Top 10/Bottom 10, Song, Video and Pic of This Week

I do realize that this is a day late. Friday was a really busy day for me (studying for a long time, then catching up on CSI), and I just got lazy also, so I'll do it Saturday.
So, enjoy the cheers and jeers of the week of February 18-25.

1. Preference dance- Preference dance was most excellent. The dance we went to was a Peter Pan themed dance, so we went to DI and picked out a Peter Pan costume for me and a Wendy costume for her. Not gonna lie, the costumes turned out really good. And the dance was just awesome. So much fun. I'm glad she asked me to the dance.

2. Mission Papers- Finally started my mission papers. Earliest I can turn them in is March 1st, and the soonest I'll know is probably March 16th.

3. Friday Night Pizza Night- Last night was just plain fun. Getting together, a bunch of guys, a bunch of girls, ordering nine pizzas, playing games, talking. It doesn't get much better than that. Especially when you're stuffing ten pieces of pizza in your "little" stomach. Oh, and massage lines. Soothing. 

4. Deseret Industries- Every broke college student's favorite place. See #1. 

5. BYU got Jimmered- So, there were posters everywhere announcing Jimmer would be in the Wilk on Thursday, signing autographs, taking pictures. Hundreds of people showed up, news crews were there. Everyone knew about it- except for Jimmer. Turns out someone put up a bunch of fake posters. To those of you that actually went- You got Jimmered!

6. Inception- I saw Inception for the first time. I think it's worthy of a spot in the top ten. Excellent movie. I did not like the ending at all because I like closure in my movies. But I realize that that's the only way that movie could have ended.

7. The Princess Bride- Wow, I completely forgot about this until just a moment ago. Honestly, this should be #3 or #4. But because I'm a lazy guy, well, we'll stick with #7. But watching Princess Bride with a bunch of friends at Varsity Theater for $1 is just excellent.

8. Valentine's Day- Not gonna lie, Valentine's Day wasn't too bad. It was fun to just be around friends, send little valentine cards to girls, and receiving valentine cards from others. Not bad.

9. Mission shout-outs- Wow, I've kinda lost track of all the mission calls. I know I missed some people so please forgive me (and remind me) if I forgot you. Jon Rogers- Brazil Santa Maria (Portuguese); Chris Hair- Ukraine (Russian); Kevin Miller- Brazil Campinas (Portuguese).

10. CSI- It sometimes isn't a good idea to have your guest star killed during an episode, at least in my opinion. Unless, of course, that guest star is Justin Beiber. CSI, you have made every man in America much happier. 

1. Unknown, conflicting relationship statuses- Ok, my rant begins. You don't tell someone you are just friends and then turn around and begin acting like boyfriend. You don't tell a girl you are just friends and lead her on like you are boyfriend and girlfriend. It's just not a good thing to do. I don't care if this happens to me; I've had it happen before. But I hate to see it happen to any pretty girl, where a guy leads them on. Hearts are broken, tears are shed, really only bad things come out of it. Ok, done ranting.

2. People that egg my window- Someone egged my window. Jerk.

3. Single's Awareness Day/Single's Discrimination Day- Not to be confused with Valentine's Day, Single's Awareness Day leads every single person down a path of misery. It's not fun watching all these couples so happy together when, well, one person doesn't quite make a couple. Oh well. 

4. My insurance company- If we were to say that the amount of mail you get from someone is equivalent to how much someone loves you, my insurance company has loved me more in the past month than anyone has ever loved me. Except they never say "with love," "sincerely," or any other kind closing remark. Heck, they don't even say "Dear Mr. Gruenewald." They just dive right into the letter.

5. The weather recently- Cold+rain=not fun

6. Cleaning my room- Oh boy, we had cleaning checks the other day. And I was in charge of cleaning the room because, well, my roommate was unavailable at the time (he was in Brazil). As a result of the mold growing in the bottom of the sink, leftover soda in the fridge, and the mirror that looked absolutely nothing like a mirror anymore, my place was declared an emergency disaster area by the state of Utah. So I donned a Hazmat suit, armed myself with a bottle of Windex and paper towels, and set myself to work.

7. Looking for a job here- I'm trying to find a job this spring here in Utah. If you know of anything, let me know because I have found nothing. Hopefully, it's just because jobs haven't opened up yet.

8. Looking for housing here- Looking for housing is just as much of a hassle as looking for a job. But at least I have an idea of where I want to stay for spring.

9. Boring lectures- "Quite frankly, my dear, I don't give a darn" (word has been changed to maintain the cleanliness of this site; anyone name that movie?) about the statistics of whale gestation periods and the probability of where whales will be during their mating period. 

10. Intentionally stupid people- 'Nuff said. They just annoy me beyond imagination.

Song of the Week

If I Were a Rich Man- Topol- We watched a clip from Fiddler on the Roof during Econ class and it reminded me about how weird and funny this song is. I love it haha.

