musicals

The last two weekends I have spent listening to music from musicals.

The first weekend was listening to Michael Ballam with my grandparents. His concert was almost a history of musical storytelling in the USA. He started with some of the oldest American Musicals and worked his way through the years until he ended with "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables. He said that the prayer of this song could be taken after the model given by another, Jesus Christ, who also made a covenant with the father to help all of us to be able to make it back home to our father's kingdom. 

Though I love that song and loved the connection, there was a another part of the show that hit me more. He talked about a time that his dad took him to Chicago. His dad had to be at business meetings during the day, but told Michael that they could do whatever he wanted in the evenings. He gave Michael the money to buy tickets to things on the first day so that they wouldn't have to wait in lines the other days. He bought tickets to the opera, symphony, art exhibits and a few musicals. He showed his dad all the tickets at the end of the first day and his dad said the only one that they might have a little trouble with was making it to Man of La Mancha on Thursday because they had a dinner with one of his dad's idols in the business world. The dinner was at 6 pm and curtain for the show was at 8 pm, so they figured they could make it. 

At the dinner, it was quickly evident that getting their meal would be a production of it's own. After an hour and fifteen minutes of eating appetizers that came nowhere near looking like real food, Michael became resigned to the fact that they probably wouldn't make it to the show. The surprise came at 7:40 when his dad stood up and apologized that he had to leave because he had a previous engagement with his son. They took a taxi to the play and got in their seats just at the end of the Overture. 

Michael Ballam talked about how this moment, his father knowing how much it meant to him, has really touched him and inspired him to keep chasing his dreams. I thought about all the times that my parents have done things like that for me. They are always there to tell me to reach for my dreams. They read my resumes and help me optimize them for the jobs for which I'm applying. When I was in Jr. High, mom made me the promise that either she or dad would be at all of my wrestling matches. In High School, they didn't miss a show, choir concert, etc, especially when I was the lead in Man of La Mancha. 

He then sang "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. That, combined with the story, really touched me. I cried and felt really loved with my grandparents. 

This weekend, I went to Second Studio's Broadway Bonanza with my musical friend Makenzie Vance. It was a wonderful show. Keilani rocked some good jazz tunes. Carly gave a hilarious rendition of "Everybody's Girl" from Steel Pier. Sceri sang "Fine, Fine Line" from Avenue Q. Redge's performance of "Man" from The Full Monty was hilarious. There were also some great renditions of songs from Ordinary Days that I really related to me. The end of the show was a wonderfully funny performance of "Screw Loose" by Josh Hopkins. It was a fun night. 

Michael Ballam said in his concert that the reason we love musicals is because they tell stories in a much more compelling way. I really agree with that. There is something about music that sparks my emotions to a much higher level. I feel like everyone has music that would make up the soundtrack of the musical of their life. There are power ballads of love; slow minor songs of uncertainty; big production numbers of excitement; dance jams of personal triumph; and blues solos of sadness. We all have our crescendos and decrescendos in life. We just have to keep looking forward. We'll reach a happy end eventually.  

journal

I wouldn't be able to get through life without journals. I pour a piece of my soul and who I am into everything I write, even if it's just a few poetic words on the back of a receipt or a drawing on a napkin. Journals are the place that I can put all of those things together. It's a place where I can keep myself at least partially organized. They are the horocruxes to my He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They are the music to my Mozart. They are me.

I feel honest on the page. 

I have used journals for so many things. I have many that are filled with random musings, poetry, sketches, lists, etc. I filled over 6 journals with the day-to-day happenings of my mission and I'm working on my 6th outside the mission journal. 

I got my first journal around the time I was 8 and started to write, but very sporadically. My writing carried little to no detail of daily happenings, but mostly explanations of who I thought I was and what things I liked. Those primitive entries also held my opinions of stupid people at school and who I considered friends of those few people I really associated with. 

I have become a better chronicler through the years It's taken a few classes and rereading my old journals to realize how much more I needed to leave to tell the stories of my life. 

Scouting and church programs got me to write more about my life and to keep my journal more consistently. When I got to college I was writing nearly everyday and then when I left to Brazil I didn't miss a day for two years. When I got home, I became lax and settled for writing once a week, usually on Sunday. I realized how much was starting to go missing from my weeks and experiences, that I have been getting better at writing more frequently again. 

I love reading what former me has to say about the world. It really helps me to see how far I have really come. I have developed from being concerned about having a favorite Pokemon define me to the grown person I am now who doesn't care what other people think about my favorite pokemons. 

