New Harry Potter Poll...

If you answer the poll to your right, feel free to leave comments explaining yourself.

I chose Hermione because she is always super brilliant and most always right.  Without her, Harry, Ron and everybody would be nothing.  She is the most skilled wizard of the lot.

Leave your comments too.

Dumbledore is dead...

At least right now.  I just finished reading the sixth book and I am so sad to say that a certain person deliberately chose to kill Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.  I don't feel that I am giving away any information that isn't already world known.  I am in mourning.  It was crazy to feel an actual loss when he died.  I haven't felt that attached to characters since I read the Chronicles of Narnia back in elementary school.  

Needless to say, I think that everybody should read the Harry Potter books.  They are great.  

I am not much of a fiction reader (or much of a reader at all) but Harry Potter has helped me want to keep reading.  I have read the whole series in this one semester.  It is really good.  Read it and see how great Dumbledore is, how great Harry Potter is and how great reading is. 

30 more credits...

I met with a counselor today to talk about graduation plans, and I found out that I only have 18 credits left before I can graduate with my Media Arts degree.  Another 12 and I have got myself a minor in International Development.  

So pretty much that means 30 more credits and I am finally graduated.  Wow.  Then it is off to grad school for another long time.  

Taking out the trash...

So a little less than 4 years ago, at the end of summer 2005, the elder's quorum I was in was approached by one of it's members.

The conversation went as follows:

GUY- "So for the past few months I have been taking out the girls trash every Sunday night."

ELDERS- "Umm... Really?"

GUY- "I have done it because the girls sometimes feel lonely and sad and this shows that somebody cares for them."

ELDERS- "... "

GUY- "And I am leaving for graduate school in (insert some school I don't remember the name of here) and I am looking for your help in helping this continue."

ELDERS- "(Anxious shuffle)"

GUY- "So who is willing to help this out?"

ELDERS- "... "

GUY- "Anybody?"

ELDERS- "..."

GUY- "ANYBODY?"

ELDERS- " ... "

TRAVIS- "I guess I will do it THIS week..."

GUY- "Great! Thanks!"

So I went out that night and took out the girl's trash and it wasn't so bad.  

The next Sunday the guy asked again if somebody would do it.  Again the elders quorum silence and I volunteer again.  

This time I notice a change in myself and in the way that my week goes.  It is much nicer.

I continue to take out the girl's trash every Sunday and I continue to feel the uplift-ness that it brings to my life.  

Now it is almost 4 years later and I am still taking out the trash.  

I have involved my roommates Brian and Jesse and they help weekly now.

I have also neglected taking it out for a couple months because I want to spend that time with my wonderful girlfriend, Becky.  (though the responsibilities have been carried out by Jesse)

But, today I took the trash out again and it felt good.  It helped me feel serviceable again since it is so very easy to be selfish now.  I also was able to stop and talk to some friends that I have also neglected to talk to.  

So thanks to trash, I feel better about myself, I want to help more people, and the girl's apartments are that much more clean.  

Thanks trash.

Rain and Melancholy...

Spring is a good time.  New life, school is almost over, summer is coming, etc.  If spring is so great, why do I feel melancholy so much.  

I am not sad but right now I don't feel happy either.  

Maybe the rain will help.

So I walked into my apartment today, and it smelled like bolonga...

I am grateful that it is becoming warmer, then we can open the windows and air out our apartment.  I blame Dan and Liz.  They always make weird smells.

Polaroids and Technology

So, as we were all quite sad to find out, Polaroid film has currently stopped being made and is now super expensive (though I have heard of some interesting rumors about some company that has bought it or something). But thanks to ingenious computer dorks, the heritage of Polaroids is saved.
Now on www.poladroid.net you can download free software that will allow you to convert your existing pictures to polaroidish pictures. Lisa showed this to me last night and I love it. To show you how cool it is, and to encourage you to download the program and donate to their cause, I am posting some of my favorite pictures that have been converted using this software.

Here.