See you at the Qualifying Rounds Freshman.

I would now like to write a little bit about what I think of the places I've lived in since attending BYU. Since I've lived in several places and been in more apartments in Provo than some people have been in their entire lives I feel like I am able to say something credible. At least I feel that way.

scales are from 1-10, 10 being the best.

Here are my categories

Quality: the quality of the apartment including spacing, design, cleanliness,

Social Atmosphere (S.At): if the people were friendly and amount of opportunities to meet people (I believe that building and complex design has some direct correlation to the people who live there)

Amenities: internet connection, washer and dryer, pool, parking, other stuff

Access to Campus: How close was it to campus? To other buildings like the Marriot Center, etc.

Overall: self-explanatory (not an average. why? Because I'm writing this dang it!)

Deseret Towers

- Its a crappy place. Ghetto. Deseret Towers took pride in the fact that it dominated the Provo skyline and looked down on everybody (and that's why they had to tear it down). I think that was the best thing going for it. But it was very social due to the fact that your room was so small that if you stayed there any prolonged period of time you might develop muscle degeneration. Also...there was no kitchen, so you HAD to leave at some point unless your goal was to die in a dorm room. Add in the fact that millions of kids lived in the smallest space possible and you were bound to make friends, meet people, and play Starcraft (not necessarily in that order).

Quality: 5 (oh yeah, did I mention, they weren't earthquake proof!)

Social Atmosphere: 9

Amenities: 9 (pool, basketball courts, foosball tables, good parking, and a lot of other stuff)

Access to Campus: 8

Overall: 8 (this high only because I like the s.at)

Reynolds

- It was very nice. What else can I say? It was also cool being able to live right next door to girls. hahahaha.

Quality: 9

S.At: 8

Amenities: 5 (though having a washer and dryer IN your apartment was amazing, parking wasn't bad either)

Access to Campus: 6

Overall: 7

Apollo

- Well... let me say...its a nice place to live in when you're married. When you're living with your sister? You just feel really odd. I mean...its not like I could pop over next door and hang out with my neighbor's wife whenever I wanted. If I have to explain why that is awkward, then I hope I don't know you in real life. Other than that, it wasn't too bad.

Quality: 6

S.At: 1 (because all the married people hung out with each other, and I'm hesitating on even putting a 1)

Amenities: 4 (parking was always good, and washing and laundry were in the same complex)

Access to Campus: 5

Overall: 5

Wyview

- I LOVED Wyview. It was the perfect blend of quality and social atmosphere. It helped though that I had awesome roommates..... i suppose if you had bad roommates it would be more like a dungeon. A clean, nicely designed dungeon. But a dungeon. It also helped that I was there in spring, helping the ward bonding because there weren't as many people, and sparing me of the vicious, flesh-eating, all consuming, wait. I was thinking of zombies, not freshman. But sparing me of hordes of freshman.

Quality: 9

S.At: 8

Amenities: 9

Access to Campus: 7 (the football stadium is dang close!!)

Overall: 8

Riverside Condiminiums

- Well. Here I am. And I can't say much yet, so these are first impressions. I really love the apartment. There are no downsides in terms of quality (except for the fact that the walls are so thin and that its not as new as some other places). Its nice, peaceful, and well-kept. There doesn't seem to be much going on though in terms of socialness. but I do like it.

Quality: 9

S.At: 2 (I only put a two here instead of a one because these two kids talked to me. Oh, and this hispanic lady said hello. You know there is something seriously lacking in this department when the fact that people even acknowledge you bumps it up one point).

Amenities: 7 (no pool, no courts, but washer and dryer, two of your own parking spaces, a storage unit, furnished apartment which is nice for a place like this)

Acess to Campus: 3 (considering that if I lived any further I might as well commute from L.A. and back. just kidding, its not that bad).

Overall: 7 (the exact opposite of DT where the quality was poor but the S.At was high)

There you have it. Or..I guess that was more for me.

