livinlavidalogan

Ratatatatatatatatatatatat...i Think its like Bananananana

2010-12-21T08:08:00.000-08:00

So I've been a poor blogger as of late...sorry world wide web. My Internet is crappy at best and, well, I like to hang out with my wife and watch movies...sue me!

Another interest of mine, as many of you know, is to "shake my groove thang" from time to time to some really great electrock'n roll! So, they other day I purchased Ratatat's June release, Lp4...and I can't stop listening to it! You know how there are those times when a song gets so deep in your blood that you can actually feel your body trying to sync up with the beat of the music? Well thats more or less whats been happening to me all week. Specifically with the track "Neckbrace" (appropriately named). Way to go, Ratatat. Way to go.

It got me thinking about how much music determines how my day is going to be. For a long time i think I tried to sync the music I listened to with the mood I was feeling at the time. But for some time now I've let the music determine the mood and its been exhilarating. For example, the past week I've been listening to either Ratatat or the black keys pretty much non stop. Two totally different sounds. Two completely different moods. Both, however, uplifting the best ways. In my previous music life, I would have never had the chance to experience such drastically different musical moods in one day because I forced the music to fit my feelings that day. This may seem completely obscure and hard to follow, but trust me, its been refreshing.

Now, I'm not saying that I don't still throw on some Muse before a rugby match or some Junior boys before a run, but I've definitely let my music control me lately, instead of me controlling the music. Maybe I'll even throw my ipod on shuffle and never hit skip...that would be LIVING!

Jethro

2010-08-12T07:59:00.001-07:00

Our cat...

Poorly named but I'm all over it!!!

2010-08-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

I got a new job. No more Saturdays. No more Holidays. And I feel like I'm playing when I'm at work. Pretty sweet deal. I must say however (especially if Kirk or Derrick are ready) that working for T-mobile was a great college job and the only friends I have really made here in Logan worked there with me. But things change and I'm pumped for the new gig.

The primary reason for liking my new eight to five home is I get to play on cool new programs (new to me) like Camera Raw in the CS4 Adobe suite. My official title is Student Graphic Designer, but I get to do a large amount of photography and writing as well. I by no means would declare unto the world that I am a graphic designer by profession and my photography skills are barely skills at all, but I'm learning and realizing that my knowledge of CS4 is so minimal I can't believe i ever thought I knew ANYTHING!

So today, I finished my first advertisement poster and spent the rest of the day playing around in photoshop and Camera Raw. Like I said, I don't really know that much, but here are a few photos that I worked on today:

Tophe and Me fishing (he caught the biggest one of the trip right after this).

Morgan has found his way onto yet another Clifford blog...

Em's wedding...I'm craving Alberto's just thinking about it.

Anyway, nothing big but the point is this is all pre-photoshop. I haven't touched any of these in photoshop, just Camera Raw. Its nice because the pictures don't look too doctored (to me anyway). The colors pop more, the contrast is solid, and it they don't feel over-saturated.

Its amazing what a kid who doesn't know anything can do!

Update

2009-05-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well, my lack of posts may look to some like my attempt at sticking with my workout plans has failed. ON the contrary, however, i have been far too busy to keep up. I guess I started to think that a post that simply showed what i accomplished for the day, workout wise, was kind of lame. I read a couple of my posts and I sounded like a total "sup-bro" and like i was obsessed with myself, and although I may be a bit of a narcissists I dont want to frame myself as one to the blogging world. So, i will still leave updates here and there but I'm not going to turn this blog into a "look how tough i am because i workout" blog.

On a brighter note, everyone in my family had only one thing the past few days to blog about, and if you blogstalk Cliffords (you know who you are) than you already know what i'm talking about...its the NEWEST MEMBER of course!!!

Ox was born two days ago and moved into the title of youngest Clifford, or youngest member of Clifford: The Next Generation as some siblings are starting to say (good one flemily). His official name is Garrett Ivan Clifford but I'm sticking with Ox as a name. When Sterling and Megan were still deciding on a name (or not telling us what they had in mind for a name) they just referred to the unborn child as Ox. So Ox it is. Now, I have a nephew known as Larry-Bird and nephew Ox. I love it.

