Bravery - Throwback Commentary #66

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on January 5 of last year. Click here to read that first!

I still don't really like going back to the early posts of Change and Cherish Blog. I think my abilities as a writer and a blogger have only improved since then. At the same time, I still think I produced some pretty good thoughts on life here and there.

One of these such thoughts are found in that original post, Bravery: New Beginnings. I point out that we see a lot of people begin things, but never complete them. Examples include semesters, novels, businesses, relationships, loyalties, ambitions, and desires, among others. We live in a world of unfinished endings, and when we finally face their counterparts, we're not sure how to react.

I say we need to cherish endings more. Every ending, even the death that awaits us somewhere in our future, signifies the completion of a great and overwhelming task and the beginning of yet another.

Isn't that beautiful?

I wrote that post at the beginning of a new semester. Now, it's the end of another. I'm taking this opportunity to pride myself on my victories and work harder to complete the things I haven't yet conquered.

Will you join me?

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on January 5 of last year. Click here to read that first!

Optimism - Throwback Commentary #65

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on January 2 of last year! Click here to read the original post!

You know, I'm pretty critical of my past blog posts. Even some of the posts from 2015 receive some mental criticism from me.

You see, Change and Cherish Blog is constantly evolving. I used to describe it as a returned missionary/spiritual blog. Then it became a slice of life/gratitude blog. More recently, it's become an author opinion/political blog.

There are probably more periods you could name, but the point is, when certain past posts don't fit in with the current period, I tend to shy away from marketing them.

At the same time, posts like Optimism: Major Injury Overreaction are helpful to me. Rereading about my enthusiastic reaction to an injury caused me to wonder how I would react to such a setback. Would I still laugh it off, or would I get frustrated and angry?

Whenever I return to a post outlining my weaknesses, it gives me the opportunity to take an inventory about where my character is.

So maybe these old posts aren't so bad after all.

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on January 2 of last year! Click here to read the original post!

Your Opinion About the New Year is Wrong - Throwback Commentary #64

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on December 31, 2014! Click here to read the original!

For those of you relatively new to the Change and Cherish Blog scene, I really like ranting about New Year's. This past New Year's post is evidence of that.

What's funny to me is that the design for the 2016 New Year's post was inspired by the design for the 2015 New Year's post. However, as I reviewed the 2015 post, I couldn't remember the last time I read it. It seems the visual stuck in my mind a lot longer than did the content.

And the content for the 2015 New Year's post was pretty good. I enjoyed getting to know Bob Robert George and his addiction to breaking windows. It was great stuff!

In a way, I'm using this post to remind you to keep up my 2016 New Year's challenge. How are your goals? Are you well on your way to completing them? Do you need to refocus or realign your life to meet your goals? Are some of your goals less important than others?

As for me, I wanted to be accountable to you for my own goals, which I discussed in the 2016 New Year's post.

1.) I have examined and identified many of my own negative emotions. Overcoming them is a daily struggle.

2.) My physical fitness is probably on par with about 40% of my peers, but I have a long way to go to be on par with over 50% of my peers.

3.) I haven't missed a blog post yet, and I definitely feel as though they've become more relevant.

4.) Ama's Watch is going well, and I'm making sales on top of those I made directly through the Kickstarter itself.

5.) Still on track to graduating in August, though I'll still have 15 credits left to tackle come summer.

6.) I will be starting my career at Future House Publishing. The trick is figuring out a supplementary income.

7.) I have not finished any of my half-finished books. However, I'm really close to one (maybe 90% finished?).

How about your goals? Don't be afraid to be accountable in the comments below!

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on December 31, 2014! Click here to read the original!

Your Top 10 Most-Viewed Posts of 2014! - Throwback Commentary #63

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on December 29 of 2014. Click here to read the original!

2015 brought amazing prosperity and progress to Change and Cherish Blog. That much is apparent by comparing the Top 10 posts of 2014 and 2015.

I was still getting my feet underneath me as a Blogger in 2014, and most of my posts were slice-of-life anecdotes that I rarely advertised. The very top post of that year, coming in at 93 views, was about me going home teaching and drinking an overpowered protein shake.

In comparison, 2015's tenth most view post came in at 100 views. The topics were much more mature and broad, including commentaries on tattoos and gay marriage.

This blog is ever changing, and I'm grateful for that. In fact, you may even say I cherish the journey I'm chronicling.

But hey! Whether you haven't crawled through the archives in a while, or you just started reading today, why not check out the top posts of C&C's first year? Click the bottom or top of the post to give it a look-see!