It's been said that history is written by those who wrote. I know that my contribution so far is a large tote full of journals and various megabytes full of information on my Google Drive, blog, and pen drives. Who knows how much will stand the test of time, but at least for me I know I won't forget.

childish tycoon

I just watched "Geothermal Escapism" or affectionately Community: Lava World.

Now before I write about this beautifully written episode I want to say that if you haven't watched Community yet, get on that. 

I started watching the show during the summer. I had some things going on and emotionally I was a mess. I didn't want people to know that and I covered it up well. My roommate provided  me with come great distractions by introducing me to new TV shows. Community is the one that was the best for me. 

Community captured my heart. The writer, Dan Harmon, created a community of social outcasts that come together at Greendale Community College to form a "study group" that comes to see each other as family. It is a hilarious show that makes you come to love these seven outcasts as they make the journey through their undergrad together. 

(This is where there might be spoilers and where I probably won't be able to convey effectively what I'm feeling.)

The show has been on the air for four seasons and just started the fifth about 4 weeks ago. Going into this season, I knew that Donald Glover who plays Troy would be leaving and I did not expect to get emotional over that. 

That being said, Dan Harmon wrote this episode beautifully and I would have cried if I had watched it alone. 

The whole episode was a big game of HOT LAVA. Yes, I'm talking about the game we played as kids where we couldn't touch the floor because it was lava. The lighting, cinematography, witty quips, and everything about the episode resonated with my imagination. 

And then there was the fact that the game was sponsored by Abed as a way to divert Troy from leaving. If you haven't watched the show, you should know that Troy and Abed have the most wonderful bromance in the all of fiction. They are friends for each other like I only hope to be to those around me. 

At the climax of the episode, Abed admits to Troy and to himself why he instigated the game, “It’s not a game for me, Troy. I see real lava because you’re leaving...I don’t think the lava’s here because you’re leaving—it’s here because I won’t let go.”

And then Abed lets go and falls into the lava. Britta comes to Troy's side and helps him clone Abed to bring him back to life. When Abed comes back, he says that he is a perfect clone, but he did lose his emotions in the process of the cloning. Then, Troy dies to the lava to get cloned so that he won't have his emotions when he has to say goodbye.

The episode ends on some good notes with wonderful goodbyes. The last goodbye is to Abed with a clone hug. That was the moment that almost made me cry. That combined with "Come Sail Away" by Styx which Troy once said, "...always makes me cry." He gets on a boat that Pierce left him to sail around the world with Levar Burton, his childhood hero, to earn his part of his inheritance from Pierce.

I feel like I imagine things too much sometimes especially when I don't want to accept a change. I just need to embrace those things. Fall into them. I know I talk a good game and seem prepared for the things in front of me, but I am so scared. I'm like Abed and no one really understands me. I don't know what the future holds and I feel as prepared for it as a rock in a tumbler. All I know is that I will come out more refined and beautiful in the end. I just need to jump in.

"I'm sailing away, 

Set an open course for the virgin sea,

'Cause I've got to be free,

Free to face the life that's ahead of me,

On board, I'm the captain, so climb aboard,

We'll search for tomorrow on every shore,

And I'll try, Oh Lord I'll try, to carry on!

I look to the sea,

Reflections in the waves spark my memory,

Some happy, some sad,

I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had,

We lived happily forever, so the story goes, 

But somehow we missed out on the pot of gold

But we'll try the best that we can to carry on....

....come sail away with me!"

~STYX

reel inspiring

 "The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn't even think to ask."

~Jeff Johnson, 180° South

This movie, combined with Secret Life of Walter Mitty, have sparked a new journey, a new quest, a new adventure in me. 

Both movies are about guys who get an insuppressible wanderlust, but I don't think that is the reason for these movies. They will make you want to travel. I do no deny that, but I think that the reason they are so effective is because they teach us each that we need to find out who we are. We need to find our reason for living. There is a quest for purpose that we all embark on as passengers on this planet. A quest to make this place better. 

"Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all, but we just went for it." 

~Doug Tompkins, 180° South

Both these movies inspired me. Walter Mitty saw someone else on adventures and even imagined some of his own. I often find myself imagining a better world where I am doing things that I enjoy. Too often, like Walter Mitty, I am afraid to pursue those things that I want to do. I need to be more like Jeff Johnson and just go for those things that I want to do. The unknown will always be unknown until we embrace it and become it's friend. 

There are so many unknowns in this coming year. 

