It's the end of the world as we know it

With all of the volcanos erupting and earthquakes shaking all over the world, causing tsunamis and killing thousands, it can only mean one thing. It's the end of the world.

I took an Earthquakes and Volcanos class in college. It was a very interesting class and I learned a lot. Earthquakes are shaking numerous times a day all over the world and volcanos erupt constantly, weather they are under water or above. I understand the tectonic plates and fault lines. But I took this class in 2005. Since then, I haven't heard many news stories about the quakes and eruptions. But 2010 alone has been devastating for families all over the world. Earthquakes from Haiti to Chile to Turkey, tsunamis in American Samoa, volcanoes erupting in Ireland, and it's only April.

This is an interesting take on astronomy and what we can expect just by looking at the stars. According to 2010: The Year of the Volcano, 2010 to 2013 will be the most disastorous years in history.

This article from DiscoveryNews quotes scientists saying that this is not unusual activity, and that we can "put away the tinfoil hats"...for now.

Anyone who frequents Yellowstone knows that Old Faithful is going off in quicker time frames than it used to. In my Earthquakes and Volcanos class I learned that when those geisers erupt, the ash cloud will cover most of the United States.

In Utah, the Wasatch fault line was supposed to hold a 4.0 earthquake over 50 years ago. With all of the pressure building up over the last 50+ years, the Wasatch fault could go anytime. There is a Wasatch Fault earthquake clock that you can see here, which shows that we are "overdue" for a 5.5 - 6.5 magnitude earthquake. Now, I'm not a geologist, but I believe overdue means that the pressure is building up more and more and when the earthquake actually happens, it will cause a magnitude more than 6.5.

So Utahns (or everyone who believes this is the end of the world), why not be prepared? Head on over to the closest Walmart and pick up Stansport Hurricane/Earthquake/Flood Emergency Preparedness Kit for just $198! Or, build your own. The LA Times took the liberty of writing an article for all the local Californians who experience these quakes on a more frequent basis. Read up on it here.

The end is nigh people. Remember that when you're taking your daily walk down your street and a meteor falls from the sky right where you were just standing and creates a huge crator in your front yard.

Can a person change?

Lately, I've been reading a lot of posts on Facebook and hearing a lot of comments in movies and television shows about how people don't change. I beg to differ. I think people change who they are on a daily basis. There's no way that someone could go through an entire day of their life and not learn something new that is going to change the way they feel or think about a certain subject. Now, obviously, sometimes the change is not always a good change.

Just this morning I was looking back at the last few years of my life, since I graduated from college. I think the differences between who I was then and who I am now are extraordinary. Living in the real world and having to deal with the hardships of life have made me so much wiser. I think I have been through a lot in my 25 years. I've had to go through a lot bad experiences. Death in the family and with close friends, and struggles with money and actually working hard for the things you need in life.

But there were a lot of good experiences as well. Traveling to different places in the world (I need more), and overcoming the closed-minded ways of my immediate family, through more ways than one. I think Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best.

"An individual has not started living until he has risen above the narrow confines of individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

These are words that everyone should live by. If we do, the whole world can change and you can accept people for who they are and not who you think they should be.

April Showers....

So far, we haven't seen any April showers, only April snow. As much as I love winter and skiing, I'm more than ready for summer and hiking in my backyard with my dog. Summer 2009 was cut short. It rained throughout the entire month of June. So, summer 2010, bring on the heat!

Even though Park City is a ski town, it is an amazing place to visit in the summer, too. One of my favorite parts about summer in Park City is the free concerts at Deer Valley. Who wouldn't want to sit in these beautiful mountains at sunset and listen to some amazing bands?

There are food & wine tasting, concerts, whiskey tasting, farmers market, and Park Silly Sunday Market. Then of course there all of the other outdoor activities: hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, water skiing, camping, etc. Park City really is a great place. Just 30 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City and Salt Lake Internationals Airport. We have Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, and The Canyons in our backyard, just 10-15 minutes from my house. Jordanelle Reservoire is great in the summer for camping, water skiing, boating, and swimming, and that's just a 15 minute drive. Where else can you find all of these activities so close? Uh, nowhere.

Park City, Utah = Awesome!

Goals

Ms. Kali Judkins has inspired me. On her blog, she posted several goals to accomplish during the 2010 year. So, I decided to think about the goals I'd like to accomplish. Here they are!

1. I began my New Year's Resolution on January 1 by reading one book every week. My goal is to continue this goal for the rest of the year. So far so good!

2. Become a healthy, active person. I feel like I eat pretty well, but sometimes I grab a snack that isn't the best choice. I would also like to hike and mountain bike more this summer. This will lead to goal #3.

3. Be a healthy weight. The weight that I would like to be at requires me losing 15-20 pounds. This can be done by accomplishing goal #2.

4. Become successful in my career. I can't go much more into detail with this.

I believe that all of these goals can be accomplished by December 2010. I just need to stay motivated, work hard, and be consistant.

Like Kali, I'd like to ask you to blog about your goals. Write your 2010 goals, 5-year goals, 10-year goals, whatever! Writing them down and making them known will help you actually accomplish them.

Good luck!

The Empire State

I bought my flight to New York City earlier this week! I'm going over Memorial Day weekend, just in time for Fleet Week. I was in New York for Fleet Week last year and had so much fun. I have a whole list of things I want to do while I'm there, hopefully living a more local life than a tourist life. Being a tourist in NYC is crazy!

-Roosevelt Island Tram: apparently it's the best view of the city
-The Sopranos Tour: Take a tour of all the filming locations of the best TV show ever? Yes, please!
-Statton Island Ferry: I've done this a few times during the day, but never at night
-D.U.M.B.O.: Again, somewhere I've been in the day, but never at night
-Brooklyn Bridge: Nighttime, again
-Cruiser biking through Central Park
-Rowboats on the pond in Central Park
-Guggenheim, MoMA, or Museum of Natural History: I've done The Met, but no other museums
-Streetfairs: Best bargains!
-Eat in Chinatown and Little Italy
-Yankees vs. Indians: Already bought my tickets! May 30, 1:05pm!

If anyone has any other ideas, shoot 'em my way. I've been to all of the big tourist locations already: Empire State Building, The Rock, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, etc.

Also, I have been asking around (and even asked on Yahoo! Answers) about cute, comfortable walking shoes. I'm looking for something that would look nice with skinny jeans and sun dresses, but are still comfortable to walk in for a long time and won't kill me feet. Suggestions??