Sometimes when people like something, they call it “sick” to describe how much it uplifts them. That’s how I’d describe this video.

Last Saturday BYU broke the world record for the largest water balloon fight! I went and got a free t-shirt. It was awesome. 120,021 balloons!They fed us afterward as well!

Yesterday I was washing my car outside when a guy came out of my complex and started walking by. I didn’t recognize him so I asked what his name was, he said “Utkarsh”. It’s pronounced “oot-karsh”. He’s 19 and from India going to BYU. He’s not LDS but lives our standards. I took him to the store to look for a stereo cable then he made some rockin’ Indian food and shared. It was fun, I also learned that there is a cool Indian food store in Provo called “Bollywood Market”. Did you know that people from India call their cousins ‘brothers’ in many cases? Yup.

Other cultures are so cool!

I’ll just have to quote my friend’s blog again here. Remember to have fun!

Recently I talked to an old friend and it was really fun! I went to the world’s largest water balloon fight this morning and it was SO fun! Recently Parker Planners received more orders than I thought would come so soon, that was fun!

Pretty funny.

“To those predictors of doom, I relay what an old friend once passed on to me. At a certain point in the process, no credit will be given for predicting rain. The only credit will be for helping to build an ark”

from: unwacky

This was one on one of my friend’s facebook pages. It’s good stuff, I’m a fan. Although to find a child to touch my hair once a day might be a little tricky, I’d probably have some weirded out parents on my hands.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day…

San Diego is a fun place! I came here with sister, brother-in-law, nieces and brother! It’s way awesome! Our first night here we went to a sweet Greek restaurant, the lady said my two nieces had Greek names. Zoe and Ellie. Wow, some very good Greek grub and Greek people workin there 2 boot.

Today we Sea-worlded it up! Shamu’s show was called “Believe” and now we have to believe in dreams. We sat in the “soaked” zone but didn’t feel a drop. At the dolphin show we sat on the front row and got d-r-e-n-c-h-ed from head to toe, it was awesome. They also had two black villian whales to go along with the show. Very impressive and Cir-du-soliel like. Then we saw the pet show- way good. Makes me actually want to get a dog some day. Then was the seal show. It was amazing. It was called “Sea Lions Tonite” and it actually made fun of the other shows! I was so impressed that Sea world could actually poke fun of itself like that. Definite comic relief.

Pizza and hot tubbing to round out the night. Very nice vacation day.

I finished a book by Malcom Gladwell called The Tipping Point a little over 2 years ago and today I finished his next book “Blink”. Both very good! Here’s one of the ideas from Blink:

In the early 20th century women were discriminated against in the classical music scene. It was thought that they didn’t have the lung capacity for brass nor the hand strength for strings. Less than 5 percent of musicians were women. Then something very simple but profound happened; they did blind auditions. The performer would walk on stage via carpet (so heels wouldn’t clink) behind a sheet so those listening could only hear the music, not see distractions. By the end of the century about 50% of those performing in the nation’s major symphonies were women.

Cool, huh! How you sound should be, after all, the only determining factor in a symphony orchestra. If you’re singing pop you should probably be a hottie with a body who can shake it all over, but if you can wear black and be still then hey classical is for you!

Gladwell spoke at Harvard Law about 2 years ago and proposed we practice criminal law using this principle. Surprisingly he was well received. The author was trying to correct the injustice of racial prejudice in sentences. It’s a fact that black convicts are 27 to 54 times more likely to get jail time for drug offenses than equivalent white offenders. Great idea I say. Why not level the playing field?

Eric, my dad, and I went to Miller Sports park in near Tooele Saturday for a belated birthday present and for the funs of it. They had some neat cars around so here’s a couple pics. We also raced their go karts which was really fun. They are outdoor on a road track and probably go like 40mph which is pretty fast 4 inches above the ground.

This picture is on my grandma’s wall by the kitchen. I imagine my grandfather put it up there because he had that kind of humor. They have lived in the same house since I have been alive, so this picture has sort of been a constant for me. It makes me laugh but also makes me think. Maybe it’s where I get my entrepreneur tenacity?

“No” is never the end unless you give up. I say that all “no” means is that you got their attention. The second “no” means that you might be serious, the third one means you actually want it, the fourth “no” means that you’re determined to get it, and the fifth “no” means that you understand persistence. There usually aren’t more than 5 “no’s”.

Choke that bird!

credit to Mick’s blog

Provo is crazy bumpin’ thug-ville on the 4th of July! It rocks. There are probably 20,000 people hanging out on University Avenue. Some are part of super hard core biker gangs, some are camping out with their families, some are walking around in disbelief that Provo could be so hip and up late! I was in the later category.

