Sometimes I want to be the car crash

So, I think that people are trying to distance themselves from me since I'm leaving in three weeks. Either that, or the other way around. Whatever. It seems that for some strange odd reason, I'm alone most of the time now. What is really grinding me at the moment is how right now in the dating game, it seems that I'm losing to a pre-mi! What the crap?! What is wrong with this picture?! I mean, not to be conceited or anything, but I'm not a bad looking guy. So why am I losing to a dork like him? I dunno. I don't really have much to write after ranting about that anyway.

It's like my iPod's stuck on replay...

So there's an issue with me wanting to get out of San Diego...I kind of don't want to anymore. It's weird. See, before I went to BYU-Idaho the first time, I couldn't wait to get out of this dump and away from the people that were in it. My life before was a complete Hell. I needed out or something bad was going to happen. OK maybe not, but I still wanted out. The same situation for my mission. I wanted out. So I leave for two years, understandably (especially if you knew my feelings and my past, and then there's the fact that no missionary that has at least attempted to work never wants to leave), not wanting to leave Washington. But it was a necessary evil and I came home.

Fast forward a year and a half. I'm about to go back to Rexburg. When I got the news originally, I was ecstatic! I couldn't wait to get out of here again. All of sudden, things started happening. People finally understood who I am, or at least why I am the way I am. And the funny thing is, they either don't care, or they play off it. And then there's the girls...

There's one in particular. I met her about a month ago, and she just won't get out of my head. See, normally, I would have done something by now. The problem is, she has a boyfriend on a mission (stupid move in my opinion. I broke up with my girlfriend a week before I left for the MTC. She wasn't happy at the time, but she is now). That and the fact that I'm wondering if it's even a good idea to do anything other than date at this point since I'm leaving in about a month. Still, she just won't get out of my head! Why now?! There's nothing I can do and it's tearing me apart!

The only solution that I can see at this point is to keep my distance. I'm not going to ask her to do anything that she doesn't want to do. So even if she reads this and figures it out, or anyone else who knows who I'm talking about, you know what, go ahead and tell her. I give you permission. The ball's in her court now.

An Interesting Day

A lot of highs and lows today. First and foremost on everyone’s mind was the baptism of a friend. Amazing. Simply amazing. I thought I was going to cry. I didn’t but it was close. Anyway, happiness and joy abound. A lot of people turned out for it, too. I can’t say that enough.

The thing that tends to be pressing on my mind the most at the moment is in the third hour of Church today. It was a combined meeting with the priesthood and Relief Society. I taught with the RS President about home teaching. I think the lesson itself went well and afterward we went into the cultural hall so that people could actually meet their home teachers. When we went into the cultural hall and broke off into our groups with the different home teaching companionships, one of the girls in my group, who I thought I was cool with even though we haven’t talked since my sister left, was looking at me with utter contempt, like she wanted to kill me. Seriously?! What did I do? I mean, I had to have done something that made her so hateful toward me. Geez…

Silly people and their assumptions…

It's amazing the type of things that weigh on the mind. This last experience couldn't help but make me laugh. It's amazing how people can just assume things that really aren't even close to reality. That's not to say that I'm not guilty of the same thing, but when it's about you…well…heh, it's just funny. I guess thinking back to how I was in high school, if someone thought that about me I probably would have gotten on the defensive. In a way, I kind of am now, but not so much anymore.

Anyway, Friday was the Rock Out dance. I kept getting messages on my phone asking for an old friend, an ex-girlfriend actually, to give her ride to the dance. I said OK, and I picked her up after I got another friend who was never comfortable driving her own car. When we got to the dance, everything was fine, except for the fact that there was no one there...at least at first. We got there at 9:30, thinking that there was going to be more people than there were since it started at 9. People started trickling in from when we got there but it still wasn't anything impressive yet. We start dancing and my ex wanted to go and get some different pants on that weren't going to be dragging on the floor. So I took her back to where she's staying and waited while she changed.

We get back to the dance, and it's wall-to-wall people. That was more like it. We started dancing again and we got close. It seems that this raised a few eyebrows of people who I knew there. A lot are in my Ward. The dance ended, and I was invited to go to Denny's afterward. I even reconnected with another girl who I hadn't seen since I left for Rexburg back in 2005. If she hadn't moved and didn't live 12 hours away I would have considered asking her out. Oh well. I dropped my ex and another friend off before going to Denny's for the after-party we usually have after the dances. The friend I picked up before my ex pulled me aside and asked if we were going out. That floored me. I couldn't help but laugh and think, "Sorry, I don't double dip". I just shook my head and said, "No".

