tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47913764955162596212024-03-05T02:42:28.309-08:00Mr. BlogtasticThe blogtastic adventures of Nick Pasto<br> - <i>since July 15th 2005</i> -Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-82128703273682555432010-09-20T09:15:00.001-07:002010-09-20T09:33:31.970-07:00Bella's 6thThis weekend we celebrated Bella's 6th birthday party! Every year Bella picks a theme for her party. This year she vacillated between Wonder Woman, Care Bears, Princess Tea Party, and Ninja Turtles. In the end she surprised me by picking "Chibi Knight."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m_0PeeuJUQUWWNIt09kd4iwV5zDY_lqF5Rk12Y6aIGcRQ9zpRcYRLLcxyueq3BQIhHRmDpKeyKIueQNcQUIkqU0CxPtSlfr1PEFnlaNrmOTwuxjbYPakEZZEnn9s-fVERV2EAEQKhgc/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 281px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m_0PeeuJUQUWWNIt09kd4iwV5zDY_lqF5Rk12Y6aIGcRQ9zpRcYRLLcxyueq3BQIhHRmDpKeyKIueQNcQUIkqU0CxPtSlfr1PEFnlaNrmOTwuxjbYPakEZZEnn9s-fVERV2EAEQKhgc/s400/images.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519034460767039298" /></a><br /><br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/playgame.php?id=43>Chibi Knight is a flash game</a> Bella and I did together about a small knight with a cute voice who goes on an adventure to save her little town. I say Bella and I worked on it together because I had Bella do the voice-acting for the little knight. So as you play you can hear her cute voice say such things as: "Hi-yah!, Boo-Yah!, Spell Time!, Yatta!, Neat!, Never Mind!, etc."<br /><br />Once again, Circle went all out on the party and made an ornate Chibi Castle cake and entertained 9 invited kids + 6 un-invited kids from the neighborhood with games like "Pin the sword on Chibi", "Wizard treasure hunt", "Magic Wand Cat-tail decorations" and, of course, the "Final Boss" pinata battle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlU7q3wJmpjgysPEPrgOIdjM69GVgjFVnEUjg6sSMVNDozFfZ4Tw92ayBtQYUDd1tqBs_qrDBCaVGvG0U34bmx_8a_N3rCbwsg4xAL-XSjephi1X1yjUPnGTWtDKsrnGTokXUTSNE_a4/s1600/100_5784.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlU7q3wJmpjgysPEPrgOIdjM69GVgjFVnEUjg6sSMVNDozFfZ4Tw92ayBtQYUDd1tqBs_qrDBCaVGvG0U34bmx_8a_N3rCbwsg4xAL-XSjephi1X1yjUPnGTWtDKsrnGTokXUTSNE_a4/s400/100_5784.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519032974146998850" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOZ4WmqVZGIMBficiPM-2BrRwgj75eVFaRcuYM8ccgP-Zr5lTtvOShwRrRMV0aBelqZw51SOjv7AXMJuYPwivLmSdttqFM1apU_SJ2xCiqN1U3ZM7TLrWUYxbykKzl4thVSnZ9t4OgR8/s1600/100_5790.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOZ4WmqVZGIMBficiPM-2BrRwgj75eVFaRcuYM8ccgP-Zr5lTtvOShwRrRMV0aBelqZw51SOjv7AXMJuYPwivLmSdttqFM1apU_SJ2xCiqN1U3ZM7TLrWUYxbykKzl4thVSnZ9t4OgR8/s400/100_5790.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519033170724080434" /></a><br /><br />I was not un-involved though, and added a 3-d paper cut-out of Chibi Knight to the cake, did art for the party game supplies, painted the "Final Boss" pinata, and made a special Chibi Knight mask for Bella to wear at her party.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQy9hXbFkO8yqq5WbaA5JfF9iDpfUssVyTdYThZ2o4khfK5h9cLBbke6w8xRX0EgqUq42NWctzdCQLIZzk9s6if6BVICO-xzhCWbf1MCDcdVCLDXYQHmBKfiP47n1oiMXXTTafJS0zhyphenhyphenY/s1600/100_5778.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQy9hXbFkO8yqq5WbaA5JfF9iDpfUssVyTdYThZ2o4khfK5h9cLBbke6w8xRX0EgqUq42NWctzdCQLIZzk9s6if6BVICO-xzhCWbf1MCDcdVCLDXYQHmBKfiP47n1oiMXXTTafJS0zhyphenhyphenY/s400/100_5778.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519032558842751714" /></a><br /><br />How much prouder can a dad feel than to have his daughter choose one of his creations as the theme for her party over all the other stuff competing for her attention?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrWK-7f2Dr8rTaANLil_zeR_fFSJCvVDXnXqLT34HnkWfU6oqeRoT5Gpnys0uBHg1pCMgLY5LAi8TSBQ0Two7PHqg9ih7qkZKNcYOGkI82QyXfzXU5YM1reLJGuyTlGYQIwUot3qQq3U/s1600/100_5820.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrWK-7f2Dr8rTaANLil_zeR_fFSJCvVDXnXqLT34HnkWfU6oqeRoT5Gpnys0uBHg1pCMgLY5LAi8TSBQ0Two7PHqg9ih7qkZKNcYOGkI82QyXfzXU5YM1reLJGuyTlGYQIwUot3qQq3U/s400/100_5820.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519033351933230610" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8wsFZa-KiJuio_ZKbtbkzzAX6JnWWrk2c0sUJ_wt3Owphk6ajt-tnaaFKVo9nIbScF7jwpJ-9HP4Omfss46igU6f2h1vH5W6oD_fUldfDZ0v8lOEkZVOd46f79K5ACx2Zkq96o-s5ZI/s1600/IMG_6561.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8wsFZa-KiJuio_ZKbtbkzzAX6JnWWrk2c0sUJ_wt3Owphk6ajt-tnaaFKVo9nIbScF7jwpJ-9HP4Omfss46igU6f2h1vH5W6oD_fUldfDZ0v8lOEkZVOd46f79K5ACx2Zkq96o-s5ZI/s400/IMG_6561.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519033683947813138" /></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-639324303055238072010-09-13T09:41:00.000-07:002010-09-13T09:48:28.792-07:00Tour De TahoeI returned to beautiful Lake Tahoe this year for the Tour De Tahoe. This "ride" has you completely circumnavigate the lake for a total of 72 miles.<br /><br />I did the ride with Circle's brother, Ethan, who hasn't ridden a bike for 2 years. I also slacked a bit and didn't train for the ride at all...in fact the last time I was on a bike was a month and a half ago for the Spudman.<br /><br />Luckily, we took it nice and easy and just enjoyed the breathtaking scenery and enjoyed each rest stop until we were sure we were ready to keep going.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdova-h_wnpahyphenhyphent96IOLuMW7hVNm4XFOzMPDVz21Sz2CsTjtf3NYzBAgHSrNiOwe0Pin54QvUL5nd8SAU_CUiHZHeoJAATPs_12h3TQkTnX1t6Ha7wcsGbQ_i4ib_tdYrHSheAfOO-L0/s1600/tdt_morning.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdova-h_wnpahyphenhyphent96IOLuMW7hVNm4XFOzMPDVz21Sz2CsTjtf3NYzBAgHSrNiOwe0Pin54QvUL5nd8SAU_CUiHZHeoJAATPs_12h3TQkTnX1t6Ha7wcsGbQ_i4ib_tdYrHSheAfOO-L0/s400/tdt_morning.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516440604789763026" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_jIXIDrH4eM3m5sIstfaeXH_WvJA0HC2cthvNk1h1RttR8dM20E0SSfStAdBPdTgpzh7vmzRE2p3hszC92Gyk8zna95UxCshmTMsUCkNwTarPSPtAJfViLk24voxg2PU3d3cUwCuXMc/s1600/tdt_nickðan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_jIXIDrH4eM3m5sIstfaeXH_WvJA0HC2cthvNk1h1RttR8dM20E0SSfStAdBPdTgpzh7vmzRE2p3hszC92Gyk8zna95UxCshmTMsUCkNwTarPSPtAJfViLk24voxg2PU3d3cUwCuXMc/s400/tdt_nickðan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516440758733787090" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKdvgSCz3udN-0E-pEnA9eXnYgFrdumiKinNQu203ramBPdmsz6HSogLKHGmAuUSCVlZcplLkP2JkHXLEFvIM_sNLIWeB5p1Q-z9AKxZZ3pOOuhyphenhyphen6atAt10Iyf3Yb4KcJfWllQL70ioM/s1600/tdt_fam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKdvgSCz3udN-0E-pEnA9eXnYgFrdumiKinNQu203ramBPdmsz6HSogLKHGmAuUSCVlZcplLkP2JkHXLEFvIM_sNLIWeB5p1Q-z9AKxZZ3pOOuhyphenhyphen6atAt10Iyf3Yb4KcJfWllQL70ioM/s400/tdt_fam.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516440914284929170" /></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-37138679377839009072010-08-04T13:05:00.000-07:002010-08-04T13:16:56.000-07:00SpudmanHere I am in a foot race to finish the Spudman triathlon...I beat the guy by 0.2 seconds to come in...176th place.<br /><br />The final push across the finish line cramped my hamstring big time, so I collapsed shortly after this photo with a much less content appearance on my face.<br /><br />I had fun hanging out with my buddy Matt Cochran in Idaho. I still have a long way to go before I'm even an average runner and let's not even talk about swimming :)<br /><br />The triathlon keepsake they gave us in our registration bags was a shrink-wrapped potato.<br /><br />Herding cats at Scout Camp was enjoyable too ;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jHkpbEkcHx1uIonoei2aojRZDJL3iDYuZagKbkb9iai5SsZ0mdArD2DV6Ts4VVwe5fv4TMmt5JWXiDfL_tfvz-QmHjz9X3Wjb6e-HWuApH6hZj2bVpt5n_k0dWhzt2RQxYs8dsaJvtY/s1600/00324-01-6434-smjpeg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jHkpbEkcHx1uIonoei2aojRZDJL3iDYuZagKbkb9iai5SsZ0mdArD2DV6Ts4VVwe5fv4TMmt5JWXiDfL_tfvz-QmHjz9X3Wjb6e-HWuApH6hZj2bVpt5n_k0dWhzt2RQxYs8dsaJvtY/s400/00324-01-6434-smjpeg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501651220094191762" /></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-24583660615222065842010-06-08T22:52:00.000-07:002010-06-08T23:00:05.041-07:00Funny picturesI was looking through someone's "Tumblr" account and the following pics really made me laugh...do they make YOU laugh too?