Just don't get up...

Survival is more of a challenge sometimes than its 8 letters would indicate. Something that hard should be a book, or a collection of books...like the unabridged encyclopedia or something. It shouldn't be 8 letters.

At the beginning of this week I got a rejection from the only graduate school I applied to. I was sad and depressed because I thought I'd get in. The next day I decided to call and talk with the the department and figure out what went wrong. He said "Oh my, it seems we have the wrong GRE score for you. I'll personally look over this. Your application is quite strong." I called my parents and told them the great news: "I'm not failing at life!"...I spoke too soon.

Three hours later I got a call from the guy telling me he'd been looking at the wrong column on the spreadsheet. I had been denied. So, rejecting me once wasn't enough, they had to reject me then get my hopes up and reject me again for good measure. Why me? Not sure.

I spent every waking moment of Thursday (while not at work or in class) feverishly studying for a difficult exam, taking the exam, then staying up until 1:30 writing a paper. By the end of Thursday I had all the research done and had written the introduction. Today I skipped all my classes and called in to work so I could finish my paper by the 5:00 deadline. It was like a movie with chariots of fire as the theme: with mere minutes to spare I finish my citations and save the paper to my desktop. This is where the inspiring music stops.

Cue the jarring theme from sixth sense - my computer malfunctions and my paper is no more. I spend the next two hours with geek friends trying to recover it. I even downloaded a program. Zero results. All but the introduction to my gigantic paper was now gone. Eight hours of my life, previously organized as words on a page, are now a pop-up that states "document can't be found".

These are the moments where something simple could easily push me over to the dark side, like the mexican guy at Wendy's getting my order wrong. I mean it, I'm this close *fingers held up to indicate an inch* to going Darth Vader all over somebody.

I'm going to go for a jog, eat something delicious and take a long hot bath. It seems like a better alternative to wearing that black suit.

My Apologies to Mitt Romney

Today I was at my job (Financial Secretary in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department) minding my own business when a call came through. The name on the caller ID was Romney, so my co-worker joked about me having a great conversation with Mitt. She might want to look into becoming a fortune teller. I laughed and said something witty in return, never suspecting it was actually Mitt Romney.

Still smiling, I picked up the phone. Sometimes I am really funny. Sadly, today was one of those days where my funny bone was going crazy.

*ring, ring*

Louis: Electrical and Computer Engineering, this is Louis.

Mitt Romney: Hi, I'm looking for David Anthony.

Louis: *Said with a smile and generous helping of sass* Yeah, we're fresh out of those.

Mitt Romney: Excuse me?

Louis: Yeah, David Anthony - you've stumped me on that one.

Mitt Romney: I think he works in the Dean's Office...

Louis: Well, I've never heard of him, but let me check...Oh, mmmmkay. Yeah, he's the Assistant Dean of the College.

Mitt Romney: Yes, that would be him.

Louis: *realizing this is THE Mitt Romney* ...let me transfer you.

I felt like the kid who gets caught every single time he even thinks about doing something wrong. After 3 years of answering phone calls dutifully and never making fun of anybody or hanging up on stupid/angry people, I get Mitt Romney on the phone and act like a complete tool. A part of me is disgusted by this trend...the other part of me is excited to find out who I'll get to talk to next if I keep it up.

ToMyFutureWife

TMFW,

I like winning. A lot. You probably won't think I'm that kind of kid when you meet me, but I REALLY am. Sometimes I even struggle to congratulate the other team after I've lost. As a consequence, I don't really like losing. At all. So, you'll be able to tell I really love you when I start letting you win at things. Be patient, it might take me a while.

Sincerely,

Louis

P.S. There's a chili cook-off this weekend in my ward. Yeah, game on.

Where were you at 3:30 AM?

The other night I was getting ready for bed at about 1:00, but went upstairs to put some things away. While I was in the living room I spotted a book I've been meaning to read. I decided I would wait up for my roommate and read a couple chapters. I finished the book exactly as he got home (circa 3:45 AM). I don't do that. This time I did.

I love reading. It makes my life more interesting, expands my mind, and opens up possibilities and ideas that I had never considered before. However, my favorite books are the ones that inspire me to be better in the small things, or maybe even dare to do something great. The last three books are those types of books and I encourage you all to read them.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption - Laura Hildebrand. This book is the story of an Olympic runner named Louis Zamperini who would have been the first man to ever run the mile in less than 4 minutes if world war II hadn't intervened. I couldn't put this book down. It's a little long, but worth every syllable.

The Giver - Lois Lowry. This book is listed as children's literature, but some of the ideas in this 180 page book are very deep and thought provoking. This is the book that kept me up until 4:00 AM. If the last time you read was in middle school or elementary school, give it another try.

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens. I decided I was going to read this each year with my family between Christmas and New Years. I know there are various movie versions, but I encourage you to read the book. The book is inspirational and makes you want to be a better person no matter what day of the year it is.