To Whom It May Concern

All That I'm Saying, Is Give Mitt a Chance

2012-01-24T22:48:00.000-05:00

Today in my contracts class we talked about an op-ed piece about Indiana’s Right to Work legislation. It’s been a very heated debate, and has resulted in democrats walking out on multiple occasions. It raised some interesting points. The more interesting point from the discussion was when my self-avowed “ultra liberal” professor stated that she actually liked some of Mitt Romney’s ideas. I was surprised by this. After class, I asked her what she found so appealing about Mitt. Her main reason was Massachusetts health care system that he started. Apparently she served on some prestigious committee that analyzed it and found it was the best out there. This helped me see a bigger point though—Mitt Romney’s broad appeal.

In this heated primary season, I think Republicans are forgetting that Mitt can appeal to a more liberal/independent crowd. He was governor of Massachusetts. He honestly is the only candidate that has had great success in a blue state. Some people will probably say that this was our problem with John McCain. Didn’t we nominate him because we thought he would be more appealing to liberals/independents? I think that is partly true, but when did John McCain ever really have to get Independents/Liberals to like him being a Senator from Arizona (not exactly a blue state). I hope that all the Republicans voting in primaries will think about this when they go to the polls in the coming weeks.

I don’t really have anything against Gingrich’s views. I’m all about being a conservative. My problem is Gingrich the person. When he was speaker of the House, he apparently did a terrible job of leading. Don’t take my word for it, ask the people who worked with him. Glenn Beck is basically saying the same thing. He agrees with him on the principles, but doesn’t agree with his lack of leadership capabilities. For instance, my contracts professor didn’t exactly like Newt. This quote was a reference to Newt’s suggestion for the 99 percent of Occupy Wall Street to go and get a job. My professor put it addressing Newt: “When did you last do a reality check?...You go get a frickin job!” I think that is the perception that independents/liberals have about Gingrich. There is nothing but contempt. They don’t like what he did while speaker and they don’t like what he is doing now. Mitt Romney is more appealing to those people and I feel he has the best chance. A lot of my friends apparently don’t find Newt appealing either:

“Will someone PLEASE inform Mr. Gingrich that DEBATING Obama is NOT THE ONLY QUALIFICATION TO BEING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

"Just watched the debate from last night. It's definitely heating up. You could almost feel the whole room just waiting, almost begging for Mitt Romney to trip over his own words, and say something dumb. And guess what? He never did. He only looked strong, confident, and presidential. Gingrich may be able shake up a crowd in SC, but he will get eaten alive in the general election when the real issues are at stake. I'm not making my pitch for Mitt Romney, I'm just sayin', everyone please get off this Gingrich train to nowhere. I like Newt alot but I think he's the weakest of the 4 left."

I hope the rest of the Republicans will wake up and realize that Gingrich doesn’t have a shot of beating Obama. His rhetoric and campaign against the media make for good sound bytes, but his leadership is nonexistent. I think Mitt Romney is the leader that can best take it to Obama.

Joe Strikes Back

2012-01-20T18:30:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have mentioned some of the gaffes that our beloved Vice President has committed. On his birthday a couple years ago I highlighted what I thought were his top five gaffes. This week He committed another one that I thought was just too good to pass up. He was visiting San Francisco for a fundraiser and started talking about sports and the upcoming NFC championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants. This article quotes Biden as saying:

"The Giants are going all the way!"

"The Giants are on their way to the Super Bowl."

Needless to say the crowd of people from San Francisco started booing him and he realized the mistake he had made. He got the San Francisco Giants baseball team confused with the 49ers. This is a classic Joe Biden moment. Here's to many more, especially in the upcoming election season.

Doggie Doo

2012-01-07T00:32:00.000-05:00

I have the cutest 2nd Cousins in the world. I always like to hang out with them whenever I am at home. I went over there and horsed around with them. The highlight was probably playing Doggie Doo. I first saw it on the Letterman Show. I was really excited when my cousin said they got it for Christmas. You feed it this gak like substance and roll the die to see how many times you squeeze the trigger which helps to move the poo along until it comes out.

I didn't realize that it farted so well. It was a lot of fun. He was constipated and it took it awhile to come out, but it was amazing.

Anyway, it was a good visit. They are really good kids. I can't wait to visit them again!

White Elephant

2011-12-26T22:15:00.000-05:00

Christmas Break has been going well. I have literally been doing nothing which has been really great. One of the highlights of the break has been the White Elephant gift exchange that we do with some family members. I pretty much hit the jackpot.

The first item I got was a Snuggie. This is probably the most classic of white elephant gifts. I've always wanted one just to say that I have one. I got one with monkey heads on it. That's pretty awesome if you ask me!

Then I got a Shameze, which is basically an imitation version of ShamWowp. I was really excited about this one. I have always seen those infomericals and wondered if they work. Plus it is orange which is my favorite color.

Next thing on the list is a Snowman making kit. It provides you with the carrot for the nose, a hat, a scarf, buttons for the eyes and mouth and a pipe for the mouth. It was pretty exciting. I have never seen anything like this and I can't wait for it to snow to try it out.

Finally, the motherload of all white elephant gifts. This little figurine. It was pretty awesome. I am going to display this with pride. It's probably the most outrageous thing I have ever seen! Thanks to Shelby and Kyle for providing me with my favorite white elephant gift ever!

Deep Fried Milky Way Bars

2011-10-14T16:21:00.000-04:00

My friend Sarah a while ago went to the Utah State Fair and had a deep fried Snickers but was disappointed. She put this on Facebook, and I told her that my life was ruined because I had always wanted to try one. She said that she would come up with a better way to make them and that if I ever came to Provo again she would make them for me. Little did she know that I was coming for fall break. So here is our experience.

