tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79986242012-02-16T13:16:38.217-08:00Peternoreply@blogger.comBlogger3621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-69375207163168787602012-02-13T21:27:00.001-08:002012-02-13T21:27:28.103-08:00

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. It is a very special day, and for that reason I share with you this very special slide show from one of my favorite websites, Awkward Family Photos. Enjoy.

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-67467927299757380132012-02-07T09:19:00.000-08:002012-02-07T09:19:43.167-08:00

When I moved back to California last summer, I said goodbye to Virginia and Washington D.C. And though I had many many good times there I was all too happy to put it in my rear view. Despite her hesitance fly Shannon had been nice enough to come visit me here. I told her, I've been to DC, I know what's there, I don't have a strong desire to visit. But after five months, I knew it was time to go

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-49725013626085662752012-01-24T14:31:00.000-08:002012-01-24T14:31:47.966-08:00

One of the first things I thought about when I was accepted to grad school at Pepperdine, was the fact that they were in the West Coast Conference, the very conference that BYU had just joined. I was excited that I would be able to see the Cougars in person, on a regular basis. Two weeks ago, the Cougars were in town to play at LMU. I went with Don and Gavin and really enjoyed our time at the

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-11434448648373474482012-01-23T09:45:00.000-08:002012-01-24T10:55:08.198-08:00

It's been awhile since I have had to put up my personal Bat Signal but let me tell you, I don't know if I can describe things better than "good grief. " The problem with expectations is that every time you have them and things don't work out the way you think they should supposed to, you get very disappointed. While there was a very large and meaningful part of the weekend that could not have

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-38012640621155413462012-01-14T18:36:00.000-08:002012-01-16T23:37:46.053-08:00

What I just went through must be documented for posterity. Anyone who knows me, is well aware that I am a die hard 49ers fan. Since I was seven years old I have had a deep and abiding love for the 49ers. While it was easy to root for the team in the 80's and 90's it has been lean times to say the least for the last ten years. But what a year it has been. Yesterday at school I packed my bag with

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-67277883607846306502012-01-04T21:52:00.000-08:002012-01-04T21:52:42.114-08:00

I have not forgotten you my dear Pete Chat readers. How could I? Pete Chat is one of the things I enjoy the most. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. I know I did. I got many wonderful and thoughtful presents all of which I enjoyed tremendously. Christmas was all but perfect until the Lakers lost at the very last minute. That pretty well stunk. I got five tickets to the

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-31459922162364096702011-12-20T20:37:00.000-08:002011-12-20T20:52:40.122-08:00

I admit it, I have been bad at blogging this year. I blame this on two things primarily. The first thing is that the first eight months of 2011 nothing terribly exciting happened. I worked some, and I played some, and that was pretty much it, at least for me. That is not to say that important things haven't happened, it just hasn't seemed like they have been great fodder for blog posts. Second,

Peternoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-91355907921708137842011-12-07T13:25:00.000-08:002011-12-08T21:55:06.383-08:00

I feel like I have barely had time to breathe the last few weeks. Between my birthday, Thanksgiving, my new job, my dog getting lost and finals it has been a pretty eventful time in my life. Dare I say, it's been crazy busy. No, I don't, I hate that phrase. But it has been hectic to say the least. We were worried when this guy ran off Shannon was nice enough to spend my birthday and

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-30930689267436444212011-11-18T11:27:00.000-08:002011-11-18T11:27:06.424-08:00

I'm not sure when you started reading Pete Chat. If it has been more than a year, you probably remember how much I was freaking out about turning thirty. I was a wreck. Those every five year birthdays are the ones where I especially stop and evaluate you my life. Am I happy? Am I fulfilled? Am I reaching my goals? I was really thinking about those things. This year, totally different. Tomorrow I

Peternoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-76302032001040556402011-11-08T20:52:00.000-08:002011-11-08T20:52:54.118-08:00

If you were able to look at the most popular searches of Pete Chat, or what posts were most popular it is almost always the post I did about La Serna Homecoming in 2007. If you Google La Serna Homecoming I think it is the seventh thing that pops up. It got 41 hits in the last month even though it is a post that is four years old. It seems like I am not the only one who loves La Serna Homecoming

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-48700371045619640212011-10-30T23:36:00.000-07:002011-10-30T23:39:20.709-07:00

One of my absolute favorite times of year is happening right now. I love Fall in California. I don't care about leaves changing, or anything like that I enjoy 80 degree days, football on the weekends and getting ready for Halloween. It seems to me that there is a certain segment of the population who hates Halloween. They think it is demonic, and horrible, and ruins kids lives. To those people I

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-36093609743107436872011-10-19T09:48:00.000-07:002011-10-19T18:15:43.891-07:00

I want to mention a few things before I get to the meat of this post. During class on Thursday, our guest lecturer suggested that we purchase our own websites, just in case we need them someday. So that means if typing in petechat.blogspot.com is too much, you can now go to peterdorsch.com. It's all very exciting. Jordan and Marlo had a baby girl yesterday, Lydia Lynn. She is very cute, and I

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-41868882852875346582011-09-29T00:37:00.000-07:002011-09-29T00:37:30.797-07:00

