Reflections on my first year at Brigham Young University...

Welcome to my blog that is only updated when I feel like it.

So, I am nearing completion on my first year at BYU.  It is finals week/weekend.... Whatever...

Annnywho, I thought I would gather the pros and cons of my experience here.  Many of my friends and family have not attended school at BYU, so I thought I would give you the grand experience tour so you don't actually have to wonder any longer!

What is good to start with?  Pros or cons... Hmmmm...

We will start with the negative and move to the positive I guess.

CONS OF BYU

1.  A lot of people don't like BYU and if they don't, they will make you feel dumb.

Hay.  Hay naw.

2.  You have to go somewhere else to buy caffeinated beverages.

3.  I thought people were going to throw themselves off of the SWKT when Romney wasn't elected.

4.  No beards.  Actually though, there was this guy I would see at least once a week and he had a beard down to his collarbone and a little bun and he was so hot.  He also had a cool corduroy backpack and super awesome style.  I would always go out of my way to follow him on my way to class just to get my testosterone-manliness dose for the day.

5.  Provo is not Salt Lake

6.  Everywhere I go there is someone who thinks they are the embodiment of the musical Wicked.  ASK ME TO SING THAT ONE SONG ABOUT GRAVITY I BET I KNOW ALL OF THE WORDS BY NOW.

7.  No one I ever talked to has heard of Mega64.  Not a single person.  That is like, male criteria right thurr!  What, you want us to be compatible but you don't know the people who changed my life forever???
I'm being patient though.  As soon as I find a fellow Internet Soldier, I will know.

8.  People are really too nice...  It's almsot a fake nice.

9.  Door holding is weird.  Everyone holds doors for everyone.  I often find myself in the awkward "how far away is too far away" position.

10.  (For the ladies) You are constantly comparing yourself to other girls.  It's disgusting.  I'm glad I stopped because now I know how awesome I am.

11.  No one here takes me seriously.  Yeah, I goof off a lot.  But the thing that drives me up a wall is that everyone thinks I'm trying to be funny or ironic with the way I dress.  I'm not.  I like my American Flag pants because I like them.  I like my striped pants because I am Tank Girl.  I wear my poncho because it makes me feel like a snowy desert person.  Plus, I don't understand what is so funny about wearing American Flag pants.  It's like they feel like they need to chuckle it off or something!  EMBRACE ME, BYU.

12.  With the exception of maybe 10 people attending BYU, no one understands what it is like to come from Wyoming.

.... Actually scratch that, stay away from my precious state!  But don't pin animal cruelty on me because I like to brand cows.

12.  I couldn't do whatever I wanted to with my hair.  Like shave it and dye it purple.

PROS OF BYU

1.  What they say is true, you meet your life-long friends at college.  I thought things were going to be pretty dismal for me, but some of the greatest people I have ever met lived within 20 feet of me for about 9 months.  That was awesome.  These ladies would even get excited for me when Mega64 stuff happened and they never showed annoyance when I fan-girled all about them.  Lovely, lovely people.

2.  EYE-CANDY.  While I'm sure 90% of the guys here are not my type personality wise, I definitely didn't have a hard time looking at most of the guys here.  Even though their chins were naked (sad face) I saw some of the most beautiful men on the planet strolling around campus here.

An ode to Colby in COMMS 101: you made that terribly boring class incredibly bearable.  I will never forget the last time I saw you speeding away on your motorcycle that instantly earned your double points.

Also, I learned that I love a good moustache.  Probably because of this guy but ehh...

3.  The music scene here is flippin' fantastic.  I was able to see my favorite song played live and literally had to crouch on the ground because I was crying and so overwhelmed...  I also had the wonderful opportunity to see Darwin Deez (pictured above in reference to moustache attraction) which totally made my life.  I never thought I would be happy again after that show.  Shout out to Cody Melnyk for driving me down to Salty City.  I'm adopting you as the older brother I never had but always wanted from now until forever.

4.  You can get an incredible education here.

5.  THERE IS A HOBBY LOBBY.  I ain't even care how dumb that sounds but when I need my yarn/Bob Ross paint supply fix you can find me in heaven.  I mean HOBBY LOBBY.

6.  THERE IS A HOBBY LOB- oh wait.

7.  The FrontRunner.  You don't know what love is until you have ridden the front runner train to Salt Lake on a foggy day.  Pop in some earbuds, catch up on some Mega64 podcast business, and be "that guy" who is seemingly laughing at absolutely nothing.

8.  There is a Wal-Mart and I don't have to drive an hour to get to it.

9.  The movie theaters here are crazy.  Maybe it's because I'm used to the Ritz...  But the seats even recline a bit here.  Color me surprised.  Also, I went to the midnight premiere of The Hobbit and made best friends with some kids who were cosplaying.  My people.

10.  My roommate didn't kill me!  Even after all of my weird music, my weird humor, my Redditing, and my constant filming of YouTube videos last semester.  She even helped me record some stuff this semester.  Props to Kaela for putting up with me for so long in such a confined space.

11.  Uchtdorf waved at me.

12.  There are a lot of people to laugh at, even though that is a mean thing to do.

13.  THERE IS A HOBBY LOBBY.

14.  I didn't go on very many dates, not that it devastates me, but the majority of the dates I went on ended with video games so I was totally open to that.

15.  I got to play a healthy amount of videogames, and my healthy I mean that it wasn't so sparse that it depressed me and it wasn't so much that I developed eyesight problems.


