Me and Alan. 'nuff said.

C-Hicaaaag-O

Abby at the top of the John Hancock building. Pretty tall.

Our drinks we ordered from the bar. Don't worry. I got a non-alcoholic strawberry girly drink.

Abby in the Subway. I pulled a Braxton. Right after I took this picture some security person told me I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the subway. Lame.

Me trying really hard to look cool in order to gain acceptance into the facial hair community.

C-Hicaaaag-O

The famous giant silver chicago bean.

Our reflection in the bean.

Star Wars mailbox. I took this one for Jared.

Some buildings. Wooow , tall.

C-Hicaaaaag-O

Abby and her boyfriend Ryan in their apartment.

Me walking on water while an animated tower spits on me.

Abby avoiding the spit skillfully.

Me and Abby with a view of some buildings.

It's about time.

I've regained my freedom and independence. My darling little Intrepid is up and running once again. She just needed a little time to heal after everything I've put her through. Tomorrow at 5 a.m. I get to drive to the airport and fly to CHICAGO! All my ideas are becoming a reality. That fortune cookie knew what it was talking about. I hope there aren't any quail in Chicago. I can handle pigeons, but if I see a quail I'm going to freak out.

It's over.

I just took my last final. Well, I got an A in three of my classes. I don't think I will get an A in physics though. The first half of the class I had a 103% and then I failed the second half of the class and got a C on the final. Oops. I guess that's what I deserve for not going to class, never going to a review, and not even sitting down to talk with a TA even though my very own roommate is one. I'm already signed up to retake Organic Chemistry. History is a wild card. I'm just glad it's over. I like dogs AND cats. The secret's out.

Prom 2002

 
 
 
 

Here are some pictures of Jessica and me getting ready to go to prom. There is also a picture of two people I don't know at prom. I don't even remember taking the picture. It looks like the guy doesn't want me to be taking the picture. That must not be his girlfriend

This video was probably made by a punk. I can tell because of the emphasis put on being an individual and different from everyone else. I don't really think most punks are just "being themselves". They want to fit in with fellow punks just like anyone else wants to fit in with their own groups. Anyway, I like it because it's a nice gesture. He didn't deserve to die.

Punks

I was looking up pictures of Stanley Marsh and I found this one of him and Brian Deneke at Cadillac Ranch. Brian Deneke is a well known name in the Amarillo punk community. He's like a martyr. I was in the eighth grade when one morning I came out of my room and heard my sister crying in the bathroom. I found out later that she was listening to the radio while taking a shower when they announced that Brian had been murdered the previous night. A fight had broken out between some punks and jocks in a parking lot. I think it was a Denny's or Ihop parking lot. From what I remember hearing, Brian was knocked unconscious with a bat and then Dustin Camp, a jock from Amarillo High, ran over Brian with his car. Dustin's famous line before running over Brian was, "I'm a Ninja in my Caddy" referring to the fact that his fighting was best done behind the wheel of his car. What's most sickening about the event was the trial of Dustin Camp. The defense's main case was that Brian Deneke was a menace to society and deserved to die. He tried to make it sound like Dustin did Amarillo a favor by killing Brian. So with no question of the fact that he killed Brian, and with testimony from his friends showing that Dustin intentionally ran him over, he got probation. Dustin Camp intentionally murdered Brian Deneke and got probation. Punk's weren't the only ones outraged. 20/20 did a story on it and came to Amarillo. A lot of people I knew were interviewed for it. I wish I had a recording. oh well. When Dustin got probation I was out eating some pizza with friends as they planned revenge. At first I thought they were just making empty threats, but then I realized some of them were serious. They didn't end up doing it though. I bet they realized that "upstanding young football players" get probation for murder, but punks would be hanged. The years that followed there would be Brian Deneke memorial concerts annualy. I had friends that worked for Stanley Marsh, but the only time I've ever talked to him was at one of these concerts. He was good friends with Brian and said that hearing that Brian had been killed was the saddest day of his life. Brian wasn't a bad kid. He was a punk. He dressed differently and listened to different music. Apparently that made him a menace to society. Apparently he didn't deserve to live. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it. Luckily Dustin was an idiot. He violated his probation by drinking under-age. He finally went to jail......for drinking beer. Not for murder. For violating his probation.