Oh faithful Pete Chat readers I beg your pardon on a lack of recent updates. I finally had my first legit busy week of school with multiple assignments due and like it or not that got the priority, but that is done now, so I can get back to that which I really enjoy blogging. Before the Angels blew any shot of going to the Playoffs I took my roommates to Angel Stadium. We had awesome seats. Third

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-50801639036811142062011-09-16T14:28:00.000-07:002011-09-17T00:34:16.154-07:00

Do you really want another post about why my life is so great in Southern California? Probably not. But guess what? That is exactly what you are going to get. I had my first visitor this past weekend. Non other than the lovely Shannon Crowley. Since our departure at the Norfolk Airport last month we have done a lot of talking on the phone, a bit of emailing, some texting, and even video chatting

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-11544959754192531712011-09-06T18:23:00.000-07:002011-09-06T18:32:33.958-07:00

While  I was on my mission my sister Jennifer worked at UBS in New York City. My mom would write me stories of Ms. Peterman ( I think that was her name) Jennifer's boss at UBS. She was an extremely fancy lady who came to work in a limousine everyday. Ms. Peterman had no children but she loved her dogs. I recall a story where one of Jennifer's former coworkers brought her new baby to the office to

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-13028805450995185462011-08-29T14:29:00.000-07:002011-08-29T14:29:01.795-07:00

Dear Peeps, after nearly six years living in the Washington DC metro area, I have officially packed my bags and am headed home. When I first got into school about six weeks ago I felt only excitement about returning to the Golden State, and not even a hint of sadness about leaving the place I had lived. I did the math and figured out that I had lived in seven different places and had around

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-73200588548446330432011-07-28T16:23:00.000-07:002011-07-28T16:40:51.885-07:00

Here are a list of not so frequently asked questions, and the accompanying answers. Q: When are you leaving for school? A: Around the 13th I'll leave Arlington, spend some time at the beach, back in CA around the 19th. Q: Are you driving? A: I'm shipping the Millennium Falcon,  and taking a Star Cruiser later in the week. Q:Where are you going to be living? A: Pepperdine is about 60 miles from

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-33512002952576713472011-07-12T08:55:00.000-07:002011-07-12T09:02:37.273-07:00

Very rarely do I get to make a major life announcement. In fact I have blogged about the fact that most of the time things stay pretty much the same. Well life is changing for me and it is changing dramatically. I'm moving back to California, I'm starting Graduate School, and I'm doing it next month. My brother in law Don, has been reminding me that I need to go back to school for more or less

Peternoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-63862180779333544892011-06-27T07:33:00.000-07:002011-06-27T08:45:20.450-07:00

First off, a big thank you to everyone who contacted me about my last post. I sincerely appreciate your thoughts. Summer is now in full swing and that means busy weekends for me. On Saturday I had a ward activity, softball game, and a wedding reception. I brought a cadre of photographers with me to make sure that it was well documented. The Fun Run / Pancake Breakfast turned out to be a great

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-20205696765256182962011-06-20T06:42:00.000-07:002011-06-20T06:42:32.858-07:00

I didn't know quite how to approach this. In fact I wasn't even sure that I would write anything at all. I just wasn't sure that Pete Chat was the right forum. A few days ago I was talking to my sister on the phone, and she said that it was very appropriate and would be much appreciated. My brother in law Don has cancer. I just took me five minutes to type that. It is that difficult to even

Peternoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-78340466160945223372011-06-07T17:32:00.000-07:002011-06-08T06:22:22.142-07:00

I feel it is safe to say that most everyone who reads Pete Chat knows of my unabated love for my home state. I love the weather, the food, the people, the sports, the beach and just about everything else. California has everything I could possibly want with the major exception of stable employment. And thus I find myself living in Virginia, which while not as good as California, has treated me

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-91717367054385325332011-05-24T08:14:00.000-07:002011-05-24T08:14:36.634-07:00

I think I have mentioned this before, but my talents are somewhat of the unusual kind. I can't run fast, throw a particularly far. I don't paint, draw, or sing. I speak two languages, but learning the second wasn't easy. I really don't do anything like that, although in my own humble opinion I am a decent writer, but one of the talents I do possess strangely enough is to identify TV Theme Songs.

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-16175539335636505252011-05-12T07:57:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:26:22.949-07:00

Every so often I like to do a post where I throw out some bullet points and tell you about the things I am thinking about these days. Last week for the first time in my life as far as a I can recall I saw three movies in a first run theater in one week. AMC celebrated the 25th anniversary of one of my favorite movies Top Gun. I may have seen this in the theater when I was a kid but I'm not sure.

