Coming Soon...

I returned from the epic Girl's Camp today and I have a bunch of stuff that I want to blog about but I am just too stinking tired. But here is a sneak peek at what is coming up.

• The Fun Side of Girl's Camp
• The Spiritual Side of Girl's Camp
• Freaking Magical!
• Flying Tires of Death!

Random Ramblings: Finally!

Happy: Are you ready for some football? This will be an interesting week for the NFL. The NFL is back as the players and owners have agreed to a new 10-year deal. And now teams will have to compress 5-months of business into a week or so. News will be flying fast and I couldn't be more happy.

Laughing: Patriots owner Robert Craft said something pretty funny during the news conference announcing the new NFL deal.

"I believe you're going to see a very great NFL over the next decade and I hope we gave a little lesson to the people in Washington because the debt crisis is a lot easier to fix than this deal was." 

Excited: This will be the final blog of the week as I am taking off to Girl's Camp early tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to spending time with my wife and these wonderful girls. At least it will be quite entertaining. Kristy put me in charge of taking pictures and I have no problem doing that. My only rule is no duckfaces. I hate that look. It is not cute, it makes you look plain stupid.

Sad, Worried and Confused: I have a situation drama that I am observing and it really gives me the heebie-jeebies. I can't blog much about it here because I certainly don't want to offend and with recent events, I have learned that I should keep my nose (and mouth) out of family matters, except for my immediate family. But I cannot stop thinking about it. Personally, I think they are making a big mistake, and one that could potentially be extremely drastic and that is what worries me. I get the reason why they are doing this, I desire the same thing. I get why they are helping someone, I want to help people as well. The big deal is not what they are doing but how they are doing it. The big mistake in my opinion is that they are being too casual.

*DISCLAIMER*

I am now on my soapbox.

You can skip this tirade if you desire. Just scroll down to the Monty Python picture.

It seems lately that Church leaders have warned us to be careful how casual we are in our relationships with others. We have been asked in our Stake (the local area) to assist each other in making sure everyone is being taken care of. My local ward has been asked to help visit (what we call home teaching) other members in other wards. But our leaders have stressed to be careful in these relationships. We should love them and treat them as we would our own family but we are to be careful in our casual this relationship should be. This casualness could lead down a road that will end up in a lot of pain and heartache. Being casual in some things can lead to other things becoming casual and so forth. And this is what I am seeing. I am seeing something that at first was good but now it has become casual. Too casual in my opinion.

Let's take me for instance. I am friends with the Young Women here in our neighborhood. I like being around them and I want to help them when I can. That's not bad right? Nothing wrong to see here. But what if I become to casual with them? What if I start to go out of my way to see them? Is that bad? I don't think it is bad initially. But what if it gets to the point where they come over and visit me? And what if they come and see me when Kristy is not around?

Do you see where I am going with this now? It started off all good and well but things are getting a bit too casual. It is not like I would do anything but it would be easier now that they are coming over alone than it would be if I only saw them in appropriate situations. This is why being casual could lead to problems. Why put yourself in that type of situation?

And this is the sort of situation I am seeing now. Now I know that I don't know all the details and I am not in the same situation. But I can't help feeling this way. It really frightens me where this could go. And unfortunately I wouldn't be able to help them once they are gone.

Boy that was depressing. 

And now for something completely different. 

I was going through some pictures and I found this one of my dad and sister and it reminded me of another picture.

I guess I do look a lot like my dad.

Geeks Like Me

For geeks like me, this weekend is one of the best weekends to come around each year. It is the annual San Diego Comic Con! And I wish I was there to see all the sights and take in all the excitement. Like I said, the weekend in San Diego would be something that really is up my alley.

I am kinda bummed about not attending this year since they have a panel devoted to my favorite comic artist of all time; Alan Davis! One of these days I will get a chance to meet him in person.

But one of the things that excited me most coming out of the comic con was the trailer for the second season of the Walking Dead. The short first season of the Walking Dead surpassed all of my expectations and from the looks of this trailer, I am looking to be blown away again. Man, October cannot get here quick enough.



As a fan of the comic book, seeing some of these scenes brought to life is harder than I thought it would be to "see". Some of the scenes, I have seen before but others are brand new and I am not exactly sure who will survive. If the book taught me anything, it is that no one is safe. So looking forward to the return of this excellent show.

