you don't know jack

Under Pressure

2010-09-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

So the school year is in again and I'm already stressed. Granted I am a chronic stresser but it is exacerbated by academics. To avoid going absolutely crazy I have made a playlist of songs that I think lower my blood pressure or stress level so to speak. It's pretty heavy on the John Mayer and Enya but to each their own yeah?

1. Freefallin' - John Mayer

-Honestly the entire "Where the Light is" album is on here and is phenomenal

2. Caribbean Blue - Enya

3. Scarborough Fair - Simon & Garfunkel

4. 9 Crimes - Damien Rice

5. Samson - Regina Spektor

6. Going, Going, Gone - Stars

7. All I Need - Radiohead

8. Fondu au Noir - Couer de Pirate

9. Fast Car- Tracy Chapman

10. Various songs from the soundtracks to "The Mission" and "Last of the Mohicans"

11. My Love - Sia

12. Let's get Lost - Beck

13. Summer Skin - Death Cab for Cutie

14. Possibility - Lykke Li

15. Hide & Seek - Imogen Heap

Hopefully these songs will keep me alive this semester and maybe give you a little relief wherever you are.

A Summer's Preamble

2010-04-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

After having recuperated (aka sleeping so many hours that you are therefore awake for less hours of the day than you were asleep for, sorry Kate, I am not trying to rub it in) after finals I feel it is time to begin blogging again. It is the tail end of Spring here in Provo and Summer is at hand, and I feel that it is time to make a plan for this summer and all the delightful things I plan on doing. But first let's review the last few months.

1- Now a History major- my test scores in both of my history classes have validated that choice (the first time I have ever gotten a 100% on the screen at the testing center and next to it was the word "perfect.")

2- Made a choice about a possible future career. Some of you know some don't, those who don't I am either trying to figure out how to discuss it with you or am hoping you hear through the grapevine so I don't have to talk about it. Regardless you will be brought into the light soon enough.

3- Discovered I am good at and also love playing ice hockey. If you go to Peaks Ice Arena and you see an overly aggressive defenseman throwing someone against the glass...it's possibly me.

4- Also discovered a deep love and ability for xbox games, shout out to my gaming pal Jake who has brought me to this wonderful realization though he can kill me a hundred times before I can kill him once. Call of Duty may be the best game ever.

5- Finals=Hard, especially Doctrine and Covenants, religion teachers must have inferiority complexes. I didn't say it, my Dad did.

6- Speaking of- I got to intelligently use my History major knowledge to sass and correct said religion teacher in front of the class. Victory for the temperamental.

7- Best semester of college ever!

Okay, that being said I have a few plans for the summer to keep up this good streak.

1- Read, my Canadian pal Laura and I created a booklist together and we are going to read them and then discuss them via Skype or Gchat. She isn't here due to her graduation and the fact that if she had stayed she would be an illegal alien. SO, we have created a international, video conferencing book group. Book 1- A Farewell to Arms, thus far I would call it A Farewell to Consciousness but it may just be the post final sleep catch up talking

2- Language study, I ned to keep my French alive. After a particularly difficult semester I have realized I need to be more proactive. Plus I am going to work on Italian, why not I say?

3- I want to play more music. Instrument to be determined

4-Work out like a crazy person

5- Go on adventures with my nephews Luke and Miles and their parents Travis and Heidi. As the one finally living closest to them I need to take advantage

6- Beat Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on a higher difficulty

7- Have an awesome summer so that Fall semester will be as great as can be!

I will report on my progress!

Ode on a Table

2010-03-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

This is what happens at 2 a.m. after ten plus hours of doing french/history/poli sci homework. Creative break-taking I call it.

O noble platform standing there,

resting lightly, as if made of air.

What long nights have we endured?

To each other's ways we are inured.

You support me as I read of war,

or the Global South and the poor,

or when I conjugate le subjonctif,

getting a hundred is our objectif.

As I research and the works I cite,

I rest upon your wooden might.

Though I love to read of History,

when I'll next sleep is a mystery.

I have no bed, just an oaken friend,

who endures with me, start to end.

In the lib. friends, they do not stay,

they've places to go, games to play.

To work or dinner, Mckenna goes.

and Nathan watches Dexter shows.

My friends prefer to read at home,

and then fall asleep at an open tome.

Today I read how the crusaders won

and those atrocities that were done,

of israelite tribes which ten are lost,

and the UN's annual budgetary cost.

je parle, tu est, je pense donc je suis.

I need to write papers about Mallory.

Semesters come, and semesters go,

and through the homework I do know

that it is at this table, where I should be

tired, learning and also very happy.

March Madness

2010-03-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

No, I am afraid this post is not about the NCAA tournament or my beloved Tar Heels, and frankly after that Duke game I would prefer not to talk about it. No, this is about the madness that creeps into the mind of a perfectly normal BYU student around early to mid March. There are no more days off, Finals are close enough to pressure us to work hard but too far to give us hope, the weather teases with warm days and then sends a blizzard. It is a cruel time where these elements coupled with further mid-terms, assignments, and obsessive library attendance drive most BYU students to the near end of sanity. All students come up with coping strategies to deal with the schizophrenic changes in environment. My personal coping strategy is to picture places I would rather be and what lovely things I could do and how stress free it would

be. Here are my personal favorites at this point:

1: Tuscany- Warm, beautiful villas surrounded by trees and nearby beautiful cultural cities. This fantasy involves art museums, clothing shopping, eating my weight in italian food, and reading at an outdoor cafe in some town square while people play in front of the town church or Medici palace. I this is exacerbated by the fact that Travis and Heidi just got back from Italy and were talking about how wonderful it is and my jealousy is piqued.

2: Tahiti- The reasons for this are obvious and simple. Beach, warm, lazy, relaxing, ocean

3: Thailand- I want to go and sit under a Bohti tree and meditate. I think that is the point, I just want to sit around and ponder with no responsibilities. If I have to shave my head and ponder the 8 fold path of the Buddha then I'll do it. I have had dreams about this. The best part is you can stay as long as you want and you don't talk!

4: Greek Isles: cruising on a sailboat through little islands and sunning (sunburning) on the deck. Nice and relaxing.

5: Mexico/Guatemala: I don't know if this is my madness talking or because i really want to, BUT I would like to wander through steamy jungles and meander around ruined Mayan cities. Nathan would go with me, so the Spanish thing is taken care of. Basically volunteered learning in a tropical climate. then maybe some beach time and eating lots of Gringas (this pork, pineapple, cheese quesadilla-like thing of glory)

Anyways, these are the fantasies that get me through this dark period of Winter semester. I think of them when it starts snowing, when I am in the library for 6 hours at a time, or when I realize that my next mid-term starts on Thurs. I guess I will get back to my homework now...i have some quizzes to take and essays to write.

One Leads to Another

2010-03-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

Two very interesting things happened to me this week, and both have been interesting because they have shown to me what happens to a person when they get a college education, particularly in Political Science classes. The first is that I ran into my good friend and old roommate Nathan J. He's married now and we don't see each other very often at all so we stopped to catch up. To give some background Nathan and I always disagreed when it came to politics. He was very conservative and hated the U.N. and the British nation, two things that I held dear. I was pretty liberal and loved international establishments and did not have a very pro-America viewpoint. Yet somehow he and I were still friends and just moved around our political differences. Since then much has happened and he and I have become much more educated in the political realm. As we talked the other day we realized that much of our current political beliefs are in line with each other. I think this just testifies of the fact that good education on a certain subject tends to mellow out extremist views and bring people more to the middle of the road. I would have never believed that he and I would find so much common ground but we have. I think we have just both learned a lot about the real nature of party politics and have fallen in the moderate zone.

However, education can also lead us to become more active and interested in certain things. My international politics class has caused me to feel quite differently about certain issues, the most striking being AIDS/HIV in Africa. Like many people who have/had a limited knowledge of this subject, I thought that it was a sad problem but hardly a pandemic or humanitarian issue I needed to know about. However after an in depth lesson and reading i have learned some very sad truths about this issue and have become incensed by the behaviours of certain parties. My history class has forced me to look more discerningly about England and other cultures and empires that I have liked so much and now see their true flaws. I think it is really interesting that education can diminish extremism in some cases and cause indignation and desire for action in others. I think it is possible that part of this is maturing and becoming more of an adult as well, but I think that education takes most of the credit, and I have come to realize that education means more than just memorized facts and tests but also the development of personal ideologies and philosophies.

Finally...

2010-02-19T13:33:00.000-08:00

After a random facebook message from my good friend and room-mate Nathan, who demanded that I return to the blogging world, I have decided I finally have some peace and quiet to update everyone on how I am doing. Clearly it is not as fun as Kate's big news but I think it is exciting stuff all the same. Anyways, I love to write these things in elaborated bullet points and that is precisely what I am going to do.

