak.

But the second can release in you strength & courage & goodness & even wisdom you didn't know you had. 

Glory in it, for one thing,

and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to love up to it.

And don't worry about losing. If it is right, it happens.

The important thing is not to hurry.

Nothing good gets away."

--John Steinbeck

Liberty inspires my soul.

"I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, Baptist, or a good man of any denomination. It is a love of liberty which inspires me soul---civil and religious liberty to the whole human race."

---Joseph Smith Jr. 

I'm thinking something like Olivia is what I need to find.

"Whilst we assert for ourselves a freedom to embrace,

to profess and observe the religion which we believe to be of divine origin, we cannot deny an equal freedom to those whose minds have not yet yielded to the evidence which has convinced us."

-- James Madison

We are free here.
And we are lucky.

Probably true.

"As for me, I know nothing else but miracles.

Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,

Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the skym

Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,

Or stand under the trees in the woods,

Or talk by day with anyone I love,

Or sleep in bed at night with anyone I love,

Or watch honey bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon. . . 

Or the wonderfulness of the sundown,

Or of stars shining so quiet and bright,

Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring. . .

What stranger miracles are there?"

-- Walt Whitman 

"We all want progress.

But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. . .There is nothing progressive about being pig headed and refusing to make a mistake. . . If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man."

-- C.S. Lewis

Every part that we can.

"I don't know what to do about this whole love thing. I don't know how it works, or what there is to understand about it. I don't know why love isn't returned, or why it cripples and crushes whole worlds, or why it changes destinies. I just know that it is real and that it does do all those things, and that I'm just trying to experience every part of it that I can."

The fight for you is all I've ever known.

"There were evenings

those many years ago, at about sunset, when I would walk with the cows. Stopping by a tired old fence post, I would sometimes stand silently in the mellow light and the fragrance of the sunflowers and ask myself, 'If I were going to create a world, what would it be like?' Now with a little thought, the answer seems so natural: 'Just like this one.'" -- Spencer W. Kimball

Purple Mountain Majesties.

I can't think of a better place to spend

the best few days of the year than

in the small, mountain towns of Colorado. 

Because I can't really think of anything else 

a town would even need. 

Oh my, my, how beautiful.

I'm calling this summer's anthem this year.

This is summer to me:

"Just know, that wherever you go,

you can always come back home."

It's the least that I can do.

Man, they're so good. 

On the edge of the field stood a little pump house,

and a willow tree flourished beside it, fed by the overspill of water. The long skirts of the willow hung down nearly to the ground. 

Abra parted the switches like a curtain and went into the house of leaves made against the willow trunk by the sweeping branches. . . inside was protected, warm, and safe. The afternoon sunlight came yellow through the aging leaves.
"I guess it will be a long time before we can get married," he said.
"Not so long." Abra said.
"I wish it was now."
"It won't be so long," said Abra.

'We'll have a house together sometime," Aron said, bemused. 'We'll go in and close the door and it will be nice. But that will be a in a long time."

Abra put out her hand and touched him on the arm. "Don't you worry about long times," she said. "This is kind of a house. We can play like we live here while we're waiting. And you will be my husband and you can call me wife. It'll be like practicing."

---East of Eden

The cover a rolling stone ain't the cover of a rolling stone.

After a lot of quality spent time with this:

I've decided that this:



is my favorite.

Man, I love him. 

www.disreport.net

I'm now a contributor for the aforementioned website.

I'd love it if you visited and read my stuff. 

Click on this sentence to be sent to my article.

It's that time.

Summer reading list:

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (√)

My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir (√)

On the Road by Jack Kerouac (√)

East of Eden by John Steinbeck (√)

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (currently reading)

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell ( )

Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor ( )

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss ( )

Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America by Mark R. Levin ( )

The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

&

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: 

What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller ( )

I have thoroughly enjoyed my choices thus far. Both East of Eden and On the Road rank in my top several favorite books of all time. They're both a bit of a time commitment, but if you have it, you've gotta read 'em. On the Road is particularly an awesome summer book, since it's all about Jack's road trip across America. The man lived that iconic American dream.

"Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry." --Jack Kerouac

I seriously love the guy.

Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn.

I broke my music fast a couple days early

because how could I not listen to this song

on a day like today?

Wise words of John.

"I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible." --John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Wise words of Jack.

“They have worries, they're counting the miles, they're thinking about where to sleep tonight, how much money for gas, the weather, how they'll get there - and all the time they'll get there anyway, you see.”

― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Wilderness pride.

