NERD-DOM!

I recently purchased a TV.  Not just any TV.  A Vizio, 22" LED 1080p TV.  For just over 200 bucks!  From Wal-Mart!

I don't care what you have to say about Wal-Mart, so keep it to yourself.

THEN(as if that wasn't good enough) I bought some HDMI cables.  And proceeded to hook things up to said TV.

NOW I have the ability to switch channels between XBOX360 and being a second computer monitor.  A beautiful, big, shiny computer monitor.

AND I added a second hard drive to my computer and a second DVDR drive...

Life is good.

***

The Gospel is amazing.

I have been thinking about it a lot lately and how truly awesome it is to know 100%, without a doubt, absolutely that the way to God that I know is the path He wants ALL of His children to travel, and how fortunate I am that I was born into it so that I didn't have to search for it or have it come to me.

Did I still have to find my own rhythm?  Absolutely.  BUT that is a heck of a lot easier when you have others supporting you, helping you, and being examples for you.

***

Today, in EQ we talked a little about the Law of Consecration, and how ultimately God wants us to give all(time, talents, material goods, etc.) that He has given us back, or at least be willing should the circumstance arise that He, or one of His other children, needs it.

So we talked about time, and how we can consecrate our time to the Lord.  The teacher, Noah, had any of us willing to give a non-detailed breakdown of our time go up to the whiteboard and write it down.

I simply wrote:
20% Work

80% Fun

I didn't put MUCH effort or thought into my answer, but it felt to be roughly accurate...as long as I include sleeping, eating, and travel time as fun.

After we joked about it for a bit, and me actually doing some math, here's a rough outline of what I came to:

There are 168 hours in a week.

IF you get the recommended 8 hours of sleep per night, you sleep for a 1/3 of that time, or 56 hours.

So that's...

~33% of your week you spend asleep.

If you work a normal 40 hour work week, that comes to about...

~24% of your week is spent working.

If you spend roughly 14 hours a week(bare minimum 2 hours a day) of eating & hygiene...

~8% of your week is spent on eating & hygiene.

That equals a grand total of 65% leaving you a whopping 35% to do what you want with it.

Now, I didn't include it here, but I also figured in 9-10 hours of travel time every week just to get to different activities, meaning...

~6% of your week is spent traveling.

AND if you happen to be a good, spiritually-inclined, YSA Mormon with free time like myself, you spend about 7-8 hours a week doing things related to church, equaling...

~5% of your week is spent with church

That added to the previous totals equals 76% and 24% of used time/free time respectively.

Now, this may vary by person, of course, and some people have even gotten as good as doing two or three of these already listed activities at the same time.  I haven't.

This is the bare minimum for me.  I won't let myself be far from this schedule.

This, of course, will also change drastically once I'm in school.  For instance travel time will practically disappear and school will take up another rough 32-36 hours a week or somewhere around 20%.

BUT for the time being, I still have 24% that I have all to myself.  Or, roughly 40 hours a week.

Now, these are all rough estimates, don't get me wrong, but that still leaves me with a ton of time to just sit around and do whatever.

It's sobering to think about.

***

AND on that note...

I am a failure at most of my goals set earlier this year, but that doesn't mean I haven't stopped trying.

BUT life is good nonetheless.

~Boy

See Ya Later Butt Popcorn

The above statement is a translation of the only sentence I know how to say in Bulgarian.  Don't ask me to spell it on here.  It's impossible for me.
***
Today has been good, and you know how I know that?  I'm dead tired.
Days are always best if you end them ready to collapse.  Or so I like to believe...
Woke up and shoveled the driveway some more.  After all the snow we got it definitely needed to be shoveled a 2nd and 3rd time, and so it did.
Got ready for work.
Went to work for a couple hours.
Went to see I Am Number Four with my awesome friends.
Had Taco Mondays at Acapulco with same friends.  75 cent Tacos.  How do you beat that?!  And they are darn good tacos.
Spent the last couple hours playing Halo with Ivan.  All-in-all, it was a successful day, no matter what anyone else may say about it.
***
One of the beautiful messages of the Gospel is that you are as strong, or know as much, or are as saved as you allow yourself to be.  All the strength, glory, knowledge, spirit that God is willing to give you is entirely dependent upon yourself.  If you want to overcome something, it's as easy as turning off the natural man and allowing that strength to flow through you.  In application that can be really hard at times, but the principle is simple.  Same with knowledge.  God wants you to know His mysteries, and it is on your shoulders 100% whether or not He can reveal them to you, because He will never give you something that you're not prepared for.
It's awesome knowing the truth.