News Tuff

There's some new stuff going on. My ex-brother-in-law's trial was supposed to be Monday, but luckily he plea bargained, so my little niece didn't have to testify. He ended up getting twenty years with a possibility of parole at ten years. That's pretty good news. In other news, I'm going to Chicago in a couple weeks. I found 50 dollar plane tickets and just couldn't pass up the chance to go visit Abby and see what Chicago is like. It looks like I'll be staying with Abby and her boyfriend while I'm there, but Abby will have to work most days so I'll be flying solo most of the time. I like going off by myself and exploring, so this should be fun. In other other news, Orange day was a lot of fun. The date went well, even though we were kind of rushed to get everything ready for it. Saturday night was the pinnacle of Orange day when Amanda, Cannon, and I got a baseball bat and smashed oranges.

I'm on to you.

I'm on to you life. I know you've been plotting against me. I know you want to destroy me. I bet you thought that I was at the breaking point. You thought just one more disappointment, just one more rejection, just one more well placed dagger would be the final blow. Well you thought wrong you bony pitcher of fickle dust! You underestimated me you amoeba infested maggot spleen, just like too many people have, just like I have! That's right. I'm not giving up! I will not be defeated you crooked concoction of raw old diapers. Your best effort is a raw toothache you mediocre box of stupid lent! I will defeat YOU. YOU will fail. You pushed me too far you dumb vase of stupid pimples. I'm on to you and I'm spreading the word. Soon everyone will know what an unemployed butt full of gross galoshes you are. All I have to say is BRING IT ON! Give me your best shot. I'll take everything you can dish out you fermented flatulence! You egg sucking, blubber loving COMMUNIST! You ugly barrel of satanic advertisements! You unsuccessful old box of silly vulture droppings! You less than pleasant moldy pumpkin! You sub-par fart knocker! You infested pit of blundering ugliness!
You've unleashed your own worst nightmare. I'm coming after you. Prepare for war, buttmunch.

Can't Sleep

Well, here I am at 5:19 am posting on my blog. My mind is racing and I can't stop it from thinking unpleasant thoughts, and lots of them. Other than that, this weekend has been really great. It has probably been the most social weekend I've had in a very long time. Friday night was fun with Amanda, HaaWWwhhhit, Nikki, and Megan after work. I don't know how much detail I'm supposed to give about it, but it was fun. Then Saturday I slept in till ten and then got up and went to the ward BBQ where I ate my little heart out and then played ultimate croquet. I was on Alan's team. We used some pvc pipe as our mallet. Then we came home and set up for the Skittlebrow Jam. Not too many people showed up, but it wasn't meant to be a very large production anyway. Megan and Ashly from our freshman year came. It was great to show them around our apartment and not be ashamed of how it looks/smells. Then after cleaning up after the jam we went to Jenny Lynn's birthday party. I didn't know what to expect since I don't know the girls from that apartment too well, but I was pleasantly surprised. They're awesome. We had one metric ton o' fun. Then we went to five buck pizza to get some "real" food after all that Skittlebrow. After that I went to watch The Hudsucker Proxy with Kate and Jordyn. I love that movie so much that I have never just lent it to someone. I always end up watching it with them instead. It's beauty can be subtle at times, so I like to make sure everyone is paying attention and gets everything they can out of the viewing experience. I wish I could just go to sleep now. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two.......Counting Sheep isn't helping. Maybe I'll just explore the world of facebook and memorize all the names of my friends' friends.

No Rescue in Sight

Just to clear something up. I don't think not getting the internship makes me a loser. I think I didn't get the internship because I already was a loser. I know some winners, and I'm not one of them. They deserve to be winners though, and I probably deserve to be a loser.

I feel like I spent a long time on a sinking raft in the middle of the ocean. I spent my energy trying to fix the raft and make it to land, but it was futile. The raft finally sank completely and I was left stranded in the middle of the ocean. I was getting tired and swimming was becoming difficult, but I knew a rescue boat was coming so I kept on trying. But when the rescue boat came, it passed me by. It either didn't see me, or didn't think I was worth saving. So, now I'm treading water alone in the ocean. My head sinks under the water occasionally and I have to give a burst of energy to get myself back to the surface. No hope in sight. Nothing to look forward to. Despair.

The internship was my rescue boat. It was going to get me out of Provo where I could heal and regain my strength, but it passed me by. No hope in sight. Nothing to look forward to. Despair.