Video of the Week

Why the American education system is better than the world's, according to Miss Teen South Carolina. Too funny. 

Pic of the Week

I wish I could make a snow castle like this.

There you have it. The top of the week, only a day late. Sorry about that.
My friends, God bless.

To All the Nice Guys

This goes to all the nice guys.

To the guys that have been delegated to the "oh, we're just good friends" category. To the guys that have the reputation of being a great guy but not a great lover. To the guys that will stay up late listening to a girl rant about how terrible guys are, while being the example of how awesome guys are. To the guys that watch a girl date a total jerk while you stand on the sidelines watching. To the guys that will go on cheesy dates so as to never let a girl spend a Friday night alone. To the guys that are true gentlemen, that hold open the doors for the girls, that compliment a girl on the way she looks.
You deserve some recognition. While the jerk guys get the girls and rewarded with kisses and caresses, all you get is the smile, and maybe a hug. You listen to girls complain about how there are no good guys to date while you stand there, in all your good guy glory, and agree with them. You interrupt the longest killing spree you've had on Halo to help a girl with her problem, truly a great sacrifice on your part.  You give up so much, yet you get so little. So, here's my recognition to you.
You are an excellent person. Your actions do not go unnoticed by the female gender. She is truly grateful that she can call you at 3 a.m. to talk about her problems. She loves it every time you tell her she is beautiful, that she looks gorgeous. She loves it when you notice the new shoes she bought, or when she tries a new hairstyle. The times she comes to you asking for advice is her way of saying "I trust you." The 100 messages she leaves on your phone when you're not available is her way of saying "I need you." The beautiful smile that she gives you is her way of telling you "I love you."
Here's my advice to you: Girls are weird. Girls are really confusing. They will say one thing ("Oh, it's more important to have a nice boyfriend than a hot boyfriend"), then turn around and say another thing ("Mmm, just look at that sexy man over there, oh, what I would do to date him").
Hang in there. I sympathize with you, as I have been in this same situation numerous times. Keep doing what you're doing. Who knows? Maybe one day she'll realize that you've been standing right in front of her her whole life. Maybe one day she'll start having the same feelings that you have for her.
But what if she doesn't? Darn. But, remember, not all girls are like this. One day, you will find a girl that will be just as pretty, just as nice, just as good, but will not throw you off as "the nice guy." She will appreciate all the things that you do. Your job is to find that girl. Even harder is the job of finding that girl that also is single.
Got it?
Nice guys, you are appreciated. Many smiles have been put on many girls faces because of your actions. Keep doing what you're doing, and I promise that one day you will be rewarded.
My friends, God bless.

Top 10/Bottom 10, Song, Video and Pic of This Week

So I just realized that this is my first post in a week. And I also noticed that I have 5 drafts of posts that I wanted to post this week but never found the time to do it. This week has been really stressful for me. 3 tests, losing assignments last minute. Yeah, not a very fun week. But, it is Friday. And Friday means I pick out the best and the worst of this week. So let's start.

1. Letter from my sister- After weeks of not receiving any mail from anyone in my family back home (and a week of just no mail period), I get a letter from my sister, who claims that she hates me so much even though she signs it by saying "Love." Also, the envelope was covered with stickers of tellietubbies, barbie, little mermaid, and other feminine things. I'm not allowed to reveal anything specific in the letter (lest I never get a letter again), but it included stuff about guys she likes, how she has to approve of every girl I meet, and Carl's Jr. fries. And she called a Sadie Hawkins' dance a Cindy Crawford dance and a Tony Hawk dance. 

2. Creative preference dance invitations- Wow, things are really different here. Back home, there was no such thing as a preference dance. And there is no such thing as creative dance invitations. Back home, you go up to someone and ask them to a dance. Here, people go all out. Scavenger hunts, poems, interpretive dances. Though my favorite has to be how I was asked: Sadie Hawkins by Relient K with the words twisted around asking me to the dance. Excellent job. I really enjoyed it. 

3. Americas High School boys varsity basketball- Gotta give a shout-out to my boys. They're 24-5 (13-1) when nobody really expected them to be able to do much. They're in first place in district and with another win will clinch at least a share of the district championship.

4. Americas High School girls freshman basketball- Also gotta give a shout-out to the girl's freshman team. Posted a 23-0 record for the season. Nice job.

5. Piano class- I really like my piano teacher, Dr. Rich. He is an amazing pianist and is just as amazing as a teacher. I have learned a lot from him and expanded my repertoire of music.