~Boy

Winnie The Pooh

I think that checking Craigslist for "Missed Connections" might be my new nightly routine.
It's amazing!
Not because I'm looking for myself, but just because it's funny to see what other people put.  I would have a hard time doing that and ACTUALLY thinking someone would respond.  Plus, I haven't had many love-at-first-sight moments...if any.
***
Today was a good day full of goodly goodingtons.
Started off with church, which was really good.  Messages of hope, faith and enduring to the end.  Always good.
Priesthood was awesome.  We had a lesson on work and responsibility.
I love the analogy of the storm.

You see, not every single little choice we make matters to God.  It doesn't matter what shoes we wear today.  It doesn't matter what we eat for breakfast.
This is like a storm.
Imagine that you are a rain cloud inside of a storm.
You are definitely part of something bigger than yourself, don't ever think otherwise.
That is besides the point.
He will move the storm system by the winds, and thus He will move you, and He may make all the conditions perfect for you to rain and bless the Earth with moisture, but He won't force you.  He will put you right where you need to be, fill you with water, and wait, but never force.
And when you do choose to rain, He won't guide every raindrop.  They will fall where they will fall.
He makes the conditions just right for us and what we need, not what we want, and then when we choose to rain, he will allow us to choose where the droplets fall.
Will things get done in His own due time?  Absolutely.  We just receive the blessings if we are the ones to accomplish His designs, not just wait for some other rain cloud to come along.

So I recognize that there are probably loopholes and oddities in my analogy, but I like it all the same.  I also mixed a couple analogies together, I think but whatever.
***
After church I came home and had some lunch and took a long nap.
Only to be woken to eat dinner and shovel the driveway.

Just when we thought that all the snow in Minnesota was gone, we get one last glimpse of Snowpocalypse.  It snowed over a foot in less than 10 hours.  May not have been the BIGGEST/FASTEST snowfall, but it's still coming down, and isn't supposed to stop until sometime later tomorrow.  So much for the Groundhog saying that Spring was coming soon.  Looks to ME that we still have quite a bit of winter left.

Darn Groundhog.

That's fine by me.  I would still like to get in a snowboarding trip sometime this winter.
BUT, I am so ready for some sunshine and warmer temperatures.  Last week was just a teaser of what warmth feels like.  I can't wait for it to return, because I want to wear my flip flops again.

~Boy

Dead Island

Tonight's volleyball was pretty epic.  I enjoyed it to say the least.
Now I have to go to bed so I can get up earlier than I want, so I can go to work earlier than I want, to do shipment faster than I want, so that I can end up doing something that I really want:
eating dinner with my dad.

Wish me speed!

~Boy

Falling is definite; Failing is optional

Tonight I taught the lesson at FHE.  It was a lesson that was relevant to me and at least one other person.  I don't know what everyone else thought of it, and I'm not sure how I feel about it (besides the initial bad feeling of "ohmygoshIambadateverything...") but it was alright.
***
Apparently today was a holiday.
Known as Valentine's Day.
I don't know what I was expecting exactly.  I haven't had a Valentine.  Ever.  I don't know why I thought this year would somehow be different.
I dressed all fancy.  I was extra nice.  I was funny.
Oh wait, that's just like every other day of my existence.

It sucks to hear people talking about Valentine's Day and how awesome it is when they have someone, and it's just as annoying to hear people complain about Valentine's Day and how much it sucks when they DON'T have someone.  But it is darn near impossible to ignore the fact that you should be celebrating/crying alone on that day because EVERYONE ELSE IS.

So despite my best efforts to treat this just like any other day of my existence, I am left feeling sad and lonely.
***
A bunch of friends (approximately/exactly 8) and I went and saw The Eagle tonight.  It was really good!  I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it didn't start 'til 10'o'clock!!  Seriously.  Who does that.  Why not have a freaking earlier late showing.  Like 9 or 8:30.  Why do you have to wait 'til 10?
Either way, it was good.  And tasteful.  There was action, and it was good action, and there was implied violence and blood, but no blood was shown, besides an old wound, and very little violence.  Oh, and no sex, either.  All-in-all, a good family movie for those who are interested in Historical Fiction.  Or what I believe is Historical Fiction.  I honestly have no idea.

Anywho, at the start of the movie 2 friends and myself showed up late.  2 of us (males)naturally sat on the ends that were open and the third (female) sat a row up.  The person (female) I was sitting next to got up and left to go sit with the person (female) who had sat up a row.  Leaving me in a seat that was next to two empty seats.  So, moral of the story was that I watched the movie by myself.  And there happened to be some people that I knew there.
So, on Valentine's Day I end up getting the bigger shaft than the usual shaft I am used to receiving when viewing movies with groups of friends.  It helped me feel good about myself, and I think I will make origami flowers, bake cookies, and find a unicorn to poop a golden rainbow for me, so that I can use the magical rainpoopbow as ink to write a book about how great life is and why I should win the Nobel Prize for happiness.
***
Shove that in your card and smoke it.

