Raff's Blog

Google and CSR

2011-08-31T11:37:00.000-06:00

This is something I wrote for my sustainability class, and I was so proud of it, I felt compelled to share. NOTE: If you intend to plagiarize this post in its entirety, let me know. It feels good to know how awesome I am.

Google offers the most efficient search engine, comprehensive tools, and solid financial gains of many of the companies in operation today. As such, Google is a company of image. If Google had existed 60 years ago, they probably would have recruited individuals by stating there is great job security and regular raises and promotions based on tenure. However, Google is a company of our times, and our times demand social responsibility. This is not exclusive to “not dumping waste into local water systems”, but more rather a proactive approach to improving communities and the environment. Google has been very careful to create an image for working at the company as well (in terms of CSR).

The following is a sample list of some of the programs Google has implemented to recruit CSR-conscious employees:

• $5,000 subsidies for employees buying hybrid cars (Timberland offers $3,000)
• Company dining facilities that serve organic sustainable foods
• Charitable contributions to organizations that fight global warming
• On-site farmers markets
• On-site composting of food waste
• Use of green fuels and solar power
• Fully subsidized employee bus pools for commuting employees
(Source: http://bit.ly/9jN12)

These kinds of programs are similar to the ones we saw in the PricewaterhouseCooper (Module 3) video. Additionally, as companies expand operations (adding offices and purchasing capital equipment), they are increasingly looking into how they can not only help lessen the impact on the environment, but also to regionally boost the impression of the company. Google recently implemented the “Bonding with our Communities” program. The following is an excerpt from the press release:

“Effective July 1, 2011, all full-time Associates who have been employed at least one year will be eligible to take 7.5 hours each calendar year to participate in community service activities.” (Source: http://bit.ly/nSAuF3)

The 7.5 may not sound like much, but the latest full-time employee head count is at 28,768. Doing the math quickly in my head, this comes to 215,760 hours (8,990 days, 1,284.3 weeks, 24.7 years) of community service per year. (Source: Google 10Q released 7/14/2011) This is not only a boost to company perception, but the service rendered helps the employees feel empowered by the otherwise “ball and chain” workplace.

Google is a thought leader in terms of many practices, and is ever expanding. As such, it is my impression that with that expansion, the pressure for CSR and employee empowerment to participate in the company’s CSR initiatives will increase.

2010-06-30T22:56:00.000-06:00

Too good not to share.

2010-04-13T10:32:00.003-06:00

24 Reasons Why Jack Bauer is a Better Entrepreneur than YOU

Published on 12 April 2010 by Rod in Business Success

Did you know that stopping biological attacks, nuclear threats to American cities, or presidential assassination attempts in a 24 hour period could help you become a better entrepreneur? 24’s hero, Jack Bauer has been saving America’s butt for the past 8 days straight (the show is in “real-time” so the current season, which is 8, is the eighth day) so surely he can teach entrepreneurs something about business right?

#24. Jack Doesn’t Play – If you had to stop an imminent nuclear attack on Manhattan within 24 hours you wouldn’t play either! Successful entrepreneurs are serious about taking their products, services, and businesses to the next level, are you?

Tip: Keep a business journal and keep up with your ideas, marketing plans, or whatever comes to mind with you at all times. Stop playing with your vision.

#23. He’s Intense! – One of Jack’s most loved attributes is his intensity. It’s said that intensity fuels your passion just as passion fuels your success (I said that by the way). Are you fueling the passion for your business with your intensity? That doesn’t mean you walk around screaming or mad. It means, your burning desires for success lights a fire under your feet!

#22. Jack is Extremely Passionate – Jack Bauer has been saving the world (without rest by the way) for 8 days straight . . . there’s got to be more than a little passion in him somewhere. How passionate are you about succeeding in your business? Are you willing to work long nights, sacrifice, and give more than anyone because you love it? If not, you just won’t be successful.

#21. He’s Resourceful – In almost every season of 24 you’ll see Jack get captured (or trapped) by terrorist and escape by using the environment around him. How resourceful are you? Are you maximizing the tools currently in your possession?

