Anyway, this is a sketch I drew... Thursday? I dunno. It's not the best, but lately I've been having trouble focusing right, so I'm more or less happy with it.
"His Father's Will"
1 year ago
Monday, November 9, 2009
11/09.2/09 Photobucket. Bleh.
I dunno, photobucket hasn't been liking some pictures I've been trying to upload, and I noticed you can just upload to blogger, so I thought I'd check that out. I mean, I can't even remember the last time I posted pictures here. Seems kind of boring, you know?
Anyway, this is a sketch I drew... Thursday? I dunno. It's not the best, but lately I've been having trouble focusing right, so I'm more or less happy with it.
Anyway, this is a sketch I drew... Thursday? I dunno. It's not the best, but lately I've been having trouble focusing right, so I'm more or less happy with it.
11/09/09 First Blooms
The first blooms are coming out of those... whatever they are in the garden! Ever since I went berserker mode on the front yard, I didn't expect anything to survive. Oddly enough, though, the bulbs that we planted a few years ago have been fairing even better than the weeds. And at first I didn't discriminate between friend or foe either. Tough little flowers. And I think there are more of them than we planted, which I suppose makes sense. Anyway, I saw this year's first bloom today. ^^
As you can see, there are quite a few of the little guys...So, I probably wouldn't ever describe myself as a green thumb, but I might pass off as a brown thumb (if such a thing existed). After all, have you ever met a boy who hasn't enjoyed playing with dirt every now and then?
Monday, November 2, 2009
11/02/09 Mission Prep.
Since I've long abandoned attempting to reconstruct all of my recent activities, partly due to the fact that mom's probably already done it, I think I'll spend more time focusing on things that have been of special interest to me. One of these at the moment is missionary preparation class. I decided to go to it partly because I thought it'd be cool, and partly because leaders thought it'd be a good idea– not that I don't too or anything. I just wasn't sure if I would be taking it right now. There is a bit of time before I'm old enough to serve a mission, but I guess there's no harm in getting a nice early start.
Speaking of the class itself, though, it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it might have some practicing time, but mostly I expected to be taught /what/ we would be teaching investigators. But that's not really the point of mission prep. class. I mean, we should already know and have a testimony of that.
What we learn in mission prep. has more to do with /how/ to teach– and that's something I've really taken an interest in. There are a whole lot more effective ways of teaching than merely reading a lesson. The key is really in applying lessons to investigators. You do that by first learning about the person being taught. You get a feel for their life, ask questions, and listen to the spirit. It's only after that that you really know what will mean the most to them. We've learned how being excited ourselves helps them to feel that what we're saying has meaning, how to use companionship study to prepare to teach on a more personal level, how to make commitments with investigators and follow up to see how they've done, and how to recognize and resolve concerns they may have.
It's the kind of information you can really apply to life, even outside of missionary work. It's also allowed me to see some of my own faults. I am a talker. I don't really initiate conversations with others all that much, but when I speak, I use a lot of words to express my meaning. It always makes me feel like it flows easier that way, yet I learned in mission prep. that that isn't always the best way to teach someone. People can get lost in too many words. Often, it's the short, powerful statements that really drive home what we mean. Now, is this something I plan on doing on a daily basis? Probably not. I mean, it's not my nature, but until I can learn to cut my thoughts into these compact statements, I may have to try it once in a while. And it is a useful tool to have. It allows you to listen more. And if there's anything that makes someone skilled at small talk or anything related to it, it's being able to understand the person you're talking with– knowing what questions will provoke the biggest response. Not exactly my strong suit, but it's a work in progress. Currently, I'm limited to reading people. The problem with that, though, is that you can never truly be sure if what you think you're seeing is right.
All in all, I'd say that I'm extremely glad I decided to go. And while I'm still working on some things, I've really taken a lot out of it.
One thing that I've been noticing, though, is that my life has had a fairly simply pattern. When I was younger, I learned a lot about how to be taught well. I learned how to get the most out of lessons and how to look past the minor problems that come up. That doesn't really seem to common trait. Most people I've noticed are quick to get irritated with teachers, and aren't all that excited about what they're learning.
On the flip side of that, though, I'm only just now learning how to teach– how to get my point across more clearly. Before, I was terrible at talking to people, let alone teaching them. I remember being terrified to give talks in church, yet no matter how lame a teacher was, I always remembered getting /something/ out of the lesson, even if it meant studying on my own. I've been a little out of balance, now that I look back, but I oddly don't think I'd have it any other way. It's through listening and learning that I've learned about myself. I have a greater understanding of who I am, and that makes it much easier to express my thoughts.
Am I a contradiction? I don't speak much, but when I do, I almost speak too much, and I like listening rather than talking, yet I'm terrible at asking the right questions. I know why I want to be a psychologist, but could this just be another small reason that added to it? It's a skill that I've always thought about, and that I've truly wanted to possess. Maybe it's just another thing about psychology that I hope to learn.
-meaningful pause-
Hmm... it always amazes me how things progress. I began this post talking about missionary preparation class, and it becomes this rant about just how strange I've become compared to others I know. But really, is strange a bad thing? I dunno. I figure the more I think about that, the more I'll question my choice to pick a different path, not that it was really ever much of a choice. These things seem to just happen. I imagine all we can do is make the best of it.
Speaking of the class itself, though, it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it might have some practicing time, but mostly I expected to be taught /what/ we would be teaching investigators. But that's not really the point of mission prep. class. I mean, we should already know and have a testimony of that.
What we learn in mission prep. has more to do with /how/ to teach– and that's something I've really taken an interest in. There are a whole lot more effective ways of teaching than merely reading a lesson. The key is really in applying lessons to investigators. You do that by first learning about the person being taught. You get a feel for their life, ask questions, and listen to the spirit. It's only after that that you really know what will mean the most to them. We've learned how being excited ourselves helps them to feel that what we're saying has meaning, how to use companionship study to prepare to teach on a more personal level, how to make commitments with investigators and follow up to see how they've done, and how to recognize and resolve concerns they may have.
It's the kind of information you can really apply to life, even outside of missionary work. It's also allowed me to see some of my own faults. I am a talker. I don't really initiate conversations with others all that much, but when I speak, I use a lot of words to express my meaning. It always makes me feel like it flows easier that way, yet I learned in mission prep. that that isn't always the best way to teach someone. People can get lost in too many words. Often, it's the short, powerful statements that really drive home what we mean. Now, is this something I plan on doing on a daily basis? Probably not. I mean, it's not my nature, but until I can learn to cut my thoughts into these compact statements, I may have to try it once in a while. And it is a useful tool to have. It allows you to listen more. And if there's anything that makes someone skilled at small talk or anything related to it, it's being able to understand the person you're talking with– knowing what questions will provoke the biggest response. Not exactly my strong suit, but it's a work in progress. Currently, I'm limited to reading people. The problem with that, though, is that you can never truly be sure if what you think you're seeing is right.
All in all, I'd say that I'm extremely glad I decided to go. And while I'm still working on some things, I've really taken a lot out of it.
One thing that I've been noticing, though, is that my life has had a fairly simply pattern. When I was younger, I learned a lot about how to be taught well. I learned how to get the most out of lessons and how to look past the minor problems that come up. That doesn't really seem to common trait. Most people I've noticed are quick to get irritated with teachers, and aren't all that excited about what they're learning.
On the flip side of that, though, I'm only just now learning how to teach– how to get my point across more clearly. Before, I was terrible at talking to people, let alone teaching them. I remember being terrified to give talks in church, yet no matter how lame a teacher was, I always remembered getting /something/ out of the lesson, even if it meant studying on my own. I've been a little out of balance, now that I look back, but I oddly don't think I'd have it any other way. It's through listening and learning that I've learned about myself. I have a greater understanding of who I am, and that makes it much easier to express my thoughts.
Am I a contradiction? I don't speak much, but when I do, I almost speak too much, and I like listening rather than talking, yet I'm terrible at asking the right questions. I know why I want to be a psychologist, but could this just be another small reason that added to it? It's a skill that I've always thought about, and that I've truly wanted to possess. Maybe it's just another thing about psychology that I hope to learn.
-meaningful pause-
Hmm... it always amazes me how things progress. I began this post talking about missionary preparation class, and it becomes this rant about just how strange I've become compared to others I know. But really, is strange a bad thing? I dunno. I figure the more I think about that, the more I'll question my choice to pick a different path, not that it was really ever much of a choice. These things seem to just happen. I imagine all we can do is make the best of it.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
10/20/09 Music!
I'm so happy. Yesterday, I finished rating all the songs in my iTunes library. The ones I listen to, at least. Yay! And I really like some of the widgets I've been using to help out with that. I've almost always used iTunes controller, but this display is very useful. Unlike some other displays, it actually shows what point of the song is playing. Nice for when you're doing something else and you want to know where one song ends and another begins. That way, you can accurately rate the song you're listening to, instead of mistaking it with another one that was just playing. -nods- But yeah, now I know which songs to skip.
Hmm... I haven't posted in a while. Suppose it'd be a good idea to review what has been going on... Not sure I will though. Instead, I think I'll talk about seminary. In general, seminary is awesome. Not much can take away from that. But the younger class is /hilarious/. We were combined today, since our teacher was sick, and I gotta say, their class is lively. You've got loads of people who like to talk, and one or two people who like to scold said talkers. But one of them is kind of funny. She's there, smiling, then all of a sudden she'll whip her head around, give a glare that could stop a mountain lion, occasionally say something like 'shut up', then turn back around and smile as if nothing happened. Scary? So yeah... we learned about Jacob and his credentials. You know, righteous, cares about the people, is called of God... All of that stuff that we can have too– and should have so we can better spread the Gospel.
It still cracks me up that people get cold so easily. It's got to be no lower than 50, and they're
acting like it's freezing... Understandable, I guess. Mom and I like cold weather. We're the odd ones. But really... I dunno.
Myst is crazy. Joe and I just finished the fourth one this Saturday, and it was insane. Sad ending. Very sad. Avoidable? Possibly, but we haven't figured it out yet. I mean... really. The only half decent character dies. Sure, it's noble, but the whole family is messed up. Meh... Maybe Yeesha will turn out okay. At least she probably won't be as stupid as Cathrine. I tell you, that lady doesn't think. And she writes dreadful ages. I mean, Serenia is basically a cult of druggies. Seriously, they use this 'incense' and stare at a mask with crazy eyes to travel to some freaky spirit world. Crazy people. Still, Serenia beats Spire. Anyone would go crazy if they were stuck there for twenty years. And the fact that it's got crazy explosives doesn't help.
Anyway, moving on. Life is good. Towels are good too...
So, I'm running out of topics that I want to talk about. I've got to figure out what I want to be for Halloween. I feel like I should do something with caution tape. I've still got a lot of it. I might try to be a mistborn next year, but it's a little work. The cape will be the hardest. I also have to find some vials and a bag of coins. Maybe Yen. I like the holes in them. This year, though, I might be lazy. I dunno, we'll see what happens.
I think I'm going to wrap this up. I've got plenty of things to do today. So yeah, Halloween... Never quite saw the point, but it should be fun. Anyway, see ya!
Hmm... I haven't posted in a while. Suppose it'd be a good idea to review what has been going on... Not sure I will though. Instead, I think I'll talk about seminary. In general, seminary is awesome. Not much can take away from that. But the younger class is /hilarious/. We were combined today, since our teacher was sick, and I gotta say, their class is lively. You've got loads of people who like to talk, and one or two people who like to scold said talkers. But one of them is kind of funny. She's there, smiling, then all of a sudden she'll whip her head around, give a glare that could stop a mountain lion, occasionally say something like 'shut up', then turn back around and smile as if nothing happened. Scary? So yeah... we learned about Jacob and his credentials. You know, righteous, cares about the people, is called of God... All of that stuff that we can have too– and should have so we can better spread the Gospel.
It still cracks me up that people get cold so easily. It's got to be no lower than 50, and they're
acting like it's freezing... Understandable, I guess. Mom and I like cold weather. We're the odd ones. But really... I dunno.
Myst is crazy. Joe and I just finished the fourth one this Saturday, and it was insane. Sad ending. Very sad. Avoidable? Possibly, but we haven't figured it out yet. I mean... really. The only half decent character dies. Sure, it's noble, but the whole family is messed up. Meh... Maybe Yeesha will turn out okay. At least she probably won't be as stupid as Cathrine. I tell you, that lady doesn't think. And she writes dreadful ages. I mean, Serenia is basically a cult of druggies. Seriously, they use this 'incense' and stare at a mask with crazy eyes to travel to some freaky spirit world. Crazy people. Still, Serenia beats Spire. Anyone would go crazy if they were stuck there for twenty years. And the fact that it's got crazy explosives doesn't help.
Anyway, moving on. Life is good. Towels are good too...
So, I'm running out of topics that I want to talk about. I've got to figure out what I want to be for Halloween. I feel like I should do something with caution tape. I've still got a lot of it. I might try to be a mistborn next year, but it's a little work. The cape will be the hardest. I also have to find some vials and a bag of coins. Maybe Yen. I like the holes in them. This year, though, I might be lazy. I dunno, we'll see what happens.
I think I'm going to wrap this up. I've got plenty of things to do today. So yeah, Halloween... Never quite saw the point, but it should be fun. Anyway, see ya!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
09/16/09 Could be better, could be worse
So, it's been a while. Not too happy about that, but we'll see what we can do.
As for all the stuff I haven't posted about:
-The Elders (and some family) came for dinner a few weeks back. On Stake Conference, I believe.
-A few days later, David and Teresa came to visit, and we had lots of fun family get togethers.
-Mom, Miriam and I went camping at Mackerricher state park for Mom's Birthday.
-I finished off all but one of my merit badges. All that's left now is making an appointment with the counselor for communications and work on the project. Life is pretty hectic right now, though, so I may continue to put that off. I just get really tired of the stress after a while, don't you?
- And now I'm struggling with some stupid school stuff. ALEKS is being its traditional retarded self, but it won't listen to my regiment of remedies I've picked up since I've started working with it. Big pain. And my online computer class isn't working at all. Which would make me lean towards getting a book for it, but Travis doesn't have any that are better than "Push the power button to turn on the computer." He thinks the online class is pretty good, but I'm not possitive I'll be able to get it to work. Kind of annoying. Plus, because of all of these stupid problems, I haven't written to Andrew in ages. Haven't blogged, haven't worked on the house, and I've barely been able to maintain the stuff I've already done. In short, I'm having a lame week.
I might talk about what happened in this past month sometime, but right now I'm just not in the mood.
On the somewhat bright side, I got some sketching pencils on Monday. I'd been thinking about it without much vigor for a while, but then I saw some at Office Depot while I was looking for organization stuff, and I decided to check them out. Anyway, they're very good! Awesome for shading and what not. You can make it more even, and with the different pencils, you have a lot of control of how light or dark you want it. So, I suppose life isn't so bad. I still have a lot of stuff to do, so I haven't been able to do as much with them as I had hoped, but they're something to look forward to when this is finally cleared up.
