So 2005, what a strange year for me. In beginning to think about a whole year, I find it interesting to sum up time. I mean we live our lives and spend so much time doing so many things and accumulate so many memories and then we end up forgetting so many of them when we want to recall them as they were lived. But even though memories pretty much suck, it’s hindsight that more than makes up for it. I can look back on my 26 years and if asked what my first memory was I’d give a blank stare but on the flip side ask me what I’ve learned in that time, hell-o, I’d never stop talking. And so I think I’m gonna tell ya what went down in hindsight mode. I’ve heard the saying, a smart man learns from his mistakes, a smarter man learns from other people’s mistakes, I think it’s true. And so please, in my ramblings I hope ya learn from my 2005 in one way or another.
I actually went back and read my journal at this time last year and it strangely reads as this probably would. You ever get the feeling you’re climbing a very long flight of stairs and think you’re not getting anywhere? Yeah, that’s what this year felt like. It was kind of a stale year. I started it off with really good intentions, much like each year’s new year resolutions, the fizzle in my shizzle fell flat. Now don’t get me wrong, I do pretty good in life(at least I like to think I do), I get many of its quirks, (of course with the realization that I still have so many more to learn), but I don’t think I applied that knowledge as much as I should have this year. I had a solid semester at the U at the beginning of the year, but I felt I was getting lazy about it. Then summer hit and I got a job workin’ at the Boy’s Ranch working as a sort of Camp councilor for troubled youth. That was a great experience for me. I’d been working in random sells jobs for so long that I really wanted to get out and do what I was really interested in, and that was teaching. I loved it there at the Boy’s Ranch. (You can read my very first blog about a week long hike I went on while I was there; you’ll have to dig though) It reemphasized the choice I made to become a Teacher. I really have a knack for working with the kiddies. They think I’m cool and stuff and I can usually sneak in some good things they need to know when they’re not looking...
So after the camp ended, I had a month till the next semester started, and I decided, what the hey, I’ll take it easy till school starts. Well that was a bad idea. I hate it when I have nothing I need to do. I just fall apart. I become a lazy bum. Put me in a crazy busy environment and I fulfill every expectation. Put me in a room with nothing but time on my hands and I do nothing productive. I hate that character trait about me. And so I hit that upcoming semester with some seriously lazy feet. And it became a very very long semester. Let me just tell you, I hate learning Spanish, not Spanish itself. Spanish is a sexy language. Heck, if anything I want to know how to say super hotness things in my future wife’s ear in Spanish. Things like: Yo quiero su lengüeta fervorosa en mi boca. Heh, but yeah, I hate learning a language in a class setting. It’s almost useless. There just isn’t enough use of the language as there should be to actually learn. The only real way to learn a language and become fluent is to be forced to speak only that language for a long period of time. But oh well, I just need to get through a couple more Spanish classes and then I’ll be done. As for the rest of the classes this year, diversity and multicultural education was a big topic for me this year. I volunteered at Horizonte, a multicultural school in SLC and I had a blast there working with students who have come from all around the world to Utah to learn English and start their “American Dream”. I could go on and on about how cool those students are, but I won’t, perhaps another blog.
Which brings me to another thing, I realized a couple of weeks ago (my birthday specifically) that this time next year, I’ll be a college graduate. It was an enormously encouraging thought. Makes me all giddy and stuff. It’s like a light at the end of the tunnel in that staleness I spoke of. I’ve gotten a little burned out with the cycle of college and working dumb part time jobs to get me through academia. But then again, the job I’m at right now rules. I work as a Recreational Specialist at an elementary school after school program, which basically translates into me throwing dodge balls at kid’s heads all day. I totally have a black belt in recess now, you should see it! I’m workin on my 2nd degree belt now. Heh, but yeah, I hope I can keep that job as long as possible through this next year, it works so good with a college schedule.