Currently, I am not dating anyone seriously. I won't lie. My thoughts of the way my future would work out always included me getting married before I left college. It may be cynical of me, but I don't see myself getting married this year. If I started dating a girl now, I would want to give myself more time to just date. I've already done the jumping-into-things thing, and it didn't work out. When I find someone, I am going to develop something deeper and make sure that we'll be able to work together more effectively. 

I'm hoping to have everything done to graduate in December. That means doing online classes and hopefully an internship this summer. I want to get a job lined out as quick as possible so that I can jump into something other than school next January. There are a few job openings that I think I seriously have a chance at filling. There are a few with Amazon, one with Diamond Comic Distributors, and others.

I only have 11 months left in this year. I am going to make the best of them that I can here in Southern Utah. After this year, who knows when I'll be back. I could be in Maryland, Seattle, Salt Lake City, or any other place in the world. I don't know where life is going to take me and where God wants me to go. I just know that I need to keep going forward. 

"To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life."

~Walter Mitty, Secret Life of Walter Mitty

radio

My dad, sister Allyson, her friend Emily and I were driving through sultry St. George when "Celebration" by Kool & The Gang came in the radio. I rolled down my window and turned up the volume. Dad and I sang it out and proud as we danced in the front seats. Ally and Emily shot us strange glances from the back as they giggled. We didn't stop until the song was over. Then a Hall & Oates song came on that I didn't know came on and dad took the solo. 

I have so many memories with radios.

I remember mom driving me to school listening to all the new pop hits on 94.9 ZHT. One night she was dropping me off at a friend's house for night games. On the drive there, she started to blast Mambo #5. 

"Mom, turn down the music. It's giving me a headache." 

"I'm going to remind you of this when you blast your own music," she said as she turned down the radio. "You're going to do the same thing in a few years."

"No I'm not!" I said, but I did. 

When I could drive, I had a car with a tape deck in a decade of CDs. At leas I had a radio. I would switch between 97.7 and 96.7, both classic rock stations. I could easily switch from one to another without running into any of the Country stations that was customary in Castle Dale. 

Those stations also remind me of long hot summer days re-shingling a house with Chris and Phil Outz. Chris was a few years older than me and had a full beard. Phil, his dad, had long curly hair and facial hair trimmed in Bob Ross Happy Tree fashion. I thought that any moment he would invite me to take out my oil paints and paint along at home as we listened to "Foreplay" by Boston, "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo and my favorite "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band. I didn't know what a centerfold was until I was belting the chorus in the shower and my dad sat me down to discuss it when I got out. 

I worked washing cars in the mornings before college classes last year. When I wasn't listing to the Coffee House XM 32 station, I was listening to the Morning Brew on Power 91 FM. It was on okay show that no one else listened to, so I won most of the call-in prizes for two semesters. I got so many free tickets to see movies at the discount theater. 

The radio is dying, but I don't stop listening. I'll be scanning stations until all there is left is static. 

web comic

My friend Nate Fergason and I had the idea to do a web comic. Around this time last year, we started Confessions of a Hopeless Romantic. We had a weekly release schedule and new comics were posted every Wednesday for about a little over a month. Every week, we would collaborate on a story, I would write the dialogue, and Nate would do the art. We maintained a twitter for the main character, Roger, that we could use to promote the comic further. The first comic was received well and experienced mild success. It was a dream come true writing a simple comic strip with my best friend, but we got lost trying to create plot when we should have just been making a series of vignettes like Peanuts or Calvin & Hobbes. From that, we started formulating ideas for a new comic, but we only ever got one strip done. The new comic included the two characters from our previous comic that embodied our thoughts and feelings toward the world. We had lots of great ideas, but we both got busy with other things and moved a little apart, because life. Even still, that first strip of the new comic was great and I thought I should share it. 

american opera

Spotify threw me a bone today. It recommended I listen to the American Opera song "Bright Lights & Amplifiers". Though not all of the song applies to me, there were a few lines that were very much applicable to me. 

I walk a long and lonesome road

only things that I have ever known

Is this old beat up six string and a blue Ford van...

....I'm sorry mom, I had to leave...

...This love is my own. 

I will dance and sing atop this globe...

...I promise you someday light will shine from this son...

...Mom and dad you gave me this head.

It taught me how to be a man

and when I have children they'll grow up by you and fill them with God's grace...

