--------------------

Since I have lost most of my material, time, and purpose to blog, here's another beautiful music video.

Does It Feel Like A Trial...

One month from today I am going to a concert.

I know, big whoop.

This concert is going to be super special, though. It's in California, at the Hollywood Bowl. And it's The National.

Depending on the day, they are my favorite band in the world. Their music is deep, dark, haunting, soothing, sad, pensive, moody, courageous, romantic, and inspiring. They are always whatever you want them to be.

The following music video is from the song "Exile Villify", which was written for a video game. The video was created by a fan (either of the game or the band, I'm not sure) and won a contest. I know Ocarina of Time was good, but I have never been this touched by a piece of video game music.

"I'll Make Up For It Now..."

So you are singing in your car, or your shower, or while sock sliding in the kitchen....

Your voice is melding perfectly with Elton John's, or Beyonce's, or Evanescence's. Your mind is running wild. The crowd loves you. This is your moment. Time for the high note...

And your voice cracks. Or you mess up the lyrics.

What do you do?

Do you just keep on singing like nobody is listening? (Seems like the logical choice since, in fact, no one is.) Do you restart the song so you can sing it perfectly the next time? Or do you just skip to a completely different song due to your previous failure? Curse? Smack yourself in the face? Sing nonsensical lyrics? Take a sip from your water bottle like you had been planning on that the whole time?

After a late-night drive from Logan to Salt Lake last night, I realize what I do. I apologize.

To nobody.

Finally Carl Lewis and I have something in common.

Why You Can't Force A Blog Post

A have a good amount of ties that I have collected over the years.

Red ties. Blue ties. Purple ties. Pink ties. Orange ties.

I have solid ties. Striped ties. Novelty ties. I still have a few zipper ties from that very long phase of my life.

But enough of the Dr. Seuss stuff.

I don't own a single green tie.

Now, if you are still reading this, you might be thinking, "OK, why are you telling us this?" It's simple. Green is a good color for me. A redhead in green is like insta-Christmas. Win-win for everyone. I have green shirts, green sweaters, a green jacket, and a green hat. I can pull off green.

But I tell myself, at 26 years old, that I have not purchased a green tie?????

So I go to places. Department stores. Tie stores. Walmart.

I look at the green ties and I am never satisfied. The shade of green isn't right. I don't dig the striping. The comp color is weird. You know, important stuff like that. And so the search continues.

One day, perfect green tie, I will find you.

And there will be much rejoicing.

A Little Story About Russell and Me

I already told you about my magnificent night spent at the Other Lives/Rosebuds concert a few days ago.

But I didn't tell you the whole story.

Something weird happened.

During the intermission between the two bands, a man walked into the venue who looked like this...

minus the hat.

Meet Russell, an 82-year old ready to rock it out with a bunch of music aficionados, hipsters, and drunk, dancing skanks.

Weird, you say, Badgers? It was. But we are just getting started.

Walking into the room, Russell singled me out, put his arm around me and remarked, "Here's a cool guy right here!"

Right you are, Russ. I am a cool guy.

Then things got uncomfortable.

Russell decided to tell me all the details of his night (art, dancing, and wine tasting) while he continued to have his arm around me and alternated between rubbing my arm and my flank.

For ten minutes.

Yeah, I didn't feel like there was any romantic/sexual intentions on Russell's behalf. He was pretty sauced and really, really old.

I've never been so happy for a band to start, ever.

Another Other

I need to give a shout-out to Other Lives. Their performance from a week ago is still resonating with me on a pretty deep level. Here is a live performance of my favorite OL song, Paper Cities. Listen. Emote. Ponder. Love. Forgive. Promise. I dunno. Just give it a try! It's good!

Two for Two

Last week I was able to spend two days doing what I do best, go to concerts.

Thursday was the opening night for the 2011 Twilight Concert Series. I must say, it started off with a thud. The opening band, No Age, was so horrendous they will forever be enshrined in my Hall of Fame of Crappy Live Bands. (Hello, A Place to Bury Strangers) Luckily, the headliner Explosions in the Sky saved the day. Their music was perfectly fitting for dusk on a summer evening. After all my friends bailed, I remained at the show alone until they played Your Hand In Mine. Totally worth it. Not the best TwiCon overall, but it certainly had its moment.

