Fork and Ribs

(That amazing image you see as my blog picture is my portfolio cover for my advertising program application at BYU. Let's just say it took me way longer than I thought possible, yet I loved every minute of it).

The only thing I needed in order to obtain happiness this sunday afternoon was a plate full of ribs and a fork. My uncle knows how to make ribs that literally fell off the bone. I'm not kiddin'. When I grabbed the ribs off the grill they kept falling back on the grill.

My sincerest of apologies for not writing more frequently.

As school approaches, I have thought back on this summer and realized, it was no ordinary summer. It was full of a lot of firsts for me.

1. Got a pass at Gold's Gym
2. Started enjoying running.
1. I am not going to lie, i have wanted to like running my entire life, and finally it happened. After 2 months of running every morning, I finally got to the point where I didn't hate myself for waking up early to go running.
3. Ran a half marathon (13.1)
1. The longest I had ever run before running the half marathon was 7 miles. So it was a big step for me. The longest I had ever run before this was a 5K at the 4th of July celebration in Huntsville this year.
2. I ran the Moonlight Half Marathon in Mapleton, Utah. It took me 2 hours and 6 minutes (roughtly 9.5 minute miles). The goal is to cross at midnight, and I just missed it by two minutes. (12:02).
4. Kayaked the South Fork and Provo river.
1. Definitely something I never thought I'd do.
5. Rode the famous Slick Rock trail at Moab.
1. I usually have taken my 1974 motorcycle down there, but it went down on the first trail, so I hopped on another fourwheeler and finished the trip.
6. Bought an iPad 2
1. where did that come from? Mainly peer pressure. I had a roommate with one, and if any of you have had that experience, it is hard to get by. So I bought one just so I would feel more comfortable living with him.
2. but I haven't regretted it for a second. It is a great tool for scripture study. I bet the church paid Apple to start making them so that you could click on scripture links throughout the ensign articles. 
7. Bought a Mac Book Pro
1. a lot of people reading this may freak out. I haven't gone public with it yet because I usually get a lot of hassle before making the purchase, but this time i didn't allow for it and just picked it up on my way home from the library on campus.
2. there was actually a lot of thought that went into this. I have been working on applying for the Advertising Program at BYU and got so frustrated that the library had such funky hours in the summer and I couldn't take it anymore, so I bought my mac book pro 15" and the Adobe Creative Suite. Now nothing will hold me back. I've never felt so FREE!
8. Filmed and edited a video
1. this is actually the first time I have ever created a film and edited it.
2. granted, it is only 60 seconds long, yet it still somehow managed to take 16 hours of my life and throw them into the media lab at BYU.
1. I had no idea video edited could be such a headache. I have a much better appreciated for film producers now. 
3. The video is part of my application for the Advertising Program, it's a decent video and can be seen at Clint'sGoingToGetInDotCom 

Thus, this summer has been absolutely spectacular. I hope to be sending more photos your way through this blog, so expect those in the year future.

thanks for reading!

Clint

Wait a minute...ya...I just had an idea...

In order to get my creative juices pumping, I did what any successful person would do...I popped in Ocean's 11. While watching, I had the greatest idea for my Advertising Application Video. It is ingenious. It is clever in my lever for whatever. It is going to get me into the Advertising Program!

I will start out sitting on a chair in a large empty room wearing plain colored clothes. The room will have the appearance of a prison. You know...walls made of concrete and terrible lighting. It will be a kind of exit interview from prison. Only it won't be prison, it will be "normal life". The purpose of the interview is to see if I am ready to leave "normal life" and go out into the "creative world".

Throughout this scene I will be answering a series of questions that will determine if I am ready, and what I plan to do.

"What do you plan on doing with yourself once you're out there?" says the interrogator. "I don't know...possibly clone myself and pull crazy stunts..." after two seconds of silence the split rapidly switches to a scene of two very similar cars (our white hondas) parked fifteen feet apart in a barren parking lot. I get out of my car, throw a tennis ball hard on the ground and get back in my car. Corey will then get out of his car...catch the ball...and get back in the car. The camera will be placed on a stand and will not budge. Thus rendering the scene completely impossible without extreme editing skills or an actual clone. The camera will then go back to the parking garage where further questions will be answered.

Another possible scene would be me answering a question concerning what my physical appearance would be like. The camera would then rotate and it would show Me (That would of course be Corey standing in a rather still position wearing creative apparel). "as seen in the creative world" will appear on the screen. Corey will be wearing my Red Bull soccer Jersey, purple Jordan basketball shorts, pink indoor soccer shoes and a crazy stylin' hat.

