tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3759065295197980342024-01-09T05:20:21.215-06:00Save the CoreThis is where I come to empty my brain. Wash your hands when you're done.Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-17944674200331565032014-02-17T23:49:00.002-06:002014-02-17T23:50:22.463-06:00Anniversary III<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oops! I missed my blog's birthday by 10 days. Here's an update! <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2013/02/anniversary-ii.html">Click here</a> to view last year's.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>total pageviews:</b> 4522</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>most-viewed posts:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b>1. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2013/11/if-marriage-isnt-for-me-then-maybe-i.html">If marriage isn't for me, then maybe I don't want it.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2012/04/niece.html">The Niece</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 3. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2012/03/whats-in-name.html">What's in a name?</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 4. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2013/04/i-have-bacon-number.html">I have a Bacon number!</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 5. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-favorite-byu-classes.html">My favorite BYU classes</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>months with the most pageviews:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b>1. November 2013 (502)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2. August 2013 (341)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 3. April 2011 (333)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 4. April 2013 (249)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 5. January 2014 (213)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">countries with the most pageviews:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b>1. United States (3283)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2. Russia (313)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 3. Germany (119)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 4. China (80)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 5. Malaysia (66)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pageviews by browser:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=220x110&cht=p&chd=s:91jMHGFC&chl=Chrome|Firefox|Internet+Explorer|Safari|Opera|Mobile+Safari|OS%3BFBSV|Mobile" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=220x110&cht=p&chd=s:91jMHGFC&chl=Chrome|Firefox|Internet+Explorer|Safari|Opera|Mobile+Safari|OS%3BFBSV|Mobile" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>pageviews by operating system:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=220x110&cht=p&chd=s:9PEEECB&chl=Windows|Macintosh|Linux|Android|iPhone|iPad|Other+Unix" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=220x110&cht=p&chd=s:9PEEECB&chl=Windows|Macintosh|Linux|Android|iPhone|iPad|Other+Unix" /></span></a></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-48488667625473279202014-02-17T23:31:00.004-06:002014-02-17T23:33:00.216-06:00#OscarNomNoms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the Oscar Nominees were announced last year, I noticed a funny hashtag pop up on Twitter: #OscarNomNoms. An explanation can be found by <a href="http://firstwefeast.com/eat/seamless-wins-twitter-with-oscarnomnoms-hashtag/">clicking here</a> (though it incorrectly claims the hashtag was created this year). I know the nominees were announced a while back, but the Oscars haven't happened yet so I think I'm safe. Here are some Oscar Nom-Noms that I came up with for this year:</span><br />
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<a href="http://thetangential.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Oscars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://thetangential.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Oscars.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790636/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Dallas Buyers Club</a> Sandwich</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mashed Potatoes & <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Gravity</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1322269/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">August: Asiago County</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690953/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Despicable Me</a>at 2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Frozen</a> Pizza</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375605/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Act of Grilling</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210819/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Lone Range</a> Cooker</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816442/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Cook Thief</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1300854/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iron Chef 3</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1408101/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Char Trek Into Darkness</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1731141/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Ender's Cornish Game</a> Hen</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981115/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thor: The Dark Meat</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1430132/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Tangerine</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821549/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Nebraska</a>lloped Potatoes</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flan of Steel</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1670345/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now You Fricassee Me</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517260/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Host</a>ess</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here are some that I came up with last year:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/?ref_=nv_sr_2"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Amazing Cider Man</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454876/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Life of Pi</a>e</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/?ref_=nv_sr_2"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Ovengers</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">fi<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Les Mignerables</a></span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-85851829211230564262013-12-31T23:29:00.000-06:002013-12-31T23:29:44.108-06:002013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">roommates</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">places lived</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">road trips</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">girls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">moves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">jobs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">schools</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">wards</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">talent show numbers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">more revolution around the sun</span></div>
Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-15414787943540961592013-11-23T13:31:00.002-06:002013-11-23T13:49:56.498-06:00If marriage isn't for me, then maybe I don't want it.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t
always write about love on my blog, but when I do, it’s usually subtle or
cryptic. <span style="font-size: small;">That’s not really the case
here.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/nEe1cTDbXHU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A while
back I noticed that a number of my friends shared <a href="http://sethadamsmith.com/2013/11/02/marriage-isnt-for-you/">a blog post on Facebook called “Marriage isn't for you.”</a> After first
reading it, I didn't like it. After
reading it carefully a few more times and taking time to think about it, I
still don’t like it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before
continuing, let me give some context and disclaimers. The author is married. The only people I recall that shared and
extolled his article are married. I am
single. Perhaps my views are skewed by
my current relationship status. Perhaps
the views of the author of the article are skewed by his.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There
are many things in the article that I agree with, but I think the main point
holds some scary implications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So
basically, the message I got from reading the blog was that if I want to get
married, and I’m not married, then it’s my fault. I should have just gotten over myself in
previous failed relationships and worked harder at making my potential spouse
happy. Even if I wasn't into the girl
that much. After all, it’s not about me
or what I want, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK,
maybe I took it too far in that last paragraph. The author clarifies his stand by adding
another element: “love and marriage isn't for you.” Looking past the
grammatical error, we see that love is part of the equation. After all, if I’m not into a girl that much, I
don’t suppose I love her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That