I thought it was funny how people just assume that you dance with someone it means something. Nope, sorry. There's a reason why the analogy for assume is "making an ASS of U and ME".

Where art thou?

And yes, ladies and gentlemen, the emo kid has once again surfaced! Geez, I need a new hobby…

But all that aside, I am actually wondering what kind of impact I do make with people around here. These last few weeks, I couldn't help but feel like I've been forsaken, in a way, by everyone, including the Lord. Nothing seems to have been going right the last six weeks. Sleeping's been an issue. At the same time, I wonder if anyone really cares. It seems that respect is lacking in all directions. Work is a big issue. I need a new job. The one I have just isn't cutting it. I may have blown it with a few of the girls I'm interested in. I need to make up my mind on whether or not I do want a girlfriend right now, it keeps going back and forth.

I don't know. As of late, I've just been doubting mostly everything lately. I can't help but cry out in my heart sometimes, "O, God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?" I need Thursday. I also need a blessing. Maybe I can get one later today….

Sweet dreams and confirmation

So there has been a very interesting turn in events. One of a joyous nature and the other that makes me want to have the same joy, but with a hint of worry as well. I'll talk about the first situation, well, first.

One of my sister's friends started dating a guy she met in one of her classes. He wasn't a member, much to the dismay of her family, but they still welcomed him in. She invited him to come to Church the week after they started dating and he's been coming ever since. That was about 3 months ago, and since he and I became pretty good friends. I guess also during that time, he was taking the lessons. When he told his family about this, he found out that a few months earlier that his brother has joined. He has since set a date to be baptized this weekend.

Now the other situation: I have another friend who has been coming to Church since November with someone who was reluctant to come to the YSA Ward to begin with. Since then, she was meeting with the missionaries, of which I had the pleasure of being at a few of them. She's come a long way and is definitely ready to be baptized and has a date set for later this month. Except for a few things…

She doesn't think that she has received a confirmation on everything yet.

This is troubling to me, even though I know that she has had many. I'm not going to go into detail about what she has experienced (that's not something that I think she would want me blabbing about on the blog-o-sphere), but sometimes when it comes to confirmations about Gospel principles, I have the feeling that we expect to have this grand revelation comparable to Joseph Smith's First Vision. This isn't how it works at all. What happened to Joseph was a rare occurrence. It doesn't happen that often. The scriptures teach that the voice of the Spirit is "a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper" not a "voice of thunder [or] great tumultuous noise" (see 3 Nephi 11:3).

You all know how long I've been looking for a new councilor to be a part of the Elder's Quorum Presidency as well as teachers. I had been searching and praying, asking for the guidance on who I should recommend to the Stake President to replace the one who left. A good six weeks, at least. It wasn't until last night at 2 in the morning that I got the confirmation that I was looking for. SIX WEEKS LATER! All in the Lord's time.

President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said this: "Occasionally [the Spirit] will press firmly enough for us to pay heed. But most of the time, if we do not heed the gentle feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening and say in our manner and expression, like Samuel of ancient times, 'Speak [Lord], for they servant heareth' (1 Sam. 3:10)."

This is not saying that we will receive the confirmation right away. Like I said, it took 6 weeks before I knew who to call. Sometimes, when an important decision comes, it is important to exercise faith. This is putting our trust completely in the Lord. In the case of not getting baptized because you haven't received a confirmation, think about this: perhaps it's because the Lord expects you to act without Him having to tell you and then telling you if it's right or not after you have done it, or are about to do it. Sometimes, we just have to make up our mind and do it. We can't be expected to be guided by the hand the entire time.

So what now? Well, now is the time to act. We will know if what we are doing is right or wrong based on what Mormon wrote to his son Moroni toward the end of the Book of Mormon: "…the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil;…for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore you may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." (Moroni 7:16)

Dream Girl

Ah the beauties of the Facebook homepage! So I came across a note posted by one of my friends called "Dream Girl" It's good stuff. I just a few things to say about it…Of course, don't I always?
It speaks of the contrast of marriage for time only and marriage for eternity, the Gospel principles involved and whatnot. Like I said, good stuff.