1- Back to School, well I am back at school this semester and I am loving it! It has been one of the best semesters at BYU I have had. There have been a few glitches of course but nothing too terrible. One such was my bizarre desire to take Arabic. Well I registered for it, bought the books for it, and went to the first 2 weeks of class. I was good at it and I liked it but it required a lot more time then I could give and after some very wise and helpful words from my older bro. Travis, I dropped said class and picked up a History class that I really enjoy. So now I am taking a French class, a Political Science class, a Doctrine & Covenants class, and my two History classes.

2- Speaking of History...I think I have finally made up my mind about a major (I know right?) I have really, really loved my two history classes this semester and I am really quite good at them too. So, against my comfort zone alarm feelings I went to my professor and asked his advice. He was super helpful, had great info, and really got me to thinking. I have been letting this percolate since I talked to him on Tues. and will of course give it a bit more thought before I fill out paperwork but I think I have found my spot! Finally!

3-Go see the movie "The Young Victoria." Just do it. It's that good, but it might just be the history nerd in me...

4-We just got through mid-terms at school and I did rather well (particularly on the history exams, though not so well on D&C, he curved it so I did well, but it was hands down the most intense exam I have taken in college) So I do have a bit of a lull before another round of mid-terms comes. I suppose I will have to start writing one of those 3 term papers I have to write.

5- Work is the same as it ever was...

6- As for my continuous love of books, movies, and music...I haven't had much time for any of them frankly BUT I am currently reading La Place by Annie Ernaux which is a very good French novel, I recommended one movie but so so so many good ones are coming out you will get plenty soon. Music, listening to the standards lately. I have been OBSESSED with John Mayer's live CD "Where the Light is" just totally blissing me out.

7- Of course, the addition of Beckett to our ragtag crew of boys. I love it! He and Hamilton will be awesome brothers. I can't wait to see him and join into the fun. I have missed having Luke and Miles close. I forget how much cooler I am when I have been hanging out with them, Travis and Heidi too.

So, that is about everything I guess. School is hard but good and everything else seems to be working out in it's own time. Anyway, I won't lapse again, I promise. You may just get a posted picture of me looking pathetic in the library but I will post it!

Elementary, my dear Watson

2009-12-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

Going to the movies on holidays had become a trend in our family in the recent years. This year my family chose to go see Guy Ritchie's new film Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Now as anyone who knows my Dad and I well, knows how much my Dad and I love Sherlock Holmes. We have both read all of Conan Doyle's stories about him and we have loved watching Jeremy Brett portray him on the BBC television series. So, of course we both had reservations about this new film, not the I doubted it would be entertaining but that I, who so love Sherlock in his pure form, would find that it strayed too far from the things I loved best about Holmes. However, I loved it.

What was excellent about the film is that it made no attempt to be like the television series. While I still fell that Jeremy Brett is the greatest portrayer of Holmes to this day, he seemed to really capture the essence of Conan Doyle's character, Ritchie has given us a 21st century take on the Victorian detective. Both Downey Jr. and Law made their characters their own while keeping their essence true to the original. Downey Jr. made Sherlock a different character, changing him from the impeccable gentleman of Conan Doyle into a total mess with a brilliant, dynamic, and caring personality. I was most pleased with Law's take on Watson. I have always liked Watson's character but I feel like he often portrayed as stupid, as the comic foible to Holmes' genius. but Law portrays him as a steady and loyal man of action. Though he clearly possesses none of Holmes' brilliance and ability for deduction he is not shown to be a man without any deductive powers at all. I really liked this change from more traditional versions.

One thing I really loved about the plot of this movie, is that though much of the evidence points to supernatural explanations, Holmes discovers there is a very natural explanation for everything. I was concerned during the movie that it would turn out that everything was magic, which is too far away from the original Holmes for me, but in keeping with the character Holmes discovers the truth and let me breath a sigh of relief. My favorite aspect of the filmmaking was the way they showed Holmes' thought process in slow motion before he had done them, that coupled with Holmes' commentary allowed the audience to see his mind for how brilliant it is.

Everything about this movie was fantastic, the characters, the plot, even the music had a modern yet Victorian feel. I highly recommend this movie, and that comes from a great Holmes purist and true fan. I have not loved Guy Ritchie as a director but after this I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Happy? Holidays

2009-12-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

As the the day of Christmas comes ever closer I grow more and more excited...not because of presents or Santa or even seeing Sherlock Holmes with my family. No, it is because I cannot wait for the holiday season to be over. Shocking, I know, but when you work at a dept. store at christmastime you look forward to January and February like no other. Not that I have lost the yuletide spirit mind you...a cup of wassail and Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album will put me in a festive mood but when you have to hear Celine Dion sing Feliz Navidad three times a shift while customers yell at you for not bagging their items the same way you bagged the previous customer's (true story that) Regardless of all of that though I am excited for Christmas, the family time and the gift-giving. I will tell you this though...I have already gotten the best Christmas present of all...8 a.m. classes look fantastic compared to work just now and I have never been more ready for school. I hope this thought will at least carry me until March. Anyways, Happy Holidays to my blogging friends!!!

Drifting

2009-11-06T23:06:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a while since I have blogged and frankly there is no good reason. I mean I work a lot and I spend time with friends but that's about it. Anyways, I registered for winter semester about a week ago and it has gotten me thinking about some things. For the last couple of years I have felt like I have been drifting. My definition of drifting is where you aren't working towards anything i.e. school, raising children, furthering your career, etc. so instead you fill your free time with odd little errands and schedules so that you think you are busy and when you accomplish said things, you feel efficient. For example on my day off the other day I made this to do list:

9:00 a.m. wake up/get ready/get ready/breakfast/etc.

10:30 a.m. start laundry/clean room/etc.

12:00 a.m. lunch with roommate

1:30 p.m. exchange books at library

2:30 p.m. pick up treats at local bakery

3:00 p.m. bike around Provo and end at park to read new books

4:30 p.m. buy groceries

5:00 p.m. make needlessly complex dinner for myself

6:30 p.m. eat needlessly complex dinner

7:00 p.m. go back to library to pick up old movie for movie night

7:30 p.m. get a big gulp at 7-11

8:00 p.m. watch old movie

etc. etc. etc.

now I know that sounds like a nice average day but I actually made this list before I did them so that when I got them done I would feel efficient, that same feeling I used to get from doing homework...I love to check things off lists. Not that I haven't been doing worthwhile things. I read a lot of excellent books, right now I am reading Salman Rushdie's new book The Enchantress of Florence, and I work on my French everyday so that when I am back in school it will be perfect. But even these books aren't enough and when I registered I realized that these laid back days of trying to find fulfillment in silly things are drawing to a close which is both exciting and scary. This winter I am pursuing new and more challenging classes, truly committing to a major and career path. I am putting school first and nothing before it and I have to say it freaks me out. I have spent so much time trying to figure out my major and my classes and what I want to do, that now that I have one in my sights I am a little nervous to abandon my comfortable, fake-fulfillment, working at Macy's life. I know it will be better and I'll be happier but it feels like the end of something an era of some kind...anyways this is a true what is up with me blog post than a list of movies, books, and music I've liked lately...

Random

2009-08-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

Actresses that aren't in a lot of movies anymore but I wish they were because they are better than the Jessica Biels I have to deal with now:

1- Elisabeth Shue

2- Robin Wright Penn

3- Rene Russo

4- Kim Basinger

5- Jennifer Jason Leigh

6- Sigourney Weaver

7- Anjelica Huston

8- Jodie Foster

9-Sharon Stone

10- Annette Bening

11- Juliette Binoche

12- Jessica Lange

That is all.

Uncle Jack

2009-08-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

So as many of you know I am not the most enthusiastic about hanging out with kids under the age of, well to be frank of any age less then my own. I feel uncomfortable, under qualified, and terrified that if something gets damaged or someone ends up bleeding I will have failed as a responsible adult. As such my child care skills are very underdeveloped and I have avoided situations where I would be in charge of an infant. Naturally I couldn't really avoid these kind of situations after my nephews started being born, I loved them to death but the idea of being their caretaker for an extended amount of time scared me still. Slowly but surely I have tried to get over this fear of losing control and having something bad happen to my little nephews. Well this week changed everything. I took the first part of the week off to spend with my sister Kate, nephew Hamilton, Aunt Mary Ann, uncle Torsten, and cousins Fiona and Linnaea. All of whom live far away and I don't see them often. So with 4 kids under the age of 5 hanging around I got nervous, though with all their parents, and grandparents around I figured I could do the fun stuff but turn them over to others if things got hairy. Naturally as things do, I was left basically in charge of my three nephews for a good long while. At first I panicked thinking (over dramatically) that their lives rested in my hands. But through fights, time outs, and twenty minutes of me holding one nephew in each arm while marching up and down, I learned that I am more then capable of being a hands on uncle through the good and the bad. I had a great time making sure Hamilton didn't pull any hair, while holding Miles who wanted to grab fragile objects, while Luke kept trying to get his precious Speed Racer car back from Hamilton without getting in trouble and causing him to have a tantrum. I imagine this is what all parents go through when they have kids and I got just a little taste of it, and I liked it. Now don't assume that this automatically volunteers me to babysit all the time but I am definitely inclined to say yes after such a fun, bonding time with my little buddies.