Tip: Don’t spend unnecessary money on a new computer, upgrade the one you have! It’s far cheaper to upgrade than buy a new one. Also, check out Dell and HP outlet computers. If you’re lucky, you’ll find an older model that can be upgraded and perform just as well as newer models.

#20. Jack isn’t Afraid to Ask for Help – Whenever Jack gets into a bind he looks to computer analyst and friend, Chloe O’Brian for help. She’s helped him get out of more jams than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Are you allowing others to help you on your road to success? It’s ok to ask for help . . . I promise it won’t make you look anything less than really smart.

Speaking of smart . . .

#19. Jack is a Smart Guy - I’m not sure if he’s got a college degree or not, but he always manages to come up with a solution on the fly and in the moment. Do your wits kick in when there’s an issue with a client’s order? Can you act quickly under pressure? Thinking on your feet will be key to being a smart small business owner.

#18. He’s Wise – Jack knows a lot about taking counter-terrorist action, he’s only gotten better at it through each season of the show. What’s great about this last season is that you can really tell that he’s the wise and trustworthy agent the entire U.S. relies on. As you gain some experience in operating your business you’ll need those lessons to help you in the challenges ahead. Remember, lessons learned in the past hold treasures more valuable than gold. . . or weapons grade nuclear material.

#17. Jack is Trustworthy – Everyone, even the President of the United States trusts Jack Bauer to get the job done. In seasons past his name would issue doubt but now, it’s the only name anyone trusts. How trustworthy are you? Do clients have any doubt that you’ll do exactly what you say you’ll do? Remember, it’s hard to earn someone’s trust but it’s easy to lose it . . .

#16. Jack Doesn’t Trust Anyone – On the other end of the trust spectrum, Jack doesn’t have any for anyone other than a select few (less than 4 people in this current season – the President being #4!). With plot twists filled to the brim with double-crosses, back-stabbers, moles, and shady characters can you blame him? As an entrepreneur it’s extremely important that you don’t trust your visions (business ideas) with everyone.

A Short Story: I once started a video-game tournament company (playing console games tournament style with live entertainment) and I shared my idea with a mentor. Months later my mentor had successfully implemented my idea. I was beyond sick once I got wind of the news. So, be careful with who you share your ideas with.

#15. Jack Knows How to Use a Weapon – I’m not a gun advocate or anything, but a weapon is a tool to a means to whatever end you will it to be (whether it be to defend or destroy). Are you maximizing tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and others to reach your target market? If not, you may be missing out on conversations your customers want to have with your business.

#14. He Is a Great Leader – Jack Bauer is used to issuing orders to local police, CTU (Counter-Terroist Unit), secret service, and FBI officers. He leads by example and with a “my foot first” mentality. Being a small business leader is more than barking orders, it’s about putting your people first; and your needs second.

#13. Jack is Always in the Company of Great People – The company you keep says a lot about you. I’ll go so far as to say that they will have a direct effect on your success. Jack always has his trusted CTU (Counter-Terrorist Unit) friends near-by or a phone call away. In many instances they were the ones keeping Jack from going too far off the deep end. . .

#12. Jack’s Network is Presidential – If Jack Bauer needs to get a full pardon for a terrorist who is going to spill the beans on an impending attack he calls the President of the United States directly. As a matter of fact, I believe, Jack has the President of the United States, FBI, and NSA directors all on speed dial. Who’s in your network? Are you maximizing your connections? Engage with your fans on Facebook, followers on Twitter, and local network groups and foster the value of powerful connections!

#11. Jack Is Learning to be a Better Family Man – Family has always been a touchy subject for Jack Bauer. In season one his wife and daughter were kidnapped and he’s fallen in and out of favor with them ever since. Many times the issue was of him saving the world instead of his marriage and family. Don’t get so caught up in your business that you don’t handle business at home. Period.

#10. Jack Knows When to Say No – If Jack knows a better solution to a problem, it doesn’t matter what government organization you’re affiliated with, who you represent, or your title . . . he’s going to do it his way. Sometimes the customer is not always right. It’s these times which you have to use your best judgement for the benefit of your client.

