Statement of Intent for ASU

I thought I'd share my statement of intent for my graduate school application (note: it had to be 600 words maximum and cover certain topics, i.e. my interest in the program, what I hoped to do with it and my educational background).

I initially developed an interest in the field of Urban and Environmental Planning during my first year of undergraduate study at the University of San Francisco. I noticed striking contrasts between San Francisco and my hometown of Salt Lake City in terms of both efficiency and sustainability. The transit systems in the two cities provide some of the most noticeable differences. In San Francisco, subways, trolleys, and electric buses move people quickly and reliably across the Bay Area. The city relies heavily on its public transportation system and is able to do so because of outstanding urban planning. Conversely, in Salt Lake City it is difficult to rely on public transportation. The bus routes are constantly changing and many buses arrive only once an hour, making them relatively ineffective. Other transportation options are limited as well. During good weather I attempt to ride my bicycle as much as possible. But, again poor planning makes it difficult to do so quickly and safely.
Despite these problems, Salt Lake continues to improve its mass-transit system. The addition of a light rail system has transformed entire neighborhoods as well as the culture of the city. All along these rail lines, business and home developments have flourished creating a demand for further mass-transit development. Watching these changes take place in my community has inspired me. Having experienced a first-rate mass-transit system in San Francisco, I know how much of a difference well-planned transit can make in urban areas around the United States. They help advance the concept of self-reliance in an approach that improves both the community and the environment. They also create an opportunity for smart growth and mixed land use. It is my hope to build a career contributing to development projects that serve to make the community a better place by accommodating pedestrians, bicycles, and public and private forms of transportation.
My professional interest in sustainable urban planning has led me to seek out case studies and theoretical models, such as Peter Calthorpe’s “The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and American Dream.” I am particularly fascinated by Calthorpe’s work on transit-oriented communities and his investigation of the changes in population habits that arise in these areas. I believe that my background in history will be enormously helpful in my pursuit of a career in urban planning. As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to research and develop a case study of the Bernal Heights neighborhood in San Francisco. I examined the reasons for its development, its cultural significance to the city, and the effects that these factors have had on the more-recent development in the neighborhood. For my undergraduate thesis at Westminster College I investigated community and cultural shifts in San Francisco’s Japantown during the internment period of the 1940’s. I believe that only by looking back at cultural, political, and environmental factors can we truly understand current developmental patterns and how to shape future growth.
The MUEP program would provide me with an excellent opportunity to learn more about sustainable urban planning and give me access to leading educators in the field. I am a dedicated and diligent worker and I believe that my passion for the environment and building better communities will inspire me to exceed requirements and expectations. My goal is to be an active learner: a student who participates both in class and in research opportunities and internships. I hope to take the knowledge and experience that I gain from the program and apply it to a career in sustainable urban planning so that I can contribute to a better, more environmentally conscious, future.

What to do about Carlos Boozer?

As you may already know I am a huge Utah Jazz fan. I was there when Michael Jordan knocked down his final shot to knock them out of the finales. I was there for the 26 win season, and I was there when Derron Williams, Paul Milsap, CJ Miles, Morris Almond, and Ronnie Brewer were drafted. Yes, I follow them somewhat religiously. But, recently I've been having a difficult time watching and following my favorite team. Why? It's not because they're losing these days. The Jazz often struggle and I somewhat like loveable losers (not the Cubbies though, because they aren't loveable anymore, they're just losers). It's because one of my favorite Jazz players, Carlos Boozer, has now missed the last 18 games with a mystery injury. Now, I've stood up for the big guy since he joined the Jazz in 04, but his latest actions have made me question just how awesome he may be. The guy was supposed to only miss a few games, but now he doesn't know when he's coming back. That I can understand. Injuries are tough to get through. Not everyone can be Karl Malone. But, during his extended hiatus he announced that he was opting out at the end of this year so that he can get more money on the open market. Why in the world would he pick now to say this? Yes, everyone sort of expected it, but come on...now? Why not wait until you're back on the floor? This coupled with the recent revelation that he was almost traded last year begs the question, should the Jazz trade him now and get at least something in return before this guy walks out at the end of the season? Clearly they aren't getting much from him these days since his injury, and Milsap seems to be doing alright. Sure, he's not as good as Boozer, but he's getting there. So, what should the Jazz do? My opinion is to trade him. Yes, it will be tough to let go of a 20-10 guy, especially when he's opting out at the end of the year. But Miami is the perfect match. First, Miami would do it to get a post presence to team with Dwayne Wade. Plus, even if Boozer opted out and signed with a different team they would be getting a ton of cap space for 2010. Plus, Boozer would probably want to re-sign with them anyway, given that he lives there during the offseason. The Jazz can try and get back Michael Beasley and Mark Blount (for salary matching purposes). Sure, Beasley is a rookie, but he has a high ceiling and is a good scorer. Match him with Derron Williams and good thing will happen. Miami might not make this deal because Beasley is a future talent and Boozer is often injured, but it wouldn't be the first time they took a risk like this. They gave up Caron Butler and Lamar Odom to get Shaq a few years ago. Plus, Miami has been showing a lot of interest in Boozer already. Yes, there are a lot of drawbacks. Sloan doesn't like to play rookies and Beasley has been somewhat immature. But, if Boozer is going to leave at the end of this season and doesn't play this season due to his "injury" the Jazz should at least get something for him. Sadly, I think the Jazz will stand pat. Boozer will come back around the All-Star break, put up big numbers and they'll sneak into the playoffs. And after they lose in the first round Boozer will be off to Miami. The Jazz need to try and get something back.

