Reworking the Honor Code

I have a good idea.

Every year, every one of BYU's students has to get an ecclesiastical endorsement, to make sure that we're living the Honor Code (because those who aren't living the Honor Code are going to stop because they know they'll HAVE to talk to the Bishop about it). I propose a new system of determining the level of our honor.

First, a little background. One of BYU's main quotes regarding the Honor Code comes from Karl G. Maeser. To keep from misquoting him, this is what he said exactly:

"I have been asked what I mean by my word of honor. I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls-- ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground - there is a possibility that in some way or another I will escape; but stand me on a floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of the Circle? No. Never! I would die first."

It is in the spirit of Brother Maeser that I move to make a change in the process of our ecclesiastical endorsements. It is as simple as this: each student will report to Brigham Square at his or her appointed time (perhaps they could get their new student ID card while they're at it?). Each student will be forced to draw a chalk line around themselves, and they must give their word of honor not to leave it. Ta-da! Problem solved! Those who leave their chalk circles will be required to leave BYU. Those who die in their chalk circles...well, now we know who has real honor.

Perhaps in an effort to continue to actually have a student body (seeing as the only ones left at the school would soon die because they could not leave their chalk circles), we should put a time limit on it. I think 24 hours would suffice. You can't stay in your chalk circle for 24 hours? Sorry--now you have to find a new school. You aren't honorable enough.

I think my solution is definitely a win-win-win situation. Win #1: BYU no longer has to worry about enforcing the Honor Code. What better way to judge the honor of its students? Also, how much money could they save from having to employ an entire department to enforce the Honor Code? Tons. Win #2: The students of BYU. These people obviously have such high amounts of honor, they deserve to be around others of such high caliber. Somehow I have a feeling that this could leave BYU with even more "Molly Mormons" and "Peter Priesthoods" than it already has (if that was possible).** This is also possibly considered a win for them in that they don't have to deal with us Hellians who say things like "hell" or "crap" or "freaking" and who leave a boy's apartment at 12:15 on a Thursday night. Win #3: I no longer have to have an ecclesiastical endorsement every year with my bishop, nor do I have to worry about what the Honor Code entails.

Perfect solution? I think yes.

**Optional Win #4: BYU gets translated because the students are just SO honorable and righteous.

Yeah Toast!!

This is what I did for my ward talent show this last weekend. The guitar case was because I hadn't told anyone what I was doing, just that I was going to sing. I figured it was a pretty good facade. Enjoy. :)

Woot

This is a speech Bill Watterson (the guy who does the Calvin and Hobbes comics) gave to a graduating class at Kenyon College. I love it. Just thought I'd share.

Here's the website, just copy and paste. I can't figure out how to get it to link. Ha

http://home3.inet.tele.dk/stadil/spe_kc.htm

Different

I realize that a few of my posts lately have been kind of depressing. This is very misleading. I'm not depressed, I promise. I'm not even sad! I really can't even imagine things going any better than they are right now.

Lately on Facebook, people keep posting "25 Random Facts About Me." I refuse to fill one out (although my roommate did fill out a pretty funny one about me when I was gone and left my computer open. Check it out, it's pretty funny), but it has led me to a few days of introspection. If you have read my blog in the past, I often write about things I discover about myself. I have a few more, and although it may not be 25, here are some random (or not so random) things about me:

--I cannot wash my hands without getting my pants wet. I've tried many times, and I fail every time. Anyone who lived with me in Jerusalem probably experienced my rage at this fact at least once.

--I love tightening the loose handles on pots and pans. It really is one of my true joys. I don't know why. It's just a screw. I think I just like to fix stuff.

--I hate rollercoasters, but I love turbulence on airplanes. A little conflicting, I know, but I suppose it could be because I haven't experienced REALLY bad turbulence on an airplane yet. I like that feeling in your stomach, but only for a moment, which is why I like planes, but hate rollercoasters.

--During the winter, my hands are never a normal color. They are always a shade of either red or purple, and they're almost always freezing. Don't ask me why.

--I'm a hopeless romantic. I love it when guys are thoughtful, vocal, and honest. Although those things may not always lead to something romantic, I think they are essential.

--I hate the words unitard, crotch, and gonad.

--I love to sit down with someone and just listen to them talk. Sometimes I'll ask someone a question just to get them talking. I love to listen to their opinions, what's happening in their lives, their stories, hopes, dreams, everything.

So far, that's it. I'll probably think of some more at a later date and post them. So maybe this will become a progressive list of things about me.

Life is good.

Dreams

I hate it when you have one of those dreams where you're mad at someone, and when you wake up, you're still mad at them. Also, it's no fun when you have a dream where you're really frustrated or stressed, and you wake up in the middle of it, and you're stressed and frustrated all day.

If you haven't already guessed, that's what happened to me this morning. I'm just not sure how to deal with it. Usually I just pretend like nothing has happened, that way people don't think I'm mad at them. But, is it good to keep that anger penned in? I'm not really sure. What I do know is that I don't like being mad. It makes me sad, especially because I have no reason to be mad.

I'm in a strange mood today, and not just because of the dream. It's Valentine's Day, which usually warrants some kind of self-pity, at least it has in the past. However, this is my first Valentine's Day in which I actually have someone to spend it with. Except he's in California. Although I would like to spend time with him this weekend, I'm not too distraught about it. We'll have our own Valentine's Day when he comes back. I guess I'm just not sure how to feel today. I'm not single, so I can't play the single pity party game today (I hate that game, so I'm glad I don't have to play it), but I'm also going to spend the day without him, so I can't be all...in love or whatever it is you're supposed to do on this day. I think I'll just treat it like a normal day...yep. Sounds like a plan to me. I can play the Valentine's Day game when I actually will be celebrating the day. Until then, I'll just be normally liking of him, and of everyone else I suppose. :)

I'm engaged!! Ok, so not really.

Sam and I went to the Bridal Fair here in Provo, and I volunteered to be the one who gets to be fake engaged. We had to take tons of pictures, and here's a few. :)













We had so much fun. We got hand massages, free flowers (as you can see in the pictures), some free food (crepes, they were amazing), some free pictures of us, and tons of magazines. We entered some drawings for free stuff, so we'll see how that works out too.

Life is good. :)

Lost

I feel so...lost. Dancing has always been my release. The thing that I turned to when I was hurt, confused, and sad. Or, when I was feeling the opposite end of the spectrum: happy, excited, etc. But now...dancing is what is making me hurt, confused, and sad. I hate that I try so hard, and that I have such a passion for it, and I never seem to get any better. I never seem to be good at all, really. I understand that I am down on this now because of the fact that I did poorly at my mock competition last night, but it’s more than just that. It feels this way all the time. I feel like I’m doing well, and then something is there to evidence that I’m not improving at all. In the last 24 hours, I’ve gone from loving dancing more than anything and having hope that maybe I am getting better, that maybe I can do it, to considering not taking any more dance classes at all, and just being a normal college student and taking normal classes all the time. Why not? It’s not like I can do anything with all these credits and time I’m wasting taking all these dance classes.

I’m not sure what I’ll decide. I’m staying for Summer term to take dance classes...who knows if it’ll stay that way. Right now, I don’t want to, but that could change by tomorrow. I have 2 dance classes today, and all I know is that I don’t want to dance in either of them. It’s not like I won’t go, but I have a feeling they just won’t have the same...affect on me as they normally do. Dancing normally makes my day brighter, but today, it will only frustrate me.

Why does this happen?