Wednesday, January 31, 2007

I have a lot of pictures I thought would be fun to put on my blog.
I got my next person to kill.........Brad Jones. He actually killed Skyler, so I need to avenge him. He's a friend of Dallas, but takes this game pretty seriously, so I need to be very sly about this. There are only 17 people left...someone is stalking me as we speak.
We have a basketball game this Saturday at 11, ya'll should come out, it'll be a good one.
Hillary is running, she's pretty popular among democrats, that bothers me.



















Friday, January 26, 2007

Quotes

I've heard two quotes recently, one is from the Puritans and the other from Pres. Packer. Who said what:

"The greatest battles of life are fought within the confines of one's own soul."

"Xerxes the great did die, and so will you and I"

Ok, so it's pretty obvious; our humanities class showed us what was in a Puritan alphabet book for kids, and that was in it, along with lots of other references to death and your worthlessness. I can't remember if I've talked about this or not but Mormons are often compared to the Puritans. We both stress the importance of being different from the world but we also don't want much difference within our societies. We also place religious significance of the founding of America and God's help in liberation from Great Britain.

We have a basketball game tomorrow at 10:00 at Timpview H.S. It's against the first team we played so we're doing a couple of special things because we know what's coming.

I really like my raquetball class and really think it's helping me improve. My instructor is really good and is teaching us his favorite serves. He really favors the lob, which was strange at first because I though raquetball was all about power, but he's teaching us that, like other sports, it's a mind game, positioning the ball, and playing to your opponent's weaknesses. It's like life. J/k.

I became a little worldly yesterday and finally bought some songs on itunes. Actually, I just really wanted the songs: I can only imagine by Mercy Me, and Devil went down to Georgia and Even Superman by Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband.

I felt really sick yesterday and am not feeling too well today either. I like being independent because I know exactly what I need to take care of myself and help me feel better: ice cream. I went to Smith's and bought butterfinger ice cream, came home and ate that while watching tv. I did feel better. Me and ice cream go way back. In high school and on my mission when bad things happened, I would get ice cream. In high school, my dad thought I was having a difficult time with something so he took me to TCBY treats. That was awesome! My throat was killing me, I was in bed for two hours before I fell asleep.

Three cheers for ice cream: hip-hip hooray, hip-hip hooray, hip-hip hooray!

Sunday, January 21, 2007

I love my camera

It was a fun weekend. I really like the Wolverines game. Yesterday we played with a bunch of people from the ward...seriously we have the coolest ward ever. Kyle and Chelsea are back together...I'm happy. Maybe the seesaw will be broken. It needs to be, because it keeps the vulcrum down. Last Friday we had a b-day party for Chelsea. I wrote her a poem:

Chelsea Wellsea is a girl,
Who sometimes has hair in a curl.

Fruit rollup the second is her blog,
Someday she will probably own a dog.

Sie spricht Deutsch sehr gut.
Uhhh, das alles, what's with all this root beer?

She is Cinderella, the princess,
And has smiles of excess.

We were engaged once, her and I,
Then she dumped me, and I wanted to die.

Soccer is her sport,
She is the athletic sort.

Mesa, Arizona is her home,
She wants to vacation to Rome.

Her roommates tell me that she likes boys,
But teaching Sunday School is what brings her her greatest joys.

She has arms... and legs,
And is now legal to be around kegs.

Age 21 she'll be,
Yesiree, Miss Chelsea Wellsea.

Yeah, that was fun coming up with. I posted several pics of the party and other stuff below.
So Saturday my team won our first game. It was really exciting, even though it was one of the sloppiest games I've ever seen. But as LaVell Edwards would say, "all you have to do to win a game is score more points."

I got my guy last Wednesday in the squirt gun competition. He wasn't too happy, but that's life, huh? My bro knows somebody who knows the next person I'm supposed to kill (or squirt), so we're working on him. I bet I'm hard to track down...unless a friend betrays me.

Hillary Clinton announced she's running. Gosh...I do not want her to win. She is the extreme politician. She will say whatever needs to be said to get power. She told her NY voters when she was running for NY senate that she was running to help NY and that is what she would do in her term. I guess she lied about that.

DON'T EAT PETE!!! I love that game.

Kyle told us a story.

She's a happy b-day girl.

