Patriotic Halloween

Although it's Halloween, I have been feeling especially patriotic today. I had to register to vote in a new state (although I voted in Minnesota in the 2008 and 2012 elections) because I am now making this new state my home. I am grateful that I was able to take care of voter registration today.

In addition, I was able to catch Hamilton's America, a documentary about the process of creating and showing Hamilton the Musical, on pbs.org. My respect and gratitude for the early history of America and the people who were involved continues to be nourished.

Finally, I dressed as Nearly Headless Nick, a ghost from the Harry Potter stories, for Halloween today. In addition to my ghost make-up, I created a cheap campaigning button which read, "Nick for Headless Hunt, Sign the Petition!" I debated between that and "Granger/Lovegood 2016."

In any case, I am grateful for the most unintentionally patriotic Halloween of my life. :)

The Shot (Twang) Heard Round the World

This evening, I played a game in which I and nine other people reenacted the Battle of Lexington and Concord. This is the battle best known for "the shot heard round the world" that began the American Revolutionary War. We were assuming an alternate reality, so whatever happened, would be the "new history" in the game. One player was chosen at random, and it was determined that she was the one who fired the historic shot. The funny thing is, she was playing the part of a Native, equipped with a bow and arrow. Therefore, she instigated "the twang heard round the world." It was hilarious, and we all had great fun!

This experience gives me a newfound appreciation for the beginnings of America. Of course, Hamilton helped with that too. But, it's a new experience to live this intriguing and exciting part of history. I am grateful for "the shot heard round the world."

Prayer Will Change the Night to Day

Today, I felt really depressed, and I wasn't quite sure why. I was spending time with my family. I should be happier. As I thought about it, I determined I was weighed down by many personal concerns. I talked with my parents about it. Then, tonight, I felt the need to pray to my Heavenly Father. Like many times before, I felt spiritually strengthened and uplifted. I felt happier! I felt that everything would be okay.

Amazing what sincere prayer can do. I am grateful that, once again, a prayer to God turned by day around. 

Not a Word Game Expert

I like to think of myself as an expert in the English language. I am not the expert, just someone who knows a little more about language.

I also like to think of myself as a lover of games. So, it may surprise some people that I'm not the best at Scrabble, or Boggle, or other similar word games. I even played Balderdash with my family tonight and didn't win (although I was tied for second place with my dad, who is an English teacher). Interestingly, I find such trivial losses a little humbling and enlightening, because I encounter new words or other quirks about the English language. So, I am grateful that I'm not the best at word games, because I continue to learn how great and hilarious my language is.

Trunk or Treat

Growing up, my siblings and I looked forward to not just trick-or-treating, but also trunk-or-treating. This event happens when people show up with decorated cars and candy to offer to the other families that come. It is trick-or-treating from car to car on a parking lot. It's always a fun community event!

I hadn't been to one in years, so I was very happy to attend one tonight. I didn't have a car, so it wasn't obvious to most kids that I offered candy like everyone else did. Nevertheless, it was so fun to just watch the people, the kids, the families, having a great time. I am grateful for trunk-or-treating!

A Blessing of Healing, on the Bus

I jogged this morning to catch the bus on time. As I waited at the bus stop, I felt very sick. I wondered if I would throw up, and I didn't know why. I hadn't eaten anything yet (I take breakfast at work), and I felt fine just half an hour before. Not knowing what to do, I got on the bus, light-headed, hopeful that I would get better before I arrived at work.

As is my habit, I took out my phone to read from the Book of Mormon. I decided to say a silent prayer beforehand. As I focused on reading the scriptures, I felt better. It was during that time that the sickening feeling I had slowly went away. I've felt fine ever since.

I thanked God in prayer, because I believe all good things, all happy circumstances, are blessings from God. Today, I don't know how I felt sick or why I felt better soon afterwards, but it was a moment of physical and spiritual healing for me. I am very grateful for a small and simple blessing of healing this morning.

Over the Garden Wall

Today, someone showed me something wonderful, cute, and clever: Cartoon Network's miniseries Under the Garden Wall.

I saw the first three episodes today, and I instantly fell in love with it! This is the perfect time to watch it, too! Two young boys lost in the woods, encountering every trope from every American Gothic legend. I've never gotten into Cartoon Network's shows, except this one! I'm going to watch all ten episodes when I can! Each episode is only ten minutes long so watching them all is basically a short film!

I never try to make my posts sound like advertisements. It's just that I was so struck and infatuated by this clever series. It's funny, meant for kids and adults (like Disney movies are), it's delightful, and it provokes a few thoughts. I am grateful for Cartoon Network's great work with Over the Garden Wall.

Walt Disney Mustache

I don't like having any facial hair on my face. I don't like the way it looks or feels on my face. On others, it's great. Just not on me. In my opinion.