The next day I was lucky to attend The Rosebuds and Other Lives at The Urban Lounge. I have been a big fan of Other Lives ever since I saw them at Lollapalooza two years ago. Their self-titled album is one of my go-to albums whenever I need to chill. Seriously, give it a try. Much to my surprise, they didn't play a single song from that album. Every song they played came from the new one, Tamer Animals. Despite my disappointment, the show was great. Their folksy sound filled the venue and reminded me of my experience listening to them for the first time. The Rosebuds (listen to this) were also a delight despite playing to a crowd well below 100. (Other Lives has some family connections that attended the first act and then left) The band highlights a couple who married and wrote their most recent album as they went through a divorce. The best moment of the night came when the band all gathered near the front of the stage to perform an acoustic version of "Nice Fox" (see below) They had what was left of the crowd huddle around the band and lead us in a sing-along. It was perfect. I wish you could have been there.

Can't Do It Justice

It's been nine days.

Nine awesome days since I went to the roller derby.

Since the moment I walked out of the event, I have kept thinking how I need to blog about it. I need to tell people about how my already high expectations were kicked in the shins by an even greater reality. I want to tell you all about the hits. The crashes. The drama and anxiety that went along with watching "my team" fall way behind and then make a stunning comeback for a close win. I want to tell you about how grasping the seemingly difficult rules created a satisfying learning experience. (What?) I want to tell you about the movie I went to see after that made me pee my pants multiple times. (Actually, no, I don't want to tell you about that at all.) I want to tell you about the camaraderie of three good friends having a great night on the town. The death metal band playing next door. Fresh fruit slushies from Sonic. The names! I must tell you about the names!

But I can't do it justice.

Roller derby night was too awesome to be put into words.

I Love These Kind Of Mornings

The Dog Days Are Not Over

So I have come to a startling revelation.

Whenever someone throws a frisbee in my general direction, I take on the characteristics of a dog.

Seriously.

My eyes get really wide.

I stick my tongue out.

I start panting.

I wag my tail and catch the frisbee in my mouth.

OK, so the last two are not true, but the rest are. I might have a problem.

But I like this kind of problem.

Oh Happy Day

Need I "say" more?

Dear Amy,

You are a freak.

I'm not trying to say that to be mean. I want to help. You see, for the longest time I thought that was all you really were. Just another freak. But then I started listening to your music. It's awesome. Someday, I want to go see one of your shows and not see the train wreck the people in Belgrade had to witness. I want to see you use your talent to produce more albums. So, why don't you just trying cleaning things up a bit. One step at a time. You can do it. And when you have given up the heroin, cocaine, meth, pills, horse tranquilizers, and whatever else is streaming through your body, I will be there. Cheering loudly and singing along.

Your optimistic fan,

The Paper Badger

Top Ten Cutest Cartoon Babies Pt. II

If you missed it, here are numbers 10-6.

Drum roll please....

Time for the Top 5 Cutest Cartoon Babies of All-Time!

5. Tommy Pickles - Rugrats
Tommy Pickles is too cool and too cute for pants. He is the courageous leader of the Rugrats leading them on adventures to defeat dust bunnies and reach Ice Cream Mountain. "A baby's gotta do, what a baby's gotta do!"

4. Baby Sinclair - Dinosaurs!
He may be annoying to some, but Baby Sinclair was (a toned down) Stewie Griffin waaay before Stewie was cool. He also has the most memorable catchphrase of the group. (Double sidebar: First, watch any clip of Baby Sinclair and his mom and you are totally listening to Elmo talking to Lucille from Arrested Development. Second, remember Earl Sinclair's boss? Has to be one of the scariest villains of my youth.)

3. Baby Po - Kung Fu Panda 2
The inspiration for making this list makes a very impressive showing at #3. I'm sure most of you haven't seen the movie so I will do my best to explain. Our beloved Kung Fu Panda was abandoned by his parents and deliver to his adoptive duck father in a box of radishes. The duck finds a cute, chubby, hungry panda with eyes that will make your heart melt. Honestly, I wanted to put him at number one, but the next two deserve some major respect.