"As far as I can, I must drift about these mountains, glad to be a servant of servants in so holy a wilderness." --John Muir

Here's to the nights we felt alive.

My favorite hash tag is #sorrythatimnotsorry. I really think it's hilarious. Anytime someone uses it, my respect for them instantly increases. And you should know this:

The beginning of Summer always happens at a baseball game. So, that happened. Additionally, I directed a car full of hungry boyz around for about 30 minutes, in search of a restaurant, only to end up back where we started. Springville is nice this time of year. #thursdaynightroadtrip #sorrythatimnotsorry

Words.

"I never would have thought that I would always want you. I never would have thought that love could be hard, not for the obvious reasons, but for the reasons that make no sense at all. 

 Because it doesn't make sense that you could want everything and nothing at the same time. 

But, I do. 

I want all things and no things. 

And some nights are hard because I want it to work so badly. 

But mostly, the nights are hard because I know that it would never work."

I love this more than anything.

Summer to me is a long day of work, a long run, 

and yard work til dark, followed by a hot shower,

dinner, and some family chat by the fire.

Peace out school. 

Songs for a summer night.

And as I lay me down tonight,

I close my eyes.

What a beautiful night. 

I'm sleeping to dream about you,

and I'm so damn tired of having to live without you.

But I don't mind sleeping to dream about you.

And I'm so tired. 

"Here is the world.

beautiful and terrible things will happen.

Don't be afraid." --Frederick Buechner

I'd better.

California 37.

"I will forget everything I know about love.

I don't know,

about love.

But it sure feels good at first."

---Feels Good at First, Train

I haven't felt this awake in years.

Another song recommendation comin' atcha. 

And I have waited for this awakening for so long, so long.

I gotta get a little light inside. 

And I'm here, holding out for just one thing 

and it's your love, your love---it makes everything feel alright.

I was slowly slowly dyin', slowly dyin'.

It's like the first day I'm alive. 

This is the moral of the story.

The past couple days have been pretty rough, in a number of ways.

Mainly the following:

1. Getting dressed.

2. Sleeping.

3. School.

4. Eating meals.

5. Being socially acceptable.

Getting dressed is rough because I have to get out of bed and put clothes on. It's never easy to look presentable when all you want to do is lie under your covers and watch episodes of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air all day.

Sleeping is rough because I haven't really done it much. Okay, that's a lie. I've been pretty careful about prioritizing my sleep over my homework. I'm solidly rested.

School is rough and that one is probably self-explained.

Eating is rough because I seem to be spending my entire paycheck on eating out because I'm too lazy to cook, and also there isn't much time, because if I'm not at school pretending to learn, or at the library pretending to do homework, I'm sleeping.

Being socially acceptable has always been a challenge, but one that I've been willing to face head-on each and every day. Last night was no exception. After arriving at the library around 5pm (a violation of the laws of social acceptability in itself), Ally and I had sort of lost it by about 9am. Just kidding. Pm.

Our chosen location was the computer no shh zone, and as it emptied out progressively throughout the night, we got more and more restless. Our chosen outlet was a series of "roll-abouts" in which we would roll about the room, winding strategically through the chairs and tables, drinking from our nalgenes as we went. 

Another time, we took a walk to fill up our water bottles, doing 360s and tricks off the abandoned benches while proclaiming, "Das tight!" Our use of the phrase knows no bounds. Except for the bound that you can only use it if someone jumps or does a trick.

Later, we bowled with Ally's nalgene. Mainly that means we just rolled it across the floor and on the sidewalk as we walked to my car.

After a series of roll-abouts, we decided it was time to get back to work, so I trapped us in with my computer charger. The library is a prison. But it's our favorite type of prison. So it works, you know?

Finally, after some real hard work, we rewarded ourselves generously with the second half of the Hills Season 2. Another example of a violation of social norms. Das tight.

Here's to the good life.

We should probably talk about this guy named Howard Hughes.

"I intend to be the finest film producer in Hollywood, the greatest pilot in the world, and the richest man in the world."

Who knew, but I'm sort of extremely fascinated by the man.

The guy was a straight-up genius, in every sense of the word.

Mostly, he'll be remembered for his pretty reclusive and eccentric lifestyle,
and for the "crazy" behavior he exhibited as a result of his rather severe obsessive compulsive disorder. But his mind is unlike any other in the history of human existence. 

My interest in the life of H.H. admittedly began after watching Leonardo DiCapprio's astounding betrayal of him in the movie The Aviator. (Speaking of genius, can we touch on Leo's acting abilities? Incredible. You can bet I'll be seeing Titanic again in theaters in a few weeks). Not coincidentally, a few days after watching the movie for the first time, I learned that a man who lived up the street from me had worked in Hughes's inner circle. So, I took the opportunity to learn about a man 
who made is mark in history by doing something so seemingly rare in today's world: working hard.