Now the rant: Most people I think miss the point of the story. What it speaks of is looking for someone who is close to the Gospel and the Lord while bringing yourself closer as well. This kind of goes hand in hand with my rants on dating and love as well. People, I don't think realize that we have these standards of people that we want (physical features aside) in spouses. However, if do not have ourselves set to the same standard, we are hypocrites. How in the world do we expect to find and keep someone who is so good for us, if all we do is drag them down because we don't want to live up to what we know we should. In other words, we need to become the type of person we want in a spouse.

So why is this so hard? It really shouldn't be! I wish I knew the answer to that. Do any of you?

It needs to be done

Here I am, yet again making another midnight blog. I really should try getting to sleep earlier. Ah, I'll worry about that later.

It's amazing the type of things that are posted about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you go online and Google it, about 1 out of every 10 pages is friendly toward the Church. And the ones that aren't? Well, they say the same things; Joseph Smith was a liar and a fraud, the Book of Mormon is false and here's why, etc. etc.

Why do they do this? Why do they feel like they must rape the unsuspecting of their faith? I'll admit, I fell into that trap when I was in high school. There was a dark period in my life when I delved deep into anti-Mormon literature. I mean, everything I could get my hands on, Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Ed Decker, Walter Martin, Mike Norton, and others. I wanted to know about what it was these people were saying, and why they were saying it. I dove so deep into it, that I ended up believing it myself. You couple that with the fact that no one, it seemed in the Church wanted me around that I just gave up. I went to seminary during that time simply because I needed the ride to school. Inwardly, I was scoffing at what was being taught.

So what happened? Why was I feeling this way? Paul taught that we can know the true influence of the Spirit by their fruits (see Galatians 4:22-23) and the Savior taught that we can know if people work through the Spirit by their fruits (see 3 Nephi 14:20 and Matthew 7:20). In order to understand the anti-Mormon agenda, we need to understand those two principles: Are they influenced by the Spirit of God and do we feel the Spirit when we come in contact with them. If the answer is "no", then there's a problem.

Critics of the LDS Church want to degrade those who are searching or otherwise investigating the Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will use many different tactics. One of those is and outward attack. This could be physical, mental, or verbal, not unlike what the Saints experienced in the early days of the Church or even during the days of the Ancient Church. Another is that of a counterfeit of logic. They present things about the Church that are twisted in such a way, that they pass them off as fact. The easiest indication of this is if you get a book, or go to a webpage and they quote someone who was in leadership in the early days of the Church. If they have "…" anywhere in that quote, red flags should shoot up. More than likely, they have been taken out of context.

For example: many prominent anti-Mormons like to use "…" when using quotes from the Journal of Discourses. A couple of things to remember: Though the First Presidency endorsed the publication of the Journal there was no endorsement as to the accuracy or reliability of the contents. There were occasions when the accuracy was questionable. The accounts were not always cleared by the speakers because of problems of time and distance. This was especially true during the persecution of the 1880s, which finally forced the cessation of publication. Also, doctrinally, members of the Church were growing and learning. Most adults were converts who had to unlearn and relearn many doctrines. They were learning things that our children learn in Primary and Sunday School. Remarks were frequently impromptu. Close, friendly audiences frequently invited informal discussion of varied topics. There was occasional speculation about doctrines that have since been determined unimportant or even misleading. When it comes to the Journal of Discourses, it is an excellent tool, but it is not the primary source of doctrine. We need to remember that we receive our doctrine from the scriptures (The Bible, the Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants) as well as from the council of living Prophets and Apostles.

There are many things that are brought up by these people and it is impossible to shake them, no matter where we go in the world. They are there to try our faith, I know mine was. I have come back to the Church stronger than ever. Am I where I want to be yet? Not even close. But then, that's the beauty of eternal progression. I don't know about you, but I want to be better than I am. Knowing what I know to be right and true has shaped me into who I am now and is shaping me into who I am destined to become.

So what should we do when we come up against anti-Mormon filth? Go to someone who is knowledgeable of the Gospel. Someone who can teach you the plain truth. Don't be offended if they don't know. It is possible for someone not to know an answer to a question of this nature. When this happens, pray. God is your Father and wants what is best for you. He doesn't want you to be wandering in confusion. Keep in mind the words of Paul and the Savior. What is the outcome of these materials? Do they inspire people for the greater good or do they degrade and put down without much, if any, means of improvement? Do they prompt you to be better? Do they prompt you to serve God, and if you feel they do, how?