Really, though, I think I've been needing this stress. I've been having too many fun things. Family visits, camping... I think this wave of sudden things I need to do will get me back into my everyday rhythm. I'm hoping so, at least, because if not, I may have some problems in the future. But enough about future. Before Thursday night, I need to do this week's Japanese and Psychology, look into my computer class, maybe go back to the battlefield of ALEKS, and if I can manage all of that, work on all of the things I've been putting off. Andrew's letter, organizing the house and computer, scoutwork, and who knows what all.
I work best with a deadline, though, so we'll see how we do.
Bye. It's been fun, but I can't really think about blogging at the moment.
As for all the stuff I haven't posted about:
-The Elders (and some family) came for dinner a few weeks back. On Stake Conference, I believe.
-A few days later, David and Teresa came to visit, and we had lots of fun family get togethers.
-Mom, Miriam and I went camping at Mackerricher state park for Mom's Birthday.
-I finished off all but one of my merit badges. All that's left now is making an appointment with the counselor for communications and work on the project. Life is pretty hectic right now, though, so I may continue to put that off. I just get really tired of the stress after a while, don't you?
- And now I'm struggling with some stupid school stuff. ALEKS is being its traditional retarded self, but it won't listen to my regiment of remedies I've picked up since I've started working with it. Big pain. And my online computer class isn't working at all. Which would make me lean towards getting a book for it, but Travis doesn't have any that are better than "Push the power button to turn on the computer." He thinks the online class is pretty good, but I'm not possitive I'll be able to get it to work. Kind of annoying. Plus, because of all of these stupid problems, I haven't written to Andrew in ages. Haven't blogged, haven't worked on the house, and I've barely been able to maintain the stuff I've already done. In short, I'm having a lame week.
I might talk about what happened in this past month sometime, but right now I'm just not in the mood.
On the somewhat bright side, I got some sketching pencils on Monday. I'd been thinking about it without much vigor for a while, but then I saw some at Office Depot while I was looking for organization stuff, and I decided to check them out. Anyway, they're very good! Awesome for shading and what not. You can make it more even, and with the different pencils, you have a lot of control of how light or dark you want it. So, I suppose life isn't so bad. I still have a lot of stuff to do, so I haven't been able to do as much with them as I had hoped, but they're something to look forward to when this is finally cleared up.
Really, though, I think I've been needing this stress. I've been having too many fun things. Family visits, camping... I think this wave of sudden things I need to do will get me back into my everyday rhythm. I'm hoping so, at least, because if not, I may have some problems in the future. But enough about future. Before Thursday night, I need to do this week's Japanese and Psychology, look into my computer class, maybe go back to the battlefield of ALEKS, and if I can manage all of that, work on all of the things I've been putting off. Andrew's letter, organizing the house and computer, scoutwork, and who knows what all.
I work best with a deadline, though, so we'll see how we do.
Bye. It's been fun, but I can't really think about blogging at the moment.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
08/19/09 Haywire...
So, I would've posted yesterday, but the computer went crazy on me and I couldn't log into my google account. Anyway, the whole password manager thing can make things difficult sometimes, especially when you made a grammatical error with the password itself. You see, using a blend of English and Japanese jibberish, you can make a pretty tough password that you can still remember, but when you use the wrong Japanese translation, it can take a while to figure out. As you can see though, it worked eventually. I'll have to change that password now. If nothing else, that word'll kill me if I forget about it again.
Anyway, that's not what I was going to talk about. There's a lot to go through before I leave. Starting with Sunday: The lesson went just about as well as I could expect it to. Sister Shrimp's class is always talkative, but when you throw in two visitors and the younger class, it's uh... interesting. Not sure what I would've done without Riley there. He's good and getting people to quiet down. -nods- Anyway, so yeah, the lesson itself was okay. I didn't do all I was planning, but I got the basic idea down. Plus, I got some feedback from the Temple President story. I like it when people remember the story you're telling, so they already know a little about where you're hoping to go with it. It was a good story, too. So, we were doing Baptisms for the Dead a few weeks ago, and the Temple President told us something really interesting. With missionary work, you see a lot of cases where a family will be taught, but only one person will join the church. The Temple President explained that in the spirit world, entire families are praying constantly, hoping that just /one/ person will be converted, so their genealogy could be done and their ordinances performed. Pretty powerful stuff. So anyway, I used that to set home the importance of eagerly pursuing the work of by-proxy ordinances for those that have passed on, which was the topic of the lesson.
Yay!
SO.. Monday... School started, I mowed the lawn, cut back a tree, prepared a super amazing Family Home Evening lesson- complete with roadmap, and was excited about grilling pizzas!
The plan was simple. We'd make little pizzas, personalize them, and stick them on the grill plain and simple. Well, there's a lot to account for. Messiness of the toppings, sheer size of the pizza itself, and how lucky you feel while performing the operation. Over all, Anna's pizza turned out the best. You see, I told Joe to hold a rolled-out pizza, and he did, but then he said that he hadn't washed his hands since doing something with a dumpster. Anyway, I wasn't all that put off by it, so it got selected as Anna's pizza. I'd share, of course. -nods-
We learned though. Small, thin pizzas with not much on them. That's what works. I think. Maybe we should talk to Ruth and Tom. They actually know how to do it...
Anyway, good stuff.
On Tuesday, I went berserk on our front yard. I got rid of all the weeds that have grown back since I got sick, and attacked the trees again, sawing through a couple branches with a hacksaw (slow process). Then, after Mom and Joe got home, I pulled up two of the trees that were trying to grow next to the house, as well as a stump that once belonged to a holly bush. It was just in the way...
But anyway, that was awesome! I was going to blog about it, but that's when the computer made my life miserable. After a wonderful night's rest, though, the problem was a little easier to fix. Good stuff. So now I get to attack trees again. Or do schoolwork... Or write a letter to Andrew... Or do scoutwork. I should kind of do all of them...
Oi... I gotta go. Bye!
Anyway, that's not what I was going to talk about. There's a lot to go through before I leave. Starting with Sunday: The lesson went just about as well as I could expect it to. Sister Shrimp's class is always talkative, but when you throw in two visitors and the younger class, it's uh... interesting. Not sure what I would've done without Riley there. He's good and getting people to quiet down. -nods- Anyway, so yeah, the lesson itself was okay. I didn't do all I was planning, but I got the basic idea down. Plus, I got some feedback from the Temple President story. I like it when people remember the story you're telling, so they already know a little about where you're hoping to go with it. It was a good story, too. So, we were doing Baptisms for the Dead a few weeks ago, and the Temple President told us something really interesting. With missionary work, you see a lot of cases where a family will be taught, but only one person will join the church. The Temple President explained that in the spirit world, entire families are praying constantly, hoping that just /one/ person will be converted, so their genealogy could be done and their ordinances performed. Pretty powerful stuff. So anyway, I used that to set home the importance of eagerly pursuing the work of by-proxy ordinances for those that have passed on, which was the topic of the lesson.
Yay!
SO.. Monday... School started, I mowed the lawn, cut back a tree, prepared a super amazing Family Home Evening lesson- complete with roadmap, and was excited about grilling pizzas!
The plan was simple. We'd make little pizzas, personalize them, and stick them on the grill plain and simple. Well, there's a lot to account for. Messiness of the toppings, sheer size of the pizza itself, and how lucky you feel while performing the operation. Over all, Anna's pizza turned out the best. You see, I told Joe to hold a rolled-out pizza, and he did, but then he said that he hadn't washed his hands since doing something with a dumpster. Anyway, I wasn't all that put off by it, so it got selected as Anna's pizza. I'd share, of course. -nods-
We learned though. Small, thin pizzas with not much on them. That's what works. I think. Maybe we should talk to Ruth and Tom. They actually know how to do it...
Anyway, good stuff.
On Tuesday, I went berserk on our front yard. I got rid of all the weeds that have grown back since I got sick, and attacked the trees again, sawing through a couple branches with a hacksaw (slow process). Then, after Mom and Joe got home, I pulled up two of the trees that were trying to grow next to the house, as well as a stump that once belonged to a holly bush. It was just in the way...
But anyway, that was awesome! I was going to blog about it, but that's when the computer made my life miserable. After a wonderful night's rest, though, the problem was a little easier to fix. Good stuff. So now I get to attack trees again. Or do schoolwork... Or write a letter to Andrew... Or do scoutwork. I should kind of do all of them...
Oi... I gotta go. Bye!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
08/15/09 Over the mountains and through the woods...
More like hills. Lots of hills. Not many trees either, come to think of it...
Anyway, there's much to talk about. This week and last were meant to be busy. Very busy. And you know what, they still kind of were. Odd little thing, that.
Anyway, as you know (I think), last weekend we went camping down in San Luise Obispo (I hope that's spelled right...) to visit David and Teresa. The trip was awesome, the car ride long, the memories... -dramatic- /unforgettable/... Okay, anyway...
So we got up there and met David and Teresa at the camp, at which point most of us were thinking that it wasn't much of a campsite. I say most only because- the scout that I am- I had seen plenty worse. And in all fairness, it was a pretty good campsite. Water and bathrooms nearby, dry kindling to help light a fire, and a good bit of shade. The only real downside was that it was a little cramped. People next door, small-ish campsite, you get the picture. Of course, you all know what I believe real camping is, but that's not important.
So, we set up camp, start up a lovely fire, and visit. After we had some coals, we threw in the foil dinners and roasted hotdogs. The hotdogs were mostly just because they were there and we felt like snacking. Uh huh. You didn't think hot dogs were appetizers, did you? Well, they're very good ones. (especially when made into pigs in a blanket, but that's another story...) The foil dinners were delicious, as expected, and we didn't have any burnt, thanks to the /real camping/ foil dinner cooking secret. You see, the second time I made foil dinners (ah, the memories...), I had read on a website to try wrapping a slightly damp paper towel around the foil dinner, then add another layer of foil. Ever since that fateful day, I've never had a burnt foil dinner. -nods- That's real camping. Foil dinners, hamburgers, and hot dogs. For dinner, at least. And whatever you do, no tri-tip. That's not camping! How could you do such a thing??? I'm telling you... I'll never forget that one. It's just not natural...
Anyway, that was amazing. After dinner, we had smores and wuffums (D&T, how do you spell that?). -happy dance- Also real camping.
Let's see, after that, we read scriptures, had family prayer, played some Killer-Uno, and went to sleep. Good stuff.
The next morning, we boiled water the old fashioned way and had oatmeal and hot chocolate. There's something about fire-boiled water... It's cool. Anyway, oatmeal and fire water? Real camping. I was really happy with the arrangement. I mean, we were near people, and we were within walking distance of the nearest bathroom, so I can't call it real real camping, but it was close, and very fun.
After we ate, we lounged for a bit and decided to tour campgrounds. Both the one we were staying in and one that David and Teresa liked. The latter of which, I must add, was indeed very nice. Very nice playground. Thought of Andrew. Took pictures.
We had lunch there, lazed around a bit, then went to David and Teresa's. Another dog was visiting, and there was a small matter of getting the two used to each other, but other than that, we really didn't do much but visit until dinner. D&T made some wonderful hamburgers! And a vegetarian alternative. And corn on the cob. And watermelon. Lot's of food...
After dinner, we decided we didn't want to sleep on rocks again (-sighs-), so the guys went to break camp. -hits fast forward button-
Okay, not much happened. We went back, visited some more, went to sleep, got up, got ready for church, went to church, got spiritually enlightened, went back to get everything packed, and hit the road!
Just some last comments before I move on to the next topic:
The impromptu choir performance was awesome. Lot's of people got up to sing, too. I was a little surprised. -nods-
Also, I really liked the priesthood lesson. I'm thinking I might use some of it for my Sunday School lesson.
Next day...
Monday was interesting. I mostly did paperwork for scouts, finishing of Cit. in the World, so I'm pretty much set. By the end of it, though, I was beginning to get a little bit of a headache. I wemt to bed...
... and then it all went down hill... At 1 AM, I got out of bed and promptly ran to the bathroom to throw up.
This, unfortunately, was not in my plans. My plans were to do yardwork. Both here and for the Penas. That... uh... didn't happen. To make a long and annoying story short, I was feeling horrible with a crazy migraine for several days. I couldn't keep food or pill down, light was a nightmare, and I kept getting dehydrated. Wednesday and Thursday, Mom stayed home and helped, but I was still mostly out of it. By Thursday, though, things were looking up. And by Friday, I was back to my regular- if not mentally sound- self. I kept track though. I threw up seventeen times. Fourteen of which took place within twenty-four hours. Ouch.
But, I'm better now, and it's Saturday, so something more must have happened. On Friday, Joe filed some stuff in his room, and Mom and I ran some errands. We got some wood mulch, got a schoolbook for a college class, and did some business with our fall classes. I have a card now. XD I can go cruising on lightrail.
That's pretty much it. Today was more interesting. Today, we rented a truck, went over to Debi's and picked up a couch. A really big couch. With recliners. It was in a room that was too small for it, so she gave it to us to put in the family room. Things are still in motion, but the dust should settle soon enough. In any case, it gives me a project to work on. ^^ After we did all that, we went to the Squeeze Inn. Fun stuff! Good workout, too. -nods-
Well, I'm afraid that's about it. I've been busy, eh. Kind of feel bad for Andrew though. I need to send him pictures. And I'm a couple days late with the letter now. He'll forgive me though.
Oh yes! While I was sick, I was able to watch a movie that David and Teresa loaned to us when we left. Stardust! Not exactly what I was expecting, but pretty funny. Different though. Definitely different. Awesome action music. After a little searching, I found one of the better tracks, and it is good...
Anyway, I've got to go work on the Sunday School lesson I'm giving tomorrow. See ya!
... Di-na-mi-tey! XD
Anyway, there's much to talk about. This week and last were meant to be busy. Very busy. And you know what, they still kind of were. Odd little thing, that.
Anyway, as you know (I think), last weekend we went camping down in San Luise Obispo (I hope that's spelled right...) to visit David and Teresa. The trip was awesome, the car ride long, the memories... -dramatic- /unforgettable/... Okay, anyway...
So we got up there and met David and Teresa at the camp, at which point most of us were thinking that it wasn't much of a campsite. I say most only because- the scout that I am- I had seen plenty worse. And in all fairness, it was a pretty good campsite. Water and bathrooms nearby, dry kindling to help light a fire, and a good bit of shade. The only real downside was that it was a little cramped. People next door, small-ish campsite, you get the picture. Of course, you all know what I believe real camping is, but that's not important.