But today, I got invited to a Halloween party and was asked to dress in a Disney-themed costume. I don't have much in the ways of costume. I have a black fedora...and normal clothes. Add a black Bic pen, and I become Walt Disney!

Yes, I used the pen to draw a mustache on my face. First time ever.

Somehow, I pulled it off! I got a few compliments on my simple costume!

I am grateful that, for one night, in celebration of one of the best holidays of the year (apart from Christmas), I was able to pull of a (fake) mustache.

May it never happen again.

An Epic Ending to an Epic Space Campaign

When explaining Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), I often compare it to a TV series (such as Sherlock, Once Upon A Time, or Parks & Recreation), in that the entire series is referred to a "campaign." A season or a single episode would be called an "adventure" or a single "session" of D&D. Campaigns can last for weeks, months, or (in more extreme or devoted cases) years. My friends and I tend to play through an entire campaign in a matter of months.

That being said, it is always exciting to reach a suitable conclusion to a campaign, just like the bittersweet and often satisfying ending to a TV series you've (binge) watched on Netflix for the past weeks or months. My friends and I ended another campaign tonight, and it was epic! A big bad space boss, betrayal within our own team, a few character deaths, startling revelations, and—ultimately—victory over the chaotic evil powers.

Personally, I like witnessing the end of a D&D campaign more than I like to watch the final episode of, say, Parks & Recreation or The Office. Why? Because in D&D, the ending was achieved with creative, geeky, and awesome friends. I am grateful for another great ending to another epic D&D game.

D.C. Friend Reunion

It's only been a year since my internship experience at Washington D.C., but I agreed with a few of my friends from that time that we needed to do something cool together. Tonight, we walked through a corn maze. I love corn mazes! I am grateful for the great time and the great company I enjoyed, as a direct result of my D.C. experience.

Office Decorating

My office building has a decorating contest. Not for individual desks, but for office team areas. During breaks throughout the week, everyone was busy making and improving their decorations. There was a lot of Harry Potter, forest, and web going on, and it was so awesome. My team has an elaborate tunnel of trees, with a natural-looking floor and sculptures at the end. I am grateful for fun office decorating for one of my favorite holidays!

Improving My Eye for Improvement

Filling out surveys can be difficult for me, but in just one specific way: giving constructive criticism. If there is any disadvantage to focusing on the positive as much as possible, it is that it is often tough to find or point out something that is wrong when, all in all, things are going well. I know how helpful it is to receive feedback on what is going well and what could be improved, I just have a hard time thinking of ways to improve things.

I took a few surveys today, for various reasons and for various people. In each one, I was able to come up with what I felt was good, honest, specific, constructive feedback (meaning, more than an "everything's great" answer). I felt proud of myself! I am grateful that I was able to come up with good, constructive criticism in a couple of surveys today.

A Goal, A Raise, A Boost of Confidence

Today, I was informed that I would be receiving a small raise at work. This combined with the news that I had accomplished a personal work goal has revitalized my appreciation for my work, because I felt appreciated. I am grateful for recent good news and personal accomplishments at work. :)

Home Teaching for the First Time

I've explained home teaching before, but it truly was the highlight of my day today. This evening, my teaching partner and I visited with a young woman who had never had home teachers before. It wasn't because her home teachers never came before, but because she had been baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints quite recently and wasn't familiar with home teaching. My partner and I were her first home teachers ever.

This was a tremendous blessing because the woman had an infectious, positive energy about life and about the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we met and discussed how we are blessed when we keep God's commandments, everyone in the room felt uplifted by the edifying influence of the Holy Spirit. It was a great visit, and the woman really appreciated it. "I like this home teaching thing," she said as we made our way out the door. :)

Lately, I've pondered my personal commitment to this Church and to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Lately, I've felt more like a dutiful disciple, rather than someone truly and sincerely devoted. Tonight felt different. I was reminded of spiritual experiences I've had in the past, and my testimony of Christ and His Church has been renewed and uplifted. I am grateful for an all-around wonderfully edifying home teaching visit today. It was a great blessing to our home teachee, and to me.

Work Out Inspiration!

When I listen to music, I often like to play a movie in my head. These imaginary films often feature original fictional characters from story or game ideas I have. As I worked out tonight, lots of new story ideas came to my mind! I love it when that happens! It was nothing truly ground-breaking, but it was progress. Plus, these new ideas and stories inspired me to work out harder. I am grateful for work out/music/story inspiration tonight.

A Good, Spiritual Discussion Between good Men & Women

The first section is for those less familiar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The main story starts after the three asterisks.