Remember to pray always. Keep close to the Spirit that you may know how to recognize what is for God, and what is there to attempt to overthrow His kingdom. I like repeating the words of Bruce R. McConkie right before he died when he said "I know independently of any other person that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And when I see Him, I will fall at His feet and bathe them with my tears".

I may be slipping into old habits

Not exactly the best thing for me to be doing. Still…Interesting…very interesting…

Friday, I went to a missionary lesson for a friend of mine. She's sooooooo close everyone can taste it. Now it's just a matter of when. When is she willing to commit to being baptized? Really, she's the only one who can make that call. No one can make it for her. I was kind of upset at the Sisters not going after the opportunity when it was there to put her on date, but then, that might just be that tiny bit of Ashtonite that I actually have in me. I'll just have to trust them in what they were doing…even if they did catch it.

The Spirit is an interesting thing. During the lesson, I was able to actually help out a little more with the lesson, I felt, than I did the first time I tagged along. I think it might be because she's actually considering baptism now. Again, we'll see.

Side note: KBYU e-mailed me saying that they want the Spec for YSA. BOO-YA!!!

So Saturday was my sister's going away bonfire at Mission Beach. We only had one pallet of wood up until about 10. It's too bad that people wanted to leave by then. Oh well. The rest of the wood was just piled on top and made a huge inferno that could have engulfed everything. It didn't, though. It was fun, even though I left my capo at the beach. It was a nice capo…Ah, I'll just get a new one for $5. That's how much that one cost in the first place.

So I was also able to reconnect with a friend I met at the YSA dance last month last night. That was cool. I ended up rescuing her from some rude people at the mall and she came with me and one of my sister's friends. She not a member, though, even though I was able to talk to her about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and Celestial Marriage (she liked that one the best). There may be some FTC involved, but we'll see. There's an 80's themed dance on Friday, so maybe we'll see how that goes with her. If there is some way I can get her to go to our Church, I am almost certain that she would want to be baptized whether or not I was in her Ward or not. Hmm….a lot of consider…

Side note #2: I now know what track I'm on for BYU-Idaho. I'm on the Winter/Spring track. Watch out, Rexburg! De Mont's coming back!! Not for 6 months, but still! Now, all I need to worry about is paying for the thing…

Musings at 3 AM

I can't sleep. There's too much running through my mind. Maybe blogging might help. We'll see.

We'll start with an update. There's not really much detail I can (or should) go into, but let's just say that change is definitely in the air. My first counselor decided to leave the Ward. His excuse was that he was moving even further out in the middle of nowhere practically. And while that's a valid excuse, I think it lies deeper than that. Ever since his last relationship ended, I think it's been awkward for him. I can't blame him really, even though, the way he ended it was not the right way to go about it. Whatever. So now, I'm on the lookout for another. At least for the amount of time that I'm still here. Still, if I want to make a noticeable difference, I need a first counselor. The Bishop suggested someone and I think it might be a good idea. I need to make a temple trip to figure out this and other questions.

I'm not sure how much respect I have among those I serve, or even among those who I want to call my friends. It seems since I became Elder's Quorum President, that even more people can't seem to take me seriously; almost as if they still have a hard time seeing past who I was, or who they thought I was. It's been at least 5 years for most of these people and yet they still can't seem to get over themselves and make the effort to do much of anything. I wonder if this is how David felt. Granted, he had an automatic in with those people. I don't. I don't know, it just makes me wonder how I can reach the members of the quorum without coming down on them like I did a couple of times before. When it comes to the friends aspect, I know there's at least 4 people my age who are members that I know are my friends. The rest…I don't know. I wonder if the others I should consider friends at all. Mainly because they're people that my sister usually hangs around and I'm usually the taxi driver. I know I joke about it with them sometimes, but it's still there in the back of my mind. Right now, it's a mystery. Am I nothing but a chauffeur to them? It also makes me wonder how things will be between me and them in a month when my sister leaves. I would like things to stay the same and see where things go, but I doubt they will. More than likely they'll go in a direction I don't want. Hell, it's already doing that anyway.