Oh yeah, the title of this post is a random quote from a movie. LOL

Goodbye

So. Parents told me we're leaving Wednesday afternoon instead of Thursday evening. I am a bit upset seeing as how I was planning to say goodbye to my friends Wednesday night. And now its over.

Good bye California, good-bye L.A., good-bye Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Good-bye Lights concert on the 28th, good-bye good home cookin, Good-bye LightsArmy West...who I should tell that I'm leaving since they still think I'm going to the concert in october and thinking I'm orchestrating the meet up. XD

So long to awesome friends who, through thick and thin, up and down, and lots of drama, through girl trouble and guy stuff, and the fact that I'm always the one leaving them, have always been there for me.

Sayonora to the fun beach, the amusement parks, California Gurls, nice weather, the hip and happening and events every night.

And another year away from family.

And good-bye to Karen.

Its been great.

Good for now

Its interesting whenever someone says I'm a nice guy. Almost like its a bad thing. Or..."you're too nice". The thing is, I'm not being nice because I want something in return. Its just because that's the way I am. Going against that would feel hypocritical to me. Of course, people have warned me to be careful because people will take advantage of that. And I understand that. I'm pretty naive, but so far I've done all right. And its not like being nice is a sin. I guess I could try being a jerk. haha.

But its good to know that I'm doing all right every once in a while. For the past month and a half two of my mom's friend's daughters have been living in the U.S. (they're from Taiwan). And yesterday they returned home, but before they did they gave us all gifts and a few parting words. One of the girls wrote that, again, I was too nice and to watch myself. I thought "great, yeah, its not like I don't know how to take care of myself. Do I?" haha. but then she continued and explained that she recently had a falling out with her boyfriend back in Taiwan and that I had helped her through this trial because even though I hadn't known about what was happening, I gave her hope that there were still nice guys left in the world. And also that if she ever found a guy like me in Taiwan she would marry him.

And its interesting that in saying that she helped me. Every once in awhile I wonder if people actually want me to be less nice. Like maybe it is a bad thing. But its good to know its still all right. And who knows. Maybe I will evolve into a jerk later on in life and everyone will regret it. haha. But I think I'm good for now.

A New Season

So, following last year's Friends intro, here's the one for this past school year. Still tweaking it a bit. Didn't have video footage of everyone. And couldn't fit in everyone.

Another chapter is about to close. Its been two years since the mish and you can't help but feel that this huge door your life is swinging with is about close, swinging on just the tiniest of hinges. Its the winds of change my friend, and I don't even really know what that means. All I know is that is a self-awareness that things are once again changing.

It doesn't help that things are different. Old friends gone, or relationships changed. new strangers, past things dug up. for example, my high school freshman year crush has reappeared on facebook out of nowhere.

Its the realization that where you're at, you're yesterday's news, that a new generation is now capable of replacing you and you're on the way out. When you want the change that is already around you. for example, my single's ward. everyone's married, gone, or moved. All the new faces are much younger and I feel suddenly out of place.

As for BYU, a fresh set of friends are on the chopping block and already on the way out. Have you been counting how many times I've used the word "already" already? The rotation continues. Last year's cast is going to be joined by a new supporting cast for a new season. I can already (there it is again) see the friendships that are fading. Of course, there will be the regulars. It really is like a tv show where everyone is guest starring in everyone else's show.

Naturally, I need to compare this to a tv show then. Mike and I both got into the Office at the same time and we've talked about who would play who (or least who has traces of which character. For example, Katherine is definitely Kelly Kapoor) in our own "Office", which is funny because this is probably the third tv show we've talked about that relates to our lives. We change every season.

But yeah. Here's looking forward to the next year and the surprises that await us. The good thing about this is that our seasons aren't usually ever cut short.

end

so i met this girl. she's pretty awesome.