A Short Story: A customer wanted me to design a logo and requested some off the wall colors and graphics to be included. I totally neglected the client’s ideas and ran with my own (hey, my name was going to be attached to the work!) and needless to say, they were shocked, a little upset that they didn’t get what they wanted, but LOVED my design. Sometimes it pays be a rule breaker. Speaking of breaking the rules . . .

#9. Jack Doesn’t Play by the Rules - Jack following the rules of engagement is like putting out Thanksgiving dinner in front of me early and telling me not to touch it. . . it just won’t happen! As it pertains to entrepreneurship you can’t always play fair or by the rules because your competition isn’t either. Sometimes you’ll have to deviate from the plan, chart a course off map, or find a loop hole to stay in the game.

#8. He Has a Sixth-Sense for Danger – It says a lot if you’re capable of ambushing Jack Bauer. The guy’s spidey-sense tingles on a rate that puts Peter Parker’s sense to shame. In business not everyone has your success or best interest in mind. Stay alert and watch out for get rich quick schemes, pyramid schemes, or other ploys to get you to surrender your dreams.

#7. Jack Knows how to Defuse a Bomb – I’m definitely not suggesting you take any bomb defusing classes, but surely, it’s a skill that would come in handy, right? There will be times when a situation will have everything it needs to blow up in your face. It could be an irate customer, accounting errors, or technology woes. Whatever the case may be, stay calm and maximize every reason to defuse it!

#6. Jack Is willing to Sacrifice to Win – There’s been more than one occasion where Jack was willing to sacrifice someone’s life to save another. You definitely don’t have to go to such extremes to be successful, but you must be willing to sacrifice to make it to the top.

#5. He Doesn’t Negotiate with Terrorists – In the world of 24 Jack is always sticking a gun to a terrorist’s head and the President usually issues full pardons to get the job done. He’s a non-negotiable kind of guy and that’s why we love him. Whatever decisions you make on behalf of your business, stick to your guns and stand your ground. If someone wants to give you a couple thousand dollars for a 50% stake in the success of your business, maybe you shouldn’t negotiate. . . just saying . . .

#4. Jack is Persistent – It doesn’t matter if you’re in a hospital dieing, just been shot, or involved in a car crash, you’re going to tell Jack what he wants to know! He doesn’t stop until you do. If you need funding or seeking any other resource for your business don’t stop until you get the results you’re looking for. Persistence pays off in the end!

#3. Jack Bauer is Driven – In the world of 24 Jack has been running for 8 days straight saving the United States from unimaginable acts of terrorism. There’s something to say about a guy that keeps going even if he’s having the worst week ever. How driven are you? Are you truly working hard to achieve the vision, God gave you?

#2. Jack isn’t Selfish – The only reason Jack Bauer saves lives is because he understands what’s really at stake. If he fails it’s not just a few people that will die . . . it’s thousands. There is a universal key to success and that is the understanding that your gift, ability, business, isn’t about nor is it for you. It’s to bless and benefit others. Keep this in mind the next time you “don’t feel like working . . .”

#1. Jack Can Stop a Terrorist with His Bare Hands! – Ok, so this doesn’t really relate to anything entrepreneurial . . . but, how cool is that?!

Jack Bauer has been handling his business (as far as stopping national terrorist acts) for quite a few days now. I hope you’ll take the examples and entrepreneurial lessons here and apply them to your life and business. Success is yours if you really want. The question is, how bad do you want it? Bad enough to stay up 8 days straight and save the United States from biological, nuclear, and other terrorist attacks? What are your thoughts? Chime in and leave them in the comments below.

2010-03-24T10:13:00.005-06:00

Scott, I am giving all the credit for this post. While expanding my twitter followership, I came across something rather interesting on www.startupers.com/jobs. When you go to the bottom of the page, there is a button titles "Go To Hell" (See picture). When clicked on , it sends you to the tourism website for which country? Sweden!

I tried to think of all the reasons that hell is associated with Sweden. The only one I could think of this: The person behind this little button has no knowledge of Sweden outside of surströmming. That, or maybe there is irony behind this. Who knows. It's beyond me.

