Making the Most of Things: My Easter Vigil

I spent my entire time at Comic Con shaking hands and getting real close and personal with friends and strangers alike.

Come Sunday, Easter morning? I was sick.

As it was, I couldn't really muster enough strength to get myself ready for church. No, staying home and napping sounded just fine to me.

Of course, once I'd napped all my napping and stayed all my staying, I didn't know what else to do with the length of my Sunday. I don't work on creative projects or do homework on the Sabbath, so my usual time-fillers were kaput.

So I decided to do an Easter Vigil.

I went onto Mormon.org and watched some of the videos there, including this one and this one. I read every entry in this article, which inspired me to pull out my New Testament and read about the last week of Jesus' life in every single one of the Gospels. I watched my favorite Easter video of all time and cried over it. I even found some up and coming YouTubers who had released #Hallelujah videos of their own, using their talents to spread #Hallelujah in the same way I used my blog last Friday.

The entire experience was one of the most spiritually uplifting things I've ever done.

I may not have been able to take the sacrament. I may have missed out on the Easter testimonies of those in my ward. But I made the most of my sick Easter.

And that made all the difference.

It was enough.

Christmas Report - Throwback Commentary #62

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on December 26, 2014! Click here to read it!

December 2014.

My parents ask me, "What do you want for Christmas?"

I say, "World Peace. The cure to hunger. A pet zombie."

Christmas Day 2014.

Of course they came through, surprising me nonetheless. And every single one of those gifts they got me are still on my desk, along with the rest of my desk ornaments.

It's amazing to me how much a gift can mean and how long the appreciation for said gift can last. I still have some gifts from years back that mean a lot to me, even if sometimes I feel like a bit of a pack rat.

But to be honest? 'Gift giving' is not my top love language. I would say it's one of the bottom two, if not the very bottom. At the same time, I truly do appreciate the sentiments behind heartfelt gifts.

And I'll never forget them.

What are your most cherished gifts? Be sure to comment below!

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on December 26, 2014! Click here to read it!

V-Day Week 2016: What Girls Want Guys to Know (and Vice Versa) - Thinkjoust Tuesday #35

Welcome to the blog post with the longest title ever, but you should have seen my original attempts. Here's an example.

V-Day Week 2016: In which I invite a discussion between guys and girls to determine which facts about each other the two genders wish they understood on an intimate level - Thinkjoust Tuesday Number Thirty-Five

BLUH.

If you managed to make it through two overly-long titles, then you deserve to make your voice heard.

I plan to use Saturday's post to write my thoughts about ...

1.) What girls wish guys knew.

2.) What guys wish girls knew.

However, I can only do this if you add to the discussion. Your comments are essential to helping me accurately portray the thoughts of your respective gender.

Say anything you want! Want to say nice things? Comment below or on social media! Do you want to vent your grievances about the opposite gender? Comment anonymously! Either way, your comments will be featured on Saturday's post.

Not sure what sort of stuff to say? Here's an example, something I want girls to know about me.

I understand that a lot of girls want to be chased, and I'm willing to chase. However, if I'm the only one putting in any effort, there will come a point when I give up on you. I believe a relationship should be built on mutual respect, trust, and equality. I don't want to chase you if you're just making yourself a prize to be won. That degrades my role in our relationship because I am made to feel inferior to you, and it degrades your role in our relationship because you become less of a person and more of an object of my desire.

There's my comment! Add your own, and I'll see you Saturday!

V-Day Week 2016: The Top 10 Pieces of Dating Advice I Hate

In honor of the week leading up to Valentine's Day, I have prepared a series of posts all about love and romance!

I've been single for close to four years now. Many people treat my situation like a disease, and they offer free advice about how I can rid myself of this irksome ailment. The promised 'cure' comes in the form of cliche phrases.

I dislike these 'cure-alls' enough that I wrote an exaggerated blog post about them! Let's take a look!

Note: I wrote these from my own perspective. Re-imagine them with you in mind!

"It's a numbers game."

Let me tell you something. In the six months after I came back home from my mission, I went on one hundred first dates. One. Hundred. That does not count second or third or even fifth dates. That does not count the 13 months I spent dating since then. In comparison, some of my male friends go on ten, maybe fifteen dates at the most in between relationships. TELL ME IT'S A NUMBERS GAME ONE MORE TIME.