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on December 29 of 2014. Click here to read the original!

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!

Traffic Week: Tight Parking - Throwback Commentary #61

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on the 8th of September, 2014. Be sure to click this link before you read on!

An Analogy: Tight Parking, the featured post for the day, represents a time in the history of Change and Cherish Blog when I focused much more on the spiritual aspects of my day-to-day life. I used to tell people C&C was a journal/pseudo-religious blog. Now, I think it leans more toward an author opinion/political blog.

I think Traffic Week has reminded me more of the early days of the blog than recent days. Either way, while the featured post has an analogy all about parking, I have a new question for you ... all about parking.

I live in Provo, Utah, a city that seems intent on maximizing parking wherever possible. As it is, the parking spots are REALLY TINY.

Whenever I try to park between two cars, I am faced with a dilemma threefold.

1.) I could park closer to the left side, thus giving the owner of the right car ample space to get in and out of the driver's seat. However, this option gives me insufficient space, forcing me to squeeze out my own car.

2.) I could park closer to the right side, thus giving myself ample space to get in and out of the driver's seat. However, this option gives the owner of the right car insufficient space, forcing them to squeeze into their own car.

3.) I could park directly in the middle. This will give both myself and the owner of the right car an equal amount of barely more than insufficient space.

So what do you guys usually do? Be sure to leave a comment below!

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on the 8th of September, 2014. Be sure to read it!

Falling Acoustic (Video) - Throwback Commentary #60

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on December 20, 2014. Click here to read the original!

I wasn't kidding when I said I wrote this song in a fit of emotion.

Consider the conception, lyrics, music, and final recording. I'm pretty sure the entire process took less than 15 minutes. If that seems impossibly short, I'll give myself a five-minute leeway in case my memory is utterly flawed. (Of course, the video IS only a minute and a half, sooooo ...)

Like all of humanity, I struggle with individual weaknesses. Nothing grinds my gears more than when I slip into an old habit or make a recurring mistake. I take such breaches of my code of conduct personally, and I respond by praying, writing expressive poetry, and then putting these thoughts to music.

You would think I'd have gotten over the 'angsty musician' stage in my teenage years.

Be sure to give this video another view if it's been a while! And let me know if you've ever felt this way.

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on December 20, 2014. Click here to read the original!

Party Crashers - Throwback Commentary #59

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post written on December 19, 2014. Click here to read the original post!

This was one of the funniest experiences of my life. Crashing an opposing University's event and getting free food out of it made for a memorable evening. Something about the clandestine nature of the activity made it remarkably entertaining, and I'm grateful I decided to go.

I've put some thought into the year-old challenge I left at the end of the original post. I realize that I might have missed experiences for moments easily forgotten, putting off opportunities similar to the one I found at the Brazilian restaurant. Maybe it's time to revisit the challenge again: don't miss an opportunity for something you can do later.

How did you respond to this challenge back in 2014? Tell me about your experiences, and I'll be waiting in the comments.

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post written on December 19, 2014. Click here to read the original post!

The Lament of the Singles (Poem) - Throwback Commentary #58

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post I wrote on the 17th of December, 2014. Click here to read the original post!

I'll be honest with you, I find the meter on some of these old poems absolutely atrocious. This poem isn't so bad, but if I were ever going to deliver this poem verbally, I would have to practice saying it in such a way that it maintained a rhythm.

For example, look at these two lines:

When she says, "It's over," his face takes on a pall
When he says, "Can't do this," her tears begin to fall

Not terrible, I suppose, but I got all tripped up on the word 'begin' when I was rereading the poem. Fitting a two-syllable word into a sentence full of one-syllable words is a tricky business, and it often undermines the strength of the line.

I think a reading of those lines would help if you pause after the quotes. The issue is, if you read the line straight, it sounds awful. Blech.

Beyond the weakness of the meter and rhythm, I do think the poem's message is excellent. It follows the general theme of this month (dating) and how, because we're not made to be alone, God will grant us blessings in patience.

Of course, I also think I stretched super far with some the rhymes, so I feel like this might be one of my weaker poems.

WRITERS ARE NEVER SATISFIED WITH THEIR OWN WORK.

Either way, what do you think? Be sure to comment below!

V-Day Week 2016: Why Dating is Superior to Job Hunting - Throwback Commentary #57

Hey there! This post is a commentary discussing the post I wrote on September 19, 2015. Click here to read the post from September!

Happy Valentines Day week! I figured even the throwback deserved a dating theme.

