Underground Car Guy

So if you have noticed I have not posted in about a week or so.  I am away in Seattle with my friends the Dials.  Will be here for a few more days and will give a full report when I get home.

As I was out with a friend the other night getting something to eat, he got a phone call from a friend getting ready to come down for a visit, and he was talking about dating again after his divorce.  But as he got of the phone with me the talk turned back to me.  I am not ready for this.  I don't want to be through back into that pool again.  And again in my life right now I do not have much to offer anyone.  But then again, there runs through me the fear of rejection.  The fear that I am not good enough. But there is the part of me that regrets that, even though I have this fear of rejection, that I to have rejected some in the past, namely two. One was in 9th grade.  We had know each other since I move out to Arizona when I was 8.  I do not think that we had really ever been close until our 9th grade year.  She was a student aid in the computer class that I was in.  I don't know how we had become close, but we were always around each other during class.  I think the ques

Me with Jensen in 2012. As I was writing about my vacation with my grandparents, it made me realize that I had a love of trains.  Not only did my Hatch grandparents work for the railroad, but so did my Grandpa Close.  One thing that I left out from the trips, was that we did stay here in Mesa between our travels from California, Northern Arizona, and Utah.  My grandpa Hatch would always take me down to Pioneer  Park and they had a train engine there, and I climbed all over that train inside and out. I think it that next Christmas that he got me a train set that had and engine that blow smoke.  I had that train until I think the second move out to Arizona.  But I have always enjoyed model trains.  One of the things I really enjoyed about going to the State Fair was going and seeing the model train set below the grandstands.  And then seeing the exhibit in San Diego in 2007. Living in Chattanooga was great as well.  During the Civil War, Chattanooga was the major train hub for th

My sister just went to Moab for the 4th holiday.  My dad is getting ready to see some of the country he has not see yet.  Del Mar just took his family to drop them off in Seattle for the rest of July.  We are in the middle of summer vacation time.  I took a lot of trips with my grandma over the years, from visiting Snowflake at least once every summer, to going to California and Utah.  Or we just traveling around the state and discovering new things.  Here are of some of my favorite vacations.  The summer with Grandma and Grandpa One of my first vacation that I can remember is coming out to Arizona as a 5 year old boy and visiting Grandma and Grandpa.  I did not know it at the time but I was spending the summer with them.  The first time I realized that mom was not around was when we were up in Snowflake.  I think I cried until grandpa came out and gave me this white cowboy hat, and that was all it took and I was OK with everything.  The rest of the time was spent visiting relative,

So I was doing my movie list, when my friend Daniel ask me what would be my favorite.  As I thought about it, some of my favorite movies did not make the lists I was working on.  I guess it is because a lot of them just are not on a lot. 1.  Mr. Smith goes to Washington (1939):  One of my favorite Jimmy Stewart movies.  This is the movie that got me excited about politics.  I want to be like  Jefferson Smith, and go to Washington and make a difference.  But I think this is one was one of the first movies to show the ugliness that Washington can be.  From the lobbyist to the Reports.  To the back room deals done to get bills past. 2.  The Quiet Man (1952):  One of the only times I think that John Wayne was not playing a cowboy or a soldier.  A movie the John Ford wanted to do so badly that he had to do three other movies before he could make this one.  A movie that my mother loved and that I grew to love growing up.  Loved it before I served my mission in Ireland.  I th

"Success and failure have much in common that is good. Both mean you're trying." Frank Tyger Faith and fear cannot coexist. Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Ensign. May 2009 "faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other" Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Ensign Mar. 2009. I sit here and look at this quotes and know that right now my life had been on the down ward spiral for a few years.  I sit here and wonder when I will be able to get out of this deep dark hole and become a normal person again.  But my fears of not being able to live up to my potential has really stopped me dead in my tracks. My best friends family has treated me like I am part of them.  The past few weeks I have been  taken and picking  up from school the oldest son.  He is 16.  He is a pretty smart kid and can at times hang with the adult conversions.  He loves computer games and playing D&D.  But as smart as he is, he is a very bad student. I saw

As I set here and watch my future ex-wife out having fun, I wonder if I was really am any fun to be with?  I mean, one of the many reasons she left, because being married to me was not fun anymore.  Is it my inability to make friend the reason?  I don't know.   I like to travel, I like to play games (not just the video type), love to go to the movies, plays and musicals.  I just don't get it.  Yes my life style has changed and I do not have the in on see the plays and musicals anymore.  I really don't know.

List number 2! 11. The Ten Commandments (1956):  Just like It's s Wonderful Life reminds you of Christmas time, nothing says Easter than the Ten Commandments.  A movie I have to watch every year at this time.  Thank You ABC.  But what an epic movie.  12.  A Christmas Carol (1951):  Another movie that it is not Christmas with out watching this.  This is my favorite version of the story.  We have Patrick Stewart, George C. Scott, Jim Carey, Bill Murray, and Micheal Cain all to Ebenezer Scrooge.  But Alastair Sim, is the best of them all. 13. Talladega Nights:  The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006):  When it comes to Will Ferrell, it is a toss up if Talladega Nights or Anchorman is my favorite.  This has the edge every time.  From him running around in his underwear praying to Tom Cruise, or to him being trained to come back to racing by is estranged father.  Then there is the quotes.  "  You ain't First, than your are last."  and "I'm all jacked up on Mount

As I sit here watching Notting Hill:  I was trying to think about what are my favorite movies are.  After talking to my friend Del Mar last night, is it the importance to how the movie changed movie watching or does it come down to pure enjoyment.  I think every movie we watch is important to us. Movies we see on T.V. and just have to set down and watch over and over again.  So here is my list in no order of importance. 1.  Well lets start it off with Notting Hill (1999).  Not really a Julia Roberts Fan, but love Hugh Grant in this movie.  I love that there are really no other stars, but you will see people who still are working in films or T.V. today like Hugh Bonneville ( From Downtown Abbey) and Rhys Ifans.  A true romantic comedy.  Favorite line from the movie:  "I am just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."  How can you say no after that? 2.  Monty's Pythons Holy Grail (1975):  How many times are you with your friends and someone says &qu

I spent my 4th of July with the Dial Family.  I am glad that we can have Fireworks in Mesa.  This brings back memories of when my dad would go on Business trips to Georgia, and he would bring back fireworks.

 I hope that no one thinks this is cheating, but I found this talk the other day that I would like to share.  It is from Ezra Taft Benson.  Ezra was the Thirteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint , or better known as the Mormons.  He also served as Secretary of Agriculture for President Dwight D  Eisenhower, from 1953 to 1961.   This all came about from discussion I had with a few friends this weekend about the resent rulings from the Supreme Court.  And it got the point that we were talking about the LDS Church's statement about the rulings and Prop. 8 from California about same sex marriage.  I have always seen the church as the supporter of the government and the founding of this country.  Even though they do not agree with the courts ruling on Prop 8, the church still believe in the rule of law. This speech also I feel goes with the celebration of the Fourth of July.  This was given at Brigham Young University on Dec 4, 1973.  So I hope you foll