Hiking

Hey, guess what! I have pictures for you! I know, I know... let's all settle down here. No need to be so anxious.

Now that the weather has gotten better, I've been able to get out on the trails a lot more often. And I have some pretty pictures to show for it.

This is from Taylor Canyon. I took this on my way to Malan's Peak

Panoramania

Waterfall Canyon

"Ahyuk, a waterfall... WATERFALL?!?"

"Naaaaa, seven yah, see vee beep, see vah wah..."

Not from a hike... (Could you tell?) On my way to class one morning last month.

Looking towards Ben Lomond Peak from the roof of the Browning Center.

Well. There you are. I don't have anymore to write. Work was long today - 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. A full dance set-up, followed by a show call. It felt good to get back home.

Also, I am watching Supernatural right now (Season 1), and I just saw Adrian Hough. He used to be in my ward up in Canada. Cool, right?

Also, when your brother warns you to not do too many curls after not doing them for a while, you should probably listen. My left arm won't bend easily or painlessly bend past 113°.

Also, I don't like fish sticks.

Salt Lake City

I wish I had more pictures to post about today, because pictures make everything more fun. But I did not take any today. I apologize.

I had a long, good day in Salt Lake City today. My Uncle Bruce was getting married in the Salt Lake City temple, and we were all going down to join him at the temple and for a luncheon at the Lion House. Everyone else was leaving at 8, and I didn't want to go down so early. I also didn't want to just drive down by myself. So, I decided take the FrontRunner down.

I had a really nice time. It was actually sort of nostalgic for me; the last time I had ridden a train was back in the Czech Republic. I missed being able to get around effectively without a car, and I wanted to give that a shot again today. Let's just say that it didn't work out the way I envisioned. If I was going to stay in downtown SLC, it wouldn't have been a problem because the FrontRunner station is just a mile down the road.

Anyway, on my way to the West side of the temple -- where Bruce and Andrea were taking their wedding pictures -- I ran into my friend Joni who was married that day. That's not important to the story, but it was an unexpected happenstance.

Lunch was really great, and it also looked amazing. If I had Instagram, I would have been all over that plate of food like a ravenous hipster armed with a vintage camera. (Ya, that was lame).

After lunch, I called a friend from SLC to see if she was free to do something for a few hours while I was in town. She didn't pick up. But I still wanted to take the train home, so I told everyone else that I would do just that. As I was walking around Temple Square, I noticed an old mission buddy of mine who was also married that day. I found out through talking with him that his reception is tonight, and not tomorrow night. So, I decided I would just stay in Salt Lake until the reception.. which was 6 miles away.

The buses/TRAX aren't quite up to what I was used to in the Czech Republic, so I ended up walking about 4 miles before I finally caught a bus. But! My friend called me back. So, we met up for an hour or so before the reception. It was great to catch up with her again. She also gave me a ride to the reception which was very much appreciated.

I ran into a few mission friends there, and we had a great time. I thought I could find a ride back to the train station after the reception, but it didn't work out. My friend had previously offered to give me a ride back, so I took her up on that offer. It's great to have such good friends - even when you don't get to see each other very often. It was great she gave me a ride back, because the buses didn't come often enough for me to catch a decent train back home.

Anyway... I should probably stop posting such long, unedited stories of rather everyday experiences. But such is my life as of late.

I learned that although I would love to be able to live without a car and still travel and see other cities and whatnot, but it's just not practical in Utah. I could live in Ogden just fine without a car right now - I work and study at Weber State, and groceries are close by.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Wunderbar! Das ist mein Wunderbar...

Well, today was pretty darn sweet. Oh, I have pictures this time too. So, hooray.

I went to two Institute classes this morning and another one tonight. It reminded me of the summer before my  mission where I took about 6 classes there because I had nothing else to do, and I was preparing for a mission. Even though you have some interesting moments with some of the interesting people there (see my previous post from that summer about Institute), there really is a different feeling being there. Being around a lot of people who generally follow the same Gospel and moral teachings of Christ helps you stay motivated to do what's right. So, I had a great time with that today.

When I got home, I was surprised with a delivery from my Canadian friend Jennifer. She serves in the RS Presidency of my ward, so I've gotten to know her pretty well through that. She recently made a trip back home to Canada, and I sent her with twenty bucks to buy as many Wunderbars as she could. She came through for me. Haha, I now have a healthy stack of delicious, chocolaty, "chocolate bars". And yes, they are just a great as I remember them being. I bit into one and I was instantly taken back 10 years to the cold Halloween nights where these were a major hit among the kids for the Halloween candy booty.

We took some pictures enjoying these Wunderbars. Here they are:

Oh, ya. These are delicious.

Laughing at the seduction.

Yup.

Well, there you are. One happy day for two happy guys... Eating Wunderbars... From Canada. They are half in French too, which makes them twice as good. Yep.

Monday, Monday....

