Santa's Frozen in Carbonite!!!

He's been frozen in carbonite!  He should be quite well protected--if he survives the eating process, that is...

Christmas

Ok.  We had fun with our Christmas Tree this year.  I am proud to announce that Eliza and I have caught ourselves a beautiful, 100% pure, genuine plastic tree!  Sad.  I really wanted a pine.  But, when you're gone for 2 weeks straight, we figured that the plastic was easier to take care of.

If you look closely, you will find our 4 favorite ornaments.  The first 3 are ornaments that we bought from a Fund Raiser for Emma's school.

The first three pictures are the ornaments, and the last is what we did to them.  It was a rather cool effect!  We liked it.

But most importantly, we put up our must-have ornament:

For those who don't recognize it, this was the ornament that Joe and Lacey put on our wedding cake last May.  We only thought it fitting that the temple take its place at the top.

Yes, we love our tree.

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

Yet another new job.

Yeah. I don't know how it happens. But without even trying, jobs just fall into my lap. But this one's a doozie.

As I was finishing a lab for the day, the Physics Department Advisor poked her head in the door and said, "Michael, check your email." Uh-oh. She laughed and said it's really good. So I looked, and she had sent me a note saying that there was a potential job opportunity for me. So, I went to talk to the professor she mentioned. We talked for a while about the position. It involves computer programming, which I have always loved. There was a person involved in this project who wrote a program to demonstrate some electrodynamic effects. However, when they demonstrated the final results, showing that there won't be a problem, they realized that "Of course there won't be a problem! It's only in one dimension!" So, it's back to the drawing board. But the guy who wrote the program doesn't have time to work on that, so they decided to hire a graduate student--they're always cheaper and good for slave labor, right? So, I was invited to help. He told me to think about it, and to talk it over with Eliza, but I was half tempted right then and there to just say "Yes! I'll take it!"

Now, I think it only fitting to tell you why I was so eager to say yes. Well, this is a program modelling the electrodynamic effects of a satellite. In fact, it was made for a particular satellite called the James Webb Space Telescope. If you're unfamiliar with this project, click on the link. It's basically a modernized Hubble Telescope. In fact, you remember how Atlantis is supposed to go up for the last servicing mission for the Hubble? Well, from how I understand it, this project is why--we're sending up something bigger and better.

An opportunity to work on the James Webb Telescope? Absolutely! Will it be hard? Absolutely! But I wouldn't give it up for the world. Great experience, great time to learn, great for resumes...what more could I ask for?

By popular vote, Hurricane Katrina is a result of Global Warming!

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Can I say it even more clearly? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tell me, why is it that because someone in the media has the wild idea that a severe natural disaster can be explained by man's misuse of the planet, that becomes doctrine?  I just went to a seminar on Global Warming for a class, and as is inevitable, someone brings up Hurricane Katrina.  Let me ask you: What is so rare about a category 2 hurricane?  There was NOTHING odd about Katrina.  NOTHING!!!  The only thing that was odd was that it happened to pass over the right spot, and the storm surge (associated with Fluid Dynamics, not with Global Warming) broke through the levies.  So, is it because I drove to the store when I first got my driver's license that the levies broke and New Orleans was desolated?  I think not.

And how much confidence do you have in a guy who is saying we need to cut back on pollution, but in the same breathe says "It would take a lot for me to leave my car and use my bike more frequently?"

Mommy, wow! I'm a big boy now!

Well, I know I haven't been faithful in writing, but here I am.  Since we didn't have an internet connection at our last place, I kinda lost the habit of writing.  So forgive me as I try to get back into the habit.  In the meantime, Eliza and I have moved into our new apartment.  If you need our new address for anything, let me know.

Wahoo.

