Our New House is Coming Along

As many of you know, we are buying a house in Eagle Mountain.  We are just in the construction phase, but it is very exciting!  We go out and visit the site at least once a week, and we were ecstatic when they finally dug the hole for the house.  Then we were even more excited when we discovered that they had poured the foundation the next week.  When we visited on Tuesday of this week we were thrilled to see that they had put up the walls!  I will continue to publish photos so everyone can see them.

The Base has been Completed!!!!

I know, I've taken forever... But the base of the LEGO General Grievous is now complete. At first I was disturbed that I didn't get to build the actual General Grievous, but then I realized that he did need a place to perch since his footing was never really solid. The base is pretty solid, and would most likely support the weight of the Star Destroyer model (which I want to do next). The main part of the base consists of 195 LEGO pieces, 32 of which are dedicated to the solid footings underneath. At the top, there is a swivel platform with the General's feet built right on it. The platform itself is constructed with 65 pieces, then another 96 pieces for his feet.
On a side note, I've gotten a lot of slack about capitalizing all the letters in LEGO. I would just like to note that while "Lego" would be correct, typing "LEGO" is more correct, as that was how the original trademark was captured. Yeah, I know it's just a technicality, but if you really knew me, you wouldn't be surprised that I'm such a stickler on little things like this. :)

Rules Rules Rules

So, I decided to begin the build today. I grabbed my box of LEGO pieces, the instruction booklets (yes, there are more than one), and my giddy 8-year-old demeanor, and skipped outside during my break. I sat down on a nice patch of Kentucky Bluegrass (or at least it smells like it's Kentucky Bluegrass), and cracked open the booklets. To my dismay and horror I was given my first ultimatum!!! The very first instruction implied that I was going to have to construct my toy on a table! What?! They have the picture of your LEGO pieces on the grass, with a big red X through it!!! Whatever happened good ol' LEGO building on the grass? Did someone poke their eye out once with a blade of grass and sued LEGO? Are they just trying to protect me? Or was it those crazy environmental dudes from D.C.? "Don't build LEGOs on grass. You'll kill the defensless organisms!" Either way, I was very disappointed. Being the obedient servant that I am, I sauntered back inside with my wares. There will be no LEGO grassing for me.

The LEGO Returns

Hello all, I'm writing again from another long hiatus. This time I will be chiming in regularly to update you on my newest cool project. My friend Steve recently completed the assembly of the LEGO General Grievous and proudly displayed it on his bookshelf. Of coarse, being the large LEGO fan that I am, I was greatly envious of his new acquisition. Upon one visit to Steve's abode I was handed a box of LEGO pieces and the instruction booklet for General Grievous LEGO model. It had fallen from his bookshelf and therefore, had shattered into quite a few pieces. Knowing how much of a fan I was to all things LEGO, he offered to give me the chance to rebuild it for him! I was ecstatic! I haven't built a large LEGO model for such a long time, I wasn't sure that I would be able to do it anymore. But I accepted and now I have two options placed before me: do I take the current chunks as they are and snap them back together, or do I take it apart piece by piece and rebuild it from bottom-up? After much deliberation, I decided to build it from the bottom up.

I brought it to work, so I do not chance losing any small pieces to the appetite of my two small children. Over the course of the last two weeks I have taken it apart piece by piece and I am finally able to start its recreation. So, over the next few weeks (since I am limited to break time, and when it is slow at work), I will be posting updates and pictures on my newfound glory.

Here is the box of all the LEGO pieces before the recreation.

Something to Think About...

This semester in school I am taking a philosophy class, and it has made me start thinking more. I mean, I already thought a lot about everything, but now it's deeper. I would like to pose a few questions or parcels of thought. Feel free to comment if you'd like.

- What makes time what it is?  If time has no meaning to God, then is time only a construct of man? What would life be like without time?
- If there are other sentient beings in the universe, how much like us would they be? Language, dress, transportation, politics, religion, etc.
- There is no man-made global warming. Earth is just following it's own cycle that it has for millions of years.
- Quantum Mechanics, along with Quantum Entanglement, may explain the unexplainable: ESP, clairvoyance, twin/relational telepathy, and even distance healing.
- Does everyone see colors the same? Or do all of our brains interpret all this visual input differently?  If everyone's brain is different like a fingerprint, then I don't see why not.

Let me know your thoughts...

Scattergories

My sister sent this to me via email, and so here is my blog on it. If you'd like to do it as well, copy it and paste it into your own blog changing your answers.

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following.. They
have to be real places, names, things - nothing made up!

Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same
1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. And
you can not use the same word twice

WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Bryan
BOY NAME: Brett
4 LETTER WORD: Brat
GIRL NAME: Beatrice
OCCUPATION: Battlechess Champion
A COLOR: Burnt sienna
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Bathrobe
BEVERAGE: Beer (Root)
FOOD: Bundt Cake
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Bobby Pins
A PLACE: Billings, Montana
REASON FOR BEING LATE: Being abducted by aliens
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Be right there!

Some that I am adding...

Song: Bye Bye Birdie
Movie: Benchwarmers
Actor: Brad Pitt
Game: Baulderdash
Things found at a beach: Beach Ball

If you can think of more to add, go ahead. If you do add this to your blog, leave me a link in the comment of this post :)

My Firsts

My Sister Lindsey sent this to me via email, but instead of replying and forwarding it to a few people, I thought I would blog it so more people could see it :)

My Firsts

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? Natalie Thayne
2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? No
3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink? NA
4. What was your FIRST job? Hardees
5. What was your FIRST car? A Blue Truck. I don't remember the Make/Model
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? Noone Texted me, but Heidi was the first to IM me via Google Talk.
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? Heidi
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher? Mrs. Phillips. I remember that because whenever I saw the Phillips Gas station in Denver I thought it was her home.
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane ride? To Houston, Texas
10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with him/her? Jacob Jewitt, and we try to keep in contact.
11. What will be your FIRST thought when you wake up tomorrow morning? "Do I like Kirk? Or do I like Picard?"
12. Where was your FIRST sleep over? I don't remember. Aunt Bev's maybe?
13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? Heidi
14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? My sister Andrea's I think
15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? Showered.
16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? Jim Brickman
17. FIRST tattoo or piercing? Stick-n-Lick Tattoo of Batman
18. Who was your FIRST kiss from? Jessica Sturm (see #1)
19. Who was your FIRST boss? Don't remember.
20. When was your FIRST detention? When you've gone as much as I have, you tend to forget the first. It blends in with all the others.
21. What was the FIRST state you lived in? Utah
22. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart? Sandy (don't remember last name right now)
23. Who was your FIRST roommate? Mark, Mark, & Richard. The Bachelor Pad

Cell Phone Survey

Blackberry... or Crackberry?

K, so as many of you know, I was issued a Blackberry for work. And as many of you know, I don't really use it for work.. haha. I spend most of my Blackberry time playing games, even at times in the middle of the night to the chagrin of my wife. So, now I open the question up to y'all. Is this an addiction? Or is it just a fad that will simply fade along with my Palm Pilot phase, Sony VAIO UX phase, etc. If it is just a phase, I won't think too much about it, but if it's an addiction, I need to start laying down some rules for myself.

NERD Magazine

I was so excited that I made it on the Cover of the MORON magazine, that I submitted yet another pic of myself to the NERD magazine... And I made it on the Cover of this one too!

Memories.... Nothing more than Memories...

Here is a fun little game... leave a comment on my blog of a memory you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time or a long time; anything that you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memeory about you. It is pretty funny to read the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you are playing and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. On your mark... get set... blog those memories!
(Got this post from Melissa's blog)

I made it on the cover!

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Another LEGO Rubik's Cube Solution

So, a while ago I posted about a LEGO creation that could solve a Rubik's cube. I was really excited about it, and wanted to create one of my own. I never got around to that. BUT, I did find a newer model using the latest LEGO NXT technology. The previous model completed a turn about every 30 seconds. The newer model completed the rubik's cube in about 30 seconds.... So... yeah... Now I want to build this one :D

Tag!

I've been tagged by Melissa. Huh, I've never played Blog-Tag, but I guess I can't say that anymore. Here is my list.

What were you doing five years ago?

• My wife and I were child-less and we both worked at Media Play

What are five things on your to-do list for today (in no particular order)?

• take a nap


• finish this blog post


• drive home


• give my wife a kiss


• take a walk with the family

What are five snacks you enjoy?

• semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies


• M&Ms


• strawberries


• snickers


• chicken nuggets

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

• move into a house


• start collecting cars (Jay Leno style)


• start a humanitarian project


• create a reality TV show (not sharing details right now, but it's a good one!)


• start a computer game development company

What are five of your bad habits?

• picking my nose


• drinking pop


• correcting grammar and spelling excessively


• driving fast


• getting mad at myself

What are five places where you have lived?

• Springville, UT


• Littleton, CO


• Montevideo, Uruguay


• Sugarhouse, UT


• Midvale, UT

What are five jobs you've had?

• Waiter at Marie Callender's


• Sales Rep at Media Play


• Foodservice Bookkeeper at Salt Lake Community College


• IT Analyst at Unisys


• IT Analyst at Cybersource

I'm tagging: Steve & Laura Hawley, Brandon & Erin Wilhelmson, Amy & Brian Monson

David Archuleta is AWESOME

American Idol 7 starts!

