Back to Back to the Future

I am a trend setter. At least I wish I was. Recently, over this last summer, my girlfriend and I watched the entire Back to the Future trilogy. It took a while because we could only watch on DVD at a time from Netflix, and our schedules were so busy it was rare when we had time to sit down and watch it. But we finished the entire series, and I loved it. Still great movies.

Now I have noticed lately that other people have thought of the same thing as well. Everywhere I see in the media it seems like has a Back to the Future reference in it. Seriously. I have started a worldwide phenomenon! This is what I have found in the last month:

Editors Note: I am not a fan of Owl City. I do not listen to him. I find him rather whiny/annoying. Ok, moving on now.

I'm guessing the majority of you didn't watch those all. Slackers! Those took me a while to find and put in! But it brings me to a less fun but nevertheless a deep and profound point: why do we long for those things in the past? Nostalgia is an interesting thing. The original Back to the Future came out in 1985. For those of you that need help with math, that is roughly 26 years ago. Older than my life. But why do we return to those  things? Does it stir up memories of our past and childhood, and make us feel all warm inside? A lot of movies I've seen as an adult that I thought was awesome as a kid aren't what I remembered them to be. Pinocchio is a classic example. I loved the movie growing up. Now it is creepy as hell crap.

It goes deeper than that. We long for things of the past because of the memories and feelings we attach to them. Sometimes it is rewarding and beneficial to revisit them. Those memories resurface and we leave refreshed and glad we did so. On the other hand, sometimes we discover what we thought it was to be wasn't what we remembered. Then it ruins it for us in the future. Like Duck Tales, I kind of don't want to go watch those because I'm afraid they will be, well, terrible. Maybe some things in our past are better left. alone.

Pizzza

I graduated from BYU with a degree in Business Management (with an emphasis in finance, in case you were wondering). As such, a lot of my thinking is devoted to how business are run. I'll pass a new start-up on the street and wonder what sort of market there is for their product, how much initial outlay there was, how they financed their business, etc. Needless to say, it's a little nerdy. But I like it.

So a while back I was walking down center street in downtown Provo and noticed something strange. Wait, let me go back further in time. One of my friends was taking me and another one of his friends out for dinner since I helped him with a side business he started (it wasn't consulting, I'm not that good). We were hungry for pizza, and we settle on Pier 49 Pizza, the famous sourdough San Franciscan style pizza. Delicious? Yeah! But as we drove down Center Street to where we thought it was, we couldn't find it. Instead we found The Parlor, which is another pizza shop. We decided to dine there. I inquired what happened to Pier 49 Pizza, and the employee informed me it went out of business.

This perplexed me. Not why a pizza place would go out of business, but why you would replace a failed business (in this case, a restaurant) delivering the same product at the same exact spot. That's like throwing out sour milk to replace it with milk that is a day away from going sour. However, let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there was bad management (or maybe not?). Maybe the franchise has been suffering (not to my knowledge). Poor location? Maybe The Parlor is simply a better business that makes a superior pizza? BINGO, that's it!

Apparently not. I drove past it about a month ago and saw it went out of business. Was it to do the stubborn economy? Was it not financially sound? Was the pizza not that good? Bad marketing? (You can see the business gears just chugging along in my mind, can't you?) At least another new restaurant is moving in.

Strangely enough, it is another pizza place! Maybe the popular adage is right, "Thirds time a charm!" I'm not sure if it makes the most business sense to open the same type of restaurant at the same place where two have already failed (as far as I know). But I'll be optimistic on this one. Hopefully this one is here to stay (for the pizza's sake).

*Note: Don't think I messed up on the title of this post. I don't make grammatical mistakes. The three Zs are symbolic of the pizza restaurants. GET IT?

The Str Spangled Banner

Look again.

There is a slight omission from the title. You may have missed it, but now you can't stop thinking about it reading this. Stay with me, there is a point.

Yesterday, being Flag Day, there was a celebration of sorts and a little ceremony hosted by a company at the business park where I work. The event was talking about the importance of the flag in our lives, and also some boasting about the giant flag pole and accompanying giant flag that can be seen easily from the highway. I have to admit, it's pretty patriotic. But this isn't:

Now if you can't notice, there is a star missing. A slight oversight in my opinion. I mean, we have had the current flag since 1959, so I would think it wouldn't be anything new to make. It took the company (not mine, mind you) a day to change it.

I just thought the whole thing was ironic, that's all.

And if only one thing had happened differently...

Yesterday one of my very good friends was married in the LDS Draper Temple. I missed it. I meant to go, which is why I stayed in town for Memorial Day weekend, but I was 10 minutes late. Why? Lots of reasons.

