JET Application

I am applying for the JET Programme, a government program that sends people to Japan to teach English for a year. In the application, they ask for all of my transcripts, including community college. I'm left with a dilemma: do I fail to include my horrible grades at ARC, or do I turn them in like an honest person and have it hurt my application? My BYU grades are good enough, and hopefully they'll realize that I had a life changing experience in Guatemala and learned how to stay motivated. I do fear, however, that they'll see how horribly I did at AR and reject my application. People don't always give you a chance to prove that you're better than the data might show. I've requested my grades from ARC, but I am very afraid of what they will be.

La frita casita

We had our last softball game tonight. It wasn't supposed to be the last one, but naturally, we lost. I've been playing for the Hogi Yogi softball team in the Orem recreational league of the American Softball Association. I've had some good moments this year, including tagging quite a few guys out at home, getting a lot of good hits and crushing a bomb of a homer to center field. Tonight was not exactly a showcase of my abilities. I went 0-3 with two ground outs to third and a popout. Our team lost 8-6 to our most bitter rivals, La Casita, therefore ending our season and giving us third place in the league. We had a good team, but the fielders tonight just couldn't hang on to any of the fly balls hit their way. We got screwed by the ump, who admittedly made a bad call on a play at first that should've ended the inning. Instead, the next batter hit a 3-run home run. That's more than the difference in the score. We didn't get along well with La Casita, mainly because they wanted to fight over just about anything that happened, claiming that we were trying to mess with them. If only they knew that we really didn't care about them enough to try to mess with them.

We had a work meeting tonight, too. They got Arby's. Bleh.

Je voudrais un croissant

Stef and I got to drop Kelsey off with the neighbors to go watch a movie. Out of all the great movies that were playing at the dollar theater, we chose Ratatouille. We got to the theater expecting a huge line, but were pleasantly surprised to see two or three people waiting outside. After buying our tickets, we went inside to buy some snacks. A bunch of people, mostly young parents with their kids, were waiting for the theater door to open. When we got in, we realized how many kids there were, including babies. We definitely could've brought Kelsey with us. At one point, a girl rolled down the aisle next to us as though she was rolling down a grassy hill. The movie itself was great. Pixar movies have the ability to entertain kids while still keeping things interesting for adults. The soft, ambient colors perfectly set the tone of the movie, which was mostly subtle. It was really nice to get out with Stef.

Oh yeah, these guys rock.

I blog

Actually, I don't blog. Maybe I should; it'd give me something to do during downtime at work. We have a space up for pictures of Kelsey at http://jessenstef.spaces.live.com/.

I have nothing to do now that the real baseball season is over. Yeah, the playoffs are going on, but the A's didn't make it. Nothing else matters. There's always next year. And at least the the Angels Angels of Anaheim got swept.

Scott's a movie star now. He went over to Korea to find acting work and make a name for himself. Apparently, he starred in an independent suspense/horror movie called The Ceremony. I hope that when he gets famous he still remembers that Axel is better than Skate.

Happy Feet?

False. I was really looking forward to a peppy, upbeat movie about a penguin that was "different" from the rest, somehow winning the affection of the other penguins. Well, I did get that movie. Unfortunately, I also got three other movies, all rolled into one incoherent package.

Not only do we get a movie about fitting in, but also a musical, an episode of the Twilight Zone, and a heartwarming nature conservation flick. George Miller, the director, must have put different plots into a hat, thrown the hat into a wood chipper, then collected the pieces and rearranged them arbitrarily.

If they wanted to make an environmental film, they should have done so from the beginning. Instead, they trick you into thinking that you'll care about this lovably different penguin, only to change course two thirds of the way through and start preaching about how we're killing off all the penguins by fishing in their waters and leaving soda pop rings on their heads. What does that have to do with a kids' movie?

Perhaps I'm too critical. Perhaps you are a fool.

In all honesty, it wasn't a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination. The animation was very good, and most of the characters were well developed. It just tried to do too much. I wasn't a fan of the sexual undertones throughout, nor was I pulled in by singing and dancing penguins. The baby penguins were pretty cute, but there was just too much singing.

The movie's premise of the penguin trying to fit in regardless of how poorly he was being treated was its biggest flaw. Life is not about fitting in with the jerks; it's about accepting yourself for who you are. If you like different things, you don't need to prove to others that your interests are legitimate. To heck with the penguin's love interest. If he needs to save the penguin race to gain her love, then she's not worth his time.

53 minutes into "Happy Feet", after a seemingly important event in the movie, I turned to Stef and said, "I don't know how they're going to squeeze 55 more minutes into this movie." Stef agreed. If they had ended the movie right there, you'd be reading a positive review. No such luck.

R8R H8Rs

Is it just me, or are A's fans and Raiders fans two completely different breeds? It's very common to see someone rooting for the A's between April and October, but then switching sides of the bay come football season. I know that I certainly like the 49ers more than the Raiders. Maybe we're trying to distance ourselves from the "bad boy" image associated with the Raiders.

Strangely, I don't know if I've ever met a Giants/Raiders fan. When I was growing up, my Dad was a diehard Giants/Niners fan, so I have always liked both San Francisco teams. However, I always went to A's games with my best friend, and I ended up gravitating towards the A's. I've stuck with the A's, Niners, and Kings through the good years and the bad, yet I only really care about the Giants if they've made the playoffs.

As for the Raiders, I despise what they've done to my beautiful baseball stadium. I remember looking out at the Oakland hills, watching people walk behind the scoreboard. Now, all I see is a huge mountain of glass and concrete.

I'm sick of Rex Hudler

The TV broadcast team for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Los Angeles is really getting on my nerves. With MLB.TV being my only window to the A's, I have to settle for the Angels' broadcast. The A's have traditionally played some very close series with the Angels, and this one has certainly been no exception. Tonight, with the A's down 2-1 late in the game, Nick Swisher was up to bat with Eric Chavez on second base and nobody out. John Lackey was ahead in the count, 0-2, after Swisher took a couple of herculean hacks. Rex Hudler, the color commentator for the Angels, spouted out this nonsense:

Rather than taking a big swing, he could always shorten it up and do something to help the team.

I'm not disputing the fact that Swisher didn't necessarily need to hit the ball deep in order to help the team. There are many ways that he could help out: a ground ball to the right, a bloop single, a walk, a bunt (obviously not going to happen).

Somehow, in Rex Hudler's mind, moving a runner over is the only way to help the team. Shame on you, selfish Nick Swisher, for wanting to drive in the tying run. Be glad that you got beaned, because any kind of true offensive production, such as a home run or double, would have killed the rally.

Hudler also had this gem during Thursday night's game, referring to Jose Molina's bloop-single into right field:

He's not going to try to kill you, I'm just going to try to doink you.

Run.