In the l-o-v-e department, I can say it’s been much like my new year’s resolutions: turned out stale, with a few very interesting exceptions. I kinda like it like that and then again I kinda don’t. Ya know? I’m all about Quality over quantity, always will be. So I tend to date and meet a few choice individuals during a given year. Which brings me to a certain subject: getting set up. I don’t do that much at all anymore. I used to be cool with it. I always figured, why not? But a guy can only be willing to go out with a grandma picked girl so much before he has the audacity to say no to her. I swear, that’s frakin’ hard to do. My grandma is seriously the sweetest most fragile thing on earth. I had maybe four or five set ups this year that were just plain off. I still think back and wonder what the heck my friends/family were thinking. Anyway, the other thing with dating is I’ve realized I’m passing into another dating bracket. Here in Utah, there’s the unwritten 18-25 bracket where stereotypically (and seemingly) most get married. Yet outside the bubble (everywhere else but Utah) I believe that most people tend to begin to really consider marriage at around 25. I really think that’s when we should be taking on marriage anyway. Getting marriage at 18? That’s insane. Marriage is a massive responsibility, and except for a select mature few who really are mature enough for it, the M-leap should only be attempted by trained professionals (25 year olds) But yeah, when you get past that bracket, that dating labyrinth/marriage fly trap, you realize Holy Moses, I’m not married. It’s impossible not to here in U-town. That nagging question that only exists in the heart of the fish-bowl-known-as-Utah (“26? Why aren’t you married?”) keeps popping up. And ya know what I say to that question? “I have explosive bowel problems.” Heh, no, my bowels seem to work just fine, and no I’ve never really said something like that, but I should, the look on peoples faces would be classic. The true answer is: I just haven’t found my girl yet. I will one of these days, and it’ll probably be from the one place I’ll never expect (like a set up or Myspace).
So almost lastly, near the end of the year something truly radical happened in my life plans. I’ve been dead set up becoming a High School English Teacher for a couple of years now. The more time passed the more entrenched in that knowledge I’ve become. But something happened in the thick of the aforementioned loooong semester I just finished. During my institute class this semester I had an ongoing epiphany that ended with the idea of the very real possibility of me becoming a Seminary/Institute teacher. Just when I thought I had everything figured out God comes in to show me something wholly new, a path I never would have come to see if I hadn’t already taken the path I was on. Ironically it was my Priest class in my home ward, a class I taught for 5 years that turned me on to teaching in general in the first place. So this semester I will begin to take Intro to Teaching Seminary, a class that freakin’ begins at 7am. I find I’m really intrigued by the whole idea. Teaching the gospel for a living? AND getting paid better than a public educator (so I’ve heard)? I like the sound of that.
Even closer to lastly, coming home from work on the 23rd on the freeway, Ravan, my Kia Sportage that I bought for a grand about 3 years ago died on the freeway at approximately 6:37 pm.. He’ll be remembered as a good go-to-places car, a car in which lots of fun memories happened, and as my very first motor vehicle. I’ll never forget what I found underneath the driver’s side seat in a plastic baggy. I kid you not, a purple thong. I’ll miss his crazy overheating antics and those times I couldn’t hardly see the road because of the brightness of the sun (his sun visors were gone when I got him). So at the crack of the first of the year I bought me a 99’ dark blue Jetta, a car I might name Gerry. He’s got tinted windows, SUN VISORS, a nice pioneer MP3 stereo, a switch blade key (you won’t get this unless you’ve seen one in action) and a lockable glove box. Heh, seriously though, the Jetta will see me through the end of school. It looks like it’ll be a good car.
Bubye Rav
Meet Rev!
And finally, really, the last thing, specifically about this “little” blog you’re reading, just for reference, most of the things I write here are literary. I don’t usually blog the more mundane parts of my ongoing life unless it can be formed into some sort of entertaining story. My blog isn’t a journal. And so much of the stuff I wrote about this year was putting into words some of my favorite stories from my life. So it’s more autobiographical than anything, more often than not being an artistic outlet. My Testimony I wrote at the end of my mission is buried somewhere in there, and if any of you that happen to be reading this read anything of mine, read that. I’ve always said the best way to get to know anyone is hearing/reading what they truly believe in. I threw in a few poems and an essay on gratitude to spice things up and I’ll continue to push new ways of expressing myself. So all in all, there’s some good stuff, things that paint a somewhat spotty picture of who I am. Essentially, this blog is why I’m here.
So off I go into 2006, what adventures (or misadventures) I’ll end up getting myself into only the big guy upstairs knows. I have big hopes for the future, and I gots me some plans to unfurl. So we’ll see which ones get to see the light of day here in 2006. I wish all you crazies out there in my picture collection the best, hope we all get our kicks in 2006.
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