"It's their loss."

Maybe it's my loss. Just stop and think about that for a second.

"Honesty is the best policy."

Sure thing! Next time I go on a blind date, and she asks me what my interests are, I'll tell her all about Dungeons and Dragons. Oh, does she also know I watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic? And let's be honest, if she's willing to accept me even then, just wait until she finds out I'm a blogger.

"Find people with similar interests."

Sure thing! I'll just join the Novel-Writing Blog-Posting Poetry-Penning Drum-Beating Uke-Strumming Ballad-Singing Poor-Acting Cartoon-Drawing Webcomic-Reading TV-Watching Video-Gaming Musical-Listening Fan Club just down the street! I love the NWBPPPDBUSBSPACDWRTVWVGMLFC SO MUCH.

"Opposites attract."

But ... you literally just told me to find people with similar interests. Like, literally SIX SENTENCES AGO. And what, pray tell, is my opposite? Is it someone shorter than me? Taller than me? Cooler than me? More muscular than me? More attractive than me? Someone with interests dissimilar to my own? What, exactly, is the interest opposite novel writing? I'm waiting!

"Go after what you want."

Well, now I don't know what I want! Do I want my exact opposite? Do I want someone with similar interests? Do I want someone who's honest with me, or someone who goes to the grave hiding their secrets? And maybe I'm less interested in what I want, and more interested in what I need. Ever think of that?

"There are plenty of fish in the sea."

You're absolutely right! But a majority of those fish aren't anywhere near me, and most of the rest aren't interested in my bait! Let's imagine a proper fisherman spending three hours leading his hooked catch toward the boat before his line snaps and the fish gets away. If you try to tell that fisherman there are plenty of fish in the sea, he will kill you. The fisherman doesn't care about what he might catch, he only cares about losing the catch he already had.

"You'll find her when you stop looking."

That doesn't make a dang lick of sense. Isn't the guy supposed to be the one initiating things? If I stop looking, I will literally stop going on dates.

"Being single is better anyway ..." (from a single person)

Oh, really. Then why were you whining about your recent break-up only last week. 

"Being single is better anyway ..." (from someone in a relationship) 

Break-up, then! What the heck are you waiting for?

And, my favorite bit of dating advice to hate ...

"If she wants you to kiss her, make her wait another week, and then kiss her."

For starters, how the heck am I supposed to know if she wants me to kiss her? And honestly, what does making her wait a week accomplish? Is it so her 'desire' for me will increase because I'm keeping her from what she wants? Well, let me tell you, I want a girl to come back to me for who I am, not for what I can offer.

Well, there you go! I hope you enjoyed chuckling with this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'll see you as we approach Valentine's Day!

My New Year's Goals

With the New Year comes resolutions. 

I don't like resolutions very much, because they often seem without focus or motivation. Just as an example, it's great that you want to decrease the amount of video games you play, but by how much? What consequences will come if you play too many video games? What rewards will you give yourself if you do well with your resolution?

So, instead, I'm going to outline my goals for 2016.

1.) Examine, identify, and work to overcome my negative emotions that affect the way I view the world, including ...

a. pride

b. entitlement

c. greed

... among others.

2.) Become physically fit enough to be above or on par with the majority of my peers.

3.) Write a blog post every day (363 more to go!) while making the posts more relevant.

4.) Find success with the beginning of my self-publications, starting with Ama's Watch and the KickStarter funding going on right now.

5.) Graduate with my BA in English by August. This will require ...

a. passing my remaining 10 in-class credit hours.

b. passing my remaining 15 independent study credit hours.

6.) Determine where to begin my career.

7.) Finish and submit to publishers/agents my three half-finished books, including ...

a. working title: You're Doing It Right

b. working title: Courting Disaster

c. working title: Jackalope

Into the new year, off I go!

Cynicism vs. Idealism: Zoo Lights

John 12:36 - "While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light ..."

My pops, my older younger sister, my brother-in-law, and myself journeyed to Portland and the Oregon Zoo to see the beautiful Christmas lights abounding along the path.