Chelsea's face when she first walked in. Notice all the bubbles.

We all had problems to tell Alan, the bartender at Chelsea's 21 b-day party.

RYAN SHUPE AND THE RUBBERBAND!!

The girls in #9 came and did a dance for us...more or less.

Cannon is calling a phone number off the fridge.

This is a kinda weird trash can in the bottom floor of the Marriott Center.
At the basketball game, they showed clips of BYU's season. Does anybody know what clip this is?

Meeting in Metropolis, Amanda isn't really taller than me.

Cosmo pointed at us when we sat in the first row in the stands...BABY!

Kyle, before he cut his hair

A cool sunset picture

















Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Paranoid

So I'm sitting in the library right now, in the computer lab with my back to lots of people. I obviously have a lot to learn about playin it safe. I'm very paranoid that any moment someone will squirt me with a water gun and I'll be out. So if I end this blog entry early, ya'll will know why.

Hats off to the democrats. They are really trying to lower student loan interest rates. They're trying to do other things to help college students out from accruing huge amounts of debts.

Senator Barrick Obama announced he'll run for president. His father is from Kenya and his mother is an American. He grew up in Hawaii and is now a senator for Illinois. He's a colorful guy and even though he's only been a senator for 2 years, he's one of the frontrunners for the democratic presidential ticket. I like him, but probably because he's making Hillary upset.

School is good. I dropped my Isys classes so I can concentrate more on the classes I'm taking now. I HAVE to get straight A's.

I'm leaving...this is killing me.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Kissing Lion



This is a cool picture. This lady saved this lion and the lion gave her a hug and kiss.

I had an experience like Sara's yesterday. I bought 3 butterfingers and ate two of them between classes and such. After racquetball, lifting, and running I went to institute and completely forgot about the butterfinger in my pocket. I reached in and BAM I was overcome with joy. I quickly partook of the chocolate and butter goodness. It was awesome! It seems I can never eat a butterfinger without breaking it into lots of pieces and making a mess of it. I kind of enjoy it that way, but I would like to get my 33 cents worth and eat the whole thing. Wow, I can't find the cent sign on the keyboard, it really isn't there.

So yesterday me and Dallas went to a lecture by the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S. He was introduced as his highness. Interesting that we still use such outdated titles. It was a good lecture, a lot of it was about Iraq and bridging cultural differences between the Islamic world and the West. Anyway, the last person that asked a question brought up the fact that in elementary schools in Saudi Arabia there are textbooks that talk about the U.S. as being enemies, all Christians and Jews are enemies to Islam, all should be Islam or be killed. The ambassador acknowledged that there are problems like that and are trying to be worked out. Saudi Arabia isn't necessarily an extremist country. It has produced radicals, but is more moderate than say Iran. If textbooks in "modern" country like Saudi Arabia are that extreme, I hate to think what textbooks are like in Iran or Palestinian territories.

In my International Relations class we talked a lot about Iraq and President Bush's new strategy to send 21,500 troops to Iraq, mostly to Baghdad and the Anbar Province. In his speech, Mr. Bush said that al-Queda was seeking to take over the Anbar Provice and make it a breeding ground for extremeist, like Afghanistan was. Gosh, Iraq is just a black hole. On one hand I think dictators like Saddam Hussein need to be removed and a solid democracy in the Middle East would work wonders, but look at all that is happening. Shi'a police forces are killing Sunni Muslims, Sunnis fight back. Both sides fight through terrorism. The Kurds still don't have the Iraqi flag on government buildings in their territories because they believe they should be independent. The Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without their own country-25 million. They are spread out all over the Mid East, especially in Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. I taught some Kurds on my mission. There were about 7 of them that lived in this little apartment about the size of the bottom floor of Park Place. It was sad looking into their faces and viewing their history of being supressed by governments who seek to exterminate them simply because they are of a different race. I saw a movie about Kurds about a year ago and it was one of those movies that really affects you ya know.

Our teacher asked us if we were realists, pluralists, or globalist. Realists believe the world is a a struggle for power. Pluralists believe lots of influences rule the world, and globalists believe economics runs the world. We are really all three of them, or one of them at different times. When I play Risk, I'm a realist. But I think I'm a pluralist. For example, I don't think we are really in the Middle East because we think they are a threat to us. I also don't think we are there purely for economic reasons, I think economics and power are certainly a part of it, but lobby groups for Jews are a part of it, religion could be a part of it, etc.