being said, I think that it’s completely fine to want to marry someone because
it will make you happy. <a href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2.25">2 Nephi 2:25</a>:
“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (I think it’s relevant to quote Mormon
scripture here because the author of the blog post is a <a href="http://mormon.org/">Mormon</a>, as am I.) Mormon doctrine teaches that one of the main
purposes of this life is to get married and start a family; according to the
scripture, another big one is having joy. The article makes it seem like you’re selfish
if loving someone has ever made you happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A <a href="http://ammonslife.blogspot.com/">close friend</a> told me recently that he believes everyone deserves someone who is crazy
about them, as far as relationships go. I
agree. I want to be madly in love with
my wife, and I want her to be madly in love with me. (Wanting this is what’s helped me get through
rough patches of unrequited love.) I'm not naive enough to think that it will be like that in every moment throughout a relationship - I know that there are rough patches. But "crazy about each other" should be the default. The
blog’s author would probably say that if this isn't the case for either or both
parties, you can get married and things will work out if you try hard enough. Sure, that might produce a functional and even
successful marriage, but it wouldn't make me happy. I don’t want that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also,
fulfilling someone else’s needs so fully and neglecting your own (as described
in the article) could probably result in all sorts of social and psychological identity
issues. The needs of both individuals
should be met, and each should focus on improving the relationship between the
two, not exclusively on the need of the other one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do I
have to be married to be happy? No.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will
getting married increase my happiness? I
certainly hope so!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will I
marry someone because I want to make them happy? Yes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Will I
marry someone because it will make me happy? </span>Yes.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-54325614934206634372013-10-23T16:51:00.000-05:002013-10-23T16:51:05.557-05:00Punctuality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Wooden_hourglass_3.jpg/296px-Wooden_hourglass_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Wooden_hourglass_3.jpg/296px-Wooden_hourglass_3.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Punctuality is a huge thing for me. I can't stand being late - I'd rather be 20 minutes early than 5 minutes late. I try my best to be punctual so that I don't inconvenience others, and I get pretty upset when I am inconvenienced by having to wait for them. I know patience is a virtue - it's something I need to work on.<br /><br />That being said, the plot of the most recent episode ("The Late Show") of one of my favorite shows (Modern Family) centered on everyone being late for a dinner appointment. It made me cringe! I had an uneasy feeling throughout the whole episode. BUT, it was also hilarious, as usual. I had a hard time keeping my laughs silent in the library where I watched it. You can see it here: <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/545322">http://www.hulu.com/watch/545322</a>.<br /><br />Kudos, Modern Family, for your excellent writers and humor!</span></div>
Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-16548880665391413872013-08-30T01:42:00.000-05:002013-08-30T01:42:03.486-05:00My favorite BYU classes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This summer I graduated from BYU with a degree in neuroscience. (Disclaimer: just because I studied brains doesn't mean I have one.) I recently moved back home to start classes at the University of Houston. The motivation behind this post is probably all the saudade I've been feeling after leaving Provo.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took 60+ classes at BYU. These are my top 15, in order:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>15. HONRS 150 - University Writing (Honors)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Processes of writing, reading, and research with an emphasis on argumentation and rhetorical analysis."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was actually the first class I attended on my very first day of college. It's been a while, but I do remember learning that writing can actually be enjoyable (an attitude I didn't have in high school). A highlight was tracking down and speaking with an artist who has several sculptures on BYU's campus; it was for a paper I wrote analyzing one of his works. Plus we met in the Maeser Building, which is classy.<br /><br /><b>14. DANCE 180 - Beginning Social Dance</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Traditional and popular ballroom dance; also social skills."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the biggest regrets about BYU I have is that I didn't give myself enough time to take more dance classes. BYU's dance program is fantastic - I highly recommend this class.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>13. NEURO 481 - Neuroscience Laboratory</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Exposure to classical/modern experiments in neuroscience."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was one of the final classes in my major; I found it enjoyable (not something typically associated with BYU labs). Highlights were preparing/staining slides of brains and helping with research on lab rats.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>12. FLANG 330R - Advanced Language & Culture: Guarani</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Study of target language culture(s) using interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive skills in the target language."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This class was a blast - I hung out with mission buddies and talked about Paraguay. Seriously, how many other universities teach Guarani classes!? Unfortunately I didn't have as much time as I wanted to dedicate to this class, so I don't remember much... but I got 16 credits from the language exam! (Bragging note: I used inter-library loan for a project in this class. The book was about vikings in Paraguay.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>11. BIO 370 - Bioethics</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">In-depth lecture and small group discussion of varied bioethical issues. LDS Church positions emphasized when appropriate."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The small lab groups in this class were awesome - I had an amazing TA, and we watched a relevant episode of Star Trek about every other week. The subject matter was fascinating; if the lecture portion of this class had been better, I would rank it much higher.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>10. PSYCH 370 - Sensation and Perception</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Sensory basis of perception and principles of perceptual organization."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fascinating class - particularly relevant to me as half the lectures were about vision. It helped me appreciate how incredible our senses are and how we interact with the world around us. And the professor was goofy (in a good way).<br /><br /><b>9. PWS 340 - Genetics</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Genetic mechanisms, their fundamental nature, interactions, and applications to human affairs. Genetics in quantitative terms. Extensive practice in problem solving."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow - such a cool class. The professor was hilarious and I loved learning about genetics, even though the class met in the MARB. It just clicked with me for some reason, and I did very well. If I had the chance to start college all over again, I might choose genetics for a career path.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>8. NEURO 360 - Neuroanatomy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Functonal anatomy of the human brain and spinal cord, including surface and cross-sectional gross anatomy, microscopic anatomy, and sensory, motor, and integrative systems' circuitry."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe my professor for this class is the best lecturer/educator I've ever had. Deeply intriguing, very useful course material. I feel like this class prepared me more for the field of neuroscience than the initial class for my major. Also, we dissected sheep brains!<br /><br /><b>7. SPAN 329 - Survey of Hispanic Linguistics</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Introduction to linguistics of Spanish: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, history of the Spanish language, philology, dialectology, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Passionate teacher + small class size + cool subject matter = terrific course. A lot of foreign-serving returned missionaries think "I just got back from my mission, and I have no idea what to do with the rest of my life, but I speak another language now, so I think I'll major in linguistics." According to my Career Explorations teacher, that doesn't usually work out too well. However, my love of linguistics was developed before I served a mission, and I seriously considered it as a major.<br /><br /><b>6. PHY S 100 - Physical Science</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Conceptual lectures and demonstrations of the most significant and universal laws and models describing the physical world by faculty from the Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Geology departments."