For those of you who are less familiar with the services held by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is broken down into three one-hour blocks each Sunday:

• one for a general sacrament meeting (partaking of the Lord's Supper, sermons by church members), 
• one for "Sunday School" which can involve a selection of specialized religion classes (gospel topics, doctrine from a specific book of scripture, preparing to enter the temple, etc.), 
• and one in which the women attend their own class and the men attend their own class (children and teenagers have their own classes as well). This last hour is known as Relief Society meetings for the women and priesthood meetings for the men.

Every so often, the bishop (leader of the ward) will hold a general class this third hour, or even invite a few members of one gender to teach a class for the other gender. This can be seen especially in congregations made up of young, college-age adults.

*                         *                         *

Today, in church, the bishop arranged for a few of the ladies to come to priesthood meeting to lead a discussion about the principles of the law of chastity (basically: no sexual relations before marriage, and complete fidelity to one's spouse after marriage, although the discussion included pornography and, finally, repentance). I had never seen this happen before, and I wondered how this lesson would go.

What I'm grateful for is how edifying that lesson was. I was surprised, and more importantly, I felt the influence of the Holy Ghost during what became an insightful discussion about God's plan of happiness for His children, how the gift of procreation advances that plan, and its role in the eternal progression of God's children. The class was more of an open discussion that remained on a higher, more respectful plane than the awkward or base ways most outside influences approach the topic.

I am grateful that a good, spiritual discussion between good men and women about the law of chastity turned out to be very positive and edifying.

Video Game Bucket List Just Got Smaller

I like classic video games (Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Pokemon, Tetris, etc.), and there was one game from the '90s that I've wanted to play through for years: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. I saw my cousins play it many years ago, and it looked really neat.

Luckily, my roommate had an SNES console, and the Mario RPG game! I played it off and on this past week or so. Tonight, I finally finished it! I don't have a written bucket list, but if I had one for video games, finishing this game would be on there, and I accomplished that today! I am grateful for the completion of another fantastic Mario adventure.

The Loud Man Upstairs

My roommates and I can hear the vibrations of loud music being played in the room directly above us. It is noticeable and, honestly, annoying to us. Since I hold the belief that all such issues are best dealt with directly and in person. I decided to go upstairs and talk with those higher residents.

The result was refreshing and surprising.

The guy who answered the door suspected that I was from the apartment below. I explained what we were hearing (almost feeling through the ceiling and the walls), and he explained that he was a music producer. He was friendly, and offered to set up a time for us to discuss this issue for mutual benefit. Pleasantly surprised, I agreed, and a time was set for tomorrow afternoon. My roommates were also taken aback when I told them what happened. We weren't bothered by loud music for the rest of the night, and—perhaps—we won't be for the rest of the semester.

I am grateful for simple miracles that come from simply talking directly and respectfully. I am grateful for the wonders that can be accomplished by discussion, not argument, by compromise, not grudging stalemates.

For the Kids at Rehearsal

One of my high school drama teachers issued a call for words of encouragement to the cast and crew in the midst of long (and often tedious) drama rehearsals. This, of course, got me thinking about my four years in high school music and drama. Below are my thoughts, in the form of a message I would give to those kids who are in rehearsals now:

Even as a college graduate with a full-time job, I can still see how my years in high school theater shaped me for the better. My love for the arts, my confidence in my own weirdness, my appreciation for the beautiful and profound, my habit of looking for light and truth from all sources, all of that began or was enhanced by my theater experiences.

To the kids who are now "enduring" those long rehearsals, I say: endure well! If you're not exhausted by the end of it, work harder! If you're not smiling throughout the journey, play harder! I could say many more things that many other alumni would say, so I'll conclude with this:

You are awesome, so keep being awesome.

High school theater had a tremendous impact on my life, and I am so grateful for those beautiful, expanding, creative experiences I had as a teenager.

Voting for the Win!

I heard through social media that it was too late for me to register to vote (I need to register in a new state). I panicked, until I did some research of my own. I'm too late to register by mail, but I can still do it in person. Phew! I was afraid I had procrastinated too much to make the effort to be involved in the upcoming presidential election.

Now, more than I've ever seen before, there appear to be arguments about the worth of a vote when cast in certain directions. I am still learning. I don't know if people will consider my vote "wasted" or not, no matter which way I vote. But I do know this: my vote matters to me. It has some small impact in my state alone. As excited as I am to see who the next president will be, dare I say that I am more excited to be involved in the process.

I'm prepared to face it: no matter which way I vote, someone I know won't agree with me. Someone I know may be upset at me for my decision. It's easy to see this as a lose-lose-lose situation:

"I voted for Clinton."
"That dirty, crooked liar!?"

"I voted for Trump."
"That moronic bigot!?"

"I voted for [third party candidate: Johnson, Stein, McMullin, etc.]."
"How selfish! You gave the election to [Hilary/Trump]!"