2009-10-10T22:43:00.000-06:00

Blogging via e-mail

2009-09-21T12:14:00.001-06:00

This is a test. Bajskorv :)

2009-04-02T15:11:00.003-06:00

So I try to be optimistic in this crazy world. Sometimes things just seem like they couldn't get any worse, but then they do. I am convinced that things can always get worse. The much ignored side of that idea is that despite everythings tendency to get worse, we always have the abillity to make our attitude better. Your car dies. Do you listen to Rage Against the Machine, or do you pop in some Jack Johnson? After a fight with your significant other, do you eat junk food or go for a run? What do you do to improve your attitude?

Last night, under the cover of darkness, somebody stole a bunch of stuff from my car. This I write to the perps. Good work. You robbed the poorest of college students. I am fine with you taking the FM transmitter, and the cheap cologne from Sweden for that matter. Keep those things. Just make sure you are more selective in the future, so you don't end up taking something that means nothing to you, like my schoolwork. That is low. But I stand in debt to those who choose crime for a living. Because of you, I will always lock my door. I will always keep valuables hidden. You taught me a lesson that just made your life harder, because I will warn my friends.

Today has been pretty bad. Life is rough without people robbing you. But I feel really good. I am sitting next to my lovely fiancée who loves me while writing this blog entry. That is enough for me to turn this day right around. I have two arms and two legs that are good for all kinds of things. I have awsome people who care about me. Jesus loves me. I love me. Life is good. I just wish I could meet the person that robbed me so I can return to him the lighter that he/she dropped in my car. Unfortunately, the Bountiful police wouldn't let me keep it.

Stay the course!

2009-01-20T20:16:00.003-07:00

I would like to give my thoughts in the form of a story I once heard from a wise friend, who actually heard it from his wise mother...

There once was a man whose car broke down on the side of the road. He decided to walk to the nearest farm to ask for the tools he needed to get his car running again. As he was walking down the road, he saw something off in the distance...a light! It was a house! He started walking towards the house when suddenly he thought to himself, "I sure hope they let me borrow some tools." He continued to walk towards the house, which seemed to be miles and miles away. Getting closer, the man thought, "what if they get angry with me?!" Despite this feeling, he continued. A while later, he realized that he was actually pretty close to the house! As soon as he could make out the front porch with it's large front door and patio furniture, he ran. Tired and slightly out of breath, he raised his hand to knock on the door. It was late, and in that moment, this man was gripped with fear. "These people don't want to be bothered this late," he thought to himself, "and who knows, they just might get violent or something." He lowered his hand, turned around, and headed back to the road to find help elsewhere.

How many times do you feel like this guy? By staying the course, you not only accomplish your goals, but you build yourself up for the next daunting task. Stay the course!

Finals induced coma

2008-12-04T19:10:00.001-07:00

I am tired of studying...

2008-11-30T22:05:00.002-07:00

Tonight was pretty dope. After a great day of church, dinner with Amy's family and an attempt at helping Amy with her homework, it was time to enjoy a little morsel of the nerdy and ever so entertaining gaming history I have.

Game: Starcraft
Race: Protoss
Teams: Team Justice (James, Isaac, Josh) vs. Team Dragon (Pappa Rodgers, Nathanial, Caleb)
Level: Some level with tons of islands
Result:A giant victory for Team Justice!
Special Mention: Amy, for not only letting me indulge in my nerdiness but actually enlisting as my tactical adviser

I must say, it makes me smile to know that the rising generations are taking interest to the games that shaped my tastes in gaming. All of the new versions of games are great and all, but sometimes it is all about revisiting the classics. Maybe in a few months, these newcomers to the world of LAN parties will be ready to experience Warcraft 2!

2008-11-29T15:25:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving is a day for movies. It really is. For poor people like me, dollar movies is the way to go. The movie of choice was 'Mamma Mia'. Great choice. Except for Meryl Streep. And her two friends in the movie. It was told to me in advance that whoever did the casting should have been shot. There have never been truer words spoken about that film. Peirce Brosnan was a shining element in this film, mostly because he was trying really really hard when singing. Really hard. ABBA music was good, if cheesy. The film reminded me of Flight of the Concords in a way, minus the funny. All in all, I liked the film. It was fun, upbeat, and really really catchy. You could tell when they were about to go into song, but it was okay. It was fun. But when you are trying to ignore the fact that Meryl Streep is a million years old and pretending to be 40, alot of the fun cheesy parts just seemed to lose thier luster. Again, good flick, but just a few things got in the way of me really liking this film.