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one of the easiest classes I've ever taken. Frankly, I think I could have tested out of this class because I covered all the material (and in more depth) during high school. I took it because it was a required general education class, and at the time I didn't know what I was going to major in. (Later I took more advanced classes needed for my major that would have waived this class.) But I love the physical sciences! My professor for this class was not LDS, but did a better job than most of my LDS professors at incorporating spiritual topics into the course material. Physical Science 100 ranks so high because during the last half of my time at BYU, I worked as a TA for this class, and I loved every minute of it (except maybe grading homework). My coworkers became close friends, and teaching the students in this capacity was probably the most meaningful educational experience I had at BYU.<br /><br /><b>4 & 5. PSYCH 111 - General Psychology and PSYCH 210 - History of Psychology</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">Basic course in modern scientific psychology."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">"</span><span style="background-color: white;">Overview of psychological thinking from Ancient Greece to the present. Emphasizes a critical stance toward the assumptions and implications of major psychological theories."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These classes are ranked so high not because of the subject, but because of the teacher (same for both). He ties for my number one favorite professor ever. Any attempt to describe how great his teaching philosophy and style were would do them injustice. It's enough to say that he significantly shaped my worldview and approach to science in general.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>3. MUSIC 201 & 202 - Civilization: Music (Honors)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">History of civilization from Greek antiquity through the present day, primarily from perspective of musical literature and the arts; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is basically one class spread across two semesters, so I'm counting it as one on this list. These were the most challenging classes of my freshman year, but I loved them. (Some of the tests took ~5 hours to complete, no joke.) Perhaps I'm peculiar in that I'm a science major who values and loves the humanities. For a long time I considered majoring in music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. PDBIO 220 - Human Anatomy (with lab)</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"Structure and function of the human body. Lab included."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This class is notoriously challenging, but also regarded as one of the best classes offered at BYU; I agree. The complex miracle that is our bodies fills me with gratitude, awe, and humility. The cadaver lab was a reverent place; I considered it holy ground as we studied the literally selfless gifts of the deceased. I think I heard that BYU has the largest anatomy program with a cadaver lab for undergraduates. I'm realizing this is a huge blessing as I'm encountering people at optometry school who had to work with animal cadavers or none at all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. IHUM 260 - Humanities of Latin America</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">"<span style="background-color: white;">Achievements of Latin American culture regarding art, philosophy, literature, and music from the pre-Columbian era to the present."</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>The professor for this course ties as my most favorite professor (see numbers 4 & 5) - he had an equally important influence on my perspective of life and learning. Also, he's probably the coolest teacher and most "in touch" with students that I can think of. Again, more humanities (which I love), just focused on a specific culture (which I love). Sometimes I think I chose the wrong major - despite the large number of humanities students studying in the class, I had the highest grade through most of the semester. I learned how to appreciate literature in this class. Also, the requirements for this class forced me to get a Twitter account. (Follow me! @danmcintosh5) We had weekly writing assignments for this class that we posted to a personal blog. <a href="http://escriboluego.blogspot.com/">Click here to see my blog!</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did not include Men's Chorus on this list, even though I technically took this "class" for four semesters. The <a href="http://byumenschorus.com/">BYU Men's Chorus</a> is the country's largest male collegiate choir. It's not an academic course, so I didn't put it in the list. But if I had, it would be in 1st place, along with the director as my favorite teacher. My membership in this choir was the most emotionally and spiritually meaningful experience at BYU. Much of my testimony is built on what I learned from singing in that choir. I feel like being in the choir helped prepare me more for my mission than my Mission Prep class did. I was blessed to be able to sing in General Conference twice, take trips to Las Vegas and St. George, and sing beautiful music with my brothers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://setapartalbum.byu.edu/">Click here to download a free album by the BYU Men's Chorus.</a></span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-55512637989398146702013-08-19T01:07:00.001-05:002013-08-19T01:22:41.296-05:00Places I will miss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"It's hard to say goodbye to the place you've lived.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>It can be as hard as saying goodbye to a person."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jonathan Safran Foer (from <i>Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close</i>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"No matter how you get there or where you end up,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>humans beings have this miraculous gift to make that place home."</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Creed Bratton (on the finale of <i>The Office</i>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chatsworth Townhouses</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(especially C2, C3, C7, S2, S5, and everything in between)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.cinemark.com/theatre-detail.aspx?node_id=1456"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cinemark Movies 8</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(the dollar theater)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rock Canyon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the swimming pool at The Avenues</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the <a href="http://www.provolibrary.com/">Provo Library</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provo_Tabernacle">Provo Tabernacle</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Mercado Latino on 300 South</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the parking garage on 100 West</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="http://www.rooftopconcertseries.com/">rooftop concerts</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.sevenpeaks.com/WaterParkProvo/Home.aspx/SITEID.1001_2/MDLPRTID.1003_0/MDLID.1002_134/MID.1007_11/CatId_0/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seven Peaks</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BYU campus:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the HFAC, for wonder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the SWKT, for church</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the ESC, for science</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the MOA, for solitude</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the HBLL, for knowledge (and night games)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the JFSB, for beauty</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the MLBM, for childhood</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the MP, for dinosaurs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Arctic Circle in Orem</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">North Park</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(night games)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.byu.edu/oncampushousing/heritage_halls.shtml"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heritage Halls</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(especially Estella Spilsbury Harris Hall and the Creamery)</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.thanksgivingpoint.org/visit/museumofancientlife"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Museum of Ancient Life</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">wherever <a href="http://ammonslife.blogspot.com/">Ammon</a> is/was living</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the stream and trail at the south end of BYU campus</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the <a href="http://www.mtc.byu.edu/">Missionary Training Center</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.flagsandstuff.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the flag store</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the homes of my extended family</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://sevenpeaks.com/FunCenterOrem/Home.aspx/SITEID.1001_5"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trafalga</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Timpanogos"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mount Timpanogos</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://craigscuts.