I prefer to see this as a win situation:

"I voted! I've contributed my voice. I'm grateful to be an American citizen!"
"Good for you! Who did you vot—"
"Ask me in a year or two, when we've all calmed down about it." :)

I'm grateful for the opportunity to vote my mind, my conscience, my opinion, whatever you want to call it.

Tourette's Syndrome

I recently gave an interview about my experiences with Tourette's Syndrome (I have a rather mild case of the condition—so, no, I don't shout swear words), for a project being done by an acquaintance of mine. Today, I got to see the final videos. I'm realizing that there are things I've learned and experienced simply because of my Tourette's. I am grateful for it. I have learned to be patient, to improve, to be persistent, to be understanding of others, to relax, to focus, to endure well, and to find joy in the little things in life. I am grateful for the experiences I've had thus far because of Tourette's Syndrome.

All I Ever Wanted in a Birthday Celebration

I have been surrounded by blessings today (not that I'm usually not surrounded by blessings, it's just that I've noticed them more today). I recently celebrated a birthday, and it was today that I was able to celebrate with friends and family. I received presents that were truly unexpected, and yet were very thoughtful. I appreciate all of the gifts and cake and such (not so much the cheesy birthday song...multiple times...in multiple languages and accents).

The best gift I received today, and every day, was the one I expected and appreciated the most: genuine love, respect, and appreciation from the people I care most about. Who could ask for anything more?

Look for the Lesson; It Will Come

I know prayers are heard and answered. There has been a concern on my mind for the past several weeks (even months). It has to do with serving God with your whole soul, going beyond mere duty and serving out of love for God and for others, not just because you should. I am still figuring things out, but as I fasted and prayed about this issue, I realized that several General Conference talks covered the topic last week, and at church there was a whole lesson about it. I am grateful that answers are coming to my questions these past couple of weeks.

Witch Hat Cookies: GF Edition

I have been making and handing out witch hat cookies for exactly 20 years now, and this is the first time I'm making gluten-free versions. I had to go to the grocery store today to try to find something round, preferably chocolate brown, that could act as a gluten-free substitute for the cookies I usually use. It was a challenge, but I've gotten used to finding out what has wheat and what doesn't. Eventually, I found what I needed, and I'm excited to be able to continue my annual October tradition and share it with friends who otherwise couldn't enjoy it. I am grateful that I could (eventually) find gluten-free cookies.

Workplace Decor

You know you're fortunate when you see impressive Halloween decorations (especially well-laid-out fake spider webs) at work. I may be a college graduate, but I'm still don't consider myself rich enough to splurge on impressive Halloween decorations. I'm grateful that my workplace is becoming appropriately festive for the upcoming holiday.

Public Art: A Colorful Mural

On my way back from work, I get to walk by a long, colorful mural painted on a concrete wall. I appreciate public art displayed like this. This is the type of graffiti I can get behind. I am grateful for the colorful mural I get to pass by and admire every work day.

Bus Drivers (Especially Aaron)

I really appreciate the work bus drivers do. Right now, they get me to and from work five times a week. The ones I meet are generally quite cheerful and friendly. There is one older gentleman bus driver I admire in particular, let's call him Aaron. As I got on the bus, I noticed he had a badge on his right shoulder which read: "Two Million Miles Accident Free." Amazing! Evan, you, especially, are awesome.

My sincere gratitude goes out to the bus drivers, and I truly try to remember to thank them as I step off the bus.

Kept Losing...But I Made Good Words

Although I love the English language, I'm not an expert in Scrabble, especially the increased pressure of Speed Scrabble. I didn't play Scrabble today, but I did play Bananagrams, and that's pretty much the same thing. I kept losing because the game just goes so fast! But, as a consolation, I ended up making several great words: quoin, garotted, and umbrige, to name a few of the best ones. Though I lost, I'm grateful for the great words I could make in the game.

Rent Reminder

My current apartment complex was kind enough to send me a text reminder to pay my rent before it becomes officially due later this week. I'm usually pretty good at remembering such things, but today I am grateful for this little rent reminder.

Staying Alert at Conference

I won't lie, sometimes it's hard to stay awake for General Conference, especially in the comfort of one's own home. But, I was able to listen to almost all of the talks and learn something valuable from them. That small thing alone is something to be grateful for.

A Small, But Difficult, Moving Job

I did a moving job this afternoon, and it was one of the harder ones I've done (and I've done lots of moving in my life, for myself and for others). There were pieces of furniture that needed to be stacked and restacked and over again. If we were playing Tetris, we lost multiple times over two hours. However, not only did we eventually make everything fit well, we had the energy to accomplish it! I was sweating a lot, and I sometimes don't have great confidence in my own physical strength, but I am grateful that today's moving job was successful!