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuZNcDHr9YSrbUaP9uKyP0XMUs3bBw9IcVwpotfOpFujlK1ZHLxUvRjbAJj8cYWJZ6JAfqW4H-6OaeOdCn1KDcxanHbazmJRPPrbgbyv8ipQZwziNmmsmzia-SeARBtZLkDPoM8WEbqo/s1600/9cyPFQbgCmus10ugZxWd73lto1_1280.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuZNcDHr9YSrbUaP9uKyP0XMUs3bBw9IcVwpotfOpFujlK1ZHLxUvRjbAJj8cYWJZ6JAfqW4H-6OaeOdCn1KDcxanHbazmJRPPrbgbyv8ipQZwziNmmsmzia-SeARBtZLkDPoM8WEbqo/s400/9cyPFQbgCmus10ugZxWd73lto1_1280.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480648118659547378" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MI34p2GeLgUzRsdIupccaA8cwW1WVIqj295YzmZ5Lwwe-r1Nee9tWD9kp7boT9Q8LxHS5VFa-TYC78DeE7I5QSkfzzAfUeZNI_qQYt_EnzgVK1aMXxA7IHmZUq79KF1FFkEtnGXNnxc/s1600/He+could+only+hold+one+of+us+up%26%238230%3B.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MI34p2GeLgUzRsdIupccaA8cwW1WVIqj295YzmZ5Lwwe-r1Nee9tWD9kp7boT9Q8LxHS5VFa-TYC78DeE7I5QSkfzzAfUeZNI_qQYt_EnzgVK1aMXxA7IHmZUq79KF1FFkEtnGXNnxc/s400/He+could+only+hold+one+of+us+up%26%238230%3B.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480648298943705122" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYJxu39VqTcw0nen_Lbs5aPS0diYIfxoF2i9baF-RDcvie9UNc8FudUKvvlnpGODHRXpaYnLsI002T6K2x1mkZIK4_yO1yjGf5AFbAszTZsIKnrfBlbtPtR2QiFiUygWCnCp8GyPq2z4/s1600/You+should+have+never+agreed+to+take+this+picture,+Mom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYJxu39VqTcw0nen_Lbs5aPS0diYIfxoF2i9baF-RDcvie9UNc8FudUKvvlnpGODHRXpaYnLsI002T6K2x1mkZIK4_yO1yjGf5AFbAszTZsIKnrfBlbtPtR2QiFiUygWCnCp8GyPq2z4/s400/You+should+have+never+agreed+to+take+this+picture,+Mom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480648430931211250" /></a><br />That last one makes me really grateful no one ever caught me on film when I dressed up exactly like that...I think I had a laser tag helmet on though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvRTwb19WRe5ZKWzBnmnUOTdnORRJR9hzktyp3ZzckGRaktevsbJZL6Blk_GHXVj0EtUc4lg2ULpJCgU73cYxfxrNBqZFgnI3u6S9VPjJrqY1zwV4A-24v-lUgml438mcdcikPlqpNPU/s1600/Sharper_Image_1986_Web.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 313px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvRTwb19WRe5ZKWzBnmnUOTdnORRJR9hzktyp3ZzckGRaktevsbJZL6Blk_GHXVj0EtUc4lg2ULpJCgU73cYxfxrNBqZFgnI3u6S9VPjJrqY1zwV4A-24v-lUgml438mcdcikPlqpNPU/s400/Sharper_Image_1986_Web.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480649463188732370" /></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-22878889616650628452010-05-27T09:53:00.000-07:002010-06-08T22:46:12.863-07:00VinemanThis is kind of old news, but Matt Cochran and I had a ton of fun doing the Vineman triathlon recently.<br /><br />We took the swim easy, even talking and laughing while we were paddling away. The bike transition was a bit of a joke because they had you run about 200 yards up a hill with your bike in hand and clip-in pedals on foot, so I was slipping and sliding all over the place before I even mounted my bike at the top of the hill. Same story for the way back down the hill to transition to the run.<br /><br />The run was the hardest part for me. Even though it was only a 5k, running after swimming and biking was pretty tough.<br /><br />As you can see below, I was number 57...because I've got the special sauce. :)<br /><br />I took a looong break from exercise after the tri, but now I'm picking things back up for the Spudman in July...it's more than DOUBLE the distance of the Vineman!<br /><br />Here are some pics of the event:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAusalUqWvxyQEzYUK6yIOxLINTAuS0ds2PYHRqzLJQdALCGgK6AWct86sDWRjWmwkLySKUH56l5iS7FbgTUl6ytszY8XNFVErpkO8Y6AaPEjNgMzeFKOdClWm-CBHv_2149I3iml9j0/s1600/63235-006-005f.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAusalUqWvxyQEzYUK6yIOxLINTAuS0ds2PYHRqzLJQdALCGgK6AWct86sDWRjWmwkLySKUH56l5iS7FbgTUl6ytszY8XNFVErpkO8Y6AaPEjNgMzeFKOdClWm-CBHv_2149I3iml9j0/s400/63235-006-005f.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475997570349670226" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHr0GuFonFfXGD8u2MlhdqofhnLiZcvnyd8_4SE4XUXtnmGwymV5e5ZR-JvFqZ9Dpd1A3iK5muw5LuH1TCfP9ECCu5VIOjJ7d0Otp2LzcOgSeRzj1G3h30_JSwaOUuUkC9zv9JwWC1io/s1600/Bike+Small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHr0GuFonFfXGD8u2MlhdqofhnLiZcvnyd8_4SE4XUXtnmGwymV5e5ZR-JvFqZ9Dpd1A3iK5muw5LuH1TCfP9ECCu5VIOjJ7d0Otp2LzcOgSeRzj1G3h30_JSwaOUuUkC9zv9JwWC1io/s400/Bike+Small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475997706274957922" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTRzGYdv69iQsMa8TxV7IJjtWOiq_MM5bzwnKkM_X_pJEhdpnEe5a8TjXtUpz18D3ky70wzspUkmHNv0U1m_X-VtJ_2KuQbTHaS2fN5N1nU1xfbHHT916aqFN2HNGz-vP2w8FUs2TaeY/s1600/Running+Small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTRzGYdv69iQsMa8TxV7IJjtWOiq_MM5bzwnKkM_X_pJEhdpnEe5a8TjXtUpz18D3ky70wzspUkmHNv0U1m_X-VtJ_2KuQbTHaS2fN5N1nU1xfbHHT916aqFN2HNGz-vP2w8FUs2TaeY/s400/Running+Small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475997959837406402" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPB-YDWW3nRiRsAo_jGkG7EwfFiIDZ35pk6t5UzwIefUE98GwPMubbXAZim8-LLSaXVgbJgMg-FpjjcbF6UY292KLnjGv4rfUUHSJKYRE3EGRqcDETJguIz23HsCv9gvEddCSuG8DOYk/s1600/63235-001-036f.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPB-YDWW3nRiRsAo_jGkG7EwfFiIDZ35pk6t5UzwIefUE98GwPMubbXAZim8-LLSaXVgbJgMg-FpjjcbF6UY292KLnjGv4rfUUHSJKYRE3EGRqcDETJguIz23HsCv9gvEddCSuG8DOYk/s400/63235-001-036f.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475998096930934642" /></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-40550940036501533952010-04-10T20:03:00.000-07:002010-04-10T20:12:00.272-07:00Pyramid Lake PracticeAlthough it was very cold, I needed to test my new wetsuit in some real open water in preparation for my 1st triathlon (<a href="http://www.vineman.com/showdown.htm">The Vineman</a>) next Saturday. So today we headed to Pyramid Lake, the local saltwater lake with nice windblown waves.<br /><br />My face, hands, and feet got numb from the cold, but the wetsuit kept the rest of me pretty warm. I think I may have bought too big a wetsuit as you can see from the rolled up legs and the wrinkling around the knees. I wonder if they'll take it back...no I didn't initiate it in the way you're wondering.<br /><br />Yes, I did photoshop these pics a bit because I couldn't bear to make my belly flab public quite yet...I also sharpened up the colors a bit. :)<br /><br />Bella and Circle had fun building sandcastles, but they left the ice-cold water swimming to me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2yjkpntk1wQxfKJw5ebkrrVRhfgy4orx3qFyBWqigwgYjB4DdRwO2o7E21XDAkrfCIOaEwbQUS3HrIvhQ0nCwwAqo_K3PyI_zDGXOINTSwAG-zqwTJK3EFJrzfjHVm9uOlc-LoBetH8/s1600/final1_coloradjust.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2yjkpntk1wQxfKJw5ebkrrVRhfgy4orx3qFyBWqigwgYjB4DdRwO2o7E21XDAkrfCIOaEwbQUS3HrIvhQ0nCwwAqo_K3PyI_zDGXOINTSwAG-zqwTJK3EFJrzfjHVm9uOlc-LoBetH8/s400/final1_coloradjust.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458712058238756242" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhha38ETL7V00GHvwdqEYGYD-YxHRl6BXZMO9GPJ7rWWThfOku3XuoFT5nJ5hBXsCiCvfCZnHbpG5BYMokJZcTOEe8ndZf8Rm8t1myqwC_1b2XqgXwIn_0VQyiiJ1QY9mxGh1FzdMI39dI/s1600/final2_coloradjust.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhha38ETL7V00GHvwdqEYGYD-YxHRl6BXZMO9GPJ7rWWThfOku3XuoFT5nJ5hBXsCiCvfCZnHbpG5BYMokJZcTOEe8ndZf8Rm8t1myqwC_1b2XqgXwIn_0VQyiiJ1QY9mxGh1FzdMI39dI/s400/final2_coloradjust.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458712329683742770" /></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-11863795311688860942009-12-28T18:27:00.000-08:002010-01-05T20:51:43.255-08:00Christmas and 7th AnniversaryLast year we forgot our wedding anniversary entirely. It was only after a call from my mom on the next day that we realized our mistake.<br /><br />This year, around 12:00 noon Circle remembered and reminded me. 7 years together, HOORAY! We agreed that, coming off of winter sicknesses and a recent visit from Mom, Allan, Ben, and Annette that we'd rather vegetate and catch up on season 5 of Lost rather than leaving the house.