BYU Fans For Utah...

For the first time this year, our porch was graced with competing flags. Our neighbors across the street, the Wrights, have been stalwart BYU-flag fliers all year. Admittedly, I missed a couple of early weeks but, after several other neighbors asked me where the BYU flag went, I've been more diligent. I got my flag out bright and early today. Then, when I wasn't looking, Sara got her flag out too (it was classic because Kyle Wright, our neighbor across the street, got his flag out while Sara wasn't looking, which frustrated her because I think she was hoping that they might have forgotten):


Note that Sara's flag is much bigger than mine. Anyway, there are a lot of split families and friends when it comes to the BYU / Utah rivalry. Prior to getting geared up for the next two weeks of rival bashing, Doug Robinson, from the Deseret News, was trying to answer a preliminary question: Can BYU football fans root for (ick) Utah Utes?

The answer is, of course, yes. But not very often. But that is beside the point. Robinson's column is focused on whether it was okay to root for Utah over TCU (it is moot now since TCU rolled Utah just like TCU rolled BYU). I say yes; if Utah beat TCU then BYU would win the MWC championship (because, of course, BYU will beat Utah). In setting up this question, Robinson penned the following, which I found to be hilarious:

The question you face is this: For whom do you cheer — TCU or (ahem, ahem, gag, cough, spit) Utah?

Welcome to "Sophie's Choice Comes to Provo."

Who do you like this weekend — the Frogs or your dreaded, detested, sick-of-'em Utes?

For BYU Fan, this is a difficult weekend. It must be like choosing between Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid, Michael Moore or the swine flu, the firing squad or hanging, the BCS or the ACLU.

One of the three biggest lies in Utah County is about to be put to the test:

The first lie: I don't vote for the party, I vote for the person.

The second lie: I'm not going to get married until I finish school.

The third lie: I cheer for the Utes when they're not playing BYU.

Good stuff Mr. Robinson. Good stuff indeed. And just so you know: (1) I don't vote for the party, I vote against Curt Bramble; (2) I didn't get married until I finished school, twice; and (3) Ummmm... 5th Amendment please.

Winter Wonder Slam 2009

If you've been around since June, you probably remember a post about me going to the Relient K concert with some of the neighborhood kids (and their parents of course). Sara will tell you that the best thing to come out of that experience was the discovery of Owl City; nobody had ever heard of Owl City at that point (side note: my mom really likes Owl City too).

But Relient K was awesome. And hanging out with the Whites and the Platts was also awesome. Fast forward about six months and we're gearing up to do it again. Aaron is making the arrangements and it sounds like Aaron, Weston, Jackson, and myself are headed to Vegas on December 18th for the Winter Wonder Slam featuring TobyMac and Relient K.

There is nothing quite like a good Christian Rock concert to get you in the mood for a Rockin' Christmas. Here is the official Winter Wonder Slam 2009 Tour Widget; you can use it to check out some of the music and learn about some of the bands:

If nothing else, you need to listen to Relient K's version of Sleigh Ride. Just click on "Music" and then pick the Relient K song. Turn up the music, wish for some snow, and get ready for winter!

BYU Basketball - Ronnie Ron & Roscoe

I know that we're still right in the middle of college football madness but BYU Basketball deserves some exposure for some of the recent promos that they have put together.

First, the official spot, which you can find on Comcast, Dish, and various other cable networks:



I too am a Cougar. But, no one epitomizes being a Cougar better than the two biggest BYU basketball fans, Ronnie Ron and Roscoe. If you don't know about Ronnie Ron and Roscoe, I'll catch you up. "Ronnie Ron & Roscoe are going to be walking you through the 2009-2010 BYU Men's Basketball Season. Respect your elders and show up to the game." That according to the BYU Hoops / BYU Basketball channel on Vimeo. You should subscribe to the channel (like me). But, if you're unsure, here are the first three Ronnie Ron & Roscoe spots; you will be quickly convinced I'm sure:







I'll be looking for all of you at that place "where the magic happens." There is something special about being in the Marriott Center as winter weather rolls in. Kind of like snow on Christmas; it just feels right.