~Boy

From The Awkwardly Feminine To The Possibly Canadian

The current layout of my bedroom puts my computer directly in front of the window, or at least half of it, and the crack from where the blinds don't fully cover the window is directly to the right of my monitor.

Why am I telling you this?

Because now you know why the cold airs comes in through that crack and directly onto my hand atop my mouse, making it frigidly cold ALL THE TIME.

***

Despite the fact that I sleep in until noon most days, I am slowly getting on top of my life.  I'm working on finances, planning class schedules ahead, doing taxes, etc.  It's fantastic!  But you know when I do this stuff?  2 AM of course; When else would I do it?

***

Tonight, as I was at another amazing night of karaoke, my friend Natosha texted me asking me about girls and stuff.

First, note about girls: (or as far as my experience has brought me) if they want to know who you like, it means they like you, and want you to say them...OR, they want you to ask them in return who THEY like, and then they can tell you that they like you.

ANYWAY, I got sidetracked.

So, she texts me, and starts talking girls and asking me who I like.  I respond with my "vague" yet true answer that I like a lot of people.  She comments on my vagueness and proceeds to badger me for more information as to why I'm not dating anyone then.

I freeze.

I have no idea how to respond to that.

Why AREN'T I dating someone?

It really comes down to my low self-esteem, but you don't just tell people that everyday.  So I start searching for other reasons as to why, or what could possibly be fueling my self-esteem issues.

I've got nothing.  And so that's what I give her.

"I dunno..."  She isn't happy with that, but goes to bed anyway.

So, whatever issues I have with dating any of the people that I am interested in, I had better sort out rather quick-like if I want to have any chance of getting a girl in Idaho.

***

Getting your driver's license sucks.

Note: I've already had one, just from another state.

Now, I have to get one in Minnesota because I lost my Wisconsin ID, and I have to take a test and get my driver's record and it's all just very tedious.  It would be so much easier if there was an online database that the local DMV could go to and check on the status of my previous ID.  Oh wait, there is one of those already?

It's called the internet?

Well, I'll be darned.  Apparently the DMV has never of this magical thing.  Their website hasn't been updated in YEARS (or at least looks it), all their services are either by mail or by phone, and they're just about as helpful online as they are in person.

***

There is a nasty smell in my fridge and it is tainting the water.

My yogurt tastes terrible.  Never, EVER will I betray Yoplait, again.  Anything else just isn't the same.

~Boy

P.S. Wimp.com is a wonderful resource for finding interesting videos about science/life/comedy/etc.  It has blown my mind tonight.

H2O

Not a whole lot to report today.
...
Worked.  Went to FHE.  Played video games.
...
Probably the most important part is when I bought some sweet argyle socks from Target for super cheap.
...
Oh, and I probably have bronchitis.

~Boy

Green and Yellow

Tomorrow is the big day.
What day?
Why, the Super Bowl of course!  It wouldn't matter if it wasn't Green Bay.
Listening to Green and Yellow by Lil Wayne before I go to bed for luck.
***
The last 24 hours have been full of all sorts of emotions.
(This is where you get to know me a little better if you don't know anything about me.)
Emotions are interesting topic for me.  I would say I am ultimately run by emotions, but I have a hard time talking about emotions.
When dealing with others, I often level with people on the plain of logic.  What is logical vs. what they feel they should do.  And although I see completely what is logical for myself, it is often my heart that has the last say on the matter, rather than my brain.
With that statement in mind, that I am run by emotion...
I just had a small revelation.  I was going to say that I don't understand why it is hard for me to talk about emotions, but that is just the answer as well as the question.
It doesn't make sense, and that is the point.  Emotion doesn't make sense.  That being said, however, does not help me at all.  I just don't like talking about feelings.  It makes me uncomfortable.  To talk about others feelings is fine.  Wonderful, in fact.  I enjoy when others share what they feel with me, because that is a part of them.  Sharing what you know isn't special, because anyone can know something.  Sharing what you feel IS special because not everyone (and probably no one) can feel the exact way that you feel about something.  And even if they can feel their own interpretation of the same feeling, it isn't the same as YOU feeling it, because it's them not you.
If I feel so good when others share a part of themselves with me, what keeps me from also sharing a part?  Is it because I believe they won't treasure that like I do?  Is it because then I am more open to them, and thus more vulnerable?
I think so.
Wow, I am blowing my own mind right now, even if it doesn't influence you at all.
***
So...today:
-Had people over last night who stayed until very late.  (There were a plethora of emotions there.  Apathy, jealousy, anxiety, pride.)
-Woke up around 2 to a phone call from work telling me that they were using my on-call due to Justin, the head manager, going home sick.  (No emotional response.)
-Worked for 5 hours. (Not many emotions.  Happiness.  Light-hearted.  Childish.)
-Went to a Chinese New Years party that I was invited to by my friend Natosha.  It was alright.  I got there;  People went on the roof and lit sparklers; I looked out on the city and thought about Spiderman;  We played signs;  I left during an awkward pause in the action about an hour into the party.  I was lost beforehand in downtown Minneapolis due to some misinformation.  Afterwards I drove home quite sad that I didn't really meet anyone at the party, although there were many that I didn't know.  I think I am better at one-on-one meetings vs. a bunch of people that know each other meeting me, the outsider.  Or even a meeting of a bunch of strangers.  I don't feel comfortable being the only outsider.  So, I self-reflected on the way home, and felt bad, then I got home, watched some stuff on hulu and now I feel good again, ready for bed, church tomorrow, and the Super Bowl.
So, a minor roller coaster day, but C'est La Vie.
Tomorrow will be better.

