The Adventure Begins

There once was a cowboy. He was strong and brave. He was not afraid of coyotes. He was not afraid of Indians. He was not afraid of ornery rustlers. He was, however, afraid of this:




He stood tall and straight...and had a two holster belt. But today, instead of his normal six shooters, he was packin' a lethal dose of Bayer Advanced - Home Pest Control.

The strategy was simple, the tactics sublime. Attack the beast straight on and make every blast count. He leaned to his left, he leaned to his right - one, two...three, four. Silence. Had he...was it...dead?

The Brave Cowboy was triumphant - the eight legged freak had met his match:




And so, when night fell on the prairie and the coyotes howled at the moon, the tired cowboy...took off his boots...hung up his hat...and unbuckled his two-holster belt. He said his prayers...climbed in his bunk...and settle down to dream the dreams of all good cowboys. Good night little cowboy...Sweet dreams.

One should explain himself

OK, really, who is this goof ball? I've been told on several occasions by some very reputable sources (ahem) that I am NOT a cowboy. Fine, sure go ahead and ruin my quest to be the next Tim McGraw - see if I care! What? He's not a real cowboy either? So who, Gene Autry? Never heard of him.

The Brave Cowboy is a book about a little boy who dresses up as a cowboy and spends the day living in a fantasy world augmented by a superb imagination. Everything that is part of this surreal experience is drawn in red - good thing because I'm sure if the distinction between reality and fiction wasn't pointed out someone would sue the author for endangering a child (there are cacti, snakes, buffalo, etc. depicted in his adventure). Sheesh.

So, that said, I would like to explain that the intent of my blog is for my dearest friends (is this like telling someone you Love them for the first time over e-mail?) to experience my adventures with me. Yes, I will admit, that so far most of my experiences have been real - but don't you worry, I'll throw some imagination in there soon.

Call Me Willie

Sitting amongst thousands of computers nerds really makes one evaluate his life. I'm I one of them? Is this something I should be proud of? Heck, I've got a great job, a great family, and a technical vocabulary that makes most people cringe...

Why call me Willie? He is the Artist of the well-known jingle: On the Road Again. As many of you know, I am once again, on the road. This week I am spending my lonely nights in San Fran-sicko - excuse me - San Francisco. Don't get offended, this is how the locals refer to it as well - and I am somewhat a local. Dad was born and raised here and has vowed to never return. Regardless, I voluntarily chose to come here - honestly, I was more excited than usual. Why? WWDC 2008.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is held once a year. This year there are over 5,000 attendees - it's nuts. This is a chance for those freako Mac Developers to meet 1-on-1 with Apple Engineers - pick their brains, if you will. I am here purely for PR purposes, you know, to stand around and look good in my Symantec shirts - it's a rough life. Amazingly, however, all of this Mac hype is somewhat affecting me. For those of you that know me, I am NOT one to jump on the bandwagon and run out to buy the latest and greatest gadgets! Also, those of you that know me are probably rolling on the floor right now laughing at the joke I just told. OK, I admit, those fancy new gadgets catch my eye and usually my wallet...

All the hotels were pretty much full within a close vicinity of the conference center so we had to take our business elsewhere. How far you ask? About 20 minutes, or so, walking - through some of the roughest streets in San Fran-sicko (this time I won't correct myself...=)). Let's see, I've been yelled at, told I was going to die [white boy], offered "the first 5 minutes are free, honey...", and that was just yesterday! Honestly, this hasn't phased me one bit - I put up with stuff like this ALL THE TIME for 2 years; but rest assured, the second 2 years of marriage have improved.

Just kidding. But really, parts of Honduras were home to sickos as well. Don't get me wrong, I loved my mission - it's just in a third world country, people like this are expected - not in such a lavish state like California!

OK, again, just kidding. Anyway, I'm sure there are still lots of experiences that are in store for me this week so check back often.

OK, so I've succumbed to peer pressure and have started my very own blog - now let's see how long I can maintain it...

I've named my blog after my favorite childhood book: The Brave Cowboy by Joan Walsh Anglund. It was published in 1959 and has suffered many tears and scribbles. It appears you can still purchase a copy here.

Growing up out in the country and under very humble circumstances, my imagination was really the only thing I had. Well, sure, my parents did buy me toys occasionally but they all ended up pulverized by one of Dad's hammers.

I was born and raised in Napa, CA and was the 3rd of 4 children. Baseball was my life. I tried very hard to follow in the footsteps of my father, and uncle, whom both played professional baseball. Dad was drafted in 1967 by the New York Yankees. He enjoyed an exciting career in the Minor Leagues before calling it quits in 1970. Uncle Don made his big league debut in 1966 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He enjoyed 4 years in the Major Leagues playing for the Pirates, Mets, and the Expos. See his career stats here.

I began playing when I was still in diapers. I was always referred to as " the diminutive Andrew Bosch" - it never bothered me. When I turned 18 and played my final game, I had a decision to make. Go on an LDS mission, or go straight to college and pursue my baseball career. After much thought and prayer (and a few whacks on the head from Mom and Dad...) I decided to serve and was called to the Honduras Comayagüela Mission. I have never regretted that decision.

Before I returned home 2 years later, Mom had enrolled me in classes at Rick's College in Rexburg, Idaho. I left Honduras on December 22, 2000 and arrived in Iceburg. I'm sure it was a daunting site for locals to see yet another vehicle with CA plates sliding all over the ice covered roads...

I met the love of my life in my last year there. We dated for 5 weeks before we got engaged and were sealed in the Las Vegas LDS temple 7 weeks later. Several months later I graduated with a BS in Computer Science from the newly transitioned BYU-Idaho.

Allie was born in March of 2005 and then we moved to Utah in October after I accepted a job offer with a local software company. Kallin was born in July of 2006 - it is so fun to watch them play together.

Currently, I work as a Product Manager at Symantec. We are enjoying our new home out in Eagle Mountain and have made many friends here. If you're reading this I'm sure you're one of them...=).

My hobbies include: rock crawling/offroading, hunting, fishing, golfing, camping - pretty much anything and everything that has to do with the outdoors. If that sounds fun to you, then you can be my friend.

Cheers.