The Antidote to Wandering in Life

Below, I have copied an excerpt from Elder Uchtdorf's First Presidency Message in the June 2013 Ensign, "Walking in Circles." (Highlighting added for emphasis.)

Elder Uchtdof's Ensign message speaks to my present condition to some degree—While I feel like I'm living righteously, I feel like my use of time lacks direction.  I desire goals, or landmarks, to help me guide my choices.  I have some big decisions coming up and simply don't have time to dilly-dally.  I know that by following Elder Utchdorf's counsel, I will be able to identify those markers I am seeking.

The Antidote According to Elder Uchtdorf

"Spiritual landmarks are indispensable for keeping us on the straight and narrow path. They give clear direction as to the way we should travel—but only if we recognize them and walk toward them. If we refuse to be guided by these landmarks, they become meaningless, decorative masses that have no purpose but to break up the flatness of the horizon. Even when we think we are following a straight spiritual path, without true landmarks to guide us—without the guidance of the Spirit—we will tend to wander.

• It’s not enough to go solely by our instincts.
• It’s not enough to have the best of intentions.
• It won’t do to rely only on our natural senses.

Let us, therefore, open our eyes and see the landmarks our benevolent God has provided to His children. Let us read, hear, and apply the word of God. Let us pray with real intent and listen to and follow the promptings of the Spirit. Once we have recognized the supernal landmarks offered by our loving Heavenly Father, we should set our course by them. We should also make regular course corrections as we orient ourselves toward spiritual landmarks. In this way, we will not wander in circles but walk with confidence and certainty toward that great heavenly blessing that is the birthright of all who walk in the straight and narrow way of Christ’s discipleship."

Bonus Counsel from President Monson

"Your [patriarchal] blessing is not to be folded neatly and tucked away. It is not to be framed or published. Rather, it is to be read. It is to be loved. It is to be followed. Your patriarchal blessing will see you through the darkest night. It will guide you through life’s dangers." — "Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light," Ensign, Nov. 1986, 66.

"Our Heavenly Father did not launch us on our eternal voyage without providing the means whereby we could receive from Him guidance to ensure our safe return. I speak of prayer. I speak too of the whisperings from that still, small voice." — "The Race of Life," Liahona and Ensign, May 2012, 92.

Supporting Scriptures

• Numbers 14:26–33;
• 1 Nephi 16:28–29;
• Alma 37:38–47.

My Witness

There is a way we can know the best course of action to take in our lives.  As we humbly seek the Lord's counsel through a sacred study of his words, and by praying/listening intently to know His will, our paths will be illuminated.  I testify that God will never force a decision upon us.  Rather, as we tap into His wisdom through study and prayer, God can enable us to clearly see the eternal consequences of the possibilities in our mind.  I'm not saying that God will leave us without options [directionless] in our times of darkness. I'm just saying that, in most cases, God will not say, "This is your one and only option to get to your next landmark."  Instead, He might say, "You could take this dune, which is a bit steeper, but faster; or you might choose to take this dune which is more round about, but it allows for a more gradual ascent."

I know that Heavenly Father has an infinite love for each one of His children.  Agency is our keystone to spiritual growth, and what makes the development of the divine characteristics (such as wisdom, charity, faith, integrity, hope, etc) possible.  As we exercise our agency in the way that God would have us do so, great things will happen in our lives: we will find peace and understanding, the weight of our earthly burdens will be likened, we will bless the lives of those around us, and we will ultimately become more like Him and prepare ourselves to live again with Him, forever with our own families.

Just Purchased my First Pair of Hiking Poles

I just bought these Easton Trail AL3 hiking poles from Out n' Back in Provo.  Jason Hills forwarded me an email advertisement he got from them.  I looked up the specs to see if they met my all criteria. (I would have liked them to be ultra light and have a compass and a screw for a monopod and some bear spray and an internal mp3 player with speakers embedded in the shaft, but I'll have to take what I can get for now.)

Next, I checked around the internet to make sure it was a good deal—and it was: $42 for poles and winter baskets (incl. tax)!  My knees are pretty excited about this.

I'll probably be doing about 3-5 more hikes before driving down to California to submit Mt. Whitney in June!

Transfer/Copy Your iPod Music Files to iTunes — Free

Software Review: I just used iMacsoft's iPod to Mac Transfer to move a playlist of songs (that I originally gave to Rick) back to my iTunes library (11.0.2) from a 4th Gen iPod Shuffle—and it worked great! This FREE, 12MB application can copy music, songs, video, rating, pictures, playlist, etc files from your iPod back to your Mac (or straight into iTunes) in only two intuitive clicks.