Well, I guess this blog will turn into more a journal of sorts for me. At least for a little while. I'll try to post more definite stories from time to time, but until that time, I'll just keep posting little daily recaps. Or not. Who knows what will happen. I think in one of my previous posts I promised to tell some stories I had to share. But now I can't remember what those stories were.

This morning I attended a four hour (yes, four hour) training for work on how to be safe on "aerial platforms" -- so our Genie lift, and the loading dock where we load the counterweights onto the fly system. It could have been done in an hour tops, but the trainer kept changing the subject and spent ten minutes showing us random YouTube videos of funny accidents... I didn't mind so much because I was getting paid to be there, but it was a rather boring morning.

After that I went home for a delicious lunch. Leftovers from our Cinco de Mayo dinner we had last night.

Then back to work I went to take down the sound shell from the concert on Saturday night and to clean out the cage. The cage is where we keep a whole bunch of stuff, but it gets messy from time to time. It looks great now, though!

I had a great time tonight at FHE with the ward. I usually don't enjoy the sports nights because they can get out of hand, but tonight was actually a lot of fun. We played a game called "Quad Ball" which is sort of a mix between soccer, football, basketball, and kick-the-can. There might be one other sport in there, but you know me and sports. We're like two acquaintances who only run into each other on occasion and it's always awkward because you never know each others' names but you never want to ask because then it would be... awkward. I do better with solo sports, I suppose. Anyway, tonight was a lot of fun. There are a lot of good people in the ward.

Side note about relationships. It sucks when you have something that feels really great for a time, but when that ends, despite your best intentions, you revert back to where you were before you started being together. And unfortunately, we started dating pretty quickly -- before we could build up a solid base of friendship. So, being back to where we were before we started dating is like being back to brief conversations in the halls once a week and little-to-no interaction throughout the week.

I didn't want to break off our relationship, but it was something I felt needed to be done... I'm still not sure why. I knew I wasn't able to put into the relationship as much as she was, and I don't know why. There was no reason it shouldn't have worked. It seems to be really hard for her, but, because we don't talk that much, I don't really know how she is feeling anymore. That's the hardest part.

Even though we are no longer dating, I still wanted to be good friends. I miss spending time with her and I miss having someone I can do nice things for, if that makes sense. It's hard for me being at this place where we are now. Maybe it's just really hard for her to be back to being friends with someone she used to date. I don't know. But I want to know. She has a dance recital this week that I've been planning to go to for two months, but whenever I ask her about it now, she changes the subject or tries to brush it off. Even though we are not dating, I would still like to go as her friend, but I don't think she wants me to come.

Maybe one of the four people that look at this blog could give me some advice. Because I sure don't know what I'm doing; I'm still new to this whole dating thing.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

500 MPH Storm -- Awesome movie!

As I was writing that previous post, I was watching a really, really bad movie on Netflix called "500 MPH Storm". If you ever find yourself with an hour and a half to kill, this movie will supply you with many laughs, and groans about how much they are trying to make this an awesome movie. This movie has it all - excessive, melodramatic slow-motion, cheesy acting, terrible dialogue, etc. Usually I'm pretty nice to movies that are making an effort. But this one is just sad.

Here are two awesome quotes from the movie:

"What NOW?"

"You know, I would say that's the craziest thing I've ever heard, if it wasn't the dumbest thing I've ever heard". A great line from "500 MPH Storm"

"You want to shine a light up in the sky? Whoop-de-doo". 

"What now?"

"If I could just get home and use the Internet, I could save us now! -- Johnny, there is no internet now!".

Oh, and did I mention,

"What do we do now?" "What now?"

(Trying to escape a burning mountain) "Dad, there's a helicopter! Here are the keys. I know where the helicopter is, too!".

Convinced yet of this movie's awesomeness? No? Well, check it out sometime. You just might regret it.

UPDATE: For some reason, 30 minutes after publishing this post, I am still watching this movie. Here is another great quote:

Wife: [to protagonist-husband] "If we survive this, is there gonna be anything left?"
Husband: [to attractive, yet simple-minded wife] "Us".
{cue sentimental music}

The Walking Dead...

I haven't been feeling all that great this week. Well, physically I feel fine, but emotionally I've been feeling a little down. I'm not sure why, but it happens occasionally. So, this has been one of those weeks where I look for excuses to stay inside and not associate with too many people. No need for them to be bothered, you know?

I did have a good time Wednesday night with some family members. We went out to Lee's Mongolian BBQ for the end-of-semester dinner. Kristofor and some others started it about 3 years ago, and, as the remaining college student (Joseph will be starting next week), I've been tasked to keep it going. And it's delicious, so I am happy to do so.

This post is probably pretty rambling - my apologies for that. It sort of reflects my current frame of mind. 

