100

This is my 100th blog post!

I was trying to think about what I would do to celebrate. I thought my post would be something thought-invoking and original, something that would entice a bunch of comments and spark a discussion.

Meh. I figured I would just talk about the past couple weeks in New York City.

Oh yeah, I moved to New York City.

Actually I'm not sure what to tell. I've been working as a planning intern at BBDO New York and it's been a great experience! I've probably learned more about myself and what I want to do with life in the past 2 1/2 weeks than I did in the past year.

I'll admit though, I miss Provo a little bit. Maybe it isn't Provo necessarily, but I miss the open-ness. Houses with yards and lawns, places where it can actually get quiet (actually I did find a couple spots in NY where it does get quiet!), living so close to people in your ward, visiting them isn't a chore or something you necessarily have to plan ahead for.

A quick recap on the cool stuff so far:

• Ate at The Artichoke
• Went to the MoMA
• Found the roof entrance (and outdoor stairs that lead even higher) to the I-House
• Went to Wall Street and the south street seaport (pretty fun street magician down there)
• Times Square, Rockefeller Center, etc. in Midtown
• Talked with my mom while using Google Earth to look at the house I was born in (er, lived in after I was born) and planned a trip to go see it. (Only a few miles away, after all)
• Bought a mini-fridge after 2 weeks of not having ANY milk (or, therefore, cereal)
• Surviving without a smart phone in the US's biggest city. (I was thinking about it the other day, and I think of all the times I've seen people using their phones, I have literally not seen someone using a non smart phone. For reals. (Probably mostly because you can do other stuff on them, so people on the subway are playing games and stuff. But even in the BYU program, I don't think I've seen a single phone that wasn't a smart phone.)
• Taking way too few pictures
• Seeing $13 movies for only $6
• Spending TONS of time on Google looking up blogs and articles for work
• Making a surprising number of new friends/acquaintances
• Watching a ton of 30 Rock. (All of season 4 and half of season 5 - signed up for the free month of Hulu+) Next on the plate: catching up in The Office

Oh yeah, and we saw Wonderland! last night. Meh, I'd give it a 6.5/10. The acting and music were good, and the stage setting and all were very flashy and exciting. The storyline? Pretty dumb and hard to follow.

But it was free, so how can I say anything?

Anyway, maybe my 101st entry will wax more philosophical. Until then, I've got a ward service fundraiser to volunteer at.

Peace!

Something to think about

"Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us.

"There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous."

-- Ezra Taft Benson

Everything's amazing, and no one's happy

Besides being a kick-A comedy routine by Louis C.K. (which is funny because it's so true), this is a phrase that I wish I could less easily relate to.

Too often I hear people complaining about the bad parts of whatever situation they may be in, even when I know for a fact that they could be thinking about the good parts.

Do you hate the cold weather? Or do you love the chance to sit in front of a fireplace (even if it's fake and playing on the TV) and sip on hot chocolate? (Would you ever do that if it were Springtime?) Do you hate when it's really hot out, or do you love the opportunity to sit out by the pool? (Can you do this at all when it's Fall?)

You can't appreciate the good without the bad, the hot without the cold or the cold without the hot. I'm definitely not one to say that everyone else but myself sees the glass as half empty. I'm just pointing out a common human trait I've noticed in a lot of people, myself included.

Just something to think about I guess. Thoughts?

Some thoughts on advertising

It's funny to me to watch TV with older (50+ y/o) people, usually family members. Without fail, I will always hear someone say something along the lines of "when you get in advertising, you should make it so there are fewer commercials on TV! I just want to watch (insert program name here)." They're mostly joking, in that they know I have no control over that. But I bet that the first response most people would give if they were asked "how do you feel about television commercials?" would be more on the negative side.

Here's my rebuttal:



28 MILLION views?

Do they have to be funny for people to not get mad at ads? NOPE.







Ads don't just reflect popular culture, they can actually change popular culture. Think of the "Wassup!" Budweiser ads, or the "Get a Mac" campaign. (I just added this because we just talked about pop culture in a class of mine.)

