Feeling Lethargic

How you eat affects how you feel.  It's been drummed into our heads... but it's true!  This week my classes have had all kinds of junk food and parties and I've eaten basically nothing but crap.  I feel lethargic.  Last week I was eating good and feeling good.  I'm going to go back to that starting tomorrow.

Buying something nice

Something that doesn't work on me because I end up splurging like crazy, but may work for some people is. Buying something nice for yourself.  It doesn't have to be fancy or intricate it just has to be something you want. Maybe it's a pack of gum, maybe it's a beautiful blouse.

Captain Moroni in the Book of Mormon

(For more about the LDS faith click here, To request to meet with the missionaries click here, to request a free copy of the book of mormon click here)

(this picture is probably historically inaccurate but it is a great image of the Standard of Liberty and Captain Moroni)

I was thinking about the scripture in Alma 48:17
where it talks about if all men were like unto Moroni, Hell itself would be closed...
I want to be like that.
So I decided I'm going to study Moroni. I looked him up in the index and Captain Moroni first appears in chapter 43. So in the first 24 verses, which is as far as i got I made some observations.

Captain Moroni:

1. It says in Alma 43:17 that he took command when he was 25.  I feel this is significant but I’m not quite sure how yet.

a. Ambitious?

b. Close to my age?

2. Verse 19 says that he prepared his people with breast plates and other defensive armor.

a. This scared the lamanites.

b. This could be a metaphor for spiritual armor.

c. It says that he prepared his men.

                       i.   How do I apply this.  It means I need to help someone… but who exactly?

3. Moroni sent spies after the opposing army.

a. Didn’t depend on might.

b. Even when he was winning he didn’t get cocky.

c. Gaining knowledge was important.

4. Sent men to the prophet to seek counsel about the armies.

a. Had a plan and then asked for more help.

b. Knew where his strength came from.

c. Again, this shows humility.

Me time

I've been researching other rewards and I like the idea of actually scheduling some "me time." Not just giving myself a Mani & Pedi because I do that anyway therefore it's not much of a reward, but going somewhere. For Example, Balboa Park for those of you who live in San Diego area, or Yellowstone if you live in Idaho Falls area.  I also like "order in." (what can I say, I'm a food person)

Rewards

So I've created my personal Goals. Now I need a way to make it worth while. Achieving the goal is not enough motivation to get me to the end. So I thought, "what do I really want?" Then it came to me. I've been thinking about going to Olive Garden for a while. I want it but I can't just have it for no reason, it is too expensive, so I decided that that would be my "reward." Things to take from this. Make your reward personal and desirable to you. Make your reward something you won't treat yourself to normally.

Goals

I wasn't perfect, but I feel like I did significantly better.  I've been making scripture study a bigger part of my life and I've found scriptures come into my head more.  The scripture that came into my mind is Alma 48:17 It's about captain Moroni, how if every man was like him, Hell would be closed.  I want to be like that, so I figured I ought to study him, his life, his choices and his character.  I was also thinking about the scriptures where it says that God "giveth liberally" to those who ask.  that has a lot of implications to me.  I have to figure out what it is that I need to ask for.  More importantly however, I need to "pray in faith"  I've been thinking about faith and what that means for me.  Faith is an action (not an inaction). Which means I need to do something.  I figured out the things that would really help.  (Also I was thinking that personal progress really worked for me so I wanted to create goals that mirrored the program)1. being geneology and indexing because the general authorities in the last conference said it strengthens and protects us against temptation (10 hour project). then there were some other ones that were less important.  I had an interesting discovery, I came to the "avoiding bad habit" part and realized that it wasn't an action, it wasn't something I could do.  I decided I needed to find a replacement activity.  I decided that When I get in the mindset that I end up in bad habits, it might be "easy" (with some practice) to divert this mindset into a good channel by writing letters.  

Back to the "giveth liberally." It gave me a different picture of Heavenly Father.  As if he is just waiting to give me these blessings and he's not going to skimp on them either.  He is generous in his gifts. This is a huge perspective change for me.

I figured all this out by reading and keeping a journal.

Disney College Program

I was hoping to get into the Disney College program.  I didn't get in. I will apply again in 6 months.  Six months is a long time.  I am going to continue building my resume and networking.  Does anyone have tips on  getting through the web interview?  I've heard be consistent, use a PC and don't rush it.

Kids stabbed dead in NYC home; nanny, knife nearby

Kids stabbed dead in NYC home; nanny, knife nearby
Colleen Long, The Jakarta Post | World | Fri, October 26 2012, 11:55 AM

This article was a gripping read.  I can't imagine the devastation felt or the odd thought process that seems to have led this woman to have committed these acts.  My prayers go with this family today.