Love is also a very confusing beast. My sister has at least 6 guys who she knows are chasing her, and some she wishes they were. One of the six is a mutual feeling (I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this. The guy is about 6 inches taller than me, but the hilarious thing is that I think he is genuinely afraid of me, like terrified) and she's hooked up with him. On the one hand, I'm happy for her. She finally found someone who makes her happy right now. On the other, the dude is not a Member, and while he's a cool guy, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with her dating the guy. We'll see how it goes. Then there's me. Broken up with my last girlfriend since March due to an answer from the Lord that, at the time, I did not want. Attracted to girls that I either can't have, don't want me, or are way out of my league. I don't know what to do. Should I just hold out until I leave myself? Or should I keep trying and keep looking? The thing is, most of the time, I just want to have fun. I'm not even sure if I want a relationship again. Beni-friends could be good, though. But even then...I tried that before and while it was very fun at the time, looking back I realized that I felt hollow. Do I really want that again? And should I really encourage it with others? Probably not. Still…it's tempting…

Vent doors are now closing. I'm about to collapse on the keyboard.

What Is Love?

It seems like I'm using this thing more for rants than anything else. Oh well. So long as it gets done right? Anyway, update time first!

Things are changing all around for everyone. I got accepted to BYU-Idaho for the winter semester and right now I'm saving up for that. It's about time, is all I can say. But then that means I have six months to get the money required for tuition, books, living expenses and a place to live. Looks like the random adventures are going to take a backseat to a few things. We're down to two cars again because one died on us. Again, about time. It's a good thing but it's also sucking because we have to go back to how we were about a month ago. Whatever.

Anyway, the issue that drove me to make this post! This past week I've made a few new friends that remind me of some of my friends in high school. Not necessarily the best crowd, but still good people, nonetheless. Anyway, there was a couple that was there who we were having these bonfire parties for because they were moving to Arizona. He left earlier today and she is (supposedly) leaving in two weeks. She's one of my sister's best friends outside of the Church, and I can understand that. Honestly, this girl would be an amazing member if she just wanted to be. There are a few problems though…

First off, her boyfriend. The dude as a person is cool and all, but for her is a complete jerk-off. He doesn't respect her at all. He says that he loves her, but a closer look shows that he's in it only for the sex. She, on the other hand, has fallen head over heels for this guy, and would go out of her way to make him happy. But at what expense? Her self-esteem is so low, it's depressing. She has it in her head that she isn't needed by anyone, that she isn't even wanted by anyone but this dude. That is a damned lie. And yet she believes it. Unfortunately, I don't think she understands what love truly is.

So what is love? Is it just the feeling that we get when we're around our family, or in this case, the one who we're considering spending the rest of our lives (or even eternity) with? No. It's more than that. It's respect. It's selflessness. Not selfishness. In this case, it's not the sex that shows your love. In fact, I will go so far to say that it's abstinence until the ring is on the finger and the paper is signed. It's believing that that other person looks better in sweats than in the latest fashions, whatever they may be.

It's unfortunate that people in the world today can't seem to see past the physical. Why do we have to live in such a selfish world? I won't have it anymore. It has to stop. People have to start living for others. We need to get back to the basic values that we held before now. The silent majority cannot be silent anymore. The radical minority must be silenced. Not by weapon. But by love in its truest form. The Love of Christ. Eternal Love.

I think I'm going emo...

So this has been an interesting couple of weeks. You know, ever since I've been home, I would have thought that things would have been better. In a way, they have been, because people are starting to realize that I am not the same guy they thought they knew in high school. I want to say that I've changed for the better but, then again, I don't know. It's been an interesting ride this last couple of months.

Anyway, this week. It seems that with my new calling, people tend to start coming to me for their problems and advice and whatnot. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it, sometimes I enjoy it, but there have been things that have come up and situations that have happened that have made me disappointed in some people. One of those people is myself.

I don't know why I have such a hard time doing some of the things that I was looking forward to doing when I was on my mission. I was recently told that with one of the things it was because I'm actually "looking for something" now. Yes and no. Before the mish, it was all fun and games, and a part of me knew that they weren't going to last. Maybe it's some old fears playing a part again.

The thing is, it didn't hit this hard until this weekend. Those things that happened threw me for a loop and I started thinking about the things I did in the past and how it must have made other people feel when I did similar things. This brings up another question, why is this affecting me so much? It shouldn't. And yet it is. Why? GAH!! So confusing!! Then again, I sometimes wonder why it's so hard for us sometimes to see what's in front of our faces. Lately, it always seems like it's the most obvious things that escape our view. It reminds of me of a song by the Ataris "We spend our whole lives searching for all the things we think we want, yet never really knowing what we have".