The weather was cold and rainy. We were damp before we'd even walked a hundred yards from the car, but we were excited. Not only were we going to see a very unique display of Christmas lights, we were also going to be able to see animals! Animals! At night!

It soon became apparent that we weren't going to be seeing many animals. We saw some seals, some bats, and some penguins. The rest were all in hiding from the weather, or kept in a facility protecting them from the winter. No, the zoo had drawn us in just to see the lights. Nothing more, nothing less.

Given my nature, I wondered if the zoo was taking advantage of us. It made sense for the zoo to seek ways to draw in tourists. After all, what zoo-goer wants to walk around in winter? By setting up a bunch of pretty lights, the zookeepers hoped to make us forget we weren't seeing animals, and therefore deprive us of our hard-earned cash! The scoundrels!

So it was easy for me to forget the lights and imagine conniving businessmen lurking behind every corner. However, the further I went along, the less discontent I became. After all, the lights were beautiful. There were some displays that had obviously required much love to put up. The zookeepers may have gotten our money, but they were likely using it to feed the warm and cozy animals as they waited for Spring to return.

And honestly? I enjoyed it. This picture walk will never be able to capture the raw beauty of the lights. I tried to get a few shots of the wire animals, like the raccoon you see at the top of the post, but any pictures I took paled compared to what I saw in person. If you ever visit Oregon in the winter, come visit its zoo. You'll be amazed.

And most importantly, we four had fun. We laughed, we talked, we even danced a little. It was a perfect, idyllic night, and even if we didn't see animals, we had each other.

That was enough.

Let's Learn About Boxing Day!

One of my favorite pastimes is saying dumb, outlandish things and watching people give me the strangest looks. It's mad fun!

This sometimes occurs when I'm asked about my favorite holiday. I don't know that I have a favorite holiday, but I always have an answer. I might say April Fool's Day, but if I'm feeling particularly confounding, I'll say Boxing Day.

"What's Boxing Day?" some people ask.

I throw on a facade of fury. "What? How can you not know about the greatest holiday of the year? The first weekday after Christmas? You plebian!"

To be honest, despite by posturing, I didn't really know what Boxing Day is, either.

I thought it was either this, or something to do with Muhammad Ali.

So, after years of ignorance, I set out on this boxing day to determine exactly what it is.

To my surprise, Boxing Day had nothing to do with throwing out your Christmas wrapping, packing up your Christmas decorations, or stiff uppercuts to the jaw. Instead, Boxing Day is another holiday centered around giving.

Way back in the first half of the 1800s, Boxing Day was established in honor of the services done for the general public. Mailmen, errand boys, paid servants, and other servants and tradesmen could be expected to receive some sort of gift from their employer, traditionally served in a box. Thus, the term Boxing Day.

Of course, nowadays, most people only know about Boxing Day as a bank holiday here in the US. Outside the US, Boxing Day is a British Commonwealth shopping day similar to our own Black Friday. And, of course, many non-Americanized sports like football (the original kind), rugby, cricket, and hockey hold pretty big games on this day.

Now you can proudly proclaim you are no longer ignorant of this wonderful holiday! I'm definitely going to give my garbage men a present. What do you think about an old Christmas tree? Everyone wants one of those, yeah?

Family-Approved Quotes of the Year 2015

I don't have too much of a blog post for Christmas today; I'm just sitting fat and happy for now.

However, my family did release their 'Quotes of the Year' yesterday. I'm featured fairly prominently.

Here's a sample:

"Dad! Nate's not letting me lick his back." – Zac

If you want a better glance into my sense of humor, or even where I get it from, then check it out here.

By the way, did you know I'm the only member of my family born in an odd-numbered year? Weird, huh.

What to Expect from this Blog before the End of the Old Year

Don't forget to vote on that poll on the right-hand side! I'd love to find ways to improve this blog.

Hey, everyone! In order to hype some of the exciting things coming up on the schedule for Change and Cherish, I wanted to give you a current peek at what I'm planning on doing for the rest of the year.

24th - Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie review. In this post, I'll decide if I'd recommend it to an audience seeking clean entertainment, if I thought the movie was good, and if the story's primary message was tight or even existent, among other things.

25th - Christmas introspection. There's a high chance I'll put out a late post that day.

26th - Another politics post. At this point, it's looking like another Know Your Candidate, unless someone has a topic they want me to express an opinion over.

27th - Sunday Snapshot.

28th - Thoughts on the Zoo lights, a trip my family and I are embarking upon tonight,

29th - A recap of your least favorite posts from 2015, or the posts with the least number of views overall. You can see last year's counterpart here.

30th - A recap of the posts I thought deserved more credit than they received. You can see last year's counterpart here.

31st - A list of the most-viewed posts of 2015. You can see last year's counterpart here.

1st - A REVEAL OF MY NEW BUSINESS?!?

2nd - My New Year's Resolutions.

I'm excited about everything coming up! Hopefully, we crash into 2016 right!

Thinkjoust Tuesday #28 - Summer v. Winter

Last Week's Results: When are you going home?

Over Thanksgiving and Christmas: 33.5%

Just Christmas: 66.5%

For those of you who haven't had the chance to go home yet, don't worry! We have less than three weeks!

I think most of you know how I feel about winter right now. I can tolerate it, and I've even gained the ability to feel comfortable in cold weather. However, right now, I much prefer warm weather.

Now, that being said, I personally think Autumn is my favorite season. However, for the sake of this Thinkjoust, we're going to ignore the milder weather climates and focus on the two extremes. If you could only live with summer or winter for the rest of your life ... which would you choose?

Be sure to add your voice to the poll on the side, or comment below! If you have a Google account, a LiveJournal account, a WordPress account, a TypePad account, an AIM account, or an openID, you can comment below. Or, if you just want to type in your name, or comment anonymously, you can do that too! Don't be scared to start a discussion down there.

I'll be waiting in the wings. See you tomorrow!

Thanksgiving 2015

I am grateful for my family.

I know they'll love me even when I stumble.

I am grateful for my friendships.

They raise me up when I'm at my lowest.

I am grateful for the talents given me.

I can use them to let my light so shine.

I am grateful for the kindness in the world.

Without it, I would be all the more bitter and cynical.

I am grateful for the people who try their hardest, from the poorest alms person to the richest world leaders.

It is through their efforts that we've gotten anywhere in the first place.

I am grateful for my weaknesses.

They give me a reason to seek more strength.

I am grateful for my faith.

With it, I have become an all-around better person.

I am grateful for the Atonement.

Because of Him, I can keep and develop everything else important to me in life.

I am grateful for the readers of this blog.

Without you, I doubt I would have taken the time to write any of this out.

Missing Throwback Thursday? Why not see my gratitude list from last year? Click here to read Thanksgiving Report.

Thinkjoust Tuesday #27 - Are you going home for the holidays?

Last Week's Results: When Should Christmas Decorations Go Up?

Sometime in the month of November - 55.5%

No earlier than December 1 - 44.5%

It's been a while since I've seen so many options not voted for! Answers receiving a 0% vote include ...

- All Dang Year, Son.

- A bit before Halloween.

- Bah! Humbug.

As we continue our theme of holiday thinkjousts, I've been curious about where you all are heading for the holidays. Are you going to see your families? Did you have to make a decision about which holiday for which you're headed home?

Be sure to add your voice to the poll. Or, if you want to comment, you can now use your Google account, your LiveJournal account, your WordPress account, your TypePad account, your AIM account, your openID, your name, or even anonymously! Don't be scared to start a discussion down there. I'll be waiting in the wings.

Your Opinion About the New Year is Wrong (with Added Commentary)

Alma 42:23 - "But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the Atonement ..."

New Year's resolutions get a lot of flack from the world because of the classic situation a lot of us seem to get in.

Take Ol' Bob Robert George, here. Around the first of December, Bob made the decision he needs to stop his habit of throwing rocks at his neighbor's windows. It won't be any trouble, he thought to himself. I can quit whenever I want to. Heck, New Year's is just right around the corner. I'll stop then.

So, for the rest of December, Bob Robert George gleefully broke his neighbor's windows, going so far as to increase the amount of damage he was causing. After all, his last chances to participate in such an activity were rapidly decreasing.

"So, uh, heh heh, Bob," Mr. George's neighbor said to him. "I, uh, couldn't help but, uh, notice! That, uh, you've been breaking a lot more of my, uh, uh, windows recently."