2. Simba - The Lion King
I will admit that we don't see Simba do much as a baby besides be held, paw, and sneeze. But let me say this, there is no denying the cuteness here. It also helps that he is the headliner of one of the most iconic scenes in Disney history along with the most BA Disney character ever.

1. The Muppet Babies - The Muppets Take Manhattan
I'm kicking myself for putting a collective at number one, but how do you split up the Muppet Babies? To be clear, these babies are from the scene in Muppets Take Manhattan not the cartoon that was inspired by it. (Also quite cute) Even if I had to pick just one (I would probably have to pick Gonzo although Rowlf, Kermit, and Fozzie are not far behind) they would still top this list. They are exponentially cuter than Disney Babies or Baby Looney Tunes. They can sing. And they are the Muppets. You just can't beat the Muppets. At least until baby E.T. is introduced.

Honorable Mentions: Baby Bop, Jack-Jack from the Incredibles, the baby animals from Partly Cloudy, Baby Tarzan, Baby Huey, Baby Herman, Pinky from Ice Age, Baby Hercules and Baby Pegasus

So that is my list! Thanks for indulging me. So, how did I do? Agree? Disagree? Did I miss someone obvious? Let me know!

A Little Something...

...while you (meaning Ben, my last remaining reader) wait for the top 5.

This is my favorite song of the day. And probably tomorrow. It's that good.

Top Ten Cutest Cartoon Babies

This is what this blog has come to.

I can't really explain why I did this. I watched Kung Fu Panda 2. I got this idea and I had to run with it. Here are the rules:

1) Babies must be fictional characters in a cartoon, computer animation, puppet, or anthropomorphic form.

2) No toddlers! Has to portray some baby characteristics.

3) No Baby Jesus. Too easy. He gets his own category.

That's it. Here are the Cutests Cartoon Babies 10-6....

10. Pebbles Flintstone, The Flintstones - She started out much higher, but slowly moved her way down the list. She's cute, sure, but there isn't much great about her besides being the namesake for a truly awesome breakfast cereal.

9. Dumbo, Dumbo - Our most vintage participant. Dumbo gets massive points for his massive ears. Poor Dumbo got made fun of by his elephant friends. He finally gets some love on this list.

8. Tokka and Rahzar, TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze - You probably just looked at the above picture and said, "Gross, those two monsters are not cute and they are not even babies!" Wrong and wrong you are. Back story, Shredder decides to fight the Ninja Turtles by feeding a wolf and snapping turtle the same ooze that turned the ninja turtles mutant. The following hilarity ensues. So totally cute.

7. Kiddy Kong, Donkey Kong Country 3 - I may have broken Rule #3 here. Kiddy seems like a baby. He has a binky. He cries a lot. But he is huge and had a pretty big adventure. But the baby in Baby's Day Out had a day out, so I'm including Kiddy. For now.

6. Maggie Simpson, The Simpsons - Maggie doesn't do much. She enjoys her binky and occasionally shoots a billionaire. I can say with perfect certainty, that this is the one baby on the list that I want to dress my future child in costume. Light blue onesy and bow. Red binky. That is so happening.

Come back tomorrow for the Top 5!

Guns n' Roses n' Cellos

Vindication

Today is a beautiful day and this picture says it all. I have never been a fan of the Dallas Mavericks. Especially after this...

I have always thought that Dirk Nowitzki was a chump, Mark Cuban was a loudmouth, and Dallas fans were fair-weather, clueless and indifferent. But when the Mavs faced Miami in the NBA Finals, I did not jump on the Heat bandwagon. I didn't even make a list like I had to for the Super Bowl. I cheered for the Mavericks like there was no tomorrow.

I hate the Miami Heat and I hate LeBron James. I hate everything their franchise stands for. I couldn't bear the thought of them highjacking the NBA championship one year after The Decision and the Premature Celebration. They are arrogant. Their fans are worse than the fans in Dallas. They had to be stopped.

Lucky for me, they were stopped. It was a great series and both teams played hard. ( copyright - Rasheed Wallace) The Mavericks didn't only win for themselves, Mark Cuban, and they city and fans of Dallas. (Who, by the way, stepped it up big time) They won it for the Rebellion. They won it for Cleveland. They won it for the hope that a team without three All-Stars can go all the way.

Come on, Jazz, we can do this!

