Tall Dude

Left: My Mom.
Right: Mark Eaton (Former Utah Jazz shot blocker).

Please Be Careful with Garbage Bins in Elevators

Hahha. My friend "Cutesy DOOM!" sent me this picture.

Them Mormons

I have been in St. Louis for the past week for a conference in electrical engineering. I ran into a guy from Brazil, and since I went on a mission there, I was psyched to start talking some Portuguese with him. Here's how our conversation went.

Me: Tudo Bem? Meu nome e Joey. Prazer. (How's it going? I'm Joey, nice to meet you.)
Brazilian: Opa, voce fala portugues?! (Hey! You speak Portuguese?)
Me: Falo. (I do.)

At this point another guy hears me and walks over to me and looks at my name tag.

Other guy: Woah! You speak Portuguese? Where are you from?
Me: The University of Utah.
Other guy: Oh! I went to BYU!

At this point, being the jokester that I am, I make a big disgusted face and put my papers over my face. I thought for sure he knew about the BYU-Utah rivalry and would understand my joke.

Other guy: Oh! Don't worry! I'm not Mormon.
Me: Ha! I am!

The guy really did not know what to say. Hahahahaha. So funny.

Should I Commit to the DoD?

I got a call from the Department of Defense (Navy) about them offering me a scholarship for my PhD. It's not 100 percent sure, but it's very possible that they would offer me about 35k a year as a student (as opposed to the 18k that I will make starting this summer). There are some strings attached, however. First of all, they want me to commit to working for 3-4 full years in the DoD after I'm done with the PhD, most likely in San Diego at the Naval research labs. If I do not follow through with that, I would have to pay the money back. Secondly, I would need to spend my summers as an intern there. I don't think the internships are paid, and I don't know if they would provide housing for my family during that time.

The problem with this offer is that I am not sure if it really leads me to my dream of starting my own company. I find myself thinking about doing that quite a bit lately, and am trying to figure out the gradient that will take me from a PhD student into the president of a startup company. Working for the Navy in San Diego is a great opportunity, but I am trying to figure out if it's just going to distract me from my long term goals. The summer internships would remove me from my PhD research for a few months every year, and would therefore prevent me from getting done as quickly as possible. I am also pretty sure that I am not interested in staying with the DoD for a long term career.

I am soliciting your advice and comments. Any insights that may be helpful for me in making this decision?

The Kite Runner

I just read a popular book called "The Kite Runner." It's narrated by a fictional character named Amir who details the tragedies of his life and how he deals with them. When Amir is very young, he makes a mistake that ends up haunting him for a very long time. The book is about how the mistake affects his life over the long run, and discusses the elements of his life that many people can relate to.

It also discusses some of the political tragedies in Afghanistan in a fictional framework. While the story may not be actual, I found myself thinking a lot about the turmoil that undoubtedly exists in that area of the world. After reading this book, I appreciate my freedoms more, and understand how blessed I am.

If anyone would like to borrow my copy of this book, just send me an email or post in the comments.

This is Joey. I am here...

This is Joey. I am here watching the Jazz Game, and some people around me don't believe that I can write a blog entry just by calling my phone. So, this is proof when they get their computers later tonight, they will be able to see this entry. listen

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