As a closing note, I would like to thank all the middle aged women (especially the ones sitting right behind me) for turning the film into a sing-along. It really made the experience...better. (please note the sarcastic nature of this final thought)

2008-11-05T12:49:00.001-07:00

A bit of inspiration from explodingdog

2008-10-24T11:07:00.003-06:00

The very first thing that caught my eye when I came to this site, was the "donate now" button...soon enough Obama will have raised enough money to create his own bailout plan, which in my opinion, would put his money where his mouth is.

Less on the fundraising at first glance...but is there no end for Joe Six Pack?!? First and foremost, I am just a bit soggy around the waistline, which from what I understand is the national trend. Can't they get a campaign for Joe Snack Pack?

2008-10-15T18:02:00.000-06:00

This is just a little bit how I feel.

2008-10-01T22:10:00.003-06:00

Pedulla, The Pi and Lennart. A stellar combination of things great.

2008-09-06T13:01:00.009-06:00

This picture is probably the best picture ever. To make a long story short, while waiting to be seated, I went on about how I was going to, when seated, ask to speak to the owner of the restaurant to see to that Amy got her seat named after her. I then proceeded to say that I was going to make a big scene until it was done. Well, we narrowly avoided the awkwardness of me making that scene by being suprised by the waitress taking us to a booth of which the seats were named "Donaldo" (my seat...) and Amy! I couldnt believe it! It was pretty much the coolest thing ever.

This is the kite festival in American Fork. Despite going to the festival, Amy's friend Alli still has never ever flown a kite.

Cousin It

If there is maybe one picture to epitomize the relationship between a one Amy Frances Rodgers and James Edward Rafferty, I sure hope this picture is not it. (then again, the 'Josh-face' is pretty good in this shot...)

Edward Cullen, eat your friggin' heart out!

2008-08-31T10:06:00.006-06:00

These are some pictures from Mike's Rockband party, courtesy of Amy.

2008-08-20T23:32:00.002-06:00

Dangit, LeRoi. I was reading the news and heard the sad news of the passing of LeRoi Moore, the sax player for Dave Matthews Band. One of the greatest music experiences of my life was a concert about 5 years ago, and now it is one of a kind. Good times. Good times. Thanks for the amazing sax, LeRoi. Hope the heavenly choruses can use a good sax player...maybe trade in the harps...

2008-08-20T19:30:00.002-06:00

This is impressive. The worst that Sweden has done in 104 years. I wonder if there are an other countries that are having bad luck too. But not all is lost. There are still chances for 'landet lagom'. Here are the events:Sailing, Canoeing, Taekwando, Horse-jumping, high jumping (sweden's best shot with Carolina Kluft, in my opinion...) and cycling. Good luck Sweden!

2008-07-07T05:09:00.001-06:00

2008-07-07T05:07:00.000-06:00

This is Ilholm the Ill. Super cool. He is home now on vacation, and isn´t coming back before I leave. Bummer.

2008-06-23T04:52:00.000-06:00

Basketball injury...(click on it to see it...)

The announcer for the Midsommar activities. She did a pretty good job.

2008-06-09T06:33:00.000-06:00

2008-06-02T04:48:00.001-06:00

This is pretty much the nicest compliment that I have ever seen 'sidewalk-chalked'.

This is the great find while walking on a path. Pretty creepy, especially if you are walking at night...

Airforce Museum

2008-06-02T04:38:00.000-06:00

Chips Concert

2008-05-28T04:37:00.000-06:00

2008-05-12T05:14:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when you take a picture of yourself with somebody else´s camera...it ends up on their blog. So here´s to you, Mattias, who is now immortalized on my blog.

2008-05-12T05:11:00.000-06:00

This is Alfred, as I will always remember him...