The song is a little more focused on staying away from home, but there were those nuggets of gold throughout that I loved. I miss the blue van that I left home with after high school. It was a trusty vehicle. I also miss my family, but know that I have to keep moving on and working on my own life. 

career planning

So...I was online yesterday looking at the new Burberry Brit Rhythm (one of the most beautiful scents I have ever smelled. I sprayed some on myself and then asked myself on a date I liked it so much) and I realized that the cologne is way too far out of my price range. I pulled the sample paper out of my wallet (yes, I kept the department store tester paper) and smelled the cologne. I notice something on the webpage as I took a long whiff of the paper. The "Careers" link. 

It was too tempting. I clicked and registered to apply for a job. I graduate from college soon enough so why not. They had lots of manager positions open. I applied for one in Santa Catarina...Brazil. It was one of the only positions open in Brazil, so I took advantage of that.  I looked through the listings in the USA and found a Spring/Summer marketing internship in Beverly Hills. Huh, duh. I applied quickly for that one. I may not even get a call about it, but I applied for two jobs with a company that makes the best colognes (don't tell my Armanis). 

CARPE DIEM.

Why not?

If I don't try, I'll never get it. The next step is to prepare the most amazing resume to send to Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Oni Press, IDW and Image when their summer marketing internships open up for applications next month. That's what I want to do. I'm hoping for one of the small press publisher internships to come through so I can live in the Pacific Northwest, but I'm not against a Marvel East Coast internships. A summer in New York would be fun.

bookshelf

I bought a bookshelf with tip money, built it myself, and put my books in it. I then proceeded to get ridiculously excited as I sat next to it at my writing desk. They match. I have a matching desk and book shelf and for some reason that makes me so happy that I wanted to write a blog post saying that I was happy. It's ridiculous really. Who gets excited about a book case? This guy. 

Needless to say, it is pretty cool to have a place to put stuff so that it isn't cluttering my nightstand, bed and floor anymore. 

me: karaoke

"It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday,
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
To forget about life for a while.

And the piano, it sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, 'Man, what are you doing here?'"

Karaoke (n) origin:Japanese, person or event exhibiting no real musical talent; tone deaf. (Brantz Woolsey's Dictionary of Terms)

I got behind the microphone and scrolling words on the screen for the first time in my adult life at Dylan and Shannon's "Crash Pad 35". That night was a combined karaoke and ugly sweater party to relax a little before the stress of my first finals week back at college. We danced, sang, and played air instruments. 

When I do karaoke, I rock. I close my eyes, bend my arms at my sides and I rock that imaginary, cherry red Gibson Les Paul guitar nearly every Wednesday in that crowded Applebee's. Sometimes, it becomes a keyboard, drum set or interpretive dance solo. No matter what it is, it helps me "...forget about life for awhile." 

Even when you suck or get off pitch, the end of you song will be met with enthusiastic applause. It doesn't matter whether you're singing Hey Jude with Jordan, The Fox with Eric, Baby It's Cold Outside with Makenzie or even a solo of Sweet Carolina, the audience will love you. It may just be the half of the crowd that comes to drink, but it still sparks self-esteem. DJ Johnny Utah is always there with a laugh and high five when you finish a song, complimenting you for everyone to hear. 

And friends come closer. We sing together, but most of the time we just bond over conversation and shared half-price appetizers. The waiter keeps our waters (or Dr Peppers) full as we share moments with those friends we hold dear. As I share my celery from my boneless chicken wing platter, we share advice and insights on things that are happening in politics, school, the world, and our lives. Some of the most uplifting conversations I've had since my mission have been those I've shared at karaoke. 

Karaoke is a place of no cares. The weight of the world is washed away amidst the music and occasional microphone feedback. We laugh. We sing. We share something that others don't understand until they've been a part of it. 

You don't have to sing to have fun. It helps, but there are so many that come for the company and leave feeling loved. There is something about karaoke that exudes acceptance. It's hard to explain.

When I finish the chorus of Just Haven't Met You Yet, I've Just Seen A Face, or any other song, my friends know that it's not just another song. I get met with applause and I know they understand. 

the quest. the dream.

I've always been fascinated with ROMANCE.*

*it's not what it sounds like...

Let me explain.

I believe in quixotic romance. I believe in looking at the world and finding or fighting the good as Cervantes's character Don Quixote did in his many misadventures.

quixotic (adj) 1. exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical. 

romance (n) ... 2. a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life. 

I believe in what many would call stupid fantasies. There are many "dumb ideas" that occupy my mind and by today's standards aren't widely accepted. In the musical Man of La Mancha, Cervantes is put on trial by his fellow jail mates as he awaits trial from the Inquisition. In his trial, he is accused for being "...an idealist, a bad poet, and an honest man." His reply is as follows:

"It is true. I am guilty of these charges. An idealist? I have never had the courage to believe in nothing. A bad poet? that comes a bit more painfully..."