Its weird to think about this new baby living in San Fran! We have been so spoiled with Larry-Bird (Morgan) living so close and being so available to play with and see all the time that having a nephew growing up so far away seems like a tragedy. I guess thats how it usually is with family but it sucks facing the reality. But i suppose if there are to be two Cliffords raising a baby away from the rest of us its best that its Sterling and Megan. Not that I like them being away but they are the two most capable Cliffords (in my opinion) out of the bunch. Sterling and Megan are both very independent in their careers and abilities but they rely on one another in every way that a loving couple should, and that seems like the perfect example to set for a child. so, Ox is in great hands.

So welcome baby child! We are more than Glad to have you!

Accountability

2009-05-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

So this week was an overall GREAT workout week. I swam a 23 minute mile, did some trial running, and a huge hill climb on my bike. I cant be certain of any distances (except on the swim, of course) but I have felt great. I suppose thats a good thing because i just found out that one of my Rangnar running legs was extended 3.4 miles, making my middle run 9.7 miles...sweet! So, it was a good week

Also, the semester is OVER which is wonderful...although, i dont understand why i'm so excited, I have a summer class that starts next week. But at least my classes now are over, and thats whats important. I'm too distracted to write right now...see ya

today and yesterday

2009-04-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would enjoy working out in the pool so much. I hated it in high school. My good friend Matt Clark would pick me up every morning for swim practice, and every morning would honk a few times, then park his car, come inside, go downstairs, enter my horrific room, and wake me up. If I was quick enough I would hide before he got the door open, but most of the time I just acted surprised, said "shoot! My alarm didn't go off," and grabbed some clothes and headed to practice. It was the worst.

Now, however, I find myself voluntarily walking into the HYPER building, asking for a swim pass, changing, and hoping in cold water to swim back and forth for an hour and a half. I even get disappointed if i cant make to the pool. I always wondered why Kristen (wife) would be so bummed when she couldn't make it out on a run, but now i understand. I guess for a guy like me, ADHD to the max, activity is the perfect solution.

What a good day today was.

Swim: 14oo yards

YESTERDAY

Ride: 22 miles (cache valley is so beautiful right now)

p.s. I don't actually have ADHD...not like there would be anything wrong with it if I did...I'm just saying

Monday

2009-04-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ride: 18 miles

I couldn't swim today because Brady had to take care of his child and the baby's momma, so i had to work.

Sunday

2009-04-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday ride: 14 miles

and a game a catch at the park...if that counts

Swim, Bike, Run

2009-04-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

I love to be active. I also suffer from an extremely short attention span most of the time. So, triathlons are the perfect activity for me because just when i start getting bored with one thing I jump right into the next. These days, however, triathletes have gotten a pretty bad rap for being major douchers, but I don't really care because i think the races are great. (and generally speaking, actual TRIATHLETES aren't lame...PEOPLE who do triathlons are lame.)

So anyway, this year I decided that I wanted to participate in as many races as I could. I have done one so far (http://www.bashwintertri.com/) and it was pretty sweet. I had never cross-country skied before so the week of the race i strapped on some skis and went and practiced at a park. I was terrible. I wasn't much better in the race but i looked pretty hardcore, which is all that really
matters, right.

Anyway, i had a blast and was glad that i did it.

On the agenda for this year i have a few more triathlons I would like to compete in.
1. The Battle at Midway- June 19 http://www.bamtri.com/
2. The Lake Powell Tri - October 7 http://www.goldmedalracing.com/Events/EventHome.aspx?event=Powell
and maybe one more in the middle of the summer, i don't know though.

This years Wasatch Back Relay Race is also on the agenda. My family and friends do it every year (which i believe i can officially say now considering its my 3rd year participating and my siblings 4th year).

And finally, there are a hand full of bike races I plan on competing in, many of which with my brother, Big Toph. Busy, busy, busy! I cant wait.

