McMary

Grateful for the Game: My Thoughts on the BYU/Utah Game

2010-11-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

It happens every year, around this same time. It is so widely popular that even those who are not followers still understand the "importance" of this event. It is distinct to this area and this culture, and it has now become the most embarrassing part of us. It is the "Holy War" rivalry football game between the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.

I must admit that I am a born and raised Cougar fan. I didn't come to Utah Valley until 1997, where I started 6th grade, but I remember that everything was about BYU Football. It has been something that my family and I have shared together for many years.

It was a couple of years ago that my perspective began to change. My older brother Adam and I spend quite a bit of time discussing all things football and Utah Jazz. The more we talked about it, the more we came to the realization that this rivalry has nothing to do with football anymore, and it's become completely pointless. While some may argue that there is nothing wrong with a little competition, we agreed that there was no proper reason we could find to eternally hate one program just because you "belong" to the other. The more we stepped outside this little box that is so easy to get trapped in, the more we realized that this rivalry between fans looks more like children fighting over whose toys are cooler than whose. So we decided to step back. We decided to remove this unnecessary bitterness that this fan culture (from both sides) has raised us with, and enjoy the game for what it is. Not only this game, but this rivalry, this conference, and the schools themselves.

In stating this, I would like to invite you, whoever you are, and wherever your allegiances lie, to consider a few things this week before we get to Saturday's big matchup.

First and foremost, I discovered that by removing pointless hatred towards a program that was not "my own," I did not in any way tarnish my own "fanhood" towards my own team. It actually has allowed me to cheer for both teams more often in hopes that the rivalry game will consist of solid football and it will bring positive attention to Utah. I am no less a BYU fan for respecting and often times cheering for the University of Utah.

Next, I have learned quickly that we should never feel the need to "defend" our school or team, even and especially when someone has generalized it down to absurdity. In most cases, there's no need to say anything. When it happens, it's usually pretty obvious that it has been driven by emotion, and they are likely doing a great job of looking silly without any help from anyone else. I've seen friendships threatened because BYU is all "self-righteous" or because the U is all "classless Mormon haters." If Spock were both real and here, he would slap us upside the head for all of our ridiculous logic.

Third: This is the last time the game will ever be like this again. Sure, the teams will play each other, but because of Pac-12 rules, they have to play each other at the beginning of the season instead of the end. Couple that with the changes in conferences and/or independence, and now they won't even be battling for a conference title anymore either.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that after Saturday's game, there will never be as much riding on this game ever again. Maybe that means there won't be so much heat and hate over it and that would be great. But wouldn't it be nice to see this current rivalry end on a positive note?

So what if Eddie B. from BYU really thinks that he is better than you (and U)?

So what if Jenny Z. from the U really does hate Mormons?

As a Mormon myself, sometimes I hear of people who don't like the Church or anything about it because of a bad experience they had with one of its members. I usually find myself thinking, "If they could just see that not everybody does that..." or "I wish they wouldn't judge the whole Church based on one bad experience..."

What's so different than having the longtime battle of "Who's the classiest" between schools all the time? On both sides we are desperately looking for vulnerabilities and attack points. When we find them, we jump on them and shout with joy, "See! See! I told you your school is stupid! I told you that you are all classless (or drunks, or whatever)!"

Are there BYU fans who really think they are better than you (and U)? Absolutely.

Are there U fans who really hate Mormons? Definitely.

So what?

How many other areas of the nation have what we have? We have two programs who make great competition every single year and we are fortunate enough to be a part of it! There are some other great rivalries around the nation, but they are very few. We get that here and now. Now, it will never be the same. After Saturday, there will be no returns to this era, at least not for the foreseeable future.

It seems that we've taken a great football game and turned it into petty insults that annoy some and offend others.

Some may say that this is all part of a healthy rivalry. I say you're wrong. A healthy rivalry respects its opponent. They may dislike them, but they don't spend their time looking to spread seeds of hatred by undermining the character of an entire school based on their interpreted actions of some.

The bottom line is that hate is hate, no matter what color we try to paint it. It is embarrassing for us as a state, and even more so as members of society in general. It absolutely goes contrary to religious values, no matter what religion it may be.

So I challenge us as a society and a very unique culture not to let personal attacks and petty generalizations continue to be the collective beam in our eyes. We're about to lose one of the greatest rivalries in the country, and we have forgotten entirely what the rivalry is about. It's about football, plain and simple. I wish I didn't feel the need to spend a very long time writing about something as simple as sportsmanship and common courtesy for a people who should know better. There are so many other things that are so much more important than this.

So let's make this the best rivalry game any of us have ever seen, regardless of the outcome of the game. Let's be grateful for the game itself, which we'll never have the same way again.

"Who is that God?"

2010-06-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

I have felt the need to get back on the blogging horse and ride into the sunset. But fret ye not; I will tell you all about everything as I ride into that hermosa sunset. Apparently sunset is feminine.

Why waste time? The hand of the Lord has been involved in our lives for a very long time. Right now, we are living in Lindon at my in-laws house. Mary is just starting her second week of her "bootcamp" in a program called IMPACT. It's an acronym for being really smart and dedicated to math. I was blessed to be able to move on in the Seminary Teaching Program (called "pre-service") and am now a part-time student teacher. I will be teaching at Timberline Middle School and at UCAS at UVU this fall.

Most of you who read this will know all of the previous information. What you may not know is what got us to this point.

Back in March of this year, Mary and I were living down in Provo. We were in an amazing ward. We were both serving in wonderful callings with the young women and young men, respectively. We loved being there. Our apartment was a fantastic little place and our landlady was incredible. We told everyone we would not be going anywhere for as far as we could see into the future.

Ha ha ha. Ha.

Ha.

Under some sort of maternal/grandmothernal inspiration, Mary's grandmother informed us of all of the different options and opportunities available to us as potential first-time home buyers. I want to thank Grandma Williams right now for her persistence. In retrospect, going on this crazy-always-in-limbo-what-are-we-doing-with-our-lives adventure has been more than we ever could have bargained for. An abundance of blessings.

Grandma got the wheels churning in my head, primarily, as I am the one who likes to do crazy things and spend money. However, it didn't take long for Mary to see the potential long-term benefits of buying our own home. The next several weeks were enveloped in realty sites and quickly learning the way of the realtor. As we had family members who were also in the process of buying a home, we were referenced to a wonderful realtor. She gave us a chance and pursued so many things for us. She even gave us homemade chocolate covered marshmallows. I also think I ate every hot tamale candy in her office. Twice.

Those weeks of house-hunting seem like such a blur now. I remember getting excited about just about every house that had a basement or purple carpet on the walls. I'm just that kind of guy. Mary was thankfully apprehensive, as she is the one who uses her brains on a consistent basis.

After a few weeks of searching and searching and searching, we found a great deal on a condo. We had initially said we did not want a condo because it felt like a glorified apartment, but because of the location, the price, and the freedom to have pets, we went for it. We negotiated and worked and negotiated. Our realtor, who I'll call Vickie, worked very hard for us.

We were ready to move in to our soon-to-be home.

Long story slightly shorter, we moved and moved again. Within two days. Things did not work out on our end and in a panic mode, we turned to Mary's parents, who were more than happy to take us in.

Here's the interesting thing: during that whole process, each time we saw a home or looked up a home, or considered buying a home, we rarely felt that complete assurance that it was the right place to be. Even me, who was anxious to spend higher than I can count, still felt nervous about these decisions. We figured that it was just part being realty rookies. So we never exactly felt at home anywhere, but we knew that we needed to move.

While I'm sure that there's always nerves when taking such a big step like this one, there was something different.

So anyways, I called back all of the amazing people who were so willing to help out the first time, and they rallied for another move. Without one complaint, friends and family gathered and moved all of our things during a bitter rainstorm. I love those people.

