Notes on Notes
April 15, 2008 | Filed Under Simplify, Sheldon, Church | 2 Comments
General Conference came again this month and it was great. One extra reason that it was great is pretty minor, but nonetheless important, at least to me. I was able to take notes this time and feel good about it. You see, my Conference / Church Meeting notes are usually scraps of paper (or even worse, a program) that I end up tucking away between the pages of my scriptures or somewhere not all that accessible later. Sometimes they are really quality notes, only to be forgotten because they were scribbled and folded away.
This time around I decided to change that approach by doing what I do with my creative projects. I have a couple of quality notebooks that I use to jot down ideas, thoughts, quotes, sketches, and I really value them. They are ‘perfect’ stitch bound, meaning they have no rings or holes. I like the flexible leather kind, filled with graph paper. (Grid paper is great for sketching and geometric shapes, and no matter where you write on the page, it’s on a line). I usually get the black Miquel Rius ones at any Barnes & Noble (but you can get some great ones online too). In fact, I had one that I brought with me to Taiwan, and during that time it really was invaluable, because I scribbled so many thoughts and sketches down. I look over them frequently.
Anyway, I bought one to be used only for Sunday and General Conference notes. One thing that I’m also picky about is also the type of pen. I use inky, Pilot pens, technical pens, and pretty much any pen that flows well and doesn’t bleed through the paper.
So far so good.
Okay, I’ll play
April 8, 2008 | Filed Under Sheldon | 5 Comments
It’s gloomy outside, and there’s not too much going on at the moment, so I’ll respond to Jerin’s latest post.
10 years ago…
- Graduated High School (a year early).
- Lived in Republic, Missouri.
- Deejayed Church dances and brainstormed with Josh G. on elaborate ideas for dates.
- Had a lot more time on my hands now that I think of it!
5 things I need to do today…
- Buy some new sneakers
- Call my parents
- Exercise
- FHE
- Pay some bills online
Snacks I enjoy…
- Nachos with Jalapenos
- I used to like Corn Nuts until I found out they had MSG!
- Jamba Juice considered a snack?
What I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire…
- Move to the Coast and swim in the ocean everyday
- Custom design and build a prefab, off-the-grid home
- Create an off-the-grid, New Urbanist community
- Launch a dozen business ideas that have been in my head
- Travel the Globe and serve as a Missionary with Kuei
- Go into orbit and see the Earth from space
- Write novels
- Help my family and friends realize their goals too
3 of my bad habits…
- Too sporadic…(this can be a problem but provide for interesting adventures)
- Stay up waaay too late (early?)
- Procrastinate too much
5 places that I lived…
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Magna, Utah
- Springfield, Missouri
- Urbandale, Iowa
- Taipei, Taiwan
5 jobs I’ve had…
- Photographer’s Assistant (yes I held up the shiny disc things and took the blurry photos at events)
- Graphic Designer
- Sbarro’s Pizza (I can throw the dough)
- DJ
- Urban Research Analyst (yawn)
5 things people don’t know about me…
- I used to be in a band called “Unison” when I was about 10-11 years old…but dropped out, because I was like 10-11, come on?
- I love to write. I have been working on 3-5 novels for the last 5 years (I’m a procrastinator perfectionist what can I say).
- I make music (progressive trance / melodic electronica ) on my Mac - eventually I’ll cut something to vinyl.
- I’m an entrepreneur at heart and have too many projects I’d like to work more on.
- My parents seriously considered naming me Israel, but eventually went with the name Sheldon (from our family history).
- (bonus) Way back in the day, my favorite show was Ghostwriter, and I had a crush on Tina (imagine that). Anyone out there remember Double T? That show was awesome! Tag yourselves and post to your blog if you want to play along…
Monster Jam
February 29, 2008 | Filed Under Sheldon, Brighton | 1 Comment
Brighton and I went to Monster Jam at the Delta Center not too long ago. It was pretty cool. Our favorite part was when there were two real transformer-like cars that turned into robots. The lights went dark and one of them shot a fireball at the other. But next time we go, it will have to be somewhere open, outside or something, because all the exhaust in there was insane.
Sketching
December 4, 2007 | Filed Under Sheldon, Architecture, Brighton | 3 Comments
I was introduced to Chartpak’s and Prismacolor ad markers at school and needed to get a set of some good architectural tones for sketching, along with technical pens. There are so many tools for illustration out there, and while today, most of the same techniques can be replicated pretty easily digitally, (using something like Photoshop/Illustrator and then adjusting opacity on a digital airbrush)…there is still something about getting a perfectly weighted piece of paper under your hands, and twisting the cap off of a pen/ad marker that bleeds color and style into the paper quicker than any stylus. I love to sketch, and have a lot of scribbles on scraps of paper, notebooks, etc., and needed to break in some Chartpak’s for a portfolio. You can never have too many inky pens too. The ad markers really are great tools, and the only drawback is the ‘marker smell’ so you have to crack a window or else you’ll be getting dizzy in no time. (On that note, anyone out there come across professional ad markers/paint pens that are more organic/less chemical, and still produce quality results…let me know).
By the way, Brighton is also big on sketching…and really good at it!
We Got Some Wheels
July 2, 2007 | Filed Under Scion xB, Sheldon, Family | 2 Comments
We are very glad to report our transportation situation has improved (photos coming soon). We are now the proud owners of a 2005 Scion XB, yay! (Queue the progressive trance…)
Now I’ve never been a ‘car guy.’ Never really cared about grills and wheels and pistons. I guess that is because nothing out there really impressed me. Until I saw the box. Guess how I heard about the Scion brand? Online. An advertisement on an electronica website, integrated in a remix article or something I was reading, showed an XB completely customized with turn-tables in the back. This was months and months ago. With a passion for good design, I took notice to the sharp edges of this thing. And when I saw it on the street, I literally thought it was the coolest ride out there. You either love it or hate it. I, for one, think it is fantastic. Purely in terms of design and uniqueness, there was nothing like it…(”architecture is every thing,” coming to mind)…At one point, months ago, I took the XB for a test drive. It was too fun and it handles great. One more thing…the box is deceptively roomy. On the outside it looks small. Get inside and its insane how much headroom, visibility, and legroom we have.
Let me just mention Scion for a sec. Apparently I fall into the target demographic. This was interesting, honestly, learning about their approach. It has been successful…When the Honda Element came out I laughed. That thing is ugly, sorry Element owners. It’s the equivalent of a Zune when you really should get an iPod. The Scion XB is a geometric dream.
Anyway, to make a long story short, God has blessed us with a car we can afford and we totally dig.
P.S. I wonder how large a tire the XB wheel well allows?…Uh oh, I think I may have entered new territory… 
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Update:
Just a side note about something going on in the Scion world: If you look at the new 2008 Scion XB, you’ll find something that, in my view, missed the mark big time. It should’ve been called something totally different. Because all the things about the original XB were lost with the new version. It looks like a potato, for one. Bottom-line: I am not a fan of the new 2008 XB. Scion made a big mistake there. But the first generation model is a beauty.