American Idol season 7 started yesterday (the part where we can get involved anyway) and Heidi and I are really into it. To keep up with what we think about each singer, here is a list of our ratings of each contestant: AI7 Ratings

Quiet on the set!

I decided to try something different today. Since it's been such a long time that I have posted, you faithful readers of Bryan's Fight for Attention deserve a treat. I actually got this thought in the shower this morning. I am going to cast a movie. I'm not sure what the movie is yet, and I guess we'll put that together after I cast it. I am going to list some friends and cast them to certain roles of this movie. I will try to cast each friend in a way that matches the way I see that person in real life. So... here it goes...

Setting: New York

Start with the Main Characters:

Me (Bryan Schmidt) - Slightly-Confused-Just-Strolling-Through-Life-Protagonist working at a software company

Heidi Schmidt - Protagonist's wife - part-time Cotton Candy vendor in Central Park

Makayla Schmidt - famous dancing baby (all the pop-stars want her in their music videos)

Zuke Arakaki - Business Consultant. Ninja-Manhunter in his spare time, and he grows weed in his basement.

Steve Hawley - CrimeLord MasterMind GodFatha. He's currently on number 187 of his winning streak on Jeopardy (we're not sure if he's really that smart, or if he's paying someone off).

Mel Arakaki - DNA analyst for the NYPD Crime Lab. Collects bottle caps and hood ornaments.

Laura Hawley - District Attorney. Breeds Chihuahuas in her spare time. Has a restraining order for stalking Matthew McConaughey, and Kate Hudson has her on her red list.

Brandon Wilhelmson - Master Sensei and blade master. Eats turtles and grasshoppers.

Erin Wilhelmson - 5 Year champion of the X-Games Dirt Bike Racing Competition. Works at a Law Firm as a Special Victims Protection Liaison.

Nate Stoddard - Head Detective at NYPD. Owns 14 cats, and he built a cat-sized house for them.

Kristen Stoddard - Editor of a fashion magazine. Walks 56 blocks to work every day so she can stop by her favorite Bagel Stand.

Ashly Sokia - Supreme Court Justice Judge. Winner of American Idol Season 8 (it was the Schmidty Jumping Jacks that really sold it).

Stephanie Silva - Dog Trainer and Sign Language Interpreter. Can recite the New Testament in 3 languages.

Chris Ballenger - Architectural Contractor for Vandalay Industries. Thinks life is too short and often takes vacations to "see the world".

Jeri Geis - Leader of New York's largest biker gang. Also New York's only LifeTime Weight Watcher's Member.

Erin Best - Central Park Gardener. Has genetically re engineered all the plants to eat stray cats and dogs.

Dane Falkner - Sharp Shooter for NY SWAT. He still lives in his mother's basement.

Joey Nelson - Painter. She likes to eat dessert before the main course and always orders Ginger Ale.

Dom Campbell - Secret Danish Spy working at Barnes & Noble as her cover. She likes to peel the label from her water bottles.

Ben Wood - Master Thief. His ninja training allows him to never be seen, which is unfortunate, because noone knows he exists.

Kirk Ricks - Jedi. Need I say more?

Beth Harmon - Detective at NYPD. Has the longest case cracking record than anyone in the world, including Sherlock Holmes and Adrian Monk.

Jeff Allison - High-ranking member in Jeri's Biker Gang. He likes Bananas and he wears a neon green bandana to set him apart from the rest of the bikers.

Liz Garcia-Nakamura - Profile Artist at the NYPD. Also owns her own gallery.

Dan Frei - Unicyclist Juggler. Collects pigeon feet and likes to eat the entire orange.

Maxine Sanchez - Senator. Running for President. Member of Jeri's biker gang.

-Still not finished... If you don't see your name on here, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. If you think I have, let me know, and I will be sure to cast you in my movie :D

Virus Game

My Toe

I recently had an ingrown toenail and it got real bad real quick within the last few weeks, so I went to see a podiatrist. He numbed the toe and cut out about a third of the toenail... just like that. It was over in 20 minutes. Since then it's been healing over quite nicely, and I've been wearing a special medical shoe that my mom had in storage. I think I need to get shoes with a wider berth because it feels like my toes are squeezed together when I wear my shoes. It became more evident with this issue because I can feel every bit of pressure on my toe now until it completely heals. Wearing shoes that are not wide enough may be the reason for the ingrown toenails too, but I'm not sure.

So.... if you have any input, please leave a comment. :D

Tilt Maze

Here is a fun addicting game that my friend Laura showed me.

Tilt Maze: Move the red ball with the arrow keys and get it to the blue square. Press control to reset the level