What the 80s???

The song Take Me Home Tonight by Eddie Money does not appear in the movie Take Me Home Tonight. Yeah, I know. I figured I would just cut right to the chase on this one. When Take Me Home Tonight, the movie, came out a few months ago I was curious. A movie starring Topher Grace and Dan Fogler did little to excite me. But the title of the movie got the gears in my mind turning. The Eddie Money song is one of my favorite 80s songs and I quickly imagined an inspiring montage set to the song at the climax of the movie. Or maybe the song would back the opening credits. Or possibly it would pop up three of four times. No matter what that song could sell even the worst of movies. That song is clutch.

Fast forward to this afternoon. After missed attempts to catch the movie in the theaters, I finally got around to seeing it. The song didn't start the movie. The song never played from the car during a driving scene. The song didn't accompany a romantic kiss. No song during a montage. It didn't even pop up during the closing credits. IT WASN'T IN THE MOVIE AT ALL!!!! Are you kidding me???? That is like E.T. without E.T. Muppets Christmas Carol without the Muppets. To be completely honest, the movie sucked. (Not a surprise) Not funny. Not clever. Not cool. If anyone knows of a movie with that song in it, let me know. Until then I will fill that void with this YouTube clip.

A Pleasant Surprise

Do not adjust your computer screen, these are real words appearing on my blog. You won't believe this but I'm actually going to write more than one sentence too. So it is no secret that my move to Salt Lake has been somewhat of an inconvenient disaster. I've been through two jobs and am moving on to a third shortly. My car has been through one minor accident and a smashed sunroof. The weather has been awful. I'm not trying to complain just to illustrate that greener pastures sometimes take a while to grow. I still have high hopes that I will be able to find my niche in this city and make this move worth the struggle. Luckily, one of my Salt Lake goals (being closer to sweet concerts) has not disappointed one bit. The Lady Gaga show was completely worth the ten month wait. Pinback was a lot fun despite the dumb, dumb, dumb crowd of idiots. Menomena was fab and Arcade Fire blew the roof off of my mind-house. But, I have rarely been so impressed with a band as I was last night with The Head and the Heart. I had listened to a few songs from their self-titled debut album and figured they would be a good excuse to get myself out of the house. So I grabbed my friend Chris and away we went. Kilby Court was packed with several devotees and curious onlookers like myself. The band played with a contagious energy that lasted throughout the show. Since band is still somewhat new, you could see their love for their music and performing it had not dimmed in the least. I've got to give them credit. Best $12 I've spent in a while.

Hello John Stamos

This video is kinda odd and has quite the sad ending, but this song has me in a trance.

Most of the time, life feels like this....

...but that makes it so much better when it is like this

Sorry for the creepy pic but this song is amazing

So Glad You're Back

Thank The Man

This story is a bit silly, and pretty dated. When Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and his assistant Phil Johnson resigned on February 10, I was more than a little shocked. Being die-hard Jazz fan my entire life, Jerry and Phil have always been a part of the equation. Despite my sadness and all the rumors surrounding the event, I'm glad to see these guys get their much-deserved vacation. Which brings me to my story. A few days after they resigned, I was working out at the gym. (Still going strong, baby!) After a grueling set of lifting massive amounts of weight, I took a break to refill my Thomas the Tank Engine water bottle. While walking to the fountain, I noticed a familiar face standing by the front desk. It was undoubtedly this man, Phil Johnson:

Tall, mustached, and wearing a Utah Jazz T-shirt. It was him. I had to act quick. Should I talk to him? What would I say? He was asking the attendant questions about the facility and soon they started walking toward me as they looked around. I stuck my hand out and shook his and said the only thing that came to mind,

"Thanks for everything."

Best News

They are coming.

To Orem.

April 11.

Holy flip.

What Should I Do? 3: No One's Reading This But I Gotta Finish....For Me

The Steelers are up 5-4 and the Super Bowl is tonight! Time for the last three rounds!

8. Towel or Hat?

Fans of both teams use an annoying yellow device to cheer for their teams. The Steelers have the Terrible Towel:

While Packers fans don the cheesehead:

Honestly, they are both kinda lame, but I am going to give the Pack a point here. Waving a towel is only a sometimes thing, wearing a cheese hat is a full-time job and I respect that.