It wasn't long into the first twenty-four hours in our new home at the in-laws that I finally felt we were where we needed to be. As much as my intellect tried to tell me that moving in with parents is the definitive step backwards, everything else told me otherwise.

Now, I'm not sure why we are here, nor for how long. What I do know, and not by my own wacky imagination, is that we are where we are supposed to be. There is no doubt in my mind that we were led to this place at this time.

It has been such a blessing being here. We have learned so much and are still learning every single day. We have opportunities and blessings that simply would not be ours otherwise. My conviction is that everything happened exactly the way it should have. There just wasn't any other way I could see us leaving our happy place in Provo than the idea of buying our own place. God works in mysterious ways, and as much as I sometimes die to know why, I am grateful.

So maybe there's a little lesson here. Maybe we can learn that our understanding of how things "should be" means nothing when we know that Someone Else is in charge. It's hard to live in limbo, not knowing why or what's next.

It reminds me of a couple of great examples in the scriptures.

In the Book of Mormon, the book of Alma, chapter 14. Alma and Amulek are two missionaries who have been captured by wicked men and—after witnessing horrible things—face the idea of being burned alive themselves. Verse 12: "Now Amulek said unto Alma: Behold, perhaps they will burn us also."

If I were in Alma's shoes (or sandals), I probably would have said, "No kidding." But Alma's faith shines brightly here: verse 13: "And Alma said: Be it according to the will of the Lord."

Now, of course, our situation compared to Alma's and Amulek's is pretty much nothing, but the example of having faith in God no matter what is pretty awesome. Go Alma.

Ether, another Book of Mormon prophet, witnessed the destruction of his entire nation by wickedness and war. The last verse of the last chapter of the book of Ether states: "Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, so long as I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen." (Italics added)

Lastly, in the Bible, the incredible example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the book of Daniel.

King Nebuchadnezzar has built a golden image and commands everyone to worship it. The three previously mentioned awesome guys who refuse to do so. They are brought before the King. He tells them that when the music plays, they will have to fall down and worship the image in his presence or suffer death by fire immediately (seems to be a common theme among bad guys). Then he adds this tasty bit at the end: "and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?"

Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego respond, saying "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods..."

I love that example. But if not. Amazing faith in God when facing seemingly insurmountable odds. Let's finish that story.

So the king has them thrown into the fiery furnace. The fire is so hot that it kills the men who took Shadrach and Co. to the mouth of the furnace. But then something happens. The three stand up, and the king says "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

Sooo, King Nebawhatever, you were asking who that God was that would deliver them?

Jesus Christ. The same who saved them yesterday. The same who will deliver us today. The same who will save us forever.

Instant Applications

2009-09-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

This is now the home of my current goings-on in the film world. I will be taking notes about the things that I am writing as I try to work out the kinks and tie up the loose ends. Get ready for possible boredom.

Recently we have been working on a new 'Halloween' project, which we only call by that name because we have a premiere deadline of October 30th (Which isn't Halloween, but it's close). When I say 'we,' I mean the same ol' group, Jarren, John, Colton, Mike, and myself. Most of you don't know them, but we are the collective cinematic superhero.

So I've been heading up the writing on this new project. We don't have a whole lot of time to get it all done, and it's pretty challenging, but I enjoy it a whole lot. I really enjoy these kinds of challenges; it seems to be the only time I really improve.

Writing this film coupled with my two film related classes has really created something special. I go to school everyday and sharpen my techniques and writing tricks, then I get to take that straight to the pages I'm writing. There's nothing quite like instant application.

The project so far is in such an infant stage that I hesitate even bringing it up until we have something more concrete. I wrote out a synopsis for the story and have begun character descriptions.

One of the major problems I have had in the past is having the ability to structure my thoughts and fit the things I want to say into the organized layout for which it is intended. I've also had trying times attempting to justly describe a certain character. I am fortunate enough, however, to be where I am today.

My classes and my friends have helped me begin to cross these barriers. Just the other day, Mike helped me finally see why I could never correctly describe a character. He said something to the effect of:

"When you describe a character, you tend to use adjectives. 'This guy is awkward. This guy is quirky.' Don't tell me he's awkward, show me."

I may or may not have polished his words up a bit, but that doesn't matter. Essentially, that is what I understood from what he said, and it made perfect sense. It seems like common sense, but for some reason I just couldn't see it until now.

Therefore, I have instantly applied this revelation to my writing and have used situations and settings to show who my characters are. For example, in working on my lead character for the 'Halloween' project, I described his morning routine, answering basic questions:

Where does he live?
How well is it kept?
What is his home decor like?
What is his strategy for getting ready in the morning?
What does he eat for breakfast?
What kind of car does he drive?
How does he interact with random people that cross his path?

Any question I had about him had a specific answer. If I came up with one thing, and it didn't feel right, I would try another answer until it fit. It was much easier than to say, "His apartment is clean and nice. He likes eggs." There's no clarity in those statements. How is his apartment clean? How does he like his eggs? How does he prepare them?

It's been amazing having this kind of progress because of a simple change in perspective. It's a true key in bringing your characters to life.

Small Updates...

2009-07-05T22:28:00.001-07:00

It has been far too long since I have posted anything here. Some of you may know, I recently began writing for a local online magazine called Rhombus. I write for the film column. You can go there to see some of my articles about random things.

Otherwise, I have felt very strong about something else and it has to do with my other blog.

Some of you started reading my stories at www.sms-writings.blogspot.com. Many of you didn't. Well, either way, I stopped writing. It just wasn't in my best interest. There is something else now that is in my best interest, and I'm going to post it on the other blog.

So follow the link here in the next day or two and you'll get to read some stuff. Feel free to comment or whatever.

Thanks!

Mckay

Sorry

2009-06-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hey whoever might read this: I have to postpone this experiment for awhile. I've found that I've been putting way too much on my plate and can't stay organized. Therefore, in order to leave myself time for the absolute BEST things in my life, I need to step back from this for awhile.

Thanks for supporting me anyway!

Mckay

It was a good day...

2009-04-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone-

It's been awhile. I haven't been able to write on here since just after we got married. So here I be. Hey oh. Also, I think I'm going to move this to a new site pretty soon. I'll give more details later.

So there was this one time while working at BYU Sports Camps that I did something really funny and stupid. Okay, that happened quite a few times, but this was a good one.

Setting: Softball bleachers at the BYU baseball diamonds. I'm sitting up there observing. It's Monday, and I have been placed in charge of baseball, so I stop by the softball camp for a quick visit. We're sitting up on the top row. "We're"= Me and some girl counselors. I have no idea who was actually there. I don't remember and probably never actually knew their names. Not to be rude, but whatever.

So we're hanging out and talking and everything, I'm telling jokes, we're watching these girls underhand pitch the ball at superhuman speeds, things are good. So I'm telling a story now, most likely something about some other dumb thing that I've done, and out of the corner of my eye, I spot something that's way too close to my face. I completely freak out, mostly due to my monstrous fear of bees (I'll deny this if you ask me in person), jumping around in my seat and jerking my head like I'm in the moshpit at a rock concert. After about 3 or 4 very long seconds, I figure that whatever villian was out to get me had gone, and I notice a piece of white fluff innocently floating away from me. The campers and counselors present were much more entertained at that than any other jokes I had told them.

It was a good day.

McMary

2009-03-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody-

It's been way too long since I've done stuff. And by 'done stuff' I mean written on my blog. I've been too busy watching a much better thing which is called MikeAlger's Vlog. It's awesome. Click to check it out and watch all the awesome videos. He's really good. He's also in China.

Mary and I have been married for one whole month already. Can you believe it? I hardly can. It seems like just yesterday I was moping around still waiting for her to come home.

Now that we've been married for a little while, and have begun to adjust to living with somebody, I want to say that I love being married. It is so great. I love finding new little quirks about her personality, her likes and dislikes. It's a lot of fun.

My wife is the best ever. She is always thinking about me and she's super sweet.

So right now we are just busy with work and life. Mary is working at a toy store called Funfinity. It's in Orem. She loves her job. The people are great. They are one big family and they treat her like one of their own. She's also preparing herself to return to school in the fall. She'll be going to BYU, even though her heart is still at Utah State.

As for me, I am working full-time at Independence High in Provo. I love that job. The kids are interesting, but that's the fun part. It's very rewarding being able to work with those kids. I've been looking for a second job as well. I just applied to work as a work-from-home content writer for web pages. I am hoping to hear back this week from the company.

I'm still in school, and it seems I will be for the rest of time. Mary and I have decided that it will be best if I continue to go to school during the summer months so that I'll be prepared to move to "Junior" status at UVU and begin the seminary teaching program at the Institute Building.

I have only recently decided that I will again change my major to something like advertising. Yes, something like advertising. That's not very specific, but I need to look at all the details first. The reason behind this is that I have had a lot of opportunities present themselves over the past several days that I just cannot ignore. Doors have been opening and it's really surprised me how insanely awesome all of it is. So, in short, I'm going to take this advertising route and work towards other goals, like filmmaking.

So, we're both very excited to see what the rest of this year has to offer. There are so many things going on, and that's where all the fun is. I love having little dinner dates in our little apartment, and watching old seasons of The Office on my iMac. We have fun. Newlywed life has it's challenges, but the great thing is that we don't have to go through it alone, and I've got an amazing wife.

That's us.

Also, those pictures are totally from Chuck E Cheese. Those are some from our engagement photos. Boo. Ya.

TOMORROW

2009-02-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I know it's been far too long since my last blog, but I thought I'd take a second and make sure you all know that I'm getting married tomorrow!

Things have been great, and we're relieved to be past the craziest parts of planning a wedding. We look forward to seeing you if you can come to our reception tomorrow night at Somewhere Inn Time in Lindon.

Take care everyone and we hope to see you soon!

Film News

2009-01-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hey there everyone- wedding preparations are coming along. I have a little bit of free time this afternoon to write about some film news and ask for support.

I have most recently posted about 'Radicali,' the short film we made back in November. We also wrote a short script called 'The After Scrooge.' Yesterday, we shot a film that is titled 'The Infinipede Space Monster...From Outer Space!'

The reason I am telling you about these three is that they are all part of this years LDS Film Festival.

Radicali will screen on Saturday, The Infinipede Space Monster will screen on Thursday, and the awards ceremony for everything will be Saturday night.

Besides the fact that it would be cool to win something, it would also be cool to showcase our films at a venue like this one.

We want to invite you all to come out and support us. Come see our films and a lot of other films that are awesome. I'll leave the link to the official site of the LDS Film Festival below so you can get a more specific schedule and see which events you will be able to attend.

Thanks!

LDS Film Festival Official Site

Radicali

2008-12-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

My friends and I have released a new short film called "Radicali." We want to spread it around and have everybody go see it on the site we have created for it.

You can watch it here. (hold down shift when you click if you don't want to leave this page-It will open this in a new window)

Please leave any comments or questions you have on the site and we will respond as quickly as we can.

Also, if you click on our names (well, all but mine) you will go to the websites of each of the other guys in the group. It's all pretty good stuff. You can find out more about us that way.

All right. Thanks, and enjoy!

NEWS

2008-12-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY THE 14TH will be our wedding day, just so everybody knows. We are getting married in the Timp Temple and our reception will be at Somewhere Inn Time in Lindon.

Peace out.

Betrothment...ing.

2008-12-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...

So... We're engaged!

Mary got home from her mission (Geneva, Switzerland) on Thanksgiving Day. We were officially engaged (ring and all) by the following Thursday.

So we've been engaged for one whole week now. It's fun. I'd rather be married, but this is exciting.

A lot of people have already told us and I know that many people are thinking that we've been moving a little fast, and maybe too fast, but Mary and I are both thinking: FINALLY!

We started dating our senior year of high school, which was the 2003-2004. We've been together since December of 2003, but we weren't always "together."

After graduation in May of 2004, Mary left to go to school at Utah State. She came to visit every few weeks and things were tough, but we got through. I was always paranoid that she was going to find some hottie hunkball of deliciousness and leave me all alone... I got over it. Eventually.

January 12th, 2005: I enter the Missionary Training Center to serve a mission in Mexico. So from January of 2005 to January of 2007, I was on my mission while Mary was at school.

December 25th, 2006: A phone call. I get my Christmas phone call and Mary tells me that she has been called to serve in the Geneva Switzerland Mission and she leaves May 9th, 2007.

January-May 2007: Bliss. This was the gap that we had where we actually got to be together while we were together. We spent the roughly four months together going on dates and talking and just being together and trying to be strong for what we knew what was inevitable.

May 9th, 2007: Goodbye Mary. She leaves and I'm sad. While she serves in France and Luxembourg, I am going to school and work. I talk to her on the phone on Christmas and Mother's Day.

November 27th, 2008: Mary comes home. I freak out and go completely crazy. I surprise her by being at her house when she comes home from getting released by the Stake President. We hug. A lot.

Since then, we got into talking and making plans very quickly, our engagement being great evidence of that. We had a ring picked, a reception hall booked, and a temple reserved within the first week of her being home. She still has some adjusting to go through, but we're getting there are we are very happy.

"So how did you propose?" (That was you asking me that question, by the way.)

I made a video about all of our inside jokes and cutesy memories and sent her on a little scavenger hunt throughout the house to find some stuff that was also relevant to our awesomeness.

The very end of the video tells her to go to her room and POOF! Out of nowhere, I appear. I'm painted in blue and I sing 'Never had a friend like me' from Aladdin. Just kidding. I don't do that. I hand her a little note, which she reads out loud, followed by me dropping to one knee and proposing a betrothement. That isn't a word.

Betrothing.

She said yes. Wooooo!

I'm Engaged! But First, My News Article for My Journalism Class...

2008-12-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving nearly two weeks behind us and Christmas closing in, holiday traditions of every kind are becoming more and more prevalent. Lights, stockings, and ornaments adorn many homes and provide a warm glow during during a bitter Utah December.
The warm glow has seemed to be mostly restricted to only the lights this year, however. The current economic state of the country has driven millions to start crossing items off their children's wish lists long before Christmas even arrives, removing the joyous glow that usually accompanies the season.
Consumers and retailers alike have been witness to the frightened frenzy on Wall Street that gave our economy its biggest scare in decades. This fear and the frenzy has caused consumers to do one thing: protect.
Retailers know one important truth though: consumers will still have Christmas, they will just be a little more careful about how they spend their money.
In response to this, retailers like JCPenney's and Macy's are lowering prices by up to sixty percent and advertising a plethora of bargains in an attempt to attract shoppers to their stores.
But how concerned are we really?
Shane and Dawny Anderson, a newlywed couple from Pleasant Grove say there aren't any out-of-the-ordinary concerns in their home, because, "we're already poor."
"The only thing seems to be grocery shopping," said Mrs. Anderson, noting the benefits of her husband having a job with the government.
Carol Edwards, a Social Worker from Wilmington, North Carolina has shed a different kind of light on the comparatively dismal season.
"The Holiday season of 2008 may offer us a gift in disguise. This year our family plans to do a very de-stressed holiday season that highlights the family and the creativity of the individuals in the family."
Edwards detailed how hand-made gifts and the presence of family would be the essential but ultimate elements to their holiday celebrations.
"This arrangement honors all our family no matter what their circumstances and it provides an environment free of conspicuous consumption. You have it within you to ease the clamors of anxiety and to re-write your script this Holiday Season."

word count: 350 words.

It's really here

2008-11-26T19:52:00.000-08:00

This is it. It's really happening. Eighteen months have really gone by. Tomorrow, my girlfriend Mary Shepherd comes home from her mission. It seems too good to be true.

For those of you who don't know, Mary and I started dating in high school. After graduation she moved up to Utah State to go to school while I prepared for my mission.

I left, and she waited.

When I came home, she already had her call to serve in Geneva, Switzerland. We spent the next four months together.

She left May 9th, 2007, and I waited.

She comes back tomorrow night. Her flight lands at 6:30 pm in Salt Lake. I won't see her until after she is released from her full-time service, which happens at 10:15 tomorrow night. Then I'll be able to go and see her.

Things are so crazy right now I don't even know what to say. I'm not scared though. I feel good. I am anxious, excited, and I have the butterflies for the first time in a very very long time, but I'm not afraid. We have done what we needed to do at the right time and we'll be just fine.

So, I know that many of you have been counting down the days with me, and it's finally here. Next week I will write more about all this.

Thank you all for supporting me and being there for me. The only way I can think of to repay you is by forgetting about you altogether. Just kidding.

Wish me luck!

Films I recommend.

2008-11-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

What is up everybody? I have another blog to do. Yay.

Things are going great. Life is crazy and stressful and all that jazz, but it's good.

To start off with, we finished shooting our new film on Saturday. It's a short film that is too unique to explain. Also I'm very bad at giving a synopsis of it, so deal with it. In any case, we'll have it up soon so you can see it and tell us how awesome it is. We put a lot into this so we are very proud of it.

We are also going to start working on our next project as soon as this one is officially finished. We will probably need all the help we can get, so be prepared to get a phone call, cause we just might call you...

There is just something so extraordinary about film. It is a medium with so much potential for influence. Everyone has seen a film that opened their eyes to something they had never even imagined before. Everyone has seen a film that was so emotional it took you days to recover.

Then again, everyone has seen a film that was a waste of their money, even if it was rented from redbox. Everyone has seen films that are so mindless, empty, and heartless it makes you sick just thinking about it.

Unfortunately, the mindless, empty, and heartless have been the most popular and the real money-makers. From what I can see, most (NOT ALL) of the stuff that comes out of Hollywood is garbage. Again, I emphasize that not all of it is. There are movies with heart and real movies that move you that come from Hollywood. I just feel they don't happen very often, as I've said in a previous blog.

Anyways, I have learned to love and embrace two different kinds of films: Classics and Independents.

You know how your parents or grandparents will bring home some strange movie that looks older than film itself and they try and convince you that it's a good one? Here's some news for you: they're probably right. Some of the best films I've seen this past year have all been from the 70's or earlier. Here are some suggestions. Some are more well-known than others.

"Empire of the Sun"
This film was made by Steven Spielberg and stars our most popular hero, Christian Bale (both Batman movies, Newsies, Little Women, etc.) This time, he's a twelve year old boy living with his family in Shanghai. This is my favorite performance of Christian Bale, out of all of his movies. He is absolutely phenomenal as a child actor.

Orson Welles "Citizen Kane"
This might be a tough one to rent or watch for most because the film is in black and white. When you find it at the store, make sure it is the 2 DVD set with the documentary about Orson Welles and other important figures of that era and those that were pertinent to this film. That made the movie so much more amazing for me. The rental usually has the documentary to go along with it.

"The Candidate"
This is an intriguing film with a young Robert Redford taking the lead role. He plays a lawyer who is convinced to campaign against a very popular Californian Senator. This film grasps the world of a rising politician better than any other film I have seen.

Pretty much anything by Alfred Hitchcock
This was a revolutionary man in the film industry. He was decades ahead of his time. Think of films that follow the genre of 'The Sixth Sense', then increase the quality of the story by a billion and you have Alfred Hitchcock. He was brilliant in nearly everything he did, and some of his films would be top sellers in the box office if they were released today. As a matter of fact, they are being released today, after being ripped off and modernized. i.e. "Disturbia." I don't care if you don't believe me. Watch 'Rear Window' then watch 'Disturbia' and tell me that it wasn't a rip off. The original pummels the Shia LeBouf version in my book. Suspense was an art back then, and not the newer stuff disguised under the same title. Now, graphic and nude surprises are referred to as 'suspense' but it isn't a true description of the word or the genre. I suggest Rear Window and Vertigo as your starters, then you can just decide from there which one you'd like to see next. They're in the 'Classics' section you never go to at Hollywood Video or Blockbuster. :)

Have you ever been driving down the road and all of a sudden you see this billboard displaying a new movie coming out, but it's one you've never heard of, you've never seen any commercials, and it looks like maybe it's a joke, or probably just a bad movie? Well, I can't say this is true for every billboard like that you see, but there are so many unpopular films that go above and beyond the mainstream films we are used to watching. And here in the beautiful state of Utah, we have a multitude of films, and not all of them are LDS-themed.

"The Errand of Angels"
This IS in fact an LDS-themed film. The story was originally written by a woman named Heidi Johnson, who served an LDS Mission in Vienna Austria. Years later she followed a dream and wrote the story, and Christian Vuissa was the screenwriter. Vuissa is the founder and head honcho for the LDS Film Festival, which does not get as much credit as it deserves as a film festival. But that's besides the point here. Errand of Angels is a moving story about a sister missionary and her experiences. It's a real story with convincing talent.

"Lars and the Real Girl"
Ryan Gosling (Fracture, Remember the Titans, etc.) stars in a very compelling role as Lars, a young adult man with what seem to be serious social defects. Things take a more serious turn when he buys a female "mannequin" and is convinced that it is his actual living breathing girlfriend. A well-mastered role by Gosling.

"Expelled"
Ben Stein ('Dry Eyes' Commercials, Ferris Bueller's Day Off..."Bueller? Bueller?") takes us on a very interesting investigation to many parts of the world in deep discussion with the most prominent scientists of our day. He is approaching the battered theory that there was some sort of 'intelligent design' in the creation of man. Whether or not you believe in God, this is a funny and smart film that makes you think.

"Stalking Santa"
I don't know about you, but I love those innocent family films that can also be enjoyed by the adults in the family, too. Stalking Santa does that for me. Made locally (No LDS-themes), this film is a high quality mockumentary that follows a man who is a self-proclaimed 'Santologist' as he fights to prove Santa's existence. Narrated to perfection by William Shatner (THE William Shatner), this movie is highly entertaining, but most likely only available for purchase. It's well worth it.

"Take"
I have discussed this film in a previous blog entitled "Take." If you want the full information, you can go there. I do not see R rated films, but I saw this one and I do not regret it. I am surprised and disappointed that it was rated R. This is one of the most emotional and raw films I have ever seen. It enters the battlefield between hatred and forgiveness better than any film I've ever seen. Extremely powerful, but maybe a little too intense for a younger audience (although not graphic).

"Article VI: Faith. Politics. America."
This is a film from the studio I work for right now, called Living Biography. This is a documentary following director Bryan Hall around the country speaking with some of the most well-known Christian leaders in the nation, along with many other people, uncovering many truths about the relationship between religion and politics in this country, and the reasons behind it. This was an eye-opening film for me. Stay tuned for updates about the film and when it will be available for viewing. You can also go to www.article6themovie.com for more information.

"The Ultimate Gift"
This is not an independent film, but it's not very well known. If you have not seen it, go rent it. Go buy it. This is a very entertaining and motivating film with heart that teaches about real love and the truest gifts we can receive in this life. I fully recommend it.

There are several other films I would love to talk about, but I can't remember all of them right now. But these are a few that are on my top list of films that I would recommend to anyone. It's a good thing I'm putting them here, because everyone asks me what my favorites are and I can never think of what to tell them. These are good alternative films you can see when you feel like there's nothing in the theater or the rental places.

So here you go. Enjoy.

High as a Kite...

2008-11-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

These are some crazy times. I'm not talking about politics or anything of the sort. I just want to talk about how crazy things are right now in my life.

Between work and school, I have plenty of craziness to handle. For starters, I have been working with a small group of friends and we have been working on a film for about a month now. We started by sitting down and brainstorming a bunch and came up with a bunch of ideas and all that jazz and developed a story and started writing the script and filling in all the elements one by one. Tonight we had what I assume is our last official meeting before the shoot. We shoot on Saturday so we just have to go out and get things done tomorrow and make final adjustments on Friday. It's going to be absolutely hectic, but I'm way excited. We are going to enter the film in the Insomnia Film Festival that is put on by Apple. It's a 24-hour film festival. In other words, we have to shoot the edit and upload the movie all between the hours of 7 am Saturday to 7 am Sunday. Our plan is to be done much earlier than 7 am Sunday.

So that has definitely been time consuming.

With all that in the works for this weekend, I am pleased to announce that I am getting my wizzum teefs out on Friday morning. You probably are asking, "Why didn't you get them out before your mission?" The answer is that I did, but they grew back. Just kidding. No, I really did though, just the bottom two. So now I have the top two that have to be ripped out of my face for more than 500 bones. that's not cool. I get paid on Friday and most of that will be going down the tubes for my facelift.

So can you just imagine how I'm going to direct a film on Saturday on the side of a mountain in an abandoned mine? I know, it's going to rock. High as a kite.

Sidenote: if you want to know what the movie is about, you'll be able to watch it very soon. It'll be on websites and such so you can go watch it and vote for it cause it'll be the best one, regardless of what you really think.

The big one though is that Mary, my sweetheart, is coming home from her mission in two weeks. She will be flying in at 6:30 pm on Thanksgiving Day. Best. Thanksgiving. Ever.

As awesome as it is, I feel a huge responsibility to be awesome. That's a really hard thing to do. Anyway, I don't want to sound like I'm completely freaking out about this part, because it's really not my intention. I'm not worried about her coming home and what it's going to be like and all that jazz. I'm more trying to prepare myself because my life is literally going to change after Thanksgiving Day. I will no longer be a HUGE LOSER. Well, maybe I still will be, but I'd be happy to be a huge loser with an awesome girlfriend. (Huge in the proportion of loserness, and also huge as in the size of my body).

Well, I think that's a good note to end on. Things are nuts, but so am I, so we do well together.

Vote! Informative Blog...

2008-11-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

Today I want to talk about voting.

Tomorrow we all have to vote.

I'm going to add several links to this post.

Voting keeps us free. We lose our freedoms when power-hungry judiciaries pound their gavels in favor of their false interpretations of the Constitution.

Vote.

If you want more information about the importance of issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, click here. This is a speech that the entire country should hear.

I will not endorse a candidate nor will I attempt to tell you who you should vote for.

Please make an informed decision. Most of the junk that gets forwarded to you in your email, half of the stuff on television, and most of the things spread by word-of-mouth about the candidates is false. It is designed by wicked men to strike fear into the hearts of the citizens of this country. When we buy into those things, we are giving up our freedoms, because our vote was just purchased with lies.

Be informed about the candidates and where they stand.

For example, did you know that Barack Obama and John McCain have similar views about same-sex marriage?

To find out more about Barack Obama, click here.

To find out more about John McCain, click here.

We owe it not just to ourselves but to our children and the continuing generations to make informed decisions about the leadership of our country. It is a duty and an opportunity.

"But my vote is only one vote." Click here to see how important one vote can be.

This post should have enough information for you to be able to find correct and necessary information.

Good luck, and God Bless this country.

Frustrations with Politics...

2008-10-29T22:43:00.001-07:00

I watched the Series Premiere of "The Barack Obama Show" tonight. If you didn't catch it, you should definitely find it somewhere online and watch it.

It was very well done. The music was fitting to set the heroic mood, the lighting was professional, the shot selection was fascinating, and above all, the acting was phenomenal.

No, I'm not suggesting that the people Barack Obama sat with were acting, but our future President himself.

Of course, it's not like anything has changed. Nor do I wish to say that Barack Obama is the only politician guilty of this. But he is the only one I see buying up a half an hour of very expensive air time to say the exact same message he has given for the last year. Miraculously, he is going to lower taxes for all families that make less than $200,000 a year, while at the same time, put billions into energy independence, technology advancements, military renovations, hiring an "army" of new educators, paying them more, making sure we are "the first ones" paid back from all the recent government spending, more affordable/available health care, and buying Mars.

Okay the last one was false, but do you see what I mean? And again, for all you Obama supporters, I don't want to say that I believe that it's only Obama that makes such outrageous and impossible claims, but if you want to avoid the "celebrity" tag, don't put your 30-minute show at 7:00 p.m. on primetime television!

Barack Obama is a family man and will probably serve well as President (besides the whole socialism concerns...), but his debut on primetime tonight made me think about the big picture:

I wish there were a day I could remember voting for someone I actually believed should be President.

I wish a candidate would stand up and say, "Look, I am not going to pretend like I can save the world. I'm not going to promise you a perfect solution to everything from the start. What I will tell you though is that I will start with the greatest problem facing our nation. Once I have done all I can do, I will move to the next. I will start by taking on this economic crisis. If there is more to do, or a better way to do it, I'm going to figure it out, cause I'm an American too. Then, I'm going to sit down and be informed on everything about the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm going to talk to those who know, get advice, and work together across any party necessary to come up with the best solution possible.

When our economy becomes strengthened and we make necessary moves in regards to the fighting, I will then be able to promise and provide tax cuts. I want to speak straight forward to you, because I know it will be better for all of us in the future. I will not try to deceive the American People to vote for me. I want to show them who I am, what I stand for, and that I am a human, just like every single one of them, and I will do the best I can."

Maybe that's what they are saying, and I'm just not hearing it. Maybe that's what they want, but I can't see it. It just feels so superficial to me, and I hate thinking that I am forced into a "lesser of tw
o evils" situation when voting. I don't believe that either of our candidates today are in fact 'evil' or anything of the sort, but you know what I mean.

Anyways, to sum up, I hope I don't make anyone too upset with this post. That is not my intention. I just wanted to vent my frustrations with politics in general, and it happened to be Senator Obama and his TV show that got me going.

So, if I offend you in anyway, I'm sorry you are offended, but I won't apologize for my remarks, because they are mine, and I'm entitled to them.

Anyway, peace out.

Take

2008-10-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Take. The word is in and of itself a very selfish word. It is one of those words that brings emotion to the surface, whether to display bitterness or guilt. It is also the title of a recently released independent film starring Minnie Driver and Jeremy Renner. The film is based on two days in the lives of two strangers, Ana and Saul, portrayed by Driver and Renner.
"I was attracted to this film by the brave and compelling nature of the story itself," said Driver. "It took me on an emotional journey that was impossible to prepare for. I think it forces you to expand your spirit and connect with something bigger than yourself."
The lead characters in the story meet for only a few brief moments during the entire film, but their chance meeting tragically changes their lives forever.
"This experience has presented a crossroads in my mind, questioning what I thought I knew and what I wish to be true about the human spirit, life, and ultimately, the death penalty," said Jeremy Renner, after discussing the challenges of portraying his difficult character.
The film strays from the Hollywood norms of revenge for what is lost. It is driven by a belief by writer-director Charles Oliver, a graduate in Humanities from Brigham Young University.
"In Take, I wanted to explore how far the heart could go with this kind of resentment before it would fold in on itself. I wanted to examine the idea of forgiveness as a mechanism of survival - having nothing to do with whether someone deserves it and everything to do with our own need to forgive."
Take has been rated 'R' for "some violent content with intense emotional impact," according to the Motion Picture Association of America website.
For more information on the film, click here.

Another Week

2008-10-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm tired. Boo. I'm ready for bed at 7:30 pm. That's sad. I wish I could just go to bed. Good ol' homework.

Is it really Thursday tomorrow? I can't believe it's Thursday again. Things are happening so fast. I guess that's what happens when you are working and schooling.

I'm halfway through my first week at my new job. I started working at a film studio called Living Biography. You can check it out at www.livingbiography.com. As soon as I do something cool I'll post it here or tell you where to find it or something.

I can't really describe what I do over there exactly, but I am learning a whole lot and I really like it so far. It's been very fun, but very busy as well.

Now, I'm dummm and I can't figure out how to just put a blasted countdown thing on my blog, but I don't really care all that much. I don't want to take the time to do it anyway. I'll just tell you. I don't need it for myself because I have a countdown on my computer, on my phone, and in my brain. By the mouth of two or three witnesses...

By the mouth of two or three witnesses, Mary (my girlfriend) comes home in approximately 35 days. If you were to count that out right now, your finger would land right on Thanksgiving Day, for that is the day on which she arrives. Yay yay, hallelujah. Seriously. I can't type how excited I am. I should take a picture of it and then post it on here. That takes way too long though. Just take my word for it.

So amidst my excitement for her return, I am also starting to stress like a madman. I'm trying to save up money, but also pay for the things I need to buy, and also just be who and what I need to be by the time she gets home. It's not that I'm scared, I just want to be ready. So as it turns out, I'm really happy that time is going by fast because 35 days will go by quicker, but before I know it, we are at the end of another week and I feel like I'm broke or just about to be.

Anyway, I'm not overly concerned about it. It's just part of what's going on in my life.

Also, as much fun as the fall break was, it has been very difficult for me to get back into a school-goer mode. I go, but I guess the hardest part is getting my homework done. I was doing great up until then. I was getting to all my classes and doing all of my work and turning it in on time, but for some reason, these first few days back have been especially difficult.

Oh well. I'm over it. I can feel myself starting to take some responsibility again and stop wasting so much time doing nothing, or doing something else. I don't know.

So this blog has been nearly pointless. Well, I guess it serves as a good update.

Oh yeah, one more thing: my future in-laws are awesome. Seriously. They are awesome.

Awesome.

Prince Caspian...Finally...

2008-10-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today, I’ll do a better-late-than-never review of the newest Chronicles of Narnia movie, “Prince Caspian.”

If you at least got a little enjoyment out of the first installment, you should love it the second time around. This time, our (mostly) lovable young heroes are back in Narnia, but not at first. We find them at home, and anxious for some sort of sign, a whisper, a call. And quickly enough, we find ourselves once again wandering through the most breathtaking oases of Narnia. But immediately things become foreign to the young kings and queens. Although just a short period of time has passed at home, many years have passed in Narnia. The places they knew so well are in ruins, and much of the great monuments have fallen; testaments to the time passed and the current turmoil of the land.

Prophecies are once again fulfilled as the four nobles make their presence known. The Narnia they once knew is no longer. Many of the blissful and peaceful elements of Narnia have been revoked, and Narnians find themselves in hiding within their own land. There is a new enemy with an aggressive arsenal and an astounding hatred for all other life.

The perception we come to love about Narnia is that it is completely unlike reality. The two elements that make Narnia flow and make people aspire for it are: life and harmony. Things are alive. Things are moving, flowing, real, speaking. We do not always understand what things are being communicated, but the actions speak much louder than words. The expressions of the trees and plants, for example, are a highlight to Narnia. These expressions, and these living things, are the great cause for the potential harmony in Narnia. When just kings and just queens rule Narnia, life and harmony are also present. The same is to be said of the opposite. We see in “Prince Caspian” that when evil and greedy kings and queens reign, life is then quite literally ‘sucked’ from the land, and therefore harmony as well.

Our emotions soon get to us and we understand that without life and harmony, there can be no hope. But not all life is gone. While there is still life, there is still hope, and that gives harmony a chance.

Throughout the film, you can find many Christian parallels. If you have seen the film, but did not notice them, go see it again, and look only for parallels. If you are still having trouble, I’m sorry.

There is a great moral in the film that I wish to point out. Fortunately, I can explain it in general terms so that you can identify them when you see it and I’m not giving you spoilers.

The young ones, more especially Peter (being the High King), must make crucial decisions during the story that will essentially determine the fate of his Narnian followers. As you watch this story progress, you will see the consequences based on their faith. At times they have more faith and hope than others, and it becomes obvious as they seek for support. There are many different sources they can go to for ‘help,’ and they do in fact ‘try out’ these sources. A great lesson here is that you should never have to sacrifice good for good. In other words, you cannot achieve good through the methods of evil. It’s a principle of life. If you try to accomplish what seems to be a ‘greater good’ by incorporating an aspect of what you know to be wrong, the results will be devastating. This is obviously not the only film that teaches this principle. But to me, it's more about the way it's taught rather than what exactly is being taught. It is a clear and precise message.

I will own this film when it comes out on DVD. It is an all-time favorite of mine. It is the best movie I have seen in a very long time. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Forever Strong

2008-10-01T21:47:00.001-07:00

I started writing a blog about the economy, but BORING. That's all I can say. I lost interest and I'm pretty sure people are actually going to make something happen over the next few days, so it's all good. At least we didn't have 1.2 trillion dollars just flat out disappear a few days ago! Oh wait...

Anyway, I want to talk about the last movie I saw. The movie is called "Forever Strong." It was directed by Ryan Little, whose name you may recognize from a movie called "Saints and Soldiers." He directed that one as well.

If you have seen Saints and Soldiers, you know how good Ryan Little is. In Forever Strong, he tells another great story.

Forever Strong is based on actual events. It comes from the inspiring legacy of the Highland High School Rugby Team. Under their current coach, they have nearly 400 wins and only 9 losses. It's a remarkable record, but you have to see the film to understand the style of champions this coach has molded.

The story covers important morals and values that seem to be out of reach for most Hollywood films. It gets down to real emotions and situations that affect real people.

This isn't a very long review, but I think you should just go see it without me telling you more about it. I don't think many movies are worth a full $8.50 Friday night showing, but this is one of the few that does.

Go see Forever Strong.

"...bird poop, spiders, speeding cars and clowns."

2008-09-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

At home, on my super awesome computer, I have a huge title that goes across my screen. I made it not too long ago. It simply says: "What is it that we fear?"

To anybody besides myself, it probably is just a strange vague question. I can see somebody reading this and saying: "Well, bird poop, spiders, speeding cars and clowns."

I try to think of it on a deeper level.

I want this question to drive me to explain to myself why I don't do things. By things, I mean, well, I'll put an example.

I know somebody I can help. I want to help them. At least something inside me is saying "help them." But for some reason, between point A and point B, that so-called 'desire' gets lost or something. No, it gets consumed by fear.

So then instead of leaving it there, not doing something and not asking why, I start to ask myself: What am I afraid of? What is holding me back from doing what I know I should do?

The honest truth is that we fear how people will react. It's natural for us to want to be liked. We want friends. We don't want people to hate us, think we're annoying, or anything of the sort. So if we're going to say something that we feel will be outside of somebody else's comfort zone, we hesitate. Their fabricated comfort zone suddenly becomes our fabricated comfort zone. We subconsciously make it one of those things we just don't talk about.

So, we become less and less active about reaching out each time we second guess what comes to us.

When I really think about it, it makes me laugh at myself. I think: "What, is he going to punch me in the face if I invite him to church?"

Or: "They're probably sleeping/busy/angry about something/tired of hearing the same ol' thing/whatever." Right. One or all of those things are always true... (Sarcasm)

To many of you readers, this might sound a lot like missionary work. Much of it is. I don't think they'd keep calling it missionary WORK if we'd stop being so afraid all the time.

Anyway, I've tried a little harder lately to just be prepared for anything and say it if I feel it needs to be said, or do it if I feel it needs to be done. It's actually really satisfying. The funny thing is, I feel more like I'm being myself. I also feel more comfortable doing it.

Maybe I should have said a few more specifics here. I have referred mostly to my attempts and fears at befriending others and also telling them about the Church and the Gospel I believe in. No, I don't want to force it down people's throats, but I love it and want to share it with those closest to me. Maybe I held back those specifics here because I knew that not everyone who reads my blog is a member of the Church I belong to, and that scared me. Hm, interesting.

Also...

Perhaps I've been generalizing too much in this blog. Perhaps this should be referring specifically to me and my own weirdness. But I don't think I'm the only weirdo out there.

I'll bet you're weird too.

Unusually happy...

2008-09-17T19:59:00.001-07:00

Okay here we go again...

Another week gone and a new time to blog.

Today's blog will be slightly different than many of my other blogs. What I mean by that is that it will be a little more personal than most things I've written about before, with exception to writing about my brother Ben or writing about my missionary girlfriend Mary.

Aside from being downright exhausted over the last couple of weeks, I have noticed something else about myself. It's something not too extraordinary or out-of-this-world-weird, but it's a behavior change that has become a habit, or a consistent lifestyle.

Those who know me well know that I am usually pretty easy going and that I enjoy a good laugh. I'd consider myself a pretty outgoing fellow. Anyways, right after school started, I began to stress out a lot. Anyone who has worked full-time and gone to school full-time knows what I'm talking about. It's crazy. So I was getting very stressed out. I couldn't concentrate much at all and I just wasn't happy.

Lately, though, as I have previously mentioned, something has changed. I am what I call 'unusually cheery' considering the stresses of school/work/life that I have or should have right now.

Well, over the past 24 hours I have been thinking about the "why."

I guess what triggered my pondering was when I went to pay $139.00 to the Provo City Police Department for my speeding ticket I got a few weeks ago. I had to pay for my ticket and for traffic school, and it added up to that glorious amount.

So I walk in the building, and I'm sporting a cheap pair of sunglasses I found at a park in Provo during the summer. They are the 80's style shades, with black frames and hot pink sides. I've discovered how ridiculously good looking I am in them, so I can't ever stop wearing them....

Wow, tangent. So I walk in and I have to put all my metal objects in a little cup and put my backpack on the little conveyor belt x-ray machine thing. The security guard starts telling me how awesome those glasses are and that he used to wear them when he was my age and it was for sure "the thing." I'm glad I could take him on a retro journey with my stolen shades...

Then I go up to the desk and start making stupid jokes with the ladies that were working there. I'm asking about half-off coupons for tickets, or student discounts. You know, ridiculous things.

Then after a few jokes and laughs, I stopped and something hit me.

"I don't think I've ever been this upbeat while paying for a ticket before." That was only my second ticket in my life, but what I was really getting at was: "There's got to be a better reason for me being jovial right now. It definitely isn't this ticket."

So long story short (or a little shorter) is this: The only thing different about the me now and the me a few weeks ago has been my increased effort to be more spiritual. It has been an exceptionally slow process, but I have been patient with myself as I try to climb a spiritual ladder, striving for a higher personal plane. (plain?).

I 'blame' part of this on the classes I am enrolled in at the UVU Institute. I have been more opened to exploring, discovering, and pondering about the scriptures of God. And to say it quite frankly, I don't really care if you don't share the same beliefs as me, that's your right. But I have no shame in saying that I believe whole-heartedly in God and in His Gospel. My efforts to be more spiritual throughout my life have proven to be the 'molding' moments. They have shaped me into who I am today, and that is a person I am pretty happy with right now. Now, obviously, I say and do a lot of really ridiculous things, but I love to laugh at myself more than almost anything else.

But I'm happy. 'Unusually' happy.

My Life as of NOW

2008-09-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, start typing and see what happens.

This time of my life seems to be super stressful. Let's try to identify why.

My daily routine is as follows: Get up at six in the morning, be to work by half past seven, and work until 2:30. From there I have class Mondays and Wednesdays from 3-5, and from 6-8:30. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have class from 5:30-7:20. I also have a Saturday class that goes from 10:45 until 1:15. My only "day off" from school is friday.

So these are the classes I'm taking right now:

First and foremost, I am taking two classes at the Institute. I have a Scripture Study class and a class on the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church. I love both of those classes. They are fantastic. I have already learned a ton and we are only a few weeks in.

Next, I am taking a Communications class called "Writing for the Mass Media." That class is pretty cool. I am learning a lot about the media and different parts of society and all that good stuff. I also have to do a lot of reading for this class, including the New York Times Front Page everyday, so I feel like I am learning a ton and I am up-to-date on the happenings of the world. It's a sweet class.

My next class is a Digital Media Class. It's Digital Media Essentials 1110. It's a beginners multimedia class. I really like that class even though I am familiar with most of the things we are working with. It's a good class to have cause I get to brush up on a lot of the things I learned in high school. I'm most excited for the video portion, even though I'll probably know everything about it. That sounds really conceded, but remember, this is a beginners class. It is all about the basics, and I promise, I know at least the basics of video editing. I'm not as creative as I would like to be though. Good ol' creativity.

My final class is Spanish 3050. It's the advanced Spanish class at UVU. I really like that class too. It challenges me. It pushes me to get out of my comfort zone and learn more Spanish. I developed the language while serving a mission in Southern Mexico, but I feel like there are so many things I just don't know or understand, and this class is helping me overcome that. I am learning a lot each week.

So that's my school schedule. My work life is pretty crazy. A lot of people ask me what exactly I do because I work at a high school. It's an amazing job. I am part of the Support Staff at IHS, under the title of "Hall Monitor" or "In School Suspension Coordinator." The title of Hall Monitor is pretty self-explanatory. Watch over the halls. Make sure things are in order. "I.S.S. Coordinator." That's a good one. We have a no tardy policy at IHS, so if any student is late, they have to go to in school suspension for the rest of that class period. They are also sent there for behavioral issues as well.

I also work with the Assistant Principal, Boyd, working with student discipline. We work a lot with the students that have gang involvement, and work with gang prevention at the school. Needless to say, I have learned a great deal from this job.

This is my second year at IHS. Last year, I was able to help out with the basketball team. I was kind of a "co-head coach." Maybe that's not accurate. Either way, I split the coaching duties with an eager volunteer by the name of Josh. He has worked a lot to help these kids.

I think my favorite part (and, at times, my least favorite part) about this job is the interaction I have with the kids. It is my favorite because I honestly see a lot of good and a lot of potential in these kids. They are good kids, even if they are just trying to be tough, or gangsters, or whatever. I get along with nearly all of them, and it has been a great experience being able to be of some help maybe to these kids.

I also say it's my least favorite part of the job too because I can't stand to see good kids lose it and drop out, get pregnant or get someone pregnant, fail classes, stop caring, fight, or whatever else happens over there. It's hard to see that. It reminds me of my life as a missionary, seeing people know that the message we bring will change their lives so much for the better, yet they walk away from it. It was hard to see that.

So that's my life right now. It's pretty crazy. It's not nearly as exciting in word form though. But trust me, I have crazy moments. Things seem to be moving about a million miles an hour. The weeks just fly by and sometimes I feel like I'm just barely scraping by.

I like that time is flying though. My girlfriend Mary is serving a mission in Switzerland and she'll be home in November, so the faster time goes the better. I can't wait to see her again. Woohoo!

The GOP Convention

2008-09-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

I just spent the last twenty minutes or so watching Governor Sarah Palin address the crowds at St. Paul Minnesota.

When I first heard that John McCain had chosen some "no-name" governor from Alaska, my first thought was: "Well, I'm not voting this election I guess."

I have read several articles over the past few days and my opinion has begun to change slightly. I knew from the start that I was making a very ignorant decision because I honestly had no idea who this person was.

Tonight I was blown away by Governor Palin. She is a newcomer to the national scene but it did not seem that way tonight as she stood confidently and addressed the millions watching her all across the country.

After just a few moments of watching and listening to Sarah Palin, my opinion changed completely. Now, instead of being the downfall to the McCain Campaign, I believe she is now the strongest asset that this campaign has.

From powerful bashes against the Democratic Ticket to promises of faithful leadership, she seemed to posses and address everything the truly conservative voters perhaps feared was missing with their party this election.