At the end of the questioning, I reach out and shake Corey's hand, because he was the person interviewing me, and the camera reveals just enough of his face to show that he is my twin.

It's perfect. It's witty, gitty and in the end it will be pretty.

Now I just have to write the script.

(I hereby copyright this idea, so don't go copying it).

Steezy C can't make no moviee

I have been stressed beyond contemplation about this dang advertising video that I have to do in order to apply for the advertising program at BYU. Why does it have to be so hard? My brother applied for one of the most prestigious business colleges in America, that being the Marriot School of Business at BYU, and all he had to do was write a letter of intent... Ya... that was a tough one. Heaven forbid he forgot to save and he'd have to write his paper again. ha ha. (Not tryin' to lay the hates on ya Corkles, just on how easy you have it).

Let me explain how tough it is to apply for the advertising program.

First...you must take all of the pre-requisites. Not too big of a deal, it's normal.

Second...you must take a test. A test that is purely on advertising. You don't have to ace it, you just have to show that you know advertising. It actually wasn't too bad. Not counting the endless nights during the semester I spent studying for the class tests, I studied about 5-7 hours for the test and did decent enough on it.

Third...you have to build a portfolio. This portfolio can't be a standard portfolio. It has to be creative and show the head hanchos that they cannot no longer live without you. Difficult...but do-able. I'm pretty good with photoshop and have confidence in that.

Fourth...you must create a video about yourself. Now I have taken tough classes. I have passed really tough tests. And I have written a few papers about myself, but I have never, not in a million years, come up with a video about myself. I am usually pretty confident in what I do and how I do it, but I am really struggling coming up with a dynamite idea.

So far my idea is to just film myself struggling to come up with an idea. I think it's a good idea, but that's the idea right...to have an idea...and somehow put it on tape. I feel like it's been done before, and in order for it to be good...it's going to have to be really good.

Though these will be some fairly long days, I'm going to come up with something, and when I do, you'll be aware. The video is going to be baller and everyone is going to love it. The Advertising program won't be able to turn me away. Though I would love to turn away from this whole process.

Gel-less

Let me just say that everyone around me has been blogging more than me and it has made me a little jealous (gel-less).

School went really well during spring semester, the only problem was it was too easy. All assignments were done in class. That would normally be a good thing, but I suffered come finals. During finals week, I sat down and said, "Self, it is time to study." I sat at my computer and for whatever reason, I couldn't find the on button for my brain. I literally couldn't study. I had a friend from class come and study with me. She excelled in the studying game, whereas I just sat and read the same sentence over and over.

I don't want to brag, but me and studying got along really well during winter semester. I dominated my classes and tests and enjoyed staying up until 2 AM studying. But somehow, since spring had sprang, my mind decided to no longer accept new information.

My internship is going very well. I don't think I have told you all yet. I have an internship. Isn't that swell. I work for KLAS. It is a healthcare IT research company. Don't worry, I'm not the one doing the research. I'm on the marketing team. I handle their internet marketing, facebook and twitter pages. It is pretty sweet. I love doing what I find great interest in doing.

My favorite thing to do is post things on twitter and watch as the clicks add up. It is like fishing. If I post at the right time of day and use just the right words (bait), then the clicks will roll in. But if I don't get the timing or words right, I get skunked. (a little bit of fishing language for ya)

Yo Ho from Provo

My sincerest of apologies for not posting for so long. So much has happened. I will try to give you the highlights without boring you.

I came home from Hawaii just before Christmas. It was so nice to see the good ol' rocky mountains again. I love the pacific ocean and the islands, but nothing compares with the beauty of the rockies. Having lived in Utah my whole life, I guess I took for granted the uniqueness and splendor of it all. 

I didn't get to go snowboarding as much as I'd like, but I was able to make it to the slopes and help my beautiful little sister Miranda. She takes after her older brothers and sisters and has a passion for snowboarding. I am also helping my father snowboard. His many years of advanced skiing helped him pick it up quite fast. I was amazed at how quickly he picked up the turning motions.

In January I moved to Provo to attend the school of my dreams, Brigham Young University. I have busted my kahootens all my life to get into BYU and it finally came to pass. 

School went very well for me. I was extremely busy and had little time for play, but I loved my classes and the BYU experience. I started the semester without a job and found it hard to find enough time to study, but that all changed around midterms. 

At midterms I was informed that I did not get the position I desired at the MTC. I was a bit saddened by that, but new something better would arise. The day after, I was eating lunch with my identically amazing twin brother Corey. We were just taking it easy and talking about life and it's mysteries in the cafeteria. He was all dressed up and ready to go to the career fair with his leather binder. He had been searching for an internship for a while. It was a big day for him. I, however, was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. 