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-33317876073020651772011-05-03T14:14:00.000-07:002011-05-03T14:14:24.198-07:00

It's a good thing that Sunday is the day of rest, because Saturday certainly isn't. My Saturday was jam packed really from the time I got up to well into the wee hours of Sunday morning it was go go go. I don't know if I have mentioned it before but I am participating in a group called Youth Solutions Initiative. Basically it gives ambitious young people, and opportunity to plan events and lead

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-5316886603635010802011-04-25T15:20:00.000-07:002011-04-26T06:24:50.846-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. I made sure that I had a new spring shirt tie combo for church yesterday. I hope he came and visited you. I spent my Easter in Richmond, VA. You may be asking, Peter why Richmond? And I might answer that the power of the Commonwealth of Virginia was so overwhelming I had no other choice. (That's not really true, Shannon was nice enough to invite

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-64714629840019681242011-04-12T15:53:00.000-07:002011-04-12T15:53:05.322-07:00

The time of year has come. As the Jimmer made the winter bearable I have turned my attention away from Cougar Basketball, instead focusing on the Lakers completion of a three-peat and of course the Angels and baseball. Baseball was the first sport I ever loved. I have written about that many times here on Pete Chat. I don't fully trust a man who doesn't like baseball. B-Rock and I discussed this

Peternoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-50435230328859161722011-04-04T11:25:00.000-07:002011-04-04T11:25:41.661-07:00

Hey did you know that my church wants me to get married? Yeah, apparently it is sort of important. If you watched General Conference this weekend you may have heard it mentioned a few times, that men my age should set aside singledom and get married. I feel like I have had a half dozen deep conversations with people, regarding my thoughts on the the topic of dating especially as a YSA in the

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-35575329143758238662011-03-28T07:38:00.000-07:002011-03-28T07:38:19.466-07:00

If you have read Pete Chat for any significant amount of time, you are no doubt aware of my deep and abiding love of all things Sweden. A few weeks ago my friend Megan mentioned that one of her old mission companions and current Swede, Rakel would be coming for a visit. I filed it in my memory bank, and didn't think much of it. One Saturday Megan picked me up for a meeting that we were going to

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-43319444511364121982011-03-25T09:42:00.000-07:002011-03-25T09:42:38.807-07:00

Today my mom would be turning 70 years old. It's hard to believe. I was paying my phone bill online and this picture showed up in my T Mobile page. It's from back in 2006. Bronte, my mom and dad all look so happy.   I know she would have loved to have a bigger party in her honor. She's loved and missed by many.

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-88530061766658679272011-03-16T09:53:00.000-07:002011-03-16T09:53:59.077-07:00

I haven't had much to write about the last few days. Rather than put something up that no one cares about (chances are you never care what I post anyway), just so I had a post, I wrote nothing. Today is one of those days where I have a few little things I want to write about. 1. The Magnum. Yesterday I was at Target minding my business when I found myself in the frozen food section. I looked at

Peternoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-48611171086223230162011-03-01T19:18:00.000-08:002011-03-02T12:27:29.807-08:00

I am not sure how effectively advertising works on me. Occasionally I will see a commercial for some new burrito and think "yum" I must have that, but generally I don't see an advertisement and think I must go buy that. However, commercials will stick in my head. I was thinking about what title to use for this post and I seemed to remember an advertising campaign that used "Put It In Writing" as

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-5029972859226932842011-02-21T12:10:00.000-08:002011-02-21T12:15:08.050-08:00

The title of this post is in fact not true. I never wanted a brother. I loved being the only boy and being the youngest. I always had my own room, I never shared clothes, and I am the one and only Prince Peter. That being said, I do enjoy having two brothers in law, and a psuedo brother who lived across the street. I am speaking of one David Drew Dickinson. I used to call him my little brother (

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-82733858609330922422011-02-11T13:56:00.000-08:002011-02-14T11:48:14.971-08:00

I have long been a fan of the movie Commando. It is one of those great over the top action movies from the 80's. I was checking out the Big Lead today when I came up upon this clip in their daily links column.  The clip is as the title of this post indicates, simply awesome. In addition, at around the :30 sec mark you will hear a voice and  see a man with a mustache. That is Gary Cervantes and he

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-89230622778172405082011-02-09T17:59:00.000-08:002011-02-09T17:59:26.435-08:00

Do you ever have those moments where you find out a new piece of information, and it just blows your mind? And are there differently levels of mind blowing? I would say there are. I'm sure there is some sort of scale between "hmmmm" and "full on mind freak". Last week my best friend JJ calls me up, and says Peter I'm at Ikea right now, what should I buy? And I told him how I love Marabou

Peternoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-49269797000353019792011-02-01T21:27:00.000-08:002011-02-01T21:27:28.153-08:00

Unlike father Lehi or Joseph of Egypt I don't take much stock in dreams. In fact I find few things more boring than to hear about the dream somebody had last night. But last night I had a very specific dream, that when I woke up, I was like "woah", and it made me a little sad. This isn't one of those dreams that needs interpreting. I just wonder what I do with the contents of the dream. And

Peternoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-9476854676886838452011-01-25T14:03:00.000-08:002011-01-25T19:18:19.377-08:00

I'm worried about something. Not the traditional things people worry about. I am worried that people aren't into blogging anymore. Are people still reading blogs? I think I follow about 30 blogs or so. Some people are championship level bloggers. I am referring to you Amber Jensen and you Marlyse Keeton. But many of the people whose blogs I follow almost never update. I have found the even I am

Peternoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-59346248937251001102011-01-19T08:44:00.000-08:002011-01-19T08:44:29.981-08:00

Bad blogger these last few days. I don't have much of an explanation for this. But my loyal Pete Chat readers I am back to offer you yet another dose of the medicine that goes down smoother than Harris Teeter Lemonade. First and foremost I wish the biggest and greatest birthday wishes to my niece Savannah. She turns seven today. I stole this picture from her mom's Facebook. Not only is