1. Make the batter

2. Take frozen candy bars and cover them in flour.

3. Dip them in the batter and put them in the oil!

4. Enjoy! You can find the recipe here.

Quiznos

2011-10-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

Day two of my first official fall break was also a success. I woke up and actually studied. I was proud of myself. I studied about torts for about two hours. That was pretty good I thought. Then Lillie came home from work and we went to Quiznos for lunch. We had both never been, so it was a good experience. We stopped at Maceys on the way to pick up some Sun Chips and Mtn. Dew to compliment our subs. Lillie got bourbon chicken and I got Chicken Carbonera. It was like pasta in a bread bowl. So delicious!

We ate our food in Carterville Park. It was such a great day! The weather was awesome. Lillie was being very artistic with the Camera. She is really creative. We had a really good time being outside!

Then we did some running around. At 4:15, I went up to campus to meet up with a mission companion. While I was waiting, I got hugged by a really good friend Tori. We chatted for a while. It was really good to see her! She is a lot of fun. Then I hung out with Conner Castagno. It was good to talk to him. He was one of my favorite companions. Then Lillie and Long were nice enough to let me borrow their car so I could go up to Pleasant Grove and visit with a church member from Hungary that lives there now. It was so good to see her. She is such a strong person. She has been through a lot in her life and she has stayed faithful through it all. She made some pea soup and Turo Balls. They were so good! I'm glad I got to spend some time with her!

Then I came back to Orem and continued a historic tradition. I had frozen yogurt with the Steele Family. YoZone closed down, which was really depressing. We went to Yogurtland instead. They didn't have cake batter which was sad, but their Pumpkin Pie flavor was really delicious. We had a lot of fun and got to talk with each other. A really cool family. Good times. I'm glad that we have kept this tradition alive.

Then I went back to Lillie and Long's and chilled with Lauren for a while. Then I went and hung out with Tori, Emily and Nalani until curfew. It was good to see them and get caught up. They are cool!

The Awful Waffle

2011-10-13T02:36:00.000-04:00

My first semester of law school is about sixty percent complete. I had my first mid-term on Friday and it was a real killer. The teacher focused most of the exam on something that we hardly covered in class and everyone was just as stunned as I was when we saw it. Lesson learned about law school exams---expect the unexpected.

Sometime over the summer I realized that I had a fall break. For most of you this may not seem that exciting, but BYU doesn't have a fall or spring break. I decided I needed to celebrate in style. Then in July, Southwest had a super sale and I decided that I would head back to Utah to celebrate my first ever fall break. I left Indiana on Tuesday afternoon and got into SLC that evening. Owen picked me up in his new car and we made the trek down to Provo. I stopped in to say hi to Mike and I also got to see Robert Fujiki which was a lot of fun. I then headed over to Lillie and Long's where I slept. Their couch is one of the most comfortable I have ever slept on.

Wednesday morning I headed up to campus to do some exploring. They completely rearranged the bookstore, which threw me for a loop, but other than that everything was the same. I then headed back to L & L's for some lunch. The Enchilada Casserole was amazing! Thanks Lillie!

Then in the afternoon, I met J-Money on campus. We headed to the Awful Waffle and had some crepes thanks to my Groupon. They were really good. The conversation was better though. It was good to hang out with him for a couple of hours. We both talked about our internships and current events which was a lot of fun. I really miss that kid, but he is doing great with Andrea and they live in Provo's old tandem bike shop, which I think is pretty cool.

Then Mike, Owen and I headed over to Amy's for some of her famous potato soup. It was delicious. We were kind of crashing her dinner group and got to meet some new friends. Denver ( I wonder how he got that name?) was kind enough to take a few photos.

Then we went to The Awful Waffle (that's right twice in one day, but I had been planning to go with Amy and it was so good I couldn't resist). It was really good. I had a Belgian Waffle this time along with a variety of crepes. I decided to go with the same toppings that I had when I was in Belgium. They were pretty much the same. I was impressed. If you are in Provo you should definitely check this place out. It's legit!

Bachelor Pad

2011-09-04T23:28:00.001-04:00

So I'm about a little more than ten percent done with my first semester of law school. It has been interesting. A lot of reading. Reading is the most important thing because in class the professor will "cold-call" people which is where the professors calls on people of random regardless of the fact if their hand is raised or not. I've been called on once in Property and it went well, so hopefully that will continue throughout the semester.

I live in downtown Indianapolis. It's a really nice town. I'm really impressed. I have a studio apartment and I figured that it was time to give you all the grand tour.

The door of my apartment. #111.

When you open the door you see the master hallway. Everything connects to it.

To the left as you enter is my kitchen. It's small, but it's nice. The stove is probably the nicest electric stove I have ever had. The dishwasher works well and the sink is nice too.

To the right is the closet/dressing area which connects to the bathroom. Its a nice bathroom, but the only thing I wish it had is a door to separate the bathroom from the dressing area.

As we go further down the hallway we enter the living area. To the right is my sofa/bed and a book shelf. To the left is my kitchen table and my new 32 inch television which I pretty much got free thanks to doing surveys at Zoompanel. It was a good deal.

And last, but certainly not least is the Jimmer Poster. No bachelor pad would be complete without one.

So, it's a really nice apartment and I am really enjoying myself here and things are going well.

Viszontlátásra!

2011-08-21T21:26:00.000-04:00

So my internship in Hungary has come and gone in Hungary, so I thought I would share the top five things that I'm going to miss about Hungary and Europe in general.

5. The Ice Cream. I don't know what it is, but the Ice Cream in all of Europe is so much better than any ice cream I have ever had in America. Definitely worth the money and the calories.

4. The Sights. On what other continent can you see the Eiffel Tower, a city built on canals and a peeing boy statue all within a few hours travel of each other. The sights always amaze me and I will miss seeing them everyday as I went to work.