I am anxious to see what kind of affect this speech has on the entire flow of the campaign. God Bless America!

Wall-E

2008-07-07T22:28:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already seen Wall-E, see it. It should be on your to-do list, not your wish list. Not only is the animation phenomenal, but it is truly an "instant classic" from the Disney/Pixar team.

Have you ever been in a movie where the end credits begin to roll and nobody gets out of their seats? I'm not talking about one of those that has an extra clip at the end that you've heard about. I'm talking about a movie that is so real to your emotions that they overtake your person and keep you hypnotized in the seat. At least the chairs are comfortable...

That is the kind of movie that Wall-E is. It brings to the surface some sort of child-like curiosity and innocence that we once experienced long ago. We laugh at the emotions and mannerisms of this lovable garbage disposal.

The characters were mastered. Wall-E became a real thing that captivated the audience because of the impressive detail they gave him. So many things were largely unrelated to the plot itself, but it gave each audience member a different way to connect, to feel.

Unfortunately, the films that have heart and the films that come from Hollywood fall under two completely separate categories...for the most part. Those Hollywood films with heart seem to be few and far between, but this was an absolute gem.

I think it is interesting how an animated film about a lonely, curious, strange little robot and his crazy adventures is much more real to our emotions and to our minds than any film with 'hot guys, fast cars, and faster women.' Those films just stimulate the senses for a brief moment. Emotion and heart is not involved for the most part.

I think ratings are funny, but I will use one. I give Wall-E 5/5 stars, which means it's a movie that I will buy when it comes out on DVD. Awesome fetching possum. The end.

The Beauty of a Phone Call

2008-05-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

Due to the nature of this post, I will probably say something cheesy, pathetic, sad, embarrassing, or all of the above. You have been warned. Last Sunday was Mother's Day. Mothers are great. But I was excited for a completely different reason. I was excited because it was the day I got to speak to Mary, my French missionary. Mary left to serve in the Geneva Switzerland Mission on May 9th of 2007. Therefore, she has been gone just over a year and will be returning home this November. Often I feel like time is standing still and it drives me crazy. For a brief period last Sunday, time stood still, and I loved it. I wanted it to stay like that. Talking to Mary was among the very top things I have done this whole last year. While speaking with my sister-in-law Krista about it, I mentioned that there was only one word I could think of that would accurately describe the conversation we had. That word is tender. It was a tender conversation. When I had thought about what it would be like to talk to her after all of this time, and I expected something different. Honestly, I expected a soldier-like attitude. I expected her to be maybe a little closed off and possibly not wanting to talk all that much. I should've known better. I have been there. What I got was something so special that I have recorded it in several different places and spoken about it with many people. What I got was a sweet, humble, completely solid spiritual rock. The first thing she did when it was my turn to talk was say, "Can I tell you a story first?" It really took me by surprise and then she told me a story about something that I had said in a previous letter or email that helped her help someone else. Then at the end of her story, she said something that stuck with me more than anything else I think. She softly, gently, and sincerely said, "Thank you." I could tell she was smiling. I could tell she was really truly grateful. She was just so soft, and it was so impressive to me. I love her like crazy. I didn't think she had anything to improve on. I still don't know that she does, but she did say that she appreciates my mission stories more. Now that she is a missionary and has lived through the many experiences that happen to missionaries, she is more appreciative of others' experiences, namely mine. I remember telling her stories before and she would say things like, "Oh, that's great..." as if she didn't really know what else to say, but now it's different. Anyways, there are a hundred things I could talk about with regards to Sister Shep, but I won't. I just know that hearing her voice brought her back for me again. It made her real again. It also made me realize that I've only got six months to get rich...

Ironman: "Just Enough."

2008-05-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

So many people were thrilled to see Ironman. I think that had a lot to do with the fact that the last noteworthy film to be released was "Cloverfield," which wasn't even that impressive anyway. It also had to do with the fact that 'comic book movies' are the craze of the film industry.

Ironman was a success. It was an achievement for the comic book genre. Why? Because it was successfully adapted. It stayed true to the key elements of the story without embracing the comic book (for lack of a better word) 'cheesiness.'

A comic book is a comic book and a movie is a movie. A comic book movie's success depends on whether or not they can make the comic book into a movie, and not make a movie out of a comic book.

Anyways, this is entirely unrelated to why Ironman was a success.

#1: The goal of this film was to establish. The characters and their motives were established. The main character and his 'transformation' into a hero has already been established. (For those who enjoy good action, this is perfect, because when Ironman 2 comes out, there will be no need to establish any of that other junk, and there will be a lot more time for explosions and such.)

#2: The timing was impeccable. After an especially difficult drought of near-biblical proportions, Ironman came at the perfect time to save us all and to get us excited for the next several weeks of great film releases. Being the first of the great releases was a very intelligent move, making people very anxious to finally get back into the theater.

#3: There was enough action. That doesn't mean there was a lot of action. That means there was just enough to make it entertaining action-wise.

#4: The humor was compensating. By that I mean the humor compensated for the lack of action. When there wasn't action, or even an anticipation of action, there was a lot of humor. Robert Downey Jr. mastered the character of Tony Stark, making him devilishly likable.

#5: You want more. Did I want more? You bet. Did the people with me want to see more? Definitely. The makers of the film did not stray from their main goal: to establish. Everything that needed to be established was established, and we even got a little taste of what's coming up next (if you didn't stay until after the credits, you'd better go see it again).

What can we expect from the sequel?

First of all, we can expect a sudden jump into the main plot of the story. We already know where Tony Stark has been and what he went through to get where he was. We can expect some early laughs and a quick dilemma and a deepening plot right off the bat.

Secondly, we can see a good continuation of the romance that began in the original. It was obvious throughout the story that this would develop, but it didn't get far in this one. We can probably expect more perilous situations for Pepper Potts.

And finally, we can expect to see a full-blown blockbuster. Many will criticize this first film because they feel like there wasn't enough done, but I feel that that is what saved it. Just enough happened to set up a magnificent sequel. The trailers will be packed with as much action and humor as they can manage to stick in there so people will rush to the theaters to see if it does better than the first. Ironman is a hero that everyone wanted to see win. In the sequel, they will get to see it without any barriers. Also, to help out, I only have to say one thing: Samuel L. Jackson.

My Brother

2008-05-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday I lost my brother Ben. He died of natural but unknown causes. My sweet mother found him lying on the ground in our backyard late Saturday night. It has been an earth-shattering experience for my family.

I still find myself in shock. It is really hard for me to believe that he is really gone. I think I will have to actually see his body lying there in the casket before I really believe it. We were supposed to see Ironman this Friday. I'll be at his funeral instead.

Today we had to clean up his room and clear everything out because my brother and is wife are moving in tonight. It was a difficult thing for me to do. I needed to though, because I had to face it. I needed to come to terms with it and really understand that my brother is dead. I will never come home to find him laying on his favorite recliner watching the Discovery Channel again. We will never be able to talk about and go see great movies again. Fishing will always have a certain void to it.

If I could pick one word to describe my brother Ben, I would say 'courage.' When we say that everyday is a battle, that was an especially true term for him. He fought mental illness every single day of his life and I admire him for it.

I am really grateful for the day I was able to tell him that. I said, "Ben, I know I could never understand what you go through, but I want to say that I know you experience things that none of us will ever understand and nobody else could deal with it as well as you can. I really admire you for that." I'm glad I had the opportunity to tell him that.

Partially as a result from this, my other brother Adam and his wife Nicole will be moving back here to Utah, and temporarily back to my parents house. I am ecstatic. I am so happy that they are coming back. I would have missed them so bad this summer. It's too bad things didn't work out so well for them in California, but I am so happy they are coming back.

So that's the story. I can't stop coughing, but I don't really care. A few years ago I made his wedding video. Tomorrow I start his funeral video.