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-47058113656402573102011-01-05T21:06:00.001-08:002011-01-05T21:36:38.353-08:00

My roommates and I were all set for an evening of basketball as both BYU and the Lakers were playing on national tv. In preparation we played a rousing round of Mario Kart which saw one Daniel John Nelson make an unlikely podium finish behind the wheel of Dry Bones. We were pleasantly surprised by our dear friend Kat and her dad. Kat's dad is one of the heroes of the the residents of 19th and

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-39469655436110779402010-12-31T08:12:00.000-08:002010-12-31T08:12:10.524-08:00

Well this is it, unless there is an unforeseen run in with a time machine, this will be my last post of 2010. Almost one year ago I wrote a post about The Year of Peter. In a lot of ways it was, I did many of the things I wanted to do, but left just enough things to keep 2011 interesting. I hope you have enjoyed reading Pete Chat as much as I enjoy writing it. Like I always say regularly

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-11249678071325809352010-12-28T21:02:00.001-08:002010-12-29T20:49:32.589-08:00

Greetings from soon to not be sunny Southern California. I hope you didn't think Pete Chat was done for the year. I may have a blog post or two left in me. In case you were wondering, the flag football game on Christmas Eve was great, although I didn't play that well. I had a pretty awesome Christmas with the exception of the Lakers getting beat, and I spent the day in Big Bear with my family. I

Peternoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-68697693820556123752010-12-16T21:16:00.000-08:002010-12-17T06:31:12.068-08:00

Before I get to the main topic of this post I just wanted to give you a quick FYI. I don't have the same address that I had at this time last year. I know it is a bit presumptuous to think that you might want to send me a Christmas card. If you do want to send me a card and need my address, just send me an email and I'd be happy to oblige. I got cards from the Walburgers and Watkins' today as a

Peternoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-79876392667222448102010-12-10T17:22:00.000-08:002010-12-10T17:32:38.170-08:00

So after a little more than two weeks I guess I have adjusted to being 30. There is absolutely nothing I can do but to accept the situation and full on embrace it. I will attempt to enjoy my last year in the highly sought after 18-30 demographic. When I was approaching 30 I thought about what kind of party I wanted to celebrate this historic event. Some are perfectly satisfied with cake and ice

Peternoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-23046612527958091572010-12-06T10:57:00.000-08:002010-12-06T10:57:17.012-08:00

First and foremost I wish all of you a vigilant Pearl Harbor Day Eve. Even 11 years later I remember the day we first commemorated it. It seems like lately I haven't had too many blog posts about anything other than some event I attended or some activity I participated in. Seeing as I have a number of those still left to blog about, you'll have no shortage of that content in the future. I did

Peternoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-77545986174849024482010-11-26T16:08:00.000-08:002010-11-26T16:08:28.148-08:00

I turned thirty and promptly took a week off from blogging. My party was awesome, I had a good week at work and one of the best Thanksgiving's I can remember. One of the traditions that I personally observe is monitoring all of the advertisements from the newspaper to determine if there are any deals that I can't pass up. It turns out there were a lot of things I had no trouble passing up. If I

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-77041419674024379632010-11-19T09:40:00.000-08:002010-11-19T09:40:36.188-08:00

Chances are that the moment you read this blog post I will in fact be thirty years old. Is there anything great about being thirty? I would actually like to know this. I can not remember the exact moment where I really started to freak out about my 30th birthday, but it seemed like sometime during the summer it really started to sink in, and as I thought about 30 years old one of my favorite

Peternoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-23609123802270049782010-11-14T17:34:00.000-08:002010-11-14T17:34:48.273-08:00

II must say that I had a great weekend. There were many highlights that included: The Edison High School production of Beauty and The Beast Dinner at Macaroni Grill Super competitive and super well played flag football game Cougars slaughtering CSU 49-10. Dominance at the Trivia Game at Dave and Busters Crashing the Animae festival 49ers winning a game in overtime. All of these things added up

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-34674998161995134982010-11-11T20:44:00.000-08:002010-11-11T20:44:57.489-08:00

I can say unequivocally that I never thought that I would compare myself to Kim Kardashian. From the outside she is a reality TV star known best for her ample derrière. I am a humble servant of the federal government with no booty to speak of. And yet there are certain commonalities between the two of us. We both grew up in Los Angeles, we both have an interest in professional sports. Well after

Peternoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-63066652022929993182010-11-02T18:55:00.000-07:002010-11-02T19:11:55.362-07:00

Happy election day everyone, I did my part to make California a little more conservative. I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to vote, but thanks to my absentee ballot I was able to get in there. I had a few thoughts that I wanted to share and thought what better place to do it than the friendly confines of Pete Chat. Yes I am a grown man, and yes I do enjoy Halloween a lot. This year

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-39601386457420442862010-10-25T09:16:00.000-07:002010-10-25T10:52:52.857-07:00

It's no secret (although maybe it should be) that I am huge fan of UFC. In fact my interest in UFC has totally eclipsed my interest in WWE, but when those two worlds collide, well, that deserves a blog post. On Saturday night UFC Champion fighter, and old friend Brock Lesnar was absolutely brutalized by Cain Velasquez. We ordered the fight at home and it was a really great and exciting card.