The Camp Shirt

The girls made my camp shirt last Wednesday and I got it yesterday. They were super excited to make them, which makes me happy and they made a shirt for the Bishop and one of his counselors that will be coming up each evening.

Front: It has our camp slogan "Be True" emblazoned on the front. I also like the fact that it is in Aggie Blue, so it could also be talking about being a True Aggie.

Back: It made me smile that they put the word "SECURITY" on the back and my nickname of "Dr. Pepper" on the bottom. 

My shirt turned out very well and I will be proud to wear it at camp. The Bishop and his counselor's shirts are similar only they have their own nickname on the bottom. I really don't mind my nickname since the Bishop's is "MIFLAW" and Joseph's is "Sister Dimples". I could have had a worse nickname. By the way, the Bishop's stands for the Shaina Twain song, "Man! I feel like a woman!"   I am also a little flattered that they would think that I am there at Girl's Camp as "security". It is true, I am there to help and protect the girls and I am glad that they know I will help them out in anyway if needed.

It should be a lot of fun and I have to admit that I am looking forward to it.

HUZZAH!

It was so beautiful outside that I had to go and give my knee a try and go out and run. And surprisingly there was little to no pain! So I might reach that 5K goal yet!

Random Ramblings: Here I Go Again

Reliving: It sure seems like I have written parts of this blog before.

Eating: Junior Mints. My dad and his family are off in Canada so I am tending the dog and working alone. My dad and I usually share the movie-size boxes of Junior Mints while at work but since he is not here I get the whole box to myself. I am sure he would have wanted it that way.

Reading: A bunch of comics and tradepaperbacks that I got for my birthday. Two of those books were G.I. Joe related. How old am I?

Double Dipping: So I have decided to sell all my Queen CDs. Yes, the same ones that I said I wouldn't sell. I have decided to upgrade my Queen collection to the new remastered sets. The new CDs have better audio quality and they are also all double sets. I usually hate double-dipping but I think this will be worth it. That is until the 50th anniversary of Queen where I am sure they will release some new bonus stuff.

Soon this will be mine!

Preparing: Next week I will be at Girl's Camp again. I cannot believe that it has been over a year ago since I went last year. This time I will be staying the whole time and I have to admit that I am looking forward to it. Last Sunday after Church a few of the girls came up to me and said that they are going to make me a camp shirt this week. They said it was going to be awesome and part of me is excited to see what they will come up with and part of me is a little leery of what it might turn out to be. I am flattered that they want to make me a shirt (which is the reason why I didn't want to do one in the first place; I wanted them to do one for me) and I told them I am excited to see it. But I also reminded them that the reason I am going to Girl's Camp is because I wanted to spend time with them because I like them. Hopefully that will quell any embarrassing shirts they could make me. I already know that my nickname is going to be plastered on it.

Painting: The camp shirts are pretty cool. Logan liked them so much that he made some as well. I do think they turned out pretty cool.

 To make tie-dye shirts the easy way, just get a blank white shirt and crumple it.

 Then spray with paint.

And that is it!

Forgetting: I think I have forgotten how to drive. I have been without my car for almost a month. It is still being repaired by a friend of the family. It has taken a lot more time than he figured and it has been a bit aggravating but then I just have to remember how much money he is helping me save. I have not filled up my car too so that is saving me $50 at least! I borrowed my dad's car the other night and I think my depth perception is off. I cut off two cars by mistake and I think it is because I have not driven in nearly a month!

Pondering: I am thinking of purchasing tickets for the family to see The Music of Queen by the Utah Symphony next month. It is up at Park City and the concert is outdoors on the lawn. But the tickets are $30 bucks a piece. But I think Logan would have a good time. I did find a $10 off coupon and that helps. And I might be able to get Logan in for free! Hmmmm.....

Book Review: Mankind Have a Nice Day!

It is no secret that I love the world of professional wrestling. I don't just like to watch it, I enjoy learning about it. From the history to the psychology to the real-life stories. In fact, I enjoy learning about professional wrestling than I do watching it.

I finally finished my book for the quarter and as you can guess, I read a book about professional wrestling and about one wrestler in particular, Mick Foley.

Now I have known about this wrestler (known as Cactus Jack back then) when I first started to watch wrestling back in '89-'90. He was a strange man. He didn't have the physique of a wrestler and he seemed to be a bit unbalanced. But I kinda liked him because he was different (and because he was a heel; and in the professional wrestling world, a heel means a bad guy) and really gave it is all.