Stock image

I have scanned the .dmg file with McAfee virus scanner, and it is reported safe; without any viruses or spyware. The free version of this software lets you move 100 songs at a time, while the paid version is without limitations.
iPod to Mac Transfer is perfect and powerful Mac iPod transfer software which makes it much easier to manage your iPod freely. It offers the function of iPod to Mac transfer of music, photo, video, movie, podcast and TV program. Besides file transfer from iPod to Mac, iPod to iTunes and Mac to iPod transfer are also available.

• Backup music and videos from iPod/iPhone to Mac
• Support All Series of iPod including iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuffle, Video iPod, iPod Mini, iPod Photo, even iPhone.
• Copy files from Mac to iPod/iPhone, Transfer music, movie and photo from local folder on Mac to iPod, and copy music, movie to iPhone.
• Manage multiple iPods with one computer at the same time. Support managing 26 iPods and one iPhone at the same time. You can directly exchange files among them to share music and movie by drag-and-drop.
• Copy music from other computer to your iPod without erasing your iPod files
• One iPod can sync with only one iTunes, but this iPod Transfer can transfer music from other computer to your iPod without deleting the song and video on your ipod.
• Best iTunes Alternative for Mac
• You can use it to put music and video to iPod on Mac, no need iTunes anymore.
• Easy to use
• With its intuitive and easy interface, you can copy and backup iPod files easily.

Download Free Mac iPod File Transfer - iMacsoft

How Chelise and I Became a Thing

Chelise has recently become a major part of my life.  My new schedule basically revolves around spending time with her.  I even considered renting a second apartment just so I could be 15 minutes closer to her.  It's high time she gets the shout out she deserves from me.

Here are a few interesting facts about how Chelise and I came to be:

• We first met in Sacrament meeting on January 20th, 2013, held in BYU's Richards Building (BYU 186th ward). Chelise played the piano for a special musical number in Sacrament meeting, which I used that as an excuse go up and talk with to her afterward.
• When we met, one of the first things I noticed about Chelise was her kind, sophisticated, reserved demeanor and her excellent fashion sense.  
• As we got to know each other better over the course of the semester, I recognized her gentleness and compassion and razor-sharp wit.  We became friends by attending alternative FHE activities, cooking together, and do small things around Old Mill when I could free myself from studying.
• I'd say our first official date was rock climbing at the Quarry on the 1st of February.  I'm sure it was only coincidental that I met her younger brother Jason and her parents for the first time that night.
• One beautiful Sunday afternoon, March 24th, Chelise and I decided to go for a walk to enjoy the some of the first sun rays of the year.  We walked along the Provo River trail and ended up on a bench near the Raintree apartments.  We sat on that bench for so long, I got a sunburn on half of my face.
• The next day, Chelise surprised me by delivering a tiny gift basket of aloe and powdered lemonade (which I told her I liked after our walk the previous day).  That was the thing that pushed me over the edge.  It was then, that I decided I wanted to date Chelise for realsies.
• After that, we basically saw each other every day.  I would study with Chelise at her apartment accompanied by her roommate Melanie; no more late nights at the grad lab.  Occasionally, we would reward ourselves with an episode of Avatar after studying a pre-determined amount of time.
• Now that Winter semester is over, I have all the time in the world to plan and do fun things with Chelise.

General interest:

Origami wedding gift for my roommate, Kevin

• Chelise and I are both technically still BYU students.  I'm working on a PhD in Instructional Psychology & Technology, and she is finishing her final course (American Heritage) for a BS in Philosophy.
• We both love stories. As you already know, I'm a huge fan of film and dream-recounting.  Chelise is a passionate storyteller and writer.  She is considering a applying for storytelling Master's program in Tennessee.
• Chelise is introducing me to a lot of great anime and games: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Full Metal Alchemist, Final Fantasy, and more.
• We like feeling healthy.  Chelise achieves this by eating very conscientiously and taking advantage of her rock climbing membership at the Quarry.  We've also set "early" bedtimes for ourselves to facilitate early morning routines. (11pm on weekdays, 12:30am on weekends.)
• Despite looking fabulous basically all of the time, Chelise somehow manages to be "sartorially frugal."  (I should really take more pictures of her.)
• Chelise is beautiful, smart, kind, and funny.  I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be with.

