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Oh, Say, What is Truth?

2/27/2010

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Today I watched the DVD by Rhonda Byrne entitled "The Secret" with some friends.  I had watched parts of it at my sister's house a few weeks previously and--for the most part--I loved it.  I thought it taught a true and potentially life-changing principle. I recommend it to everyone.  There were a few things that I thought were a little over the top, true, and some of the examples as to how you could use "the secret" were downright selfish... but to me, I was looking for the truth in it all, and I thought there was plenty to be found.  I think that is true to a lot of things.  For those of you who know about the movie or book, what are your thoughts?  Truth or Hoax?  For everyone, what constitutes truth?  And what level of purity is demanded in said truth?  If you have to peel away things that are misleading to get to the truth, is really something good--or should it be avoided because of the potential to lead people astray?
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Test surprise, Brothers on Missions, and Recycling

2/25/2010

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     Today was a grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat day!  I got some GREAT news that I TOTALLY was not expecting!  But I don't want to talk about that now.  Maybe in another post.  The "test surprise" in the title is dual meaning.  I have a T/TH class that starts at 8am, and I started the semester--the entire first month, actually, really well: I would be 5-10 minutes early every day.  But lately--like the past 2 weeks lately--I have tended to be barely on time... or... (I am ashamed to admit it) a few minutes... late (OH, THE SHAME AND PAIN!) but I went to bed last night thinking: tomorrow will be different!  Tomorrow I shall begin anew my conquest punctuality in my early class (I am usually never late except at the first class of the day)!  And I did!  I was 3 minutes early (I would have been more, but there was "working on this place" tape over my usual route--dunno why--I have seen it in a few random places, and then later in the day it is gone. Weird).  AND, there was a quiz.  We NEVER have quizzes in that class, yet we did today, and I got 100%.  Whew!  A lucky surprise!  At the end of class, though, he passed back the test I mentioned in my previous post, and . . . I got a 90 on it.  So, I was a little disappointed (I really thought I high-aced it).  But really, I think my disappointment came from the fact that two people around me got higher than me--cuz really, it is a hard class and 90 is a great score all things considered.  DANG IT.  That TOTALLY means I have pride problems!  Gah!  Ok, so I realized it and I tried to let it go, but . . . it just . . . I have to work on that some more (any tips?!).
     After my regular classes and meeting and errands with my boss, I sat down to write my brother on a mission in Fresno, CA (Spanish speaking!).  I spent hours on it.  I don't really know why.  It was like I was having a conversation with him, and by doing so it was like he was closer to me in some way.  Closer in physical proximity and in mind... it was weird, but cool, and I couldn't stop.  It was also really refreshing, because I told him a lot of the things on my mind and talk to him about things that, well, a lot of people don't care to talk about, usually.  Church stuff--"churchy" stuff.  That's missionaries whole world.  They love talking about that.  I felt like someone finally wanted to listen to me.  It was awesome.  I love brothers.  I love missions.
    I ended up staying on campus until almost 9pm.  I stayed for the honors showcase about recycling.  They had been advertising it a TON, and I know I could always improve in this important area.  It was SO sad.  Maybe 18 people were there.  Less if you don't count the 5 people who spoke at it.  And it was so good, too!  I learned so much--easy things you can do (e.g., did you know an LED light lasts 50 times as long as an incandescent, doesn't contain mercury like fluorescents, and saves you 87% energy over its lifetime? It's true.)
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ccc...Courage

2/24/2010

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What makes the difference? A few friends of mine have been talking lately about dating and all of its nuances, and we're wondering: where is the line between freaky/stalker/too forward and confident/sweep off feet/thoughtful/romantic?  Once we finally know that we like someone... how do we go about pursuing them?  What kinds of things can we do to show them we're interested besides just asking them on dates?  What kind of things are more or less viewed as "sweet" and "thoughtful" that are non-threatening? Can a girl pursue a guy? What are the rules there? (I actually had an opinion on that one--and it wasn't that comforting to the parties involved... if I'm interested in a girl... I would ask her out.  Whenever I've had a girl ask me out... I've gone--and willingly--but they were never the greatest of experiences.  But there were also notable exceptions--but all of those I had been meaning to ask out). So, the best we could come up with is that confidence is key.  If you act as if you know what you're doing--as if it were completely normal and expected--that makes all the difference.  I dunno, what do y'all think?
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Getting Uber Excited for Jerusalem