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Craig's Cuts</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Smith's on Freedom Boulevard</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deseret Industries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the <a href="http://www.byubookstore.com/">BYU Bookstore</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://shopsatriverwoods.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Riverwoods</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(or "Riverbottoms" as I like to call it)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Historic Downtown Provo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">my mission president's home</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Provo Canyon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the 7-11 on 500 North</span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-18845981310370529652013-07-10T19:52:00.001-05:002013-07-10T20:00:22.993-05:00Dan Quixote<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Quixo-panza.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Quixo-panza.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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"You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness."</div>
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-Jonathan Safran Foer, <i>Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close</i></div>
<br />During my mission to Paraguay, one of my companions had to make a trip to the hospital. After the appointment, we decided to have lunch in the hospital's cafeteria. They had one of those low-set freezers with the slide-open top, filled with all sorts of individually wrapped popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, and other frozen treats. Dessert sounded good, so I walked over, slid the lid open, and weighed my options.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">
My earliest childhood friend and his family gave me a nickname – “Danny Q.” To this day I have no idea how it originated… it’s just what they called (and still call) me. Not too long ago I decided that the Q stands for Quixote.</div>
<br />Anyone who’s been grocery shopping with me or seen me try to order food at a restaurant can tell you how long it often takes me to make up my mind. This decision in the hospital was no different – I studied all my options, carefully considering the available selection of treats, their prices, my personal taste, my hunger level, and amount of disposable funds. It took me literally 3-4 minutes to pick something.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">
I recently learned the hard way that what I once thought was being true to a glorious quest was in reality as useless as attacking windmills. How am I supposed to know when reaching for the unreachable star is commendable and noble or just impractical and unrealistic? </div>
<br />When I finally returned to the table where my companion was sitting, he asked me, “Elder McIntosh, how are you ever going to choose a wife?!”<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
"Dreams die hard and you hold them in your hands long after they turn to dust."</div>
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-Bowen (Dennis Quaid), <i>DragonHeart</i></div>
<br />And so I joined Cyrano and Luke at the wrong corner; turns out I was Harry the whole time. What purpose do I have in sharing these things? I don’t know… catharsis, probably. Will the world be better for this? I think so – I've definitely learned some things. Quests are difficult and tiring, but I’ve got to be willing to march into hell for <i>the</i> heavenly cause, because it's worth it. And the world is a pretty terrific place.</span><div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-13849592111887201802013-06-02T16:28:00.002-05:002013-06-02T16:36:15.625-05:00Revenge and Brackets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a big fan of filmmaker </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0634240/?ref_=sr_1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christopher Nolan</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - I think his movies are brilliant. Ironically, many of his films tend to be visually and thematically dark. One of these dark films, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482571/?ref_=sr_1">The Prestige</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, happens to be a favorite of mine. I consider it a high-quality example of cinematic art. Coming from a culture that values "</span><a href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1.13?lang=eng#12" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">," I have encountered several people who don't like this movie based on its bleak and sinister premise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because I have been taught <a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/media?lang=eng">the importance of being careful about the media that we experience</a>, I gave the matter some thought. Most of the darkness in this film revolves around the theme of revenge. As far as I can tell, the lessons and morals taught in this movie are in harmony with true principles (whether strictly religious or not): revenge and pride often lead to sadness and self-destruction, obsessions are mentally unhealthy, etc. I bounced these ideas off friends, and we considered other movies that deal with revenge.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JG7FDivQLac?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245844/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2">The Count of Monte Cristo</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is an enjoyable, well-made film and I imagine that most people would consider it less dark than </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Prestige</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. HOWEVER, I believe that the principles taught in this movie do not reflect reality. It seems to teach that you can waste your whole life seeking revenge against those who have wronged you, and God will support you if your cause is "just" and everyone lives happily ever after. (I've never read the book, but I hear that it has a more correct moral of the story.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h5sLv-l0OXIgvyFy1dLNqBnAdv1q32VJX7P4VEEQkXTABxllqUeR1dKhFpgBEHrWCQoB1anwg9xomO04SH6ly0oCDH8ieleDuKvCxcbH-M-xsJ91HmMIab8Qu63Fh7u0zpyly-sXm6A/s320/vlcsnap-74226.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h5sLv-l0OXIgvyFy1dLNqBnAdv1q32VJX7P4VEEQkXTABxllqUeR1dKhFpgBEHrWCQoB1anwg9xomO04SH6ly0oCDH8ieleDuKvCxcbH-M-xsJ91HmMIab8Qu63Fh7u0zpyly-sXm6A/s320/vlcsnap-74226.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, which do you prefer - what do you let your children watch? A grim movie that teaches truth, or a nicer, lighter movie that teaches the incorrect philosophies of men?<br /><br />On a completely different note, check out this incredibly clever paragraph about the use of brackets from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracket">Wikipedia's article on the punctuation marks</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Parentheses may be nested (generally with one set (such as this) inside another set). This is not commonly used in formal writing (though sometimes other brackets [especially square brackets] will be used for one or more inner set of parentheses [in other words, secondary {or even tertiary} phrases can be found within the main parenthetical sentence])."</span></span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-61064265733067482812013-05-08T19:37:00.001-05:002013-05-08T19:39:01.218-05:00Correlation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last month my blog received more pageviews than it had in any other month of its existence. I wondered why, and thought there might be a strong correlation to the number of posts published that month. So, being a good scientist, I made a graph. Here's a scatter plot showing the number of pageviews my blog had in a month (y axis) based on the number of posts I made that month (x-axis).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used Excel to find the regression line:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">y = 43.132x + 24.869</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This means that in months that I don't post anything, I can expect about 25 pageviews. For months that I do publish things, I can expect about 43 pageviews per post on top of the 25.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But being a good scientist, I also realize that there are other variables that I haven't accounted for. Sometimes I "promote" certain blog posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Google +. I didn't account for that - oh well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(<a href="http://xkcd.com/552/">source</a>)</span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-70277118061570522002013-05-08T19:02:00.003-05:002013-05-08T19:02:52.873-05:00Optometry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those who don't know already, I've been accepted into the University of Houston's College of Optometry (hooray!). Upon hearing that I want to become an optometrist, many people ask, "Is it because you wear glasses?" This always seems like a silly question to me. Do people become doctors because they occasionally get sick? Do people become dentists because they've had a cavity? Do people become mechanics because they've had a car break down?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many factors influenced my career decision. While some reasons are more personal, the following stats should do a great job at explaining "Why optometry?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#12 on the list <a href="http://money.cnn.com/pf/best-jobs/2012/snapshots/12.html">"Best Jobs in America" (2012) by CNNMoney & PayScale.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#20 on the list <a href="http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/pf/jobs/1010/gallery.best_jobs_highest_paid.moneymag/20.html">"Highest Paying Jobs" (2010) by CNNMoney & Payscale.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#8 on the list <a href="http://www.careercast.com/slide/best-jobs-2013-8-optometrist">"Best Jobs of 2013" by CareerCast.com</a> (as quoted by <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/100661391/page/4">cnbc.com</a> and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efkk45eifhm/no-8-best-job-optometrist/">Forbes</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#10 on the list <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/03/best-paying-jobs-future_n_1846655.html">"Best Paying Jobs of the Future" by The Huffington Post</a></span><br />
<a href="http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/01/17/fastest-growing-best-careers/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the list "Best Jobs for 2013 and Beyond" by AOL Jobs</span></a><br />
<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2007/07/19/career-chemistry-best-jobs-for-investigative-people"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the list "Best Jobs for Investigative People" by USNews Careers</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/optometrists.htm#tab-1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">US Bureau of Labor Statistics says that employment of optometrists will increase 33% from 2010-2020 ("much faster than average")</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some good descriptions of the career:</span><br />
<a href="http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/career/11/optometrist"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ExploreHEALTHCareers.org</span></a><br />
<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2007/12/19/optometrist-executive-summary"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">USNews Careers</span></a></div>
Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-32512428085123230732013-04-13T04:46:00.002-05:002014-11-04T19:15:24.955-06:00I have a Bacon number!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think most people are familiar with the '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation">6 degrees of separation</a>' theory. If you're not, look it up. Related to this is the '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon">6 degrees of Kevin Bacon</a>' theory. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000102/">Kevin Bacon</a> has figuratively been in a billion movies; the idea is that any actor can be connected to him through 6 or fewer degrees (connections between actors). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914612/?ref_=sr_1">Emma Watson</a> was in </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1659337/">The Perks of Being a Wallflower</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0503567/?ref_=tt_ov_st">Logan Lerman</a> (1), who was in </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185431/">My One and Only</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with Kevin Bacon (2).</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The number of connections has come to be known as the 'Bacon number' - Emma Watson's Bacon number is 2. Google has incorporated this feature - just search any actor's name followed by the words 'Bacon number.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I learned that I have a Bacon number! <b>MY BACON NUMBER IS 4!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I played a singing, tap dancing cowboy in my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klein_High_School">high school</a>'s production of <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_for_You_(musical)">Crazy for You</a></i>. (1)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(I'm the one kneeling in the front; the director is in the navy blue shirt)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The director of my high school drama department (and the play I was in) has been friends with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1433588/?ref_=sr_1">Jim Parsons</a> since they were in high school; they were also roommates at the <a href="http://uh.edu/">University of Houston</a>. Both of them were involved with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infernal_Bridegroom_Productions">Infernal Bridegroom Productions</a>, a now-defunct theater company based in Houston (home of the country's 2nd-largest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Theater_District">theater district</a>). (2)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jim Parsons and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000671/?ref_=sr_1">Billy Bob Thornton</a> appeared in <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462519/?ref_=sr_1">School for Scoundrels</a></i> together... (3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...and Billy Bob Thornton and Kevin Bacon starred in <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1781840/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Jayne Mansfield's Car</a></i>. (4)</span><br />
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-29943160546556014792013-04-12T15:11:00.000-05:002013-04-12T15:11:23.217-05:00Christmas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've wanted to write about this for some time... and I finally start during a 3 hour layover in Phoenix! Here's the thing... I had a <i>terrific</i> Christmas. I'll give you just a FEW highlights:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. a combined young single adult church activity: <b>Yule Ball</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. reading <i><b>A Christmas Carol</b></i> with friends around the Christmas tree and fireplace DVD</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. the <b><a href="http://mormon.org/">Mormon</a> <a href="http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/">Tabernacle Choir</a></b> Christmas concert</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(quite possibly the most Christmas-y thing I've ever experienced)</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kUh8OP5FTvw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tI4jb-Aca9M?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. two <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klein_High_School">high school</a> Christmas concerts</b> at the beautiful <a href="http://www.cypresscreek.cc/">Cypress Creek Christian Church</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpEDv0zBCTugpRFZwSd1gcgQY9ZXkHe0k6GNQhs_Lf8seCjeDCxhWQedZbfPUSMv0w5m5J6Sj91dHM2b-dmPwTniuhCCpkmVnX9ajR0JtfoBdF1PQxnYPFPvxJghQ2afydLNZRRgxZqGr/s1600/Centrum.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpEDv0zBCTugpRFZwSd1gcgQY9ZXkHe0k6GNQhs_Lf8seCjeDCxhWQedZbfPUSMv0w5m5J6Sj91dHM2b-dmPwTniuhCCpkmVnX9ajR0JtfoBdF1PQxnYPFPvxJghQ2afydLNZRRgxZqGr/s400/Centrum.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. being invited to a <b>cowboy church</b>'s Christmas musical program</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This place is legit - there's a horse arena in front, the chapel is decorated with cow hide and antlers, and the pastor is a former professional calf roper and steer wrestler. Click to check out their <a href="http://www.lonestar.tv/">website</a> or <a href="http://vimeo.com/channels/lonestar">sermon videos</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally, nothing gets much better than just spending time with friends and family back home.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhU0rGEBkCBBCaeLIPlIvIwhnmA5BQ3fW7o7H_GX7WksnoErnjQ9WfguebXtk3jJTgLkgqXj5PvjTw9dH5tHng8JICk8QCXyhodvpfb7s3R5oR_n0UXOsLAJo6YYbDQ5fSJWgpPxKqqAX2fkkYGuYG_lONWPb3oDCjCZn1WL5mOWKEw3uUSuuU-T2kEjweRKtPQAsU" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhU0rGEBkCBBCaeLIPlIvIwhnmA5BQ3fW7o7H_GX7WksnoErnjQ9WfguebXtk3jJTgLkgqXj5PvjTw9dH5tHng8JICk8QCXyhodvpfb7s3R5oR_n0UXOsLAJo6YYbDQ5fSJWgpPxKqqAX2fkkYGuYG_lONWPb3oDCjCZn1WL5mOWKEw3uUSuuU-T2kEjweRKtPQAsU" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MejbOFk7H6c?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">i've been waiting for months</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">waiting for years</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">waiting for you to change</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">aw, but there ain't much that's dumber</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">there ain't much that's dumber</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">than pinning your hopes on a change in another</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and i, yeah, i still need you, but what good's that gonna do? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">needing is one thing and getting, getting's another </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">so i've been sitting around </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">wasting my time </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">wondering what you been doing </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">aw, and it ain't real forgiving </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">it ain't real forgiving </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">sitting here picturing someone else living </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and i, yeah, i still need you, but what good's that gonna do? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">needing is one thing and getting, getting's another </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">i've been hoping for months </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">hoping for years </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">hoping I might forget </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">aw, but it don't get much dumber </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">it don't get much dumber </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">than trying to forget a girl when you love her </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and i, yeah, i still need you, but what good's that gonna do? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">needing is one thing and getting, getting's another</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(<i>Needing/Getting</i> by <a href="http://okgo.net/">OK Go</a>)</span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-52676293142530322452013-04-04T13:38:00.003-05:002013-04-04T13:38:49.333-05:00Apathy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a short in-class exercise, we wrote sensory poems in my writing class. Everyone had to choose an abstract noun and describe it using the "<a href="http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/07/humans-have-a-lot-more-than-five-senses/">five senses</a>."</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apathy is a sort of off-white color; nothing too offensive, it goes with pretty much anything.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It smells old. Not a bad smell, but not pleasant either.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It feels comfortable. It feels nice enough that one can overlook its negative connotations.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It sounds like a long, hesitant groan.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apathy has no flavor.</span></i></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-58817205277532748882013-02-11T23:15:00.002-06:002013-02-11T23:15:28.468-06:00Confrontation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David and I prepared this for our ward's talent show tonight... I think it went over pretty well! (Please forgive the wardrobe malfunction at the end.) Thanks to Bethany for filming it.</span><br />
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/MTlIihQP_TE/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MTlIihQP_TE&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MTlIihQP_TE&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-24952826730408423422013-02-07T23:37:00.000-06:002013-03-26T23:56:55.668-05:00Anniversary II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, it's been <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ">two years</a> since I started this blog. Here's another statistical report! (<a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2012/02/anniversary.html">Click here</a> to compare to last year's.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>total pageviews: </b>2106</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>most-viewed posts:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 1. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2012/04/niece.html">The Niece</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2012/03/whats-in-name.html">What's in a name?</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 3. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2012/04/fun-fact.html">Fun Fact</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 4. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2012/07/california-paradigm-changer.html">California: Paradigm Changer</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 5. <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2011/04/eric-whitacres-virtual-choir.html">Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>countries with most pageviews:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 1. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">United States</a> (1762)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia">Russia</a> (141)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany">Germany</a> (58)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 4. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel">Israel</a> (14)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 5. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_kingdom">United Kingdom</a> (10)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>pageviews by browser:</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=220x110&cht=p&chd=s:9qVJFDCBB&chl=Chrome|Firefox|Internet+Explorer|Safari|Mobile+Safari|Mobile|Opera|OS%3BFBSV|GranParadiso" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=220x110&cht=p&chd=s:9qVJFDCBB&chl=Chrome|Firefox|Internet+Explorer|Safari|Mobile+Safari|Mobile|Opera|OS%3BFBSV|GranParadiso" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>pageviews by operating system:</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=220x110&cht=p&chd=s:9QEDCB&chl=Windows|Macintosh|Linux|Android|iPhone|Other+Unix" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=220x110&cht=p&chd=s:9QEDCB&chl=Windows|Macintosh|Linux|Android|iPhone|Other+Unix" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-6412875837655327742013-01-19T11:48:00.000-06:002013-01-19T11:49:18.124-06:00Teko aturu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://loldamn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/funny-The-Office-Andy-Bernard-text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="http://loldamn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/funny-The-Office-Andy-Bernard-text.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-79541669790557988582013-01-12T18:09:00.001-06:002014-11-04T19:30:57.409-06:00Other blog is finished<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So remember <a href="http://savethecore.blogspot.com/2012/08/new-blog.html">a few months ago when I mentioned I'd started a new blog</a> as one of the requirements of a class I took? When I posted that, the other blog was brand new with only one post. Now that the class is over, I won't be adding anything to it; however, I wanted to mention it again here because now there are lots of interesting things to read! Some of the posts are good, others maybe not so much. But I think the quality improved as the semester wore on.<br /><br /><a href="http://escriboluego.blogspot.com/">You can go to the blog by clicking here.</a><br /><br />The class I took was 'Humanities of Latin America: Achievements of Latin American culture regarding art, philosophy, literature, and music from the pre-Columbian era to the present.' It's one of the best classes I've taken at BYU (in the top 3, for sure).</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8W34jyNUid0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-69017238018025089232012-11-23T15:16:00.000-06:002012-11-23T15:21:43.223-06:00On Yerba Mate (grass drink)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Ilex_paraguariensis_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-074.jpg/220px-Ilex_paraguariensis_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Ilex_paraguariensis_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-074.jpg/220px-Ilex_paraguariensis_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-074.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mate</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is a drink that's popular throughout southern South America. It's kind of like herbal tea, made from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate">yerba mate</a> plant. Due to its appearance, a few friends and I refer to it as "grass drink." Most of my friends think it tastes nasty - it has a very strong flavor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There exist a few native South American legends about the origins of the mate drink. Some of these might be of interest to anyone familiar with <a href="http://mormon.org/book-of-mormon">the Book of Mormon</a> (a scriptural account of God's dealings with ancient Americans). As you continue reading, please keep a couple things in mind:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No one' s belief of the Book of Mormon<span style="background-color: white;"> should be based on old stories, or even physical evidence, for that matter. <a href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10.3-5?lang=eng#2">Belief should come through a witness from God, as mentioned in the Book of Mormon here</a>.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will be quoting things I found on the internet. Not everything you read on the internet is true.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following is taken from <a href="http://guayaki.com/mate/1894/Legends-of-Yerba-Mate.html">this website</a>:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>There is an old Guarani Indian legend that relates the origins of the Guarani in the Forests of Paraguay. According to the legend, the ancestors of the Guarani at one time in the distant past crossed a great and spacious ocean from a far land to settle in the Americas. They found the land both wonderful yet full of dangers; through diligence and effort they subdued the land and inaugurated a new civilization. There were two brothers that vied for leadership of the people: Tupi and Guarani. Eventually they feuded and divided the people into two separate nations. Each nation, or tribe, adopted the name of the brother who was its leader.