Advantage: Green Bay

9. The First Paragraph on Wikipedia Battle:

Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin,^[3] located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of 581 feet (177 m) above sea level and is located 112 miles (180 km) north of Milwaukee. As of the 2000 United States Census, Green Bay had a population of 102,313.^[1] Its 2008 estimated census was 101,025.^[4] The Town of Green Bay is located several miles northeast of the city. It is the third-largest city in the state of Wisconsin, after Milwaukee and Madison. It is also the third-largest city on the west shore of Lake Michigan, after Chicago and Milwaukee.

Pittsburgh (pronounced /ˈpɪtsbərɡ/) is the second-largest city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area ofAppalachia^[8] and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States.^[9][10] The estimated population of the city in 2009 was 311,647,^[11] while the seven-county metropolitan area was estimated at 2,354,957.^[7] Downtown Pittsburgh retains substantial economic influence, ranking at 25th in the nation for jobs within the urban core and 6th in job density.^[12] The characteristic shape of Pittsburgh's central business district is a triangular tract carved by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, which form the Ohio River. The city features 151 high-rise buildings,^[13] 446 bridges,^[14] two inclined railways, and a pre-revolutionary fortification. Pittsburgh is known colloquially as "The City of Bridges" and "The Steel City" for its many bridges and former steel manufacturing base.

Which city would I rather party in? Neither. Which paragraph made me giggle featuring the phrase "triangular tract?"

Advantage: Pittsburgh

10. Utah Ties

My love of University of Utah football streams into pro sports. I try to cheer on any players drafted into the NFL. Sometimes this works out great (Alex Smith) and sometimes this works out really not so great at all (Alex Smith). Luckily, there are two Utah alums to cheer for in this game, Chris Kemoeatu and Stevenson Sylvester. Both play unseen roles for the same team. Chris is a staring guard on the offensive line. Productive but not flashy. Stevenson is a rookie playing special teams. He is also one of my favorite all-time players for the U. He also does not have a Super Bowl like Chris and his teammates. They both play for the Steelers.

Advantage: Pittsburgh

So, in about six hours I will put on my Patrick Willis jersey, eat some nachos and "cheer" on the Pittsburgh Steelers. I will be just fine if the Packers win, for Charles Woodson's sake. I look forward to a great game, good food, and commercials that I will easily see a million more times in the next month. Happy Super Bowl everyone!

Steelers win 7-5 and will win Super Bowl 35-27

What Should I Do?: Round 2 - Electric Boogaloo

Picking up where I left off yesterday, Pittsburgh took a 4-1 lead for the rights to my Super Bowl fan rights for Sunday's game. Let's see if Green Bay can make it interesting....

4. Heroes & Villains

Most athletes are easy to cheer for, easy to cheer against. But a few individuals transcend this and reach a you-gotta-love-this-guy or you-can't-help-but-hate-that-clown status. I haven't been informed of any heroic tales of cancer survival, orphan raising, or anything like that from either team. With no heroes, let's focus on the bad guys. The Steelers, for the most part, are a team of villains. Hines Ward is considered the "dirtiest player in the NFL. (Whatever that means) James Harrison has been fined tens of thousands of dollars for "cheap" and illegal hits this season alone. I can look past this easily, this is football after all. The only real "bad guy" on the team is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. "Big Ben" has twice been charged with sexual assault and has maintained a "higher than the law" swagger for most of his playing time. I won't judge him personally, but all this makes it much easier to cheer against him.

Advantage: Green Bay

5. The Ray Bourque Inclusion

Whenever a fan is in doubt on which team to cheer for, it is common to find a player who seems "deserving" of a championship. The heading of this section points to Raymond Bourque, who played 21 seasons for the Boston Bruins without ever winning a Stanley Cup. Bourque was a stellar player, but also a fan favorite and "good guy", as far as hockey players can be good. At the end of his career he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, where he finally won that elusive trophy. I don't follow hockey closely, but I can still remember seeing him skate around the rink holding the trophy. Are there any Raymond Bourques in

this game? Not quite. Charles Woodson is as close as we can get. Woodson has been a top notch NFL cornerback since 1998. He has transformed from a flashy Heisman winner to an unassuming playmaker. He won the Defensive Player of the Year last season. Also, on the Packers is Donald Driver, a veteran receiver who is tough, productive, and quiet. Both are good guys and both are deserving of a Super Bowl trophy. I'll combine them for one Bourque point. (.75 for Woodson and .25 for Driver)

Advantage: Green Bay

6. Mascot

The Steelers mascot:

The Packers mascot:

Yeah, they don't have one.

