50 Things You May Not Know About Me.

(Inspired by Andrea)

1. I got a C in public speaking in high school.
   
2. I went to Camp Ben DeLatour as a Boy Scout – the same camp I took boys to as a scoutmaster.
   
3. I was terrorized by bullies on bicycles going to summer school the year before I was in Kindergarten.
   
4. My favorite movie is "Breaking Away".
   
5. I was on a "College Bowl" team for a Colorado Teachers convention.
   
6. In college, I worked in a lab cleaning Petri dishes and test tubes.
   
7. My favorite "snitch" is Hostess crumb cake mini-donuts.
   
8. The only girl I have ever kissed for real is the love of my life – my wife.
   
9. I was only a Star Scout – but all three of my boys are Eagles.
   
10. I have been in 40 of the 50 United States – but only one other country (Canada).
    
11. I was asked to drop Spanish in college because I spoke it with a French accent.
    
12. I try to always be CPR certified.
    
13. My love language for other people seems to be service.
    
14. I have low tolerance for extreme left wing or extreme right wing politics.
    
15. In my teenage years, I almost won a Putt-Putt miniature golf tournament.
    
16. I have been rock climbing and was saved in a fall by a belaying rope.
    
17. I know how to run and old-fashioned arc-light movie projector.
    
18. I have read the Holy Bible from front to back – once.
    
19. I have had a hernia operation.
    
20. I have been in the delivery room for all six of my children – but never watched "the birth" even once.
    
21. I am only a fan of sports teams who are winning.
    
22. Sushi – I have tried it and it is not my favorite.
    
23. I got a home run in little league on a bunt and 3 errors.
    
24. My dream car would be a Mustang.
    
25. I lost my first wedding ring while swimming in a creek in Montana.
    
26. I have had poison ivy so bad I had to miss school.
    
27. I don't have a lot of self control where yummy food is concerned – but I keep trying.
    
28. What makes me happiest is seeing my wife happy.
    
29. As I have gotten older, I like winter less and less.
    
30. I have always wanted to write something great, but I can never figure out what to write about.
    
31. I never skipped class in high-school.
    
32. My feet are not the same size.
    
33. I had a benign tumor removed from my left cheek.
    
34. The best calling I have ever had in church is working in the nursery.
    
35. My biggest why question is, "Why do people think it is okay to hurt other people to get what they want."
    
36. I know my wife is right more than I am.
    
37. I try to never litter.
    
38. I find I am more proud of the good things my children do than I am about the things I do.
    
39. I teased a girl in elementary school and made her cry, then vowed to try and never do that again.
    
40. I only got detention once in my whole school career.
    
41. Driving a minivan does not mean you are old – it means you are willing to give others a ride and are prepared to do it.
    
42. I took one puff on a cigarette and then decided to never do that again.
    
43. I fell deeply in love with my wife by writing (and receiving) letters to her.
    
44. My favorite city to visit is San Francisco, followed closely by Washington D. C. and Ottawa.
    
45. I don't particularly like to swim.
    
46. I had my ears freeze almost solid one night in Montana.
    
47. In every job I have had over six months; I have been a manager at some point in time.
    
48. I have been lost while camping in the Rocky Mountains in the winter.
    
49. Despite my mother's efforts, I have never been fond of liver.
    

I have learned that things never stay the same – they either get different, worse or better.

Aaron Blog

http://charmically.blogspot.com/

Reading List

July 19, 2010

Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer.

The author was an Austrian and a mountaineer. More importantly, he was in India when WWII started and was captured by the British and put in a POW camp at the foot of the Himalayas. He escaped three times, and on the third time reached his goal of getting across the mountains to Tibet. All was not well, because he was an uninvited and unwelcome foreigner. The book tells the tale of his agonizing two year trek to get to "The Forbidden City", Lhasa, and how he gained acceptance, prestige and friendship with the "Living God", the Dalia Lama. His adventure ends as the Chinese invade Tibet after WWII.

It is a beautiful story. It is not so much a story of the country describing the landscape, but there is some of that. It is not so much a story of the culture and habits of the nation, but there is a lot of that. More it is a story of the people who live in the country "at the top of the world." After the war, Tibet was still a very old fashioned country, almost medieval, with no improved roads, little electricity, no phones and little contact with the rest of the civilized world. Still, it ws the one place thath Harrer, the author wanted to spend the rest of his life.

In 1997, a movie, Seven Years in Tibet, was produced that was "based on the book". I had seen the movie and liked it, and so when I saw this book on the 501 must read list, I snatched it up. The movie does not do the book justice. It focus more on the Dalia lama and the political, rather than on the true nature of how the religion and government and outlook of the people all merge together in this fascinating county, or should I say what the country used to be. Under China, Tibet has been drug into the modern era and the culture has been changed – not lost, but changed.

I really liked the book. It is not for everyone. As mentioned, it is on the 501 Must Read Book List – and it deserves to be there.

Movie List

July 16, 2010

 

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

 

Today, Mar finished another semester of school, so we had to celebrate. Our choice was a movie.

What do I think? The Sorcerer's Apprentice was a little bit disjointed especially at the beginning. There were some statements made that you really had to listen to in order to understand what was going on. But is really was fun. Totally unbelievable that all that could happen in New York City and no one noticed – much. But hey, it is fantasy. And besides, it gives all of us geeks and nerds some hope. Maybe we are just sorcerers in embryo. Special effects were good. Acting was – okay. Of course the plot is predictable.

Recommendations – pretty intense in a spot or two – for young children – well you should watch it first. Otherwise, sure go see it – or maybe wait for the DVD.

I liked it. Mar liked it. Michael liked it. I would give it a 3 – yep a 3.

Aaron - Be Strong

July 1, 2010

Aaron wrotet his in his journal when he was 15.  I think it is profound.

Aaron - Thanksgiving

July 1, 2010

Aaron wrote this poem: