Heaven knows I hardly post on this blog. However, I've decided to start another blog. Have a look:
connectingsynapses.blogspot.com
1 week ago
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Oh the weather outside is frightful
Hello friends! I just realized something about my blogging patterns. I have to have an inspiration to blog. I've had "Let it Snow" stuck in my head ALL morning, so that's the inspiration for today's random ramblings.
The weather outside in Provo is certainly frightful. It's been snowing and the roads are all freshly covered in ice. And it's bitter cold. Here's the view from my desk:
But, let it snow. However, we DO have a place to go. Tomorrow I'll be driving home to the motherland, California. The forecast: sunny in the mid to high 60's. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot. For all my Bakersfield buddies... I'll be there for three days, then Tiffany and I are driving back on Monday morning. So if you want some Brian time, make sure to let me know and I'll try to pencil you in.
A very Happy Christmas to you all!
The weather outside in Provo is certainly frightful. It's been snowing and the roads are all freshly covered in ice. And it's bitter cold. Here's the view from my desk:
But, let it snow. However, we DO have a place to go. Tomorrow I'll be driving home to the motherland, California. The forecast: sunny in the mid to high 60's. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot. For all my Bakersfield buddies... I'll be there for three days, then Tiffany and I are driving back on Monday morning. So if you want some Brian time, make sure to let me know and I'll try to pencil you in.
A very Happy Christmas to you all!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thankful for Craziness
Hey, remember that one time I was good at posting often? Nor do I. I won't bother you with details of how busy my life has been; If you're interested, read my last post and multiply the stress factor by 3.
Seeing as I have lots to be thankful for, I figured it might be appropriate as the Thanksgiving holiday approches to start thinking about those things. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and is not meant to be in order of importance. Just in the random order they come to mind. A-here we go!
Family - I really do appreciate my family. Let's not fool ourselves, most of the time it was rough growing up in such a special family situation. But I wouldn't trade it for the world! I'm so thankful that Shelby and Monica were willing and able to take in my sisters and me after our parents passed away, so that we could all live under one roof and have a strong family. Shelby and Monica have always been there as an example and a support. I know we don't agree on everything, but you guys gave me a great foundation and I know I'm a decent person now because of it. Tiffany and I used to fight like cats and dogs. I just always figured that we were too different to get along. The funny thing is, we were too alike to get along! I'm thankful that I have gotten to grow closer to her now that we're adults. She is always ready to listen, and she has never judged me or made me feel bad about myself for what I've done with my life. Keri was my example of christlike service. To this day, I don't know how that girl survived high school; she was always swamped with school and activities, and still managed to keep a smile on! I'm thankful for the time she would give to me so that we could have a life chat when I was down, and she would often go out of her way to make me feel better with little notes and what-not. I suppose Jacob and Ezra get a plug in here too. (Monica, make sure they get to read this, haha.) Jacob, you've always been an example to me of a good older brother. Most of the time you would do what Ezra wanted to, and you're a good kid. And I know Ezra can tell. Ezra, I'm thankful for the smiles you brought into the house when you were born. You are kind of a crazy daredevil, I'll admit :P but your energy and happy disposition rub off on other people.
Friends - I wish I had the time/space/energy to write about all of my friends. Alas, I have work in an hour. But... I'm so thankful that I have awesome friends. The best ones are the ones that need me sometimes, and I need them sometimes. Those relationships are my favorite. It's nice to have people that understand you and are there for you, whether you just need to hang out or chat or vent or have a deep soul-searching life-talk. Each friend fulfills certain needs in my life, and vice versa. I don't thank my friends nearly enough. So... here goes. THANKS! :)
School - Given the amount of complaining I do about school, you might be surprised that I actually like school. I love learning new things and opening up my mind, even if I don't particularly appreciate the workload the teachers burden we students with. I go to one of the best schools around yet my tuition is dirt cheap. That is a HUGE blessing. I don't subscribe to many aspects of the BYU environment, as most of you know, but I do love being here. I'm also thankful that I have a place in the world! That is, a major. I was accepted into the Spanish Teaching program last week, so I can finally start getting ready for a career.
Work - In this crappy economy, I am lucky enough to have two jobs. I love actually having enough money to pay my bills! It is often stressful when they overlap with school or each other, but I am thankful for work and especially the people in each job that make me want to go into work each day. I suppose they could go into the friends category too.
Speaking of work, look at the time! Time to jet! Here's a link to an old post with a similar list of things that make me happy.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and be sure to take a moment or two to reflect on what you're thankful for. It sounds cliché but I promise it's rewarding.
¡Ciao!
Seeing as I have lots to be thankful for, I figured it might be appropriate as the Thanksgiving holiday approches to start thinking about those things. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and is not meant to be in order of importance. Just in the random order they come to mind. A-here we go!
Family - I really do appreciate my family. Let's not fool ourselves, most of the time it was rough growing up in such a special family situation. But I wouldn't trade it for the world! I'm so thankful that Shelby and Monica were willing and able to take in my sisters and me after our parents passed away, so that we could all live under one roof and have a strong family. Shelby and Monica have always been there as an example and a support. I know we don't agree on everything, but you guys gave me a great foundation and I know I'm a decent person now because of it. Tiffany and I used to fight like cats and dogs. I just always figured that we were too different to get along. The funny thing is, we were too alike to get along! I'm thankful that I have gotten to grow closer to her now that we're adults. She is always ready to listen, and she has never judged me or made me feel bad about myself for what I've done with my life. Keri was my example of christlike service. To this day, I don't know how that girl survived high school; she was always swamped with school and activities, and still managed to keep a smile on! I'm thankful for the time she would give to me so that we could have a life chat when I was down, and she would often go out of her way to make me feel better with little notes and what-not. I suppose Jacob and Ezra get a plug in here too. (Monica, make sure they get to read this, haha.) Jacob, you've always been an example to me of a good older brother. Most of the time you would do what Ezra wanted to, and you're a good kid. And I know Ezra can tell. Ezra, I'm thankful for the smiles you brought into the house when you were born. You are kind of a crazy daredevil, I'll admit :P but your energy and happy disposition rub off on other people.
Friends - I wish I had the time/space/energy to write about all of my friends. Alas, I have work in an hour. But... I'm so thankful that I have awesome friends. The best ones are the ones that need me sometimes, and I need them sometimes. Those relationships are my favorite. It's nice to have people that understand you and are there for you, whether you just need to hang out or chat or vent or have a deep soul-searching life-talk. Each friend fulfills certain needs in my life, and vice versa. I don't thank my friends nearly enough. So... here goes. THANKS! :)
School - Given the amount of complaining I do about school, you might be surprised that I actually like school. I love learning new things and opening up my mind, even if I don't particularly appreciate the workload the teachers burden we students with. I go to one of the best schools around yet my tuition is dirt cheap. That is a HUGE blessing. I don't subscribe to many aspects of the BYU environment, as most of you know, but I do love being here. I'm also thankful that I have a place in the world! That is, a major. I was accepted into the Spanish Teaching program last week, so I can finally start getting ready for a career.
Work - In this crappy economy, I am lucky enough to have two jobs. I love actually having enough money to pay my bills! It is often stressful when they overlap with school or each other, but I am thankful for work and especially the people in each job that make me want to go into work each day. I suppose they could go into the friends category too.
Speaking of work, look at the time! Time to jet! Here's a link to an old post with a similar list of things that make me happy.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and be sure to take a moment or two to reflect on what you're thankful for. It sounds cliché but I promise it's rewarding.
¡Ciao!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Back-to-School Bedlam!
Wow, it has been a long time since my last post. My neglect of this blog can be mostly attributed to the beginning of a new semester, yet another chapter in the randomness that is my life!
What, you might ask, have I been up to since the last update?
This is the first semester in my new major, Spanish Teaching. I'm taking an Intro to Foreign Language Teaching class. This class is unfortunately held at 8 AM daily, so that's kept me pretty exhausted. Thankfully, it's only for the first half of the semester. Every other week we go out and about to different schools to observe classrooms. This past week, my group and I went to a junior high school in Lindon every day to watch Spanish 1-3 classes. It's been a pretty enlightening experience. But I am becoming more excited about getting out there and teaching!
I'm also taking Spanish Composition and Literature classes, re-taking Sociology (Ugh!) On the fun side, I'm taking Gold-level Social Dance and I'm in University Orchestra. I've also got to start applying for my major, and getting things in line to go to Spain next spring or fall. Should keep me busy!
The time has come for me to catch some sweet Z's, so I'll give you more updates later. Cheers!
What, you might ask, have I been up to since the last update?