2/21/2010

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I woke up early to go to Andy Proctor's apartment.  He told me all about his experience in the BYU-Jerusalem: the souvenirs he got (and how to haggle the best prices for said items), places he went, things I should bring, etc.  Oh, man--I cannot wait!  Church was good, too, I got a new calling!  Ward temple committee co-chair.  I'm so glad to have a calling again and look forward to serving.  My dad called with a computer question and mentioned that our cell phone plan ends next week, so now I'm pondering which service (and which phones) I'd want...
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Crazy Week of Tests, Presentations, and My THESIS DEFENSE

2/20/2010

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     This was one of those weeks that I knew would be a whirlwind.  I had a gargantuan test in my Spanish phonetics class.  Ok, maybe some people wouldn't say it was that big, but you know how some people's brains have a harder time processing different types of information?  Yeah, that is me and phonetics... But then again, that is precisely why I took it.  I know my accent could use some (read: a lot) of work, and since it was the last class for my Spanish minor, I decided to apply the Ether 12:27 principle.  I really have learned a lot in that class.  Whenever I finish a big assignment or test in that class, I'm exhausted--not in the "oh, I am so glad that is over" way--but rather the "woah, my brain had a real work-out.  I actually feel like my capacity for thinking has increased" way.  Love it.
     That Crisis was over on Tuesday, and the rest of the week was dedicated to getting all the ducks in a row for our big history club invitational lecture, getting ready for my presentation on Christ's teaching techniques (an annual religion symposium that students can enter), and my thesis defense.  They both went well, but my thesis was a real miracle.  I did most of the research for my thesis last summer, and so I knew this week I needed to devote some serious time for reviewing my paper and preparing for all the questions of my defense, but it... just... never happened.  Things would come up, or I would have time, but I would find myself paralyzed and unable to focus on it (you know when something is so big that starting is the hardest part? Yeah, that was me this week--I hate it when I do that!)  But I did read through it... once... the day before.  AHHH!  But even then, I had a saving grace: I was going to skip all my classes that I was auditing and force myself to do 100% thesis prep during that time.  I had almost 3 solid hours before my defense to prepare.  Just as I sat down in the library to work on it (side note: I was on the bottom floor of the library where I have never gotten a cell phone signal before), I got a call from my a girl who I home teach.  She had almost fainted among other symptoms and asked if I could give her a ride home.  I totally had a moment of good-angel, bad-angel of how justified I would be to say that--this time--I just couldn't... but the thought came to me: "Don't treat things like people and people like things."  I knew what I should do.  When I met her, her condition really was terrible--the EMT's had arrived and everything.  Thankfully, I was able to help out a bit, and she was admitted to the BYU health center.  When I returned to campus, I had about 20 minutes before my thesis defense.  All I could do was sit down and do a quick scan of a few things.  I reviewed two sections of my paper (the ones I felt most worried that they would ask me about), and then just thought: "what would my adviser likely ask me?"  And took mental notes of what I could possibly say.  I walked into the conference room thinking I was uber unprepared and was going to get hammered... but, to my surprise, 80% of the discussion focused on the two sections of my paper I had reviewed, and my adviser asked two of the exact questions I had thought of!  I passed with flying colors!  I didn't even have to turn in any rewrites--they accepted it outright.  Now, there is nothing else I need to do.  I'm done.  I'm going to graduate with honors!!  I am thoroughly convinced that that discussion was guided by Someone who takes care of those who take care of His children.
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