3. The Food. It's already been covered here on my blog enough. It's way good. I will miss it.

2. My Co-Workers. They seriously are some the greatest people I have ever met. Agota and Ildiko always helping me out (both with work and learning how to cook). Monika dealing with everything in the Sziget and not going crazy. Ildi talking a mile a minute and me having to process everything. Nadas Kati always helping me out including helping me find a place to cut my hair. Molnar Kati giving us the press briefing every morning. Brad and Ed were great bosses. Norbert the IT guy always helping us with our tech issues. Attila and his daily "Szia Jeramy." Biro Kati coming to the IRC for her daily chat. It was great! The Hungarians are awesome people and it was a privilege to work with them for the summer!

1. My Friends. It was so great to see them all again. The Dobosek and Sabbaghek especially mean a lot to me, but everyone that I had the chance to be reunited with will be missed!

The Balaton Weekend

2011-08-21T18:40:00.000-04:00

Ever since I was first in Hungary, I have heard about "THE BALATON." Everyone always talks about how great it is and how they are going to go there on vacation. As missionaries we weren't allowed to go there (the whole not allowed to go swimming rule) and I have always been curious what it is really like. The Balaton, for those of you who don't know, is central Europe's largest lake. Some of my friends from Gyor were going and they invited me down for a couple of days. I asked off work and they gave me a Friday off. All of my co-workers warned me of how cold the water was because of the cool summer, but I told them I was going in regardless. So I left on Thursday afternoon from Budapest. I first went to Szekesfehervar to transfer to another train. I was in this town during my mission, but for only six weeks. It's a really pretty town though.

After a half an hour I was on my way to the Balaton. I honestly wasn't expecting that much, but I was amazed when I got my first glimpse from the train. It was really impressive.

My friends met me at the station at Balatonaracs. It was really good to see them again. We then walked to their hotel. They were telling me how crappy the weather had been all week and how Tibor had gotten sick. I felt kind of bad, but you can't really control the weather. Then we walked around town by the water. It was a really nice evening. We got gyros for dinner and had a really pleasant experience.

The next morning we woke up and the sun was shining. We decided that we needed to go to the beach. We were all really excited! The beach was different than I expected. There was grass instead of sand, but it really wasn't that big of a deal.

The water was pretty cold as you can see from my reaction. It felt good after you got used to it.

We had a great day on the beach. We went back to the hotel room and got cleaned up and then headed out for a walk around town. It really was beautiful. I must say for being a lake and not an ocean, it was pretty nice.

Then we went out to dinner at this amazing restaurant. I had chicken stuffed with Camembert and bacon over rice with a cranberry sauce. It was great!

After some more walking, we headed back to the hotel and went to bed. In the morning we woke up pretty early and headed out! We had to walk forever in the hot sun which was not good for my body because I got burnt the day before. Always wear sunscreen even if you think you won't need it. We made it. The bus ride was nice back to Gyor. Then we headed back to my friends apartment and we eventually made our way to the big TESCO (the Walmart of Europe). We got some stuff for dinner.

The rest of the afternoon was spent making Porkolt. It's probably my favorite Hungarain Dish. I had it one of my first days in Hungary when I was a missionary and I have been hooked ever since. I even got to teach Annamari how to make nokedli which is pretty cool. An American teaching a Hungarian how to make hungarian food. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Then after that, we pretty much just talked and went to bed. It was so nice just to be able to hang out with them. In the middle of one of our conversations, it hit me how much I was going to miss them. They are great people!

The next morning, we woke up and went to church. It was good to see everyone there again. My friend Zsoka was there and it was good to see her again. Robi was there too. So many great people. It was tough to say goodbye. Then we came back and had some porkolt for lunch. It was still really good. Then we just spent the rest of the day listening to music and talking. In the evening we went over to Szabina's house so I could say goodbye to her. They had suti there which was really good. It was sad to say goodbye again. I really love these people and I could tell how much they care about me too. I was blown away by their generosity. For people who don't really make a lot of money, they made me feel like a king. In a lot of ways, saying goodbye was like deja vu all over again considering I had done it in the very same room three years earlier. I will really miss these people until we meet again!

Chicken---Hungarian Style

2011-07-27T15:46:00.000-04:00

This week I decided to tackle Paprikás Csirke. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but it turned out to be really delicious.

1. You start by cooking onions in oil, just like for most other Hungarian dishes.

2. Once the onions are opaque, you take the pot off the fire and add about two tablespoons of paprika. Be careful, because paprika burns really easily. Then you add your salted chicken.

3. You cook it like that until the meat becomes white.

4. Then you add water, chopped up peppers and tomatoes. Cook for about fifty minutes.

5.In the mean time you need to make the dough for the nokedli. You take two eggs, some milk and water and salt and mix it with flour. The key is for the dough to not be runny, and not be to hard.

6. Using a nokedli maker, press the dough into boiling water.

7. Take some sour cream (it's actually tejfol, so it isn't quite the same) and mix it with some flour as well as a little bit of the juice. This will act as a thickening agent. My didn't get as thick as I would have liked it, but it was still delicious.

8. Mix the sour cream into the chicken mixture. Let thicken for a couple of minutes and then serve over the Nokedli. So delicious. Jó étvágyat!

The Tremendous Turo

2011-07-20T16:03:00.000-04:00

In Hungary they have this thing called Turo. It's kind of like Cottage Cheese, but not as slimy. They use it in a lot of dishes. They put it on pasta, eat it plain, but most importantly, they use it in deserts. I decided to experiment again. Since you can't get a lot of the same food in Hungary, I decided that I need to live it up while I can.

1. Buy retes dough from Tesco, unroll it, cover with melted butter and bread crumbs (which were homemade by the way)

2. Mix the turo, two eggs (whites needed to be added separately after they are beaten to stiff peaks), lemon zest, sugar, vanilla sugar (vanilla extract if you are in America) and raisins (soaked in water for a while so they get soft) if you like them.

