Congratulations Japan:

I watched the figure skating competition last night for the Winter Olympics. It was a very very good competition. Shizuka Arakawa did great!!! I was happy to see Japan got their first gold medal in figure skating. Also the first medal of this Olympics!! I think the country must be proud of her.
Here in the United States figure skating is a very very popular sport. Also very competitive. So it was very big news in the United States also. Sometimes I really think the Americans take the Olympics too seriously. I mean I watch our speed skating team and they were not even a team. There were members acting like spoiled little kids. Its almost embarrassing sometimes as an American. So I kind of wish the United States would have a little more fun and not act like winning a gold medal is the most important thing in the world. The media drives me crazy. This morning on the news they interview the American figure skater who took a silver medal behind Shizuka Arakawa. They asked her “what happened” and “are you disappointed about sivler”. I though those were the stupidest questions. People should be happy just to be a part of the Olympics. But our media and corporate sponsors have put so much importance on winning that it is sometimes no fun to watch. Don’t get me wrong. I cheer for the United States. But I love to watch the underdog win. Still, Arakawa wasn’t an underdog in my opinion. She is a solid technical skater with beautiful form!! Congratulations!!!!

Winter Olympics:

I have been watching the Olympics on TV everynight. I think the Winter Olympics are my favorite and I like them better than the summer. I think its because the Winter Olympics involve more extreme sports. I have seen some of the athletes I worked with in the 2002 Olympics. So far the Japanese snowboarders have been disappointing. I expected more from them. They were fairly strong in the 2002 games. But the games just started so let's see what happens in the coming days.
Turin is putting on some great games. Some of the people I worked with in Salt Lake went to Turin to work those games also. I think it would be cool to go there and work those games as well. But I don't see a lot of snow. I think the snow there isn't very good. Actually I think it sucks!! But that's the only downfall of the games in Turin so far. Here in Utah the ski season is awesome!! Tons of good snow. But thanks to the Olympics 4 years ago the prices have gone up. Its getting expensive to go skiing. When I was younger I used to go almost every week. But its too expensive now. Maybe I am just getting older. But now I am just looking forward to tennis. So I wish the weather would warm up soon!!!

Well it’s been a little while. I can’t believe January is over… Where does the time go?? This has been a really busy month for me. I have been on business trip after business trip. Then my brother in law had an accident and I have been busy helping the family out with the situation. I hope the rest of the year isn’t as crazy as this month as been.

The highlight of my month was attending the Detroit North American Auto Show. I love cars so this was the perfect place for me to be. All of the worlds automakers were there showing there latest cars and also future designs and ideas. It was great. Right now the American automakers are not doing good. I think most people know Asian automakers like Toyota and Honda are growing and being very successful. BUT I was surprised to see the good designs coming from the American Automakers this year. Actually, I thought they were much better than the Asian designs. I usually like the Asian designs better. However, this year my feelings have changed a little. Many American Automakers are going retro. That means they are making designs that kind of reflect the past but also look futuristic. I think they are going to start having some success with these designs.

Still, my 2 favorite cars at the auto show this year is the Toyota FJ Cruiser and the New Chevy Camaro. After I saw the Toyota I thought I need to sell my jeep and buy one. But I won’t. Not this year. I will wait and see how good it really is.

I am already looking forward to summer with the new cars coming out. Also the new motorcycles…. Hmmm…… I really think I need a new motorcycle…

This is called "Balancing Rock" This is because the rock looks like it is balancing and could fall off. But its been there for hundreds and hundreds of years... maybe someday it will fall off....

Also, a picture of the what some of the beautiful roads we can drive on.... and my car...heheh..

The Symbol of Utah...

This is called "Delicate Arch" It is the symbol of Utah. You will see a picture of this arch on almost all Utah license plates. The license plate on the back of all my cars has a picture of this. It is the most famous symbol in Utah. It is very large. If you look, you can see my friend Koji and Mika standing at the bottom.

Here is another picture of me and of Koji while he is taking my picture on top of Lion's Back.

Here is a pics of me standing on a rock cliff / hill called "Lions Back". Its hard to believe but I have climbed this in a jeep!!!