So, the point of informing what ever my readership may be of my summer race agenda is because i am going to use this blog to keep myself on track as I train, like log my miles and what not. I need accountability in my life and this will help...hopefully. So I'll start today.

Run: 4.63 Miles. 8.2 min/mile
Swim: 1500 yrds (mixed workout)

If you dont have something nice to say...

2009-03-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what sparked my thoughts on the topic today but i cant stop thinking about how i say mean things. I wouldn't go as far as saying that i am a mean person but a lot of times throughout the day i have very rude things about other people pop into my head. If the thoughts just stayed there i would have no complaints, but they don't. They always seem to make it into someones ear, usually as a whisper to a third pary individual that may or may not have been thinking the same thing but just wasnt mean enough to say it outloud. I fear that most of the recipients, however, probably don't know me well enough to understand that I'm not a mean person. This isn't their fault, of course. I mean, they're just making a perfectly justified assumption that i am kind of a rude person. it makes me feel bad.

This is a particularly tender issue because i think that i may have been somewhat of a jerk in my younger years. i was not timid about sharing my opinion and that often entailed me telling someone else that they were...(insert something derogatory). i played off of people's weaknesses and i almost took a certain level of pride in that. Now, i didn't just dish it out all nonchalantly or anything. It was reserved for those who were especially deserving (the kids that picked on kids, the kids that picked on teacher, Trent Meeds, etc). In a way i felt like i was defending more than offending. Once in the moment and all sorts of insulting things were flying out of my mouth, I would savor the moment, trying hard to remember the things said so that i could possibly brag about it later. I didn't feel mean, i felt justified.

Anyway, just writing that makes me sound like the biggest a-hole ever. I'm not sure when it happened (yes i am. it was on my mission) but I guess I realized that being rude, no matter who it is towards, is never really that cool. i am the one that ends up feeling like shiz, not mention the way i look to others (not in a superficial way but in a "i hate looking like an ass" way).

So, I'm setting a goal: Leave the mean thoughts in the brain. lets be serious, saying that my goal is to just stop thinking mean thoughts is impossible. that will come with time, maybe. For now, I'm just going to try and not say them to anyone. i suppose I'll just have to start using some DISCRETION!!! (inside family joke...even though i actually don't think it's funny, for obvious reasons)

A bike with no brakes

2009-03-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have one, a bike with no brakes that is. It's a 1970s Peugeot that a threw together with my big bro, Big Toph, as he likes to be called. It's a great bike and i love to ride it.

The problem, however, with riding brakeless is that there is an entire culture of tool-folk out there who act like riding a bike with no brakes is the only way to go. They have ridiculous stickers on their bikes that aren't even creative, they're just rude, like "F*ck brakes" and "Ride Brakeless" and "People with brakes can eat my butt"...OK, so maybe i have yet to see any stickers like the Butt one but I'm sure they're out there. I wouldn't care so much if i didn't know for a fact the in the biking world, especially the fixed one, people judge you by your bike, and they judge quickly.

You may be thinking, "why do you care?" i know that i shouldn't, but the bottom line is EVERYBODY hates being judged and thrown in categories where they don't believe they belong. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. it may be stupid to care but everyone does.

So i have recently fallen in love bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com and am regularly in stitches over his comments. The guy is rude in the best way. On his site, however, he regularly talks about brakeless riders and how they are, well, lame. Many of his followers agree and often comment on how they too hate people who ride brakeless. Even i often agree with distaste for such a rider but i feel i must make my case.

I have riser bars on my bike...so what...i like the look. Nothing more than that. It's color coordinated as well...i like to match. Would you go out to a nice dinner and wear brown shoes with a black belt? i highly doubt it! And yes, i ride without brakes. Even though i feel i don't owe it to anyone I'm going to offer an explanation:

At first, my primary reason for not putting brakes on was financial reasons. I lived in the Avenues in Salt Lake City, up on 6th Ave and L street when i built my bike. For those who are familiar with the avenues can you possibly think of a reason why i wouldn't want brakes on hills like that?!!! NO WAY! but i just didn't have the mula. So i learned how to ride without brakes, slow and steady. The more i rode the more i loved it. I also noticed that my knee issues seemed to be disappearing. it seemed that the constant work that my knees had to perform due to the lack of brakes was strengthening them, causing me less and less discomfort. I feel in love with riding brakeless.