3. Spread it on the dough like this and fold over the dough.

4. Bake at 350 for about a 30 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

REUNITED----and it feels so good

2011-07-18T16:58:00.000-04:00

This weekend I found myself in Kecskemet again for church. I spent four transfers there (six months) during my two year mission in Hungary. The members there really became like family to me. I was supposed to leave Budapest at 6:53 in the morning on Sunday. Needless to say, we didn't leave until forty minutes later. I barely made it to church on time. It was a good time. The speakers were really good and I got to see a lot of people I hadn't seen for a long time.

This is one of my favorite families in all of Hungary. The Sabbaghek! My mission sister, Sister Call, found them and taught them. I got to meet with them a lot during my time in Kecskemet. She is an absolutely amazing woman. She doesn't get a lot of support from her husband and she works really hard to provide for her family, and she is still totally committed to the Gospel. She is an inspiration to me.

Then after church, I went over the Kovacsek. They let me take part in Lunch----fried chicken and french fries. It was really good---a little salty, but good. We spent the whole day just talking. We had a lot of good laughs in the process. I went home in the evening, and watched the US lose in the World Cup game. A bunch of stupid mistakes cost them the game. I was exhausted and went straight to bed after that!

Jó étvágyat!

2011-07-13T14:08:00.000-04:00

My internship has been going well. It has been a lot less busy since we have finished up everything having to do with Golden Week. Besides work I have been cooking some good Magyar food. I work in the same area with Ágota and Ildiko and they are always talking about what they are going to have for dinner and I decided I would get in on the action. I had Agota teach me how to make Paprikás Krumpli. It is essentially a potato stew with paprika sauce. I made it with two kilograms of potatoes so I would have enough for the whole week. It was a big success! It was so delicious. It took me a while to make (cutting the onions, peeling potatoes, cutting potatoes, cooking, etc.). The next morning at the press summary meeting, Molnar Kati asked me what I did last night because I looked tired. I told her I made Paprikas Krumpli. Then Agota added that I made two kilograms worth, so then she understood. Then, after a week of paprikas krumpli, my co-worker Agota felt bad that that’s all that I was eating, so she brought me lunch one day. Cherry soup, rice mixed with vegetables and chicken. It was amazing. The fruit soup Hungarians make is amazing. Needless to say, jol laktam. I have the best co-workers in the world.

This week I decided to take a crack at what may be my favorite Hungarian dish: toltott paprika (stuffed peppers). I decided to teach you all how to make it as well.

1. Dice some onions and brown in oil. You want them to be translucent. As you can see I might have cooked mine a little too long. I put in some garlic too.

2. Remove the seeds from peppers. In America you can’t get these peppers, so it really won’t be the same.

3. Take some ground meat---pork or beef and mix it with rice, salt, onion/oil mixture, one egg, pepper and some paprika. It’s almost like meatloaf. I even used my hands, my mother would be so proud.

4. Stuff the meat mixture into the peppers. Make sure you leave a hole in the middle so the rice has room to expand.

5. Place them in a pot, cover with tomato juice (lightly seasoned) and bring to a boil. After it boils lower the heat and cover. Cook for about fifty minutes.

6. Eat!

It really wasn’t that difficult and it was really delicious. You can eat it with whatever. Agota recommends eating it with potatoes. Anyway, things are going well here. I’m not starving, that’s for sure.

Golden Week

2011-07-03T13:50:00.000-04:00

This week at the US Embassy in Budapest was dubbed "Golden Week" due the number of major events happening. There were two CODELs (Congressional delegations for those of you who are not familiar with the acronyms that the state department uses--don't worry I don't know any of them either) visiting, former Attorney General Edwin Meese, Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. These individuals were in town for the unveiling of a statue of Ronald Reagan in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth and the formal opening of the Tom Lantos Institute.

Monday and Tuesday were spent preparing for the visits---meetings about how things were going to go down, what roles we would all play, how we would coordinate everything. I also had to work on a document that gave background information to the traveling press with the secretary that contained bios and information on the people and places at the different events.

Wednesday started the chaos with the Reagan unveiling. It was really nice. Condoleeza Rice gave an amazing speech. The Hungarian Prime Minister's speech was a little over the top. It was actually ridiculous, but oh well.

Thursday was a super busy day. I had to be at the Bank Center at 7:15 to meet up with the press crew. I was in charge of recording the audio at all of the Secretary's events to send them back to Washington. I got an official delegate badge once we got to Parliament at 7:40. That made me feel special. We got to head right into the upper chamber, which is a pretty awesome place by the way. The event didn't get started until 9:15, but we had to make sure that the audio worked, which it did. It was so neat to be only 20 feet away when everyone arrived. One of the coolest sites was Hillary Clinton giving Condi a standing ovation. I never thought I would ever see that.

There were great speeches paying homage to Tom Lantos, a Hungarian Jew who escaped the Holocaust and became a US Congressman, fighting for human rights his whole life.

After that was over, we had to run to another room in the Parliament to get set up for the press conference so I could get the Audio figured out for that. After that was set up, I had to fire up a laptop to get the audio from the opening sent to Washington. It took a while because I had to upload it to a file-sharing site because it was so large. Anyway, I got that done. My quickness was very appreciated by the Secretary's Staff who came and thanked me for my quickness. The press conference was cool. Sec. Clinton did a good job of very diplomatically criticizing some of Hungary's recent un-democratic decisions. I was very impressed. As much as I disagree with Hillary politically, I think she is doing an awesome job as Secretary of State.

Then we took a taxi with all of our equipment back to the bank center for the meet and greet with Hillary. It was cool to get up close and see her in more of a private setting. After that I had to go back to the office and get the audio uploaded from the press conference. I sent that off to Washington. Then I could actually breathe and I took a lunch a break at 3:00pm. It was also around this time that I found out the reason why the person from Secretary Clinton's staff was so happy about my audio performance. Turns out I was just the back up person and the staff person that was so happy was the actual person in charge of the audio. Turns out she had screwed up completely on both events, so I saved her. That made me feel really good.