Fun Things I Learned on IMDB: Part 2

Did you know that the movie 'Speed' was originally written for Jeff Bridges to play opposite Ellen DeGeneres? Yeah, that movie could have happened.....we were all robbed.

Fun Things I Learned on IMDB

Did you know that OJ Simpson was originally considered for the role of the Terminator, but was considered by the producers to be "too nice" to play a cold blooded killing machine?

Arizona/California Trip

Kaiti and I just got back from our totally awesome winter vacation to sunny Arizona and So Cal. Well, it wasn't actually that sunny. Sure, it wasn't as bad as Salt Lake which apparently had several big snow storms, but I was expecting to be living it up in t-shirt weather. But then Canada had to butt in and send it's arctic air to ruin our vacation. Okay, so it wasn't ruined, but it was cold. I had no idea that it snowed in Arizona (aside from Flagstaff) but outside of Kingmen, Kaiti and I found ourselves in the middle of a blizzard.

Oh, and while driving through said blizzard we saw a wolf hanging out on the side of the highway. At first I thought it was a big husky dog, but once we got closer, BAM, wolf! Anyway, Phoenix was sunny, but it didn't get above 56 after the first day we were there, so even though I tried to walk around in t-shirt I eventually had to put a coat on. We both got a chance to check out Arizona State. Kaiti went to a "Law School Day" where she got to tour the facilities and sit in on a mock class while I met with the advisor for the School of Planning. Of course Kaiti's parents made sure that we also sampled a plethora of local foods while we were in town and Green Hire (Merla's company) gave us tickets to six Diamondbacks games (against the Mets and the Giants) for helping with the design of the company's web site. From Phoenix we made our way south to San Diego where Kaiti's friend lives. We met her new baby and had a good time hanging out and checking out some of the city. Of course Kaiti and I made our way to the nerdiest place we could find, the USS Midway, a floating war museum. Unfortunately, it was $17 per person and we aren't made of money, so sadly we just walked around the ship. But, at least I got these adorable pictures of Kaiti and some bronze troops listening to Bob Hope. 
 

President Bush Vs. an Iraqi Shoe

Yes, this actually happened. For more info you can go here. If you watch the video, I especially like it when Bush says that this is one of the positives of having a free society. Yes, we're free to throw our shoes at anybody we want to. That being said, he might want to prepare for more shoe bombardments by his own free society. You know, the one suffering from a crippling economic recession...

The "Most Wonderful" Time of the Year

So, somehow it got to be December 13th already and Christmas is right around the corner, as they say. So Kaiti and I decided to get in the spirit of season and made our first holiday card. No, I haven't grown a creepy mustache (I wish), but that is a real beard on the cat. That is, it's some horrible costume we found for kitties at the local Petco. Boo, as you can tell, was thrilled.   

What I've been doing the last week and a half

So, I finally got a chance to get out of the office and do work that doesn't involve me being in front of a computer for 9 hours. It wasn't glamorous by any means, but it was nice to work on a film production again. Plus, it's not every day you get to work on a rocket ship and play with models (ships, not people). Here are the production photos. Hopefully I'll have a link to the ones I took soon (I was the still photographer for the last day of shooting). Oh, the name of the production is Dash Dawson and it's a campy Flash Gordon type information security video for the VA. I probably can't say much more than that because I don't want "the man" to get mad at me. Now it's back to the rewarding duty of obtaining pharmacy accreditation. Yeah, I roll like that.