I know that I'm not the only person who has ever felt this way, but that knowledge doesn't take away any of the pain or make it any easier to swim. Since everyone has felt this way at some time, I expect everyone to know that it's not easy to snap out of it. I am hard on myself because there is no one else to be hard on. There's no one else to blame. It's my fault I ended up alone in the ocean on a raft with no safety gear or provisions. I just need another rescue boat. Maybe my backpacking trip with Braxton will bring me to shore, or maybe something completely unexpected will save me. Please understand that when I call myself a loser and I feel worthless and foolish it's only because I'm not thinking rationally. I've been at sea for a long time and it's hard for someone who is thinking irrationally to have enough rational thoughts to pull himself out of irrationality and back into rationality. Did that make any sense?

Typical

I have nothing. Well, that's not true. I have a blue can of soda that I painted today. I didn't get the internship in Iowa. Simple logic should have told me I wouldn't get it. Losers never get internships. Kyle is a loser. So, Kyle never gets internships. I just don't want to try anymore. Why bother? "If you want a vision of [Kyle's] future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."(George Orwell, 1984)

Ripples in Time

When Alan picked up that name tag a year and a half ago, I doubt he had any idea how much it would impact our lives. I am now a Facebook friend with the legendary Kiley, the mystery girl, the sister of Chazlyn. For now it seems like this is as far as the name tag will ever take me, but you never know. The name tag is full of surprises. Maybe five years from now I'll find myself parachuting into the Amazon Jungle like Indiana Jones in search of an ancient artifact. And it will all be due to that magical name tag. When I'm 95 and on my death bed, after I've lived an amazing and adventurous life, after I've raised a family and played with my great-grand children, as I am writing down my life story for future posterity, will my memoirs be self-titled or shall they bear the name CHAZLYN?

The Dating Game

A Guy(Kyle) and his Roommate

R: How'd the date go?
G: If it weren't for one little thing I would marry her right now.
R: Wow. It went that well huh?
G: Yeah. She's absolutely gorgeous, fun, and intelligent, but not stuck up or anything. We hit it off great. It's probably the closest thing to love at first sight that I'll ever encounter. One interesting thing is that she couldn't ever remember my name.
R: What?
G: She called me, Lyle, Ryan, Miles, and I swear I think I heard her call me Steve at the end of the night.
R: Steve?
G: Steve. Or at least I think she said Steve. Maybe she said "See ya".
R: "Steve-uh"........"See ya". That's probably it. Man that's too bad. Did you correct her?
G: That's the weird thing. I never wanted to. It was intriguing. She listened to every word I said and seemed to like me, but just didn't know my name. I figured dates with girls who do know my name never turn out well, so I should try going out with a girl that doesn't.
R: So what was that "one thing" that wasn't good?
G: She failed the iceberg test.
R: Oh no
G: Yep. I went on and on about how it's amazing that only 10 percent of an iceberg is visible and the rest is under the water. I even suggested they should make it more public knowledge to prevent boating accidents. She just agreed with me and acted excited. I need a girl who's honest and doesn't just humor me.
R: Man, that sucks. Watcha gonna do?

A Girl and her Roommate

R: So.....How was it....?
G: Well...He was really cool and....I think I might love him, but there was one problem.
R: Wait just a second! Love?!? Tell me everything!
G: He's pretty good looking, and he made me feel great. It just felt right, you know. We just clicked. I've never felt like that before.
R: Congratulations!
G: He went on and on about icebergs. He was so passionate about it. The way he talked about icebergs made me excited about them. Of course I already know that thing about 90 percent of icebergs being under water, but it really is cool. He was excited, so I got excited.
R: So, What was the problem?
G: He failed the name test?
R: The what?
G: Well, I'm looking for a guy who isn't afraid to correct me. Of course, I don't want him to be mean or anything, but I don't want a "whipped" boyfriend. I want an assertive one who's not afraid to be honest. So, I called him by the wrong name all night.
R: You're weird.
G: I know. But he's weirder! He didn't say anything! I called him Lyle and stuff, but he wasn't saying anything, so at the end of the night I called him Steve and he still said nothing!
R: You called him Steve?
G: And he didn't correct me. Who is this guy?
R: What are you going to do if he asks you out again?

Guy and Girl in Unison

GG: I'll try the car door test.