~Boy

Foggin' Up The Mirrors

After a long day of work for me, and other misadventures including an (failed)attempt to gain a Minnesota Driver's License, I decided I wanted to be social.
The party commenced at my house circa 10:30 and went 'til almost 4:30 in the morning.
I'd say it was a success.

Now!!  Time for sleep.

~Boy

Phew

So, tonight, due to the fact that it is a Thursday, I was at karaoke.  It was a good night.  There is much to be said about it.  BUT, I shall start with the most important things first.  Namely:
-I AM A ROCKSTAR!
That's really all that can be said about that.
Oh, why am I so confident in my ability to both rock and be a star you ask?  Let me tell you the lineup of songs I bellowed to the heavens of rock...
--Breakfast At Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something (Something light to start; also a crowd favorite)
--Handlebars - Flobots(Had to show those dumb High Schoolers was rapping really is.  Too bad they had left by this point...)
--I Believe In A Thing Called Love - The Darkness(A crowd, friend, personal favorite.  It's what I'm known for)
--Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz(An old-timey funkathon for/with my friend Nick)
--Headstrong - Trapt(Get my rock to the climax; also a favorite of Courtney's)
--Uprising - Muse(Last song of the night AND a first-time for me)
Now, check out that lineup!  What could be better?
Oh, much, you say?  Well, what do you know...
All-in-all, I feel good about the evening.  Got some good socializing.  Got some good cake.  Got some good hugs.  Lots of G'n'G.  Gots'N'Goods.
I dunno, I just made it up.  Probably not my best, but it's hard to compare with that line I used earlier about "old-timey funkathon's"...
Get bent.
***
Tomorrow is a full day.  I have to wake up *early and go to the Orthodontist to get the little metal bar on the back of my lower teeth fixed.(It broke while brushing my teeth last week.  Yes, apparently I brush that hard that I can break plastic molding)  Then it's off to Hastings to get a new Driver's License, hopefully, followed by 4-hours of American Eagle work.  Thanks heavens it's shipment.  I love doing shipment.  I get to be physical, listen to my own music, and STILL get all the benefits of co-worker chatter without the downside of terrible boredom and music on the sales floor.  Plus I do it alone, and that's kinda nice.  I like people and everything, but sometimes it's nice to just do things on your own, ya know?  After that it's off to Hudson to do some computer work with my brother-in-law Bryan.  Which I will enjoy immensely.  Seriously.  I will.

*Early for me is anytime before 10-noon.  I have to wake up at 8:30.  Boo hoo.
***
With that all in mind, it is time for bathroom and bed.  B'n'B, as I like to call it.
What?  That acronym is already used?  Well phooey.
How about restroom and rest, R'n'R?
That, too?
Shoot.

~Boy

P.S. Eating granola in the morning has been the GREATEST thing I have EVER done for my diet/intestinal track.

Cough Cough Wheeze Sleep? Nah...

I am officially sick of being sick.  What's worse is the fact that I'm not even REALLY sick anymore.  I function 99% during the day (with an allowance of error of 1%) and then as soon as 2AM or so rolls around, I start coughing every 10 seconds.  

-Where is this cough during the day?  

-Why does it only come in the early mornings? 

-Why don't you just go to bed earlier, Spenser, and sleep through the cough?  