So, we set up camp, start up a lovely fire, and visit. After we had some coals, we threw in the foil dinners and roasted hotdogs. The hotdogs were mostly just because they were there and we felt like snacking. Uh huh. You didn't think hot dogs were appetizers, did you? Well, they're very good ones. (especially when made into pigs in a blanket, but that's another story...) The foil dinners were delicious, as expected, and we didn't have any burnt, thanks to the /real camping/ foil dinner cooking secret. You see, the second time I made foil dinners (ah, the memories...), I had read on a website to try wrapping a slightly damp paper towel around the foil dinner, then add another layer of foil. Ever since that fateful day, I've never had a burnt foil dinner. -nods- That's real camping. Foil dinners, hamburgers, and hot dogs. For dinner, at least. And whatever you do, no tri-tip. That's not camping! How could you do such a thing??? I'm telling you... I'll never forget that one. It's just not natural...
Anyway, that was amazing. After dinner, we had smores and wuffums (D&T, how do you spell that?). -happy dance- Also real camping.
Let's see, after that, we read scriptures, had family prayer, played some Killer-Uno, and went to sleep. Good stuff.
The next morning, we boiled water the old fashioned way and had oatmeal and hot chocolate. There's something about fire-boiled water... It's cool. Anyway, oatmeal and fire water? Real camping. I was really happy with the arrangement. I mean, we were near people, and we were within walking distance of the nearest bathroom, so I can't call it real real camping, but it was close, and very fun.
After we ate, we lounged for a bit and decided to tour campgrounds. Both the one we were staying in and one that David and Teresa liked. The latter of which, I must add, was indeed very nice. Very nice playground. Thought of Andrew. Took pictures.
We had lunch there, lazed around a bit, then went to David and Teresa's. Another dog was visiting, and there was a small matter of getting the two used to each other, but other than that, we really didn't do much but visit until dinner. D&T made some wonderful hamburgers! And a vegetarian alternative. And corn on the cob. And watermelon. Lot's of food...
After dinner, we decided we didn't want to sleep on rocks again (-sighs-), so the guys went to break camp. -hits fast forward button-
Okay, not much happened. We went back, visited some more, went to sleep, got up, got ready for church, went to church, got spiritually enlightened, went back to get everything packed, and hit the road!
Just some last comments before I move on to the next topic:
The impromptu choir performance was awesome. Lot's of people got up to sing, too. I was a little surprised. -nods-
Also, I really liked the priesthood lesson. I'm thinking I might use some of it for my Sunday School lesson.
Next day...
Monday was interesting. I mostly did paperwork for scouts, finishing of Cit. in the World, so I'm pretty much set. By the end of it, though, I was beginning to get a little bit of a headache. I wemt to bed...
... and then it all went down hill... At 1 AM, I got out of bed and promptly ran to the bathroom to throw up.
This, unfortunately, was not in my plans. My plans were to do yardwork. Both here and for the Penas. That... uh... didn't happen. To make a long and annoying story short, I was feeling horrible with a crazy migraine for several days. I couldn't keep food or pill down, light was a nightmare, and I kept getting dehydrated. Wednesday and Thursday, Mom stayed home and helped, but I was still mostly out of it. By Thursday, though, things were looking up. And by Friday, I was back to my regular- if not mentally sound- self. I kept track though. I threw up seventeen times. Fourteen of which took place within twenty-four hours. Ouch.
But, I'm better now, and it's Saturday, so something more must have happened. On Friday, Joe filed some stuff in his room, and Mom and I ran some errands. We got some wood mulch, got a schoolbook for a college class, and did some business with our fall classes. I have a card now. XD I can go cruising on lightrail.
That's pretty much it. Today was more interesting. Today, we rented a truck, went over to Debi's and picked up a couch. A really big couch. With recliners. It was in a room that was too small for it, so she gave it to us to put in the family room. Things are still in motion, but the dust should settle soon enough. In any case, it gives me a project to work on. ^^ After we did all that, we went to the Squeeze Inn. Fun stuff! Good workout, too. -nods-
Well, I'm afraid that's about it. I've been busy, eh. Kind of feel bad for Andrew though. I need to send him pictures. And I'm a couple days late with the letter now. He'll forgive me though.
Oh yes! While I was sick, I was able to watch a movie that David and Teresa loaned to us when we left. Stardust! Not exactly what I was expecting, but pretty funny. Different though. Definitely different. Awesome action music. After a little searching, I found one of the better tracks, and it is good...
Anyway, I've got to go work on the Sunday School lesson I'm giving tomorrow. See ya!
... Di-na-mi-tey! XD
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
08/05/09 Fish
So, it's late, but I want to post this so I can use it in a letter to Andrew. Mainly, though, I need to get that letter sent by tomorrow, or it might not get sent. Or Friday... But we're leaving then, so I'm not sure about that.
Anyway, today was pretty neat. It started out with early morning weeding, followed by going with Debi and the Hinds to see The Tale of Despereaux. Miriam was going to come with us, but there were some slight complications. Ruth gets a call before the movie and leaves. I'm not sure what all details we had, but after the movie (I might talk about it later), we went to Ruth and Tom's. Apparently, Miriam's finger got caught in the door of her car. Pretty bad, too. Cuts and bruising on both sides. Some swelling... The people at 24 hour fitness were nice though. Ruth took her to the hospital later and things seemed a little better. While that was happening, Tom and I helped Debi install some ceiling fans. Simple, right? But when they're on slanted ceilings and one of the rooms is two stories, it gets complicated. Still, it all worked out, and they look /amazing/. Anyway, after that was finished, it was time for mutual. They brought me home, I ate some leftovers, and mom dropped me off for a fishing merit badge lesson night. Pretty cool, actually. I learned some knots, found out more about fishing, and got that much closer to getting everything settled. -nods- Good stuff.
So, I'm back home now. It's night. Night is good. I'll probably hit the sack soon, so I'll just leave a few quick comments. First, the Tale of Despereaux was not what I expected. I expected some simple, but entertaining kid movie, but it turned out to have a much more elaborate plot. Or, at least, it's characters were. Pretty nice story. Not sure why they chose soup though... I imagine it has to do with Ratatouille. They were both made around the same time, I think. And things like to copy each other. -shrugs- Anyhow, it was an interesting movie.
Fishing line= good for fishing, bad for knot tying. Luckily, I'm okay with knots, so it wasn't anything too difficult.
Oh, yeah, Debi let me drive to Ruth and Tom's. That was cool. Her car has good brakes. -Not needed though. I knew you were thinking that. They just respond well.
Yep. I'm starting to lose it. Sleep is calling, and I've got the mind to follow it. Tomorrow will be crazy. Camping prep., scouts, cooking, housework, and at the end of it all, Esther and Debi's B-day dinner.
Yay! Now... I'm going to sleep. I keep hitting , instead of m. That's one of my signs that I'm drifting. See ya tomorrow. Maybe. I might not post... Still, bye...
Anyway, today was pretty neat. It started out with early morning weeding, followed by going with Debi and the Hinds to see The Tale of Despereaux. Miriam was going to come with us, but there were some slight complications. Ruth gets a call before the movie and leaves. I'm not sure what all details we had, but after the movie (I might talk about it later), we went to Ruth and Tom's. Apparently, Miriam's finger got caught in the door of her car. Pretty bad, too. Cuts and bruising on both sides. Some swelling... The people at 24 hour fitness were nice though. Ruth took her to the hospital later and things seemed a little better. While that was happening, Tom and I helped Debi install some ceiling fans. Simple, right? But when they're on slanted ceilings and one of the rooms is two stories, it gets complicated. Still, it all worked out, and they look /amazing/. Anyway, after that was finished, it was time for mutual. They brought me home, I ate some leftovers, and mom dropped me off for a fishing merit badge lesson night. Pretty cool, actually. I learned some knots, found out more about fishing, and got that much closer to getting everything settled. -nods- Good stuff.
So, I'm back home now. It's night. Night is good. I'll probably hit the sack soon, so I'll just leave a few quick comments. First, the Tale of Despereaux was not what I expected. I expected some simple, but entertaining kid movie, but it turned out to have a much more elaborate plot. Or, at least, it's characters were. Pretty nice story. Not sure why they chose soup though... I imagine it has to do with Ratatouille. They were both made around the same time, I think. And things like to copy each other. -shrugs- Anyhow, it was an interesting movie.
Fishing line= good for fishing, bad for knot tying. Luckily, I'm okay with knots, so it wasn't anything too difficult.
Oh, yeah, Debi let me drive to Ruth and Tom's. That was cool. Her car has good brakes. -Not needed though. I knew you were thinking that. They just respond well.
Yep. I'm starting to lose it. Sleep is calling, and I've got the mind to follow it. Tomorrow will be crazy. Camping prep., scouts, cooking, housework, and at the end of it all, Esther and Debi's B-day dinner.
Yay! Now... I'm going to sleep. I keep hitting , instead of m. That's one of my signs that I'm drifting. See ya tomorrow. Maybe. I might not post... Still, bye...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
08/04/09 My big mouth.
I just had to go and say it. "Calm after the storm," I said. "Things are quieting down," I said. Why'd I do that? Well... It isn't calm anymore. Today was supposed to be devoted to scouts. Hammer out Cit. in the Nation and get ready for World. But instead I spent part of the day juggling schedules, /while/ trying to do scoutwork. As it turns out, I do more than I thought. Monday was the reseting period so I could leap right back into action. Today was scouts, tomorrow will helping Debi with some ceiling fans and seeing a movie with the Hinds, Miriam, and Debi. This morning I thought it would be getting ready for going camping and visiting David and Teresa, then Sister Pena called and asked if I wanted to help do some yard work, then I found out that Debi emailed me yesterday about the ceiling fans. So, I rescheduled the yard work for next Tuesday, leaving Wednesday open again. After that, on Thursday, I've got to cook a Hawaiian pizza for the Fancy Nancy birthday party for Esther and Debi, as well as get some waffles and foil dinners ready for the camping trip. (The waffles are just because I like waffles...) Then on Friday, we head out for David and Teresa's. Oi... Busy week. Oh yeah, and Sister Shrimp is coming sometime to give me lesson materials so I can give a lesson in sunday school in two weeks. Oh, and I'm meeting with Brother McCord next Wednesday about scouts, so I want to get the Cits and Camping all set before then... Phew...
As for today though...
Today was actually pretty nice. It's sad to say, but I actually enjoy stress. It... motivates me? fascinates me? I dunno. Still, I got everything planned, weeded in the garden, mowed the lawn, picked some camping stuff out of the big camping boxes, filled out almost all of the Cit. in the Nation worksheet, got the requirements done for Cit. in the World done that I couldn't do on the way camping (Six hour car rides are working for me. XD), and even got in another experimental game of risk. Close quarters? I'll just say that the players will be smart enough not to go and attack each other right off the bat.
Oh, and I took my book back to the library. (Note: THE LIBRARY HAS SELF-CHECKOUT!!! IT'S SO AMAZING I FORGOT TO TE- -ahem- Enough with the caps... Anyway, I forgot to tell you. Repeatedly. Sorry 'bout that. It's cool though.)
Games By Email? Sounds neat! I'll have to look into that. ... Sometime? I suppose I could make room... But not yet. I need to wrap up Nation. And I think Mom and Joe want to get tacos or something for dinner... Plus, I need to write to Andrew- And I /really/ need to get those pictures...
Man, I'm pumped. I really shouldn't be, but this'll be pretty crazy. Crazy, stressful, testing of all mental fortitude I've got. (well... maybe not, but still.) This'll be fun... -grins-
So, yeah, I'm happy. Didn't get to work on the dining room project, but that was optional. I think I'll be able to get the essentials done, which is all that really matters.
Oh yeah, I gave the lesson in Family Home Evening last night. We're trying to get beyond just reading the Ensign and talking, so we're seeing how that goes. Ask Mom or Joe if you want to know how it went. All things I do seem like both triumphs and failures to me. At the same time, too. Funny how that works, but it keeps my spirits up.
I believe I'll have to leave it at this. My battlefield awaits! (By the way, I am not referring to Risk, although I would very much like to...) Ja mata!
As for today though...
Today was actually pretty nice. It's sad to say, but I actually enjoy stress. It... motivates me? fascinates me? I dunno. Still, I got everything planned, weeded in the garden, mowed the lawn, picked some camping stuff out of the big camping boxes, filled out almost all of the Cit. in the Nation worksheet, got the requirements done for Cit. in the World done that I couldn't do on the way camping (Six hour car rides are working for me. XD), and even got in another experimental game of risk. Close quarters? I'll just say that the players will be smart enough not to go and attack each other right off the bat.
Oh, and I took my book back to the library. (Note: THE LIBRARY HAS SELF-CHECKOUT!!! IT'S SO AMAZING I FORGOT TO TE- -ahem- Enough with the caps... Anyway, I forgot to tell you. Repeatedly. Sorry 'bout that. It's cool though.)
Games By Email? Sounds neat! I'll have to look into that. ... Sometime? I suppose I could make room... But not yet. I need to wrap up Nation. And I think Mom and Joe want to get tacos or something for dinner... Plus, I need to write to Andrew- And I /really/ need to get those pictures...
Man, I'm pumped. I really shouldn't be, but this'll be pretty crazy. Crazy, stressful, testing of all mental fortitude I've got. (well... maybe not, but still.) This'll be fun... -grins-
So, yeah, I'm happy. Didn't get to work on the dining room project, but that was optional. I think I'll be able to get the essentials done, which is all that really matters.
Oh yeah, I gave the lesson in Family Home Evening last night. We're trying to get beyond just reading the Ensign and talking, so we're seeing how that goes. Ask Mom or Joe if you want to know how it went. All things I do seem like both triumphs and failures to me. At the same time, too. Funny how that works, but it keeps my spirits up.
I believe I'll have to leave it at this. My battlefield awaits! (By the way, I am not referring to Risk, although I would very much like to...) Ja mata!
07/03/09 RISK
So, ever since the game table in the family room was cleared off, I've been thinking about how it's a pretty good place for playing RISK. It's out of the way, we wouldn't need to use it regularly, so the game can be left out even when it's not being played, and the game fits fairly well on it. RISK is good. Takes forever though, which is why I'm thinking this area could come in handy.
I was excited about it, so yesterday, or today if you count this as the day I started writing this, I worked on an experiment to make set up time shorter. Basically, you draw a random territory, put a leader there with ten battalions, and do the same with all the other players, making sure that none of them are adjacent to each other. With the other 60 territories (for lord of the rings risk, that is), you put two neutral battalions that just defend. The test went fairly well, although the players started off pretty far apart from each other. I need to try a game where they're closer together, to get an idea if it would still work. Also, I found some nice places to put battalions. (The plastic bags are getting old, and I really don't like the idea of having all of the different pieces in the same pile.) A little set of drawers that go to a... tool thing? I don't know, I've been using it for ages, but never to hold tools or things like that. Anyway, the drawers are divided into three parts, which is just perfect for separating each teams' battalions. Much more convenient than the plastic bags.
Anyway, though. That's a work in progress.