I (heart) BYU Women's Soccer

Soccer. It isn't a gentleman's game. If you haven't heard about New Mexico's Elizabeth Lambert yet, shame on you. Ms. Lambert, a defender on the Lobo's women's soccer team, apparently doesn't like to get completely worked on the soccer field. You see, when Lambert (#15) continually got beat by BYU's Carlee Payne, a 5'4" freshmen (#7), she got a little frustrated. Well, a lot frustrated. I'll let the good folks at ESPN do some of the explaining:



I bet you never thought you would hear John Anderson doing BYU Women's Soccer highlights did you? So, after Payne scores the first goal of the game, Lambert-the-Enforcer decides that she has had enough soccer and it is time for some hockey. She then commits fouls that would have earned her a ten-minute major if she had been on ice. But soccer being soccer and officials being blind, Lambert-the-Thug ends up with nothing more than a yellow card. A yellow card!?! Yes, soccer can be physical. Yes, Payne was pushing and shoving too. But pushing and shoving is a part of soccer (as is taking dives and faking injuries). Pulling ponytails, kicking balls at peoples heads while they are on the ground, and punching people in the face are not part of the game of soccer (although, they are permitted in the stands, assuming you are in Europe).

Anyway, I was furious when I saw that. But then I saw this (and I felt much better -- much much better -- in fact, it made me extremely proud to be a BYU fan and even more proud that I could share these great clips with you and the rest of the world):





Watch it again. Notice on the wide shot where Lambert-the-Destroyer takes Carlee Payne down (again). Payne pops back up, shakes her head, has a huge smile on her face, and starts walking back down field. Lambert steps up to talk some more trash. And what does Payne do? The most devastating move in all of sports. It's true. No trash-talking, dance, taunting, screaming, yelling, fighting, complaining, can compare with the silent-but-deadly, non-chalant, point to the scoreboard.

That's right Lambert.

SCORE-freaking-BOARD.

All Hallows' Even Eve

As I scanned the new Facebook "News Feed" and "Live Feed" (what's up with that by the way), I came across a bunch of pictures from current BYU Law students and their kids celebrating Halloween. One of the better traditions at the law school is to have all the law students' kids (and when you're talking about BYU Law, there are a lot of kids) come in and go trick-or-treating at the carrels. It is awesome.

I haven't been able to dig up any of the pictures from when I was in law school but I have something better. Thomas Rex Lee, or Professor Lee, has a resume that is the envy of nearly everyone. He is one of the country's foremost authorities on trademark law and trademark infringement. He was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the United States. And he does a pretty good imitation of Wayne from Wayne's World:



That picture is classic. We were 1Ls in Lee's Civil Procedure class. I knew he was going to be a good professor when he showed up dressed for Halloween. It seems like 2002 wasn't really that long ago. Of course, I look like I'm about 17 in that picture, so it might as well have been 1995 (and yes, I still have and regularly wear that BYU shirt). The last seven years have gone by quickly. I bet Professor Lee's foosball skills are lacking (he was quite adept at scoring in the goal he was supposed to be defending).

Awesome Halloween Costume - Transformer that Transforms

My cousin Blake tipped me off to this video (via Facebook). I've seen lots of Transformer costumes for Halloween but I've never seen one that actually does transform. Awesome!



I think the best comment regarding this YouTube flick is: "I hope they make a costume that transforms into Megan Fox too." Funny. And I'm sure there are plenty of costumes out there that will transform you into a bad actress so do we really need another one?

I Too Love the Utah Jazz Bear

The Utah Jazz Bear (or the Jazz Bear as everyone in Utah knows him) is often spotted driving around downtown Salt Lake on his Harley. He has perfected sledding down the steep stairs at EnergySolutions Arena and can always be found doing all sorts of sketchy stuff during breaks of Jazz home games.