Do i think that people who ride with brakes are lame? No, not even a little. Are there some tools with brakes? Absolutely. Are there tools without brakes? oh yes, many but just cause you don't have them doesn't make you the "Eff off you brake riding mother effers" guy. Brakes dont make you a tool or make you exempt from being a tool. It's just who you are...and some are just tools.

There, I've said my piece. next time you want to judge someone without brakes just take a moment first and think about what you are about to say...unless they have one these

Then judge your little heart out!...(sheesh, aerospoke tools)

A good day

2009-03-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

It's done. FELT f75.

Old Navy Pants

2009-03-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

Old Navy was having a sale on pretty much everything in the store. I really needed some new casual work pants and figured that this would be the perfect opportunity, seeing as how the pants were only 10 bucks!! whoo-hoo! i found a pair that I really liked and bought them right away. When I shop for pants i usually by the first pair that fits well, no matter what, just because i am so particular about how they fit.

i was surprised when i tried these pants on and they fit so well. nice narrow leg, long and lean, all the qualities that i need in pants. I was happy...until today when i bent over and ripped the pants right up my butt crack!!!

There aren't a lot of times in my life when i feel like a genuine fat ass, but this was one of those times! I am so mad, because i love these pants and i just bought them. The thing that makes me feel some what reassured that my gluteus maximus is in fact NOT too big came with a little bit of inspecting along the tear.

The pants didn't tear at all! they just came undone. I've never hear of that before. And, no, this is not just some kind of excuse that i have made so that i feel better about my rump, the pants really did just fall apart along the butt crack. no wonder they were only 1o bucks!

So now I'm worried that Old Navy wont take my pants back. I'm also worried that after i go in to the store and after i get rejected and leave, one of the employees is going to be like, "What and idiot! Like we were really going to fall for the whole 'they just fell apart' excuse...face it, your butt is too big." jerks

i know my butt isn't big and this entire post makes me sound self conscious, which i am most definitely not! but in the end it is hard to justify a ripped butt crack in your pants.

spring fever

2009-03-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

i have never in my entire life been more ready for the spring than i am right now. It might be because Logan is 70 degrees cooler than the rest of the state and i am over the cold but i think it is mostly because i am so ready for warm weather activities! I am buying a bike, like everyone who has spoken to me in the past two weeks knows already, I am signed up for a few summer races, and i have two old cruiser bikes that i cant wait to fix up and cruise around town on with kristen!

I'm to that point where when I'm watching TV, lets say CSI Las Vegas (the only good one) and Grissom is taking samples off some dead guy in the desert, the entire time i am thinking "oh man, i wish i were that dead guy in the desert. it looks so warm!" yeah, i know...he's dead, but the weather just looks so nice that i can't focus on the show! On that same topic, however, i find myself changing the channel the second Law and Order SVU comes on because i just cant bear to see that cold New York weather any longer. I LOVE SVU, but i don't this month, and i wont until it warms up!

So spring, my arms are open and ready to embrace you. Please don't take much longer. i love you

Guilty

2008-12-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

OK, i know that i am 100% guilty of creating this thing, loving it for just a minute, and then neglecting it for weeks. This is the very reason why i feel that i may not be quite ready for a child. Morgan is so adorable and sometimes i just want to DESTROY him because he is the most perfect child in the world, but then he poops or cries and makes loud noise and i give him back to his parents. Yet another reason why I'm not up for the whole "pops" thing...yet. Anyway, I will return soon with some life updates. Well, I'm going to try that is. Good thing that blogs don't die from neglect...

