Being a Cougar

I love the excitement in the Marriott Center during BYU basketball games.  They are usually highly entertaining games with the uptempo style at which BYU plays at.  There are always thousands of fans, including a very large student section.  I am always amazed at all the hands waving when the fight song is played for the umpteenth time.  As I look over the section, I am in awe at all of these proud Cougar fans.

But then the games starts.  Then a referee makes a bad call.  My awe turns from pride to shame.  I know, I know, it is difficult sometimes when people are in such a charged state to accept some calls, but I think that sometimes it is too much.  I have to admit that I was not pleased myself with all of the officiating that went on at the most recent home game, and some 'boos' escaped my lips as well.  And for that I feel terrible for doing something that I loathe when others do.

It's hard to accept calls by the refs sometimes.  However, I have noticed through the years that no matter how loud fans may 'boo,' the referees change their call about zero percent of the time.  You would think fans would have realized that by now.   Instead, it got even worse against St. Mary's.  Even after being warned, some student just had to show his dislike of a call by throwing an object onto the court.  Whoever that was, good job!  You just made it worse for team, and the fans.  I think a little more self-control would have served us better, don't you?

I feel guilty by the booing however, because although I am an avid sports fan, I am also a committed member to BYU and the LDS church and always keep in mind the appearance that I make to others.  While at games I always think of what an outsider would think.  A fan for the away team may marvel at how fanatic we are as sports fans.  What if there were such obvious bad calls and we did not boo though?  What would they have thought then?  Maybe that we were better people in general than better sports fans?  I tend to think that people are always watching us at BYU, to see how strange we are maybe.  Why not show them what we really stand for by being understanding and good sports when bad calls are made?

I am sure that if I stated these sentiments during a game though, the student section may just view me as a fish out of the water.

This blog also talks a lot about sports, and the Giants!

It's a good thing that content in this blog is not graded, because I am drawing a blank on what to write about today.  I feel that a good blog post shouldn't be something about me exclusively, but something that other people are able to read and relate to. The point of a blog is to have people read it, and so I want to try and think of things to write that will be helpful or uplifting to those who read.

So that is where I am at today.  I can't think of something that has happened to me recently that I can expound upon and give it some social significance.  I could write about my week, but that is what my journal is for.  That is what it should be for.  Usually my journal entries are me catching up in my life because my journal lay dormant for the past three months.

Hopefully I can think of something between now and next week.  Maybe I will think of some way to relate one of my experiences to society as a whole.  Right now though, it is not happening.

From Analytical to Expressive?

This semester is only a little over a week old, and it is already stretching me in ways that my first four semesters at BYU haven't.  I have taken numerous math and general education classes, which generally teach through logic and repetition.  This suits me well, as I am a very analytical person.  My most painful class at BYU was my freshman English class (with Bio 100 a close second).  I don't know how I survived whatever five or six page paper that I may have had to write.  I just remember it was horrible.

Somehow, this semester I find myself in a position with no math or typical general class.  My MCOM class has me writing blogs and learning grammar all over again, my Spanish class has me reading and analzying poems and essays (in Spanish!  I can't even do that in English very well!), and my preparation for marriage class appears like it would be just another religion class, except for the fact that I'll have three 7-8 page essays to write.  And two of these classes have already assigned me groups to work in for the semester.  Groups! Really?!  Not that I have anything against my groups, its just that I much prefer working on my own.

Well, I think that's enough ranting and time for analyzing, because that's just what I do.  Maybe, just maybe, I could potentially more than any other semester at BYU.  I know that I am not a great writer, and that it is a little difficult for me to articulate all of my ideas.  These are definitely areas that could use some improvement.  I could use some more roundness in my education.  Because I do not like these types of assignments and working in groups is exactly the reason why I should improve them.  I am not sure exactly what my future job will be, but I am willing to bet that writing and working in groups will be some part of it.

I do not like working out of my comfort zone.  I like doing what I know how to do.  I'm sure that is how most people feel.  Worrying and complaining about it will not help me out though.  I will struggle in different things throughout my entire life.  The real challenge is learning how to cope with my struggles and improving them.  I don't think that I'll ever lose my analytical mind, but I think that limiting the skills I want to learn is not a good idea.

I think it's about time that fish adapt and grow some lungs.

From a Male's Mind

In my time at BYU I have been able to see many young and happy couples succeed in their quests to find the right 'one.'  They meet, they date, they become happy, love each other, and eventually seal the deal through marriage.  Several of my own friends have had this pleasure.  They have found the person who they hope to be with for time and eternity.

That is one side of the spectrum.  On the other side, I have seen quite a bit more of my friends fail and fail again in the realm of dating.  Many become discouraged and decide to lay low for awhile, until they recover from the last heart-brake they've had.  Some take longer than others.

What is it that goes wrong?  Is it a misunderstanding between the two?  Miscommunication?  Were they just never right for each other?  Do the two even agree on what went wrong when they split, or do they go their separate ways, each believing that the relationship was broken off for different reasons.  It would not surprise me if the scenario described in the last question occurred frequently.  Let's face it, none of us ever want to see ourselves as the problem.

Is that very smart though?  If people have a misconception about themselves and are too prideful to listen to another person's criticism, they may never be able to better themselves and will be stuck in a continuous dating cycle that ends up going nowhere.  Understanding one's own flaws will lead to a more humble and wiser person.  I have many friends who have broken up with a girlfriend.  One of these friends, I remember, would frequently be texting his ex to try and find out what he did wrong.  He did not blame the failed relationship on the girl, but looked inward and wanted to find out how he could improve.  Well, it must have worked, because he is now happily married.

I believe that it is more important for us to work on our own faults and understand how we live personally.  Understanding ourselves before understanding another will only give us positive results.  Besides, lets face it, trying to understand the female mind is like a fish out of water.