Public Enemy Number One

2009-07-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

So I have a new movie to be obsessed with. Public Enemies, I think it is fantastic. Now I am sure that you have heard negative reviews about this movie the same as I have BUT do not let that deter you from writing off a really cool movie. First and foremost, understand that it is not a violent, action-filled, dramatic gangster movie like you may thin while watching the trailer. However, i would say that it lends itself more to the biopic genre like The Aviator, or the new movie coming out, Amelia. I think the reason people were disappointed was that they expected tommy guns and bank robberies galore...something between an Ocean's movie and Goodfellas. Well, there are robberies and there are deaths by tommy gun but the movie isn't driven by a plot to score the biggest heist or to outrun the law forever. It's about the life of Mr. John Dillinger and the radical changes in the American legal system that were made around that time partly due to criminals like Dillinger. Johnny Depp, of course, shines in the role of Dillinger and his co-stars, Marion Cotillard and Christian Bale do excellent jobs in their roles while taking a backseat to Depp. Now that I have explained why I love this movie from a critical view let me tell you the other (and biggest) reason. It's because I think I should have been born in 1900 so that I could be a depression era gangster like the ones in this movie. I know this is the total guy in me but the look and style of those guys, and the guts it took to go in and rob a bank, it's just so freaking cool. My friend Ronnie (who is my constant movie buddy) and I both felt this way after watching it 2 times each, we'll probably be going in for a third soon. I think my name would have been Jackie Red, pretty cool eh? Anyway I just had to talk about it. It's such a good movie, now to round off the evening I think i'll go knock over a Wells Fargo...or get an ice cream...i'll decide on the way.

Jack Redux

2009-07-18T00:45:00.000-07:00

After talking to my friend/roommate Nathan today I decided to get back in the blogging saddle. You see he started a blog today and he said he looked at mine, after the momentary elation of someone reading and liking my blog wore off I realized how long it had been since I had posted and I immediately felt shame. SO, I decided it was time to begin again. As usual when I have been blog-negligent I will begin this new blogging era with an overview about the life of Jack. I'll do bullet-points if you don't mind. Otherwise this may get dense.

1- Living in Provo: Loving it, although it is hot as Hades and my car is warmer than my oven (and keeps a more consistent temperature) I am really enjoying my summer. My roommates are fantastic, the weather has been pleasant despite June's storms, and I even got a library card and go there regularly (which is easy given that it is less than two blocks away)

2- Work: Probably not the best day for me to extol my job's qualities since today was one of the more difficult days I have had, but things are just moving right along which is good despite the bumps along the road

3- Music: Still sticking with the classics, i.e. Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode, James Taylor, Beatles, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. BUT I have finally come around to something startling. I actually am starting to like the band Sigur Ros and I never thought I would. For those who don't know Sigur Ros is a band and their lyrics are either in a very obscure foreign language or absolute gibberish which is one of the reasons i have had difficulty getting in to them but once i found my gateway song (Saeglopur) i have really began liking them.

4- Movies: Great summer for movies! There are actually 2 other blog posts I need to write that fit in with this category but I will go over other movies and leave the others to their most deserved individual posts. Harry Potter 6- LOVED it, the PG rating dampened it a little bit but it was honestly wonderful, they did a great job and I didn't feel like it glaringly deviated from the book. really well done. Transformers 2- Entertaining but crap. Bad story line, bad acting, cool special effects, and moronic jokes. See it on the big screen because without all the big bangs it really is a waste of 2.5 hours. The Proposal- Cute, see it or don't, either way it's fine. Star Trek- I cannot say enough good things about Star Trek, honestly I was so impressed with it. Actors were perfect and excellent in their parts (especially McCoy, i always liked him) great story line, emotional, action-packed, in a word: genius. Look for my next couple of posts for further film discussion.

5- Books: It's been a summer of reading, (surprise, surprise) as I said I got a library card and have purchased several new books. My summer reading list has included:

1. The Godfather by Mario Puzo

2. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

3. The Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe

4. Several short stories by Dorothy Parker

5. Othello, Hamlet, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, and Macbeth by William Shakespeare

6. Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo (this one is a summer long work in progress as it is in French and difficult to read quickly)

7. Some Greek Plays by Aeschylus and Euripides

Currently I taking a break from the scholarly literature to read some Dick Francis (in honor of my Dad and Clive Cussler, adventure/mystery novels that are good to break with.

6. I turned 22, weird I know. My friend Ray gave me a sweet army helmet that looks very WWII, I want to buy some army men and dig trenches in the yard, it makes me feel very Calvin of comic fame when I wear it.

Well, there it is. A sweet and condensed summer thus far. But don't worry...I'll be back soon, I promise.

F.Y.I.

2009-05-04T00:47:00.000-07:00

Though it seems that the swine flu is more prevalent than blogging fever these days, I still feel the need to update my blog readers on the goings on of Jackson. Anyway, some of you know this and others may have heard from others but I have moved away from the family homestead in Salem and settled back in Provo. I love my house and all my roommates are good friends, it seems I am set up for a really fun summer in a great place. There will be pictures to follow in a day or two so that you may see the wonder.

Back to the Classics

2009-04-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

It seems like everyone I have been talking to lately has been saying the same thing...everyone is tired of trying to find new music or tired of listening to new music or basically just exhausted from the whole music scene in general. I understand two things from this information. 1) It is not a great time to be a new up and coming band and 2) I wonder if it is because of the stresses of school or work, or that the holiday season beat the energy out of everyone and we won't return to normal until temperatures above 60 and sunshine replenish our spirits. (naturally this explanation doesn't work with my californian friends but i digress) After talking to all these people I looked at my iPod and saw what had been recently played and it was mostly bands I have liked for several years, i.e. Death Cab, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Postal Service, Depeche Mode, and The Smiths. I have noticed that I have stopped looking on music blogs and reading about new bands in Nylon, I haven't downloaded a new band's album in a while. Why is that? Why is everyone retreating to the comfort of the bands that are constants? My guess is that it isn't necessarily because of the weather, school, or fatigue in general. I think it is because we have been experiencing a huge influx of new bands and the music scene has expanded over other forms of media. After movies like Juno and Nick and Norah where the soundtrack is as much a main character as Ellen Page or Michael Cera, small indie bands have become cool and everyone has started one. Now I don't want to dismiss these movies or the music that is one their soundtracks. These movies are good and the soundtracks highlighted great bands that deserved the recognition (particularly Cat Power, everyone should listen to some Cat Power.) But I think that they sparked a trend that is getting tiresome. No one wants to have to search through all the crap that is coming out to find a genuine band, so instead of spending hours on pandora and seeqpod we just select Strangeways Here We Come, Adore, or Hail to the Thief and lie back for some music we know is quality. I am hoping that with the summer and, hopefully, the dying down of this new indie band trend we can all return to spending hours on the internet searching and listening for something real.

The Drive Home

2009-04-23T00:24:00.000-07:00

Ever since I learned to drive I have always wanted to find the perfect music to accompany the nighttime drive from wherever you have been partying/hooking up/watching a movie/talking/ etc. to wherever you plan on sleeping or any of the previously mentioned things but this time in your pajamas. It has always been difficult to find the right music, if it's too upbeat and loud it ruins the winding down nature of the ride home, if it's too mellow and quiet you may fall asleep at the wheel and endanger yourself and others, so it's a difficult balance to find. I have tried countless bands/artists and none have fit. Death Cab's songs are too varied, one minute you are following Ben into the dark and the next minute you are rocking in the new year, though summer skin is the perfect song for a nighttime drive with someone to somewhere with the windows down but I digress. Enya makes me sleepy because I don't speak Gaelic and therefore cannot follow the words which just leaves me with the lullabyish mature of her voice and accompanying music. Mixes never have worked because the dramatic changes between voices and styles jars you into wakefulness no matter how chill the song. I called off the search a long time ago, settling for Radiohead at a very low volume, that is until this last Tuesday. I've been listening to the band Stars for quite a while now, my good friend Merrianne loves them and I really like them too. I had their latest albums but none of their early stuff, but tuesday morning I decided to get one of their early albums called "Nightsongs" it looked good and chill so I got it. I decided to listen to it on the long drive from Provo back to Salem (I think the frequency of me making this trip has made me more excited about this find) and i discovered this album is the perfect nighttime drive home album. The vocals are strong but quiet and understated, the beats and rhythms are really chill and give you a relaxed feeling without putting you to sleep. My two favorite tracks are "Going, Going, Gone" and a cover of The Smiths' song "This Charming Man" (as a big Smiths fan I can tell you that this is an awesome cover. They put their own spin on it but still pay appropriate homage to the original) I am so pleased to have found this album, as I drove home tonight I listened to it and it set me in the perfect mood to finish a blog and hit the sheets.