This is the first semester in my new major, Spanish Teaching. I'm taking an Intro to Foreign Language Teaching class. This class is unfortunately held at 8 AM daily, so that's kept me pretty exhausted. Thankfully, it's only for the first half of the semester. Every other week we go out and about to different schools to observe classrooms. This past week, my group and I went to a junior high school in Lindon every day to watch Spanish 1-3 classes. It's been a pretty enlightening experience. But I am becoming more excited about getting out there and teaching!
I'm also taking Spanish Composition and Literature classes, re-taking Sociology (Ugh!) On the fun side, I'm taking Gold-level Social Dance and I'm in University Orchestra. I've also got to start applying for my major, and getting things in line to go to Spain next spring or fall. Should keep me busy!
The time has come for me to catch some sweet Z's, so I'll give you more updates later. Cheers!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Ridiculously Sweet Music Video
Hey all. Check this video out. It's one of the most creative ones I've seen in a while.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY
Enjoy!
BTW, my blog is no longer private. I've fixed the problem with stalking, so feel free to read to your heart's content.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY
Enjoy!
BTW, my blog is no longer private. I've fixed the problem with stalking, so feel free to read to your heart's content.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Oh, you just have to wait.
I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for my next blog post. So here goes:
I had a fortune cookie the other day. I was expecting the standard post-meal fortune cookie to contain some sort of life-changing advice, perhaps something along the lines of "You make happy-happy eat at Chen's Noodle House!" Instead, the message inside read: "HAVE PATIENCE - IT WILL BENEFIT YOU." This fell perfectly in line with some good advice from my buddy Diana Ross, encapsulated in the timeless classic "Can't Hurry Love."
I have the tendency to be very impatient with everything. I think this fast-paced world we live in has given me the expectation that I can have anything almost immediately. Which is true in some regards. I can have my Pop-Tarts warmed to perfection in like 30 seconds. Neat-o! But there are some things in life that you just have to be patient with. Like love. It gets frustrating sometimes, but I guess there's nothing to do but "keep on waiting, anticipating."
Those are my thoughts at the moment. Maybe most of you already know these things and are now regretting that you won't get the one minute back that you spent reading this post. But yeah. Hopefully you gleaned something from that. Have a great week, everyone!
I had a fortune cookie the other day. I was expecting the standard post-meal fortune cookie to contain some sort of life-changing advice, perhaps something along the lines of "You make happy-happy eat at Chen's Noodle House!" Instead, the message inside read: "HAVE PATIENCE - IT WILL BENEFIT YOU." This fell perfectly in line with some good advice from my buddy Diana Ross, encapsulated in the timeless classic "Can't Hurry Love."
I have the tendency to be very impatient with everything. I think this fast-paced world we live in has given me the expectation that I can have anything almost immediately. Which is true in some regards. I can have my Pop-Tarts warmed to perfection in like 30 seconds. Neat-o! But there are some things in life that you just have to be patient with. Like love. It gets frustrating sometimes, but I guess there's nothing to do but "keep on waiting, anticipating."
Those are my thoughts at the moment. Maybe most of you already know these things and are now regretting that you won't get the one minute back that you spent reading this post. But yeah. Hopefully you gleaned something from that. Have a great week, everyone!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
My life, turned upside down
Everyone is familiar with nursery rhymes, right? They are a precious part of everyone's childhood. Well, not anymore. Have you ever stopped to realize just how sinister and morbid their origins are? I already knew that "Ring around the rosy" refers to the Plague. But there are so many other gems. "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"? Let's have a look at the original words:
"Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row."
Pretty innocent. And downright precious, right? Well, let's place it in historical context: Bloody Mary, Queen of England and daughter of Henry VIII, mercilessly killed many Protestants. Silver bells and cockle shells sound nice. But they were instruments of torture. And maids in a row? The Maiden is another name for a guillotine.
Aren't you so glad your childhood was enriched by these happy lines? If you'd like to check out more, here's a sweet website:
http://rhymes.org.uk/
Enjoy!
"Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row."
Pretty innocent. And downright precious, right? Well, let's place it in historical context: Bloody Mary, Queen of England and daughter of Henry VIII, mercilessly killed many Protestants. Silver bells and cockle shells sound nice. But they were instruments of torture. And maids in a row? The Maiden is another name for a guillotine.
Aren't you so glad your childhood was enriched by these happy lines? If you'd like to check out more, here's a sweet website:
http://rhymes.org.uk/
Enjoy!
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