</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>The Tupi tribes adopted a more fierce, nomadic lifestyle, rejecting the agricultural traditions of their fathers...</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>The Guarani tribes became a stable, God-fearing people who worked the land and became excellent craftsmen. They looked forward to the coming of a tall, fair-skinned, blue eyed, bearded God (Pa'i Shume) who, according to legend, eventually did appear and was pleased with the Guarani. He imparted religious instruction and taught them concerning certain agricultural practices which would benefit them in times of drought and pestilence as well as on a day-to-day basis. Significantly, He unlocked the secrets of health and medicine and revealed the healing qualities of native plants.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>One of the most important of these secrets was how to harvest and prepare the leaves of the yerba mate tree. The [mate] beverage was meant to ensure health, vitality and longevity. The choice of favorite drink by the Tupi and Guarani came to symbolize opposition between the respective groups. The yerba [mate] of Guarani, reflecting the agricultural and domestic nature of these Indians, provided many more beneficial properties than the Tupi's guarana, which symbolized their preoccupation with running wild and free and their reliance on brute strength and the need to physically excel. [Mate] became the most common ingredient in household cures of the Guarani, and remains so to this day.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The Book of Mormon starts with the story of a family who sails across the ocean to inhabit the Americas. Nephi and his brother Laman don't get along so well. Read what happens in <a href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/5?lang=eng">chapter 5 of 2 Nephi</a>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my brethren.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>But behold, their anger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>And it came to pass that the Lord did warn me, that I, Nephi, should depart from them and flee into the wilderness, and all those who would go with me...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>And all those who were with me did take upon them to call themselves the people of Nephi.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance. And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>[The followers of Laman] did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey.</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Kaa_mate.JPG/800px-Kaa_mate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Kaa_mate.JPG/800px-Kaa_mate.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Interesting, no? <a href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/11?lang=eng">Later on in the Book of Mormon</a>, Christ visits their descendants in the Americas after His resurrection. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Several legends from other parts of Latin America mention a white bearded god who came anciently; </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl#Mormonism" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Quetzalcoatl</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> is one of the most well-known.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">In </span><a href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/46.40?lang=eng#39" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">another part of the Book of Mormon</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">, it mentions the "excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate-". Whether you believe yerba mate is a gift from heaven or not, it's an interesting story. I'll keep drinking it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2007.00535.x/full">Click here for a scientific article explaining the health benefits of yerba mate.</a></span></span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-77621030966782484962012-10-22T02:01:00.001-05:002013-03-26T23:59:48.008-05:00Teko año<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2011/06/13/joel-courtney-went-to-la-for-a-commercial-got-super-8-instead/">source</a></span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-20942022006183999282012-09-29T16:53:00.003-05:002012-09-29T16:59:52.710-05:00Timpanogos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earlier this summer, a group of friends and I hiked <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Timpanogos">Timp</a>. The first time I hiked it, the group I was with only made it to the saddle. This time we went all the way to the top. Here are some pictures from the trip!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(During the hike, I had three or four songs running through my head the entire time. Play the videos to hear!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(I couldn't get the movie for this other song to work, so <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNndi2VBaCc">click here</a>.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2009 I sang in <a href="http://news.byu.edu/archive09-Oct-spectacular.aspx">BYU's Homecoming Spectacular</a>. The theme was "Reach for the Summit" and focused on Mt. Timpanogos. Another song going through my head on the hike was one we sang for the event: a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM8lv_dpevk">MoTab arrangement</a> of a <a href="http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Curriculum/music.htm/hymns.htm/restoration.htm/5%20high%20on%20the%20mountain%20top.htm#JD_Hymns.5">popular LDS hymn</a> set to these lyrics:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">High on the mountain top a banner is unfurled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ye nations, now look up; it waves to all the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A standard has been raised by those who've gone before;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trail was blazed by all who dared for more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So let us face the test, we will succeed at length;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For only in the quest can we improve our strength.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With hope we'll journey on to gain the summit's source.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The road is long but we shall stay the course.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And when our journey's through, the summit we've attained,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've learned this vital truth: our humbled hearts have changed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sermon was the mount; the lesson long and hard</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erases doubt and testifies of God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On God we must rely through every darkened hour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His Spirit as our guide will truly give us power.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A light upon a hill, a banner is unfurled</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To bring his truth to all the world.</span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-27717908720309436102012-09-20T00:56:00.000-05:002012-09-20T00:57:57.131-05:00An Open Mind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>"The Jesuit Pedro José Márquez published two studies at the beginning of the century which argued that notions of beauty are relative, and that the great monuments of the indigenous past should be studied on an equal footing with those of Greece and Rome."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>(Dawn Ades, <i>Art in Latin America</i>, 28)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a percussionist in high school, I was able to attend a master class taught by <a href="http://www.michaelspiro.com/">Michael Spiro</a>, a world renowned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-Cuban">Afro-Cuban</a> drummer. In addition to teaching us techniques on congas and bongos, he spent a fair amount of time talking about music appreciation. The most memorable thing I learned that day was about keeping an open mind: even though we may not enjoy a particular genre or style of music doesn't mean that we should dismiss it completely as a valid form of art. Within a genre there can exist good and bad examples, but to discount it entirely is arrogant. This concept also applies to literature, visual arts, drama, etc.</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/WFE8j6lYKIM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example, I often hear people say things along the lines of “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_art">Modern art</a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th-century_classical_music">music</a> is dumb! There’s no skill involved - it’s meaningless. Anybody could produce that type of art.” I’d never had much of an opinion about modern art, either for or against. However, after taking MUSIC 201 & 202 (Civilization: Music) from <a href="http://cfac.byu.edu/departments/music/directory/detail?page=52&">a professor</a> whose specialty is modern art/music, I better understood the genre. Learning about the context and motives for different styles of art gives you an appreciation for them, even though you still may not like them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think this is the point that Pedro José Márquez wanted to make - just because indigenous art wasn't understood, it shouldn't be viewed as a lower form than European art.