Now, I'd better explain the title.  Yeah, random.  No, really, there's a point.  So after today, I have successfully finished 6 days of graduate school!  Wahoo!  Yes, I am a big boy now!  (It would have been 7 days, but I kinda missed Friday--that's another story).  So what do I think of graduate school?  I love it!  I have my own desk!  You have no idea how excited I really get about things like that...  Honestly, it's hard, but there's something more satisfying about it.  Now I'm not really studying just so I can graduate, or just so I can get a grade.  I honestly could have stopped where I was.  But I decided to come here.  I want to learn.  So, I really enjoy learning right now.  Now, maybe I shouldn't talk to my brothers and sister who have already been through graduate school--they might ruin my little imaginary sphere I'm in right now (imaginary spheres--sounds like physics to me!).  But for now, I'll enjoy where I am, what I'm doing, and the interesting dreams of complex variables.  No kidding, I woke up this morning and saw the clock in complex form.  Wow.

The non-poster is posting!

Well, it is now 86 days, 8 hours, and 12 minutes since Eliza and I got married (I know, I'm a nerd). I'm sorry I haven't posted anything lately. But for those of you who continuously remind me that I haven't posted lately, Eliza and I are living in a cute little house that her parents own. It is a wonderful place. We do have an internet signal that we can get if we sit in a certain position on the bed. And when I can get on the internet elsewhere, I usually am busy at work or at school. So that's why I haven't been posting.

So, when can you expect another post? We are moving to Logan in 2+ weeks, so when we get there, I'll be able to give a better update. Hope you all have fun. Love you all. Take care. Boa noite! All that stuff.......

How well do YOU breathe?

Today I had a presentation in my math class. With all the humility I can muster, we blew everyone else in the class out of the water! Now, I know it's not a competition, but all the same, our project was a beauty.

Our project was to look at pollution emitted by the oil refineries in North Salt Lake and see how that pollution acts, and see if that may be a possibility to the higher percentage of children with asthma in Woods Cross than in Bountiful, just across the interstate.. One group looked and said that the pollution didn't even reach as far North as North Salt Lake. But that doesn't make sense, since most of the refineries are North of North Salt Lake. Anyway, enough of my complaining.

So my portion of the project was to determine the winds for the model. I took a climate model, and found a day where the winds were similar to the model. Then using the data from MesoWest, a weather data analysis group in the Meteorology Department here at the University of Utah, we found what the winds should look like for each hour on a "normal" day in the summer. The first figure is an example of how the winds act at 9:00 in the evening.

After we finished that, we used some math algorithms that I won't bore you with to determine how the pollution acts throughout the day. Our results were quite fascinating! If you look at the winds, the winds are westward or almost nothing for 18 out of 24 hours, while it moves towards Bountiful for only 6 hours a day. What does that say? Pollution is going to concentrate right around Woods Cross, and will barely cross I-15. So after 24 hours, this is what our result looked like:


If the concentrations are that high around Woods Cross, then it looks like the refineries could be a contributer to higher percentages of asthma. So, what's the point? Do you have a breathing problem? Then maybe you just want to run this program for your area and see what could be affecting you. Then, if you really want, you could join the politicians and make a lot of noise about one's driving inhibiting on another's right to breathe! And while you're at it, could you do me a favor and mention the smokers walking where I try to breathe and skateboarders riding where I'm trying to walk?

For the love of Pete.....

A few weeks ago (Feb. 9), we went on a little journey. Our party consisted of me, Eliza, my parents, Eliza's parents, and my oldest sister Kiersten. We all traveled to Manti to look at places to have a luncheon after our wedding on May 6. We really liked what we saw, and hopefully we have a place.

After we finished visiting the different halls we had decided to look at, we stopped to visit my Grandma Olson, who is living in a nursing home in Ephraim, five minutes North of Manti. When we knocked on Grandma's door, she opened and we heard her very familiar shocked expression: "Oh! For the love of Pete!" Oh, I love hearing that! I love my Grandma!

As we all filed into the room, she did a classic Grandma: "Here--make yourselves comfortable while I go take care of something," and ran into her bathroom. Eliza made the comment later that this was very similar to how her Grandma Clawson would act. Then she came out and wondered why nobody was sitting in her chair. Oh, that's my Grandma!