6. Pandora- Pandora is a college student's dream. Free online radio where you get to pick what you want to listen to. Right now I have some piano music going, which really helps me concentrate.
7. Organ- Once again, organ is in my top 10. I simply love my organ class. For my big organ piece, I have decided to play Prelude and Fugue in G minor by J.S. Bach
8. Fugitive- Yes, running around the streets of Provo and Orem at midnight while trying to make it to the finish line without getting caught is very fun. Especially for people like Spencer...
9. Making people smile- I made a goal this semester to make more people smile. I just like making people smile. So I hope I'm doing that a little better this semester.
10. Valentine's cards- It's almost Single's Awareness Day, but it's nice when you get valentines from people who really care about you. I have a few hanging on my fridge. 

1. Michele Peralta- Michele, your letter to the editor sparked a whole new wave of funny Jimmermania.The feedback from other BYU fans was absolutely hilarious. And you ended up on ESPN, CBS Sports and Yahoo. So consider yourself lucky. But next time, do not go off on a bunch of Jimmer fans. 

2. Jimmermania- With that said, Jimmermania has gotten way out of hand. I don't mind all the jokes and everything (in fact, I've been on-board for a while, and especially with the letter, my love for Jimmermania has increased), but when you start getting sac-religious with it, then that's taking it too far. I will say though, some of these things are just so darn funny. 

3. Laundry- Gosh, I hate doing laundry. It's so bad that I am going through clothes a third time so I don't have to do it. Hey, as long as they don't smell, I'm good.
4. Tests- 3 tests for 3 classes over 3 days. Not fun.
5. The cleanliness of my room- Again, my messy room is in the bottom 10. Probably because of all the dirty laundry on the floor.
6. My lack of creativity- I have never been a very creative person, and it frustrates me sometimes. I can't even make a valentine card that looks nice because I just can't draw, can't write, and can't do anything that looks nice. Oh well.
7. Misplaced assignments- Word from The Nathan (ooh Jimmer fans, I just preceded my name with a capital The; spam me like Michele Peralta): Don't misplace 10 assignments the day before they are due.
8. My sleep patterns- Ugh, my sleep patterns are all haywire now. I get 5 hours of sleep at night but then I compensate by taking a 2 hour nap during the day. I love naps, but not everyday, which is what has been happening. Somehow, I need to get back into a normal, non-college student sleeping routine.
9. Letters from my dentist and insurance company- You don't even say "sincerely, your dental insurance company."
10. "Your file is too large-" While trying to send a simple photo, upload a crappy recording, e-mail a video, I got that message at least 10 times this week.

Song of the Week

Jessica's Theme- Bruce Rowland- I love the music soundtrack from "The Man From Snowy River" and this is my favorite song from the movie.

Video of the Week

Ok this is a collection of videos that are just flat out lucky. Some of you in Mr. Peters' physics class will remember this video. Enjoy.

Pic of the Week


I could not narrow this down to just one pic. So here's a compilation of some of the funnier Jimmermania pics that have come in recent days.

My friends, God bless.

Top 10/Bottom 10, Song, Video and Pic of This Week

Yes, folks, this is the moment I know you all have been waiting for. The best and worst of this week, January 29-February 4! Enjoy the cheers and the jeers from the past seven days. 

1. Monday- Monday was a most excellent day for me. Everything that could go right, seemed to go right. Refer to this post for more information.

2. Tuesday- Despite all the bad things that happened on Tuesday, I will say that did not draw away from the happiness I felt on Monday. I was just as happy.

3. Ice skating- Ice skating was so much fun. Girls from 3200 DJ, guys from Merrill, I saw mi amor, and just had a blast skating around.

4. Denny's- What's better than going to Denny's at midnight after a great night of ice skating? And on top of that, Chelsea and I being true college students and gathering every last penny we could find to try and pay for the never-ending pancakes.

5. NCIS- Dear NCIS, you have truly made up for what you did to me last week. Not only did you come out with a new episode, you also played a re-run of one of my favorite episodes. Thank you for your improvement.

6. Intramural basketball- Now, this is a surprise. In the past, I have hated intramural basketball. But when you are playing with a good team, having a little success, and not being a recently cut BYU basketball player, intramural basketball is a little better.

7. Poor recordings of your piano playing from your laptop- So I tried recording some of the songs I'm learning on my laptop. The sound quality isn't very good, but at least I can record something. I'll post a few later (hopefully).

8. Organ- I really like my organ class. It is a lot of fun because I can go at my own (rapid) pace, get ahead, and then basically learn whatever I want. Now I have to choose a hard piece to learn. I'm choosing between two Bach Prelude and Fugues: G minor and C Major

9. Cannon Center socializing/watching people- It's so much fun just staying in the Cannon Center and talking with people and watching all the weird people that go through. Or the cute girls that walk through.

10. Mission Calls- This will be in the Top 10 for a long time. Congrats to Christian Bateman- Mozambique Maputo Mission; Kevin Miller- Brazil Campinas; Stephen Patterson- England Leeds (speaking Mandarin Chinese); Oliver Papa- Buenos Aires, Argentina

1. Sunday- Sunday was just a really bad day for me. I was really sick. I spent about 16 hours in bed, feeling extremely fatigued, chills, fever. Not fun.