So life, huh, that's amazing.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

White and Nerdy

So I was disgusted all last week about going back to school, but now I'm excited. I have some awesome classes! I think that was my problem last semester, I had a couple professors that just didn't do it for me.

It was good to be back in Carrie's secret office today, even though she kicked us out.

I can't believe how bad Florida beat Ohio State...Crazy.

Life...is good.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Power of the blog

Bloggers unite! We must take down this evil rule of only 2 apartment spots per apartment! I think Justin has a really good argument. We knew what the parking situation was like before we decided to come to Park Place, which is why we signed the contract for a year. They are really going against their end of the contract. I think we should all talk to her and if nothing changes then we should contact the owners.

Well, I've only had one class so far, and even though it is going to be really hard, I'm kind of excited for it because I know I'm going to learn a ton about a topic I really want to learn more about: International Political Economy. My professor worked for the Reagan Administration, kinda cool.

So I just thought this was cool, this is part of the Geography 120 Syllabus:

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

1st part of blog:

Dear 2007,

Hello, I am going to own you! You are my year. I have to admit, you have a lot to live up to. 2006 was amazing! I had high expectations for that year and 2006 exceeded them. I have a lot in store for you, so be ready for a crazy time. Ya know, you will be my favorite if you help me with keeping my resolutions the whole year not just the first couple months. I have some other goals that I'm hoping you help me reach. Thanks for not letting me be that lazy so far, but it's only been 3 days so you can't brag too much. Thanks for the snow back home and for helping us get back to Utah so speedily. I'm liking you so far.

So here are a couple things you're going to do for me: run a marathon; write everyday in my journal; better and longer Gospel study sessions; going to Holland, Germany, Africa; lots of camping trips and going jet skiing; learn basics of Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic; straight A's; good GRE score; better of idea and plans of the future; I have a honeymoon package lined up, so any help in that area would be appreciated; stay in contact with people from mission and back home friends; a little help in the money area would be tight; a couple other personal things; and anything else that you want to throw at me.

Don't go by too fast, lately all the other years have and it's been driving me crazy. What do you have in store for the world? Is the Israel-Paletine situation going to improve? Is Mitt Romney going to be the leading presidential candidate? What's the situation going to be like in Iraq? I know you don't have complete control over this, but if you could stop world hunger, global poverty, international disputes and a number of other things, you'd make a lot of people happy.

Be good to my friends and family. So far nobody really close to me has died or been severely injured. I'm not always sure what my friends or family want from you, but can you give it to them? They've all been there for me all those other years, so do what you can to help them be happy. Do you take bribes?

Good start with the Boise St. game. Here's a list of things that I'd like you to do:
-Jazz with the NBA finals
-White Sox with the World Series
-49ers make the playoffs
-BYU basketball goes far in the NCAA tournament
-BYU goes undefeated in football and plays for the National Championship.

Wow, if you allow all these things to happen while you're around, you'll be all-time favorite.

Sincerely,
Kasey Beck

PS- If you see your buddy, 2006, tell him thanks again for a great year.


2nd part:

I really don't have that much to say. We got in yesterday around 2. We drove all night after the Boise State game. Holy cow! That was amazing; I became a Boise St. fan! I can't believe they won it on 3 trick plays...all of them when the game was on the line. Well, I'm not sure if I'm going to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. The company that I was going to go through up'd the price by $200 more than what's on the web site. But some people I'm going with are looking into climbing Mt. Kenya, so we'll see. So I've gotten a couple syllabi for my classes, I'm already stressed about next semester, I'll have several 12-14 pg. research papers.

It was good being home- being with family, seeing old friends. We played lots of basketball and dodgeball and then we got snow on new year's eve...it was awesome, even though it kept some people from coming to our party. Mallori and Laci came over, we talked for hours with them. Me, Sky, Trevor, and Travis played basketball. It was like old times, Dragons vs. Eagles. The Dragons (me and Travis) once again reinforced our superiority by beating them 2 out of 3 games.

I'm auditing Spanish this semester so I gotta start practicing Spanish again. Me gusto jugar al futbol americano. Mi llamo es Kasey, mi familia es loco.

Be sure to check out Becca's Blog