Stereotyped

2009-04-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone and their dog has heard about the blog turned bestseller "Stuff White People Like". When I first started reading it I thought it was pretty funny and pretty dead on, this Christian Lander spotted trends among white people (specifically white students ages 18 to 29, but there is a little give and take on those numbers) and pointed out how unoriginal it was, how it was typical for that type of person to like that, etc. It was clever and funny with just enough cynicism for everyone to enjoy and what made it even better was that no one had really called white people out on this stuff. We all sort of knew but no one had straight up said, "you like the same things but you all think you are original." I enjoyed the blog periodically until the comparisons started. When I read certain posts that were about things I liked I laughed and brushed it aside but when people started sending me links over e-mail and facebook, a new one every day, I started to lose it. At first I tried to justify why I liked which ever thing it was, but that just dug me in further. "I like electronica because it is like the modern version of 80's synth that I like, like Depeche Mode." "You know 80's music is also a post on there!" "AUUUGHHHHH!" Then I started denying that I liked those things at all. "I actually don't like Wes Anderson movies, they are pretentious and stupid, I mean the Royal Tenenbaums was ok..." Then I finally realized that pretending I didn't like these things so I appeared original was the worst thing yet. Christian Lander should write a post about that! "Pretending you don't like stuff on this blog to seem original" Finally my brother Travis brought it up in conversation, he mentioned how many of those posts applied to me and i admitted to it, then he asked me "doesn't that make you want to be different?" Well, if I liked these things because they were trendy, yeah I would. But because I like these "white people" things just because I do, the answer is no. I may be a living representation of Christian Lander's blog/book but when the things he lists are no longer cool I will still like them and maybe that is what makes me different.

In on the action...

2009-04-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have never been in to watching sports. I have passed on the World Series, skipped the Super Bowl, and avoided the NBA playoffs. The only BYU sporting events I have gone to are the softball and baseball games and the odd rugby game. It's not that I didn't like sports, it's that I have never really felt that spark that so many of my friends and family have when their team plays. My friend Bret goes crazy for the Redskins, my co-worker Jen loves the Kings, and of course the Snyder family eternal commitment to the Tar Heels. For so long I have remained out of the loop of sports and I wondered what was wrong with me. I felt the first glimmer when we were living in England and my friends at church got me hooked on the rugby world cup. i watched game after game up to the final where England took the victory out from under Australia. It was a great game and the after party in London was even better. That was the first sporting event I can remember watching and being truly invested in the outcome. The next time was the FIFA world cup in 2006. i screamed for France to win but Italy took it from them. The only consolation was the massive bruise Marco Materazzi was sure to have from Zinedine Zidane's head. Slowly but surely love of sports has crept into the forefront of my life. Suddenly I cared about USC football, and the Red Sox, it was weird. But finally in this year, I took up my heritage, my birthright if you will and caught the March madness. I watched games, i discussed brackets, I defended the Tar Heels against any slander or trash talk from fans of Duke, UConn, Oklahoma, and finally Michigan. I even had to defend my reasoning for liking UNC. Someone accused me of liking them just because they win and calling them the Yankees of basketball. I was fully invested in the success of Carolina, I am even proud to say I whooped for victory in an Applebees as Carolina steamrolled over Villanova. I got a lot of reproving looks and a few supportive nods from fellow tar heel fans. The championship game, however was really the icing on the cake. not just because that Tar Heels dribbled their way to victory (although that in itself is a reason to be happy) but because I sat in Travis' living room with my Dad and my brother (and Kate in spirit I have no doubt) all of us wearing Carolina colors, logos, etc. Dad's all had a story behind them, but I digress. I felt like I had finally accessed a part of myself and I felt really bonded to my family...and to the Tar Heels. I finally felt in on the action and I loved it. Next year is going to be great...and in the mean time, Opening day was yesterday wasn't it?

Ariel v. Belle

2009-01-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, two posts in one day, what is he thinking? Well, being a better blogger was one of many resolutions for 2009 and I have a bit of free time on my hands today. Marissa, Dad, Delys, and I all watched The Little Mermaid together this evening. I had forgotten how much I loved that movie, particularly Sebastian's high pitched "Yes" and Ariel's "Part of Your World" ballad. It is truly a great movie and despite how awesome the Pixar movies are, and they are really good, I love revisiting the classics. But whenever I watch a Disney movie, particularly Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid I feel the need to choose which one is the best. Since they are my two favorite Disney movies by far I feel like I need to put one of them ahead of the other. it becomes a real mind-tearing issue when I try it. The songs in Little Mermaid are consistently amazing but Beauty and the Beast has great music and the visuals are spectacular. Is Ariel more interesting than Belle or is that vice versa? The Little Mermaid was apparently my great favorite as a child so it already has a special place, but do I betray that by liking Beauty and the Beast more? I have no idea and I can't seem to come to a conclusion about what the greatest Disney movie is. I usually lean towards Beauty and the Beast in the category of all around best but that doesn't mean it sweeps subcategories. So I put it to you my blog readers; what is the greatest Disney movie? Is it Mermaid, Beauty, or is it Pinnochio or The Lion King? Choose wisely, you immediately feel guilty for not choosing one over the other.

Movie Time

2009-01-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

I have been remiss in updating my blog lately, with all the stresses of finals, the holidays, and work I haven't been able to update as I should. In a quick update I have finished finals and rounded out a particularly difficult semester. I had a great holiday season with friends and family. Now I am just trying to survive the bitter cold winter and am just working my life away at Macy's. As is my custom I will do a quick review of movies that have been part of my life lately.

Movies:

1- Doubt: I finally saw it, and contrary to a lot of people's opinions I really enjoyed it. It is very clearly a plot for a play and while watching the movie it is noticeable. However, the acting is amazing from each and every character/actor. Meryl Streep and Amy Adams far and away deliver the most amazing performances. I recommend it...to some but not everyone.

2- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: This movie is AWESOME! I absolutely loved it. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are amazing in this movie, she particularly looks beautiful throughout the entire movie. However, make sure you are in the mood to really think about your own mortality because that movie will force you to.

3- Changeling: This movie is really amazing. Angelina Jolie has done a phenomenal job in this film, I never put much stock in her abilities as an actress until this movie. The plot is sad and some of the content really has "dramatic/ thematic elements" But it is really well acted and an amazing movie but only a select group of people would like it, not recommended for everyone.

4- Australia: I loved this movie. It is definitely not a movie for everybody but i liked it. It is very dramatic and has sweeping scenes and definitely recalls older hollywood films. It is similar to Gone with the Wind, or more so Out of Africa. This film is pretty predictable (very traditional) but it is pretty enjoyable and Nicole Kidman does a good job. Anyone who really likes old sweeping hollywood epics would like this, people who like films that are unpredictable, action-packed, and non-dramatic should go see something else

5- Twilight: Very dissimilar to the book but I liked it anyways.

Victory

2008-11-04T23:50:00.000-08:00

I am just so happy. When they called it and I heard Barack Obama's speech I started to cry. This is the first time in my life I have really had faith in the President of our country. I have so much faith in what he represents and what he wants to do. I am so proud of him. THe next four years will be amazing.

Barack the Vote

2008-10-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Since everyone else seems to want to discuss political issues on their blog I will as well, but keep it short and sweet. i want everyone to vote, and I'd really like everyone to vote for my man Obama. Thanks, I'm done now.

Movie Shout Out

2008-10-17T00:28:00.001-07:00

I felt the need to give a shout out to one of my new favorite movies of all time. It is my custom to go to at least one movie at BYU's international cinema every week (sometimes i see two or all three) I usually go to the ones I've heard of, heard good things about, or are in French. This week I went and saw a movie that I have heard of but had no desire to see until this week and I can say without a doubt it is one of the best movies I have seen in a very very very long time. It was The Painted Veil. So many things about this movie are excellent; the acting (I've never truly loved Edward Norton until I saw him in this role) the scenery (Guilin, China- thank you Kristin) the music and the general repressed quietness of the whole movie. It really spoke to me and I highly recommend it to anyone. It is a truly beautiful film.