This book chronicles his life as a professional wrestler and it was quite entertaining and full of interesting stories and facts. If you still think that professional wrestling is fake, you need to read just one chapter out of this book and it will convince you otherwise. Sure, the results are predetermined, but the match is not and actual fight is much more brutal and real than you think.

Mick Foley (as Mankind) is most famous in the professional wrestling world for this match.



One of his teeth split in half and it might have came through his nose because of the impact. And he talks about this match in depth in the book.

See that white thing below his nose? That was a partial tooth. And yes, those are thumb tacks.

But what made this book engaging is that you get to see the man behind the violent and strange characters he plays. Didja know he married a model? You got to see how he grow up and became a father and strove his hardest to take care of his family.

I do recommend this book. It is not like  the Bret Hart book I read last year, which while still entertaining, I think it appealed more to the hardcore fan of wrestling. This book was more for the casual reader which is why I think anyone would like reading this book. But I will warn you, it is not for the faint of heart. It can get pretty graphic about the brutality of his matches and lifestyle. But it will also make you laugh and you might come away with a little respect to the business of professional wrestling.

Up Next: Belinda Carlisle's Lips Unsealed.

List-Mania: Comic Book Covers

A few months ago I blogged about if I was a rich man what would I spend my money on. Not surprisingly, it was about what comic book original art would I adorn my den/library with.

A few of my online friends and I were discussing what some of our favorite comic book covers. If it was possible, if I was a rich man, what comic book covers would I want? Now I could have just picked my favorite comics but I wanted to pick out just the covers alone without any regard to the story themselves.

I didn't spend a lot of time brainstorming this topic or rooting through the thousands of comics that I own, I just chose the ones that came to my mind first. I was a little bit surprised that out of the five covers I picked, only one of them came from my list of favorite comic book artists. I am positive that I am forgetting some and maybe I will post my favorite covers from my favorite artists in the future.

HELLBOY: THE CORPSE

One of my favorite things about artist Mike Mignola is the way he uses the color black. His art is not soft, it has a dark and hard edge to it. I already had this short story but when I had to have this comic when it was re-released to coincide with the first Hellboy movie because of the cover art. I would love to have this hanging in my den/library.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN TPB

Here is another case where I double dipped and paid money for something that I already owned. I had the single issues of this series but I could not pass up getting the collected version with this awesome new cover by my favorite artist Alan Davis. Davis typically has a clean style, no line wasted and very precise. What makes this cover stand out to me is that it feels (and looks) a lot more sketchy, which gives it a dirty impression which does fit the story quite well.

YOUNG LIARS #1

The coloring of the covers and interiors of this woefully cut-short series is what really grabs my eye. It has a pulpy feel to it, like I am reading something out of the 70's. Each cover is unique but this one captures the energy of the series. One of the side effects of having this hanging on my wall is that it would remind me of the whack job this series was. The writer/artist certainly has a warped mind and a keen sense of style.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #321

Artist Mike Zeck ruled during the 80's as one of the best cover artists around. He draw a ton of comics from my childhood (Secret Wars, G.I. Joe, Captain America) but this one stands out. What would make Captain America so angry that he would drop the shield and pick up an Uzi? This was a close one, he did a fantastic G.I. Joe cover and a memorable Wolverine/Captain America showdown that I almost chose. But this one kept popping up in my mind. 

BONE #16

Now I have to admit that I chose this particular Bone cover because of the story inside. I chose it only because it represented my favorite set of storytelling panels. The vicious Rat Creatures have surrounded Bone and his friends in the forest and you cannot see them. The artist Jeff Smith employs the solid use of black and white (the original series was published in black and white) to show how pitch black it was in the forest. When sudden flashes of lightning occurred you could see how close the Rat Creatures were creating a very spooky and tense situation. 

Already by writing this blog I have remembered other covers that I would love to own and hang on a wall in my house. I just might have to share those here on the blog as well.

It's Not a Sales Pitch!

Don't you hate it when a close friend, family member or associate tells you that they have an exciting opportunity that you definitely should take advantage of?

Don't you hate it when a close friend, family member or associate tries to sell you something?

Yeah, I hate it too.

But I do have something cool to share with you. And it won't cost you a thing! 