<br /><br />In other news, the secret fireplace mantel project went over really well. Read up about it on <a href=http://circlessphere.blogspot.com/2009/12/operation-happy-wife.html>Circle's Blog</a>. I finished painting the armoir Circle picked up on craigslist (that she started painting a few weeks ago) and put all my goodies in it (tv, bluray player, surround sound system etc). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZtosZHbKVrnVUo1nbujUR3U6DDX4dU7VHR6HtYKBWZK93hOD1YlE7Ncuc7O43ImG8ZwjBMILrfsIngJrgsHKnGvQLRsxVQl42x9jLAnHtFyCODuHToLOq_tUkO2iTAEV-O53aOZfq3E/s1600-h/headofChrist.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZtosZHbKVrnVUo1nbujUR3U6DDX4dU7VHR6HtYKBWZK93hOD1YlE7Ncuc7O43ImG8ZwjBMILrfsIngJrgsHKnGvQLRsxVQl42x9jLAnHtFyCODuHToLOq_tUkO2iTAEV-O53aOZfq3E/s400/headofChrist.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420485214917823170" /></a><br /><br />Additionally, we found a picture of Jesus we really liked on the BYU museum of art's website, ordered it, had it framed, and put it up above the mantel. It's a really interesting painting from the "Circle of Rembrandt" and isn't overly "Mc Mormon" which makes us both happy.<br /><br />I also jury-rigged 2 curtain rods together into one looong one so Circle could hang the curtains she found at Ikea. She wanted one giant rod across the east wall of our living room...unfortunately no one makes a 15 ft curtain rod. <br /><br />We pulled out the "Italy" shaped stockings Circle made a few Christmases ago and I was reminded again of how unique and cool they are. Hanging them from the new mantel was a really rewarding experience.<br /><br />Having visitors for Christmas really spurred us on to finish up "My room" as it's come to be called. I like the room because it fulfills all my "Man Cave" needs and Circle likes it because it's stylish and classic at the same time. Oh, we also got a fake tree that is pretty indistinguishable from the real thing. Our desire for perfect tree symmetry and disdain for cold winter tree-hunting lead us to the decision :)<br /><br />Merry Christmas!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5omNh5JvJi5XQE36Sd1PSMXLhrHxig5oL5XhZ7he8b_nrbeJ8cuinMNS_zddw3ctu5M1SqBDJwUe53LTs6J5joCO8rDhuxdZ68GiQOP1LqEgPOU2jtnD7gx00PwZXpmJRYa34TfV8XEI/s1600-h/interior.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5omNh5JvJi5XQE36Sd1PSMXLhrHxig5oL5XhZ7he8b_nrbeJ8cuinMNS_zddw3ctu5M1SqBDJwUe53LTs6J5joCO8rDhuxdZ68GiQOP1LqEgPOU2jtnD7gx00PwZXpmJRYa34TfV8XEI/s400/interior.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420483580252326098" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCQC2hUF0CdtcGiSYj7JflF8uM1286sqwf6Gk6WmX1Ja83J6gFjTxsBVzJt4vkSF8pM_-BLLqo-UVD9GrEb9Ankbabbyv5YuCoCwhjgMxx8OrOVEg47myfPYrvCMyBRvoWgyDb9_HK54/s1600-h/100_4923.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCQC2hUF0CdtcGiSYj7JflF8uM1286sqwf6Gk6WmX1Ja83J6gFjTxsBVzJt4vkSF8pM_-BLLqo-UVD9GrEb9Ankbabbyv5YuCoCwhjgMxx8OrOVEg47myfPYrvCMyBRvoWgyDb9_HK54/s400/100_4923.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420484383590337026" /></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-5953048976004824402009-10-14T15:24:00.000-07:002009-10-14T15:28:43.273-07:00Ride to End M.S.This last weekend I did my last big bike race of the year. It was the ride to end Multiple Sclerosis in Southern California.<br /><br />The ride started in Irvine and went all the way down to Mission Bay in San Diego. Each day was about 50 miles.<br /><br />I was invited to participate in the ride by a company that has sponsored many of my games: Armor Games. They even gave me an awesome bike jersey.<br /><br />The ride was spectacular, a perfect 70 degrees the whole time with beautiful views of the ocean from the Pacific Coast Highway.<br /><br /><a href=http://www.bomtoons.com/msride>FULL SET OF PICTURES HERE</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDopfO5ITkIay5epHtMI48BIamzMA6oMzItbyxm60gzYUe7PsUSzlM32D6UQnNAhA5w1lDs4qQ5aKmx48NynXxum0xQJiHL7HFJfbUP0m35kBy8zuIKqQc6VNc7CdNwHPXBdTbHxDpSfM/s1600-h/Cruisin'.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDopfO5ITkIay5epHtMI48BIamzMA6oMzItbyxm60gzYUe7PsUSzlM32D6UQnNAhA5w1lDs4qQ5aKmx48NynXxum0xQJiHL7HFJfbUP0m35kBy8zuIKqQc6VNc7CdNwHPXBdTbHxDpSfM/s400/Cruisin'.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392586107241386210" /></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-11921457642016977422009-10-05T10:21:00.000-07:002009-10-05T10:40:21.018-07:00I'm so HollywoodI took a trip to L.A. this weekend to support some friends in the Indicade competition.<div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xJG-YW6DwoDahPuT1VhwWe9vDn_9uXWBa8l5sk_1Habjg5MCoiZPm6BQAGIgCyEhcxOU96od7AlWqW-ugtv66JG7uZCUrcmbNCcYogkWL8WcHystHKXraGAdUj1zi3KxFDa7pObcoeM/s1600-h/I'm+so+Hollywood.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xJG-YW6DwoDahPuT1VhwWe9vDn_9uXWBa8l5sk_1Habjg5MCoiZPm6BQAGIgCyEhcxOU96od7AlWqW-ugtv66JG7uZCUrcmbNCcYogkWL8WcHystHKXraGAdUj1zi3KxFDa7pObcoeM/s400/I'm+so+Hollywood.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389170070310071602" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Indiecade is a competition for independent video game makers, ie: people who make artsy video-games on their own budget without corporate backing.</div><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRrp6hP40ezekObbLj_tYfGgddYCVFMREiWxqCcP_vXJ7J3PJQgm1FkLM9kwhb-Zd8updyxJHVqVV4LBViy5jNlCGIABdIBaChjTKRzPikcSsR0C0z3YyG_ltne1ZbfYiMw_ptrTT11A/s1600-h/Indiecade.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 354px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRrp6hP40ezekObbLj_tYfGgddYCVFMREiWxqCcP_vXJ7J3PJQgm1FkLM9kwhb-Zd8updyxJHVqVV4LBViy5jNlCGIABdIBaChjTKRzPikcSsR0C0z3YyG_ltne1ZbfYiMw_ptrTT11A/s400/Indiecade.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389170356049732450" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>The weather was a perfect 70 degrees the whole time, quite a contrast to the 40 degree weather we've been having here with frost starting to bite our grass and garden.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hollywood was pretty crazy. Everyone, even the homeless, dress like moviestars. I saw a billboard for medical marijuana and another for a pornographic website.</div><div><br /></div><div>My friends won the award for "Best Gameplay Innovation" in the contest. That made the trip a success.</div><div><br /></div><div>The best part though, was the night we decided to go see a double feature of 2 John Hughes films at Graumann's Chinese Theater. Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Weird Science were playing. It was so much fun to watch those old classics on the big screen! </div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Q2IMSNVByA_pb-8MpoCGh2BjAEcPVKQeWSCEx1h6U8ui2I3rC6z2O_-AsczAZeIKYS07JMVK1hKsAEiNNcS4WV0TdD0GRZxvfjNWEEbysnOI6gStGbnaCS26h81Ase7L38My0sJQ-q8/s1600-h/265949.1020.A.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Q2IMSNVByA_pb-8MpoCGh2BjAEcPVKQeWSCEx1h6U8ui2I3rC6z2O_-AsczAZeIKYS07JMVK1hKsAEiNNcS4WV0TdD0GRZxvfjNWEEbysnOI6gStGbnaCS26h81Ase7L38My0sJQ-q8/s400/265949.1020.A.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389170859963804418" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>Much to our surprise, after FBDO, the theater manager walked up in front of the screen and introduced 3 actors from the movie. Cameron, the principal, and the secretary (with all the pencils in her hair). They sat and talked about John Hughes, who passed away this year, fun stuff from the set of FBDO, their feelings on the success of the movie, and answered audience questions. What a surprise that was since we just expected to see a classic double feature! That really made the trip feel like "Hollywood."</div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUF6ahK76sYGTKtqBdMK3dzuMI-fw5NciFbRcWiJ2NUL9YIkSEvQm_TkTJFQb1_r17lValHPG1W0PdGlVtbn8fIMoY851U-lV1-ac_Z4ywF7_kr6W7ccdPvPfzEpd3XDrUT76CmlpwSYQ/s1600-h/Alan+Ruck+(Cameron),+Edie+McClurg+(Grace+the+Secretary),+Jeffrey+Jones+(Ed+Rooney+The+Principal)+-+Showed+up+at+the+Egyptian+Theater+showing+of+Ferris+Bueller%27s+Day+off.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUF6ahK76sYGTKtqBdMK3dzuMI-fw5NciFbRcWiJ2NUL9YIkSEvQm_TkTJFQb1_r17lValHPG1W0PdGlVtbn8fIMoY851U-lV1-ac_Z4ywF7_kr6W7ccdPvPfzEpd3XDrUT76CmlpwSYQ/s400/Alan+Ruck+(Cameron),+Edie+McClurg+(Grace+the+Secretary),+Jeffrey+Jones+(Ed+Rooney+The+Principal)+-+Showed+up+at+the+Egyptian+Theater+showing+of+Ferris+Bueller%27s+Day+off.