2008-05-05T04:50:00.000-06:00

This is the Linköping Crew and Alfred Toft, my favorite danish guy.

2008-04-21T06:54:00.000-06:00

Yes, this is me in front of a chocolate factory. And yes, they have a store with second sorting stuff...jackpot.

ooweeooweeooohh...whaa-whaa-whaa

2008-03-26T04:14:00.000-06:00

I am pretty sure this would be my picture of choice if I ever had a wanted poster out.

Feelin' Patriotic

2008-03-17T10:05:00.000-06:00

Rafferty wants you!

Jesus loves me!

2008-03-10T07:06:00.000-06:00

The last time we went by Mikael and Celinda's place, they suprised Elder Patchett and I with two wrapped packages. It wasnt Christmas, and it wasnt my birthday either, so this came as a suprise. Not knowing whether or not I should open it there or wait later, I let my eagerness take hold of me and just started opening the package. I was suprised by a really cool quote that goes like this: "Jesus loves me! This I know for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong." I really liked it because it totally struck home with me. There are so many cool parts to the poem that if you take time to think about, are really, well, cool. Thanks Mikael and Celinda!

View from the Åkeström's

2008-02-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

Me, Gustavo and Slava

2008-02-25T07:23:00.000-07:00

Gustavo

2008-02-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

This is Gustavo.

Life is not fair in pizza and kebab!

2008-02-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Notice how happy this little guy is...and I am not talking about Elder Barnett...

...and now look at him...angry as a bee!

The darkness and coldness is lifting!!!

2008-02-18T03:31:00.000-07:00

So this week has been the beginning of the end...for winter that is. I have watch the thermometer go between -10 and 5 degrees celcius, with the final result is the ice melting like it's nobody's business. That is good because that means that I am getting closer and closer to not having to worry about slipping and falling on my face. That also means that driving will be less fun, but more safe. But regarding driving, there have been some amazing puddles that have been, well, entertaining. But dont worry, no unsuspecting pedestrians get the wrath of the Raff. I know how it feels, so I extend the courtesy as well. One thing that is going to be fantastic is when it is spring, there are outdoor mini-golf courses. I plan to have a very rigorous training schedule on p-days to get on my game. I miss mini-golf, and outdoor mini-golf offers the promise of fresh air and darkened skin. And yes, I did say darkened skin. I feel like a 75w lightbulb right now. At any rate, seeing as how I have sucessfully talked about the weather, I think I will sign out.

A Dedicated Servant of God

2008-01-28T03:46:00.000-07:00

This is in memory of President Gordon B. Hinckley, the prophet during the days of my adolesence. Although he will be missed very much, I know that he has done what he was called to do. The knowledge and testimony of what follows this life tells me that this faithful and stalward servant will only continue to serve.

Picture mania!!! (finally...)

2008-01-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

According to Ingemar Åkeström, there was a rumor that "Mormons" have horns... I have no idea where they got that from...

This are some of the troopers from my group that were in the same zone at the same time...

This is Elder Baily. Not only is he a bundle of fun, he has a good-lookin' hat. And judging by his face, I would say he knows it.

Now this is just cute...Meet Samuel Käriää, the next missionary to be going out from Sundsvall. But seriously, he really is waiting for his call. Interesting fact: His birthday is May 28th, 1988...wait a second...There is something else on that day, like somebody elses birthday or something...somebody reeeeeally important...

Translation: Sweden's Largest Candystore? Over 500 varieties!- I thought this was goofy because of the question mark after candystore...as if there was a printing error, or as if they were'nt sure if it was the largest or not.

And what is a blog with a tastless placement of the word "poo". This is the motorcycle of Patrick Grönblad, one of the coolest guys in the world. I walked by, and refused to take one step futher until I got a picture.

Winter Wonderland

2008-01-21T03:42:00.000-07:00

To all of those who believe that the country of Sweden is just covered with snow between the months of September and May, you are sorely mistaken. And no, there are no polar bears either. Tons of youth here believe that most Americans believe that there are polar bears here... I have never been of that persuasion, and neither will I ever believe that. In the past few weeks, i have experienced walking/driving/slipping on solid ice, but then the sudden change of temperature with occasional rain turn everything into something that resembles a town that somebody has spilled the world's largest Slurpee on(colors sometimes included). When all is said and done, everything freezes again, and the cycles starts over. Am I complaining? Heavens no. This is the spice of life. And every now and again, we get snow to give everything a nice clean white color. And now I am even happier to say that even with the extremely abnormal weather, the sun manages to stay out a bit longer every day. The sun now sets at 3:30 p.m., and I couldn't be happier. That is , until I imagine nice sunny days where the sun shines all day, which right now feels like a fairy tale. But when that time finally comes, I will just try to not forget the trying times of winter, and the gratitude will sit fast in my heart. But I wont waste space on my blog daydreaming. The reader is obviously capable of doing that. But now I am going to jet, as my time on this, the library computer, is limited. Have a great day.

Mikael på tåget

2007-12-22T03:44:00.003-07:00

This place is reserved for a video of one of the craziest guys ever...

Just so we are not confused, this is NOT the 'Mikael' of Mikael and Celinda. This is just some random Mikael, who just happened to be drunk on a train on the way home from Stockholm. Right before this, the guy just lit up his pipe on the train, filling with a rather bad smell. Oh Mikael, you slay me...

December 22nd, 2007

2007-12-22T03:25:00.000-07:00

Hello and Merry Christmas! This is odd. They changed p-day to saturday this week, and this means that this is my second time in one week for this post. But chances are good that I will do a special 'Christmas post' on the 25th. Very likely. This week was interesting. I had one of the zone leaders from Umeå, and aside from a cancelled appointment, it went ok. Other than that, just did the things missionaries do. And, if everything goes according to plan, this is going to be one rockstar Christmas. I will fill you in when it happens(...dont want to jinx anything...). Have a good one!

Here's to you, nerdy city planners!

2007-12-22T03:15:00.000-07:00

Isnt it great?! Gamers have started changing the world little by little! While getting lost on the way home from a members house, I looked to see if I recognized the street we were on. Well, I did not recognize it, but I was greatly amused. I salute you, city planners.

December 17th, 2007

2007-12-17T03:07:00.000-07:00

Snart blir det Jul. And isn't it fantastic? I spent the morning talking with teachers, giving the most politically moderate answers to all of the hardest answers, finished with 'as missionaries, we usually dont talk about these things. We are here to represent our church, not the United States.' It was great. And the greatest part is that I, being the big boy I am, hit it off really well with many of the teachers. The point of the meeting was to make appointments for us to be with in the english classes. I pretty much told them that we cn answer questions and talk about ourselves, but that when I was in school, I wish that my teachers would have played more fun games. And so now I am armed with Taboo and Catchphrase, and am ready to rock the Swedish school system. But, I am really limited on my time here now, so I will add some more...later...Ihope...

December 10th, 2007

2007-12-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

For some reason I can get into my gmail account but not open any mail! Oh how I love public computers. So as it stands, I have read the first 6 or 7 words of each email. And as far as I can tell, Grandma Tate still loves and supports me and I can vote on the county level.
As it has been said, the reliabillity of library computers is, in other words, ridiculous. As far as I can see, this is just how it will be until further notice. We had some great things happen this past week. It is the same thing, day in and day out. Just busy "keep on keepin' on." Interesting comment about church this last sunday. The topic of Mitt Romney has come up in church every week since I got here. It is crazy! Amazing how much the members here think about those things. Well, this is the post for this week. I will see what I can do to ge some pictures on here next week.

Day one...

2007-12-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

Due to the rising pressure of facebook, and the complete lack of desire to have an alternate life on the internet, I have decided that blogging is my way out. And even though it may seem like blogging is being shadowed by the monsters of friend-networks (MySpace,Facebook bl. a), at least it is a rather good way to inform the people that care about you of recent events. And, as it seems that iy is super hard to get an email out every single week filled with great detail, I see this, my new blog, as a way to compensate by mixing text and pictures to keep you in on my life. So here it is. My first post on my very own blogg.