I also want to mention so movies coming out that I am really looking forward to seeing (they also happen to have Sundance and Oscar buzz) First Sunshine Cleaning, a movie about two sisters who own a business cleaning up after crime scenes. The cast has Amy Adams and Emily Blunt (two it girls right now and I have to say I love them both) Next Changeling, I have always had doubts about Angelina Jolie's acting chops until I saw the preview for this movie about a woman in Los Angeles in the twenties whose son is missing and the LAPD won't help her and accuse her of insanity. It looks really good. And lastly Doubt. This is the one I am most excited about, it is based on a Pulitzer prize winning play and is about a catholic school in the sixties and two nuns investigating some possible improprieties committed by the pastor of the church at the school. The cast has Meryl Streep (seriously looks oscar-worthy) Philip seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. Looks phenomenal. alright enough fun movie talk back to studying for mid-terms.

The Witnesses

2008-10-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Ok so maybe this post title is a little Stephen King-esque but what happened to me today was bizarre enough to merit a title by the man who brought us The Shining. So today started like any other day, I got ready for school at eight in the morning getting ready for a day chock full of foreign language and books about knights, you know, the usual. Anyway I began the slow walk from my apt. to campus. Now i say slow a) because my feet hurt all the time these days and b) because i know that at some point i have to climb the stairs next to the duck pond, a daily activity i have come to loath. anyway i slowly made my way to campus and as i was crossing the final street before i reached the accursed stairs I saw two women standing at the bottom looking right at me. They were dressed like sister missionaries: modest floral skirts, modest button down shirts, and sensible jackets. They were holding a stack of papers, and I naturally assumed they would hand me a pass-along card or something similar. As I passed them one of them smiled at me, handed me the papers and I moved along. Halfway up the stairs I looked down and saw what she handed me. It was October's issue of The Watchtower. I only knew what this was from a Bloom County comic where Mike Binkley's father is attacked by the Jehovah's Witness pitt bull. I was shocked that Jehovah's Witness missionaries had infiltrated BYU, it's smart if you think about it, the one place you could be sure people believed in God and would listen to two modestly dressed young women talking about religion. I flipped through the issue, pausing at the hilarious illustrations (my favorite was a literate interpretation of Satan as a 6 headed dragon wearing crowns, wrapped in chains falling from Heaven) but I soon threw it away. But now that they have come even to the very center of mormondom no one is safe. Not even you!

Dorkus Malorkus

2008-10-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

Dorkus Malorkus- a term coined by the immortal Bart Simpson. THe only time I have ever heard this term used is when Bart was tormenting his sister Lisa in some way or another, at least I never heard it until the other day. So, I was talking to one of my friends about school and we were talking about our homework load. I said "I get to read Le Morte Darthur and copy lines from Havelok the Dane in gothic script with a calligraphy pen, and then i have Latin homework and some French and then I need to read some Byron poems." she looked at me and said, "you are a dorkus malorkus." I was shocked but laughed as well. I always thought I was pretty normal even cool for someone so into medievalism and dead languages. I mean i don't wear capes and joust on the lawn outside the Wilk unlike several people on campus. But then I realized that I should be empowered by this simpsonic term. Sure I'm not the crazy quill and the sword grand high master, but I can almost recite all the kings of britain in order, and yes i love books about knights and chivalry (especially ones written before 1600) and yes I make jokes about the Plantagenets, and fine I can tell almost any greek myth by heart (ask Travis about the time I recited the tale of cupid and psyche to his friends at the park) so I am going to wear the badge of dorkus malorkus with honor. it just won't be sown on to my winter cloak on my way to a renaissance festival

Student's Block

2008-09-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

The time is 6:48 in the p.m. and i am currently sitting at a desk on the first floor of the library. This area of the library is my favorite because it's completely cut off from all cell phone signals, the wooden chairs are actually semi-comfortable, the books in this area interest me, it's never very full and most of all because it is accessed through the atrium so i don't feel so cut off from the outside. Anyway, i am having what is known as student's block (i just coined that phrase) it's when a student has a myriad of things he could be doing but just can't seem to get down to doing them. For example: I need to write a one and a half page essay on my food habits, to be written in french. Or i have a Latin test tomorrow to study for, i have a paper on Frankenstein to start drafting, i have things to read and things to write but i all i can bring myself to do is blog and browse the iTunes music store. I think it is for this reason that student enter the library, intent on getting all this work done, and they leave five hours later having gotten done only half of what they should have. Never before has the absolutely uninspiring print of some sort of modern cat been so entrancing that one can stare at it for upwards of forty minutes. I'm just hoping that this blog will get my writers juices flowing and i can turn my attention to my french paper. Wish me luck everyone, particularly you graduates of BYU who as you read this are smiling, nodding your head, and praising the Heavens you're not here.

Flourish or Flounder?

2008-09-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

So my friend Lauren and I have a new game we like to play called Flourish or Flounder, the point of the game is you go around to each person playing and choose a time and place (you have all of time and the whole world for this) where the person would flourish and where they would flounder. Seeing as how half the things Lauren and I talk about are hypothetical this game is a popular evening pastime. She says I would flourish in Versailles in the 18th century (pre-revolution if you please) also in the early 20th century in Paris where Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Sartre and I would sip cafe au laits and argue for several hours. She was destined to be a flapper during prohibition but not so much a saloon girl in the old west. Anyway, whenever I play that game I always think to myself, Jack Snyder, Provo Utah, Fall 2008. Flourish or Flounder?

Andy and Autumn

2008-09-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

I love Autumn, I feel like it is more a time of rebirth than Spring. Since summer seems longer and bleaker to me than winter. I went bike riding in the rain the other day while the wind blew leaves all over the place, it was fantastic. I've moved apartments, embraced my major, I bicycle everywhere, and best of all; I have amazing friends and we have formed what could seriously be called a family. I have never had friends like these before and I have never felt more hopeful about the future of my year. Anyways, when ever I think of Autumn I always think of one of my favorite contemporary artists Andy Goldsworthy. He uses all these natural materials and constructs these really beautiful natural structures all over the English countryside, he then takes a photo of his work and walks away leaving it to stay or be destroyed. Whenever I look at them I feel like going on a brisk walk up the canyon. The other thing I think is how amazing it would be to be the person that comes upon his work, like discovering a natural treasure made just for you.

Blockbuster Review

2008-08-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

As seems to be the trend lately, I have not been in a blogging mood either. I blame this heat. Anyway, I feel the need to get back on the wagon and the best way to do this is to rant about movies, after i take that first step maybe I can get myself to write a well thought out, introspective post or something like that.

The Dark Knight

I really have mixed feelings about this movie. It wasn't all i thought a Batman film could be. Certainly elements of it were beyond anything I could expect. Ledger's performance as The Joker is both haunting and terrifying, not the slap-happy, only mildly creepy Joker played by Jack Nicholson. And Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face was a pleasant surprise. But I digress, I felt that there were too few actual fight scenes. Most of the movie was plotting and people getting moved around in police cars that may or may not have been driven by actual policemen. I give it an 7.5 to an 8. It was very good, but only Heath exceeded my expectations.

(When I saw this movie they showed the teaser trailer for the next Harry Potter, and in my opinion you can only go down from there, so that may have affected my movie watching experience)

Ironman

This movie may have been the most pleasant surprise this summer. I do like Robert Downey Jr. but I didn't see him as a viable superhero character. And Ironman didn't seem like the coolest superhero anyway. The only reason I decided to see it (and I'm sure Heidi will agree) was for my old favorite Gweneth. However, this movie was, in my eyes, phenomenal. I loved Downey's charismatic, cynical, and hilarious character. I felt like he was a very relatable superhero because he is just like everyone else. he has a desire to do good but sometimes he's a jerk. by the end i wanted a light circle coming out of my chest. And gweneth was amazing, as always. I give this movie a 9.5. One of the most pleasant surprises this summer.

Baby Mama

Absolutely hilarious. Whenever Tina Fey and Amy Poehler get together you know there is going to be some funny business. I saw it twice and laughed harder the second time. There are clever one-liners and hilarious characters. Sigourney Weaver's turn as the head of a surrogate organization is priceless. I absolutely rate this a 9 and recommend it to anyone in the mood to laugh.

Some of the movies I haven't seen but plan to:

Mamma Mia!