Point being: people don't hate advertising. They hate bad advertising. And so do I.





And then of course almost anything Microsoft churns out, especially when they're trying to make something "viral." They should learn that viral videos can be viral because people make fun of them.






Yes... they were just so excited about working for Microsoft that they spontaneously broke out into song. Good one, Microsoft. Why do I own stock in these guys again? (UPDATE: I just sold all of my Microsoft stock!)

And of course, one of my "favorites":



And I'll just end with this. I didn't know it existed until just a few minutes ago. I agree with what one of the YouTube commenters wrote. "WTF was Microsoft thinking?" (WTF of course stands for "Why the face")



One technology blog writer mentioned how dumb it is for Microsoft to consistently portray its users as technology-illiterate morons. I guess now they're portraying them as nasty perverts who don't love their wives enough too.

I can't say any more about badvertising, because O.M.G.I.G.P.

The Eternal Everyday

O, one might reach heroic heights

By one strong burst of power.

He might endure the whitest lights

Of heaven for an hour;—.

But harder is the daily drag,

To smile at trials which fret and fag,

And not to murmur—nor to lag.

The test of greatness is the way

One meets the eternal Everyday.

-Edmund Vance Cooke

Twenty Eleven

It's always a little strange the feeling I get when a new year rolls around. I always look back at the past year and look forward to the new year. Looking at the past year always makes me think of the good things that happened and (unfortunately) reminds me of the regrets I've had. Then those regrets lead me to making resolutions for the new year, as I am always simultaneously excited and scared for what the future brings.

I haven't posted in a long time, and not because I didn't have things to say or didn't have time. I just forgot. (Story of my life.)

It's so weird to think that I actually have no idea where I'll be in a year. Last year I knew I would still be in school. This year it's completely up in the air. And in two or three years? Who knows??

Hopefully I'll be a better person than I am now.

And hopefully maybe I'll even find someone who finds a way to like me for who I am in the meantime?

Maybe :)

I think I've forgotten

what it's like to like someone and be liked by that someone at the same time. Crap.

So it just hit me how much work I (1) didn't do over the Thanksgiving break that I was planning on doing, and (2) how much work that means I have to do this week to make sure I'm on top of things.

It'll feel so good to get it all done though, which is the only motivation I can find to actually get the work done.

Homely

Not in the "ugly" sense.

I didn't set foot outside my house until 6:50pm yesterday. And even then all I did was go to London Manor, about 100 feet away.

Oh the joys of being sick.

On a better note: tonight is the premiere of Harry Potter 7!! I seriously can't wait. We're also getting our piano tuned, finally! AND we're going down to Cedar City to pick up some sweet stuff for the house. Part of me wonders if it's worth it at this point through the semester, but whatever :) It'll be great!

Welp, time to go take my math exam. (Wish me luck! I'll be needing it...)

Gospel Doctrine

I'm thinking maybe it's time I start going to the gospel doctrine classes at church instead of the relationships classes.

In this ward, it seems like every time I go to the relationships class, I just get frustrated with the attitude of the girls and even the teachers.

Every time it's the same thing: guys are the dumbest, least competent doofuses who have no idea what they're doing when it comes to dating and need to go to classes like these so that girls (and the teachers) can rag on them until they get it through their thick skulls.

Apparently we're completely incompetent when it comes to dating etiquette, aren't quick enough to recognize when a girl is interested, and need to brush away the sawdust in our brains long enough to be presentable and likable on a date.

I couldn't tell you how many times the teachers have asked "now guys... is it okay to ask a girl out through a text message, email, or Facebook?" and actually wait for an answer, obnoxiously. It almost makes me even more frustrated that some guys answer the question, sounding as if they're trying to convince everyone that they've "learned their lesson." And it just makes me roll my eyes.

Bologne. I want to feel the spirit and actually learn something in my sunday school classes. And relationships class (at least in this ward) is not where that is going to happen.