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-5115893419006346802010-10-21T06:24:00.000-07:002010-10-21T07:09:15.018-07:00

I know I have written many times I don't want my blog to just be a travel log. I want it to be a place where I can write funny rants, espouse my philosophies, and cryptically (and not so cryptically) discuss my life. And yet it seems that recently it has been a lot of me recounting the trips I have been on. In order to remember the things I do for posterity, I need to make a record of it. I don't

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-9764672350525360842010-10-13T06:50:00.000-07:002010-10-13T06:50:57.145-07:00

I don't have a lot of regrets, to me that seems like a pretty good way to live your life. That being said looking back I really wish I had played high school football. I love football, but at the time I didn't want to give up my summers to condition so I played a spring sport instead. Regardless of the fact that I didn't play, I was a big supporter of the La Serna Lancer Football team, and loved

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-61387578930451103762010-10-06T10:00:00.000-07:002010-10-06T13:36:56.763-07:00

I'm well into my fall travels, as I just got back from the cross roads of the west in the shadows of the everlasting hills. That of course being Utah. I had a fun, and as usual much too short of a trip. I did however have a great time catching up with old friends, new friends, and my family while I was there. I even took a few pictures. I really had forgotten what a beautiful time of year early

Peternoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-74815870693885817242010-09-28T18:13:00.000-07:002010-09-28T18:13:15.512-07:00

Three weeks ago I had only the vaguest sense of what the Hunger Games were. Chances are you too have  heard about these books written for teenagers that for some reason are hovering around cultural phenomenon status. It's not Harry Potter level, but there seems to be a lot of people who are big into the Hunger Games. Over the last three weeks I read all three of the books (it's not Ulysses) and

Peternoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-28455760799941296922010-09-24T18:38:00.000-07:002010-09-24T18:38:42.821-07:00

I think I've talked about this before but just a few minutes ago this phenomenon became clear to me again. I would characterize myself as contemplative person, I think a lot. I think about myself and my relationships with other people, and I think about my place in the Universe. I often think  while listening to music. I am not an audiophile, my taste is pretty mainstream, in fact I subscribed to

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-82414363427369273482010-09-20T21:16:00.000-07:002010-09-21T05:47:07.357-07:00

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-10851847895957054272010-09-17T08:10:00.000-07:002010-09-17T08:10:36.792-07:00

I don't want you to think that I travel every weekend. Sometimes I stay in Arlington and play football, and hang out with my friends. Just common stuff. That being said I am heading to Utah in two weeks and Dallas in a month. I tried to go home this weekend but I had too much work to do, however last week I made a road trip out Cincinnati, OH. My first opportunity to spend any time in the Midwest

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-7120331182415003012010-09-09T15:36:00.000-07:002010-09-09T15:39:03.834-07:00

I will go ahead and assume that all of my Pete Chat readers have appropriately celebrated the worker, and enjoyed a pleasant Labor Day weekend. I went to the Outer Banks, in North Carolina, and spent the weekend , reading, eating, burning, watching football and sitting on the beach and for the most part doing it sans shirt. There was some initial concern about hurricane Earl, but really he

Peternoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-53507294629244881012010-08-31T07:39:00.000-07:002010-08-31T15:04:37.986-07:00

I've been thinking about my blog for the last few days and that I did not know what to update about. Life has been more or less predictable the last few days and I haven't taken many pictures, and not much of anything has stirred me to serious action. I thought the dog days of summer were in July, maybe it's August. I did however have just a few things that I was thinking about. The expression

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-62878176101598496342010-08-23T15:49:00.000-07:002010-08-23T15:53:56.351-07:00

When I was a freshman in High School we had a foreign exchange student visit and stay with us from Japan. Her name was Noriko (I remember this because she is on the height chart at home, and anyone who spends more than a casual visit at our house ends up on the height chart) and we showed her all around Whittier. I can't remember all the places we took her, but I do remember the thing that she

Peternoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-18706594599395619982010-08-17T19:04:00.000-07:002010-08-17T19:04:00.442-07:00

First off I must say that my Shame My Sisters Campaign has worked splendidly. They have both agreed in principal to visit. They have no idea how excited I am for that. I was smiling so big when I saw their comments. And let me reiterate, how much I love my sisters, and how awesome they are. I'm glad my Washington friends will finally get to meet them. I'm a little late on this post. Dare I say,

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-27758714278300143932010-08-11T08:41:00.000-07:002010-08-11T09:47:07.547-07:00

These are my sisters. Jennifer and Chrissi. I love them them tremendously. They give me good advice, they listen to my troubles, and they are both awesome moms to my nieces and nephews. And yet I have a problem with them. They NEVER come to visit me. Despite the fact that I have visited them at least once a year, they have not found the time or had the inclination to visit their only brother.

Peternoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-69364065218776760252010-08-09T07:38:00.000-07:002010-08-09T07:38:00.859-07:00

Some of the best plans are made on my front porch. Sitting there in my chair, often with my iPod and some reading material, my roommates and I concoct schemes, and ideas that we feel will in some way entertain us and our associates. Earlier this summer as we sat on the porch we came up with what we believed was a brilliant idea. My new roommate and native Wisconsinite Paul told us about an

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-34229306678845713312010-08-03T14:31:00.000-07:002010-08-03T20:21:22.277-07:00

I don't anymore about the way High School girls think than I did when I was in high school. This became abundantly clear this weekend while I volunteered to mentor/guide eight high school age kids for the Mt. Vernon Stake youth conference.This year's theme was, from Joshua 1:6.  Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto

Peternoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-46359912678145568522010-07-27T10:46:00.000-07:002010-07-27T10:52:22.533-07:00

I thought I might hit this one bullet point style. Here are a few things that I've been thinking about the last few days. After 12 years as licensed driver I finally got a speeding ticket. I didn't feel like I was going particularly fast but apparently I was. It was the US Park Police who got me, and I will make the federal government $150 richer. There is your stimulus. I joined Twitter. Joe

Peternoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-56245455690824137572010-07-19T11:05:00.000-07:002010-07-19T11:09:02.533-07:00

What you might be asking does Pete Chat have to do with a movie I've never seen? Well besides being a show case for fantastic abs, this is my 300th post.  During the summer of 2004 I got a new job working at  the BYU Office of Information Technology. During the summer we would have days with a lot of down time. Sometimes one phone call in four hours. That meant plenty of time to study, but in

Peternoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-78534205048302914612010-07-09T09:35:00.000-07:002010-07-09T09:36:12.729-07:00

"The.. doth protest too much, methinks."  Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III, scene II I like what I would call manly things, football, baseball, fighting, star wars books (although that might be considered more nerdy than manly) eating meat, etc. I generally loathe period dramas, day time talk shows, and capri pants, things I would consider not so manly. I especially don't care for musicals. The

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-57891978414512325682010-07-06T14:40:00.000-07:002010-07-07T13:28:14.349-07:00

Well not literally counting, but at the very least recognizing and appreciating the things I have in my life. This Independence day weekend was awesome. And strangely enough I didn't take any pictures, but nevertheless I wanted to report on the things I did, and I will do that through the liberal use of links. I played UNO, which is one of my favorite card games. I got a new book, and read

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-78105738166684645652010-07-03T01:45:00.000-07:002010-07-04T12:11:01.583-07:00

Later today* the home land of my dad Germany will take on its long time rival Argentina in what should be a very epic battle on the soccer field. I was tremendously worried that USA would play Germany but that was not to be. Although I haven't spent too much time in Germany I have rooted for them in international soccer since 1990 when my dad and I watched the first World Cup I remember. Right

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-46724839721634615702010-06-30T09:45:00.000-07:002010-06-30T09:45:38.152-07:00

I want you to know something. You will never be as smart as Chuck Klosterman. You will never construct a sentence as well as Chuck Klosterman. You will never make tenous connections between pop culture subjects as brillianty as Chuck Klosterman. And I won't either. I am okay with this and you should be too. I first discovered Chuck when he and Bill Simmons went head to head in 2004. He even got

Peternoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-85553041689172330982010-06-28T14:22:00.000-07:002010-06-28T15:11:19.030-07:00

The mohawk is gone. After a pretty great four week run, I went to Diego's and had it trimmed. I went with the Jake Gyllenhall this time, which is apparently short on the sides with the clippers, and short on the top with scissors. I like it. I am also growing this sort of beard thing. I think I might shave it off. TBD. I am enjoying my summer tremendously and am scheduling my work days to

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-60815707562249860232010-06-22T14:38:00.000-07:002010-06-22T14:38:22.123-07:00

I've been struggling the last few days to figure out what to write about. My life is pretty good these days and I've often found that when that is the case I feel less creative. It makes one understand why artists can often be the angsty type. I'm not complaining though. I'm happy to be relatively content. You may not know that I have an on again off again love affair, that started my freshman

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-11693352140887873302010-06-15T10:49:00.000-07:002010-06-15T10:49:08.701-07:00

I was a bad blogger last week. I didn't update, so I owe my loyal Pete Chat readers an apology for not giving them the new content they ache for. Last night we had an FHE lesson, and among the topics that we discussed were the things  that we feared. Of course for me that is being lost at sea, and not living up to my potential. One thing I thought about today that scares me is forgetting how to

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-64990760663591100972010-06-02T06:29:00.000-07:002010-06-02T06:29:23.140-07:00

Over the last four years I have had some pretty memorable Memorial Day vacations, in 2006 I went to Duck Beach, in 2007 I took a Trip to Costa Rica, in 2008 I enjoyed a lake house in MD, and last year had fun on the Eastern Shore. This year, my roommates and I kicked around several ideas. We thought maybe go to Europe, to the Virgin Islands, Church History sites. Finally we settled on a trip to

Peternoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-70136262949254696262010-05-24T14:11:00.000-07:002010-05-24T21:07:04.029-07:00

I hope all my Pete Chat readers had a great weekend. I have a few little things I wanted to touch on. Today my sweet niece Bronte turns eight. You should know that Bronte, is a social butterfly, wants to be a Fairy when she grows up, insists that her clothes always have some sparkle or flair to them, loves to do missionary work, and is generally a fantastic little girl. I'm excited to be go

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-62631015654084456552010-05-20T16:57:00.000-07:002010-05-20T17:06:47.061-07:00