Brideshead Revisited

The Mummy 3 (It's about China, and it came out today and Kristin has already brought it up three times)

My Not So Favorite Things

2008-06-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

Lately several of my friends having been mentioning their least favorite things and pet peeves. I try not to dwell on my least favorite things too much, but every now and again I like to stop and catalogue my least favorite things, just so I know that if something is only mildly irritating and not on this list, I should have a less severe negative reaction, so here it goes:

1-one word text messages. examples- oh, ok, k, lol, :(, :), etc.

2-denim on denim (you and me whit, we're fighting a holy war against this)

3-the sound of a broom sweeping a driveway

4-the texture of car interior fabrics

5-snakes (and travis telling me that he will one day put one in my bed)

6-global warming and the needless deaths of many polar bears

7-people assuming i like all foreign films and them thinking I am always in the mood to watch one.

8-richard gere

9-people who think that every poem they write is worthy of publishing

10-guys who think that playing the guitar makes them deep and attractive.

11-slow utah drivers

that's it, my list. I'm afraid the monkey king has to wait a while longer. that one takes some drafting.

The Return

2008-06-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the blogs earlier today when I came upon a surprising nay alarming realization. Dad had in fact updated his blog more recently than myself. Obviously I could let that stand, it was the final push to get me back in blog form. A little update on things: I now work at Macy's, yes it seems like I am the retail town bicycle. I have a fancy new phone which I tell people I had to get after Kristin smashed my old one into the rocks in our apartment complex courtyard (she maintains it made only a slight crack, but the Verizon man was dully impressed with the damage my poor phone had incurred.) I am now a reader of non-fiction. A friend of mine at work who is my intellectual twin and yet opposite has gotten me into it. We both have an equal passion for reading, writing, talking about literature, theory, etc. But he prefers nonfiction I prefer fiction, he likes American, I.....don't, he likes things written after 1700, I prefer the older stuff, but we have great conversations or more commonly debates. Anyway he and another friend convinced me to give non-fiction a try, which I am, my way. A biography of Augustus Caesar, and a book written about a great French chef who commits suicide (think Ratatouille but less cute and more sexy/ morbid....so no rats.) And I turned 21 yesterday. Other than that I am just chilling, relaxing, and preparing for Fall. Next post will be titled the Monkey King. Travis and Kristin know what I mean. Everyone else must wait with baited breath.

A Humbling Stumbling

2008-04-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

So I told this story to Kristin yesterday and she had to stop walking to laugh, so it was then decided that I should write a blog post about this experience of mine. Picture this, Tuesday, I am walking home from taking a final and I am feeling pretty good about life. My iPod is blasting a little Vampire Weekend and life is good. On my walk home I walk through a city block of cheap apartments that all look the same and have lame names like Stratford, Jamestown, etc. I know that I live at The Lanai and it's a little bit of the pot calling the kettle black but I digress. I came upon a larger couple sunning themselves on a blanket outside on of these apartments. Of course I made some comments in my head about them and right as I did I tripped a little bit over my feet, I thought that I gained my balance back but I hadn't, I in fact had stumbled upon a sewer grate and continued falling until I was on my back, facing the opposite direction I had been facing moments before. The couple, then with genuine concern, helped me up and got me my water bottle and iPod which had flown several yards to my left. I was never more embarrassed or ashamed of myself, I walked the rest of the way home with my head held low.

A little taste of Finals

2008-04-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

I'm currently sitting in the library, trying not to be distracted from my final assignment for my brit. lit. class. But I thought you all might enjoy a little piece of what I'm doing. For my final I have to write three essays, one of which I am doing right now. The prompt is as follows, "Feminism' is as old as the sexual morphology of the species, yet many people believe it to be a recent phenomenon. How did 'feminist' ideas find expression throughout the history of British literature?" Here is my opening paragraph from my essay on this subject. "Although the idea of feminism has made itself more and more public since the 1960s, the roots of feminism can be traced all the way back to the Middle Ages, where figures like Boudicca began sowing the seeds of what would grow to be the feminist movement. Although there were no medieval bra burnings or ladies of the court calling themselves suffragettes, there still were the beginnings of feminist ideals. These ideals can be seen throughout the literature of the time periods leading up to the full realization of the feminist movement, whether from the Lais of Marie de France, the power wielded my Queen Elizabeth, or the controversial writings of Mary Astell, women have been empowering themselves long before the Nixon and Kennedy administrations." I hope you enjoyed that. I would normally be more reserved about putting that up for critique, but by the time you all read it, it will be turned in and nothing can be done about it.

A Finals List

2008-04-14T01:47:00.000-07:00

Finals are on the horizon and will be here in a few days, and so I decided, in preparation for them, to make a list of everything I hate about finals this year.

1- Feeling like I should be at the library, when I really have no assignments to do.

2- Everyone asking me how my finals week is shaping up.

3- Having to pronounce Antigone wrong, we are reading a retelling of it in my French Lit. class and in French it's pronounced like the word anti and then the word gone but you emphasize the gone with a french nasal sound. I hate it, being the classics snob that I am.

4- Carrying all my textbooks in my backpack everyday.

5- Feeling guilty when watching a movie (see grievance 1)

6- My friends getting ready to scatter across the country within a week.

7- Going to several study groups in one day.

8- The weather being warm, but I have to stay inside and study.

9- Finding an British historical comparison to everyday things (today Marissa said something about uniting/combining and I said something to the effect of "Like the Plantagenet houses of York and Lancaster in 1485? Yeah, really.

10- Trying to remember what the hell a nucleotide is, and why I should care about nucleotides in general.

11- Everyone else I know being as on edge and testy as me.

12- Knowing that after Finals I have to find a job, work out more, and not being able to use homework as an excuse for not doing things.

There you go everyone. 12 grievances Jack has against this time of year, if it wasn't nice weather I couldn't make it. Consequently it's gotten to the point where campus looks like the aftermath of some battle, bodies laying down every place. It looks like we are reenacting something from the Civil War. But I digress, there is one bright shining thing in the distance and it is, no matter how I do on my tests or assignments it will all be over in a week, no matter what. I feel bette already.

The Little Gray Cells

2008-04-08T12:28:00.001-07:00

When I was a lot younger, Dad and I had a tradition every Wednesday. We would turn on the T.V. change the channel to A&E and watch an episode of Poirot and an episode of Sherlock Holmes. Consequently the two actors and their portrayals of these famous literary detectives are probably the best that have ever been done. Dad always preferred Jeremy Brett's Sherlock but I in my pretentiousness always preferred the little Belgian (Consequently Poirot always reminds me a little bit of Dad, I don't know why but when I think of Dad I think of a Hercule Poirot/Siegfried Farnon hybrid). David Suchet is amazing as Poirot. Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney have nothing on him. Those nights watching our favorite detective shows is one of my favorite memories of me and my dad. In English class yesterday, my professor brought up Comedia del Arte, which is the Italian comedies featuring the stock characters such as Harlequin, Columbine, Pierot, and Pierette, etc. I was only familiar with these characters because of a Poirot episode, in fact it was the first Poirot episode I had ever seen. The Affair at the Victory Ball. I went home, found a video on the internet and watched it. It was nice to remember those nights when Dad and I would watch our mysteries together, and try to solve them using as Poirot calls them, the little gray cells.

Easter Memory

2008-03-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

During the Easter season I always think back on some of my favorite easter memories. The powdered sugar bunny tracks left on the carpet, the year I got the video of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Dad shook his head and called Frollo's musical number, "vocal masturbation." But my favorite memory involves one of my favorite Snyder family members, I don't remember how old I was, but we still lived in Orem and I awoke one Easter morn and ran out of my room and peeked downstairs. I saw a fluffy white tail poking out from the wall, and I assuming it was the Easter Bunny ran back to my room and waited for him to finish. I remember there being candy all over the floor so I thought that the Bunny was just sloppy or we had more candy than could fit in our baskets. But when everyone else awoke, we realized it was just our sweet and lovable Saint Bernard Casey D. She had ravaged our See's Candy Easter and we had to take her to the Vet. to make sure she wasn't sick from the chocolate. Although I received very little easter candy that year, it is still one of my sweetest memories of our family, easter, and the love pup.

Put it in your Moleskine!

2008-03-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I am horrible at journal keeping, every one of my journals has about three days in a row, and then an entry every few days, then once a week, and then once a month. It get just tapers off after that. Some of my friends starting carrying little notebooks around to record funny quotes, thoughts, etc. So I figured that would be a good idea for me, so I bought one, but not just any one. I bought a Moleskine, which according to the packaging, was the brand of choice for both Hemingway and Picasso. I love writing in it, I take it with me everywhere and it is full of thoughts, quotes, and excerpts from things I read that mean something to me right now. A Christopher Marlowe poem, a sonnet by Shakespeare, a Victor Hugo poem, and a quote from a Lily Allen song. Just a few of the entries from this last week. Now when my friend yells, "Put it in our moleskine!" I really can.