So that was pretty much it. Some overall conclusions---1)You would be amazed about the cost of this visit. 2)It went really smoothly considering all the logistics involved. 3)Hillary isn't as bad as everyone makes her out to be. 4)There is so much work beyond the scenes that most people never think about. All in all it was an awesome experience,that I may never have a chance to experience again.

Friday was the 4th Celebration day. There was the official party in the Afternoon which was pretty ritzy. A lot of food and drink and socializing.

Then in the evening was the community party for just employees. That was fun too. A lot of eating the whole day. What is more American than that?

I Amsterdam

2011-06-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Amsterdam at around 9 pm. It was quite a site to see all of the bikes outside of the train station. They even have separate lanes all over the city just for bikes. I then made my way to my hotel. It was kind of far away, but the walk was absolutely amazing. The houses with the canals were absolutely breathtaking. I was fascinated by them. I don’t think I had seen anything this cool ever. I made it to my hotel. It was amazing how steep the stairs were. It was a small room with shared facilities. That just completed the whole European experience for me. I went straight to bed because I was really exhausted.

I got up early the next morning, showered, and had breakfast. I had to go back to the train station to pick up my I Amsterdam card which got me into the museums as well as a transportation pass for twenty-four hours. I then headed to the museum district to visit some of the museums there. I went to the Van Gogh museum first. That was pretty awesome. His paintings are amazing. Unfortunately, cameras aren’t allowed at many of the museums in Amsterdam. It was really cool to see all of those. Then I went to the Dutch history museum. That was really cool as well. They had a bunch of items from the 1600s, as well as a lot of paintings from Rembrandt. A really nice museum that is definitely worth visiting. Then I went on a cruise of the canals. That was amazing as well. It’s just amazing how they constructed that city. The houseboats were neat to. We went out into the harbor as well which was way cool. I got to see Anne Frank’s house as well. Really a nice tour. After that I went to the Tulip Market. That was a cool site to see all the flowers and tulip bulbs. It reminded me about how we have bulbs planted in the front of our house that we planted upside down! Anyway…then I had a quick lunch and got back to site seeing. I went to the Rembrandt house to see where he lived and worked. That was really neat. Then I went to the Old Church. That was crazy because it is right on the outskirts of the red light district so there are prostitutes working right outside. It was also like seven euros to get in, but with my pass it was free. After that, I did some souvenir shopping. I got an orange Holland jacket that I was pretty excited about. After some other sight-seeing I got dinner at a Greek restaurant. I am such a sucker for Greek food, that it is not even funny. Then I went back to the hotel room for a little rest.

After my rest, I went and walked around the red-light district. It was an experience. It was kind of sad to see really. I think the nice thing about it is that you can avoid it and have a really enjoyable experience. Overall, I was really impressed with Amsterdam. It is really a beautiful city.

After I went back to the hotel, I packed up my bag so I would be ready to go in the morning. My flight didn’t leave until 9:55am, but I was planning on leaving for the airport pretty early. So I went to bed pretty early. Needless to say, I overslept. I woke up at 7:44. I hurried up and got dressed and out the door. I caught a tram to the train station and bought a ticket for the airport. Luckily it came pretty quickly and got there quickly as well. I got there about 8:50 so I thought I would have plenty of time, but then I saw the passport check line. It was crazy long. Luckily I made it. The way the airport works there is they have a waiting area and forty minutes before your flight they announce your gate and then you go through security while headed to your concourse. It really made security a breeze. There were a bunch of annoying Indians on my flight that were so loud and obnoxious. I flew to Manchester first. I had a three hour layover there. I made my traditional airport stop at Burger King. I mostly ate there because I didn’t have any pounds on me and they are probably only the place that would take credit cards. Anyway, I had a nice flight back to Hungary.

Belgian Waffles

2011-06-19T13:07:00.000-04:00

I got into Brussels about eight o’clock in the evening. I was a little worried about what I had gotten myself into. I walked out of the train station and it took me forever to find a street sign so I could use my Google Map to find my hotel. I found it finally, and then I started walking. All the while, I was like what have a gotten myself into. It was pretty run down and there was trash everywhere and not a white person in sight. Needless to say I walked briskly to the hotel, which was surprisingly nice.

In the morning I woke up and had breakfast at the hotel (included). It was probably the nicest breakfast I had ever had in Europe. They had bread, meats, cheese, orange juice and croissants which was really nice. After breakfast I headed to the city. I honestly just kind of wondered till I came across things. I started at the Cathedral which was really nice. Then I found my way to the older part of town. The town square was amazing. The buildings were absolutely amazing. The flower market in the center really added to its charm. Then I explored some more churches and then headed to the main event.

For some reason I have always wanted to see Mannequin Pis. Don’t ask me why, but there is just something cool about someone peeing and it being a fountain. It was worth the trip. Once again my Asian friends came through for me and took my picture. Honestly, this was one of the major highlights of the trip for me.

After that I went exploring some more around Brussels. I decided to be American again and ate at Subway! It was good. Then I did some shopping. I got some Belgian chocolate, which is pretty good and pretty expensive. Then I had a Belgian waffle with whipped cream and strawberries. It was so good! It was better than any waffle I had ever had. Nice and crispy! You should definitely try it if you get the chance. Then I headed to the train station where I spent some time on the Internet. I got on the train to Amsterdam. Once again----nice train that was super fast.

Honestly, Brussels is nice, but nothing to write home about. I don’t think I would spend more than a day there because there really isn’t that much to do, but Mannequin Pis is definitely worth it.