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389171394985896946" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>Check out my collection of pictures from the trip here:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.bomtoons.com/LAphotos">LA Pictures</a></div>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-9712744885944708632009-09-15T14:31:00.000-07:002009-09-15T14:59:53.156-07:00Tour De TahoeI just got back from the Tour De Tahoe! What a ride!<br /><br />Be careful not to call it a race, the event organizers were sure to make that clear. "Riders" started at any time between 6:30 and 8:00 a.m. from the Horizon Hotel/Casino on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, then rode completely around the huge lake (72 miles) and ended up back at the start line.<br /><br />The course hugged the Lake Tahoe shoreline tightly so it was a truly beautiful and inspiring morning.<br /><br />I rode with my good friend Aaron Shamy who has been my long-distance (he in Utah and me in Nevada) fitness buddy for the last year.<br /><br />We started at 6:30 and finished 4.5 hours later. We were quite impressed with our time considering the HUGE mountains we had to traverse. As we crossed the finish line with one other rider, they called out our places 18, 19, 20. Did I mention there were over 2,000 registered riders?!<div><br /></div><div>Other interesting tidbits:</div><div>- The ride was at a pretty high elevation, between 6000 and 7000 feet throughout.</div><div>- There was over 5000 feet of climbing</div><div>- I burned around 5000 calories in 4.5 hours</div><div>- Drafting is the only way to go (we got in 3 or 4 good peletons and they made a HUGE difference<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">)</span></div><div><br />Here is a really neat page that breaks down the stats from our ride, you can actually watch an animated breakdown of the stats as the ride progressed. Shamy's Garmin is a pretty neat little gadget: <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13360088">CLICK HERE</a><br /><br />Check out the pics below!<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LmDHz9t3ZxnlqqIa6z5kMXCx9ZKLBgf_aayfKsZEJ-D4BIjosQRMMnUXBtfqnEZy9CQ1P4ywGs1OOpCUsMzrvcHJIPszIZ4D-MYmXcTucmdnyq2zWQpPzCOU_pFqiIrXDlRz-_KRyTc/s400/tahoe0.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381812603597609330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 358px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_2KMzd8k5jqsEWCVSUo33tBPvXswQKjwUOpK-0kJ3eG88QRH99RaNnqLSGEr6M3CQfsj_zhA4_R8b-OkDbkfRnb3AvfZGGHz8leVSLY2uzXTbdRMCGZ16__YR_Ab0E7wHJSkp49WYvo/s400/tahoe1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381813085709143394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_uZ1Mivdk_mZaAkvYGy1zuxZEUhvEZsAJMp2CYczOO5FM95YE21BMsbRRH0NxMMuzSfdS1PzkoavAYIHTAGNFvYhvCOrbVP_iQLiZ95gNclYPP92_ddPFI_ZBOGosEhfYGAYtdlaA-s/s1600-h/tahoe3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_uZ1Mivdk_mZaAkvYGy1zuxZEUhvEZsAJMp2CYczOO5FM95YE21BMsbRRH0NxMMuzSfdS1PzkoavAYIHTAGNFvYhvCOrbVP_iQLiZ95gNclYPP92_ddPFI_ZBOGosEhfYGAYtdlaA-s/s400/tahoe3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381813662363248802" /></a></div>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-46384646533721612422009-07-22T09:37:00.000-07:002009-07-22T09:55:22.406-07:0029 Years<div>Today's my 29th Birthday! Did you know that McDonalds just celebrated the 30th year anniversary of its Happy Meal? That means there has never been a day of my life when I couldn't go to Mickey D's and get a Happy Meal...food for thought.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYtXqA4VGTEWoWhw7gN46st6D7S3Fp6OrWgByiEPRJd3mm0au_lTJGF5EptroWpaVetaIIay3znO3Ym8J6lLZlintO4nTyO3VO-wYR-athQexFoTBzJYxsQ-dnI_miQBxt33g2nWSDCA/s1600-h/happymeal30Logo,jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 351px; height: 364px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYtXqA4VGTEWoWhw7gN46st6D7S3Fp6OrWgByiEPRJd3mm0au_lTJGF5EptroWpaVetaIIay3znO3Ym8J6lLZlintO4nTyO3VO-wYR-athQexFoTBzJYxsQ-dnI_miQBxt33g2nWSDCA/s400/happymeal30Logo,jpg.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361324921999182898" /></a><br /><div align="center"><br /><object width="512" height="296"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/7DqcmDtX-E9X5beTut8saw/27"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/7DqcmDtX-E9X5beTut8saw/27" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" width="512" height="296"></embed></object><br /></div>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-17461126386590891132009-06-17T11:52:00.000-07:002009-06-17T19:18:21.856-07:00Fernley Nevada<div>Here's some info about Fernley our soon-to-be new home:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:-webkit-monospace;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernley,_Nevada">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernley,_Nevada</a></span></div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-thlvAufv7jjg8gC8xXBOcQhIjBh_Qq3lV6oV59F2YjW-Zr-R0v7bJNCt-0D_R0fHTYA4vIsHI5oHTUH7GJdaFnq-esf7iEF_LtzUeRseBM_pEC4gV9NfWBNNb8Ks3OMzpTdS8H1j6rs/s1600-h/fernley.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-thlvAufv7jjg8gC8xXBOcQhIjBh_Qq3lV6oV59F2YjW-Zr-R0v7bJNCt-0D_R0fHTYA4vIsHI5oHTUH7GJdaFnq-esf7iEF_LtzUeRseBM_pEC4gV9NfWBNNb8Ks3OMzpTdS8H1j6rs/s400/fernley.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348372558652330274" /></a><div><br /></div><div>And a fantastic picture of our house:</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV5movkVt4ed8CUebnIJZQA3bOBTXpR2kNgxB5KMWrmjVHe_3dbb9gdKb7rm1CjBasp_9yn2aQ3Wpq1sG5WAJdtRLl4JHic_3tkUTAqoGHUtw5PlGpCijAbTck1Nqe5xCp3szCkZr42w/s1600-h/house1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV5movkVt4ed8CUebnIJZQA3bOBTXpR2kNgxB5KMWrmjVHe_3dbb9gdKb7rm1CjBasp_9yn2aQ3Wpq1sG5WAJdtRLl4JHic_3tkUTAqoGHUtw5PlGpCijAbTck1Nqe5xCp3szCkZr42w/s400/house1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348485940332320626" /></a><br /></div>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-88361241006515298152009-06-15T17:49:00.000-07:002009-06-18T08:30:54.779-07:00Sales PositionsThis pretty much sums up every sales position I've ever heard of (click the pic to see it larger):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-t3z7HbQVBxZT8FE-Y1y-qoY4r9p8M4LcstCG1-rV7Ks4EZEXB0A4Es9pRCHTaCM-nYLL4EsVITvFKT7qE-nEu01xqhDWd-6gRBOprjsdioi3kF3BF89UBNpPA0a7Thpa-MiwWSZ5dA/s1600-h/57004.strip.sunday.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-t3z7HbQVBxZT8FE-Y1y-qoY4r9p8M4LcstCG1-rV7Ks4EZEXB0A4Es9pRCHTaCM-nYLL4EsVITvFKT7qE-nEu01xqhDWd-6gRBOprjsdioi3kF3BF89UBNpPA0a7Thpa-MiwWSZ5dA/s400/57004.strip.sunday.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347724676495906178" /></a><br />P.S. Trying out Google ads to see what happensNick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-10546213973404211632009-06-14T23:15:00.000-07:002009-06-14T23:23:26.528-07:00Jem of a HouseWelcome to my new BLOG!<br /><br />I got tired of the spam-attacks on my other blog so, reluctantly, decided to switch over to the popular "Blogger" service.<br /><br />Circle convinced me it would be better by letting me contribute to the 40-year anniversary present she made for her parents:<br /><br /><a href=http://40yearhoneymoon.blogspot.com/>[link]</a><br /><br />I have to admit that blogger has a lot of VERY nice features that will, hopefully, make it less of a chore to blog. All of my older posts were easy to transfer in and I've included the original dates in text at the top of each post. I've also gone through and fixed a lot of links that have been messed up over the years since I started blogging (4 years ago!). So now, you should see more pictures and interactive stuff that was missing before.<br /><br />More good news! If you didn't notice, my profile on the right has a new "location" listed. That's right, this Saturday we're making the move to Fernley Nevada!<br /><br />It's a long story, but we found a <b>JEM</b> of a house at a foreclosure auction and have finally signed all the closing papers!<br /><br />I'll make a more detailed post about it later, but for now I've got to get PACKING!