Experiencing the Snowboarding GrandPrix

My buddy got married last week and his bride had a friend come to the wedding as a surprise visit from Australia. I was the designated guy to pick him up at the airport without knowing what he looked like, and showing him around Utah. Fun times.We decided to head up to Park City last weekend to check out the Superpipe competition. This event determined which men and women snowboarders would be competing for the U.S. snowboarding team in the Vancouver Olympics.

The event was pretty much off the hook. The weather was plenty cold, with high doses of fluffy snow throughout the entire evening. Of course Shaun White came in first place during the competition. I think he just goes bigger than

everyone else. White had a near perfect score on his first run, but during his second run misjudged a landing halfway down the half pipe and crashed. He only needed the best score of the two runs to win.

After the awards ceremony the event ended with a free outdoor concert by 30 Seconds to Mars. I wasn't too impressed, but it was ok. The lead singer had a big potty mouth.

Recording Studio Time With RS&RB

One of the most common reoccurring dreams that I have ever had is one where I am a famous singer. Ever since I was Knee-high to a grasshopper, I have wanted to be a musical performer. During my high school years I decided not to sing. I tooted on a saxophone and joined the drum line and hacked on a drum for a couple of years for assemblies, sports games, tournaments and parades. Sadly as I grew older I found that the chances of becoming a famous rock star was slim to none. After high school I figured out that I loved to sing. I mostly sang in my car or the shower. I think my love for Boys II Men, Backstreet Boys and Nsync had something to do with it. I have since made a life-long goal to try to sing where I can. I have sang in different types of choirs and even in an octet group that I have been in for about a year.

This past week I had the opportunity of a lifetime. Being friends with guys in a locally popular musical group pays off if you have had a dream like mine. I was invited to a recording studio in Orem to help Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband to record a couple songs for their upcoming album. Now, my part in these songs is not anything too spectacular, but needless to say, I got to have my voice recorded with some awesome professional artists. That pretty much fulfilled my lifelong dream.

I did back up vocals and ambiance sounds like finger snapping and clapping for a song called "Beep, beep, beep" and did other ambiance party sounds for another song called "New Shoes." My part is going to be during a bass solo halfway through the song. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about what is required in order to produce an album. Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband are an extremely talented group of guys. They are producing everything on their own. The only thing they are not doing is mixing the final product.

Be sure to check out the album on itunes or in stores late May 2010. For more information about the band, visit their webpage @ shupe.net

Mile landmark

I was driving my car the other day and noticed I was about to roll over the odometer to a new number.... 40,000 miles! I quickly pulled out my phone to take a picture. I have had my car for 4 and a half years and only have put 40,000 miles on it. Not too shabby.

Beware of Seemingly Innocent Snakes

I heard this story once in some kind of church function and forgot about it, but was reminded of the story when an old friend retold it to me. I think it's a great story that teaches a valuable lesson. It goes more or less like this...
One day there was an Indian boy who was hiking around in the mountains. He stumbled across a rattle snake. This rattle snake had wondered off far from where its home was, and made its way to the top of this mountain where it was too cold for the snake. The snake asked the Indian boy, "I'm weak and can't survive up here. Would you be kind enough to carry me down to the bottom of the mountain?"The Indian boy quickly replied by saying, "No, I can't do that! You're a snake and will bite me as soon as I pick you up." The snake replied by saying, "I am helpless and need your help to bring me back to the bottom. I promise I won't bite you if you carry me to the bottom." The Indian boy agreed to carry the snake to the bottom. He picked up the rattle snake and put him in his bag and began hiking toward the bottom of the mountain.
After reaching the bottom, the Indian pulled the snake out of the bag. Just as he pulled him out the snake bit him. "Ouch!" replied the Indian. "Why did you bite me? You promised me that you would not bite me." The snake replied by saying, "You knew what I was before you picked me up. You should have left me up there if you didn't want me to bite you."
The moral of this story: Be smart about the choices you make. Stay away from dangerous situations. Pay attention to warning signs, so you can avoid getting hurt. Have you been bitten by a snake?