I know there are a number of ladies who read Pete Chat. At times I like to delve into the male psyche to help the ladies understand how men think and what they think about. I have noticed recently that any time I make a broad sweeping generalization about the opposite gender I am quickly reprimanded for it. So for this post I will stick with my own gender. Ladies do you know something that guys

Peternoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-17478419537051147452010-05-19T14:14:00.000-07:002010-05-19T18:10:30.206-07:00

A perfect winning percentage. That is what I had in campaigns I had volunteered on. That is until this past weekend. For the most part I wouldn't say I have the magic touch, more like I just pick good candidates to back, in places where the electorate shares my own views. So it was with that confidence that I set out to help elect Tim Burns in a special election for Pennsylvania's 12th

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-72581280222933768592010-05-14T08:32:00.000-07:002010-05-14T08:40:28.561-07:00

I'm pretty sure I know the reason I have "success"when playing sports. I know my limitations. When I quarter back I know that my game is the best when I matriculate the ball down the field, putting the ball in a place where my receivers can make a play, and occasionally run it when I need to. When I drop back and try to gun it down the field, it usually ends up being an interception and a sore

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-15096405137233864592010-05-09T20:22:00.000-07:002010-05-14T08:41:47.362-07:00

There are days in Virginia when it isn't freezing, and it isn't boiling and it is absolutely pleasant to be here. Since I have moved into my new house, my roommates and I have made a point of enjoying these nice days, whether it is playing catch in the front yard, reading on the porch, or bbq-ing on the deck we have been taking full advantage of the nice days. Today the roommates and I had the

Peternoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-63854385343962881982010-05-03T10:13:00.000-07:002010-05-03T10:18:52.019-07:00

Lakers win too closeWeezer and Ben Folds uniteChoked at mini golf Here's a video I took at the concert. I couldn't get it to rotate. As is often the case here at Pete Chat there are a few inside jokes in this video. I like it when things can be appreciated on a number of levels. You may have noticed that I have added a new feature on the side of Pete Chat. The Song of the Week. This is a

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-39741104594987810222010-05-01T06:56:00.000-07:002010-05-01T06:59:09.616-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy I saw this on the Soup. It blew my mind.

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-34123786301342974102010-04-26T20:28:00.000-07:002010-04-26T20:28:13.426-07:00

I don't remember exactly when I sold my Honda Accord. I'm pretty sure it was the summer of 2008. My 49er's Burgundy Accord served me well in college for the most part. I was extremely lucky to have my good friend and former mission companion Adam Bodell, who would fix it anytime it needed a little work. Ever since I moved out to Washington DC in 2005, I have been relegated to public

Peternoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-85485030014114914932010-04-20T22:50:00.000-07:002010-04-21T09:16:20.255-07:00

I have a shocking announcement...I want to get married. There I said it. Not necessarily tomorrow, but hopefully in the not too distant future. Why? Well, I think it would be fun. And I think something being fun is probably just as good of a reason as any other. Sure there are other more thoughtful, and meaningful reasons, but I'm not sure Pete Chat is the right forum for that. You may be

Peternoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-85743837497911074302010-04-14T08:33:00.000-07:002010-04-14T08:33:38.208-07:00

My good friend and now former roommate Jim Reimann got married this past weekend. I was honored to be a groomsmen, and it was a great event. It will get a blog post of it's own. Before we could get him married off it was critical that we celebrate his manliness. Thus we had a manly event to do just that. Jim, Quinn, and I headed out deep into the Commonwealth to play paintball. It makes sense

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-31937164030945163752010-04-11T22:03:00.000-07:002010-04-11T22:03:22.829-07:00

It was a very action packed week, between my road trip, a very important purchase, and the wedding of the season, I have plenty of blog worthy material for the next few days. I love checking out ball parks. I haven't been to a ton but every time I add a new one to the list, I feel very accomplished. When my friends and I discovered that the Dodgers would be in Pittsburgh to play the Pirates it

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-24338136589557913512010-04-03T09:01:00.000-07:002010-04-04T09:20:24.437-07:00

I am the victim of it, and I am the perpetrator of it. You feel little empathy when you do it, yet you are annoyed when it is done to you. I am of course speaking of butting in. That is to say entering a conversation that two people were having, injecting your opinion, or worse just totally interrupting.  I have seen this happen time and time again , most recently at Institute. This is one of

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-2154410258435323242010-03-30T13:56:00.000-07:002010-03-30T20:01:19.446-07:00

There has been no lack of things going on in my life in the last few days. Between my new job, moving, and reprising my role as Groomsman extraordinaire, I've been pretty busy, which I could not be happier about, so all that plus I got another new pair of shoes. After a long day of packing, moving, arranging, and arguing, the Jazz were in town for a game against the Wizards. So as a former Jazz

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-13039342219024667522010-03-22T15:40:00.001-07:002010-03-22T18:40:17.981-07:00

I feel that it is very important to blog on Monday. I have another post cooking for later this week, which will contain more evidence about what a tough guy I am.I'm moving. When I first moved into the Melrose, I thought that as long as I was unmarried in Washington, D.C. that would be my room. Then I moved. I have a pretty great room here in the Dudeplex but have felt a bit like I have been

Peternoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-91119999128793300482010-03-17T15:36:00.000-07:002010-03-17T15:40:01.128-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day. As a proud Irish American I always enjoy St. Patrick's Day. I wore green to work, and I am wearing a green t-shirt right now. I appreciate it when people wear green, it takes minimal effort to be just a bit festive. If you wore green today, good job by you. You may or may not remember my post from last fall about The Book of Basketball. It caused a minor controversy

Peternoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-12424282663550425972010-03-15T21:33:00.000-07:002010-05-03T10:20:02.942-07:00

In order to maintain a loyal blog following it is important that one updates regularly. I am extremely aware of this. I don't know for sure if it is a sign of a good writer but I think it is important even when you don't feel especially inspired to find something to write about. (In this case writing about having nothing to write about. Seeing as I have not gone to bed for the night ( the Lakers

Peternoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-64097818765020714302010-03-07T19:31:00.000-08:002010-03-07T19:35:12.111-08:00

I know this isn't a news flash but I'm car shopping. I know I have said this before, but I am in fact actually going around, looking at cars, arranging my finances and generally preparing to make this important purchase. JJ and I went to seven dealerships yesterday saw some possibilities, but nothing really spoke to me. There is so much to consider. For me I want a "cool" car. It has to be

Peternoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-49157546788775834242010-03-05T15:07:00.000-08:002010-03-05T15:07:37.886-08:00

First of all, I ALREADY WORK AROUND THE CLOCK . Just so you know. Most of you know that I am the proud uncle of two nephews and four neices. They are truly the apple of my eye. Even though I grew up with two sisters, it wasn't until I became an uncle that I realized that little girls are full of drama. Every, bump, tumble, or trip, is not complete without tears, wailing, and general gnashing of

Peternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-91133173531075558202010-03-01T12:45:00.000-08:002010-03-01T12:45:39.103-08:00

It's March. Normally I would say, "Can you believe it's March already?" But of course you can, every year March comes and every year March goes. Not really a big deal. Who reads Pete Chat? I really don't know for sure. I know quite a few of my DC friends read, some California friends, a handful of college friends, and even a Swedish friend or two. Thank you for reading, I love it when you

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-83177839292342173452010-02-23T08:10:00.000-08:002010-05-03T10:20:35.585-07:00

I've heard that when I do bullet points it's a sign of laziness, that being said, I don't think people always want a narrative, and it's my blog, I can write however I want. Setting my own hours is an interesting thing. I'm still getting used to not going into an office. I have enjoyed the flexibility, but it can be pretty quiet during the day. I'll let you know how it goes. If I had to describe

Peternoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-44669446449326882402010-02-16T17:59:00.000-08:002010-02-16T17:59:47.535-08:00

Well as you have probably gathered from a few of my previous posts, I just started a new job. Today was my first day in the field and it went well. In case you were wondering I am now an investigator retained by the Office of Personnel Management.  What does that mean exactly? The government has many many jobs, and the government likes to know who the people are who have those jobs, so it's my

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-75329910813517605362010-02-11T11:30:00.000-08:002010-02-11T11:30:51.513-08:00

  My family and I can not get enough of this kid. Recently we had taken to calling him Baby Ninja but his recent procurement of my Viking horns has changed things. He is visiting CA for the first time and I'm jealous I'm not there too.

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-49327356211293747252010-02-08T22:20:00.000-08:002010-02-08T22:20:35.538-08:00

Since I picked up snowboarding in 2005, the best conditions I had ever experienced were in Utah. I learned to snowboard at Sundance and thoroughly enjoyed it. What I experienced this weekend totally blows it out of the water. Frozen or otherwise.  If you are a reader of Pete Chat, you know from my last post that I am in Colorado for training. After working, hard during the week we were rewarded

Peternoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-42741392288918544782010-02-01T18:53:00.000-08:002010-02-01T18:53:23.001-08:00

As far as folksy rock singers go I rank John Denver right up there with James Taylor as my favorites. I'm in Colorado for the next two weeks, training for my new job. So far so good.

Peternoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-79752432618335569202010-01-28T15:37:00.000-08:002010-01-28T15:37:27.115-08:00

Every once in a while I use Pete Chat as a platform for benevolent purposes. I promote a good cause, and use it not solely for my own self promotion. Well this is one of those times. Let me introduce you to the principals. Haydan (10) and Bronte (7) are proud members of the Girl Scouts of America, and as you probably know this is the time of year where Cookie Sales are in full swing. I think I

Peternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-72491188395520221142010-01-26T12:52:00.000-08:002010-01-26T12:52:33.065-08:00

I'm a big fan of the Jim Rome Show. I've been listening since ninth grade. In 12th grade I wrote a paper in English class why the world would be better if everyone followed and applied the tenets of the "Jungle" in their daily lives. Jim gives "takes" or his thoughts on the topics that are news worthy. Occasionally something will be added to the "Jungle" cannon and for years people will be

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7998624.post-33071632198044549052010-01-24T18:28:00.000-08:002010-01-24T18:36:35.686-08:00

I don't work at the Analysis Group. But that small fact does not stop me from enjoying their annual ski trip. I just got back from a fun weekend at Winter Green Resort thanks to my good friend former and soon to be again roommate Scott Inouye. Scott's company has a ski trip every year and I have been lucky enough to tag along. I've blogged about this before and we always have a great time. I

Peternoreply@blogger.com5