_________

Hughes was born into money; his dad was an oil tycoon who manufactured drill bits. Both of Hughes's parents, however, died when he was real young. Hughes used his inheritance to get a start in the motion picture business. He filmed his first movie, Hell's Angels, and it cost him almost 4 million dollars. He filmed and re-filmed it several times, and just when the production team thought they were finished, Hughes decided to re-film it again, this time as a "talkie." 

Sound technology in motion pictures was new and costly, and everyone that Hughes was crazy, but that movie made back double of what it had costed Hughes to produce it, and its premiere was the biggest and most glamorous in the history of Hollywood.

After Hell's Angels, Hughes became obsessed with aviation. He founded an aviation company, and for the next decade, he broke and re-broke every aviation speed record, including the fastest trip across the Atlantic, and later, the fastest trip around the world. Hughes, hired by the United States Airforce to create a plane that could carry soldiers, cargo, tanks, trucks, and weapons, later designed the largest plane in history; a "flying boat." The Airforce told him he couldn't use aluminum in the plane's construction, so he just used wood instead. 

Later, Hughes was summoned to a senatorial committee charged to investigate Hughes Aircraft's inability to deliver several aircrafts it was paid in contract to develop for the U.S. Airforce. Hughes, in his testimony, claimed that Senator Owen Brewster, the senator who was heading the committee, was being bribed to investigate Hughes by a friend, Juan Trippe. 

Juan was the founder and CEO of Pan American Airlines, which was at the time promoting a bill in the Senate that would prohibit any other airline (including Hughes's) from flying trans-Atlantic routes, effectively giving Pan Am a monopoly on the market. If Juan could bring down Hughes and push the bill through, he would have complete control on flights around the world. In the hearing meant to condemn Hughes, Hughes turned it around a brought the attention to a corrupt politician and a wealthy businessman who was exploiting the American system in order to exploit the American people. 

The Aviator's portrayal of the committee hearing is excellent, but I couldn't find a video. Instead, I quote Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of Hughes:

Senator Brewster: "Mr. Hughes, did you receive $32 million dollars to manufacture XF-spy planes for the United States Air Force?"

Howard Hughes: "I did."

"How many functional planes did you deliver?"

"None."

"Did you receive 7 million to manufacture a prototype for a flying boat known as the Hercules?"

"I did."

"And did you deliver that plane?"

"I did not."

"So by your admission in this chamber, Mr. Hughes, you have received 40 million dollars from the United States government for planes that you never delivered."

"That is correct."

"Well excuse me for asking, Mr. Hughes, but where did all that money go?"

"Well it went into the planes, Senator. And a lot more. I put my money into the planes. My money. See, the thing is, I care very much about aviation. It has been the great joy of my life. That's why I put my own money into these planes. And I've lost millions, Senator, and I'll go on losing millions. It's just what I do---"

"---You've made your point, Mr. Hughes."

"One second. I have just one more thing to say here to this committee. And that has to do with the Hercules. Now, I am supposed to be many things which are complimentary. I am supposed to be capricious. I've been called a playboy. I've even been called an eccentric. But I do not believe that I have the reputation of being a liar. Needless to say, the Hercules was a monumental undertaking. It is the largest plane ever built. It is over five stories tall with a wingspan longer than a football field. That's more than a city block. 

Now, I put the sweat of my life into this. I got my reputation all rolled up in it. I have stated several times that if the Hercules fails to fly, I will leave this country and never come back. And I mean it. 

Now, you can subpoena me, you can arrest me, you can even claim I've folded up and taken a run-out powder, but, well, I've had just about enough of this nonsense. Good afternoon."

"I intend to be the finest film producer in Hollywood, the greatest pilot in the world, and the richest man in the world."

Hughes was worth $1.5 billion dollars at the end of his life in 1976.

He died on an airplane. 

I am obsessed with mini wheats. What are we going to do about that?

Nothing. Because if frosted mini wheats are in the same room as I am, I have no choice but to eat a bowl of them. Call it what you want, but I really am at their mercy.

Sometimes I try and convince myself that I'm in control because only the very best and most heavily-frosted wheats make it into my bowl. I guess the joke's on them.

No, but really. The joke's actually on me, because I am straight-up obsessed with them. Straight. Up.

The rhythm of my heart is beating to your drum.

Sometimes there are those nights where you have to turn the lights off, the DVD player on, shirk all responsibility, and let your stomach call the technicals.