When you read the original post, you see how confused and frustrated I was about my future. Things have changed since then.

I am more confident in my future. I have some tentative plans regarding my career and educational prospects. I am breaking into the literary industry. I forged connections I hope will leapfrog me to success. In a few weeks, I hope to be able to report on the status of my endeavors.

The moral of the story is, no matter how bleak and confusing my future may seem, when I press forward through the fog, my path makes more sense.

Well, I guess that's only one of two morals. Though I've laid a plan for job-hunting, I am still just as clueless in regards to dating. I would now hazard that Dating is Inferior to Job-Hunting, completely cutting the feet out from under the crux of my previous argument.

Oh, well.

Hey there! This post is a commentary discussing the post I wrote on September 19, 2015. Click here to read the post from September!

Temple Square Reminder - Throwback Commentary #56

Hey there! This is a commentary discussing the post I wrote on December 6, 2014. Click here to read it!

With tomorrow's post being another #faithfriday, I thought I'd sprinkle some awareness in the water.

I think what's beautiful about the original post is the part where I talk about what the Salt Lake Temple represents for both me and for the saints who built it. 40 years of concentrated dedication to the construction of that structure.

Would I be willing to work 40 years on something to make it as close to perfect as I could? After all, I've only been working on Ama's Watch for around 15 months. I'm not sure I have the dedication to work on something for much longer. But those saints certainly did.

Maybe you're struggling in school right now, or maybe you've had some trials hit you, or maybe you're not sure which step you should take next. I promise that as you trust in what you believe, things will turn out best in the end. Put in that trust, and even if it takes 40 years, you may find something amazing.

Tomorrow I'll be devoting a post to explaining exactly what Mormon temples are. Either way, I'll see you soon.

Hey there! This is a commentary discussing the post I wrote on December 6, 2014. Click here to read it!

Throwback Thursday #3 (Video) - Throwback Commentary #55

Hey there! This is a commentary discussing the post I wrote on December 4, 2014. Click here to read the original post!

I'm trying to push poetry more now that our last poll of 2015 revealed that poetry is the most popular type of post among poll participants.

That sounds like a headline.

Penman Pushes Poetry Posts when Poll Participants Prefer Poets!

Anyway, I digress.

I had a great idea back in the day to turn all my poetry into music. However, I'm very aware of my musical limitations, and I soon decided that you guys probably didn't want to hear me belt the same four chords over and over again. So, I limited myself, and I tried spreading out the music love.

I became further constricted when I got rid of my laptop and lost my webcam. My ability to make videos in my own time flagged, and I've had to teach myself how to use the editing programs that are free to use here at the University.

Regardless, my first explorations regarding turning original poems into rap can be found at the link at the top of the post.

Let me know if you think I nailed it in the comments below!

Hey there! This is a commentary discussing the post I wrote on December 4, 2014. Click here to read the original post!

Lights Multitude (Poem) - Throwback Commentary #54

Hey there! This is a commentary discussing the post I wrote on December 3, 2014. Click here to read the original post!

Looking back on this poem, I have to say, I think something's wonky with the meter. Oops. Also, I was really favoring syntactic deviation. All those words mixed around however I pleased.

It's been so long since I wrote this poem, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a conversation. Well, I take that back. It is supposed to be a conversation, but I can't tell if the conversation is two sides, or one side. Is the light comforting the reader? Is a more experienced light consoling an inexperienced light? What do you think?

In the end, I think the message is the best thing to take away from the poem. It doesn't matter if you feel your strength, your talents, or your abilities are weak; they are still needed.

I hope you enjoy the poem, and I hope you enjoy the greater focus on poetry in the next few months!

Coming soon: Winter Wonder Slam

NaNoWriMo 2014 - Throwback Thursday #53

Hey there! This is a commentary discussing the post I wrote on December 1, 2014. Click here to read the original post!

 Amazing how time flies, isn't it?

In November of 2014, I wrote an entire novel. That's right. An entire novel in one month. Rarely have I felt that cool.

Since then, that rough draft has gone through a lot of edits and changes. I even changed the name of the book from Percussor, the Latin word for assassin, to Ama's Watch.

And yes, Latin is semi-important to my book.

Anyway, here we are, over a year later, looking forward to self-publishing my labor of love. It's been a long, tough ride. But it's also been worth it.

It's not about getting a medal. It's about competing in the race.

Click here to read an excerpt of Ama's Watch! And click here to support my kickstarter!

Why and How I'm Restructuring Throwback Thursday

While compiling the results from the last poll of 2015, I noticed something about the votes for the Throwback Thursday feature.

