A true story.

As his family was expecting a new addition to the family soon, little William and his parents were on the lookout for a new vehicle to transport all of the growing family at once. A friend of the family had a deal on a vehicle that fit their needs perfectly, and for a great price: simply one dollar.

Of course, his family wouldn’t accept the one dollar offer, but did want the van. Instead of paying cash for the new vehicle, the father insisted that he placed some money in each of their kids’ missionary funds. The offer went thru, and the family now had a new vehicle to call their own.

A 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan

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Some may think it’s a bad idea to hit up fast food during the lunch rush, but it presents you with the possibilities of making it out of the drive thru with some extra food from the order in front or behind you. Well, maybe I’m just lucky.

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I went to Five Guys on Eagle Road the other day, and discovered something that I never noticed before. What an unfortunate building and sign placement:

That’s right. Five Guys Spoon Me.

Now THAT is a great movie! Clint Eastwood is the man, no joke.

(possible spoiler alert… I dunno if I’m really spoiling anything, just FYI)

Here’s the short scoop: Clint Eastwood plays a cranky old man who recently lost his wife. He befriends a neighbor boy, and teaches him some great lessons. Eastwood ends up changing a bit of his own feelings and really cares about the neighbor. When local gang members rough up the boy’s family, Eastwood wants to send a message to the gang.

I’d highly recommend this film. It’s rated R, it has a lot of cursing and some dramatic scenes involving blood, but it’s still a great movie overall.

I know this is a wee short post, but I’m working on some other in-depth posts for the near future. I felt like I left my blog untouched for a while… eh. Whatever. That’s life!

THE BOTTOM LINE: Gran Torino rocks!

WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?!

Makes me wonder, is that really what he ordered or did he just screw up? They always get my order wrong…

Right about the time I wrote this previous post about the crappy and dangerous drivers on Idaho State Highway 16, police presence was beefed up and the drivers listened! I was so grateful for those hard-working officers making the roads I travel much safer. I saw less speeding and tailgating. I was amazed! These Emmett commuters really were getting the message.

However, in the past few weeks, things have become just like they were before: drivers are speeding, tailgating, and being more aggressive. I would sure like to see more police presence on the highway, and some changes made to the highway itself.

The daily commuters from Emmett seem to have only one purpose: make it home as fast as they can. They don’t care for the speed limits, they don’t care that they’re tailgating, and they don’t even stop for school buses that are dropping off CHILDREN for goodness sakes!! (Yes, I’ve seen many ignorant 1G-plated drivers ignore flashing red schoolbus lights.) THEY’RE JUST TOO IMPATIENT! ITD wants to widen that road to a limited-access expressway, but that obviously won’t happen for a long time. So, I would like to recommend these simple fixes that should be applied NOW to make the road safer:

• Reduce the speed limit to 55 MPH from State Highway 44 to north of Colton Lane (North of Firebird) for safer side road and residential access, then bring back the speed limit to 65 MPH from there to Freezeout Hill where there are no side streets.
• Eliminate north and southbound passing zones between Beacon Light Road and Deep Canyon Road, just north of the S-curve. It’s too dangerous, and the vision is too short.
• Increased police presence on Highway 16. With increased patrols, people will slow down. I’ve seen it happen. However, I’m not just going to say “ticket the crap out of them,” because it’s the officers job to determine whether they should issue a ticket or not. I’ll leave it to them.

If you drive this road and encounter a dangerous driver, call 911. I’ve called in multiple aggressive drivers on Highway 16 using 911. Don’t be afraid to call them in, and be sure to get a good description of their car. Even if you don’t get a plate #, with a good description Gem County, Ada County or Idaho State Police officers can be waiting for them just a few miles down the road, and can pull them over when they see your matching vehicle description.

The mainstream media always seems to have SOME twist on issues in the world. But one of the common targets of hasty generalization by the media is our youth. Why the youth? The young folk like me are the ones that will eventually be running this crazy country in public office. They say the weirdest things (some of which are flat out LIES) in an attempt to persuade the youth to drop what they truly believe in, and just follow the crowd.

I’m here to make a personal appeal to America’s youth to NOT bow down to what you see on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC. Don’t let a man named “Keith” in a shiny box change your mind about issues. He’s just a reporter, which (like almost ALL news reporters) sometimes has a very screwed up point of view.

One specific issue I want to touch on really quickly is the issue of gay marriage in America. Earlier this month, the legendary case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger took place in California. Essentially, this case challenges the constitutionality of Proposition 8. A lot of people are saying stuff along the lines of “Oh, just wait for those old senators to die off. These young people will take office, and they ALL support gay marriage rights.”

That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard. You know why I know that’s wrong? I’m living proof. I’m a “young” person, and I think same-sex marriage is downright disgusting, and a huge disgrace to the special and serious institution of marriage. And I’m not the only one! Many of my friends feel the same way about same-sex marriage. And NO, they’re not all a bunch of conservative, religious/Christian republicans (that’s the common stereotype given to these people). It spans everywhere!

If you don’t support same-sex marriage, you’re NOT alone, no matter what you think. Stand up for what you believe in! Don’t be a coward about it. And this not only applies to this specific issue, but it can apply just about anywhere. Just gather up your courage, and show your true colors. Don’t be a chicken about it!

You’re in the mood for a good burger on the go, but you don’t want to get a cheep Whopper or Big Mac. Carl’s Jr sounds good, but you want to try something new. If I had to pick some good burger joints to choose from, I’d consider Smashburger, Chadder’s or Five Guys. All three places have their strongholds, and since I already wrote about Smashburger, let’s take a look at Chadder’s and Five Guys.

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It seems that trends on the ‘Book come in waves. A while ago, women were posting the color of their underwear, and more recently people were styling doppleganger week by changing their profile picture to a celebrity they’ve been told they looked like. One specific trend has swept facebookers across the world: Can this Onion Ring get more fans than Justin Bieber?

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My former marching band director sent me this awesome video on the ‘Book today. You may remember OK Go’s amazing treadmill music video (for the song Here We Go), but here’s another smash music video for OK Go’s This Too Shall Pass. Directed by Brian L. Perkins. Watch the video after the jump.

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