One of the coolest things about it is that they park all the floats together in a big lot next to BYU so you can walk around at midnight and see them all on your own time! No baking in the sun while they go by at 3mph. Here’s Abe.

Happy B-day USA

It’s hard to stay positive. They say attitude is altitude and I’m a firm believer in that. The other week I went to sacrament meeting in the room where the BYU Cougarette dance team practices. They have won many national championships. Most people would think the really positive stuff they have on their walls is cheesy, corny, etc. It’s great stuff! I love going into that room because I can only imagine the great attitudes of happy champions much less the person who teaches and leads them. Way to be excellent, you dancing people.

“

Eric got contacts recently, too. The first few hours are the worst! His face helps us understand this.

Ever seen it? It’s really good, very very highly good. It actually supports the traditional family which practically nothing and no one does these days.

Eric and I went last weekend with some friends. They were a little more prepared than we to see the movie. Here they are at Sonic after the flick. That’s Woody, Ken, and of course Barbie. Ken and Barbie are actually married which makes it even funnier.

On June 26th that is. The event that inspired the blog has reoccurred today! It’s only 10:38 am and my birthday has been way good! It started off with learning more about the word “wrest”. Do you know what it means? It means to force to twist something. I for some reason thought it meant to neglect. So if you’re reading a good book from a good author, don’t wrest their words, or twist them to mean what you want, because that ain’t not no good.

THEN I put some new tires on my car! They look great, feel great, and now my car doesn’t pull to the right anymore! Oh yes. Next it was off to Sport Clips for a haircut and shampoo by someone else. Shampooing your hair isn’t hard, but man it’s great when someone else will do it for you.

I have some funs to look forward to! I’ll write more when they happen.

Ok they happened.  A buddy of mine wrote me a birthday song! It was played on a guitar and sang with a voice to the tune of  “don’t worry, be happy” but instead the song said “Ethan Parker . . . it’s your birthday!” Loved it. 

Now it’s training time for our new sales intern Nate. He rocks, very smart guy. Then two other wardies and I practiced for a musical number we’re doing on Sunday It’s an octet, 4 guys 4 gals. Sounding pretty good! All in the area are welcome to come. It’s in the SWKT at 9am.

Now it’s Eric time. My younger brother is the coolest ever! He took me to lunch/dinner at Nicoitalia Pizza. If you’ve never been it’s like pizza heaven on earth. Even the owner is from Boston and has a sweet accent! That was some good grub. You have to try their cannoli’s. Really. You have to. My beloved brother then took me to see Karate Kid. Very cool movie, I really liked it a lot.

That makes a pretty good birthday right? I thought so but there was more! We came back to the apartment and it was full of people wanting to surprise me on my birthday! They surprised me and we ate food and grooved to groovy melodies. Then volleyball and then Eric and I watched the end of  The Wedding Singer. Very good birthday indeed!

Thanks for tuning in.

Love,
Ethan

I know, more about the car, blah blah. You must understand the effect this auto has had on my life recently. I had my first ——-windows-and-top-down with amazing blonde hotty while driving uninsured and unregistered and got pulled over by the cops but got off scott free——– experience in it. It accelerates at freeway speeds like most cars do off the line. Etc.

So here’s my friend Nate in the 325i. When he bought his new car he let me take it for a burn on some mountain roads so I let him do the same. It rocked. Nate watches the British car show Top Gear all the time so it was appropriate to let him ride a horse from Bavaria, Germany. The car finally went back to my parents last week. Alack.

What did you do for your dad?

This father’s day Eric and I went up to our parent’s house. Eric went back to Provo later that night and I stayed because I had a little business to do in that part of the woods. It’s funny but adults really don’t get many opportunities to spend time with just they and their parents. When you’re all grown up and gone you usually see your folks at family gatherings when everyone else is there or you’re with your spouse. It’s neat to get to know them better as people and not just givers of meals and wheels.

I have a great dad. Many of my classmates at BYU have dads that are VP’s at Frito Lay, Presidents of this, or CFOs of that. Many of my classmates at BYU also very unfortunately don’t really know their dads or don’t have the best relationship. There are exceptions, yes, but I’m grateful that we always came first. My dad said that he never felt like he fit in all that well with the officers in the Air Force because they would golf and go to the bar in their free time where he always wanted to camp, shoot, and/or ride motorcycles and spend time with his kids. I never questioned whether my dad loved us as kids, we were really lucky.