Welcome

Welcome to my blog.

"Blog" is a queer word. It reminds me of a game I recently played for the first time in a group of a dozen of my peers called "Smerf." One of the group exits the room while the others choose any random verb to be designated as the "Smerf" word. The player is invited back into the room. His/her goal is to derive the secret verb through asking questions of the group concerning "Smerf." For example:

How often do you "Smerf?"
Do you "Smerf?" alone, or with others?
What equipment is necessary in order to "Smerf?"
Does "Smerfing" involve Greek mythology?

You get the idea. The game ends when the "Smerf" is discovered.

That, in a sense, sums up my feelings about blogging.
I haven't the slightest idea how often I will blog, though I presume it is generally a solitary function, and though I don't feel that I have the necessary tools in my writer's toolbox to be a great blogger today, I hope to improve. For now, I will be content if what I am able to communicate is influential in some small corner of someone's world, even if it is only my own.

In my judgement, Greek mythology can pretty well be thrown out.

I am new at this. But right now, I am feeling new at just about everything. Everywhere I go, everyone I talk to, everything I see, feel, and experience is new right now.

I am a freshman at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I moved in to my dorm on June 21, 2013, exactly three weeks after graduating high school. I made the move in order to prepare myself for two years of service as a full-time missionary for my church.

Three weeks and a few days into my college career, I am finally starting to get into the swing of things. I was able to nail a pretty solid job working as a telemarketer. It's not fun, but if I had to pay bills it would pay them. Plus, it beats my last job to a pulp.

College is different from my previous life. In high school, I certainly wasn't the prom king, but at least by my Junior and Senior year I felt noticed, felt a sense of belonging, felt missed when not present. The majority of people I interacted with knew and trusted me personally.

That was in a high school of less than 500 students in a town of about 10,000. In Driggs, Idaho, if you are someone, you are known by everyone.

I got used to that. Now, I am at a university of over 30,000 students. I am a nobody. Outside of my roommates, who are rock-stars, and my Family Home Evening Group (I thank the Heavens for them, no pun intended), I am not forced into contact with anyone, and that is sometimes lonely.

I imagine that others feel the same way. I imagine that this feeling of insignificance comes with any major life change. But it is still a feeling that I have, and I am putting it out there for everyone to read about and connect with. Take that, world!

My exploration of blogging has several purposes:
1. It represents an effort to find an outlet for my responses to all of the newness in my life. Hence the above discussion of newness.
2. It represents an effort on my part to hone and refine my skills as a writer. I am (very casually) considering a journalism major, and writing has always been my forté as a student.
3. It represents an effort to put my personality "out there" online, because I often have difficulty doing so in person.
4. It represents a much-needed effort to develop my skills as a typist, which are currently pathetic. My high schooling left me with at least two holes I have already noticed: European and World history and typing.

I can say the following about what to expect in this blog:
- A variety of writing style and content
- A lot of "me" talk: This blog counters as a journal for me. This is not to say that I will write a bunch of mush, but I will not avoid subjective writing. I am, after all, expressing myself here.
- A willingness to discuss much that interests me- including religion and politics.
- A high standard of clarity and grammatical correctness, but not perfection.
- My writing will always be well-thought-out.
- A weekly entry (at least)
- The unexpected
- A lot of cliché
- A lot of bad humor

I am hopeful that someone will appreciate this blog. If so, I would be thrilled to here about it. Please do not be afraid to share your responses to my entries.

At times, I may post an opinion. I implore you to challenge me in a reasonably clear and logical manner. I love deep discussions, though I am not an expert on anything. My opinions deserve reproach if you, the reader, perceive that they do. I strongly believe that validation is essential to obtaining truth, and I welcome your opposing views.

That's all for now, folks! Thanks for listening.

-Jacob