Shortly after leaving me to find a job, he raced back to my table and said, "Clint, I have someone you need to meet, it could be a great internship opportunity for you."

I was really shocked, I hadn't been looking or desiring an internship until summer, but I went anyway. Apparently Corey's fiancé's cousin was looking for a marketing intern. Long story short, I go talk to her, she is unable to resist my writing experience, coupled with an eccentric sense of humor, and I get the job.

The company is KLAS. They are based in Orem, Utah and do research on healthcare technology. I am their marketing intern, but more specifically, my title is the Internet Marketing Specialist. It's a great title, but there's nothing special about my skills. I am learning much more than I know. The internship has been going very very well for me and will last until August 2011, but they like me so much, they aren't in any hurry let me go. I expect to be there a while.

 Surprisingly, my grades skyrocketed after starting the internship. I started working their midway through the semester as a full time student working 25-30 hours a week. That is a lot of time to be working, but apparently it has impacted my grades one way or another. 

After winter semester, I decided to move in with my cousin in the infamous Condo Row! It is just south of campus and is a definite hot spot for students. A lot of people want to get in to this place, I reserved my spot months in advance and was lucky enough to get in. 

I haven't thought this hard for a long time.

Mark Zuckerberg liked my cookie

During the summer I am working full-time and attending one class at BYU. It keeps me busy, but I really enjoy it. 

Justin, my cousin, leaves for his mission soon. Per a last request, he invited the guys in the family to accompany him to MOAB for a two day extravaganza. We did Hell's Revenge, Poison Spider, and Fins and Things. It was one of the best MOAB trips I have ever been on. My 1974 Yamaha didn't last too long, but was able to finish out our first trail, (thanks to Uncle Scott) but decided to give up the ghost after reaching the trailer. I hopped on my cousin Jason's four wheeler. If you ever need your back adjusted, realigned, or popped, you ought to consider riding on the back of a fourwheeler while Jason is driving. It is quite the experience! I actually enjoyed riding on the back. I didn't need to worry about the trail, I just sat and watch as the world passed by. We did trade off a lot, so I got to do some decent trail riding. There is nothing like MOAB. 

The Gang

This was a lot steeper than it looks.

Yes, that's a new helmet

I'm so glad we invited Superman!

Justin decided to go out with a bang!

The most surprising event of the trip is when my Dad and I ran into 9 people on Poison Spider. They stopped us along the trail and asked my dad for help with directions. He noticed their funny accent and asked, "Where are you from?" The second they said Paris my heart skipped a beat and I lost all control of my mouth. Before I knew it I was lost in conversation with them. I told them about my mission, the cities I served in and everything. It felt so good to unleash the French. It had been too long.

Before I let you go, I must inform you of a life changing diet circumstance. As of one month ago, I am 100% gluten free. That does not mean I have not eaten any gluten for a month, it just means that I have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance from my doctor and should abstain from anything with wheat or flour. It is curing the penetrating headaches that have plagued my life for the past couple months. The change was remarkable. When I am off gluten, I am a whole new man. 

Tune in next time for a real nice slice of my american life.

You should know that I am preparing for a 5K that will take place in Huntsville, Utah at the JULY 4th Celebration. I am really excited and have some good shoes that will take me there. 

Life in Happy Valley

Thank heavens for the Holidays. I had a great holiday season with my family. I got home from Hawaii on the 19th of December. I stayed at home for two weeks. It was nice to finally put a coat on. Sleeping has been exceptional because I can now curl up in thick heavy blankets, that's something I never could have done in Hawaii. I also get to wear jackets and jeans. Life is great aint it? 

After the Holidays came to a close I moved down to Provo, Utah. It is awesome down here. The main reason I am so excited to be down here is because it has always been my dream to go to BYU. It is much much more than what I had anticipated. I love it. Classes are much more intense than at any other school I have previously gone to. Instead of standing out as a diligent student, I am now merely one in 30,000 other exceptional students. After all, it is Brigham Young University. The teachers are incredible. All of my teachers have been teaching for many years and really know their stuff. 

My next goal to achieve in life is to be accepted into the Advertising program here at BYU. It is very competitive and will require a lot of hard work. I am doing all I can to get an upperhand by joining advertising clubs, interviewing for internships and more. It is so good to finally be studying subjects that I care about. Until now I have been forced to study subjects I couldn't relate to very well, like geography or biology for example. 

One thing that I have been able to do, which is really nice, is go home for the weekends. I love how the only thing between me and my family right now is an hour and a half trip on the freeway. Before it was a 6 hour plane ride and $700 escape valve in my wallet.