Advantage: Pittsburgh, for the kids.

7.Proof of an Underdog

Since both teams have had their share of success in their histories, let's keep this controlled to this season. The Steelers completed a 12-4 record and were the #2 seed in the AFC entering the playoffs. Despite losing Big Ben for the first four games of the season, they have remained near the top of the standings for most of the season. The Packers had a 10-6 record and were the #6 seed in the NFC. They had to win their last win games to qualify after a stretch of losing three out of four games. They have overcome a slew of injuries to key players (Barnett, Finley, Grant, Poppinga, Tauscher). Despite all this, the Packers are a three point favorite by Vegas odds. I still the have to go with the Packers on this one. Steelers are no underdog, sorry.

Advantage: Green Bay

Halftime! Steelers now lead 5-4. The third (and probably final) installment comes tomorrow!

Honest Mistake

I've always thought OK Go was just another dumb gimmick band who puts more thought into their music videos than their music. And, I'm probably right. I heard the following song on the radio a few nights ago and I honestly thought it was a Prince song I had never heard of. Once I realized my mistake, my first thought was "Whoops." My second thought was "if i can mistake and OK Go song for a Prince song and Prince is a music god, then OK Go must me capable of making a good song." So, that is that. I haven't even watched the video since it has dogs in it, but the song is a toe-tapper indeed.

What Should I Do?: Part One

With the Super Bowl less than one week away, I find myself faced with an important yet difficult dilemma.

Who do I cheer for?

As a die-hard fan of the San Francisco 49ers, I don't have a dog in this fight. As a matter of fact, the last time my team played for the Lombardi trophy I was nine years old (Not that I can complain that much, they have won in five times in their history). Each year when the Super Bowl comes around, I don't have much difficulty selecting which team I will root for. I tend to side with the underdogs or sentimental favorites ('08 Giants, '10 Saints). I also will quickly root against the teams I hate or "dynasty" teams (Cowboys, Packers, Steelers, Patriots). That is what makes this Super Bowl so tough. I really don't want to see either team win. So, it order to sort out my predicament into the First Ever Paper Badge Tale of the Tape: Super Bowl XLV Edition.

1. The Lemon Law

In order to proceed to the rest of our head-to-head comparison, both teams must pass the Lemon Law (© Barney Stinson). This means I have to be able to look at both teams and not find one thing so overbearingly repugnant that no other factor will even matter. The Lemon Law test requires asking three questions. First, Did anyone involved with either team do anything to physically or emotionally hurt your family, friends, or Rihanna? Second, does Brett Favre or Max Hall play major minutes for either team? Third, if given the choice to watch Best in Show or The Guardian, would anyone on the team pick that horrendous Costner/Kutcher disaster? Okay, so that last one may have been more for dating, but as far as I am aware both team pass the first two questions.

Advantage: Push. One point for both team

2. The Facial Hair Factor

There has been much fanfare this week surrounding the locks of Troy Polamalu and Clay Matthews. I'll give these guys credit for some great hair, but if you want to win my Super Bowl vote, it's all about the beard. And the winner of the Super Bowl beard competition is not even close...

Meet Brett Keisel, Steelers defensive end and alumnus of BYU. For those non-sports fans out there, if you were shown this picture and were given x-amount of choices to guess the university he attended for a million dollars, how many guesses would it take to finally say BYU? I'm not entirely sure what the Packers have to offer in the beard department, but it can't touch this.

Advantage: Pittsburgh. Double points for a double beard.

3. Hate/Revenge Level

My hate for the Packers runs deep. My buddy Marcus has always despised the Pack and passed that on to me. During the 90s/early 00s, the Niners and Packers had a series of great rivalry games, most of them did not go our way. But, this team is different. There is no Brett Favre. No Mike Holmgren. The Pack whooped us this year, and I have beat us eight straight times. The last time we beat them was on a miracle pass from Steve Young to Terrll Owens. All that said, I don't mind seeing them lose.