Wednesday night, I offered to host a party tonight to try out a new card game I had just bought; it's called BANG, and it's actually an awesome game. I had played it a ton in the Czech Republic. I was really excited for it! I was going to invite a bunch of friends I hadn't seen for a while because we had all been so busy with school and everything. But that was all Wednesday night when I was feeling happy. Thursday I woke up not feeling so great and talked myself out of inviting others to come play. Friday morning I had planned to get out and go for a nice long hike, but I just couldn't get myself into it. I kept wanting to do it that day, but kept talking myself out of it. 

Today was the same thing. I kept wanting to go outside, but instead I just stayed in my room all day. My family actually thought I wasn't home at all - they went up to Brigham City and ditched me here. Ha, well not intentionally of course. They just didn't think I was home. It's probably just as well, I suppose. I wouldn't have wanted to go anyway. I would just have to fake being happy, and that gets tiring. 

So, what did I do instead Friday and Saturday? I watched the first two seasons of The Walking Dead. And it was awesome. I was enthralled in the story and the lives of the characters. I tell you what though, I had a creepy feeling when I walked upstairs and no one was home (this was when they were in Brigham). It was dark, some doors were left partially open, the light on in the workroom, but no one anywhere. I could almost hear the low growling and snarling of the "walkers" waiting to jump out at my back when I wasn't looking. 

Anyway, now I'm just frustrated at myself for wasting two days sitting inside trying to avoid talking to people.  I know what things will make me feel better, but it's hard sometimes finding the strength or courage to do them.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll make more of an effort to get past this minor depression. With me, it really is just a choice.

Reflections and Ramblings

Well, it's been well over two years since I've updated this blog. For a long while I forgot that I even had this blog, but it's been fun re-discovering it and seeing the how much I've grown over the last few years.

I won't say that this first post in over two years will be terribly exciting - because it probably won't be. In fact, I'm sure I'll just ramble on for a while about several different topics and then conclude with a statement saying, "Sorry for this being so long". This particular post might seem a little self-indulgent as it is a reflection primarily on my own life and experiences. And yes, the tone may be somewhat somber or perhaps boring, but that's probably due my current reflective mindset. So, there you go. Fair warning. :-)

I feel like I just need to write down some of the good things happening in my life and this seemed like a good place to do it. Lately I have had the reassurance that the events that have happened in my life have really been the right thing for me at each stage of my life - from birth to today. The interests I had or the differing feelings of acceptance I had sought had prepared me for bigger and better things. I can see that now.

There have been so many good and amazing people in my life, and I intend to thank many of you personally within the next few months. Sadly, I have lost contact with many, but the impact that these people have had on my life has been profound, and a post thanking people would be incomplete without at least mentioning the people who have changed my life forever. I met most of these people, with whom I have lost contact, primarily through my experiences in Canada - what I perhaps may call the Canadian chapter of my life.

Those early years essentially "growing up" in an area far different from the rural Paradise I had lived in just previously were paramount to the establishment of who I would become. The people were different from the "rural-Utahan" type I was used to, and I was able to see a wide range of values, attitudes, and beliefs that either mirrored or differed greatly from my own. It was from these people that I had discovered what would be a major force and passion in my life. Theatre. The experiences I had in my one semester Grade 9 Drama class led me to a place of acceptance and an arena for self-expression that I had been unable to find previously. We kept a weekly journal in that class and I was recently able to read those entries I made 8 years ago. The lessons I learned were not necessarily evident at that time, but have since become clearer to me upon reflection from a wiser and more mature (arguably) me. Thank you to the students in that class, and to many of the friends I had outside theatre, for teaching me that I do have a talent and that I can help make people happy. At a time when I am deciding what to study in college, I have to take into account the change that theatre has given me.

The other major force in my development during the "Canadian chapter" of my life was my many friends in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With many of these people, I have at least partial contact and I am grateful for that. If any of you read this blog, please know that even though we don't communicate much now, I reflect now and then on the amazing experiences of that time and know that I do love and care about each of you. I have not forgotten all that you have done for me. I have never experienced such rapid acceptance and friendship in any circumstance ever than what my family and I experienced at that time. I have never made so many great close friends more quickly than meeting all of you. I do want to come back to Nanaimo sometime and I am aware that it is not even close to being the same like I remembered, but I'm glad for that. We have moved on and have experienced so many other great things. I look back at that time as sort of a "magic moment" that I don't think will happen again. I am just so grateful for each of you and for the positive influence you have been in my life.

Well, if you've made it this far in my post, congratulations! You've managed to sit through 700 words of personal reflection. There are so many more things I could and want to talk about, but I better call it good for now. I hope I can get back into writing regularly in this blog to share some of the fun, spiritual, or awesome experiences I have been having. I'll try to make the next post more entertaining - maybe I'll include a picture or two. :)

And to all 9 of you who have subscribed to my blog: You are awesome. No, really. You are so cool. Give yourselves a hand. You have stayed subscribed to a 2-year-defunct blog eagerly anticipating the next post from your favorite blogger - me. I mean, is it even a question? You should all be proud of yourselves.

Now go out and thank someone today - or tomorrow. You never know what effect you might have on someone's life. :)

S velikou láskou,

William