I need to go to the library today, or tomorrow counting from when I started writing this. Maybe I should talk about that. Well, I was going to post yesterday, but while I was writing, mom came home from work. I said hi, she said that there was a letter from Andrew in the mail, so I spent a little while looking at that. Anyway, she needed to use the computer, and after that I was mostly working on dinner, so I didn't get back on the computer until now. That being said...
I'm running low on things to say. I've been working a lot in the garden. Yay! The weeds are still coming up, but the roots are easier to pull out now, so we might see some improvement later. And I really like our soil. It's starting to look nice. I should mow the lawn today, too.
Other that that, I really don't know if there's much else to say. Life is good. Andrew sent pictures, which we have to figure out how to put up with this crazy computer. They're really cool though. He took a couple pictures of the racetrack, and there's a picture from Kevin's baptism, and a bunch of other stuff. -nods-
I have to get around to writing. To Andrew, for scouts, all that rot. We'll see about that today, but it might be a little disappointing.
Well, I'm off. I might post later today, but there are things to do first. Without further adieu, I'll be on my way.
I was excited about it, so yesterday, or today if you count this as the day I started writing this, I worked on an experiment to make set up time shorter. Basically, you draw a random territory, put a leader there with ten battalions, and do the same with all the other players, making sure that none of them are adjacent to each other. With the other 60 territories (for lord of the rings risk, that is), you put two neutral battalions that just defend. The test went fairly well, although the players started off pretty far apart from each other. I need to try a game where they're closer together, to get an idea if it would still work. Also, I found some nice places to put battalions. (The plastic bags are getting old, and I really don't like the idea of having all of the different pieces in the same pile.) A little set of drawers that go to a... tool thing? I don't know, I've been using it for ages, but never to hold tools or things like that. Anyway, the drawers are divided into three parts, which is just perfect for separating each teams' battalions. Much more convenient than the plastic bags.
Anyway, though. That's a work in progress.
I need to go to the library today, or tomorrow counting from when I started writing this. Maybe I should talk about that. Well, I was going to post yesterday, but while I was writing, mom came home from work. I said hi, she said that there was a letter from Andrew in the mail, so I spent a little while looking at that. Anyway, she needed to use the computer, and after that I was mostly working on dinner, so I didn't get back on the computer until now. That being said...
I'm running low on things to say. I've been working a lot in the garden. Yay! The weeds are still coming up, but the roots are easier to pull out now, so we might see some improvement later. And I really like our soil. It's starting to look nice. I should mow the lawn today, too.
Other that that, I really don't know if there's much else to say. Life is good. Andrew sent pictures, which we have to figure out how to put up with this crazy computer. They're really cool though. He took a couple pictures of the racetrack, and there's a picture from Kevin's baptism, and a bunch of other stuff. -nods-
I have to get around to writing. To Andrew, for scouts, all that rot. We'll see about that today, but it might be a little disappointing.
Well, I'm off. I might post later today, but there are things to do first. Without further adieu, I'll be on my way.
Friday, July 31, 2009
07/31/09 The calm after the storm...
So, since Monday and Tuesday, life's slowed down a bit. On Wednesday, I didn't do much. Read a book, did a /little/ scout work. Went to young mens, which was helping the Parkers move. It turns out that we weren't much needed then. So, we're going back tonight. Anyway, Thursday was so-so. I went out to attack some weeds which were trying to grow back, played a demo version of computer Risk and beat it within the ten round limit. That was fun. I started around Asia. XD Tuffy went home Thursday evening. All being said, the past few days have inched by with little to mention.
Today, though, I'm starting filling out the worksheets for the two cits. Some studying, some planning. Basic awesome stuff. I also mean to work on the computer corner project, mow the lawn, and kill some more weeds. Probably some household cleaning and dish washing. too. We'll see how all that goes. I was meaning to get pictures and sketches up sometime, but photobucket doesn't seem to want to cooperate and the pictures are still on the camera.
After all the excitement, I feel sort of let down. Today might be cool though. Maybe the lull was just because I was reading a book and I had sunburns... Could be. But anyway, I've got work to do, so I'll best be off. See ya!
Today, though, I'm starting filling out the worksheets for the two cits. Some studying, some planning. Basic awesome stuff. I also mean to work on the computer corner project, mow the lawn, and kill some more weeds. Probably some household cleaning and dish washing. too. We'll see how all that goes. I was meaning to get pictures and sketches up sometime, but photobucket doesn't seem to want to cooperate and the pictures are still on the camera.
After all the excitement, I feel sort of let down. Today might be cool though. Maybe the lull was just because I was reading a book and I had sunburns... Could be. But anyway, I've got work to do, so I'll best be off. See ya!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
07/28/09 Our dining room is cool...
So, today was devoted mostly to cleaning house. That being said, I found a most enlightening discovery. In a prior post, I had mentioned moving– say... what are those things? Not dressers... Not really cabinets, either... Anyway, I moved them into the dining room. Little did I know that there was a space between them that fit the table /perfectly/. So, when we want more space, we can move the table back to the wall, or even fold it up, depending on what we want. A very happy discovery. -nods- I took pictures. Mostly for Andrew, but they might make their way here, too. Now I just need to get them on the computer. (That's a tricky thing now-days.) So, today was nice. I'm not really sure how ready the house is for company, but it's much nicer than it's been in years, so I do believe I'll enjoy a moment of contentedness.
As for yesterday's post, I've decided that it's probably what a typical blog post from me looks like, anyway, so I'm afraid you'll have to decipher it yourself. It's truer this way, yes? I'd like to think of it that way.
Anyhow, I'm very happy to say that I've finally gotten around to organizing my sketches on the computer. More or less. Really, most of them needed some looking after. Fixing old sketches is a bit annoying, but the payout is nice. Now I don't feel as strongly about getting rid of them. Still, a lot of them are beyond help. The best I can do is say they were from my incompetent years. Still in those years, probably, but we're getting there.
And drawing is more for relaxation than for talent, I think. Somehow, drawing sketches takes my mind off things. It's like writing, only the details are more blended together, less reliant on external thought. I still worry about errors, but I can see the whole picture clearer than I can in writing, so I can still feel a measure of pride in it, despite imperfections. The plot is physical thing, rather than in writing, where it is expressed through a compilation of effort. With writing, you're more focussed on the moment, something I feel a great joy in. It let's you explore the deeper portions of a concept, without completely forsaking the big picture.
I suppose they each have their own qualities. And while I know now that I've been rambling, I can't help but feel like they compliment each other. An illustration captures a broad idea well, while a caption can be used to pinpoint certain aspects that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. I know I like reading better. It engulfs me. And yet, between writing and art, I'm not sure which one I prefer for myself. I am in no wise highly skilled in either one, but I still find a simple joy there. The thought of a clever phrase, or a well crafted stroke. Even if, in fact, the outcome leaves the audience in want of something better, the author still has that moment of happiness to look back on.
But anyway... Life is good. The house is improving. I suppose I better go get ready. Not sure what to expect from a visit with the Bishop and Stake President... Yep. So, I'll see you later!
As for yesterday's post, I've decided that it's probably what a typical blog post from me looks like, anyway, so I'm afraid you'll have to decipher it yourself. It's truer this way, yes? I'd like to think of it that way.
Anyhow, I'm very happy to say that I've finally gotten around to organizing my sketches on the computer. More or less. Really, most of them needed some looking after. Fixing old sketches is a bit annoying, but the payout is nice. Now I don't feel as strongly about getting rid of them. Still, a lot of them are beyond help. The best I can do is say they were from my incompetent years. Still in those years, probably, but we're getting there.
And drawing is more for relaxation than for talent, I think. Somehow, drawing sketches takes my mind off things. It's like writing, only the details are more blended together, less reliant on external thought. I still worry about errors, but I can see the whole picture clearer than I can in writing, so I can still feel a measure of pride in it, despite imperfections. The plot is physical thing, rather than in writing, where it is expressed through a compilation of effort. With writing, you're more focussed on the moment, something I feel a great joy in. It let's you explore the deeper portions of a concept, without completely forsaking the big picture.
I suppose they each have their own qualities. And while I know now that I've been rambling, I can't help but feel like they compliment each other. An illustration captures a broad idea well, while a caption can be used to pinpoint certain aspects that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. I know I like reading better. It engulfs me. And yet, between writing and art, I'm not sure which one I prefer for myself. I am in no wise highly skilled in either one, but I still find a simple joy there. The thought of a clever phrase, or a well crafted stroke. Even if, in fact, the outcome leaves the audience in want of something better, the author still has that moment of happiness to look back on.
But anyway... Life is good. The house is improving. I suppose I better go get ready. Not sure what to expect from a visit with the Bishop and Stake President... Yep. So, I'll see you later!
Monday, July 27, 2009
07/27/09 Why are there so many marbles???
So, I sit before you now in my sunburned state, to tell you the tale of the day's activities. I am slightly drowsy, so this may take a while, but in essence, I spent the day ripping out all of the front garden, fighting hoards of weeds, and finally pouring several bags of wood mulch over the barren battlefield. Sunscreen? Used it. Sweat didn't take to it. Still, it was good. Mom doesn't know yet. After I took a very cool shower, I headed for the library and turned in The Goose Girl for Enna Burning. I might write what I thought about it, but that'll be later. I'm tired. Actually, not really tired. More like... bored? That can't be right. Not that there's nothing to do. Just that I don't /want/ to do anything. Lazy? ... Yeah, that's right. I'm lazy. ... That's nice.
I need to take pictures, write to Andrew, and clean the house. Not sure if I'm gonna make it... Very sleepy... I took a picture of my foot before I took a shower. Kinda weird. You can see where my sock was. REALLY clearly. It's like a line... Yeah...
I want to play Risk. Not now, maybe. But sometime. Risk is good.
I wonder if I'll read this later and think it sounds funny. I feel funny... Maybe it's more like stupid. Stupid...
Stupid sun, maybe... I don't like the sun. Not unless it is masked by the great obscuring cloak of overcast. Clouds are so nice. So free... Sometimes I think about being a cloud... Then a breeze came and blew me up. Didn't want to be a cloud after that...
I think I should sleep. But that's a bad idea. I need to do stuff. Maybe I should eat. I haven't eaten since I went out to work on the yard. What'd I eat today? Eggs? Sounds right. Eggs are good. Waffles are good, too. I like waffles. I found out the proportions for just making two waffles. I've had waffles a lot since I found that out.
Tuffy isn't lazy...
I don't think I'm making any sense. That means I'll have to post again. You know, when I'm awake? Not looking forward to that. Well, I'm not dreading it either. What's that mean? I wonder if this is what being drunk is like... Why'd you want this? It feels funny, but you can hear the laughter in your head. You can already tell that people are reading this and thinking it sounds stupid.
Oh yeah, the Bishop and Stake President are coming tomorrow. What'd we do? Should I run now? I don't think I be able to run very well like this... Maybe they just want to visit... That'd be weird. Anyway, I gotta clean. Glad I've been working on the house, though. That makes it easier.
Is this enough? I feel like this is enough. But I'm drunk, so how do I know? Whatever... It's enough. Goodbye, peoples... I'll try to remember to come back when I know what I'm saying...
Wait! The topic... I found a bunch of marbles in the garden. Why? o_O? I don't understand, either...
I need to take pictures, write to Andrew, and clean the house. Not sure if I'm gonna make it... Very sleepy... I took a picture of my foot before I took a shower. Kinda weird. You can see where my sock was. REALLY clearly. It's like a line... Yeah...
I want to play Risk. Not now, maybe. But sometime. Risk is good.
I wonder if I'll read this later and think it sounds funny. I feel funny... Maybe it's more like stupid. Stupid...
Stupid sun, maybe... I don't like the sun. Not unless it is masked by the great obscuring cloak of overcast. Clouds are so nice. So free... Sometimes I think about being a cloud... Then a breeze came and blew me up. Didn't want to be a cloud after that...
I think I should sleep. But that's a bad idea. I need to do stuff. Maybe I should eat. I haven't eaten since I went out to work on the yard. What'd I eat today? Eggs? Sounds right. Eggs are good. Waffles are good, too. I like waffles. I found out the proportions for just making two waffles. I've had waffles a lot since I found that out.
Tuffy isn't lazy...
I don't think I'm making any sense. That means I'll have to post again. You know, when I'm awake? Not looking forward to that. Well, I'm not dreading it either. What's that mean? I wonder if this is what being drunk is like... Why'd you want this? It feels funny, but you can hear the laughter in your head. You can already tell that people are reading this and thinking it sounds stupid.
Oh yeah, the Bishop and Stake President are coming tomorrow. What'd we do? Should I run now? I don't think I be able to run very well like this... Maybe they just want to visit... That'd be weird. Anyway, I gotta clean. Glad I've been working on the house, though. That makes it easier.
Is this enough? I feel like this is enough. But I'm drunk, so how do I know? Whatever... It's enough. Goodbye, peoples... I'll try to remember to come back when I know what I'm saying...
Wait! The topic... I found a bunch of marbles in the garden. Why? o_O? I don't understand, either...
Sunday, July 26, 2009
07/26/09 Too many princess stories...
Well, to start off, I've gotta say that Ruth has got to have the best party-planning instincts I've ever seen. Alice in Wonderland theme, with /lot's/ of work. And you could see it, too. The cake alone was awesome! Definitely the perfect centerpiece for the Mad Hatter tea party. -nods- But yeah, she read the story (Some people aren't familiar with it, so that was really cool. I mean, it's not like the Lion King or Toy Story.), then everyone moved outside to the tea party, played a couple games, and painted the roses red, which, by the way, looked amazing. I mean, it looked just like it did in the movie. Anyway, it was about that time that the cake announced it was time to cut it. Ninety+ heat= Lethal. Even to awesome cakes. After the cake, Esther opened presents, and after that, there was some croquet. Then, the grown-ups played. Competitive, although there seemed to be some confusion which wickets the ball was supposed to go through in what order. Figure eight? I think that's what it ended up being. So, that's about when the party ended. Pretty fun! I may have disarranged some things, though. There was a lot going on.
So, after the party, family sat around and talked. I read a little and played with the kids. And somewhere in the mix, one of them, a relative of Tom's, started chasing me around calling me lovely guy. Or lovely boy, or something like that. That was kind of weird. To make a long story short, I spent a good portion of the evening hiding, part of which time in the closet, where I learned something. Never hide in the closet. For one thing, it had to be a hundred degrees in there, plus, other kids keep giving away your presence by opening the door, and thirdly, when the kid finally catches on, there aren't many exit options. Eventually, I went outside and laid down on the play set. That was good for a while. Then the kids came outside to play. Still, it wasn't as bad, then. I mostly kept my distance and juggled. Fun thing, juggling. Croquet balls are good for it. -nods- Hedgehog plush balls... Not so much, but doable. So, after a while, we had dinner, and Mom, Joe and I took our leave to care for the beasts. -looks at the tennis ball Tuffy has left on my lap- That dog never gets tired... Anyway, in general, it was a fairly interesting day. I guess I've got some stuff to write to Andrew about now.