Bon Voyage

2011-06-19T13:01:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in finishing my blogging about my trip throughout Europe, but Internet has been somewhat scarce for a while. My last couple days in Paris were a lot more relaxing than my first couple of days there. On Saturday, I slept in really late and just ended up staying in the hotel room for most of the day to recover from my marathon day. I went out in the evening and saw the Arc de Triomphe. That was amazing. It’s at the end of the Champs de Illysee and from the top you can get a really good view of the city. The sculpture work on it was really intricate. It’s one of those things where it really is better in person.

Then I went walking along the Champs de Illysee. It was pretty impressive. I ate at an Italian Restaurant that was really good. So much food! I also had the most expensive Coke that I have ever drunk before (4 Euros). After dinner I made a quick stop by the Moulin Rouge to see what that was all about. It was cool to see, but not in one of the nicer parts of town. After I got a picture I headed to a place where I could get a good view of the Eifel Tower. My friend Savannah Steele told me that it sparkles on the hour. I made it just in time. It was really pretty at night even without the sparkles, but it was really neat to see. Then it started to rain, so I ran to the Metro and headed back to the Hotel.

The next day, I got up at a reasonable hour and headed to the Chateau de Vincennes. It was a compound with a castle and chapel that you could go into. The castle was really neat because you could go into not only the rooms, but the dungeon as well. It also had a real moat which was neat to see. After that I headed back to Concorde Plaza. That was really pretty. It had a fountain and a bunch of statues. I went to the Musee de Orange which housed mainly impressionistic pieces. It was cool to see pieces by Renoir and Monet. They were amazing to say the least. Then I walked through a park by the Louvre. I had an American moment and had lunch at McDonalds. I only wish they had free refills.

Then I headed over to the Rodin museum. That was a lot of fun. I got to see “The Thinker” which was a once in a lifetime experience. It was a really nice museum set in a garden and had a lot of his work. After that I went and visited the Opera House made famous by “The Phantom of the Opera.” It was neat to see in person. I didn’t go inside because it was closed by the time I got there, but I think that will be a definite must do the next time I am in Paris. After that, I went and got a crepe and some ice cream and ate it on the banks of the River. It was a really cool time to be in the city because the cafes were filled with people watching the French Open final as Nadal won again. That guy is amazing on clay. Then I headed back to the hotel.

My last day in Paris was another relaxed one. I started out by going to see the Eifel Tower up close. It was a little bit cloudy and rainy so I didn’t go to the top. It is a really nice area. The buildings and flowers create a really nice atmosphere. I got my picture in front of it (props to my Asian friends who helped me out with that). I also had one of my thousand encounters with a gypsy asking for money. This one had a paper saying that she was deaf and dumb and working for a legitimate charity. Yeah…okay. I have a hard time believing anything is legitimate when a gypsy is involved. Then I headed to the Concierge which is where they held prisons during the French revolution. It was kind of interesting to be in a courtyard where people got their heads cut off. After that, I did some souvenir shopping. Then I had lunch at this really good restaurant and it was inexpensive as well. I got the menu, which started with a mushroom chicken crepe that was so good. Then I had a pork chop and French fries. Of course, it ended with Ice Cream. Anyway, it was really good. After that I said goodbye to Paris. I got on the underground train thing and headed to the train station. I thought I saw big train stations in Hungary, but this place was huge. I waited for my train and then headed to Brussels. The train ride was really nice and fast. I would highly recommend it!

So, some final thoughts about Paris: 1) The people aren’t nearly as stuck up as everyone thinks they are. From my very first day there they were very helpful. I never met a rude person at all. From the guy telling me to jump over the turnstile entrance into the metro when my ticket didn’t work to the lady who helped me get checked-in, they were all really nice. 2) It really is the city of love! Besides the young couples making out like crazy on the Metro, I think that saying goes deeper. When ever I walked along the Seine there was always an older couple eating lunch together which I thought was pretty cool. One of the other things I will remember most regarding love is an older couple on the metro who were clearly in love, so much so the lady took her gum and played with it all over her husband’s hair arms. You could just tell that they were in love. Way cool! Paris is definite must see!

Mona Lisa Smile

2011-06-04T10:25:00.000-04:00

Today was a marathon day that wore me out completely. I started with a metro and train ride to Versailles. It's a really nice town and I definitely got chills walking up to it. I didn't realize how massive it actually was. I thought if I got there first thing in the morning, it wouldn't be packed, but it was. The inside was amazing. Just when you thought it couldn't get any more extravagant it actually did. The pictures really don't do it justice. The gardens were absolutely stunning as well.

Then I took a train ride back to Paris and got some lunch. Gyros french style. Greek food is so delicious!

Then I headed over to Notre Dame and walked around inside and went up the towers. The stained glass windows were amazing. I can't even imagine how they built that thing back in the 1200s. It's a miracle really!

After the hike up and down, which was exhausting, I headed over to the Louvre. That place is massive. It honestly would take a person a long time to see everything that they have there. I headed straight to the Mona Lisa. It was pretty impressive. I don't know what it is, but it was kind of emotional seeing it in person. I wonder if Da Vinci realized what kind of effect this piece would have. Anyway, it was a once in a lifetime experience. I highly recommend it.

After that, I decided to stop at a Bakery and try some of the French sweets. The cake is a Frasier. That was really good. The cookie like thing is a Macaroon. There is a story behind that one. I took a history class about the Reformation for fun one summer term at BYU. The teach was an expert in French History and always talked about how good the Macaroons were. She even made some for us, but warned us that they weren't as good as the real things and one day we needed to try them. Well, that one day was today. The real one was a lot better. Nice and sweet!

I Don't Speak French

2011-06-02T17:28:00.000-04:00

This summer I'll be working as an Intern for the State Department at the US Embassy in Budapest. I decided that I would take some time and tour around before I actually started. I left May 31st from BWI. I would highly recommend getting an international flight from there. There is hardly anyone there which makes the traveling process a whole lot easier. I flew a prop plane to Toronto and then waited for my flight. The guy doing passport checks criticized me for not using "Pardon?" and that just really surprised me. Why are you criticizing my English?

