September 29, 2013

I'll be honest, I don't really want to write this blog tonight. It's probably obvious at this point, but the only reason I write each week is to get a grade in my senior writing class at BYU. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy writing down my thoughts, but I think I would prefer to do so in my journal, and not on the internet.

I feel like what was once a positive force to connect people has become so invasive that we are actually isolating ourselves. In fact, there is quite a bit of evidence that connects internet 'abuse', or perhaps better described as obsession, and mental illnesses such depression and psychosis. The numbers reported in this newsweek article are staggering.

Thus, I really have no issue with the idea of recording the event's in one's life. I just really don't like how accessible it is to strangers once put on the web. If these posts seem half-hearted or dry, it is because I would like to retain at least a piece of anonymity.

Statistics, Muse concert and more

Since getting back to Provo last Monday, nothing too noteworthy has happened. Most of the week was spent hitting the books as my statistics classes are quickly heating up. I'm taking a tough load this year so most of my time is spent doing homework. If all goes well I'm hoping to graduate in April.

On Thursday night I went to an incredible concert. The British rock band Muse is finishing up their prolific U.S tour and I was lucky enough to get free tickets, courtesy of my parents. Musically, they are the best performers I've ever seen in my life. Matthew Bellamy, the lead singer, guitarist and pianist, may very well be the most talented musician of his era. In addition to giving us a sonic masterpiece, the performance was topped of with a world class light show. The whole concert was like candy for the senses, made even more fun since my parents were with me.

Buckeyes invade the west coast

I grew up in a quiet little suburb outside of Columbus, Oh. It was a happy upbringing. One inevitable side-effect of spending my formative years in what is a football-crazed part of the country is that I inevitably became a staunch supporter of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Thus even after I relocated my life to Provo, Ut for school, my loyalties remain with my first and only love. 

For a while, my friends and I had tossed around the the idea of making this weekend into a road trip. We knew that Ohio State would be taking on UC Berkeley in California and we wanted to be there to cheer them on.  One of my roommates also grew up in Columbus and may be a more rabid fan that I. When I pitched him the idea, he was immediately on board. With a little persuasion we convinced another roommate, who grew up in the Bay Area, to abandon his organic chemistry books for the weekend as well. With two friends and my younger brother in tow, the team was assembled and we left late Friday night. 

We got to California and were greeted by sunshine and warm weather. After getting to campus as early we could muster after a long night of driving, we were all surprised by the volume of gray and red that poured into the stadium. Were we in Columbus or Berkeley, California? 

After the game started the Buckeyes made quick work of the Golden Bears. The second play from scrimmage was a 90-yard touchdown pass that gave OSU an advantage they never relinquished. The highlight of the whole weekend came around the end of the 3rd quarter when Cal fans realized a loss was inevitable and began a slow and shameful exit from the stadium. To add insult to injury, the Buckeye faithful let a stadium-wide chant of "OH-IO" reign down on the embattled home crowd. The game, and the score by which they won, was even more impressive because their star quarterback, Braxton Miller, was out with a knee injury. Fortunately for buckeye nation, their backup filled the void wonderfully. 

We are on our way back now, but I think I speak for everyone in the crew when I say that the weekend was a success. 

Hello World.

I am not a blogger. Although I see the immense value in recording the events in one's life, I have always preferred to do so on a more personal level, like in a journal. Perhaps it is due to my slightly introverted personality, but broadcasting the day to day events of my life through the endless airwaves of the internet has never had the same lure that it has on others.

That being said, this is not my first blog, though it is the first that is only mine. Over the summer I embarked on a 5 week adventure across South America in which myself, and four friends, traversed and wandered through five countries, visited two oceans and met a vast array of people. If you have any desire to read about that experience please visit, http://thereisaworldbeyond.blogspot.com.

Material and inspiration for that blog were never in short supply given our circumstances. My challenge here will be to write with the same zest and passion as I return to the quotidian life and undeniable 'grind' of working part-time for a financial analytcs company and pushing through my last year of school at BYU as a statistics major.

Stay tuned and you even see something exciting happen.