Travis Pastrana, the boy wonder, has X-Games gold medals in motorcross, freestyle motorcross, and rally racing. Like me, Travis drives a Subaru WRX STI (although his might be a little more tricked out than mine). Travis also has an MTV show called "Nitro Circus" that features Travis and his friends traveling around the world performing reckless and adrenaline filled stunts. So what happens when Nitro Circus makes a stop in Utah? The Jazz Bear shows up:



Now that is good stuff. Yes Travis, we too love the Utah Jazz Bear. Now someone needs to get the Travis, the Jazz Bear, D. Will, and Kyle Korver together for a dodgeball match.

Women Tech Awards 2009

You have probably heard (if you haven't, shame on you) that my Mom won a 2009 Women's Tech Council award for being a Technology Trailblazer. The awards ceremony was at the Grand America in Salt Lake City. Brant and Jordann joined me, Sara, my Dad, and, of course, my Mom. One of the side benefits was that one of my clients (one of my big clients) was a sponsor of the event and the awards; while my legal work may not be up to par, at least they are well aware of the fact that I come from "good stock."

Since I'm inherently biased, I'll quote liberally from the Women Technology Council Press Release:

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 24, 2009 — Sixteen women were recognized at the second annual Women Tech Awards Ceremony, presented by Women Tech Council and MountainWest Capital Network, which recognizes technology-focused women who are driving innovation, leading technology companies, and are key contributors to the community. The sold out event was emceed by Shauna Lake of KUTV 2 news Marguerite Hancock, Associate Director of Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, keynoted the event

Six Award Recipients were announced. Award presenters from EnergySolutions, Ernst & Young, Epic Ventures, Novell, USTAR, and Workman Nydegger recognized the following women:

• Carine Clark, Symantec — Leadership Excellence
• Cindy L. Snow, ContentWatch — Technology Trailblazer
• Carolyn B. McClain, Novell — Technology Innovator
• Angela Trego, Ph.D., P.E., ATK Space Systems — Rising Star
• Nicole Toomey Davis, Governor's Office of Economic Development — Community Builder
• Cynthia Furse, Ph.D., LiveWire Test Labs and University of Utah — Education Excellence

"Recognizing these women also gives us an opportunity to honor the great companies that foster their careers," said Cydni Tetro, Executive Director, Women Tech Council and CMO at FamilyLink. "We were overwhelmed by the support these companies made to their finalists."

Each Award Recipient received a hand-crafted statue entitled "Defying Gravity," specially designed for the event by award-winning artist Andrew Smith. A selection committee from private industry, venture, government and academic communities selected the Finalists and Award Recipients.

And here is a slideshow with some pictures from the event. The lighting in the Grand America isn't fantastic (at least when you are taking pictures with a point-and-shoot camera and a cell phone) but here you are anyway:



Congratulations Mom! Well deserved! We're all quite proud!

Google Wave - I'm Invited

So I hear that getting a Google Wave invite is a big deal. Apparently, a really big deal. Apparently, the biggest deal since Gmail accounts were selling for ridiculous amounts on eBay. I would have sold my early Gmail invites on eBay (they were very early -- very very early) but that was against the Terms of Service. Of course, it is against Google Wave's Terms of Service to sell invitations (I assume) but that hasn't stopped the entrepreneurs among us: Current eBay Prices for Google Wave Invitations.

Seriously though. Are people really paying more than $50 a pop for a simple Wave invite? If you are really that hard up, get in touch with me and we'll see what we can work out ;-)

I am surprised by the land-grab on Google Wave. It doesn't make much sense to me. Your Google Wave account will be based on your Google Account (which is generally your Gmail username). Since you already have your username, why do you "need" to get into Wave before everyone else? It is not like someone is going to take a name that you are hoping for. So put the $50 back in your wallet (or send it to me) and have a little patience.

@tysonsnow

Boy's Wedding - Friends and Family Edition

After seeing President Monson's jar of warm fuzzies earlier today, I figured that I should give my Mom and Dad some warm fuzzies of their own. As always, just click on the pictures / slideshow to go to a page where you can comment on the clowns (Boy, Cody, Jord, Rich, Tyson, and Zac) appearing in these pictures (John isn't a clown -- the Ph.D. gives him some semblance of credibility).



I have some more pictures that need posting. But smells of freshly baked banana bread or wafting up from the kitchen to the office. I guess you will all have to wait for the next round of pictures.