One more thing

I forgot to mention the other change. Apparently its manly to have a hobby so I have taken up cooking. I have bought a few cookbooks and I hope to start posting photos of my attempts at learning to cook things slightly more complex then top ramen and pasta noodles.

After nearly a year I strike again.

So its been ages since I have done anything on my blog. Frankly there just hasn't anything that exciting in my life to write about. So I decided to change my ways and just write about a few of my recent exploits. I have recently been rededicating myself to more manly ways after reading the book "The Art of Manliness". This book led me to the art of manliness website and I have been making a few changes. The first change I've made is implementing the cold shower. It sounds insane and so I was hesitant to try it. What pushed me over the edge was the health benefits. Better circulation, keeps skin and hair healthy, strengthens immunity, and even helps with depression. So I committed myself to trying it for one week just to see what would happen. That was over three weeks ago. The health benefits are there hopefully but that's not what did it for me. I started out and it was not pleasant it was so so cold. I w as almost done with it after day one but then I started to notice things. My shower times were cut in half, when I got out of the shower I wasn't anxious to stay in and I was alert, ready for the day. When I got out I started warming up instead of cooling down and I felt less of the cold outside. Last but not least as a college student sometimes I stay out a little too late nothing counteracts too little sleep better than the brisk, revitalizing, drops from a cold shower. this has been a truly great change and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to feel better every single morning.

Wal-Marting

Today I was walking through Wal-mart and some girl was yelling to find her friend Margot. She just kept yelling the name over and over agaon. Margot! Margot! After a few more yells I couldn't restrain myself anymore she yelled again Margot! I yelled Polo! I don't know if anyone else cared or laughed but it made my day.

Post Easter thoughts

The last few weeks have been fairly intertsting as I'm now working full time and studying and loving it. Life is busy but good it keeps me out of trouble and work has been a wonderful kick to my caboose in re-learning how to be social. I have really enjoyed it and am so happy to have a job. I'll share a few events of the past few weeks. First of all is what I like to call 4 cop cars, eight cops, and the man of the midnight. During spring break I was up in Logan staying by myself since I was just starting at at my job and working during the break. I was scheduled to work around eight thirty in the morning so I had headed to bed early. As I was in the limbo land inbetween dream and reality when the doorbell rang. I sprung out of bed and grabbed some clothes and went to the door to find an old man standing there who only said call the cops and tell them they need to pick me up, I was a little confused but I called the cops who came after grilling me for about forty minutes they finally showed up. They then made me stand outside barefoot while they talked to me for another twenty minutes or so. Apparently the man had wandered away from an old folks home and just came to visit me. Around one thirty they figured it all out and I was lucky enough to get some sleep.

This last week was a good one as I had the opportunity to view conference and celebrate the wonderful Easter holiday. The Easter bunny was kind enough to leave me some haircut money and some spaghettios and I have enjoyed the tasty tomato and noodle fusion the last few days. On Sunday it was a bit lonesome the first part of the day without my family but as evening rolled around I decided to head to a local Easter Cantata about Christ's resurrection. It was a truly uplifting experience as I pondered over the wonderful event that took place those two thousand years ago and all that followed everything from his traveling on the road to Emmaus to his visit to the nephites and although I was alone that night I realized I am never alone and through the Atonement that he performed my family and I have the potential to be united for all eternity truly no greater gift has ever been given. I am greatful for my knowledge of this truth and the wonderful feelings of that Easter night.

Life Beyond the Basement

Well, I have officially joined the cyber-blogging revolution. I have decided it to focus it on my journey from boyhood, to missionhood, to brief manhood, a re-visit back to boyhood, and now once more back into pre-adulthood basically my life and where I'm now at. So don't expect anything mythical, majestic, or magical this will just be brief factoids, random rants, and the occasional odd experience. Its been a real crazy transition moving from mission back into the real world. Its like training someone for two years to do a specific task and avoid certain things then when that two year period is up removing most of those barriers and saying "Get right back into it like you never left." Funny thing about that is I did leave. The world has changed, my friends have changed, I have changed, my siblings took growth hormones while I was gone, and my sisters somehow became even more beautiful. After these wonderful experiences that I had the last two years I am a little confused back in this world. A little known fact, Pavlov originally worked with missionaries slowly conditioning them to avoid all female interaction. He was then promptly arrested for cruel and unusual punishment and on his release switched to dogs and bells. Unfortunately his methods stuck for missionaries and now after two years my fellow returnees and I are expected to jump right back into that boat. Some handle it well while others were conditioned a little to well and instead of salivating with a bell we start sweating near a beauty. Pavlov aside my mission was and will continue to be the best thing that could have happened to me and the best choice I have ever made. I learned so much and am so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve. Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of some event or some person that changed my life. If I can figure it out I'll add some photos at the end of this. I learned innumerable life skills and am better prepared for my future because of my decision to serve. Any young men debating to serve or not stop debating and serve. If you go out there and do your best I know you will never regret it. There will be hard days and sometimes hard months but you will never regret your decision to serve. Post mission life is great applying the studying tools I learned in the field my grades are better than they've ever been (thats not saying much after the dyslexic 4.0 I got last semester.....o.4 ha ha) I'm not sure about everything yet but I have accomplished most of my short term goals since I've been back and I look forward to working on the rest.