Linkedin

I've been posting a lot on linkedin today.  I believe anyone in a professional field should get one.  I use it to keep updated on what is going on in my field, what my competition, coworkers or possible future employers are up to.  I've learned a few tricks.  I've also been able to apply a little bit of my knowledge from classes by commenting on articles and evaluating and giving feedback to other's work.

Closure

So I was doing an assignment in my Art 130 (Intro to Graphic Design) class.  I'm supposed to take pictures to show the principles of design.  I didn't understand the principles of design.  I'm kind of blind when it comes to things that are right in front of my nose, because as it turns out It tells you right on the page what the definitions of the principles are.

I was having difficulty finding the design principle of Lost and Found it turns out it is the exact same idea as the Gestalt principle of Closure

It means that you don't see all of the edges, but you see enough that your brain fills the rest in.  The example they gave was of a panda bear.

This is where I got the picture

See the lines between the ears aren't filled in but you see them.

Learning Niche Blitzkreig

I'm learning how to use adsense and take advantage of affiliate options.  It is really cool.  I have also learned a couple things about web design.
1. People have associated red sans serif lettering with scam sites so avoid that as your title...blue family is much better
2. If you are going to use foreign words, know what they mean.

Whereas Michael S. Brown knows what he's talking about, he discredits himself when he says blitzkreig means "lightning fast."  It actually means lightning war and is usually in reference to the initial attack on the Jews in WWII.  You learn that in high school. 

It's a principle that I've been learning in my copy writing class.  That is illustrated in this example.  It shows how careful I'm going to have to be in my field.

boys vs. girls: in love

(Information discovered through many conversations with individuals of both genders.)

Boys will find attributes they like, and be interested in a plethora of girls with those attributes, until they invest more interest in one particular person, as she shows interest back.

Girls will seek one guy. they start to have feelings for a particular individual and no one else compares, until and unless they discover he is not what she though he was.  Or someone else PROVES that they are better.

Dating is like shopping. (I know it sounds terrible but it is true) When you shop you want the most/best for your money.

When you are dating, all you have to "buy" other's love is yourself, but you still want the best boy/girl you can get with that "sum." You won't date below what you think is your value, but people try to date above their value.

How does this work?  You hope they see something in you that you do not see in yourself, then they think that you are above their "value" and everyone is happy!

Just thought this was interesting.

Health Issues

So long story short, I have to cut down on sugar and gluten.  I need to increase water intake, and eat a ton more vegetables. 

Lately I've been trying to come up with new recipes for vegetables, preferably gluten free.  I have found pinterest.com to be an awesome source.

This week I've made stuffed zucchini and cauliflower chicken (both of which are on my gluten free recipe site)

No pictures because my camera went missing.

Thunderstorms have boomed out several times this week in Rexburg, Idaho.  On Monday our Family Home Evening (FHE) group was doing out door activities in the nice and sunny weather that so little visits the usually chilled and snowy climate, when seemingly out of nowhere rain started falling from the sky.  Lightning flashed over and over, averaging about 20 miles away.  Thunder rolled loud and clear, ripping through the sky and causing a significant stir among the college students.  For our little group however, it did little to deter the game of Frisbee we had started.  We continued playing late into the evening until the wind made it completely impossible to throw with any accuracy.  A few minutes later however all was calm.  Such is the bi-polar weather of Rexburg.

Who Knew!

So I have recently made some new friends.  These people like to play sports and run around.  They are rediculously fun people but I do not have the stamina for that... so I decided!  I want to play more...i'm going to have to get in shape!  So I've changed my eating habits. I'm making sure I get as many nutrients into the calories I am eating... I'm adding bananas to my cereal, I switched to 1% milk.  I ate a salad yesterday (it was delicious) and I drank WATER!  

Oddly the whole water thing is kind of a big deal for me.... I do not like water.  It's not just the taste... It's like my mouth and throat reject it.  I think it's a genetic thing because everyone in my family is like that.  Each gulp of water is a struggle.  Add to that that most water does not taste good... (we do have pretty good tasting water though) But I forced myself to drink it!!!

I have never before practiced this much restraint when it comes to eating... I am so excited!!!

New Verified Users for CELEBRITIES

Based off an article on the CNN web site it is clear that Facebook intends to clear up the misunderstanding of having a thousand "justin beibers" and "demi levatos."  similar to twitter they are adding a "verified" user possibility for people who have a lot of subscribers.  I think this is a good idea.  I dislike seeing posts from convincing fakes, it makes me feel swindled.  

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/16/tech/social-media/facebook-verified-accounts/index.html?npt=NP1

See the full article here.

Another benefit to the celebrity is their ability to publish posts under pseudo names.  Such as Madonna, she can now post things with just her first name.