Field House Fun

Gossip abounds in the Smith Field House. Luckily most of my circumstances are unknown to them, but I think lack of knowledge causes all the more gossip. Whenever I turn a corner and see two of my co-workers, I know they're talking about me. It may seem like paranoia, but I know it's true. Catherine has a crush on me, so planning and scheming is going on to hook us up. I know they don't actually think we would be a good couple. Everyone just wants something to do and this is the best idea they've come up with for entertainment. Yesterday I was approached by a girl who said, "You know Catherine is absolutely in love with you, don't you?" If she likes me, it's only because she doesn't know me. She's heard stories about me from other people at work, and thinks I'm mysterious and exciting. I'm not though, and she would realize it pretty quick. I can be a party pooper. I can be boring. There's really nothing mysterious about me at all. I'm just a regular dude with questionable taste in clothing. Maybe I should just come right out and warn her. It feels good to be liked by someone though. I bet if I just started dating her, I'd grow to like her. I'm sure there's more to her than meets the eye. There always is. But, as my feelings for her grew, her feelings for me would diminish. I'd discover that she's a really great girl, and she'd discover that I'm not what she expected. Then, it would be over, and work would be uncomfortable. I have no choice but to begin Operation: Make Kyle Completely Unattractive to Latin Girls.

A Tribute to an Amazing Cat

Some of you may not know, but Casey the Cat passed away some time ago. He's survived by his owner, Alan Broadbent. When you go to my blog you can see Casey's smiling face in the top right corner. Some of us knew him well and some only in passing, but he left a lasting impression in all our hearts. I met Casey during the summer last year. I was having a really hard day and found myself at his house to sleep for the night. When I entered the house Casey stopped, looked at me for a moment, and then walked away as if to say, " Brush yourself off and get on with your life. Tomorrow's another day and 7:00 is another hour. Don't let it go to waste!" This advice has served me well this past week especially. He was so wise, and caring. The last time I saw him was December last year. We had a talk that I'll never forget. I was worried about making some big decisions and I was confused about how to proceed. Casey told me, "I know this may not make you feel better now, but one day you'll understand. Even if your dreams don't come true and all your plans fail, it's only because that which goes beyond your dreams and that which you could have never planned for is waiting around the corner. Chin up! Do what you feel is right regardless of the outcome." I feel like I'm still waiting for the day to come when I understand his thoughtful words completely.

We all love you and miss you Casey. Thank you for being a good friend. No one will ever replace the special place we hold for you in our hearts.

Some This and That

I've played my fair share of truth or dare. I, along with almost everyone else, chose truth most of the time. However, on one occasion I was challenged with the most creative dare of my young life. It wasn't the typical running around in your underwear or kissing a girl in the group. I had to give a hug to Mrs. Wilson! She was my frightening 142-and-1/2-years-old-hunch-backed-third-grade-teacher. It was a great dare, because it lasted long after the game ended. Everyone was waiting for me to do it and when I did there was a huge celebration.

Today I wore my wig to meet Cook and his wife. Alan and I aren't quite sure if they knew it was a wig or not. I think they just thought I had woman hair. We rode in a Mustang convertible. Then Five-Buck-Pizza.

Tomorrow was cool. I went to church and got my home teaching done. Then I had to work on some physics homework. I was a little tired because I stayed up really late tonight. About four hours from now I went to Guitars Unplugged with Skuffs and his homedogs. I was hoping to meet some chicks, but I didn't have much luck. I would say that I have better luck next week, but two weeks from now I was in the same position. pupeirt

As I Await Destiny's Call

I was watching Alan play Zelda this morning. A large part of the game seems to be figuring out what the object of the game really is. If you're not on any particular mission you just walk around trying stuff out. "What'll happen if I pull this, or push this, or jump off this, or set this on fire." That reminds me of my life a little bit. The object of Zelda is to win the game obviously. The main object of life is to be exalted. There's a lot of stuff in between though. There's more to life than just waiting for the Celestial Kingdom train to come pick me up.

I don't plan much and most of the decisions I've made have been pretty random or impulsive. Not all, but most. I'm choosing my own adventure right now. "What'll happen if I go to BYU, major in Molecular Biology, eat some Marshmallow Matey's?" Maybe if I had stayed in Amarillo I would have fallen into drugs, crime and everything else my friends got into. But on the other hand maybe I would have started bringing my friends to church and introducing them to the gospel. Every decision made makes you lose some opportunities and gain some others. It's just important to make good use of your current situation, no matter what it is.

And then there's destiny. When you feel that what you've decided or what has happened is the best possible outcome. I like that feeling. That's when I really get excited.