LightsArmy

My inactivity at RAF has been replaced by increased activity on the Lights forums where we've become LightsArmy (a name lights gave to us). Two nights ago my brother and I were able to meet up with ten other LightsArmy kids, hang out, go to a Lights acoustic concert (which was very intimate since it was not a big venue, it only had less than 10 seats!), hang out some more, chat, and go to dinner afterwards. It was a really fun time and the first time in awhile I hung out exclusively with non-LDS people. Other than the drinking and the bar it felt pretty normal.

The awesome part of being part of LightsArmy is that we are in with Lights and her people. She knows who we are and we are given special audiences after her shows where she hangs out with us. Just like a small group of friends hanging with Lights (usually no more than 10 people). She had to leave early last friday night to hang out with her dad (her parents were in town) so we weren't able to hang with her, but it was still fun to hang out with each other.

Comprehensive Retrospective

So. in a few days, I will have been home from my mission for two years. Wow. Its crazy. Its actually felt longer than that, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how I look at it. Looking back, I can honestly say that I had no idea this would be how the first two years after my mission would be like. And its been hard I gotta say. But I've learned a lot of lessons. While I haven't had as many spiritual experiences since my mission I can say I've learned almost as much as I did on my mission. I've built on the foundation that my mission has provided me. Its amazing how much can change in two years. i.e.

- 4 of the top 10 most played songs on my iTunes is now a Lights song. I now listen to her way more than I do BoA and that's crazy in itself. the biggest discovery music-wise post-mish.

- the amount of new friends that I've made both current and already pass (outside of Mike and Luke who I now consider staples to all of my relationships, lol). Dezzy, Becki, Torrey, David Watts, Mark, #202 (haha, Lauren, Ash, Liz, Bre who can forget them?!), Asia (who I met in the terrace of the wilk, weird), Addie (whom I met going to Japanese club), Kazue (who I took to Japanese club), Chinese class (too many to list), Kelsey, Wesley, Hyung, Larissa, Rommel, Tiffany, Katherine, Alex, James, Brittany, Austin, Chase, Lucia, Alejandra, as well as a host of friends on-line at RAF, and LightsArmy.

I've had so many good experiences from going to Taiwan, Arizona, Nauvoo, Rexburg, and DisneyWorld. From getting to meet Lights, to the NBA games, to performing at volleyball games for Club Style. From the classroom and awesome teachers to the rooms of the temples. From volunteering at the food bank to working at the cougareat. From Reynolds to Apollo, to Wyview. From LANning it up on Starcraft to intramural basketball games. From going on dates to see the orchestra in Salt Lake City, to picnics in the canyon, to bowling, to Humor-U, to Owl City. Memories at the Canon Center, at the library, at the Wilk, at the JSFB. Memories of statistic class and of making up names for songs in sociology. i think this list is starting to get comprehensive so...

- flash mob on campus with Asia, and her introducing me to Owl City and specifically, fireflies.

- monkeys, waffle fail, i love you, spatula, bears will hibernate in your symbols of affection, steve is 0ff-line, columbus marco polo and cortez (along with every crazy analogy we've had).

- finding and going to Fort B.A.L.L., "This is my Idea of Fun", singing in the car to Disney songs, all the canon center meals

- Every day in chinese class, "she swam fast and good", You Peng, beer, all the girlfriend stuff, trying to pull pranks on Shalise and failing, singing fireflies on the way back from the Owl City concert .

- Austin and James continually getting mad at each other, Austin being a secret superhero, James trying to teach us a lesson on faith, STARCRAFT LAN and SUPER SMASH BROTHER BRAWL BATTLES!

- all my professors and TA's, honestly, they are so good from Bro Brau who is a pretty spiritual guy, to Ben Gibbs who is such a hilarious person. Even my pretty boring Business 320 teacher. I love them all. I wish i got to know them better. hope it was mutual.

Anyway...too much to list here. I'll probably end up adding to it over time. :)