But for now, it's getting to be time for church, so I shall leave my record here. In conclusion, I've decided that I probably won't read my daughters a great condensation of princess stories. We'll stick with The Wizard of Oz, Hansel and Gretel, and all those other classic fairytales. Maybe one or two princess stories so they don't get obsessed as soon as they see one, but mostly The Wizard of Oz. These princess stories are too dangerous. I bid thee all farewell.
So, after the party, family sat around and talked. I read a little and played with the kids. And somewhere in the mix, one of them, a relative of Tom's, started chasing me around calling me lovely guy. Or lovely boy, or something like that. That was kind of weird. To make a long story short, I spent a good portion of the evening hiding, part of which time in the closet, where I learned something. Never hide in the closet. For one thing, it had to be a hundred degrees in there, plus, other kids keep giving away your presence by opening the door, and thirdly, when the kid finally catches on, there aren't many exit options. Eventually, I went outside and laid down on the play set. That was good for a while. Then the kids came outside to play. Still, it wasn't as bad, then. I mostly kept my distance and juggled. Fun thing, juggling. Croquet balls are good for it. -nods- Hedgehog plush balls... Not so much, but doable. So, after a while, we had dinner, and Mom, Joe and I took our leave to care for the beasts. -looks at the tennis ball Tuffy has left on my lap- That dog never gets tired... Anyway, in general, it was a fairly interesting day. I guess I've got some stuff to write to Andrew about now.
But for now, it's getting to be time for church, so I shall leave my record here. In conclusion, I've decided that I probably won't read my daughters a great condensation of princess stories. We'll stick with The Wizard of Oz, Hansel and Gretel, and all those other classic fairytales. Maybe one or two princess stories so they don't get obsessed as soon as they see one, but mostly The Wizard of Oz. These princess stories are too dangerous. I bid thee all farewell.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
07/25/09 Belated...
So, I couldn't get on the computer yesterday, but it was a very successful day, so I don't mind.
Yesterday, Mom and I went to go pick up Tuffy (we're dog sitting this week). After that, I spent most of the day on a three pronged attack on the house. I had cleaned an area in the garage for storage, but I didn't even need to use it. So, after the garage was clear, I would have been able to clean out the closet in the office, with which space I planned to store some memorabilia stuff. So, the pictures and scrapbooks and what all was there was moved out of the family room, leaving a space I would utilize by moving the sewing machine. After cleaning out the area by the sewing machine, I hoped to move the dresser-things (also in the family room) into the dining room. That was the plan, and it worked perfectly. XD To make a long story short, I have all but completely annihilated the mountain that once inhabited the family room. Yay! So, the boxes of pictures and things are gone, the dresser-things have a home, and the sewing machine has been moved to a more beneficial place. The best part is that we now have TONS of open space, both in the dining room and in the family room. I'm very happy. Plus, there's some room in the garage that I didn't get to using. Some future project just got that much easier? ^^ I wonder when I'll get started on that...
But for now, I've just got to hone out some spots in the family room and start in the office.
But that's only part of it!
After cleaning house, I read a bit, then got ready for the Youth Temple Trip.
Doing baptisms for the dead is always a meaningful experience, but really I just love the time you have to reflect. On what you're doing for those on the other side, and on just life in general. I liked it.
On the way home, I was in a car with Brother McCord, Brother Kenealey, Brock, and Anthony. Brock and Anthony are from Brighton Ward. Anyway, for some reason, Brother Kenealey was holding a rubber band out the window on the freeway. Maybe he was going to shoot it? Anyway, it made a funny noise, so he decided to try holding his harmonica out the window. (How cool is that? He had a harmonica. XD) Then, he started playing it by covering part of it with his fingers. Not the most clear, perhaps, but it was pretty cool. XD Good times...
So, all in all, a pretty cool day.
As for today, we'll be going to Esther's Alice in Wonderland Birthday Party (Happy Birthday!), then we might be going to a ward party. Not sure. Anyway, should be very fun. Maybe I'll read, work on scouts, or clean house. They seem to be my top three activities these last few days. Or wasting time on the computer. That happens, too.
So, without further adieu, I'll get right to that. See ya!
Yesterday, Mom and I went to go pick up Tuffy (we're dog sitting this week). After that, I spent most of the day on a three pronged attack on the house. I had cleaned an area in the garage for storage, but I didn't even need to use it. So, after the garage was clear, I would have been able to clean out the closet in the office, with which space I planned to store some memorabilia stuff. So, the pictures and scrapbooks and what all was there was moved out of the family room, leaving a space I would utilize by moving the sewing machine. After cleaning out the area by the sewing machine, I hoped to move the dresser-things (also in the family room) into the dining room. That was the plan, and it worked perfectly. XD To make a long story short, I have all but completely annihilated the mountain that once inhabited the family room. Yay! So, the boxes of pictures and things are gone, the dresser-things have a home, and the sewing machine has been moved to a more beneficial place. The best part is that we now have TONS of open space, both in the dining room and in the family room. I'm very happy. Plus, there's some room in the garage that I didn't get to using. Some future project just got that much easier? ^^ I wonder when I'll get started on that...
But for now, I've just got to hone out some spots in the family room and start in the office.
But that's only part of it!
After cleaning house, I read a bit, then got ready for the Youth Temple Trip.
Doing baptisms for the dead is always a meaningful experience, but really I just love the time you have to reflect. On what you're doing for those on the other side, and on just life in general. I liked it.
On the way home, I was in a car with Brother McCord, Brother Kenealey, Brock, and Anthony. Brock and Anthony are from Brighton Ward. Anyway, for some reason, Brother Kenealey was holding a rubber band out the window on the freeway. Maybe he was going to shoot it? Anyway, it made a funny noise, so he decided to try holding his harmonica out the window. (How cool is that? He had a harmonica. XD) Then, he started playing it by covering part of it with his fingers. Not the most clear, perhaps, but it was pretty cool. XD Good times...
So, all in all, a pretty cool day.
As for today, we'll be going to Esther's Alice in Wonderland Birthday Party (Happy Birthday!), then we might be going to a ward party. Not sure. Anyway, should be very fun. Maybe I'll read, work on scouts, or clean house. They seem to be my top three activities these last few days. Or wasting time on the computer. That happens, too.
So, without further adieu, I'll get right to that. See ya!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
07/23/09 It's Thursday?
The familiar call of "It's Thursday!" is no more. As of today, the garbage and recycling pickup changes to Thursday. I'm not sure if "It's Wednesday!" will catch on, though.
Anyway, I forgot to mention something nice that happened yesterday. So, somehow or another, Mom's saddlebag came off her bike while she was riding home from work. Once she got home and found out about it, she and I went out looking for it before mutual. We drove to her work and back, but he didn't see it, and it kind of wasn't looking great. So, she dropped me off at the church, and went out again with Joe. While they were looking, a lady came by who had found our address on a note to our neighbor, which was in the saddlebag. Anyway, she came by and we weren't here, but then she came by again after Mom and Joe got back. Mom was very happy. So, things worked out well and Mom got to make a new friend. Yay.
Anyway, today went fairly well. I worked a little with scouts, read a book I got from the library yesterday. It's one that Miriam had read, called "The Goose Girl". Odd name, but it's pretty well written, and I really like it's original magic system. When the world was created, everything spoke with each other. Over time, though, some of those languages were lost. However, there are still some who can speak them. Some people can talk to other people, easily capturing the attention of others and making them more inclined to see their point of view. Then there are those that can talk with animals, although different animals may not speak the same and it may take time to determine the various ways in which they communicate. And lastly, there are those who can talk to nature. And it talks back, sometimes. They can't control it, exactly, it's more like suggesting that it do something, which it usually does. Anyway, I thought it sounded cool.
So, I'll have something to read now. That's nice. I like the name of the next book, though. Enna Burning. Fire manipulation? Sounds fun... XD
-sighs- I can't really think of anything else. I pulled some weeds today. That was fun. There was this weird plant with these little ball things where the flowers should be. And they each had a spike in the middle. Kind of hard to explain, but they didn't look like buds. I don't know. I was a little wary of touching it at first. I'll probably die now. At least then I won't have to worry about what to write.
I guess I'll leave it at this. Maybe I'll read some more. Reading is good. And I gotta say. Rationing the last book was a horrible idea, even if it /did/ prolong the reading material a couple more days. Yeah. So, I gotta go.
Anyway, I forgot to mention something nice that happened yesterday. So, somehow or another, Mom's saddlebag came off her bike while she was riding home from work. Once she got home and found out about it, she and I went out looking for it before mutual. We drove to her work and back, but he didn't see it, and it kind of wasn't looking great. So, she dropped me off at the church, and went out again with Joe. While they were looking, a lady came by who had found our address on a note to our neighbor, which was in the saddlebag. Anyway, she came by and we weren't here, but then she came by again after Mom and Joe got back. Mom was very happy. So, things worked out well and Mom got to make a new friend. Yay.
Anyway, today went fairly well. I worked a little with scouts, read a book I got from the library yesterday. It's one that Miriam had read, called "The Goose Girl". Odd name, but it's pretty well written, and I really like it's original magic system. When the world was created, everything spoke with each other. Over time, though, some of those languages were lost. However, there are still some who can speak them. Some people can talk to other people, easily capturing the attention of others and making them more inclined to see their point of view. Then there are those that can talk with animals, although different animals may not speak the same and it may take time to determine the various ways in which they communicate. And lastly, there are those who can talk to nature. And it talks back, sometimes. They can't control it, exactly, it's more like suggesting that it do something, which it usually does. Anyway, I thought it sounded cool.
So, I'll have something to read now. That's nice. I like the name of the next book, though. Enna Burning. Fire manipulation? Sounds fun... XD
-sighs- I can't really think of anything else. I pulled some weeds today. That was fun. There was this weird plant with these little ball things where the flowers should be. And they each had a spike in the middle. Kind of hard to explain, but they didn't look like buds. I don't know. I was a little wary of touching it at first. I'll probably die now. At least then I won't have to worry about what to write.
I guess I'll leave it at this. Maybe I'll read some more. Reading is good. And I gotta say. Rationing the last book was a horrible idea, even if it /did/ prolong the reading material a couple more days. Yeah. So, I gotta go.
07/23/09 The game losing catch. XD
Sometimes, when you can't make the game-winning hit, it's good consolation to be able to make the game losing catch. It's called a fumble. And when they need one more run and they've got a runner on third. Two outs. Dropping the ball isn't an option. Or, at least, if you want to win. For a wiffleball game, though, last night's activity was pretty intense. First, neither teams are scoring much, then the other team gets a ten or fifteen run lead; then we catch up in a single inning, pass them, only to lose because the ball slipped through my hands. -sighs- All my dreams are gone. XD After that, we had soft pretzels. They were good, but I wasn't sure if I was going to eat one. Luckily, they were small, and didn't have the salt on them, so I decided I'd risk having one. It was good, and mom didn't seem to notice, so until she reads this, I think I'm safe.
Anyway, the reason I'm writing this is because I've been writing to Andrew and he keeps requesting blog posts. At first, I thought he just wanted /something/ from me, but I've been sending multiple page letters every week since then, so maybe he's after the witty and spiritually uplifting words which sprout with such irregularity here at the Asylum. I dunno. It may be that my letters are too dull. Should the monkeys move to Canada? Needless to say, no letter could henceforth be considered dull after such an event. Still, translators are such a hassle these days. It never makes sense when you switch the selection back to english...
So, here I am, on an epic quest, to come up with something to write about. Quite frankly, though, I'm not sure what the difference is. Coping something over to a letter, when said copied things would probably have been covered beforehand... Not to mention my blog posts don't make nearly as much sense... I'm so confused sometimes. May be I should write a bunch of fiction about myself, like saying I'm thinking about joining the swim team, or that I had a dream I was a rabid humming bird, determined to conquer the world.
I could write book reviews, but that's so much work, you know? And then I'd actually have to find books regularly, instead of following my slow, but relaxing search for enjoyable literature. Goodness, there seems to be no end to the dilemma. Unless, of course, I write to Andrew, and keep a blog, and then simply send both to both– with minor editing, of course. But you get what I mean. That would accomplish the same amount of work for only twice the effort! Wait...
So... What do I write, who do I send it to, and when do I write it? These questions make little sense to me. Then again, I'm mostly stalling right now and not really thinking about what I'm saying, so what surprise is that?
Alas, I fear I have but one thing to say... I'm going to be a monk, now. With a trenchcoat. That's important. No more of this confusion. Nephi never had this problem. He had his two plates, but they were for two different things. If letters, journals, and blogs, all have the same thing to say, you're repeating yourself over and over again... At least the scripture notes are simple. Outline and insight– That's it!
Listing the week's events and you're responses and opinions to them, keeping in mind the audience to whom you are addressing– it's simply too much. You write about the same thing, but you have to rephrase it each time. You may as well start fresh...
So... uh. Not sure how this'll work out... but I also realized that snail-mail is too slow. I gotta send e-mails or something, but they're too long to read at a computer screen. A brief summary? Now you're writing it four times... Writing what you did in a given day, knowing that you're going to be writing it four times, four different ways, is a little daunting. This being said... I think I'm going to go... uh... write a letter?
PS: Just out of curiosity, what am I writing this for? If the blog is for everybody else, letters are just blogs with personal notes thrown in, and journals are for your personal insights, feelings, and what not, would it not make sense to start with the blog, hack it to pieces, and distribute it to all the other factions? At which point, the scripture study would pick up the randomly felt stuff during the day, which doesn't relate much to any given event.
So, if I understand what I just came up with...
Blogs: Raw data. What you did, what you thought, maybe a fancy story at the end.
Letters: Raw data + personal notes.
Journals: Your reaction to raw data.
Scripture study/ Testimony journal: Thoughts, feelings, promptings, and all that good stuff.
So, the last one has nothing to do with the other stuff, although you might have an experience which can be written in it which will also be in the others.
But the blog goes first, and promptly explodes. Right? That makes sense? I dunno, but I'll figure that out later. I have to study Mount Rushmore. Or some other monument, given I find something else I like better. Later today, I might post again, bearing in mind what I just rambled about. I also decided I'm not going to post in the morning-midday. If this system is going to work, my best bet'll be around five. Most of the day will be gone, so I'll know whether or not I have something to write about or not, and I might have an idea of what's happening later in the evening. I'll probably try to add reviews the next day about what /actually/ happened.
Complicated... Too complicated... -thud-
Anyway, the reason I'm writing this is because I've been writing to Andrew and he keeps requesting blog posts. At first, I thought he just wanted /something/ from me, but I've been sending multiple page letters every week since then, so maybe he's after the witty and spiritually uplifting words which sprout with such irregularity here at the Asylum. I dunno. It may be that my letters are too dull. Should the monkeys move to Canada? Needless to say, no letter could henceforth be considered dull after such an event. Still, translators are such a hassle these days. It never makes sense when you switch the selection back to english...