Date Nights:

First date at the Quarry (Feb 1st)

BYU Ballroom Dance Concert (April 13th)

Shakespeares Birthday (a day late, April 24th)

Guac night @ Apt. #308, (a regular event)

What's the craziest thing you ever said at a job interview and still got the job?

This is one man's response to the title question. I felt like his story below reflects a job experience I had.  I wish I would have had this man's insight and experience when I was in his position.

Read Quote of Gil Yehuda's answer to Job Interviews: What's the craziest thing you ever said at a job interview and still got the job? on Quora

How to Talk so They'll Listen

*Rockstar dating coach and marriage & family therapist, Alisa Snell, does it again with this outstanding post on how YOU need to communicate so your significant other will feel comfortable receiving what you have to say, or to sharing what they have a hard time sharing*  

To talk in a way that your partner will listen, and listen in a way that your partner will talk, follow the five steps below.

Women, before you make a complaint or express a need:

1. Smile and act confident that he will respond well and that you both will work the situation out.
2. Touch him.
3. Express your gratitude for what he does right.
4. State your faith and trust in him and in the goodness of his intentions.
5. Tell him what you would like him to do.

For example, if he arrives twenty minutes late for the third time that month, greet him with a soft smile, warmth, and confidence. Express your appreciation for some of the things he is doing well. Then, later that evening, touch him on the arm and say, "I know you would never intentionally hurt my feelings. I also have faith that if you did hurt my feelings you would want to know. I believe in the goodness of your heart, and I trust that you want to make me happy. So I thought you should know that it makes me feel less important when you arrive late. Will you please work on that for me? It would really mean a lot to me. Thank you."

Men, when communicating your needs:

1. Sit down, lean back, lower your voice, and keep your cool so that she will feel physically safe.
2. Avoid sarcasm, jokes that demean, criticism, moping, brooding, or the silent treatment, so that she feels emotionally safe and so you don't appear punishing, rejecting, or manipulative.
3. Be straightforward and direct, with a combination of emotion words and logic; you'll look strong and confident, and she will feel connected to you by your emotions rather than just pressured by your logic.
4. Touch her and affirm the qualities you admire in her so that she feels valued and loved independent of your requests or complaints.
5. Express faith that you will work it out together so that she knows she is not alone in facing the problem or at risk of being abandoned.

Do these things whether you're requesting that she make more time for you or complaining about how her behavior toward you is hurtful and disrespectful. In any conversation, these steps are critical in getting her to listen and for keeping her talking. Men often believe that if they're not physically threatening a woman, she should feel safe and secure. But for a woman it runs much deeper than that. She needs to feel emotionally secure as well, or she will pull back, stop sharing, deal with problems alone, put up emotional walls, lose faith and trust in you and, in time, fall out of love. Not only will these steps help her hear you better, they will build her respect for you and make you look more strong, confident, and worthy of her trust-a win-win situation for you both.

Top 5 Evidences You Are Experiencing Cognitive Overload During Finals Week

#5. Time flies by in moments.

• A question you think you only took 15-minutes to complete, really took you AN HOUR!
• You're doing homework and suddenly, it's 5am!
• You're 5-minute-alarm-clock-snooze magically turns into 2 hours and you literally don't know how.

#4. You're mentally space out (resembling a zombie more than a living, functioning person).

• You bake cornbread muffins, but instead of turning the oven knob to BAKE, you absent-mindedly turn the knob to BROIL and proceed to fill your domicile with smoke and sadness.
• You sleep in two-hour spurts whenever they are available.  (Noon-time? No problem.)
• You try to open your car without your keys and can't figure out why it won't open. (#notsafetodrive)

#3. Your body physically degrades and you lose spacial awareness.

• The blistering white screen of a word processor starts to burn your eyes, like a vampire exposed to daylight.
• You bonk your head on things as you bob and weave down the hallway, like pirate on shore leave.
• You miss the center of the seat when you sit down in chairs.
• While looking at something, your vision starts to dim to black even though your eyes are still wide open.  (I think that means you're starting to pass out...)

#2.  Details begin to drop out of memory.

• Simple things like, whether or not you slept last night.
• What the day is.  (The correct answer is alway: Finalsday)
• If you ate in the last 24 hours.
• The year when heading an assignment.

#1. You have no game with the opposite gender. None. (Everything you think is smooth, is just creepy.)

(P.s. I have one more final left to finish.  Please keep me in your prayers.)