Now, there were two things that happened during our visit that we really hooted at. First of all, she was talking about using her walker. So Bro. Clawson said "Oh, I bet they call you speedy here!" Sis. Clawson replied "Have they given you any tickets yet?" Grandma's response was amazing: "No, but they should give them to others here!"

As we left, we all gave Grandma a hug. So I bent down over her chair to give her a hug, so she gave me a kiss on the cheek to congratulate me in getting married. Well, as you can see in the picture, I had a surprise for her--my beard! As she kissed me, she got the most shocked look on her face and exclaimed "Oh! What did I get my face into?!?" Apparently, her face was something to look at! We have been laughing hard about that one for almost a month!!!

Grandma, I love you! 94 years old on Thursday, and still showing the joys of life. I hope I can have that energy and joy throughout my life.

Success!!

Well, just after lunch today, I had a crowd of people around me to watch the shuttle Atlantis launch at 12:45 pm today. I always find launches fascinating. I don't know--maybe it's the impressive power in that machine. I'm such a guy. But then again, there's something that everyone enjoys. In fact, I was proud when I saw that Eliza was also getting quite excited for the launch. I guess I'm rubbing off on her. ;) It wasn't too surprising, in the last 2 minutes before launch, I found a crowd of people watching the computer as the clock went down.

So, I wonder what it is about launches that makes it so wonderful to watch. Is it really the extreme power in those boosters? Or is it the thought of flying? Don't know. In any case, it's interesting to watch.

So I guess that I'll just have to go and fix my rocket and go launch it again! But why did I have to paint it silver and blue so it blends perfectly with the sky???.........

I'm gettin' married in the mornin'!!

Well, I got a wonderful bit of advice from Lars, to write down my experience. Besides that, I'm sure many of you want to know how it happened, since many have already asked how, even before it happened. So, here you are:

A number of months ago (Halloween to be exact), we were at a choir social at the institute here at the U. As the night started to wear on, a few of us gathered around Eliza, who was playing on the piano, and began to sing along with the hymns she was playing. One of the songs she played happened to be one of her favorites, "If You Could Hie To Kolob." I looked a little closer at the words, and an idea came into mind. I entertained it, and thought "If this really does happen, I might be able to do something like this." Of course, I basically did what I thought that night because it never went away. The picture of what to do was clear, and so as our relationship progressed and it became obvious that we would get married, I didn't change from the idea I had that night.

So fast forward a few months--December 25, 2007. I had debated the whole issue in my head many times, but I felt pretty sure of what I needed to do. So on Christmas morning, we had Christmas at the Clawson's, and went to the Olson's in the afternoon. While Eliza was in the shower, though, I managed to find a minute to chat with Bro. and Sis. Clawson. There I told them that we were thinking about marriage, and that I wanted permission to buy a ring (in other words, to marry Eliza). Bro. Clawson said yes, and so on Thursday, Dec. 27, I went and bought the ring. However, there was a problem. I wanted to give it to her as soon as I could, but since all the workers were on holiday break, nobody was there to work on her ring. So finally, on Monday, I got a call saying it was ready. I picked it up, and it was gorgeous. But as soon as I got it and realized what I was doing...yeah. It was weird to think that I had just bought a diamond ring. That night, though, I thought about the details of my plan, and found a time the following day that I could give it to her.


The Proposal

So on the evening of January 8, 2008, there was a gap of time between Eliza's last class (ending at 6:00) and our choir practice (starting at 7:30). Not much of a gap, but still a gap. I went and picked Eliza up from class, along with our really good friend Erin. So she went home and, somehow having figured out what was going on, got her camera to take pictures after our choir practice (thanks, Erin). So we left campus, and headed downtown. Eliza, not knowing where we were going, was content to sit back and wonder. After a while, we arrived at temple square. As we walked through the plaza, Eliza took a look at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and commented on the interesting design of the building. After we talked about that for a minute, I took her and we went into that interesting building. =D No matter how interesting the outside may be, the inside is beautiful! So we went upstairs, and not having much time, we just went straight to the chapel above the main lobby. If you haven't been there, you need to go! It's beautiful!