So, here I am, on an epic quest, to come up with something to write about. Quite frankly, though, I'm not sure what the difference is. Coping something over to a letter, when said copied things would probably have been covered beforehand... Not to mention my blog posts don't make nearly as much sense... I'm so confused sometimes. May be I should write a bunch of fiction about myself, like saying I'm thinking about joining the swim team, or that I had a dream I was a rabid humming bird, determined to conquer the world.
I could write book reviews, but that's so much work, you know? And then I'd actually have to find books regularly, instead of following my slow, but relaxing search for enjoyable literature. Goodness, there seems to be no end to the dilemma. Unless, of course, I write to Andrew, and keep a blog, and then simply send both to both– with minor editing, of course. But you get what I mean. That would accomplish the same amount of work for only twice the effort! Wait...
So... What do I write, who do I send it to, and when do I write it? These questions make little sense to me. Then again, I'm mostly stalling right now and not really thinking about what I'm saying, so what surprise is that?
Alas, I fear I have but one thing to say... I'm going to be a monk, now. With a trenchcoat. That's important. No more of this confusion. Nephi never had this problem. He had his two plates, but they were for two different things. If letters, journals, and blogs, all have the same thing to say, you're repeating yourself over and over again... At least the scripture notes are simple. Outline and insight– That's it!
Listing the week's events and you're responses and opinions to them, keeping in mind the audience to whom you are addressing– it's simply too much. You write about the same thing, but you have to rephrase it each time. You may as well start fresh...
So... uh. Not sure how this'll work out... but I also realized that snail-mail is too slow. I gotta send e-mails or something, but they're too long to read at a computer screen. A brief summary? Now you're writing it four times... Writing what you did in a given day, knowing that you're going to be writing it four times, four different ways, is a little daunting. This being said... I think I'm going to go... uh... write a letter?
PS: Just out of curiosity, what am I writing this for? If the blog is for everybody else, letters are just blogs with personal notes thrown in, and journals are for your personal insights, feelings, and what not, would it not make sense to start with the blog, hack it to pieces, and distribute it to all the other factions? At which point, the scripture study would pick up the randomly felt stuff during the day, which doesn't relate much to any given event.
So, if I understand what I just came up with...
Blogs: Raw data. What you did, what you thought, maybe a fancy story at the end.
Letters: Raw data + personal notes.
Journals: Your reaction to raw data.
Scripture study/ Testimony journal: Thoughts, feelings, promptings, and all that good stuff.
So, the last one has nothing to do with the other stuff, although you might have an experience which can be written in it which will also be in the others.
But the blog goes first, and promptly explodes. Right? That makes sense? I dunno, but I'll figure that out later. I have to study Mount Rushmore. Or some other monument, given I find something else I like better. Later today, I might post again, bearing in mind what I just rambled about. I also decided I'm not going to post in the morning-midday. If this system is going to work, my best bet'll be around five. Most of the day will be gone, so I'll know whether or not I have something to write about or not, and I might have an idea of what's happening later in the evening. I'll probably try to add reviews the next day about what /actually/ happened.
Complicated... Too complicated... -thud-
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
07/01/09 JULY??? Say not so!
Too hot. Too soon until Christmas. Too many things to keep track of. On the bright side, though, I might actually get around to working on my writing projects. Not the ones I blog, but still... Anyway, I'm happy. I finally organized my literature junk. Apparently, I once wrote out a plotline for a roleplay-starter kit, complete with storyline and a couple pre-made characters. And oddly enough, it had absolutely /nothing/ to do with any of my other plots. I think I designed it to be reused. Most of them weren't. Kinda felt like there shouldn't be backtracking in roleplaying. Which reminds me, I have another project I forgot about. I have to archive the graveyard of all my dead characters so I don't forget about them. That'd be sad.
But that's not the point! The point is... What is the point? Why am I here? I cleaned out my stuff. I'm almost done with the individual folders. Pretty soon I'll know about everything on my account... But, the computer is still full because I'm not the only one that needs to do spring cleaning- Ooh! Clorox music! Good commercials, eh.
Today, the Young Men will have a planning meeting. We're supposed to have ideas. Great... Building a monkey bridge between the basketball hoops in the gym? We could have the walk of faith! And first aid training...
Right, I'll work on that. But first, I need to take a shower!
But that's not the point! The point is... What is the point? Why am I here? I cleaned out my stuff. I'm almost done with the individual folders. Pretty soon I'll know about everything on my account... But, the computer is still full because I'm not the only one that needs to do spring cleaning- Ooh! Clorox music! Good commercials, eh.
Today, the Young Men will have a planning meeting. We're supposed to have ideas. Great... Building a monkey bridge between the basketball hoops in the gym? We could have the walk of faith! And first aid training...
Right, I'll work on that. But first, I need to take a shower!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
06/30/09 Wow... That's kind of wierd...
So, this is painfully overdue, but I'm not quite sure I'll do a huge recap. A little at a time, perhaps? Anyway, I was working on archiving my old blog posts, and I noticed a couple things. First, I could easily have been described as annoying on several occasions, second, I had a knack for forecasting the future, and thirdly, Andrew went into the MTC on the anniversary of my first post on blogger. (By the way, the title of said post was 'The beginning of the end'. Are we worried? Nah, of course not...)
So yeah, I seem to have a phobia that everything I know is going to be destroyed. When I do something on the computer, I almost always want to have half a dozen backups. When I do anything on paper, I almost always want to put a copy on the computer. You know, it's a good thing I'm good at getting rid of junk, because otherwise, this habit of mine could be dangerous.
Anyway, today's fear is that my blog will die and that I need to preserve a record somewhere so I can count it as an informal journal like I have been for the last few years. Archives... Yay!
... I just noticed something else. Remember that time when I kept watching Chronicles of Narnia everyschoolday for an entire year? I think I posted more on my blog back then... Strange.
I've got plenty to talk about, and yet I don't really feel like spending time doing it. That must be irritating. This whole using a blog for a journal thing is kind of falling short of Church standards. Luckily, I have a personal journal that I neglect, too. Plus, letters that I've written to Andrew. Between the three of them, I might just have something. Sorry, unborn generations, you'll get no information from me. I lived, I died. Nothing ever happened.
I dunno. What /do/ I want to do? Sleep? No. Read? Alright, yes- but what? I should really do something productive, or at least write something... This whole /lazy/ thing just can't last. Ooh! Mom bought strawberries! So, I'll just have some strawberries and do something amazing! I'll be back, guys! It's strawberry time!
So yeah, I seem to have a phobia that everything I know is going to be destroyed. When I do something on the computer, I almost always want to have half a dozen backups. When I do anything on paper, I almost always want to put a copy on the computer. You know, it's a good thing I'm good at getting rid of junk, because otherwise, this habit of mine could be dangerous.
Anyway, today's fear is that my blog will die and that I need to preserve a record somewhere so I can count it as an informal journal like I have been for the last few years. Archives... Yay!
... I just noticed something else. Remember that time when I kept watching Chronicles of Narnia everyschoolday for an entire year? I think I posted more on my blog back then... Strange.
I've got plenty to talk about, and yet I don't really feel like spending time doing it. That must be irritating. This whole using a blog for a journal thing is kind of falling short of Church standards. Luckily, I have a personal journal that I neglect, too. Plus, letters that I've written to Andrew. Between the three of them, I might just have something. Sorry, unborn generations, you'll get no information from me. I lived, I died. Nothing ever happened.
I dunno. What /do/ I want to do? Sleep? No. Read? Alright, yes- but what? I should really do something productive, or at least write something... This whole /lazy/ thing just can't last. Ooh! Mom bought strawberries! So, I'll just have some strawberries and do something amazing! I'll be back, guys! It's strawberry time!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
05/07/09 Our computer needeth cleaning. It lacketh in speed...
So, anti-climatic as it is, it would seem like ALEKS is acting up again. But, this time it's not its fault. The computer has too much stuff on it, making it slow, making ALEKS unhappy. Not to mention it's starting to get on the old side. But anyway, things are going okay. Not the best, but manageable. Plus, I've very close to finishing the next few generations in a card game I'm working on. And that is good, because it's driving me insane.
I need to get information. A lot of it, actually. I have to look up some stuff for scouts, I have to gather info for another psychology essay, and I have to see if there's any hope of my curse being lifted. Although, by this time, I'm really not excited about the MTC night activity anymore. Now it's just this pressing thing in the back of my head of something that I /might/ have to worry about later. I like Pippin's (no idea if I spelled that right) quote: I don't want to be in a battle, but waiting on the edge of one I can't escape is even worse.
You'd think I'd be used to it... I have to think about stuff. '09 is going by too fast. Almost half over and most of my big plans haven't moved yet. I guess I should go work on that... See ya.
I need to get information. A lot of it, actually. I have to look up some stuff for scouts, I have to gather info for another psychology essay, and I have to see if there's any hope of my curse being lifted. Although, by this time, I'm really not excited about the MTC night activity anymore. Now it's just this pressing thing in the back of my head of something that I /might/ have to worry about later. I like Pippin's (no idea if I spelled that right) quote: I don't want to be in a battle, but waiting on the edge of one I can't escape is even worse.
You'd think I'd be used to it... I have to think about stuff. '09 is going by too fast. Almost half over and most of my big plans haven't moved yet. I guess I should go work on that... See ya.
Friday, May 1, 2009
05/01/09 Well, isn't this interesting?
'The Lord works in mysterious ways' is right. I just spent the last month getting more and more frustrated over this computer's bad habit of crashing while I worked on ALEKS, especially since it's been taking a turn for the worse. As you could imagine, frustration easily turns to anger, which is a bit of a pain. But now, after spending some time wiping the emotional slate of stress and anger, I find myself a little amused. I struggled, fought, and got angry about the problem for a month. And yet, today, not five minutes after I decided not to be angry, I felt the simple prompting to try running the online course on a different browser. And, of course, it turned out to be the one thing that fixed it. Now really, could the prompting have come a little sooner? Sure, probably. But it wouldn't have meant as much. It came only after I decided not to let emotions get in the way of the big picture. One of those patience things, you know?
So, the problem now is that for a month, I was unable to do the work I needed to. Twenty days of ALEKS, now that I only have a couple days left to work on them... It's still a pretty heavy chance that I'll pull it off, and yet, I feel pretty good about it. If nothing else, I'll have plenty of time to work on it next month, seeing as I have no more schoolwork to work on except ALEKS. I just hope things keep looking up.
Well, if nothing else, the fact that I posted twice in one day shows that I'm pretty happy about things. I think I'll take a break from ALEKS for a bit. For some reason, I have a great desire to work in the family room... See ya!
So, the problem now is that for a month, I was unable to do the work I needed to. Twenty days of ALEKS, now that I only have a couple days left to work on them... It's still a pretty heavy chance that I'll pull it off, and yet, I feel pretty good about it. If nothing else, I'll have plenty of time to work on it next month, seeing as I have no more schoolwork to work on except ALEKS. I just hope things keep looking up.
Well, if nothing else, the fact that I posted twice in one day shows that I'm pretty happy about things. I think I'll take a break from ALEKS for a bit. For some reason, I have a great desire to work in the family room... See ya!
05/01/09 It's not supposed to be May yet...
Life is going by too quickly. I should shoot it.
I've got stuff to do, the stuff I do get around to is either taken for granted or disregarded altogether, and I feel like sticking my fist through a wall. I won't, because that would be bad. But I want to. I need to meditate. I haven't done it in weeks. And yet, the little voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that the world doesn't deserve to see me happy. It should know that I don't like it. And then, right on cue, there's that happy, little, still-small voice that pops up and reminds me that I should always be happy and that all this is beneficial in the long run. Yeah, it's meaningless to have the ability to reign in your emotions if you don't choose to, but I've almost been enjoying being mad at life. There /are/ a couple valid reasons for me feeling a little irritated. Oh well, fine. I'll meditate, I'll probably even light the strawberry candle. I'll be... -disgusted tone- happy. But this had better mean something!
-comes back ten minutes later-
Dang, I've been putting that off too long. So yeah, things could be better, but I'll be fine. And hey, I'm done with all of my classes except for two, but one of them is having technical difficulties and the other is PE which is the easiest thing ever and you have to do everyday, anyway.
Man, I love strawberries. Well, I'd best get on. Maybe I'll write another letter to Andrew today. Oh yeah... Some things that are hecka old news but I may haven't mentioned. Like, at all. Um, I don't think I talked about getting a learner's permit. (It was all the way back in December, but I really do forget about these things.) I'm fairly certain I talked about Andrew entering the MTC. I should have, at least. The house has been so quiet, how could I forget?
Yeah, generic life changes. Ruth and Tom are moving. It's really sad, but their new house is really cool. (although I did mention that it might be a good thing that Andrew isn't here, because there are /many/ places that he would have liked to climb onto that might not be meant for climbing.)
Yep. Cheerio and all that. I'll go fry my brain with frustration at the computer's crashing tendency, probably have to meditate a couple more times, but for the moment, I feel an odd form of happiness, so we'll try to keep that around. ^^ See ya!
I've got stuff to do, the stuff I do get around to is either taken for granted or disregarded altogether, and I feel like sticking my fist through a wall. I won't, because that would be bad. But I want to. I need to meditate. I haven't done it in weeks. And yet, the little voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that the world doesn't deserve to see me happy. It should know that I don't like it. And then, right on cue, there's that happy, little, still-small voice that pops up and reminds me that I should always be happy and that all this is beneficial in the long run. Yeah, it's meaningless to have the ability to reign in your emotions if you don't choose to, but I've almost been enjoying being mad at life. There /are/ a couple valid reasons for me feeling a little irritated. Oh well, fine. I'll meditate, I'll probably even light the strawberry candle. I'll be... -disgusted tone- happy. But this had better mean something!
-comes back ten minutes later-
Dang, I've been putting that off too long. So yeah, things could be better, but I'll be fine. And hey, I'm done with all of my classes except for two, but one of them is having technical difficulties and the other is PE which is the easiest thing ever and you have to do everyday, anyway.
Man, I love strawberries. Well, I'd best get on. Maybe I'll write another letter to Andrew today. Oh yeah... Some things that are hecka old news but I may haven't mentioned. Like, at all. Um, I don't think I talked about getting a learner's permit. (It was all the way back in December, but I really do forget about these things.) I'm fairly certain I talked about Andrew entering the MTC. I should have, at least. The house has been so quiet, how could I forget?
Yeah, generic life changes. Ruth and Tom are moving. It's really sad, but their new house is really cool. (although I did mention that it might be a good thing that Andrew isn't here, because there are /many/ places that he would have liked to climb onto that might not be meant for climbing.)
Yep. Cheerio and all that. I'll go fry my brain with frustration at the computer's crashing tendency, probably have to meditate a couple more times, but for the moment, I feel an odd form of happiness, so we'll try to keep that around. ^^ See ya!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
04/23/09 Ten days later...