Well, my very astute reader, I am a creature of habit.  I like doing things because I have always done them.  Not all things mind you!  I like doing things because I like doing things, but there are certain parts of my schedule that I do simply because I have always done them and am not ready to give them up.

One of those things just happens to be my sleep cycle.

Sure, I am CAPABLE of going to bed earlier and waking up earlier and being like every other boring person on the planet...but I want to stay up.

-Well what do you do all those hours that you're awake while everyone else is sleeping?

I do all the things that YOU do while YOU'RE awake.  I practice guitar.  I play hackey-sack.  I eat.(snacks)  I drink.(water)  I play video games.  I even use the restroom every once in a while!  And most importantly, I learn!  That's right.  I study up on things.

-Like what?

Right now I'm reading a book that my step-aunt gave to me for Christmas, entitled 50 Great Myths Of Popular Psychology by Scott Lilienfeld.  I love Psychology.  I like learning about the human brain, and what exactly we think it does.  I like learning about people, and why they do things.  I like learning.  Period.

This book talks about, you guessed it(but only because you're so smart) 50 great myths of popular psychology!! Such things as, "The average human only uses 10% of their brain" and "opposites attract," are covered in the book and are completely debunked.

You see, even in reading this book I am finding glimpses of the Gospel.  Does the book ever speak of religious matters?  I don't think so.  My mind is just so fantastical that it puts them there!  I make my own little connections, because I think it's fun.

For instance, the biggest connection that I make with every page that I read is the common theme of truth behind lies.  Many(if not all) of these myths are based on facts.  BASED ON but not facts themselves.(that's why they're myths)  Many things that *satan tells us are half-truths.  What did he say in the garden of Eden?

Genesis 3:4-5 -- "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Now, I took the liberty of underlining the lie.  They WOULD in fact bring death, disease, and pain into this world by partaking of the fruit, but he did not lie about their acquisition of knowledge by partaking of the fruit.  That was true.

Half-truths...They are definitely no fun.

Now, is this a HUGE half-truth in the timeline of eternity?  Somewhat, and that's not really consequential to my statement right now, but it could be discussed in greater detail later.  So we will move on past that.  All that matters at this moment is that it fits my purposes.

*A little trick I learned from Sister Oaks(yes, the wife of Elder Dallin H. Oaks) when I heard her give a talk at the University of Utah Institute of Religion was that she never capitalizes satan.  She feels like that is her own little way to jab at him for being all evil and stuff, and it makes her feel good.  I thought it was funny and clever, so I have adopted this as well.

***

SO, that was one huge, fun sidetrack.

The point being, I don't like coughing when I don't feel like coughing.  I don't like going to bed early.  I don't like it Sam I Am, I do not like green eggs and ham. (Pineapple and ham, however, is quite delicious.  Especially when put on a pizza)

And so I will probably keep staying up late, hoping that this darn cough works itself out.

***

Oh ya, did I mention I lost my wallet two days ago(now three days ago, due to the time right now)?

I don't know where it is, or where I lost it, but it is definitely gone.  Somewhere.

Now I actually have to get a Minnesota Driver's License.  I have lived here for 2 years and 4 months, and I have avoided it this long, and NOW I have to get one.  Just a matter of weeks before I leave for Idaho.  Talk about bummers.

BUT, it is official now, I am living with Brain Bourgerie and Mike Lehman next semester in Apt. #9, and it is going to be the greatest semester of my life MOST DEFINITELY.

***

Now I guess I will go to bed, if this cough will let me...

~Boy

Relapse?

So, although my headache is now gone, my cough has returned with a vengeance.  Fantastic.
I wonder if there would be any negative side-effects of taking a Dayquil and the Naproxen I already took...
I guess I could check the internet...
***
I really enjoy playing guitar.  I almost learned another song tonight, from no experience to mastery.
I think I could be good IF I was dedicated at all.  The problem is, I just get so darn distracted.  So very, very easily.
That is usually why I forget to blog on here most nights.
***
My music collection is becoming more and more organized.  Which is nice.  I've wanted to organize all my songs and get all of the information for them and album artwork and everything probably since I got this computer, and now it is finally coming to fruition.  If only I didn't get distracted so easily...
***
Tonight I ended up having to teach at FHE with basically no preparation at all.  Long story short, there was a snowstorm, lots of people didn't come.  I was put in charge due to leadership absence, and then the teacher didn't come either.  So I pulled a lesson out of my magical hat and gave it.  Not my best.  Probably not my worst.  Luckily I have a chance to redeem myself in a couple weeks.  That should be better.  Because, you know, I'll have time to prepare it and get everything all ready and will know that I'm giving the lesson more than an hour in advance.  And that's always nice.

~Boy