"Oh, don't worry, neighbor!" Bob said cheerfully. "My New Year's resolution is to stop this nasty habit!"

Mr. George's neighbor failed to be reassured by the statement, but chose not to press the matter.

So here's the catch, dear reader. The New Year came along. For about a week, the neighbor of Ol' Bob Robert George enjoyed unbroken windows. And then, sure enough, before he even knew what was happening, Bob was over at his neighbor's house, frantically bashing in as many windows as he could.

"New Year's resolutions are the worst!" Bob moaned. He shoved his neighbor's TV through the bathroom mirror. "I never keep them! Nobody ever keeps them! They're just a sham!"

... really, now.

The problem with this painfully ridiculous fictional story is that Ol' Bob Robert George should have stopped breaking his neighbor's windows the moment he recognized he needed to stop. When he gave himself the time to indulge in his idiocy, then he only further entrenched himself in it, making it harder to, quote unquote, quit cold turkey.

True, the concept of New Year's resolutions has a problem. It's that people place an expiration date on everything they need to change. Imagine if someone struggling with, say, confidence recognizes they need to work on that confidence, but they make that acknowledgement in the first month of the year. "Oh, but it's January 15," they say. "I'll wait until 2016 to start working on that."

NO. Nobody does that because that's dumb. However, leading up to January 1st,  a lot of people seem to get in their mind that the only time they can begin changing is on the next year, and therefore fail to keep their resolutions.

The advent of any New Year is wonderful because it does give us a chance to start with a clean slate. The end of the year is a reflective time, perhaps moreso than any other time in the year. However, we should not make that advent the only time we can possibly change.

As for me, I have a lot of things I need to work on, both now and for the rest of 2015. I'm constantly looking for ways to improve. Sure, I may fail to hold fast to my determination to stick to a certain principle or decision I've decided to keep. However, through the forgiving power of the Atonement, I can take as many chances as I need.

What are your resolutions?

Hey there! I wrote a commentary about this post on April 7, 2016! Click here to read it!

Christmas Report (with Added Commentary)

Matthew 2:11 - "... they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh ..."

My parents are very thoughtful people. A few days before Christmas, we had this short conversation.

The two most important lines are the first ones, but the rest was pretty funny, too.

I just about forgot about the conversation until Christmas morning, when I found this waiting for me under the tree.

It's a pun! Get it? Get it?

The outside of the box.

The inside of the box.

Yes, even my third request.

My parents are silly critters, aren't they?

Hey there! I wrote a commentary about this piece on March 17, 2016! Click here to read it!

What thoughtful gifts did you receive/give this Christmas? Be sure to comment below!

Thanksgiving Report

Jonah 2:9 - "But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord."

I am grateful for friends.

I am grateful for family.

I am grateful for the talents and gifts, both temporal and spiritual, that God has given me and allowed me to improve.

I am grateful for what I have.

I am grateful for what I don't have, as that lack gives me the greatest perspective.

I am grateful for you.

I am grateful for the Restored Gospel in my life.

I am grateful for Jesus Christ and His willingness to atone for my sins and continually give me second chances.

I am grateful for the yesterday and the tomorrow.

I am grateful I have another day to smile.

Explosion Day (with Added Commentary)

D+C 101:80 - "And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I have raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood."

For some reason, I was just really hesitant to pray today. Perhaps this was an example of what Jesus described in Matthew 12:44. I cast out the Devil of Infrequent Prayers, and my prayers became sincere and heartfelt. Then, I got a little lax, and the Devil of Infrequent Prayers came back and found me empty, swept, and garnished.

I spent most of the day playing Call of Cthulhu with my new-found friends, enjoying the experience of playing Chuckie Fallon, idiotic delinquent skateboarder. Once that was concluded and everything was wrapped up, however, I knew I needed to give a little bit to God. Ascending the hill near my house, I sat on the conveniently-place park bench and snapped a few pictures of the awesome display all up and down the Columbia Gorge. Then, once I was satisfied my pictures couldn't get any worse or that the collage I planned on making couldn't be any less artistic, I pulled open my scriptures and began to read. It was a neat experience, pouring over God's word while accompanied by a cool breeze and distant explosions. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Hey there! I wrote a commentary about this post on December 18, 2014. Click here to read!