Okay, since my last post, family got together for Andrew's farewell, Andrew and Mom took a road trip to the MTC, a bird died, and I've learned that boredom likes solitude. Oi.
So yeah, I need to check out another book, because this rationing thing really isn't going to last much longer.
Surprisingly, I don't have much to say. Andrew left Monday morning and entered the MTC on Tuesday. This weekend, family came down for his farewell. It's kind of sad, but we had a good time. We even got to clean some cabinets. ^^ Ah, the smell of cleaner fumes.
I'm tired. This really does happen a lot, so you'd think I'd be used to it, but I'm not. -shrugs-
I think I might be really annoying and leave here... Yeah, I'll do that. Farewell, friends, I depart to the land of logarithms and nonsense. -beats head into wall- Bye.
So yeah, I need to check out another book, because this rationing thing really isn't going to last much longer.
Surprisingly, I don't have much to say. Andrew left Monday morning and entered the MTC on Tuesday. This weekend, family came down for his farewell. It's kind of sad, but we had a good time. We even got to clean some cabinets. ^^ Ah, the smell of cleaner fumes.
I'm tired. This really does happen a lot, so you'd think I'd be used to it, but I'm not. -shrugs-
I think I might be really annoying and leave here... Yeah, I'll do that. Farewell, friends, I depart to the land of logarithms and nonsense. -beats head into wall- Bye.
Monday, April 13, 2009
04/13/09 Happy Birthday, Joe!
So, we were supposed to have his birthday dinner today, but as of yet, all that has come out of his mouth in the ways of what he wants to eat: strawberries. Doesn't he know? That's my bit. -shakes head- Oh well, it's his birthday, I suppose I /could/ let it slide. Still, I'm not positive it's possible to make it happen by tonight. -shrugs- I dunno.
So, I guess I should talk about Easter. It was good. We didn't really do much. Had family dinner, executed a flawless secret project. Complete with steak-outs, drive-bys, and night-shrouded activities. -nods- Very sneaky.
Good times. Spiritual, too. The choir sang. And it was awesome. Now, I've been hearing morbid talk about the youth in the choir (there are only four of us) doing something special around Christmas. Heart attack much? -nods head forcefully-
Anywho, everyone seems to be changing. People are moving, Andrew's disappearing for two years, Bishop has been released as seminary teacher. The whole world is falling apart. Oi...
I got a book, though. Adept, by Robert Finn. It's been okay so far. Mystery stuff. Some insurance worker who likes investigating things. It works.
-yawns- I gotta go. By some strand of luck, I might get something productive done today. Here's hoping...
See ya!
So, I guess I should talk about Easter. It was good. We didn't really do much. Had family dinner, executed a flawless secret project. Complete with steak-outs, drive-bys, and night-shrouded activities. -nods- Very sneaky.
Good times. Spiritual, too. The choir sang. And it was awesome. Now, I've been hearing morbid talk about the youth in the choir (there are only four of us) doing something special around Christmas. Heart attack much? -nods head forcefully-
Anywho, everyone seems to be changing. People are moving, Andrew's disappearing for two years, Bishop has been released as seminary teacher. The whole world is falling apart. Oi...
I got a book, though. Adept, by Robert Finn. It's been okay so far. Mystery stuff. Some insurance worker who likes investigating things. It works.
-yawns- I gotta go. By some strand of luck, I might get something productive done today. Here's hoping...
See ya!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
04/09/09 Facebook
So, it would certainly seem like it's taking over the world. And you know what I say about that. If something is taking over the world, there's rarely a middle ground. -nods- So, I guess I'll look into that, today. I doubt I'll do much, though, especially with the patches.
Anyway, since it's spring brake, there wasn't any YM activity, although we did get to go to choir practice. (Since we're singing this week and this past week was Conference, we really wanted to get some practicing in.) So, that was fun. I still haven't the faintest idea what I'm doing, but it's gotten better.
La la la... I've got no life. And it's been raining, so I haven't felt like going to the library. Oh well, at least I have my super-duper-awesome card game. And schoolwork. But schoolwork isn't as fun. I'm really starting to like the card game, though. I developed it mostly after Magic the Gathering, although mine is much less complicated. (And you don't have to worry about those crazy powerful cards you didn't know the other guy had.) I've got the first edition one already finished, but I'm working on alternative cards that you can swap out. (Only five more and I'll be able to run a practical test. ^^)
Anywho, I've got nothing else to say. I've got psychology to work on. Then maybe Japanese, although there's a chance I'll be looking at Facebook while I'm doing that, so we'll see how much actually gets done. Yep, should be interesting. Without further adieu, I shall depart.
Anyway, since it's spring brake, there wasn't any YM activity, although we did get to go to choir practice. (Since we're singing this week and this past week was Conference, we really wanted to get some practicing in.) So, that was fun. I still haven't the faintest idea what I'm doing, but it's gotten better.
La la la... I've got no life. And it's been raining, so I haven't felt like going to the library. Oh well, at least I have my super-duper-awesome card game. And schoolwork. But schoolwork isn't as fun. I'm really starting to like the card game, though. I developed it mostly after Magic the Gathering, although mine is much less complicated. (And you don't have to worry about those crazy powerful cards you didn't know the other guy had.) I've got the first edition one already finished, but I'm working on alternative cards that you can swap out. (Only five more and I'll be able to run a practical test. ^^)
Anywho, I've got nothing else to say. I've got psychology to work on. Then maybe Japanese, although there's a chance I'll be looking at Facebook while I'm doing that, so we'll see how much actually gets done. Yep, should be interesting. Without further adieu, I shall depart.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
04/07/09 Life: the most confusing game ever devised
Well, that went fast. You'd think ten hours of spiritual goodness would seem a bit longer... I dunno, I guess the saying about flying time and fun was accurate after all. -shrugs- They were good. I especially liked Elder Holland's talk on Christ. Very moving. -nods- I don't think we often consider what he went through. And alone, as was mentioned in the talk. To think that anyone could do that... Thought-provoking stuff.
I have a cat on my lap. Some of you may know that I hold no certain love of cats. They always seem to be less open than dogs. And they hold grudges. Dogs don't hold grudges. Cats are /okay/, though. When they're not scratching, fighting, or meowing unceasingly in the middle of the night, that is.
Can't you read, cat? I said when they're /not/ scratching. If you want to be petted, how about you keep your claws to yourself.
So... It's spring break. If I was anyone special I'd probably be doing something, but I'm not. I should find a book to read. My life needs structure again. Maybe I'll go today. It's raining. That's a good time to go, right? The only day that it rains for weeks? I've got bad timing. (Again, I need structure. Maybe if I'd got that book earlier, I would have thought to go to the library sooner...)
Not much to say, today. Conference was good. The food was good. Company's so-so (just kidding).
I'm beginning to learn a little about myself, though. In games like monopoly, I can almost always make something happen, yet I never end up benefiting from it. Whether it's some psycho trade or changing the color to the one I want in Uno, it never seems to do me any good. Maybe I just have bad luck. That'd be a good excuse, right? I mean, I'm decent at chess. There's no luck there. Maybe I've got a jinx or something. The activities I plan always seem to fall through before I get to actually do them. There's probably a spiritual lesson I could learn from this. I'm not getting it. -sighs- I /need/ a book. Or I could write one... But that takes forever. I'm going to go fry my brain. Maybe some Japanese will make this english stuff make more sense.
I have a cat on my lap. Some of you may know that I hold no certain love of cats. They always seem to be less open than dogs. And they hold grudges. Dogs don't hold grudges. Cats are /okay/, though. When they're not scratching, fighting, or meowing unceasingly in the middle of the night, that is.
Can't you read, cat? I said when they're /not/ scratching. If you want to be petted, how about you keep your claws to yourself.
So... It's spring break. If I was anyone special I'd probably be doing something, but I'm not. I should find a book to read. My life needs structure again. Maybe I'll go today. It's raining. That's a good time to go, right? The only day that it rains for weeks? I've got bad timing. (Again, I need structure. Maybe if I'd got that book earlier, I would have thought to go to the library sooner...)
Not much to say, today. Conference was good. The food was good. Company's so-so (just kidding).
I'm beginning to learn a little about myself, though. In games like monopoly, I can almost always make something happen, yet I never end up benefiting from it. Whether it's some psycho trade or changing the color to the one I want in Uno, it never seems to do me any good. Maybe I just have bad luck. That'd be a good excuse, right? I mean, I'm decent at chess. There's no luck there. Maybe I've got a jinx or something. The activities I plan always seem to fall through before I get to actually do them. There's probably a spiritual lesson I could learn from this. I'm not getting it. -sighs- I /need/ a book. Or I could write one... But that takes forever. I'm going to go fry my brain. Maybe some Japanese will make this english stuff make more sense.
Friday, April 3, 2009
04/03/09 General Conference!
We got a different sheet than usual. You see, Bishop hands out outlines for note-taking before each General Conference, with spaces for speakers and such, but this time it seems a little more personal- Here, I'll go get it.
We're supposed to watch out for scripture mastery references, occurrences where the apostles bare their special witness; then we're looking to pick our favorite talk, parts of conference that we liked, and what we gained most from it. Very fancy.
It's windy today...
-drums fingers- I don't have much to say. We had combined class in seminary today. That was good. We had a testimony meeting-ish thing. -nods- Very spiritual.
I need to go to the library. I procrastinate things without my books to keep my life clock on track. You know, I don't even really care what I read. As long as it's good, I'll take it. Maybe I'll check that out Monday. I would today, but we're getting ready for Conference today and I'm not sure if I'd have time. Maybe I'll write something. Not here, though. Probably something that doesn't make sense without the rest of the story.
Yep... I'm leaving now. Hedge, hit the lights.
We're supposed to watch out for scripture mastery references, occurrences where the apostles bare their special witness; then we're looking to pick our favorite talk, parts of conference that we liked, and what we gained most from it. Very fancy.
It's windy today...
-drums fingers- I don't have much to say. We had combined class in seminary today. That was good. We had a testimony meeting-ish thing. -nods- Very spiritual.
I need to go to the library. I procrastinate things without my books to keep my life clock on track. You know, I don't even really care what I read. As long as it's good, I'll take it. Maybe I'll check that out Monday. I would today, but we're getting ready for Conference today and I'm not sure if I'd have time. Maybe I'll write something. Not here, though. Probably something that doesn't make sense without the rest of the story.
Yep... I'm leaving now. Hedge, hit the lights.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
04/01/09 Postponed... Again?
Yep, the curse continues. This Sunday, I found out that the fireside I was in charge of planning was going to be postponed again. It's strange. You know, it's almost like something is intentionally trying to stop me from planning a good activity. Every time I get excited about something, it's either canceled or postponed so much it loses it's charm. I dunno. I cope.
Luckily it's only pushed back, though. I might be able to stay excited about it. :/
Anyway, Travis came yesterday. It went okay; he didn't go all crazy angry or anything, so I'll call it good. We also did some gardening and cleaning yesterday (apparently it was a hoilday). Yeah, that was fun. Oh, and we went to get a suit hemmed (we went to the DI suit sale). That wasn't /as/ fun. I don't really like suits. Luckily, though, this one is more open in the waist-ish area. A little more comfortable, although I suppose it doesn't look as nice (I can't tell the difference). -shrugs- It's good.
Yep. Life. It's lively. Not really, but I thought it sounded funny. Alright, I think I'll call it quits for now.
Luckily it's only pushed back, though. I might be able to stay excited about it. :/
Anyway, Travis came yesterday. It went okay; he didn't go all crazy angry or anything, so I'll call it good. We also did some gardening and cleaning yesterday (apparently it was a hoilday). Yeah, that was fun. Oh, and we went to get a suit hemmed (we went to the DI suit sale). That wasn't /as/ fun. I don't really like suits. Luckily, though, this one is more open in the waist-ish area. A little more comfortable, although I suppose it doesn't look as nice (I can't tell the difference). -shrugs- It's good.
Yep. Life. It's lively. Not really, but I thought it sounded funny. Alright, I think I'll call it quits for now.
Friday, March 27, 2009
3/27/09 The end of the search
Hey guys, I'm happy. ...Why, I don't know, but I'm not one to argue. I'm really getting used to my symbol now. (oh yeah, I've got a symbol) I'm still not sure what it's for or what it means, but it seems to fit me fairly well. -nods-
What to talk about... Bishop dressed up like a coach again. And this time, it seemed like it went pretty well. Now, really, how does one motivate a group of half-asleep, unenthusiastic teenagers?
I dunno. Maybe we should... compete? I got nothing, but it really is annoying. Maybe bringing in the 'Object of the Day' would work. I suppose it's worth a shot. I'll have to talk to him about it.
Well, we've got some good news about the monkeys. After a month and a half troop surge (the accuse for my absence), we have located them and are currently bringing them back to the base of operations. Oh yeah, Hedge is back, too.
#o -squeak-
As for Hubert and the fish, I'm not sure when they'll decide to come back from 'vacation'. Then again, Hubert's never been one to help out much, so we don't miss him that much. Hedge is a relief to get back, though. Technical support has been lacking without him around. -nods-
So, now you know. Apparently, the monkeys were trying to gather numbers. (You probably heard about the monkeys escaping their exhibit by swimming out across the water off in florida) Anyway, we've found the original monkeys and are still working on wiping the memories of some of their recruits. It'll take a while, but things seem to be under control.
Anyway, I'd best be off, now. Ja mata!
What to talk about... Bishop dressed up like a coach again. And this time, it seemed like it went pretty well. Now, really, how does one motivate a group of half-asleep, unenthusiastic teenagers?
I dunno. Maybe we should... compete? I got nothing, but it really is annoying. Maybe bringing in the 'Object of the Day' would work. I suppose it's worth a shot. I'll have to talk to him about it.
Well, we've got some good news about the monkeys. After a month and a half troop surge (the accuse for my absence), we have located them and are currently bringing them back to the base of operations. Oh yeah, Hedge is back, too.
#o -squeak-
As for Hubert and the fish, I'm not sure when they'll decide to come back from 'vacation'. Then again, Hubert's never been one to help out much, so we don't miss him that much. Hedge is a relief to get back, though. Technical support has been lacking without him around. -nods-
So, now you know. Apparently, the monkeys were trying to gather numbers. (You probably heard about the monkeys escaping their exhibit by swimming out across the water off in florida) Anyway, we've found the original monkeys and are still working on wiping the memories of some of their recruits. It'll take a while, but things seem to be under control.
Anyway, I'd best be off, now. Ja mata!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
03/26/09 Bowling isn't my thing...
It would appear so. I got the hang of it after a few frames, but it definitely isn't something I'm highly skilled in. Not surprisingly, though, Bro. Born was amazing. Seriously, Whether it's sports or what have you, you can't keep up with that guy. And yet, he's not prideful about it. (You can tell I hold him in high respect.) Anyway, yeah. The leaders wiped us out. They're getting well past a hundred, and we're lucky to get to ninety (I don't think any of us got that high). More experience. That's my excuse. -nods-
Just a side note, here...: In case you haven't guessed, the teachers and priests went bowling last night. Fun stuff.