I don't have the courage to believe in nothing. I believe in God. I believe that he made me and gave me talents. I believe in love and the capacity to love even after being heart broken. We can learn to believe again that things will work out no matter what happens to us. I believe that everyone can be happy. Life is hard, but we can always find a way to have happiness in our lives. 

Reading helps us to believe not in what is, but what the world can be if we do our part. Don Quixote wasn't always a knight-errant sallying forth to right the world of wrongs, but he started as a regular man who read. He read so much that it changed his outlook. He started to believe that good could be restored to the world to the point that he donned a suit of armor to battle the evil around him. I'm not saying we all need to literally "suit up" to fight evil around us, but we do need to work together to fight the things we see around us that seem unjust or incorrect. We need to find out what we believe and work to support those ideologies. 

I believe in love. Not the regular romantic stuff, but the following definition of love:

Love is a feeling of deep devotion, concern, and affection (http://www.lds.org/topics/love?lang=eng&query=love)

Everyone deserves to be loved. Everyone deserves to dream and reach their dreams. Everyone deserves to believe in the inherent good that other humans possess. 

In the musical, Cervantes says, "...I have been a soldier and seen my comrades fall in battle... or die more slowly under the lash in Africa. I have held them in my arms at the final moment. These were men who saw life as it is, yet they died despairing. No glory, no gallant last words... only their eyes filled with confusion, whimpering the question: 'Why?' I do not think they asked why they were dying, but why they had lived... When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Too much sanity may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Perhaps to be practical is madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be."

I am an idealist. I believe in the good in people. I believe not in the world as it is, but in the world as it should be. Ghandi is attributed with saying, "Be the change you want to see in the world." That's harder than it seems, especially when most people criticize the idealists who try to start to make a difference in the world. We are surrounded by critics (some that are internal) that try to bring us down and keep us from making a difference, but we all can do something to help the world to be a better place. 

I started thinking about all of this on Sunday during a church meeting where a lady talked about her quest to make the world a better place. I thought of knights, chivalry and gallantry.

That being said, I believe that people aren't really looking for chivalry.

chivalry (n) 1. the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code.

If you look at the definition of the word, chivalry is dead. Some of the ideologies continue, but it is essentially dead. What I think people are looking for is gallant behavior when they say they desire chivalry. 

gallantry (n) ... 2. polite attention or respect given by men to women. 

That's something I can be. I am not a knight, but I can be gallant. I can give that special attention and respect to women, but I cannot be a knight. 

The thing is, I don't believe that just women deserve attention and respect, but we all do. That deserves another word. We need charity. 

charity (n) ... 3. kindness and tolerance in judging others. acrhaic love of humankind. 

We all live different lives. The way we react to things is different and often it is easy to judge another because they act differently than we would. The thing is, we are not living their life. We may try to "walk a mile in their shoes", but it is infinitely difficult for us to understand what they are really going through. Too often we try to comfort people with words when all they really need might be a hug or vice versa. In the end, the best thing we can do is communicate, express our feelings, and ask others what they need and expect from us. We should tell others how much they mean to us and ask for their help when we need it. 
We are all on a team here on earth. It's not a competition against each other or a battle with your neighbor, but a struggle to get through this life together. The world will never be perfect, but we can all make a difference if we work on loving and helping those around us today. 

People may believe differently than you. Who cares? There is a song that I sang as a child that says, "Jesus said love everyone; Treat them kindly too" (http://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/jesus-said-love-everyone?lang=eng).

That's what I believe we should do. Call me an idealist. I would prefer to be a modern day Don Quixote than a realist. I even played him in high school. Let's look for the good in the world, recognize it, accentuate it. "Dream the impossible dream."

me: when I did a blog post for another blog.

A little over a year ago, I did a blog post for another blog. It's called #tbirdnation. It was a blog that I believe was the brain child of Sam Taylor and Kirk Blake. They created it to give perspective students a glance into the life and times of students at SUU. Needless to say, I've grown a lot since I read the blog post. I randomly ran across it when I was searched my name on Google. I hope that you all enjoy reading it:

http://tbirdnation.org/2012/11/27/guest-blogger-brantz-his-adventures/

me: good day

Today was a good day and I felt fantastic. My hair looked great. My Acqua di Gio mixed with my natural scent to create a symphony of smell that would be attractive to everyone and my suit looked great on me. I felt attractive in every way and that doesn't happen often. I always find one flaw, but today I felt pretty flawless. It was a really good day in my shoes. Just in case you want to see, here's a picture. 

questions

There are so many. 