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To me, this idea extends beyond the arts to opposing positions on various topics. It annoys me when people aren't willing to admit that views different than their own contain any valid points whatsoever. Because of this, I often play devil’s advocate when talking with friends or family, even if I’m completely against the position I’m defending. I was reminded of this in class on Tuesday when Dr. Mack mentioned a character from the book <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Wind">The Name of the Wind</a></i> who had to maintain two diametrically opposing thoughts in his mind simultaneously. By considering multiple views of a situation or art form or culture, we develop a more complete understanding of it. </span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-16588905247552118792012-08-30T01:02:00.002-05:002012-08-30T01:02:34.032-05:00New blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm enrolled in a Humanities of Latin America class this semester. One of the requirements is that I start a blog for this class, as a sort of reading journal. For those of you that are interested, <a href="http://escriboluego.blogspot.com/">click here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm really looking forward to this class, actually. It's the only non-heavy-duty-science class that I've got, and I will be learning about a culture that I love. While waiting for our first class to start, our instructor played the following video for us:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like this video a lot - I think it's a good montage of the people and culture.</span></div>
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Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375906529519798034.post-10918582603944237042012-07-22T11:04:00.002-05:002012-07-22T11:07:37.275-05:00California: Paradigm Changer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before this summer, the only part of California that I had visited was the LA area. It's nice - I love <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/68225">Disneyland</a>, the beaches are fine, and there are palm trees. However, based on Californians' claims for how awesome the state is, and only having been to LA, (and being from Texas,) I thought their claims were unjustifiably exaggerated. BUT NOT SO! Earlier this summer I visited northern/central California, and it was <i>amazing</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend <a href="http://ammonslife.blogspot.com/">Ammon</a> invited me to go along with him - he was going to visit his sister and participate in one of those obstacle course/race things, and wanted some company for the trip. After making it through the barren wasteland that is northern Nevada, we stayed the night in Reno. (As it turns out, Reno is not a very classy place. But we stayed in a "nice" casino for cheap!) The next morning we crossed the border into California. As soon as we did, the landscape instantly changed - suddenly we were driving through the mountain forests of the Tahoe area, with occasional vistas of gorgeous mountain lakes. We made our way south and made a stop at the redwood forest of <a href="http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm">Muir Woods National Monument</a> (<i>WOW </i>- breathtaking!), then crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco. SF was a neat city - I'm sad that we didn't have enough time to explore there. We kept going south, and eventually ended up on Highway 1, driving right along the coast. We watched the sunset over the ocean as we continued on the winding cliff road. Eventually we made it to Ammon's sister's place in Morro Bay, a neat little town right outside of San Luis Obispo. It was pretty late by then, and we went straight to bed. When the sun came up, we saw that they had a beautiful window view of the beach just a couple of blocks away. I went with them to the obstacle race (which was fun even though I was a spectator), then back home and cleaned up. In the afternoon, we visited a really fun beach with Ammon's sister and her family, then went out for dinner for some authentic seafood (more authentic than in Utah, anyway). The next morning we left early, stopping only for church (Sacrament in Sacramento!). What a great trip! Who knew California could be that awesome?!?!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkrSNytlQ7e7lW0NHXPuaM_A9qlRcfJuhSBrQ3WAahOS8-Ztbgu4fwL-qZjXLY-OksMf3wxYKrvjwFcgloCJr9HVT7NqPir5myzAJFG3WX28ITgrZKwEEB7a9lO_mKiTxJDFAJJFWUq8y/s1600/EDAFB287-7701-4AB9-A5B3-20B42EA45321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkrSNytlQ7e7lW0NHXPuaM_A9qlRcfJuhSBrQ3WAahOS8-Ztbgu4fwL-qZjXLY-OksMf3wxYKrvjwFcgloCJr9HVT7NqPir5myzAJFG3WX28ITgrZKwEEB7a9lO_mKiTxJDFAJJFWUq8y/s400/EDAFB287-7701-4AB9-A5B3-20B42EA45321.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRRGncAYGzxPfNzKvcoZHLFVxf4m3217j5sfJmtEUyg1EcN0oQNXlreCm_e2iFv0W-S5lO_hy3XhXiAKDcQTAzWkntZoVxya5TR6YPaF2nw_u0SIElGmXP6oeK1yaMiBiK33OawhyZPAA/s1600/815BF15E-ECB5-4FEF-A952-EE60484B3AB8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRRGncAYGzxPfNzKvcoZHLFVxf4m3217j5sfJmtEUyg1EcN0oQNXlreCm_e2iFv0W-S5lO_hy3XhXiAKDcQTAzWkntZoVxya5TR6YPaF2nw_u0SIElGmXP6oeK1yaMiBiK33OawhyZPAA/s400/815BF15E-ECB5-4FEF-A952-EE60484B3AB8.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Here are some pictures from Muir Woods...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(my camera phone can't do justice to how majestic it was)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Sunset over the ocean driving down Highway 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmK7fI5l0NSeOXbNDSyrdZjrCQmQP4Rf_yyN5HptnZDphaDTR_nzY2kAIaqvHGe_KNHIy5KYIzX9NboOk_L9IkKZ_rpWWd9zbZE14LqUd8Sh7w0XjLPJ8om89G92daWOexOx15YesKcL-/s1600/10111E60-E4F4-4DBE-B325-16D4B221FDFA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmK7fI5l0NSeOXbNDSyrdZjrCQmQP4Rf_yyN5HptnZDphaDTR_nzY2kAIaqvHGe_KNHIy5KYIzX9NboOk_L9IkKZ_rpWWd9zbZE14LqUd8Sh7w0XjLPJ8om89G92daWOexOx15YesKcL-/s320/10111E60-E4F4-4DBE-B325-16D4B221FDFA.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaLzcqQ4DeQItGRWaGP9oVApCUfwZMxbctryGl79nwyNmLnxySY6x_BYUcABD1HQFq2iRwr51e5WT0Cqffq8CL8LjDf3V8uXTte8lK-iBFisPtXyZttUAPZtg0u010_miXzecoMunrTC0/s1600/39D94437-C972-45C6-A47B-D00BCE7DEAE9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaLzcqQ4DeQItGRWaGP9oVApCUfwZMxbctryGl79nwyNmLnxySY6x_BYUcABD1HQFq2iRwr51e5WT0Cqffq8CL8LjDf3V8uXTte8lK-iBFisPtXyZttUAPZtg0u010_miXzecoMunrTC0/s320/39D94437-C972-45C6-A47B-D00BCE7DEAE9.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ammon's sister's kids were gone the first night we were there, so we got to sleep in their beds - look how cool they are! I slept in the pirate ship! (Also, their room was full of Legos, so I kept busy even when we had down time.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The view from their living room window... <i>sigh</i>... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sea otters in Morro Bay! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8MIlUcP-jbwZjun7k0rTFkOWpDaX9m1EVIlJbSAMUeMrGPTujxuNuQdzEIx8X8UgGFPUX7N5k0YiEVJTP-fhcTsNnx1yQeYoV0vgGvj4my3MRkYmCP1oPLbOcbG0Eoxo2Cd3l8RV_vPD/s1600/54CA079C-D722-4F0C-890B-85DB217F9CFE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8MIlUcP-jbwZjun7k0rTFkOWpDaX9m1EVIlJbSAMUeMrGPTujxuNuQdzEIx8X8UgGFPUX7N5k0YiEVJTP-fhcTsNnx1yQeYoV0vgGvj4my3MRkYmCP1oPLbOcbG0Eoxo2Cd3l8RV_vPD/s400/54CA079C-D722-4F0C-890B-85DB217F9CFE.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A vineyard we drove through on our way to get to the obstacle race, located on a ranch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Here's a video made of the race that Ammon and his sister participated in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> On the beach!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We had fun with Ammon's nephews scrambling up and down the beach hills...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8FB90ZEIbIIIdbXsgvqyupI76lJC7qOnMjXI57UIxt1CrLam8KYcWl2w2Se9jXFcw569jYZ7HtsxjW3dTx-G8hbUCfjktu_dvK4tE6AE_iE_9_Qm8GXFtL92v2WMpDTTtCvHvOtiC5uH/s1600/F2FEE8D5-5C59-46BA-972E-B99A76532A7E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8FB90ZEIbIIIdbXsgvqyupI76lJC7qOnMjXI57UIxt1CrLam8KYcWl2w2Se9jXFcw569jYZ7HtsxjW3dTx-G8hbUCfjktu_dvK4tE6AE_iE_9_Qm8GXFtL92v2WMpDTTtCvHvOtiC5uH/s400/F2FEE8D5-5C59-46BA-972E-B99A76532A7E.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Tide pool creatures</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38Dn5WldSArze3qKZSfXKMiD1Kc9fHZaybjmCmAW6S11pLFaRl4Zuz3yqtzz_c5x_iVjRpWcVTETob8LBFx6_dFDeFhm8uSwNpk7JXnDkxzavP1mvEek5PiTvubd0w1rsPCfHoAZYDw4r/s1600/9287C553-BA9C-4352-AEB6-C0A7FEE28FB5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38Dn5WldSArze3qKZSfXKMiD1Kc9fHZaybjmCmAW6S11pLFaRl4Zuz3yqtzz_c5x_iVjRpWcVTETob8LBFx6_dFDeFhm8uSwNpk7JXnDkxzavP1mvEek5PiTvubd0w1rsPCfHoAZYDw4r/s400/9287C553-BA9C-4352-AEB6-C0A7FEE28FB5.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Cool geology!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKIN4gxPZl1SX30syqsWYog8pE4npjulQyh90qK6UUz3uHsMYPwVMMmkhSUtHLlV_EI6atc2F1Ug9nYQTGiHPkK_1ZaTE4X4DtIt61tVMuMXcwgBIW4mDH5RnjkiP1TQsPmJjHc6ltvnf/s1600/0C214960-5332-440D-839B-A456DEA46240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKIN4gxPZl1SX30syqsWYog8pE4npjulQyh90qK6UUz3uHsMYPwVMMmkhSUtHLlV_EI6atc2F1Ug9nYQTGiHPkK_1ZaTE4X4DtIt61tVMuMXcwgBIW4mDH5RnjkiP1TQsPmJjHc6ltvnf/s400/0C214960-5332-440D-839B-A456DEA46240.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may remember the eclipse that happened earlier in the summer - we were able to see it on our drive home through two layers of sunglasses and a tiny hole made with our fingers. I tried taking a picture, but you can't tell there's an eclipse going on.</span></div>
</div>Dan McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15623946862972272020noreply@blogger.com3