Seriously now? (Rants)

I'm actually starting to get really disappointed with the actions of the some of the people in my YSA Ward. Actually, it's been happening for a while, I've just been noticing it a lot more. Don't know why, really. Oh well. What really gets me is the whole dating aspect of it. I was at the Institute after my scriptwriting class and was talking with a few people about dating and whatnot, and one of the girls from my ward was there. She currently has a boyfriend who lives in Arizona (I don't know how she does it. Or why, for that matter, long distance relationships are the stupidest things in the world) and she was saying that even if they weren't dating, she wouldn't even consider dating any of the guys from our Ward. What?! Why? That doesn't make any sense! Her excuse was that there was no one worth dating.

Now, some of you know who I'm talking about here, so many of you may be thinking that it's just the way she is to have a response like that. And that may be true. But it got me wondering if it's the general feeling among not just the girls, but the guys of the Ward as well. It just boggles the mind! I see plenty of attractive, single (or not engaged, at least), girls in the Ward. Many of whom, I know complains that they can't ever get dates. I haven't talked to the guys about this (it's like pulling teeth to get them to even do their home teaching, which I'm hoping the girls will help with ;D), but I can't help but think that it's the same feeling for them as well. Has it seriously gotten to the point where we have to look in other places to find what we think we're looking for? Have we truly forgotten to look in front of our own faces?!

Another thing that's related to this: STOP THE HYPOCRISY! Honestly, now. For you girls, don't say that you want the "nice guy" and then chase the jerk-offs! I'm not sure you understand how it makes the nice guys actually feel, or how it makes you look. When girls say that they want the "nice guy", it gives them hope that they could land someone who is (and I'm going to sound shallow here, but it's needed) hot. But for them to then go around and chase the guys that are EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE, it sends a message that it was only lip service, and the nice guys end up settling for what they can get. The same goes for the guys as well. For those in the Church and returned missionaries, don't say that you want a girl that you can take to the temple and then go after the girls that could end up getting you excommunicated, or at the very least your temple recommend taken away.

Now, I will admit, the guys have been a bit lacking in the asking girls out category, and I'm no exception. But that doesn't mean that the girls can't take initiative either. "But it's not our job! It's yours!" So? It's not like you're asking for a ring. It's just for the two of you to hang out, get to know each other better, and see if you two are who you're both looking for in a spouse. There's no commitment other than for a few hours, then it's over and you can decide from there.

There's also no need to go searching for a boyfriend or girlfriend right off the bat until after you've "shopped around". David Mikel, a fireside speaker from the 1970s, actually gave a great analogy when it came to this. He called it "The Top 10 List and The Vanilla Theory". It's really more two different analogies of the same principle, but it works.

Anyway, everyone who's single has a top 10 list of people they like, whether it's written down or in your head, or whatever. In a top 10 music countdown, how do they know what is number 1? And does it stay at number 1? Very rarely will a song stay at number 1 on the countdown for more than a month. The list constantly changes. It's the same with the list. How do you know, girls, that the "hottie" at number 1 is really number 1? What about number 8? What about number 17? You never know until you try them out.

Think of it this way: I take one girl to get some ice cream at Cold Stone (Brother Mikel uses Baskin Robins, but Cold Stone's better), and say that she could get any combination she wanted. She orders a vanilla with chocolate chips, nothing else. OK. I tell her about the combinations she can get, even those that aren't on the signs. But she says that she's comfortable with vanilla and chocolate chips. I ask her if she's tried any of the other combinations. "No". "Well, how do you know if you won't like them better?" "Because I like this, so I'm sticking with it". OK…So I take another girl to Cold Stone and do the same thing. She orders vanilla and chocolate chips. Here we go again, I think, and I tell her about the other combinations. "Oh, I know. I've tried (insert random combos here) but I still like vanilla and chocolate chips best".

Do you see what I'm getting at? So stop complaining that there's no one to date and start looking in front of your nose! The one who you're looking for may be right there.

Um....'k

I had completely forgotten that I had this thing! And here it's been since last August that I got it! Geez! OK, whatever. I'm over it. There's other issues at hand right now. So when it comes to posts on this thing, I'm going to try to be as specific as possible while being vague at the same time...if that makes sense. At least in a lot of the situations that I talk about. Naming names is not really the smartest thing to do, so I'll try my best not to do any of that here. But, again, we'll see.

I'm not really going to do an update. I mean, why should I? You already know what's happened since then. Besides, as this thing progresses I'll be able to fill in the blanks for a lot of you. In any case, Have fun all!