Oh Amelia...

2008-03-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

The other day my friend Merrianne were at lunch and she asked me, "What ever happened to Amelia Earhart?" I told her I didn't know, but I have some nice positive ideas of what might have happened to her, she told me that I should blog about it, so I am. I'd like to believe that brave Amelia landed safely in shallow waters near a beautiful tropical island, and then swam to the beach. I'd like to think that she was welcomed in to the island community and embraced as one of their own. Maybe she married and had little aviatrix children running around with palm fronds as wings. I hope she lived with a view of the ocean in a hut made out of her former plane, and she died on a beautiful tropical afternoon at a very advanced age. Or she was just Charles Lindbergh in drag, either way works for me.

Defender of the Party

2008-03-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

So, due to the current elections there has been a ever growing tension on BYU campus. Not so much if you support Obama, everyone pretty much leaves you alone, but when Mitt was still in the race it was pretty scary. Anyway, I had two brushes with some conservatives and it was interesting. The first, I was walking into the Wilk and had a Hillary button on my backpack and since it was lunchtime it was crowded, anyway I felt a tug on my backpack and turned around and a girl had taken off my button and put it in the trash. Crazy I know, the second was my way of fighting back. I was walking to the Jamba Juice to get a pick-me-up when I saw three people standing in front of the BYU Democrat booth, but no one was manning the booth. When I got closer I was the girl had a sharpie poised over a picture of Hillary and one of Obama, so naturally I sat down at the booth and asked them if I could help them. Fortunately I was wearing my "Barack Obama for President" t-shirt, so I carried it off pretty well and scared them away. My friend Macrae said I was a defender of the party. I like that, except it's a little marxist, stalinesque, comrade lenin for me.

Quarantine

2008-02-24T23:03:00.000-08:00

I remember when I was in like elementary or middle school, I read a book I don't really remember now, but I do know it was about sailing, and big ships. Maybe it was an abridged, illustrated Moby Dick or Billy Budd, regardless I remember there was some sickness on the ship and everyone had to be quarantined aboard the ship when it was in the harbor of some coastal city. Now, that I am feeling like crap and have been shut away in my room for the past seven hours, excluding bathroom breaks and two showers, I too feel the stir-craziness setting in. Another boat reference here, but as Muppet Treasure Island clearly illustrates through song and dance,

"I got cabin fever it's burning in my brain
I've got cabin fever it's driving me insane
We got cabin fever, we're flipping our bandanas
Been stuck at sea so long we have simply gone bananas

We got cabin fever we've lost what sense we had
We got cabin fever, we're all going mad"

I'm sure you all can relate to my struggle. Well I can feel some nyquil kicking in, so I will say good night until it wears off....around noon.

FINE!

2008-02-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

So after some thinly veiled and not veiled at all, comments from my siblings about ow I don't blog enough, here I am. I'm sitting alone in my apartment, listening to my clothes launder (is that a verb) while i wait for an illness so strike me. I talked to Kristen for an hour yesterday and today she sent me sad text reading only "tylenol pm and some orange juice....please." I have already felt a tad achy today so it is just a matter of time. Since it has been a while sine I blogged I think I am going to update everyone on what's going on with my life. (Lauren if you read this, I know you started this first but I like the idea so I am using it.)

Donnie Darko, possibly one of my favorite movies, maybe even top five. I rediscovered this movie last night when my friend Merrianne mentioned it, so I went home and watched it. It is a really weird, messed up movie, but I really like it.

Juno, probably the best movie that has come out in the last several months, maybe year. It is seriously one the wittiest movies ever. I have started calling it a more intelligent Napoleon Dynamite, given the high quotability of each of the movies. My two favorite lines "it makes my boyfriend's junk smell like pie." and "i know you weren't bored that day because a lot of good things were on t.v. i mean the blair witch project was coming on starz and you were like 'i haven't seen this since it came out." I dunno, all I know is I am now in love with Ellen Page, she is actually really cute.

The Shins' album Wincing the Night Away has become a soundtrack to my walks from class to class around campus. Suddenly a bleak snowy day trudging to the Maeser building for another stirring lecture on enzymes, isn't so bad when Australia is blasting you hearing and depression away, or perhaps Red Rabbit for the more pensive moments. All I know is I love these guys.

My other favorite album of late is Version by Mark Ronson, now he is a really popular DJ and this CD is a compilation of his work with several artists including two of my favorites Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. However my two favorite songs are the remake of the Smiths song "Stop Me" and "Apply Some Pressure." All of the songs are really good and I feel pretty Brit-Rock when I am roaming around with this music.

I will be eternally indebted to Sissen for introducing me to Arrested Development. It is SO funny, and fortunately my roommate Dean has the seasons so while the writer's strike has deprived me of all my other shows, I have been enjoying this amazing show. My favorite characters are by far Buster and Lyndsey. Best quote, George Sr. "I feel like the prettiest girl at the dance."

Well, there you all go, a little cross-section of Jackson's present. I will be posting again soon have no fear.

House of Cards

2008-01-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

Well, Isaac and I are sitting in the Cougareat after a very good New Testament class, waiting for one of my friends to meet me for lunch. It has been a crazy, whirlwind couple weeks since I started school, I can't believe how fast the time is going. The craziest thing about all of this, is how well everything is going. I am caught up on my classes and enjoying them, going to and enjoying my ward, getting to be buddies with my roommates (who are pretty cool guys,) work is going well, and I'm just having a really good time. So, for the first time in a really long time I feel like all the pieces fit together, and everything is going the way I want it to. So, what do I do? I start worrying that everything is going to fall apart. I know this is a super negative, glass is half empty kind of thing but I feel like it's a house of cards ready to fall any second, (probably during midterms to really mess with me.) But I've decided that while I have everything going my way I am going to enjoy it. I am going to stop worrying about what could happen. I mean I might get a little bit ahead in my homework just in case but other than that I am just gonna roll with it. Now I'm going to go get some Subway with my friends, talk about the pro's and con' of Obama, and go with the flow.

The Plunge

2008-01-04T23:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I did it. I have officially moved into my own apartment and it feels great! I really like it, it is super nice. I was really worried about my roommates but we get along really well, so all is good there. Anyway, just wanted to give a small update, classes start Monday so there will be a lot more to talk about then .

Me and my Mac

2007-12-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

SO I have finally done it. I have joined the world of Mac users, and I love it!!! I purchased a MacBook and it is so freaking awesome. Everyone who knows me, knows that I am not a huge tech guy and computers are not my favorite thing but this thing is amazing. I have named him Isaac, cuz he's an Apple......get it? Anyway, the best thing about having it, is that I am now even more excited to start back to school. I am pretty nervous to start again, particularly with French oh well, c'est la vie. I think thats right. The next time I blog I will probably be reporting on the Shiny Toy Guns concert!!!!

Black Friday

2007-11-27T18:56:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give all my concerned family and friends a little comfort. I weathered Black Friday really well this year. Given that Dillards takes itself too seriously to do anything more than open early, the store was not a madhouse, I sold a lot of product but never felt stressed, and finally lunch was provided for me. In fact the day went so well I stayed two extra hours later than I needed to. Even the days following have been fairly low-key but profitable. given how terrible a job retail can be at this time of the year, I figure i need to celebrate that the "worst shopping day of the year" was actually one of my better days at work. I also think I need to mention that I get the five days after Christmas off to go to California, not only is that great news for me and the family I wish to see; but also because I do not have to be at work on the big present return days. For once retail is not so bad!

Poetry and E-mails

2007-11-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

One of my great friends and I have been discussing poetry lately. She is an English major too, so the conversation is really interesting and Shel Silverstein is nowhere to be found. I have always liked poetry, but after discussing it in a casual setting, where I wasn't being graded on what I said, or how I interpreted the imagery, I found out I love it. I think that if people started discussing things from academic arenas in a more casual environment they might discover that rather then loath it, or hate it, or just not care one way or the other; they might discover they love it. Except for Algebra, I can't see myself laughing through equations with friends on a Friday night. Anyway, back to poetry. I used to think that poetry was nice, just something from English class that you could talk about to feel superior to other people, particularly those whose talents lie in the sciences. But, after really talking about it, I found that it is really something I like, and that is great discovery. (Especially before my next round of English classes.) Which brings me to the e-mails. Because of my later registration date and the apparent and sudden influx of English and French scholars, I could not get in to two of my classes. In fact the two I most need to take, French 202 and English 291. So after spending around two to three weeks checking to see if anyone dropped, I wrote some e-mails. to top it off I asked Dad to help with the composition (I wasn't sure how one composed said e-mails) so we went to work writing one to the 291 professor, Zina Petersen. (Her emphasis is the medieval period and she is a good friend of dad's.) So by the time we were done the title was in Old English and we had made several jokes and references to Old English literature and Prof. Petersen's own life. Needless to say after dad pronounce the masterpiece of electronic mail finished, I added a p.s. stating that he had helped with the various facts and language. (i didn't want her to let me into her class and start speaking to me in Old English and think I was already a medieval scholar.) All in all these two experiences have gotten me ready to get back into school and the English program. I just better get an A.