To better explain it, here is a scene from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

So why was I late? I would have been on time if...

• I woke up at 8 am as planned instead of 9 am
• I hadn't eaten breakfast
• I had driven up to Logan faster to check out a car I wanted to buy
• Jiffy Lube wasn't so backed up with customers
• I didn't have to stop for gas
• I had left Logan 10 minutes earlier
• The slow people on the highway going to Salt Lake weren't on the road

There are millions of small reasons why I didn't make it. But as the video said (if you watched it), "But life being what it is, a series of intersecting lives and incidents, out of every one's control...".

All those little things led to a singular event that changed the course of a day. The whole idea of what Brad Pitt and I are trying to explain is called Chaos Theory. Look it up. It's interesting. Basically it is the idea of one or many small actions that change the end result in a larger way. In the video, the fact that the lady forgot her coat, was a little later than usual, go into that specific taxi, and the man who overslept, the girl who forgot to wrap the package, and the delivery truck getting in the way, the friend's shoelace broke, and that the driver was temporarily distracted all led to Daisy getting hit by the taxi and having her leg crushed, and ending her career as a professional ballet dancer (sorry if I ruined the movie for anybody).

It usually isn't that dramatic though. My example resulted in me missing the wedding of a good friend. Nobody died, nobody got hurt (well, maybe some feelings were hurt, but all is forgiven). But it got me thinking, the little things we do in our lives and the significance it has in them. I can stay up all night playing the "What if" game and think of the endless possibilities of what could have been. I'd rather get some rest though.

But what is the purpose of all of it? Is it God's hand in our lives directing us in a way because there simply is no other way? Or is it simply coincidence? I believe personally it is a mixture of the two. God does have an influence in our lives, and will direct us often. But equally as much many of the decisions we make or the events that occur around us, especially those beyond our own control, are just coincidence. There is no reason behind it. When everyone seems to click though, that's when it's interesting.

And if only had thing had happened differently, I would have made the wedding and would probably never had thought about writing this post . Funny how things work out sometimes.

Vielen Dank

Hey, you two Germans out there. Thanks for visiting my blog!

I haven't told many people about it, so I really have no idea how you found about it. Unless one of my friends told you. And for the 33 Americans who have read this one as well, thanks to you too! I probably account for about 25 of the visits personally. I'm not making this up, look:

My only hope for this is that the whole world will be reading this blog. Eventually. But I have some good ideas for new posts/what I want this blog to be. Let's see how it turns out. I should also try harder at being an avid blogger.

So I Guess I'm a Blogger Now

Well, I have resisted long enough. It seems like everybody has their own blog, and I find myself spending more of my personal time reading about the interesting (mostly uninteresting) lives of others. So why try to avoid the inevitable and throw myself into the mix?

So let's start with an introduction. My name is Kevin, and below is an attempt to list 100 things you may or may not know about me. Mind you, this isn't in any particular order. It's more of a stream of consciousness, in list form. OK, here goes. Right here:

1. I am 5'11''.
2. I wish I were 6'. So badly.
3. I weight roughly 165 pounds (160 on a good day).
4. Apparently I have really big big toes. People comment/ make fun of it often.
5. I hate those stupid magazine subscriptions forms in magazines.
6. I hate sprinting.
7. Jack's Mannequin is the only CD I have deleted off my iTunes. And I have a lot of crap. (I don't know, his songs just annoyed me to the point where I had to delete it. No offense.)
8. Sometime I am uncomfortable around homeless people.
9. I haven't had a car for almost three years. No DUIs or anything like that, just no car.
10. I can snap my fingers two different ways.
11. I have never broken a bone. Come close though.
12. I don't speak Japanese despite living there eleven years.
13. The two movies I can recall crying to are Marley & Me and White Squall (I was younger when I saw White Squall, so I was probably in tune more with my emotions, so it doesn't really count. Marley & Me, however, can possibly be the saddest movie in existence.)
14. I miss my dog Drew (aka Drewbear) everyday.
15. I have the best nephew in the world. Soon the best two.
16. I make my bed everyday.
17. I hate it when people say "like", like every two seconds.
18. It also bugs me when people confuse words while typing, such as misplacing "there" and "their". Come on guys, it's elementary.
19. I can't grow much facial hair.
20. I like pants.
21. I believe ice cream is a staple food.
22. I don't like mushrooms.
23. Mexican food is quite possibly the best food in the world. Then it's a tie for nearly everything else. (America perfected the Italian pizza, so the Italians do have a slight edge over every other major food country.)
24. My hair gets curly the longer it gets.
25. I want to run a marathon. PROBABLY won't happen, but I can still dream.
26. Speaking of dreams, I LOVE SLEEP.
27. I used to call my mom "Honey" as a small child because my dad would. Please let me know if you ever hear anything as adorable as that. I would like to know.
28. I am wondering if I am ever going to come up with a 100 things.
29. I have been bungee jumping. Twice.
30. I have also been skydiving. Bungee jumping was scarier.
31. I have only been pulled over once in my life. Let's keep the record going.
32. I love Barcelona.
33. And Hong Kong.
34. I try to be polite to people I don't know. I can only hope the same in return.
35. I have eaten a starfish.
36. And sheep gonads (just trying to keep it PG here guys).
37. I will do almost anything on a dare.
38. I own six pairs of shoes. If you were wondering, they are: church shoes, sneakers (Nike and Puma), Sperries, flip-flops and running shoes. That's it.
39. Snowboarding is one of my favorite activities.
40. Speaking of which, I want to go heli-boarding.
41. I have never been wake-boarding.
42. I don't like snakes.
43. Or spiders. Snakes are worse though.
44. I don't get scared in movies.
45. Dumb & Dumber will never be beaten as the funniest movie. It is like the Michael Jordan of comedies. It just won't happen. (Don't stop trying though Hollywood!)
46. I feel like I should recycle, but it's just too much work.
47. I have never been to the east coast. Not even at an airport (as far as I know). Florida and Georgia don't count (that's called the South ladies and gentlemen.)
48. I write in all caps in text messages to emphasize, since there are no italics in texts. Lame.
49. I will never get sick of Joe Dassin's Les Champs-Elysées. Cheers me up every time I hear it.
50. I don't get sad often. I am usually a happy guy. Except when I run out of ice cream.
51. I like riding motorcycles.
52. I know what bespoke means. (It's a good word, look it up.)
53. I once filled up a diesel car with normal fuel. Whoops.
54. I own a bike that doesn't work. I don't lock it up, so it's yours if you want it.
55. I have $60 in my wallet.
56. Amazon.com changed my life.
57. I want to be on one of those big-screens at a professional game (preferably at a Bronco's game).
58. My black name is Quevyn. You say it exactly as it sounds.
59. I'm not big fan of cake.
60. I came up with this idea in the shower.
61. I am not a never-nude.
62. I have been in a commercial. Check it out here.
63. I have never seen the sitting U.S. president in person.
64. I did NOT watch the royal wedding. But I saw the highlights. It looked lovely.
65. I like This American Life.
66. I don't wear a helmet snowboarding. I should.
67. I own a bowling ball. With shoes too (didn't count those in my shoe count on #38).
68. I don't like sleeping in my contacts.
69. I have never rock-climbed on a real rock before.
70. I don't like cake. If it's my birthday, you may make me a pie. Or cheesecake (which isn't really a cake anyway.)
71. I realized this is taking way longer than I had originally thought.
72. I miss playing with Legos.
73. I have an awesome girlfriend. This probably should have been number 1. Let's just pretend it is.
74. I have never been to Africa.
75. I feel bad for Delaware, because people always forget about it.
76. I am mad at Robert for making fun of this list.
77. I am slightly embarrassed for having a blog. But also mostly excited.
78. I think webdings is an annoying and useless font.
79. I don't ever want to own a cat.
80. I swallowed my tooth once eating a Subway sandwich.
81. I had Budweiser shoes as a kid. Man I loved those shoes. Thanks mom for throwing them away. Not.
82. I think Superman is a kind of cheap superhero. I mean, he can do everything. What's so super about that?
83. I don't read comic books. Never have, and don't really plan on starting ever. No offense Matt/Robert.
84. My left eye prescription is -4.50.
85. My right eye is worse, at -5.50.
86. I've never had braces.
87. I have a patch of black hair on the back of my head.
88. I enjoy flying kites.
89. I never won the pinewood derby. (Although I did win best-looking car one year.)
90. I don't remember anything I learned in Bio 100.
91. I don't play the guitar.
92. I don't like wet towels.
93. I saw Mark Zuckerburg in real-life.
94. I didn't think The Social Network was that good. It was good, but not that good.
95. I never want to have to saw my right arm off because it got stuck underneath a rock.
96. I have flown a glider plane before.
97. Have thrown up once on an airplane.
98. I love roller coasters.
99. I don't want to own a green car.
100. I like double-stuffed oreos.

Oh man I could go on forever. That's it for now. I'll come up with another 100 later.