Don't you hate it when that promise is thrown around? I know that usually means that something will cost me. It might be money but it also might mean my time.

As you already know, I absolutely love comic books. I just don't like having to pay full price for them and I have been fortunate through services like DCBS and Amazon, I rarely have to pay full price for any book.

Now there is a book that I definitely want to have.

It collects in an oversized hardcover (meaning it is larger than the average comic book) a full 40 issues of the Uncanny X-Men. I want this because the actual comic books that I own are getting a bit worn out and the paper is was printed on is starting to smudge and this book will have a much, much better print. The colors will be vibrant and the art will leap off the page. So I have to have it!

But if you look at the price tag...  ...yeah that is one expensive comic book! The regular price is $125 but the Amazon price is only $76.47.  

But that still costs quite the pretty penny. A lot of pennies actually. But I have found another way of cutting down that cost down to nothing. Seriously, NOTHING!

An associate of mine informed me that he recently preordered a Fantastic Four Omnibus (much like the one that I am craving) and he paid nothing because he fills out surveys and gets paid with Amazon giftcards. Well, I just had to ask him how he does it and he sent me an e-mail inviting me to take surveys like he does. I initially was a bit skeptical but I tried it anyway and boy am I glad I did.

I joined June 23rd and I took my first easy survey that day. And as of today I have earned $30.60 so far. And I can transform that into a $30.60 Amazon Gift Certificate. Now I have not actually got my Amazon Gift code yet, I am waiting to get the full amount of the cost of the hardcover but I cannot imagine it will be that difficult. All I know is that by the time October rolls around (when that gorgeous X-Men book comes out) I should have the whole thing paid for meaning I get it for FREE!

So if any of you are interested in getting an Amazon Gift Card (they also have other rewards as well) shoot me an e-mail at mplatis28 (AT) hotmail.com and I will refer you to their website.

Once I have got the giftcard and ordered the book, I will post my experience with it.

Naythan's Baptism

Last Saturday, my family and I had the privilege to go down to Salt Lake and see our nephew Naythan be baptized. We were going to go down Saturday morning but we still are without a car (ugh, I don't wanna talk about it) so we went Friday evening and hitched a ride with Lynn and Darrell.

The drive down was nice and hot but it was pretty quiet since my niece Jessica fell right asleep. I luckily remembered my iPod so I just leaned back and listened to music on the trip down. I am the one that usually drives so it was kinda strange not being in the driver's seat and especially being stuck in the back seat.

We finally arrived and after we put Logan to bed, Kristy and I took a walk to the gas station and to Reams to get some refreshment. I had to get me a Mountain Dew Livewire and Kristy had to get some ice cream. We tried the new Twix Ice Cream bars and they were wonderful. I think I like them more than the Snickers which has been a favorite of mine for years.

The next day we headed out for Naythan's baptism. Seeing him all excited (I think Zade was more excited than Naythan) and all dressed in white took me back to Logan's baptism. The service was great. The baptism was good, Gregg is a better dad than I since he got his kid under the first time! Logan was so sweet, he noticed that his cousin Addy was not upfront to watch the baptism so he went and grabbed her and took her over. After the service we ran back to mom's (where Renae gave us a special assignment) and then we headed up to the Young's home to enjoy some lunch and the pool. The weather was so nice, not very hot but then not cold at all. I ate way too much food and then hopped in the pool to cool off.

We had a very nice time. It was good to see everyone and to catch up with them. I have mentioned this before but I feel like I should mention it again. I have a fantastic set of in-laws. I have a fantastic set of brother and sisters in-laws. I am lucky to have them.

After a dip in the pool and some more cookies I decided to just sit by the pool and chit-chat with everyone. And I was lucky enough to spend time and hold my newest niece Stella. I could have taken her home with me, luckily for Steve and Andrea we had a packed car and wouldn't be able to fit her in!

We then headed back to mom's for some food and I was able to witness an epic tantrum courtesy of my niece Jessica and then we headed home. It was a great trip and I was glad that I was able to see Naythan be baptized and to spend time with family.

And I did take my camera but I totally forgot to take pictures. I hate it when I do that.

That Blows

I had no clue that the weather turned all nasty this weekend here in Logan. Kristy, Logan and I were down south in Salt Lake at our nephew's baptism (more on that later) and it was nice and warm.