Last night in Salt Lake

2008-11-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

I went looking through my camera today and remembered that there were a bunch of pictures that i have been wanting to post on here. I started looking through all of them and came across our photos of our last night in our salt lake house. I was so excited to see them because, historically, Kristen and I are rotten picture takers. In the years that we've known each other i think that we have a grand total of 14 pictures of the two of us together. Even the pictures i found are mostly of our house and not really us. But the point is I'm glad that for once we remembered that we had a camera.

Our Balcony (and garden...which i loved like a child)

The small but cute kitchen.

And our view from the roof!

Boy oh boy did we love that house! On the other hand, it ain't so bad being so close to a place like this.

Sometimes i just cant resist!

2008-11-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

So the other night we took a little trip to Walgreen's because rumor was the delicious Christmas balls are finally here!!! I noticed that a roll of tape was left out and unattended to. I grabbed the tape and...

its unclear to me what happened next...

but i guess i just couldn't resist!

it has just occurred to me that posting these may be as lame as laughing at your own joke...I'm ok with that.

Failure...

2008-11-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

I was totally ready today for a new post. A great one about how much I complain that i never go on trips. Well, turns out i was looking through my seriously under used camera and realized that in the past two years I've actually been to some great places right here in the U.S.of A. The City Library computer, however, has once again ruined what was to be a promising post. It keeps telling me to "Please insert disk into drive E:" and I'm like "Its in the mother effing drive E:!!!" but of course, the computer doesn't care:( (once upon a time i thought making frowny faces out of a semi-colons and parentheses was the dumbest thing a person could do...things change i guess)

So, no pictures today...of me that is:( We'll see about tomorrow:) WHAT IS THAT?:0

He has gone seriously down hill...

2008-11-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

Today is a great day! Our country has taken a giant step forward politically and I have every reason in the world to be writing about it! The only problem is I cant seem to get passed Halloween and move on to be more excited about other things! And I'm not talking about this most recent Halloween either. No, no I'm referring to a Halloween that has been over for, oh i don't know, at least 13 years.

You see, back when i was 10 i thought there could be nothing cooler for a Halloween idea than being a ninja!!! I'm not talking about the ghetto gold and black spandex ninja suite you buy from walmart either. I'm talking a legit 'i sneak around at night and murder other shogun warriors and chop their hair off and hang it from my sword' kind of ninja. I was determined to have the most bomb costume around. Needless to say i didn't quite make it to the full fledged ninja attire i had dreamed of but i wasn't' a damned "cute little ninja" either. I was pleased. My mom had even purchased a sweet sword for me to carry around...and a few Chinese stars.(never mind the fact that a true ninja would never be caught dead with that Chinese crap of a weapon). I was ready for my night to begin.

My plans for the evening were simple. Go to my friend Eric Fairborns house, get some delicious candy, chop up a few ninja enemies, and maybe hit up the stake center for a haunted house. The night was going exactly as planned but i just couldn't get over the nervous feeling that i had, seeing as how this was my first Halloween with a friend and not my older brother...Big Toph. I tried to get over it but could not manage! So what happened? I puked. I puked all over inside the Haunted house. And whats even worse was the fact that I broke my Ninja sword trying to make it to the bathroom. I couldn't enjoy my candy and most certainly couldn't handle anymore trick or treating. I just went home.

This Halloween I was determined to make up for my failed ninja years and do some serious killing...but plans changed and i ended up being Michael Phelps while my wife, Kristen, went as one of my gold medals.

Yeah, it was cute and a lot fun but next year...well, everybody had better be ready because i smell blood and guts and a whole lot of redemption!

Introduction...in 6 minutes!!!

2008-11-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

I am a Clifford. More specifically I am the fifth Clifford. I love everything Clifford. I live everything Clifford. As a Clifford, and a little bit as Logan, I have decided that the time has come for me to start sharing my life with the world. Unfortunately,however, at this point in time everything I do on the internet is limited to a 60 minute window, once a day, at the Logan City Library!!! As of right now, i have 3 minutes left. I'll be back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. After that, i make no promises.

I'll see you tomorrow...with a sad, sad story of a 10 year old ninja...