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/guTbj91zoh0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/guTbj91zoh0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-24864646113964061302009-06-14T21:13:00.004-07:002009-06-14T21:46:39.606-07:00Memorial Day Provo Tour25 May 2009 07:11 pm<br /><br>In memoriam of Provo, here's our tour on Memorial Day:<br /><br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/usps_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/usps_small.jpg></a><br /><br />The Provo Tabernacle. See if you notice anybody special hidden in the parts of the panorama:<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/tabernacle0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/tabernacle1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/tabernacle0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/tabernacle1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />The guitar shop we visited on a date. The guy has a full shop where he manufactures his own guitars.<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/guitar_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/guitar_small.jpg></a><br /><br />Center Street in Provo. Many a stroll and date were had along this strip.<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/centerstreet0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/centerstreet1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/centerstreet0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/centerstreet1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Provo River trail. Runs from Utah Lake to Bridal Veil falls. Lots of exercise and walks had along the banks of the Provo River.<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/river0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/river1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/river0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/river1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Utah Lake. Not really a swimming or boating destination for us, but often a destination at the end of exercise or walks.<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/lake0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/lake1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/lake0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/lake1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />The local hair school! Sure, haircuts may take up to 3 hours at the hands of the inexperienced students who aren't allowed to use clippers, but maybe they'll tell you you look like George Clooney or cut your ear with ultra-sharp scissors to make up for it!<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/hair0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/hair1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/hair0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/hair1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Makeout...*ahem*...lookout point. Also the trailhead for the hike up to the "Y."<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/y0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/y1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/y0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/y1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Us posing in front of the "Y" trailhead.<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/yshot_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/yshot_small.jpg></a><br /><br />Circle has fond fond memories of her time managing Alpine Apartments in Provo (our second house as a married couple)<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/alpine_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/alpine_small.jpg></a><br /><br />BYU campus, many hours were spent here by both of us...Circle earning her degree and me working towards becoming a college dropout.<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/byu0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/byu1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/byu0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/byu1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />This panorama is a little wonky, but I wanted to get the full effect of looking up at the Provo temple and then down over the temple grounds.<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/temple0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/temple1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/temple0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/temple1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Here's our family picture in front of the Provo Temple.<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/temple_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/temple_small.jpg></a><br /><br />Circle and I met in this building at the MTC as Italian teachers...what fond memories!<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/mtc_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/mtc_small.jpg></a><br /><br />The Boston-style pizzeria with great pizza where Ethan, Circle's brother, took on the challenge of eating a large deep dish pizza in under an hour (see previous blog post for more details).<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/nico_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/nico_small.jpg></a><br /><br />Stadium Terrace, the apartments where Circle and I lived before getting married. ST is located right next to the BYU stadium where Circle and I always went to watch 4th of July fireworks and broke into once to kiss on the 50 yard line.<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/st0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/st1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/st0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/st1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />The Riverwoods shopping center, location of TUCANOS the brazilian all-you-can-eat meat-fest. Mmmmmmm....<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/woods0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/woods1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/woods0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/woods1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Bridal Veil falls, the place I proposed to Circle and that we have visited for all 6 of our anniversaries.<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv1_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv1_small.jpg></a><br /><br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv2_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv2_small.jpg></a><br /><br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv3_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv3_small.jpg></a><br /><br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv4_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv4_small.jpg></a><br /><br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv5_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/bv5_small.jpg></a><br /><br />The hospital where Bella was born. Circle convinced Bella that she should get into her shirt to mimic her pregnant belly.<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/hospital_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/hospital_small.jpg></a><br /><br />Savers thrift store, where, on one of our dates, Circle knew I was the right guy because I loved the idea of getting used clothes for cheap prices.<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/savers_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/savers_small.jpg></a><br /><br />We drive by this sign all the time and have never had the guts to discover just exactly what "Alfajor" is.<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/alfajor_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/alfajor_small.jpg></a><br /><br />Out first house as a married couple. A single room studio apartment, perfect for newlyweds!<br /><a href=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/oldhouse_big.jpg><img border=0 src=http://bomtoons.com/provofinal/oldhouse_small.jpg></a><br /><br />A picture of the Malt Shoppe and University Avenue, more of our Provo stomping grounds with a nice sign pointing out the proximity of BYU campus.<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/malt0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/malt1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/malt0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/provofinal/malt1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />You may be wondering what's up with all the Provo nostalgia. Hopefully we'll have a post soon explaining exactly what's going on. Stay tuned!Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-51148347434900927712009-06-14T21:13:00.003-07:002009-06-14T21:46:25.941-07:00Brother of Jared Rap14 May 2009 10:38 pm<br /><br>Circle and I were just cleaning out our house for our upcoming move and I stumbled across some funny plans for a rap song about the <a href=http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/1>Brother of Jared</a>.<br /><br />I think I wrote the lyrics with Matt, but I don't really remember.<br /><br />Anyway, here's a transcription and a scan of the picture I drew to go along with it:<br /><hr><br /><b>Brother of Jared Rap</b><br /><br /><b>Verse 1:</b><br />Let's get this story started, let's open the flood gates<br />It's comin' straight atcha from the 24 gold plates<br />As you might know it from your sunday school teacher<br />It's the story of Jared from that funky book of Ether<br /><br />Those ancients were wicked you know it's not a fable<br />Tryin' to reach heaven with that great big tow'r a' babel<br />Nobody quite knows just how adamic sounded<br />All we know for sure is that their language was confounded<br /><br /><br /><b>Verse 2:</b><br />Jared and his crew, their language wasn't messed<br />but they were required to move into the wilderness<br />(Yo Jared, break me off some a dat Deseret...mmm that's suh-weet)<br /><br />(Uh-uh yo, this is MC Jared on the mic...)<br />Yo, we been commanded to reach the promised land<br />With all this water in the way there's just no way we can<br />The waves are rollin' in and we're without a barge<br />And in the wilderness we just ain't been livin' large<br /><br />Yo Jared, have some faith, we're better off than we were<br />We'll get across or my name ain't Mahonri Moriancumr!<br /><br />I'll go up to the mountain and get some inspiration<br />So we can cross the ocean and start a brand new nation<br /><br />[transition: angelic choir]<br /><br /><b>Verse 3:</b><br />I've been shown the proper way to build each and every ark<br />the only problem is we'll be goin' in the dark<br /><br />We can't have windows...We can't have fire...<br />I'm tellin' ya bro, our ox is in the mire<br /><br />I been tryin' homie, to think outside the box<br />the best idea I've had is to use these molten rocks<br /><br />If I ask with faith, I'm sure you know<br />with the help of God these stones will glow<br /><br />[transition: angelic choir]<br /><br /><b>Outtro:</b><br />Let's throw these rocks in our boats without oars<br />and then take off to the promised land's shores<br /><br />(Dude, Mahonri, these ships are tiiiiight...like unto a DISH!)<br /><br />(And the ever-famous chorus)<br />The dish was too tight<br />the dish was too tight<br />gotta cross the ocean<br />you know it's all right.<br /><br /><hr><br /><br />It's a very silly song, but still, I'm surprised at the quality. Maybe I'll polish it off and make that cartoon some day. :)<br /><br /><a href=http://www.bomtoons.com/brojared.jpg><img border=0 src=http://www.bomtoons.com/brojared_small.jpg></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-9113712355572963542009-06-14T21:13:00.001-07:002009-06-14T21:46:12.390-07:00WW Characters06 May 2009 10:40 pm<br />I don't know why my comments are being spam-attacked, but here's a peek at some of the characters from <a href=http://www.woogiworld.com>WoogiWorld</a> that I drew up in a 3 hour rush for a big conference. Click the pic to see it larger!<br /><br /><a href=http://www.bomtoons.com/ww_chars.jpg><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/ww_chars_small.jpg border=0></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-6332476144188456782009-06-14T21:12:00.004-07:002009-06-14T21:46:01.078-07:001st Century31 Mar 2009 05:59 pm<br />Gah, I just made a long post about my 1st cycling century (100 miles) and got logged out before I could save it...oh well, here's a quick summary until I feel like actually re-writing the entire thing:<br /><br />Dramatic race morning pic:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/biking_intro.jpg><br /><br /><br />Cool morning, glad to have the jacket and gloves:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/biking_start0.jpg><br /><br /><br />At the starting line with Aaron:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/biking_start1.jpg><br /><br /><br />The route (click to enlarge):<br /><br /><a href=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/routebig.jpg><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/routesmall.jpg border=0></a><br /><br /><br />Profile/height map (click to enlarge):<br /><br /><a href=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/heightmapbig.jpg><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/heightmapsmall.jpg border=0></a><br /><br /><br />Post-race with Aaron:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/biking_endtogether.jpg><br /><br /><br />Post-race triumphant:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/biking_end.jpg><br /><br /><br /><br />Post-race Stats - 13.9 mph average speed, 38.7 mph top speed:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/biking_stats0.jpg><br /><br /><br /><br />Post-race Stats - 7 hrs 7 mins 49 seconds, 99.62 miles (the course was actually 104 miles, but my computer stopped working for a while):<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/biking/biking_stats1.jpg><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Highlights:</b><br /><br /><li>We heard about the race Wednesday, drove down Friday night, raced Saturday, and drove back Saturday night - 3.5 hours each way!</li><br /><br /><li>We weren't sure our cell phone alarms were working so I programmed a flash app to play my recorded voice in the morning yelling "WAKE UP!"</li><br /><br /><li>"The Wall" (or at least the hardest part) was the 30 mile incline after riding 50 miles already (see height map above), was spinning in my lowest gear running on only will power.</li><br /><br /><li>Aaron injured his knee at mile 70 and pedaled with one leg the last 30 miles</li><br /><br /><li>At mile 90's re-fuel stop my body started craving oranges, I couldn't stop eating them, probably ate 6 or 7 oranges in 1/4 slice chunks...was so impressive the guy working the station, when he saw me cross the finish line shouted: "Hey it's the orange guy!"</li>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-38590979617845636642009-06-14T21:12:00.003-07:002009-06-14T21:45:43.355-07:0045 lbs!07 Feb 2009 01:51 pm<br />Where have I been the last 6 months you ask?<br /><br />Check out this pic:<br /><br /><a href=http://www.bomtoons.com/beforeandafter_nick1.jpg><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/beforeandafter_nicksmall.jpg border=0></a><br /><br />This represents 6 months of consistent exercise and 45 lbs. of weight (from 235 to 189)! Click the pic for a larger view.Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-7086882038414180882009-06-14T21:12:00.001-07:002009-06-14T22:43:18.130-07:00Art!05 Sep 2008 06:32 pm<br /><br />Here is a piece of art, hand drawn and inked, then colored using acrylic washes.<br />Click the pic to see it larger.<br /><a href=http://www.bomtoons.com/sketchbook_cropped.jpg><img border=0 src=http://www.bomtoons.com/sketchbook_cropped_small.jpg></a>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-25085085117146729222009-06-14T21:11:00.004-07:002009-06-14T23:43:14.846-07:00Super Incredible Italy Wrap-up part I09 Jun 2008 10:57 am<br /><br />Yes, 3 weeks after our return from Italy, I'm finally ready to take on the final set of posts. I've been procrastinating because I have a giant folder of photos that I know will take a couple hours, at least, to get through and properly document. Some of these will be re-hashes of stuff I've already posted, but with more photos and junk... so heeeere we go:<br /><br />We took a quick panorama (where I take a series of pics in a circle) of a park we walked through that overlooked the Colosseum (click and drag your mouse to move the picture) It was quick because the corner where I was standing smelled like the unofficial toilet for the local homeless:<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/stitch3.