2. Cavity fillings- Who likes having a dentist's hands in your mouth, with a drill, doing stuff to your teeth while you are fully conscious of what is going on? If only I had a brain

3. Winter weather- "Oh the weather outside can bite me. My car won't start to spite me. I can't feel my freakin' nose. Winter blows, winter blows, winter blows."

4. Girls attempting to do the gallon challenge- Girls should not be allowed to chug a gallon of milk in an hour. It's bad enough when they try to do it. Even worse when they try it in the lobby of a guy's hall and puke in our trash cans. Even worse when they leave an open half-full milk jug. Yeah, our lobby smelled the next day.

5. Budge Hall- Budge Hall, once again you are in the bottom 10. Once again, the water heater has broken this week.

6. El Paso school districts- Three days of school cancelled because of three inches of snow. 'Nuff said.

7. Mail- It's great receiving mail... Just not from your insurance or your dentist telling you how much they appreciate your money. I did get something from grandma: Newspaper clippings about Jimmer.

8. Jimmermania- Ok, now Jimmer is great, don't get me wrong. And for a couple of days the Jimmer jokes were great ("Chuck Norris wears Jimmer pajamas"). But it's been over a week since the SDSU game and yet the Jimmer craziness is getting a little out of hand. All the bromances and man crushes everyone has an Jimmer. I was a culprit of this for a while, but now it's just kinda annoying. The pic of the week is of a true, unannoying Jimmer fan though, just hold on.

9. My inability to get girl's numbers- I swear, this is becoming a real concern...

10. Egypt- Just watch the news and you'll see why it's once again in the bottom 10.

Song of the Week

Fallin' For You- Colbie Caillat- Just a good overall song.

Video of the Week

Sorry about some of the language in this song. There's two questionable words in it but it's really true.

Pic of the Week

This is a true Jimmer fan.

And that's this weeks best and worst of the week.
My friends, God bless.

Happy, Happy, Happy Day

So I have no idea why, but I've been really happy recently. I can't seem to figure it out.
Sunday I was in the pit of despair. I was lying in bed pretty much all day, sick, no energy. It felt terrible.

Then, I had a terrible night's sleep Sunday night/Monday morning. I slept for a grand total of four hours, and had a weird dream that I was kidnapped by a terrorist group, had a bomb strapped to me, then told to go take over David John Hall. Then in my dream, I ate tacos while taking over the hall. Yeah, kinda random dream.

I woke up Monday morning at 6:30 because I thought 6:30 would give me enough time to get a big breakfast (I ate two cookies and a bag of cheetos on Sunday). I get ready for the day, and get to breakfast at 7:00.

Breakfast was wonderful. For the first time, I was the first one to arrive at our breakfast club (normally I arrive when everyone leaves). I had a big breakfast with friends and then went to class. Then I went to class, and was actually pretty awake for the whole class. Physical Science I felt stupid because I kept getting answers wrong for out test review (which I was to take a couple of hours later). After that, I went back to my dorm and took a nap.

When I woke up from my nap, I went crazy. Suddenly, I was smiling all over the place, I was singing cheerful songs (to the dismay of many), and I was just really happy. Who tainted my food with drugs?

I went to my mission prep class and I was just happy. I went to organ class and I was just happy. I skipped my way back to the Cannon Center to eat lunch.

At lunch, I was just happy. I saw a heart made of napkins and got all excited. I was smiling, smiling, smiling everywhere. I was giving hugs to everyone I knew. I had two large pieces of German chocolate cake (yummy!). I didn't have a care in the world.

I continued my joy, bothering Jon and Justice with my happiness while they were trying to study (sorry). Then, I went to go take my Physical Science test, and I got an A, which just made me 

                                                                 happier.

So I won't tell you anymore about my happiness. But one question comes to mind: Why was I so happy? No one did anything really spectacular for me. Nothing of great importance happened. I just woke up and was happy! Why? 

Now, I'm not complaining. I'd love to feel like this everyday. But I need to find out how I triggered it so that when I'm down in the dumps, I can just do whatever I did to feel happy. Fortunately, my happiness has continued through today, despite having to do laundry, the -1 degree wind chill, and having to go to the dentist to get a filling. It has been a pleasant day despite the bad things I've had to deal with.

So, my friends, be happy. I hope my happiness rubs off on you a little bit so you too can be happy. Sing a song. Go out with friends. Relax today and only do the things that are really important. Go ask that person on a date that you've always wanted to go on a date with (which I probably should do). 

Enjoy your life. Don't get caught up so much in all the hustle and bustle of everyday living that you forget to have fun. All work and no play made Jack a pretty dull boy.

And just smile :)

My friends, God bless.