Not much on the home front to talk about, I watched last night's LOST episode. Spoiler notice...
It'll be the same color as the background, so you shouldn't notice it if you don't want to.
So, I'd say Sayid killing Ben was the highlight of the psychoticness. I mean, seriously, that's gotta be the craziest thing they've done so far to mess with time travel. I don't think the present Ben will disappear, though. I mean, that'd change the course of the entire series up till now... Ugh, my head hurts. Still, next week's episode will be awesome. XD
Okay, that's over. I guess that's everything. -shrugs- Well, either way, I'm going to get back to my schoolwork. -sighs- See ya.
Just a side note, here...: In case you haven't guessed, the teachers and priests went bowling last night. Fun stuff.
Not much on the home front to talk about, I watched last night's LOST episode. Spoiler notice...
It'll be the same color as the background, so you shouldn't notice it if you don't want to.
So, I'd say Sayid killing Ben was the highlight of the psychoticness. I mean, seriously, that's gotta be the craziest thing they've done so far to mess with time travel. I don't think the present Ben will disappear, though. I mean, that'd change the course of the entire series up till now... Ugh, my head hurts. Still, next week's episode will be awesome. XD
Okay, that's over. I guess that's everything. -shrugs- Well, either way, I'm going to get back to my schoolwork. -sighs- See ya.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
03/25/09 The ink blots will kill us all
So, in psychology, I was learning about Rorschach Inkblots, and they showed a picture of one that I could have sworn was an angry pig. And I mean /angry/. It even had red eyes. -nods- We're all doomed now.
-sighs- I'm getting the feeling that not everybody takes seminary seriously... Bishop has been acting more quiet, too. Still, I'm not sure what could be done. I mean, he's brought it up quite a few times and that hasn't done much. Hmm, what could make the scriptures more interesting? (by the way, don't ask a teenager this) I dunno, I got nothing.
I should call one of the young men's leaders and see what we're doing tonight. It wasn't very clear when they brought it up Sunday. I should write up MTC emails, too. Ugh. Why do I keep doing this to myself? I have stuff to do. And Andrew is leaving in less than a month. That just seems weird, somehow.
Yep... I gotta go. Not that I'll accomplish anything. I'll just pretend I will.
-sighs- I'm getting the feeling that not everybody takes seminary seriously... Bishop has been acting more quiet, too. Still, I'm not sure what could be done. I mean, he's brought it up quite a few times and that hasn't done much. Hmm, what could make the scriptures more interesting? (by the way, don't ask a teenager this) I dunno, I got nothing.
I should call one of the young men's leaders and see what we're doing tonight. It wasn't very clear when they brought it up Sunday. I should write up MTC emails, too. Ugh. Why do I keep doing this to myself? I have stuff to do. And Andrew is leaving in less than a month. That just seems weird, somehow.
Yep... I gotta go. Not that I'll accomplish anything. I'll just pretend I will.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
03/24/09 Okay, I'm not letting it get longer than two months...
I'd love to say I was busy, but that'll get shot down as soon as I run out of things to talk about, which should happen any minute. I hate being lazy. It's so annoying sometimes. And yet... So relaxing.
So anyway, I doubt I'll bother with the recap. Seeing as Mom always has it up and it's probably weeks old anyway. We went on a camp out this past weekend. That was fun. Know what's not so fun? There were only two priests and a teacher. EVERYONE else was a deacon. Which is fine. Just loud, hazardous, and annoying when not separated. The hike was good. I took some pictures. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who knows if those will ever be uploaded. Again, it's rather nice to be lazy. Annoying to no end, but nice.
Bleh... I need to drink something. I've been having this stupid headache, lately.
Hmm, a little better. -shrugs- Not important. So... Andrew got his mission call. Everyone knows that. Debi moved. ...I've got stupid things I have to take care of. Speaking of which, I should really start on that essay. It's due next week. Oi. I've gotta break this annoying habit of putting things off.
At least the mini MTC night is going well. We've got the instructors informed. I just have to come up with a completely amazing idea for the nametags. It'll be a good activity, I think. We'll get to learn our testimonies in foreign languages, learn about missionary work, all sorts of good stuff. That is, if it goes well...-We won't worry about that.
-slams head into computer- I hate mondays. -looks at the calendar- And tuesdays.
I might be tired. It's kind of hard to tell. Home teacher's coming tonight. And Andrew is getting his patriarchal blessing. I think that's spelled right.
Maybe a short story about a nail...
-crazy flashback/dream effect-
The hand at first seemed so warm– so alive. After the weeks spent collecting dust, alone in the cold, with only lifeless shells of metal for company, anything, I suppose, would have seemed so. And yet, the relief was short-lived. The touch of the hand changed, a sensation of something below. Wood? Curious, what could the hand be doi- The hit fell hard- and sharp. And yet... As soon as it had begun, it was over. The hand was gone. The steel of the hammer's head, too. Only darkness remained. And oddly enough, a strange feeling of comfort. Was this death? Then came the sound of birds. A strange sound, but one that was not of death. It seemed happy.
As the small birdhouse shifted slightly in the breeze, the nail came to a sudden decision. This was not death. This was life.
-looks up- What on earth is that??? -shrugs- Oh well, it fills space, so I'll call it worth it. See ya!
So anyway, I doubt I'll bother with the recap. Seeing as Mom always has it up and it's probably weeks old anyway. We went on a camp out this past weekend. That was fun. Know what's not so fun? There were only two priests and a teacher. EVERYONE else was a deacon. Which is fine. Just loud, hazardous, and annoying when not separated. The hike was good. I took some pictures. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who knows if those will ever be uploaded. Again, it's rather nice to be lazy. Annoying to no end, but nice.
Bleh... I need to drink something. I've been having this stupid headache, lately.
Hmm, a little better. -shrugs- Not important. So... Andrew got his mission call. Everyone knows that. Debi moved. ...I've got stupid things I have to take care of. Speaking of which, I should really start on that essay. It's due next week. Oi. I've gotta break this annoying habit of putting things off.
At least the mini MTC night is going well. We've got the instructors informed. I just have to come up with a completely amazing idea for the nametags. It'll be a good activity, I think. We'll get to learn our testimonies in foreign languages, learn about missionary work, all sorts of good stuff. That is, if it goes well...-We won't worry about that.
-slams head into computer- I hate mondays. -looks at the calendar- And tuesdays.
I might be tired. It's kind of hard to tell. Home teacher's coming tonight. And Andrew is getting his patriarchal blessing. I think that's spelled right.
Maybe a short story about a nail...
-crazy flashback/dream effect-
The hand at first seemed so warm– so alive. After the weeks spent collecting dust, alone in the cold, with only lifeless shells of metal for company, anything, I suppose, would have seemed so. And yet, the relief was short-lived. The touch of the hand changed, a sensation of something below. Wood? Curious, what could the hand be doi- The hit fell hard- and sharp. And yet... As soon as it had begun, it was over. The hand was gone. The steel of the hammer's head, too. Only darkness remained. And oddly enough, a strange feeling of comfort. Was this death? Then came the sound of birds. A strange sound, but one that was not of death. It seemed happy.
As the small birdhouse shifted slightly in the breeze, the nail came to a sudden decision. This was not death. This was life.
-looks up- What on earth is that??? -shrugs- Oh well, it fills space, so I'll call it worth it. See ya!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
01/29/09 The art of selfexamination
Have you ever wondered what you're supposed to feel like in a given situation? I'm beginning to feel like I've spent to much time learning how to manipulate emotions and not enough in learning what emotions I want to feel. For some reason, the regular idea of happiness doesn't really fit me well. I'm more of the... calm type. I'm fine with being happy and all that, but the giddy, ecstasy thing really doesn't appeal. For other people, fine, but it's too hard to concentrate like that. -shrugs-
Anyway, I got nothing to talk about. Perhaps you've noticed. I'm working on making more maps of Palanor. I have a feeling the the topographical one is going to take some time. Still, it should be extremely useful later on. Anyway, that's not interesting enough. -sighs- This is what I get for living a quiet life.
So, Ryan likes psychology? I think I can picture that. -nods- It's a pretty interesting subject, especially when you think about how different people theorize about it.
-a few minutes later- I really can't think of anything...
It occurs to me that I should think these things through more before I post. You know, like maybe having something to talk about? Oh well, I'm going to do some psychology. -waves-
Anyway, I got nothing to talk about. Perhaps you've noticed. I'm working on making more maps of Palanor. I have a feeling the the topographical one is going to take some time. Still, it should be extremely useful later on. Anyway, that's not interesting enough. -sighs- This is what I get for living a quiet life.
So, Ryan likes psychology? I think I can picture that. -nods- It's a pretty interesting subject, especially when you think about how different people theorize about it.
-a few minutes later- I really can't think of anything...
It occurs to me that I should think these things through more before I post. You know, like maybe having something to talk about? Oh well, I'm going to do some psychology. -waves-
Friday, January 23, 2009
01/23/09 Psychologists and scribes
Hmm, I suppose to start off, I could talk about the reforming scout troop, which, under the care of Tom and Bro. Edwards, is becoming much more scout-like. Not sure how things'll turn out, but I'll enjoy seeing an actual troop again. -nods- So anyway, this Wednesday we had the initiation meeting. Progress report, election of new leaders, the whole nine yards. Plus a couple of the committee heads were there to talk a bit. So yeah, should be good. The Deacon's quorum president is still the SPL, despite how I may feel about it. Hopefully, they'll grow into it, but in general, I don't see how the youngest batch is going to be able to take charge. Luckily, we broke one tradition. Riley is ASPL, rather than the Deacon's quorum first councilor, so he should be able to help out in that regards. I'm actually seeing how this might be a good set up. Young person learns how to lead, older scout helps out. It has some merit.
I guess I'm not surprised that I ended up being the Scribe. My first position, and probably my favorite. SPL was nice, but it had a heck of a work load. Now I can sit back, resume my note-taking craze, and report back every now and then, otherwise content to let them run things. Or... sit back, work on personal advancement, and then let them run things. Something like that.
Secondly, this semester I start Psychology, the long awaited and much anticipated subject. ^^
So far, I /really/ like it. Good book structure, good material, and a topic which I find extremely fascinating. I'm happy. Whether or not this becomes a possible career path, I think I'll like this subject. Who knows, I might like it even more than literature. XD
Dang, talking about myself gets boring... -glances at title- Plus, I'm out of material.
I suppose I should do some schoolwork. It's kind of getting late. -shrugs- Oh well, I'll see you guys later.
I guess I'm not surprised that I ended up being the Scribe. My first position, and probably my favorite. SPL was nice, but it had a heck of a work load. Now I can sit back, resume my note-taking craze, and report back every now and then, otherwise content to let them run things. Or... sit back, work on personal advancement, and then let them run things. Something like that.
Secondly, this semester I start Psychology, the long awaited and much anticipated subject. ^^
So far, I /really/ like it. Good book structure, good material, and a topic which I find extremely fascinating. I'm happy. Whether or not this becomes a possible career path, I think I'll like this subject. Who knows, I might like it even more than literature. XD
Dang, talking about myself gets boring... -glances at title- Plus, I'm out of material.
I suppose I should do some schoolwork. It's kind of getting late. -shrugs- Oh well, I'll see you guys later.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
01/20/09 Warmest cold thing...
Well, the snow activity was amazing! Extremely warm, though. I never wore all my snow gear, and by the end of the sledding/snowball fight on Saturday, Riley's attire of shorts and a t-shirt didn't even seem abnormal.
We had a great time, though. Good food, good snow-fun-ness, and most importantly, good no-sunburn-even-though-the-sun-was-psychotically-bright-ness. By the way, have any of you heard of the Hinckley Masonry? There was a little memorial-thing there. Wondering if there's a connection.
Anywho, I like snow. It's good. Besides that, though, there really isn't a great deal to talk about. Watch out for the killer birds? Yeah...
Dewa mata kono tsugi = See you later.
We had a great time, though. Good food, good snow-fun-ness, and most importantly, good no-sunburn-even-though-the-sun-was-psychotically-bright-ness. By the way, have any of you heard of the Hinckley Masonry? There was a little memorial-thing there. Wondering if there's a connection.
Anywho, I like snow. It's good. Besides that, though, there really isn't a great deal to talk about. Watch out for the killer birds? Yeah...
Dewa mata kono tsugi = See you later.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
01/15/09 Hmm, pictures?
I suppose I should work on that. I've got to get the Christmas ones up. And it'd be cool to get the National Bridges pictures up, too. Maybe after schoolwork... -looks down at literature book- Odd story, but it has a fairly decent ending. The guy doesn't get the girl, the girl and her fiance go broke, and yet everybody's happy. The guy finally let's go, and the other two are happy enough not to worry about it much. -shrugs- I guess this one is exempt from the 'highschool sadist' label.
Anywho, the snow trip is tomorrow. Sounds fun. I still have some thing I need to do, but that shouldn't take long. Food, partly, but I think I need to reorganize my pack. It's kind of messy at the moment. And there is no worse time to be going through a messy pack than when you're tired and cold. Not that I'm usually those things, but it's good to be prepared. -nods-
Should I ramble? Aside from rambling, I'm really not sure what I should talk about. I accidentally hacked off some of the skin on my thumb. Kind of lame, really. When you get some skin cut loose, but it's still partially connected. It never heals as fast if you don't cut the rest off, but it's really annoying to have the wound open completely. -glances at it- Still, I should get a decent scar, though. Not big, but it has a nice shape to it.
-twiddles thumbs-
Yep, I'm almost out of ideas. And the ones I have will take too long if they're to be of /any/ decency. -sighs- I suppose I shall have to leave for now. There's only so much gibberish people will read before it becomes a chore. Dewa mata kono tsugi.
Anywho, the snow trip is tomorrow. Sounds fun. I still have some thing I need to do, but that shouldn't take long. Food, partly, but I think I need to reorganize my pack. It's kind of messy at the moment. And there is no worse time to be going through a messy pack than when you're tired and cold. Not that I'm usually those things, but it's good to be prepared. -nods-
Should I ramble? Aside from rambling, I'm really not sure what I should talk about. I accidentally hacked off some of the skin on my thumb. Kind of lame, really. When you get some skin cut loose, but it's still partially connected. It never heals as fast if you don't cut the rest off, but it's really annoying to have the wound open completely. -glances at it- Still, I should get a decent scar, though. Not big, but it has a nice shape to it.
-twiddles thumbs-
Yep, I'm almost out of ideas. And the ones I have will take too long if they're to be of /any/ decency. -sighs- I suppose I shall have to leave for now. There's only so much gibberish people will read before it becomes a chore. Dewa mata kono tsugi.
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