There were no votes for Throwback Thursday.

Despite the lack of interest in these posts, I will continue to post an equivalent every Thursday at the normal time. Critics of my Throwback Thursday posts may throw up their arms in disbelief. "Why?" they may demand. "Why are you keeping this unpopular feature?"

Well, for several reasons.

Throwback Thursday posts give me a break during the week, an opportunity to work on other projects. They give me a chance to feature older posts lost and forgotten in the archives, posts still
relevant to my current audience.

Each Throwback Thursday is nothing more than a commentary on a post from the past, a look into my memories regarding the ongoing creation of the blog. It is the links found within the Throwback Thursday posts that offer the true meat of that day's message. However, as I've reviewed the statistics, almost no-one ever clicks on the links.

This prompts confusion. Without the context of the post found at the other end of the link, my commentary makes no sense. People read Throwback Thursday posts and wonder, What he is talking about?  No matter what I've done to try and promote knowledge of these links, readers just don't click on them.

So, I'm restructuring this feature.

Every Thursday, I will market a post from the past, only this time, it will have (with Added Commentary) attached to the title. You can think read the original post, and, if you want, click on the link at the bottom to read my fresh commentary.

Be sure to give me feedback as I continue on with this!

Throwback Thursday #52 - Needed Message

Today's features post comes to us from November 26 of last year. Click here to give it a read!

Commentary

I observe so many people in the media and in my every day life act so cruel to one another. I feel like I'm struggling to have faith in kindness.

Many people's response to this struggle seems to revolve around giving up or becoming cruel themselves. If the world isn't going to make any effort to be kind, then I won't, either.

The thing is, humans are inherently negative people. If we see a few isolated acts of cruelty, we assume the entire world is secretly cruel. The media exploits these feelings and generally only reports on the bad things that happen in the world.

But people really are kind, even if their kindness is sometimes hard to see.

In November last year, I saw someone go out of their way to cheer passers-by up. And I appreciate them for that.

Go on! Read all about it at this link.

Throwback Thursday #51 - Morning Prayer (Poem)

Today's post comes from November 21 of last year. Click here to read it!

Commentary

You know, I've started to gain a personal appreciation for some of these poems I used to write for the blog. This series of couplets really made me think and ponder, especially since I was in a foul mood before reading them again.

All in all, even when I had bad days, I can always find some good in them. If I pay attention, I can see when Heavenly Father was leading or guiding me somewhere I needed to be. That's the message I wanted to capture in the original poem, and I think I did it well. It reminded me today, at least.

As I've adjusted to life back home, I've become less of an idealist and more of a cynic. I think these glimpses into Change and Cherish's past illustrate that.

Either way, decide for yourself by reading Morning Prayer (Poem).

Throwback Thursday #50 - Make Something Happen

Today's throwback comes to us from November 19 of last year. 

Alas, even though I was really excited about eating everything with chopsticks, I never really got into the habit. I had this whole mini-arc going about using nothing but chopsticks, and now, I'm back to using regular old boring utensils. Lame!

Either way, I chose this post because I'm preparing to self-publish my novel very, very soon. In the next couple of weeks, I want to have everything read for a crowd-funding push this January.

I'm going to make something happen. 

Click here to read Make Something Happen!

Throwback Thursday #49 - Newspaper Fall

Today's throwback comes to us from November 17 of last year. Click here to read the original post!

For one thing, it seems like it's been a lifetime since I was an RA. Heck, it seems like a lifetime since this past weekend.

In looking back at this post, I cringed a little. There were some sentences I thought were horribly written. I made some statements I thought were a little ambiguous. However, I enjoyed the lesson I was trying to teach. The lesson was good.

Embrace spontaneity. Don't let oddities ruin your day.

We need to live this, in my humble opinion.

Want to know what's going on here? Click here to read Shrug Your Shoulders: Newspaper Fall!

Throwback Thursday #48 - No Straps, Four Arms

Today's throwback comes to us from November 15 of last year. Click here to read the original post!

Gosh, this experience was nuts. I still get chills whenever I think about it. Of course, some of those chills come from remembering how flippin' BAWSS I felt once we accomplished our task, but that's beside the point.

I think the message is pretty good, too. After all, though I was selling my life blood and then freezing my arm off, the pain only lasted a few minutes. Now that it's been nearly a year since we brought that whiteboard home, I now only view the memory with fondness. Good times, good times.

You probably have no idea what I'm talking about, huh? Well, wonder no more! Click here to read Optimism: No Straps, Four Arms!