I'm Back

2007-11-19T00:31:00.000-08:00

I'll start by alerting everyone (if you didn't already know) that the previous post was no work of mine, but of my brother's. I swear to you all I have little to no memory of said movie and I think I'd like to keep it that way. So it's one-thirty in the a.m. here in Utah and I cannot for the life of me fall asleep. Watching Chelsea Lately usually sets me up for a nice restful night, but this is not the case tonight. The last hour I spent in bed was one where all the things you worry about seem to compound into one enormous problem and the more you think about it the tighter you grip your comforter until your body is so tense that restful sleep seems lightyears away (we don't all have a temper pedic to guide us to sleep, chicos) So I felt like maybe expressing some of my fears would ease my mind, and since Dad is asleep I have come to the next best thing.
Problem 1: My new apt.- I have been really jazzed about it ever since I toured it. My own room, i share a bathroom with one other guy, our apt. has a washer and dryer, AND my roommates are fun yet studious grad students. What could be more fun? However the $350 a month rent is what worries me. This would be my first real strike out at financial independence and that's freaky. I realize my so. cal sister is scoffing at the idea of me worrying about that amount but please bear with me.

Anyway that is my biggest one and I feel better already just getting it all out, so no need to go into any of the others right now. What I would like to talk about is the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving. seeing as how I won't be around either of my natural siblings for Thanksgiving I thought I would use this to say what I am thankful for, so you all know.

1. My dad, for always worrying about me, even when I tell him he shouldn't.
2. My big brother for always wanting to be buddies.
3. My older sister for understanding me so well.
4. Momma
5. Family in general (particularly one little peter pan/robin hood/tarzan/mowgli)
6. All things of a spiritual nature
7. All the amazing opportunities I have had in my life.
8. The great friends I have and have had.
(now they get silly)
9. Movie theaters
10. Planet Earth (if you haven't watched it you should!)
11. Other misc. tv shows (i.e. Man vs. Wild, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, etc.)
12. Magazines
13. Music (i am totally loving lily allen, postal service, and regina spektor lately)

Anyways, that is my list as far as i can think of it, but I would like to add one thing I am not thankful for. People with Christmas lights on their houses already. What's with that? Turn them off until Friday!

The mouse and his child

2007-10-21T10:40:00.001-07:00

I have to recommend the best film of all time... if you haven't seen this before DO IT. It will change your life as it did mine. It teaches many philosophical principles plus has some hot toy mouse and elephant action.

Tripping Out

2007-10-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly twenty-four hours since my nightmarish Saturday night activities and yet I still find it hard to write about, but it is a story too bizarre to keep to myself. Last night after I left work I met up with several friends at a BBQ and BYU football game watching party. I walked in to a complete stranger's apartment to find all of their faces intensely glued to the TV with nothing but the pale ghostly light of the TV to show their faces. Naturally I found it a bit weird and slightly creepy (maybe it was an omen for how the rest of the evening would progress) but I found my friends and we began talking. During the a commercial break I recalled to one of my friends a story I had told her about one of my managers and a certain Cher song. She began singing it loudly and was immediately picked up by her feet and hands and forced out of the apartment. I thought it was odd seeing as the two people were a boy she had gone out with, and one of her best friends but I digress. After much arguing we decided to go get hot chocolates at the nearby Starbucks, where we spent an eternal hour convincing a friend to ask out a guy that seems really well suited for her. he gave us her lame excuses and we countered. Honestly I have never been so frustrated trying to get someone to do something. Finally after I had reached the point of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion she gave in and announced she would call him. Afterward we returned to the apartment, where more unpleasantness awaited. I sat on their couch for about an hour as two inhabitants of the apartment created racial stereotyped characters on their Nintendo Wii, the whole time i exchanged glances with the only other person in the room who had a grasp of the bizarre nature of their activity. I was so tired and mentally exhausted I almost couldn't wrap my head around what they were doing and the reasoning behind it. (I can't really do it right now either come to think of it) then it got worse, my friend Lauren and I were told that we were stupid to like Snow Patrol because they use simple octaves and chords in their music, not only that but we were told this by a socially awkward fan of The Get Up Kids, who in turn told us how amazing the latter band's music is, and then told us that we were pretentious for mentioning that we both had read or were reading the Aeneid, and that eyebrow and pubic hair always match. It was about this time that my other friend present, Ashley, began making out with one of the boys, which then turned into a type of cuddle menage a trois between the two boys and her. Soon after they suggested playing a board game and I pretended to take a call from my sister in the kitchen. Lauren and I soon left, and after a lengthy discussion of the night's events, I drove the long lonely road back to my house listening to a Latin catholic mass on classical eighty-nine. Somehow it just seemed to fit. The best way to describe how I felt was that I was on some sort of drug trip, because who on earth could actually have experienced all that in one night? Apparently me.

FREEDOM

2007-10-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

As of Thursday my fingers are officially free of their bandage prison. They can kind of move and i can almost make a fist....kind of. I just thought it was news that deserved a posting.

Plans

2007-10-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was working at my oh so glamorous job when one of my co-workers meandered over to my area and leaned up against my desk and stared at me. I was busy flipping through a magazine and didn't notice him for a few minutes, but I glanced up and saw him. When he saw I had made eye contact he said, "Can I ask you something?" Now, when it gets slow and boring at work, people start asking semi-probing questions about your life, so it was with reluctance that I said, "sure." He looked me dead in the eye and said, "What is your major again? You never seem to have a clear answer about that, so what is it?" I really, really HATE that question, because it makes me realize that I don't have a clue. I change my mind everyday when it comes to plans for my future, I see a touching moment with Katherine Heigl on Grey's Anatomy and suddenly I want to be a Doctor, then I see and episode of Law & Order and decide to pursue Law. I just don't know. Dad told me last week that I should consider going into film production and I was like, "GREAT! Another option I can consider! Thanks a lot!" I just get so jealous of those people who know what they want from the start. Like my cousin Michael, he loves to build things, take them apart and figure out how they work. He started mechanical engineering at BYU and it's a perfect fit. He's two years younger than me and yet I feel like he is already ahead of me. It's frustrating, but if you have any suggestions....I'm open to them, I may lose my mind or I might get it all figured out....

A Great Night Out

2007-09-27T22:53:00.000-07:00

So, last night I had a great time. With my work schedule and my friends' school schedules being what they are, hanging out has been reduced to dinner and a movie, or maybe just an IHOP trip at 12 a.m. So it was really nice to actually do something cool. So, after a really long day at work I was ready to head home and slowly lose consciousness during an episode of Law & Order SVU, but I remembered that the night before I had promised to go to a party my friend Ashley's brother was throwing. I didn't want to go but after some convincing I went home changed and drove to The Lounge. Now, The Lounge is this big place Ashley's brother owns, it usually has couches, a big screen, and pool and foozball tables all just for hanging out and throwing parties. Last night it was full of people dancing either to the awesome band (Kid Theodore, i totally liked them. I may need purchase a CD) or to the DJ. They also served virgin pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris, which were so good. After rocking out to the band and dancing to Fergie, Ashley and I went to Mode, a funky but awesome clothing boutique and made t-shirts. Hers is a Hillary Clinton for President and mine is for Barack Obama. They are sweet, I can't wait to wear mine. After that we just danced, met people, and almost froze to death on a couch. I think I was home and in bed by 4 a.m. Right now I am super tired and super satisfied. Somehow I don't think SVU would have done that for me.

The Opener

2007-09-23T17:20:00.001-07:00

Right now I am feeling the same emotions I feel when I must begin the opening paragraph of a long essay for school. A tightness in my chest that is only relieved when I delete everything I just wrote, and a shaking in my hand that reminds me that this first step must be taken even though I can think of a million things I would rather do. But like the essay, the more words I put behind me, the more comfortable I feel and the easier it is to go on. This is my blog, and the more I write about my daily life (a broken hand, a retail job, the quest for a waist size of 32, and an ever closer winter semester at BYU) the more you will get to know Jack. Because as my blog title suggests you don't know me, but read on and you will. This may not have a break down of points or a topic sentence, but I think I can move on now.