After a three hour layover, I departed for Frankfurt. The flight was uneventful. I can't really sleep on planes, which makes them long, but it was okay. We were late, which meant I only had 20 minutes to make my connecting flight. Well, I ran and had to go through security, but I didn't make it. Oh, let the fun begin again! So I had to walk another mile to get re-booked, but he couldn't print my ticket, so I had to go outside of security and then get the ticket. Then I was worried because there was a guy from the Embassy waiting to pick me up and I didn't have a phone and internet was like .25 euro cents a minute. I was lucky and found this company booth type thing and I was able use internet for free.

My new flight was supposed to leave at five, but it was delayed until 6:30. Then they let us board our plane, which included taking a bus to our plane. After everyone gets on, we are just sitting there not going anywhere. The flight attendant eventually came on and said that we would be delayed another hour because there was only one runway open. Great! So, after two hours on the plane we finally took off. I was just hoping the guy from the Embassy was still waiting for me because I didn't know what I was going to do if he wasn't there. Needless, to say Admir was there and had a driver for us. He is a really cool guy originally from Bosnia. Anyway, we went back to our apartment, which is amazing (I'll post pictures once I get back to Budapest). He gave me the grand tour and we just talked for a little bit. Then I went to bed. I slept so well.

In the morning, I got some breakfast and Got a transportation pass for Budapest. Then I went to the airport, caught my flight to Paris. Once I arrived, I picked up my museum pass and transportation pass. I then caught a bus to my hotel. While I was waiting two people asked me questions in French, and I had to respond sorry but I don't speak french. I knew france was pretty diverse, but I didn't realize just how diverse. There were more Africans and Muslims then there were Europeans. It was kind of neat. So I find my hotel, and there is a wonderful sign on the door:

I was like: What? How does that happen? I had a reservation. Anyway, I made my way into the lobby and after a couple of minutes, I gave a nice looking lady my best parlez vous francais and she helped me to find the concierge who let me in. Needless to say it was a scary few minutes there. I got some dinner and then I headed to downtown Paris. My hotel is about a 30 minute subway ride to the downtown part. It was amazing.

I also had some ice cream. It was so good. European Ice cream is so much better than American ice cream. there will be a lot of Ice Cream eaten this summer. I can't wait! Tomorrow Versailles!

Hajj to Mecca (or in this case Glens Falls)

2011-04-28T22:48:00.000-04:00

So, I was driving with my parents across the country on my way home from BYU, and I decided it was time to make the Hajj to Glens Falls. Just as devout Muslims make the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, so should all devout fans of the Jimmer make the hajj to Glens Falls in honor of the Jimmer.

It was actually a pretty big town. We went to the Civic Center where The Jimmer has played many a time. It was really beautiful, as are most towns in up-state New York. I would say it was inspirational to walked where The Jimmer has walked. All fans should make this trip at least once in their life!

I'm Ready For My Close-Up Mr. DeMille

2011-03-27T18:34:00.000-04:00

I'm graduating in April and my parents want to milk that for everything that its worth. "We only get to do this once is their mantra. So we have invitations, party, etc. One of the conditions of me graduating was that I had to get pictures of myself. I really hate having pictures taken of myself, but the sometimes we have to sacrifice, especially for parents who are proud of their only child. Well, I didn't really know where to go to get pictures taken, but I did have a friend (a former FHE Sister) who takes pictures while she is studying photography at UVU. I had seen here work on her website and decided that she would probably be my best bet. So we went around campus and took some pictures both inside and outside. I thought she did an excellent job.

This is inside the JFSB on campus. They have some really neat staircases and windows there:

These were taken along the newly renovated path South of Campus:

These were taken at the Maeser Building on campus. It's one of the oldest buildings on campus:

California Dreamin'

2011-03-25T23:26:00.000-04:00

I really don't have any excuse for not blogging since January. I only had one real class this semester, but I am somehow able to fill up my time. Skiing class went really well. I still haven't conquered the black diamonds, but I'm sure I'll get there one day. It was a lot of fun though. Other than school and work, I've just been enjoying my last semester at BYU. It was fun to watch Jimmer and the basketball team make it to the Sweet Sixteen. It was a tough loss, but at least they did not get blown out like Duke did. For Lent, I decided to give up Facebook. I know I'm not Catholic, but I think giving up something for forty days is a really good idea. I was spending way too much time on Facebook and decided I needed a detox from it. It's been about three weeks almost and I'm still Facebook free.

The highlight of my two months came over the weekend of March 19th. It has been a childhood dream of mine to go to California. I don't really know why. Maybe it was Hollywood, maybe it was something else, but I have always wanted to go, but it seems like something always comes up. I was supposed to go last summer, but then my mom had back troubles. I was supposed to go to San Francisco over President's Day weekend, but the weather didn't cooperate. Well, this past weekend, my dreams became a reality. I went with my friends Lillie and Lauren. Lillie is from Southern California, so it worked out perfectly. We left on Thursday afternoon and made the journey down I-15. I was really happy when I made my first step onto California soil.

We got to Lillie's house around 11. We got to hang around with her mom which was a lot of fun. In the morning we woke up and went with Lillie to get her BCP. Then we headed to the beach, Newport Beach to be exact. It was beautiful. The water was cold, but we had a lot of fun.

The Girls enjoying their grapefruit!

Bottoms Up! Bottoms Up!

Put simply, all of the white people got burnt. After we spent forever long in traffic going back to Lillie's house, I got a shower and while the girls were at a bridal shower I relaxed by watching some basketball. Then on Saturday we went to Hollywood. That really made the trip for me.

They even had an anti-war parade in my honor.

For lunch I went to Pinks. It's a famous hot dog joint where all of the celebrities go. It is really popular. I had to wait like forty minutes for my hot dog. I go a Mulholland Drive Dog. It had bacon, grilled onions and mushrooms and nacho cheese. So good. Well worth the wait.