But apparently the weather up here was not as nice.

Take a look at this tree from across the street from my mom's house! That old pine tree was huge! And now SNAP! It is gone.

My mom and the house are all safe. Thanks to my Aunt Margo and my neighbor Kent for the neat pictures. And thanks to all those that came out and helped my mom clean up the yard. Like I said, I had NO CLUE that Richmond was hit was such foul weather.

C'Mon NFL!

One of my favorite things to do around my birthday is to go and buy the annual Athlon Football Preview issue. I spend hours pouring through that issue as it recaps the previous season and covers all the news and predicts what will happen the next season. 

Well, that issue is MIA. 

Because of the lockout, that issue is not coming out and it looks like training camps (one of my favorite things to follow) may be canceled. Roger Goodell, the players and the owners really need to sit down and work out a deal because I want my football back! The first Sunday games are scheduled for September 11th, the ten year anniversary of that horrible day. Football was one of the things that helped heal this nation. I know it was a great relief to be ordinary and watch football just barely after the attacks. 

Make this work guys!

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout with Taylor Lautner from Taylor Lautner

I would totally watch this! But I would rather have the NFL come back. I would be willing to watch the Twilight movies every weekend to have the NFL back. I would be willing...  ...well, you don't want to know what I would be willing to do to have the NFL come back. 

Random Ramblings: July Already?

Shaking my Head: I cannot believe that we are 5 days in July already! Where did June go?

Sweating: Like I have said before, I am no fan of the heat. It has gone from cool to sweltering in only a couple of days. It got so bad that I put in my air conditioner unit so I could sleep at night. If I can see my breath at night, then I know I can sleep comfortably. Must be my Canadian training.

I totally need to watch this movie again.

Sweating Part II: I have a sweating problem. I sweat like no one's business (and I am sure you are all pleased to hear this) especially when I am exercising. I look like a NBA basketball player when I play racquetball, it just runs off my nose. But my sister came to the rescue for my birthday. She got me a new set of purple racquetballs and a sweatband (unfortunately wearing a sweatband reminds me of Lebron) and some wrist sweatbands. I tried them out last Saturday and it worked wonders.

Eating: Pez. My sister Jennifer also got me this huge Wolverine Pez Dispenser. Seriously, it is huge! It also talks as well and it says some pretty typical Wolverine stuff and then it spouted the line, "I like Pez."

Listening: It is the 40th Anniversary of Queen and to celebrate they are coming out of Deluxe Remastered versions of all their studio albums in sets of five. These re-issues have a bonus CD which contains demos, unreleased tracks, live tracks or alternate versions. I downloaded (thanks iTunes for not making me buy the whole album) the first set of bonus tracks and I have been listening to them non-stop.

Shaking my Finger: The next batch of Queen releases came out on June 27th. Except that they delayed the American releases until SEPTEMBER! Good grief that sucks. I don't want to wait until then! I highly doubt that we Americans will get the fourth and final batch before the end of the year. So I guess we Americans will celebrate the 41st Anniversary of Queen.

I am eagerly awaiting the Hot Space bonus CD. And I totally want this t-shirt ringer now!

Celebrating: I had a nice 4th of July with my sister-in-law Lynn and her family. It was also her daughter Jessica's birthday. We had a nice BBQ at their house and ate some cake and ice cream and I drank a ton of homemade Raspberry Cream Soda.

Yawning: I have been without a car since Thursday and it unfortunately looks like I won't get my car until this Thursday. All this biking has made me extra tired. I should count my blessings that I am exercising, saving money on gas and ultimately I am saving money on my car as well.

Eating Part II: I had some of the best Peach Cobbler last Sunday. My neighbor and his family invited us over Sunday evening for what he claims is the best Peach Cobbler. He is right, I have never had Peach Cobbler that was better. I have some fantastic neighbors, it was a nice evening to spend with them and another family.

Wishing: Didja know that my mother-in-law is older than Alaska? It was her birthday on the 3rd and we celebrated it by lighting all of her candles with a blowtorch.

Boys and their Toys

Logan got me this for my birthday.

Now you know why I didn't blog yesterday and why today's blog is so short. 

I love these Lego games. Sure once you have played one, you basically have played them all. But I love playing them and collecting those studs and unlocking things. And I cannot wait to play as my favorite character. Any guess as to who it is?

So yeah... I still play with games and toys.