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/stitch4.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/stitch3.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/stitch4.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />On our way to Assisi we took a look out the train window next to the train platform and noticed just how popular cigarettes are in Italy:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/cigarettes.jpg><br /><br /><br />At Assisi, we stopped to buy some Nativity sets at the local shops (since St. Francis invented the modern idea of the Nativity). This couple was really cool and chatted with us for quite a while while we were buying nativities from them. The guy is a painter and had his little easle and paints set up and talked our ear off about how much he loves art. Seeing touristy stuff is always cool, but my favorite moments of the trip always involved interacting with Italians and getting a real taste for their culture and personality:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/asissifolks.jpg><br /><br /><br />Here's "Fontana Di Trevi" one of the coolest piazzas in Rome. It was packed so we only stayed for a few mins. It's one of those places you have to see at least once, but once you've taken it all in, there's not much point in hanging around all day:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/trevi.jpg><br /><br /><br />We took an afternoon for shopping and wandered aimlessly around Rome looking for shops. This was a beautiful hill leading up to an antique bookstore where Circle bought a copy of Dante's "Divina Comedia" and Bocaccio's "Decamerone." They're not super ancient printings, but have beautiful illustrations and very antique looking covers that really make our bookshelves look classy. <br /><br />Shortly after Circle's purchase I decided to splurge on some nice ties and an Italian pair of shoes bought from a pair of Israeli immigrants who have had shops in Rome for 20 years. <br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/steephill.jpg><br /><br /><br />This is a quick panorama of the line we had to wait in to get into the Vatican Museums. We waited in line from about 9:30 am until 11:00 (click and drag the photo to move around) We chatted up a young couple from Padova behind us in line and Circle was forced to admit that the northern accent is much cleaner and more beautiful than the slurred Roman accent:<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="420" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/stitch0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/stitch1.jpg"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://www.bomtoons.com/vt.swf?pic1=http://www.bomtoons.com/stitch0.jpg&pic2=http://www.bomtoons.com/stitch1.jpg" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Here's the entrance to the Vatican Museums. The Papal crest quickly became a huge annoyance to me for many reasons, the biggest being that much of Rennaisance art and architecture was built right on top of ancient Roman stuff with little regard for the perversion of history and meaning they were imposing...besides a big ugly beehive hat with keys hugging it is so ugly:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/vaticanentrance.jpg><br /><br /><br />The incredible thing about the Vatican Museums is the amount of history the artifacts within it span. The church has acquired many items, and many have been donated. The first rooms we went into had authentic things from the egyptian era (many centuries B.C.)<br /><br />Here's a Mummy very well preserved, they say with salt and other embalming fluids...this photo does not do its grotesqueness justice...though I can't help wondering if it tastes like salted beef jerky:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/mummy.jpg><br /><br /><br />Here is a marble sarcophagus:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/marblesarcophagus.jpg><br /><br /><br />This statue was funny. It's a representation of a goddess of fertility. Those are all breasts [insert crude commentary here]:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/fertility.jpg><br /><br /><br />This colossus is made of bronze and about 18 feet high. It's from ancient Roman times and was struck by lightning and therefore considered cursed. It was found buried in an upside down position apparently to counter the curse:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/colossus.jpg><br /><br /><br />This is a pic of the mosaic tile work on the floor of one of the rooms in the Vatican Museums. Some incredible detail shots follow:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/mosaic1.jpg><br /><br />Ancient Romans...early Nazis?<br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/mosaic2.jpg><br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/mosaic3.jpg><br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/mosaic4.jpg><br /><br /><br />Who knew that Rodin's "The Thinker" was in the Vatican Museums? I think this might be one of his bronze studies, but we were so tired of listening to the crappy audio guide and standing on sore feet that we snapped a few pictures and moved on before fully investigating:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/thinker.jpg><br /><br /><br />In the hallways of the Vatican Museum there were some incredible tapestries. They were over 12 feet tall and sometimes twice as wide. Really impressive when you consider they were hand-woven. Here's an example:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/tapestry1.jpg><br /><br /><br />I should mention here that, after many hours in the Vatican Museums, we finally arrived at the main reason we went there: The Sistine Chapel!<br /><br />It was truly spectacular for me because Michaelangelo is my favorite rennaisance artist. His mastery of form and the way he flaunts it with twisting bodies impresses me to no end. <br /><br />We were one of the only groups that respected the Sistine Chapel rule of not taking any photographs or video. We wouldn't be able to do it any more justice than a simple google image search would do so I'm leaving it out of this post as a matter of tourist principle.<br /><br />After we spent all morning and into the afternoon in the Vatican Museums we grabbed some pizza in their eateria which looked over a nice vatican garden:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/vaticangarden.jpg><br /><br /><br />St. Peters is just a short walk down the street from the Vatican Museums, so we headed there next.<br /><br /><br />Now, where in Hell is St. Peter's?<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/wheresstpeters.jpg><br /><br /><br />Here I am enjoying the Pope's embrace:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/stpetersembrace.jpg><br /><br />Here's Circle in St. Peter's square (see what I did there?):<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/stpeterscircle.jpg><br /><br />Here's a big old obelisk in St. Peter's:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/stpetersobelisk.jpg><br /><br />Inside St. Peter's:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/stpetersinside1.jpg><br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/stpetersinside2.jpg><br /><br /><br />Here is the famous "Pieta" by Michaelangelo. It was kind of disappointing because it's behind a bunch of glass and sectioned off so you can't even get close to it.<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/pieta.jpg><br /><br /><br />After visiting St. Peters we glanced back on its splendor and saw what can only be interpreted as a heavenly invitation to convert:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/conversion.jpg><br /><br /><br />Next stop, the Pantheon!<br /><br />Here's some famous bridge across the Tiber river that we crossed on our way from St. Peters to the Pantheon:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/romebridge.jpg><br /><br />On our way to the Pantheon there was a cool little shop where they sell hand-made marble fruit. Yes, all that fruit is made out of Italian marble! (I found out the HARD way)<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/marblefood.jpg><br /><br />Here's the Pantheon, one of the oldest structures in Rome:<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/pantheon.jpg><br /><br /><br />Here's what we ate outside of a little cafe next to the Pantheon (that's Mozzarella di Buffalo -- yes, BUFFALO cheese...it is one of the greatest delicacies Italy has to offer):<br /><br /><img src=http://www.bomtoons.com/pantheonfood.jpg><br /><br /><br />That's all the blogging I can handle for today. Stay tuned for Pompeii!Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-65137343328968201272009-06-14T21:11:00.003-07:002009-06-14T21:44:50.849-07:00Italy III19 May 2008 04:00 pm<br /><br>We did the Vatican Museums, St. Peter's, Piazza Navona, and the Pantheon today. <br /><br />Feet hurt...must sleeeeep. <br /><br />We also got caught in a huge downpour of rain on our way home tonight. As we hurried past the Colosseum, lightning flashed behind it illuminating it in a very horror-movie-esque way...scary! I half-expected Zombie-Russel-Crowe to chase me into the underground metro stop.<br /><br />Here are some videos from St. Peter's Cathedral - home of the "Papa" (It means "Pope" for those spanish speakers who thought it was potato...or those Al Gore fans who thought it was potatoe):<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p1-QioO1AKM&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p1-QioO1AKM&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cQe55hlsLmU&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cQe55hlsLmU&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-35979439750124009132009-06-14T21:11:00.001-07:002009-06-14T21:44:36.430-07:00Italy II19 May 2008 12:33 am<br /><br>Excerpt from Circle's email to her parents:<br /><br />On Saturday we went to Assisi where St. Francis was from and where there is a famous church with paintings by Giotto depicting his life and teachings. Our favorite day so far! Sooo romantic to look down from the top of the mountain where Assisi is over the "Green Heart" of Italy (as the Umbria region is called). It is a lot like Tuscany, just below it on the boot actually. <br /> <br />Nick and I both agreed that there are few times in our lives when a view has actually taken our breath away, and this is at the top of the list. Pictures can never do it justice, but I am attaching some. <br /> <br />Also, yesterday we went to the Rome 3 ward where I served when I first got to Italy in 2000. We went with the Ramos Ramirez Family. I cried when I saw that the chapel where they meet (A room the size of two relief society rooms) was full all the way to the back with faithful italians, latinos, asians and africans joined together in brotherhood by the gospel. When I was there,really good attendance meant that it was 1/3 full. <br /> <br />I was overjoyed to see that several of the people I taught are still there and active, preparing for missions, strengthening the branch. After Church we went to the Ramos' house all day, ate colombian food, visited, ate gelato with them, took a stroll around their neighborhood. A true Italian Sunday spent with my favorite Columbian family! <br /> <br />We were beat when we got home and slept soundly till 6:30 am. At least the jet lag has been helping us get up early to beat the lines at the tourist attractions. Well, we're off to the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peters<br /><br /><img src="http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/6868/1002733mf6.jpg" border="0"/><br /><br /><img src=http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/3294/1002742nv5.jpg><br /><br /><img src=http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/241/1002747te0.jpg><br /><br /><img src=http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/897/1002751yk1.jpg><br /><br /><img src=http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/3855/1002764kd5.jpg>Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-40504491276773879302009-06-14T21:10:00.004-07:002009-06-14T21:44:20.787-07:00Italy I14 May 2008 12:26 pm<br /><br><br />Here's an excerpt from an email to our parents:<br /><br />We took a 50 Euro trip from the airport to our B&B, then got checked in. It was raining cats and dogs when we got here (the taxi driver got a kick out of that colloquialism). We pumped the taxi dude for info on the best places to eat in Rome and he was quite happy to fill us in. He complimented us on how well we speak Italian.<br /><br />The rain didn't stop us after we got our bags up the 3 flights of stairs to our ALL BLUE room; we headed right back out on the soaked street and cruised around our neighborhood. The Coliseum is literally 3 blocks from our B&B! We found a restaurant and ordered Lasagna and Pizza Cardinale. Despite being complimented on our Italian by the waiter, they got my Pizza order wrong...no Salami! So the waiter brought me some Salami on the side and I was appeased. The restaurant was not that great...the 1st warning sign was that the menu listed everything in 4 languages. <br /><br />Circle started falling asleep while eating, so we decided it was time to call it a day. Walking back to our place, we passed an indian-run market where they had bottles of water laid out to tempt thirsty tourists. We moved all the single bottles out of the way so we could get at the pedestal they were set on...24-pack packages of bottled water. The store proprieters laughed at us as we lugged the huge pack up to the counter (apparently he's never dealt with savvy tourists). He did, however, give us a discount for buying in bulk. :)<br /><br />I slept from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am (Italy time), but Circle was not so lucky. She slept from 8:00 pm to 3:00 am. Then she got up and read her Italian BoM.<br /><br />When I finally got up, we headed down to the Breakfast part of our B&B, some nice cream/chocolate filled pastries, a peach juice drink for me, and hot milk for circle. Then we cruised out to the super market reccomended by our B&B proprieters (they complimented us on our Italian too). At the supermarket we bought some of our Italian favorites, some individually wrapped cheeses for Circle, a nice Italian Salami for me, and a block of Parmiggiano and some REAL Fanta for us both. We also got batteries for our camera. <br /><br />TOURIST TIP: Remember to pack a knife...getting the salami and cheese onto the bread is hard with just your teeth and hands.<br /><br />After hauling our picnic up the 3 flights of stairs to our B&B we were hungry enough to eat it.<br /><br />When we recovered, we went to the Coliseum and the surrounding sites. It was awe inspiring. We also bought tickets to go to the Roman Forum and INSIDE the Coliseum tomorrow morning.<br /><br />P.C. (post Coliseum) we made our way back to our B&B and stopped into a leather jacket shop next door. The people that run the shop actually MAKE all the jackets themselves. After complimenting us on our Italian, they told us we could order any style and/or color and they'd have it made in 24 hours. Circle's eyes were really wide as she looked at herself in a motorcycle-collar black leather number, but my eyes were even wider when I looked at the price tag (350 Euro ~ $500)<br /><br />After making a hasty retreat from the leather shop, we ate lunch at the Bar under our B&B. We ordered some pasta dishes that, despite being Italy's version of hamburger helper (we discovered later) were actually quite yummy. We topped lunch off with real italian gelato. I got Pistachio and Circle got something with chocolate.<br /><br />Finally we headed over to a shop called "ELECTRICITY" and got an adapter for my laptop. Now I'm hooked back into the web and feel so good. While I've been checking in on work, Circle nobly tried to read some more, but has been sleeping for the past hour or so...I guess the BoM really brings out the jet lag in her.<br /><br />We plan to go out to a pizzeria tonight that was recommended by our taxi driver.Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4791376495516259621.post-69034004029242894822009-06-14T21:10:00.003-07:002009-06-14T22:46:44.944-07:00Italy Trip Begins!12 May 2008 12:22 am<br /><br />WOo HOo! Leaving to Italy for a 10 day stay tomorrow afternoon! I'll be posting some updates and pics when I get the chance. Stay tuned!Nick Pastohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13515861073874617947noreply@blogger.com0