Sometimes I wish I could throw them away. 

I hate a lot of them. 

I'm not saying questions aren't good things. It is by questioning things that we can learn. When we don't understand something, it's best to ask something. That doesn't change the fact that I don't like questions. 

The first questions I hate are the ones that I pose myself when I'm worrying too much or being self-conscious. I ask myself why I like what I do, why I dress the way I do, why I don't exercise regularly, why don't I save more, why I didn't get a certain girl's number, why I let so many chances go by without acting, etc. I hate how much I question myself. It sucks and it's hard to stop. 

I also hate when other people ask questions that just amplify the questions I ask myself. Things like "Are you dating anyone?" "Do you see your ex anymore and are you still friends?" "What are you doing with your life?" "Why didn't you get her number?" "What are you wearing ?" (a girl really asked me that when I wore a brown jacket with black shoes on accident. I'm colorblind), etc. 

Questions fill my head and I never know how to answer them. I want to do better at that. I guess that you could say that is one of my resolutions. It's a hard one. Reading helps stop it for a bit. It also helps to be around family and friends that know how to speak words of affirmation to me. I took the test and that's my primary love language. If you want to get me to cloud 9, just telling me something sweet and sincere. I talk myself down a lot in my mind. I know I have redeeming qualities, but I don't recognize them myself enough. 

That being said, I want to make a list of things that I like about myself. I read and understand a lot. I have a direction I want to take my life. My poetry isn't half bad. I would say I'm a pretty good friend. I can dance like I just don't care and mean it. I work hard for things that I want. I like to serve others. I like to listen. 

Really, it's hard. I try not to question. I really am quite great. That's why I hate questions. They make me forget that. God made me quite unique and did it with love. That should be enough affirmation. 

me: 2013 year in review

I realized that some people might be behind on the life and times of ME! I thought it would be fun to try to also write a quick synopsis of my year, my month to month. 

January - played Dungeons and Dragons for the first time. Met a girl there. Took her on dates. Started to feel something for her. Also, started my 4th semester at SUU and finally settled on getting my marketing degree. Started watching Doctor Who. 

February - kept falling for said girl. Went to Provo to meet her mom. Went well. Got a pet turtle and named him Michelangelo. 

March - Spring Break to South Dakota to meet her family and ask for her hand in marriage. Engaged by the end of the month on the eve of Easter. 

April - I quit my job at Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Got a job washing windows. Took engagement photos. Finished the semester and said girl left to spend the summer with her family. 

May - spent tons of time with my friends Andrew, Alisha, Harrison, and Brittany. Got a new roomie, Nate. Got another turtle and named it Donatello.

June - started planning a production of Macbeth with Nate for October. DISENGAGED (it just didn't work out). Watched as Brittany and Harrison got married (I ripped my pants during pictures) Started watching Community.

July - kept planning the production with Nate, worked all the hours I could. Made good friends with Kaitlyn and Nicole. 

August - I turned 22. I won tickets to the Salt Lake Comic Con. Started my 5th semester of school. Jordan came to live with us and became my roommate. Sent my Cousin Anna on a mission to Brazil. 

September - went to the Salt Lake Comic Con and was as giddy as a lizard on a hot summer day. Started working on Macbeth more. Started watching Arrow, Agents of SHIELD, and Firefly.

October - We broke even with Macbeth. I dressed up as the Green Arrow for Halloween. I put my costume together in an hour. Started writing poetry. My turtles died. Went to the color festival with Sterling and Megan.

November - really celebrated Guy Fawkes Day. Saw my sister in a production of Spamalot. Had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my mom's family. Read my own poetry for the first time at an Open Mic Night. 

December - went to an amazing comic signing to get my Li'l Depressed Boy books signed by the artist Sina Grace. Finished the semester. Went to Disneyland. Had a fantastic Christmas with my family. Reminisced with Alisha and Andrew about how far we've come in 2013 and how much our lives have improved since December 2012. 

This year I also made tons of new great friends like Harrison, Paris, Melanie, Arissa, Kaitlyn, Nicole, Megan, and many others. It has been one strange year. I am glad for all those that helped me through it and have helped me to see/ realize my potential. I'm excited to keep getting to know you all and make more friends in 2014. 

Mozoltov!