That's when you know life is getting good.

Trailers for sale or rent.

I probably had to get out of dodge and go camping this weekend.

And by probably, I mean I absolutely had to.

I think it's safe to say it was a good weekend.

For those of you Southern Utah junkies,

we visited the following sites:

Horsethief Campground (BLM style)

Mesa Arch

Upper Rim Outlooks (2nd & 3rd)

Neck Spring 

Moab, UT

Moab Diner

And naturally we made a couple stops

in the metropolises of Price, UT (for some ice & ketchup)

and Wellington, UT (for a lighter). 

I'm fairly confident I could have started a fire

with my bare hands, but I do try and live by

the Boy Scout motto.

Additionally, Ally and I were extremely resourceful

and tore apart some of the BLM fence (barbed wire say waaa?)

to make our own marshmallow-roasting sticks.

S'mores are the third requirement for a successful camping trip

(after a tin foil dinner and a headlamp).

Finally, I need to talk about our tent.

A snuggly two-manner. And boy was it snuggly,

as evidenced by Ally's initial reaction upon seeing it:

"Oh glad to see you brought your tent

for your American Girl dolls."

Needless to say, the small-tent jokes never got old. Still haven't actually.

Last night I got into Ally's truck for round two of The Hunger Games

and she took one look at my small, leather side-strap bag and said, "Oh glad to see you brought our tent with you."

I've been trying to come up with a reason I shouldn't go camping over finals week, without success. So I imagine you'll be hearing more about those Southern Utah mountains soon.

Ask me if I'm ever going inside again.

Because, listen. I'm not. Not after a day like today.

Sometimes you just have to skip out on everything 

that matters in life and just get outta dodge.

As if I needed an excuse to sluff life for a day.

Beautiful mountains, fresh powder, and sunshine > anything else.

I went a little insta crazy and I'm not sorry about it.

After a couple runs, we decided to just "post up" on the slope. Or whatever.

Most of the time we were shredding by ourselves in the powder and the woods.

But we made sure not to lose each other by constantly singing lines from 

"What's My Name" and "Turn My Swag On."

"Das tight" was a commonly-used phrase throughout the afternoon as well.

A couple straight shots through the trees turned a little disastrous, 

but ask me if I'm mad about it. I'm not. Not even a little bit.

I wouldn't even blame you for thinking that this day couldn't get any better,

because that's what I thought, until I pulled onto the highway from the Sundance turnoff, and saw the Heber highway sign.

Probably just pulled a uie on the highway real quick

and drove up to Heber for some Tony's Tacos.

And ask me if we karaoked to Toby, Shania, Rascal Flatts and Brooks & Dunn all the way home. It's the American way.

Maybe I'll ski today and then hike in the sunshine and red rocks in 4 days.

Okay, I will. Fine.

Utah > anything else. 

The American Ethos.

Life is way too good to be true. 

Take today for example.

I just woke right up and didn't even need to shower this morning because I had already showered last night! And then I just went to church like no big whoop, came back, and drove up to the MTC with my girl Ally, because we like to break the missionary rules. We took a quick pic with our missionary girl, Hermana Allen, and probably got her into some big trouble. But it's like, who cares? Because she's leaving for Bolivia tomorrow. What?

It's been raining and snowing all day, which, to be honest, is when I'm happiest. I'm all about the sunshine, but give me a rainy day and a little warm peach cobbler and I'm golden. After a pretty good dinner with the best friends ever, I've just been working on a paper. And I'll be honest, I hate it, but that's okay. And I forgot to say that somewhere in there, Brady and I actually made peach cobbler, which is now cooling on the stove. So remember when I said, "give me a rainy day and a little warm peach cobbler and I'm golden?" 

Yeah. I'm golden.

If you don't think my life is great yet, just wait for the best part(s).

Snowbird just got 20 inches of new powder, and guess where I'm going tomorrow?

Yep. Snowbird. And it's not even my favorite place in the world, but you know what is?

Moab. And guess where I'm going this weekend?

Canyonlands.

But it's close enough and I can't wait. 

In conclusion, so what if I'm seriously deficient in my
classes and school work right now?

Girl got time to hit up the weirdest movie I've ever seen last night (John Carter) 

and take a quick break from this hellish paper to brag about myself. 

And I'd say, that means life is dope. 

I call it stealing, you call it borrow.

Loving this song the past couple days.

"So I want my heart back, if you're not gonna keep it.

If you've got no uses, then I'm gonna need it.

And someone else is gonna need it too."

School needs to go away.