Monday, August 25, 2008

Fiends and Friends

Sometimes friends are not friends. Sometimes friends are fiends and they do things that are absolutely malicious. I wonder how children raised by generally good people can be so rude and thoughtless towards others.

If everyone in the world actually listened to each other, without ignoring what they're really saying, what would the world be like?

I would like it if people didn't accept friends like they do car offers, OBO (or better offers). My parents have raised me to treat others with respect and be a man of my word, to follow through with commitments. I it when people break commitments and I also people who don't honor their word, people who aren't honest...people who don't have integrity. I like it when my friends are with me, but when they make plans with others after making plans with me, I generally just say it's OK. Not anymore! I will not let others walk all over me and take advantage of me. I have changed this summer, I'm trying to be more honest about how I feel and what I think.

A good thing did happen today. I fixed my schedule and got to see a lot of my friends at school. That made me happy. But then I got home and discovered that some of my church friends, who must inherently be stupid, treated my brother like a bad offer on a car. They found a better offer of entertainment, so they disregarded his offer. I just wanted to go over there and beat the snot out of them, or ask their parents why their children are so rude.

I wish that other teenage boys could just understand that despite their lack of emotions and feeling, others still have feelings. Some teenage boys, mainly the ones in my ward, are generally emotion retarded, literally. They are slow to understand emotions, and I don't think they
really care. Frankly their immaturity, idiocy, and unorganized natures make me want to vomit sometimes...

Siovhan tells me that someday I will be appreciated by people other than my family. I'm anxiously awaiting that day. She told me that at BYU, you can be yourself all the time and that people are OK with that. I having my "school Braden" and "church Braden". I want my church friends to accept the fact that I like to know things, I like to learn. I want my school friends to know that I love my religion with all my heart and soul, and that I cannot live without being, as they call me, "Mormon Braden". I just wish life wasn't so complicated and that things were easier for me sometimes. I know that I need to go through Hell to get to Heaven, and that hopefully I'll be blessed for all my many trials.
-B

Sunday, August 24, 2008

The Long Month...Crash

So it's been a while since I last posted anything. I'll do an update and a little bit of babbling...I'm a little emotional (school starts soon).

After my last post I didn't do much. Mom, Ben, and Mikaela left before the last week of July to go out to Utah, so I was home with my dad. It was nice being alone for a little while. I went to Especially for Youth (efy) in Amherst, MA and I had a blast! it was seriously the best efy I've ever been to, and I learned so much and had a lot of humbling, spiritual moments. I really liked the female counselor in my group...she was more mature than the male counselor i was assigned to, and she was very nice (she listened to me which is hard to do). I met some wonderful people that live relatively close to me, so i can stay in contact with them, maybe i'll even be able to have a little reunion or something.

After i got back form efy i went through some awful efy withdrawals. I was depressed and moped-around all day Saturday and Sunday. Then I spent the week reading my books for the Advanced Placement Literature class I'm attempting to get into. I didn't get very far, but I finished one. Then that Friday (8/8/08) I was driving home after being with the Elders in our ward all day and I totaled my dad's Volvo S70. I rear-ended someone going about 10 m.p.h. But that scar's still a little tender.

I flew out to Utah that Tuesday night. I had a 9-hour layover in Dallas Airport, and when I got to Utah it was noon-ish. I went to Siovhan's apartment to pack all of her belongings into my grandpa's truck, then go to meet with a BYU admissions counselor to talk about the admissions process and such. He was impressed with everything that I was juggling, and said that i was a shoe-in...HA! He said that i was a
very strong candidate...so i hope he was being brutally honest. After that i went to Nephi to visit the grandparents. Thursday of that week was Siovhan's graduation (Step 1), and that was long...but worthwhile. Richard G. Scott gave a speech after being awarded and honorary Doctorate, and he talked about the steps to true success in life (will be posted after i find the notes i took). It was wonderful, and also the speech given by a wonderfully bright English major was magnificent. I don't know how else to describe it! We had a party at her complex where we rented "The Lodge" so that everyone could come and back in Siovhan's many success. Siovhan's CFAC convocation (College of Fine Arts and Communications) was absolutely amazing (Step 2). There was a speech given about Journalism, Advertising, Movie Production, and Graphic Arts majors and how exciting and amazing they all are. There were some music majors who did a trio with a violin, oboe, and piano...that was marvelous. It really made me want to go into the Fine Arts and Communications field.

After that we went to my Aunt AnnMarie's house to eat lunch. Then we headed-off to Eugene, Oregon (Or-i-gehn) for those new-englanders who cannot pronounce it). We stopped in Twin Falls, ID to eat at a great restaurant called Jaker's. Great food and relatively good prices. We stopped somewhere for the night and then continued-on in the morning. We got lost in Hell...well that's what i called it because it was 109
ยบ and i kept passing-out from heat exhaustion. After tacking-on an extra 4 (or more) hours on to our already 15-hour drive, we gor to Eugene. My family went looking for apartments whilst i was reading two more books. I finished and turned in my homework late (yet my teacher still cares about me...odd). Tuesday night (8/19/08) we went to a pizza/arcade place that Siovhan's Branch President owns. We said good-bye there at the parlor before we each drove separate ways (all eyes teared-up) . We arrived in Kaysville, UT (Wednesday night) to stay at my Aunt Kimberly's parents' home. It was wonderful, but we had leave at 11 the next morning. We didn't get back till 2 a.m. Friday morning, and that was FUN! I'm still currently stuck in Pacific Time and school starts on Tuesday.....

I am tired of people taking advantage of me.I'm tired of getting told who i should date, that's my choice. If i don't want, or am not permitted, to date certain people i should not be told
to date them. My happiness is important while I'm , right? If I'm not going to be happy at all certain people, I won't do it. People need to grow up...seriously.
-B