After that, we stopped by the Temple in L.A. That was really beautiful as well. It was really massive. Then we went to the Santa Monica Pier. Talk about beautiful. The coast is so amazing. A really nice town. We walked out on the Pier and we road the bumper cars, which was a lot of fun.

After that, we went to Diddy Reise. It's this make your own ice cream sandwich place. It was really good and inexpensive, which was nice for a change. Then we eventually headed back to Lillie's house. The next day we just kind of hung out and then that evening we started the trek back to Provo. I drove the whole way. It was so nice to drive again. We got back around 5:30. We made really good time. So much fun to drive on highways where the speed limit is 80! It was an awesome trip. Everything I thought it would be. Honestly, California is an amazing place. The only thing I don't like is the traffic. There is always traffic.

Then, today, BYU got a special visit from Mark Zuckerberg. For those of you who aren't familiar with him, he is the founder of Facebook. He did a forum with Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah. He spent a whole hour answering questions that students had submitted on BYU's Facebook page. I thought he did a really good job. I got a completely different feeling about the type of person he is than I did from The Social Network. He is a really down to earth guy and is really trying to help people through Facebook. This clip is him talking about how Facebook and Social Networking are changing the world.

Condie, Abe and Jimmer

2011-01-29T02:41:00.000-05:00

So the new semester has been great so far. I'm only taking two classes. One is about the politics of Russia and the former Soviet States and the other class is a skiing class. I'm also working as a TA and an RA as well as a volunteer for a Professor's Research Project (check it out at WomanStats). Skiing was interesting at first. It took me forever to get the boots on. Then once I figured out how to get the skis on, I couldn't move. I just kept staying in place. After a few pushes I finally was able to figure it out. Then I couldn't figure out how to stop, which was a lot of fun. Luckily one my instructors was really a life saver and helped me out. By my third week I was able to go on the lift and come down without falling a ton and being able to control myself. It was an awesome feeling.

On January 13th, Condoleezza Rice came to campus and gave a forum address. It was probably one of the best forums/speeches ever given at BYU. My friend randomly had an extra reserved ticket which got me on the third row so I had a really good view. The speech was really good. She talked about how important education was and also the importance of mixing faith with our intellectual studies. “Whenever you’re lacking in optimism, remember your special responsibility because of where you are and what you’ve been granted, to hold up those who don’t fall to cynicism, and to hold up those who can see a world not as it is but a world as it should be.” It was really inspiring. The most amazing part was the fact that she did it all without a teleprompter. I think our current president could learn something from her. It was amazing. She was well received with multiple standing ovations. Once in a lifetime experience.

The day after that, my Cousin Abraham came out for a visit from Maryland. I was so excited that he was able to come. Due to a flat tire on the way from the airport he didn't get here until late. As soon as he got here Bethany took us to Walmart so we could get him some food. Nothing like a late night run to Walmart! Then on Saturday we went to Salt Lake City and did the Church stuff. Fun times. I also ran into an old friend David Cooper who is now studying at LDSBC. Then on Sunday we went to Church and Second Sunday Supper. Good times. Monday I did a lot of work while Abe was at a friends house. Tuesday we took a tour of Campus, had J-Dawgs and went to the Basketball game, which was a lot of fun. I think he had a really good time and hopefully he will come here in a couple of years. BYU really is the greatest place on earth.

Then this week I got to witness history! It was dubbed the "biggest game in Mountain West Conference History." San Diego State (#4 in the nation in College Basketball) came to the Marriott Center on Wednesday. It was a process just to get inside though. We first had to wait on Tuesday morning to get a wristband. Oh, by the way it was snowing like crazy. Luckily, my friend Sam that I was waiting with brought an Umbrella, so it wasn't that bad. We finally got one and even though we got our wristbands from the same lady, the numbers were still 90 apart. Ridiculous. Then we had to get there by six on Wednesday. I made record time getting home from skiing and then running up to the Marriott to wait in line. Then there was a stampede when the doors opened. We got decent seats though so I was happy. Then we had to wait two hours for the game to begin. Luckily, TJ Fredette performed for us and Sam and I played Fruit Ninja on my I-Phone. Good Times! The game was excellent. I was really happy with the Cougars. Jimmer had 42 and more importantly our defense did really well. James Anderson, a player I normally have nothing nice to say about, really stepped up and did a good job. After the win, the Cougar Faithful stormed the court. I am faithful, but value my safety so I did not storm the court. It was a pretty awesome sight though!

So, Jimmer is on fire and I really hope he gets POY. I think he is the most deserving candidate. Such an amazing player. I mean you show me someone whose name is also a verb!

"Steele" of a Surprise

2010-12-26T21:20:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, but this semester was crazy. I was working as a TA, RA and CA and taking 15 credits, including my Capstone Class which required a 25 page paper, which was a lot of fun. I have really been enjoying my Christmas break. I have done nothing, which has been really awesome. It's so nice to not have any homework or assignments. I did get to babysit my cousin's kids one day. It was a lot of fun. They are two of the cutest kids ever and really well behaved. We had a lot of fun playing the Wii.

Christmas Eve we went out to dinner to Michael's and had the best ribs that I have ever had really. Then we got together with some family. It was really good to see them again. Christmas day started with us opening presents. I got everything I wanted which was nice. Then we had french toast for breakfast with Aunt Val and Jason. It was way good. Then after we got cleaned up, we went to Aunt Aun's. We had fun there. It was good to see the cute little kids and relatives.

The day after Christmas was spent in anticipation of a snow storm, that we missed the brunt of. The night of Christmas, Savannah Steele called asked if she could come and visit us tomorrow. I said yes of course. They came over in the evening. We had a good time chatting and eating dessert. It was a good time! A really great Christmas!