I've never really hated the Steelers. The Niners rarely play them and we beat them in '03 followed by a loss in '07. The one thing that the Steelers have going against them is the amount of Super Bowls the have won. They currently have six, while the Niners (and Cowboys) have five. A 7-5 advantage is tough to overcome. We were first to five and it would be nice to get that title back.

Advantage: Pittsburgh. I was originally going to give this section to Green Bay, but as I typed their section my blood started to boil with the memory of all those defeats. One point to the Steelers.

Through three quarters, the Steelers have a 4-1 lead. Tune in tomorrow for Round 2.

Tweet Incredible

So with my recent graduation, it became time for me to take the necessary steps in becoming an independent.

First on that list was getting kicked off the family plan.

I'd been rocking this phone for the past three years:

This phone and I had some great times together. Lots of text c

onversation. Lots of crappy quality pics. I'll miss it. But if I'm going to pay for my own plan, this phone was not coming with me. So I upgraded.

To this:

It's a whole new ballgame, kids. Once you go smartphone, you'll never go dumbphone again. Internet, apps, sports, angry birds, and Twitter. Glorious Twitter. I never knew how badly I needed to know random facts about the daily lives of celebrities. But, oh did I ever need it. I laugh. I cringe. But I love love love Twitter. I'm still a novice tweeter, but once I get the hang of hashtags and the like there may be no stopping me. (There may be no (one) following either, but that's fine.)

So I think the main point of this post was to brag. So, yeah, thanks for listening.

Make Sure You're Sitting Down For This One

I, (The) Paper Badge(r), joined a gym. Yeah. It happened. For those of you who know me, the real me, this is an unusual first for me. Prior to now, I had lifted weights a grand total of one time in my life. I hated running unless it was after a frisbee or a soccer ball. (I was not a dog) But now I am running. I am lifting. And I am sweating. And hurting. Not sure what I am doing to myself.

Never Text and Mall Walk

Weekend

It's the weekend. So here's a song called "Weekend."

Leaving Logan

Almost seven years ago, I left Logan for the first time. It was my first time living away from home and what began as a very difficult experience grew into a life-changing memory. I made many friends. I went out shopping and did laundry on my own for the first time. I fell in love with ultimate frisbee. I had my first real part time job. I grew to love the quiet college town with its beautiful scenery and friendly residents. It had become my home. But I had to leave to accomplish serving a mission. When I drove down Main Street leaving the town behind, I cried. I was only going to be gone for two years, but I cried.

Two weeks ago, I left Logan for the second time. A winter storm was approaching so we had to move quick. My dad and I threw all my belongings into boxes and garbage bags and piled them into our family's Suburban. Everyone was still gone for Christmas break, so there were no goodbyes and definitely no crying. The whole process was like ripping off a Band-Aid. Only it was a Band-Aid that had been attached to my heart and soul for nearly a decade.

Last Thursday, I went back to Logan to say goodbye. I visited USU campus and the Best Western. I drove down Main Street again and up the roads where I'd like to walk and think. I said goodbye to my friends. I slept in my old apartment. (with permission, of course.) Most importantly, I was able to close that chapter of my life. I love everything about Logan and Cache Valley, but it had run its course. I'm excited for Salt Lake City and whatever new challenges and experience await. And I'll look forward to returning to Logan again. As a visitor.

The Return

New Year's Resolution #1: Write/blog more often

What? Did you think I had died? I thought I forgot about you? You thought I didn't love you anymore? On the contrary, my friends. The past *cough* four months *cough* have been busy and weird. I packed up and left Logan. I dyed my hair black. I brought back the Annie dress for a triumphant Halloween reprise. I went to South Bend. Christmas happened and so did Thanksgiving. The Utes were great, then sucked, were good again, and then really sucked. The Niners were a disaster. The Jazz are fun and confusing. I brought the beard back. I graduated college. I am unemployed.

For some reason I never blogged about any of this.

I can't spend much time apologizing for that. I can't even count how many times I have began a blog post or journal entry with "I'm sorry it's been such a long time..." and I can't even promise that this is the last hiatus for Paper Badge. But, I'm posting today and that is all that matters right now.