Early last week, I asked Eliza to find a story of one of her pioneer ancestors. She talked about a set of grandparents (how many greats?) and their journey to the Salt Lake Valley. As they were getting ready to get on the train, they set their baby boy down, and lost him. So they looked everywhere, and finally decided to pray. Just then, a strike of lightning flashed, and in that flash, they saw him under a bush. Really cool. After she shared that, I shared the story of my Great-Great Grandma and Grandpa Olson, Lars Erick and Anna Persson Olson. They were converted in 1880 in Sweden, and soon after emigrated to Utah. They left on April 1, 1884, and arrived in Ogden on April 27, 1884. Much shorter than the first pioneers. But there was a comment in Anna's history that caught my attention: "After hearing [the missionaries], Lars and Anna too became convinced that they were men of God, carrying the true message of Jesus Christ. As soon as it became known that these people were investigating this new religion, persecution began. To avoid this as much as possible, it was necessary to do the baptizing at night. Even in the winter when they had to dig a grave in the ice in order to get to the water, they did not lose faith--nothing could stop them. They were baptized in 1880." Nothing could stop them. That one really struck me. Even in the worst circumstances, the work keeps going. It was at this point that I gave Eliza's last Christmas present to her.

The card had on one side a picture of us on a trip to the Mount Timpanogas Temple, and the other had these words from If You Could Hie to Kolob:

"The works of God continue
And worlds and live abound.
Improvement and progression
Have one Eternal Round.

"There is no end union,
There is no death above,
There is no end to glory,
There is no end to love."

So for a few more minutes, I gave some thoughts on these verses. The works of God continue; nothing could stop Him, nor those who act on what they know is right. It doesn't matter what else happens, it'll keep going. "Improvement and progression have one Eternal Round." The rooms in the Salt Lake Temple make an interesting pattern. After starting in the Creation Room, and moving through the Garden, World, and Terrestrial Rooms, you end up in the Celestial Room, directly above the Creation Room. In the course of an endowment session, you make one full circle, ending up one level higher. So God's works never end, continuing forever on an upward road.

After musing on these thoughts, I asked her to read it all again out loud. She did, and the words touched us both. So I mentioned the line from Anna's history again. If we know something is right, nothing should stop us. Doing so, we'll always improve on God's path without an end. Then I asked "Do you want this to end?" Of course, she said no. "Neither do I. So, there is one solution. Do you know what the symbol is for an Eternal Round?" Silently, she nodded. So at that, I got on my knee and asked if she would marry me.

Hee hee, I never thought I'd do that. But I did, and she said yes. I've been so happy, and so has she. We are looking at a wedding on May 6, 2008, in the Manti Temple. And now you know the story.

Most wonderful news!!

Wonderful news! Last night, January 8, 2008, at about 6:45 pm, in the chapel located above the main lobby of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, I asked Eliza Clawson to marry me, and she said Yes!!!! Wahoo!!!! I am so excited! We are planning to get married on May 6, 2008, in the Manti Temple. This is a wonderful time, and I am very, very excited to spend my life with this amazing daughter of God.

We met a year and a half ago, at the end of August 2006. We were beginning a new semester at the University of Utah, me in my Senior year, and she as an entering Freshman. We spent a year together in orchestra, both in the cello section. Through the summer of 2007, we spent a lot of time together in Institute Choir. Then a point came in late July that we just felt that we needed to take another step, and began dating. From there, everything just seemed to say that we were on the right path, and it seemed that we were pointed in the right direction the whole time. And so we were led to this point, and I am very excited to marry this amazing and most wonderful girl in my life.

Michael Joins the Bloggers World

Well, here I am. I finally decided that it's time for me to join the blogging world. Probably in part, this is due to Elder M. Russell Ballard's counsel on blogs. As of now, I have just started my last semester of studying in the Meteorology and Mathematics departments at the University of Utah, graduating in May. Well, I think that's a good start on me. As news comes, I'll let you know.

In case you're interested, here is the story printed on the LDS News Page, which is a top story on their Home Page.