So, that's it.  Those are the pros and cons of my personal BYU experience for two semesters.  All in all, it was not what I was expecting but it was genuinely a good experience.
I will miss seeing men, seeing that I head to the middle of nowhere to live out my summer of money making.

See y'all in 2016 for my next blog post!
Maggie P.

Haikus About Untouchables

About Untouchables

~Zach~

We, the impoverished,

The impure and unholy

Are untouchables

Damned by the Hindus

And their caste system, which brings

Discrimination

Touchables will be

Excommunicated if

They receive my food

We cannot change, as

Forever untouchable

We all shall remain

Scavenging as work,

we live our lives bound to jobs

that all deal with death

Sleep with us and be

Excommunicated by

The rest of the town.

Our love-child can

Only live a life of shame

Because we are vile

And that is our plight

The untouchables lives are

Sad and meaningless

Oh hey.

Okay hi!  So, my name is Maggie, and, uhm, it's been a while since I made a new blog post.  So I decided that because of recent events that I could make a NEW BLOG POST.
And, uhm, so yeah!
Jk. 


I bet you are wondering (you probably aren't),

"Gee willikers, why did Maggie (or whatever you refer to me as) start a blog?  Doesn't she talk enough during the day/make enough status updates on facebook?"

The answer to that, is yes.  I basically never stop updating people about everything.  

So why did I start this blog?

1.  Lack of characters allowed in a facebook status update.


Oh, I know what you are thinking, "Well herpderp Maggs! You could just make a note on your facebook profile!"
Oh please.  Using facebook to do all of this is similar to stuffing my newborn thoughts into a burlap sack only to have that burlap sack thrown in the river tied to 400 spoons (Similar fate befell the special attention bell.  Class of 2012 we are ruthless, yet ingenious.)
Blogs are what the cool kids are doing.  Plus, on facebook could I make a 
SONIC RAINBOOM?!?!
Nope.


2.  You guys will probably think I'm really cool and stuff.  


Like "Oh hey, maybe she sits at a local cafe and blogs about her feelings with one of those little bike lock things, only for computers.  Then, she orders hot chocolate because she is Mormon."
While I fantasize about what life would be like if I lived in a town less than an hour away from Walmart.


3.  Isn't this like, the artsy and contemporary thing to do these days?


I mean please, not-blogging is soooo mainstream.


4.  It just puts a little bit more of my soul onto the internet for people to trololo all the ding dong day if they please:3


5.  This will be a great thing to have my future children look at.  


Then, they will realize how much of a meanie head parent I am which will result in future conversations similar to this:


My future kids- "Well, you were allowed to do all of this cool stuff, why aren't we?"


Me- "Well my two sons, Steve and Jobs, those were the days when the country was ruled by retarded humans.  Be thankful for the robot overlords we have today.  Now go finish your soylent green.  
...Burn a few books while you are at it."




So this is it I guess.  Maybe send me a question on facebook that will help me with a further bloggyblog.  
Live long and prosper.

Conform to the norm... or don't. It makes no difference.

So, before anyone hates me for writing any of this, I would just like to state the following:


1. This is not vaguely directed towards anyone I know, so don't take it personal. 
2. This is an opinion.  Freely give yours if you feel the impression to do so.
3. Please don't think this is me attacking any of you.  If I have told you that you are awesome, or hinted at it, I mean it.  This is just a little vent:3


The word "conformity" has been coming up a lot lately, so I, being the internet weirdo that I am, decided to look up some information.
Apparently, conforming is when you comply with the beliefs of another person.  If you conform to things, you are a mindless zombie, constantly influenced by other people and never yourself.  
That is what about 95% of the internet told me.  But, when I looked up the definition of "conform", it came up with definitions such as:


"To bring into agreement, correspondence, or harmony."
"To be in harmony or accord."
"To be or become similar in form, nature, or character."
"To act in accordance or harmony; comply."


So, now I am confused.  What would be the opposite of conformity?  Obviously nonconformity, but when things come together and harmonize, it is usually a peaceful affair and it makes everyone pretty content.  So, would the opposite be non-peacful and not harmonized?  I'm not saying that all of our beliefs need to coincide together, forming one giant congregation of cookie cutter people all getting along while raising each others children. Instead, I want this looked at a different way.
When people (for lack of a better word) non-conform against a large group of (...ditto) conformists, it shows that they have a strong individuality about them, and a fortified belief system that has been shaped by every event in their life.  Either way, it is fine.  That individual is completely fine in having his/her own take on life and how to live it.
This is what drives me nuts though.


Because he/she belongs to a specific organized religion, they are a conformist.
Because he/she sticks to his/her moral values, he/she is a conformist.
Because he/she belongs to such and such political party, he/she is a conformist.


I won't stand for this.
Just because someone does what they believe is right, they are instantly labeled by the supposed "non-conformists" as someone who doesn't think for themselves.  Who are the non-conformists to judge the people that want to conform to certain things?  Granted, there is opposition in all things, which makes life interesting in some cases, and everyone is always entitled to freely express their opinion.  But I always feel a bit of hostility is directed towards the "conformists".


If something makes you happy, and brings you joy in life, I am just going to go out on a limb here and say conform.  Go ahead and do it.
If making the next door neighbor jealous of your lawn makes you happy, conform to his criteria!  Mow the lawn how he would like it to be mowed!


I am a "conformist", and I honestly don't care what the "non-conformists" think about it. 
I typed this in Helvetica.
Don't flame me as bad as I am expecting... I swear this isn't directed towards anyone specific.  Just the world.