Seattle Trip!

I enjoy a good viral self-promotion campaign. I like it when people exercise their entrepreneurial chops. I like people with gumption. And I like possibly winning a trip to see my parents. So go check out this link and maybe you can win a trip to Seattle as well!

Italy, finally (sort of)

Before I launch in to the travel log posts, I wanted to show off some of my favorite photos from the trip with just some brief explanations. Like this first one, it's the Pantheon.
Some painting in the Vatican.
Also the Vatican.
Coliseum.
An arch, near the Forum.

The seal of Rome.

Santa Croce, which has a ton of famous people entombed inside.

The Arno, at night.
The Arno, at day.
Florence.
The duomo, in Florence.

Siena.
Also Siena.
Obligatory food shot #1: Gelato.
Obligatory bicycle shot: green.
Obligatory food shot #2: sandwich.

Ciao Italia!
Ciao everybody!

Oh please do watch this

While my Lego castle work pales in comparison, I'm not jealous, simply because it's impossible to make me jealous of anything Lego. I only get inspired. I think most of you know the feeling.

Out of place Mormon photos

Like many of you, I got my new manual for Priesthood/Relief Society hour yesterday. Also like many of you, I had to teach from it almost every Sunday on my mission and grew to love how straightforward the lessons are. And I'm glad that it got a revision and a face lift, complete with color photos(!). Most of them are great. Two of them kind of made me chuckle. Here's the first:

Taken from a lesson of the Law of Chastity, I suppose this makes sense, if you're married. If you are single, it's basically a big "neener neener nee-ner" to you from all the married folk you know. Also, he probably could have sprung for a rock, since he obviously didn't on the flowers. And now, the second picture:
This is going to be one depressing lesson. The topic, The Postmortal Spirit World. Let's examine. No dad, three depressed looking children, and a mom - in a wheelchair. Wow. As Mormons, we tend to take a pretty positive look on the life after this one, but this picture is one big downer. Props for getting bow ties into the shot though.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to using this manual for the next few, since it's a really great way to get down to the basics. And the occasional chuckle over a seemingly out of place photo ain't so bad either.

A few more one line reviews

Sherlock Holmes: It's a fun time, and I highly recommend it.

Sullivan's Travels: Before Oscar season thrusts Hollywood's finest upon you, do yourself a favor and Netflix this one.

Avatar One Line Review

For a three dimensional movie, there sure were a lot of two dimensional characters.

I hope I didn't just rip off some reviewer.

Black Knight Addendum

This might have been a better plan of attack for our Forestmen friends.

The Black Knight's Castle.

Here's the story of the best Lego castle I've ever built. This the castle of the oppressive Black Knight, who lives in his black room in the black tower of his gray castle.
The castle is very well guarded and oppressive, starting with the dual crossbows that sit atop the highest part of the castle.
There are even internal defenses, including this trap door...
and a concealed catapult.
See? Concealed.
Here's the "dungeon," though no one ends up there very often. The Black Knight takes few prisoners.
There's no moat to speak of, but you can't have a castle without a working drawbridge. Here's the Black Knight now, returning from a hard day of oppressing the serfs.
Every day, the Black Knight spends some time atop his castle looking intimidating, in case the locals get any ideas.
See?
He can even look oppressive from the rear of his castle thanks to the big window he's got installed in his chambers.
Here's the lady of the castle. She's quite the looker, which is just the way the Black Knight likes his ladies.
There's even a castle ghost (no evil castle would be complete without it's ghost)...
who spends most of his days chasing the lady around. Incidentally, this is how she manages to keep her figure, and the Black Knight is duly grateful to the ghost for his services.
This forestman was fortunate enough to have been captured by one of the Knight's men.
This forestman, however...
was not.
In an attempt to exact revenge upon the Black Knight for the death of their fellowman, and for his oppressiveness in general, the remaining forestmen staged a poorly thought out attack on the castle.
Their frontal assault was equally poorly though out, and was quickly repelled by the catapult. Again, See? I tried to warn them.
You can't deny their bravery, however, as the leader of the forestmen fought valiantly with the Black Knight's chief protégé, the Charcoal Knight.
Sadly, this tale does not have a happy ending. The scenes were too gruesome to capture on film. The juxtaposition of so many smiling yellow faces amidst such slaughter, however, is a sight I shall not soon forget. The leader of the forestmen, being more of an archer than a swordsman, fell victim to the more than capable Charcoal Knight, while several of the forestmen were severely wounded by crossbow arrows and large flying rocks. The healthy forestmen saved who they could and fled to their hideout deep in the mystical woods to begin planning of some well thought out plans of revenge. All the while the oppressive laugh of the Black Knight rings out from his black tower and over the forested valley below...

Until next time, folks.